The story of the black silk female knight

Those people also noticed Valensa and her companions, but made no attempt to greet them. One of the warriors, presumably the deputy leader, merely nodded slightly in their direction before continuing onward.

"This direction..."

Chiba glanced at the direction the samurai had come from and the direction they had gone, her brow furrowing slightly.

"They must be from other islands, who landed by boat at the main pier and walked to the Ninja Village."

"The main dock?"

Tia, who had just stepped off the ninja boat, raised an eyebrow, looked around, and then said:

"I knew it! This isn't the most frequently used dock on Sword Island."

"Yes, this is actually a military reserve pier, specifically for the ninja boats we ride in. Other ships usually dock at the main pier."

Thousand-leaf Grass nodded first, then pondered for a moment, before beckoning and taking the lead:

"Come with me... Let's go to the main dock first, and then go to the ninja village. I'm very concerned about the appearance of that group of people just now."

"...Was that group of people strange?"

Upon arriving at Chiba's territory, Valensa and her companions naturally followed Chiba's lead without hesitation. However, Valensa asked a question out of curiosity.

"It's weird."

As Chiba led the way, she explained earnestly:

"Our Sword Island is somewhat like your northern fortress in France. It is a military zone, and generally, children, especially those from noble families, do not come here to play."

Normally, there's only one reason why noble children would come to the ninja village on Sword Island... to receive basic ninja training in order to hone themselves, just like Ayumi did back then. Our ninja village also has similar schools.

However, unlike your school in Fran, our new school year begins in the spring instead of the fall. We also rarely accept new students midway through the year. Noble children who want to receive ninja training usually come in late winter or early spring, but it's the height of summer now.

Even if a noble family's child did transfer to his school halfway through, he wouldn't bring his own samurai to escort them; instead, village ninjas would personally go to the main dock to pick them up.

Sending noble children to Sword Island at a time like this, and even assigning samurai to escort them… the only possibility I can think of is a very bad one.”

“What could be?” Valensa asked hastily.

"...The Four Islands Alliance is facing some kind of danger soon. The nobles are not confident that they can protect their children with their own samurai alone, so they send their children to Sword Island for centralized protection."

Chiba paused for a moment at this point, tears welling in her eyes:

"In my memory, this situation has only happened once, 11 years ago... The Mist Demon launched a large-scale attack from the direction of Ruler Island, Ruler Island was completely captured, and Mirror Island was in imminent danger."

Finally, it was Her Majesty the Queen who led all the anti-demon ninja in a desperate resistance, repelling the Mist Demon, preserving Chuyun City, and reclaiming Chino Island… and the previous head of the Chiba family, my mother, perished in that battle.”

"...She was a great warrior, and people will remember her sacrifice."

That was all Valensa could say to Chiba before continuing to ask:

"So, Cao Cao, you think that this is because the entire Four Islands Alliance is facing a crisis, which is why those powerful people sent their children to the Ninja Village on Sword Island for refuge?"

"Hmm, very likely... Anyway, let's go check out the big dock first."

Thousand-leaf Grass didn't say anything more and silently led the way.

The distance to the pier wasn't far; Valensa and her group trekked through the jungle of Sword Island for about an hour before arriving.

During the trip, we encountered several monster attacks... The natural environment here is indeed much more dangerous than the wilderness of Fran, but it is still somewhat worse than the Misty Mountains.

The so-called large dock was only slightly larger than the dock where Valensa and her group had landed before. It was incomparable to the port of Chuyun City. It had no berths for ships of 10,000 tons or more, and even ships of 1,000 tons or more were barely berths.

However, this is originally a civilian dock. Sword Island also has a real major port, but that is a military port for docking warships. Even Chiba Grass cannot just wander around there.

According to Chiba, under normal circumstances, there won't be many ships at the main dock, and the berth utilization rate is unlikely to exceed one-third.

Sword Island has its own complete ecosystem, and its resources and production are basically self-sufficient. The demand for foreign trade is not high. In addition, it is a military zone with strict control, so very few people come here to do business.

But today, the main dock is unusually crowded. More than 80% of the berths here are occupied, and most of them are decorated and impressive ships of about 100 tons.

These ships are generally private vessels belonging to the powerful and wealthy. Although they also lack weapons and armor, they are accompanied by elite warriors of Pearl rank or above, and they also have various escape tools. These ships are generally used by the powerful and wealthy to travel between the three islands of Chi, Jing, and Jian in their private capacity.

When Valensa and her group arrived at the main dock, two such ships had just docked.

Sure enough, just like the group they had encountered before... the passengers on these ships were also children of nobles and elite samurai, and they moved very discreetly and quickly, avoiding unnecessary communication and trouble. As soon as they disembarked, they headed towards the ninja village.

"Something must have happened!"

Thousand-Leaf Grass clenched her little fists tightly, her tone becoming increasingly solemn.

She quickly located the ninja village members stationed at the dock and inquired about the situation.

The members of the ninja village naturally did not hide anything from the question posed by the third young lady of the Chiba family.

Contrary to what Qianyecao had imagined, nothing major has happened so far.

The fog demon did not launch a large-scale invasion, nor were there any signs of dense fog.

Even the Seren tribe, whose second-in-command was assassinated not long ago, has already communicated with the Four Islands Alliance, and the two sides will work together to investigate the murderer.

The Four Islands Alliance will fully cooperate, and King Seren will restrain the radicals from causing trouble... It can be said that everything is developing in a positive direction.

Therefore, this time it was not the nobles who sent their children to Sword Island for refuge, but rather Queen Himika who suddenly ordered yesterday that the Ninja Village do its utmost to protect the best next generation of the Four Islands Alliance, and at the same time summoned almost all of her Radiant-rank experts to Jade Island.

Chiba Grass's second sister, Chiba Rui, personally returned to the Ninja Village yesterday and brought the village's Rank 5 experts and many elite ninjas to Jade Island.

Those who came to Sword Island for refuge were not only the children of the nobles of the Four Islands Alliance, but also a large number of maids who originally served Queen Himika on Jade Island... Many of them had lived on Jade Island for generations and never left the Queen's palace, but yesterday Chiba Rui personally sent them to Sword Island.

This information left Chiba and Valensa looking at each other in bewilderment.

The current situation seems to indicate that it is not a fight to the death against the Mist Demon, but rather that Queen Himika herself is about to face a powerful enemy on Jade Island.

Moreover, the enemy seemed very strong, and Queen Himika was not confident that she could win in a one-on-one fight, so she gathered a group of loyal subordinates and prepared for battle on Jade Island... At the same time, she protected the children of her subordinates and the ordinary people on Jade Island to prevent them from being caught in the battle or being retaliated against by their enemies.

Considering the timing of these events...

Could the enemy that Queen Himika is preparing to fight be that strange woman whose eyes and mouth are in reverse?

Who exactly is she? How could she make the infamous Queen of Demons so nervous? What is her purpose in coming to the Four Islands Alliance? Will she endanger Fran or even the entire Frenoia continent?

Chapter 60 Ninja Village

Valensa's mind was racing, and she thought about many things.

But upon closer reflection, I realized that these ideas are currently useless.

Regardless of who that strange woman with her eyes and mouth in reversed positions is, what her purpose is, or what grudges she has with the Demon Queen Himika, it's none of Valensa's business right now.

The difference in strength is quite large, and more importantly, there are absolutely no clues.

The strange woman has vanished without a trace, and Himika has summoned her trusted and powerful confidants to Jade Island... Even Chiba doesn't know the exact location of Jade Island or how to enter it.

These two locked themselves in a fight... outsiders had absolutely no chance to intervene.

As for whether the strange woman will pose a threat to Fran or even the entire Frenoia continent... well, Valensa has already reported the matter to higher authorities, and there's nothing more she can do.

Moreover, regardless of whether that strange woman has any ulterior motives, steadily improving one's own strength according to plan is the best way to deal with any situation by remaining unchanged.

Thinking of this, Valensa first comforted Chiba a few times... saying that Himika had made such thorough preparations that she was unlikely to lose, and that if the strange woman really attacked Jade Island, she would be courting death.

Of course, Chiba knew that Valensa was trying to comfort her.

However, since Chiba had never seen the strange woman in person and only heard Valensa tell stories, it was still difficult for her to truly feel the woman's power and terror. In the hearts of every member of the Four Islands Alliance, the Demon Queen Himika was invincible.

Secondly... Himika is not only strong, but she has also gathered so many helpers. She must have made various arrangements on Jade Island, which she has been running for many years... How could she lose when she is fighting on her home turf or in a group battle?

With this in mind, Qianyecao was no longer so nervous and regained her mindset of taking her friends back to her hometown for a trip.

So the group returned from the main pier by the same route, passing the wartime pier where they had landed earlier, and headed towards the ninja village of the Demon Ninja.

Sword Island, as its name suggests, is shaped like a sword, with the hilt in the southwest and the blade pointing northeast.

The location of the Demon Ninja Village is roughly at the junction of the sword hilt and the blade, which is the widest part of the entire island on the map.

Sword Island is teeming with monsters. As the only large human settlement on the island, Ninja Village cannot be as open on all sides as most Fran villages and towns. Instead, it has a wall nearly 50 meters high, like a main city or military fortress.

The people of the Four Islands Alliance truly love wood; even this wall is not built of bricks and stones, but is made of pure wooden planks.

However, the wooden planks were very thick. When Valensa followed Chiba through the identity check and entered the gate, she took a closer look... The thickness of this wooden wall was definitely more than 1 meter, and the energy inside was rich. It was very similar to the feeling on Chiba's body. It was obviously strengthened by wood-attribute ninjutsu, and it might even be stronger than metal.

"Welcome back, Miss San."

As soon as the group entered the ninja village, they heard a gentle female voice.

Looking in the direction of the voice, one could see a woman with a full and slender figure. Her face was not stunningly beautiful, but it was still quite attractive. She seemed quite young, but her demeanor exuded the gentleness of a mature woman in her forties.

Her clothes were also a bit strange... Overall, they should still be the ninja outfit of the Demon Ninja, but with a lot of lace trim like a two-dimensional maid outfit, and a peony woven from lace on the neckline.

"It's been a long time, Sister Ziye."

Chiba seemed to have a good relationship with the woman, greeting her with a slightly excited tone, and quickly introduced them to each other.

As expected, the woman named Ziye was very close to Chiba. It could be said that Ziye had watched the three Chiba sisters grow up. She was their tutor who taught them the basics of ninja training and was also the eldest sister who took care of their daily lives.

"I have heard about what happened to you all. Thank you all for taking care of Miss San at the academy."

Ziye treated Valensa and her group with great gentleness and politeness.

Compared to the demon ninja, she seemed more like an excellent maid in a noble household responsible for entertaining guests; her standard Fran etiquette was flawless.

"Please come with me. I have arranged accommodations for everyone in the ninja village. You can rest here for a while. Grandma will invite you all to dinner later."

"Well, then I'll trouble you, Miss Ziye."

Valensa also politely reciprocated by giving Ziye a gift on behalf of everyone.

However, the way she looked at Ziye was quite strange... She looked intently into Ziye's eyes, but Ziye only met her gaze for a couple of seconds before blushing and looking away with great demureness.

Seeing this, Chiba Grass, who had been watching the two of them, gritted her teeth and, taking advantage of Ziye turning around to lead the way without looking in their direction, stomped hard on Valensa's foot, and even gave Valensa a half-threatening, half-seductive expression.

The general meaning is: If you have a problem, come at me! Don't you dare lay a hand on Sister Ziye!

Valensa simply smiled and gently rubbed Chiba's cheek, offering no explanation.

She was staring into Ziye's eyes just now, not because she wanted to flirt with her... Even if someone likes beautiful women the most, as long as they still have a sense of propriety and shame, they shouldn't flirt with someone like a friend or elder on the first meeting, right?

Moreover, Ziye's face is only moderately attractive... If you really wanted to flirt with her, you should stare at her chest or legs, not her eyes.

Valensa sought eye contact with Ziye because she felt a strange sense of closeness to her, even though it was their first time meeting.

This is really strange... and Valensa could sense that Ziye felt the same way about her, which is why she tried to make eye contact with Ziye to find out the answer, but Ziye chose to avoid it.

what's going on?

We've encountered far too many strange things on this trip to the Four Islands Alliance!

Thinking to herself, Valensa didn't rush to find the answer. She planned to ask Thousand Leaf Grass in detail when no one else was around.

After walking for a short while in the ninja village, they arrived at the accommodations arranged for Valensa and her group.

It wasn't the inn I had imagined, but a two-story wooden house with a small courtyard, guarded by two masked ninjas at the entrance.

Ziye led everyone on a brief tour of the house before tactfully taking her leave. She told Valensa that they could use all the supplies in the house as they pleased, and that they could ask the ninjas at the door for anything they needed, as well as replace any damaged furniture.

Finally, they agreed that she would take everyone to meet her mother-in-law for dinner in half an hour, and then Ziye left.

After confirming with her senses that Purple Leaf had indeed gone far away, Valensa quickly pulled Thousand Leaf Grass and called everyone to gather in a certain room. She also had Tia create a soundproof barrier and began asking various questions.

The main focus is on more detailed information about Zi Ye, and who the grandmother Zi Ye mentioned is.

"...You little nobody, you wouldn't actually have taken a liking to Sister Ziye, would you?"

Thousand-Leaf Grass was quite surprised that Valensa cared so much about Purple Leaf. She stared at Valensa with a very strange look for a while, but still answered the question readily.

The Chiba family is one of the three founding families of the Shishima Alliance, which makes them somewhat special.

Unlike the Teido family or the now-vanished Tsuchimikado family, it was not a normal aristocratic family, but rather the private favorite of the ruler Himika... The direct descendants of the Chiba family throughout the ages were all Himika's favored concubines.

Although there was no wedding or official declaration of identity, everyone knew that the Chiba family was in fact the royal family of the Shishima Alliance.

The Queen's favorite concubine would certainly not marry a man again, and Himika would not use any secret techniques to make women of the Chiba family give birth to her offspring... otherwise, wouldn't she have been having affairs with her own offspring all along?

Therefore, the direct descendants of the Chiba family have actually been using some form of asexual reproduction... Chiba Grass doesn't know the specifics of this method; it's a top secret of the Chiba family, known only to the head of the family.

In short, due to their relationship with Queen Himika, the direct descendants of the Chiba family have always been few in number and consist entirely of women.

For a large family, having too few core members is clearly not a good thing.

Therefore, since long ago, the heads of the Chiba family have selected some talented children from ninja villages or other places in the Four Islands Alliance to adopt from a young age... treating them almost as their own children, so that these children would grow up to be like brothers and sisters with the direct descendants of the family, becoming their right-hand men.

These children, raised by the Chiba family from a young age, all have the character "Ye" in their names, signifying that although they do not have Chiba family blood, they are still core family members.