Home at Last

The vast, magnificent fleet slowly sailed away from Sunset City and headed north. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, draping the entire world in a blanket of white, but they could not halt the fleet's advance.

Fortunately, the first snow did not last long. After only a day, the weather gradually cleared, and sunlight pierced the clouds to shine upon the land, warm and pleasant. Such favorable conditions greatly aided the fleet in finding its route, allowing it to proceed smoothly.

Before entering the planned sea route, the fleet deliberately passed by Rotten Tree Beach.

This once desolate place had now taken on an entirely new appearance—after nearly half a year of tireless work and careful construction by the logistics troops, it had already begun to take shape and looked quite impressive.

From afar, several long piers could be seen stretching out from the docks into the sea. Each pier had several berths, where a number of small vessels designed specifically for coastal navigation were quietly moored.

As Victor's fleet gradually drew closer, one of the small boats swiftly left the harbor and headed straight toward them. Only when it came nearer did Victor see clearly that the person standing aboard was Lodan, the supervisor in charge of logistics.

Before long, Lodan's small boat successfully rendezvoused with Victor's flagship and, under the sailors' skilled handling, steadily docked alongside it.

With everyone's assistance, Lodan then boarded the flagship's deck. The moment they met, he eagerly gave Victor a standard military salute and said loudly, "My lord, I congratulate you on your promotion to marquis!

"Your elevation to marquis is an honor for the Raine Kingdom. Your future endeavors will surely rise to even greater heights..."

"Enough, Lodan! You're a proper baron now. From now on, you should pay more attention to