Chapter 411: Uninvited Guests of Wubei Territory

Hammeth believed he had seen many beautiful women—graceful noble ladies, enchanting songstresses—but the woman leading the group on the deck still made his breath catch.

Her face resembled the finest porcelain fresh from the kilns of Houtu Village: pale, delicate, exuding an innate nobility.

Her eyes were deep and luminous, like the brightest stars in the night sky, shimmering with intelligence and kindness.

And that magnificent azure gown draped over her form accentuated her elegant figure with poetic grace.

Hammeth recalled Princess Blanche he’d glimpsed at the banquet in Wushan Keep—she too was lovely, gentle and youthful—but this woman before him seemed more mature, refined.

The speaking woman did not take offense at Hammeth’s lingering gaze. “Brave knight,” she said, “we are lost at sea. Could you tell us where we are?”

Hammeth snapped back to himself, realizing his rudeness, and quickly composed his expression.

“Fair lady, this is the domain of Lord Baron Rowen. I am Hammeth, Baron of Thornville, temporarily overseeing local security.”

He bowed politely as he introduced himself, then asked, “May I know whence you come?”

As he spoke, he studied the four others standing beside her.

Another woman wore light armor. Though less striking in beauty than the speaker, her features were sharp and clean-cut, radiating a soldier’s poise.

The remaining three men stirred quiet astonishment within Hammeth. All stood tall and broad-shouldered. Though travel-weary, their bearing betrayed they were no ordinary men.

Such a retinue. Such an unfamiliar ship. Hammeth concluded these travelers must belong to some great house.

The five conferred softly for a moment before the woman resumed speaking.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Baron Hammeth. You may call me Sophia.”

She introduced herself gracefully. “Might we be granted an audience with your liege, Lord Rowen? We wish to resupply here and purchase materials to repair our vessel.”

“This…”

Hammeth hesitated. He worked for Vitorino here, but wasn’t one of Rowen’s sworn vassals.

Still, guiding a few visitors through the territory wasn’t forbidden. The Northern Wulands welcomed all comers—there had never been a decree barring strangers.

Moreover, these guests intended to spend coin. That meant revenue for the Northern Wulands.

“I can take you there,” he said. “But Lord Rowen is currently away from the domain. You may first meet Master Elron—he oversees much of the Northern Wulands—and he shall decide whether to arrange a meeting with Lord Rowen.”

“Then we thank you greatly!”

With that, four of them disembarked, leaving behind the darker-skinned knight to guard the ship.

“The journey to Marsh Town isn’t short. Walking would be slow. Let me have horses brought for you—it’ll be faster.”

His cavalry detachment would remain here for days; borrowing mounts posed no issue.

But before he could give the order, the woman raised her hand gently.

“No need, Baron Hammeth. We shall ride our flying carpet.”

“What?”

Hammeth blurted instinctively, then realized—flying carpet?

A flying blanket?

In Sophia’s hands appeared a long object, rolled like a scroll.

Magic surged. The rolled carpet floated into the air, then unfurled with a soft snap—its surface spanning over ten square meters.

Hammeth and everyone else stared, wide-eyed, as the carpet descended silently beside them, speechless with awe.

“Let’s go,” Sophia said, stepping onto it first.

Her personal guard followed, then the two accompanying knights.

They found spots and sat cross-legged upon the fabric.

Hammeth felt nervous, yet unwilling to appear cowardly, stepped forward and climbed aboard.

It looked like a rug, yet beneath his feet it felt as solid as earth.

“Incredible,” he murmured inwardly, then mimicked the others, settling into place.

Whoosh—

The carpet shot upward. Hammeth clenched his fists instinctively, glancing sideways. Below, Northport shrank rapidly.

At such height, dizziness washed over him.

Sophia and her companions noticed his unease, puzzled—why fear a flying carpet, a relatively common magical conveyance?

“Baron Hammeth, please guide us.”

“Oh! Yes, yes!” Hammeth stammered, regaining focus. “We head southwest first.”

The carpet wasn’t as swift as a dragon, but compared to galloping horses, it was immeasurably faster.

Soon, they arrived above Marsh Town, descending toward the fortress.

“This… is a baron’s domain?”

Sophia’s voice carried disbelief. Such a dilapidated place was hard to reconcile with noble rule.

The female knight beside her remarked, “Feels like we’ve landed outside Darkmoon City.”

“Don’t speak nonsense, Ainelu. My home is in a marsh village beyond Darkmoon City—the houses there are far neater, newer. This place resembles nothing more than a frontier outpost.”

Hammeth listened as he walked, racking his brain for any mention of Darkmoon City or its surrounding villages, but found nothing. Perhaps they came from distant Gistana Duchy?

Though unfamiliar with Darkmoon, he understood their implication—that Rowen’s lands seemed run-down.

Run-down? Perhaps a little. But not terrible—at least better than his own Thornville.

“You don’t know,” Hammeth said, “but just two years ago, Rowen was merely a minor baron of a forest hamlet. Now he’s Baron of Wushan, ennobled by the king as Lord of Rapids Isle, champion of the Knightly Joust, the Flame Knight himself.”

“He’s only held the title less than a year. All his time and energy have gone into clearing wilderness. How could he spare resources to rebuild every structure?”

“Oh?”

Sophia’s eyes widened slightly. To achieve so much in two years—this Baron Rowen must indeed be extraordinary. They needed to meet him even more.

“Could you tell us more about Baron Rowen?”

“Ha! It would be my honor, Lady Sophia!”

Hammeth launched into tale after tale—Rowen’s idle youth, his entry into Raisen, the slaying of Boland the bandit chief.

Sophia frowned faintly as she listened.

While Hammeth went ahead to report at the Marsh Fortress, she whispered, “Two years—from commoner to Silver-ranked Knight? Even magic elixirs couldn’t accelerate growth this fast.”

“Yes,” Ainelu nodded. “I know of only one power capable of such rapid ascension… the abilities of the Witch-Soul Clan.”

At these words, the group was struck with shock.

"You mean to say, this Luoning has already become one of the Wuhun Clan?"

The reason they had set sail across the sea was because they'd received news that their enemies had arrived on this continent.

If Luoning had joined the Wuhun Clan two years ago, then their actions had been at least two years too late.

"It's possible!"

Sophia nodded. "When we meet Luoning, we must proceed with caution." (End of Chapter)