As Leon and the others passed through the academy gates, the spies that were following them left the area. Whoever had been following them seemed content once the group returned within academy grounds.
The five walked side by side, weaving their way around the dormitories until they found a secluded corner near one of the older buildings.
Leon glanced around once to be sure they were alone, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the spatial ring Arthur had handed him.
"Well," he said, "Let's see what's inside."
He inspected the ring and only saw a large rectangular box inside it, about the size of a small suitcase. He took it out and placed it in front of them.
Finn leaned forward, and urged. "Open it already!"
Leon popped the clasp and lifted the lid, and the group peered inside.
On one side of the box, nestled in cushions, were ten small fruits. The mana radiating off them was unmistakably pure and dense.
In a separate compartment at the side, fifteen glass vials were stacked neatly in three rows, each filled with a silver-blue liquid.
At the center lay a neatly folded piece of paper. Finn snatched it up, unfolded it, and read aloud.
"There are ten fruits which will help you with improving your cultivation, and the vials contain potions that can help you recover from serious injury in less than a minute. Use them wisely." - Arthur
Finn's jaw dropped slightly. "Whoa… these came at the perfect time."
The others nodded in agreement. The fruits alone were worth a fortune, from how dense the mana they sensed from them, even a single one could shave weeks off their cultivation effort. It was the best gift they could receive before their entry into the Ancient Realm.
They distributed the items evenly, each taking two fruits, and three vials of potion.
Eva inspected one of the vials and smiled faintly. "He even thought of these recovery potions. Potions with this kind of efficacy are quite rare."
Sophia nodded. "He is always looking out for everyone else."
After stashing the items safely, they returned to their dorms, ready to give their best to not let Arthur's gift go to waste.
…
Meanwhile in Avalon…
The next morning Arthur was standing in front of the glass window on the upper floor of the central tower overlooking the city. The morning light spilled across the cityscape, casting long shadows over the roads.
When suddenly he felt a familiar presence appear behind him.
"I sensed you weren't in Brightwater," said a voice.
He didn't need to look back to know who it was.
Selene stepped beside him, her gaze shifting to the view outside the window.
"Where is this place?" she asked quietly as she looked at his side profile.
Arthur finally looked at her, offering a small smile. "It's a city I'm building."
Selene placed her hand against the glass, staring down at the city and the people going about their morning routines.
"This place looks beautiful," she said. "I haven't seen a city like this before. I've only heard about places like this in grandpa's stories."
Arthur nodded. "Hmm… wait, what?" He looked at her, surprised, as if he'd just realized something from her words.
Selene turned to him with a soft laugh. "Why do you look so surprised?" she asked.
Arthur asked, confused, "How does Steve even know about a city like this?"
Then realization hit him. "…Wait a second." He stared at her. "Don't tell me you're about to say what I think you are…"
"Yup." She smirked. "Grandpa is the forgotten hero I talked about before."
Arthur stared, dumbfounded. "Seriously? Steve is that guy?"
"Hmph. Took you long enough to figure it out," Selene said with mock disappointment.
Arthur shrugged, still processing. "Well… how would I know if you don't tell me?"
Selene rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. "Yeah, yeah. Enough chit-chat. Now you're giving me a tour, I want to explore the city."
Arthur sighed dramatically as she dragged him out of the room. "At least let me finish my coffee first…"
…
The next hour passed in a blur as Arthur guided Selene through the city while answering her never ending questions.
Arthur answered them all with surprising patience, explaining the functions of the architecture, the synthezoids, guard bots stationed throughout the city and more.
Residents nearby paused to watch them now and then, quietly whispering amongst themselves.
Only if they knew the residents have already labeled them as a couple on a date after seeing how they behaved with each other without even knowing.
Arthur, of course, remained completely oblivious to that.
Eventually, they arrived in front of the orphanage building nestled in the education and welfare zone.
As they entered, the first thing they heard was the children's laughter.
Selene spotted a small girl darting down the hallway.
"Awuthur!" Lisa squealed, running up towards them.
Selene immediately picked her up. "Oh my god! Who is this cutie?!"
She proceeded to smother the child with cheek pinches and tickles, making Lisa giggle uncontrollably.
Arthur leaned against the wall, watching the scene in front of him with a soft smile and shook his head.
"Alright, alright," he eventually said. "I need to head out for a bit."
Selene looked up from where she was spinning Lisa around. "Where to?"
"I have a few things to check in a city nearby."
Selene placed Lisa back down and straightened up. "Then I'm coming with you."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You're free today?"
"I am now." Selene replied.
Just then, Lisa tugged at Arthur's pants. He looked down to see her giving him puppy eyes.
"Awuthur… I want to go too."
He sighed. "…Fine," he relented, especially after catching the look Selene was giving him.
Arthur then changed into his disguise as Theodore Belmont.
Selene tilted her head, giving him a strange look. "Why the disguise?"
Arthur sighed, then explained what had happened in Brightwater, his arrest, escape, the aftermath, and how the Church and the Count had twisted the narrative against him.
Selene's gaze hardened, she looked at Arthur and said, "You did nothing wrong...The humans never change."
She looked away, her voice tight. "They did the same to grandpa, calling him a monster and betrayer. Just because he fought against their corruption."
Then she glanced back at Arthur. "But it's not just humans. Even among dragons, they scheme and backstab each other for power. It's an inherent trait of all intelligent species."
Arthur nodded slowly. "I know."
He looked toward the horizon and said. "Come on, let's go."
The two of them rose into the sky after picking up Lisa, and flew east, toward the port city of Navarre.
…
Arthur, Selene, and Lisa soared above the ocean leading into Navarre.
Arthur slowed mid-air just before they reached the port of Navarre. "Wait for a moment."
Selene, hovering beside him, glanced over. "What is it?"
Instead of replying, Arthur pulled out a medium sized cargo ship from his dimensional storage, he then gently lowered it toward the water below.
The ship has engines which run on mana, it was one of the latest research by the guardian, using mana to power constructs. Though the research is still in progress.
Selene looked at the ship from above and asked. "What is it for?"
Arthur turned to her as the ship settled on the water with barely a splash. "I will be using it to bring supplies to the city. And I also have plans to sell these ships to kickstart the economy of our city."
They both landed softly on the deck, Arthur setting Lisa down.
He guided them to the bridge, where he activated the main console. The ship rumbled gently to life, the turbines spinning deep below the deck. From there, they slowly steered the vessel toward the harbor of Navarre.
…
As they entered Navarre's port, the sleek metal ship immediately drew attention.
Dock workers paused mid-haul, sailors craned their necks, and even a few merchants walking along the boardwalk stopped in their tracks.
Most of them have never seen a ship like it, as mostly they use wooden ships to transport goods, so when they saw a sleek ship made of metal approach the harbor they started excitedly discussing it.
"What kind of ship is that?"
"It's made of metal! Aren't those types of ships used by the royal navy?"
A merchant asked. "I don't see any sails attached to it. How does it work?"
"Maybe it runs on mana?" A sailor answered.
Arthur guided the ship to a clear docking space, flipped a lever, and slowly brought it to a halt. He activated the anchors, gently pulling it into place.
He stepped off the gangplank, Lisa riding on his shoulders and Selene at his side. As they reached the end of the dock, Arthur tossed a gold coin toward a nearby guard who was staring wide-eyed at the ship.
"Look after it, will you?" Arthur said casually.
The guard caught the coin, nearly fumbling it. "Y-Yes, sir!" he stammered, staring blankly at the group as they left the harbor. He'd never been tipped that much in one go, certainly not just for watching over a boat.
Arthur and Selene walked through the port and made their way toward the Merchant Guild building. Once inside, the receptionist, recognizing Arthur's face, or rather, Theodore Belmont's face, politely gestured them up to the guildmaster's office.
Isolde was already waiting for Arthur to arrive.
She stood when they entered, brushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "Theodore," she said, then glanced at Selene and Lisa and greeted them too.
Isolde then stepped forward. "I just heard rumors of a strange-looking ship docking at the port." She arched an eyebrow. "Was that yours?"
Arthur gestured back toward the harbor. "Why don't we go and take a look?"
…
A few minutes later, they stood on the dock again, Isolde gazing up at the metallic vessel in front of her.
"You have quite a nice ship there," she said, clearly impressed. "Where did you get it from?"
Arthur looked slightly smug. "Well...it's actually me who made it."
Isolde turned sharply toward him. "You built this?"
He nodded. "Designed with help, of course. It's part of a project I've been working on."
She walked up the gangplank, inspecting the material and finishing. "I don't see any sails attached to it… How does it run?"
Arthur led her inside to the engine room and explained the workings. "It's pretty simple actually. It doesn't need sails or external magic arrays. The engine uses mana to convert water into high-pressure steam, which then runs through a turbine system which helps in propelling the ship forward."
Isolde examined the fittings and turbine casing. She was amazed, she had seen ships used by various kingdoms which also used mana to work, but she had never heard of a ship which used such a simple mechanism without complex runes to run on mana.
She straightened, folding her arms thoughtfully. "Are you by any chance willing to sell one?"
Arthur nodded. "Sure, at the right price."
Isolde smiled faintly. "How about this? I'll help spread word about your ships within my circles, and you will sell me these cargo ships at a discounted price."
Arthur gave it a moment of thought, then replied, "Alright. I will give you a twenty percent discount on the price. A model like this one, costs about twenty five thousand gold coins. But for you, I'll sell it for twenty thousand."
Isolde blinked. "That's still steep."
Arthur shrugged. "It's worth more than that. This ship can haul more cargo than three traditional vessels combined. It's armored enough to withstand pirate attacks, and it's weather resistant and would last much longer."
Isolde nodded slowly. "Fair enough. When can you deliver one if I order one now?"
"If you place the order now, I can deliver it in a few days. A week, at most."
She offered her hand. "It's a deal then."
Arthur shook it, sealing the agreement with a simple nod.
Isolde called over a group of porters and directed them to begin transferring goods from the guild's storage into Arthur's ship. As they worked, she turned back to him.
"Will you be available tomorrow? I'll be meeting a few other guildmasters from neighboring cities tomorrow. I need to discuss it with them before I order one."
Arthur smiled. "I'll be around."
With the deal done, Arthur turned to Selene. "Want to check out the city before we head back?"
Selene's eyes lit up. "I thought you'd never ask."
Arthur rolled his eyes and gestured for her and Lisa to follow.
They disappeared into the streets of Navarre, leaving the dock behind and a group of people still marveling at the ship.
***
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