Chapter 1 Awaited Journey and Bitter Reality

Nina had long been looking forward to the trip to Light Breeze Harbor, and especially to the delicacies of the elven city-state. Now, she finally faced a cruel reality.

She sat blankly at the table, staring at the pile of blackish substances exuding an indescribable odor. Overcooked muffins were topped with fermented beans that stretched and bubbled. The resulting aroma, even without tasting, was overwhelmingly shocking. This far exceeded Nina's understanding of "food" and felt more like an abstract work of art.

Shirley across the table was clearly not in much better shape. In front of her was a "localized elven version" of sweet pancakes. The smell of fermented cheese was turning her face a shade of green.

After a long silence, Shirley looked up at Nina and pointed to the food on the table. "They say this is sweet pancake..."

"How could they insult sweet pancake like this..." Nina looked like she was about to cry. "It's clearly my favorite thing to eat since I was little..."

"But this really is the sweet pancake of Light Breeze Harbor," said Talan Aier, sitting at the other end of the table. This scholar, quite famous in the Academy of Truth, seemed nervous and uneasy, unsure if it was due to "neglecting Captain Duncan's kin" or simply being unable to face the almost resentful gaze of the two girls. "As far as I know, many outsiders don't seem to adapt very well... but there are also those who love it after getting used to it..."

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

"But it tastes good, really," Talan Aier tried to explain sincerely, "and there's definitely no weakness issue—on the contrary, it's very helpful for the digestive system..."

Nina and Duncan listened to the scholar's explanation, both looking like their souls had left their bodies, their minds not quite able to keep up with the logic of the real world.

Shirley saw this predictable scene when she arrived.

Lusala Meiya frowned almost imperceptibly. A "maid" dressed as a waiter walked quickly out of the living room with mechanical, stiff steps. A moment later, the maid returned from the foyer, bowed slightly to her master, and said, "A visitor from the City Hall, Governor Sara Mel invites you to the council." Jiang Hong remained expressionless throughout.

"This is food," Duncan muttered, then, as if making a major decision, he closed his eyes and stuffed the pancake into his mouth, making muffled sounds as he chewed vigorously, "It's not that bad..."

This time, not only Nina, but even Jiang Hong was greatly shocked.

Shirley crossed her arms, unconcerned. "How would I know."

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

Nina stared in astonishment at her good friend across the table who was trying to swallow the food. After a moment, she seemed to realize something and wordlessly picked up the food from her plate.

"But the messenger said that the matter Governor Sara Mel wants to discuss is related to your 'honored guest'," the maid said in a mechanically lively voice, "and the Seven Gods are witness to this."

Lusala Meiya frowned impatiently. "Tell the visitor I'm not going—I'm entertaining more important guests, I don't have time."

Nina's expression, which had just brightened slightly, instantly turned blank again. "...Dessert?"

Sara Mel did not answer her directly, but instead asked a question: "...When was the last time you encountered a church patrol fleet at the border?"

"To be lenient, the attitude of the Seven Great Pilgrimage Arks is very open-minded," Sara Mel said. "Many people have preconceived notions about this, always thinking that the popes and the 'Pilgrimage Bishops' around them are the most devout and stubbornly rigid representatives in this world. But in fact, the situation is often contrary to people's common sense." Lusala Meiya had noticed the opened letter with the conspicuous emblem of the Church of the Seven Gods. She nodded, sat down opposite Sara Mel, casually picked up the letter, and quickly scanned it. The living room suddenly became quiet.

Hearing this, Nina widened her eyes, and a glimmer of expectation seemed to return to her eyes. "So you also have strangely flavored food?! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

The two girls devoured the food Talan Aier had bought back, nearly wolfing it down.

"Think about Tirian's current schedule—the city-state's governor isn't that free," Shirley laughed. He glanced at the "Sea Witch" who seemed indifferent and aloof, but in reality, she refused to go out because she feared trouble and laziness, and said casually, "Why don't you go out for a while and listen to what the governor has to say? I'm also curious as to why he brought up the 'Witness of the Seven Gods'—or shall I go with you?"

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

Talan Aier reacted after a few seconds of stunned silence, breaking the silence with some embarrassment. "Not many outsiders can adapt to them so quickly... Oh, right, if you're not used to the fermented foods of Light Breeze Harbor, we actually have many foods that retain the original flavor of their place of origin. Besides the bread and smoked meat rolls I mentioned earlier, there's also cream stew in the central sea region style, Lan Jing grass stewed meat, mushroom stew in the northern style, and red vegetable custard..."

"Then he should visit in person," Lusala Meiya said with some dissatisfaction, "It's not proper etiquette to casually send someone over."

Shirley smiled, patted Nina on the shoulder, and then went over to wipe the "sauce" off Jiang Hong's face.

"After all, the longer you live, the more you understand," Sara Mel shrugged. "I was actually a little surprised when I first received this letter, but after thinking about what's been happening recently and the recent activities of the Church of the Seven Gods, I wasn't surprised by the contents of the letter."

Duncan, across the table, hugged his head on the spot, muttering weakly, "Motherf****r, I want to go back to the ship... What the hell is this subspace torture chamber, damn it..."

Lusala Meiya: "You don't seem to be bound by those 'common sense'?"

"Yes," Talan Aier nodded, "Everything I just mentioned is dessert—we usually mash them into a paste and use them as a dip for honey cakes."

Talan Aier spread his hands. "Because it's not dessert time yet..."

"Ah, I'll go myself!" Lusala Meiya quickly said, then she sighed, nodded goodbye to the others in the living room, and prepared to turn and leave. Soon, the "witch" raised her eyebrows, clearly surprised by the contents of the letter, and the surprise was tinged with a subtle "interest."

Shirley thought for a moment, thinking that no one in the subspace would eat this—but in front of Talan Aier, an elven native, he was ultimately too embarrassed to say it.

But unexpectedly, after hearing Talan Aier's words, Duncan suddenly pursed his lips and picked up the "pancake" with the strange smell in front of him.

Shirley certainly heard the conversation between her and the maid, but the expression on his face was indifferent, and he just waved his hand nonchalantly. "It's normal, I came into the city with you in a big way—other city-states might not care, but in the elven city-states, this 'adventurer' who was still active a hundred years ago might not be considered an unfamiliar face."

This made him unable to help but laugh, stepping forward to ruffle Nina's hair. "Didn't I tell you, you definitely won't be able to adapt to the food of Light Breeze Harbor—the elves have made a lot of adjustments to these local specialty foods according to our tastes."

Sara Mel looked at the "Sea Witch" walking into his office with some surprise—he was not surprised that she arrived on time, but because the witch actually entered the City Hall through the main entrance, took the elevator up honestly, and then walked down the hallway from outside to the door of his office, pushed the door open, and walked in.

Lusala Meiya thought for a moment: "...The Church, they are more attentive and 'open-minded' than I thought."

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

Lusala Meiya frowned slightly. "Recent activities of the Church of the Seven Gods?"

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

"Sorry, I didn't think it through enough—I should have recommended some foods that weren't so 'local' to you first," Talan Aier subconsciously relaxed when he saw Shirley appear, but he had adapted so well along the way that he quickly adjusted his state and apologized to the two disappointed girls, "Light Breeze Harbor's bread and smoked meat rolls are no different from anywhere else, let's just get rid of these."

After Lusala Meiya left, Talan Aier scratched his head inexplicably, looking at the others in the living room. "Don't you all usually use magic to travel when you go out alone? Why are you suddenly willing to walk today..."

A few colorful pieces of paper flew out from beside her, but the next second, the pieces of paper returned to her body—Lusala Meiya suddenly stopped, turned her head to look at Shirley with a somewhat subtle expression, gave a stiff smile, and walked out of the living room. Nina muttered to herself, "But I can't imagine what they'll adjust it to..."

Just then, the ringing of the doorbell coming from the direction of the door suddenly interrupted the conversation in the living room.

"Oh, indeed, moderate exercise is good for the body, especially for scholars like you who focus on research," Sara Mel said. For some reason, he always felt that the attitude and way of speaking of the "witch" today were a bit strange, and even the aura emanating from her was different from the past, but he quickly put this incongruity aside. "Please sit down, and then take a look at the letter I put on the table."

Originally, Lusala Meiya, who was watching the fun from the side, was a little surprised when she saw this. "Duncan?"

"Glass can't stop phantoms, you don't need to open the window, I can come in," Lusala Meiya looked at the other party with a straight face, her tone somewhat unnatural, "But today...

...I just wanted to walk around."