Chapter 18: Setting Sail Again
“Senior Elusia?!”
Cecile froze the moment Elusia said something like that.
She stared with wide eyes, as if she was looking at the most unbelievable thing in the world: “How can this be? Isn’t the Heroine Lonis your partner…”
“It’s okay, I don’t care that much about reputation anymore~”
“B-but…”
Cecile lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.
But after a moment, she shook her head and said: “No, I can’t do this kind of thing…”
“Why?”
“Well, because Lonis the Hero is also a very good friend of mine, a very good companion. If I do this kind of thing… I always feel our relationship will become strange, and it won’t be like it is on normal days.”
Cecile nervously clenched her fists, but just then, Elusia happily smiled:
“Hehehe, since Princess Cecile says so, then I’m relieved~~”
“Eh, Senior?!”
“Hehehe, you know, Lonis is a bit of a playboy, and she might do strange things without the girls noticing!”
“Ah…?”
“So, knowing that Princess Cecile won’t be tempted by that little idiot, I can rest assured~~”
“Wuuah!”
Cecile realized at this moment that she had been teased by Miss Elusia!
But…
After all, she was her senior, so Cecile couldn’t retaliate. She could only say with a hint of resentment:
“Senior, you’re so mean!”
“Hmph hmph~ Of course~~”
“I think if Senior were a boy, you would definitely be the type to ruin the country.”
“Eh?”
“Whether it’s me, or Lonis the Hero, or everyone else, we’ll definitely become Senior Elusia’s harem~!”
Because they had the same bloodline, Princess Cecile tried her best to refute!
And so, everyone stayed in the Royal Capital for an extra day.
However, this extra day wasn’t without benefit: everyone got enough rest, and everyone was finally able to face the boundless Vast Sea with renewed spirit.
“Everyone, are you ready?”
“Yes, the cargo has been checked and we are ready to set sail at any time.”
“Su Ling is also ready, she bought a lot of snacks!”
“Then, let’s depart!”
Under Elusia’s command, the golden ship slowly set sail again.
Looking at the lush green city disappear into the distance, Lonis felt a mix of slight disappointment and pride.
The disappointment was naturally because she was saying goodbye to this city, and the pride? It was because she had gained honor in the Royal Capital and also the affection of everyone… she truly felt what it was like to be a hero!
If the rest of the journey could be as smooth as it was now!
(Hmm… I remember the entrance to the Vast Sea is in Senior Zhisheng Luo’s hometown, right? I wonder what it’s like there.)
Thinking this, Lonis wanted to find Senior Zhisheng Luo to confirm the situation.
At this moment, the short-haired girl was confirming the route information with Elusia.
“Captain Elusia, this route is currently smooth, and we expect to arrive in about a week.”
“Hmm, but are there any pest problems in your hometown?”
“Pest problems…”
“Yes, didn’t Senior tell me once? In the Dulan Islands, there are also giant insects.”
“Oh… don’t worry about that. After all, it’s not our first time facing these terrifying monsters.”
“Oh?”
“From the depths of the Vast Sea, strange creatures often drift over. Those giant maggots are relatively easier to deal with because they are slow-moving… What we fear most are creatures like Shadow Beasts.”
“Shadow Beasts?”
“Yes, these monsters appear and disappear at will, and even I haven’t seen their physical forms. But every time a Shadow Beast appears, it always brings disaster to our city.”
“Haven’t even the cameras captured any traces of Shadow Beasts?”
Elusia frowned, looking very confused.
“No… To be precise, Shadow Beasts attacks do not distinguish between electronic and biological things. Everything within that range will be completely destroyed.”
“Then, since there are no eyewitness accounts, how can you infer that it’s a monster?”
“Eh?”
“For example, it’s possible that space was torn apart, or some special shock wave phenomenon occurred, right?”
“Yes.”
Zhisheng Luo nodded, not feeling offended by Elusia’s question: “Actually, I’ve had this question before. But in reality, the stories of Shadow Beasts have been circulating in my hometown, the Dulan Islands, for nearly a thousand years.”
“A thousand years…”
“I think Shadow Beasts might just be a natural phenomenon, but since that’s the tradition, we call them Shadow Beasts… Every time the new year begins, we drive away Shadow Beasts by hanging lanterns and setting off fireworks.”
“I see.”
Elusia mused.
Lonis, upon hearing Zhisheng Luo’s story, was startled.
“Fireworks! To drive away Shadow Beasts?!”
“What’s wrong, Idiot Lonis? Eavesdropping on our conversation from outside is not something a proper little maid should do?”
“Ah, ah! Miss Elusia, no… I was afraid of interrupting your conversation just now…”
“Hmph, you already have… Now, tell me, I saw you react very strongly to the fireworks. Do you have any information to offer?”
Although Elusia was asking Lonis, her proud gaze clearly did not believe that the idiot maid had any information to offer.
However, this time, Lonis was finally able to stand up for herself:
“Well, actually, I’ve also heard of the legend of Shadow Beasts. Before I became a hero, the matter of Shadow Beasts was very famous in our country.”
“Eh?”
“However, back then, they weren’t called Shadow Beasts, but Nian Beasts… People said that Nian Beasts would destroy villages and eat livestock during winter, so every New Year, they would drive away Nian Beasts by setting off firecrackers and hanging lanterns.”
“So… these Shadow Beasts might not be things that appeared in this Epoch, but rather appeared on the planet in the previous Epoch?”
“Yes, but… although the ancients firmly believed in the existence of Nian Beasts. For the people of my time, most of them thought that Nian Beasts were nonsense.”
Lonis narrated, sighing, her heart filled with a sense of change as she explained past events to everyone.
“Why do you say that? Didn’t Little Fox say that Nian Beasts often destroyed villages and ate livestock?”
“Yes, but those were rumors in feudal society. In a technological society, people have mobile phones and cameras, but they’ve never captured the appearance of Nian Beasts. So, at that time, we thought that Nian Beasts were just the misinterpretations of ancient people, a kind of explanation for the unknown.”
“This is not necessarily true.”
Elusia shook her head and said, “If something has happened, there will always be a reasonable explanation. Moreover, for you, driving away Nian Beasts is a very important custom, isn’t it?”
“Eh?”
“After all, you do this kind of thing regularly every year? So I think Nian Beasts don’t not exist, but perhaps they have gradually stopped appearing over time.”
“Ah?!”
“However, this is just my speculation. I need to investigate more information about Nian Beasts. Are there any similar books?”
