Peninsula

"You have no idea." Mrs. Foster's face was lit up with a joyful smile. "The Lucky Bracelet your son gave me really works.

"After I put it on, I started feeling a little unwell, so I went to see a doctor I knew.

"Guess what happened?"

She paused, then said excitedly, "I'm pregnant!"

Mr. Foster's face was equally full of joy. "I've been married to Irene for over three years. We've always wanted a child, but nothing ever worked.

"Not long after you moved here, we succeeded. You're our family's lucky star."

Alicia came back to her senses, shifting her gaze away from the red cord and returning their smiles with a gentle one of her own.

"It was your kindness that brought you this reward. We didn't do much to help."

Alicia's words made the two even happier, and their smiles widened. Mr. Foster handed the cod in his arms to Arthur.

Then he said, "I still need to prepare the materials for the God of Wine Festival, so I won't disturb you any longer."

Alicia nodded.

Arthur slowly closed the door as well. The fish was huge; he had to carry it in both arms, and if it were stood upright, it would nearly reach half his height.

Unafraid of the fishy smell, he hugged the big fish tightly and headed upstairs, asking happily,

"Alicia, how are you going to cook this fish?"

Alicia ignored Arthur. Her face was tense, and she did not look very happy.

She turned her head toward Shaya, who had been bent over the workbench, hard at work.

Perhaps sensing the chill radiating from behind him, Shaya raised his brows and turned around, meeting Alicia's unfriendly gaze.

Her eyes were sharp enough to make even Shaya uncomfortable, and he instinctively looked away.

Shaya had no idea how he had offended her. He could only rub the back of his neck and say,

"I don't think her pregnancy has anything to do with me."

Alicia said nothing. She simply turned away, took the fish from Arthur's hands, and began preparing it. The bell on the red cord rang crisply with her movements.

Cassifa had witnessed everything. It extended its tiny flame hands, crossed its arms over its chest, and sighed like a little old man.

"A woman's heart really is harder to fathom than Fate."

But in the next second, a frying pan came down on its head, squashing its face into a grotesque shape.

Shaya shrugged and took the "boots" from the table. "I'm going to test the flying boots. I might not be back for lunch."

At that, Alicia and Arthur turned to look at the "boots."

"You're saying those are... boots?"

Honestly, compared to boots, Alicia thought they looked more like a flattened pot, bucket-shaped with only an opening to put one's foot into.

"You don't need to care whether magical items look good, right?"

Apparently feeling that the boots really did look awful, Shaya hurriedly defended them.

Alicia smiled. She said nothing more and simply continued cooking.

Shaya shrugged, turned the doorknob to yellow, and placed one boot at the doorway. In fact, the Thousand Mile Flying Boots only required one boot to be worn.

He slipped one foot into it, then took out the deed he had gotten from the box earlier and compared it with the map he had bought in the Imperial Capital not long ago.

It was roughly over a hundred kilometers from the Imperial Capital, or just over twenty steps away.

Shaya turned with the foot wearing his ordinary shoe, aimed himself toward the peninsula, then lifted the foot wearing the Thousand Mile Flying Boot and stepped down.

Whoosh!

The scenery around him flashed past his sides, so fast that it became nothing but blurred shadows.

Grayish green was the land, grayish blue was the sky, and the wind tore wildly at Shaya. Fortunately, it was still within his tolerance.

Naturally, maps from this era could not be that precise, so he had unsurprisingly gone a little off course and flown straight out over the sea.

Fortunately, Shaya could fly. Hovering above the vast ocean, he soon spotted the small peninsula extending into the sea that was listed in the deed.

It was surrounded by the sea on three sides, while the side connected to the mainland was blocked off by an extensive mountain range. Only a small path ran along the coastal edge. It was probably man-made, but wide enough for carriages to pass through.

From the outside, this peninsula was completely hidden from view. It felt very secure.

Shaya thought that if a fortress were built here and there was enough food, it would be no problem defending it for several months.

He could set up a simple illusion to disguise the only road, or simply block it off. In any case, there would not be many chances to use that road in the future.

The first thing that came into view was a vast, flat expanse of grassland below.

It stretched westward all the way to the foot of the mountains bordering the sea. A few gently rolling hills lay scattered in between, all blanketed in green grass, with small groves and tall trees dotting the landscape.

By Shaya's estimate, the entire peninsula covered roughly fifty to sixty square kilometers.

The terrain and environment were perfect. Unlike ordinary estates and ranches, which usually had only one type of terrain,

this place had not only vast pastures, but forests, mountains, and a clear little lake. And since this land sat right on the coast, it was surrounded by the sea on three sides and possessed a beautiful golden beach.

It was practically an independent little territory.

Come to think of it, typhoons from the Atlantic Ocean generally traveled from south to north. These mountains could also shield the peninsula well from wind and rain, ensuring its safety.

This place could satisfy both Alicia's and Arthur's needs at once, and Shaya was equally pleased with the scenery here.

He landed on the peninsula, took off the Thousand Mile Flying Boot, then removed his ordinary shoe as well. Barefoot, he wandered across the peninsula, feeling the sea breeze brush against him amid the warm spring air and blooming flowers.

The closer one got to the mountains, the higher the ground became. At the highest point, right at the foot of the range, stood a small villa. However, weathered by the sea breeze, it looked somewhat dilapidated.

Shaya circled the house and checked its condition. It should still be livable.

A path below the house led to a calm, beautiful beach lined with many tall palm trees, casting cool patches of shade across the sand.

It was quite a nice private beach—safe, quiet, and free from disturbance.

Standing there, he could take in the scenery of the entire peninsula at a glance.

In the morning, one could head out eastward toward the rising sun, descend the mountain, and race toward the vast grasslands. In the evening, one could return beneath the soft sunset at the horizon, climb back over the mountain, and find the sea and the setting sun at the end of the road.

There was nothing more wonderful than that.

This was probably a place Moria had bought long ago for vacations or retirement, but evidently, he had not visited in a very long time.