Chapter 168: Hometown (1)
After arranging everything, Lynn continued to oversee the ship for a while, mostly studying the Navigational Chart to plot their return route.
One day, after finishing his experiments, Lynn set down his cup of thick, black coffee.
Since it wasn't mealtime yet, the dining hall was practically empty.
Lynn tapped his knuckles lightly against the table.
Poof.
A flash of blue light shimmered, and a Bahov Elf appeared on the table.
"Hey, long time no see!" The Bahov Elf floated up, gathering its courage to land in front of Lynn.
"Have I met you before?" Fluttering its little wings, the Bahov Elf leaned in close, poking its head forward with a curious expression.
Lynn looked at the little elf, a faint smile touching the corners of his mouth. He reached out and rested a large hand on its head.
His palm, larger than the creature's entire head, gently stroked its soft green hair.
The Bahov Elf stared up at Lynn, eyes sparkling.
"Perhaps we did meet, a long time ago," Lynn said.
"A long time ago... I remember now!" the Bahov Elf exclaimed in surprise. "You were that Junior Apprentice!"
It recalled seeing Lynn during the voyage before last—or perhaps the one before that.
Back then, Lynn had been just a Junior Apprentice boarding the ship. Now, he was the most esteemed wizard on board!
"Your favorite food... I think it was twice-cooked pork, right? Yes, twice-cooked pork—what a weird name." The Bahov Elf suddenly clapped its little hands together, declaring proudly, "I never make a mistake when it comes to good food!"
"Do you have it today?" Lynn took a seat at an empty table. Because he was in the dining hall, no other Apprentice dared to eat at the same time.
After all, none of them really knew the esteemed wizard's temper. If he happened to be moody or unpredictable, he might consider it disrespectful to share a dining space and just kill them all.
Out on the ocean, there were simply too many ways to meet an accidental end: psionic storms, deep-sea races, oceanic behemoths, wandering ghost ships...
These Apprentices returning to their hometowns were all failures who had left the Wizard Continent. No one would ever risk a conflict with an official wizard over them.
"Of course!" the Bahov Elf said. "As long as you want to eat, lord wizard, it's available anytime."
"I seem to recall it only being available for a limited time back then." Lynn chuckled.
"Ahem... well, like you said, that was back then," the Bahov Elf stammered.
A loud clatter rang out from the adjacent kitchen, and a faintly glowing golden spatula flew out.
The spatula had a mouth right on its handle. "Welcome to the dining hall, great wizard! Oh, we just caught a swarm of red-claw shrimp during our voyage a while back, and we made sure to stock up on plenty of supplies at the docks before setting sail. You are in for a treat, my lord!"
"You embarrassing little thing, you don't even know how to properly host a wizard!" the golden spatula barked fiercely at the Bahov Elf.
"Alright, I'm not blaming you," Lynn said, waving a hand.
He knew that despite the golden spatula's fierce act, it had only come out to find a reasonable excuse to explain the situation.
"Right away, esteemed wizard! I'll go prepare your food." The Bahov Elf shrank back, vanishing on the spot with a flicker.
Not long after, a plate of fresh twice-cooked pork—perhaps not perfectly authentic, but incredibly rare out here—was served by the elf.
"Your skills have improved," Lynn said with a smile.
"Thank you for the praise! After you taught me the recipe last time, I went back and tried it a bunch more times. I am a Bahov Elf who strives for perfection, after all!" The Bahov Elf proudly craned its neck.
Pausing in hesitation, Lynn gently patted the little elf's head.
"Would you like to leave with me?"
"Go where?"
"To my wizard tower, to cook exclusively for me. You won't be nearly as busy," Lynn said.
"I can't do that! This is my home. How could I ever leave my home? I have so, so many friends here. If I left, I'd be incredibly sad." The Bahov Elf shook its head. "If you ever want it again, you can just come find me, and I'll cook it for you. Please don't take me away, lord wizard," the Bahov Elf pleaded.
It seemed to understand that Lynn had the power to take it by force.
Lynn stayed silent for a moment before affectionately rubbing its head. "Don't worry, I won't take you away from your home."
Seagulls circled in the skies above Bangor Port.
A small ship slowly approached The Harbor, bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
Dressed in a long robe, Lynn stepped onto the soil of Bangor Port. Staring at The Harbor before him, he looked a little dazed.
The evening breeze was cool and refreshing as it washed over him.
Compared to twenty-odd years ago when he had first left, Bangor Port hardly seemed to have changed.
Everything looked exactly as he remembered.
The sky was growing dark as dusk settled. Gathering his belongings, Lynn headed toward the place he had lived before his departure.
After more than twenty years, many of the houses lining the street appeared unchanged, though a layer of green moss now clung to the bottoms of what had once been brand-new brick walls.
Bangor Port was larger now. Over the past two decades, the port city had grown far more prosperous, and what used to be the new district had aged into an old residential neighborhood.
Stepping through the long shadows of the setting sun, Lynn arrived at the tailor shop.
Looking up at the familiar signboard, a wave of nostalgia washed over him.
The tailor shop's door was open, and a steady stream of customers flowed in and out.
Inside, a busy figure stood with his head bowed. Suddenly, as if sensing something, the figure paused mid-conversation and turned to look out of the shop.
In that instant, his gaze froze.
"Sir, sir, I want to design the garment like this—add a bit more green around the collar. You know me, I've always loved green. It's my favorite color."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Aster, but I might be a little tied up right now," Borg said, his voice trembling.
Mr. Aster paused in surprise, scratching his head in confusion.
Still, he had known Borg the tailor for nearly ten years. Even though their dynamic was usually just that of a customer and a tailor...
...over years of interacting, the two had actually become fairly good friends.
This was his very first time seeing Borg make an expression like this.
"I'll get back to you later... Come back tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll give you my absolute best discount." After throwing those words out, Borg hurriedly dropped the soft measuring tape.
Borg stared out the door, his eyes locked dead on the figure standing across the road, as if terrified that this was merely a hallucination and the figure would vanish the moment he looked away.
Watching Borg lose his composure, a flicker of doubt crossed Aster's eyes.
He followed the direction Borg was running and watched as the tailor dashed straight across the street to embrace a man.
"Oh! Good heavens, to think Borg the tailor had this sort of preference!" Aster clamped a hand over his mouth in shock.
He felt like he had just uncovered some massive secret. Having known Borg for all these years—especially since Borg's mother had passed away the previous year, leaving only a younger sister and a severely ill father at home—Aster was familiar with practically all of Borg's family. He had absolutely never seen this man before—and such a handsome, fair-skinned pretty boy at that.