Dave toyed with the silver fork in his hand, expressing discontent, "Child's play. If you're so sure, find me a real Elf."
Stephen chuckled, "For that, you'd have to venture deep into the dense forests. I've heard that in the 'Kingdom in the North,' a certain duke of Pangboton Kingdom keeps an Elf. It was found by an adventuring party of magi at the edge of the continent in the wild lands."
Stephen's words seemed to prick Dave.
Agitated, he retorted, "Someone told me there were traces of Elves in Aule Harbor. Nonsense! The only thing that harbor has is fish-smelling fishermen and equally rank adventurers!"
"It was probably some travel agency from San Sorus that recommended it to you. Such tricks can only fool the nouveau riche who know nothing," Stephen teased with a playful smirk.
"My family has several members in the council! I'm no nouveau riche!" Dave shouted back defensively, each of Stephen's jabs striking a nerve.
Frank, ever the peacemaker, interjected, "Gentlemen, please remain calm during dinner."
"I wonder which part of the numerous stories about the Elf Queen we will hear today," Stephen remarked, shooting a playful wink in Evelyn's direction.
However, Evelyn paid him no attention, simply sipping her soup delicately.
The moment she lifted her mask, Stephen caught a glimpse of Evelyn's pale grey skin and shot Bairon a complex look.
"Is there a problem?" Bairon inquired.
Bairon felt neither particularly fond of nor against this man who claimed to be an editor for some magazine.
"She... Where are you headed?" Stephen queried.
"San Sorus," Bairon responded. Captain Frank knew the final destination, as did most of the crew, so lying to fellow travelers would be pointless.
"Oh, are you planning to meet old Mrs. Howard?" Stephen asked, tearing a small piece of bread and enjoying it with some butter.
Bairon questioned, "Who is Howard?"
"She's a survivor, if you catch my drift," Stephen said with a hint of amusement in his voice, not explicitly mentioning what she survived from.
Greyscale, although not contagious, often subjects its sufferers to discrimination and mockery because of their distinct skin tone.
Among those present was a young man with quite the disagreeable personality.
Bairon's expression grew solemn. The red-robed magus, Olga, had only mentioned that there was a Greyscale survivor in San Sorus but had not revealed her surname or address.
Perhaps Olga intended to use this information to barter something from Bairon, or maybe he simply didn't know.
Regardless, Bairon didn't want to press the matter.
With his current power, Bairon needed to maintain distance from any high-ranking individuals to ensure that the secret of the ring from the Dark Tower he bore remained hidden.
Of course, Bairon had other means to find the survivor, which gave him the confidence to keep Olga at arm's length.
Yet, Bairon hadn't expected to encounter a fellow passenger on the White Gull who also knew of this survivor. San Sorus was vast, after all.
After a brief pause, Bairon asked, "Do you know where she resides?"
"Yes, she lives at 66 Maple Lane, but she's quite elderly now," Stephen remarked with a sigh. "I've interviewed her in the past. Even her unfortunate fate hasn't altered her gentle nature. She's truly commendable."
Aged... Bairon thought, it aligned with what Olga had described.
Bairon nodded in gratitude. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Do remember to get her a slightly sweet cupcake. She used to love that flavor, at least she did a long time ago," Stephen offered as a helpful tip.
Dave sneered, "Sounds like you two are discussing how to get into the bed of some noble lady."
"Would you like to join? Mrs. Howard is quite hospitable," Stephen said, playfully winking at Dave.
A shiver ran down Dave's spine. There's something incredibly off-putting about a man over 8 feet tall winking at you.
A stranger with a tall hat entered the dining room and took the stage that had been hastily set up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Fireworks Theatre Troupe, we are deeply grateful for your presence here. A special thanks to our captain for giving us this wonderful opportunity to perform," the man bowed deeply to Captain Frank.
"It was only today that I learned we had a theatre troupe in the lower decks, so I invited them to perform for us," Captain Frank laughed.
Evelyn paused, her soup momentarily forgotten, as her gaze remained fixed on the stage.
Bairon handed her a napkin.
She took it, wiping away any residue from her meal, her eyes never leaving the stage.
"This is boring, I'm going to bed," Dave declared as he stood up.
Frank appeared slightly embarrassed.
To adults who didn't care for theatre, such performances seemed childishly trivial.
Even Anna began to yawn.
Her delicate face showed signs of weariness, and she glanced at her mother a few times, seemingly hesitant to voice her thoughts.
However, as Dave prepared to leave, the theatre troupe entered.
Leading the procession was a dwarf, painted entirely green, followed by a man dressed as a bard, carrying a long flute.
Lastly, a lady with a purple veil entered.
Her dress resembled a tilted green leaf draped over her, exposing a slender, porcelain thigh because of its slant.
Additionally, she wore decorative pointed ears.
Dave's eyes were fixed intently on her.
Stephen chuckled, "Dave, weren't you leaving? You better hurry. It gets quite warm with so many people in the dining room."
"I never said that. Don't put words in my mouth," Dave replied, calmly reclaiming his seat.
Stephen looked back to the stage, deep in thought. "That costume... let me think. They're about to perform the 'Spring Theft Case,' aren't they?"
However, no one at the table responded to his musing.
Anna was whispering to her mother, her eyes filled with a pleading look.
Frank and Dave were transfixed on the stage, or to be precise, on that exposed slender, white thigh.
Feeling a bit awkward, Stephen scratched his nose and turned to Evelyn, smiling, "Your Majesty, would you like to know about the 'Spring Theft Case'?"
"I'm aware," Evelyn replied impatiently. "Anything I don't know, I'd ask my brother. Bairon knows everything."
"That's not necessarily true. The 'Spring Theft Case' is a rather obscure tale," Stephen said, a hint of provocation in his voice.
Under the table, Evelyn tugged lightly on Bairon's sleeve.
With a resigned expression, Bairon began, "The 'Spring Theft Case' tells the story of the last Sword Pendant of the Elf Queen, who conspired with the dwarves to steal the Elf Queen's chalice. 'Spring' is the name of the chalice, and 'Sword Pendant' is the nickname for the Queen's most trusted guards."
Stephen's mouth hung open slightly, caught off guard.
Perhaps it was due to the limited space on the sailboat, or maybe the troupe, having been restricted to the lower decks, wasn't particularly skilled. Either way, their performance wasn't very captivating.
Even Evelyn seemed on the verge of dozing off.
"I want to leave," Evelyn suddenly scratched Bairon's hand beneath the table.
This was a discreet signal that her Greyscale might be acting up, and she needed to take her medicine.
"Frank, Evelyn's feeling a bit tired. I'll take her back to get some rest," Bairon said as he stood up.
"Eh? Oh... alright then," Frank replied, slightly taken aback, but he nodded after a moment.
Making a sudden exit was considered impolite, something any refined guest would understand—except for Dave, perhaps.
However, given that Bairon might very well be a Battle Magus in hiding, Frank didn't dare say much.
As long as he doesn't get upset and damages my ship... Frank thought to himself.
Bairon, with Evelyn in tow, departed the dining hall.
"Mama, can we leave too? I want to go to sleep," Anna took the opportunity to whisper.
"Alright." Margaret, finding the performance equally dull, gracefully stood up and addressed Frank, "Frank, Anna's quite sleepy, I'll take her to rest."
Ever since the actress portraying the Elf Queen walked in with an outfit exposing a thigh, Margaret had suspicions about whether this small theatre troupe might have some performances more suited for an adult male audience.
To be safe, she decided to take Anna away.
"Of course, ma'am!" Frank nodded in agreement.
Not long after Margaret and Anna had left the dining area, the hall erupted with whistles and cheers from the men.
Among the shouts, there was a piercing cry of, "Lift the green leaf a little higher!"
Judging by the voice, it was Stephen shouting.
Margaret was deeply irritated.
Were there no gentlemen with any semblance of propriety on this ship?
Perhaps Bairon was an exception.
She remembered the time Bairon had assisted her in the dining hall, which lifted her spirits somewhat.
...
In the world of the Dark Tower.
After giving Evelyn her medicine and waiting for her to fall asleep, Bairon came here.
Standing still, he first knelt down and opened a cardboard box on the muddy ground.
The box wasn't large, but it was filled with various items.
Cheese, bread, razor blades, clothes, a few gold coins, and a bottle of medicine to delay the onset of Greyscale.
Bairon was conducting an experiment.
He wanted to see how long these items could last in the world of the Dark Tower.
If it was the same as in the real world, then Bairon would possess a personal space at least ten times larger than Sailport.
At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about losing valuable items.