Whooo!
Accompanied by a brief blast of the whistle, the towering funnels belched black smoke as the massive passenger liner slowly pulled away from the dock.
Countless passengers leaned against the deck railings, waving goodbye to those who had come to see them off.
Many were in tears.
At that moment, Ronan sat on the small balcony of his first-class cabin, sipping bitter coffee while stroking Little Black in his lap, his heart utterly calm.
Before long, the Blue Star passenger liner left Rand City far behind and sailed into the boundless sea.
This giant liner, carrying over three thousand passengers, would travel thousands of kilometers north along the coastline, passing through several port cities, including Ceres, the capital of the Kingdom of Invya.
For Ronan, traveling by ship was nothing new.
Yet an ocean-going giant from the age of steam still felt remarkably novel to him.
The Blue Star represented the Kingdom of Invya's highest level of technology. Not only was the liner enormous in tonnage, but it also contained an opera house, casino, restaurants, bars, and other venues, ensuring that passengers would not be lonely during the voyage.
Ronan had no interest in song-and-dance shows, nor did he enjoy whiling away his time in bars.
But he quickly found his own amusement aboard the liner.
In a lavishly decorated room, smartly dressed gentlemen sat around a gambling table covered in purple velvet. They held Black Forest Cards in their hands, silently exchanging glances.
Trying to use that method to probe the depths of their opponents.
The total wagers in this game had already exceeded five hundred gold pounds. Fine beads of sweat appeared on the foreheads of several participants, revealing the immense pressure they were under.
Ronan swept a glance over the opponents seated to his left and