Meanwhile, the nightmare scenario that would cost Whiteport's garrison commander his head had come to pass. The pirates led by Redbeard successfully broke through the blockade and returned to the harbor. All the Whiteport guards could do was watch the boarding pirates swagger and taunt them.
On deck, one pirate was flipping off the Whiteport guards when a long arrow suddenly struck him square in the forehead. Seeing the corpse fall stiffly backward, the surrounding pirates no longer dared show off and scattered to hide.
Although this grand heist had cost Redbeard's pirate crew a third of its men, the ship was filled with cheers and laughter. Led by Redbeard, the pirates raised their cups and drank deeply.
The pirates did not care in the slightest whether their companions lived or died. If anything, they wished there were fewer people to split the loot with. The treasure gained from raiding Whiteport might not even have exceeded what they could gain from robbing a large merchant convoy, since their time had been limited and they could not plunder freely.
But the fame it brought was far beyond anything raiding merchant ships could offer. Redbeard's pirate crew would surely go down in history, their deeds forever recorded in the Pirate Code. Redbeard also became the greatest pirate in these waters in one fell swoop. In less than a year, he had developed into a pirate king with dozens of ships and over a thousand crewmen.
Ports across the major kingdoms suffered as a result. Countless pirates dreaming of becoming famous in a single battle rushed to imitate Redbeard and attack the kingdoms' ports. Though none succeeded, they still caused considerable disruption. The most obvious consequence was the decline in the number of merchant caravans traveling between ports. This forced the nations to expand their navies and conduct a major purge of the surrounding seas.
That was a matter for later. For now, compared to the singing, dancing, and laughter aboard Redbeard's ship, the officers of Whiteport's garrison headquarters all looked grim. The officer responsible for feeding the harbor garrison, in particular, looked utterly doomed.
After inspection, they discovered that a heavy dose of sleeping drug had been mixed into the harbor guards' meals. That was why several hundred guards still had not woken up.
While the officers at Whiteport's garrison headquarters argued fiercely and shifted blame among themselves, a squad of Whiteport guards finally arrived at the inn just as Ronan and the others were nearly done eating and drinking.
Ronan could not help mocking their reaction speed inwardly. The Whiteport officer who pushed open the door changed expression when he saw the considerable number of corpses piled in the corner and Ronan's group still eating and drinking. Just as he was about to draw his sword and say something, he saw the document Thursma handed over.
After reading the document, the officer nearly broke out in a sweat. He could not help wondering why so many things had happened tonight. First, pirates had robbed the treasury and several merchant caravan compounds, and then the Xinteland delegation had been attacked.
"Some of those who attacked us escaped. We hope you can catch them," Thursma said calmly to the Whiteport officer.
"Understood. I will certainly get to the bottom of this!" With that, he waved for his subordinates to carry away the bodies before leaving.
After eating and drinking their fill, Ronan and the others returned to rest. There was still some time before dawn, and if they did not rest properly, tomorrow's journey would be difficult.
At the table, Thursma's expression grew increasingly gloomy as he watched Ronan constantly make Daisy laugh with jokes. But in the end, he said nothing. He merely led his equally silent team members back to sleep. They had been waiting in their rooms in full armor before this, and they were exhausted now as well.
The night passed without incident. At dawn, the group set out once again. Those with serious injuries rode in carriages, while those with lighter injuries rode horses themselves.
The elves led the way at the front, while Ronan's subordinates guarded the rear. The carriages traveled in the middle. With no one pursuing them, the group could move at an unhurried pace and stop to rest whenever they grew tired.
Several days later, the group finally crossed the border and arrived at Tree Wall, Xinteland's southern fortress.
With Thursma and the others leading them, the group passed through the fortress without obstruction. After entering Xinteland, Daisy also removed the Magical Artifact she had used for disguise—Lies.
This was the first time Ronan had seen Daisy's true appearance. Even Ronan, who considered himself someone who had seen countless artificially beautified women, was mildly stunned by her beauty.
The small freckles on her face vanished, her skin became smoother and fairer, and her ears turned pointed. Ronan merely gave Daisy a light pinch, and her entire body trembled as though shocked by electricity.
Her features had changed only slightly, yet the impression she gave was completely different. It was like a girl with good natural looks suddenly putting on exquisite makeup, making people's eyes light up at once.
Daisy was only her human name. Her true name was Xibella Silvermoon. Still, she asked Ronan to call her Daisy, since she had used that name for more than forty years.
That was right. Although Daisy looked like an underage girl and had an innocent personality, her actual age was more than twice Ronan's. In human terms, however, she was roughly seventeen years old.
After another long stretch of travel, passing through several Xinteland towns, Ronan's group finally neared Xinteland's royal capital—Teldrasil.
Along the way, Ronan encountered many things he had never seen before. After all, his predecessor had never been to Xinteland either. Ronan also discovered that there were many Slovak people in Xinteland.
Ronan immediately turned into a relentless questioner and nearly confused Belicha with all his questions.
Through Belicha's answers, Ronan gained a general understanding of Xinteland.
Like Moran, Xinteland was a multi-racial nation. Its largest groups were elves, humans, and dwarves, with elves serving as the ruling race.
Xinteland was a peninsula nation surrounded by sea on three sides, so its maritime trade was highly developed and it had the most exchanges with the Slovak Continent. Every year, large numbers of Slovak people came to Xinteland to seek opportunities.
Xinteland had also used this to form the largest foreign legion on the Asloth Continent. With the strength of its foreign legion, Xinteland had maintained steady development under Moran's long-standing invasions, progressing from forced defense to being able to trade blows evenly.
The reason elves could become Xinteland's ruling people lay in their innate magical power and long lifespans. Elves were therefore also the race with the most mages on the continent. To preserve the purity of their bloodline and their population, elves generally did not intermarry with other races, though they did not excessively prevent it either.
Xinteland was not rich in mineral resources and relied almost entirely on trade with the Slovak Continent to sustain itself. Xinteland also occasionally dispatched troops to help its allies on the Slovak Continent resist invasions.
Xinteland had abundant seafood, fertile land, and a wide variety of agricultural products with excellent yields. This was also why Moran, with its harsh living environment, coveted Xinteland's land.
Of course, the ancient blood feud between Moran's ruling dragonfolk and the elves was also an important reason.
Xinteland had many forests, something Ronan had already seen for himself. Along the way, they had passed no fewer than five groves and forests of varying sizes, some natural and some planted by people.
Whenever Ronan saw a forest, he could not help recalling his desperate days fleeing through Ravenwood Forest after first arriving in this world. He also could not help remembering the taste of roasted meat without seasoning, and his mouth unconsciously filled with sour saliva.
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