"Miss Grace, Miss Grace? Are you listening to me?"
Leonardo, the administrative minister of Hope Island, looked at the girl in front of him with some dissatisfaction on his face.
Flaxen hair in a ponytail and an oval face with a few freckles are the first impressions everyone gets when they see her.
The wide sky blue robe was loose on her petite and thin body, looking particularly out of place.
But compared to her appearance, the most eye-catching thing about her is always her pair of eyes that seem to be glowing.
Now she was looking at the desolate scenery outside the train window in surprise, feeling the rhythmic shaking of the entire train carriage.
When Leonardo called her name for the third time, Grace turned her gaze away from the scenery outside the window and looked at the middle-aged man with round glasses in front of her.
"Sorry, sorry. Although I have been sitting for such a long time, the technology in the North Sea is really shocking! It is more magical than magic."
"When I return, I will tell them that there is nothing like this on the island in the West Sea."
Hearing this, Leonardo looked at the other person with a trace of regret in his eyes, and thought to himself: "That requires you to know how to go."
"You are different from the others. You are heading to the Narwhal, the ship of Governor Charles of Hope Island. I heard that you are the best among this group of people. I hope so."
"Yeah, that's right. Among people of the same age as me, I have the most magical talent." Grace's words were full of pride.
The next second, she stood up, supported herself on the table with her hands, stood on tiptoe and looked at Leonardo in front of her excitedly.
"Mr. Leonardo, what kind of person is Governor Charles? Is he really the hero in the legends of the sea?"
"It was he who led everyone in Earthsea to form this rescue plan, and he was also the one who rushed to the front to explore everything. He is so amazing, just like the protagonist in a drama!"
Leonardo was a little surprised. The Explorers Association and all the governors had come up with a really good way to control public opinion. Was Charles already so famous? But this had both advantages and disadvantages. If he died, it would easily shake people's hearts.
But Leonardo soon realized that even if Charles was really dead, they would not let the people below know, and it was very likely that Governor Charles had already acquiesced to this matter. Earthsea needed a believer who was at the forefront.
"Since you're already on board, you don't need to listen to the brainwashing information. In short, he's not a difficult person to get along with. Once you're on board, you just have to do whatever he asks you to do. Remember your identity. You're a weapon. When he tells you to take action, you must do it immediately."
Hearing the other party's words, the liveliness in Grace's eyes gradually disappeared. After a while, her young eyes became firm, "Well, I remember, this is also for saving everyone."
As a former liar, Leonardo doesn't trust others easily, but he still believes what Grace said because Governor Anna has checked it.
Being the administrative minister of Hope Island did have some privileges. There were only two of them in the entire carriage, and the rest of the place was filled with goods.
Apparently because they were talking about serious topics, the atmosphere in the car was a little solemn. Grace looked at the scenery outside the window for a while, then took out a novel from the cloth bag beside her and began to read it with relish.
"Tales from Earthsea" is the name of this book, a very popular adventure novel that is said to describe a creature called "dragon".
There have never been any dragons in Earthsea, only strange things in the sea.
As she watched, Grace began to laugh happily. She forgot about her destined tragic future. Her clear laughter broke the atmosphere in the car.
But such a beautiful thing has to be rudely stuffed into the barrel of a gun like a bullet, and then ruthlessly fired out.
Leonardo now felt that Charles, who came up with this idea, was very cruel. An ordinary person would never come up with such an idea.
"Mr. Leonardo, have you read it? Tales from Earthsea has come to an end. Let me give you a spoiler: it's a good ending." Grace held the novel in both hands and carefully placed it in front of him.
"Ding~" The metal lighter emitted a yellow flame and lit the blue filter cigarette in Leonardo's mouth. "Thank you, no, I don't want to watch this."
"Cough, cough, cough~" Grace coughed, covering her nose and retreating back to her seat.
At this moment, the doors of the carriages opened, and a chef in white clothes and a white hat came in pushing a long and narrow dining cart. He placed plates of various delicacies on the table for two people with familiarity.
The staple food is mashed potatoes and pretzels, and the side dishes are fried whale meat, sea maggot fruit soup, and a roast chicken with its belly filled with fungi and its skin roasted until golden.
The aroma of the food made Grace swallow her saliva secretly.
"No need to wait for me, you eat first, I'll finish this one first." Leonardo said after taking a puff of the cigarette.
"Then I won't be polite!" Grace picked up the dagger stuck in the belly of the roasted chicken and cut the chicken into her own plate.
Every time she took a bite of food, her face showed extreme enjoyment.
"Haven't you eaten these in the Western Sea?" Leonardo asked after shaking off the ash.
Grace shook her head vigorously while chewing the roasted whale meat. After swallowing the food in her mouth, she said, "I can't eat it. My family has fallen. My grandfather should have been able to eat it every day."
"We couldn't eat it before, and we can't eat it now. All the food from the West Sea has been sent on ships to the North Sea."
"Everyone is starving now. In order to have something to eat, everyone is trying every possible way. May the Eye of Truth bless you and may these sufferings pass quickly."
Leonardo nodded and turned to look at the chef next to him. "How long will it take to reach the dark border?"
"Report to the Minister, we will arrive in half an hour." The chef said with a slight bow.
"Well, then I need to go get ready." Leonardo pressed the burnt cigarette into the crystal ashtray beside him, put one hand in his pocket, turned around and left the carriage.
Grace looked at the chef in the white hat next to her and happily continued eating.
Half an hour passed quickly, and the train slowly entered the station with the sound of the whistle.
Amid a group of forklifts carrying goods, Grace, who was a little uneasy, and Leonardo, who was accompanied by a group of subordinates, got off the train.
Having just come out of the bustling train station, they instinctively raised their heads and looked at a huge dark wall with no end in sight right next to the station.
(End of this chapter)