"Whoosh..."
The boat cut through the waves as Lucas stood at the bow, gazing at the wide river. The width of the river had already reached over 700 meters, and he had heard from Dahlia that this wasn't even the widest part.
"Good morning, Lord Lucas."
Suddenly, a shout came from below the boat. Lucas turned his head and saw Dahlia rowing a small boat toward him.
"Good morning, Miss Dahlia." Lucas responded.
Soon, Dahlia boarded the boat and walked over to Lucas's side. She had to travel between several boats for inspections every day, and now, she had already finished her morning inspection.
"Lord Lucas, there is something I want to tell you." Dahlia said seriously, tucking her hair behind her ear as it fell in front of her forehead.
"Oh? What is it?" Lucas asked, surprised. It was rare to see Dahlia with such an expression.
"Lord Lucas, you've probably noticed in the past few days, right? The number of ships on the Whispering River has increased quite a lot." Dahlia said in a low voice.
"Yes, indeed, there are many more," Lucas replied, pausing to consider the meaning of her words. He then raised an eyebrow and asked, "They wouldn't be heading to Pentos City for the auction, would they?"
"I think so," Dahlia nodded firmly. "By the way, Lord Lucas, have you ever heard of the legend of the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom'?"
"Divine Heavenly Kingdom? That legendary kingdom? The one where anyone who enters can achieve immortality?" Lucas asked, a bit puzzled. He had actually heard about this legend from Nicole.
The "Divine Heavenly Kingdom" was a widely circulated myth in this era. When Lucas first heard of it, he immediately understood that it was just another tale spun by some unknown charlatan to deceive people, much like myths from Earth.
"I heard that one of the auction items this time is something that came from the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom.'" Dahlia said with a serious face. This was the information she had learned from some familiar ships yesterday.
"Huh? Do you believe that?" Lucas laughed lightly, raising an eyebrow. "Miss Dahlia, do you really believe there's such a thing as the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom'?"
"Hehe... Of course not." Dahlia giggled, her eyes curving into crescent moons. She had originally planned to tease Lucas, but she couldn't help laughing.
Any sharp-eyed merchant would quickly realize that someone was trying to raise the prestige of the auction items by using the legend of the "Divine Heavenly Kingdom" as a backdrop.
"Well, that's the point. They're probably just here to join in the excitement," Lucas said, his black eyes narrowing slightly. He immediately came up with an idea—about the "Divine Heavenly Kingdom." This was perfect for some publicity.
"By the way, Lord Lucas, we'll arrive in Pentos City tomorrow morning." Dahlia reminded him.
"Alright." Lucas nodded.
"Then I'll be on my way." Dahlia said, adjusting her skirt and giving a noble bow before turning to head toward the cabin. She was starting to feel a bit hungry.
Lucas watched Dahlia leave, then turned back to gaze at the Whispering River, deep in thought. He began to refine the plan he had just come up with regarding the "Divine Heavenly Kingdom" legend.
Half an hour later…
"Young master, don't catch a cold." Mina quietly approached, holding a coat, and draped it over Lucas's shoulders. She spoke softly, "Nicole says it's time to eat."
"It's not as cold as Sedona City here." Lucas adjusted the coat, already having been away from Sedona City for six days. This whole time, he had been on the boat, and it had truly started to wear on him.
So, he woke up early this morning to get some fresh air. Looking at the wide river, it was refreshing, and the open space really cleared his mind, dispelling the gloom that had built up over the past few days.
"That's true. Plus, it doesn't snow as much here." Mina agreed with a nod. Back in Sedona City, you couldn't leave the house without multiple coats.
"Let's go, breakfast time." Lucas said, turning toward the cabin. He was starting to miss solid ground.
"Yes." Mina replied.
The two arrived at the cabin just in time for breakfast. Nicole was placing a large plate of noodles on the table, accompanied by several plates of braised fish and steamed fish.
"..." Lucas raised an eyebrow. They had been eating fish for four days in a row, yet these girls still loved it, happily fishing every day without complaint.
Well, the main reason was that Nicole made the fish so delicious. She managed to remove any fishy odor, and with the various sauces Lucas brought from Earth, the fish tasted amazing.
"Wow! Fish again!" Mina exclaimed happily, rushing forward to sniff the fish. The cat-eared girl's eyes gleamed at the sight of the fish, most of which had already ended up in her stomach.
"Sit down and eat." Nicole gently urged.
"Good morning, Lord Lucas." Catherine greeted.
"Good morning." Lucas nodded. Once everyone had taken their seats, he picked up his chopsticks, and everyone began to dig in.
Slurping up noodles and eating fish, the group chatted about some amusing stories.
Suddenly, Lucas spoke up, "Nicole, we'll be arriving at Pentos City tomorrow morning. Pack up a bit tonight, and we'll disembark tomorrow."
"Huh? We're already arriving tomorrow?" Nicole said, surprised, then nodded. "Got it. I'll prepare more food tonight for Miss Catherine and Miss Dahlia to take with them."
"Are we really going to part ways tomorrow?" Catherine was momentarily stunned, then said in a downcast tone, "Time has passed so quickly."
"Why don't you come with us?" Nicole set her chopsticks down and said softly, "It should be fine if we return to the capital a bit later, right?"
Over the past few days, Nicole had come to like Catherine, this lively and cheerful girl who didn't carry the arrogance often associated with a duke's daughter.
"This..." Catherine paused for a moment, then shook her head and forced a smile. "It's better not to. I've been away for too long, and if I don't hurry back, my father will get anxious."
Dahlia had told her about the rumors, and she didn't want her presence to cause Dahlia's plans to fail. They had finally gained the upper hand, and she couldn't let her own impulsiveness ruin it.
"..." Dahlia gave Catherine an apologetic smile. This time, they really couldn't stop. She could leave Catherine behind, but if she went back to the capital alone, the Duke would probably block her way.
"I'm so full." Catherine said, putting down her bowl and chopsticks. She reached under the table and squeezed Dahlia's hand, shaking her head nonchalantly. In the end, it was still because of her identity that all these issues had come up.
In truth, she was the one who felt most apologetic. It was her identity as a duke's daughter and her illness that had sparked the series of troubles.
Lucas watched their interaction, feeling that having friends who could understand and support each other was truly a great blessing in life.
"Young master, are we releasing the pigeons today?" Mina finished her last piece of fish and asked, "There are twelve left. How many should we release today?"
"Not today. We'll release them once we reach Pentos City." Lucas shook his head.
Over the past few days, they had gradually released some of the pigeons. They tied a piece of white linen on the pigeons' claws as a marker. If they could make it back to Sedona City, they would tie red cloth on the pigeons to mark their successful return, signaling that the training had worked.
Was there anyone using birds to send messages in this era? Actually, yes. Lucas had heard from Catherine that some special organizations did use birds to relay messages.
"Lord Lucas, could you give me one of the pigeons?" Catherine suddenly asked. "I was thinking of writing letters to Nicole and Mina."
"Of course. When we leave tomorrow, I'll give you three pigeons." Lucas nodded in agreement. He didn't need to be asked, and as for whether the pigeons would make it back to Sedona City, that was another matter entirely.
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