Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"This morning? What happened, sir? Did someone dare to lay a hand on you?"

"Don't even mention it!" The apprentice knight waved his hand. "You know! Night shift workers don't get much in the way of the perks. Just as dawn was breaking, a whole bunch of small boats came! We brothers were ecstatic! But guess what? We stopped the boats, boarded them, and checked—no permits! Before I could even say anything, I was slapped across the face! Good grief! Guess who it was?"

"Who is it?" Greg pretended not to know, but he already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

Small boats? Many small boats? Could it be...?

"A neat row of knights in plain clothes was on the ship! From the capital! You know the delegation sent to the Bauhinia Kingdom? Damn it! I was completely stunned. Although they didn't have any proof, the fighting spirit on them was absolutely genuine! I was so scared that I immediately went to inform the mayor!"

"A short while later, another large ship arrived, this time bearing the flag of a genuine mission, the royal sacred tree banner. Luckily, I didn't ask any more questions after that slap, or I wouldn't even know how I died! Now, not only the mayor, but even our viscount, who came personally to pay his respects to Her Highness the Princess, was ignored! He only told us to inform Lord Harvey to welcome the mission at Feather Lake Bend and to provide supplies!"

Seeing the apprentice knights' glaring and blustering expressions, Ryusha couldn't help but chuckle. Tipalotura, of course, wasn't on the ship; only the royal knights she had brought were there. But she hadn't expected these well-behaved lads from the capital, who stayed obediently in Sochi Academy and never stepped outside, to be so arrogant on Raven Ridge's territory.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, as the saying goes, even dogs in Beijing hold their heads high when they see people from out of town...

The apprentice knight touched the bruise on his face, showing no sign of grievance, but rather smiling happily as if he had seen the world. Greg, however, seemed thoughtful, and continued to probe tentatively:

"Isn't one of the mission's large ships two?"

"How would I know? I slipped away as soon as I got ashore after that slap, and I never saw anything after that. What? Aren't you from Weihe Port? Didn't they set off from there?"

This conversation made Ryuu's heart tighten, but thankfully the apprentice knight didn't say anything. However, Greg was secretly thinking that perhaps those small boats were filling the passenger capacity of the third large ship undergoing repairs in the harbor, and that perhaps two large ships had indeed passed through here…

But why do I have this vague feeling that something is wrong?

But Ryūka wouldn't give him any time to think. After a quick search, the soldiers found nothing wrong and immediately prepared to leave. Greg breathed a sigh of relief, but just as he turned his head, Ryūka flicked her finger, sending a burst of battle aura that struck the apprentice knight who was jumping off the ship back in the back. This caused him to lose his balance, his head slamming against the side of his ship, and he fell into the water with a splash!

"Captain! The captain has fallen into the water!!!"

In the pitch-black night, only circular splashes could be seen on the water's surface. Several soldiers immediately began shouting in panic! Some jumped into the water to rescue the people! The rest signaled towards the dock with their lights. This commotion was quickly noticed by those at the dock.

Ordinary communication signals are very simple, usually only containing simple meanings such as 'advance,' 'wait,' 'danger,' and 'call for help.'

As soon as the distress signal was sent out, alarms went off at the dock! This made Greg and the others' expressions change, and their palms became sweaty!

Captain Cole was also thrown into a panic. They were now caught in a dilemma – whether to leave or stay. Who knew how this apprentice knight had suddenly bumped his head on the ship and fallen into the water! Although it had nothing to do with them, who knew if another difficult squad leader would come along and continue to exploit them under various pretexts!

Damn it!

Greg cursed. He watched the soldiers scrambling around, unable to find the novice knight who had fallen into the water in the darkness. If he had drowned, they probably wouldn't be able to leave tonight! Thinking this, Greg stripped off his clothes and plunged into the water! Secretly channeling his battle aura, he instantly dove into the water and locked onto the slowly sinking novice knight…

When Ryūka saw him jump ship, he grabbed Captain Cole.

"Cole, tell your men to jump ship immediately! These Southern merchants are the ones who sabotaged the Wei River port; you've been tricked!"

"What?! Who are you...?"

"This is the governor's order."

Cole looked at Ryūka and suddenly realized something. He immediately shouted:

"Brothers! Something's happened! Jump ship and get out of here!"

Seeing his cooperation, Ryuka smiled and used his battle qi to send him into the water! Ryuka then used the same method on the other sailors. Whether it was Cole or his crew, all were excellent swimmers. Ryuka only needed to gently lift them with his battle qi, bringing them as close to shore as possible, and none of them would have any life-threatening problems!

Then, Ryusha shouted, "Something's wrong! Someone's fallen into the water! Help!" waking all of Greg's men, the group of dim-witted Southern spies immediately jolted awake and rushed to the deck. Meanwhile, he himself slipped into Monica's room amidst the chaos!

"Miss Monica, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'll open the door for you now."

Ryuu revealed a wicked smile, instantly releasing his magic power to repair the magic circle left behind and the magic flow that he himself had disrupted.

Feeling the teleportation magic resume circulating, Ryuka immediately sneaked into the warehouse again!

His goal, of course, was that amplified magical communication crystal!

Chapter 11: Feigning Indifference to Lure the Enemy

Ryūka has a considerable understanding of magical devices. These are things that have only been developing slowly for a few decades. While they represent a high barrier to entry for ordinary people, they are not difficult for Ryūka, who possesses a strong foundation in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, as well as powerful magical abilities. Especially after collaborating with Anyaberg many times, most basic magical devices are no challenge for Ryūka.

According to Anjaberg's sour compliment, if Ryuka were willing to focus his energy on magical engineering, becoming a master scholar leading the field would not be difficult...

Therefore, Ryuga was quite confident in cracking Greg's communication crystal. But this required two things: not being detected by Greg and his group, and concealing even the slightest magical fluctuations.

The former is easy to handle; given the commotion he caused, the dock ahead will soon send someone to investigate. Greg and his men will inevitably be thrown into chaos. What was originally just a minor incident of falling overboard will become a major problem if Cole and his men jump ship and escape – they'll be in deep trouble and won't be able to explain themselves.

Unless Greg loses his mind and goes on a killing spree, he will have to deal with the Ravenhill soldiers and lord who come to question him.

Therefore, Ryūka, having infiltrated the cabin, didn't rush to search for the hidden magical device. Instead, he remained concealed, waiting patiently. After all, Ryūka could already hear the chaotic conversations on the deck outside. And things were unfolding exactly as he had imagined…

"You've misunderstood! I just jumped into the water to save someone! I wasn't trying to run away! We definitely didn't knock the person unconscious or push them in!"

"Is that so! Then explain yourself! Why did all the crew jump overboard and escape?! I think this is a smuggling ship! Or maybe you're pirates! In any case, surrender! Let us have a proper inspection!"

"Push him away! You dare touch our boss?"

"Put down the knife! Are you stupid! The officials all said they just wanted to check things out properly and that we should talk things out. There must be some misunderstanding..."

Hearing this conversation, Ryuuya grinned mischievously; he could already picture Greg's incredible expression. If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely instruct his men to move the magical device to a more concealed location before the other party boarded the ship for inspection…

Sure enough, the hold door opened silently, and two high knights, like thieves, used their battle aura to control their movements, quickly entering the hold. They breathed a sigh of relief after checking that one of the cargo crates was unharmed. After looking around, they found a secluded corner in the dark hold, easily moved aside the mountain of cargo crates and bags, and buried the crate there…

"That's it! If those fools insist on investigating so thoroughly, they can't blame us for being ruthless!"

"But the general means it's best not to take action, as it could easily reveal our whereabouts..."

"What can we do? Sigh! If it weren't to buy time for our country's magical engineers, we wouldn't be here in Otus doing this sneaky thievery!"

The two grumbled as they hurried out of the cabin. They were all required to go to the deck for inspection. Of course, Ryusha wasn't included; even Greg assumed that this petty smuggler from the River Veil harbor had already jumped ship and escaped like Cole and the others…

But they couldn't; after all, the ship contained many things that couldn't be shown to others. Until they were sure they wouldn't be discovered by the soldiers of Ravenhill, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.

After the two left, and even after locking the door from the inside, a faint light appeared in the darkness. Ryuka's fingertips flicked with holy light, and she quickly retrieved the box they had hidden! Sure enough! It was the magical device used to communicate with the Bauhinia Kingdom!

"The requirements aren't high, ten minutes will be enough..."

Liu Xia glanced at it and quickly grasped the basic principles and structure. Ten minutes was enough for him, so he quickly started fiddling with the magical device.

"Hmm, the basic principles of magic are no different. It's still the projection technique commonly used in communication crystal balls, only with the addition of many components and spells to increase the distance and conceal the magic..."

As for assembly and disassembly, this almost entirely handcrafted magical device was surprisingly easy to disassemble. Perhaps to make it easy for those unfamiliar with magical devices to disassemble, maintain, and inspect, it primarily used a snap-fit ​​and mortise-and-tenon design. For the occasional screw or nut, the box even thoughtfully included tools. However, the style was unlike anything Liu Xia had ever seen before; after all, magical devices from different manufacturers are now incredibly diverse, and the style and size of screws and nuts vary greatly. This gave Liu Xia some inspiration; perhaps it would be time to standardize the production specifications of Sochi Industries, for example, by using standardized screws…

"This is the magic core, these are the spell formulas and runes, these are the encryption runes... Hmm, and there are also amplification and frequency modulation levels. Strange, judging from the craftsmanship and magical logic, the magical techniques they use are somewhat similar to those of the Merchant Guild Alliance, but the key aspects are completely different..."

Ryūka meticulously memorized all the details using his precise memory and learning abilities, which would allow him to decipher the communication magic in far less than ten minutes. Of course, he would still need to reassemble the device and recreate the scene...

Just as he finished doing all this, the soldiers of Ravenhill arrived at the sealed warehouse and urged Greg to have it opened.

“Yes, sir, I assure you, we absolutely did not bring any contraband…”

Just as Greg took out his keys, ready to open the door, another surprise that Ryuka had prepared for him happened...

A surge of magical energy suddenly flickered in the nearest room, causing Greg's face to freeze and his heart to scream in alarm!

Damn it! Why did she have to come back now of all times?! He looked towards Monica's door and realized that the fluctuation must mean Monica had teleported back! With something like this happening now, their disguise was in danger!

Others were equally nervous. The captain of the Ravenhill soldiers who boarded the ship paled in shock. This captain was far more powerful than the previous apprentice knights; he was a true high-ranking knight. Although not a mage, he recognized the magical fluctuations emanating from a mage! He immediately looked towards the door to Monica's room, becoming alert!

There's a magician on this ship!

While multinational caravans are often accompanied by various bodyguards, and knights and mages are common, the problem is that this magical fluctuation is far too powerful! It far exceeds the registered identities of those in Greg's caravan! They only have a few full-time employees registered; the rest are all apprentices!

A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Damn it! What should he do! This group of merchants is clearly suspicious! But judging from that magical fluctuation just now, if he makes a move, he'll probably die in this dark cabin immediately!

Unfortunately, misfortune struck sooner than he had imagined.

A sharp, burning sensation suddenly shot through his back. Before he could react, a blood-stained hand was pulled away from his chest!

Seeing Greg make his move, his men stopped hiding and dealt with all the soldiers who had followed him down in the blink of an eye! They didn't even make the slightest sound that would be noticed by those on deck!

The door creaked open, and an angry Monica was about to ask Greg what had happened and why her teleportation magic had been interfered with! But what she saw before her eyes made the young lady's pupils contract instantly, and a wave of nausea surged up.

"What is this... ugh..."

A gaping hole had been ripped through the Ravenhill Knight's chest, blood staining the floor. Monica stared at Greg's half-stained arm, her expression tense.

A fledgling with only potential… Greg glanced at her, without uttering a single unnecessary word:

"Something's happened, we need to leave immediately."

"What about the pursuit of the mission?"

"I can't worry about that now, something's not right, I suspect..."

Greg gritted his teeth, then suddenly remembered something and smashed the hatch door open with a bang! Light flooded the dim space.

“Greg?”

"General?"

Everyone looked at Greg, whose expression was serious. Greg glanced around but found nothing amiss. He immediately turned to his two deputies:

Where did you hide it?

The two quickly went to the corner and carried out the box. Seeing that nothing was amiss, Greg finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had worried too much. Regardless of whether Captain Cole and the river transport chairman's nephew were involved, as long as the crucial secret hadn't been discovered, that was all that mattered…

Perhaps they genuinely thought they were in trouble and suddenly abandoned ship to flee. But it's always best to be cautious, and since they had already killed someone, they had no choice but to run away as quickly as possible.

"After gathering the essentials, we abandoned ship and fled, taking advantage of the darkness to reach the shore!"

Monica, who had recovered by this time, realized that things were unusual. But since they had to evacuate, she decided to use teleportation magic to move the key items away first.

Greg thought the same thing as her. He handed the large box containing the magical communicator to Monica and gave her his instructions:

"Regardless, our whereabouts can no longer be concealed. The people of Otus aren't fools. You take this back to the base, then destroy all traces. We'll head straight to the next territory to rendezvous!"

With the incident at Weihe Port, coupled with the killing of the people from Ravenhill, even a fool would connect these two events to the Imperial delegation's trip! Moving as a group would make them too conspicuous! Since their disguise has already been exposed, they no longer need to pursue slowly as ordinary people; unleashing their full power would allow them to reach the next location before Otus's delegation!

But deep down, Greg felt as if he were being manipulated, and nothing was going according to plan! This made him uneasy about the future of the operation…

"Remember, if I do not meet you at the agreed location in five days, inform the country that this plan may have encountered an unexpected situation. The Queen Mother will know what to do then."

“Understood.” Monica nodded. Although she had always looked down on Greg and the Navel people, Greg’s clean and efficient style of doing things at crucial moments made her have to take him seriously.

Having said that, she picked up the box, quickly returned to the center of the magic circle on the floor, and began chanting and casting the spell again. After a flash of light, she vanished from the spot!

Seeing Monica leave, Greg quickly set her room ablaze, then reduced everything to splinters! The aura-driven blast, along with the splinters and fuel, spread rapidly, slowly erasing all traces of what could be found!

"Alright, brothers, let's go. Forget about those soldiers on deck, get the guys jumping into the water to evacuate. These Ottus bastards can't catch us! Remember my words, split up and meet at the next rendezvous point! Five days, no exceptions. If anything goes wrong, you all know what to do, right?"

"Understood, General! We will not live as prisoners of the Ottus!"

Having said that, they smashed the boat and plunged into the cold, dark river! Greg, after taking one last look around, also quickly disappeared into the water…

Only after confirming that his presence had faded into the distance did Ryūka slowly emerge from the shadows. The flames reflected in the boy's pupils, and the spreading fire had indeed swallowed up all useful information. This forced Ryūka to reveal a smile of admiration:

"While not exactly brilliant, his intuition is still pretty sharp—he knows there's something fishy going on behind these things. But unfortunately, Greg Horton, we're not on the same wavelength after all..."

In front of Ryūka, whose strength far surpassed theirs, their entire conversation was completely exposed. If Ryūka wanted to, he could catch up with Greg and capture him instantly! However…

"If he doesn't reach the rendezvous point in five days, he'll have to notify his home country. What a cautious fellow..."

Capturing Greg is easy, but whether he can be captured alive, and whether there will be enough time to interrogate him after capture, is another matter entirely. If something goes wrong in this step, I might let the Bauhinia side know in advance and do their secretive things.

Therefore, Ryūka didn't need to do this, since his goal was to intercept their magical communications with his homeland. Only by pressing them precisely could he obtain more information from their conversations.

“I now fully understand the structure of the magical communicator. It’s only a matter of time before Anjaberg creates a device to intercept magical signals… Of course, we’ll need to get closer to the source first. Next, we need to track down Monica…”

Although they would eventually catch up with her and the delegation, the sooner she found them, the more control she would have and the sooner she could gather information about them. As for how to find and teleport Monica away, Ryuka had already made preparations!

Thinking of this, Liu Xia quickly broke through the hull and jumped into the water... After a few ripples, he climbed ashore from a distance of several hundred meters.

In the distance, a raging fire had already broken out on the river, and the cargo ship was slowly sinking. The Ravenhill soldiers on the deck screamed and jumped into the water, while alarm bells rang loudly in the distant port! A large number of soldiers and knights immediately poured out of the town and began searching and patrolling along the riverbank, but Greg and his men had probably already fled into the night.

Ryūsha wasn't in a hurry. He first found Cole and the others who had already jumped ship along the shore. These ordinary people couldn't escape very far. If Ryūsha ignored them, they would likely suffer an undeserved fate if discovered by the soldiers of Raven Ridge.

"My lord, what exactly is going on..."

In the darkness, Cole and the others saw Ryuka approaching, his wet face filled with fear. Although they didn't know what they had been dragged into, they were certain that the boy who had given them the orders was not the chairman's nephew.

"You don't need to know too much. Just go home and rest assured. I will have Haifulian compensate you for all the losses."

Ryuka no longer concealed her identity. The river water had washed away some of her makeup, and with the magic concealing her presence gone, everyone recognized her as their young governor!

"Your Excellency! By the grace of the goddess! I am truly blessed!"

Cole and his crew prayed incessantly, much to Ryūsha's amusement. Not long after, a band of Ravenhill knights spotted them and surrounded them, torches in hand!

"Hands up, everyone! Anyone who resists will be killed!"

Ryuu sighed. At this moment, demonstrating strength was far more convenient than negotiating. He glanced at the Raven Ridge knights before him, and with a gentle wave of his hand, unleashed a burst of power that threw several of them off their horses!

"I am Lucius, the governor of Sochi Province. You lot, find some clean clothes and food, don't let these sailors freeze. Also, have Count Harvey come in person, I have important matters to discuss with him!"

The knights stared at each other, wanting to draw their swords, but the young man's strength was undeniable. Although they didn't recognize Ryūka, no one else could possess such power at such a young age. Even though they knew in their hearts that the Harvey family and Ryūka were not on the same side, they wouldn't obediently follow Ryūka's orders.

"The Governor-General of Ryukyu?"

The lead knight stood up, frowned, dusted himself off, and said to Ryūka: