Chapter 197. Cedar Island (2/2)
"Life is full of surprises,"
"Like how the girl you liked turned into a kid,"
"If you bring it up one more time, I won’t talk to anyone for a week. I’ll be in my room, alone, with the door closed. And I’m going to cry," Situ said, his voice completely deadpan. "You make a grown man cry with your words. Isn’t it such a horrible and terrible thing to do?!"
Crystal couldn’t hold back her laugh, but she rolled her eyes. "All right, all right. I won’t joke about it anymore," she said, raising her hands in surrender.
Crystal, one of the slaves Tyler had freed and employed on the ship.
"These men never get the hints." She sighed in frustration, shaking her head as Situ glanced at her, clearly oblivious to whatever signals she’d been trying to send.
Suddenly, both Crystal and Situ froze mid-conversation, their faces quickly dropping into serious expressions. They bowed in unison as a little girl with blonde hair and a flowing white dress passed by. It was Astrid. She rarely appeared on deck, usually keeping to herself in her room, meditating and practicing, but her occasional presence still demanded respect from the crew.
Astrid nodded slightly in acknowledgment, her steps light and graceful as she continued on her way. She wasn’t one to engage in idle chatter, her mind always preoccupied with her training or thoughts of her homeland.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Taka, the octopus fishman, was moving swiftly, hiding all the food in a storage unit. He glanced around cautiously, hoping no one would catch him stashing away supplies.
He sighed in relief, thinking the coast was clear, but then heard a quiet rustling. His tentacles moved to open the storage he had just sealed, and there, inside, was Zuzia—a small girl with dragon horns and wings, munching away happily on the food he thought he’d hidden.
"Zuzia! Not again!" Taka groaned, rubbing his forehead in frustration as the little dragon girl grinned up at him, her cheeks stuffed full of food.