Times Have Changed, Young Master

The next morning, with a roar, a giant steamship slowly sailed away from the Imperial Capital's dock. Reporters who had rushed to the scene were blocked by a human wall formed by the Kingdom Army on the other side. They struggled to "carve" a path through the surrounding civilians, pushing to the very front. They strained to stand on tiptoe, holding their wooden-box cameras high above their heads, capturing the moment the giant ship departed.

Discussions could be heard endlessly from the crowd.

"This ship is truly magnificent. It would be great if I could go aboard and take a look."

"Don't be a daydreamer. That's a ship belonging to the Deep Sea Council! I read in the newspaper that it uses, it uses..."

"Steam Power."

"Right, Steam Power! See those people by the human wall? The Chamber of Commerce President, the Arms Tycoon, a Cardinal... I've lived here for so many years, and I've never seen so many important figures all at once! Only important people like them would be invited aboard!"

"But this means the visit has concluded. It's a pity we didn't get to see any representatives from the Council."

"I heard a rumor that the Deep Sea Council is also going through a major reshuffle."

"Who told you that?"

"Never you mind. I have my own intelligence network!"

"If you say so, does that mean we're also going to..."

"What are you talking about! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't splash blood on me if it happens!"

Despite this, discussions like these continued. This was the Imperial Capital's favorite pastime, always making them feel close to politics, as if it were within reach with just a word or a gesture.

At the very least, they had their eyes, and they could watch the giant ship disappear over the horizon of the Sea.

Something big was about to happen.

Everyone understood this tacitly.

At the same time, on the steamship, a Blond Youth in a white formal suit was leaning against the railing, looking back at the gradually blurring outline of the Imperial Capital. Just as it was about to disappear from view, he finally stretched with a sigh of relief.

"Young Master, how was this visit?"

The Captain and a few sailors approached, accompanied by a black-haired maid. She held a tray in front of her chest, laden with Grilled Fish, Fruit, and a glass of Azure Drink.

"Oh, Lily, you always understand me best!" the Blond Youth praised without reservation, then turned to the Captain and said, "Only Fireplace Bay was decent. After we return, send people to contact the Lofik Consortium. Let's establish a few more Teleportation Magic Nodes on our side as well."

To this, the black-haired maid, Lily, held a different opinion. "Young Master was swindled out of a lot of money there. Everyone in Fireplace Bay knows a Big Fat Sheep who's foolish with money has arrived."

"Hahaha, Young Master, you've made the Head Maid unhappy again."

The crew members teased.

The Head Maid maintained proper etiquette in front of outsiders, very much protecting the Young Master's image. Only in private would she occasionally reveal her sharp tongue.

The youth leisurely sat down on a lounge chair on the Deck, picked up a skewer of Fruit, and asked with a smile, "Lily, haven't you gotten over it yet?"

"It's not a matter of getting over it, Young Master. You were clearly deceived by that Elemental Shaper who called himself Heisenberg."

She still insisted on her viewpoint. Spending money foolishly was one thing; after all, the Young Master was usually extravagant. But being deceived like a fool was another matter entirely. In Lily's eyes, this incident was far more serious than the Young Master spending 100 Gold Lions to buy that Poor Couple.

Fortunately, no one in Fireplace Bay knew their true identities, so it didn't escalate to a political level. Otherwise, if the Empire were left with the impression that "the Deep Sea Council is foolish with money," the sin would be immense.

The crew members caught the scent of gossip and swarmed forward, eagerly asking, "Sister Lily, tell us more!"

"Who is Heisenberg? How did he trick the Young Master?"

The black-haired maid's expression grew increasingly gloomy. She sternly rebuked the heckling crew members, "There's nothing to be happy about in this matter."

Then, she recounted the previous night's encounter with the Young Master to everyone.

The crew members' reactions were just as she had predicted.

"Pffft hahaha, Magic Scroll Three-in-One?"

"Even I, who have never dealt with Magic Scrolls, know that's impossible."

"There's a perfectly good one for 60 Silver Antelope in the shop."

"Wait a minute, could these 20 scrolls be ones Heisenberg bought from the shop? And then resold them to the Young Master."

"Highly likely. This was probably a setup by Heisenberg and the shop owner. It's the Young Master's first time traveling far from home, he's still too young."

The Deck was filled with laughter. Lily's expression was blank. In principle, they shouldn't be gathering to mock the Young Master, but this time, the Young Master's actions were truly too outrageous. If this continued, he would suffer great losses in the future.

"Isn't anyone on my side?"

The youth protested, "It's a Magic Scroll Three-in-One, doesn't that sound interesting?"

The crew members expressed their stance with their actions. They all stood behind the black-haired maid, leaving the youth completely alone. The Captain didn't forget to add a final blow, "While it's interesting, it's a pity it can't be real. The material used to make Magic Scrolls is called Energy-Storing Parchment. Each piece of Energy-Storing Parchment is independent and carries a limited amount of magic. How could three be used together?"

"No, I don't think he scammed me."

The youth's attitude was firm. He trusted his intuition.

"Young Master, the era of Knights and Magic has passed. The future belongs to them."

What appeared before the crew members was a finely crafted Revolver. Its silver body was inlaid with gold trim, and the grip was carved with an Iris Flower pattern. The moment they saw the Iris Flower, the smile on the Captain's face vanished, and his expression became much more serious.

The Iris Flower represented the Imperial Royal Family. He immediately guessed that this was a gift from the Royal Family to the Young Master.

Speaking broadly, it was a symbol of friendship between the Empire and the Deep Sea Council.

"This is a gift from the Imperial Military Industry to you, yet you haven't even looked at it once. You must have heard it when you visited the factories, right? Even a great nation like the Empire, which has signed an alliance with the Netheriel Holy Church, has been reducing Knight Quotas in recent years. Since the appearance of the Gunner Camp, their proportion in the Kingdom Army has been increasing year by year. The Imperial Military Industry has long since become the Empire's top heavy industry."

Since there were always outsiders present during the Empire's visit, and walls have ears, Lily had remained silent. However, these words had to be said to the Young Master, "I know you've liked magic since you were young, Young Master, but you represent more than just yourself now. The Master sent you to be the Ambassador of Visit, placing great expectations on you."

Another duty for her trip was to evaluate the Young Master's performance.

The results of the evaluation could only be described as... unsatisfactory.

The Young Master was still the same Young Master, distracted during the visit to the Imperial Military Industry, thus missing such important information.

"Lily, you're right."

The youth's gaze suddenly became much sharper. "Precisely because of this, I trust my own eyes even more. Didn't you notice the eyes of those workers?"

The black-haired maid froze.

The deck was silent, the crew also stunned by the youth's sudden change.

"I thought His Majesty Henry was in good health and could hold on for at least another ten years, but it seems now... even the former Dragon Slayer Warrior cannot defeat time."

He paused for a long moment, his gaze drifting once more towards the Imperial Capital's docks, whose outlines were no longer visible.

"This country is about to erupt into civil war."

Thanks to Youzai Youzai for the 100 Qidian coins!

Thanks to Shiyan Fuxiu for the 100 Qidian coins!

Thanks to everyone for your continued reading, collections, and votes~