The journey on the following day was uneventful for the fleet.

Claudia accepted Ronald's suggestion.

After temporarily canceling the fleet's fishing activities, they indeed were no longer attacked by any marine creatures.

Moreover, the weather did not cause the fleet any trouble.

Thus, only two hours later than planned, they successfully arrived at the destination port and immediately began final resupply and ship repairs.

——The fleet docked at [Airene].

A coastal nation on the continent of Latochia, separated from Gred by one country.

Due to its frequent trade with Gred, the dock facilities were unmatched nationwide. In addition to being much better than those of less developed nations, they could even handle steamship repairs.

Because of these conditions,

the scheduled time for the fleet to stay ashore was quite generous, and Claudia planned for the fleet to rest here for three days.

Due to considerations of the previous attacks, Her Highness also decided to add an additional batch of repair supplies to the fleet's existing inventory to better prepare for the unpredictable ocean voyage ahead.

A three-day rest period.

Of course, Ronald couldn't stay on the ship the entire time.

Especially with Il strongly encouraging him, he had to take the two young women off the ship just on the first afternoon of docking and explore the port city of [Carpen] in Airene.

Because it is a port city, the residents here are inherently bold and enjoy welcoming visitors.

So just an hour after disembarking.

Under various hospitable entertainments, Ronald lost an entire week's salary of an ordinary person and exchanged it for various local souvenirs and some street snacks.

The second reason for this...

Actually, it was because of Il's strong pleading that Ronald had no choice but to make the purchases.

After all, for a pretty girl to start rolling on the ground in the street, Ronald really didn't have the thick skin to let such an embarrassing scene continue.

"..."

"Costate, do you have anything you want?"

Another half an hour passed, and Ronald softly asked Costate, who was accompanying him.

On this tour, he had already bought a lot for Il.

But Costate hadn't asked for anything.

Ronald didn't want to appear partial, so he thought it best to ask proactively.

Just as Ronald's question came purely out of concern,

Costate clearly made up a lot in her mind.

Her body shivered, and the maid instantly grasped Ronald's arm tightly and asked in a trembling voice:

"Sir, are you really going to fire me?"

"I remember some wizards, when expelling their servants, give them gifts to hint at such a choice, and clothing is the most common among such gifts?"

"..."

Facing Costate's anxious attitude, Ronald felt a headache.

Under his sleeves, his hand clenched into a fist, then relaxed again.

After repeating this action three times, he suppressed his frantic mood and seriously assured Costate:

"Costate, I really have no intention of wanting you to leave."

"And I can also promise you, such a decision will not come from me in the future either."

"So—from now on, believe me, let's never bring up this topic again, okay?"

Costate seriously observed Ronald's expression and then quickly nodded:

"Sir, I am very grateful!"

"..."

"Sigh—" Ronald couldn't help but sigh, then he chose to immediately divert Costate's attention, "Now let's take a look around, and if there's anything you want, just say it."

"Things I want…"

Upon hearing Ronald's instructions, Costate obediently scanned her surroundings.

Unlike Il, who couldn't move her legs when seeing anything novel, Costate's gaze didn't linger on the street for long before she quickly locked onto a seemingly ordinary grocery store.

Pulling Ronald along, Costate unhesitatingly pointed to a box in the front:

"Sir, I'll just have this."

Before Ronald could speak, the shop's woman heard Costate's voice and immediately became interested:

"Miss, you have a good eye!"

"This is a best-selling dry powder recently, which provides a dry and refreshing experience even in very humid environments…"

The woman introduced the merchandise while her gaze kept darting over to Ronald.

The subtext of selling the product was all too clear.

Faced with such an introduction, Ronald didn't hesitate to pay for the dry powder. Only after handing the gift to Costate and quickly leaving the store did he ask the maid:

"Costate, what do you plan to do with this?"

The maid immediately replied:

"Sir, there's a bit of dampness in the corners of your cabin. My spell needs two weeks to adjust the attributes to address this issue, so before that, I need this to manage it."

"..."

"Didn't I say this was a gift for you?"

Ronald felt both touched and bittersweet.

He intended to buy a souvenir or gift for Costate, but who would have thought the maid's thoughts were still on Ronald, even considering the cabin's dampness when choosing an item.

Hearing Ronald's complex tone, Costate still replied sincerely:

"Sir, this is a gift to me!"

"..."

"Tsk—" Watching Ronald and Costate's conversation, Il clicked her tongue in disdain, "It's really troublesome. Can't you be straightforward like me and just want what you want?"

...

Their exploration of the city continued.

Because the team planned to dock at the port for three whole days, Ronald and the others had ample time to tour the city.

But the afternoon had just passed.

When Ronald took Il and Costate to a local restaurant for a meal,

A caster walked into the restaurant with hurried steps.

Sweeping her gaze around, she quickly locked onto Ronald and the others dining, then hurriedly approached:

"Good evening, Monsieur Ronald."

As soon as Ronald looked up, he immediately recognized the person greeting him. It was Fanny, the caster sent by the [Circle of Twelve Witches] to track Lumiel!

"Miss Fanny, long time no see?"