Chapter 56 [Returning the Gray Pigeon]
Although Mela was determined to send the grey pigeon back, how to do it was a problem.
She had no idea who the gray pigeon's owner was.
"If only I had the crystal ball with me."
This way, Mela can directly perform a divination, letting the crystal ball tell her information about the owner of the grey dove, or where she can meet the person she wants to see.
Now, all Mela can do is have Silas take her back to where she met the grey pigeon, hoping to try her luck.
Who knows, the two groups might just bump into each other?
"What if we don't crash?" Silas raised the worst-case scenario.
Mela shrugged. "Then we'll just have to take it around town and try our luck. If we still can't find its owner, we'll just have to let it come with us for now."
Mela doesn't have much time to waste.
We can't really stop for a gray pigeon.
Moreover, she glanced at the gray pigeon, still determined to get closer to Silas and even trying to gently preen his feathers with its beak, and chuckled, "Doesn't it seem to like you quite a bit? Maybe you two can even become friends after spending a lot of time together."
"Aaaaaah! Help!"
Silas was so engrossed in talking to Mela that he unconsciously let his guard down, which allowed Grey Dove to sneak up on him.
Feeling the unfamiliar, sharp touch on his feathers, Silas was suddenly filled with a chill and screamed as he buried his face in Mela's arms.
It clung to Mela's arm as if it were grasping at the last straw in the world.
Silas protested, "I don't want to be friends with it!"
Putting everything else aside, the fact that Grey Dove likes Silas in his current form is practically the same as what it says, which means it likes Miss Lily, right? Looking at it this way, it and Silas are clearly rivals in love, aren't they?
"Let's get rid of it quickly," Silas urged impatiently.
"Alright, alright." Melania Silas had no choice but to reach out to the gray dove standing by the bed.
Mela was initially worried that the pigeon might be hostile to anyone other than its owner, but to her surprise, the gray pigeon looked at Silas, who was being held in Mela's right arm, and then spontaneously landed on Mela's outstretched left hand.
This saved Mela the trouble of catching it.
Now Mela is holding two pigeons in her arms.
"Can't I just climb onto your shoulder?" Silas looked at the gray pigeon so close to him and stretched his neck to try and get some distance from it.
“No way.” Mela refused without hesitation.
What if the gray pigeon also starts clamoring to stand on her shoulders later?
Two pigeons could probably crush her shoulders.
Mela stepped out of the room and onto the street, where she found the place where she had first encountered the gray pigeon, just as Silas had told her.
The largest hostel in Black Sheep Town.
Even just standing outside the gate, one could tell with the naked eye that this inn was worlds apart from the tavern where Mela had stayed the night before.
Waiters carrying teapots moved among the guests, and well-dressed merchants went up and down the wooden stairs leading to the second floor. The sturdy wooden planks did not make any creaking noises as if they were about to collapse.
A faint scent of soap even lingered in the air.
Through the crowd, Mela saw a middle-aged woman with very strong arms carrying a pile of bed sheets deeper into the crowd.
If it weren't for the need to conceal her identity—a wealthy person who can afford to stay in a grand hotel is obviously more memorable than a poor person who can only afford to stay in a tavern—Mera would certainly prefer to stay in such a place.
However, it was just a thought. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would likely continue to stay in shabby little taverns.
Mela sighed inwardly, then carefully observed the expressions of everyone in the inn.
With Mela standing so casually at the hostel entrance, many guests naturally noticed her presence and then, quite naturally, stared at the two pigeons she was holding, but no one showed any familiarity with her.
A flicker of curiosity crossed his eyes.
Oh no, could Silas really be right? The gray pigeon's owner isn't here, and it flew here by accident? Or perhaps its owner has already left, and they arrived too late?
The power of a jinx should not be underestimated.
Suddenly, the portly middle-aged man standing behind the counter beckoned to the waiter, then pointed at Mela and seemed to say something. Mela couldn't hear him clearly, and subconsciously thought he was going to call someone to kick her out, so she lifted her foot to leave.
Unexpectedly, the waiter panicked and chased after her, shouting, "Wait! Hurry up and wait!"
Mela heard the voice getting closer and turned around in confusion. "Are you calling me?"
"That's right, it's you. Where did you get this gray pigeon you're holding?" the waiter asked impatiently, his attitude not exactly friendly, as if he was convinced that Mela had stolen it.
“I found it around here. I saw something tied to its leg and thought it must be an owner’s pet. So, are you its owner? I’ll return it to you.”
Mela feigned innocence and, in an attempt to clear herself of suspicion, even offered the gray pigeon forward, seemingly intending to return it to the waiter.
As a result, the gray pigeon refused to go into the waiter's outstretched palm, fluttered around a few times, and hid on Mela's shoulder, which made Silas's eyes practically blaze with anger.
If it weren't for the fact that it had to pretend to be a speechless, silly bird outside, it would definitely be swearing and cursing right now.
"I am not its owner, but its owner may be a guest staying at our inn." Seeing this, the waiter hesitantly withdrew his hand.
When the shop owner told him that the gray pigeon was very likely the pet that an important customer was looking for, he chased after it without thinking, thinking that if he could bring it to that customer, he might receive a very generous reward.
But now it seems that his plan is destined to fail.
The waiter could only bring Mela to the shop owner, who then personally led her up to the third floor and knocked on a door that was not locked.
"Who?" The speaker was a man who sounded somewhat old.
“Mr. Looney, we may have found the grey pigeon you sent people to search for.” Even though he hadn’t seen the man, the shopkeeper still bowed obsequiously and spoke to Mr. Looney, whom he called Mr. Looney.
He was indeed a shrewd man capable of running such a large inn; he always remembered to leave himself some room for maneuver when he spoke. He was clearly certain that the gray pigeon Mela brought was the one Looney was so desperately looking for, but he just wouldn't say it outright.
Perhaps, if he has made a mistake, he still has room to deny it.
Mela glanced at the shirt buttons that were about to burst open under the brown vest, and at the greasy fat peeking out, before silently looking away.
She waited with some curiosity for "Mr. Looney," the shopkeeper had mentioned, to open the door.
However, a series of more hurried footsteps sounded, and the first person to open the door was a boy who was not very tall.
He was shorter than Mela.
But her pretty face completely makes up for her lack of height, making her a pleasing sight to the eye.
A white silk cloth was tied in a perfect knot around his neck, so that even when he looked at people with his chin slightly raised, he wouldn't be offensive; people would only think he was as noble as a cat.
Where are my pigeons?
He spoke, his tone predictably arrogant.
The shopkeeper quickly stepped aside, revealing Mela behind him, "She's in this lady's hands."
He then looked at Mela.
Mela then reached out her hand, letting the gray dove hidden behind her hair land on her hand, and handed it to the boy.
"Is this your pigeon?"
"Little Grey!" he exclaimed, reaching out his hand eagerly.
Unlike before, the gray pigeon readily jumped into his palm, nudging its master with its head and acting coquettishly.
"Great, Master Kren, your pigeon has been found."
At this moment, Looney also arrived at the door. He looked to be in his thirties. His face was not particularly handsome, but his brown eyes clearly showed the composure that came with a lot of experience, making him seem very reliable.
Logically, at this point in the story, it should have been Looney's turn to thank Mela, the kind person who helped them find the pigeon, but Kren beat him to it.
Kren scrutinized Mela from head to toe with a critical eye. This young woman, who looked ordinary and dressed so plainly that he didn't want to look at her a second time, said, "You deliberately kidnapped my Little Grey, didn't you? My Little Grey has been specially trained and would never leave my side easily. What is your purpose in taking it away and bringing it back? Are you trying to extort money from me? A good job? Or something else?"
Mela was baffled by the hostility emanating from Kren. It seemed like this was their first time meeting.
Faced with Kren's aggressive questioning, Mela, contrary to her usual self, put on a timid expression. "I'm sorry, I think you've misunderstood. I don't know how much this gray pigeon is worth. I just saw that it had something tied to its leg and thought that it might have an owner, so I was trying to find its owner in this area."
"I was stopped by the waiter at the inn's door." Mela looked timidly at the innkeeper and slipped the hot potato into his hands.
The shopkeeper suddenly took over the conversation, his lips burning as if on fire, and hurriedly said, "That's right, that's right. I saw her standing at the entrance of our inn holding a gray pigeon. I thought that although gray pigeons are not uncommon, Mr. Luni was looking for one, and this was such a coincidence that it came to us, so I simply brought her and her pigeon up."
As it turned out, it was obvious that Mela was holding the very pigeon that Looney and the others were looking for.
Upon hearing this, Kren was about to say something more, but this time Luni interrupted him first: "Young Master Kren! Now that you have found your pigeon, you should pack your things. We still have a long way to go, so let's not delay any longer. Let me discuss the matter of expressing my gratitude with this young lady."
Kren glanced at Looney, knowing he was in the wrong for being willful earlier, so he pouted and reluctantly walked past Looney back into his room.
Judging from the clattering and banging sounds coming from the room, young Master Kren must be in a very bad mood.
But Mela was in a wonderful mood.
However, when Looney asked her in a friendly tone how much money she wanted, intending to settle the matter with money, Mela did not give up her original plan to ask for an exorbitant amount: "I already said, I don't know how much this gray pigeon is worth, so let's just calculate it according to the price you think it is worth."
Ordinary pigeons are certainly not worth much money.
But the pigeons that Kren raised were just carrier pigeons.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see how much Kren loves this gray pigeon, so its value should double.
If Looney simply gave Mela a few copper coins to get rid of her, they would have to endure the shopkeeper's perception of them as stingy.
The more someone cares about their reputation, the less they can tolerate being criticized by others.
Mela bets Looney will offer a good reward.
In fact, just as Mela had expected, Looney not only gave her a large sum of money, but also a sum that would shock the shopkeeper.
Mela stepped out of the inn, stroking her money bag, which was now heavier than before they left, and said in a good mood, "I have a feeling our luck won't end here."
Even better things await them.
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