The night was vast and deep.
At the capital’s harbor, the dockmaster who came to meet them directed his subordinates to pull the ropes, guiding the Gilded into position and fixing it to its designated berth.
From the deck of the Gilded as it edged closer to the dock, it was just one step to leap onto the wooden bridge of the port.
It seemed that now, even if Lin Nuo still harbored intentions to go to Shilang Bay, he had lost his last chance.
“That battle was called the Battle of Abandoned Shields.”
A voice came from beside him.
Lin Nuo didn’t turn his head, but he listened as Dax Migludia recounted everything that had happened eight years ago.
“I was the victor of that battle. I named it, but in truth, the name ‘Battle of Abandoned Shields’ was adapted from something you said when you were ten.”
“At that time, the over nine hundred Treading Wave Sea Guard Knights I led were driven into a desperate retreat by the cultists. Even hiding in the mist, we couldn’t escape their pursuit and slaughter. We lost our way, wandering blindly, and by chance found ourselves on that peaceful-looking island of Shilang Bay within the fog.”
“Then, apart from surrendering to the Great Priest and bishops of the evil god, we were left with only two options. One was to beg the lord of Shilang Bay to let us recuperate in her territory. If she refused, then we would wage war against Shilang Bay, forcibly seize the island as a stronghold to defend against the cultists, and await rescue.”
“We all thought—looking at it, it was just the decor of a fishing village. No matter what, it would be easier to invade than the territory of the cultists… Hah.”
Perhaps recalling the formidable ancient magic whale of Shilang Bay, known as the ‘Ancestor Who Devours the Mist’, Dax laughed twice, as if finding his younger self’s arrogance laughable.
“I thought there were only two options. In fact, the over nine hundred mages following me all thought so, too. But you gave us a third option.”
“Our initial negotiations with Shilang Bay yielded no response. When ninety percent of us suggested a direct assault and occupation, you stepped forward and said you wanted to try once more—as a ten-year-old child.”
“You said maybe a child’s plea would be more likely to gain the sympathy and pity of that mysterious Princess of Shilang Bay, and that you would do your best to persuade her to let our sea guards station there temporarily. When you returned, you told us the princess of Shilang Bay had agreed…”
Speaking up to this point, Dax’s tone suddenly grew resentful.
His gaze toward Lin Nuo turned unmistakably conflicted, full of both love and hate: “But! No one believed you. You lied to us.”
“Shilang Bay still hadn’t made any statement. Scouts later reported they only saw you staring into the distance toward Shilang Bay for a long time. You said nothing, really just stood there for ages before coming back to report.”
“After deceiving us, you waited until that night, when our guard was down— You, at just ten years old, look—at that time, you weren’t even as tall as my cane.” Dax raised the cane in his hand.
“You and two guards from the Clemence Family set fire to all the pay on our warships, burning it until only enough for one day remained. Then you smashed all the magic rudders to pieces! With the ships unable to turn, guarding a few broken vessels with no food left, we had no choice but to abandon our defense, and launch a desperate assault against the fifty thousand cultists under the evil god’s banner—nine hundred against fifty thousand…”
“That was the Battle of Abandoned Shields.”
A battle where death was the only way forward.
Dax’s gaze grew vacant, as if recalling the day they were forced to the edge.
His voice turned bleak, “You said to me, word for word: ‘Break the cauldrons and sink the boats. Fight with your back to the river.’ You cut off our retreat with that, even though we all knew that nine hundred defeated soldiers had no hope against fifty thousand fanatic cultists…”
“But for the sake of survival, even when my leg was blasted into a bloody mess, I fought with more ferocity than ever before. Charging into the monster horde with my men was the most exhilarating moment of my life… We were supposed to all die as martyrs for Chongsheng.”
“Maybe it was your actions that moved her. At her request, the Ancestor Who Devours the Mist came to help us. That’s why I say, it was you who forced us to win that battle.”
“Lin Nuo, even now I still can’t believe it. You, at ten, led two guards to destroy all our escape routes, shouldering the misunderstanding and hatred after we learned the truth, and forced us to make a desperate counterattack…”
“That all of it, was something a ten-year-old dared to do. I still don’t know how the two mere guards from your Clemence Family dared, with a child like you, to pull such a mad stunt that looked like they were leading us all to our deaths.”
“You say… Clemence Family guards? As I recall, that’s just the kind of people they are.” Lin Nuo said, “The Ancestor Who Devours the Mist—sounds pretty powerful.”
“It is, It was only when that ancient, majestic giant magic whale came out and swallowed up fifty thousand cultists that we realized Shilang Bay had the protection of the ‘Ancestor Who Devours the Mist’.”
“And we realized that if you hadn’t risked everything to stop us from ignorantly launching an attack on Shilang Bay, we would have ended up caught between two sides, with a fate too tragic to imagine.”
Perhaps guessing what Lin Nuo wanted to ask, Dax continued: “That largest magic whale is indeed an existence far beyond Ankalamuheng, and even vastly surpassing those two hundred thousand cultists. Unfortunately, it’s grown too old now. Its life is nearly at an end, with just a few days left at most. It has no fighting strength anymore…”
As he spoke, Dax suddenly reached back, and Lin Nuo’s hand, already gathering a certain magical force, was tightly seized by him.
The magic condensed in his palm was a sleeping curse unique to the Clemence Family.
“Lin Nuo, I’ve figured it out.” Dax sighed, “It seems that even after coming all this way, you still haven’t given up on her.”
“Some of my subordinates say you’ve changed, that compared to when you were ten and dared to risk everything alone, forcing us into a corner and then reversing our fate with fearless wisdom, you’ve grown weak and dejected.”
“But I know, you’ve always been you. I’ve never underestimated you for a moment but this time, there’s truly no way. I must take responsibility for your safety.”
There was no need to say more.
Dax promptly raised his cane, about to use it to knock out the already-captured and firmly restrained Lin Nuo.
Lin Nuo didn’t dodge, only watched as the sleeping magic, a ring of magical light, formed on the cane—just half a finger’s width from his chest.
“Clang!”
The ship unexpectedly lurched again from a sudden thrust, and the unsteady Dax staggered back a step.
His face showed shock: “What’s going on?!”
“Uncle Dax, I have to apologize as well—I have a reason I must go.”
Lin Nuo said, “And also, since you know the loyalty of the Clemence Family’s guards, you really shouldn’t have let me and my guards spend time alone together.”
Suddenly realizing something, Dax looked around in a rush—Kaier and the other two guards from Claremont Manor were gone.
Sensing the sudden sound of wind from behind, Dax had no time to resist as Kaier appeared out of nowhere, casting the sleeping spell on him.
“My apologies, Lord Dax!”
“A guard of the Clemence Family can only ever be loyal to the lord of Clemence Family.”
“If the lord is absent, the young master’s orders come before all else!”
Kaier used some sort of battle technique to lock up all of Dax’s joints with perfect control, and only when Dax, under the sleeping spell, glared at Lin Nuo in disbelief as he lost consciousness did Kaier finally relax and ask Lin Nuo: “Young master, do you need to return to Claremont Manor to search for a map of the Shiguang Sea?”
“No need, just follow my orders.”
Lin Nuo remembered the direction Dax had been looking during his reminiscence, that should be the direction he wished to go.
“Use Water Magic Arrow and Wind Magic to increase our speed.”
“Turn the rudder to the right.”
“Bang—”
With the force of magic, the Gilded began to turn, snapping the mooring ropes that had just secured it to the dock.
Under the astonished gaze of the dockmaster, this not-so-large but extremely swift patrol vessel immediately began to sail back out.
“Chirp chirp…” Fatty Bird, who’d pecked at the grape wine twice, chirped and flew out.
“You think I’ll still make it in time, or that it will matter if I do?”
“Chirp?”
Fatty Bird didn’t understand a thing, a bit seasick, fluttering into Lin Nuo’s arms and letting him hold it.
“Mm, you’re right.”
Lin Nuo, lost in thought, stretched out his hand, feeling the night wind: “For a personal nun to leave the young master’s side without permission—no matter where she’s gone, I’ll have to go find her and teach her a lesson.”