Chapter 407 Memories Of An Ocean World Of Piracy And Greed

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There was still plenty he didn’t know about the EOA and that meteor, but these questions would have to wait for later.

For now, he had taken control of the Gate.

With that, everyone still on the island and aboard the giant boats surrounding it disappeared instantly, expelled from the Gate.

Some of the workers aboard the boats had been sleeping, completely unaware of the shit going on outside. They ended up waking in the streets instead.

One man tried to turn over and go back to sleep, only to discover that there was no bed beneath him. He pushed himself up, blinking at the people around him.

Where the hell was the boat?!

Others were already on their feet, looking for coworkers who were just as confused. Nobody seemed to have an explanation, and asking louder wasn’t helping.

Hell, some had been in the middle of taking a shower and appeared stark naked in the streets!

Those workers had more immediate problems. They hurried to cover themselves while everyone else tried to work out where they had come from.

They had gone to work, taken a shower, and somehow ended up on public display. How were they even supposed to explain that?

And before they could figure out what was happening, the Gate blinked once and disappeared...

"It’s done." Riven nodded. "Let’s go back home now."

He didn’t feel like discussing anything else. Not the Gate, not what had happened, and definitely not whatever problem might come next. If someone had a question, they could save it until he had slept.

Right now, getting home was enough.

He could barely keep himself together. They returned to the Spirit Dungeon Realm, then headed home through Noir’s connection. Noir could now open portals, too.

Riven kept moving because stopping would make it harder to start again. He watched his footing as he crossed through, giving the others room without bothering to say much.

Another portal. A few more steps. Then he could finally sit down.

At home, Carlos, Noir, Elisa, Natalie, and Natalie’s friends were there to greet them.

Riven looked at the familiar faces and managed a small nod. He wanted to greet them properly, but even keeping his eyes open was becoming a problem.

Then he spotted the couch.

Perfect. He didn’t need to make it any farther than that.

"Riven, everyone, you’re back!" Elisa said with a smile. "R-Riven?!"

But Riven dropped onto the couch and... fell asleep almost immediately.

Elisa stepped closer, her smile turning to concern. She had barely finished saying his name before he was out.

For a moment, she just stared at him. Then she saw him breathing steadily and stopped trying to get his attention.

He hadn’t even answered her!

"R-Riven?" she asked. "Oh my god, just how much did he work today?! He’s so exhausted he passed out on the spot?"

"Looks like it..." Carlos nodded.

"Hmm, we did a lot today, I’m tired as well..." Daniela sighed. "Ugh, so much happened."

Carlos and the others looked toward the couch as well. There would be things to ask about but Riven clearly wasn’t going to explain anything now. He had found somewhere to sleep, and that was apparently the end of the conversation.

He really, really needed a good rest.

And above all, a vacation.

One where he could wake up because he wanted to, not because there was something he had to deal with. Eat something, sit around, and let someone else worry about the time.

Was that really asking for too much?

After all this, a few days without trouble sounded pretty damn good.

Good thing they were going to Beach City very soon.

...

Riven slowly opened his eyes in the sunlight. How long had he slept?

He blinked and tried to remember the last thing he had done. Nothing came to him immediately. His head was clearer than it had been, but he still didn’t feel like getting up.

For once, there was no reason to rush. He could take a moment to work out where he was.

As he became aware of his surroundings, he realized he was in his own bed. Elisa was beside him, sleeping soundly.

"Huh? D-Did I fall asleep...? But who brought me here?"

He glanced at Elisa, but she didn’t stir. Asking her would have to wait. Whoever had moved him had managed it without waking him, which said enough about how badly he had needed the sleep.

He couldn’t remember any of it!

Well, he wasn’t going to complain about waking up in a bed instead of somewhere uncomfortable.

He groaned, took a drink of water, and looked at the sky through the window. Then he sighed in relief.

The water helped with his dry throat. He drank again, more slowly this time, and let himself sit there without trying to plan his next move.

"Haaa... at least that’s over. Let’s see... the news."

He turned on the TV and... yeah, almost every channel was still talking about the news.

He kept the volume down so he wouldn’t wake Elisa. Then he changed the channel, hoping to find a report that told him something the last one hadn’t.

No luck. Everyone seemed determined to keep talking about it.

Claymore, Frostbane, and their many allies were losing billions in revenue from all the disappearing Gates, among other losses.

It was utterly insane.

Billions! Riven looked at the screen again. He knew the disappearing Gates would cause problems for them, but hearing the losses discussed like this made it easier to understand just how much was involved.

And it wasn’t only Claymore. Frostbane and their allies were being dragged into the same mess.

He wondered how long they could keep losing money before something changed. The reports weren’t giving him an answer to that.

Riven sat on the edge of the bed, the glass of water still cool in his hand. Sunlight came through the half-drawn curtains and fell across Elisa as she slept.

She had cutely curled against his side during the night, one arm resting over his waist. He had eased out from under it when he sat up, and she was still breathing evenly.

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