"Your expectations for Ye Chuqi are that high..." High enough for Gaines to set aside the Empire's restrictions. "Aren't you afraid the rest of the Barton Empire might..." Push back?
Wasn't such an honor just another way of setting Ye Chuqi up for a fall?
"You needn't worry about that, Mr. Lu. Ye Chuqi has her own strengths. As for what they are and how she'll pull this off, you can wait and see." Gaines lowered his gaze to the water below the railing, his smile growing a little more sincere. "Now, where's your explanation, Mr. Lu?"
No matter how many times the people of the Kabu Continent came here, they would never understand what Ye Chuqi meant to the Barton Empire—or what the Thousand-Leaf Sword in her hands meant to it.
As though sensing something, Ye Chuqi, who was fighting sea beasts out on the water, suddenly turned. Her clear gaze crossed the vast distance and settled on Gaines.
Unsure whether Ye Chuqi could see him, Gaines smiled and nodded, then said softly, "Miss Ye very much wants to know what you did in the Lost Forest, Mr. Lu. Wouldn't you like to know why your mission failed?"
Lu Ronghuan: ???
Ye Chuqi had excellent eyesight. Even from this far away, she could make out the distant Sea Ship and the two tiny figures leaning against its railing: Gaines and Lu Ronghuan. She had no idea what they were saying, but they both seemed to be smiling quite happily.
Ye Chuqi raised an eyebrow. Maybe I should send a little something their way.
She gave the Thousand-Leaf Sword a light swing. Maple Leaves and Frostglow formed a jagged wave across the sea and surged toward the distant Sea Ship. In the blink of an eye, icy peaks trapped the