Free Web NovelChapter 112: Chapter 112: Islander 98’s Island Lord Invitation Card, Used
"Willow, what do you think I should prepare for the banquet?"
Faye Yardley laid out various items on the coffee table, preparing to choose a gift.
Willow Yardley: "Who is it for?"
"Islander 98, Island Master Nash. He seems like a really... abstract person. What do you think would be a good gift?"
Willow Yardley shook her head. "I don’t know him, so it’s hard to say. But since you described him as abstract, Sis, why not give him something abstract?"
"Like what?"
Willow Yardley turned her head and pointed to the gorgeous red roses blooming in a pot on the balcony.
Faye Yardley’s expression froze. "That’s not appropriate. Where I’m from, red roses represent love. What if I give him this and he thinks I have a secret crush on him? It would cause a huge misunderstanding. No, definitely not."
’At that point, Willow Yardley felt she’d rather go out and fish for chests. Or maybe she could go see Eamon and check on the harvest in the planting room. Anything was better than being tortured here.’
"Well, take your time choosing, Sis. Or maybe rummage through the warehouse again, you might find something," Willow Yardley said, preparing to make her escape. "I’ll go check on Eamon first. Who knows, he might have some suitable flowers or fruits."
She slipped away. Faye Yardley reached for the Spring Celebration Wine. ’The system prompt said I definitely wouldn’t want to take a single sip of this, so I’ll just give it to Nora Nash. Maybe he has peculiar tastes and will like it, just like the Little Green Men.’
’Oh, whatever. I’ll just find someone to carve a nice box out of High Level Wood to put it in.’
’After all, giving a gift is all about the packaging.’
She made a call to Zachary Pierce. It was 6:30 in the evening, so he picked up quickly.
"Yardley, what’s up?"
"Yeah. I was hoping you could do me a favor and find a carver to make me a wooden box tonight. It needs to be big enough to hold this bottle of wine. It should be made from High Level Wood. I know the timing might be a challenge, but is it possible?"
"I can do that."
Zachary Pierce didn’t ask why she was in such a hurry for the box. Instead, Faye Yardley simply took out an Invitation Card and showed it to him. "This is a banquet Invitation Card from Islander 98, Nora Nash. I have two. Do you want to go?"
Zachary Pierce paused for a fraction of a second before nodding. "Thank you. I’d like to go. Do I need to prepare a gift?"
"Anything is fine. It’s the thought that counts, right? Island Master Nash doesn’t seem like a difficult person to talk to."
"Okay, got it. I can provide the High Level Wood. The gift box will definitely be ready before you leave tomorrow."
Faye Yardley sent the Island Lord Invitation Card she had fished up to Zachary Pierce, keeping the one Nora Nash had given her personally.
After hanging up with Zachary Pierce, she immediately called her brother.
"Bro, it’s almost the 25th. You didn’t lose that Islander 98 Invitation Card, did you? We’re leaving at the same time tomorrow morning."
"Didn’t lose it, didn’t lose it, it’s here. Alright, just give me a heads-up before we go."
"What gift did you prepare?"
Ethan Yardley let out a sound of surprise. "A gift? What gift? Oh, right, you have to prepare something for a banquet. Don’t worry, I can handle it."
"Aren’t you going to tell me what it is?"
"No need, no need. Island Master Nash is a man, too. I get it."
Faye Yardley was utterly baffled. ’No, you get it? What do you get? At least elaborate!’
’Suddenly, she felt her brother was pretty abstract himself. Maybe two abstract people could actually understand each other.’
’Whatever. I’ve reminded him, so it’s out of my hands now.’
’She just needed to worry about herself.’
She put everything away except for the Spring Celebration Wine.
Huh?
A Talent Stone.
Faye Yardley picked up the Talent Stone and thought for a long moment. ’I just threw this thing in the warehouse and forgot all about it.’
’It would definitely be a bestseller on the market, but the problem is, she didn’t particularly need anything besides Invasion Cards.’
After some thought, she posted one Talent Stone on the cross-regional trading hub, setting the exchange for Invasion Cards only.
’There’s a saying about not letting things go past three tries,’ Faye Yardley thought. ’If I can’t kill Hailey Miles in three attempts, then I’ll drop it and stop initiating the attacks.’
’If she comes to kill me, however, me fighting back is a different matter entirely.’
Having made this decision, Faye Yardley put the matter aside.
The most important thing now was to prepare for the banquet. She didn’t know what would happen there—it might even be dangerous—but Faye Yardley didn’t want to miss out just because she was afraid of the risk.
She woke up promptly at 4 AM the next morning and also received the gift box carved from High Level Wood sent by Zachary Pierce. freewёbnoνel.com
The carving was simple yet elegant, featuring an embossed design of two dragons playing with a pearl amidst cloud patterns, making it seem as if the dragons were frolicking playfully in the sky.
The moment she saw it, Faye Yardley felt the urge to keep it for her own collection instead of using it as a gift box.
Willow Yardley came in holding a bouquet of pale pink China roses. "Sis, you can also decorate it with these China roses. They’re light pink, and they’re not regular roses, so they shouldn’t have any special meaning, right?"
Faye Yardley’s expression stiffened again. She replied mechanically, "Pink China roses represent first love and romance, while red roses represent passionate love. Never mind. Let’s just line the inside of the box with some petals. Don’t use the whole flowers."
"The world you came from is so interesting, Sis, giving so many different meanings to flowers."
"Isn’t it? If merchants want consumers to willingly part with their money, they have to come up with some nice-sounding pretexts."
Willow Yardley smiled and nodded, then said, "Since you’re going to a banquet, Sis, let me do your makeup."
At eight in the morning, after sending messages to her brother and Zachary Pierce, she used the Island Lord Invitation Card.
A transparent vortex appeared out of thin air again. Without a second thought, Faye Yardley stepped right through it.
When she emerged, she was already in a grand hall that resembled a Crystal Palace.
"Hey, Sister-in-law, you’re here! The boss isn’t up yet. Want to go upstairs and wake him up?" A gruff but pleasantly surprised voice came from behind her.
Faye Yardley turned around and saw the somewhat familiar tall man. "No, thank you. Could you show me around the island? Or perhaps we could start by touring this estate?"
"So you’re here. I’ll show you around. A lot of guests will be arriving throughout the day, so they need to go to the front to greet them," Nora Nash said, leaning against the third-floor railing and looking down.
The tall man immediately nodded. "Yes, yes, of course! Let the big boss show Sister-in-law around. We’ll go to the front to greet the guests."
Faye Yardley turned, looked up, and beckoned to him. "Come down here."
"Do you want to come up and take a look?"
"No."
Nora Nash leaped directly from the third floor, landing lightly beside Faye Yardley.
Faye Yardley took her gift out of her backpack and handed it over. "This is for you. You look like you’ve recovered well."
"A gift for me? Thanks." Nora Nash was a little surprised, then added, "Thanks to you and your sister, the treatment was timely. Can I open it now? This gift box is very well-made."
"Of course."
After Nora Nash opened it, his face couldn’t help but darken. "A... very nice gift. Thank you. Come on, I’ll show you around."
Faye Yardley looked around. ’Strange, why aren’t those two here yet?’
"What are you looking at? Are you looking for someone?"
"Yeah. I remember telling my brother and the others to use their Invitation Cards around the same time. Why haven’t they arrived?"
Nora Nash patted her shoulder. "Because you’re my only guest of honor."
