"I don't think you mean the scenery outside the window is beautiful. You mean the scenery inside the window is beautiful."
Vanessa teased her. Wei Ge did not deny it, though she still reminded her:
"In the past, I occasionally took the maids out for spring outings as well."
Vanessa was quite surprised.
"Why do I remember that your favorite thing to do every spring was bask in the Sun on the terrace outside your study? Does that count as a spring outing?"
"Vanessa, you do not understand me. I love nature too; I simply had never met anyone I could go out with before."
As the Witches chatted, Shade drew his longsword from its scabbard. Since arriving in Arcadia, he had not formally used this weapon yet.
"But where will that ship be?"
Iluna asked as she gazed out the window.
"Everything around us seems normal to my senses right now. There are not many ships on the lake larger than ours, and I haven't detected any obvious Whisper Element."
"I haven't found any particularly unusual ships either."
Shade said:
"But there's no rush. This morning has only just begun. Wei Ge, have the girls steering the ship follow the original plan and circle the lake for sightseeing. Do nothing for now. We only need to wait."
The maids had brought a full set of Spring Outing Gear, and before long, the tea table was laden with black tea, pastries, and fruit. Shade strongly suspected that Little Mia had followed them because she knew there would be food here.
In Shade's estimation, this incursion into [Skin Object Hall] should not require them to fight from beginning to end as they had in [House of False Men]. He thought this experience might instead resemble the time he entered [Sin Mansion]