With a squeak from the darkness, followed by the tap, tap, tap of footsteps.
Richard stepped into the inn room, seemingly unaffected as he walked to the wooden table in the center of the room. With a snap of his fingers, a small flame appeared at his fingertip, lighting the candle on the table and illuminating the entire room.
The room was sizeable and nicely decorated, with carefully chosen furniture scattered about. The ornaments, polished to a shine, reflected a dazzling light under the candle’s glow.
This room could be considered one of the best in all of Second-class Port, but Richard did not take time to enjoy it. He closed the door, sat at the table, and began to busy himself.
These past few days during his journey, he had been preoccupied with mainly two things.
The first was to write down and try to perfect, correct, and study the knowledge he had forcibly memorized in the Black Spirit King’s ultimate treasure dungeon. This knowledge was extremely important, constituting the essence of the entire Black Spirit Empire. Although inevitably incomplete, he did not mind; his main use of this knowledge was to identify research directions, ensuring that he could invest his energy in a relatively correct path and achieve substantial gains.
He had already determined several major directions, such as enhancing flight with Wind Magic, expanding sensory range, absolute concealment of presence, and storing a large amount of Free Energy Elements. Specifically, he planned to thoroughly organize and analyze these before deciding where to start.
The second was to sort through the multitude of items he had obtained from members of the Supreme Order Divine Society. On the battlefield, he had killed countless members of the Society, acquiring a significant amount of Space Iron Rings. Setting aside the miscellaneous items in the rings for a moment, the sheer amount of wealth alone was staggering. Moreover, there was a vast quantity of written material.
These documents were complex, recording all sorts of peculiar things. His task was to sort out a clear idea of the Supreme Order Divine Society, gaining insight into the internal operations of the organization.
He felt this necessary because, even if he were to go to the Main Continent in the near future, he would likely come into contact with them. Making some preparations was never a mistake.
Of course, besides these two tasks, there were still other matters to attend to, such as Pandora.
Pandora’s current condition was somewhat worrying for him. Since absorbing a large amount of purple mist and successfully transforming into a Giant Dragon on the battlefield, she had been in a deep slumber.
This sleep was deeper compared to when they first came to the East Coast when Pandora used to sleep for more extended periods but could still be woken up. Now, she was in a perpetual slumber, sleeping 24 hours a day.
Besides her constant sleep, however, there was nothing else amiss; her physiological indicators were within the normal range.
Regarding this, Richard could only treat Pandora’s condition as a more thorough growth and evolution, cautiously avoiding any excessive disturbances, and patiently waiting for her to wake up.
Thinking of these things, Richard blinked his eyes and said nothing further. He took out many documents from the Space Iron Ring and began his serious work.
The tip of his quill pen, dipped in ink, rubbed against the papyrus scroll, continuously making a sound.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."
Three days of busyness quickly passed.
On the morning of the fourth day, not long after Richard got out of bed, there was a knock on the door.
Walking to the door, Richard opened it with a squeak and saw Sherlock standing outside.
"What’s the matter?" Richard asked, then guessed a possibility, "Has the ship to the Main Continent arrived?"
"Uh-huh," Sherlock nodded, confirming, "It has just arrived and docked at the port. I came to get you so we could go take a look together."
"Alright," Richard nodded in agreement, did not refuse, turned around to leave the room, and followed Sherlock out of the inn towards the port.
Upon reaching the port and seeing the ship that would take them to the Main Continent from several hundred meters away, the ship could only be described in one word—huge.
Gigantic, really huge!
There were indeed no few large ships docked at the port, but they seemed like little children compared to this one. As they got closer, its black-painted hull resembled a floating iron mountain, with the deck alone towering over a meter above the nearby ships.
In the middle of the ship stood five thick masts, like monster fangs, fierce and intimidating. When the sails were fully set, they could power the entire ship, ensuring it could sail through any seas, wind and wave, to any destination.
Sherlock spoke beside Richard, "I have found out that this ship came from a port in the northern part of the Main Continent. According to its route, it first comes to Second-class Port, then heads directly south, circumnavigating the entire East Coast to reach the southernmost port of Rockden on the East Coast. After resupplying at Rockden Port, it sets sail again, entering a southern port of the Main Continent, reaching its final destination.
In simple terms, this ship started from the north of the Main Continent, headed south, and during its circumnavigation of the East Coast, it stopped for supplies. We are lucky to have the opportunity to take this ship to the Main Continent."
Richard nodded upon hearing this and continued to approach. He then keenly noticed two men in heavy armor standing on the deck. There was something extraordinary about their presence, and although not as formidable as an Official Wizard, they were certainly beyond any Wizard Apprentice.
"Who are they?" Richard asked.
"The ones standing on the deck?" Sherlock glanced and responded, "Probably Magic Knights."
"Magic Knights?" Richard was stunned, hearing the term for the first time.
Sherlock, noticing Richard’s expression, seriously explained: "Magic Knights are indeed rare on the East Coast but are quite common on the Main Continent, somewhat of a specialty of the Main Continent. You can think of them as people who possess a Bloodline Seed, although not all do."
He paused, then continued, "Magic Knights, to be precise, wear a large amount of Magic Rune Magic Tools, sacrificing their lifespan in exchange for the ability to burst into significant combat power in a short time, enough to contend with a wizard. With the help of group strength, they can defeat or even kill wizards if they have a numerical advantage.
"They have different grades, and the two that have stepped forward now are the lowest, Three-Pattern Magic Knights, meaning they wear three Magic Rune Magic Tools. The most common uses for these three tools are: one for increasing defense, ensuring they can’t be easily killed by a wizard; one for increasing speed, ensuring they can dodge attacks or pursue fleeing targets; and one for increasing strength, ensuring they have the capability to break a wizard’s defense and cause harm."