After thinking it over carefully, Stormlook finally remembered that he had seen Luca at Yuel’s opening ceremony.
At that time, the young man was the host, standing on stage with great enthusiasm. The principal had mentioned that Luca was an outstanding student, a candidate for top universities, which left a lasting impression.
He never expected that they would meet again, and this time, the young man had saved his daughter. Stormlook was naturally very grateful, as she was his only daughter. On their way back, he repeatedly asked Luca if he needed any help, almost offering to write him a check on the spot. In fact, he actually did just that.
Looking at the check for thirty million pushed into his hand, Luca couldn’t help but laugh. If this check could be exchanged for gold coins, he would be overjoyed.
“Senior, feel free to visit us sometime. We live at No. 0, Maple Street,” Yuel said, waving her hand with reluctance from inside the Maybach.
“If I have the time, I will,” Luca replied with a smile, watching the black luxury car drive off until it disappeared around the corner. Only then did he turn and head back to his own villa.
Donald, Darabont, and the others were all busy upgrading their systems, so the villa felt rather quiet. Luca didn’t want to disturb them and instead returned to his room to rest.
In the bedroom, Susie was still asleep, snuggled up in her blanket with a sweet expression on her face. Her fair legs were draped over the edge of the bed, and the sunlight streaming through the window seemed to make her skin glow.
Next to her pillow, a silver mouse with a crown lay sprawled out, fast asleep. The little creature stretched its limbs across the soft pillow, its sleeping posture almost as messy as its owner’s.
Luca had originally planned to ask Susie when they would arrive at Seaway City, but after trying to wake her up for a while without success, he gave up and decided to wait for her to wake up on her own.
After taking a shower, he lay down in the gaming pod, slowly closing his eyes.
A game prompt appeared in front of him.
[Welcome player “Luca” to Eternal World!]
…
Seaway City, Central Square.
In just over a day, Seaway City had returned to its lively state. People were coming and going on the streets, and the calls of street vendors filled the air. However, unlike before, there were no pirates in sight.
Although news from the sea traveled slowly, word had already spread in the Western Sea about Luca killing Furious Shark Evans and Hyena Kalon, as well as destroying two major pirate gangs.
There were only four pirate kings in the Western Sea, and Luca had taken out half of them with just two swift strikes. No one dared to come to Seaway City looking for trouble at this time—unless they were tired of living.
What surprised Luca, however, was that there was indeed someone who seemed to be tired of life. Just as he returned to the city lord’s mansion and hadn’t even sat down yet, Tark hurriedly entered with someone in tow.
“My Lord, someone from Starlight Ship has arrived,” Tark said, his expression dark. Behind him stood a man in a suit.
Upon seeing Luca, the man gave a slight bow and, with a respectful tone, said, “Gruen Sparr, under the orders of Lady Eva, has come to pay respects to Lord Luca.”
Eva? What does she want with me? Luca’s gaze flickered at the mention of the Soul Singer of the Sea. He didn’t know much about her. “What does she want with me?” he asked, his voice steady.
“Lady Eva heard that you killed Furious Shark Evans…” Gruen lowered his head and continued, “She sent me to ask, how do you plan to settle the 30 million Evans owes her?”
At these words, both Tark and Luca were momentarily stunned. Eva was coming after them for the money Evans owed? What kind of twisted logic is that?
“I think she’s gone crazy from poverty!” Tark said, laughing in anger. “Does Eva think it’s still the same as before?”
Gruen’s cold sweat had already soaked through his back, but he kept his head down, silent.
Luca, however, didn’t seem particularly angry. His gaze lowered, and he spoke calmly, “Go back and tell Eva, if she wants the money, she can come here and take it herself.”
With that, he waved his hand, signaling for Tark to show Gruen out. He hadn’t even gone looking for trouble with Eva, and now she was coming to him, demanding money. It was laughable.
“I will deliver your message to Lady Eva,” Gruen said as he was ushered out of the city lord’s mansion. Surprisingly, he wasn’t disappointed. In fact, he felt a bit relieved. He had expected to never leave Seaway City alive today, but it seemed that Luca had spared him.
After throwing the Starlight Ship representative out of the mansion, Tark returned to the office with a guilty look. “My apologies, My Lord. It was my mistake. I should never have let that person in.”
Luca shook his head. “The sea is vast. There’s no telling who will show up.”
After a pause, he asked about something that was weighing on his mind. “Any news from Marcel?”
It had been some time since they made their deal, but after returning to the All-Beings Empire, the black dragon had not sent any word. The only update Luca had received was that the Dragon King had agreed to his terms.
The problem was, where’s my ship? Luca was starting to feel frustrated. He had uprooted the Five Seas Chamber of Commerce, yet Marcel still hadn’t sent the ship.
He was beginning to think it might be time to find a more reliable partner.
With time growing short, Luca knew he needed to head to the Sea of Mist and find the Celestial Pearl. If Marcel didn’t seize the opportunity, Luca would have no choice but to consider it a broken promise.
Tark nodded and said, “Lord Marcel has already replied. He’s on his way and should arrive at Western Sea tonight.”
Finally, some good news. A smile appeared on Luca’s face as he replied, “Prepare a banquet. Let’s give our distant guest a warm welcome.”
Tark acknowledged the order, then seemed to recall something. “By the way, Lord, the islands occupied by Hyena Kalon and the Dawnstorm Pirate Group have been retaken.”
He paused before continuing, “We found quite a bit of wealth at their headquarters. How would you like to handle it?”
Luca inquired about the specifics of the amount. Tark made a rough estimate and then reported a sum that even surprised Luca.
“Seven hundred million gold?” Luca exclaimed in disbelief. These pirates were so wealthy? Every time he turned around, they were raking in billions or tens of billions in assets. He had always thought of them as desperate outlaws who wouldn’t be interested in saving up money.
After thinking for a moment, Luca gave his instructions to Tark. “Take five hundred million from this and send it to Snake Island for the construction of the new city. Use another portion to buy ships and rebuild the Seaway City military.”
He paused for a moment. “The soldiers from before need to be reorganized. Some will be sent to Snake Island, while others will stay in Seaway City as city guards. The rest of the funds should be placed in the city lord’s treasury for future use.”
The quality of Seaway City’s soldiers was truly subpar. They weren’t just inferior to Southwind City’s troops, but even the private soldiers trained by the Howard family in Riverfall City were far better. This was the perfect opportunity to overhaul and reshape the military.
“Understood, my lord,” Tark replied, somewhat surprised.
He had expected Luca to keep the money for himself. If he had even used a few hundred million, that would have been impressive. After all, technically, all the wealth was due to Luca’s personal efforts, and others hadn’t contributed much. He never imagined that Luca would allocate all of it so generously, without taking a single coin for himself.
This only deepened his admiration for Luca. The city lord was truly a man worthy of being named an Imperial Hero by the late emperor. If the former emperor could see his actions now, Tark was sure he would feel proud of his choice.
Pleased with his thoughts, Tark was about to leave when Luca suddenly called him back.
“Also, send someone to gather high-level and Superclass materials from the market. Purchase them at standard prices—I’ll cover the costs.”
Once Marcel delivered the Black Thorn and the magical-tech warships, Luca would be ready to head to the Sea of Mist. It never hurt to be prepared in advance.
Luca handed Tark a black crystal card, engraved with the emblem of the Four Seasons Chamber of Commerce.
After Tark left to carry out the orders, Dacey came over to report on recent matters. Besides the construction and financial approvals that Luca needed to give, there was another piece of news: Marquis Gerald had come in person yesterday and had brought a gift, which he handed over to Sophia.
Luca had already guessed what it was. After Dacey left, he stood up and headed to Sophia’s office.
For the past few days, Sophia had been helping with the complicated affairs of Haillan County. Without her, Seaway City wouldn’t have been able to stabilize so quickly.
Her office was not far from the city lord’s office. Luca arrived at the door, knocked, and a familiar, cool voice echoed from inside. “Come in.”
He opened the door to find Sophia sitting at her desk, writing with her head bent. She wore a simple white gown that, though plain, couldn’t conceal her stunning beauty. Next to her, Catherine was organizing some oiled paper documents. Her armor had been replaced with black and white professional attire, her tall figure still commanding attention. A red ponytail hung down to her waist, swaying slightly with her movements.
The warm sunlight, tinged with a sea breeze, filtered through the lattice window and bathed the two women, bringing a touch of color to the otherwise understated office.
Upon seeing him enter, Catherine teased with a smile, “My lord seems to be living the good life.”
“Sorry, I’ve been a bit busy these past days,” Luca said, feeling a little embarrassed. If it weren’t for the two of them handling things here, Seaway City would have been a chaotic mess the moment he arrived—there would have been no peaceful moments like this.
He then turned to Sophia. “Senior, about the map that Gerald brought…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a rolled-up parchment flew toward him. Luca reached out and caught it.
Sophia set down her quill, stretched her wrist slightly, but didn’t look up. Instead, she asked, “When do you plan to set out?”
Luca understood she was referring to the journey to the Sea of Mist.
Now that the nautical chart was in hand, only one thing remained.
He replied, “If Marcel delivers the ship tonight, I’ll set out tomorrow morning.”
…