The Performance

Once, there was a ship that went out to sea.

The ship was called the Teapot.

When the wind rose, she set sail.

"Blow, wind, blow with all your might.

Before long, the Teapot will arrive,

bringing us sugar, tea, and rum.

When the captured whale has been processed,

we'll set off once more.

She'd been away from shore less than two weeks

when a whale began circling beneath her.

The captain swore to all his crew

that he'd haul the whale ashore..."

Ships pulled into port one after another. Their crews, flush with success, sang at the top of their voices, their ringing songs blending together and filling the vast harbor.

Whales were the largest creatures in the natural world.

For their bones, their blubber, and the enormous profits they brought, whaling had become an industry with a long history.

In this age, there was never a shortage of buyers for whale products,

and the harpooner was the most important person aboard a whaling ship, second only to the captain.

As both captain and harpooner of the Gale, Liu Yun was, without a doubt, the ship's most important crew member. There was no one else even close.

That was precisely why his dual role allowed him to suppress the crew's yearning to return home and spend longer at sea, hunting several giant sperm whales in one trip.

"I wonder how my son is doing now." Standing in the crow's nest, Liu Yun gazed at the coastline drawing ever closer and murmured to himself.

He was a typical strapping man of the Crimson Cloud Empire, with black hair and eyes, nearly six feet four inches tall, and a muscular, bronze complexion.

In this day and age, anyone who dared to venture out to sea had to have some real skill, and Liu Yun was no exception.

Besides his familiarity with the sea and his knowledge of the compass, Liu Yun also kept up his practice of his family's Secret Martial Art—Thunder Hand.

Though the Liu family's Thunder Hand had a grand-sounding name, it was only a decent third-rate art. But in the age of firearms, with increasingly advanced guns to complement it, Thunder Hand had made a remarkable comeback. It could even be considered a second-rate Secret Martial Art, and its effectiveness on the battlefield was no less than that of first-rate arts.

That was how the Liu family had turned its fortunes around in the generation of Liu Yun's grandfather, by exploring the New Continent. Later, they rode the tide of the World War and became a considerable power.

If Liu Yun hadn't left home so early, he might have landed a garrison post in the army, commanding thousands of men by now.

But every loss brought a gain. Leaving the Liu family had spared Liu Yun the infighting that came with being part of a powerful clan, while granting him freedom and love.

Although he hadn't had access to any particularly good Secret Martial Arts training over the years, after countless trials, his physical prowess alone was no worse than Liu Tian's when he had just become a Martial Artist.

Of course, if they actually fought seriously, Liu Tian could kill Liu Yun in three punches, even as a newly advanced Martial Artist and without the Heart Severing Path—resulting in a tragic scene of filial piety that would make everyone burst into laughter.

"I wonder if my son has given up martial arts training—no, that's impossible, isn't it?" As he spoke, Liu Yun let out a wry laugh. He had long since given up hope that Liu Tian, who'd inherited his own stubborn nature, would abandon martial arts. Still, every time he returned, he silently prayed for it.

A person had to have dreams. What if they came true?

That was the phrase Liu Yun said most often.

"Captain, we're about to dock." Before Liu Yun could finish brooding, the ship's first mate shouted, waving his sailor's cap. "Stop standing around in the crow's nest. It's time to go home..."

Yes, it was time to go home.

They'd been at sea for nearly five months, an unprecedented stretch. If they hadn't arranged in advance to restock supplies and sell their whales, even the most advanced whaling ship—the Gale—couldn't have lasted this long.

Now, it really was time to go home.

No more thinking. It was time to go home.

Liu Yun shook his head, no longer clinging to any hope that his dream would come true. This time, he planned to give the crew a year-long vacation, so they could leave the royal capital and spend time with their families back home. He hoped that by the end of that year, everything would have settled down.

Liu Yun didn't want to involve himself in the transfer of power in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom. In theory, he wasn't even capable of doing so. But as captain, he still didn't want his crew caught in the crossfire.

The ruler was old and frail, with no clear successor. The Second Prince was ruthless and controlled the army, but had no favor. The Third Prince was popular, but foolishly merciful. The Rose Princess, the most favored of all, was brilliant but had little backing. History was full of examples of what could happen in a situation like this.

Humanity always repeated the same mistakes. Still, he could only hope that everything would go smoothly, with no storms ahead.

In the palace, Rose Princess Lilia von Ein was so frantic she could barely stand still.

Though the moon waxed and waned, and people faced misfortune without warning, Her Majesty Queen Elissa von Ein could not die now.

As family, Lilia couldn't bear to lose her grandmother, who had loved her so dearly, at the age of sixty.

In practical terms, Lilia wasn't ready to take the throne. She hadn't even graduated from the academy.

If Queen Elissa died now, the Second Prince, Walker von Ein, would have a sixty percent chance of succeeding her. He might even have murdered his elder brother during the World War. The Third Prince, Murphy von Ein, had a thirty percent chance. Lilia had less than a ten percent chance—she could only ascend the throne if the two princes took each other down.

It wasn't because Lilia hadn't worked hard enough. By the Hundred Flowers Kingdom's customs, she wasn't considered an adult until she turned fifteen, and Queen Elissa had managed her father's territory on her behalf.

After turning fifteen, Lilia had worked hard, but what could a student who hadn't yet graduated accomplish in a mere two years?

If the late First Prince hadn't left behind a few loyal supporters, and if Queen Elissa hadn't favored her, Lilia wouldn't have had even a one-in-ten chance of succeeding to the throne.

Queen Elissa had been old and frail, but her health had always been good. Several medical examinations had found her in quite good condition. Lilia had thought there would be at least ten years to prepare. How could she have suddenly fallen ill after being blown about by the wind?

Lilia couldn't shake her suspicions.

But there was no time to dwell on them. Lilia forced herself not to consider the most terrifying possibility, and prayed to the gods with all the sincerity she could muster that her grandmother would be safe and sound, in good health, and would not die now.

"Mother, how is Mother?" As Lilia prayed, Walker rushed in, disheveled and tearful. "Has she made it out of danger? What did the doctors do? How did she end up like this?"

"Lilia, you were with Grandmother the whole time. Didn't you take good care of her?"

Not long after he rushed in, Prince Murphy also hurried in, having somehow received word. A crowd of great nobles and officials soon followed, filling the waiting room to the brim.

The royal court, no matter the world or the place, was always a leaky house—especially when its ruler was nearing the end of her life...