Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

The woman before him was quite fair-skinned and did not cover her face with a veil. The edge of her headscarf revealed her black hair styled in beautiful curls. Her face combined features of both Ottoman and southern people. At first glance, she appeared gentle and tender, but upon closer inspection, she possessed a captivating allure reminiscent of strong liquor.

Listening to the 'general' patiently agree with her, the woman showed no appreciation, lowering her eyes and saying sarcastically:

"I really don't know why Aunt sent the two of us to do this. Does she want to arrange a marriage between me and you Neville people? General Greg Horton, I've already said I don't want your stupid nephew. You didn't ask Aunt for this, did you?"

Greg chuckled twice, ignoring her sarcasm, and instead began to flatter her:

“Miss Monica, you are the person who knows Princess Linor best. If Ryūsha hid her in the delegation, probably only you would recognize her. And there's also the Bauhinia Tears, you were her when you were little…”

Hearing this, Monica glared at him fiercely, causing the man to immediately change his tune:

"You are the most outstanding young archmage in the Bauhinia Kingdom, so of course the Queen Mother would send you."

Hearing this flattery, Monica's face showed a hint of disdain. She looked down on men like Greg who fawned over others, and his family, who were equally accustomed to being subservient. Although he was hailed as the most promising Grand Knight of the Bauhinia Clan to break through to the Heavenly Rank, this man in his forties was a disgrace to his resolute and handsome face and outstanding knightly talent; she found him utterly repulsive!

Just as the two of them were talking, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly came from the street downstairs. These well-equipped soldiers were clearly different from the ordinary soldiers standing guard at the port. They were the personal guards of the lord here, Hafulen Alvarez.

They were rushing into every shop and hotel, loudly announcing something.

"By order of Viscountess Alvarez! All foreigners entering or leaving the Port of Veil in the past week must be checked! Furthermore! Due to force majeure, the port closure will continue for at least another week! Travelers who are in a hurry to do business should make their own decisions and find their own way!"

The order sparked widespread discontent along the way! Checking identities wasn't so bad, but a continued port closure for another week? Many people's goods were still on their ships, and this week could be fatal for many merchants! Especially for perishable goods like fruits and vegetables. Long-distance traders weren't too affected, but those who only did short-distance trade around Sochi immediately looked troubled.

"My lord knight! This...this is going to kill us!"

"If anyone's to blame, blame the thieves who infiltrated the harbor and caused damage last night! If anyone has any grievances, please feel free to report any suspicious clues. Our young lady said that if the thieves are caught, she's willing to compensate everyone for their losses out of her own pocket, but if they aren't caught..."

The leading knight chuckled coldly: "Then it just goes to show that doing business involves both gains and losses... Get out of the way!"

After these words were spoken, no one dared to stop these imposing personal guards and knights. They all looked as if they had been docked their pay and beaten, full of resentment, and no merchant dared to provoke them.

Upstairs in his guest room, Greg witnessed this scene and a smug smile appeared on his face.

"A week's work, that's a huge achievement! We just need to give them a little more time on the road!"

Monica snorted and pulled her veil over her face, saying, "Let's get through the inspection first. I'm going back to my room. Remember to remind them not to give anything away."

“Of course, of course.” Greg smiled broadly. “We’ve put in a lot of effort and time into infiltrating Sochi this time. We got all the necessary documents and connections sorted out two weeks in advance—there absolutely won’t be any problems!”

After seeing Monica off, Greg breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the damage to the ships in the distant harbor and sneered.

A week? This is no project that can be completed in a week. The fact that it went so smoothly this time is thanks to the long preparation and coordination beforehand. We've finally made up for the lost time, and I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight!

The sound of people coming upstairs gradually rose outside the door. Greg checked his merchant attire, made sure he had his trade permit and identification in advance, and then opened the door with a smile.

Meanwhile, at the local river transport association in Weihe Port, the association president, flattered by the money bag the young man was pushing towards him and his beaming smile, stood up.

"Governor-General of Ryukyu! I never expected to see you in person! This is truly..."

"Alright, alright, Mr. Chairman, I just want to ask you, is this matter easy to handle? I need it done by tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry!" The president of the transportation association patted his chest.

"I'll go and requisition small and medium-sized civilian vessels right now! Even if you don't offer such generous compensation, just because of your name alone, they wouldn't dare refuse!"

"That's good." Liu Xia smiled and instructed the president, "Remember, do it after dark, and don't let anyone else find out..."

Chapter 3 Southern Travel Plan

Late at night, dozens of civilian boats, each capable of carrying ten to twenty people, quietly set sail, laden with half of the mission's personnel and supplies. Under the cover of darkness, and with the excellent night vision of their navigator, they drifted down the Sochi River.

Meanwhile, in the backyard of an inn not far from the port, Ryusha was lying on her comfortable bed in the magic RV built by Anyaberg, flipping through a book that recorded the wonders of the southern continent.

"It's quite comfortable here."

Light footsteps accompanied by a captivating fragrance, the veiled princess appeared inside the vehicle, curiously surveying its interior. Following Ryusha's suggestion, the interior was exquisitely yet compactly designed, a combination of the modern RV he was familiar with and the luxurious sleeper compartments of a train. Ryusha and the girls he brought each rode in one, each equipped with everything needed for daily life. Aside from being somewhat cramped, it resembled a mobile palace, leaving Tipalotura full of admiration.

In particular, the material called 'rubber' made from Ansel gel not only replaced the old wooden tires but also played a significant role in shock absorption and interior trim connections. Tipalotura now understood why Ryūsha harbored such resentment towards the South. If they could truly control the origin of Ansel gel and acquire and apply this material on a large scale, who knew what other things this young man would create!

Tipalottura was truly intelligent and perceptive. She could immediately see what kind of new weapon would be created if the various technologies used in these two magical motorhomes were combined with the magical cannons previously developed by Ryūsha. Not to mention Anyaberg, who was working on design drawings at the small table next to Ryūsha. Although she was somewhat nervous when the princess entered and instinctively tried to cover the drawings, Tipalottura still clearly saw what was being drawn…

The massive steel armor, over two meters tall and almost like a miniature giant, was depicted with dark shadows at its joints. Tipalotura understood that this also represented other refined products of Ansel's gel, as the accompanying text described it as a magical material called 'Magic Tendon,' which could replace human muscles and tendons and facilitate the transmission of magic and battle aura. Regardless of its actual combat capabilities as depicted on the blueprints, the fact that Anjaberg and Ryusha were so engrossed in it meant it was no ordinary object.

Tipalotura felt a strange sense of disorientation. The soft light inside the carriage illuminated Ryuga's face as he read, making him look like a delicate prince from some kingdom. His eyes were filled with excitement and fascination as he read about strange tales, no different from any other seventeen or eighteen-year-old. Yet, within this seemingly warm and peaceful setting, a genius magical engineering girl, spearheaded by this young man and completely captivated by him, was designing yet another weapon that could potentially alter the course of battle and the fate of the continent…

Does Ryūka even realize the immense impact his actions have on the world? Tipalotura even felt that the stories of her ancestor King Kranar's battles with witches, and the secrets of the Vatican, which she had learned since childhood, seemed far too normal compared to the boy before her. Perhaps Ryūka was the 'monster,' a 'monster' completely out of place in this world.

Upon seeing Tipalotura enter, Ruka put down her book and asked her:

"Have you already arranged for someone to set off?"

Tipalotura nodded: "A very good idea. First, spread the word that we need to rest for a week to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. Then, use scattered civilian boats to transport some of the delegation members. The remaining large ship will be enough to carry two-thirds of the personnel and supplies. And my witches will use illusion magic to cover it up, so no one will be able to discover tonight's operation."

“That’s right.” Ryusha nodded. “Our journey by water is simply following the main stream of the Sochi River southwestward, crossing Raven Ridge, and arriving at the Ural Territory south of Otus in seven days. Seven days is a long time; the small boats aren’t very comfortable or safe, but they are much faster. Then we’ll have to switch to land travel westward to reach the area where we confront the southern kingdoms. If the journey goes smoothly, it should take another ten days to reach the nearest supply point, Thunder Fortress.”

At this point, the journey is halfway complete; the rest of the way is outside the territory of Ottus.

At this point, Ryuka's face lit up with excitement. The reason was simple: the southern continent described in the book was the otherworld he had always dreamed of!

The Otus Empire in the north is predominantly human, and most of its natural resources have been depleted by the people of the northern continent over the past thousand years of development. Rare and exotic beasts have also vanished without a trace. Even the last ice dragon perished at the hands of Olivia's fiery-hearted father! But the situation is different in the south…

Especially further south from the Bauhinia Kingdom, beyond the Ansel region, lies vast tropical rainforests, pristine open spaces, and magnificent uninhabited mountainous areas! And there are also broken islands dotting the azure sea!

Most of the region remains in a pristine, natural state! A diverse array of monsters! Numerous hybrids of heretical races and humans! Ancient monsters tens of meters in size! There are even rumors that true heretical races still inhabit some remote islands and mountains!

Elves! Orcs! Animal-eared girls! Wyverns! Corpse demons! Giant lizards! The descriptions on the tree alone were enough to excite Ryuga. It seemed he didn't see this mission as his primary task, but rather as a travel-style adventure! And these two magical motorhomes, whose chassis could be adjusted to adapt to most terrains, were prepared for his comfortable journey!

Of course, Ryūka wasn't just doing this for fun. Some rare materials and magical beast organs can now only be found in the southern kingdoms. And these are the breakthrough materials necessary for a Grand Master to advance to the Heavenly Rank! Although Ryūka can slowly nurture his harem members to advance using Leader's Certificates, having breakthrough materials would save him a lot of trouble and also grant him even greater abilities!

This explains why the weak and scattered southern kingdoms were able to contend with Otus for over a century. Although Otus possessed ten Celestial-Rank warriors, they were scattered across a vast territory, and the legendary three Saint-Rank warriors were ancient monsters from who-knows-how-long past. Their powerful descendants were almost nonexistent, but this was reportedly not the case in the south. Although their power was dispersed, almost every small kingdom had numerous young powerhouses, and high-ranking officials were commonplace. Some forces, under the deliberate protection of the Holy City of the Papacy, even harbored Celestial-Rank warriors.

Despite their overwhelming disadvantage in national strength, they possessed a wealth of scarce resources unavailable to the north. Thus, intermittent warfare and trade negotiations became their means of survival. A few rare and precious materials were enough to drive the nobles of Otto to fight tooth and nail, attracting many Otto nobles to secretly speak on their behalf…

Sometimes, Ryuka would fantasize about what it would be like if he traveled to the south, a place full of wondrous adventures, instead of Linhu Town. But he would immediately shake his head; then there would be no Kania and the others. It's best not to dwell on 'what ifs' in life. Now, he had the chance to experience the scenery of the south.

Of course, they had to deal with those who wanted to disrupt their plans first… Ryuga guessed they were either from the Holy See or the Bauhinia Kingdom. His rivals in Otus were all eager for him to leave! Whether it was business rivals, powerful figures like the Third and Fourth Princes who hadn't completely broken ties but were still competing, or the Payne family in the north and the Harvey family of Raven Ridge in the southwest, none of them had forgotten their past defeats; they were simply still lying low and recovering.

However, little did they know that the three female knights that Ryusha left in Sochi Province were all at the peak of the Great Knight level! Their battle aura and combat skills were amazing and full, only half a step away from the true Heavenly Rank, and they were no longer a level that they could underestimate!

If Liu Xia really finds some extraordinary and rare material in the south, Otus will probably have several more young Heavenly Realm experts in an instant! This is a force that could shake the power of the empire!

Tipalottura, standing before Ryūka, was well aware of this. She looked at Ryūka, her prized precognitive abilities and astrological skills failing to detect even the slightest sign that he would oppose her, which puzzled Tipalottura greatly. Logically, this shouldn't be the case; after all, she was, after all, a princess of Otus, and someone like Ryūka was someone no ruler of the empire would want to see.

His path had begun to slowly deviate from his own, yet showed no signs of conflict in the future. However, Ryūka was definitely not the type to submit to the rule of others. Even with common enemies—the heretical continent and the Papacy—Ryūka would not be content to be a subject of Ottus.

But now, she still needs this young man, his abilities, and his wisdom. To deter the restless southern kingdoms and to prepare for the invasion of the heretical continent…

She put aside these distracting thoughts and focused her attention on the matter at hand, asking Ryūka:

"Now I only have a few dozen men left, and just a few of you. We still have a large ship left, so why don't we leave tonight?"

"No rush, let's hide first and let the enemy make the first move."

Liu Xia smiled. By tomorrow morning, when everyone discovers that the delegation has already set off, those who wanted to stop their journey will definitely feel that they have been deceived! In the ensuing chaos, they will reveal their true colors, and those of us who are 'covering the rear' will be able to easily catch them in the act.

Of course, Ryūka had another thought she didn't tell Tipalottura: they'd already encountered a trap right after setting out; who knew what awaited them ahead? She decided to send her royal knights and entourage to scout ahead first.

Now that those who left have already left, Ryuka immediately started stirring up the sea lotus again through the air conditioning:

"Sink the broken ship, and pretend the remaining one is broken and under repair. Make it look like two large ships are leaving port, and one is still under repair... Then come find me, and let's have one last tender moment before we leave, Sister Heflian~"

Seeing Ryūka's mischievous grin as he spoke to the magic crystal right in front of her, Tipalottura understood that Ryūka was trying to get rid of her...

Chapter 4: Anja Berger, 'Reap What He Sows'

Meanwhile, the disruptors who had traveled from afar from the Bauhinia were completely unaware of their opponent's cunning. What worried them more was Liu Xia's formidable personal strength; they feared that in a fit of rage, he might conduct a thorough search for them, the infiltrators. After all, who would expect a dignified Heavenly Rank genius to resort to such underhanded tactics?

So after a wonderful sleep, Greg's world collapsed.

"Where's the boat?!"

He stared blankly at the distant harbor, where only one of the mission's ships remained, surrounded by various tarpaulins and planks, seemingly undergoing repairs. The other two ships had vanished without a trace!

"Damn it! I told you to keep a close eye on things last night! What were you doing?!"

Enraged, Greg grabbed one of his men on night watch and unleashed a torrent of abuse on him!

"If we can't stall them on the road for a month! Do you know what will happen!"

His angry outbursts quickly attracted another person in charge, Monica, a languid, dark-haired beauty who watched his actions coldly, her eyes filled with disdain:

"What's the point of saying all this? Let's hurry up and chase them. They are two overloaded large ships, so they can't be going too fast."

She was right; if they quickly rented two nimble boats, they should still be able to make it. But Monica didn't count on the man she looked down on. In her eyes, none of the Navel people were trustworthy. This drifting tribe from further south of the Bauhinia Kingdom lost their homeland a hundred years ago. After many twists and turns, they arrived in Bauhinia and were accepted by the royal family and local nobles, simply because they possessed considerable treasure and rare magic from the fallen Navel Kingdom.

But once these resources were exhausted, the tribe lost its value. The Bauhinia nobles, who had traditionally intermarried with them, naturally lost interest, and Monica, the magical genius of the Bauhinia Kingdom, not only learned many of the Navel people's spells but also no longer needed to marry their young chieftain.

Watching Monica leave coldly, Greg, who had just been hysterical, immediately regained his composure. He patted the subordinate he had just berated, signaling him not to take it to heart, his slightly narrowed eyes revealing a deep contemplation...

-----------------

"Ryuka! We have news from the River Transport Association!"

The car door was excitedly opened, and a strong smell wafted out! Anjaberg, who had just rushed over to deliver the news, instantly blushed. Inside the cramped carriage, Hefley and Melanie, two alluringly pale bodies, lay intertwined, covered in teeth marks, handprints, and sticky fluids…

"Ah~ Anjaberg, as for Ryuka, she's already up and going for a walk by the river~ Get up, Hefren! There's a lead on the person Ryuka asked you to find~"

Awakened, Melanie stretched lazily, a satisfied expression on her face. She even wiped the white fluid off her cheek with her index finger and put it to her mouth, then chuckled and slapped Heflian's large buttocks beneath her.

"snore!"

Heflian shuddered, struggling to sit up in bed. Her eyes, which had been ravaged by Ryuxia all night, instantly became piercing! She even gritted her teeth!

"Fine! Those bastards! I'll see who got me into this mess! LOL!!! Melanie! What are you doing!!!"

Melanie giggled beside her. The magically summoned ice water flowed over their pressed bodies as if it were alive, instantly washing them clean. Even the ends of their hair, which had been stuck together by the liquid, became silky smooth.

For an ice mage, a morning ice bath is invigorating, but Hafley didn't see it that way. She knew she couldn't just rush out like that to apprehend the criminal, so Melanie saved her time on washing up. Seeing her ungrateful attitude, Melanie mischievously revealed Hafley's weakness:

"You've gotten yourself into this state? You weren't moaning like this last night~ 'Ah~ It feels so good~ You're my general~ My conqueror~' 'Oh~ Too intense~ This spear is too intense~ I'm going to be stabbed to death~'... If Ryūka hadn't cast a silencing spell, your moans would probably have reached the entire city of Sochi~"

In front of Anjaberg, Hafley's pretty face flushed red. Muttering "I didn't," she jumped off the bed and struggled to pull on the female knight's stockings and boots in the cramped carriage. Thanks to Ryūsha's training last night, she had first stripped off her clothes and armor, neatly laid them out, and then kowtowed naked in apology before being thoroughly violated. Otherwise, she would have had to get rid of Melanie or Anjaberg to retrieve her clothes from her residence, because Ryūsha, as usual, wouldn't treat her clothes well…

Surely this kid couldn't have foreseen this? Heflian quickly put on her tight-fitting undergarment and armor, picked up her spear, and rushed out, nearly knocking over Anyaberg who was blocking the doorway.

"Oh! Watch out, Heflin!"

Although she was also two years older than him, unlike Melanie, who was his senior, Hafley had never attended the Imperial Military Academy, so Anjaberg showed her less respect due to her age.

Especially after Heflene's shortcomings were exposed to him in front of him.

But Hafley had no time to apologize. Instead, she turned back and taunted her during her sprint: "Sorry, my great inventor~ But I heard you using those buzzing little toys in the other carriage last night! Why bother~ Just join us!"

The figures and words vanished in an instant. Anjaberg's face flushed red, but she had nowhere to vent her anger. With a stern expression, she looked at Melanie, who was watching her with great interest, and said very seriously:

She's lying.

"Is that so? You think I'm the head of the Magic Department for nothing?"

Melanie smiled slightly and picked out a small, transparent crystal ball from the bed next to the one where she had spent time with Liuxia.

Magical communication crystal, a hidden espionage model...

Even if the flow of magic is extremely faint and undetectable to ordinary people, it doesn't mean that Melanie, a magical genius, wouldn't notice it. Besides, there's also Ryūka...

Anjaberg's face turned even redder, and she stammered, waving her hands:

"No, no, I didn't..."

"You don't think that all those incredibly stimulating close-up shots we spied on last night were just things we happened to be posed from that angle, do you, Ryukatsu?"

Seeing Melanie wink behind her back, Anyaberg instantly understood. But it was too late for her to escape. The boy's arms instantly slipped under her armpits, lifting her up, his teasing voice and hot breath pressed against Anyaberg's neck.

"You had a lot of fun by yourself last night, didn't you?"

"Well!!!"

Holding the soft, girlish body in his arms, Anyaberg's swaying red hair tickled him, yet exuded the fragrance of a beautiful young girl. Ryuka picked up this genius engineer, two years her senior who looked increasingly like a younger sister, letting her white stockings-covered ankle boots kick in the air! The soft little bottom, encased in tight shorts, rubbed against his waist. Thinking about what this usually pretentious girl had done last night, Ryuka couldn't help but laugh.

The two had an agreement: although Anyaberg accepted his confession, the final condition was that he would wait until Atina returned. However, he ended up having to satisfy her 'tired needs' from time to time, which made Ryuka, who wasn't getting any satisfaction, eager to find an opportunity to tease this tech-savvy girl.

After all, this engineering-obsessed girl, who thinks "if only she had one percent of the talent for magical engineering in that area," is someone Ryuka doesn't expect to please him like Melanie or Kania do. So, he'll have to find his fun elsewhere.

With Anjaberg suspended in mid-air, Ryusha beckoned to Melanie, who immediately tossed over another large crystal ball. A bad premonition sent a shiver down Anjaberg's spine...

"This, this is..."

The master crystal used to receive surveillance images.

Could it be...?

"I had Adela secretly plant this in another carriage beforehand. I'm so curious what she filmed last night!"

Ryuka's devilish whisper rang in his ears, instantly plunging Anyaberg into despair. At the same time, Adela, who was temporarily taking over the duties of a maid, had also gotten up and gotten out of another magical RV, preparing to come over and help Ryuka and the others clean their rooms.

"I'm sorry, Miss Anjaberg, this is Master's order."

Adela smiled obsequiously at Ryūka, her eyes and actions full of ingratiation. As a slave pet and a gold-spitting pot, she was doing everything she could to increase her value in Ryūka's eyes.