125: Arrival in Etheria (4000 words)

As night fell, soft, pale blue moonlight spilled over a sea of colorful tulips.

Although winter was approaching, the tulips within the Tulip Territory were blooming in dazzling splendor.

Unlike those from his previous life, these tulips that could bloom in winter were a variety unique to this world.

A gentle breeze blew past, and the faint fragrance emitted by the tulips drifted into the nostrils of Lister and his group, refreshing their spirits.

After seven days of traveling at full speed, Lister and his party finally entered the borders of the Tulip Territory.

According to the autonomous laws within the Tulip Territory, their group of knights, being within the limited number, could enter the Tulip Territory directly without reporting.

However, because it was too late and they were still some distance from Aetheria, Lister ordered a rest for the night.

But regardless of the travel, he and Red and the others did not neglect their cultivation.

Taking advantage of the tireless cultivation during their breaks over the past few days, the four Full Knights in the group—himself, Red, Spartacus, and Sejin—had all made breakthroughs.

And among the five Apprentice Knights they brought along, two had also successfully advanced to Full Knights.

Besides that, based on the somewhat useful divination information from the past few days.

He learned that the five people left behind in the territory—Locke, Dewey, Langman, Buck, and Hill—had also successfully broken through.

Furthermore, five more Apprentice Knights had successfully advanced to Full Knights.

While feeling incredibly pleasantly surprised, he could not help but grumble to himself.

"Why is it that when I was in the territory, there were no such large-scale breakthroughs, but as soon as I left, they exploded in such a burst?"

"It cannot be that I sucked up all the good luck of the Ironthorn Territory, right?"

Of course, this was just Lister's wild speculation; the truth was that when he was in the territory.

Those Apprentice Knights had only recently been selected, and their talent was not as extraordinary as those like Aier, so naturally, they could not advance so quickly.

Like Locke and the others, they were the 'products' of accumulating bit by bit, finally reaping the results of their long-term efforts.

But regardless, his power had grown a bit stronger, which was, in any case, a fantastic thing.

Taking the roasted meat handed to him by Red, Lister took a sip of hot milk and began to eat.

Soon, the warmth brought by the food spread completely through his stomach.

The biting chill that had been sneaking in through the gaps in the tent in the middle of the night to assault his entire body also dissipated instantly.

After eating a hearty meal and cultivating for a while, Lister moved his mind, and three divination messages slowly appeared before his eyes.

【Divination 1: The family caravan sent by Kim to the Ironthorn Territory accidentally encountered a small flood while passing through a territory on the way; fortunately, it only delayed their travel time, and there were no casualties.】

【Divination 2: The Aetheria Birthday Ceremony is approaching, and there are undercurrents moving within the Tulip Territory; some people of unknown identity will take the opportunity to create chaos.】

【Divination 3: The day after tomorrow afternoon, during the celebration parade, Earl Joseph's illegitimate son, Morris Joseph, will be secretly attacked by a mage dispatched by Viscount Mandel and will die suddenly. Viscount Mandel's action stems from both personal enmity and the instigation of the Dark Church.】

A flood!

Lister's eyes narrowed, but he relaxed immediately after.

Fortunately, it was just a small flood; generally, such floods happen from time to time in many territories throughout the year.

Therefore, these territories would have built protective measures, so it would not cause too much loss.

With the protection of Carlyle and the others in the caravan, as long as they did not encounter it head-on, saving their lives would not be a problem.

Without paying too much attention, Lister looked at the next two divination messages.

His face, which had calmed down, furrowed in a frown once again.

Creating chaos! Earl's illegitimate son dies suddenly! The Dark Church!

"How is it that he just arrived in the Tulip Territory, and this kind of thing is about to happen? Is he possessed by Conan?"

'The Dark Church, just the name sounds like it is not a good organization,' Lister complained inwardly.

Carefully searching the memory fragments in his mind, he could not find a single bit of information about the Dark Church.

However, according to the divination information, there were quite a few hidden issues involved here.

For example, what was the personal enmity between Viscount Mandel and Earl Joseph?

Why would the Dark Church instigate him?

Why choose the Aetheria Birthday Ceremony as the location for the killing?

Did the Dark Church simply want to mess with Earl Joseph, or did they want to frame Earl Elsid, leading to a conflict between the two Earls?

After thinking for a long time, Lister only felt like his head was about to explode.

After all, he did not know much about these people and could not analyze what their specific purposes were.

Especially that Dark Church, it was so mysterious that he had not even heard of it.

As for whether it was related to wizards, he could not be sure, because previous divinations had never mentioned a connection between wizards and the Dark Church.

'Forget it, I will not think about it, time to sleep.'

Too lazy to think about such baseless, troublesome matters, Lister fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

...

The next morning, under the illumination of the sun, the tulip fields resembled a dreamlike sea emitting various colors of light.

Accompanied by the faint fragrance permeating the air, Lister and his group set off early, heading straight for Aetheria.

It was not until the sun was high at noon that the group finally arrived outside the city of Aetheria.

The first thing that caught their eyes was the tall and majestic city wall, which was about several tens of meters high, and its width was so vast that one could not see the end of it at a glance.

Looking around, there were a large number of Soldiers patrolling back and forth on the city wall, and the watchtowers were tall and broad.

The sharp light flashing from the small holes all indicated the identity of the weapons used for defending against enemies.

Looking at the magnificent and impregnable city wall before him, while sighing with emotion, Lister wondered when he would be able to possess such a grand city.

Except for Red, who was a bit better, the others could not help but exclaim in shock.

"So big! Is this what the world outside the Ironthorn Territory is like!"

"I heard that Aetheria covers an area of about 7500 Danmu; does that not mean it is half the size of the Ironthorn Territory?"

"Half the size! That is too terrifying!"

"Is there any need to be so shocked? I believe that under the leadership of the Lord, the Ironthorn Territory will definitely be able to possess such a grand city in the future."

"That is right, our Ironthorn Territory will definitely be able to do it in the future."

The large number of passersby, caravans, and others around them were startled when they heard their sudden, impassioned words.

Fortunately, Red was quick-witted and immediately gave a low shout to stop them, otherwise, Lister would have just abandoned them and entered the city first.

Could they not be like him and have a bit of a composed temperament!

With another exclamation in his eyes, he led everyone slowly through the city gate and entered the city.

Suddenly, streets that were many times more prosperous than Ironthorn Town appeared before their eyes.

Although everyone had been mentally prepared, they still could not help but feel amazed.

Just as they were about to find a place to stay, a Knight Squad appeared before them.

Among them, a middle-aged man wearing armor and with a tall, large build came to the front of Lister and the others.

Seeing Lister, who was at the lead, the middle-aged man asked politely: "May I ask if you are the Lord of the Ironthorn Territory, Lord Lister Howard?"

"It is I. May I ask who you are?" Lister asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately showed a smile on his face and introduced himself: "Lord Howard, my name is Bruel Bard, and I was sent by the Earl to welcome you."

"The Earl has already arranged a place for you to stay in the castle, so please follow me with your caravan."

"Then I will trouble you, Lord Bard."

Hearing that Lister did not refuse out of politeness, Bruel's smile grew even wider; the task given to him by the Earl could be considered complete.

Under the surprised gazes of the commoners in Aetheria, Lister and his group were escorted by Bruel's Knight Squad through the streets, heading towards the spectacular castle estate at the end of their vision.

Half an hour later, they arrived in front of the castle estate gate.

Without any hindrance, the group entered the interior of the estate unimpeded.

Looking at the beautiful and magnificent surroundings, Lister could not help but feel secretly envious.

Don't be envious, don't be envious, I will have one too in the future.

After cheering himself on inwardly, he turned his gaze to the squads of guards patrolling back and forth.

Compared to the attractive environment, these guards surprised him even more.

Because, according to his perception, they were all knights without exception, and judging from the abundant Dou Qi Energy within their bodies, they generally had the strength of Bronze Rank Intermediate or above.

Comparing them like this, the few people in his territory were really not comparable at all.

In an instant, the small pride he had felt in his heart earlier because of the breakthroughs of the knights and Apprentice Knights of the Ironthorn Territory dissipated without a trace.

But what he did not know was that Bruel, who was leading the way in front, was also slightly surprised by their group.

As a knight of the Radiant Knight Order, before being ordered to come and welcome Lister and his group, he had already learned about the situation in the Ironthorn Territory from the Captain, Ellis Clifford.

According to what Ellis Clifford said after returning, at that time, the Ironthorn Territory should not have had so many Bronze Rank Intermediate and High-Rank Bronze knights.

At least through the casual chat with Lister and the others just now, he had learned of Spartacus's identity.

It was clear that at that time, he had just broken through to a Bronze Tier 4 Knight, yet now he had already reached High-Rank Bronze.

To have such a large breakthrough in just one month made even him feel very unbelievable.

And most importantly, Spartacus was still so young; this kind of talent could not be found among the three major Knight Squads directly under the Earl.

Not only that, but Lister was also in the same situation, which shocked him even more.

After all, Lister was a Lord, and he must spend a lot of time handling territory administration, so his cultivation time must be limited.

But under such circumstances, his strength and realm still had not fallen behind, giving Bruel the feeling that his talent was no less than that of Spartacus.

As for Sejin, he had not heard of him from Ellis Clifford.

Although he was a bit older, the Bronze Rank Intermediate realm was definitely a very competitive strength in a Baron Territory.

While thinking, the group finally arrived at the residence specially arranged by Earl Elsid for Lister and the others.

After everyone dismounted, Bruel looked at Lister and asked: "Lord Howard, there is a small warehouse nearby. Do you need my Knight Squad to help put your goods in for storage first?"

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Bruel." Lister thanked him politely, then pointed to the carriages in the caravan and said: "Several of those carriages contain fine liquor brewed in the Ironthorn Territory using a new brewing method, unique to the Ironthorn Territory, and that large carriage contains daily necessities newly developed and produced by the Ironthorn Territory."

"Half of it is specially sent to the Earl as a gift to thank him for gifting me Magical Beast Meat last time."

"Please arrange for the Knight Squad to transport it directly to the Earl's warehouse, Lord Bruel."

"Oh, fine liquor!"

Hearing this, Bruel's eyes lit up; he was extremely fond of liquor, let alone liquor brewed using a new brewing method.

Seeing this, Lister said with a smile: "It seems that you are also a lover of liquor, Lord Bruel; if you do not mind, you can try some first."

"...Then I will not be polite." After hesitating for a moment, Bruel still did not refuse and thanked him.

Under Lister's signal, a handyman opened the seal of the barrel of liquor closest to the two of them.

Suddenly, a refreshing and rich aroma of liquor quickly permeated the surrounding crowd.

"What a fragrant smell of liquor!"

"Hmm~ No, the liquor craving bug in my stomach has been hooked out!"

"I wonder if we have a chance to taste it; I really want to try it!"

Listening to the exclamations of the knights in the Knight Squad, the corners of Lister's mouth curled up slightly, and he said generously: "This barrel will serve as my gift to thank everyone for their help; any knight who wants to taste it can come and taste it."

Hearing this, voices of thanks kept ringing out from the Knight Squad, and then everyone swarmed over.

Soon, with the actions of the handyman, cups of Distilled Liquor were distributed to everyone's hands.

Looking at the beautiful, amber-colored fine liquor in their cups, Bruel and the other knights did not hesitate and tasted it impatiently.

The next second, looks of enjoyment appeared on everyone's faces, as if they had drunk some god-given vintage.

Then, various heartfelt praises rang out one after another.

Seeing this, Lister looked at Bruel and asked with a smile: "Lord Bruel, I wonder what you think of my ironthorn whiskey; how would it do if it were sold in Aetheria?"

"Lord Howard, you want to sell it!" Bruel was pleasantly surprised, then exclaimed: "ironthorn whiskey, good name; if you really put it up for sale in Aetheria, I think it will definitely sell well."

"It is not that I, Bruel, am bragging, but I have drank in countless taverns, big and small, in Aetheria, and I have never drunk any liquor more delicious than this ironthorn whiskey of yours."

"When it opens, you must have someone notify me; my brothers and I will definitely come to patronize it."

"Hahaha, good, then I will accept your auspicious words, Lord Bruel." Lister laughed loudly.

Since Bruel, this 'old-timer' who had lived in Aetheria for a long time, had said so, then his ironthorn whiskey would definitely sell well.

Now what he needed to do was to go and see Earl Elsid and achieve the goal of cooperating with him.

Although he was very reluctant to part with it, Bruel still did not forget the serious business.

He put down his wine glass and looked at Lister, saying: "Lord Howard, Earl Elsid instructed me to take you to see him after I have arranged your accommodation."

"I wonder if you would like to wait a moment, or go with me now?"

Lister did not hesitate upon hearing this and said: "The matters here can be handled by my Knight Captain, Red; now, please trouble yourself to take me to see the Earl."