Firefly Journey

"I actually made a profit!"

Three kilometers from Torreg town, the unicorn carriage moved slowly along the main road, and Lin Yuanran inside the carriage counted his earnings on his fingers.

After the turmoil in the Kingdom of Delos subsided, Lin Yuanran originally planned to return directly to Yicheng. However, he thought that once he went to Yicheng, he would immediately take over the Papacy, and there would be a lot of miscellaneous matters to deal with, which would take a lot of time, and he would not be able to free up his time in the short term.

No matter what, Torreg Town is Lin Yuanran's second hometown. He has to go back eventually, so he might as well go back before taking office to avoid thinking about it later.

"That's right, don't you even know what my family does?" Fengling said proudly.

The Xu family ancestors were from the East. The exact time when they migrated there is unknown, but it must have been before the establishment of the State of Chu.

Even before the duchy was established, the Xu family was already a prominent clan in the area, owning countless properties. Later, they firmly held a seat in the duchy's council, making them the noblest of nobles.

Before becoming a political family, the Xu family were businessmen, and even after thousands of years, the business acumen of the Xu family descendants remains.

Of course, if Claudia hadn't taken the stone sculptures they were selling out of gratitude, that would have been a different story.

Lin Yuanran teased, "I almost forgot. The Xu family has been wealthy for generations, a world apart from a peasant like me. When we go back to Yicheng in a while, I'll tell your family about us. They'll probably object, right?"

Wind Chime rolled her eyes.

Are you trying to act all high and mighty?

Yes, if Lin Yuanran was a local native who got lucky and was taken in as a student by Cassius, and then a noble lady took a liking to him, but his family disapproved and threatened him, Xu Hanshan waved his hand and said, "Leave my granddaughter, and these ten thousand crystal coins are yours. Otherwise, be careful not to lose your head when you walk at night!"

What a touching love story between a down-on-his-luck young man and a noblewoman.

However, such a ridiculous plot only happens in low-brow novels and stage plays, and it doesn't fit the current situation of the two of them.

The reality is, Lin Yuanran is the damn Pope!

The Duchy of Bema was established with the support of the Papacy. The seven powerful families are nothing compared to the Papacy.

As long as Lin Yuanran takes over, will Xu Hanshan dare to say a single word against it?

He said those words this morning, and he was gone the next second. Oppose the Pope? You've got some nerve!

Of course, Lin Yuanran is not the kind of person who would forcibly abduct a woman. If Feng Ling didn't like him, even if he liked her very much, he wouldn't do such an absurd thing.

Fengling recalled some past events and said irritably, "Back when I was still studying in Yicheng, my grandfather paid close attention to me. He knew that I had someone like you by my side, and he even asked me directly if I liked you."

At this point, Feng Ling paused deliberately, and Lin Yuanran asked in a cooperative manner, "What was your answer?"

"Of course I don't like it!"

"You're so poor, you often freeload off me, and you even sneer at me with those lewd looks in the shadows. Who would like you?"

Lin Yuanran began to seriously recall what happened back then.

We may be poor, but we don't expect to get free meals, do we? If you give me food and I don't take it, wouldn't I be a fool?

As for the lewd glances and secret spying, Lin Yuanran felt that was wrong too. The wind chimes were beautiful, and everyone would want to take a second look. It was just that he was timid at the time and knew that there was a world of difference between their identities, so he could only look at them secretly.

But it's by no means sleazy!

Lin Yuanran wanted to explain something, but Fengling didn't give him a chance at all.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have gone to Torreg Town, then I wouldn't have met you."

Lin Yuanran's face darkened, and he pounced on Feng Ling, grabbing her arm and saying with ill intent:

"Not only have you come, but you'll also have to come back with me often in the future. It'll be too late to back out now!"

"Oh, then I won't go back on my word."

……

The unicorn carriage slowly drove into the town. The few residents of the town were busy with their own things, and occasionally someone would glance at it, but that was not surprising.

As the duchy continued to develop, Torreg, which used to be a poor and remote place, did not change much, but the number of traveling merchants increased significantly. Lin Yuanran's carriage was unremarkable, and the townspeople had no idea that he was the Pope returning home in glory.

The carriage stopped outside the cabin.

Lin Yuanran jumped down first, turned around and reached out to help the wind chime, but the wind chime slapped him, so he had to pull his hand back.

The large tree at the entrance remained unchanged, its branches and leaves lush, its roots exposed on the ground. This made parking convenient, so Lin Yuanran tied the carriage to the tree.

The walls of the cabin were quite faded, but thankfully they didn't collapse. The vegetable garden in front of the cabin was overgrown with short weeds.

Lin Yuanran was quite surprised.

He hasn't returned since he went to St. Louis; it's been seven or eight years now.

The boy has grown into a young man, yet the weeds in the vegetable garden are only ankle-high? That doesn't make sense.

Pushing open the door, there was something even more surprising.

The room was clean and tidy, with hardly any dust. Although the furniture was old, it still looked usable.

Is someone helping with the cleaning?

Lin Yuanran was confused; he hadn't asked anyone to do this.

Cleanliness and tidiness are always better than broken walls and ruins.

Lin Yuanran tidied himself up casually, but after thinking it over, he still felt something was off. He said to Feng Ling, "It's still early, how about we go visit some old friends?"

Fengling hummed in agreement.

This was her second time visiting the town, and it was no different from her previous memories, except that Lin Yuanran's wooden house was more dilapidated.

Lin Yuanran led Feng Ling to a small manor.

Lin Yuanran knocked on the door.

"coming!"

A clear, crisp female voice responded.

"Uh?"

Sudan opened the door and for a moment did not recognize Lin Yuanran in front of him.

Lin Yuanran was also a little dazed. Girls change a lot as they grow up. After many years, Sudan looked quite different from her childhood self. She had lost some of her childishness and become more beautiful.

“It’s me, Ario,” Lin Yuanran said with a smile.

"what!"

Sudan's puzzled face immediately turned into one of delight.

"come on in!"

The Sultan led the two to the living room and served them refreshments and tea.

"Where are Dr. Coent and Mrs. Angelina?" Lin Yuanran asked.

In fact, Lin Yuanran maintained contact with the Coente family until he left the Pan-Ancient World. The letters were not as frequent as those with Wendy and Du Pippen, but they did arrive occasionally.

In other words, they suddenly returned to the ancient continent, without having time to make contact; people returned faster than letters.

Sudan said, "Dad is at the clinic, and Mom is helping out. She'll be back in a little while."

Lin Yuanran nodded, then asked, "How is your illness...?"

The once lively Sudan's eyes dimmed at this moment. Without him saying a word, Lin Yuanran understood that the aftereffects of consanguineous marriage were quite serious. Even a highly skilled doctor like Coente had been helpless for so many years.

You can't blame the couple; after all, when feelings come, no one can stop them...

However, times have changed, and Lin Yuanran, who has gained considerable experience, might be able to help.

“When Dr. Coente returns, I will ask him about the situation. Your illness may not be so bad.”