Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A wide river ran through the valley, then merged into a lake. A city was built beside the lake, its boundaries arranged in the shape of a crown. A giant bridge cut across the lake, with many boats bustling along under it.
Emerald-hued mountains and meadows could be seen all around the city. The rolling mountains showcased layer upon layer of vast forest. It was a green land, and this city by the lake was like the glimmering pearl in the heart of the forest.
Eva carried the luggage behind Lu Zhiyu, as they stood on a hillside. A breeze rustled the green hillside, lifting the edge of Eva’s cloak. Even her hat was blown off by a strong gust.
Lu Zhiyu reached out qucikly to grab the hat. Then, Lu Zhiyu gently adjusted Eva’s silver hair, while setting her hat back on her head.
As he did so, he chided her, “How do you always lose everything? This is not a good habit.”
Eva put her hands on her knees and bowed. “Sorry, Master!”
Lu Zhiyu looked at Eva in surprise. “Master? Where did you learn such a strange term?”
Eva immediately replied, “I know assume that I am your possession. Therefore, you are my master.”
Lu Zhiyu frowned, uneasy with this term. “Just call me Anthony!”
Eva gave Lu Zhiyu a serious look. “That would defy the definition, Master!”
Lu Zhiyu put a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache developing. “Why are you always so earnest about such a strange things?”
Eva put her hands on her knees and bowed again. “Sorry, Master!”
Lu Zhiyu didn’t want to speak to Eva anymore, so he turned around and looked at the city below. “Wow, it’s beautiful. No wonder everyone else calls Babus the Gem of the Forest. It does seem like a fitting name.”
They were descending along the grassy hillside now. The view was unexpectedly wondrous.
Walking across the bridge, the wide river could be seen underneath it. The boats were constantly sailing past them and entering the city through the various tributaries. Many of these small tributaries flowed straight through the city itself.
The rows of ships that were cruising along the river formed the distinctive cityscape of Babus. Shouts would ring out from time to time, as large ships from afar arrived to the port. The unloading process of each was always intense and lively!
The Babus Bridge had been built a hundred years ago, but a large renovation was conducted on it about thirty years ago.
Currently, there were an endless number of carts being used to unload the ships. They then were driven towards the city by alpacoids. Among those transporting goods were businessmen and farmers from surrounding villages, as well as dock workers and local craftsmen.
Lu Zhiyu followed the waves of people into the city. The Kingdom of Mara was located in the forest and had many swampy areas. Although it had a lot of land, its population was comparatively low.
Most of its territories were ruled by autonomous lords. The status of the King of Mara Kingdom was basically equivalent to that of a lord of a large territory. Other than Babus, the other territories were only nominally allegiant to the king.
As such, the strength of the Kingdom of Mara was on a completely different scale versus countries like the Crete Empire and the Kingdom of Rosa d’Oro. Even if they fought with a small duchy, like the Duchy of Gracchus Principality, it was likely that they would be defeated in a war.
But, once the kingdom reached a state of crisis, the nobles would unite together to fight the foreign threat. As such, even the Kingdom of Rosa d’Oro would not dare to fight the entire Kingdom of Mara.
Babus was the largest city in the Kingdom of Mara, and was also its trading capital and commercial port. As such, a large amount of wealth flowed into the city of Babus, making its ruling family, the Monar family, the richest within the kingdom. Thus, they also became the royal family of the Kingdom of Mara, as their ties to trade supported and maintained their rule over the country.
“Move aside, move aside! Don’t block the path.”
“Step aside!”
A group of knights, who were guarding a carriage, were passing through the Babus Bridge. These knights were fully armored and wore silver helmets. They were the elite force, and as they passed by, a path was immediately cleared for them. Then, the luxurious carriage entered the city under their watch.
“Who is it?”
“Didn’t you see the insignia? It’s the royal family, the Monar family!”
“It was probably a prince or princess!”
“Which Royal Highness has returned this time? The king is still quite healthy. Why did they come back? Isn’t that the equivalent to giving up their inheritances?”
“Shhh, don’t gossip lightly about the royal family!”
Ever since the previous generation came to rule, the Monar royal family would send all of its heirs away to govern their own areas. Regardless of his or her gender, only the most capable heir would gain the throne.
Rumors said that the Monar family had created the system while it was faltering. At that time, King Charisse hoped to stabilize the situation by encouraging his descendants to continue to expand the influence of the royal family, so that, eventually, all of the kingdom would truly be under the rule of the Monars.
The current king was quite old. Although he was still in excellent health, the battle for the succession of the throne had already begun. Lu Zhiyu looked at the carriage and felt an unusual shift within the atmosphere.
“A ghoul? How interesting!”
Lu Zhiyu could sense that the carriage was holding a woman in her twenties. Her outer appearance was normal, and she was clearly breathing, which showed proof of life. Yet, Lu Zhiyu could not feel her consciousness.
Others may be confused over such an odd occurrence, yet the ghoul was originally created by Lu Zhiyu. As such, Lu Zhiyu immediately discerned what had happened to the woman. She was obviously a ghoul!
He hadn’t expected anyone to transplant the bloodline of the ghoul, as this bloodline had a higher rejection rate, when compared to ordinary magical beast bloodlines. Moreover, even if the transplant succeeded, it had huge side effects!
First of all, the transplant recipient would slowly become a corpse, as they gradually lost all kinds of sensations that a normal human should have. These losses ranged from the senses of taste and touch to the ability to procreate, even various desires were gradually lost.
As such, Lu Zhiyu had not expected that any wizard would actually attempt it. Yet, he thought that this kind of decision was also somewhat reasonable. For wizards, the exploration of strength and knowledge was the most important thing. Everything else was secondary for them.
He took a boat through the city. After docking, Lu Zhiyu entered a hotel. After booking a room, he asked the boss, “When is the next ship sailing to the Crete Empire?”
The chubby innkeeper, who was also responsible for the shipping business, hurried to look at the schedule. “Well, there will be a boat leaving for the Crete Empire in two weeks, but it may be two days late. Do you want to book a ticket? In the meantime, you can enjoy your time in Babus. It is truly a paradise, as there are all kinds of…”