Chapter 519

Chapter 388: Departure

With her legs crossed, Dorothy sat in the carriage, feeling delighted as she thought, just after finishing her promotion, she had no rush to prepare for the next rank in the Red Tier Level. Instead, she was seriously considering going out on a trip to relax for a while. After all, she did not want to become a promotion machine.

To persuade Gregor to agree to her travel plans, Dorothy spent a hundred pounds on labor fees, asking Beverly to use her identity as an agent from Crown University to help her obtain an official letter. With this letter, Dorothy had a solid reason to go on a trip. After all, she still had a guardian, and a child should always inform their parents before traveling far.

Now, everything was ready. In a few days, it would be time for Neph and the others to set off. Dorothy was looking forward to that day.

“Oh, you say you’re leaving Tivyán for some time? Miss Detective…”

In a bar cabin in the East District, Adele, wearing casual clothes, swirled her glass of red wine while talking to Dorothy, who was sitting uncomfortably beside her. Dorothy responded with a nod.

“Yes, I need to travel for a while because of some matters in the Society. I’m informing you because I won’t be around for a while. If there’s any conflict with the Wolf bl**d Association, you should be cautious and not act rashly.”

“I see… Thank you for letting me know, Miss Detective. But don’t worry; due to official crackdowns, including the Wolf bl**d Association, all the Societies in Tivyán are quite subdued for now. There shouldn’t be much happening soon.”

As Adele spoke, she stroked Dorothy’s silver-white hair, her eyes revealing a subtle expression.

“What do you mean by thanking me for coming personally? I only intended to send you a message via text. You insisted it was important to discuss face-to-face, and now here we are, drinking together!”

Dorothy, blushing slightly and leaning against Adele, struggled to contain her inner turmoil. She didn’t really want to come if not for Adele’s help during New Year’s Eve.

Dorothy felt uncomfortable with Adele’s close proximity. Normally, she could remain calm when interacting with Adele through a puppet, but now, using her real body, she found it hard to cope. After enduring it for a while, she decided to stand up and speak.

“I’ll move to the other side so we can continue our chat…”

“No need. Sitting apart makes things too distant… Come, let’s drink.” Just as Dorothy was about to stand up, Adele placed her hand on Dorothy’s shoulder, gently pushing her back down into her seat. Then, she picked up another glass of wine and handed it to Dorothy. Dorothy immediately protested.

“No! I’m only thirteen, I can’t drink!”

“Really? Thirteen? Not some old person pretending to be young… Well, if that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do.” Adele said, somewhat surprised. She then put the glass back on the table with a hint of disappointment. Dorothy sighed in relief.

“To be honest, if not for recent events, I’d love to go on a tour and perform in various countries. There are some exhibitions I find interesting in the near future.”

After taking another sip of wine, Adele continued with a tinge of regret.

“Exhibitions? You mean the artifact exhibition next month in Adria?”

“Oh, that one. I’ve heard of it, but as a dancer, my interest in artifacts isn’t very strong. What I’m more interested in is this…”

Adele pulled out a fashion magazine from her bag and flipped through it until she reached a page.

On the black-and-white pages of the magazine was a picture of a middle-aged man with a neatly dressed appearance and a mustache. Below his image was a large title.

“The Most Beautiful Sapphire in History—Deep Blue Heart will be exhibited for the first time on the Shining White Pearl cruise ship starting January 25th. Renowned gem collector Mr. Massimo Russo will display his most prized collection at sea!”

“The most beautiful sapphire in history?”

As Dorothy read the content displayed by Adele, she couldn’t help but murmur.

…

Time flew by quickly, and soon enough, it was time for Dorothy to set off. After handling all the affairs in Tivyán, Dorothy boarded a passenger ship in the port area of East Tivyán.

Under the gray sky, a white medium-sized passenger ship was sailing forward amidst the black smoke, leaving a long white trail behind on the vast ocean.

On the deck of the ship, the sea breeze blew fiercely. Few passengers remained on the deck against the wind, among whom was a group of young men and women led by an elderly man.

“We are currently in the midsection of Prit Strait. Two hundred and twenty-seven years ago, our patrol fleet encountered the main force of Faraluo’s fleet nearby. The patrol fleet managed to delay the enemy long enough for the Royal Navy to arrive, leading to a fierce naval battle here…”

Amidst the sea breeze, an elderly scholar with glasses explained the past history to the young men and women in various outfits. They listened attentively, and some even took notes.

On the other side of the deck, Dorothy, wearing a black mini dress and a small hat, leaned against the railing, watching the scene of the lecture with great interest.

After some time, the outdoor class finally ended. Following the professor’s words, the young men and women dispersed, each going their separate ways—some returning to their cabins, others staying on the deck.

One of them, Nephnis, walked silently to Dorothy’s side. She wore a trench coat.

“Finally, it’s over. Listening to lectures in the sea breeze is freezing and almost impossible to hear clearly.”

Approaching Dorothy, Nephnis complained slightly, while Dorothy smiled and replied.

“Yes, it’s definitely a unique experience. It shows that your professor is quite fit.”

“Yes, Professor John, although he looks old, he has the energy of a young person.”

Nephnis continued, then looked at Dorothy, moving closer and lowering her voice.

“But I didn’t expect you to not only agree to my request for a study trip but also to come along… Are you perhaps going to execute some secret mission for the Society elsewhere?”

Nephnis whispered mysteriously to Dorothy, who responded with a smile.

“No special mission, you’re overthinking it. I just wanted to travel and relax.”

“Just relaxing? I see…”

Listening to Dorothy’s words, Nephnis pondered for a moment. Just as she was about to say more, a huge wave hit the ship, causing it to sway violently.

Since Dorothy had been observing the sea conditions while chatting, she had anticipated the wave and grabbed the railing in advance. Therefore, she was fine during the sway. On the other hand, Neph almost fell and barely managed to grab the railing to regain balance.

Afterward, Nephnis couldn’t help but complain.

“Hmm… This ship is a bit small, easily affected by the waves… I wish we could reach Barse Port soon. Once there, we can switch to the Shining White Pearl, which is a big cruise ship.”

“Shining White Pearl?”

Hearing Nephnis’ complaint, Dorothy raised an eyebrow.