A Person's Character Should Be Round

Central Street, outside a clothing store, a gentle breeze blew.

"Let's go. It's settled."

Nami walked out of the store, already changed back into her neat yellow-and-white striped short-sleeved shirt and blue shorts. Besides the black bag filled with Beli, she carried a sealed bag of clothes in one hand.

Duen stood outside with his arms crossed. The corners of his eyes drooped slightly as he glanced at the bag in Nami's hand, then he said nothing and continued walking forward.

"Why does his expression suddenly look so strange..." Nami glanced at Duen's face and muttered softly, then quickly lowered her head and carefully followed behind him.

"Don't you like those clothes?"

Duen finally spoke.

Nami's steps paused. The moment she raised her lowered head, the stiffness and tension on her face melted away like spring sunlight. "I like them very much..."

"Is that so..."

Hearing Duen's indifferent, somewhat cold response, Nami did not dare say anything else. Unease filled her heart. She figured he had discovered that she had returned the clothes.

If he questioned her, what kind of attitude should she take? Putting herself in his shoes, if someone let down her good intentions, she would feel upset too...

Yet Duen continued calmly leading the way ahead. Nothing in his profile revealed whether he was pleased or angry. Nami hesitated, sighed inwardly with some guilt, and ultimately said nothing.

She truly liked those beautiful dresses and could feel Duen's kindness, but she could not bear to spend that money on her own clothing. She would rather save those fifty thousand Beli for the liberation of Cocoyasi Village...

Perhaps because Central Street's layout was complicated, Duen wandered around and somehow circled back to Border Town. The residential tiled houses were clearly a level worse in height, quality, and appearance.

Most pedestrians wore rough, worn linen clothes in bland, monotonous colors. Moreover, there were far fewer patrols nearby.

Although Border Town's public safety and average economic conditions could not compare with Central Street or High Town, where the nobles lived, it was under the jurisdiction of the Goa Kingdom military police patrols, unlike the completely marginalized Gray Terminal. So aside from a few thugs lurking in dark alley corners with vicious looks in their eyes, the surroundings were fairly peaceful.

A strong wind swept in dark clouds, turning the sky gray and overcast. It seemed like a heavy rain was about to fall.

By a street corner, a ragged boy limped through the shadows with a weak complexion. His body was covered in wounds as he turned his head to look around, seemingly searching for something.

A restaurant chef carried out a bucket of slop and set it against the wall before turning and heading back inside.

Once the chef had left, the boy hurried to the bucket and plunged both hands inside. He fished out half-eaten fish bones and blackened, rotten bread, stuffing them into his mouth ravenously. His face was covered in disgusting grime.

Nami suddenly patted Duen on the back and said softly, "Wait for me..."

By the time Duen turned around, she was already running off into the distance. He looked at the cloud-covered sky and stopped walking.

Very soon, Nami ran back at full speed, gasping heavily twice. She held a bag of bread in her hand and cautiously approached the boy, who was still rummaging for food.

Sensing her approach, the boy suddenly turned around and backed warily into a corner. Then, like an extremely alert wildcat, he fled deeper into a nearby alley.

"W-Wait!"

Nami chased after him. The boy had a lame foot and could not move easily, so after fleeing barely a dozen meters, he was blocked by Nami.

"Don't be afraid..."

She opened the bag, and the fragrant scent of fermented dough wafted out. The boy stopped, his eyes nearly shining as he stared at the bag of pastries. He swallowed hard, looking at Nami before him with great hesitation.

"I don't have any weapons." Nami put the bag on the ground, spread open her hands, and gave him a kind smile.

The boy could no longer endure the hunger in his stomach. Like a starving wolf pouncing on prey, he threw himself to the ground, grabbed a pastry, and began chewing in huge bites. Crumbs flew everywhere, and he wolfed it down as though it had been picked back up from the ground.

"Hide this well. Don't let anyone else find it."

Nami took out a stack of low-denomination bills, totaling forty or fifty thousand Beli, and placed them on the ground before the boy. As he looked up in shock, she slowly backed away before finally turning and leaving.

Duen stood at the entrance of the alley and saw the entire scene clearly. Unknowingly, the discomfort in his heart had faded. Perhaps this was the shining part of her character...

Nami walked out of the alley and followed beside Duen. In a very soft voice, she said, "About what happened earlier, I'm sorry..."

"It's about to rain..."

Duen seemed not to have heard her. There was only a little more warmth in his voice as he looked up at the sky. "Let's find somewhere to rest."

As if to prove Duen's words, rain began to patter down. The dark clouds churned, and the rain grew heavier and heavier.

"Mr. Duen!"

While Duen was walking down the street looking for an inn, he suddenly heard someone call his name. Turning around, he saw a burly man waving at him through the rain.

Wasn't that Simon, the boatswain from the luxury cruise ship?

Simon ran over quickly and said with hearty enthusiasm, "You two seem to be looking for an inn. If you don't mind, please come sit at my place."

"Sure."

Duen nodded in agreement. Though they had not interacted much, Simon was still an acquaintance.

Simon's home was in Border Town, not far from here. After walking for less than five minutes, they arrived at his residence and entered after he opened the door.

Past the entrance hall was a small living room.

"Here."

Simon brought out two clean towels from an inner room and handed them over.

"Thank you."

Duen was not cold by nature, and Simon's straightforward hospitality left him with a favorable impression.

After drying the water from themselves, Duen and Nami sat down in their chairs.

Simon brought over several bottles of liquor and some snacks to go with them, setting everything on the table. "Have some drinks to warm yourselves up."

Duen did not refuse. He raised his full glass and clinked it with Simon's. Nami also held out her glass to join the toast.

After drinking, they became much closer and began chatting more freely. Simon frankly said that being a sailor was not easy, sounding rather like he was airing grievances.

Still, Duen listened to his interesting stories from the sea and various other matters. For someone who had only recently gone out to sea, such things felt very fresh. Nami, having drunk a little too much, habitually looked around the house and appraised its value in her mind.

Duen patted her on the head. "We're guests. Don't get any funny ideas."

"Don't pat me!"

Nami said with some displeasure, stressing each word, "I! Know!"

"You two really have a great relationship!"

Seeing this, Simon laughed heartily, misunderstanding the situation. Then his gaze flickered slightly, as if he had fallen into some memories. "It reminds me of a friend I grew up with."

Nami did not care about others misunderstanding her identity, nor did she interrupt. Duen casually continued the conversation instead. "From the sound of it, she was a woman?"

"Yeah..."

Simon said slowly, "Before I turned eighteen, I saw her every day. We held each other beneath the locust tree and strolled through the streets. I once believed she had to be the other half of my life, but..."

As he spoke, he let out a deep sigh, raised his glass, and took a huge gulp.

Duen said, "But then she got an incurable disease and died?"

Pfft!!

Simon immediately choked, spraying the liquor in his mouth back into his glass and mixing it together.

Negative emotion value from Simon +1...