Free Web NovelThe very moment the Starbell Lily was intercepted, the knights were already prepared to deliver a heavy counterattack against the approaching enemy.
These knights, born for battle, never feared clashing with monsters. As long as they were given a target, the spears and longswords in their hands would tear apart any obstacle.
But—
At this moment, not a single enemy appeared before them, as if this was nothing more than an ordinary accident.
As time passed, the other passengers in the cabins rushed out as well. Some tried in their own ways ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) to contact the outside, while others climbed the slanting deck, hoping to see just what had stopped this ark—the crystallization of a thousand years of human wisdom.
Yet no one could reach the outside. Even the crystal control screens in the ark’s main control room had frozen after the impact, and the magical wall clocks had stopped ticking altogether.
Fortunately, most of the passengers on this ark bound for the war zone had already weathered many storms. No great panic broke out.
Dragged out by Aislin, Vieya also noticed something strange: it seemed like she was the only child on this ship.
No, wrong.
She was not a child.
“The ship is done for. It’s wounded, can’t move anymore.” Aislin was worried, placing the human child back on the deck but keeping a firm grip on her hand.
The more urgent the situation, the more cautious one had to be.
This was a precious lesson Aislin had learned from her many years of travel across the land, surviving countless brushes with death.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out on deck.
A fat man in a white official’s uniform squeezed to the center of the crowd with the knights’ assistance. Drawing in a breath, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
“I am the first mate of this ship! Do not panic! The engine crew and repairmen are working hard to restore the ark’s propulsion system! We have the best human ark repairers here, providing the finest technical support, and we also have an old captain with forty years of experience! With their skill, we will surely escape this predicament!”
After taking a short breath, the fat first mate continued shouting with full strength:
“The great Reversal Hero is leading her elite knights to investigate the surrounding waters! Once there are findings, we will...”
Vieya did not bother listening any further. From her perspective, the situation was already dire.
In her past experiences, whenever the top brass personally came out to calm the crowd, she knew: things were bad.
“Aislin-sis, can you come with me off the ship to find that Hero?” Vieya tugged at the elf girl’s sleeve.
“Eh? What do you want with that brave, fearless flat-board Hero... Outside is far too dangerous.” Aislin hesitated. “We still do not know the situation. To act rashly with no intelligence is hardly what a proper adventurer would do.”
“...So we cannot?” Vieya pressed her lips together.
Aislin shook her head. “Not that we cannot. But better if we wait for them to return. I can make magic for you—food, toys... And if you are nervous, while that flat-board Hero is away, I can secretly play you some relaxing music.”
“That would not be good, would it? Everyone is uneasy right now.” Vieya’s gaze wavered. “Also, you say things like that about Hero-sis a lot... Is that really okay?”
“It is fine. Protecting children is not only your humans’ tradition—it is also the tradition of us elves.”
Aislin patted her swaying chest, her tone half-joking to lighten the mood:
“Besides, I only stated facts. If even that is not allowed, then that flat-board Hero is far too petty. Don’t you think so?”
“Hmph!”
A cold snort from behind made Aislin’s body stiffen.
“Do you elves not know that talking about the size of someone’s chest behind their back is also a kind of verbal attack?”
At some point, the blue-haired, red-eyed Hero had appeared behind the crowd, her face stern.
But her gaze lingered on Aislin for only a moment before shifting to Vieya.
“Ahem, I heard there are octopuses on the West Coast that mocked your hairstyle?”
Aislin quickly stepped in front of Vieya, pulling from her cloak a monster bounty notice scribbled with the words I’m sorry.
“I wager ten gold coins they will be singing fishermen’s songs praising your beauty before sunset!” ƒreewebɳovel.com
“Uh... Hm?”
Rotisha touched her own hair, then belatedly glared at the innocent, shrugging silver-haired elf. Turning back toward Vieya, her eyes full of suspicion:
“So you are the one that woman personally introduced to me, called Vieya, the ‘super-strong little helper’?”
“Ah?”
Vieya blinked. That woman? Don’t tell me she means that shameless pink-haired midget?
And what the hell was “super-strong little helper”? Who was the idiot who came up with such a nickname? Cheap and tacky!
“A Miss Vieya from Fengxiang Town, one point three meters tall?”
When the white-haired child said nothing, only glared unhappily, Rotisha held her chin in thought, then gave her a full once-over before nodding in confirmation.
“Then I must not be mistaken. After all, you are the only child on this ship. Yes, from Feng—”
“Stop! It’s me, fine, no need to repeat it!”
Vieya raised one hand in surrender. Being directly confronted with her height by someone she knew before... so embarrassing.
Could you please consider the feelings of the person involved next time? Couldn’t you at least wait until I grew a little taller...
“That is good. Please come with me.”
Once she had confirmed the identity, Rotisha reached out a hand toward the little helper, her face expectant.
She was truly curious—why such a cute, harmless child would receive the evaluation, ‘like a ghost, strong as a monster.’
But seeing her teammate about to be dragged into something dangerous, Aislin was displeased. She stepped forward and blocked Rotisha.
“What kind of difficulty could force a proud, tenacious Hero to ask an underage child for help?”
Aislin sighed softly, using the hilt of her sword to gently brush Rotisha’s hand aside.
“We grown adults have not yet died in battle. How can we let a child take the field?”
“Aislin-sis, it’s fine.”
Vieya tugged on the traveler’s cloak, smiling. “Let’s go together... You will protect your teammate, won’t you?” freeweɓnovel.cѳm
...
In the dim, shadowed depths, the ark seemed wrapped in golden amber.
Countless pale-blue phantoms drifted in the waters, like ghosts beneath the sea.
An unknown predator had woven an invisible net across this domain, waiting for the Starbell Lily to blunder into it—then, like a spider preying on a moth, it would devour the trapped magical ark.
And now, it was biding its time.
Waiting for its prey to crumble in the darkness and fear, to make an irreversible mistake.
That would be the moment it appeared.
Perched on Aislin’s shoulder, Vieya let out a sigh. Damn... I think I might be starting to like this. Being treated specially as a little brat.
