A tall-masted ship sailed alongside the eastern shoreline of the Ulier Continent, traveling southward.
Every week, ships would sail between the Acadian Empire and the Southern Federation. Other than flying dirigibles, this was the only method of transportation between the two lands.
After all, the Murky Mountains separated the Southern Continent from the rest of the Ulier Continent.
This mountain range was full of dangers, so much so that even Rank 3 - Mana Vortex Magi would prefer to avoid it.
It was home to countless magical beasts, many of them having strength equal to a Mana Vortex Magus.
There were even rumors that there were a handful of beasts equivalent to Mana Core Ranks in these mountains!
However, such claims were never proven. Perhaps, it was a tale woven by people to prevent others from recklessly entering this dangerous place.
Or perhaps Magi did indeed come face to face with such a powerful beast but never lived to tell the tale.
The majority of the people—Magi and mortals alike—preferred traveling by ship between these two places as flying dirigibles were rather expensive.
Moreover, the skies above contained as much danger as the waters below. Underwater magical beasts and flying magical beasts were abundant in nature, after all.
It had been more than a month since the Blackshore Incident had concluded. With the victory of the Ravenfell forces, the city became a subsidiary of Ravenfell and was named Ravenshore.
Nylian Feno and Daniel Ranzenberg led the surviving Magi back to Ravenfell soon after.
When word of their victory reached the city, needless to say, the Council of Seven was ecstatic and so were the residents of the city.
After all, they had finally managed to get rid of one of the biggest criminal organizations to have ever plagued their city.
Furthermore, they had also dealt a heavy blow to the Cult of Bones, an organization they believed to be even more powerful and dangerous than the Umbra Thieves.
But when they heard news about Brigham Flynn's demise, they were immensely saddened. Especially the Flynn Family.
They had lost their patriarch, and the city had lost a councilor.
But there was always a silver lining in every misfortune. Such was the way of the world.
A new Mana Vortex Magus rose to glory in the aftermath of the Blackshore Incident. He was the youngest Magus to ascend to the grand station of Rank 3. This was a feat unheard of!
This person single-handedly defeated three Rank 3 Magi from the Cult of Bones. Moreover, it was said that he even took care of two more Rank 3 undead creatures summoned by them.
And it went without saying that this young Magus could summon an army of serpents numbering more than a thousand.
The people bestowed him the title of King!
One had to know that in the Ulier Continent, there was only one Emperor, and that was the Rank 4 - Mana Core Magus, the Emperor of the Acadian Kingdom.
There were no aristocratic titles designated as Kings or Queens.
As such, for people to grant a Magi the title of King spoke volumes about their magical prowess and physical capabilities.
And it had been done in the past. Magi were given this title based on their immense talent, potential, and accomplishments.
There had been a few Rank 3 Magi in the history of the Acadian Kingdom who were given the moniker of King.
But none were as young as the Dark King, Adam Constantine!
Words of his exploits were spread all over the continent. This was spearheaded by none other than the upper echelon of Ravenfell.
They proactively did their best to spread this information as wide and as fast as they could.
Firstly, it was because they wanted to send a message that they now had a new Mana Vortex Magus, and a very powerful one at that.
Secondly, with the Grand Magus Tournament arriving in less than a year, such news would not only increase the prestige of Saratoga Castle but also the city of Ravenfell.
The world would know that the youngest man to have ever become a Rank 3 - Mana Vortex Magus at only thirty-five years of age was a student of Saratoga and a resident of Ravenfell.
While words of the Dark King's grand accomplishments were spreading to every part of the continent, the man in question was nowehere to be seen.
As soon as the battle at Blackshore had concluded, Adam had informed Nylian Feno and Daniel Ranzenberg that he was going on a vacation, and that he didn't wish to be disturbed.
However, before leaving, he assured them that he would return to Ravenfell before the Grand Magus Tournament began.
Currently, Adam was on this tall-masted ship that was sailing towards the Southern Federation.
More specifically, this merchant vessel was heading to the Nahua Continent in the southern hemisphere, but before that, it would make a stopover at the City of Sails, Hannes City!
Adam comfortably lounged on the yard—the horizontal spar attached to the mast, from which sails were hung—of the ship.
A large clay gourd lay beside him as well as a ceramic flat cup. He gazed at the clouds drifting in the sky in a drunken stupor, imagining them in the shape of various animals.
"Lord Magus, there's another one!" A portly middle-aged man dressed in lavish clothing, standing on the deck of the ship called out to him.
The ship belonged to this portly merchant and Adam was hitchhiking. Of course, since he refused to pay money for the ride, he agreed to protect the vessel from any dangers along the way.
Adam yawned lazily, then willed the lotus to clear the drunken fog blanketing his mind. His eyes regained clarity in a split second and he turned towards the front of the ship.
There, he saw a large octopus emerging from the water, its strength equivalent to a mere Rank 1 Magus.
Realizing this, the raven-haired youth felt bored again. He pointed his finger at the octopus and shot a Magic Missile at it.
The spell flew threw the air at such speeds that it turned nigh-invisible, only leaving a trail of faint blue energy.
Within a few moments, the Magic Missile pierced the octopus's head and came out the other way, instantly killing it.
"Thank you, Lord Magus!" The merchant laughed jubilantly. "I'll be sure to send you some sizzling octopus meat within the next hour!"
Adam lay back down on the thick wooden yard, gazing at the clouds while drinking wine. He grumbled under his breath, "Tsk, just how long are they planning to make me wait? It's already been a month."
As if answering his question, the space beside him trembled and a portal to the Spirit World formed. From it, a white owl arrived, carrying a package.
Adam's eyes lit up. "Finally! Took you long enough!"
But this was just the beginning.
More portals formed around him as more messengers from the Twilight Brotherhood arrived. Each of them were carrying packages, big and small.
Seeing the gifts and the rewards slowly starting to pile up before him, Adam grinned.
"Now, that's more like it!"