Backlund, Constant City, Midseashire County.
The weather here was already nearing summer, with warm sunlight spilling down. People wore light, simple coats and many decorations resembling fishing nets and hooks, like somewhat mismatched Sailors, walking along the coast and chatting with each other.
Streams of complex and pure knowledge surged from the Spirit World, re-forming Leyton's body in an inconspicuous corner.
After leaving the ocean evolved from the Sea of Ruins, he didn't return directly to the Southern Continent. Instead, he planned to first find Lawrence to trade for a Traveler or Secrets Sorcerer characteristic to create a chessboard that would complement the dice he obtained with Sasitan.
The Midseashire is an inland sea; the sea breeze here isn't as violent as in other sea areas. The gentle, slightly humid sea breeze mixed with warm sunlight beating down on one's body felt exceptionally comfortable.
Especially for Leyton, who had spent some time in the Forsaken Land of the Gods shrouded in darkness, he had never felt sunlight so kind.
He walked along the coastline with the boisterous crowd, experiencing the unique lively atmosphere of humanity. The sense of detachment caused by the accumulation of divinity on his body was slowly fading. Although it was slow, he genuinely felt the various emotions emanating from the surrounding crowd, gradually trying to integrate into them.
Just then, a small boy, dressed like a Sailor, wearing a soft hat, and with a long string of various sailboat models around his neck, looking about thirteen or fourteen years old, approached and very familiarly struck up a conversation:
"Sir, are you also from the inland, coming for the Ocean Festival?"
"It's the Ocean Festival today? No wonder it's so lively..." Leyton muttered to himself, then looked up and scanned his surroundings.
He had been quietly focusing on the enthusiastic emotions emanating from the people around him just now, not paying much attention to details. Now, upon closer inspection, he noticed that people here, more or less, carried elements related to fishing boats and the ocean.
The Ocean Festival was originally a celebration held by fishermen, Sailors, and maritime merchants to thank the sea for its bounty. As more and more people joined the celebration, the festival grew grander, and with the advancement of the Church of the Lord of Storms, it became one of the most important festivals in coastal cities.
For followers of the Lord of Storms, this was equivalent to the Church of the Evernight Goddess's Winter Solstice.
He reined in his wandering thoughts, looked down at the little boy walking beside him, and chuckled:
"You could say so. I just happened to be passing by and came across this celebration, so I decided to take a look."
The little boy put on a composed, adult-like demeanor, lowering his voice slightly as he spoke:
"I see. Sir, I recommend you visit the Coastal Shipyard. It's the largest shipyard in all of Loen, usually not open to the public. Only during these few days of the Ocean Festival do they allow outside visitors to tour it."
"They have the most advanced Steamships in the world there. If you're lucky enough, you might even get a chance to experience boarding a ship, and you can also draw or buy some small prizes."
As he spoke, he reached up and tugged at the long string of sailboat models hanging around his neck.
Leyton chuckled and replied:
"Did you win all these?"
The little boy tilted his chin slightly and proudly declared, "Of course!"
He paused for two seconds, then scratched his head somewhat awkwardly and whispered:
"My father used to be a priest of the Church of the Lord of Storms. These are all prizes I've collected from the annual festival events."
"While they might not be as exquisite as the models in those Backlund shops, they hold a meaning those models don't. These are made by the Church, models blessed by the Lord of Storms!"
"Of course, if you want to buy one, it's not impossible."
"You directly call him 'Lord of Storms,' so you're not a follower of the Storm. In that case… are you very short on money?"
Leyton asked, while raising a hand to touch his head.
The little boy reacted quickly, bending over and turning his head, muttering discontentedly:
"Don't touch my head, I won't grow tall."
"Besides, what does whether I'm a Storm follower or not have to do with whether I'm short on money?"
Leyton ignored the little boy's resistance, as if he had anticipated his movement, easily placing his hand on his head.
Seeing the little boy looking annoyed but unable to show it, he chuckled twice and pointed to a golden sailboat model at the very bottom of the string around his neck:
"Then I'll buy a sailboat model. Does it have a name? It looks a bit like the Golden Dream of Vice Admiral Iceberg."
The little boy pouted with a hint of complex emotion:
"How could the Church of the Lord of Storms make models of a pirate's ship!"
"This is the 'Giant Whale,' which used to travel between Sonia Island and Pritz Harbor in Loen. It was once Loen's most advanced semi-Steam sailing ship, and it was decommissioned a few years ago."
"If you want to buy it, 20… no, 10 pounds."
Leyton let out a laugh: "Are you sure you haven't used the wrong currency unit?"
He paused, then added:
"It's not impossible, but you'll need to be my guide for two days and show me around the celebration here."
"No problem!"
The little boy, Sean, nodded repeatedly, unhooking the sailboat model from the end of his string while introducing himself:
"My name is Sean Colt, you can just call me Sean."
"Where do you want to go first? The Coastal Shipyard, Swordfish Pier, or Fountain Square are all very good."
"However, considering the need to find a place for lunch at noon, I recommend Fountain Square. There are many good restaurants there, very popular with people who come to Midseashire County for vacation or travel."
Sean, acting like a little expert, slowly analyzed the sightseeing routes for Leyton, while handing over the golden sailboat model he had already unhooked.
Leyton chuckled, reaching out to take the model, while his other hand went into his pocket, making a fumbling motion. When he pulled it out again, he was holding a handful of gold coins.
Sean, somewhat stunned, cupped his hands together and took the handful of gold coins Leyton offered, holding them to his chest and carefully counting them:
"No problem, exactly ten gold coins."
"But why do you carry so many gold coins? Aren't banknotes more convenient?"
"As a mysticism enthusiast, throwing gold coins is a good way to divine."
Leyton casually brushed him off. His gaze followed the moving crowd ahead and saw Lawrence, wearing a dark overcoat, a semi-tall black top hat, and holding a black cane.
As if sensing the gaze upon him, Lawrence's azure eyes looked towards Leyton, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then he quickly approached.
Leyton turned his head to look at Sean, who had already put away the gold coins and was helping him analyze the best route and order to explore the Ocean Festival celebration. He reached out and patted his shoulder, saying:
"Wait for me at Fountain Square this afternoon. I need to finish what I came here for first, then I'll have time to enjoy myself."
With that, he stepped forward to meet the approaching Lawrence.
"Ah…" Sean raised his hand, held it stiffly in the air for a moment, then slowly lowered it, his expression full of confusion as he muttered to himself:
"What a strange person. Did I just encounter a child trafficker? Hmm… someone willing to spend 10 gold coins to buy an ordinary sailboat model probably can't be a swindler, can they?"
He reached for the left pocket of his coat, which contained the ten gold coins. Feeling the heavy weight and hard touch in his pocket, he felt as if the recent experience was somewhat unreal.
On the other side of the constantly moving street, Leyton nodded slightly to Lawrence, greeting him:
"Good morning, Mr. Lawrence. You look much better than the last time we met. It seems your life has been quite fulfilling recently."
Lawrence took off his semi-tall black top hat, held it to his chest, and bowed slightly, saying:
"Good morning, Mr. Tines. I didn't expect to meet you at the Ocean Festival celebration."
"You don't seem like someone who would suddenly appear at such a celebration, so are you here for me?"
Leyton nodded slightly, then shook his head:
"Originally, I was just here for you. But now, I think I can also spend two days here and enjoy the lively atmosphere of the festival."
Lawrence raised his hand, placed the semi-tall black top hat back on his head, and then said with a smile:
"Do you need me as your guide? I've lived in Midseashire County for decades, so I'm quite familiar with it."
"No, I've already found a guide."
As he spoke, Leyton gestured with his gaze towards Sean on the other side of the street, who was curiously observing the area through the crowd.
Lawrence followed Leyton's gaze, his eyes pausing on Sean for two seconds. A silver-white flash flickered in his azure eyes, making them appear somewhat profound and vast.
A moment later, he suddenly said with a hint of emotion:
"His Fate seems not to be peaceful in the future?"
Leyton looked at Lawrence with slight surprise. Although a Traveler who had experienced the Astrologer stage could be considered a master of divination, to draw a conclusion with just a simple glance, as he had just done, already fell within the realm of prophecy.
As if seeing the doubt in Leyton's eyes, Lawrence chuckled and explained:
"During my travels, I encountered a Chaoswalker from the Fate pathway. I recorded many Beyonder abilities related to Fate from him."
"Although this mystical knowledge involving Fate is very obscure and difficult to understand, relying on the accumulation from the Astrologer stage, the more I recorded and used them, the more information I was able to interpret. This has improved my abilities in 'divination' and 'prophecy'."
Leyton nodded slightly, no longer focusing on this topic, and turned to Sean, saying:
"His Fate will intersect with mine at some point in the future, but going from the Midseashire coast to the Southern Continent, for a child, doesn't seem like an easy task no matter how you look at it."