Chapter 56
Early the next morning.
Cyrus and the others then took the opportunity, under Ferdinand's cover, to leave the accommodations arranged by the envoy.
They would disguise themselves as merchants and then reappear in inconspicuous places.
Judas made minor changes to his hairstyle and eyebrows, while Walker changed into lighter knightly attire and wore a helmet to cover his face.
Cyrus: "Let's go take a look at the Dream that Duke Bill left behind."
Judas nodded, not addressing him as "Lord," and formally assumed the role of the older brother.
Walker smiled and called out "Young Master," then went ahead to inquire and lead the way.
They were wearing clothing characteristic of the Kingdom of Helgoda.
Cyrus even wore a thin little cloak over her clothes.
Because of its proximity to the Aibuting River, Helgoda often experiences cool river breezes blowing from the river. Therefore, the people of Helgoda often wear a very light and beautiful shawl or cloak to protect themselves from the wind.
Cyrus twirled the ribbon hanging from the hood of her cloak with her fingers.
It was hand-woven, delicate and soft. He rolled the ribbon into a Rollie, then loosened it, watched it hang down naturally, and then grabbed it back, completely enjoying himself.
Judas held onto the corner of Walker's cloak and followed behind, occasionally keeping an eye on the lord to make sure he didn't bump into anyone.
"Young Master, we've arrived."
Walker's voice suddenly rang out from ahead, tinged with amusement. "This is the port where the Dream, Duke Bill's relic, is docked."
Cyrus looked up.
A dilapidated ship, covered in the marks of time, suddenly came into his view.
This ship was more imposing and grand than any he had ever seen before. It was clearly the result of extensive preparations made by Duke Bill before his expedition to explore other lands, and must have cost a great deal of manpower and money.
The construction of the Dream must have been a grand event in Helgoda, drawing huge crowds. To this day, Duke Bill is remembered by the world.
His deeds were also made into stories and spread throughout the entire Western Continent.
Cyrus couldn't help but sigh, Duke Beal truly is a man with maximum luck.
Even though he failed to hand over the sea routes and the goods obtained on other continents to His Majesty the then-reigning king of Helgoda.
He then secretly left Helgoda overnight and lived in anonymity in other kingdoms.
But their lives were not difficult; in fact, they were quite leisurely.
Cyrus had heard Rodney mention that Duke Bill wrote in his notes, which was essentially his autobiography, that he was a person who was born seeking excitement and freedom and did not want to be bound by any artificial constraints.
If he could not have freedom, he would rather leave this world and return to the embrace of the Creator God.
This shows what kind of person Duke Beal is.
He was, after all, the only person who had ever reached other continents.
Therefore, the people of Helgoda erected a bronze statue on the Dream in his honor.
The ship was later taken over by the royal family, who protected the area around it and turned it into a tourist attraction.
Walker also learned that they could go aboard the ship to take a look, but they would have to pay.
--One person needs to pay fifty silver coins to be allowed to board the ship.
Cyrus: "..."
The royal family of Helgoda... I wonder who's in charge of the Dream, they certainly have a knack for business.
Cyrus, of course, paid for all three of them without hesitation, and then, led by a servant, boarded the ship, which was filled with the gifts of time.
The servant said, "Gentlemen, if you are lucky enough, you may spot a large white fish near the Dream."
"These large white fish live in the Aibuting River and often swim around to play; they are very cute."
Judas nodded, indicating that he understood.
"Well then, I hope you enjoy the show." The servant said, then turned and left.
The Helgoda had long since exhausted their curiosity about the Dream.
They are usually content with just a glance at the large ships at the port, since the cost of boarding is simply too expensive for many to afford.
Moreover, the viewing time after boarding the ship is limited, which many people feel is not worth it.
Generally speaking, those who impulsively decide to spend the boarding fee are outsiders.
They were intrigued by Duke Bill's story and came aboard wanting to experience firsthand the Dream sailed the boundless seas back then.
Cyrus showed some interest in the large white fish that the servant had mentioned.
But he quickly put it out of his mind; after all, exploring a rather old-looking ship was a very interesting thing.
Walker then walked over to Judas and whispered, "Let's split up and wander around to gather information. You take the Cyrus with you."
Judas headed.
Cyrus, an extremely well-behaved and sensible younger brother, stayed by Judas's side.
A short while later.
They arrived at the other deck of the Dream and happened to run into a young man rushing into the cabin, his face filled with excitement and fervor.
Cyrus tugged at Judas's sleeve and looked over curiously, muttering, "What's wrong with him?"
Standing to the side, the steward in charge of the ship's security and maintenance replied, "This man does this all the time. As soon as he's saved up enough money, he'll board the Dream to take a look, even though he's already seen it more than a dozen times before."
His words were tinged with dissatisfaction.
Cyrus and Judas looked on with curiosity and doubt.
Judas: "Could you tell us more specifically?"
He went up to talk to the waiter and gave him a considerable amount of copper coins.
The waiter immediately beamed and collected the coins, then explained, "This man is called Samuel Fern; he's the most notorious madman in our town."
"The reason Fern is called a madman is because he idolizes Duke Bill with extreme fanaticism and dreams of one day sailing like Duke Bill."
"But everyone knows perfectly well that this is impossible."
As the waiter spoke his last sentence, a mocking expression crept onto his face, clearly showing his disapproval of the young man named Samuel Fern.
Whether it's him as a person or his dreams...
"Why?" Cyrus couldn't help but ask.
The waiter replied, "Naturally, it's because Samuel Fern is just a commoner."
"He had no noble status, nor enough money to hire people to build ships. I heard he often went hungry, all to save money to come aboard the Dream and experience the feeling Duke Bill had when he sailed the seas."
Cyrus realized that he was a fervent fan.
He tugged at Judas's sleeve, subtly signaling Judas to continue asking the waiter for information.
He turned around with his hands behind his back and continued strolling.
A short while later.
Cyrus noticed a man in a white cloak standing motionless not far from the deck, gazing at the river.
Cyrus glanced at him several times, but he remained motionless, like a statue.
So, Cyrus walked over out of curiosity.
He also wanted to see what was so attractive on the river surface—could it be a large white fish?
But when Cyrus got closer, he realized that he was still a bit too short to see the river.
This put the lord in a somewhat awkward position.
Cyrus's hands were on the bulwark, her head was fully exposed, but only her neck was visible, and that was it...
He wanted the bulwark to reach his chest, like the man in the white cloak next to him, but it clearly needed to be longer.
Looking at the river from this angle really obstructs the view.
So Cyrus moved a wooden bucket over and stepped on it; hmm, this time the height was enough.
The man in the white cloak was clearly oblivious to any movement around him, not even glancing at him, only the hem of his robe fluttering gently in the wind.
Cyrus leaned against the wooden gunwale, feeling the river breeze on her face.
The Aibuting River is incredibly wide, its emerald green waters shimmering as it flows gently, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. Birds often swoop down to forage for food...
The scenery is indeed beautiful, but there's nothing particularly compelling enough to just stand there and stare.
Cyrus didn't quite understand the man's behavior beside her.
A moment later, he planned to jump off the barrel and turn to leave.
However, at that moment, ripples suddenly spread across the otherwise calm river surface...
There was something clearly swimming towards us from beneath the river.
But after swimming a certain distance, it did not get any closer. Instead, it lingered at a spot that was neither too close nor too far from the Dream, yet clearly visible. Even the birds resting on the water nearby were startled and took flight.
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Cyrus clearly sensed that the man beside her had made a slight movement.
He moved closer to the bulwark and stared at the water; even without turning his head, he appeared extremely focused and concentrated.
The "big thing" that caused the commotion on the river finally surfaced—its body was a very pale, distinctive white, and it was round and plump, with a protruding forehead, a short beak, and wide lips...
"A beluga whale?!"
Cyrus was both surprised and delighted; he never expected to see such adorable creatures as beluga whales in the harbor of Helgoda.
They are a group of mischievous and playful adorables.
Cyrus couldn't help but tiptoe and peek.
Just then, a deep, cool voice came from the side.
"They're called beluga whales?"
Cyrus subconsciously turned her head and met the man's gaze.
He was somewhat surprised, because the man's eyes were a very light gray, and even the few strands of hair peeking out from under his cloak were a pale silver.
He had a cold demeanor and handsome appearance.
The man stared intently at himself.
Cyrus nodded and hummed in agreement.
The man then turned his head away and stopped talking.
Cyrus thought that the large white fish the servant had mentioned after boarding the ship must be a beluga whale, as they love to surface and are very lively.
The weather is about to change, and judging from the number of beluga whales, they should be migrating away from the river mouth.
The man has been standing by the bulwark for so long; could he have been waiting for the beluga whale to appear?
After receiving a positive response, he turned back to stare intently at the beluga whale.
To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it's like a statue suddenly coming to life and breathing.
Cyrus quickly stopped worrying about the man's behavior.
He listened to the beluga whales' cheerful songs and watched them play in the water with their broad tails, sometimes diving, sometimes surfacing...
After being startled into flight by them, the birds, seeing no danger, slowly returned to the water, either gracefully preening their feathers or intently trying to catch fish.
Cyrus saw a playful beluga whale slowly approach a bird with gray and black feathers.
The bird was intently watching the water's surface, searching for prey, completely unaware of the "danger" behind it until the ripples spread.
Until this mischievous beluga whale suddenly opened its mouth and bit down on the feathers on its tail.
"Gah!"
The birds were startled and flew away.
The beluga whale's mouth split open as if it were smiling.
It clearly didn't really intend to bite, but was just teasing the bird in a playful manner, making one want to pat its round, bulging head and teach it a lesson.
The birds that had taken to the air kept screeching, and soon after, they swooped down like fighter jets, as if to say: Damn it! You're going to die!
But the beluga whale had already alerted the situation and dived again.
Cyrus: Hahahahahaha.
He pursed his lips, almost bursting into laughter. Just you wait, birds can be vengeful too.
Sure enough, when the bird realized it couldn't catch the beluga whale, it pretended to be nonchalant and landed back on the water to continue fishing.
After waiting for a while, the beluga whale resurfaced stealthily and once again behaved "maliciously" by sneaking towards the black-and-grey bird.
However, the beluga whale's sneak attack was clearly a complete failure.
The moment the black-and-grey bird approached, it turned its head and pecked hard at the beluga whale's rounded, bulging head.
"Ha ha."
Cyrus couldn't help but laugh out loud as he watched the beluga whales pitifully swim quickly into the pod seeking comfort.
The man beside him was also clearly radiating extreme pleasure.