Do ratmen dream of the sacred tree of spirits?

Chapter 88 Farewell

Chapter 89 Farewell

"Dad! Mom!" Fafnir rushed to the door and knocked loudly. The journey was a little slower than usual. Due to the waiting time for the freight wagon and the time spent on the road, it took Fafnir about three hours to get to the door. It was already late, around nine o'clock in the evening.

"Oh, my dear little Fafnir, don't panic. Tell me quickly what I can help you with. Why are you back today? Are you tired from school and want to rest for a while? Don't worry, I'll make your bed—"

"No, no," Fafnir quickly interrupted Clint, "Now, please hurry to Ryan Harbor in Ryan City, quick!"

"What happened?" Elisa walked toward the door, hearing Fafnir's agitated voice.

"Bishop Victor has issued you a permit through Speaker Hobri of the Eastern Region. I suspect there are some very special circumstances, perhaps related to the relationship between the Narns Empire and the Holy Kingdom. Father, Mother, please hurry and take some money and important items. The carriage will be waiting by the square. I paid extra for the driver to unload the goods and take us to Ryan Port."

Alyssa and Clint were clearly taken aback; they stood there dumbfounded for a moment. Fafnir quickly pulled them inside. As treasurers, Alyssa and Clint were not only adept at numbers, but also highly logical and quick-witted. "Fafnir—Fafnir, we'll listen to you, but—are you coming too?"

"Of course not, I'm a priest of the church, I can't leave my post at will," Fafnir shook his head. "It's alright, Dad, Mom, I should be able to see you soon, back in my hometown that I've never seen before. Haha, I remember you always describing some interesting things about Dawn Province to me—"

Fafnir quickly stopped: "I'll go with you to Ryan Harbor to wait for the ship."

"Little Fafnir, you're still so young—" Elisa thought for a moment, "I'm worried about you—can I stay and not go back first? Clint can go back first, and I'll stay and take care of you—"

"Is it really impossible to stay in the Holy Kingdom?" Clint asked hesitantly.

"No! Dad, I can't stay here anymore, and Mom, I'm almost 11 years old, you don't have to call me little Fafnir anymore, I can take care of myself."

"Fafner said hastily, afraid that his parents would delay any longer. Mr. Victor's words were no joke; the situation was really urgent."

Fafnir quickly helped pack the luggage, taking out almost all of his savings and putting them into his parents' bags. "No, little Fafnir, we don't need that much money."

"Alright, alright, I'll take some back." Fafnir didn't want to say more, so he grabbed a few silver shields and put them back in his pocket.

"We don't need ————"

"Alright, alright, Mom and Dad, stop talking, stop talking. Hurry up and get ready. You'll definitely need a lot of money when you go back to China, and the exchange rate for these gold pounds and silver guilders might be worse than that of the Nunes currency."

"By the way, what about Viscount Lorraine—"

"Mr. Victor has already spoken to him."

The atmosphere grew somber. Elisa and Beckett quickly packed their luggage. "Alright, Mom and Dad, let's go, let's get in the carriage."

The three waited near the square for a while. Soon, the agreed-upon carriage finished unloading its cargo, and the cart was newly loaded with some loose goods. The carriage drove towards them, with a kerosene lamp serving as its headlight, emitting a weak light. Clint and Elisa boarded the carriage carrying three bags of luggage, which were mostly clothes for changing clothes in all four seasons. They hadn't had many new clothes in recent years. The luggage also contained money and documents.

Once in the car, Fafnir began chatting casually with Elisa and Clint about his recent experiences teaching the children at grammar school. He talked about the dedicated and responsible teacher Anna, as well as Martha and Ellen, and how interesting little Luca was.

As for Tyrell Gideon, what a nuisance! I can't tell Mom and Dad, Fafnir thought.

The carriage had no side chambers, and the cold night wind made Elisa and Clint feel a bit chilly. As they listened to Fafnir's amusing stories, they put on a coat from their luggage.

"Sigh, almost eleven years—" Clint sighed. "Little Fafnir, my father and mother, and Elisa's parents, all passed away quite young. Sigh, my memory is a bit hazy. They were gone when I was a teenager. You know, little Fafnir, you never met them. They did hard labor, several jobs, all so strenuous: serf, loader, miner, lowly maid, lowly servant—"

When I was very young, my father did hard labor every day, loading and unloading goods at the dock. Sometimes, he would take the money he had saved up for a week to buy alcohol. While drinking, he would cry and say that he wouldn't live long.

Clint's voice was somewhat somber as he reminisced about his past: "I miss him so much. I want to see him drinking in front of me. I have money to buy him alcohol now, but I'll never see him again—"

"Clint! Talk about something else, don't talk about such sad things. Let bygones be bygones, let nature take its course," Elisa reminded him.

"I know, I know, my Elisa, and now—"

How lucky, how lucky, my little Fafnir! Alyssa and I are treasurers, haha! I remember that charity finance class in Dawn Province; I paid a sum of money to get in, and that's where I met Alyssa—

We can live longer, we are not afraid of death, little Fafnir. We've watched you grow up, watched you become so outstanding, so much more outstanding than us. We are so proud of you, my dear little Fafnir. You are our only family in the world. Take good care of yourself, remember to eat on time. Elisa and I love you!

"Little Fafnir, take care of yourself, we love you." Elisa smiled and kissed Fafnir on the cheek. Fafnir rubbed his eyes, turned his face away, and tried his best to stop his tears—

The journey was quite bumpy, with only the dim light of a kerosene lamp providing illumination. The carriage wasn't moving very fast either. It wasn't until we entered Ryan City that we saw some lighting. Some shops near the city center were still open, and some even had their doors brightly lit.

The gas lamps and familiar street scenes calmed Fafnir's heart. How lucky he was, Mom and Dad. Please take good care of yourselves.

As Ryan Harbor gradually came into view, Fafnir's night vision, enhanced by his ratman bloodline, became even stronger. He could clearly see the twinkling lights on the wide river. It must be past midnight now; it was already the next day. There was still plenty of time, and Mr. Victor's notification was timely.

"Please get off, we've arrived at the port, ladies and gentlemen," the driver said.

"Let's go, Mom and Dad, to the dock. Mr. Victor said someone is coming to pick you up."