69novels Chapter 197 Two Scholars
Chapter 197 Two Scholars
Chapter 197 Two Scholars
"Do you know anything about the 'Rose School'?" Lorne asked Cattleya, who was standing beside him, about another question that had been bothering him.
"The Rose School?"
"Hmm." Lorne nodded and explained, "I have encountered extraordinary individuals from the Rose School before. That Señor just now..."
He reminds me a lot of them. I guess—he's probably a member of the Rose School too.
"I know a little about the Rose School," Cattleya replied. "The Rose School originated in the Southern Continent and is divided into the 'Indulgence' and 'Temperance' factions."
"The temperance faction?"
"Yes." Cattleya nodded. "Their philosophy is repression and restraint. In fact, the 'Rose School' was originally composed of 'Temperance' advocates. The 'Indulgence' school, which advocates gaining power through desire, was a later branch."
Then, Cattleya gave Lorne a brief account of the history of the "Rose School".
According to this logic, those who attacked me in Bayam must have been the so-called "liberals," Lorne thought to himself.
I did kill a few of their members, but—was it necessary to create such a deep grudge? They keep holding onto this grudge against me.
I have a feeling I'll run into them again.
Hopefully, it won't be one of those oddly shaped items again.
Lorne sighed and turned his gaze back to Cattleya beside him.
However, this "Admiral of the Stars" is truly erudite. Although her abilities are more widely known at sea than her academic level.
The two then chatted for a while about some rumors and intelligence from the sea:
Just as the two were enjoying the sunset and chatting happily, a golden sailboat, several tens of meters long, slowly appeared on the horizon.
Before Gadria could examine him closely, a hint of surprise flashed in Lorne's eyes.
"Golden Dream!"
"Admiral Iceberg" on the "Golden Dream"—Cattleya immediately recalled the relevant information from her mind.
"Admiral Edwina Edwards, nicknamed 'Iceberg Admiral,' is an adventurer who rarely engages in plundering. Therefore, we don't need to worry."
"I know—" Lorne interrupted Gadria before she could finish speaking.
"I never expected to run into the captain here," Lorne muttered to himself, watching the approaching sailboat.
Captain Cattleya keenly noticed the name.
"You seem to be quite familiar with 'Lieutenant General Iceberg'?"
"It was alright." Lorne no longer hid anything. "I spent some time on the 'Golden Dream' before."
"I see, you were her sailor before," Cattleya said thoughtfully.
"No," Lorne shook his head. "I only spent some time learning from the captain on the 'Golden Dream.'"
"study?"
"Yes," Lorne explained, "the captain is the most learned scholar on the high seas."
Upon hearing Lorne's assessment, Cattleya's usually cool and aloof brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
That's not necessarily true. She muttered to herself.
"So, the unconscious guy in the cabin is 'Flame' Danitz," Cattleya said in a declarative tone.
Lorne shrugged, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"Are you planning to board the 'Golden Dream'?" Cattleya asked.
"What are your thoughts?" Lorne countered.
"I?"
"Hmm." Lorne looked at her sincerely, "I don't have as much experience at sea as you. And, considering your position, to avoid any unnecessary conflict, I'd like to hear your opinion."
Upon hearing this, Cattleya's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your words seem to imply that I am a bad person who would actively provoke trouble."
"What? Did I mean that in what I said?" Lorne silently asked himself.
Seeing that Lorne remained silent, Cattleya continued, "Considering our current environment and the risks of navigation, requesting 'Admiral Iceberg's' assistance is indeed a reasonable suggestion."
"Don't worry, I won't have any conflicts with them."
Hearing this, Lorne breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. I also happen to have an academic question I'd like to discuss with the captain."
Cattleya glanced thoughtfully at Lorne before turning her head slightly away.
For some reason, she felt inexplicably irritable.
On the "Golden Dream".
Edwina was in the captain's cabin, looking at the nautical chart and thinking about the next route.
Daniz had previously sent a message instructing them not to travel to Bayam.
But clearly, she was not the kind of person who would remain indifferent after learning that Danitz and Mr. Brando were both in danger.
As she pondered how to enter Bayam without alerting the Church of Storms.
A sailor came and knocked on the door.
"Enter."
"Captain, we've spotted a strange little boat up ahead."
"boat?"
"Hmm, it seems like they're sending us a signal."
Upon hearing this, Edwina immediately went to the deck and saw the "small fishing boat" drifting on the sea.
She picked up the monoculars and looked in that direction.
That's... "Admiral of the Stars" Cattleya? And is that Danitz hanging on the gardenia pole?
Edwina recognized the three people on the ship. Apart from a young man she didn't recognize, another was her colleague, and the one hanging on the mast was her long-lost boatswain.
"Are they asking us for help?" Edwina immediately figured out their intentions.
In order to better transmit the message to the "Golden Dream", Lorne deliberately removed the white mask from Danitz's face and hung it in a most conspicuous place.
"I'm sorry, Danitz, please sacrifice yourself again." Lorne apologized to him in his heart.
Before long, the signal came through, and the "Golden Dream" began to slowly approach them.
Soon after, a rope ladder was lowered down from the huge ship.
Lorne first stuffed Rachel into his backpack, then carried the still unconscious Danitz on his back and said to Gadriya, "You go up first, I'll follow—"
However, Cattleya only gave him a warning look and then waved her hand lightly.
The next second, Lorne and she were lifted up by an invisible force and floated in mid-air. Finally, they landed steadily on the wide deck of the "Golden Dream".
"What a convenient ability," Lorne exclaimed.
Not long after they landed, a large group of armed sailors surrounded the three of them, watching the two uninvited guests warily.
Edwina quickly caught up from the back of the crowd. She first nodded politely to Cattleya and greeted her.
"Madam, welcome aboard the 'Golden Dream'."
Then, she turned her gaze to the unfamiliar young man carrying Danitz on his back and asked with concern, "Danitz, how is he?"
"He's just unconscious, nothing serious."
After handing Danitz over to the other sailors who had rushed to the scene, Edwina went to Lorne's side and said directly, "Brando,
Let's talk in the captain's cabin.
So, because they knew I was with Danitz, they immediately recognized me even though I looked different?
Lorne nodded.
Then, Edwina turned to Cattleya and extended an invitation: "Madam, please come to the captain's cabin for a detailed discussion as well."
Amidst the puzzled gazes of the surrounding sailors, Lorne and Gadriya walked together toward the captain's cabin.
The captain's cabin of the "Golden Dream".
Lorne briefly recounted everything that had happened recently to Edwina.
"I see-"
After listening to his explanation, Edwina nodded thoughtfully.
Meanwhile, Gadriya, sitting to the side, watched the two chatting happily, but her gaze, hidden behind her glasses, became somewhat subtle.
Are they really just friends, a scholar and an adventurer? — A thought uncontrollably surfaced, causing her fingers to tighten involuntarily.
After a moment, Edwina turned her gaze to Cattleya and said politely, "Ms. Cattleya, thank you for helping my friend."
"No, it should be me who should thank him." Cattleya quickly composed herself and replied in her usual cool tone, though her gaze lingered on Lorne for a moment longer.
Afterwards, Lorne and Edwina chatted about their recent experiences in Bayam.
Perhaps because he had finally escaped with his life, Lorne was in a very good mood, and his tone revealed a hint of relaxation.
Just then, Cattleya, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, interrupting them.
"It seems you have some academic questions you'd like to ask Ms. Edwards?" Her voice seemed a little lower, with a hint of tension that was barely perceptible.
"Huh?" Lorne was taken aback by her sudden question.
I do have a question I'd like to ask the captain. But—aren't you still here? Discussing some personal academic matters in front of you—
Lorne was puzzled. Why had this "Admiral of the Stars" suddenly become so clueless about romance? In his opinion, the other party's emotional intelligence shouldn't be that low.
If I had known, I wouldn't have said that one thing on the deck.
"An academic question?" Edwina asked, somewhat curious.
"Hmm." Lorne nodded, glancing warily at Cattleya beside him, who seemed somewhat "unhappy."
"Ms. Cattleya is also a scholar with profound expertise in extraordinary fields," Edwina said sincerely. "I think we might be able to discuss academic issues together."
Although Edwina was speaking up for herself, her words carried a subtle hint of challenge to Cattleya, who was secretly vying for the title of "most learned."
Although she knew that Edwina didn't mean it that way, her words, combined with Lorne's previous reaction, sounded as if she were implying that her academic level was inferior to Edwina's.
“Perfect,” Cattleya replied, her tone calm yet undeniable. “I’m also very interested to know what kind of problem requires consulting the most learned scholar on the high seas.”
this-
Lorne felt a strange pressure; he felt that something was off about the atmosphere here, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Never mind, those photos of the murals aren't anything that particularly needs to be hidden anyway."
"I took this picture in an ancient ruin that has been completely destroyed," Lorne said, half-jokingly. "Not long after I took the picture, the ruin was completely destroyed by a landslide."
Edwina took the photos and looked at them carefully, one by one, her expression gradually becoming serious.
In particular, when she saw the image about "separate households," it gave her some unsettling and blasphemous associations.
This time, Cattleya spoke first: "This is the art style of the early Quaternary period, and the content of the murals should be related to some deities."
Lorne nodded; this was roughly in line with his previous assumptions.
Edwina gradually recovered from her shock: "This shouldn't be just a simple religious mural. It's very likely—it records a little-known, true history."
She looked up at Lorne: "Are you interested in these things?"
Lorne nodded. "I'm very interested in the history behind this mural. As for the reason—well, let's just say it's my personal curiosity."
"Where is that ruin?" Cattleya asked. "Perhaps we can find more clues there."
Edwina's face also showed great interest.
Lorne sighed, "It's gone now. It was a deserted island I stumbled upon by chance, and I'm not entirely sure of its exact coordinates."
Even if he knew the coordinates, it wouldn't matter. That unfortunate island had already been blasted to smithereens by lightning long ago, he added in his mind.
Upon hearing this, Edwina said, "I'll help you study these murals. I'm also very interested in that submerged history."
For a reader, knowledge is knowledge, even if it is full of blasphemy.
Caldelia, who was standing nearby, immediately added, "I will also use my own channels to help you gather relevant information."
She paused, then added seemingly casually, "...These murals are indeed of great research value."
"Thank you," Lorne said with a smile, expressing his gratitude.
That smile startled Gadria.
"What's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing." Cattleya lowered her head.
"Listen...it hurts so much."
In the ship's medical room, Danitz groggily opened his eyes.
The first thing that appeared in his line of sight was a familiar black-haired figure wearing a black trench coat.
"Damn it—how come even the angels look just like Brando?" he muttered unconsciously.
Wait, this is...
Danitz suddenly realized what was happening, sat up abruptly in bed, and began looking around.
The familiar furnishings, the familiar smell of musty wood... "Golden Dream!" he exclaimed in disbelief.
These past few days, he'd been dreaming of returning to this place. And now, his dream had actually come true!
"I'm not an angel, I'm so sorry." A slightly teasing voice came from the side.
"Brando!" Danitz looked at Lorne, who was sitting to the side. "What the hell—what happened?!"
Lorne chuckled and briefly explained to him the series of events that had occurred after he fainted.
"Bullshit! What a coincidence!!"
A moment later, Edwina also pushed open the door and walked in.
"Danitz, how are you?"
"The ship—Captain! I'm alright!" Upon seeing Edwina, Danitz's voice began to stutter, but at the same time, he was filled with a tearful emotion.
"By the way, Danitz," Edwina said calmly, looking at him, "you've been so tired this time, how about we give you another long vacation?"
"No! No more!" Danitz's head resolutely refused.
"I never want to take a vacation again!"
Haha. Lorne chuckled twice, then looked out the window at the sea.
He had a feeling that he would be able to return safely this time.
Those troubles can finally be gotten rid of.
It's impossible that anyone in Backlund still remembers him.