Up in the sky, the wind howled fiercely.
The distance from Riverfall City to Southwind City spanned tens of thousands of kilometers. Even at the speed of the four majestic wings, it would take roughly five days to traverse.
When Ryan and the others had returned previously, the situation had been urgent, so they had traveled at maximum speed, only stopping twice for rest along the way.
However, now that there was no rush to get back, the four majestic wings flew at a much more leisurely pace, giving Luca the opportunity to take in the customs and scenery of the Southern Territory.
The Clinton Empire was vast, several times larger than Earth. It was divided into one province, four regions, and thirty-six counties. The “province” referred to Central Province, where the capital, Dawn City, was located.
The Southern Territory was one of the four regions, along with the Northern, Western, and Eastern Territories. Each region was governed by a marquis, with the Southern Territory being ruled by Marquis Bronte Bersa, though his exact strength remained a mystery.
The Eternal Continent itself was immeasurably vast, home to countless small nations. The three most powerful were the Via Empire, the All-Beings Empire, and the Clinton Empire.
Among them, the Via Empire was the strongest, followed by the Clinton Empire, and the weakest was the All-Beings Empire. Each nation had its own unique culture and way of life.
In his previous life, Luca had been born in the Via Empire, so his knowledge of Clinton mainly came from the game forums where other players shared their stories. Experiencing the local customs firsthand was a novel and exciting experience for him.
However, after a while, even the most novel experiences lose their luster. So, Luca began to immerse himself in studying Witch Doctor knowledge.
After reaching Silver-grade, the number of Witch Doctor skills he could learn increased significantly. He was no longer limited to potion-making but could now delve into the damage and support branches as well.
The Witch Doctor’s damage skills primarily targeted the soul, making them especially effective against soul-oriented classes like the Dreamweaver. Most of these skills focused on control and support, but the few offensive skills they had were exceptionally powerful.
For instance, “Lich Fire” was a skill that could bypass all defenses and directly harm the soul, dealing true damage.
Meanwhile, support skills leaned more towards curses, such as “Plague Curse,” which could cause the target to randomly trigger two diseases, “Lich’s Curse,” which reduced all attributes by 20%, and “Tongue Severing Curse,” which inflicted a silence effect on the target.
There were also some unique skills that required certain conditions to be met.
For example, “Life Blood Curse” could greatly boost the target’s health and attack but required the consumption of flesh and blood to store sufficient life force. “Flesh Manipulation” could quickly heal injuries but needed medicinal support. “Soul Resurrection” allowed the resurrection of a person but required the replacement of a body, among other things. The list of such skills was extensive.
Overall, the Witch Doctor’s skillset had a rather eerie and mysterious flavor.
Without a proper professional inheritance, it would be easy to mistake the Witch Doctor for an evil class.
But Luca didn’t really care about that. As long as the skills were effective, nothing else mattered.
He read quickly, seeming to flip through the pages at random. However, every piece of information entered his mind without a single word being missed.
At the same time, a series of game notifications kept popping up in his ear.
[You are learning “Plague Curse,” skill proficiency +12!]
[You are learning “Lich Fire,” skill proficiency +15!]
[You are learning “Lich’s Curse,” skill proficiency +21!]
…
As he continued to read, he quickly finished the entire notebook, which was as thick as a dictionary.
Luca checked his skill proficiency. If he kept up this pace, he estimated he’d be able to master all the low-level skills before arriving in Southwind City.
While he was absorbed in reading Franklin’s notes, a faint milky fragrance drifted over, and a moment later, a cake appeared in front of him. A sweet voice chimed in his ear.
“This is for you.” Fratis, her big eyes sparkling, handed over a piece of red fruit cake.
Luca glanced at her but didn’t refuse. He took the cake and thanked her, “Thank you.”
Fratis smoothed her long dress and sat down beside Luca, her gaze shifting curiously to the notebook in his hands. “What are you reading?”
Franklin’s handwriting looked like a jumble of scribbles, barely legible to anyone without a trained eye.
Luca took a bite of the cake and responded, “It’s knowledge about Witch Doctor skills.”
“Skill knowledge?” The students nearby wore puzzled expressions.
They couldn’t understand what Luca could possibly learn from reading so quickly.
Fratis asked curiously, “I remember your main class is Demonic Rune Mage, right? Aren’t you worried that studying two class systems at the same time will exhaust your energy?”
“It’s fine,” Luca replied casually. With his maxed-out aptitude, his learning speed was more than ten times faster than the average person’s.
As long as he learned fast enough, let alone two classes—he wouldn’t feel pressured even if he studied twenty.
“You’re amazing, just like my third sister! I get sleepy as soon as I open a book,” Fratis said, her eyes shining with admiration and envy.
When she was in the capital and at Red Maple Academy, Fratis would get sleepy at the sight of all the dense knowledge in books. That’s why she admired people like Luca, who had both patience and talent. Her third sister, the Third Princess, was such a person.
“You’re amazing as well,” Luca said sincerely. If what she said was true, he suspected that Fratis might have a top-tier Grade 9 aptitude, just like Sophia. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to have reached Platinum Grade at such a young age.
As they continued chatting, a radiant smile spread across Fratis’s face.
Seeing this, a trace of coldness flickered in the eyes of a young man dressed in a black suit among the Red Maple Academy students. He had a plain appearance but carried an imposing aura.
“Your Highness, the Sixth Princess, I hope you remember your status and don’t disappoint Master Finn,” he said bluntly as he walked up to them.
Hearing this, Fratis’s body stiffened.
“Sorry to bother you while you were reading.” She bit her lip, stood up, and forced a smile at Luca.
Luca noticed the light in her eyes dim, and her eyes reddened slightly.
After Fratis left, the young man turned back to look at Luca. A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes as he said, “Viscount Luca, I’m sure you’re aware of the relationship between the princess and our Master Finn. You’re young and have accomplished so much already, with a bright future ahead of you. I suggest you don’t ruin it for yourself.”
The meaning behind his words was clear: Luca should keep his distance from Fratis. Otherwise, no matter if he was a viscount, he would have to pay the price.
Luca put away the notebook in his hands, looked up slightly, and said calmly, “A dog raised by someone else thinks it can order me around?”
The young man’s expression turned extremely ugly.
“Who are you calling a dog?!” he snarled, staring at Luca with a vicious look. A sharp, oppressive aura erupted around him, and golden blood energy swirled at his body. He was, without a doubt, a Gold Grade knight!
The Red Maple Academy students witnessing this scene all cast sympathetic glances at Luca.
“Of all the people he could provoke, he had to choose Harvis? That guy is one of the strongest Gold Grade professionals in the academy!” a student murmured regretfully, as if he could already see Luca’s tragic end.
Another student shook his head. “Harvis is from the Mora family, and he’s close to Finn. Offending him means Luca is in for a rough time.”
The Mora family, like the Franco family, was one of the major families in Southwind City. In fact, the Mora family was even stronger than the Franco family, with several Diamond-level experts among them. There was no way a mere newcomer from Riverfall City like Luca could afford to cross them.
Fratis clenched the hem of her dress, worry etched across her delicate face. She wanted to speak up and plead on Luca’s behalf but hesitated, fearing it might backfire.
After all, if Luca only offended Harvis, he’d likely just get roughed up a little.
But if she spoke up, it could bring Luca even more trouble.
At this moment, Kruse and Fred also looked over.
Noticing the tension between the two, the burly, bald-headed Fred roared, “You two idiots have a death wish? You dare to cause trouble while we’re up in the sky?!”
Though he sounded furious, Fred wasn’t actually worried that the two would cause any real disturbance on the four majestic wings. He was more concerned that Luca might suffer.
After all, he had promised Lucia and Ryan that he’d take good care of Luca.
If Luca got beaten up right after leaving Riverfall City, he’d have no face left to show.
Hearing Fred’s voice, Harvis’s aura faltered.
He dared not defy the words of a Diamond-level powerhouse.
Taking a deep breath, he dispelled the blood energy swirling around him. Harvis stepped forward, patted Luca on the shoulder, and whispered coldly in his ear, “You got lucky this time. I’m letting you off. But I’ll be watching. Let’s see if you still have such good luck when we reach Southwind City!”
Feeling the heavy pressure on his shoulder, Luca narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly. “Just wait and see how I break your dog legs then.”
Harvis’s breathing turned noticeably heavier.
Gritting his teeth, he pointed at Luca with a trembling finger but said nothing. He then turned around and walked away.
Once they arrived in Southwind City, he’d see if this brat dared to be so arrogant!
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you.” Fratis approached, her face filled with guilt.
She hadn’t expected things to escalate like this.
Luca shook his head. “I just couldn’t stand him, that’s all. Don’t worry about it.”
Even though the incident stemmed from Fratis, it wasn’t her fault at all. If anyone was to blame, it was Finn for being too overbearing, forbidding her from interacting with any other males. Or that Harvis, for being so arrogant, treating Luca like an easy target to be pushed around.
While Luca didn’t want to get too entangled with Fratis, he wasn’t the type to back down when insulted. People like Harvis? He would never tolerate them.
Fratis thought Luca had stood up for her, and a warm feeling blossomed in her heart.
Her eyes sparkled with a hint of starlight, and she smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”
[Ding! Fratis’s favorability towards you +100!]
“Huh?” Luca looked at her in confusion, wondering why her favorability suddenly increased again.