Spending five days at sea was a bit long and boring. When he returned to his room at night, Laing noticed that Teresa was reading a book. He walked up to her and sat beside her. "What are you reading?"
"I'm looking at some things left behind by the Wizard Empire." Teresa saw that Laing had come, so she purposely leaned into his arms. Laing did not take the initiative to reject her, but he did not take the initiative to accept her. Instead, he let her be. This made Teresa very happy, so the sorceress simply leaned into his arms. "Are you interested in learning more? There's a reward! "
"What reward?" Laing asked curiously.
"… Go and clean yourself up, then I'll tell you." Teresa motioned the man to take a shower in the cubicle.
Fresh water and hot water were precious resources on the sea, but for Laing and Teresa, it was not difficult to obtain fresh water. After Laing cleaned himself up, he found Teresa sitting on his bed. The woman opened the window of the cabin. When she saw Laing coming out, the woman's eyes flashed. She motioned for Laing to sit beside her. "Come and sit."
The woman's purple high heels were placed under the bed. The man sat on the bed. "Where's the reward?"
"Don't worry …" Teresa snuggled into the man's arms and sat on his lap. "Do you like it? This is the reward. "
"I don't think I can say I don't like it." Laing hugged her gently. The two leaned against the window and looked at the rolling waves in the night.
After a while, Teresa said slowly, "Exploring the ruins is very important to me. It involves my father."
"Your father?"
"Yes, my father." The fragrance of lavender wafted over, and Theresa sighed. "My father … disappeared in the ruins."
"I'm very sad." Laing expressed his sadness.
"This matter has nothing to do with you … Even though many years have passed, my mother and I still hope that my father is still alive. We both believe that someone as strong as him wouldn't die so easily." The sorceress shrank into the man's arms as if she wanted to draw some warmth. "So, the exploration of Boris must continue."
Boris was located in the Taqir Desert. It was once the capital of the human Sorcerer Empire. Now, all of its former glory was buried under ruins. No matter if it was the Garland Council, the Empire's Royal Sorcerer Academy, or even another major spell caster organization in the continent, the Sorcerer Alliance, all of them attempted to uncover the mysteries and riches left behind. However, the ruins beneath the ruins were incredibly dangerous. All sorts of terrifying evil creations and alchemical corruption permeated the terrifying ruins. There was also a severe magical imbalance. In that mystical place, sometimes a single gust of Chaos wind could instantly wipe out an entire army. It was also possible for a despairing traveler to instantly recover all of their stamina and mana.
"Your father … How long has it been since he disappeared in the ruins?" Laing deliberated for a moment before taking the initiative to ask.
"Twenty years." Teresa sighed deeply. This was far too long.
"Then I have to tell you the truth. Unless your father lost his memories or simply ran away and didn't return home, even if he's still alive, he's no longer your father … He's already become something else," Laing said without hesitation.
Logically speaking, he should have comforted the sorceress at this time by saying something like "Your father is definitely fine" or "You'll definitely meet again". However, he didn't think that was necessary. The sorceress wasn't an idiot.
"I know. But if he's alive, I want to see him. If he's dead, I want to see his corpse. Even if he's become something else, my mother and I will personally end his pain."
"It's best that you know."
"Alright, rest up, Laing. I won't go anywhere tonight, but you're not allowed to do anything else." Teresa took out a pillow.
"You're making me even more troubled, Teresa."
"Oh … Alright then. You can touch what you like … but you're not allowed to do anything else …" Her voice became softer and softer until it was inaudible.
"That's more like it …"
Then, there was the sound of the quilt covering the two of them, as well as the soft breathing that was covered by the waves.
The next morning, Laing stood on the deck, enjoying the sea breeze. There were many familiar faces on the deck. The half-elf ranger Astell, Frey Alde, Lopes and a few other familiar faces were all on the deck.
The half-elf was obviously not used to traveling by ship. Laing saw that he didn't look well, so he took the initiative to strike up a conversation. "Ace, you're not going to continue being Mr. Martz's guard?"
"That was originally a deal, my friend. The forest told us not to stay in one place for too long. Nord is too cold. If it wasn't for Mr. Martz's high price, I definitely wouldn't have chosen to go on such a dangerous journey with you." The half-elf covered himself with a hood. It was winter, and the weather was very cold.
Due to the continuous divine power of the sea god Mannen, the ocean would not freeze until December. It was now the beginning of November, so the sea could still operate. After the December freeze, the coastline of Nord would only thaw in February of the following year.
"It was indeed a very dangerous journey. We almost died in those battles. After that, I met the four-armed bull demon alone. The journey was just over, and we encountered this terrible battle again." Laing spread his hands. The series of battles had been a great test for him, but it had also given him a lot of benefits.
In any case, the journey in Nord was over. The next destination was Marlinburg. Laing had four gold coins with him. He was thinking that he might need a place to stay in Marlinburg and an identity to hide his true purpose.
Astell looked up at Laing and suddenly said in a low voice, "I admit that you are a warrior, Laing. The fighting strength and willpower you have shown is admirable. The forest gave us sharp vision and excellent archer instincts, but it took away our wrist strength and powerful magic."
Laing sat beside Astell and said, "There is always something to lose."
"Mr. Laing, are you planning to go to Marlinburg?" Lopes was extremely bored by himself. He was not a paladin like Alfreid who could kill an entire day with a holy grimoire. The young wandering knight liked all kinds of activities. When he heard that there was a passenger ship going to Marlin Castle, he forced his way onto the ship and said that he wanted to go to Marlin Castle with him.
"If I'm not going to Marlinburg, what am I doing on this ship?" Laing thought that this young man's conversation skills were really lame, so he mercilessly ridiculed him.
"Hehe, I just want to know if you need a squire." Lopes scratched the back of his head and laughed.
"Not at the moment. By the way, Astell, do you know who the current Elf King is?" Laing asked Astell.
"I don't understand. Which one are you talking about? The Forest King? The Phoenix King? Or that disgusting Witch King? "Astell asked, puzzled.
"Oi, has the King of the Forest and the Shaman King ever been replaced since the empire was founded? I'm definitely asking you about the Phoenix King. "The kings of the wood elves and dark elves would never change. Only the Phoenix King would change.
"If you're talking about the Phoenix King … In fact, our forest originally had nothing to do with Azur, but we all know the current Phoenix King. His name is Finnuba." Astell nodded. "He visited our forest two or three hundred years ago. At that time, the Forest King, Ao Laing, gave the most enthusiastic welcome to this friend who came from afar, but our king refused to return. Later, this Phoenix Lord named Finnuba became the next Phoenix King."
"'Seafaring King' Finnuba?" Teresa appeared beside Laing, and the sorceress naturally held Laing's arm. "There's a lot of information about him. In the great Holy War 150 years ago, it was this Phoenix King who contacted His Majesty Ludwig. He sent the High Elf Archmage Tegris to lead a team of High Elf Mages and a team of Horus Sword Saints to aid the Empire. They played a very important role in the Battle of Fasa. Just the meteorites that Tegris summoned alone destroyed several groups of Chaos Demons."
"After the war, the Empire and the High Elves signed a trade agreement. Tegris officially stayed in the Empire's capital and spent more than 20 years to establish the Empire's Royal Wizard Academy before returning to Ossouin," the sorceress said.
The High Elves were the best in the continent in terms of the quality of their soldiers, navy, and spellcasters. However, their low fertility rate and long time to mature limited their ability to dispatch troops and military strength. Especially in the thousands of years of desperate war with the Dark Elves, the High Elves' combat ability and population had fallen into a serious decline.
Their army was still the strongest in the world, but they were no longer invincible. Their navy was still rampant on the sea, but they could no longer easily divide their forces to fight on two or even more fronts at the same time.
In the situation where their economy and productivity were declining and they did not expand, one of the pillars that supported the High Elves' economy was trade with humans. Humans liked the High Elves and all kinds of luxurious crafts, spices, high-quality food, and various magic items. The High Elves needed a lot of raw materials and ores from the humans.
"By the way, Laing, why do you know about this?" The sorceress asked curiously. "The High Elves are not easy to deal with. Except for a few strong human beings, they don't treat us as humans."
"Marlin Castle is the main trade point between the Empire and the High Elves. When we get there, we will definitely have to deal with the High Elves." Laing shook his head. He was thinking about how he could obtain the right to investigate in Marlin Castle.
In Nord, he was a royal knight and could investigate more freely. However, it was different in Marlin Castle. It was a very chaotic territory. His status as a knight was useless. What was useful was his power and reputation.
He could only wait until the time came.
"Ah Fu and I will go together … Anyway, when we get to Marlin Castle, we will find a place to stay and then slowly investigate." Looking at the vast blue sea, Laing made a temporary conclusion.
…
At the same time, the news of the champion's victory spread throughout the continent.
Marlin Castle, the Old World's largest trading center and the largest port. Every year, a huge amount of gold and coins flowed into this port, but very little flowed out. Countless young people who were eager for opportunities and wealth constantly came to this place.
The whole city had several districts, each of which was comparable to an independent city. The deep-water port could carry millions of tons of water, and large ships constantly went in and out. The city was located in the Cursed Swamp at the mouth of the Rick River. This city built in the middle of the Three-Horn Island in the Rick River was connected to the coast road, allowing its merchants to enter the Empire by land.
Those who had seen Marlin Castle said that it was a giant beast that devoured gold and seawater.
Marlin Castle had a permanent population of about 150,000, but in reality, the city's population could be as high as 500,000 or more. Since the "Savior" Ludwig allowed Marlin Castle to become independent 150 years ago, the city seemed to have broken free from its shackles. It developed rapidly in a crazy and sick way. Every day, more buildings rose from the ground, built on top of the existing buildings, and even on the bridges and shallow waters. Every day, there were criminals who dug deeper tunnels, hoping to smuggle precious goods through them. The whole city's originally well-planned streets became blurred, and the influx of more people gradually made Marlin Castle not just a city, but a large urban circle.
The nobleman who now ruled Marlin Castle was the Grand Duke of Marlin Castle, "the Lender" Vanderguber Schultz. This great noble, who was in his fifties, was probably the richest man in the world. His bloodline was also very strange. In essence, he was a man of the Empire, but his family emblem was the iris flower, which was deeply related to Brittany.
High in the castle, the Grand Duke of Marlin Castle Vanderguber Schultz, who was in his fifties, was sitting in his magnificent office, carefully looking at the IOUs.
The IOUs had the names of many great noblemen in this world, especially those of the Dukes of Brittany. The IOUs in this world could not be repudiated, because each of the IOUs in Schultz's hands had been judged by the God of Justice. No noble could repudiate them.
"His Excellency Berchemund still owes me ten carts of gold marks. Muller, do you have any news?" Schultz rubbed his eyebrows. These scrolls were filled with the divine power of the gods, which made him a little dizzy.
The courtier named Muller immediately went up to the Duke and said, "His Excellency Berchemund said that he needs some time."
"Alright, tell him to pay before the Winter Veil Festival. But if it's delayed, I'll have to add interest."
"Understood, Your Excellency. The Empire is pressing for this year's defense fee." Muller immediately took note of the Duke's order.
"This sum of money must be paid. Inform His Majesty Karl-franz as soon as possible to send troops to collect it." The Duke nodded. Marlin Castle had to pay a "protection fee" to the Empire every year to ensure its independence and safety. In exchange, if they encountered an enemy that they could not face, the Empire would send troops to protect the city.
"Also, according to the news from the frontlines, the Bearmen Tribe that wreaked havoc in Nord has been defeated. The reason for their defeat is that a young white wolf knight killed the famous chief of the Bearmen Tribe, the Champion of Chaos, in the championship match." Muller took out a new record.
"Championship match? Interesting. There's such a warrior in Nord? " Schultz rubbed his chin with great interest. His thick beard was carefully groomed by the duke, so it was shiny and shiny. "A young White Wolf Knight? Is it that sledgehammer or something? "
"Yes, Your Excellency. That young man is Sledgehammer Laing. According to our sources, he's taking a ship to Marlin Castle."
"He's coming here? Strange, did Nord or the Empire not reward him with a noble title or something for being able to win the championship? He's so good at fighting, and he's not a serf. There's no reason why no one would invite him. "The Duke was puzzled.
"Laing is a white wolf knight, and … the Saintess Order has announced that he's the Chosen One of the Lady of the Lake." Muller pulled out Laing's detailed file. "The major forces should be preparing to invite him, but if they really want to make a move, it'll be after the Winter Veil Festival."
"Then this is very interesting. All the forces are fighting for this rising star … Interesting. What do you think if I recruit him as another guardian of this city?"
"What?"
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