Picture Book

Looking at the exquisite ship in a bottle, Hesta clearly had no special secret she wanted to share, but she still accepted Shi Yimiao's treasure and carefully held it in her hands for a closer look.

Of course, she remembered where the name "Chiba Masaki" had come from. After all, Miss Chiba had once told her in great detail about her late friend's past. "Chiba" was a place, while "Masaki" was a famous pirate from the Great Blackout Era... Before hearing that name from Shi Yimiao yesterday, Hesta would never have imagined that she would encounter the legendary "Masaki" again here.

Miaomiao generously picked out several pirate-themed picture books. The ones on top belonged to the "Masaki and Her Friends" series. The wording in these books was simple and concise, and every sentence came with pronunciation guides, making them exceptionally friendly for a language beginner like Hesta.

So she sat down and carefully leafed through them on the little table beside the child's bed. Her solemn expression surprised Miaomiao and immediately stirred a powerful sense of fondness in her heart. After all, few adults took a child's declared wishes seriously, especially when those wishes seemed far too unrealistic.

Miaomiao stared at Hesta's profile and fell completely quiet for the first time. She suppressed her impatience and waited until Hesta had finished the first picture book, then snatched it away without explanation and shoved another one, Lighthouse Ship, into her hands.

"Look at this! Look at this one!"

Hesta took the picture book.

This was another story from the "Masaki" series. On the cover of Lighthouse Ship, a pirate in a black captain's hat stood at the bow, raising her knife-wielding right hand high. A fierce-looking eagle perched on her left shoulder. Behind her stood six companions with varied expressions and