Shadow trail of the beautiful world

Chapter 682 37. The Trip to Grace Port

At Merlin's house, older sister Raven was standing next to Laura, holding the hand of tantrum Lorna.

The little wolf girl raised her head indifferently, and looked at the two girls in front of her expressionlessly. She was observing Ruiwen. Unlike the extroverted Lorna, Ruiwen's breath was more restrained. She was wearing a black dress, beautiful The long, smooth hair draped over her shoulders, combined with her aura as a raven, made Rui Wen look intellectual, but difficult to approach.

Truth be told, Laura was ready to accept the provocation and fight back.

In the "home" before, peace was not always maintained among so many children. In the environment that was used as experimental material, there were always some unreasonable children who would provoke Laura for various reasons.

Laura was used to being targeted like this, just as she was used to beating up the provocateurs.

When necessary, let them shed some blood, and the deterrent effect will be better.

She accepted Merlin, that's right, but it doesn't mean that Laura also accepts Merlin's sister, and it doesn't mean that she must compromise.

When Laura was observing Ruiwen, Ruiwen was also looking at the little wolf girl in front of her. The indifference on this girl's face really seemed familiar.What Merlin said is true, this child's past is very similar to Rui Wen's past.

This gave Rui Wen a strong sense of déjà vu, as if seeing another lonely raven.

She reached out to take off her glasses, then brushed her hair, patted Lorna on the head, and said to the green-haired, naughty sister:

"Lorna, apologize to Laura!"

"No!"

Lorna pouted her mouth that could hold the oil can, she said:

"You're all bullying me."

"Sorry! I'll say it again! It was your fault!"

Rui Wen emphasized her tone, just like a real eldest sister, under her stern gaze, Lorna quickly succumbed.

Lorna is not a little villain, she also knows that what she made is not right, but because of the child's stubbornness, she doesn't want to bow her head, but seeing Ruiwen getting angry, she reluctantly looks away, Said in an inaudible voice:

"sorry."

Well, Lorna is actually afraid of Raven... or that feeling of being dependent and afraid.

She could talk back in front of Merlin, and Merlin would not beat her, but she would not provoke Raven, who was merciless when she beat her.When Lorna first came home, she slept in the same room with Ruiwen, but she was often beaten up by Ruiwen, who was still very weird at the time.

Facing Lorna's apology, Little Wolf Girl shook her head, indicating that it doesn't matter.

She still didn't speak, um, maybe it was because she was still very unfamiliar.

"Lorna is very dependent on Merlin..."

Raven sat next to Wolf Girl, and she explained to Laura:

"Just like you rely on Merlin, maybe you don't know that Lorna was also picked up by Merlin, in fact, including me... Everyone came to this house through the same way, Merlin is a kind guy, he I hope we can have a good life, so..."

"We also want to live in peace."

Ruiwen took the initiative to reach out her hand and put it on the always cold palm of the little wolf girl. Laura subconsciously wanted to pop out her claws. She was still not used to being touched by people.But the sharp claw was blocked by an invisible force and could not be ejected.

"Don't be afraid, Laura."

Rui Wen whispered to Little Wolf Girl:

"Like you, I've been through situations where you have to be very vigilant to survive. I know the feeling of being overwhelmed by good intentions, but you're home."

"Here, you can relax, no one will hurt you, no one can hurt you here, and most importantly, you can't hurt anyone else here...Learn to make this home, but if If you are not good, I will beat you too."

Raven patted Laura on the shoulder, and she said:

"Merlin has enough things to do, we shouldn't trouble him anymore, bring your things and come with me, there is still a vacant room on the second floor, I will take you to visit Gugu by the way..."

"First warning, Laura, don't get too close to Goo-goo until it accepts you."

Seeing Ruiwen stand up, Laura bit her lip, and she also stood up. Beside her, Lorna reluctantly helped the little wolf girl pick up her schoolbag, and the three girls stepped up the stairs to the second floor.

At the edge of the hall, Frank hid in his kennel and watched this scene. He just saw how Lorna's metal eagle was cut by Laura. He didn't think he had the ability to defeat Laura, which made Silly The dog's heart is a little sad.

"Damn, here comes another one who can't be messed with, and the family status is -1 again, and the day of her debut is nowhere in sight."

"Madam Carol, my big backer, come back quickly..."

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Merlin didn't know what happened at home, but he believed that Rui Wen, who was stable and mature enough now, could handle everything at home well.

What's more, it's better for him, a big man, not to interfere in the cultivation of friendship between girls.

Laura's past made the child develop a very cold personality. She needs to find a way to make friends by herself. If Merlin blindly protects her, it will make things worse.

Merlin is still very confident in the two younger sisters he has cultivated. He believes that Lorna and Ruiwen will always have a way to open Laura's heart.

Moreover, Merlin does have important things to do now.

In Port Grace, Maine, compared with the scene when Merlin came here 14 years ago, the scene has somewhat changed. The pier is more dilapidated than before, but a new pier is being opened on the other side of the pier, and Port Grace The lighthouse has not changed, it is exactly the same as the one Merlin had seen at that time.

"bang, bang"

Merlin straightened his clothes and knocked on the door of the lighthouse.

After a while, the wooden door was opened, and the lighthouse keeper Tom Curry appeared in front of Merlin. Compared with 14 years ago, Tom was much older and his hair had become thinner.

After all, he is an ordinary person, and time is an unavoidable poison for him.

"Are you... Merlin?"

But Tom still remembered Merlin. Every year when little Arthur celebrated his birthday, Merlin would send gifts... The same is true for the minibus in Central City, where he would receive gifts from Uncle Merlin every year.

Merlin didn't have time to come and see these children who had crossed paths in person, but he didn't forget them.

"Yes, it's me."

Merlin raised his hand, holding two bottles of rum in his hand, and he said to Tom:

"It's really rude not to visit you all these years, so I brought a present."

"Haha, we have been talking on the phone. Although we haven't met, we are still friends. I guess you must have something to tell me when you come here."

Old Tom opened his arms and gave Merlin a hug. He said:

"But good wine can't be wasted. We can talk while drinking. Come, come in quickly."

Tom welcomes Merlin into the lighthouse. He lives here just like before. The house in the lighthouse is very clean and tidy. It can be seen that Tom is still a man who understands life just like before.

"Is Arthur not here?"

Merlin sat on the sofa, unscrewed the bottle cap, and poured himself and Tom two glasses of wine.

Back then, Tom helped him find the underwater man Vico. In a sense, Tom was also responsible for Merlin's ability to survive until the endless bad luck dissipated.

It is no exaggeration to say that Tom is Merlin's savior.

There wasn't much alienation between the two, as Tom said, although Merlin hadn't been back in these years, they still talked on the phone occasionally.

"Arthur is out to sea."

Tom was leaning on the sofa. His dog was very old and couldn't run anymore, so he could only lie at his master's feet. This dog seemed to remember Merlin too, and it kept staring at Merlin with cloudy eyes.

"He is studying oceanography at Cornell University. This semester, he seems to have gone to the Indian Ocean for an internship. It will probably take a few months before he can go home."

Tom picked up the wine glass and clinked glasses with Merlin. The two men drank the wine in the glass. They chatted and talked, and the atmosphere in the lighthouse seemed very peaceful.

"Oh, just for inspection?"

Merlin took out a few photos with a strange tone and handed them to Tom. He sipped his wine and said to Tom:

"Some of my colleagues in Asia have recently heard some outrageous rumors that a strange young man appeared in the Indian Ocean and rushed out of the sea wearing a mask to help those who were stranded or in danger. In just over a month, many people have been saved."

Merlin blinked and said to Tom:

"Little Arthur is very active. He is using his strength to do some good things within his power. You have raised him well, Tom, but... he is a bit too high-profile."

Tom didn't speak. He looked at the photos in his hand. Those photos recorded different scenes, but in each scene, a guy who looked exactly like his son left the country.

He wore an exaggerated costume-like diving suit, a weird mask, and gestured OK to the camera.

"Oh, I persuaded him."

Tom said helplessly:

"Before he returned to Port of Mercy in the summer vacation, he caused a lot of trouble because of saving people. I don't want him to save people. I also hope to see my child make good use of his power and become a hero who helps others. , but... he's still a young man."

"Young people like to show off."

Merlin then said:

"Don't be too harsh on him, Tom, Arthur has already restrained himself, at least he knows how to wear a mask to hide his identity, you don't know how crazy those young people on the streets of New York are... and those who are trying to win applause Compared to being a 'hero' who helps others, Arthur has done well."

"To be honest, I've always been curious about what you do, Merlin."

Throwing the photo on the table, Tom said to Merlin:

"After you and Bruce left, there was a one-eyed guy who came to the door and looked very difficult to mess with."

"You're talking about my current boss, an unlikable guy."

Merlin said softly:

"I can't tell you exactly what I do, Tom, but you can rest assured that I may not be a good person, but I have never done anything bad. Also, this time, I have brought you a person who is not a good person." The news is my answer to the news you asked me to inquire about back then, but I hope you will be mentally prepared."

"Ok?"

Tom blinked, put down his glass, and said:

"About Atlantis?"

"Correct."

Merlin says:

"I bring news of your wife."

"really?"

Tom's expression immediately became agitated. Since his lover Atlanta was taken away by the fierce Atlantean soldiers in 1985, he has been waiting for her return, but he is just an ordinary person. He couldn't collect any news related to Atlantis at all.

And Vico, the undersea man who trained his children, has been avoiding him.

This gave Tom a bad feeling in his heart.

"She...is she okay?"

Tom couldn't help clenching his fists, and said:

"Have you seen her?"

"NO, I have not."

Merlin said frankly:

"But I recently met an Atlantean. In terms of blood relationship, he should be regarded as Ms. Atlanta's nephew, and he is a distant cousin with Little Arthur. He told me that Atlanta was in He was thrown into the trench by the king of Atlantis more than ten years ago... that is a kind of punishment, theoretically speaking, there is only one fate for being thrown into the trench.”

Merlin looked at Tom, whose face was full of despair.

Merlin added:

"But you don't need to despair, Tom, I have confirmed in a certain way that Ms. Atlanta is still alive, and she may just be hiding somewhere."

"really?"

Tom's eyes widened, he looked at Merlin, and he said in a begging tone:

"Can you confirm?"

"I can confirm."

Before coming to Port of Grace, Merlin asked the parchment, and the parchment gave him a definite answer. Tom's lover, little Arthur's mother, Ms. Atlanta is indeed still alive.

But Merlin didn't continue to ask where the lady was, because the parchment would definitely not be so generous in telling him the exact location.

Merlin also wants to help Tom find his lover back, but after being warned several times that the juncture of his fate is coming, Merlin really can't make any more troubles.

"This... Tom."

Merlin took out the parchment and handed it to Tom. He said to Tom:

"You can think of it as a kind of magical wonder, you ask it a question, it will give you an answer, but you need to pay some price."

Merlin reminded:

"The price may be heavy. If you really want to know where Ms. Atlanna is, you can ask it."

Tom hardly hesitated. He took the parchment, took a pen from the side, and wrote the question on the parchment. After a while, Tom's expression changed, and the parchment made a request to him.

But Tom still didn't hesitate too much, and drew a circle on the parchment. The next moment, the old man stood up abruptly, his face full of surprise.

Obviously, he got the information he needed.

"She's still alive, she's there...she's waiting there, and she still remembers me, she's clinging on alone, relying on our fleeting memory of happiness...that's great, that's great."

Tom was a little incoherent with excitement, and Merlin had to release an Axi sign on him to calm him down.

Merlin asked:

"What does it ask of you?"

Tom hesitated. He returned the parchment to Merlin and said:

"I can't tell you, it keeps me a secret, but that's about you...and about Arthur."

"Okay, I won't ask."

Merlin put away the parchment, and he said to Tom:

"I know you're happy now, but I still want to remind you, Tom, it's best not to tell Arthur about his mother until he becomes stronger..."

"I understand, I understand."

Tom nodded, and he said to Merlin:

"It's okay, I can wait, both Atlanta and Arthur have a life span far beyond ordinary people, Arthur has enough time to prepare to pick up his mother, even if I don't see a day, it doesn't matter, as long as Arthur Lanna is still alive, as long as she can see her son, everything will be fine."

"Well, if Arthur is going to act, if I'm still around..."

Merlin patted Tom on the shoulder, and he said:

"I'll help too. Let's stop here for today, Tom, I'm going to see Vico. There's something else about Atlantis, I want to talk to him."

"Then take this."

Tom walked into the room, and a moment later, he was wearing the silver pendant that Merlin used to call Vico, and he said to Merlin:

"It's the same cliff back then, Vico often appeared there, this time, I won't go with you."

"Merlin, that piece of paper just now gave me some extra warnings."

Tom said to Merlin:

"Don't tell Vico the news that Atlanna is still alive... The seaman is loyal to his king first, and then examines his personal feelings. I am worried that this news will bring trouble to Atlanna."

Merlin nodded, and he said goodbye to Tom, saying:

"I know, take care of yourself, Tom."

"Continue to wait for your wife to come back with full confidence... You can definitely wait for her, and don't forget to buy me a drink then."

(End of this chapter)