Ch.161Chapter 161 – Sea, Be Still (1)

After riding the carriage prepared by the Liu Empire for about a week without rest, we were able to reach a trading port located on the eastern side of the Celebrio Empire.

“Welcome. What business brings you to our city?”

“I’m escorting an honored guest invited by the Emperor. Here are the travel permits issued by the Celebrio Imperial Court and another that allows passage through the Archipelago Alliance.”

“The authenticity of your permits has been verified. You may proceed.”

Thanks to the travel permits prepared by both the Celebrio and Liu Empires, our carriage was able to pass through the city entrance smoothly without any special inspection.

“Administrator, do we need to get out of the carriage to board the ship?”

I asked the person sent by the Liu Empire, who referred to himself as an administrator, about the boarding procedure.

The carriage we had been riding in until now was the most comfortable one I had ever experienced.

It was so comfortable that I wondered if it would be possible to load this entire carriage onto the ship and travel all the way to the Liu Empire that way.

If anyone from my world were to ride in other carriages here and then try this one, they would understand my thoughts.

That’s how much the Liu Empire’s carriage I was riding in had achieved the ultimate in comfort.

“Ah, no, that won’t be necessary. You’ll board the ship while remaining in the carriage. You can get out after the ship sets sail and your cabin has been assigned.”

Upon hearing the Liu administrator’s answer, I couldn’t help but feel pleased.

Judging by the fact that we could board the ship without having to leave the carriage and walk, the ship prepared by the Liu Empire must be enormous.

“It seems the ship prepared by the Emperor of Liu must be very large if it can accommodate such a large carriage.”

“But of course! Count Severio, you’ve been invited as the Emperor’s honored guest. If the Emperor were to treat his guest poorly, the whole world would criticize him as a petty ruler. Therefore, it is only proper to provide the Emperor’s guest with the finest treatment.”

Hearing the administrator’s explanation, I understood why they were treating me with such exceptional hospitality.

It wasn’t as if I had expressed a desire to visit the Emperor first; I was moving as an honored guest at the Emperor’s invitation.

If word were to reach the Emperor’s ears that his guest had been treated poorly, what then?

It would be 100% certain to result in demotion or exile.

Failing to properly host an esteemed guest invited by a nation’s ruler would be a serious diplomatic discourtesy.

Moreover, I was a guest invited to cure the Emperor’s baldness.

If they were to mistreat someone they had summoned out of necessity, it would only damage their own reputation and bring shame upon themselves.

“Besides, Count Severio’s abilities are genuine, are they not? You’ve restored my own hair to its former fullness, so you will surely be able to cure the terrible affliction that plagues the Emperor. The Emperor would never treat someone with such precious talents poorly.”

The administrator’s eyes were filled with conviction as he stroked his newly abundant hair.

As he mentioned, the administrator was someone whose hair had regrown thanks to experiencing my abilities firsthand.

His baldness had been completely severe—literally only a few strands of hair remained, forcing him to wear a headscarf at all times.

I felt pity for the administrator’s condition, and to firmly establish my abilities in the minds of the Liu Empire people, I used my power on the administrator who led them.

As a result, he gained much fuller hair than before, and after witnessing the administrator’s hair becoming abundant, the people from the Liu Empire began treating me with much more respect.

“Count, your cabin for the voyage to the Liu Empire is this way.”

The young woman guiding me to my cabin in place of the administrator, who had gone to handle departure procedures, was also a beneficiary of my abilities.

“Your name was Xun Yuhua, correct?”

“Yes, Count.”

“Judging by your gait, it seems you’ve somewhat adapted to your regenerated body.”

“That’s right. Though the sensation is still unfamiliar, I believe that with time, I’ll be able to walk as comfortably as others.”

The woman guiding me, Xun Yuhua, had lost one foot in a childhood accident.

While her parents were momentarily distracted, her leg was crushed under the wheel of a passing carriage.

As a child, she lived in such poor conditions that although she received treatment from the village healer, they had no choice but to amputate her foot that had been crushed by the carriage.

This world has no established systems to assist people with disabilities.

Despite having a disability that made daily life difficult, she worked hard and passed the examination.

From what I heard, her profession as a court lady not only required passing tests but also a character evaluation—no matter how good one’s test scores, failing the character assessment meant failing overall.

After hearing about Xun Yuhua, who had overcome adversity through sheer willpower while maintaining excellent character, I wanted to give a gift to someone who had achieved success through hard work despite difficulties.

So I used my ability to heal the disability in Xun Yuhua’s body.

When she saw her missing foot regenerate, she burst into tears, and the people of the Liu Empire who knew of her difficult life celebrated the disappearance of her disability.

Afterward, she volunteered to be exclusively in my service, at least until our return to the Liu Empire, saying she wanted to repay my kindness.

“I’ll be waiting in the adjacent room, so if you need anything, please pull the cord in your room to signal me, and I’ll come right away.”

“Thank you. Go and rest.”

“Yes, Count.”

After Xun Yuhua withdrew, I looked around the cabin I would be using until we reached the Liu Empire.

“This isn’t even a hotel room…”

The cabin assigned to me was as luxuriously furnished as a high-end hotel room that would cost millions of won per night.

Seeing how luxuriously it was decorated, it truly seemed like a room prepared for hosting distinguished guests.

‘If it can carry carriages and provide such spacious rooms… isn’t this ship incredibly huge?’

Though I hadn’t seen ships in this world before, the fact that they could load an entire carriage indicated just how enormous this vessel must be.

And a large ship meant it could carry more supplies and travel longer and more comfortably.

In any case, all ships travel only along safe sea routes with stable currents and where ferocious sea monsters don’t appear.

Even pirates can’t freely avoid dangerous sea monsters.

I heard there used to be many pirates in the past, but they disappeared after the Archipelago Alliance was formed.

Rumor has it that a terrible plague swept through the pirates’ stronghold, killing them all.

Unless they’re state-sanctioned pirates, pirate groups typically have very poor hygiene compared to other groups, and their supply chains aren’t stable.

So when an epidemic broke out, they probably couldn’t handle it and were all wiped out.

Of course, I don’t know who might have spread the disease to the pirates.

‘Lying on this soft bed makes my mind wander.’

But that’s not my concern. Anyway, I don’t plan to take a single step outside my cabin during the journey to the Liu Empire.

Now that I’m staying on such an exceptionally luxurious ship, I intend to enjoy this rare opportunity for rest to the fullest 200%.

“Count Severio. This is Xun Yuhua. Administrator Kang says dinner is ready and requests your attendance.”

…I suppose I do need to eat, don’t I?

“I’ll be out shortly.”

Hearing Xun Yuhua’s voice from outside the door, I hurriedly dressed and got up.

When I exited the room, Xun Yuhua was waiting for me.

“I’ll guide you to the dining hall.”

I followed Xun Yuhua to the dining hall.

Upon entering, I found many people seated as if they had been waiting for me.

“Oh! There you are! Pleased to meet you. I am the captain of this ship. I’m also Administrator Kang’s older brother.”

“Pleased to meet you, Captain Kang.”

“Hahaha! I hear you treated my brother’s baldness? And you even restored Miss Xun Yuhua’s foot! The people of the Liu Empire would be absolutely astounded if they knew! Hahaha! I wonder if I’m keeping you too long. Please, sit down! Though we don’t have much, I believe you’ll find the selection of food quite satisfactory.”

At the captain’s invitation, I took my seat, and only then could we all enjoy a pleasant meal together.

And perhaps because the food from the Eastern Continent was similar to Korean or Chinese cuisine, it suited my taste better than I expected.