Capítulo 199: Return Voyage 3
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Ladia led the two to where Quik stood petrified, and formally introduced them, "Your Majesty, this is Captain Quik of the Southern Star. Captain, this is His Grace, the Duke of Eaton."
After speaking, she pulled Quik's sleeve.
Captain Quik startled back to awareness like a wound-up mechanical toy, stiffly half-kneeling. Recalling scenes from third-rate dramas where foreign envoys paid homage to kings, he awkwardly performed a bow.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness... On behalf of Earl Grayman of Alden, I extend my respects to you."
"No need for formalities. You are all my heroes," the Duke said, helping him to his feet.
"You risked danger to venture into the midst of wolves and saved my wife and sister-in-law. On behalf of the Eatonian royal family, I offer my deepest gratitude."
The Duke warmly thanked them, sprinkling in some aristocratic syntax that Quik couldn't quite comprehend. Quik merely responded with murmurs of "Yes, yes," afraid of misspeaking.
Damn it, Lord Grayman, what am I supposed to do now???
"Please convey my regards to Earl Grayman. Alden has earned the friendship of Eaton. If he or his envoy visits the Horns in the future, Eaton will warmly welcome them."
"Yes, yes, Your Grace. I will certainly relay your message truthfully."
"Well then, please accept our token of gratitude."
With a clap of his hands, the Duke had two attendants carry a wooden chest to Quik.
After the chest was opened, the surrounding people gasped in astonishment.
Glittering inside was a chest full of gold ingots.
"No, no, no, this is absolutely unnecessary..."
Quik's tongue was tied in knots; he had never seen so much gold before. This amount could fund the construction of how many Southern Stars?
But the Duke insisted firmly, "No, please accept it. Half is for the brave warriors on board, and the other half is for Earl Grayman."
They went back and forth several times, with Quik stumbling over his words, but in the end, he couldn't refuse the Duke's insistence and accepted the gold.
"Is this an attempt to poach from my Foster family?!"
The second son of the Foster family felt alarm bells ringing in his mind.
"Hmm!!!"
Quiller cleared his throat loudly and said sternly, "Your Grace."
"Who are you?" The Duke of Eaton asked in confusion, looking at Quiller's attire, he seemed to be a local of the Angle Bay.
"I am Quiller Foster, second son of the Marquis Foster, a member of the Alliance Council of the Angle Bay."
"Oh, you're the son of the Marquis Foster. I know your father; he is a kind and generous man. I enjoyed our exchanges very much."
"Thank you, Your Grace. My father would be honored to hear your praise."
"So, Foster young sir, what brings you here?"
"Oh, Your Grace may not know, but the Foster family and the Grayman family are business partners. We are the exclusive agents of the Earl in the Angle Bay. As a friend departs, it is only natural for me to come and bid farewell."
Quiller emphasized "exclusive agents."
"Earl Grayman still does business in the Angle Bay?"
The Duke was unaware that the porcelain bought at great cost in his palace was transported from the Northwest Bay by the Foster family.
But he quickly understood Quiller's implied meaning.
The Duke chuckled and patted Quiller on the shoulder, saying, "I value my friendship with Earl Grayman just as much and would never do anything to harm it. I've come here purely to express my gratitude."
Quiller finally breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a smile with the Duke.
However, he muttered to himself, "It looks like Paul's influence in the Angle Bay is going to grow stronger. I need to remind Dad to increase our focus on the Northwest Bay."
...
Duchess Helen quietly spoke to her younger schoolmate.
"Where is your adventurer friend?"
"After dinner last night, the local Adventurers' Guild delivered a letter. They left overnight due to an urgent matter."
"Speaking of which, how did Earl Grayman treat you?"
"The Earl was very kind to me. You know, in the conditions of the Northwest Bay, various talents are scarce, so people like me who are difficult to employ are highly valued."
"Difficult to employ? I finally hear you telling a joke, Ladia."
"Sister, something just came to mind. How did the church react..."
Helen said impatiently, "Hmph, now they have no way to forcefully display 'evidence' to the public. It seems they know they're in the wrong and haven't disclosed this matter externally."
"After any communication with them?"
"No, they probably want to let it go."
"What are your thoughts then?"
"Nothing comes without a price. My husband has decided to strongly promote and join the alliance against the church. We haven't publicized this incident because the timing isn't right. Once the time is right, this will be one of the church's crimes."
"...Will this lead to war?"
Ladia, as a mage, welcomed the joint efforts of the rulers to suppress the church, but she didn't want to see it escalate into war.
"War? That's impossible. The church only has some defensive knights. If all the countries unite, do they have the courage to resist with arms?"
The Duchess seemed optimistic.
"I hope so."
Despite her words, Ladia was not as optimistic as Helen. Apart from the church's influence among the people, many loyalists to the church existed within the ruling classes of various countries.
She hoped this wouldn't truly escalate into war. Ladia, well-versed in history, understood the course of several religious wars. Unlike wars between nations over interests, wars under the guise of faith were more likely to escalate beyond control.
She didn't want to see the prosperous Angle Bay turn into ruins.
...
After conversing for a while at the dock, they finally reached the scheduled departure time. Under the watchful eyes of Quiller Foster and the Duke and Duchess of Eaton, Quik, Ladia, and the others boarded the Southern Star.
The departure of the strange ship attracted many onlookers in the dock area. If not for the Eatonian guards blocking the nearby area, they would have swarmed over.
A harbor worker untied the mooring ropes from the dock piles, and sailors aboard the Southern Star pulled the ropes onto the ship.
Quiller loudly commanded, "Raise anchor!"
"One, two, three..."
Numerous crew members shouted orders, vigorously pushing the anchor winch.
The massive and heavy anchor slowly rose from the water under the action of the winch.
Since the Southern Star had no oars, several small sailboats from the harbor were hired as tugboats to help it leave the berth.
Sailors gestured to the tugboats, and those on the tugboats began rowing, gradually moving the Southern Star away through the ropes.
Quik, Ladia, and the others stood at the ship's railing, waving farewell to the shore. Quiller and the Duke and Duchess on the dock also waved in response.
The Southern Star slowly departed from the harbor, entering the open waters. It untied from the connected ropes of the tugboats, raised its sails, and with the help of the wind, sailed out to sea, embarking on the journey back to the Northwest Bay.
(End of the Chapter)
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