Catherine was surprised. “You’re in such a hurry?”
Luca smiled bitterly. He didn’t want to rush either, but he was even less eager to die.
At that moment, Sophia looked up.
Her ice-blue eyes met his. “I’ll go with you when the time comes.”
“Alright.” Luca agreed without a second thought.
If Zenobia managed to escape the suppression from Sophia and divine rank, then no matter how hard they tried, it would all be in vain. Given that, it was better to go together to the Sea of Mist. Not only could they prevent Zenobia from causing trouble, but Sophia could also help locate the Celestial Pearl.
As for Seaway City and Haillan County, they could be temporarily handed over to Tark and Nicholas. With the deterrence they had established, no one would dare cause any trouble in Seaway City for the time being.
Additionally, Luca had already sent a letter to Dawn City. Once Fratis and Evelyn received it, they would likely act quickly, and he wouldn’t have to worry about any threats from that direction.
“When you leave, I’m planning to return to Riverfall City,” Catherine said at that moment.
She then turned to Luca and smiled. “I wonder if Lord Luca has anything he wants me to bring back with me?”
“Cassman, Franklin Witch Doctor, and Kaman must be missing you.”
Luca was momentarily lost in thought at her words. A multitude of familiar faces flashed through his mind. It felt like it had been a long time since he had seen them, but in reality, it hadn’t been that long—it was just that so much had happened.
He nodded. “Before I leave, I’ll write a few letters. I hope Captain Catherine can help me bring them back.”
Catherine readily agreed. After a short conversation, Luca left Sophia’s office and made his way to the study, where a detailed map of the Western Sea hung on the wall—one of the most detailed maps of the entire Western Sea.
The oil lamp cast a bright light, illuminating the study.
He took out the parchment scroll and unfurled it on the desk. A somewhat blurry nautical chart appeared before him.
The edges of the map were so faded that they were nearly unreadable, but the key points had been clearly marked, so he wouldn’t be lost.
Luca carefully compared the map in front of him with the Western Sea map hanging on the wall. One by one, he confirmed the locations, and after a final check, he breathed a long sigh of relief. It was indeed a map of the Sea of Mist.
He then began to plan the route to the Sea of Mist based on the current map…
…
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Via Empire, the Blazing Light, the Imperial Council City.
Endless radiance poured down from the towering dome, bathing the entire hall in an aura of sanctity and inviolability. Seven colossal figures stood hidden within a shimmering light screen, their bodies towering and imposing.
In the golden and resplendent hall stood a figure with golden long hair, dressed in a magnificent robe.
He appeared very young, seemingly in his early twenties, but the depth in his eyes revealed a wisdom far beyond his apparent age.
“The situation with Clinton is as follows: Milo and Geo are both dead in the Clinton Empire, and both were killed by that young man with Solar Divine Rank,” he said calmly.
Geo was killed as well?
At this, several figures in the hall shuddered.
One of them, a phantom-like figure, spoke angrily: “It was bad enough that the kid killed Milo before—he brought it upon himself. But now he’s killed Geo as well? Is that kid deliberately trying to provoke us?”
A cold, indifferent male voice responded, “The real issue is that our plan has been disrupted, and it’s highly likely that the other party now knows about the Celestial Pearl.”
An elderly voice spoke in a deep tone, “Milo and Geo both had restraints placed on them by me. It’s impossible for the other party to have obtained information about the Celestial Pearl.”
The short-tempered man sneered, “Let’s not even discuss whether your so-called restraints could have been broken. Even if they were, that doesn’t mean the other party couldn’t have obtained the information about the Celestial Pearl from elsewhere.”
He paused for a moment, then scoffed, “Or do you think it’s just a coincidence that they killed two of us? Fool!”
The old man retorted angrily, “Councilor Kiran, I think you should at least show some respect to your seniors!”
Councilor Kiran sneered, “You old fools are not worthy of my respect.”
The old man was about to respond with more harsh words, but at that moment, the golden-haired youth interrupted them, “Enough. I called this meeting not so you two could argue.”
Both Kiran and the elderly man fell silent, as if they dared not oppose the young man.
The cold, indifferent voice continued, “The Celestial Pearl is crucial to the future of our empire. No matter the reason behind their disruption of our plans, this is not good news. I believe we must act quickly.”
Rod nodded. “Councilor Ronnie is right. The Celestial Pearl must never fall into anyone else’s hands. Not even the slightest chance of failure should be allowed. Therefore, I propose we send more forces to the Western Sea.”
A soft and beautiful female voice sounded in doubt, “Do you intend to send troops into Clinton’s territory? That would certainly provoke them, and it could even lead to war between our two nations.”
Rod responded indifferently, “So what? After their internal turmoil, Clinton no longer holds the same standing as us. If they want to go to war, that would actually be in our favor.”
The indifferent young man spoke calmly, “The end of days is approaching. After so many years of division in the Eternal World, it is clear that what we need now is a true ruler. I agree with Councilor Rod’s proposal to send people to Clinton’s Western Sea.”
With that, he raised his hand. The room fell silent for a moment, and then one by one, hands began to rise.
The female councilor who had spoken earlier hesitated for a long time, but eventually, she raised her hand as well.
In this chaotic world, the most important thing was to strengthen one’s own nation—there was little room for mercy toward others.
Rod nodded slightly and said, “I will personally lead a group to the Clinton Empire. When I return, I will bring not only the Celestial Pearl but also the future of the Empire with me.”
“We shall await your triumphant return, Rod Valvis.” As the shadows and light in the council hall slowly dissipated, the only thing that remained was the sound of the voices echoing within.
…
Time passed quickly, and soon it was evening.
As Tark had predicted, after many days of waiting, Marcel finally arrived at the Western Sea in the late afternoon.
Luca personally went to the coastline to welcome the long-absent Black Dragon.
The dying light of the setting sun reflected off the ocean, and from a distance, several massive warships could be seen riding the waves toward Seaway City.
The black dragon flag fluttered in the wind, and the dark hulls of the ships stretched for over a thousand meters, with large-caliber cannon muzzles protruding from the sides. The grotesque figure of the ships’ prows gave the impression of a monstrous sea beast with its mouth wide open, charging toward them. The vicious, bloody, and violent energy exuded by the ships made many of the onlookers pale.
Next to these ships, there was another vessel that was even more extravagant.
This ship was not as large, but it sailed incredibly fast, almost as if it weighed nothing, floating effortlessly over the surface of the sea. Its sleek, streamlined hull was made from an unknown metal, giving it a silvery-gray color. Mystical, glowing magical lines covered its sides, flashing a faint blue glow, giving the vessel an almost technological aura.
These two ships were the Black Thorn and the magical-tech warship that Luca had long dreamed of!
With these two ships, his exploration of the Sea of Mist would be much easier.
However, the one thing that Luca was dissatisfied with was the rather flamboyant figure standing at the prow of the Black Thorn.
As soon as he saw Luca, the figure’s eyes lit up. In a flash, he became a streak of black light, charging toward them.
The wind howled, and before anyone could react, Marcel had already appeared in front of the group. Catherine and the others were taken aback—this guy’s strength was incredible!
“Oh! My brother, I’ve been thinking about you every moment these past days. Look, I’ve gotten so thin from missing you!” Upon seeing Luca, the Black Dragon made an exaggerated expression and spoke in the peculiar accent of the All-Beings Empire. He immediately went in for a hug.
“Really? I don’t see it.” Luca shuddered, quickly raising his hand to push him away. He knew well that the All-Beings Empire had a rather open culture. “You’re so late! I think we can cancel the banquet we had prepared for you, and we might need to renegotiate the price we discussed earlier.”
“What, you’re lowering the price?!” The enthusiasm on Marcel’s face vanished instantly. He snapped, “This is against the spirit of the contract! We had already agreed on the price.”
“But you’re late,” Luca said flatly, his expression unreadable.
Marcel tried to salvage the situation, sounding injured, “This isn’t my fault. You should blame those filthy vampires. They blocked my path and tried to kill me, a great Black Dragon.”
“You have no idea how hard it was to kill those things. I had to work so hard to chop them up and feed them to the sharks, not to mention those hideous sea monsters. They’re so ugly, they made me feel nauseous.”
“Trust me, brother, if you knew the hardships and trials I went through, you’d definitely offer me a little extra, not…”
On the ship, several nobles from the All-Beings Empire were stunned by how humbly their once fearless Black Dragon Lord was behaving.
Was this really the same Black Dragon Lord they knew? Surely they were mistaken!
“There’s no need to be so incredulous,” said Krik, dressed in black armor, casually munching on an orange. “This lord deserves such deference… er, respect.”
“Why do you say that, Lord Krik? Isn’t this boy just a small lord?” One of the nobles asked in surprise.
“A small lord?” Krik chewed thoughtfully on his words, then gave the others a strange look. “Do you know what people in the Western Sea call him now?”
The others shook their heads in confusion. They were unaware of Luca’s background and didn’t even know why Marcel was here. They were just tagging along to get acquainted with him.
“Don’t you all do any research before you arrive?” Krik scoffed, feeling somewhat exasperated by how clueless these nobles were. “I can’t believe you don’t even know how to flatter someone properly anymore.”
He gestured toward the young man standing on the shore, “Now, people in the Western Sea call this young man the ‘King of the Western Sea.’ Some even say he’s the future ruler of the Five Seas, the next Rod Valvis! Surely, you can understand what that means, right?”
With that, Krik shook his head, threw the orange peel into the sea, and walked toward the shore, leaving behind a group of stunned nobles who were still processing what they’d just heard.
…