Presharvo Port was one of the busiest ports in the Zino Kingdom, sporting an impressive flow of people and goods every day. At any point in the day, there would be tons of ships moving in and out. The scene did not change even at night! It was expected though since it was the closest trade hub to the Alzar Kingdom and bordered the Teria Sea, both central to the Zino Kingdom's economy. That was why people called it the port that never rested! Currently, there were countless ships ferrying soldiers across the sea to answer the Alzar Kingdom's summons. It was likely that these soldiers, once they left, would never return. As a result, there were thousands of tragic farewells and reluctant partings. A heavy air hung above the port, suffocating the denizens to the core. It was a depressing sight.
Shirley stood on the harbor and watched the soldiers leaving one by one. Even with her energetic attitude, she found it hard to stay positive. She had experienced the dark side of the war personally. One could say it was engraved onto her soul, making it impossible for her to forget. Her home was destroyed, her family torn apart, and her innocence was robbed. Because of that, she could understand just what those soldiers would have to go through and perhaps, they might experience a nightmare far worse than she did… War was that type of monster, uncaringly destroying everything it touched. The nightmares lingered on her mind, plaguing her thoughts and plunging her into darkness. Despite the warm summer air, she shivered uncontrollably.
"Calm down, Shirley." Placing a hand on her shoulder, the man acted as an invisible pillar of strength. Thanks to that, she managed to shake away her thoughts and regain her calm.
"Thanks, Inari. I…"
"You don't have to act tough," the man interrupted. "We won't stay for long. They should be arriving soon."
"Alright…" Shirley took a deep breath and exhaled. The familiar salty smell of the ocean revitalized her. Ignoring the depressing harbor, the landscape was quite beautiful. The deep blue sea and vast open sky would cause anyone to admire the majesty of nature. It was sad that it was marred by war.
Two hours passed before Inari narrowed his eyes on the distant horizon. That distance was massive though, massive enough that ships would appear like tiny dots, indistinguishable from others. There was no way anyone could see anything at this point alone, but Inari could! He was, after all, a Perception Realm Master and master assassin! Admittedly without Martial Energy, much like a starving tiger, the power he could display was far less than what he should be capable of. Look at the Sword King's two disciples, Hidek and Lanar. With their full power, they could transform the entire town into a battlefield! They were walking strategic weapons! However, Inari definitely stood at the apex of the human world as one of the strongest humans alive. A starving tiger was a tiger, nonetheless.
"Do you see them?" Shirley asked eagerly.
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Inari smiled.
Glaring at his answer that was not an answer, she hmphed. The girl then took another deep breath before sharpening her senses. Suddenly, the world in front of her transformed. As the quality and depth increased dozens of times over, it gave her a vast sweeping view of her surroundings! The world grew brighter as her eyes greedily absorbed every detail. From the tiniest of bugs to the farthest of ships, everything entered her sight! The tremendous sensory input momentarily stunned her before she adjusted. As she focused on the horizon, the previously blurry and tiny picture revealed itself to her. Shirley could finally spot several familiar figures and a brilliant smile blossomed on her face. She even began crying out of joy. Still, she could not maintain the state for long and she stopped shortly after.
Despite sharpening her eyesight to abnormal levels, she was actually not a Perception Realm. Her achievement was Fundamental Realm Master, one step from Half-Perception Realm. What did that mean? It meant her physique had reached the limits of normal human standards! While it might seem meager on paper, do not misunderstand. Half a year ago, she was at the Adept level, meaning she jumped two minor realms! That sort of speed was equally as demonic as Elizabeth and Benedict. And since Elizabeth's speed was already regarded as peerless, that meant the three of them were practically monsters!
Shirley could not be judged by normal means either. She could already tap into the hidden power behind the Perception Realm, that of enhancing her senses to supernatural levels. Back in her fight against the Third Hand, were it not for her sudden breakthrough in hearing, allowing her to sense her enemies from afar, then she would have died a pathetic death. Her training on the Mordrigan Peaks reinforced her foundation and pushed her to the limit further. It was not easy. In fact, it was a gruelling and treacherous time where one step would end in disaster! When every day could be her last, she had to squeeze out every drop of her willpower and more.
The results were worth it though. Now, she could freely enhance her senses, equivalent to a real Perception Realm! That said, it was not like she possessed the full strength of a Perception Realm. She could strength one sense, maybe two if she strained herself. As for all five, that was a dream. Regardless, the power that one strengthened sense provided alone was astonishing! For example, she could see that distant ship as if she were right next to it. In a battle, that ability was worth its weight in gold. It was accurate to say Shirley possessed the potential to contend against Half-Rank 2s!
Gradually, after another half hour, the ship neared. Shirley could not restrain herself, running like a little girl to meet them. How could she not? When facing that person, she would inevitably lapse back to her childhood. Those sweet and innocent times, those joyful and harmonious times created surging waves in her heart! Because that very person was her very own mother! Previously, Shirley's mother had fallen unconscious and entered a deep comatose state due to the shock of her family's ruin. It left the local physicians helpless since the mind was one of the most complicated and mysterious things. They had no means to alleviate the coma, only prolong her life. This burdened her three children: Shirley, Charles, and Robert heavily.
It was not easy to prolong her life. A comatose person required all kinds of careful consideration. Because she had no way to tend to herself, her children had to feed her special medicine, massage her muscles, clean her body, and even clean up after her. The woman was no different from a doll! As her children, they did not complain, but it was extremely exhausting. Oftentimes, they had little time for themselves. Someone had to always keep watch over their mother, in case an accident was to occur. Not to mention, it was painful to see their mother in this state. For years, she remained unresponsive and unmoving, akin to a corpse. Who knew how long she would continue like this? Maybe another year, maybe another decade, or maybe until she died? It was a tragic story without an answer.
The reason why Shirley originally came to the Zino Kingdom was to purchase medicine. This medicine was quite special, and Lour Island could not produce it. They could only import it from elsewhere. When the shipments stopped arriving, Shirley had no choice but to come here herself. Unfortunately, she became tied into the mess with Freon and the Whispering Shadow, nearly losing her life as a result. Then, with her training in the Mordrigan Peaks, her goal was thrown onto Inari instead. Thankfully, Inari did not disappoint. Aside from being one of the grim reapers of Firecast, he had a vast wide-sweeping network of connections across the city, enabling him to buy the medicine with ease. He had someone deliver it to Shirley's mother, while he continued to supervise Shirley's training.
But truth be told, it was unnecessary. When Shirley talked with Princess Samanthie, the latter offered a great reward for the former's contribution in saving Elizabeth, the Alzar Kingdom's heir apparent. The Royal Family would not stint on such a reward. Gaining the promise of the Royal Family could instantly elevate a beggar to a noble or higher! It would be enough for generations to celebrate! However, Shirley declined and requested medical help for her mother. She was willingly giving up the opportunity of a lifetime for her mother; from this it could be seen how filial she was. Princess Samanthie accepted and sent over the kingdom's most qualified physicians to help. And the result was shown now… Shirley's mother had finally woken up!