Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Chapter 416 - 390: The Uninvited Guests of Wubei Territory

Hammett considered himself to have seen his fair share of beautiful women, from graceful noblewomen to captivating songstresses, but the woman leading the group on the deck still took his breath away.

Her face was like the finest, newly-fired porcelain from Grey Soil Village—fair and delicate, exuding an innate air of nobility.

Her eyes were deep and bright, like the most brilliant stars in the night sky, twinkling with wisdom and friendliness.

And her magnificent, sky-blue robe beautifully accentuated her exquisite figure.

Hammett was reminded of Princess Blanche, whom he’d seen at a banquet in Wushan Castle. She was also incredibly beautiful and charming, but she was the gentle, innocent type. The woman before him seemed more mature.

The woman didn’t seem angered by Hammett’s stare. "Brave Knight, we’ve gotten lost at sea. Could you tell us where we are?"

Hammett snapped back to reality, realizing his gaffe, and quickly composed himself.

"My lady, this is the territory of Count Ronin. I am Hammett, Baron of Thorn Town, temporarily responsible for the security here."

He introduced himself politely, then asked, "And where might you be from?"

As he spoke, he sized up the four people beside the woman.

One of them, another woman, was wearing light armor. Though not as beautiful as the one who had spoken, she had a neat, capable look about her and a valiant aura.

Hammett was inwardly alarmed by the remaining three. These men were all powerfully built, and though their faces were weary from the voyage, they still radiated an extraordinary aura.

’A group like this, with such a strange ship...’ Hammett concluded they must be from some great house.

The five people on the deck conferred quietly for a moment before the woman spoke again.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Baron Hammett. You can call me Sophia."

She introduced herself. "Would it be possible to arrange an introduction to your Lord, Count Ronin? We would like to resupply in his territory and hopefully purchase some materials to repair our ship."

"Well..."

Hammett hesitated. He was only here helping Vitorino; he wasn’t one of Ronin’s direct followers.

However, showing a few people around the territory wasn’t a big deal. Wubei Territory welcomed people from all corners and had never forbidden entry to strangers.

Besides, they intended to make purchases, which would generate revenue for Wubei Territory.

"I can take you there."

Hammett said, "However, Count Ronin is not currently in the territory. You can meet with Lord Elron first. He is one of the administrators of Wubei Territory, and he can decide whether to arrange for you to meet the Count."

"Then we thank you!"

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

"It’s a long way to Swamp Town from here, and walking is too slow. I’ll have someone bring four horses for you; it’ll be quicker."

The cavalrymen under Hammett’s command were staying for a few more days, so borrowing some of their horses wouldn’t be an issue.

But before he could give the order, the woman raised a hand to stop him.

"That won’t be necessary, Baron Hammett. We’ll take the Flying Carpet."

"What?"

Hammett asked instinctively, then realized she had said "Flying Carpet."

’But what was a Flying Carpet?’

’A carpet that flies?’

A long, scroll-like object appeared in Sophia’s hand.

With a surge of Magic Power, the rolled-up carpet floated into the air. Then, with a sudden UNFURL, it spread out, covering an area of a dozen or so square meters.

Hammett and all his men stared wide-eyed, watching the Flying Carpet slowly descend to their feet. They were too shocked to speak.

"Let’s go," Sophia said, stepping onto the Flying Carpet first.

Her Personal Guard Officer followed, then the two accompanying Knights.

After boarding the Flying Carpet, they found places to sit cross-legged.

Hammett was nervous, but not wanting to lose face, he stepped onto it as well.

It looked like a carpet, but stepping on it felt like treading on solid ground.

’Incredible,’

he thought, following their example and finding a place to sit.

WHOOSH!

The Flying Carpet shot into the air. Hammett instinctively clenched his fists. He glanced down at the ground, watching Wubei Port grow smaller and smaller.

The great height made him dizzy.

Sophia and her three companions took note of Hammett’s reaction. They couldn’t understand what was so nerve-wracking about a Magic Flying Carpet, which was a fairly common means of air travel.

"Baron Hammett, if you would please show us the way."

"Oh, oh, right! Of course!"

Hammett snapped out of his daze. "We just need to head southwest for now."

The Flying Carpet wasn’t as fast as a Giant Dragon, of course, but it was still leagues faster than a horse on the ground.

Before long, they arrived at Swamp Town and made their way toward Swamp Castle.

"This... is a Count’s territory?"

Sophia’s tone was filled with disbelief. She found it hard to associate such a dilapidated place with a Count.

The female knight beside her commented, "It feels like we’ve arrived in one of the small towns outside Dark Moon City."

"Don’t be ridiculous, Anilu. My home is in the swamp town outside Dark Moon City, and the houses there are much neater and newer than these. At best, this place looks like a wilderness outpost."

Hammett listened as they walked, racking his brain for any information about Dark Moon City or "the swamp town," but he came up with nothing. ’Perhaps they’re from the distant Gistana Duchy?’

Although he didn’t know where Dark Moon City was, Hammett understood they were saying Ronin’s territory was rundown.

’Rundown?’

’It was a little, I suppose, but still decent. At least it was in better shape than his own territory, Thorn Town.’

"You don’t understand. The year before last, Ronin was just a minor Baron of a small town in the mountains. Now, he’s not only the Count of Wushan Territory but also the Baron of Rapids Island, an honor bestowed by His Majesty himself. He’s also the Flame Knight, champion of the grand knight tournament."

"He’s been a Count for less than a year, and he has poured all his time and energy into developing new land. Where would he find the time and energy to renovate all these buildings?"

"Oh?"

Sophia’s expression turned to one of surprised suspicion. ’To accomplish so much in two years... this Count Ronin must be extraordinary. We have to meet him now, more than ever.’

"Could you tell us more about Count Ronin in detail?"

"Haha, it would be my pleasure, Miss Sophia!"

Hammett launched into the story, starting from Ronin’s days as an ignorant good-for-nothing, to how he got into Reisen, how he slew the leader of the Polante Thief Gang, and so on.

Sophia’s brow furrowed as she listened.

As Hammett entered Swamp Castle to make his report, she whispered, "To go from a commoner to a Silver Knight in just two years... that rate of advancement is impossible, even with Magic Potions."

"Indeed. There’s something strange about this Ronin."

Anilu nodded. "As far as I know, the only ones who can increase their power Level that quickly have abilities much like those of the Witch Soul Race."

Her words shocked the others.

"Are you saying this Ronin is already one of the Witch Soul Race?"

The very reason they had set out to sea was that they had received news that their enemy had arrived on this continent.

If Ronin had become one of the Witch Soul Race two years ago, that meant their mission was already at least two years behind schedule.

"It’s a possibility!"

Sophia nodded. "We need to be careful when we meet Ronin."