Farewell to Sargon / Setting Off to Return to Ursus

After all, the convoy she and the students were in was the one that everyone had witnessed leaving Manjushri Monastery.

"Jian, say something! How about we practice during our break?"

Suika opened the carriage door and spoke to the driver, Kan.

"What's there to say? Didn't you finish what you were doing in Kjerag?" Jian said, indicating that he wasn't very good at conversation.

Suika plopped down next to her.

"Tell me, how have you been doing in that courtyard these past few days?"

"Did you get any training while you were locked up? Did you get bored? What was the skill level of the two people you lived under the same roof for a month?"

After recalling for a moment, Jian said...

"It's alright. The yard isn't big, but it's big enough for me to exercise."

As for the strength of those two, I don't know, but they should be inferior to me. However, since we were cooperating this time, we didn't fight.

However, to be honest, I haven't practiced for over a month, and I do feel a bit uncomfortable. How about I practice a bit during my break?"

Seeing the eager look in Suika's eyes, Suika grinned.

"Okay!"

In the afternoon, the convoy arrived at a small town within the territory of Enciodes. Considering that the next inhabited place was about three hours away and the sun was about to set, the convoy stopped and decided to find an inn to rest.

Fortunately, Weiss, who was traveling with them, seemed to be familiar with the area and quickly led the convoy to a hotel.

The hotel owner was beaming with joy as he looked at the convoy of more than a dozen people.

After all, few people go out in Kjerag during the winter. With the tourism industry not yet fully developed, hotels only have business for about half the year. Now that someone has suddenly come and is only staying for one night, it is still a considerable sum of money for him.

After everyone moved in, Suika and Kenji arrived at the open space in the backyard under everyone's watchful eyes.

After exchanging glances, Jian struck first, his iron mace flashing like a black dragon towards Suika with lightning speed.

Chapter 327 Farewell to Kjerag

The contest between the two had attracted a crowd of students and their accompanying guards early in the morning.

When they saw the mace charging forward like a black lightning bolt, everyone couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

But to everyone's surprise, Suika didn't even draw her weapon. Instead, she raised her arm, swung it backhand, and charged forward to meet the long mace.

Many people at the scene covered their eyes, as if they would see Suika being smashed into mincemeat by a mace in the next second.

But when his arm struck the long mace, it was not broken by the mace; instead, it produced a piercing vibration like metal colliding.

Jian hadn't expected Suika's body to be so tough; he almost lost his grip on the weapon, and the recoil from the weapon sent him sprawling backward, leaving him vulnerable.

Seeing this, Suika reached out and grabbed directly at the mace's chest.

Faced with Suika's groping hand, Jian calmly performed a backflip, kicking off Suika's arm and using the momentum to leap backward several meters before landing.

Suika chuckled and rubbed her arm before calmly taking off the doll from her head and handing her handbag to a girl not far away. This girl, named Vina, was one of the people who had won a spot this time.

Suika was wondering if she would run into Lola, the operator Aurora, but during their conversation she learned that Lola did exist, but she had participated in Enciodes's talent program last year and was sent to Columbia to study.

"Please take this for me!"

After tossing the items to Vina, Suika walked back to the center of the open space, then leisurely removed the chains wrapped around the long horns and wrapped them around her hands.

During this time, Hazakura did not launch an attack, but only rushed forward again after Suika had finished doing all of this.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The clanging sound, like the clanging of metal being struck, rang out continuously in the middle.

Those familiar with the mace were astonished to find that she was actually at a disadvantage in the battle.

Moreover, when he made his move, he used many techniques and skills that he had never used during his previous "training" with them.

Unlike before, when brute force was the sole means to resolve battles.

Meanwhile, Suika stood calmly in the center, wielding two meteor hammers with great force, each strike sending shivers down the spines of those around her.

After several exchanges of weapons, Jian realized he couldn't block the attack and decisively gave up. He then used a technique of deflecting Suika's attacks with minimal effort, rushed in for close-quarters combat, and withdrew before Suika could get used to it.

After several repetitions, Suika said she seemed to have learned a new skill, while Ken felt his stamina rapidly draining away.

In order to conserve his energy, Jian decided to switch from offense to defense and also reduce his own energy expenditure.

After the mace stopped attacking, Suika suddenly stretched out the iron chain in her hand, turning it into a long whip that lashed out.

Upon seeing Suika's actions, the people who had been watching the commotion suddenly retreated several meters.

After all, with that piercing, shrill sound of the wind breaking through the air, you don't even need to try it to know that if you get picked by this thing, you probably won't need to go to school anymore. You'll just be buried on the spot, and then a few banquets will be held for relatives and friends according to the funeral standards of Kjerag.

The two fought back and forth for several tens of minutes before Suika stopped, seeing that Suika's stamina had reached its limit.

"That's about it for today's activities!"

After retrieving the iron chain and reattaching it to the long horn, the mace was also sheathed.

Because it wasn't a fight that would immediately determine the winner or even kill them, and Jian wasn't the kind of person who would overestimate her abilities in the face of an irresistible force. She liked challenges, but she was definitely not one to throw her life away.

The two walked hand in hand back into the house under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Just then, the restaurant finished preparing food for some of the customers.

After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.

However, the duel between Suika and Kenjiro stirred the hearts of many who witnessed it, resulting in several people having noticeable dark circles under their eyes the next day.

For the next few days, we would advance during the day and practice a section of the Suika with Suika before resting at night.

Besides her Originium Arts, Suika's fierce fighting style, in which she wields a long mace with her bare hands, also left a deep impression on everyone. This seemingly eccentric messenger, who also enjoys drinking, is unforgettable.

When a child asked her why she was so strong, Suika chuckled, took a sip of her drink, and, seeing the ears perked up around her, said...

"When walking in the wilderness, if you don't want to become someone else's prey, or fall asleep and never wake up again, you can do without force, but you can't do without force."

The same applies to countries. No matter which country you are, if you want to gain a foothold in Terra, you can keep a low profile, but you can't be without real strength.

Because diplomacy between nations is far more ruthless than wild beasts in the wilderness.

Wild beasts will leave you if they see you're not someone to mess with, but other countries will wait for you to fall behind the times and become weak before swallowing you whole without hesitation.

Whether or not we can leave our mark on this land will depend on the opinions of others.

Therefore, as human beings, we need strong bodies to survive in the wilderness, and nations need to adapt to the times to survive in Terra."

Suika's words made everyone think deeply. Although she didn't name names, everyone knew that the country she was referring to was Kjerag, right beneath their feet.

Soon the convoy emerged from the Kjerag mountains.

Looking at the golden expanse of the town below, Suika realized that it was only late autumn.

But during her month or so in Kjerag, it felt like she had spent an entire winter.

Many children who had lived in Kjerag forever and never left also gazed in amazement at the town enveloped in gold. Suika clapped her hands to attract everyone's attention.

"I have some good news to share: soon everyone will be able to enjoy a second winter."

Just as everyone was laughing, Matterhorn drove up from behind in a car.

"Suika!"

"Hmm!" Everyone looked over after hearing the sound.

"These are the heating units you inquired about earlier. To thank you for your help to Kjerag, we have prepared fifty for you after obtaining the saint's approval."

Although it's not much, it should be enough for an emergency.

If you need anything else later, you can contact the people at the Kjerag Trade in the town below, and we will prepare everything for you."

Matterhorn pointed to the vehicle, which was packed with heating devices, and said earnestly.

Suika slapped her forehead. She had been wondering if there was something she had forgotten, but she couldn't recall it. If the other party hadn't brought it over, she probably wouldn't have remembered it by chance at all.

"Please convey my thanks to Her Majesty the Saintess! And to Mr. Enciodes, I hope to have the opportunity for long-term cooperation in the future."

Chapter 328 Departure, Back to Ursus

When the convoy left Kjerag, there were far fewer people left.

Apart from the ten students, only Weiss and a finance officer from the Kjerag Trade accompanied the group.

After watching Suika and her group leave Kjerag, Jian and the other guards returned to Kjerag.

The reason these two followed was simple: when the school was building a teaching building Kjerag Trade needed to send someone to oversee it. It was impossible for Kjerag Trade to simply give the school a certain amount of money without even verifying it.

Wouldn't that make you a complete sucker?

A week later, Suika arrived at the school with ten people.

After receiving the message, Elisa quickly brought them inside.

"These ten people are our representatives this time. Their scores are all above 90. With a solid foundation and some advanced courses, as long as they are willing to work hard, they shouldn't fall too far behind in their studies."

Suika pointed to the young people behind her, who were marveling at the school's various facilities and buildings like Liu Grandma visiting the Grand View Garden.

Hearing Suika's words, Elisa patted her chest.

"That's wonderful! I was really worried that the students you brought back would only be passing. If that's the case, they'd have to put in a lot of effort to keep up with the pace of learning."

Seeing how familiar the two were as they chatted, Weiss was not far away, kept it all in mind and sighed that his master seemed to have guessed wrong again.

Soon someone came and took the student and Weiss and the others away. Elisa looked at the car following behind Suika with some curiosity.

"What are these?"

Suika described the items, Elisa took one out and examined it.

"A relatively simple Constant-Temperature Array, plus an activation device."

They are all very simple things, except for the materials used to make them. Although they look like ordinary wood, ordinary wood cannot be used to make tools. It seems that they were soaked in some special potion and then specially processed so that the wood could withstand the power of the magic array without being destroyed.

The output of the Constant-Temperature Array is not high, which is why there are no problems even when wood is used.

The most noteworthy technology to study in this entire piece is the manufacturing process of this wooden material.

But in reality, it's not very effective. Ursus might care a little, but those in Victoria who can afford Constant-Temperature Array won't hesitate to use something better and more stable to create it.

Elisa quickly gave her evaluation of the product.

"This stuff can be sold on the market, but it's hard to break even."

Suika didn't see anything too wrong with this, after all, she wasn't meant to be sold.

"That's alright, I wasn't planning to sell it anyway."

"Are these gifts for our friends in Ursus?" Elisa recalled what Suika had told her about her experiences during Suika conversation and quickly understood what she intended to do with them.

"That's right. During my time in Ursus, I discovered that most people were still using tree branches as materials."

However, that stuff produces a lot of smoke, and the quantity is limited. If you don't prepare enough in advance, you'll have to brave the wind and snow to go out and collect it in winter, which is even more dangerous.

So I was thinking of getting some from them."

After hearing this, Elisa said, "Wait a minute," and then she took a newspaper from a pile of documents on the table and placed a page in front of Suika.

"Then you'll have to be careful. This is a newspaper from three days ago. It says that the Ursus army has been frequently making large-scale moves in the central and Far East, causing tensions among the surrounding countries."

Suika glanced at the newspaper; it was Victoria's official weekly report, so the content was likely accurate. Considering what she had heard before, it seemed the Reunion Movement's situation was indeed not optimistic.

She originally planned to send these things to Rhodes Island, and then have Rhodes Island arrange for them to be delivered to Ursus. But now she has decided to abandon the original plan and go there herself.

"Do you need my help?" Elisa asked, sitting down next to Suika as she sensed Suika's intention.

Before Suika could speak, she continued.

"The Swire family has a trade route in Ursus, with its destination being Donetsk in central Ursus, and a caravan will be heading there in two days..."

"Thank you then!" Suika knew there was no need for formalities at this time.

"No need, we're friends after all." Elisa smiled and reached out to touch Suika's long hair.

"You've helped me so much, I'm very happy to have the opportunity to help you out."

Tomorrow morning I'll take you to see the caravan leader. As for now, let's go get something to eat to celebrate your return."

After saying that, Elisa pulled Suika out the door.

"They've changed people?" After going outside, Suika saw several Blacksteel International members in professional gear walk out from all around, subtly surrounding the two of them. However, after scanning around, she didn't see Liskarm or Franka, not even the familiar faces from last time.

"You mean Blacksteel International? They came to take over from the previous team about two weeks ago. Apparently, something happened in Columbia, so those senior advisors were sent there to provide support."

Elisa answered Suika's question.