Chapter 99. Everything in the past seems like a dream. ...
“Our marriage was a mistake from the start,” I said. “The day you meet a woman of higher value, then divorce me.”
"If that day ever comes, I'm afraid you'll cry." He gently rubbed my face, like a soft kitten.
I released his hands that were tightly around my waist. "I'm not your type, but I respect your decision to marry me because of your needs. I hope you will respect my decision as well."
Standing in the cold wind and drizzle, I suddenly felt a bit "tragic," though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
I said, “You don’t need to force yourself to get close to me, you really don’t. Although I’m plain-looking and of ordinary status, I don’t need a powerful man to save me, nor do I need this man to condescend to accommodate me. You just need to be yourself, just as I need to be myself. We both need to work hard and think about what we should be like.”
I stared intently at him, and he stared back at me.
Half a minute later, he smiled broadly and even laughed out loud, "Now I finally know why Bernard and Mamboy took a liking to you."
I ignored him and turned my head away.
“My lord,” a guard rushed over and knelt on one knee, “a diamond mine has just been discovered. Please come and take a look.”
Before I knew it, he suddenly stole a kiss on my cheek, saying, "You're my lucky star."
Just as I was about to get angry, he slipped away, laughing loudly.
Why are the men here so annoying?
I was furious and about to yell at him when I suddenly noticed a faint crack in the cliff face a few steps away. I hurried over, but he was already far away.
My heart started racing.
It really is a crack. It was completely invisible before, but after the rain and the fog, the crack became faintly visible.
He looked around to make sure no one was there before reaching out to touch the crack.
Intuitively, I felt this crevice was different. It was different from the crevice in the mountainside where the treasure cave was located. That crevice was wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways, but this crevice was just a linear one. Not even an earthworm could squeeze through, let alone a person.
I'm reminded of the secret passages and mechanisms in martial arts novels; wherever there's a hidden door, there must be something that can control its opening and closing.
I immediately crouched down and searched, touching here and tapping there, and finally, I found two extremely smooth, protruding stone tips.
I pressed down on the two stone tips with both hands at the same time, and with a soft thud, a stone door opened. I was extremely surprised and rushed inside without thinking.
It wasn't dark inside; the cave walls on both sides were covered with plants that emitted green light, as were the cave ceiling, so I could clearly see the path ahead.
I soon reached the end, where a stone wall blocked my way. I fumbled for the switch, but couldn't find it.
Just as I was getting frustrated, my head bumped into something hard on the cave ceiling. Reaching out to touch it, I found it was a green vine-like plant. I gently pulled it, and with a loud bang, the stone wall in front of me opened up and slid open, letting in a salty, damp sea breeze.
Upon exiting the cave, a wide expanse of soft, golden sand was shrouded in a thick, white fog.
Everything, both above and below ground, seemed to be shrouded in a hazy white.
Light rain fell on my face, and I took a few deep breaths of fresh air.
Walking alone on the beach, I suddenly turned around and noticed a bunch of writing on the cave wall. I was overjoyed and ran over to read it with my limited elven writing skills—which the maids had taught me—with difficulty and care.
One day, two elves discovered the secret passage and the sea barrier beyond the beach. They were amazed and frightened, but they didn't tell their other members of the tribe because they didn't want to return to the main continent and wanted to live here peacefully forever. However, they still prepared a ship here in case they needed it in the future—in case any enemies caught up with them on the island, they would at least have a secret means of escape.
"The entrance to this seawater barrier is very well hidden; it took us a long time to find it. In the southeast corner, there's a stone with some strange hand gestures and musical notes carved on it. By making the gestures and humming the notes, you can open the barrier and leave this island."
"But not everyone can open the barrier, even if they make hand gestures and hum a melody at the same time. The barrier can only be opened when you breathe in sync with the waves and your hearts are in harmony. I was able to open it, while my companions tried hundreds of times but never succeeded."
Below this line of text, another line of smaller characters was carved: "This is the last time we will carve here. We will leave tomorrow. We will leave through a whirlpool. We did not tell our people about this place. Since we did not say anything in the first place, we do not want to say anything when we leave. That's it."
On the golden beach amidst wind and rain, I braved the wind and finally found the medium-sized boat that was tied to a huge rock with a thick rope. Surprisingly, there was a foam-filled "life jacket" on board, as well as a waterproof hooded long coat. I guessed that the two tribesmen had left it on the boat back then and hadn't taken it when they left.
I also saw the hand gestures and musical notes on the stone. I personally feel that they don't seem to be carved by humans, but rather like marks formed by waves crashing on the stone over the years.
Nature may possess this wondrous power, unintentionally forming a barrier and then unintentionally "placing" the method to open it nearby. What the mystery is, I cannot fathom.
Perhaps nature itself is a mysterious and unknown force.
This force is so powerful that even a lifetime of effort has yielded no results.
Enveloped in thick white fog, through wind and rain, I untied the thick ropes binding the ship to the reef, jumped aboard, and just as I put on my life jacket and long hood, the ship was already heading into the sea with the waves.
The surging waves crashed in one after another, making the ship tilt and sway. I was so scared that I clung tightly to the sides of the ship, refusing to let go even if it meant my death.
The sea was a vast expanse of white, and with the thick fog, I could see almost nothing. But when the ship seemed to hit some kind of barrier, I sensed something, immediately released my hands, and made a few gestures according to the "hand gestures" marked on the stone, while humming a "musical note".
At that moment, I had a strange feeling. When the next wave came, I entered a strange realm, as if I were one with the waves, moving forward hand in hand with them, entering another world.
Just a few seconds later, I felt the barrier disappear, and the ship was suddenly pushed into a certain sea area by the surging waves. In an instant, the sea became calm.
The wind stopped, the waves stopped, the rain stopped, and I entered a vast expanse of azure sea. The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly, with seagulls soaring overhead, emitting sharp cries.
I was completely immersed in this vast expanse of land.
For a long time.
There were several fishing boats not far away, and a group of fishermen were casting their nets. Some of them saw me and waved.
Another sailor blew a sharp whistle.
The piercing whistle echoed around my ears.
I couldn't help but stand up and wave to them.
They even whistled.
The air is so fresh; it smells like freedom!
I have a feeling that I'm back on the main continent!
I was almost overjoyed. I'm back! I'm finally back!
——
Five days later, I set foot on the land of the East.
This is a small seaside town with a small harbor and a small population; even during the day, there aren't many people around.
At noon, the sun in the East was so bright that it almost blinded me.
Perhaps because they live on the island for a long time, often shrouded in fog and drizzle, they are not used to this sunshine.
I had to cover my face with my hand for a long time before I could finally move my palm away.
Everything in the past feels like a dream. The people I've met and the things I've experienced always give me a sense of unreality.
The Elf Realm, the Elf King, turmoil, bloodshed, battles, marriage, husband—it all felt like a dream.
I sometimes space out, often freeze in place, and sometimes stand helplessly at the bow of the ship.
After a brief period of confusion, I slowly recovered.
Let bygones be bygones. Now, I need a fresh start.
For more than ten days, I have been living on a fishing boat that found me adrift at sea, exchanging laundry and cooking for them in exchange for living expenses on the boat.
As I disembarked, I bid a friendly farewell to several sailors and an old cook.
I gave the "life jacket" to the kind old cook who had always been kind to me.
Apart from the old cook, the boat was full of men, but I was not in any danger.
I'm of average appearance and not particularly attractive, so they didn't have any improper thoughts about me. Of course, it's also possible that these men will soon be leaving the brothel, and they have lovers waiting for them there, so they're not in a hurry.
Just as I stepped off the gangway, the old cook suddenly called out to me from afar. She ran towards me and said that to thank me for the "life jacket," she wanted to introduce me to an old sister who had lived in the Eastern Territory for many years and specialized in introducing jobs to women.
"You're young and capable, you shouldn't have to worry about finding a job as a maid," the old cook said with a smile.
"Thank you, you're so kind."
I hugged her again before leaving.
Perhaps it had rained a couple of days ago, leaving the place muddy and puddled. I lifted my skirt, took the address, and waded through one muddy puddle after another, asking for directions as I went. It took me a long time to finally arrive at the old cook's sister's house.
In the dilapidated alleyway, in a small house, the old cook's old friend said that the only job available was that of a cleaner.
"Isn't there anything else?" I asked.
“This is all we have right now,” the old woman said. “If you want to find something else, you’ll have to go to the capital. There are plenty of people looking for nannies and maids there.”
After thinking about it, I decided to go to the capital. I didn't want to be a cleaner; my past experiences at Black Castle and the Elf Realm made me somewhat reluctant to do so.
The more prosperous a place is, the more job opportunities there are.
My old friend gave me the address of her sister in the capital, so I gave her the waterproof hooded long coat. She was overjoyed and said it would be perfect to wear when it rains.
Two or three days later, I arrived safely in the capital of the Eastern Territory by passenger carriage.
I was stunned as soon as I got off the carriage.
This place is much more prosperous than the small town I lived in before. The roads are well-maintained, and there are a wide variety of shops lining the streets, including clothing stores, fabric stores, candy stores, and jewelry stores. There is also a square paved with beautiful cobblestones, and a bustling market not far away, with pedestrians coming and going in a hurry.
The horse-drawn carriages and several black and white horses on the road made the street look like an 18th-century oil painting.
It is a completely different world from the former fiefdom of Bernot.
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