Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

Chapter 136 Trip to the Capital Finalized

The wailing in the council chamber completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving only a mess on the floor and a group of nobles with fawning smiles on their faces.

Viscount Burton, who had been hiding in the back pretending to be a quail, was the first to squeeze in front of Lance.

He bent over like a shrimp, his face crinkling with laughter: "Master Lance is truly a young hero! With such keen insight, he saw through the true identities of Byron and his cult accomplices at a glance!"

I've always suspected these guys were acting suspiciously; they were definitely up to no good!

As soon as he said this, the surrounding nobles swarmed around him like a floodgate had been opened.

"Exactly! That Byron guy is always so domineering, I've disliked him for a long time!"

"Mage Lance rid Rield of a great scourge; he's practically our savior!"

"Your Excellency the Marquis will undoubtedly be a pillar of the kingdom in the future; we will all depend on you from now on!"

Lance stood there, listening to the group's cacophony of praise, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

His face remained expressionless; he simply waved his hand casually. His nonchalant demeanor made the surrounding nobles even more apprehensive, as they felt that this young mage was truly unfathomable.

Seeing this, Alfred couldn't help but burst into laughter. He stepped forward, patted Lance on the shoulder, and loudly proclaimed to the assembled nobles, "Remember this, everyone: Marquis Lance will be the future lord of Rield City. His words carry just as much weight in Rield City as His Majesty the King's!"

"Anyone who dares to oppose Marquis Lance is opposing Alfred, and opposing the Kingdom of Eriland!"

Upon hearing this, the nobles in the hall fell silent, nodding hurriedly in agreement, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Once the nobles had tactfully dispersed, only Lance, Alfred, and Graham remained in the council chamber.

Alfred's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression: "Lance, I've already made the details of the reward from Rield City very clear to my brother in the letter."

"However, for the formal investiture of the marquisate and fiefdom, you must personally travel to the capital to meet His Majesty and go through the formal procedures."

"I've thought about it again. The Sassanid Kingdom suffered heavy losses this time, and they probably won't make any moves in the short term. How about we return to the capital together?"

He paused, then added, "The incredible achievements you've made can't be summed up in a single document. Those old fogies in the capital, and the people from the Magic Association, all need to see you, this legendary mage, in person, or they'll think I'm just bragging in my letter!"

Graham nodded vigorously beside him, his rough face beaming with excitement: "That's right! Lance, you have to go to the capital! His Majesty will be absolutely amazed if he sees you! And I'm also going to the capital to take up my post as General of the Imperial Guard, so I can go with you!"

Upon hearing this, Lance tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, quickly calculating in his mind.

Going to the capital was indeed inevitable.

Rield City is ultimately just a border city; the royal capital is the power center of the Kingdom of Eredland. Whether it's the implementation of titles and fiefdoms or subsequent access to higher-level resources, a trip there is unavoidable.

"Alright, let's go to the capital then."

Lance quickly made up his mind, looked up at the two of them, and asked, "When exactly do we depart?"

Seeing his quick agreement, Alfred's eyes lit up instantly: "Tomorrow at noon! We'll travel light and walk quickly; we can reach the capital in a few days!"

"What about Rield City?" Graham immediately asked the crucial question. "Although the Sassanids have suffered heavy losses, there's no guarantee they won't suddenly turn around and launch a counterattack. We need to leave someone in the city to keep things in order."

"Don't worry about that," Alfred smiled confidently. "My sister Alicia will stay here, leading Mamahaha and tens of thousands of troops to hold the city of Rield."

"Don't even mention the Sassanids not daring to come now. Even if they did, my sister and a red dragon would make sure they never leave alive!"

With Alicia and the Red Dragon in charge, the safety of his city of Rield is indeed very secure, and he can travel to the capital with peace of mind.

With that settled, the three of them chatted about some details before their departure, and then Lance got up and left the city lord's mansion.

When Lance returned to his villa, the sunlight had already turned the stone path in the yard golden.

As soon as he pushed open the door, Cielsa quickly came to greet him.

Her violet eyes held a gentle smile as she naturally took the outer robe he had taken off, her voice soft and sweet: "Lord Lance, you're back. Dinner is ready, all your favorite dishes."

Her gaze swept over Lance, and only after confirming that he was unharmed did she finally relax.

Lance walked to the sofa in the living room and sat down. Xiao Hei immediately jumped up from the sofa, darted to his shoulder in a few steps, rubbed his cheek with its fluffy head, and wagged its tail like a small fan.

Cielsa brought over a cup of freshly brewed hot tea and placed it on the coffee table in front of Lance.

"Celsa, Blackie, we're off to the capital!"

"Huh? When do we leave?"

"Yes, we'll depart tomorrow at noon to go to the capital to receive our rewards." Lance picked up his teacup and took a sip.

As soon as he finished speaking, Cielsa nodded: "I'll go pack your things right away. Your usual spell scrolls, a change of clothes, and your favorite tea."

After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked upstairs, her movements swift and decisive.

The next morning, Lance woke up and went downstairs, only to find two people sitting in the living room.

Arya Silvershine sat upright on the sofa, her wine-red riding outfit outlining her graceful figure, her fiery red hair loosely tied back, revealing her slender, fair neck.

The female head of the family, who was usually decisive and ruthless on the battlefield, now had a gentler look in her eyes, her gaze occasionally glancing towards the stairwell, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of her teacup.

Lillian was squatting on the ground, playing with Little Black.

The little girl held a cat toy in her hand, making the little black cat jump around. The two of them were having a great time, and the living room was filled with Lillian's clear laughter.

Seeing Lance come downstairs, Arya immediately stood up, a perfectly timed smile on her face, and spoke first, "Mage Lance, I hope my visit hasn't disturbed your rest?"

"It's nothing, I just got up." Lance waved his hand and sat down opposite her.

Lance looked up at Arya. [Level: 11]

Breaking through the Paradigm level—the battlefield truly is a place to hone one's skills.

She brought her daughter over early this morning; she must have something to say.

Sure enough, after a few pleasantries, Arya got straight to the point: "Mage Lance, I heard you're going to the capital with His Highness the Prince today?"

"Yes, that's true." Lance nodded.

Upon hearing this, Arya immediately replied, "It's like this, the Silver Glow family has several core merchant guilds in the capital, and recently they've been in a lot of trouble. The accounts and personnel are all in a mess, so I have to go to the capital personally to sort things out."

She smiled and said, her gaze fixed on Lance's face, her tone very natural, "So, could I travel with your group? That way, we can look out for each other on the road."

The real reason was that when she heard that Lance was going to the capital, she felt a void in her heart.

Who knows if those pampered noble ladies in the capital will try to get close to him?

Moreover, Lance is about to be ennobled as a marquis, and he is at the height of his power. There are many nobles in the capital who want to win him over.

If she didn't come along, by the time Lance returned from the capital, he would probably be surrounded by people and she wouldn't be able to squeeze in.

These thoughts swirled in her mind, but she didn't show them on her face at all, only pretending to be completely businesslike.

Lance simply smiled and nodded: "Of course. It'll be more lively with a few more people on the road."

"Very good!"

Upon hearing this, Lillian immediately dropped her cat toy and jumped up, her fiery red twin tails swaying back and forth. Her big, bright eyes looked at Lance. "Teacher! I heard that the capital has a very big magic tower. Shall we go see it with Mommy?"

"Okay, no problem," Lance replied with a smile.

Just then, heavy footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. Before Graham even entered, his loud voice boomed in, "Lance! Lance, are you there?!"

Lance used [Hand of the Mage] to open the door, and the city lord strode in, still wearing a suit of armor, clearly having just come from the military camp.

Seeing Arya and Lillian there, Graham paused for a moment, then laughed, "Oh, the Silvershine Patriarch is here too! Perfect, saves me the trouble of making another trip."

He walked up to Lance, slammed a list on the coffee table, and said gruffly, "Lance, I've selected the guards the Prince asked me to arrange!"

"Twenty elite warriors, all veterans at level 5 or above, have fought countless battles with me, absolutely reliable! And one hundred elite cavalry, all handpicked from the city garrison, each one capable of taking on ten men!"

"Hmm—but even if they all joined forces, they probably couldn't beat you."

Lance picked up the list and glanced at it.

Good heavens, twenty elite-level soldiers and a hundred elite cavalrymen—this configuration is more than enough to fight a small battle, let alone go to the capital.

He thought to himself, "Alfred said he wanted to travel light, but with this setup, he's like a mobile fortress wherever he goes. Where's the low-key part?"

Seeing that he had finished reading, Graham immediately added, "I also told the Prince that all the towns along the way have been notified in advance. Wherever we go, they should be cleared and prepared in advance to ensure absolute safety!"

Arya, listening nearby, couldn't help but nod in agreement.

With three Exemplary Ranks and such a guard accompanying him, Lance's safety along the way should be no concern.

And just like that, the entourage for the journey to the capital was quickly finalized.

Leading the group was Prince Alfred, with Lance naturally at the core, followed by Sielsa, the magical pet Black, Aria and Lillian from the Silvershine family, Graham who was about to take up the post of Imperial Guard General, and the elite guard.

Everyone in the team had their own thoughts.

Alfred's mind was filled with thoughts of how to exaggerate Lance's achievements in front of his brother, the King, and how to secure the highest possible reward for Lance, firmly binding this genius mage to the war machine of the Kingdom of Eredland.

Arya was thinking about how to get closer to Lance during the next two weeks, and how to make Lance have different feelings for the Silver Glow family and for her.

Graham was filled with anticipation for the position of general of the Royal Guard in the capital, as well as gratitude towards Lance. He was determined to repay Lance properly once he arrived in the capital, and he would be the first to grab an axe and attack anyone who dared to cause trouble for Lance.

Cecilia didn't think about anything else; she only wanted to make sure Lance was comfortable on the way and didn't suffer any grievances.

Xiao Hei, on the other hand, was preoccupied with "what to eat later".

And it would be best to encounter a few clueless guys in the capital to practice your skills, show off your new spells in front of Lance, and secure your position as "Master's No. 1 Pastry Chef".

Even Lillian has her own little schemes.

The morning passed quickly as everyone prepared.

Lance was just about to set off when he saw a guard from the city lord's mansion ride into the courtyard like a madman. He didn't even have time to properly tie the horse before he tumbled and scrambled off.

The guard rushed to Lance, knelt down on one knee with a thud, and shouted, "Mage Lance! His Highness the Prince requests your immediate presence at the City Lord's Mansion!"

"Urgent report from the guards! A delegation from the Sassanid Kingdom, carrying envoys' banners, numbering about a hundred, is approaching from the border. They are led by the Sassanid Kingdom's Foreign Minister and are heading towards Rield City, less than thirty li from the city gates!"

Lance frowned upon hearing this.

An envoy from the Sassanid Kingdom?

Sending an envoy at this time is actually quite reasonable.

He instantly understood that there were only two reasons: either they were there to make peace, or they were there to redeem Princess Elena, whom he had captured.

After all, she is the king's own sister; they can't just stand by and watch her fall into the hands of the Kingdom of Eredland.

Lance couldn't help but smile inwardly; he'd come at just the right time.

However, they were probably just passing through; their destination was definitely the capital.

He dusted off his clothes and said to the guard, "Understood, I'll go to the city lord's mansion now."

Let's see what tricks these Sassanids are up to this time.