Back when they encountered the Two-headed ogre in the Moonlight Forest, it nearly wiped out their group. Duke and his companion had to fight with all their might to kill the ogre.
The two ogres guarding the city gate here are completely different from those of the Vera Kingdom, where ogres are generally three meters tall.
The two ogres before them are a full ten meters tall, projecting an overwhelming sense of oppression, with undoubtedly immense strength.
These two ogres appear to be the gate guards, constantly watching the comings and goings of people.
No one at the city gate seems to be conducting any inspections, as if anyone can come and go freely.
Duke speculated that there might either be some hidden methods of inspection or none was needed at all.
He felt the latter was more likely: as long as the forces within are strong, there’s no fear of anyone causing trouble.
As long as no one dares to cause trouble here, that’s when it’s truly safe.
After the pumpkin carriage entered the city, Duke and his companion leaned against the window, curiously observing the scenes outside.
Everywhere they looked, there were things and creatures they had never seen before.
"Is that... an elf?" Vivian noticed a young girl with pointy ears and transparent wings floating in the air, explaining something to the surrounding children, with a candy store behind her.
Duke also noticed there were many different types of creatures here, including even cavemen.
However, unlike the wild cavemen they had seen before, the cavemen here clearly displayed good intelligence, dressed decently and refrained from babbling.
The pumpkin carriage moved quickly through the city, the surrounding scenery constantly retreating, with the view ahead changing.
Duke found that, to his surprise, Dusk City had mountainous areas with exquisite manors built on many small hills. People were active inside, and faint sounds of music could be heard, as if a party was underway.
Grace’s manor was located here, and the pumpkin carriage wound its way up the mountain road to a small estate at the summit, softly illuminated with warm yellow light.
Once the pumpkin carriage arrived here, it stopped, and Weber said, "We’re here, you two."
"Thank you!" Duke and his companion thanked Weber once they got off the carriage for bringing them here.
Being newcomers, they maintained the most basic courtesy to everyone.
After disembarking, Duke looked back and could see the lights of countless homes below, with Dusk City glowing everywhere.
After parking the carriage, Weber led the two of them into the estate.
Duke noticed a patch of land to the right of the estate entrance, where various unknown plants were neatly arranged.
The leaves of these plants seemed alive, as they all appeared to turn towards them as they entered the estate, trembling continuously.
"That’s Troll Grass, which can be used to brew wine. Lady Grace is very fond of this wine and hence decided to grow some in the estate herself," Weber explained from the front.
Weber came to the door and bowed, saying, "My Lady, I’ve brought them."
"Hmm, let them in," Grace’s languid voice replied, reminiscent of the Summoning Ceremony.
Duke and his companion walked in immediately, seeing Grace sitting at the head of a long table, still wearing a purple bathrobe, with her long legs crossed and extending from underneath it.
"Lady Grace!" Duke and his companion greeted her with respect.
"Sit down." Grace smiled and glanced at Vivian.
The two of them obediently found seats on either side of the long table, facing a variety of exquisite dishes, glossy and emitting a rich aroma.
"How was it? Did you have fun at sea?" Grace asked.
"It was okay," Duke replied.
He pondered for a moment, thinking that if facing such a massive storm counted as play, then it was just okay.
Grace then turned to Vivian and said, "Vivian, take off your helmet. It’s a pity for such a lovely young girl to be cooped up in an iron pot all day."
Vivian obediently removed her helmet, her golden hair cascading down like a waterfall, revealing a flawless face.
"Seeing you in person, you are even more adorable," Grace admired Vivian even more, wanting to pinch her cheeks.
She then said, "As promised, I will take you as my student. You’ll have to work hard from now on."
"Lady Grace, I will definitely work hard and not let you down," Vivian nodded earnestly.
She glanced at Duke across the table, seemingly contemplating something.
Grace directly stated: "Don’t even think about it. Taking Duke in would only bring trouble for me. I can bring you in because I know your background; if you cause any trouble, I can take responsibility."
"But I can’t guarantee that for Duke; he holds a token of the Black Sail. If he enters the Thorn Tower and something happens later, I don’t want to bear that responsibility."
Though Grace held a high status within the Thorn Tower, such a position required her to be accountable for her actions.
To her, it’s unnecessary to take on potential troubles for a stranger like Duke.
"Lady Grace has already helped us plenty. I am also very grateful to her; if there’s anything you need from me in the future, just let me know," Duke expressed his gratitude.
Grace nodded and said, "I have already contacted someone from Black Sail for you. They’ll come to take you tomorrow."
"Thank you, my Lady!" Duke thanked her once more.
"Don’t be too happy just yet; although Black Sail is a powerful organization, it’s not an easy place to be. Originally sea pirates, they were once a notorious Black Wizard organization."
"Even though it’s not the same now, their training methods are still not gentle. However, if you can make it through, you’ll experience significant growth. So, work hard, young man."
"Don’t let Vivian outpace you too much, or that wouldn’t be good," Grace remarked with a hint of something in her tone as she sipped her red wine.
Duke thought about it and understood her meaning. After becoming Grace’s student, Vivian’s growth would undoubtedly outpace that of typical Wizard Apprentices.
If he doesn’t accelerate his pace, the gap between him and Vivian will only increase.
Once the gap becomes too large, they’ll drift further apart.
Creatures from different worlds seldom share common ground.
Grace becoming Vivian’s mentor also meant becoming her second parent.
She naturally set tests for Duke as well since not everything was up to Vivian alone.
"I will give it my all," Duke nodded silently.
Then it was time for dinner, mostly with Grace speaking while Duke and his companion listened quietly, learning various basics they needed to keep in mind.
They would be spending the night in this estate, parting ways to their respective destinations tomorrow.
Duke was to head to Black Sail, while Vivian would begin her studies at the Thorn Tower.