Chapter 1 Nina's Long-Awaited Trip to Light Breeze Port

Nina had long anticipated her trip to Light Breeze Port and the culinary delights of the elven city-state, but now she faced a harsh reality.

She sat at the table with a vacant stare, gazing at the pile of indescribable-smelling, blackened substance before her—over-toasted pancakes topped with stringy, bubbling, fermented beans. The aroma alone was enough to imagine the mind-blowing flavor combination. This went beyond Nina's understanding of "food," resembling some abstract work of art instead.

Sherry, across the table, was in no better shape. She had before her a "localized, elven-style" crepe. The smell of fermented cheese had given her a greenish complexion.

After a long silence, Sherry looked up at Nina, then pointed at the food on the table. "They said this is a crepe…"

"How could they insult a crepe like this…" Nina looked as if she were about to cry. "It's my favorite thing to eat since I was little…"

"But this is indeed Light Breeze Port's crepe," said Talan Eile, sitting at the other end of the table. The renowned scholar from the Academy of Truth seemed nervous and uneasy, unsure whether it was because he had "neglected Captain Duncan's dependents" or simply because he couldn't bear the almost resentful gazes of the two girls. "As far as I know, many outsiders don't seem to adapt to it… but some grow to love it after getting used to it…"

Nina looked horrified. "But these beans are rotten! Not just rotten, they're stringy! The slime is even bubbling!"

"But it tastes delicious, really," Talan Eile explained earnestly. "And there are absolutely no health concerns—on the contrary, it's very beneficial for the digestive system…"

Nina and Sherry looked blankly at the scholar's explanation, their minds seemingly unable to process the logic of this world.

Duncan arrived to find this predictable scene.

He couldn't help but laugh, stepping forward to ruffle Nina's hair. "Didn't I tell you? You might not adapt to the food in Light Breeze Port—the elves have made many adjustments to these regional specialties according to their tastes."

Nina muttered, "But I didn't imagine what those adjustments would be like…"

"I apologize, I didn't think it through—I should have recommended some less 'local' foods first," Talan Eile said apologetically to the two disappointed girls. He had been subconsciously nervous when he saw Duncan appear, but he had adapted along the way and quickly adjusted his state. "Light Breeze Port's bread and smoked meat rolls are the same as elsewhere. Let's get rid of these things."

Unexpectedly, Sherry pursed her lips after hearing Talan Eile's words and picked up the strangely scented "crepe" in front of her.

Lucrezia, who had been watching the fun from the side, was surprised to see this. "Sherry?"

"This is food," Sherry mumbled, then, as if making a great decision, she closed her eyes and stuffed the crepe into her mouth, making muffled noises as she chewed vigorously. "It's not that bad…"

Nina looked in astonishment at her friend across the table, who was struggling to swallow the food. After a moment of stunned silence, she seemed to realize something, then silently picked up the things on her plate.

The two girls devoured the food Talan Eile had bought back.

Then, almost simultaneously, they wiped their mouths, looked up at each other, and grinned.

The living room suddenly became a little quiet.

Duncan smiled and patted Nina's shoulder, then went over to wipe the "sauce" from Sherry's face.

Talan Eile, after a few seconds of stunned silence, reacted and broke the silence with some embarrassment. "Few outsiders can adapt to them so quickly… Oh, right, if you're not used to these fermented foods in Light Breeze Port, we actually have many foods that retain their original flavors, in addition to the bread and smoked meat rolls I mentioned earlier. There's also Central Sea-style cream stew, Lan Jingcao (Blue Essence Grass) stewed meat, Northern-style mushroom stew, and beetroot custard…"

Nina's eyes widened as she listened, a glimmer of anticipation returning to her eyes. "You have normal-tasting food too?! Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Talan Eile spread his hands. "Because it's not time for dessert yet…"

Nina's newly radiant expression instantly became a bit dull again. "...Dessert?"

"Yes," Talan Eile nodded. "Those things I mentioned are all desserts—we usually mash them into a paste and use them as dips for honey cakes."

This time, not only Nina but even Duncan was shocked.

Sherry, across the table, hugged her head on the spot and muttered weakly, "What the f— I want to go back to the ship… This is some kind of warp space torture chamber…"

Duncan thought to himself that no one would eat this even in warp space—but he was too embarrassed to say it in front of Talan Eile, the native elf.

Just then, a doorbell from the direction of the entrance suddenly interrupted the conversation in the living room.

Lucrezia frowned almost imperceptibly. A "manservant" in a waiter's uniform walked stiffly and mechanically out of the living room. After a moment, the manservant returned from the hall, bowed slightly to his mistress, and said, "A visitor from the City Hall. Governor Sara Mell invites you to a meeting."

Lucrezia frowned impatiently. "Tell the visitor that I won't go—I'm entertaining more important guests. I don't have time."

"But the messenger said that the matter Governor Sara Mell wants to discuss is related to your 'honored guest'," the manservant said in a mechanical and dull voice. "And the matter has the witness of the Four Gods."

Lucrezia's expression finally changed slightly. She subconsciously looked up and glanced at Duncan.

Duncan, of course, heard the conversation between her and the manservant, but his expression was indifferent. He waved his hand casually. "It's normal. I swaggered into the city with you—other city-states might not care, but in the elven city-state, an 'adventurer' who was still active a hundred years ago might not be an unfamiliar face."

"Then he should visit in person," Lucrezia said with some dissatisfaction. "Sending someone over casually is not proper etiquette."

"Think about Tirian's current schedule—the governor of a city-state isn't that free," Duncan laughed. He glanced at the "Sea Witch," who seemed cold and arrogant but was actually refusing to go out because she was afraid of trouble and lazy. He casually said, "Let's go out. Let's hear what the governor has to say. I'm also curious as to how he got the 'witness of the Four Gods' involved—or should I go with you?"

"Ah, I can go by myself!" Lucrezia said quickly. Then she sighed, nodded goodbye to the others in the living room, and prepared to leave.

A few colorful pieces of paper flew out from beside her, but in the next second, those pieces of paper returned to her body—Lucrezia suddenly stopped, looked at Duncan with a subtle expression, gave a stiff smile, and walked out of the living room.

Duncan remained expressionless throughout.

After Lucrezia left, Talan Eile scratched his head inexplicably, looking at the others in the living room. "Doesn't she usually use magic to travel when she goes out alone? Why is she suddenly willing to walk today…"

Duncan crossed his arms indifferently. "How would I know?"

…

Sara Mell looked at the "Sea Witch" walking into his office with some surprise—he wasn't surprised that she had arrived on time, but rather that the witch was walking honestly through the front door of the City Hall, taking the elevator up, walking down the hallway, pushing open the door of his office, and walking in.

"I've already opened the window for you," the elderly elven governor raised his hand and pointed to the open window next to him. "I thought you would fly in as usual."

"Glass can't stop a phantom. I can come in even if you don't open the window," Lucrezia said with a straight face, her tone somewhat unnatural. "But today… I just wanted to walk around."

"Oh, yes, proper exercise is good for the body, especially for scholars like you who focus on research," Sara Mell said. For some reason, he felt that the witch's attitude and way of speaking were a bit strange today, and even the aura she exuded was different from usual, but soon, he put this sense of incongruity aside. "Please sit down and take a look at the letter I put on the table."

Lucrezia had noticed the opened letter with the conspicuous emblem of the Church of the Four Gods. She nodded, sat down across from Sara Mell, picked up the letter, and quickly scanned it.

Soon, the "witch" raised her eyebrows, obviously surprised by the contents of the letter, and the surprise was tinged with a subtle "interest."

She raised her head and waved the letter in her hand. "This letter was sent to all the city-states on the boundless sea?"

"Yes, the governors of the city-states should receive them one after another in the near future," Sara Mell nodded. "Although I'm very interested in their reactions at that time, before that, I'd like to hear your opinion first—as Captain Duncan's descendant, and a descendant who has just re-established contact with him, how do you view the Church of the Four Gods' attitude on this matter?"

Lucrezia thought for a moment. "...The church, they are more diligent and 'enlightened' than I imagined."

"Strictly speaking, it's the attitude of the Four Pilgrim Arks that's very enlightened," Sara Mell said. "Many people have preconceived notions about them, always thinking that the popes and their 'Pilgrim Episcopate' are the most law-abiding, rigid, and stubborn representatives in the world, but in fact, the situation is often the opposite of what people commonly think."

Lucrezia: "You don't seem to be bound by these 'commonsense' notions?"

"After all, the longer you live, the more you learn," Sara Mell shrugged. "I was actually surprised when I first received this letter, but thinking about what has happened recently and the recent activities of the Church of the Four Gods, I'm not surprised by the contents of the letter."

Lucrezia frowned slightly. "The recent activities of the Church of the Four Gods?"

Sara Mell didn't answer her directly, but suddenly asked a question. "...When was the last time you encountered the church's patrol fleet on the border?"

(End of this chapter)