Chapter 276: Coral Sea
Thinking of this, the chubby man chuckled awkwardly and quickly raised his hands.
"Don't be rough, I'll go with you!"
Just like that, the chubby man and his group were taken away by the Temple Knights.
This scene left the passengers on the deck looking at each other in confusion.
They had no idea what had just happened.
But it didn't matter anymore.
Once they arrived at the Papal State, they would be free.
The chubby man being taken away was just a minor episode.
The passengers on the ship began disembarking and leaving on their own.
"Mr. Silver Mask, it was a pleasure meeting you. We have other matters to attend to, so we'll part ways here!"
At the dock, Kain and his group bid farewell to Li Meng.
Li Meng glanced at the five people.
He wondered what their future would hold.
Over the past few days, he had some conversations with Kain.
Li Meng learned a few things about Kain.
Kain wasn't very old.
He had been in this world for quite a while.
It seemed their timelines for arriving in this world were similar.
Heroes weren't born strong; they just grew faster than others.
Kain's current strength was somewhere between Sword Saint and Sword Emperor.
He was still in the rapid growth phase.
The upper limit for a hero's strength should be reaching the Extraordinary tier.
Even if he couldn't become a high-ranking Extraordinary, he had a chance of reaching the mid-tier.
The Extraordinary Ranking classified the top thirteen as high-tier, the top fifty as mid-tier, and the top one hundred as low-tier.
"Goodbye!"
Although they had enjoyed their conversations over the past few days,
the relationship between the Hero Squad and Li Meng was only that of traveling companions.
After saying farewell to the Enzos couple standing nearby,
the Hero Squad turned and hurried away.
As they walked away, Lily turned back for one last look.
She smiled and waved at Li Meng.
Li Meng lifted his bandaged hand and waved back.
"Master seems to like her?"
Enzos glanced at the departing girl and then at his master.
Li Meng lowered his hand and turned to walk toward the ticket booth.
"Let's go home!"
The master's voice reached the ears of the Enzos couple.
Hearing this, the couple felt a surge of joy in their hearts.
They were finally going to part ways with their master.
At last, they had gained their freedom.
Although they didn't know how long this freedom would last,
they believed the master wouldn't contact them again in the short term.
Watching the master's retreating figure, the couple exchanged glances.
Auriana brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
She smiled faintly and turned to gaze at the cityscape within the walls.
"Enzos, let's stay in the Papal State for a few days!"
Enzos turned to look in the same direction as his wife.
"Alright, let's head to the Adventurer Guild to deliver some messages first."
"The Balk family probably doesn't exist anymore, does it?"
"It doesn't matter. As long as we're here, the Balk family can be rebuilt!"
Auriana lowered her gaze to her abdomen.
Though it was still too early to show any physical changes,
she could feel a new life growing within her.
"Enzos, I'm sorry."
Her apology brought Enzos back to reality.
He lowered his gaze to his wife's abdomen.
Looking at her still unchanged belly,
a hint of curiosity flashed in Enzos's eyes.
"Since it's a magical creation, I'm also curious about what it will be like!"
Auriana had already told him about the "child."
Though he felt some discomfort, he was more curious than anything.
Magical creations capable of nurturing new life were exceedingly rare.
Auriana's eyes also held a trace of curiosity.
She, too, was curious about what a child between her and the master would look like.
Enzos reached out to embrace his wife's waist.
"One day, we will break free from our shackles. Even if I have to kneel before the master to plead, my lady, endure for a bit longer. We must repay the master's kindness before seeking our freedom."
Auriana nestled into her husband's arms.
"Alright."
She replied softly.
Though they longed for freedom,
they knew they weren't yet qualified to claim it.
They would endure and wait, waiting for that day to come.
------
Coral Sea, South Sea.
Today, the weather was beautiful, with a cloudless sky.
Under the azure heavens, a floating ship soared with the wind.
"So beautiful. This must be what they call the blending of water and sky!"
In the afternoon, many passengers were drawn to the deck of the passenger airship by the magnificent seascape.
Among them was the oddly dressed Li Meng.
Near the bow of the ship, Li Meng leaned against the railing, gazing at the vast ocean below.
The higher the vantage point, the farther the view.
The boundless sea stretched endlessly before him.
The sky was a vibrant blue, and the ocean mirrored its hue.
Together, they created a breathtaking scene where water and sky merged seamlessly.
Time flew by, and over a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
After parting ways with the Enzos couple, Li Meng didn't linger in the Papal State.
Instead, he boarded a passenger airship bound for the Saint Bilun Continent.
Once he left the Papal State, the airship flew northeast.
Half a month later, it finally left the continent and entered the boundless Coral Sea.
Along the way, Li Meng had witnessed many sights he had never seen before.
The advent of airships was an opportunity for all intelligent species.
It allowed everyone to take to the skies and view the world from a new perspective.
Looking down from the deck, he saw many small groups of passengers gathered together.
From their clothing, most of them appeared to be adventurers.
Since the airship's departure point wasn't the Southern Continent,
there was a large number of non-human passengers.
Many demi-humans had animalistic features.
For instance, some had furry ears and tails.
Others were entirely covered in fur, resembling upright animals.
When he first boarded the ship, Li Meng thought he had walked into a zoo.
"Xiao Bai, what are the sea tribes like?"
Gazing at the shimmering ocean below, Li Meng asked Xiao Bai.
"Master, the sea tribes is a general term for marine races. There are many kinds, the most representative being the Naga, the Jawas, the Merfolk, and the most powerful Sea Dragon Clan!"
A flicker of curiosity appeared in Li Meng's eyes.
He wondered what those sea tribes looked like.
Would the Merfolk include mermaids?
If they were the kind of mermaids he imagined,
he would definitely try to capture one to raise goblins.
And the Naga—if they resembled the ones from Warcraft, he wouldn't mind.
As Li Meng let his thoughts wander, a graceful figure approached.
"Um…hello!"
She was clad in brown leather armor.
The design was very revealing and form-fitting.
Her lower body was dressed in ultra-short shorts,
leaving her long, slender white legs fully exposed.
Her upper body was covered just enough to conceal her chest.
Her waist was completely exposed.
She had a head of black hair with fluffy animal ears.
Behind her was a long, black, furry tail.
Her pupils were light gold, sharp like those of a wild beast.