"I see the port!"

Molly's cry immediately attracted the attention of all the witches on the ship.

"Where, where?"

"Hey, are we finally here? We've been drifting for almost a month and a half..."

"Are those silver-white specks of light other sailboats?"

"Didn't they say this route has only been traveled by the Pretty Lady?"

"Fishing boats, they're fishing boats."

Everyone leaned over the side of the ship, craning their necks to look in the direction Molly was pointing.

Seeing this lively scene before him, old Captain Jack One-Eye shook his head with a smile and said to Camilla Dary, who looked solemn, "You don't seem very happy? This is a rare good day."

"What's so good about it?" the latter replied absentmindedly.

"It's good to be home," Jack shook his pipe, "to be able to return to your homeland after so many years, isn't that worth celebrating? Don't think I can't see it, you don't regard Sleeping Island as your home—of course, I'm not saying you hate staying in the fjord, but a sanctuary and a home... there's always a difference."

Camilla fell silent. She didn't know if what he said was correct, only that after Tilly's letter was sent back, the number of witches willing to go to the Western Region of Graycastle increased a lot, gradually climbing from the initially estimated 50% to around 70%. If the first batch of witches could be properly settled, she really couldn't say how many people would eventually want to stay on Sleeping Island.

That should have been their home—no hostile secular environment, no chilling Church, and while living conditions would certainly be much worse at first, and customs and habits would be very different from those of mainland kingdoms, as long as they persevered for a decade or so, Sleeping Island would definitely get better and better. Even without a generation, the newly awakened witches would regard that island as their true homeland.

After a long while, she said in a low voice, "If only it were as good as you say."

"Oh?" Jack stroked his beard and said, "Don't believe that king?"

"You know?" Camilla looked up.

"Ha, you have 'I'm worried' written all over your face," the old captain laughed, "Remember what you looked like when you first sailed out to sea three years ago?"

Three years ago... the chief steward pondered for a moment. That was when Tilly was secretly contacting witches to evacuate Graycastle. As one of the few captains who had no prejudice against witches, Jack and his Pretty Lady risked being reported and judged to secretly take away a large number of witches from the port city. Because of this, Sleeping Island forged a deep friendship with this one-eyed captain.

"Miserable, right?" she said hesitantly.

"Miserable?" Jack chuckled, "It's not that simple. Back then, you were all dusty and your eyes were dim. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you were the living dead. Look at you now—don't you think it's completely different? So the past is the past, the present is the present, and it's always right to look forward. Several of the witches have even been to Neverwinter City many times. If it were a terrible place, there's no way they could all be smiling so easily, right?"

"But nobles are all fickle—"

"Including you?" the old captain interrupted her. "If I remember correctly, you are also of noble birth, right? The day you left Graycastle, your clothes were finer than most of those on board—ordinary civilians couldn't afford silk clothes. Think about it, if I hated nobles as much as you do, what would happen?"

"..." Camilla opened her mouth, but couldn't answer.

Jack One-Eye slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke, "I don't think you can judge a person's merits based on their status alone. Who but the Three Gods can decide their own origins? The same goes for witches... Don't you think that hating witches simply because they are witches is not essentially different from the prejudice you hold?"

The chief steward of Sleeping Island suddenly felt a tremor in her heart.

"You might say that it's precisely because you're a noble that you know what they're like. But don't forget, as long as there's one person who isn't like that, your prejudice will cause injustice and harm to him." The old captain paused, "Sorry, child... perhaps I shouldn't be the one saying these things, but I don't want you to be blinded by past experience—not just in this matter. People should always look forward."

No, apart from him, no one else would say that, Camilla thought. Tilly must have understood this long ago, which is why she took the initiative to go to Neverwinter City. But she wouldn't say these things directly—especially that almost reproachful "the two are not essentially different," not because of distant relations, but because of too much intimacy, and even the respect that His Highness had for her, all hindered her from further persuasion.

The old captain was probably the only one on Sleeping Island who would call her a child.

Camilla sighed, "Perhaps you're right."

"Right?" Jack chuckled, "When you get older, you always encounter similar things. If you don't have an optimistic heart, you can't stay at sea for so long. But the days ahead won't be easy."

"Why?"

"Now that you've all returned to the mainland kingdoms, who else will ride the Pretty Lady? I heard from those big merchants that a new type of ship that doesn't require sails will soon replace the existing ships and become the main merchant ships of the fjord. Both the load and the speed will be much higher than my old friend. By then, I'm afraid no one will want to use her to transport goods."

"Maybe I can talk to Tilly..."

"Talk about what, supporting me for the rest of my life?" The old captain waved his pipe, "That's a bit too early. I can still run! In fact, I plan to send you all to Graycastle and then try my luck with Lord Thunder's expedition team."

"Expedition team?" Camilla asked in surprise.

"That's right, cross the Shadow Islands and go to uncharted waters. As long as you discover something new, not to mention the money for retirement, even opening a new business group won't be a problem." Jack One-Eye turned around, looking at the sea with high spirits, "Don't look at me being old and having inflexible legs, but when it comes to judging the wind and steering, you can't find a few captains in the entire fjord who are more competent than me!"

Is that so... Camilla realized that she seemed to be meeting this seemingly ordinary old man from the fjord for the first time. His expression at this moment was simply the best depiction of "looking forward."

"Captain, we're about to dock!" the lookout on the mast shouted.

"Do I still need to teach you what to do next?" Jack raised his head and glared, "Reef the sails and slow down!"

Camilla looked towards the port area and saw that the pier was covered with all kinds of red banners, all of which read "Welcome to Neverwinter City." The welcomers were not only witches, but also many ordinary people. She even saw a column composed of eleven- or twelve-year-old children holding bouquets of flowers, waiting for their arrival on the pier.

"This is quite a grand scene," the old captain whistled, "With just this sincerity, you should give him more trust, shouldn't you?" Then he waved his arms to the sailors busy on the deck, "Boys, prepare to dock, we're here in Neverwinter City!"