Chapter 144 - 117: Like a Surreal Dream (Part 2)

"Please follow me, Lord Dean."

He stood upright and spoke respectfully: "Lord Roland is waiting for you and the Fes scholars in the office building."

·

In the crowd, a sneaky young man raised a heavy alchemical camera.

Click.

Gavin pressed the shutter, capturing the uneasy expressions on the faces of the young Fes people.

The Alliance reporter from White Oak Island looked at the screen and nodded in satisfaction.

Another eye-catching big news story!

"Alright, we can go back now."

He snapped a few more shots of Duke’s greedy expression and commanded his assistant beside him: "Tell the sailors to prepare for departure."

"Mr. Gavin, Lord Roland has returned, and there might be more important events happening tomorrow..."

The assistant was somewhat puzzled: "Why don’t we wait for a bit?"

"What else do you want to wait for? The war chariot, Gray Realm ruins, the Fes people’s dealings, I’ve gathered all the photo information that needs to be collected."

Gavin fiddled with the alchemical camera in his hand, contemplating how to craft an attention-grabbing headline for the news.

"But Mr. Gavin, we didn’t even capture a frontal image of Lord Roland, and we haven’t figured out the real reason he bought the Fes people..."

The newly hired assistant of the newspaper showed hesitation in his eyes: "We haven’t uncovered the truth yet..."

"What do you know? None of that matters!"

Gavin impatiently waved his hand: "No one wants to read tedious, boring details like an academic report."

"Our Golden Acorn Newspaper relies on the freshest news to earn Bright Gold Coins. It’s precisely because we are ahead that we can maintain an edge in the competition among major newspapers."

Gavin put away the precious camera: "The popularity of Ark Island will soon pass, we must release the news ahead of other reporters who are slowly gathering information."

The assistant nodded blankly: "Then how do we describe Lord Roland..."

"Lord Roland is just a petty tyrant who uses war chariots to intimidate others."

Gavin said indifferently: "Briefly describe his actions, and the citizens will imagine his appearance themselves, you don’t need to worry about that."

He had already thought of three headlines!

They were—

’Shock! Lord Roland suspected of secretly colluding with the Empire, using mechanical war chariots to enforce brutal reign!’

’Ark Leader enjoys exclusive rights to three deep-sea ruins, Seagull City’s energy supply is already overwhelmed, citizens are in misery!’

’Ark’s petty tyrant buys thirty Fes hats in one go, barely able to conceal his dark, beastly desires!’

"What we’re doing... might have a negative impact on the local area, Mr. Gavin."

The assistant was still hesitant: "We’ve already fabricated too much news..."

"What does it matter what the local area turns into? We’re reporting the truth, so where’s the fabrication?"

Gavin patted the camera’s casing: "Look! Genuine photos are right here."

"But..." the assistant seemed to want to argue further.

Gavin’s face instantly turned gloomy.

"Do you want to know how the last assistant got ousted?" he asked coldly.

The assistant immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak further.

Watching the humbled intern journalist, Gavin nodded in satisfaction. The two quickly boarded the sailboat and disappeared into the night.

·

The militiamen led the newly arrived young scholars away from the dock.

Molly’s ears tucked behind her head perked up again, though the girl kept her gaze straight ahead, her fluffy ears constantly twitching.

It’s really strange... so strange...

Why can’t I hear those terrifying, rustling sounds?

Even on the absolutely safe White Oak Main Island, I often hear some vicious, sharp screams on land, see twisted, horrifying illusions.

If I don’t wear a thick sound-proof cap, the whispers omnipresent in the ocean would devour my sanity every minute...

Molly once again concentrated, no longer suppressing her innate abilities.

The sounds around were incredibly pure, children giggling, sea breeze brushing over the beach, and the scent of food lingered in the air.

So clean... so gentle... so comfortable...

Even in the dark corners where the light doesn’t reach, there was no squirming distorted faces or shifting bloodstains.

Is this still the normal world Fes people see?

Could it be... I don’t need the hat anymore?

The girl’s expression showed some bewilderment, and she quickly noticed that not only herself, but all the Fes people had their ears perked up, attentively listening to everything around them.

Nothing happened...

No one suddenly curled up on the ground clutching their ears, trembling, and no one cried out in collapse and fear, everything was so serene, so—

Dreamlike.

They seemed to be in a beautiful yet unrealistic dream.

Even the always-attentive mentor Yi Feng was speechless, the purple-haired woman gazing at the increasingly close exquisite tall buildings, somewhat dazed.

"Welcome to Seagull City, Mentor Yi Feng."

Yi Feng snapped back to reality, realizing she had unknowingly walked to the entrance of the tall building, a well-dressed, tall merchant smiling at her.

He smiled and said: "Bring the students upstairs, Lord Lin Lan is in the office room at the very top, and he has been waiting for you all for a long time."

"Lord Lin Lan?" Old Dean beside Yi Feng showed perplexity: "Who is that?"

"Old friend, the changes on Ark Island while you were away are tremendously significant."

At this moment, the smile on Charles’ face seemed like a ghost submerged under a complex web of political duties, finally seeing the desired sacrificial lamb.

He warmly patted Old Dean’s shoulder, pulling him into the hall: "Come, let’s have a good chat."

Yi Feng turned back and glanced at the nervous-looking students, leading them into the brightly lit tall building.

The young people were temporarily placed in the spacious first-floor lobby, while Yi Feng went alone to the top floor of the building.

The door was slightly open.

Yi Feng steadied herself, taking a deep breath.

The Ark’s Roland leader was right behind this door.

Ever since Mr. Dean announced recruitment at the academy, she had been following the Ark news reported by various newspapers.

People said that Lord Roland was mysterious, powerful, insane, defiant, and relentless, an unyielding monarch who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

She gently pushed open the door.

The next second, she saw a young figure, a gray-haired boy sitting behind a desk, seriously browsing the stack of files on the desk.

Yi Feng was stunned.

Is this the Ark’s leader? But he looks just as young as the students I’m leading...

Soon after, she saw the other person lift his head, meeting her gaze.

Lin Lan put down the census register he was holding, curiously scrutinizing the Alliance species with furry ears in front of him.

"Are you the Fes people Dean recruited?"

The gentle voice reached the ears of the academy mentor, and Yi Feng noticed that those deep eyes showed no trace of a young person’s immaturity.

Indeed, just like the news said, Lord Roland is an ancient-century monster that has been sleeping in the deep sea for thousands of years...

"Please forgive my offense, Lord..."

Yi Feng mustered her courage, stepping forward, biting her silver teeth: "Actually, I did not accept that two hundred Bright Gold Coins recruitment contract!"

Fearing the other might become impatient, she bluntly revealed all her thoughts: "Although you’ve bought many young people from Silver Moon Academy, they’re still Alliance citizens, please treat those helpless kids kindly!"

Lin Lan: ...

He looked at the mature Cat Girl in front of him, her expression tense with her body slightly trembling, showing a somewhat peculiar expression.

Why is the atmosphere so strange...

What do you mean by ’buy’? I’m just hiring people to work, not a criminal trafficking in human beings.

Spending two hundred Bright Gold Coins to recruit, purely for long-term considerations, now it seems this money has caused some peculiar misunderstandings...