Regardless, Nord's journey has ended, and the next destination is Marinburg. Mr. Laine carries four deity gold coins, and he is contemplating whether he will need a foothold in Marinburg and an identity to conceal his true purpose.
Estelle looked up at Laine and suddenly whispered, "I admit you are a warrior, Laine. Your combat prowess and willpower truly command my admiration. The forest grants us keen vision and an exceptional instinct as archers, but it takes away our wrist strength and powerful magic."
Laine sat beside Estelle, "There is always a trade-off."
"Mr. Laine, are you planning to go to Marinburg?" Lops was extremely bored on his own; he wasn't like Alfred, a Paladin who could spend an entire day with a Holy Scripture in hand. The young Wandering Knight enjoyed crowds and various activities. Upon hearing that there was a passenger ship heading to Marinburg, he forced his way on board and said he wanted to go too.
"If I'm not going to Marinburg, why else would I be on this passenger ship?" Laine thought this young man's attempt to make conversation was truly awkward, so he mercilessly mocked him.
"Hehe, I just wanted to know if you need an escort." Lops scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. Read full story at novel{f}ire.net
"Not for now. By the way, Estelle, do you know who the current Elf King is?" Laine still asked Estelle.
"I don't understand which one you're referring to: the King of the Forest, the Phoenix King, or that detestable Witch King?" Estelle replied, puzzled.
"Hey, have the King of the Forest and the Witch King changed since the founding of the Empire? I'm obviously asking about the Phoenix King." The Wood Elves and Dark Elves have kings who never change; only the Phoenix King does.
"If you're asking about the Phoenix King... Initially, our forest had no ties with the Asur, but we know of the current Phoenix King; his name is Finuba." Estelle nodded, "He visited our forest two or three hundred years ago. The King of the Forest, Olein, gave this faraway guest the warmest reception, but our king refused to return with him. Later, this Phoenix Lord named Finuba became the next Phoenix King."
"'Sailing King' Finuba?" Teresa appeared beside Laine, the female sorcerer naturally linked arms with him, "He's quite famous. During the Great Holy War one hundred and fifty years ago, it was this Phoenix King who connected with His Majesty Ludwig and dispatched High Elf Great Mage Tygris with a team of High Elf Mages and a group of Hos Sword Saints to aid the Empire. In the Battle of Fasha, they played a crucial role; Tygris's summoned meteors destroyed several regiments of Chaos Demons."
"After the war, the Empire and the High Elves signed trade agreements. Tygris formally stayed in the Imperial Capital, spending over twenty years establishing the Imperial Royal Wizard Academy before returning to Ossuan." The female sorcerer recounted this piece of history.
The High Elves are the pinnacle of the continent in terms of military quality, naval prowess, or casting skills, but their low birth rate and lengthy maturity period constrain their ability to deploy forces and military strength. Especially in the thousands of years of desperate wars against the Dark Elves, the High Elves' war capabilities and population have severely declined.
Their land army remains the strongest in the world, yet no longer invincible. Their navy still dominates the seas, but can no longer easily divide forces to conduct interspersed or multiple-line combat.
In the face of declining economy and productivity without expansion, trade with humans has become one of the pillars supporting the High Elf economy. Humans are fond of High Elf luxury crafts, spices, premium foodstuffs, and assorted magic items, while High Elves need to procure substantial raw materials and minerals from humans.
"By the way, Laine, why are you interested in this?" the female sorcerer asked curiously, "High Elves are hard to deal with, rarely considering humans as equals apart from a scant few human strongmen."
"Marinburg is the Empire's primary trade hub with the High Elves. Once we arrive there, we are bound to interact with the High Elves." Laine shook his head, pondering. How would he obtain investigation rights in Marinburg?
In Nord, he is a Kingdom Knight, able to investigate relatively freely. But not so in Marinburg; it is a very chaotic territory where his knightly status is moot; rather, his power and reputation hold value.
He could only wait until the moment arrived.
"Afu and I together... Anyway, once we arrive in Marinburg, we'll first find a place to stay before gradually starting the investigation." Glancing at the boundless waves of the sea, Laine temporarily summarized.
Meanwhile, the news of the Champion's victory spreads across the Continent.
Marinburg, the largest trade center of the Old World, the largest port, sees a massive influx of gold and currency into this port dock every year, yet seldom flowing out. Countless young individuals yearning for opportunities and wealth constantly come to this place.
The entire city encompasses several districts, each comparable to a standalone city, capable of accommodating millions of tons of displacements with large vessels continuously coming and going. The city is located at the mouth of the Rick River in the Cursed Swamp; this city built on the central island of the Rick River Triangle Island connects to the coastal highway, allowing its merchants to enter the Empire via land routes.