Arthur, suspended from the mast, had his eyes bulging and his mouth hanging open in a perfect “O” shape as he stared blankly at the approaching fleet.
The bizarre scenes unfolding before him were ruthlessly shattering his long-held perceptions.
There were strange vessels made of Pupus; they had no oars, no sails, and no magic drive, yet they could maneuver nimbly and sail at high speeds.
And then there was that… translucent little girl who was only the size of a human arm!
Arthur suddenly let out a low, self-deprecating laugh and closed his eyes, ignoring the outside world.
‘I must have taken the wrong potion. I’m definitely still dreaming. That stuff from last night was way too strong. I’ll have to get more later.’
Jon had no time to worry about the humming, giggling noble youth above him.
He stood at the bow, gazing at the approaching Pupu Boat fleet.
His eyes landed on Lia, and a smile unconsciously spread across his face.
Wherever she was, he always seemed to find happiness.
Guji.
A Pupu Boat pulled up lightly alongside the large cruise ship.
Lia leaped nimbly a few times and bounced onto the deck, landing on Jon’s shoulder.
She used her tiny feet to wipe away the dirty water that had splashed onto him, rubbing his pauldron until it was as shiny as new before finally sitting down contentedly.
“Lili — ” Jon reached out a finger to gently tease her as he usually did, his tone light.
“How did you get here?”
“To help a friend save people!”
“Lili, you are truly kind,” Jon praised sincerely.
Lia shook her head indignantly, her face flushing red as she argued, “Lili isn’t kind! Lili just likes her friends!”
Jon laughed, gently flicking her thin legs as they dangled in the air.
His brow relaxed, and his mood became incredibly at ease.
His gaze then fell back onto those “Pupu Boats.”
While he was still wondering, Rocky jumped onto the ship and stepped forward to credit Lia.
“Lord Hero, these boats were all made by Miss Lili. She spent an entire night working on them just to give you a surprise. Don’t let their strange or even ugly appearance fool you; they are extremely practical. Standing on them feels as steady as walking on flat ground, so there’s no need to worry about seasickness. They move on their own and are very fast. With these to assist us, you don’t need to worry about us at all. We can all help you.”
“Lili, thank you. I… I’m really moved. I’m so moved that I don’t know what to say.”
Jon’s eyes shimmered with a warm, tender light, giving Lia goosebumps all over her body.
‘Crap! Wait! Did I perform too well? The Hero couldn’t possibly have any improper thoughts about me, could he! No way! That thing is thicker than a Pupu’s whole body — it’s a “Giant Troll Club”!’
Terrified, Lia quickly jumped down and fled back to her cluster of Pupus.
Jon watched Lia’s departing figure, his smile never fading.
‘She must be shy. What a kind and bashful girl.’
“And Pupus really are a miraculous race,” Rocky remarked as he stared at the boats.
“Lord Hero, although I haven’t seen much of the world, I can feel it… if this kind of boat were placed on the Magic Artifact market, it would cause an absolute sensation.”
“Yes, indeed. Although the military’s Magic Warships are faster, they aren’t nearly as flexible as these Pupu Boats. I truly don’t know how they get their power. If they had more power, perhaps even Magic Warships would be rendered obsolete.”
As soon as the topic shifted to military hardware, Jon immediately transformed from a layman into an expert, analyzing the situation with great logic.
“Jon, it’s not just this. There are actually other surprises for you.”
Supported by the third brother, Royer, Jonathan managed to board the cruise ship.
“Really? Teacher?” Jon was slightly stunned.
In truth, the arrival of Lia and the others had already made him extremely happy, filling his heart with strength.
“You’ll know in a moment.”
Jonathan pulled out a map and studied it carefully for a long time.
Finally, he confirmed their location and signaled the fleet to head in that direction.
The fleet sailed toward the shore while rescuing people from the water.
Jon spotted a familiar figure from a distance, and his mouth slowly widened as a complex, indescribable feeling washed over him.
It was Cobilio.
His heart warmed, and he could not help but step across the water to face this respected military senior.
The man’s appearance was not just a show of friendship; it made Jon feel that… the things he had once been a part of and trusted had not completely abandoned him.
“Quick, hit me,” Cobilio said suddenly.
“Huh?” Jon was confused.
“Stop wasting time. Hurry up and punch me in the face.”
Cobilio beckoned toward his own face with his finger.
Jon’s greatest virtue was his willingness to listen.
Although he did not understand this strange masochistic request, he chose to respect it for the sake of Teacher Cobilio’s dignity.
Bang —
Cobilio was sent flying.
He winced in pain and bared his teeth.
“Crap! You hit so hard! You have no respect for your elders at all!”
However, he only complained for a moment.
He quickly stood up while clutching his face, hooked his arm around Jon’s neck, and whispered instructions.
“Remember, I was kidnapped by you. We had a great battle in the Guard Battalion, and I narrowly lost to you by three moves. The record is checkable!”
“Why…”
Before Jon could finish his question, a massive shadow suddenly swept over his head.
Then came a second, a third, a fourth…
He looked up blankly and saw familiar faces he had once fought alongside.
They were riding Flying Dragons, their wings spreading wide as they soared through the sky.
The adjutant in the lead suppressed a smile and said, “Lord Hero, you’ve kidnapped our commander. We have no choice but to follow your orders. Just say the word — where are we going?”
Jon’s lips trembled.
After a long silence, he whispered, “Thanks, brothers.”
With the addition of the flying mounts, the rescue mission across the entire river was almost entirely under control.
Just as he finished arranging the Guard Battalion’s rescue tasks, Jon soon discovered that there were even more “surprises” waiting for him.
“Didn’t your Church say they wouldn’t get involved?”
Jon asked as he watched Yuna approach from a distance with a resentful expression.
Upon hearing this, Yuna’s expression became even more complicated.
She said helplessly, “Jon, you’ve really learned bad habits from them. You’ve even learned how to play dumb.”
Compared to the taciturn Paladins, the arrival of the City Guards surprised and delighted Jon even more — they had greater numbers and could naturally play a larger role in this non-combat situation.
Returning to the ship and looking at Jonathan, Jon’s heart raced with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
He did not even know how to describe his feelings.
Finally, Jonathan broke the silence.
“It’s been exhausting doing it all alone, hasn’t it?”
Jon froze.
He looked down and recalled his previous loneliness and bitterness.
Those memories intertwined with his current emotions like rain falling on a peaceful lake, stirring up 1,000s of ripples.
“Yeah,” he laughed sheepishly.
“A solitary road is truly difficult to walk.”
“But you are the Hero… if there ever comes a day where you must walk this path into the darkness alone, you must persevere,” Jonathan instructed in a raspy voice.
“I will.”
“I never doubted you, Jon.”
After a moment of silence, Jon awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose and said, “Teacher, I’ll get back to saving people then…”
He turned to leave.
“Come back.”
Jonathan remembered the last bit of the plan on the wooden board and called him back.
“What is it, Teacher?”
Jon asked, confused.
“You are the Hero; you have a more important mission. Even if you run around as fast as possible by yourself, how many 1,000s or 10,000s of people can you really save? Your value is worth far more than that.”
Jonathan recalled the words on the board and repeated the contents.
“Then what should I do…?”
“Something this big happened in the Thousand River Territory. How can we let you do everything alone?” Jonathan said solemnly.
“Therefore, you should go to every city and use your Holy Sword to open the doors of the nobles. It is time to set some rules for them.”