Water Magician

“I’m glad to see you in good health, Governor.”

The two exchanged greetings.

Governor Li Wu was nearly two meters tall, with a completely shaved head and an imposing presence.

If one were to describe his demeanor with a two-word idiom, it would be bold and uninhibited.

“Are these the ones you mentioned?”

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

“Yes. This is Ryo-san and Abel-san.”

Ryo and Abel also greeted him and immediately began recounting the events in Spring Village.

They told the exact same story they had shared with Roche Ten.

“Hmm…”

When they finished speaking, Governor Li Wu murmured and fell into thought.

About a minute passed before he finally spoke.

“I see… this has been very informative. I appreciate it.”

With that, he bowed his head.

“Oh, no, not at all…”

Unsure of how to respond, Ryo instinctively said those words.

“The Illusionkin… they appear in some historical texts, though they are more like historical romances rather than true records.”

“Is that so? I was unaware of them.”

Governor Li Wu said, and Roche Ten replied that he didn’t know.

The historical romance was, in essence, a novel.

It was different from official historical records, but it couldn’t be entirely dismissed.

“Yes, it’s a tale from many dynasties ago. One could even say it belongs to legend. I will inquire with the imperial historians when I return to the capital. As for the part about them triggering monster attacks across various regions… These attacks have indeed occurred in many places, but not even once in ‘Chuo Chuang’.” Ɽα₦ọ𝐁ÊS̩

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Including Spring Village, there have been fifteen incidents that I know of. However, since nothing has happened in ‘Chuo Chuang’, the imperial court is reacting very slowly.”

Governor Li Wu’s expression was grim.

“Right now, military deployments are in disarray due to the official wedding procession of the Sixth Prince’s primary consort. Prince Ryun is not participating in the imperial succession struggle, but this is the first primary consort’s marriage procession in five years. It’s only natural for the palace to be extremely cautious.”

“Indeed… ever since the Crown Prince passed away, this is the first such event. It’s said that Princess Shio Fen has faced multiple assassination attempts. Just the other day, there was an incident in my city, Boago.”

“Yes, I heard about it. The princess’s fleet had already set sail, but the local Governor was caught up in the attack, wasn’t he? Things are starting to smell of conspiracy…”

Both Roche Ten and Governor Li Wu frowned as they spoke.

Ryo and Abel exchanged glances but remained silent.

They had witnessed one of the attacks on the princess firsthand… but it seemed the matter was not limited to Bosuntar alone.

Perhaps this was all part of a much larger movement involving the entire Eastern Countries, including Darwei.

“Oh, my apologies—Ryo-dono and Abel-dono, correct? I have fully understood your report. I will take it back to the imperial capital.”

“I will stay and discuss matters with the governor a little longer, so the two of you may retire to your rooms. Feel free to order whatever you like for dinner; my attendants will assist you.”

With those words from Li Wu and Roche Ten, Ryo and Abel were dismissed.

“This whole business with Princess Shio Fen’s wedding procession seems incredibly difficult.”

“Yeah. Even though Mifa is acting as her bodyguard, preventing all attacks is going to be tough.”

Ryo and Abel continued their conversation over dinner in the first-floor dining hall.

“At least with this, we’ve become Level 6 adventurers. Now we can enter the imperial capital without any issues.”

“At first, they said Level 7 or higher would be fine…”

“Yeah. But yesterday, it suddenly changed to Level 6 or higher… it all seems pretty messy, doesn’t it?”

While Ryo and Abel had been meeting Governor Li Wu with Roche Ten, Roche Ten’s attendants had checked the new entry restrictions.

Apparently, security around the capital had been tightened, and only Level 6 adventurers or higher were now allowed in.

“We have to get to the capital no matter what!”

“Abel, you’re unusually motivated. This is because of that flying bracelet, isn’t it?”

“I won’t deny it.”

Ryo chuckled, and for once, Abel admitted it without hesitation.

He was that eager to experience flight.

Perhaps flying had always been one of humanity’s universal dreams since ancient times.

“Technically, our work is done. Roche Ten brought us here to report to the traveling governor. So that should be the end of it, right?”

“Probably. Now we just need to figure out how to get from Nomon to the capital.”

“I still have the map we found at the equipment shop next to the Guild.”

“Alright, let’s take a look at it once we’re done eating.”

Sipping their after-dinner tea, they spread out the map and examined their route.

“The city of Nomon, where we are now, is quite far from the coast, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Darwei itself is vast, so in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that far, but it is quite inland from the coastline.”

“I heard that the imperial capital, Hanlin, is spread out along the southern bank of the Southern River, one of the two great rivers that flow east to west through Darwei.”

“So, should we head north from here and then find a place to take a boat down the Southern River? That might be the fastest route.”

“That sounds like a great idea! Abel, you’re really sharp today!”

Ryo praised Abel’s idea.

It’s important to give credit where it’s due.

Maintaining good relationships requires recognizing good ideas.

“If that’s the plan… then this road heading north must be the one. Since it doesn’t have a name written on the map, does that mean it’s a smaller path?”

As Abel spoke, he traced his finger along the road extending north from Nomon.

“It looks like it leads to a city called Fenmu.”

“Something about Fenmu seems different compared to the other cities, don’t you think?”

Ryo pointed out an odd detail in the way Fenmu was labeled on the map.

Aside from the imperial capital… most towns and villages were depicted with a simple house symbol inside a circle.

But Fenmu’s symbol looked more like a five-story pagoda rather than a house.

It seemed grander than the other towns.

“Maybe it’s a large city?”

“If it’s a central hub, there’s a chance they have boats or even regular ferries going to the capital.”

As Ryo said this, he imagined a sightseeing boat cruising along a great river.

“Alright, then it’s decided. After we complete the paperwork at the Nomon Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Society to become Level 6 adventurers, we’ll head north to Fenmu.”

“From there, we’ll take the Southern River down to the imperial capital.”

Both Abel and Ryo looked excited now that they had a clear plan.

In any endeavor, having a clear outlook is essential.

Uncertainty leads to anxiety.

And a project with no direction is bound to fail!

Of course, if the plan itself is fundamentally flawed… that could lead to some unfortunate consequences…

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