Chapter 249: Setting Off for the Island
It was early morning, well before dawn.
Vivian Lowell, Julian Faulkner, Eleanor Rhodes, and Finn were gathered at the pier, waiting to board the boat.
Eleanor was exhausted. Sitting by the railing, she couldn’t stop yawning.
"It’s only five o’clock. Do we really need to head out this early?"
"Of course."
Vivian glanced at her phone and replied, "If we head over now, we’ll still have time to snorkel for a bit. Besides, it takes two hours to get there!
"Snorkeling for a while before beachcombing will perfectly fill the time."
Vivian had checked the tide charts.
The tide at the small island they were visiting would hit its lowest point shortly after ten o’clock today, exposing the rocks along the shore.
Hiding beneath those rocks were usually plenty of oysters, mussels, and crabs. If they were lucky, they might even spot lobsters and eels!
Vivian had only ever seen fresh eels at specialty restaurants. The taste of freshly sliced, grilled eel was absolutely delicious, and she loved it.
She was already secretly hoping to catch an eel during their beachcombing trip today!
"Two hours? Is it really that far?"
Eleanor mumbled, tilting her head.
Finn leaned over and said, "It’s fine, Miss Rhodes. You can always get some rest on the boat!
"It’s still dark out now, but once the sun comes up, we can watch the sunrise from the deck. The sunrise is beautiful, isn’t it?"
Hearing this, Eleanor couldn’t find a reason to argue. She nodded and said, "When you put it that way, I suppose it’s true. Alright then!"
"YAWN... I’m so sleepy. Vivian, is the boat still not here?"
"It should be here any minute."
Vivian walked over, taking Eleanor’s hand, and asked, "Are Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes not coming today? I thought they would be interested."
"Their flight back to Aethelburg is this afternoon. My mom said she wanted to visit the duty-free shops, so she had to skip beachcombing. She actually complained to my dad about it.
"But my dad said a relative is getting married and the wedding banquet is tonight. We have no choice but to head back. My mom was pretty bummed out, so hitting the duty-free shops was her only consolation prize.
"You know how trendy my mom is. She wants to check out all the cosmetics, beauty devices, and designer bags at the duty-free stores!"
That made sense!
Vivian recalled that every time she saw Mrs. Rhodes, the woman was always dressed to the nines in the latest fashions. It was no wonder she chose to go shopping!
"It’s fine! My mom said that once we’re back in Aethelburg, we’ll still have chances to go beachcombing. There are coastal cities not too far from Aethelburg, so we won’t need to travel all the way to Cyrina!"
Vivian nodded, then remembered something else and asked, "But you mentioned a relative is getting married and both your parents are going. Is it really okay if you don’t go?"
"Of course it’s fine."
Eleanor clearly didn’t care much about the event. She gave an awkward little smile and said, "He’s just a distant relative. Honestly, his connection to the Rhodes family...
"It’s not like we’re actually blood-related! In the past, his family even wanted to arrange a marriage between us, but I refused. Now, I guess he’s finally tying the knot? I heard he’s getting on in years.
"I can’t be bothered to go. If I see him, it’ll just remind me of all those unpleasant memories."
Vivian paused for a moment before a memory clicked into place.
It was back when they were still in college. Vivian had accompanied Eleanor back to the Rhodes family home and encountered a tall, burly, but rather goofy-looking guy.
He was a former neighbor of the Rhodes family. Their families had known each other since before either had made their fortunes. That big goofball had always carried a torch for Eleanor, but she never felt the same way.
A goofball he was, but a devoted one. He was always attentive to Eleanor, sending her gifts on every traditional holiday—mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, sticky rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival.
For Tomb-Sweeping Day, he would even send chrysanthemum wine. In short, he was incredibly traditional, leaving Eleanor caught between tears and laughter every time she received his presents.
Back then, their other two college roommates had ruthlessly teased Eleanor about it.
"This guy is so weird. Who woos a girl by giving her stuff like this? He doesn’t understand romance at all! At the very least, he should be sending roses, cosmetic gift sets, or lipstick, right?
"If all else fails, even a cute plushie would be better than this! Haha, his gifts are just like the stuff we used to bring when visiting relatives during the New Year, aren’t they?"
Vivian still remembered the words of her dorm mates to this day.
Even though she couldn’t quite recall exactly what that "goofball" looked like anymore, she vaguely remembered that when he smiled his honest, good-natured smile, he really did look completely adorkable.
He genuinely liked Eleanor and was a truly good guy; he was just clueless about dating and acted a bit foolish.
Eleanor had always kept her distance and made her feelings perfectly clear, yet he still chose to keep trying—much like how Eleanor herself had stubbornly chosen to keep liking Henry Sterling back then.
However, after hitting a brick wall with the same person for so long, he had eventually grown tired and slowly given up. To think that after a few years, he was finally getting married!
Thinking of him, Vivian said, "Speaking of which... it isn’t easy for him to find the right person to settle down with. We should be happy for him."
Eleanor was noncommittal. She didn’t exactly hate or like the guy; he was just an ordinary acquaintance. "Yeah, that’s why my parents went," she replied.
"I also prepared a red envelope with some cash for my parents to give him on my behalf. Just a small token of my best wishes!"
That was for the best.
They weren’t particularly close to begin with, so sending a small token of goodwill was more than enough.
After they chatted for a little while longer, the boat arrived.
Just as they were about to set off, someone came rushing down the pier behind them.
"Vivian."
Hearing the kind, familiar voice, Vivian turned around to find that the newcomer was actually Mr. Drake.
"Mr. Drake?"
Vivian was a bit surprised. Seeing Mr. Drake walking briskly toward them, she quickly asked the boatman who had just arrived to wait for a moment.
"Mr. Drake, what brings you here?"
Vivian went to meet him, cautioning, "Slow down. This pier hasn’t been repaired in years, and the ground is uneven and full of potholes. Be careful not to trip."
"I’m alright."
Mr. Drake waved a hand dismissively, asking with a hearty chuckle, "You’re heading out to go beachcombing, aren’t you? Sorry, it took me a little longer to get my gear ready this early in the morning. Mind if I tag along?"
Vivian glanced in surprise at the items Mr. Drake was carrying.
He had a plastic bucket holding hooks, a small shovel, and various other beachcombing tools. It seemed Mr. Drake had come fully prepared.
The dream she had last night suddenly merged perfectly with the scene playing out before her eyes.
"Of course."
Vivian nodded in agreement and personally helped Mr. Drake onto the boat.
The yacht sped across the water.
Fortunately, there were windbreaks and sunshades overhead and all around them. With her beach hat on, Vivian didn’t have to worry about the wind whipping her hair into a tangled mess.
Not long after they boarded, the sun began to rise. It emerged right from the horizon. At first, it was just a faint touch of pale dawn light.
Gradually, the pale light spread further until a small, perfectly round, red sun finally breached the surface, bathing the entire ocean in bright, clear sunlight.
The sunrise was fleeting.
But Vivian felt that waking up early to witness it was absolutely worth it!
"It’s beautiful," Vivian murmured in awe. She then glanced at Eleanor, who was currently asleep on Finn’s shoulder, and nudged her. "Eleanor.
"If you keep sleeping, you’re really going to miss the entire sunrise!"
Vivian had already called out to Eleanor right before the sun started to rise, but when Eleanor peeked with one eye, she had noticed the sun wasn’t up yet.
Since the sky was still pitch black, she had promptly closed her eyes to continue sleeping.
Who could have known...
It was exactly like snoozing a morning alarm, thinking "just five more minutes." One blink, and suddenly you check your phone only to realize half an hour has passed!
She thought, "Whatever happened to ’just resting my eyes for a second’!?"
"How has half an hour already gone by?"
Vivian’s words struck like a clap of thunder, jolting Eleanor awake. She quickly opened her eyes and stared blankly into the distance.
The sun had fully risen, and the sky was no longer hazy. Instead, the world was completely enveloped in bright daylight.
"..." Eleanor wanted to cry. She looked at Vivian and asked, "Vivian, why... why didn’t you wake me up earlier?"
"I did wake you up! You said you were just going to snooze for two minutes, who knew..."
Eleanor let out a deep sigh and leaned back onto Finn’s shoulder. "Forget it. Since I missed the sunrise anyway, I might as well go back to sleep!"
"HAHAHA!" Mr. Drake burst into instant laughter, and several others on the boat joined in.
The journey to the island was quite long.
Cyrina was, after all, a major tourist destination. It had been developed early on, so its facilities were comprehensive, and there were several nearby islands offering snorkeling and water sports.
However, the specific island they were heading to was located much further away from those frequent tourist traps. As a result, its natural resources were relatively untouched, and the seawater was remarkably pristine.
While snorkeling, one could easily spot coral reefs.
And eels loved hiding in those corals. Within the shallow coral beds, if one was lucky enough to flip over the right rocks and corals, they might just uncover a long, squirming eel.
"I’ve seen it before, back in Brettony," Mr. Drake remarked. "The water quality there was fantastic, and they had oysters the size of my hand! They tasted absolutely wonderful served as sashimi."
Mr. Drake couldn’t resist sharing a few more stories from his past beachcombing adventures abroad, leaving Vivian thoroughly captivated.
It sounded like a grand adventure.
She felt like a greenhorn, a little kid who had never seen the world, while Mr. Drake was the seasoned explorer who knew everything about everything!
It was incredibly envy-inducing!
Julian Faulkner was also listening attentively beside her. Although Vivian didn’t notice, Vance Wyatt caught the look in his boss’s eyes perfectly.
Seeing Julian’s serious expression, Vance understood immediately.
President Faulkner had definitely noticed his wife’s starry-eyed admiration for Mr. Drake’s beachcombing expertise, and so he wanted to pick up a few tips himself!
That way, when it came time to hit the shores, President Faulkner could show off in front of his wife. By doing so, the object of her admiration wouldn’t just be Mr. Drake—it would be President Faulkner, too.
Tsk, President Faulkner was truly scheming!
He never missed an opportunity to perform in front of his wife!
Vance sighed inwardly and, for some reason, stole a quick glance at Finn.
To his shock, he noticed that Finn was also listening to Mr. Drake’s stories with great relish. It seemed Finn was equally interested in beachcombing!
Suddenly, Vance’s competitive spirit flared to life. He thought, "Since Finn likes it too, I should pay close attention and learn. If I actually catch something, I’ll give it to Finn."
"Hehe, Finn definitely likes eating fish, right?"
With everyone harboring their own secret agendas, the two-hour boat ride flew by in a blur of storytelling. Finally, they arrived at the remote island Julian had selected beforehand.
The island wasn’t very large, and the surrounding waters were clustered with reefs and corals. The assault boat couldn’t navigate the shallow distance remaining to the shore.
They had to anchor nearby where the water wasn’t too deep, forcing the group to wade through the shallows to reach the island and begin their hunt for marine treasures.
"The low tide window this time is a little over two hours. The tide starts receding past ten o’clock, so you all need to make it back to the assault boat by noon at the latest.
"The tide comes in fast, so absolutely do not linger. It gets very dangerous, understand? If any emergencies pop up, remember to contact me immediately, and I’ll bring the boat in to pick you up."
The boatman laid out the safety precautions, which Vivian carefully memorized. It was only a little past seven right now, meaning the tide hadn’t really begun to ebb yet. They had plenty of time to snorkel and play around the area.
Julian knew how to snorkel; he even had a specialized certification for it!
Vivian, on the other hand, was only a capable swimmer. She had tried freediving in the pool at home before and had barely managed to learn the basics.
But that was only in the shallow, controlled environment of a home pool. She honestly had no idea how she would fare in the unpredictable ocean.
"I can snorkel too," Mr. Drake chimed in.
He looked over at Finn and Eleanor, offering, "If you two want to dive, you can stick with me. I can guide you down.
"For beginners, it’s much safer to have one-on-one instruction right beside you while snorkeling."
"Um, I know how to do it too!"
Vance quickly jumped in. "Mr. Drake, I can take Finn down! I’m pretty familiar with Finn. As for Miss Rhodes, if she wants to try diving, we’ll leave her in your capable hands, alright?"
"Alright."
Mr. Drake nodded in agreement. Eleanor thought about it for a second before saying, "In that case, I’ll be troubling you, Mr. Drake. I know how to swim, but I’ve never tried diving.
"I might be a little nervous!"
"That’s perfectly fine. Everyone is a little nervous their first time diving. We’ll just take it slow. The water isn’t too deep here. If you’re scared, we can test it out closer to the shallow shore first."
"Okay."
Eleanor agreed, and with that, the group’s division of labor was officially sorted out!