Chapter 2304: Join the crew |
Jack stood atop the arched bridge, staring at the flowing river underneath, appreciating the swimming ducks and floating flowers. Blossom petals danced in the wind, not only creating a serene and beautiful environment, but carrying with them a fragrance of spirit plants.
It was... like a scene out of a painting that could be auctioned for a ridiculous amount of money. That thought put a smile on Jack’s face, even if he no longer valued money. With a duck that could make gold with every step, and an alligator could turn even the wind to crystal, money in itself no longer had any value. Now, what he valued were rare and hard to find resources. Oh, and unique and talented individuals.
"Have you thought about my proposal?" Jack asked, even though no one seemed to be around him save the ducks in the river underneath.
Only the blowing wind answered him. That is, until, the dancing blossom petals all came together to make the outline of a young woman.
"Have you no fear?" she asked softly, looking at Jack with curiosity. "I already told you last time about the predicament that plagues the Trelops. Would you still dare to take me along?"
Jack smirked, looking at the outline of a young woman with amusement.
"The day we met, I already told you about my crew. I dare negotiate with Dao Lords, and look Sages in the eyes. What makes you think I’ll hesitate to take on a Trelop into my crew?" he asked.
The Trelop formed only an outline of a body, which is why it was difficult to ascertain her thoughts and feelings. There were no expressions to read. Even so, Jack could tell that she still felt hesitant.
He had noticed her while waiting to complete his negotiations to travel to the Folklore realm, and had struck up a conversation. Almost immediately, he had decided to invite her into his crew!
"After the ascension of our realm, the Trelops adapted quickly to the Primordial Garden, and somewhat overtook even the birds in strength. That is when a Lord of the garden came to us and informed our elders that our race had immense potential, even by the standards of the Primordial Garden. For the sake of the development of our race without interference, we were told to stay within the Garden until we produce at least four or five Dao Lords.
"Despite such grand ambitions and plans, the elders still decided that it was best for me to leave the Primordial Garden, and spend my days inside the Midnight Inn. Neither the elders of my race, who harbor great ambitions, nor the lords of the garden, who have grand plans, felt it was a loss for me to leave the Primordial Garden. Why, then, do you want someone like me to join your crew?"
Could Jack honestly admit that his purpose in inviting her was to, once and for all, eliminate the smell of sweat stained wood from his ship? Never!
"Your elders have their own plans, and the lords their own as well. Why should either of them interfere with ours? The only thing that you need to concern yourself with is how you feel. Do you want to set sail, and explore the universe? Nod for yes, and recite the entire Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum list for no."
The Trelop chuckled as she used her hand to cover a non-existent smile.
"Please think again. I am not like the rest of my race. I am not too powerful, nor can I properly fuse with landscapes. That’s why I was allowed to leave," she said one more time, just to make sure that Jack knew what he was getting into by inviting her. It would be quite unfortunate if he expected her to have the strength of her peers.
"We are a peace loving crew, and hardly ever fight anyone," said Jack shamelessly without even blushing. "Of course, if other people offend us, then the rest of us are more than capable of defending ourselves. We won’t ask you to fight under ordinary circumstances. I don’t want to lie to you, though. We may face unexpected challenges and unanticipated foes. It’s just a part of traveling the universe I’m afraid. In that case, you should focus on defending yourself and not worry about the rest."
The Trelop felt touched at the invitation, and found it hard to resist. After all, staying inside the Inn all the time was too boring.
"Alright, in that case, I’d love to join you! You can call me Rose!" she said, clasping her hands together in joy.
Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Rose? Shouldn’t it be ’blossom’, considering you’re using blossom petals?" he asked, looking at the pink and purple petals that formed the outline.
Rose, however, shook her head vehemently.
"My mom’s name is Blossom, and my grandma is Daisy, so I can only be Rose," she explained, as if that answered all her questions.
Jack nodded, as if her logic made complete sense.
"By the way, can I ask you a question? Have you heard of a Trelop called Jeena? Why is everyone so afraid of her?" Jack asked.
That was something he’d long wondered. It would have made sense if she was abnormally strong, but there were countless other Trelop Immortals, yet none had a reputation as fearsome as hers. Despite that, he could never figure out what exactly made her so dangerous.
The question made Rose freeze, and she looked at Jack with a... well, she was only an outline, so he couldn’t tell what her expression most likely was, but based on her silence it was either extreme fear, shock, or excitement.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about," she answered, revealing herself to be the worst liar Jack had ever encountered. "Aunty Jeena is the nicest, warmest Trelop around. Why would anyone be afraid of her? It’s absolutely preposterous. Let’s not talk about that any more - it’s just the most insane thought anyone could ever even come up with."
Jack nodded, but his curiosity couldn’t help but grow even greater. But oh well, finding out would have to wait for later.
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