Elizabeth

In the evening, Roland returned to his rented house, dusty and travel-worn.

He had spent the entire day on the road. Because the prices around Highland City were exorbitant, the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group had chosen to station themselves in Gomosa Town, which was quite far away, in order to save expenses.

The round trip was over a hundred miles. Fortunately, Roland had used the Levitation spell on the carriage when returning to the city, speeding up their journey. Otherwise, he might not have even been able to complete his meditation work for the day.

However, his hard work today had not been in vain.

Under Roland's observation, the actual situation of the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group was not much different from what O'Neil had described.

Therefore, he decisively signed a contract with the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group.

He hired them for a one-year protection mission at a price of one thousand gold coins per month.

After resolving the mercenary group issue, Roland still had preparations to make for establishing his territory.

The next day, under Jonathan's guidance, he again visited the Slave Trading Market on Bell Street and met with Steward Jon of the Shadow Merchant Guild.

This time, the two parties engaged in a much deeper discussion. Jon's beaming smile afterward undoubtedly proved that he had profited handsomely from this deal.

Hiring the mercenary group and purchasing slaves had nearly depleted all of Roland's gold coins. Therefore, in the following period, Roland plunged back into intensive potion refining.

Simultaneously, he continuously consumed Tier 4 Spirit Agility Potions to enhance his strength.

Finally, one week before the three-month deadline, Roland received another invitation from Leslie one night.

Just like last time, it was at the luxurious manor in the northern district of the city.

What was different this time was that Leslie personally came to the door to greet Roland.

This made Roland feel somewhat overwhelmed.

While their relationship could be described as friends, Roland knew in his heart that it was merely a matter of mutual utilization. Leslie valued Roland's future, while Roland valued Leslie's present.

Given Leslie's current status, Roland couldn't quite fathom why he would personally come out to greet him.

Meanwhile, Leslie was beaming with joy and overflowing with enthusiasm, even more so than he had treated Roland last time.

The reason for his current attitude was simple: in just over a month, Roland had provided him with thirty bottles of Tier 4 Spirit Agility Potion.

Thirty bottles of Tier 4 Spirit Agility Potion were not a significant amount for Leslie, but based on the materials he had provided to Roland, Leslie estimated that Roland, having just become an Intermediate Apothecary, had managed to increase his success rate in refining Level 4 Potions to nearly thirty percent in just one month.

Such terrifying talent in Alchemy immediately elevated Roland's standing in Leslie's heart.

With Roland's current rate of progress, becoming an Advanced Apothecary in the future was practically a certainty, and there was even a high probability of him becoming a Master Apothecary.

Faced with Roland, who was highly likely to become a Master Apothecary in the future, how could Leslie remain seated? Thus, he had personally come to the door to greet Roland this time, all to deepen their relationship.

"My friend, long time no see," Leslie said enthusiastically, even giving Roland a big hug.

This made Roland quite uncomfortable; he didn't like hugging men.

"Long time no see, Young Master Leslie."

"Call me Leslie from now on. We're friends, aren't we?" Leslie said very seriously.

Roland was a little surprised by this but still nodded.

"Come, let me introduce you to a great beauty," Leslie said, grabbing Roland and heading into the manor.

"A great beauty?" Roland's interest was immediately piqued.

Roland had a good opinion of Leslie's taste, as evidenced by the many maids in his manor.

Led by Leslie, they arrived at a spacious conference room deep within the manor in less than a moment.

As Roland entered the conference room, he saw two young women already inside, looking around the room.

One of them was wearing a pure white maid's dress, was not tall, and looked plump and very cute.

When Roland looked at the other woman, his eyes immediately showed a hint of astonishment.

The other woman was wearing a gorgeous, wine-red velvet gown. The dress's form-fitting cut perfectly outlined her graceful figure. The neckline was a deep V, revealing fair skin and delicate collarbones.

Her deep blue eyes were as clear and bright as the sea, and her golden curly hair cascaded like waves over her shoulders. A few strands of hair casually fell by her cheeks. Every movement exuded a unique charm that was irresistible.

This woman, who seemed to have stepped out of a painting, captivated Roland.

However, in the next moment, he seemed to recall something. His eyes immediately cleared, and he said with some surprise, "Black Rose Elizabeth?"

Although this was Roland's first meeting with the young woman, he accurately identified her origin.

After receiving hints from Leslie earlier, Roland had spent considerable effort researching the various powers in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands and notable figures.

The young woman before him was indeed a very noteworthy individual.

Elizabeth Fiknanndo, the only daughter of the Black Knight Pirates' captain, possessed not only stunning beauty but also professional talent far beyond ordinary people. In her early twenties, she had already reached the Advanced Warrior professional level.

She was known as the Black Rose by countless pirates in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands.

Roland's surprise was not due to her identity, but rather his surprise at seeing her here.

No matter how high Elizabeth's status was in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, she was, after all, a pirate. The Terra Kingdom's stance towards pirates had always been strict crackdown and zero tolerance.

They had even issued numerous wanted pirate notices with bounties.

Yet, here in Highland City, in the home of Leslie, the second heir to the Count, he saw Elizabeth openly present.

This made Roland re-examine the Oroko Family's position between the Terra Kingdom and the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands.

Roland's exclamation immediately drew the attention of the young woman opposite him.

She slowly withdrew her gaze from surveying their surroundings and looked at Roland, who was standing at the doorway, for the first time.

A sharp glint flashed in her light blue eyes, and she raised an eyebrow, asking unceremoniously, "Who are you?"

However, before Roland could answer, Leslie, standing beside him, spoke up first.

"Elizabeth, allow me to introduce my friend, Roland. He's also the Pioneer Knight I asked you to grant refuge to." Leslie emphasized the words "my friend," seemingly trying to elevate Roland's status in her eyes through his own identity.

Elizabeth, upon hearing this, either didn't grasp the deeper meaning in Leslie's words or simply didn't care. She immediately withdrew her gaze from Roland, appearing to have lost all interest in him once his identity was revealed.

Elizabeth then subtly nudged her cute maidservant beside her.

The maidservant promptly took out a delicate, small map from her embrace and unfurled it on the table.

"Please choose. The islands marked in green on this map are all available for you to establish territory," the maidservant's soft voice chimed, sounding incredibly pleasant.

Seeing this, Roland immediately walked over to the table and began to carefully examine the map displayed by the maidservant.

The map presented by Elizabeth's maidservant was, in fact, the territory controlled by the Black Knight Pirates.

With Double Gate Island as their base, the Black Knight Pirates primarily controlled a sea area of approximately one hundred thousand square kilometers.

It was located on the northwestern side of the Azure Sea Region, with its edge being less than two hundred miles from the Beastkin Empire.

The islands primarily marked in green were distributed along the boundaries surrounding the Black Knight Pirates' territory.

Roland, comparing it with the map recorded by his chip, fell into deep contemplation.

Firstly, Roland definitely couldn't choose the islands east of Double Gate Island, as the Mandy Family was located in the eastern part of the Azure Sea. Sandwiched between two major powers, Roland feared he wouldn't even dare to sleep without his armor on.

He couldn't choose the northern side either. The Azure Sea was already the northernmost part of the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, heavily influenced by the Frozen Realm to the north of the Saint Nor Continent.

If Roland chose the northernmost islands offered by Elizabeth, winter would last for nine months of the year, and developing territory there would consume an immense amount of energy.

Excluding these two directions, only the southern and western sides remained.

The southern islands were the closest to Highland City and were easily accessible, with extensive trade routes, making them the best positioned of the four directions.

However, precisely because of this, the area was teeming with small pirate groups and Pioneer Knights. According to the intelligence Roland possessed, there were about a hundred various small factions gathered there.

With a hundred large and small factions concentrated in one area – pirates, Pioneer Knights, nobles, and individuals from different countries, each with their own stances and goals – one could imagine how chaotic it was. There was virtually no order, only endless conflicts and disputes.

Wars had never ceased in their struggle for limited resources and territory. Countless Pioneer Knights and pirates had already fallen in that sea, and Roland had no desire to join that fray.

Therefore, only the western islands remained before Roland.

However, the western islands also had many drawbacks, such as a harsh trade environment. Although they bordered the Beastkin Empire, the Human Alliance strictly prohibited trade with them.

The Terra Kingdom, in particular, was at the forefront of this, viewing any trade with the Beastkin Empire that strengthened their forces as akin to desecrating the royal family's ancestral graves.

As a result, a large portion of the Terra Kingdom's navy was essentially concentrated in this sea area, exerting naval pressure on the Beastkin Empire while actively cracking down on all smuggling activities.

Just as Roland was wavering, Leslie suddenly walked up to him and lightly pointed at the map.

Roland followed Leslie's gaze and saw his finger resting on an island on the westernmost edge of the Black Knight Pirates' territory.

This island was the closest to the Beastkin Empire and was already on the very fringe of the Black Knight Pirates' controlled waters.

Although Roland was somewhat curious about Leslie's reason for choosing this spot, his choice aligned with Roland's own thoughts.

So, he didn't say much but directly nodded to the maidservant, confirming, "This one."

Roland's choice also caught Elizabeth's attention. When she saw where Roland had pointed, a hint of disdain flickered across her face.

Although the expression was fleeting, Roland, with his keen senses, caught it. He felt a surge of curiosity, wondering why his selection of a western island had earned Elizabeth's scorn.