Chapter 183: Maggie has a magician sister

After lunch,

Maggie diligently cleared the dishes, her slender figure bustling about like a little elf.

"Let me do it, Maggie. You should go take a nap. You have training with Lord Rom this afternoon. Remember to do well in your class," Mrs. Harriet liked little Maggie very much. She had no daughter of her own and genuinely treated Maggie, who was boarding with her, as her own child.

Since Mrs. Harriet spoke too quickly, Maggie could only understand a few words like "nap," "Lord Rom," and "training" in Serpentese.

But she was clever and guessed what Mrs. Harriet meant. She replied in Serpentese, "Lord Rom's training is easy. Maggie is happy, three meals! Flower Town, great!"

With gestures and words, they managed to communicate effectively.

Mrs. Harriet smiled, her gaze distant. "Flower Town wasn't always like this. Back then, we could only eat two meals a day, and during winter, just one meal. It was our lord who brought everything, making Flower Town great. Now, we can all have three meals a day."

In times of scarcity, two meals a day were the norm for commoners, while three meals were reserved for nobles.

When Maggie lived in the countryside of Eagle Kingdom, she and her family also ate two meals a day. Coming to Flower Town, where she could have three meals a day, was already a tremendous blessing.

She was still young and hadn't been assigned any farm work. Her daily tasks were attending training classes and embroidery lessons. The training classes taught basic physical exercises and combat techniques, while the embroidery lessons invited dyers and spinners from the serfs to teach dyeing and weaving skills.

Maggie studied earnestly.

She knew that learning a skill was incredibly valuable. In her hometown, acquiring a skill required significant payment.

Compared to the uncertain prospect of developing mana through physical training, she preferred becoming a spinner.

After finishing her embroidery class and returning to Mrs. Harriet's home, dinner was just beginning. However, compared to usual, the atmosphere seemed somewhat solemn.

Mrs. Harriet's husband sat on a bench with a grave expression.

Their son and daughter-in-law, who had their own household, had also come over.

It wasn't until bread and seafood were served that Maggie understood today's significance through her sister-in-law's gestures—it was the memorial day for Mrs. Harriet's daughter.

Mrs. Harriet and her husband once had a little daughter who fell ill during winter and, due to lack of food, died three years ago. She was only slightly older than Maggie.

This was why Mrs. Harriet and her husband were willing to take Maggie in.

The next day, they even invited Lord Grandet from town to their home. Using Grandet as an intermediary, they communicated, "Maggie, Mrs. Harriet hopes to form a contractual mother-daughter relationship with you."

"Ah..."

Caught off guard, Maggie stuttered, unsure how to respond.

Old Grandet spoke gently, "What happened in the past is done. Now that you're in Flower Town and your family is gone, forming a contractual mother-daughter relationship with Mrs. Harriet would be beneficial. They can help redeem your serf contract and restore your status as a free citizen."

This was a tremendous opportunity.

The Harriet family ran a general store in town, ensuring they had no worries about food or clothing, making them among the wealthier residents. Forming a contractual relationship with them would secure Maggie's future.

However, she felt a vague resistance: "Lord Grandet, I have relatives... I have an older sister."

Old Grandet frowned. He had reviewed Maggie's identity information and found no relatives among the serfs. According to Maggie's account, her parents were killed by mercenaries.

"You have an older sister? Where is she? Why didn't you mention her before?"

"I... My sister left home years ago. She said she'd return after learning magic... My sister will find me."

Learning magic?

Could she have been chosen by some Master of Truth to become a magic apprentice?

The thought flashed through his mind, but he dismissed it. Even if Maggie's sister became a mage, finding her way to Coral Island from afar would be nearly impossible.

Besides,

she might have died in an explosion long ago. Mages often met such fates.

Assuming Maggie was just shy, he told her to consider it for a few days. The Harriet family did not press further, maintaining their usual atmosphere.

But Maggie couldn't calm down.

...

Meanwhile,

thousands of miles away in Eagle Kingdom, war raged on.

Steel Ridge invaded, forcing Eagle Kingdom to resist. Dragon knights roamed, supporting the battlefields. Meanwhile, in the heartland of Eagle Kingdom, the armies of Sapphire Duke ravaged coastal castles, plundering wealth and resources.

Amidst this chaos, a warship flying the red tulip flag slowly approached the harbor. The lighthouse also bore the red tulip flag.

Needless to say,

this was the stronghold of the Tulip Family along Eagle Kingdom's coastline.

Servants of the Tulip Family had already gathered with the ship's crew to organize the goods, all specialties from Sapphire Duke. While fighting and looting, they also engaged in trade and smuggling. The entire harbor bustled with people loading, unloading, and transporting goods nonstop.

"Is this the Tulip Family's ship?" asked a female mercenary wearing a veil, holding a wine glass and looking out the window of a dilapidated tavern near the dock.

She spoke in Windese.

Across from her sat a shifty-eyed man, greedily eyeing the mercenary's chest, squeezed tightly by her leather armor, and lecherously replied, "Of course. This dock and most of the surrounding castles are now under the control of Saint Swordsman Lee William. The red tulip has become a nightmare for many nobles."

"Does Lee William's fleet engage in slave trading?"

"Hehe, Sapphire people are all slave traders. It would be strange if they stopped."

"When will the fleet return?"

"It depends on how fast your mercenaries can capture the peasants. If you're quick, you might be able to sell a batch of them back this month."

"The reward for you." The female mercenary flicked her finger lightly, and a shiny silver coin spun through the air before landing on the table.

She left without looking back.

The shifty-eyed man immediately grabbed the silver coin, licked his lips, greedily picked it up, and held it in his palm, grinning widely. "If you need any more information, Mercenary, just come to the Old Ford Tavern and look for me, Three Ears Jinli... Hey, where did she go all of a sudden?"

When he looked up, the female mercenary was nowhere to be seen in the tavern.

But he didn't mind; he proudly rubbed the silver coin in his hand. A few words for a silver coin—now that was good business.