Sea of Ten Thousand Islands

A farce had given the onlookers quite a spectacle. As Leslie left, the people around them immediately broke into discussion.

"That was Patriarch Oroko's second son, Leslie Oroko, wasn't it?"

"Who else would dare cause trouble at City Hall? I heard he's ruthless and cruel. Seeing it today, the rumors were true. We'd better stay far away from him in the future."

The man's words immediately drew agreement from several companions around him.

"Yeah, he's not someone we can afford to provoke in Highland City."

"Highland City? Would you dare provoke a noble descendant even outside the city?"

Faced with the challenge, the man who had spoken in agreement earlier felt indignant. But when he wanted to argue back, he found his courage lacking. He could only flush red and fall silent.

Roland quietly listened to the discussions around him. This sudden conflict gave him an even deeper understanding of the world's cruelty and made him intensely curious about nobles for the first time.

A noble descendant dared to act so recklessly in Highland City's City Hall and even kill an official on the spot. That was far too much power. It was somewhat enviable.

But clearly, a noble status was still far too distant for Roland.

So he shook his head, dispelled those thoughts, and continued looking for the Terra Kingdom office.

That was right. Within a noble fief, the Terra Kingdom could only establish an office. The entire City Hall served the Oroko Family. Even the king's orders held no effect here.

Still, as an office directly under the kingdom, it occupied an extremely conspicuous position in the hall.

Seeing this, Roland wasted no more time and headed directly toward the kingdom office.

Compared to the other offices, the kingdom office had noticeably fewer visitors, leaving its three officials with little to do.

That made things easier for Roland. He did not need to queue.

"Hello, my name is Roland. I graduated from the Kingdom Noble Magic Academy and have come to register today."

Roland's words made a middle-aged man behind the kingdom office pause. The man had thick short whiskers and reddish-brown hair. He asked tentatively, "A Pioneer Knight?"

"Yes." Roland nodded.

After receiving Roland's confirmation, the three office workers immediately showed a trace of respect.

Any warrior who dared to pioneer into lands held by other races would earn the respect of all humanity. It had nothing to do with status or position.

What they respected was a warrior who had inherited the courage and will of his ancestors, opening new lands where humanity could live and multiply. Regardless of whether he ultimately succeeded, he was walking a path of honor.

Thus, Roland's registration went very smoothly. After completing the paperwork, he successfully received a badge belonging to a Terra Kingdom Pioneer Knight.

"Mage Roland, you have three months to prepare. When the time comes, you must travel to the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, choose a territory, and begin your pioneering efforts. Otherwise, you will face punishment under kingdom law," the whiskered official said respectfully.

"Three months to prepare?" Roland's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked for confirmation.

"Yes. Because the situation in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands is too complicated, the kingdom recently ordered that every Pioneer Knight be given three months to purchase slaves, prepare supplies, and recruit subordinates."

"Not bad. Aside from that, what support can I receive from the kingdom?" Roland nodded lightly, rubbing the silver-white badge he had just received as he continued questioning the whiskered official expectantly.

"Uh, a map of the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands?" the whiskered official replied awkwardly.

During the early years of the Terra Kingdom, the kingdom had indeed provided each Pioneer Knight with a certain amount of funding to expand its territory. But after so many years, as the kingdom's foundations became increasingly stable and pressure from the Beastkin Empire continued to grow, the Terra Kingdom had canceled its aid for knights who chose to pioneer in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands.

"All right. Better than nothing." Roland looked somewhat disappointed, but his reply remained calm.

After all, unlike Leslie, he did not possess the power to question or even kill City Hall officials. And even if he killed one, Roland still would not receive any funding.

But compared to kingdom aid, the additional three months of preparation time was clearly more important to Roland right now.

"This map was surveyed by the kingdom's North Sea Fleet. It is a strategic map, far more detailed than those sold on the market," the whiskered official hurriedly emphasized when he saw Roland's disappointment.

"That is good news." Roland smiled.

With memories from his previous life, he naturally understood the importance of a military-grade map, especially in war.

Seeing the satisfaction on Roland's face, the whiskered official breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly took a stack of rough paper, folded to the thickness of a fist, from a large box.

"Your map."

"Thank you." Taking the map, Roland did not linger. He left City Hall and returned to where the carriage had been parked.

"Grandpa Nob, let's go to Farul Street in the west of the city." After giving Nob his instructions, Roland stepped into the carriage and entered the cabin.

"Yes, Young Master."

Once inside the carriage, Roland immediately had Nuwa scan the entire map.

"Beep! Scan complete."

"Nuwa, store it under the name Sea of Ten Thousand Islands."

"Yes, Master."

"Create a three-dimensional visual model of the map and display it inside the carriage."

Following Roland's command, a flash of blue light appeared on the carriage floor. A map of the entire Sea of Ten Thousand Islands unfolded before Roland's eyes.

The Sea of Ten Thousand Islands was one of the four great seas of the Saint Nor Continent, as well as the only sea whose interior humanity had successfully penetrated. Its waters were vast and boundless. According to existing records, it was nearly dozens of times larger than the Terra Kingdom. It stretched for over ten thousand kilometers, from the Frost Plains at the northernmost end of the Saint Nor Continent to Sputon Port of the Elf Empire, encompassing more than a dozen nations founded by humans and other races.

Because countless islands were scattered across its waters like stars across the sky, the people of the continent called it the "Sea of Ten Thousand Islands."

Records stated that the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands contained tens of thousands of islands. Naturally, more than ninety percent were tiny islands, covering less than a few square kilometers. Perhaps after a single wave, such an island would vanish beneath the sea by the next day.

However, there were also medium and large islands with vast areas. The largest was nearly half the size of the Terra Kingdom.

At present, the strongest force in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands was the Sea Demon Clan, which occupied nearly thirty percent of its deep waters.

The second-largest force was the Pirate Alliance, composed of seven Giant Pirate Groups and hundreds or thousands of smaller pirate groups. Their movements spanned the entire Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, and even the Sea Demon Clan suffered greatly from them.

The third-largest force consisted of Pioneer Knights from various nations, mainly nobles who had successfully pioneered new territories. They had established the Noble Council of the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands and jointly resisted the invasions of the Sea Demon Clan and the Pirate Alliance.

The relationships among these three forces were extraordinarily complicated. The Pirate Alliance and Noble Council might fight fiercely today, only to unite tomorrow and attack the Sea Demon Clan together.

Even within the three major forces, cooperation and betrayal, offense and defense, constantly changed roles. The shifts happened so quickly that they were dizzying. Often, even the tiniest sliver of profit was enough for two factions to go to war.

It was chaotic beyond measure, with war breaking out constantly. Nearly every day, every moment, slaughter and conquest unfolded throughout the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands.

Therefore, although the Sea Demon Clan of the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands was far weaker than the Beastkin Empire, the death rate among its Pioneer Knights remained extremely high, no lower than the rate for those who chose to pioneer against the Beastkin Empire.

As Roland considered the intelligence about the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Facing the utterly chaotic Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, Roland was only a Level 4 Mage. Forget successfully pioneering a territory and becoming an honored noble; he was not even fully confident that he could survive there.

His predecessor had temporarily escaped the Solomon Family's control by becoming a Pioneer Knight, but Roland now had to bear the mess that had been left behind.

The carriage traveled through Highland City's streets and alleys. Half an hour later, Old Nob accurately arrived at Farul Street in the western part of the city.

Because of the expensive housing prices and noisy harbor in the east, most adventurers and professionals preparing to travel to the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands gathered in the west.

Farul Street was the heart of the western district. The Mercenary Guild, Mage Hall, and Apothecary Exchange had all established branches there.

But none of those were Roland's destination today. He had come for Highland City's Housing Trading Center, located on Farul Street.

When Roland learned from the whiskered official that he had three months, he had no intention of immediately setting out for the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. With his current profession level of merely a Level 4 Mage, rashly heading there would be no different from seeking death.

More importantly, he was not going to the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands to adventure. He was going to establish a territory. A territory needed at least a certain number of residents, did it not? He could not possibly rely on Old Nob alone to develop a territory.

Roland had actually considered doing just that before: finding some small island in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands and lying low until his strength improved enough for him to protect himself, then beginning to develop his territory.

But after fully absorbing his predecessor's memories, Roland immediately abandoned that idea.

The Human Alliance's Pioneer Knight laws stipulated that once someone chose to become a Pioneer Knight, they had to possess one hundred residents and construct a habitable shelter when establishing their territory. If that shelter was destroyed by hostile forces during war, it had to be rebuilt within three months, or they would lose their qualification as a Pioneer Knight.

Those who lost their Pioneer Knight qualification generally met miserable ends. Even noble descendants would lose all inheritance rights, be directly demoted to slaves, and permanently lose the right to advance.

Roland could not bear such consequences either, unless he betrayed humanity.

Put simply, the Human Alliance's rule meant this: either do not come, or if you do, then do the job properly.