Book 3: Chapter 301: An Old Acquaintance from Regas

Time flowed slowly, and a year had already passed since Sylutia returned to the Hidden Grove.

During this year, with the support of the Hidden Grove Alliance, the main railway line connecting the central and southern parts of the continent had officially broken ground, gradually entering a stable and orderly construction phase.

Nearly half of the mage team that had followed Sylutia here were now busy with this massive project. They had been divided into five construction crews working simultaneously, with the entire line expected to be connected within five years.

This project attracted considerable attention. During construction, the conscription of local residents to assist had also brought significant economic prosperity to the area. Many children from impoverished families envied the working conditions offered by the project, so during their spare time, the construction crews would set up mobile schools where some mage apprentices provided basic education to these children.

If any child showed particular talent, they could pass an assessment after their studies and be absorbed into the construction teams as apprentice assistants. This was far better than staying home to farm or tend sheep while paying taxes to the local lord.

Although some lords resented the loss of manpower, they dared not complain in the face of these powerful mages, let alone openly obstruct them.

In this way, the construction teams grew larger and larger, also attracting itinerant peddlers and merchant caravans who provided various daily necessities on a long-term basis.

Compared to the nobles of the small nations within the Hidden Grove Alliance, the mages were far wealthier and spent money generously, which allowed the merchants and peddlers to earn considerable profits while also spreading many novel goods from the Mage Alliance to the various nations of the Hidden Grove Alliance.

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Among these, luxurious and fashionable clothing was particularly popular among nobles everywhere, while highly effective medicines became fashionable in many tribes and villages. In addition, finely crafted weapons, armor, and firearms were also favored by combat professionals.

These goods stirred waves in relatively closed-off nations, and many people began to realize just how vast this world truly was. Beyond their own small towns existed distant and prosperous kingdoms.

Furthermore, the construction process gradually broke down the restrictive environments of many feudal micro-states.

Originally, in some countries, local residents were not allowed to leave their villages or towns freely. Traveling elsewhere required permits or special status. But because the railway construction required conscripting many laborers, this rule was gradually eroded. Many people entered the temporary living zones of the construction projects and never left. Local lords could not enter to seize them and could only watch helplessly as they slipped out from under their jurisdiction.

Some nobles began to complain, but just as many were pleased, because trade and the economy developed rapidly in areas where the railway was being built. Tax revenues were much better than before, and they also enjoyed the many new things coming from the Mage Alliance.

Faced with this situation, the high-ranking members of the Hidden Grove Alliance had also held discussions.

Anyone sitting in such a position could not be foolish. It was easy to foresee that such developments would impact the nations of the Hidden Grove Alliance, ultimately triggering numerous changes.

But they also knew this change was inevitable, merely a matter of sooner or later.

Compared to several hundred years ago, the nations of the Hidden Grove Alliance had not declined on a large scale. In fact, thanks to integration over the past few decades, they had developed somewhat better. Yet they were also well aware that they still could not match the Mage Alliance.

There were many feudal nations, and over the years, while studying the development path of the Mage Alliance, they had come to realize this.

Moreover, they envied how the Mage Alliance could directly control personnel and financial power across its vast territory, easily mobilizing manpower and resources from various regions. In the Hidden Grove Alliance, by contrast, the Alliance's power remained limited, constrained by the kings and nobles of each region, making unified action difficult.

Now, in the eyes of the Hidden Grove Alliance's high-ranking members, building the railway was indeed an excellent entry point, gradually breaking down the closed environments of various regions and allowing the Alliance's personnel and influence to slowly extend into the cities and villages below.

In the past, although the Hidden Grove Alliance controlled the high-level power of the southern continent, their operational territory and the headquarters of various factions were mostly located in the Shadow World. One reason was that this placed them closer to the various secret realms, facilitating exploration and resource acquisition. Another was that the surface continent had already been completely divided among the various nations, and carving out an entirely new territory would be time-consuming and laborious, so they could not be bothered to invest much effort in governing it.

Looking at it now, without a convenient bureaucratic civil service system to replace the old noble system, there was no need to worry about power being intercepted by the old nobles, which would have been a terrible mistake.

Thus, with the tacit approval of the Hidden Grove Alliance's mid and low-level members, this change was not restrained or halted, but instead expanded rapidly.

.....

In July, Sylutia arrived at the royal palace of the Kingdom of Komea.

"Welcome, Lady Ya." Queen Mursa, dressed in a white-based gown with blue trim, greeted her, her bearing elegant and dignified.

"No need for such formality, Mursa." Sylutia shook her head, then her gaze passed over Queen Mursa to the people standing beside her.

Solyn, now in his thirties, stood in full steel armor. He had grown a short beard, and at his side, a small child of about eight years old was curiously clutching the corner of his crimson cape, sneaking glances at Sylutia.

On the other side stood Karen, clad in light hunting armor. Her pure white garments and emerald cape complemented each other, making her look dashing and valiant.

Not only had she encountered these two old acquaintances who had taken up positions in the Kingdom of Komea before leaving, Sylutia was also surprised to see that Ray was among the welcoming party this time, waving at her.

"Ya~" She greeted her just as warmly and familiarly as ever, even jumping up and down with unrestrained joy.

After the greetings, Queen Mursa led Sylutia to the palace dining hall for a meal, then recounted the events of the past years.

"Roughly three years after Ti Ya left, the Kingdom of Ante in the north was completely annexed by the Winter Kingdom. After that, the Winter Kingdom continued fighting against the Eagle-Scorpion Khanate." Queen Mursa narrated the past events.

"At the time, the Eagle-Scorpion Khanate felt it could not stand alone, so it invited the barbarian tribes of the Granite Mountains to join the

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"Although the Winter Kingdom's army was superior, due to prolonged expeditionary warfare and the fact that the Kingdom of Ante had only just been conquered, its rule was unstable and logistics were strained, making the war situation far from favorable."

"It was at this point that the Winter Kingdom's representatives extended an invitation to us, hoping we could provide assistance, supply food, and help defend parts of the front line."

"After deliberating with my ministers, I agreed to this invitation. Over the following three years, we fought alongside the Winter Kingdom against the Eagle-Scorpion Khanate and the mountain barbarians."

"Three years later, the two sides formally ceased hostilities, redrew the borders, and the situation gradually stabilized."

"Two years after that, through the mediation of the Hidden Grove Alliance, many nations founded upon knighthood formed a common pact. Both our Regas and the Winter Kingdom joined this covenant, known as the 'Knight Sanctum.'"

"Now, every year, the 'Knight Sanctum' recruits promising youths from various villages and towns to join the knight reserve training. After three years of study, if they pass, they can report to the local youth cavalry regiment."

"The youth cavalry regiments under the 'Knight Sanctum' are jointly funded by the covenant organization and the member nations. They maintain local law and order in peacetime, clearing out monsters and bandits. When the 'Round Table Council' issues a decree, they also answer the call to arms and fight against the covenant's common enemies."

"Additionally, those who serve in the youth cavalry regiments for more than three years may participate in the recruitment assessments of various knight schools. If they pass, they are absorbed as school members and receive considerable rewards."

Solyn had now joined the 'Crimson Blood Dragon Knight' school, a knight school that pursued the 'Dragon Blood Knight' as its advancement goal. Practitioners of this school who reached Sixth Tier could obtain the Dragon Eye Aspect through a ritual. However, the drawback was that when advancing to Fifth Tier, they could only advance with a single Aspect, making them weaker than other professions at the same rank.

Komea's 'Slumbering Winter Cottage' had also become a small school under the 'Incantation Forest.' According to Komea, three years ago, their school had finally gained a powerful Fifth Tier witch, and they were no longer an obscure existence.

Komea herself had now stepped into the Third Tier, becoming a full-fledged witch. She said she had already started mentoring her juniors, and many newly joined apprentice witches in the faction called her Sister Komea, which filled her with immense joy and pride.

Since the reconstruction of the Kingdom of Regas, Yero had been busy with various affairs. He had originally planned to advance through the 'Secret Word' path, but due to his official duties, he had accumulated a considerable amount of 'Castle' Aspect instead. In the end, he simply advanced along the 'Castle' path and was now the kingdom's chancellor, with the rank of 'Fourth Tier - Castle.'

Ray had opened his own blacksmith shop in Scorchstone City. Although he was still only 'Second Tier,' his superb craftsmanship had earned him a comfortable life. He had married, had children, and enjoyed a happy family.

After chatting with the group for a while, Sylutia curiously asked about Mick's whereabouts.

"I heard some news about him a few years ago. Apparently, he joined a team for an extremely perilous treasure-hunting expedition. During the journey, one of his arms was severely injured. After returning, he was dejected for a while, then shouldered his sword and set off on another journey. No one knows where he is now." Komea shook her head.

Speaking of this, Komea suddenly remembered something. She ran back to her room in the palace, rummaged out a letter, then ran back and handed it to Sylutia.

"This is a letter from Instructor Heide for Ti Ya."

Hearing that it was from Scholar Hyde, Sylutia accepted it in surprise, carefully opened it, drew out the paper within, and slowly read it.

It turned out that before Scholar Hyde had left Scorchstone City, he had originally planned to settle in a quiet place and spend the remaining years of his life organizing his researched materials into a book, as his final work.

Unexpectedly, a few years ago, he discovered to his surprise that before he had even finished writing his book, he had accumulated a considerable amount of 'Secret Word' Aspect. Only afterward did he learn from a friend about Sylutia's reputation within the Hidden Grove Alliance.

Because of the Darkmist Mountains incident, Sylutia had become a legend in the Hidden Grove Alliance. Even Scholar Hyde had been affected by the 'Secret Word' Aspect, and the rank that had been stuck for most of his life had quietly risen to the Third Tier.

This unexpected blessing filled him with deep emotion. Subsequently, representatives of the Hidden Grove Alliance also found him and granted him two life-extending magic potions, in recognition of the old man's contribution in discovering a rare talent like 'Sylutia.'

The 'Elder's Potion' could freeze Scholar Hyde's body at the state of seventy years old, preventing further aging and maintaining that condition for seventeen years.

The 'Withered Tree Potion' could cause the body to undergo 'arborification,' extending life by seventeen years. The side effect was that the body would irreversibly become withered and shriveled until it eventually transformed completely into a dead tree.

Life-extending magic potions could generally only take effect once, and some even conflicted with each other, making repeated consumption ineffective. With these two potions, Scholar Hyde had gained at least thirty or more additional years of life, which could be said to have greatly compensated for his past regrets.

After taking the 'Elder's Potion,' Scholar Hyde deeply appreciated the preciousness of life. He no longer remained in seclusion in that remote countryside. Instead, he took his letter of recommendation to 'Candlekeep,' officially joining that school and fulfilling the wish of his youth.

He planned to spend five years studying at Candlekeep, supplementing the knowledge courses he had missed, then use the remaining time to travel the continent. When his body was no longer fit for travel, he would return home and, with a withered-tree-like body, write down his lifelong travels and experiences into a book.

Finally, before departing, he had written his plans and gratitude into a letter, entrusted it to someone to deliver to Regas, and placed it in Komea's hands.

"He originally wanted to mail it directly to you, but Ti Ya's whereabouts are too mysterious, so the instructor could only send it to me and ask me to pass it on to you." Komea explained.

"So that's how it is." Sylutia finished reading the letter, also filled with deep emotion.

Recalling and calculating, Scholar Hyde had probably already finished his studies at Candlekeep by now and set off on his travels. However, during the Sinking Fog season, everywhere became dangerous, and she hoped the instructor would ultimately return safely.

After the evening banquet, the group sat together in the palace's side hall, chatting idly. The fireplace in the room blazed, its crimson light and warmth illuminating their faces. They each recounted their experiences and thoughts over the years, and time passed without notice, until the sky outside the window grew pale once more and the morning birds began to sing.

"Wow, it's already dawn? A whole night passed just like that?" Komea's voice was still full of energy as she hopped about.

As a witch, her appearance had changed little from the past. Dressed in a white-and-blue fur-trimmed winter gown, she looked very lively.

Karen, sitting to the side, was far more composed. As the commander of the Regas bow-cavalry, she had served for over a decade, and her bearing was steady and calm.

While the others were talking, Sylutia glanced at Queen Mursa, who was leaning against her chair. This beautiful queen had a head of dazzling golden hair, with several strands falling over her black lion-mane cloak, striking to the eye. Her eyes were now half-closed, seeming on the verge of sleep, evidently quite tired.

Compared to ten years ago, Mursa's figure had grown more mature, the former childishness completely faded, and a trace of condensed authority had appeared between her brows. Only in sleep did she reveal a hint of the vulnerability she had possessed as a princess.

Falling asleep, was she? Sylutia gently lifted Mursa in her arms, then had a palace maid lead the way to her private bedchamber.

Sitting by the bed, she tidied Mursa's hair, softly gave a few instructions to the maidservant to let Mursa rest quietly, then left the bedroom.

Walking through the corridors of the White Cliff City royal palace, Sylutia curiously observed her surroundings. Many things had changed compared to ten years ago.

The previously sparsely staffed palace had now regained its former glory. Every department was fully functional with ample personnel. Guards stood tall and upright, and occasionally a few members who recognized Sylutia would immediately snap to attention and salute upon seeing her, their expressions and movements often startling the newer guards.

"Princess Sylutia!"

It had been a long time since the young woman had heard such an address.