Chapter 306: Arriving at Oxhorn Bay

The two vessels seized from the Beluga Pirates sailed side-by-side across the sea, now utterly transformed and flying the banners of the Dennis and Ushan families.

For the Dennis family, this maritime ambush was a net loss, having cost the lives of several sailors and accompanying escort knights; for Ronin, however, it was a windfall.

To say nothing of the prisoners' armor, leather brigandines, weapons, and bows, the Tier-Four Ice Spike Magic Cannon alone, combined with the thirty-meter class galley, possessed a value that likely neared forty thousand gold coins.

Inside his cabin quarters, Ronin set the magical cannon upon the floorboards, subjecting it to a thorough scrutiny.

Its bore measured roughly eighty centimeters, and its length reached a Tier-Four specification, though in sheer volume, it cut a far smaller silhouette than the Fire Dragon’s Maw he had entrusted to Rydal.

Yet its anatomy was remarkably similar, comprising a carriage, a barrel, and a base.

While the carriage was forged of iron, the barrel and the base evidently employed materials beyond mere wrought iron.

If Ronin’s intuition served, the assembly surely contained mithril, particularly the base, which was etched with intricate magical matrices.

“The barrel has been cast without a single seam.”

Conventionally, a blacksmith shaping a cylinder from wrought iron would leave some vestige of a seam at the joint, yet under Ronin's meticulous gaze, none could be found, as though the barrel had been born a perfect cylinder.

He could not help but wonder whether the blacksmiths of this world had truly achieved such precision.

Regrettably, the manufacture of magic cannons was a closely guarded secret; even Ushan Castle possessed no detailed specifications regarding the metallurgy, leaving Ronin with no path to deeper understanding.

It was the classic dilemma of a monopolized precision machine tool: one could purchase the product, but never replicate the forge.

Perhaps dismantling the cannon might yield clues, but for the moment, Ronin could not bring himself to risk such an asset.

Clearly, the Earl of Screaming Island, who possessed the means to manufacture these cannons, was far from an ordinary man.

“It seems I must find an occasion to visit the Ushan Academy of the Extraordinary and consult Dean Miroslav to see if any useful lore can be gleaned.”

Miroslav was the only high-tier magus Ronin knew, and it remained to be seen whether the man would offer any tutelage out of deference to Rulance.

Recalling the magic cannon into his spatial ring, Ronin summoned his attribute panel.

Eleven days had passed since his last peerage advancement and attribute allocation, during which time he had amassed 93 attribute points.

In truth, since ascending to the rank of Earl, the accumulation of attribute points had proved significantly faster than before.

Ronin invested these points entirely into his knight level, advancing its progress directly to Golden Tier (1091/2500).

Feeling a loosening of the valve deep within his sea of qi, Ronin sensed his battle qi growing denser, elevating his physical condition to a new height.

“At the current rate of monthly attribute gain, it will take a mere four months for my knightly prowess to reach the peak of the Golden Tier!”

Four months was a brief span indeed.

However, if Ronin wished to bring his magus progression up to parity, a far longer duration would be required.

Even so, Ronin remained entirely confident that he could breach the sixth tier within a year to stand among the ranks of the truly powerful.

He glanced at his energy essence, which now stood at 1470 points—enough to bestow a third Golden Knight upon the Northern Ushan Territory, yet Ronin chose to hoard it.

Once he broke through the sixth tier to join the ranks of the Meteors and Archmagi, his first course of action would be to elevate Elrond to Magus level, securing a chance to cure Rulance.

In the best-case scenario, Elrond would awaken a spell capable of countering the Soul-Devouring Torrent on his own, sparing them from relying on Dean Miroslav’s uncertain search.

Should Rulance be healed and restored to his full strength, it would not only restabilize the Ushan Territory but also grant the Northern Ushan Territory a period of secure development in the rear.

The night passed without further incident.

The morning sun rose, painting the surface of the sea in crimson hues.

Despite the tribulations and delays they had suffered, Ronin and his company arrived in the waters of Oxhorn Bay on the afternoon of the nineteenth.

As a harbor facing Golden Feather City, its prosperity was several tiers above that of Port Dennis.

As far as the eye could see, ships plied the waters, their sails swaying in the sea breeze with a rustling murmur that played a symphony for the harbor.

The closer they drew to the docks, the more clearly Ronin could hear the heavy steps of stevedores, their shouting voices, and the thud of shifting cargo.

From the ships, the docks, and the laborers, to the soaring towers and stout stone walls flanking the harbor, Ronin found himself imagining: “How grand it would be if I too possessed such a port!”

Meanwhile, atop a tall building in the distance, the Dennis family officials stationed at Oxhorn Bay were waiting in anxious suspense.

Joly, the chief commercial officer, stood with knitted brows; by the recent weather, the Dennis III should have made port by yesterday evening, or at the very latest, this morning.

Yet with barely two hours remaining before nightfall, the Dennis III remained unseen, and Joly deeply feared some disaster had befallen them at sea.

The Dennis III carried not only Young Master Rhys but also the Earl of the Northern Ushan Territory; if something had gone amiss, it would cause an uproar, and he, as the resident official, could well be implicated.

“Look, master, that ship flies the banner of the Dennis family!” cried an assistant, pointing at a vessel coming into dock.

Joly’s spirits rallied instantly as he rose to look, but his anticipation turned to disappointment upon closer inspection: “That is not the Dennis III.”

“But it flies the Dennis family flag, and look beside it—the neighboring ship flies the banner of the Ushan family!”

A banner as large as a sail was hard to miss, and Joly soon noticed the anomaly himself.

“Curse that Stephen, has he grown so muddled that he cannot even write a proper dispatch?”

Muttering imprecations against the administrative officer of Sharphorn City, Joly quickly donned his gentleman's hat and strode toward the wharf: “Quickly, follow me to receive Young Master Rhys and Earl Ronin!”

Noble vessels were assigned separate berths.

After Ronin, Rhys, and the others presented their identities and credentials, the harbormasters and guards of Oxhorn Bay offered a warm welcome.

Furthermore, upon learning that pirates were aboard, they immediately summoned the harbor guard to take Calaway and his crew into custody.

When Joly arrived with his men, he caught sight of the harbor guards rushing toward the ship flying the Dennis flag, and his heart leapt into his throat, fearing some grave calamity.

Only when he saw Rhys and Ronin standing unharmed did his anxieties finally subside.

“My Lord Earl, Young Master Rhys, I shall immediately dispatch letters to Sharphorn Castle and Ushan Castle to inform the Viscount and the Marquess of your ordeal at sea!”

Joly spoke with utmost gravity: “The assassination of nobility cannot be tolerated, even if perpetrated by troublesome pirates of the high seas!”

Rhys nodded. “Take us to an inn first, and assign someone to assist the harbor guards in securing the prisoners.”

“Rest assured, Young Master.”

Joly complied with a smile, then led Ronin toward an inn just outside the harbor.

It had to be said that Viscount Victorino’s arrangements were flawless, with dedicated personnel managing their transit, escorts, reception, and the subsequent itinerary to Golden Feather City.

“Mr. Joly, how long will the journey from Oxhorn Bay to Golden Feather City take?”

“The Lord Earl need not worry over the hour; the two places are in close proximity. If we mount swift horses tomorrow morning, we shall arrive in Golden Feather City by dusk.”

The commercial officer of Sharphorn City had frequented this route for years and knew the journey well.

“Lately, Oxhorn Bay has been crowded with noble vessels, all presumably arriving to celebrate Her Highness Princess Blanche.”

Ronin expressed a mild surprise. “I was under the impression that Her Highness was out of favor?”