The story of the black silk female knight

So, to investigate the truth of what happened back then, I think we should start with the Church of the Sun… I remember my uncle and aunt had close personal relationships with several high priests back then, right? If you have time, you could try visiting them and sounding out their opinions.”

"Well... I've actually already tried it."

Valensa gave a wry smile:

“When I was soaking in the holy water of the sun to heal my wounds, Sister Melina helped me inquire about it.”

There were three high priests who were close friends with my parents, but they've all either returned to the Divine Continent west of the sea due to promotions, or been transferred to America at the same level... In short, none of them are in the Kingdom of Fran anymore.

Chapter 37 The Fleet Arrives at Port

The days following the visit to the Dream Witch were filled with peaceful daily life.

Valensa spends her days attending classes, practicing her swordplay, and chatting with Tia.

I personally cooked and had two small gatherings with Melody and a few other friends I got along well with. I made a stew of snake, turtle, and chicken for the Dream Witch, and I also went fishing once with the old man who always missed the boat by the pond behind the dormitory.

Time passed and Valensa's third day off after starting school arrived. Early in the morning, she and Tia took a carriage to the capital.

This time, however, they didn't go to the shopping mall of Nora Chamber of Commerce in the central district, but instead came to the port in the south of the city.

According to the information I heard when I bought black stockings from Ms. Diana last time, a large fleet of commercial ships from the Four Islands Alliance will arrive at the port today.

Most of these goods are purchased by local Franco merchants such as the Nora Chamber of Commerce and then distributed to various shopping malls and stores for sale.

However, a small number of merchants who came with the ship would set up stalls near the dock, selling some inexpensive but interesting specialties of the Shishido Alliance.

Valensa and Tia came specifically for these street stalls.

When the two women arrived at the port, there were already quite a few people there, who were probably all with the same goal as them.

There were commoners with children, noble ladies and young women with maids, and many adventurers dressed in various styles, all gazing longingly at the sea, waiting for the fleet to appear.

Valensa and Tia also chose a relatively quiet spot, took out some snacks and black tea, and chatted while basking in the sunlight while waiting.

During this time, many noble youths were attracted by the two women's beauty and tried to chat them up, but they were quickly scared away by Tia's cold face.

While most of the time, even when a beautiful girl is angry, she just seems cute, few people are willing to bear the wrath of the heir of the Britannia family.

"coming!"

"It's really here! I can see it!"

About two hours passed, and as gasps of surprise continued to rise from the crowd, more and more ships appeared on the horizon.

The oceans in this world are far more dangerous than those in Valensa's previous life. High-risk natural phenomena like typhoons and tsunamis are just minor issues; the real dangers lie in the various sea monsters and aquatic creatures.

Going out to sea in a small fishing boat weighing only a hundred or so tons is suicidal. The fleet that has crossed the sea from the Four Islands Alliance consists of ships that are all over 10,000 tons each, and almost every ship is fully armed with various magical shields shining on their hulls.

If it weren't for the fact that the four island alliances, the Kingdom of Fran, and the American Industrial Nation had maintained friendly relations for over a thousand years, Valensa might have even had the illusion that this fleet was an invading force.

Even though each ship in this commercial fleet is like a warship, it is still possible to see that many of them have serious damage to their surfaces.

One ship even had five large circular holes on its hull, each over ten meters in diameter, as if pierced by a sharp spear. It was only thanks to a magical barrier that the holes were sealed and water didn't get in.

"The sea is indeed very dangerous... The fleet of the Four Islands Alliance should be the most technologically advanced and capable of naval warfare among humankind, yet it has ended up in such a tragic state." Valensa couldn't help but sigh upon seeing this.

"This... is actually a special case; it wasn't like this before."

Tia suddenly looked around guiltily, and only after seeing that everyone's attention was drawn to the fleet did she lower her voice considerably:

"I heard that starting about a month ago, the monsters in the sea suddenly became much more violent, and they are attacked almost every time we go out to sea."

This is why merchant ships traveling between Franco and the Four Islands Alliance decreased in frequency, and each time they traveled in a convoy of at least ten ships.

"A month ago? That wasn't..."

Valensa immediately thought of the enormous fish she had once stared at through the mirror, and quickly lowered her voice, feeling rather guilty:

"Could it really be related to what happened to us?"

"That... is actually quite likely."

Tia smiled wryly:

"According to the analysis of those marine monster experts, the current situation is most likely caused by the anger of a certain sea overlord, which has frightened a large number of ordinary marine monsters."

"What...what should we do?"

Valensa looked worried.

She was acting in her own safety at the time, and even if she had to do it all over again, her choice would not change.

But if many people were to perish at sea because of her choice, she would still be sad.

"There's nothing we can do... Even the most temperamental creature's anger will subside over time."

Tia shrugged:

"Experts estimate that this situation should not last more than three months, so let's just wait."

"That is not bad……"

Valensa finally breathed a sigh of relief.

While the two were whispering to each other, the fleet had already gotten very close to the dock.

Getting a ship weighing over 10,000 tons to dock is a technical feat. In her previous life, when Valencia traveled by cruise ship, she would have to wait one to two hours just to get it to shore.

But this magical world is different. Since it's too much trouble to sail a large ship into the dock, why not just make the dock closer to the large ship?

When they were about 500 to 800 meters from the shore, the large ships stopped moving and anchored to secure themselves.

Meanwhile, the twenty-odd earth-elemental mages who had been waiting on the shore began their work.

They used earth elements to create special rectangular stones that could float on water, and then paved roads leading to the large ships.

On the large ship, earth-elemental mages also jumped down and used the same method to pave the way. The two sides quickly met in the middle of the water and connected the floating stone paths into docks.

After the dock was built, the porters became busy, unloading the cargo from the large ships one by one onto the shore.

Among them are strongmen who can single-handedly pull containers weighing tens of tons on a flatbed cart, and wind magicians who can simultaneously move hundreds of small items using air currents.

These people are mostly from the Adventurers' Guild.

Being a porter is much safer than monster hunting, and the pay isn't bad either, making it a top choice for many adventurers in coastal cities.

If Valensa hadn't reconciled with Tia, she might now be working as a porter at the docks, carrying boxes to earn money for dresses and stockings.

But now... all she needs to do is bask in the sun and drink black tea.

After about half an hour of work by the porters, the main cargo from more than ten large ships had been transported ashore.

The small merchants who came with the fleet also began to set up stalls on the shore one after another, mostly selling marine products, and a few stalls also sold local snacks.

"Let's go, let's go for a walk."

Valensa was about to set off with Tia in her hand when she suddenly saw a distinguished group of people disembarking from the largest ship.

Chapter 38 Strange Stall

At the head of the group was an elderly man in a brocade robe. His face appeared kind yet imposing, more like an official than a merchant, and of a high rank at that.

Beside the old man was a petite girl with green hair, who was staring at him with curious emerald eyes, looking around.

The girl wore a short purple kimono, and her chest was almost flat, which made Valensa feel pity for her after just one glance.

Beneath the short kimono that barely reached her knees were a pair of slender legs encased in fishnet stockings, appearing delicate yet full of vitality.

Below the fishnet stockings are the green-haired girl's adorable feet, shyly hiding inside white tabi socks, with a pair of leather sandals over them.

Seemingly noticing Valensa's gaze, the green-haired girl also looked over at her, and the first thing she saw was the four towering mountains on Valensa and Tia that filled her with immense envy.

!

A fire suddenly ignited in the green-haired girl's eyes, and her mouth puffed out like a steamed bun.

But when the old man in the brocade robe looked at her, the green-haired girl smiled sweetly again, regaining her original cuteness and liveliness.

Oh wow? This kid's acting is pretty good!

Valensa, who had been observing the green-haired girl's changing expressions, sighed inwardly before turning her attention to the rest of the group.

Behind the old man and the young girl were several office workers, but their attire and demeanor were vastly different from the former two, clearly indicating that they were not on the same level.

On either side of them were two squads of warriors in black armor, black helmets, and black scabbards, each exuding a strong murderous aura. To avoid any misunderstanding, Valensa didn't look at them closely.

"So it was him...no wonder this fleet is so large."

Tia, who was also observing the team, seemed to recognize the old man and smiled at Valensa.

"Do you know that old man?"

Valensa asked curiously.

"Yes, I met him once last year at the royal banquet. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Commerce of the Four Islands Alliance, and he also delivered New Year's greetings on behalf of their Queen Himika."

Tia answered with a smile.

"He really is an important person... no wonder he has such an imposing presence."

Valensa sighed, hesitated for a moment, and then asked casually:

"What about that green-haired girl next to him? Do you know her, Tia?"

"Oh?"

Tia glanced at Valensa:

"You're very interested in her? Hmm... Come to think of it, apart from her flat chest, she looks somewhat like Elena. You must really want to hold her and cherish her, right? And it would be best if she could sweetly call you 'Big Sister'?"

"How could that be? Tia, you're overthinking it~~"

Valensa quickly gave a disdainful snort:

"Why would I be interested in a girl with a chest as flat as a man's? I'm just curious about her identity... Could she be a princess, walking next to the Foreign Minister?"

"It can't be the princess's... Queen Himika has had many affairs with men and women, but she has never had any children. She cultivates the secret art of the demon path, and theoretically, as long as she is not killed, she can live indefinitely, so there is no need to worry about the issue of succession."

Tia shook her head, then thought for a moment:

"As for that green-haired girl... she's probably from the Chiba family, green hair and emerald eyes... yes, she should be from the Chiba family."

"The Chiba family? Is that the family that Queen Himika favors the most? I didn't expect that their direct descendants would actually be willing to leave the homeland..."

Valensa sighed with some curiosity.

"Who knows?"

Tia shrugged, rolled her eyes at Valensa, and then took her hand:

"Alright... since you don't want to hold her in your arms and have her call you 'Big Sister,' then stop speculating about her. You promised to go shopping with me!"

"Tia, you're jealous already?"

Valensa whispered a teasing remark into Tia's ear, then kissed her cheek before Tia could get angry and ran off, giving her a provocative look without looking back.

"That shameless idiot!"

Tia's head immediately started steaming, and she angrily pulled out two magic cards.

But looking at the innocent tourists around her, she simply stomped her foot and put the two magic cards away again.

Valensa knew she couldn't tease Tia too much, so after entering the crowd, she stopped and pretended to look at a stall.

This is a small stall selling jewelry. The jewelry is made of various seashells and pearls. The materials are not expensive, but they are all quite beautiful.

Valensa pretended to watch for a while, then Tia caught up and pinched Valensa's waist without any politeness, and even stomped on her feet twice.

Seeing that many people around were watching the spectacle, Valensa had a sudden thought. She naturally reached out and hugged Tia, and picked up the most beautiful pearl necklace from the stall and put it around Tia's neck.

"Okay, darling, don't be angry... How about I give you this necklace as an apology?"

"you……!"

Tia was even more annoyed by Valensa's coaxing of her capricious girlfriend. Just as she was about to lose her temper, she saw the pearl necklace.

She raised an eyebrow, and her smile suddenly turned strange:

"You really want to give me this? Then I won't be polite!"

"...Of course, as long as you like it, darling."

Valensa was aware of the problem, but with so many onlookers watching, she had no choice but to agree.