Chapter 309: To the Island
“I don’t think it’s the Spirit’s Branch of Arina. Actually, forget about the branch,” Orlando said, trying to persuade us while looking a bit stiff.
Orlando, you really have a knack for making ordinary points.
“The branch is more wonderful than people, you know? It’s a spirit, after all,” he continued.
“People are wonderful too. Lord Haynes is here, after all,” I replied, cutting him off.
Orlando was quite adamant about that.
…Just stay normal, okay? You’re not overly fond of the old man, are you? But then again, if your excessive fondness for the old man is balanced out by everything else being normal, that should be fine. As a stabilizer for Soleil, it’s probably safe. Maybe.
But if we go by that logic, Asmomii would also be considered safe, which is a no-go. I have a feeling Arina is also in the danger zone…
The Ex-Staff’s branch seems like it would go its own way, so even if Asmomii is a bit intense, it might just be ignored. But everyone around is struggling… Orlando is definitely doing that right now.
“I’m sorry for dragging the kids along,” the old man said softly. A zabuton was awkwardly positioned around his waist, looking like a tutu worn by a ballerina. Just stop it.
The zabuton seemed to be gesturing, but it wasn’t directed at me or the old man, but at Arina.
“I’m sorry, I’ll explain later. But right now, I’m sleepy…” A voice came from Arina’s pocket.
A pure white weasel peeked out but quickly retreated, weakly wagging its tail before hiding back in the pocket. A spirit possessed, huh!
It seems the zabuton was signaling the weasel. If there’s an explanation, does that mean something is going on? I have no clue, so I’ll just put that on the back burner for now.
“Just to mention, even though we left early, it will take quite a while to have lunch on the island and return. Is it okay if we’re late, Arina?”
“Yeah. My parents are usually busy, so they always send someone to pick me up from the Spirit’s Branch around dinner time,” the old man said.
Arina’s parents run a pretty large trading company and sometimes leave her with her aunt at the Spirit’s Branch. They pay a hefty entrance fee, not to mention the donations during the annual festival.
The relative she spends the most time with, including her parents, is Asmomii. And even though Asmomii’s activities are mostly confined to the temple, he’s still quite busy—
“Listen, on days without studies, children should interact and play with others their age!” It seems Orlando has taken on the role of caretaker. Good luck, you hard worker!
“Oh, that’s good. Hello, please take us to the island. There are only four of us today, is that alright?” I felt a bit relieved to see an old man at the boathouse.
I’ve rowed a boat before, but I’ve only ever taken the old man who was my teacher. To be honest, I was a little nervous.
“Yeah, it’s a bit unbalanced, but leave it to me.”
As I heard his reply, I stepped onto the small boat.
“Don’t interfere,” the old man added.
“Even if we approach by boat, they won’t let us up on the pier, right? Even if we offer a large sum of money,” Orlando said, looking puzzled, but he still took Arina’s hand and boarded.
“Haha, this brother here doesn’t know you, does he?”
“I know he’s rich,” Orlando replied seriously, making the old boatman chuckle.
The sea was as beautiful as ever, with no wind. The large ships arriving and departing from Naruadeid created a few waves, but otherwise, everything was calm. The currents around the island should be complicated due to the unseen reefs, but it was impressive nonetheless.
“Welcome back,” the sturdy guards and tax collector greeted us as we arrived at the pier.
The pier usage fee, disguised as a tax. The old boatman was playing a game of chess—or rather, shogi—with the tax collector while waiting. The guards were busy due to the limit on the number of people allowed on the island, but the tax collector seemed a bit bored.
“I’m back. Please record the three of us,” I said.
“Yes,” the tax collector replied.
Checking entries is part of the tax collector’s job. Orlando looked bewildered while the old man seemed impressed.
By the way, the tax collector here is a failed painter and is quite skilled at drawing portraits. If you make a strange face, you might just end up being sketched.
“I’ll give you this just in case,” he said, handing over a beautiful small strap with a plate attached. The floral filigree on the plate was exquisite, but it was just a number tag…
You return it when you leave the island, but it serves as a sort of identification. Normally, you receive a document for identity verification, and after recording the plate number as a reference, they hand it over.
“Here, use this for lunch. And this is for distributing,” I said, giving the old boatman a tip that was enough for two drinks and some candy before leaving the pier.
Maybe the old man noticed me giving the candy, as a few kids started waving at me with smiles, wandering around the old boatman. It’s become a pattern to catch the local kids to run errands.
“Wait. This is strange.”
“It’s not strange,” Orlando said, who had been following along but suddenly straightened up, expressing his suspicion. Even while looking a bit dazed, he was still holding Arina’s hand firmly, which was impressive.
“I understand that you seem to be a resident here, but what about our entry tax!? What about identity verification!?”
“That’s already taken care of, so don’t worry about it,” I waved my hand dismissively.
“It seems that you’re not just a resident, but also on the collection side,” the old man remarked.
“Eh!? But if the one managing entry and exit has that kind of attitude, could it be… that you hold quite a high position here…? But still, aside from the absolute authority of Lord Soleil, the hierarchy I’ve heard about is rather vague…”
Orlando began mumbling to himself!