Bairon was wholly uninterested.
He was neither a wealthy merchant nor a councilman; for the time being, he was merely an Intermediate 3rd ring Battle Magus.
However, the opinion of someone else in the room held more weight than his own.
"Do you want to go?" Bairon turned to Evelyn.
Evelyn blinked in response.
"The attendees are all esteemed guests from the first-class cabins, polite gentlemen and ladies. There'll be a sumptuous feast, and even a splendid theater performance," the sailor quickly added.
No child could resist the allure of a theatrical performance.
Evelyn nodded emphatically.
"We'll be there on time," Bairon replied.
Handing over the invitation, the sailor said with a smile, "We look forward to your esteemed presence."
...
Sailport.
Pushing open the front door of a two-story building in haste, Ajani found a rotund middle-aged woman bound and carelessly tossed in the living room, a greasy dishcloth stuffed in her mouth.
Ajani quickly removed the cloth from her mouth.
"Help, help..." the woman cried.
Ajani inquired, "Who are you?"
"I am the owner of this house, Mrs. Sophie," the woman responded. "That damned Bairon! He stole my rent! I'll take him to the Citizens' Council!"
Ajani lost interest in listening further and turned to leave the small building.
At that moment, Olga, the robed magus, approached from a distance.
Ajani shook his head at her, signaling her message was already known.
"When I went to the harbor, it was already too late," Olga reported. "The harbor master mentioned someone had paid a hefty sum in gold coins to hasten the ship's departure."
Ajani remarked, "It's not hard to comprehend. The merchants of Sailport are more than willing to facilitate a journey north for a genius magus in a hurry."
"It was Council Chairman Mr. William who funded it. Indeed, he has no motivation to lay his hands on that item," Olga agreed, nodding.
Then she inquired, "Are you planning to charter a fast ship to chase them?"
"No need. Even if that item is truly in Bairon's possession, he would take it to San Sorus. I need to make a trip to Shadeveil Mountains first. My teacher asked me to gather some experimental data for her,"
Ajani explained, pausing for a moment before asking, "Do you know the name of the ship Bairon boarded, its departure port, and its final destination?"
Olga replied, "White Gull. It departs from Aule Harbor, the southernmost city on the continent, and its destination is Rustburg in the Pangboton Kingdom."
"That complicates matters," Ajani responded.
At that moment, a child dressed as a restaurant apprentice, holding a plate of food high above his head, approached and asked, "Miss, is this Mrs. Sophie's residence? She ordered a pizza from our restaurant."
"She's inside," Ajani moved aside, allowing the restaurant apprentice to enter the building.
Subsequently, she and Olga left together.
Behind them, the roaring voice of Mrs. Sophie could be heard, "I absolutely won't pay for the pizza! Go ask that damned Bairon for the money, deduct it from his rent!"
...
White Gull.
"Ah-choo!"
Bairon sneezed.
"Big brother, are you okay?" Evelyn asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Someone's probably thinking of us," Bairon replied with a chuckle.
"Do we have friends in Sailport?" Evelyn asked, curious.
"Of course. Even though we left in a hurry, many people there will miss us," Bairon said, patting Evelyn's hair and glancing at the wall clock. "It's lunchtime. Let's go!"
Evelyn promptly put on her Elf Queen mask.
The two left their room and, under the guidance of a sailor, found their way to the first-class dining hall.
The dining area spanned around eighty square meters but had only one dining table and a makeshift stage backdrop.
From the randomly stacked chairs and tables around the room's edges, it was evident that the lunch banquet space was a temporary conversion of the sailors' common dining area.
"Welcome aboard the White Gull! I'm Captain Frank of the White Gull," said a man with a pipe in his mouth, thick golden stubble, and a balding head, introducing himself with a hearty laugh.
"Lord Bairon!" A lady sitting at the dining table waved with a smile.
Beside her was a young girl who bore a strong resemblance to her. The girl seemed lost in thought.
"Lord?" Captain Frank looked at Bairon, surprised.
Ever since Bairon decided to leave Sailport, he'd shed his magus robe for casual wear.
"Madam Margaret," Bairon said, a bit taken aback.
His gaze briefly caught the girl next to her, and he felt a twinge of unease.
The two were none other than William's wife, Margaret, and their daughter, Anna.
Having spent a considerable time in Sailport, Bairon and Evelyn, of course, had met the council chairman's wife and daughter.
However, why Margaret recognized Bairon was beyond his comprehension.
"It's a pleasure to see you both here again," Bairon greeted with a warm smile.
"Autumn is just around the corner. I'm planning to take Anna on a vacation to Sail Town," Margaret remarked, nodding towards the girl beside her.
Anna seemed lost in her thoughts, barely noticing that her mother was conversing with someone, let alone introducing her.
Margaret looked slightly embarrassed, pulling out a chair beside her.
"Sit here, Bairon. Not many guests boarded this ship from Sailport."
"Thank you!" Bairon said, guiding Evelyn to the seat next to Margaret, while he took the one next to Evelyn.
Once seated, Bairon inquired, "Isn't this a local ship departing from Sailport?"
"No," Captain Frank responded with a chuckle.
"We set sail from Aule Harbor, the southernmost point of the Röntgen Continent, bound for Rustburg in the Kingdom in the North, Pangboton."
"But rest assured, esteemed guests, White Gull will dock punctually at your desired destination."
"I'd rather it be sooner," Bairon said with a light-hearted smile.
"White Gull will do its best!" Captain Frank laughed heartily, taking Bairon's comment as playful banter.
After all, no one wishes for a prolonged journey.
"Please enjoy the fresh fruit juices and rum, dear guests. I must attend to other distinguished passengers," he said apologetically.
With a nod from Margaret, Captain Frank turned and stepped outside the dining hall, assuming the role of a doorman.
Aule Harbor... Bairon mused.
Being the southernmost port city of the Röntgen Continent, Aule Harbor was separated from the other cities of the Provincial Alliance by mountains, swamps, and vast primeval forests.
The only mode of transportation to and from there was by ship.
Owing to its wilderness, those who ventured to the city were either curious tourists, traders, adventurers, or magus on assignments.
Bairon couldn't help but wonder about the cargo White Gull might be carrying from Aule Harbor.
"Master Padorn, welcome to the White Gull's first-class dining room," Frank's voice echoed from the entrance.
All eyes turned in his direction.
A lavishly dressed young man entered the dining hall.
Upon seeing the wooden chairs haphazardly stacked in the corner, he commented disdainfully, "Every time I dine here and see that junk, it ruins my appetite. Throw them all into the sea; I'll compensate you with gold coins."
"In the vast ocean, Master Padorn, gold coins can't serve as chairs," Captain Frank replied with a chuckle. "Without those, the sailors would have nowhere to eat."
Dave responded nonchalantly, "Let them eat standing!"
Frank laughed it off, pretending not to hear.
He then introduced, "Esteemed guests, allow me to introduce Mr. Dave Padorn. Over here, we have Miss Anna, Miss Margaret, and…"
Before Frank could complete his introduction, Dave, struck by Anna's beauty, interjected, "I didn't expect to find such a lovely lady aboard in the middle of the ocean. Ah, I recall now, White Gull docked at Sailport for two hours. Might you be a descendant of some Sailport nobility, Miss?"
"Two hours..." Bairon's brow furrowed.
"I'm sorry, sir," Margaret replied with a stern expression, "The Provincial Alliance no longer recognizes nobility."
The formation of the Provincial Alliance was a response to the oppressive reign of the nobility and the empire.
Hence, in the current Provincial Alliance, implying someone as a noble descendant was considered a malicious accusation.
"Senators are the new nobility, and nobility, the senators. My father always told me that. Our family has produced three senators!" Dave Padorn declared proudly.
After speaking, he approached Anna with a grin, "Lovely lady, may I have the pleasure of sitting beside you?"
A look of distress washed over Anna's face, and even Frank grew anxious. None of the first-class passengers could be slighted.
"Anna, let's switch seats," Margaret rose, suggesting.
Dave's gaze swept over Margaret, and he licked his lips, "That works. You're quite the looker too."
Margaret trembled with indignation.
"You can't sit there!" Bairon, who had been silent till now, interjected.
Dave sneered, "Boy! Do you even know who my father is? What gives you the right to meddle?"
"Frank?" Bairon blinked.