"Ms. Linda, what's that busy place over there?" Grace, who was carrying a lot of bags, looked curiously at the tall and bustling building with people coming and going.
People coming in and out were holding boxes of varying sizes.
Faced with the other party's inquiries, Linda's attitude was no longer as cold as before, and she tried her best to explain clearly.
"That is the market for selling and exchanging relics. Because the darkness above can continuously catalyze new relics, various relics are constantly produced. Things that were once very rare in the Earthsea can be freely selected here. Whether to use them directly or inject them into the body depends on the explorers' own choice."
"This is also the place responsible for testing relics. The captain's diary has been tested here. From what we can see so far, the book doesn't have any significant side effects except for predicting some unknown things."
Grace opened her eyes curiously and looked at the explorers coming and going inside.
"Should I go get some? This stuff is said to be cursed in the Western Sea, and I've never used it."
"No need. The captain and the others can handle the battle. Everyone has their own position on the ship, and the same goes for you. Just do your part." After saying that, Linda continued to move forward with Reese.
At this moment, Grace was somewhat surprised to see the handsome man with a mustache who came with her.
She let go of his hand and was about to rush over to say hello with a smile, when she saw the other party confidently walking into the relic market with a group of subordinates.
Before Grace could figure out what the other person was doing inside, Linda came over, took her hand and continued walking forward.
"Ms. Linda, can you tell me more about Lord Charles? I've heard all kinds of legends about him at sea, and the boys on the island adore him."
"Is he really the person who has explored the most islands in Earthsea? And I heard that his ship is alive? Also, is his relationship with the Governor of Icha Island really as rumored?"
Hearing this, the expression on Linda's face changed in a very complicated way, and finally a word came out of her mouth.
"He's a lunatic, you don't have to understand him."
Grace didn't know what to say for a moment. After a long pause, she started talking again: "Ms. Linda, why do you seem to dislike Mr. Charles?"
Linda stopped on the busy street and looked back at her. "As an old man, I'm telling you the unspoken rule that you'd better learn as soon as possible on the exploration ship. That is, you can have life and death relationships with other companions, but you should not mix too many personal emotions with them, including the captain."
"Only in this way, when they die, you can cheer up as soon as possible and start a new mission again."
Grace looked at the bald woman in front of her and felt a little scared for some reason. She seemed to have become two different people from before.
"Got it..." Grace agreed softly.
Linda turned around and continued walking, saying with a hint of depression, "There are still three hours until nightfall. You can enjoy today as if it were the last day of your life. No matter whether you can come back alive or not, you will be changed in the end."
Grace couldn't tell the emotion in her voice, but she understood the general meaning. "Well... I want some books, some books for the journey."
Linda didn't ask any more questions and took her directly to the only bookstore in the entire site.
Inside the bookstore, books were neatly placed in the cabinets, stacked high. When Grace learned that all books here were free, she excitedly rushed in and started looking for them happily.
Now she is like a mouse in bread crumbs, she seems to like books very much.
"Ms. Linda, look here! There is a complete set of magic books of the Gaunt family! And here, there are also those of the Howard family!!"
"Grace, don't forget, this is the surface. You are not allowed to use magic unless the captain allows you to do so."
After hearing Linda's reminder, Grace put back the copper-covered book sealed with chains in her hand with regret on her face. After picking and choosing, she finally chose some special books.
"Transmission Principle of Gear and Rack", "Electricity and Magnetism", "Steam Dynamics"
"Why did you buy these? These things are hard to understand, and you can't use them even if you understand them." Linda was very surprised by her choice.
"No reason, I'm just curious. I'm curious about how such a large piece of iron can be moved without magic. And this kind of book cannot be bought in the Western Sea."
After Grace finished speaking, a cheerful smile appeared on her face.
But when Linda saw the smile on her face, her heart suddenly shrank and she looked away avoidantly.
"Ms. Linda, I've finished my shopping. Let's go back to the ship." The two began to return the same way, heading towards the Narwhal.
Along the way, Grace seemed to notice that Linda's expression was not very good, so she was careful not to speak.
Just as they were back under the Narwhal, Linda suddenly asked a strange question: "How did your family react to your coming to the surface this time?"
For the first time, Grace's lively expression seemed a little dim. "I have no family... My only relative, my grandmother, was killed by the previous death ray."
Looking at the girl in front of her, Linda's distant memory was touched.
She stood in front of Linda with a slightly distorted expression, grabbed her shoulders with both hands and shook her vigorously, "Then why did you listen to them and come to die!? You are the only one left! What are you afraid of! If they want to die, let them do it themselves!!"
Grace didn't know why the other party suddenly reacted so strongly.
Just when she was about to say something, Linda suddenly opened her arms and hugged her in her arms, her face full of heartache.
After a long moment, she let go, grabbed the rope ladder in front of her, and climbed toward the deck of the Narwhal.
The night before departure, there was no one on the ship and the cabin was empty. There were only the sounds of two people's footsteps in the corridor. Linda took her and introduced everything in the cabin as she walked.
Just as they turned the corner and were about to walk towards Dipper's room, they met Charles who was walking towards them.
Both parties were a little surprised, but Charles said nothing. He nodded to Linda, then walked past the two of them and headed towards the deck.
Just as Charles walked three steps away, Linda's voice sounded behind him. "Captain, what do you think the future of Earthsea will be?"
Thanks to Qingshui Mingsha for the 10,000 reward! There will be an extra update tonight.
(End of this chapter)