Chapter 577 - 366: The Mermaid’s Chastity
Chapter 577: Chapter 366: The Mermaid’s Chastity
"Did you do all this?" Levi asked, though deep down he already knew the answer.
"It’s an eternal truth that beauties love heroes," Tina said with a slight smile. "Tiffany’s heart already belongs to you, Darling. I just gave you two a little private space."
"Why would you do that?" Levi asked, his heart aching with tenderness as he stroked her head.
People were selfish by nature. He, for example, would never share his Treasure Sword with another soul. And yet, Tina had actively pushed him and Tiffany together.
"Are you dense?!"
To the Lord’s surprise, Tina tapped his solid chest with her small fist, a look of exasperation on her face.
"Tiffany is the Princess of an Undersea Realm. Aren’t you trying to establish maritime trade? How much easier would that be with help from the Sea Race?" Tina shot the Lord a sideways glance, as if she had transformed into a master strategist. "And that’s not all. Debei is about to go to war with the Persian Gulf Empire. As directly involved parties, we’ll have to participate."
"There’s an entire sea between Debei and the Persian Gulf Empire, which means we might have to fight a naval battle. If we can use our connection to Tiffany to borrow an army of Sea Race soldiers, we’ll have a definite advantage at sea!"
Levi was stunned. He’d truly never considered any of this. "In that case," he muttered to himself, "it seems I really do have to take Tiffany to visit her family and meet my newfound father-in-law."
High Cliff Castle was quite far from Seattle, but the war wasn’t going to start overnight.
"Did you come up with all that yourself?" Levi was completely impressed with Tina.
"Nope!" To the Lord’s surprise, Tina puffed her chest out proudly, like a beautiful swan. "Leiden told me. He said it wasn’t his place to tell you, Darling."
"That guy," Levi said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. ’Leiden is incredibly smart. He could have told me this in a thousand different ways, but he gave the credit to Tina to help solidify her status.’
He just hadn’t expected Tina to be so adorably dense that she would immediately rat out the intelligent Giant Goblin.
’That Giant Goblin is indeed clever. He’s probably afraid that as my status grows and I take on more women, I’ll become like one of those Monarchs from history—always chasing new lovers and casting aside the old, committing all sorts of follies. That’s why he’s laying the groundwork so early.’
Levi shook his head. He wouldn’t go out of his way to explain himself to Leiden. It was a good gesture, and time would prove everything.
And so, with the return of the master of High Cliff Castle, the newly arrived Old People became as docile as quails. They gradually adapted to their new home and stopped causing trouble.
More than ten days passed. Then, on a rare, bright, sunny day with no snow, Levi received word that Miriel and her crew were returning.
At the foot of the hill, all of High Cliff Castle’s leadership had gathered. A formation of one-point-seven-meter-tall Rabbit People honor guards stood ramrod straight on either side of the red brick road, all wearing matching red-feathered caps, red-and-white formal uniforms, and gloves woven with silver thread.
Just as a hungry Zat couldn’t resist sneaking a scratch of his rear, a figure appeared at the far end of the road: a beautiful Half-Elf on a tall horse. She was followed by a Dwarf riding a short-legged Black Mountain Boar, and behind them trailed a long, snaking caravan.
When Miriel saw the entire leadership of High Cliff Castle braving the cold wind to greet her, with Levi himself standing at the forefront, she would have been lying if she said she wasn’t moved. She dismounted thirty paces from the welcoming party and strode forward on her long, straight legs.
Mellenbu patted his old companion beneath him, and once the boar stopped, he hopped down nimbly.
"Good day, my beautiful Miriel." Levi pulled the Half-Elf beauty into a big bear hug. She carried the faint, briny scent of the ocean, a clear sign that her voyage had been far from easy.
"Good day, my Lord." Miriel returned the light embrace, calming the excitement in her heart.
"My dear Captain Mellenbu, I hope the voyage hasn’t slimmed you down."
Not wanting to show favoritism, Levi also bent down to give the Dwarf captain a light hug.
Then he stood up to get a better look at them. Miriel was dressed in a crisp white first mate’s uniform with a black, gold-anchored ribbon and high-waisted leather shoes. The form-fitting attire perfectly accentuated her stunning figure, and her trousers clung to the smooth, round curves of her long legs. Her wine-red hair, ruffled by the breeze, flowed like a surging wave, as beautiful as Sai Pan Lake itself.
Mellenbu, on the other hand, wore a black, broad-brimmed captain’s hat and light Leather Armor, with a spyglass in a waterproof pouch hanging at his waist.
But the long voyage had left both of them looking weary and weathered.
After greeting the rest of the crew one by one, Levi stood before the proud and beaming sailors, swept his arm out, and declared, "This successful voyage is High Cliff Castle’s first step toward the sea, a moment that deserves to be remembered by history!"
"But whatever else is going on, nothing in heaven or on earth..."
"...is more important than eating!" The crew, all hand-picked veterans from High Cliff Castle, knew their leader’s catchphrase well. They all burst out laughing and shouted the line in unison.
"Let’s eat first!" Levi laughed, snapping his fingers and leading the crew toward the great hall.
The Rabbit People honor guards immediately began their well-rehearsed performance, playing festive music to welcome the weary crew into High Cliff Castle. The red feathers on their caps bobbed and swayed as they hopped about, creating a delightful spectacle.
...
High Cliff Castle had no rule against talking during meals. On the contrary, they preferred to discuss business over dinner.
Thus, while everyone savored delicacies they hadn’t tasted in nearly a month, the more eloquent Miriel took on the role of Minstrel, recounting the tale of their voyage.
She told of a storm powerful enough to capsize a ship as large as a mountain, which made the women at the table gasp and clutch their chests in fear.
She described the profound loneliness of the endless sea, with only a few ships in sight, as if they were cut off from the rest of the world, making everyone feel a pang of empathy.
And when she spoke of thousands of Jade Dolphins, dazzling as crystal, migrating north into the sunset, the girls couldn’t help but sigh and imagine what an incredibly beautiful sight it must have been.
"Lord, we owe our safe return entirely to Captain Mellenbu," Miriel concluded her story. "If he hadn’t predicted the storm’s path and taken timely action, I’m afraid we all would be sleeping in a watery grave."
One could only imagine how the storm, which had been mentioned so briefly in the letters, had in reality nearly claimed the lives of the entire crew from High Cliff Castle.
"Mr. Mellenbu, with this voyage, you have perfectly demonstrated your capabilities. Thank you for your service, which ensured that the people of High Cliff Castle did not..."
Before Levi could finish, the Dwarf captain cut him off with a wink. "Lord Levi," he said, "am I not one of High Cliff Castle’s people myself?"
"Hahaha! You’re right! You are all good lads of High Cliff Castle!" Levi let out a hearty laugh and raised his cup. "Let’s drain our cups to celebrate this perfect voyage!"
...
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Levi, in full view of all, awarded Mellenbu the very first High Cliff Castle medal of honor. He also formally appointed him as Captain of High Cliff Castle, responsible for managing all vessels involved in maritime trade.
He made the announcement with great ceremony, ensuring all the subjects of High Cliff Castle were aware.
This Dwarf captain had not only saved cargo worth seventy to eighty thousand Gold Coins, but also the lives of the thousand crew members aboard that ship, saving High Cliff Castle from a devastating loss.
By all rights, he deserved such an honor, and not a single one of the other leaders objected. They were all completely convinced of his merit.
Although they had more seniority than Mellenbu, none of them had yet accomplished anything that could compare to his recent feat.
And they all knew that with their Lord, accomplishments were what truly mattered.