10:40 a.m.
The sunlight over Hercules Port was just right, and the sea breeze swept up fine white spray.
Boom.
With the deep, resonant rumble of the engine, the 136-meter-long Floating Dream cast off its final mooring line.
For a massive white vessel of such astonishing size, setting sail did not bring the obvious jolts and swaying of an ordinary boat. There was only the sense of heavy, unstoppable power as it slowly pushed the sea aside.
The three of them stood in the open-air viewing area on the topmost level, 6F.
Facing the chilly Mediterranean Sea breeze, they watched the whole of Hercules Port recede little by little, growing smaller.
Replacing it was the boundless stretch of deep-blue sea ahead.
As the yacht sailed out past the breakwater and truly entered the vast open waters, the vibration of the engine gradually became steady and rhythmic, like a sea beast that had finally stretched out its limbs and begun cruising forward in silence and composure.
"Wow—this is so beautiful!!"
Xu Qing, holding up her phone and frantically taking photos and videos, could not help letting out a long cry of amazement.
That sound also pulled Ouyang Xuanyue, whose gaze had been a little dazed, slightly back to reality.
She rested both hands on the smooth teak railing and quietly looked ahead.
As far as the eye could see, sea and sky merged into one, and the long wind rolled on in vast waves.
There were no high-rises, no shoreline, none of those gazes watching her every move, and none of the airtight identities, rules, and boundaries that existed on land.
At this moment, she had finally truly done the thing she had always wanted to do, yet had never truly done.
Leave the land.
Leave order behind.
Together with him,