The night wind was a bit cold, and Xia De looked at Miss Princess beside him; her dress clearly offered no warmth.
But she was a Five-Ring Sorcerer, so he figured she wouldn’t easily fall ill.
They found a small boat docked in the northeast of the pier, and after they boarded, The Boatman, wearing a straw hat, rowed them away from the pier.
This was just a small wooden boat; of course, it wasn't meant to take them to the deep sea.
Docked in Coldwater Port was a rather grand double-deck steam yacht with brightly lit decks.
A chimney stood tall on the yacht’s deck, and a flag representing Carson Rick fluttered in the wind.
From its appearance, this was the private yacht of a wealthy merchant from Carson Rick, hosting a party tonight for some thrill-seeking guests.
But in reality, the influential Ring Sorcerers of Coldwater Port City had bribed the port administrators to hold an auction of Ring Sorcerer items on the ship tonight.
Boarding by such a small boat, instead of the yacht docking and waiting for guests, was also due to the special nature of this party.
The invitation in Miss Princess's hand allowed a maximum of three people to accompany her; if Xia De hadn't shown up tonight, she had originally planned to attend the auction alone.
The small boat silently cut through the waves, carrying the three people to the steam yacht anchored in the middle of the port.
They arrived from the darkness, and after The Boatman gave a signal, a small steam engine on the deck operated, lowering a cargo platform connected by a cable.
After Xia De and Miss Princess stepped onto it, the metal platform slowly ascended with the noise of the steam engine until it was level with the deck, and Xia De, ever the gentleman, even helped the Golden-haired girl, whose golden hair seemed a bit faded, as they stepped across the gap between the two.
Behind them was the gaslight-flickering port, and before them was the calm, moonlit sea at night, with three moons hanging overhead.
The deck was brightly lit everywhere, and guests wearing masks, like Xia De and Miss Princess, were either standing in small groups of two or three, gazing at the night view of the sea, or gathered around tables playing cards.
As for the guests who came alone, most stood before long tables selecting food.
Violin music and the rich sound of a French horn played together, and to the music of the band in one corner of the deck, masked men and women nestled together and danced.
At a rough glance, there were already nearly 50 people on the deck.
“It seems the auction organizer is truly remarkable.
Is it a High-Ring Sorcerer from the New World, or a local big shot from Coldwater Port?
Oh, Miss Princess, how many Ring Sorcerers might there be here?”
The masked girl adjusted her dress:
“Excluding us, about ten.
Invitations aren’t just given out randomly; you need to be not only wealthy but also reliable.
Do you know that the Church likes to disguise themselves as illegal Ring Sorcerers and post various missions in the black market to capture those lawbreakers?”
Such a thing, in the Outsider's homeland, was called a sting operation.
Miss Princess finished adjusting her dress, then looked at Xia De and helped him straighten his tie:
“Let’s go eat something first.
The entry time is almost over, and the yacht will depart soon.
Once we leave the coast, the auction will officially begin.
We don’t get the manifest beforehand; all auction items will only be known when the auction starts.”
“It’s fine; there’s a very small chance of what I want being here.”
Xia De said indifferently; he was only here to try his luck and gain some experience, so whether he bought anything was not important to him.
Xia De and Miss Princess arrived just in time; shortly after they boarded, the docked yacht officially set sail, heading towards the open sea, expected to return to Coldwater Port at midnight, four hours later.
The moving vessel made the flames representing civilization grow weaker and weaker, and the dark and deep ocean seemed about to swallow the group.
Dull foghorn sounds echoed around, and thick black smoke trailed from the chimney towards the stern with the night wind.
Away from the civilized areas, the deep and ancient darkness made Xia De inexplicably uncomfortable.
Although this ship would not truly go deep into the ocean, only slightly away from Coldwater Port, for an Outsider, being away from the light of civilization in such a world still made him very worried.
“Miss Princess, can you swim?”
To avoid being approached by boring people, they were now standing by the deck railing, looking at the night view, the masked Golden-haired girl swirling the stemmed glass in her hand, while Xia De held nothing.
“Of course, I can.
Why?”
Xia De didn't say he was a bit worried about the deep sea at night:
“Do you think this ship might suddenly hit an iceberg?”
“An iceberg?”
Even though only her eyes were visible through the holes in her mask, Xia De could guess the surprise on her face:
“Do I need to remind you that we are currently in Coldwater Port on the West Coast of the Old Continent’s central-northern part, not the far north of the continent?
And it's summer now—an iceberg?
Why would you ask such a thing?”
She chuckled, and Xia De also awkwardly shook his head:
“Just a bit worried, that’s all.
But speaking of icebergs, do you want to hear a story?”
Turning to look at the deck illuminated by candles and gaslights, it was currently just a regular masked yacht party.
Men and women with ulterior motives were talking to each other, playing cards, enjoying the scenery, or dancing in a corner of the deck.
The melodious violin music relaxed Xia De's mood a lot, and the auction was to take place in forty minutes:
“To pass the time, I thought of a love story about a yacht, the ocean, an iceberg, and jewelry.”
“Alright.”
Miss Princess nodded, her fingers gently swirling the slender stemmed glass filled with wine, then she lifted her mask and drank the wine.
The young girl suddenly gave Xia De a playful smile, then with a gentle toss, she threw the wine glass directly into the sea.
She casually brushed her hair back:
“I love listening to stories, but if the story isn’t interesting, you’ll have to have a drink with me.”
Her eyes full of laughter, she looked at Xia De:
“Although you claim not to drink alcohol, one drink should be fine.”
“Of course, I can.
Then I’ll start telling it.
Is it a bit unlucky to tell a story about a shipwreck on a ship?”
Xia De asked with some concern, but Miss Princess didn't care, her voice carried by the wind into Xia De’s ears:
“If you don’t tell a story, then I’ll just go get a drink.
What do you like to drink?
Bubble wine?
Oh, that’s what children drink.”
“Of course, I’ll tell it, but I need to give this story a nice name.
‘Hitting an Iceberg’?
No, that’s not elegant at all.
‘The Poor Boy and the Rich Girl’?
No, no, that won’t do either.
‘Shipwreck Caused by Infidelity’?
No, that won’t work, the two things aren’t related.”
Xia De mumbled to himself; he certainly didn’t want to say the name of that ship on a ship, as that would be truly unlucky.
Miss Princess watched him with a smile, thoroughly enjoying the moment:
“Does the jewelry you mentioned have a name?”
The Sorceress asked softly, and Xia De nodded:
“Heart of the Ocean.”