Two Years Ago, Volume II.

In a breezy August, the sleepy fishing village of Aberalva buzzes with nervous excitement. The townspeople ready their Sunday best, string ribbons and powder, and rehearse a procession for the long‑awaited return of Viscount Scoutbush to his ancestral home. Even the local musicians are summoned from neighboring hamlets, while the coastguard readies an old mortar, all in hopes of making a proper welcome for the young lord whose reputation precedes him.

When the massive air‑ship Waterwitch glides into the harbor like a ghostly white wing, the whole community erupts in awe. Fishermen abandon their midday naps, women adjust their bonnets, and the town’s ancient “free fishermen” step forward to claim a centuries‑old privilege. Amid the clamor of bells and cannon fire, Scoutbush’s genial handshake with the locals hints at a delicate dance between aristocratic tradition and the simple, stubborn pride of a seaside town.