Because by now, none of them were representing only themselves—
He could not push Aleph and Her Highness the Princess onto the opposite side of the Colin People; Istania, which had only just found Peace again, must never plunge into turmoil once more. He could not let the King of Sand Barbaltan and Her Highness the Queen sacrifice themselves in vain.
He silently looked at the others, at the workers in the shipyard. Only after a brief silence did he slowly open his mouth and say:
"Everyone, just as Lady Aierna said, I still hope you can lend this ship one last helping hand..."
"After all, it is also the crystallization of your days and nights of effort during this period."
"But this is not in the name of friendship, nor is it an order. I can't even promise you anything... I can only assure you that no trouble will be left behind because of this. I will give all of you a perfect answer—"
After he finished saying this, the shipyard fell silent for a long time; the workers looked at one another, somewhat at a loss.
Until someone finally spoke up in a low voice, "We actually understand what you mean, Mr. Ade—"
"But rest assured, as long as you need it, we will definitely help."
"Just as you said, it is also something we built with our own hands and feet. Of course we hope it can soar above the Cloud Sea."
"After all, the ships built by shipwrights with their own hands are like our daughters."
"And Mr. Ade, we will not forget the kindness you have shown to the Istania People."
"Real Istania People never forget the help others have given them; they only repay it a hundred, a thousand times over."
"So Mr. Ade, you can set your mind at ease."
"And what are the Colin People, anyway?"
The workers chimed in one after another, suddenly all talking at once. The shipyard, which had been utterly silent, became lively in an instant.
Facing this scene, Fang Hong couldn't help but open his mouth—
The shipwrights saw his expression and also couldn't help but chuckle. Then someone—no one knew who—shouted first, "All right, what are you all standing around for? Hurry up, get back to what you're supposed to be doing!"
The crowd immediately scattered with a boom, dispersing on their own. Everyone, as if wound up by a spring, conscientiously went to find their tasks. Some were moving timber and cables, some were unfurling sails, some began oiling the launch rails in front of the dock, everything in good order.
The shipyard that had been idle and empty just now had already become a bustling scene.
Fang Hong watched this, a bit dazed. He had imagined what kind of answer he might receive, but he had not expected it to be like this.
Elisa, standing to the side, was also somewhat surprised by this scene. But she then smiled, turned back to her Captain, and gently pointed at the window, "Lord Captain, with such a commotion in the shipyard, should we draw the curtains?"
"Drawing them will only arouse more suspicion," Fang Hong finally shook his head. "Go find Gita and have her figure out some kind of blindfolding illusion."
Elisa nodded decisively and turned to leave.
At this moment Aierna also spoke up: "Then I'll go stall the people outside. The contact with Ebene is settled as well."
Among the Arcanist's three Hall Defenders, at least Ebene was on the King of Sand's side, and the current King of Sand was Aleph, so he could be counted as one of their own—this Fang Hong knew.
He looked at this Giant Spirit–blooded Chairwoman, understanding in his heart that after this parting, who knew when the next meeting would be.
How deep a mark did an Invoker's rootless wandering leave on this world? Perhaps long after they had left this world, there would still be people in another world who remembered them; or perhaps they had long since been forgotten.
An Adventurer found it hard to settle in any one place. Those names in his memories—Traveler's Rest, Elpaxin, Golande and Fanric, and the people he had met there—were they still doing well now?
Did they still remember him, this passerby who had once been there?
Perhaps one day, the stories of himself upon this Silver Sand Sea would also become the past. And the friends he had made here—would they still remember him then, remember everything that happened on this day?
And all those thousands of words ultimately condensed into a phrase that could not be simpler: "Lady Aierna, take care."
Aierna looked at this youth several years younger than herself (in terms of human biological age) and nodded as well. "You too, Ade." But at the end she added, "I hope that one day, I will see news of you appearing on the Association's announcements."
That was her hope that he would become a true Grand Artificer and Great Explorer.
To set out again for the Second World—
Fang Hong smiled and gave a slight nod.
...
"Magic Power input value is rising."
"Wind Element generation value continues to increase—"
In the engine room, every few minutes Luo Yu's solemn counting could be heard. Sometimes it was Xiangzi's voice, mixed with a cacophony of sounds from operating levers and various Crystals.
Luo Hao was drenched in sweat as he inspected the boiler and the seals on all the pipes. Originally this work was supposed to be done over two or three days, but now it had to be crammed together.
This chubby man from the military was so nervous he could hardly speak, terrified that one careless mistake on his part would cause some accident on the newly built Seven Seas Traveler.
A minor problem would be fine, but if the boiler blew up in midair, the months of hard work they had put in would probably all go down the drain. And how to evade the Colin People's pursuit was still an unknown.