Song of Departure

"So," Sera leaned against the rail, her crimson eyes gleaming with teasing amusement, "how did last night's rooftop battle feel?"

Xia Lin nearly choked on his own saliva.

"What rooftop battle?" He feigned calm. "I was just looking at the stars."

"Yes, looking at the stars," Sera drawled meaningfully. "So you looked at the stars until the snow on the roof melted? And even melted into a little stream?"

Celia covered her mouth and snickered, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Kade maintained a stern expression, but the corners of his mouth were clearly twitching.

"Cough!" Xia Lin decisively changed the subject. "Right, I already told Ingrid and the others to clear the vines in the underground shipyard when they had time yesterday."

"Wait." Celia's smile vanished as she asked worriedly, "Isn't that place dangerous? You said those vines could regenerate themselves, and no one knows what lies deep inside that passage—"

"Don't worry." Xia Lin waved a hand. "I only had them clear the outer area. Mainly to mark it and open a route that lets people safely enter and leave the Cavern. As for the passage sealed by vines, I specifically told them not to touch it."

"That's good." Celia sighed in relief.

"But," Sera raised a brow, "do you really plan to explore those ruins someday? Something from ten thousand years ago—"

"Of course." Excitement flashed through Xia Lin's eyes. "It could be a gate connecting different worlds. Just thinking about it is thrilling. But we do need more thorough preparations. At the very least, we should wait until we've grown stronger."

"Or find a powerful rogue or ranger," Kade added. "Ruins of that level aren't something we can casually explore yet."

As the four spoke, the Oath of the North Wind had already left the harbor and entered