Along the way, constant gasps of amazement echoed from inside the carriage, all coming from Lilith and Yuka.
The carriage driver was already used to this. From time to time, he would even explain some of Sedona City's unique features to the two of them, which Yuka and Lilith listened to very attentively.
Situations like this were common in Sedona City. After all, many people were visiting the city for the first time, and enthusiastic drivers would take the initiative to act as guides, sometimes earning a few extra tips for their effort.
By now, Yuka had already completely forgotten his previous skepticism. He started to think that perhaps Sedona City really was different.
"We're here. The castle is up ahead. If you want to see the City Lord's residence, just look from a distance. Don't get too close."
The carriage stopped about a thousand meters away from the castle as the driver offered his warning, before turning around and driving off. The reason the driver said this was because every day, countless people requested to come see where the City Lord lived, wanting to know what the residence of the master who built such a miraculous city looked like.
Sure enough, there were quite a few people standing in front of the castle, gazing at it from afar. However, intimidated by the soldiers standing guard, none of them approached.
"Let's go," Florence led the two straight toward the castle.
Tap, tap, tap...
Lilith and Yuka quickly picked up their pace to follow.
"Castle grounds. Unauthorized personnel halt," The guard on duty stopped Florence and her group in their tracks.
Yuka frowned and was about to step forward, but Florence stepped heavily onto his foot, stopping him in his tracks.
"..." Yuka silently pulled his foot back, his mouth twitching slightly.
"I'm here to see Lucas. Please inform him that Florence has come to see him," Florence said with a pout, coming to a halt.
Clop, clop, clop...
"Florence? It really is you."
Just then, a carriage came to a steady stop in front of the castle. Annie poked her head out the carriage window, her face filled with pleasant surprise.
Annie had just finished processing those orders and inventorying the goods, wrapping up her busy day early. She was about to return to the castle when she spotted Florence and her group from a distance.
She originally thought she was seeing things, but as she got closer, she realized it really was Florence of the mermaid tribe.
"Annie! Long time no see."
Hearing someone call her name, Florence turned around and, seeing the fox-eared girl, immediately became excited. Having been away for quite some time, she had missed everyone at the castle dearly.
"Long time no see. I thought you weren't coming back," Annie jumped down from the carriage and quickly jogged over, giving Florence a huge fox-hug.
"How could I not? I've missed everyone so much," Florence said, her eyes brimming with emotion.
Yuka and Lilith stared at Annie curiously without saying a word.
"This is Princess Annie," Florence introduced Annie to Yuka and Lilith after breaking the hug.
Hearing this, Yuka and Lilith were startled. They hadn't expected this fox-eared girl, who seemed to have such a good relationship with their lady, to actually be a princess.
The two hurriedly bowed in greeting. Regardless of her race, the status of a princess commanded respect.
Annie looked at the two with curiosity. After Florence's introduction, she realized they were her subordinates and immediately became curious about Florence's true identity.
"Come on, I'll take you to see the master," Annie swept the thoughts from her head and pulled Florence toward the castle entrance.
This time, the soldiers didn't stop them and allowed the group inside. After all, if Miss Annie was personally bringing them in, what could possibly be the problem?
"You came at the perfect time. We can all have dinner together," Annie laughed lightly.
Hearing that there was dinner, Florence's eyes immediately lit up. She had been craving a bite of castle food for a long, long time.
"Nicole, we have guests tonight!" Annie led Florence straight to the kitchen, soon spotting Nicole's busy figure.
"Oh, Annie, you're back," Nicole heard the voice and put down the vegetables she was washing. Turning around, she exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Florence, you're here!"
"Nicole, long time no see!" Florence said excitedly, rushing over to give Nicole a bear hug. This scene left Yuka and Lilith dumbfounded. They hadn't expected their lady to mingle so intimately with a human.
"Long time no see," Nicole was also very happy, but her hands were wet, and she didn't know where to put them.
"Nicole, what are we having for dinner tonight?" Annie asked curiously.
"Since Florence is here, let's have barbecue. We haven't had it in a while," Nicole looked at the ingredients she had prepped behind her; they were perfect for grilling.
"That's great!" Annie bounced excitedly. Ever since having barbecue last time, she had been constantly dreaming about it. Unfortunately, she had been so busy lately that sometimes she even had to settle dinner outside.
"It'll be a little while before we can eat. You can go see the master first, it'll be ready in half an hour," Nicole suggested.
"Okay," Annie nodded and dragged a slightly bewildered Florence off toward Lucas's study.
"Hey, hey... what's barbecue?" Florence asked, turning her head to look at the ingredients in the kitchen.
"You'll find out later," Annie said, pulling Florence further away.
Tap, tap, tap...
Knock, knock, knock!!
"Master, are you there?" Annie knocked on the door.
"Come in," Lucas's voice came from inside the room.
Creaaak!!
Pushing open the door, Annie pulled Florence inside, followed by a curious Lilith and a stern-faced Yuka.
"Ah, it's Florence. Long time no see, welcome back," Lucas looked up and smiled upon seeing Florence.
"Lucas, long time no see," Florence said softly. Facing this handsome and elegant human, a different kind of flutter stirred in Florence's heart.
"Florence, welcome back," Mina said, waving from her seat at the desk. "We thought you had forgotten about us."
"How could I? I got held up by some matters, but I'm here now, aren't I?" Florence giggled, a look of genuine emotion flashing in her eyes.
"Is everything alright at Mermaid Bay?" Lucas asked with concern.
"Everything's fine now," Florence shook her head. Then, as if remembering something, she pulled out a handful of tiny pearls from her waterproof bag. "Oh, right. About those small pearls we talked about before, are these kind okay?"
Lucas reached out and took the pearls. He picked one up to examine it, then glanced down at the rest in his hand and nodded. "They are fine. I will buy however many you have. You can exchange them for gold coins, linen, or whatever you need."
"Okay," Florence nodded happily.
"As for the specific goods, you can go and pick them out yourself," Lucas said gently.
"Thank you," Florence said gratefully.
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