Shrouded Seascape

Nene opened her eyes, looking uncomfortable amidst the incessant swaying.

Donna carefully carried a bowl of wheat porridge to her daughter's bedside and said, "Come, sit up and eat."

"I don't want to. I'm just going to vomit if I eat. Mommy, are we there yet? I really hate getting on a ship. I feel so dizzy every time I get on one."

"We're almost there. We should be there by today. Come here; you have to eat a bit. How can I let you not eat anything?"

Nene was then forced to eat half of the bowl of wheat porridge. Donna had to stop at half a bowl, as Nene couldn't eat anymore.

Nene looked up at Donna and asked, "Mommy, where are we going? Why did we leave the World's Crown?"

"My baby, we're going to Hope Island. Hope Island is great. Apparently, not even one of them was killed by the 'death light,' and everyone there can eat to their heart's content.

"The person who drew the lots told me that as long as we reach Hope Island, we will be given a house for free!" Donna was thrilled. She truly didn't expect that she'd end up getting selected, even though she had just joined the raffle for fun.

Clearly, her luck was turning for the better. Donna carefully took out the raffle ticket and stared closely at it from multiple angles before putting it away.

"Hm, really? But... getting on a ship is really too hard. I don't want to get on a ship anymore; I feel too dizzy with all the swaying," Nene said with a bitter face.

"We're not getting on a ship anymore. Mommy promises that this is the last time we're getting on a ship," Donna said, comforting her daughter.

Just then, a clamor of surprised shouts echoed from the deck outside.

Donna's heart tensed up, and she instantly assumed that they had encountered pirates. She ran up to the porthole and revealed a joyful grin upon seeing the scenery outside. "Nene, come here and take a look! We've finally arrived."

The exhausted Nene got out of bed and walked up to her mother's side. Her eyes lit up instantly upon seeing the scenery outside. Reflected in her eyes was an island that seemed to be shimmering in a golden light. The island was bustling with activity with so many ships rushing toward it.

The island looked particularly radiant against the gray backdrop of the Subterranean Sea.

"So that's Hope Island? It's so beautiful..." Nene marveled, seemingly forgetting the fact that she was seasick.

The passenger vessel eventually docked.

Nene didn't even take her time admiring the scenery as she immediately cheered the moment her feet touched solid ground. The feeling of standing on solid ground was just too great. She no longer had to withstand the incessant and dizzying swaying.

Donna, holding multiple bags of varying sizes, couldn't pay attention to her daughter as she was occupied with the magnificent scenery before her. It was a unique scenery that could not be found on the World's Crown.

The most distinctive part of the island was the massive black canopy up above, which covered almost the entire island. Rays of sunlight plummeted on the canopy and indirectly illuminated the prosperous city down below through the multitude of tiny holes.

The harbor district was bustling with activity, and there was a constant flow of people and vehicles. Post vans and freight trucks shuttled back and forth between the city and the harbor district.

The manual laborers, who were supposed to carry heavy items, had disappeared and had been replaced by towering metal cranes, which were as tall as buildings.

The metal cranes hoisted goods on and off the ship with terrifying efficiency.

It was Donna's first time being on such a peculiar island, and she had never seen such a strange sight as well, on the island where she had spent the majority of her life and neither on the World's Crown.

Donna's pounding heart came to a screeching halt at the realization that they would be living in an unfamiliar environment from now on. She couldn't help but think that perhaps she had been a bit too impulsive. The black ryegrass had just been planted in the fields, and she had abandoned them so easily.

However, Donna's heart started pounding wildly against her chest once more the moment she took out the raffle ticket. The raffle ticket represented a house—a house on Hope Island, to boot!

Nene came back to her senses and snuggled up to Donna. She swept her gaze across the unfamiliar surroundings and asked, "Mommy, where are we going?"

"We're going to 158 First Street first. The raffle ticket says that we can redeem our prize if we just go there and find this person named Leonardo," Donna said. She held her daughter's hand and walked down the streets of the unfamiliar island.

Fortunately, First Street was the easiest street to find, as it was Hope Island's very first street. Upon arriving at First Street, Donna was stunned to find a massive villa at her destination. The villa did not look like an office where she could redeem her prize at all.

Just as Donna was hesitating about whether to go in or not, a gorgeous limousine drove into the villa through the massive gates.

Leonardo alighted from the car with documents in hand when he heard something and turned to look toward the gates. A middle-aged woman in a plain dress and her daughter were standing before the gates.

The middle-aged woman was holding a squirming tentacle covered in black scales and was looking around warily.

Leonardo pondered briefly before handing over the documents in his hands to his secretary standing next to him. Then, he walked over to the mother and daughter pair.

"Hello, Madam. How can I help you?" Leonardo asked. His manners were impeccable, but his actions made Donna feel more nervous rather than relieved.

"Sir... i-is this where I can redeem the prize for this raffle ticket? Or w-was this just a prank?" Donna stammered as she handed over the raffle ticket with both hands.

Leonardo was taken aback upon seeing the so-called "raffle ticket." In his eyes, it was just a squirming tentacle covered in black scales. However, he quickly snapped back to his senses and accepted the tentacle with both hands.

The tentacle wriggled and coiled around Leonardo's arm before crawling toward his earlobe. An identical tentacle extended out from Leonardo's ear, and the two tentacles intertwined.

Leonardo instantly knew what was going on when the two tentacles made contact with each other.

"Ah~! I remember this now. Yes, that's right. Our company had indeed held a raffle event on the World's Crown some time ago. You took so long to come here that we thought you'd given up the prize. I admit I've forgotten about it, so... I'm terribly sorry for that.

"Come, please get in the car with your daughter. We'll take you to where you can redeem your prize right away."

The enthusiastic Leonardo said a few words to his secretary in a low voice before guiding the confused Donna and her daughter into his own car. The car engine came to life, and the car headed straight for the main residential district of Hope Island, which was just outside of the island's central district.

Leonardo had decided to drive Donna and Nene personally. Leonardo was a former con artist, and his oration skills easily put Donna at ease. The two hit it off right away and were now chatting as if they were friends.

"Mr. Leonardo, I really can't thank you enough. I thought it was fake, so I'm really shocked to know that it's actually real. This is really great!" Donna exclaimed with a beaming smile.

"Hahaha, yes, please don't worry. Our company absolutely will not deceive others nor confuse them with fake events. The prize belongs to you, as you were lucky enough to get it. By the way, you just arrived on the island, right?

"I assume you don't have a job yet? Would you be willing to work at our factory if that's the case?"

Donna clenched the hem of her dress tightly with both hands, and her trembling hands did nothing to conceal her excitement. "Can I really... do it? But... I only know how to farm. I don't know anything else."

"It's fine as long as you know how to read and are hardworking."

Soon, the car stopped in front of a brand-new two-story house.

Donna had just alighted from the car, but a property transfer agreement had already been presented before her.

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