Chapter 247 “Revisiting an Old Place”
The clear chi of the bell accompanied the opening of the door as the afternoon sun poured into the ancient shop that’s brimming with an assortnt of dolls. The elf shopkeeper, attentively adjusting a doll’s fra behind the counter, heard the sound, glanced up, and saw a tall, black-haired man with an eyepatch entering her estate.
The elderly elf woman appeared puzzled by the “custor,” who didn’t seem to be there for doll shopping. However, after a brief mont of confusion, she greeted him with a smile, unaware that the towering, one-eyed man before her was the sa boy who had purchased sothing from her shop alongside his sister a century ago: “Ah, welco to Rose Doll House, feel free to browse.”
Pausing briefly, she casually remarked, “We don’t often see custors like you.”
Tyrian’s gaze slowly swept over the environnt.
Assorted dolls, aged shelves, ornately carved stairs, the warm and tranquil ambiance, and the smiling elderly woman.
Faded shards of mories gradually assembled, creating a familiar scene that lded with the current view. It was only natural that the elf shopkeeper wouldn’t recognize him – he had changed significantly since a century ago with a hardened appearance from pillaging the frigid sea.
Tyrian subtly altered his expression, attempting to soften his features. He’s aware of the intimidating aura he exuded, which made ordinary people uneasy rely by being in his presence.
“I’d like to ask about sothing,” Tyrian didn’t know if he had successfully modified his expression. He had lost the ability to rember how a typical person should behave and speak when entering a store, “Have you ever sold a doll nad ‘Nilu’ here?”
After a mont’s thought, he added, “A one-third scale doll, about this tall – adorned with a classical court style and an exquisite dress.”
The elf shopkeeper hesitated before replying uncertainly, those eyes glimring with bewildernt: “Yes… we did have such a doll. It had been in the store for many years before soone bought it not too long ago. But why do you ask?”
“What kind of person purchased it?” Tyrian felt his pulse quicken. He hadn’t anticipated finding a lead so effortlessly and that his father had actually procured the doll from the shop so openly, “When did this occur?”
The elderly shopkeeper, taken aback by Tyrian’s overly enthusiastic response, grew even more cautious, “I apologize, but I cannot divulge information about our custors. It’s a rule of doing business.”
Tyrian was montarily taken aback, not anticipating this answer. He quickly considered his options, hesitating for a few seconds before seemingly making a decision, “You don’t recognize , do you?”
“Recognize…?” The elderly shopkeeper furrowed her brow, scrutinizing the unfamiliar human before her with confusion, “I don’t rember serving a custor like you – most people who co to buy dolls from my shop are won, young n selecting gifts for their partners, or fathers choosing presents for their daughters.”
“It’s because the last ti I was here was a very long ti ago,” Tyrian unveiled an unusual smile, “Do you recall, a hundred years ago, a brother and sister who took away a doll nad ‘Luni’ from here?”
The elderly shopkeeper paused, then slowly widened her eyes, gazing at Tyrian in disbelief, “Ah, you are…”
“I know you might not believe it, but I have sothing to prove my identity,” Tyrian quickly thought of an item, retrieving it from his pocket as he spoke, “Elves like you are well-inford, so you should have heard about … Take a look at this.”
As the elderly elf woman listened and accepted the piece of paper handed to her with bewildernt, she unfolded it to reveal a large portrait at the top, accompanied by the text of a wanted notice, a bounty, and the official seal of the Frost City-State…
“I should have so notoriety,” Tyrian stated earnestly, “Technically speaking, our family is quite famous… although perhaps not for sothing comndable.”
The elderly shopkeeper: “…”
After so ti, the elderly elf woman managed to compose her expression, looked at Tyrian, and uttered a peculiar sentence, “It really is you.”
Tyrian seed to sense that sothing was off and smiled sheepishly, “It’s .”
The old woman contemplated for a mont, “So many years have passed… there’s so many zeroes after your na now…”
Tyrian tugged at the corner of his mouth, “The bounty… is indeed substantial, but it’s just for show. They add a zero every four or five years anyway, and no one will claim the reward.”
“I’ve never t soone who carries their own wanted notice as proof of identity, let alone a notorious pirate,” the elderly elf woman’s expression finally returned to normal as she refolded the wanted notice and handed it back, murmuring, “I did hear about the Sea Mist docking in port and wanted to go see the excitent. I didn’t expect you to co here first. How is your sister?”
“She… is living more carefree than I am,” Tyrian replied, then glanced at the elderly woman with an odd expression, “I thought you would be frightened. Most ordinary people have that reaction when they et – even in places beyond the Cold Sea.”
“I’ve encountered my share of peculiar things, and you’re not the only pirate I’ve t. Besides, the city-state has declared the Sea Mist is a guest invited by Pland, so whatever happens in the northern seas is not our concern,” the old woman muttered as she walked toward the counter, her mutter transforming into a scolding, “But I must say, being a pirate isn’t a proper job, it’s not sustainable, and it doesn’t sound good. Look at your sister, at least she has a lifelong honorary title in the Explorer’s Association. Of course, I’ve also heard that your relationship with the northern city-states is rather complex…”
Tyrian’s mind buzzed, and he felt that he had just witnessed the poise and composure of a long-life span race. He had to quickly interrupt the old woman’s rambling, “The Sea Mist fleet has already changed; the retaliation against the northern city-states and plundering are things of the past. Now, we mainly rely on collecting protection fees…”
Not waiting for the old woman to respond, he decisively concluded the topic and forcefully redirected it, “Can you tell now who bought the doll?”
“Oh, it was a middle-aged man around your height… perhaps even a bit shorter, and quite thin, as if he wasn’t in good health,” the old woman didn’t hesitate this ti and spoke, “But I don’t think you’ll be able to find him; there are so many people in Pland. Were you planning to reclaim the other doll you couldn’t buy for your sister back then? Ah, that’s such a sha, if only you had co earlier… Wait a minute, I just realized, how did you know soone bought ‘Nilu’?”
Tyrian didn’t answer her question but frowned involuntarily.
Soone shorter than him, thin, and in poor health… It couldn’t be his father.
Could it be… one of his father’s subordinates?!
After regaining his humanity and reason, had he already started recruiting new subordinates? What was his goal? To rebuild the Vanished fleet?!
Tyrian pondered many things for a mont, only coming back to his senses when the elderly elf woman called his na twice. Then he thought of sothing and imdiately inquired, “Besides purchasing the doll, did the custor say anything else? Did he take anything else?”
“He said… We just had a normal conversation,” the elderly shopkeeper recalled, “He seed like a custor who genuinely loved dolls, and he was very concerned about the dolls’ repair and maintenance. He learned a lot from ; oh, that’s right, he also bought a wig and matching hair accessories, seemingly for his own doll.”
Tyrian’s expression froze, “…A wig? What kind of wig?”
“A golden, long, straight hair, life-sized wig, I rember it quite well,” the shopkeeper said, and suddenly thought of sothing else, “Oh, I have a similar one here; you can take a look.”
As she spoke, she turned around and went to search through the storage room under the stairs.
Tyrian wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but he didn’t have ti, and at that mont, another peculiar knocking sounded from nearby, capturing his attention.
It sounded like soone tapping on a window from outside.
Tyrian looked puzzled and turned his head towards the source of the sound, finding a beautiful woman with waist-length blonde hair standing outside the window, gently rapping on the glass.
The admiral didn’t react at first, but when he saw the woman’s face clearly, he instantly froze in place as if struck by lightning.
The woman’s appearance… was identical to that of the Frost Queen, Ray Nora, from half a century ago!
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