Omega Manual chapter 70
How Long Have You Been Married
Shelley didn’t immediately respond. He lowered his eyelids and glanced out the window. Douding was playing with a large yellow dog that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere in the yard. Nearby shops were playing an old song from ten years ago, the sound indistinct but the melody strangely familiar.
“I want to,” Shelley said softly.
Irey felt as though someone had forcefully pulled his heart down, a dull pain radiating from his heart to his entire body, even his fingertips tingling as if with an electric shock.
But Shelley quickly continued, “I still want to go and see. I don’t know if now… I don’t know if I still can— I don’t know, but…”
He lowered his head, the strands of hair brushing against the bandage around his neck. He stared at the empty spot on the bedsheet and said, “There are many things I haven’t figured out. My mind is a mess, but I still want to go there and see. After all, I’ve come this far already. Maybe I’ll find the answers I’m looking for. Though, it’s just a gut feeling without any basis.”
Irey quietly sighed in relief, reaching out to hug Shelley imperceptibly, enveloping him completely in his arms. It was as if he needed to confirm something, squeezing tightly for a moment, then resting his chin in the nape of Shelley’s neck, taking a deep sniff.
“Alright, no problem,” he said. “After your heat ends, we’ll ask the fishing boat captain when they’re setting sail and then buy mountaineering gear to go to Mount Yinbu.”
…..
Shelley’s heat ended in the afternoon of the fourth day. Early the next morning, Irey followed Douding’s advice and found the local fishing boat captain in town. Upon learning that a ship bound for the North Sea would depart the next day, they hurriedly purchased mountaineering equipment and cold weather gear. They even sought advice from a locally renowned mountaineer, keeping busy the entire day until finally falling asleep in the early hours of the morning.
The next morning, Shelley was so tired he could barely open his eyes. First, he received a permanent mark, then endured four days of heat. As soon as the heat ended, they rushed around the city buying mountaineering gear and learning how to climb. Their physical endurance was stretched to the limit. If Irey hadn’t simply picked him up and rushed forward, they might have missed the fishing boat.
Time was too hurried for them to even bid farewell to Douding.
The fishing boat was larger than they had imagined, capable of carrying fifty to sixty tons of fresh sea fish.
The boat’s owner, an Alpha in his fifties but still robust, wore only a coarse vest despite the icy temperature that could freeze thrown-out hot water. As he approached, one could smell the strong fishy scent and the salty sea air emanating from him.
As soon as they boarded, the boat owner began waving and shouting for everyone to check the ropes and equipment on board. Shortly after, the engine roared loudly, and the boat slowly departed from the dock, heading towards a more northern and distant sea area.
In the early morning, the sun had just peeked half its head above the sea level. Its rays bathed the sea, turning the surging tides into a brilliant red.
White sea foam propelled the fishing boat forward. As far as the eye could see, there was only the sky and the sea, the world stretching endlessly. They seemed as small as a drop of water among countless waves.
After setting sail, the boat owner sat on the deck and lit a cigarette. His gaze lingered on Shelley for a while before suddenly saying, “I haven’t seen such a young and handsome Omega in many years.”
Irey pushed Shelley behind him and said bluntly, “If you like him, find one for yourself. Stop staring.”
The boat owner chuckled, flicking ash from his cigarette. “Don’t misunderstand. My wife and I have been married for thirty years. Just commenting that it’s rare to see a free-spirited Omega like you out and about, let alone running to a small port from such a faraway place. You’re heading to Mount Yinbu?”
“Yes,” Shelley replied. “Do you know anything about that mountain?”
“It’s just a big snowy mountain beyond the sea, tall and cold, not much wildlife either,” the boat owner said, smoking. “No one ever wants to go to that godforsaken place. Why would you want to go there?”
“No one has ever been there?” Shelley asked further. “Are there no legends or stories about that mountain?”
The boat owner pondered for a moment. “I’m not sure about that. At least since my grandfather’s time, no one has come close to that area, and I haven’t heard any stories about it.”
Though he expected such an answer, Shelley couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He had hoped locals would know more about the mountain, perhaps offering information he couldn’t find elsewhere.
But now it seemed that Mount Yinbu was just an ordinary northern mountain, devoid of stories or mysteries. What had he really endured so many hardships to find here?
What was the meaning of this journey?
Just then, Irey’s arm suddenly came around, interrupting Shelley’s thoughts.
“Life’s boring. I’m just taking my omega out to relax and have an adventure,” Irey said, squeezing Shelley’s shoulder. “Do we really need any reason?”
The boat owner burst into laughter, seeming to enjoy this carefree response. “Well said! Adventures need no reasons! Southern folks like you, so bold and free, are rare indeed!”
With that, he handed Irey a cigarette, and Irey leaned over to ask for a light.
“How long have you been married?” the boat owner’s approving gaze extended to Shelley. “Most couples wouldn’t travel this far together for an adventure.”
“Ten years,” Irey said.
Shelley nearly choked on his own saliva, surprised by Irey’s streetwise nonsense that didn’t even blink an eye!
Sure enough, the boat owner wore an expression of disbelief and concluded, “Impossible. Couples married for ten years aren’t this passionate. They’d be stuck with chores day in and day out, not out adventuring. What nonsense.”
“Well, how long do you think?” Irey tossed the question back.
The boat owner pondered for a moment, extending a dark, calloused hand. “Maybe five years.”
Irey clapped his hands together. “Impressive.”
The boat owner naturally showed some pride. “I’m good at reading people. Thirty years of marriage will teach you that.”
“Yeah,” Irey said, “No one can fool you at all.”
Shelley wanted to laugh at the scene but quickly turned away so the boat owner wouldn’t see.
The time spent on the fishing boat was brief and monotonous.
There was no place to charge devices, no mobile phone entertainment, and even reading was likely to cause seasickness. Meals were simple and light, but they could enjoy the freshest seafood, making it worth the wait.
Since embarking on the journey, Shelley had his first chance to spend a long time idly gazing at the distant scenery without thinking about anything.
When they first set out, the weather was so cold it could freeze a wild boar. The next day, the wind direction changed; the piercing north wind turned into a warm south wind.
Reflected on the sea’s surface, the sunshine warmly bathed the deck. The thick clothes they wore at departure became unbearable, and everyone changed into spring attire. According to the ship’s owner, a warm current had come from the south—it was the first hint of spring from the north. After the warm current passed, spring was deemed to have arrived.
Also aboard the ship was a female Omega named Anna, around twenty-five years old, with her hair in a high ponytail. She was lively and adorable in character, reportedly a family member of one of the fishermen on board, insistent on joining to see the sea.
Shelley had hardly brought any light clothes in his luggage, partly due to some meaningless noble face-saving, unwilling to undo even a button. Fortunately, Anna noticed his sweat and promptly pulled him into the lounge to change clothes. Otherwise, given this young man’s temperament, he might have been the first passenger to die of heat on a fishing boat.
“You can wear my clothes,” Anna said, tossing two sets of spring clothes from her suitcase onto the bed. “We’re about the same size, so it should fit.”
This was the first time Shelley had encountered such a situation. He stammered, wanting to refuse, “No, it’s okay, this is a bit…”
“It’s okay! We’re both Omegas, what’s there to be shy about?” Anna chuckled. “I didn’t ask you to wear a dress, just casual wear. Come on, let me help you take it off—”
Shelley was truly taken aback by the enthusiasm of this girl. He hurriedly stopped her, “No need, no need, I can manage myself!”
Under Anna’s somewhat coercive enthusiasm, Shelley reluctantly took off his clothes. Just as he was about to take the clothes from her hands, Anna’s gaze suddenly drifted to his abdomen and she burst out laughing.
“Did you just finish your heat cycle?” she asked in a lowered voice.
Shelley paused, “Um… how did you know?”
Anna pointed to a faint bruise on his belly. Shelley looked down and saw a small, not very obvious bruise.
Instantly, memories of the heat cycle’s indulgence flooded his mind like a tide. Shelley’s face flushed, “This is…”
Laughing, Anna waved her hand, her face saying ‘no need to explain, I understand,’ “That’s great, really great. If my husband had half your Alpha’s vigor, I’d be burning incense every day. You’re really lucky.”
Feeling increasingly embarrassed, Shelley instinctively tried to explain, “I’m not..—”
At that moment, the lounge door suddenly knocked. Outside, Irey’s voice sounded casually as if passing by, “Shelley, are you changed yet?”
“Almost!” Anna hurriedly responded.
Shelley: “…”
He felt as naive as a kindergarten child.
Just like a preschooler.
The girl turned her head to face Shelley again, urging, “Continue, not what?”
Shelley sighed and cleared his throat, speaking loudly enough for anyone outside the door to hear, “It’s not like we just met. We’ve been married for five years and have plenty of fun together, even more than when we first met.”
After saying this, he still couldn’t help feeling his cheeks heating up, but fortunately, that naive ghost outside the door couldn’t see.