"Give me a medium-sized ship." He approached the priest and proposed to buy a ship. Since people revered the deity, the ships in the ocean city were controlled by the church.

"What do you need a ship for? Be careful, we don't have money..." Yuanyuan tugged on his sleeve. A medium-sized ship wasn't something ordinary people could afford.

But she watched as Su Ming'an took out a large bag of coins and easily completed the transaction.

Even as she stood on the deck, Yuanyuan couldn't react... They had arrived here empty-handed, and she was prepared for a tough life, yet Su Ming'an had silently become a millionaire?

"This is the funding." Su Ming'an said, "It's given by the deity, so spend boldly. You can buy whatever you want, the deity is footing the bill."

Yuanyuan wore an indescribable expression.

"So where are we going?" she looked at the distant sea, the surface like an endless blue satin.

"Let's find... sea monsters." Su Ming'an fixed his hat.

He suddenly laughed, causing Yuanyuan to glance sideways. She noticed Su Ming'an's happiness and smiled from her heart as her lips curved slightly.

"Actually, it's good to look for the legendary sea monsters, or oceanic treasure maps, or even to engage with pirates, or explore a new kingdom... Whatever we do, we still have plenty of time."

The world seemed to have never been so beautiful.

The young man and woman stood on the deck, facing the lights illuminating one by one in the distance. The flickering lights seemed to sway like their drifting years.

His gaze cut through the sea breeze, and his eyes reflected the boundless blue satin. He lifted his foot, stepped on the low railing, resting one hand on his knee, with the white feather on his hat brim fluttering with the sea breeze. For a moment... he strongly resembled a protagonist from an adventure story, ready to set sail.

The waves lapped beneath his feet like an ancient call. It was difficult to tell whether this scene belonged in the past or the future.

He didn't know what it meant to collect 'goodness', but since everyone emphasized 'vacation', he decided to treat this as a long holiday.

Do what he wants to do.

Do what a nineteen-year-old really wants to do.

No need for logic, no need for reasons, no need for missions.

Be "Su Ming'an" rather than the "Number One Player."

"—Captain! Inspections are complete, we can set sail!"

Seagulls crossed the sky, leaving a long, white, delicate line. The sailors' voices rang from the ship, loud and enthusiastic.

"Perhaps, the world knows it owes you much, it owes you the happy life you should have had, and it owes you many long years. So now, it wants to give it all back to you, to return the happiness you lacked." Yuanyuan held onto his sleeve.

Su Ming'an watched the increasingly distant multitude of lights and looked towards the far depths of the sea.

Though it was a beautiful scene, an untimely thought emerged in him.

He recalled the deal he made with the organizers, offering himself as the cost, which could very likely happen in the future. If the World Game were to end soon, then indeed... he didn't have much time left. His time might end this year, and so... there was a rich millennial dream compensation, like a form of end-of-life care.

"I once heard that if we treat every day as the last day, we can enjoy every moment to the fullest." Su Ming'an said, "Maybe, I'm just..."

Her index finger rested against his lips.

The girl's eyes drooped, her brows pressed flat: "That's not true, don't think that way."

Su Ming'an was stunned.

His lips moved slightly, watching Yuanyuan's serious expression, then said, "Alright."

He had this habitual way of thinking, always considering the worst outcome. After all, most of the time, things did tend to go the worst way. But now, he finally didn't need this mindset.

He could truly be Su Ming'an.

And now, the thing Su Ming'an most wanted to do... was to set sail, to adventure, to embrace the freedom of the wind.

Yuanyuan tidied her ponytail, dressed in a sailor's outfit, with double-breasted garments trimmed with gold thread, and placed her right hand over her chest and bowed, smilingly saying to the captain:

"Let's set sail, Captain."

"For you, this is just a long dream, but for me, it's my millennial life."

"Let me guide you through this happy long dream."

...

After setting sail, Su Ming'an soon found a lost treasure and even discovered the legendary presence of sea monsters and mermaids.

He returned with abundant treasures, shaking the entire kingdom.

In the streets and alleys, by rivers and docks, people talked everywhere about the young captain's feats. No one knew where he came from, nor his appearance, only that he had accomplished what generations couldn't... finding the treasures and the mermaids.

They couldn't help but marvel, believing it must have been a blessing from the deity, bestowing the ocean's blessing upon the young captain, making him fearless against storms and invincible in his venture.

The princess held a banquet to personally meet him.

The young captain stood at the center of the banquet hall, dressed in elaborate double-breasted attire, his red outer garment made of velvet, with a fluffy white shirt at his chest, pure as winter frost; he wore form-fitting breeches and buckle shoes. His first officer dressed similarly, without a bulky ceremonial skirt or even an inch of high heels.

He walked forward, wearing a hat adorned with feathers, elegantly swaying with his steps.

"Young captain, thank you for all you've done, may the deity... bless you." The elegant princess looked towards the sky as she spoke, a daily gesture of the sea people, praying to the deity above the skies:

"I am willing to bestow a title upon you and invite you to become a royal engineer to prepare for our 'Sky Vessel.' Would you be willing?"

"Sky Vessel?" Su Ming'an asked.

"A ship that sails into the sky, we wish to fly to the Holy City to seek the deity's favor. Would you be willing to assist the kingdom?" The princess smiled lightly.

Su Ming'an understood at heart.

...It turns out that people had tried to fly up to the sky even ten thousand years ago.

However, no matter how advanced the ships of ground people became, the deity would always avoid the interaction between two worlds, blocking the possibility of ground people ascending to the sky. To those on the ground, the Holy City would always be an unreachable moonlight.

This generation's efforts are doomed to fail, the next generation will also fail, and the generation after that will be the same. These "astronauts" will never understand the origins of the Holy City, and will spend their entire lives unable to reach a scientific conclusion.

But generation after generation will dedicate their lives to such an eternally unreachable "moon."

"I won't go." Su Ming'an shook his head.

Moreover, it's not the dwelling of any deity. It's merely... a city dwelling ordinary humans alike.

People don't understand, though they will still passionately pursue that elusive myth. Despite Su Ming'an's refusal, the princess awarded him a dukedom and the position of Royal Engineer as a commendation.

The crowd applauded. Amid the scent of wine and flowers, a noble suggested that they wanted to join in marriage with Su Ming'an.

After all, from their perspective, Su Ming'an transformed from a commoner into a noble, and inheriting his title would inevitably require marriage. His First Mate, Yuanyuan, wasn't his lover, so such a proposition seemed reasonable.

Were they to see the face beneath the veil, they might kneel for their sacrilegious thoughts... Such blasphemous ideas.

...

The young captain rejected all marriage proposals and set sail once again, leaving even the Duke's residence behind.

The allure of wine and decadent banquets couldn't hold him. Nobles were surprised how he didn't care about appearances. They had assumed this captain would become a part of the upper class, bidding farewell to the cold sea winds and barren soil.

Who could have guessed he would... hold such disdain for power.

On the day of his departure, the princess personally saw him off, and the streets were crowded with residents bidding farewell.

The cobblestones were filled with colorful clothes, carried by the sea breeze and the scent of smoked pork. The sky was a bright blue as if washed, the white clouds pristine as new, a seagull pierced through the long sky, the streets bustling with singing.

A black awning boat glided through the river, moving towards the dock. The young captain stood at the bow, the feather on his hat brim swayed, like his free spirit. Beneath the black veil, nobody knew what kind of face it was.

"—Smooth sailing!" The girls waved colorful cloths.

"—Captain! Bon voyage!" A young lad shouted.

"—If only you could find the legendary Sea Monsters, their magic would surely bring prosperity to Ocean City. I really hope that day comes..."

"—Captain! First Mate! May the blessings of the gods in the sky be with you, may the blessings of the sea's angel protect you!!"

As one farewell voice followed another, Su Ming'an felt somewhat dazed. He lifted his head to look at those dark-skinned or slightly red faces. Most were enthusiastic elders and young girls, there were also many elderly faces. They sang farewell ballads, tossed bright flowers, and offered local rice wine and tea.

In the crowd, Su Ming'an saw a familiar figure. That person sat on a roof with a silent expression, holding a bottle of liquor.

A girl about twenty-five or twenty-six sat beside Su Rin, smiling and teasing his drinking capacity, and Su Rin, despite his calm demeanor, did not appear unfamiliar. It seems they are already acquaintances.

Su Ming'an saw Su Rin but didn't approach. They both tacitly remained in their vacation states. He heard Su Rin was staying at someone else's house, not causing waves in his life like Su Ming'an, merely passing his days hanging around the streets, gardening, or listening to books at roadside tea shops, living a satisfying retired life.

At that moment, a bottle was thrown towards Su Ming'an, from a girl by the street. She seemed surprised that it hit Su Ming'an's hand, paused for a moment, then her face blushed.

Su Ming'an looked, it was a bottle of hot tea, supposedly a recent popular trend from a local clothing store's lady owner. Its initial taste was described as hard to swallow, but later became delicious.

He took a sip, which elicited a cheer from the crowd, voices growing so loud they nearly pierced his eardrums. Soon after, more tea bottles and wine bottles followed, fearing they'd miss smashing him. Startled, Yuanyuan immediately sailed the boat away.

The black awning boat sliced through the water.

Water ripples danced, white gulls cried long.

Fishers pulled up their nets,

Reaping a boatful of moonlight.

...

This time, Su Ming'an's sailing was accompanied by dozens of medium-sized ships.

He experienced the joy of sailing, that feeling of unfettered freedom. He thought, if he were born at sea, perhaps he'd truly become a captain.

He and Yuanyuan went to distant kingdoms, experiencing foreign cultures. To extremely deep sea areas, tracking Sea Monsters. To learn advanced technology, navigation, astronomy, pharmaceuticals...

One voyage after another, like an endless dream. Su Ming'an didn't have a deep sense of reality, he felt as if he were floating in an anchorless sea, as though he authentically experienced it all, yet merely dreaming the southern corner.

He was still that young captain, time hadn't left a speck of dust on him, only Yuanyuan's appearance beside him, changing visibly to the naked eye.

She held the Life Authority, wouldn't die from old age, yet she didn't maintain her youthful looks, letting her appearance age naturally.

"In my past lives, I've never reached middle or even old age. This time, I want to live a complete life. I want to see... what it would be like if nothing had happened, aging with my companions by my side until we're all white-haired, what a normal life would be like," Yuanyuan said.

Once, time drew a line at the age of nineteen, years after fell into the abyss. Unable to see oneself aging, unable to experience the feeling of growing.

But now, everything had a chance.

They went to many places—every nearby kingdom, remembering what specialties they had, what special snacks, which enthusiastic owners. He bought her a singing mechanical box, she handcrafted local plum blossom cakes for him to eat.

They attended various banquets, wore Baroque-style attire, or just entered with simple clothes and danced, no one withheld face from them, they were famous navigators within a thousand-mile radius. Due to Ming Hui's experience, she danced elegant waltzes, while he, clueless, unable to learn anything, so she'd stretch her gloved hand to lead him in a dance together.

They could waste a lot of time, choosing an insignificant little ornament, without worrying about being interrupted by tasks. They would stargaze on the deck, rest when tired, no matter how late they slept, there was never a blade edge against their necks.

Morning market buns emitted scorching heat. Liquor brewed on the stove smelled like ripe peach blossoms in spring.

Sea winds and jewels, banquets and teas, sunset and campfires, plum and forsythia trees.

The breeze brushed each petal of peach blossom, drank every cup of milk tea, tasted every sweet pastry, kissed every inch of evening breeze.

The sunset lingered on his brow and eyes, time couldn't stand dust.

He faced the shimmering sea, displaying a pure, clean smile.

...

Perhaps,

This was Su Ming'an's lifetime...

The happiest time.

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