Chapter 215: Chapter 214: Harbor Concept

It had taken Ridder, Tom, and the others ten days to return from the Mysterious Valley, mainly because Ridder’s injuries prevented him from traveling for long periods.

Now that they were heading back to the valley from Black Earth Town, it wouldn’t take nearly as long.

For one, they were in good spirits and had plenty of stamina.

For another, the Magical Beasts and wild animals along the way had already been cleared out, allowing everyone to focus on traveling.

They reached the vicinity of the Mysterious Valley again in just four and a half days.

“Lord, the site of that night’s great battle is just ahead.”

Ridder said, pointing to the forest in front of them.

Everyone looked over and saw a patch of woods, about half the size of a soccer field, in complete disarray.

Tall trees were snapped in half, their trunks, branches, and leaves strewn everywhere.

The low-lying bushes and trees looked as though they had been hit by a hurricane—toppled, askew, and some even uprooted.

The ground was also littered with fresh craters, evidently blasted open by powerful Combat Skills.

The state of the battlefield alone was enough to reveal how intense the fight between Ridder and those monsters had been that night!

Those who were unfamiliar with Ridder’s true strength, like Krami and Grado, gained a clear understanding of the Wubei Territory Commander’s combat prowess after seeing this scene.

At the same time, they also gained a more direct appreciation for the dangers of this mission.

It wasn’t just them; Ronin felt it too.

Fortunately, he had already allocated the seven hundred-plus points of Energy Essence he had accumulated while they were traveling.

He first needed a War General who could hold their own. According to Ridder, it would take him about a year to even stand a chance against an average Golden Level combatant.

To prepare for the possibility of a Golden Level enemy, Ronin, in addition to having a Sixth-level Spell Scroll, poured all 500 points of Energy Essence into Ridder, increasing his Cultivation progress to 583/1500.

He used the remaining 253 points of Energy Essence on Elron.

Elron’s role in this battle would naturally be support. He just needed to use his Purification Skill and Healing Skill on the injured, or use Light Binding Skill and Fatigue Aura at the right moments if the battle turned sour.

The frontline fighting could be left to Ridder, Macken, and the others.

“Everyone, let’s rest here. After we eat lunch and recover our strength, we’ll head over this afternoon to scout the terrain.”

Ronin wasn’t in a hurry to attack. He wanted to get closer and observe first, to see if there was any valuable intelligence to be gathered.

“Elron, make sure you maintain your Magic Power levels.”

“Don’t worry, Lord. I’ve already refined my Magic Power to its maximum state. I’m ready to fight at any time.”

Along the way, any stray Magical Beasts they encountered were handled by the Knights. Aside from the physical toll of the journey, Elron hadn’t lost any Magic Power.

The group began to rest on the spot.

For the past few days, they had been able to roast and eat the meat of the Magical Beasts they killed. But now, so close to their objective, they could only take out the dry rations from their packs to fill their stomachs, to avoid revealing their position by starting a fire.

Ronin took out fresh water and fruit from his Space Ring and distributed them.

He wasn’t worried about giving himself away. If anyone asked how he produced things out of thin air, he would just say it was a magical trinket.

However, though the men were curious, no one asked.

“These are Healing Skill Magic Scrolls.”

“Although you four Basic Level Knights can’t use them, you each get one as well. Consider it a reward for this mission.”

Ronin took out twelve Magic Scrolls and handed them to Tom to distribute to everyone.

At the same time, he took out the Wind’s Touch, Purification Skill, Holy Shield Skill, Flame Burst Skill, and Rapid Speed Magic Scrolls he had prepared, handing them out to the others to use.

Of course, these Scrolls were valuable, and he didn’t plan on giving them to his subordinates permanently. If any were left after the operation, he would collect them.

Magic Scrolls were somewhat like ammunition. With Ronin taking out so many at once, it felt like they were going into a very well-funded battle.

Not to mention, a single Flame Burst Skill Magic Scroll sold for seventy to eighty Gold Coins on the market, and Ronin had just produced five of them, to say nothing of the even more Advanced Level Magic Scrolls!

In his subordinates’ eyes, their Lord was a genuine tycoon.

This made them all the more certain that they had made the right choice in following their Lord.

This was especially true for Joffrey. When he had followed Reisen, he was lucky if he wasn’t viewed with suspicion, let alone given Magic Scrolls before a battle.

Ronin, however, had no intention of showing off his wealth. He was purely doing it to be more cautious and to prevent any mishaps from befalling these subordinates he valued.

Fed, watered, and rested, the group set out once more.

The closer they got to the valley, the quieter their conversations became, until eventually, only the soft sound of footsteps remained.

Before long, they had climbed the mountain peak behind the Mysterious Valley.

The last time Ridder and his men were here, it had been nighttime. They had only seen a Silver-White line in the distance and, based on the sound, guessed it was the sea.

But now, in the daylight, they could see the distant scenery clearly. It was indeed the sea.

“How magnificent!”

Jenny’s eyes sparkled. She had read about the sea in the few books she owned, but she had never seen it with her own eyes.

Now, just seeing it from a distance, she could feel the vast, surging expanse described in her books.

Aside from Krami, who had been to Sharp Horn City and seen the sea before, everyone else felt more or less the same as Jenny.

Ronin had seen the sea before, so he wasn’t particularly moved.

At that moment, a different thought surfaced in his mind—a sea outlet.

’Wubei Territory is bordered by the sea to the east and north. Is there a suitable place to build a port?’

’Although there doesn’t seem to be any land to the east of this continent, following the East Coast of Wubei Territory south leads to the Villa Duchy.’

’Heading north and then west would take you to the northern part of the Screaming Sea. From there, going south into the Screaming Sea, the eastern route leads to the Royal Capital, while the western side is the Earl of Scream Island’s territory. Continuing south from there would lead to Sharp Horn City in Wushan Territory.’

’In the future, if Wubei Territory’s trade develops, shipping by sea seems more convenient than by land.’

’The key, then, is that Wubei Territory needs its own port.’

’However, you can’t just build a port anywhere along the coast. You need to find a suitable location, considering factors like water depth, the topography of the seabed, and so on.’

’Also, if I really want to build a port, I’ll definitely need professionals, like experienced captains, Sailors, and harbor construction craftsmen.’

’The commoners or Peasant Slaves of Wubei Territory couldn’t possibly accomplish such a task.’

It seemed Ronin would have to take a trip to Sharp Horn City or another port city to find talented individuals with this kind of knowledge when he had the chance.

But that was all for later. Building a port wasn’t something that could be finished in a few months; it required an enormous investment of manpower, finances, and resources.

Ronin could make a plan first and think about moving forward with it later.

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, he carefully surveyed the valley. However, his position was too far from the valley floor, and he didn’t spot anything unusual.

They had no choice but to use the trees for cover as they moved down the mountainside.

The closer they got to the bottom of the valley, the more bleached bones they saw—some human, some animal.

’I wonder what kind of tragic battle happened here.’

“There don’t seem to be any patrols?”

Ronin scanned the surroundings. There wasn’t a soul in sight. He used Wind of Inquiry, which reconfirmed the situation.

There were no traces of anyone else within a several-hundred-meter radius besides their own group.

’Are they all hiding in the caves?’

Ronin frowned, gazing at the caves at the base of the opposite slope. ’Charging in just like this would be too abrupt and reckless.’

“Macken, Joffrey, take Tom and the other three to watch our backs. The rest of you, spread out.”

Ronin ordered in a low voice, “Everyone hide yourselves well. We’ll observe for a while before making a move.”

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