Shrouded Seascape

Lily stared at Nico in front of her in disbelief. Back on the Narwhale, Second Mate Nico had the best relationship with her among the crew. Even though he was Nico from another plane, Lily was still stupefied to know that he'd push her this far.

Nico had always been a caring older sister figure to her, after all.

However, becoming the governor of an island was no mean feat, and it was a position that demanded a certain level of ruthlessness—ruthlessness that Nico had never shown to Lily from another plane.

Just because Nico hadn't shown it, however, did not mean that he was not ruthless.

Dr. Oliver was holding a suitcase in one hand and had been observing from the sidelines, but he couldn't take it anymore and said, "But Governor! We still have our house here! We haven't sold it yet."

Nico stretched lazily and moved away from the handsome men's arms. "I know, so I'll pay you ten times the price you bought it. You can take the money with you and buy houses on the other islands."

As if afraid that Lily and her parents would refuse to leave, Nico hurriedly added, "Don't worry too much about it. Only Hope Island's allies are aware of your great power. The governors of the other islands are unaware of it.

"Hide well and don't expose your identity; I believe they won't trouble you if you do that. If worse comes to worst, you can just go to the other sea regions. Some of the islands there have become quite empty, you see."

In response to Nico's words, Lily quietly pouted. She clenched her fists tightly, her face flushed red, and her nostrils flared.

However, Nico was not at all worried at the sight. He had long prepared for Lily's arrival, so he surreptitiously signaled at the others.

Moments later, shrill horns sounded from the docks. The blaring horns had come from Hope Island's state-of-the-art warships, and the ships' fire-control system immediately locked onto Lily and her family.

"I'm really sorry, dear. I don't want to do this either, but as the governor of this island, I have to be responsible for my islanders."

Feeling aggrieved, Lily's lips trembled slightly, and she looked like she wanted to say something. However, she said nothing in the end. She grabbed the suitcase beside her and walked toward the passenger ship behind her.

Lily wanted to say something, but she was afraid that tears would roll down her face as soon as she opened her mouth to speak. Back on the passenger ship, Lily lay weakly on the bed with her head tucked into her chest. She was curled up into a ball, looking just like when she was still a mouse in Charles' palm.

Lily truly felt like she had been abandoned by everything.

It was like the world had become extremely cold to her, and only the vial hanging in front of her chest provided her with warmth.

Just then, a warm hand reached out and patted Lily on the shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie. If worse comes to worst, we'll just go to the other islands. They're all the same islands anyway."

"But those islands aren't our home…" Lily muttered. She then turned to look at her mother and asked, "Mommy, did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not. My darling daughter couldn't have done something wrong. They're the ones doing something wrong here. You're not at fault at all, so you don't have to worry about anything."

However, Lily didn't feel much better in the face of her mother's consolation. She still felt like she had made the wrong choice again. Perhaps she ought to consider all things before making a decision next time.

Perhaps her studies hadn't taught her much about the world.

At this moment, Lily dearly missed her friends—those friends of hers with whom she had overcome many life-and-death situations. She wanted to go to them and pour out all her grievances.

The urge became stronger and stronger until Lily couldn't hold it back anymore. She levitated and reached out to the porthole next to her. "Mommy, I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back soon!" ṝ

A powerful wave of energy burst out of Lily and engulfed her. The radiant golden light around her was so bright that she looked almost transparent within the light.

She sped across the seascape like a meteor and made a beeline for the V12 Containment Site, where she could travel between planes. Lily moved at breakneck speeds. She wielded the energy within her with all her might, shattering even sound as she zeroed in on her destination.

When she arrived at her destination, however, she was stunned. The oval-shaped building had disappeared. Lily had been holding back her tears, but the devastating sight finally pushed her off the edge.

Tears fell from her eyes, and she cried her heart out. Her sobs weren't loud, but her sobs were heartbreaking. The disappearance of the V12 Containment Site meant that she'd never be able to go back.

She'd never see her friends again.

It also meant that Lily could never go back on her decision to stay here. Standing on the vast but empty island, Lily cried in despair. Her tears dripped down her cheeks and soaked the soil down below.

Time ticked by, and Lily finally cried until she was utterly exhausted. However, she had no intentions of going back to her parents for now. Just like when she was still a mouse, she sprawled out on the ground and fell asleep.

For some reason, Lily slept exceptionally well. It had been a long time since she had such a good sleep. The half-conscious Lily turned over and hugged the fluffy rabbit next to her. She buried her cheeks into it and gently nuzzled it.

Wait, why is this rabbit here? Aren't I on a deserted island? How come this rabbit is here? Lily's eyes snapped wide open, and she was instantly awake. A wave of gentle sunlight engulfed her, protecting her from any attacks.

Lily looked around immediately and was stunned. She was supposed to be on a deserted island, but she was now on a bed in a bedroom.

The bedroom had a green apple theme; there wasn't much furniture inside, but it was a clean and decent room. There was an ornate pink chandelier, a simple but practical mahogany cabinet, and a small but spacious bookcase.

Lily was familiar with this place. It was her bedroom on Hope Island. However, they had already sold every single piece of furniture here at bargain prices, as they had to move out as soon as possible.

"What is going on?" Lily hugged the rabbit in her arms and walked up the window.

Just as she opened the window, the holes in the canopy above Hope Island were opened, allowing sunlight to come in and illuminate the island.

The slanted sun rays and the familiar sea breeze from the distant pier all told Lily that she was on Hope Island. When her hair fluttered in the wind, Lily realized that she had returned—she was back home.

There was knocking on the door, and Olivia's voice echoed from outside the room.

"Lily, didn't you say yesterday that you're going to school early today? Breakfast is ready. If you don't wake up soon, you're going to be late."

From Olivia's tone of voice, it was clear that she had lost her memories of the recent past.

What's going on? Didn't Bandages and the others drive us away? Why are we still here? Wait, am I dreaming? Lily's mind was in a mess.

Just then, her gaze landed on a piece of paper on the table. A crude Narwhale was drawn on the piece of paper, and there was a paragraph on it that said, "Lily, the issue has been resolved. You can keep staying here and live in peace. I've become really insensitive when it comes to managing my time, so I'm sorry for being late."

Lily read the paragraph a few times before she burst out into a sweet smile. She raised her right hand and looked at the small tattoo on the inside of her right thumb.

The tattoo depicted a tiny Narwhale, and Bandages had tattooed it on her on the day they parted from each other. Bandages was drunk at the time, so the tattoo was crooked and ugly.

Lily's eyes curved into crescents as she glanced at the tattoo on her hand and the drawing of the Narwhale on the piece of paper.

However, tears soon fell from her eyes; she had just realized that even if she was in another plane, Mr. Charles would still come and help her whenever she was in trouble.

Lily's drenched eyelashes fluttered, and her voice quavered as she said, "I'm really missing you, Mr. Charles."