A Prince from the East Continent?

Black Wolf Castle, main hall.

Smash! An exquisite porcelain teacup slipped from the viscount's hand and shattered into countless pieces the instant it struck the hard floor.

Scalding red tea splashed all over the viscount, yet the nobleman paid it no heed. His mind was still immersed in the information the knight had just reported.

"Say that again. The heir to a kingdom with how many citizens?"

Karen shoved aside the two maids frantically wiping at him and sprang up from the main seat. His rugged face was filled with shock, utterly devoid of his earlier calm composure.

"My lord, the Status Blessing above that Prince's head showed 1.4 billion citizens."

Sauron Knight replied respectfully. He was not at all surprised by the viscount's loss of composure after dropping the teacup. He even felt that his lord was already being very calm; if it had been him, he would have long since fallen off his chair in shock.

"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Karen asked doubtfully.

It could have been fourteen million, or even one hundred and forty million, but no matter what, it should not have been 1.4 billion!

After all, the continent's three major human kingdoms—the Sossia Kingdom, which revered the sun and wind; the Milan Kingdom, which worshipped thunder and earth; and the Rhine Kingdom, which honored the sun and moon—

Even if every Free Citizen, serf, slave, and everyone else in those three kingdoms and their vassal states were added together, they certainly would not reach the terrifying figure of 1.4 billion.

Karen found it difficult to imagine how vast the territory of a nation with 1.4 billion people would be, how immense its grain production would be, and how staggering its national strength must be.

"My lord, when I met that Prince, I secretly counted it several times. It was indeed ten digits." Sauron Knight smiled bitterly.

Karen's expression gradually turned grave, as though a dark cloud had settled over his face.

Even during the war to suppress the rebellious Mason Duchy, when he had been surrounded alone by several enemy Extraordinary Knights, his expression had never been so solemn.

He knew full well that although his knight was not highly educated and had not read many books, he could at least recognize numbers.

That meant the Prince's Status Blessing was indeed real.

But even if what he had seen was real, could it have been an illusion spell or some kind of magic? Although Karen had never heard of magic capable of altering Blessings in all his past experience, that did not mean such a possibility did not exist.

"Mm."

Karen sat back down in the main seat. His fingers unconsciously tapped the chair's armrest, the rhythm slow and heavy, as though he were calculating something.

Sauron Knight did not disturb his lord's thoughts. He remained respectfully kneeling on one knee atop the wolfskin carpet.

He quietly switched legs, too. The first one had gone numb. Time passed second by second.

Tap, tap, tap.

At that moment, a series of light footsteps broke the silence in the castle hall.

"Darling~"

Accompanied by a flirtatious female voice, a tall figure stepped inside.

She was a beautiful woman who looked to be only in her early twenties. She wore a loose silk nightgown with its collar slightly open, revealing elegant jade-like collarbones and a faint glimpse of pale skin.

Her smooth purple hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall, its strands carrying a faint sheen beneath the candlelight.

Her figure was alluring, with a slender waist, slightly upturned hips, and long, well-proportioned legs. Even beneath the loose nightgown, her sensuality could not be concealed.

Without question, she was an incomparably seductive beauty.

Sauron Knight merely glanced at the newcomer before abruptly lowering his head, terrified that even a single disrespectful thought might arise in his mind.

Because this beauty was his lord's second wife, Viscountess Danielle Masha.

"What sort of urgent intelligence made you leave me alone in the room for so long?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the viscountess sat directly on Karen's lap, wrapped her snow-white arms around his shoulders, and breathed warmly into the man's ear.

Hiss!

Karen felt his entire body go numb. Will my poor old back survive this?

"My lord, the intelligence has been delivered. May I take my leave first?"

Sauron Knight spoke respectfully. He feared that staying any longer would ruin his lord and the viscountess's enjoyment.

"Go, go." Karen's mouth twitched as he waved a hand.

He actually wanted to keep Sauron there, but the arms around his neck suddenly tightened, leaving him unable to say anything at all.

"Alright, alright, this is important. Besides, you've only just given birth. You should be resting properly!"

Feeling the mischievous little hand beneath him, Karen hurriedly pushed Danielle off his lap.

"Danielle, Sauron reported that a noble Prince has arrived in our territory, and his Status Blessing is actually—"

Before the woman could lose her temper, Karen hurriedly poured out all the intelligence in one breath.

This viscount, famed for his exceptional martial prowess, seemed to regard his wife as some sort of monster that devoured people whole.

"1.4 billion!"

The viscountess covered her little mouth, surprise filling her violet eyes. For a moment, she even forgot to blame her husband for heartlessly rejecting her so many times.

"Yes. To be honest, I already suspect that Sauron was deceived by some kind of magic or Blessing ability. After all, where on this continent could there be a nation with so many people?"

Before Karen could finish, a slender pale finger gently pressed against his lips.

"Darling, you seem to have forgotten. Just because this continent has none does not mean another continent has none~" The viscountess smiled sweetly.

"You mean..." Prompted by the woman, Karen revealed a thoughtful expression.

"That Prince is a prince from the East Continent?"

"Perhaps so. After all, there truly is no such enormous nation on the West Continent where we live." Danielle lightly bit her index finger as she thought as hard as she could.

"Yet during the ancient War of the Gods, the continent shattered into two halves. One became the West Continent where we now stand, while the other became the East Continent and drifted far away."

"Then the Silent Mist and the endless Wall of Sighing Ice suddenly appeared upon the sea. Since then, no visitors from the East Continent have appeared on this continent for hundreds of years."

Karen sighed softly.

Over these centuries, countless navigators had set sail, dreaming of accomplishing the great feat of reaching the East Continent and gaining fame, status, and the extraordinary power brought by advancement in their profession.

Even he himself had once dreamed of such a thing as a child.

Unfortunately, all navigators had brought back over the centuries were one horrifying tragedy after another, to the point that hardly anyone still held out hope.

"Byers, the world's first Great Mage, once said that anything is possible," Danielle said slowly.

"Since even the eternal gods exist, what in this world could possibly be impossible?"

"Karen, prepare some gifts and go pay that Prince a visit." Danielle gently held her husband's hand and spoke softly.

"If it truly is an illusion, then he cannot possibly deceive you, because you are—"

As if in answer to the woman's words, torrents of dark green magical power suddenly erupted from Viscount Hughes's body, and even the air around him began to tremble.

"A knight of the Morning Star rank, the Wailing Wolf!" The viscountess gazed at her husband with eyes brimming with adoration.

As everyone knew, the lord of Black Wolf Territory was a powerful knight who had shone brilliantly in the Dragon-Lion War. That was also the main reason why she, the only daughter of the noble Masha Family, had been willing to marry beneath her status.

The secondary reason was, of course, that Darling was very handsome~