"Of course. Since you were able to come here, we're friends now. You can come find me anytime from now on. If you're willing, you can even live here. I'll build you a new house next door."
"Really?" Little stars already sparkled in Robin's eyes. As for that so-called uncle's home, she did not want to go back for even a single day.
The sea breeze drifted past, and the wind chimes rang through the house once more. Shin smiled and nodded.
Robin gazed into the distance, a faint yet utterly sincere smile appearing on her lips. She felt as though she were dreaming. For the first time in her life, she had felt something called kindness.
Not long afterward, she fell peacefully asleep. The constant tense traveling had exhausted her, and she drifted into dreams the moment she lay down. In this wooden house, she felt an unprecedented sense of safety.
After she fell asleep, Shin rose and left his little house. He had long ceased needing sleep to replenish his spent energy. By the time he reached the shore, gusts of night wind were blowing in, and without realizing it, the night had grown deep.
During the day, Shin had discussed many things with the old man in the Tree of Knowledge's library. In terms of learning, that old man was perhaps one of the few truly erudite people in the world of pirates.
But in Shin's eyes, that little bit of knowledge was not worth mentioning at all. During their casual conversation, the old man had been completely bluffed by Shin's theories. If not for the consideration that he was too old and might suffer an accident from being struck by ideas that overturned his worldview, Shin might have brought out some even more radical theories.
For