Chapter 226: It’s Me
For Faye Yardley, the remaining items were all take-it-or-leave-it, so there was no need to waste money.
However, Nora Nash spent 200,000 on a skinny, red-haired boy and said to Faye Yardley, "Don’t be fooled by how thin and weak that kid looks. He’s actually a decent fighter. He can stick by your side as hired muscle."
Faye Yardley pointed to herself, incredulous. "For me?"
"Yes. I don’t know what your situation is like, but since you can show up in the same places I do, it’s obviously not a peaceful world. You’ll always need help."
Nora Nash said it so casually, but Faye Yardley couldn’t bring herself to accept the gift.
Bella Dillon stood to the side, doing her best impression of a decorative ornament. She knew that if she uttered a single disagreeable word, Nora Nash wouldn’t hesitate to act against her.
And since she couldn’t beat him, she wasn’t about to make trouble for herself.
"Mike, go bring him over."
Before long, the big man returned with the red-haired boy. He also carried a slave contract provided by the auction house.
In the end, Faye Yardley refused the slave contract, opting instead to sign a two-year employment contract with the boy. The red-haired boy, Cole Kensington, had weaving skills that met the system’s employment criteria, in addition to the combat prowess Nora Nash had vouched for.
Nora Nash put away the slave contract and said to Cole Kensington, "Protect Miss Yardley well, and I can buy your younger brother and take him with me."
Cole Kensington immediately dropped to his knees before Nora Nash and kowtowed, his forehead striking the floor. "Please rest assured, Master! I will die before I let anything happen to Miss Yardley."
Faye Yardley glanced from the boy to Nora Nash. Nora Nash gave her a reassuring look, signaling that he would never place someone he couldn’t control by her side.
’Honestly, why is he giving me a bodyguard?’ Faye Yardley wondered.
’It’s not like I’m completely defenseless.’
[Dear Player, your time as an invited guest on Coralisle is about to end. Please prepare for your return journey.]
’What? The grand finale of the auction hasn’t even started, and my time is already up?’
"Nora, Bella, I have to go back."
Bella Dillon exclaimed, "So soon?! Stay and have fun for a few more days!"
Faye Yardley gave a wry smile. "It’s out of my hands. My time is up."
She felt a hand grab hers and turned to look at Nora Nash. But before he could speak, the scene shifted. The system had instantly transported her back to her raft.
Cole Kensington had arrived with her and was now kneeling on the raft.
He, too, noticed the change in surroundings and shot to his feet, his eyes wide with unconcealed surprise.
"Welcome to my turf," Faye Yardley said, then waved over to Willow Yardley and the others as they approached. "Come on, let me introduce you to our new companion."
’Cole Kensington will need a place to stay.’ Faye Yardley went straight to her warehouse and retrieved the Basic Wood House blueprint and a Basic Wood House Upgrade Voucher she’d gotten from a crate earlier. ’See? They’re coming in handy now.’
Cole Kensington’s red hair was particularly striking, as was his gaunt frame. It looked as though a light breeze could carry him away.
Despite his frail appearance, Eamon and Willow Yardley could clearly sense the danger emanating from him.
After making introductions, Faye Yardley said, "Willow, give Cole Kensington a tour. See where he wants to put his house. Once it’s built and upgraded, buy him whatever furnishings he needs from the market."
She needed to go change out of her gown. It was beautiful, but she found it a bit restrictive to move in.
She also remembered to call her brother right away. Now that she was back, it was his turn. ’What if someone else beats him to the punch?!’
Fortunately, with All World Communication, she could reach her brother even if he wasn’t on the raft. However, she couldn’t contact him if he was at their base, because their guild headquarters wasn’t connected to the network yet. ’What a troll move from the system.’
The call went through without a hitch. After getting the news, Ethan Yardley took the anonymous, no-password card and a Transformation Fish Scale from his sister, then used the Invitation Card. He planned to follow her advice and head straight for the auction house upon arriving at Coralisle. It would be even better if he could find Bella Dillon; she would be an excellent guide.
As for Nora Nash, it was better not to involve him. Faye Yardley didn’t think he had the patience to babysit her brother. Besides, he clearly had his own business to take care of on Coralisle.
Bella Dillon was another story. Coralisle was her home turf.
After a moment’s thought, she sent a message to Nora Nash, letting him know that she and Cole Kensington had made it home safely.
She also messaged Bella Dillon, asking her to meet her brother at the auction house.
It was a good thing Ethan Yardley acted fast. Any slower, and Logan Langdon would have beaten him to it.
Logan Langdon stared at the Invitation Card, which was still unusable, and his brows furrowed. "It seems Faye Yardley got an Invitation Card from that other place too. I can’t think of who else would have one like it."
"Why don’t you just ask her?"
"I tried. Couldn’t get through. She probably isn’t back from Coralisle yet."
Chloe Hughes shrugged. "That’s a real shame. Today is the last day of the month, and the auction house on Coralisle always holds two major auctions at the end of every month. You can always find some rare and unusual things there."
This made Logan Langdon even more frustrated. That opportunity should have been his, but Faye Yardley had snatched it right from under him.
Meanwhile, the moment Faye Yardley vanished from his grasp, Nora Nash stood up and left the private room with his men.
In an instant, Bella Dillon was the only one left in the large private room.
"You’re kidding me, I’m the only one left? Well, in that case, don’t mind if I do. I’ll just enjoy all this by myself."
But it wasn’t long before Bella Dillon received a message from Faye Yardley asking her to host her brother. She replied, "Don’t worry, leave your brother to me. I’ll make sure he has a great time on Coralisle."
Nora Nash sent a simple "Okay" in reply.
After Faye Yardley had changed into a fresh set of clothes, she got a call from Melissa Chapman. "Hey, where are you?"
"At home. I’m back. Are you okay? I didn’t realize you couldn’t drink."
Melissa Chapman blushed. She hadn’t known she couldn’t handle specially made cocktails either. Then, remembering why she called, she said, "Oh, right! I ran into Nora Nash, but he seemed to be in a huge hurry and left without even talking to me. Do you know where he went?"
"Miss Melissa, what am I to him? He’s not going to tell me where he’s going. If we were really that close, I’d be your rival in love. You think I’d tell you anything then?"
Melissa Chapman was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "You make a good point. Hey, wait a minute! I’m the one who’s supposed to be asking you questions! Look at this photo. Is this you? The woman in the white mermaid gown, seen from the back?"
’Who took this?!’
Faye Yardley thought, ’If you’re going to take a picture, at least do it properly. What’s the point of taking a candid shot from so far away?’
Fortunately, it was distant and blurry enough. Besides, she wasn’t the only woman next to Nora Nash; to his right was Bella Dillon, dressed in dark red. After a moment’s consideration, she decided to be honest. "That’s me."