The high priest already knew the story between Yrin and the Blue Beard’s daughter. It was simple: they were childhood sweethearts. But when the girl turned twelve, she disappeared.
Yrin, a cold-hearted man, loved only his missing fiancée. He also blad himself. Because of his capricious desire to explore the outside world, the girl went missing.
Now, what he felt was probably not romance, but concern—wondering where she was and whether she was living happily. Many signs pointed to the possibility that she was dead, but Yrin remained persistent.
If she was alive, he would make sure she was well. And if she was dead, he would still make arrangents, depending on the situation.
The high priest took the picture and placed it at the center of the glowing stone. He closed his eyes and muttered sothing incomprehensible. Cail sensed that after he spoke, the sll of the sea began to grow stronger.
Strange geotric patterns appeared on the picture. It glowed light green. It seed to be pulling sothing from the photo, but Cail saw that sothing inside was resisting.
After what felt like fifteen minutes, the sll of the sea vanished along with the patterns. Yrin looked disappointed. "No results again?" But the outco wasn’t unexpected.
The high priest was silent before sighing. "Sothing is blocking . If she is dead, then the restriction is understandable. But if she is alive, then sothing—or soone—might be blocking my ability."
Whatever the case, everything seed to suggest that the Blue Beard’s daughter was not doing well.
"Thank you." Yrin looked slightly weakened.
The aide walked him around to distract him, introducing the rchandise that the sea people were selling. Yrin looked bored while Cail showed interest in so of the items. He bought a few things as souvenirs.
The prices weren’t as outrageous as the pearl’s and were reasonable. Cail also bought so fancy-looking trinkets to give to his mother. He was sure she was probably freaking out by now. What he brought likely wouldn’t help, but he did it out of formality.
Yrin noticed that so of the things Cail bought were for won. He asked, "For your girlfriend?"
Cail shook his head. "For my mom."
"Ah. Is that all you’re buying?" Yrin pointed to a row of bracelets. "Why don’t you buy sothing from there? I heard those are very popular with won."
"Bloody expensive." Cail saw that the stall Yrin pointed to was the sa one where he had bought the pearl.
"I’ll pay for it." Yrin’s mood brightened. "Just take it as a fee for accompanying ."
Cail was thoughtful for a mont before accepting the offer. Even if sothing happened in the future and the man asked for a refund, he could still afford to pay. Painful on the wallet, but manageable.
He bought a bracelet, a pair of small pearl earrings, and a modest yet elegant necklace. Just as they were about to leave, Yrin pulled him aside and pointed at the ring section. "Since you already bought a bracelet, earrings, and necklace, why not buy a ring to complete the set?"
Cail looked at the rings. His sense of aesthetics was decent. Although not as refined as those in the fashion industry, it was still good. All the rings looked nice, and he imagined them on his mother’s hands.
Seeing that Cail seed to be having a hard ti choosing, Yrin helped. He pointed to a ring with a purple stone. "You should pick that. The stone in the center is a rare gem found only in their habitat. It’s rare to find them selling it."
It was certainly stunning. The gem looked like it was made of purple ice. Tiny gems surrounded it, giving it a mysterious and cool appearance.
Cail followed his advice and picked it up. After their shopping spree, they left the party before too many void users arrived. Both Cail and Yrin were sketchy individuals, so they preferred not to et anyone.
It was a fun trip—at least for Cail. It was calm, with no ss or drama, fortunately. Yrin asked for his number, and Cail gave it. After waving goodbye, Cail bought a ticket back to Nyx City.
Although Yrin matched Cail’s vibe, Cail didn’t think they’d et again.
But then again, everything is up to fate.
...
"Hey, hey, wake up."
Cail felt soone nudging his shoulders.
He opened his eyes. What greeted him was the face of an old man. He rembered—he seed to be on the bus?
He looked around and saw that all the seats were empty. He guessed he had finally arrived.
It was deep sleep. Cail is either a light or a deep sleeper depending on the situation.
After stepping off the bus, Cail was greeted by the polluted air of Nyx City. Yes, he was finally here. The stars were barely visible, and the air was a bit cold. It was probably going to rain.
It was 1:53 a.m.—almost morning. Cail left the terminal and hailed a cab.
He opened the door and sat inside. But the mont he saw the driver’s face in the mirror, he almost wanted to get out.
The man’s face looked like bad news—at least from what Cail could tell. Either he was a robber or an organ trafficker. One could say that Cail judged people by their appearance, but that negative trait of his was usually right.
Although people say not to judge a book by its cover, the face gives the first impression. There’s not always ti to learn soone’s personality.
He was already seated, so he had no choice but to continue. He said, "Drop off at Sixth Street." That wasn’t an actual street na, but the na of a restobar near Cail’s house.
The driver nodded, and the cab drove off.
Cail leaned against the window. He knew there was a risk, but after everything he had been through, he knew how to navigate danger.
Well, he just hoped this wouldn’t involve anything strange.
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