Early the next morning, everyone had breakfast on the inn's ground floor. The landlady was a fine cook: the bread was baked golden and crisp, and the broth was rich and savory.
After breakfast, Raymond went out to inquire about transportation. Before long, he returned with good news and bad news.
"The good news is that Iron Oak City has an airship port, and there's an airship heading north today," Raymond said. "The bad news is that it's fully booked."
With the Winston Lineage's influence, arranging a private airship would hardly be difficult, even this far from the capital, Serinburg. Raymond refrained only because he did not want to invite complications.
After all, they still did not know whether the True God Church would launch another attack.
Above all, he was looking out for Amelia. This young lady of the Winston Lineage was exceptionally gifted, but she was still only fifteen or sixteen and had merely reached the intermediate Awakened level.
"Are there any other options?" Amelia asked. She had changed out of her exquisite blue dress into a gray robe and tucked her hair into its hood.
Raymond considered it. "We could travel by water. The Iron Oak River runs east of the city, and following it downstream will take us to Gray Harbor. From there, we can board a seagoing ship and head north along the coast to White Bay Harbor, only two hundred kilometers from Serinburg. The whole journey should take eight or nine days."
"Eight or nine days..." Harold mused. "That isn't too long, and traveling by water is relatively safe. Even if the True God's Strings want to attack, we'll have an easier time spotting them."
Amelia nodded, then looked at Hong Yuan. "What do you think, Mr. Rosha?"
Hong Yuan smiled. "I've never been