Chapter 59

"Samuel Fern, you have no family left in Helgoda, no one to miss, so you can go anywhere."

This is what Cyrus said to Samuel.

He stated that since he had never intended to hide his purpose from Samuel, nor did he want Samuel to know that they had come to Helgoda with ulterior motives, and he also knew what they looked like...

He would absolutely not allow Samuel to return home again.

Cyrus is testing Samuel's abilities and character. Passing the test would be the best outcome, but if the result is disappointing...

"I certainly didn't disappoint you, did I?" Samuel said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Cyrus smiled at him, "Of course not, otherwise your body would be cold in the cave below the cliff by now."

"Relax, Samuel, this is undoubtedly a happy thing, don't you think?"

Samuel: "..."

No, he didn't feel there was anything to be happy about...

It's good that he survived, but how will he realize his dream...?

Thinking of this, Samuel's face turned ashen.

Cyrus said casually, "The goal you're pursuing is indeed quite good."

"I plan to build seaports and ships within the territory... to prepare for future sea explorations. However, regarding personnel..."

He looked at Samuel, but didn't say anything more.

Samuel isn't stupid.

On the contrary, he was very clever; he immediately grasped the key point from the passage and realized something.

"A seaport... Could it be... no, it must be the Cogit Sea! Let me think, let me think... territory... could it refer to the Desinia Territory?!"

"You are the lord of Desinia, and you secretly entered Helgoda aboard the envoy's ship, yet you..."

The age matches, and it's not hard to guess why Cyrus came here.

Before Samuel could finish speaking, Walker's greatsword was instantly placed beside his neck, the cold, sharp blade almost making Samuel's hair stand on end and his heart clench.

The handsome knight chuckled, "Now that you've guessed our identities, you must have made your choice..."

"Yes, I'm ready!"

Samuel immediately clenched his fists and shouted excitedly, "Take me with you! I am an excellent shipbuilder! A navigator! I will conquer the seas for you!"

His face was flushed.

It's unclear whether he was frightened by Walker's greatsword or genuinely excited and delighted by it.

Cyrus patted Walker's arm, gesturing for him to put down his weapon. "Don't scare him, Walker. After all, he's someone I've taken a liking to."

"Yes, lord." Walker sheathed his greatsword as instructed.

Samuel breathed a sigh of relief.

He couldn't help but clutch his chest, his heart pounding from the murderous aura emanating from the knight, yet he couldn't resist asking, "You want shipbuilding and navigation talent, even if I'm from Helgoda... is that alright?"

Cyrus: "Is there a problem? Or are you reluctant to leave?"

Samuel did hesitate.

Cyrus: "I only ask you, is your dream of going to sea to explore New Continent pure enough? Do you believe that one day you can realize your wish in Helgoda?"

"You have neither money nor status here; you are merely a commoner."

"Your previous experience building your own ship has exhausted all your savings, and your uncles and distant relatives have distanced themselves from you because of it... Is there anything left for you to cherish in Helgoda?"

Tell me about it, and I'll solve your problem for free.

Samuel was stunned for a moment, then gave a wry smile, "You've investigated everything about me... Were you already watching me from the Dream?"

Cyrus remained noncommittal.

The Dream was just a spur-of-the-moment decision.

What truly made him decide was the observation and trials he underwent along the way— Samuel was intelligent and persistent, a shipbuilding genius, and a man with the courage and ability to set sail.

What Samuel longed for was his greatest motivation.

Samuel took a deep breath and finally said, "I want a guarantee."

Cyrus: "My territory will not disappoint you."

After Ferdinand exchanged all the cavalry prisoners of Helgoda, he boarded a ship with several chests of gold coins, and was personally seen off at the port by his envoy.

He had no choice but to secretly send a soldier disguised as an ordinary civilian to remain in the city and deliver a message to Cyrus upon his return.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong along the way.

The soldiers who remained successfully made contact with Walker and his men a few days later and delivered the message.

After reading the note, Cyrus said, "We're going to the western port. Ferdinand has already arranged for a ship to take us away from Helgoda."

They continued to disguise themselves as businessmen visiting Helgoda and found Ferdinand's marked ship at the western port.

The ship had always been docked in the port, serving as a cargo ship for merchants. On the surface, everything seemed normal, but no one knew that the people working on the ship had long been replaced by soldiers of the Black Cavalry by Ferdinand.

Because there is a routine cargo inspection during boarding.

After the servant-like soldiers carried box after box of "goods" onto the ship, the ship owner, sweating profusely, merely opened one of the boxes and glanced inside; it was filled with clothing purchased from Helgoda.

Judas: "May we board the ship now?"

"Yes, yes."

The boat owner, without checking the boxes at the back, quickly stepped aside to make way. "Please..."

The boxes were then taken by soldiers disguised as shipwrights and placed one by one into the cabin.

Before long, the planks placed on the shore were furled, and the sails were raised...

The ship is about to leave Helgoda.

Seeing the boat owner take on what looked like a large business, another person in the freight transport business exclaimed enviously, "Old Bart, you must have made a lot of money on this trip. Remember to buy me a drink when you get back, haha!"

They often made these kinds of jokes with each other.

Old Bart would usually laugh and tell him to get lost, but today he couldn't manage a laugh and waved goodbye with a stiff face.

However, his companions did not notice anything amiss and watched with smiles as Old Bart left.

When the ship sailed in the middle of the wide river, surrounded only by blue sky and clear water, the soldiers disguised as servants and boatmen immediately changed out of their clothes and put on their neat and uniform soldier uniforms again.

It is not the heavy armor required for combat.

Instead, it's a leather armor that has become much lighter after being designed by Cyrus, soft yet practical.

Protective iron plates were sewn onto the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and other vital areas. The fabric was a mix of deep red and black, and the emblem of Thorn Rose was embroidered beneath the iron plates on the chest.

In Cyrus's words at the time—he needed his soldiers to have a presentable set of civilian clothes to wear regularly, to be the face of the territory.

Ferdinand and Walker also really liked this casual wear.

on deck.

Judas brought a chair for Cyrus to sit down, while Walker stood behind her with one hand on the hilt of his sword.

Several soldiers went into the cabin and brought out all the original boatmen. Their hands were tied, their mouths were gagged, and they looked fearful and uneasy.

The boat owner, terrified, begged for mercy, "Don't worry, I swear to the Creator God! I really won't tell anyone, please let us go!"

He had assumed that the person in charge would be an older man, but to his surprise, everyone on the ship obeyed the young boy's every command.

Cyrus gestured with her chin toward the soldier.

A soldier drew his greatsword and swung it at the bound boatman. With two panicked shouts of "No!", the ropes fell to the ground.

All the boatmen were released.

The boat owner realized it was a false alarm and clutched his chest, breathing heavily.

Cyrus turned to the person who had shouted the other, and said with a wicked grin, "What don't you want? Don't you want me to let them go?"

Samuel: "No... of course not, I thought you were going to..."

"Did you think I was going to kill them?"

Samuel's expression made it clear.

He thought that to prevent the news from leaking out, these people would all perish in the Aibuting River...

Cyrus said, "I will not take people's lives casually."

"They are all innocent people, so naturally they won't die. Besides, do you think my territory is afraid of Helgoda coming to cause trouble?"

Even if the King of Helgoda knew, so what?

Samuel scratched his head, having to admit that the young lord was absolutely right; Helgoda indeed couldn't cause trouble for the Desinia Territory.

Cyrus then looked at the boat owner and the boatmen, and said meaningfully, "Of course, those who keep secrets always live long."

The boat owner and the boatmen nodded repeatedly.

In this atmosphere of half-relaxation and half-anxiety, the ship finally arrived at the port of Gaina.

Looking from afar, one could see countless soldiers standing at the port, armed and waiting, lined up in neat rows on both sides.

The boat owner couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, wondering about the identities of the people on board.

Finally, the cargo ship docked, the planks were placed on the shore, and the crates were carried off one by one by the soldiers...

Judas adjusted Cyrus's outer cloak.

Ferdinand boarded the ship and said in a low voice, "My lord, you've had a long journey."

The boat owner happened to overhear this, and couldn't help but widen his eyes, his heart pounding... Could this person be...?

Cyrus smiled and said, "Thanks to you for arranging this ship in advance, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to return so easily. It would have taken us quite a bit of effort."

"This is something you should do."

"Let's go, it's time for us to head back."

"Yes."

Ferdinand nodded, but his deep brown eyes suddenly turned to the ship owner and the others. "Lord, they..."

The boat owner broke out in a cold sweat, and the boatmen looked fearful and uneasy.

Cyrus: "Settle the money and send them back."

"Yes."

Despite the ship owner's repeated requests for money, Ferdinand placed a bag in his hand and said in a deep voice, "You should know what you should and shouldn't say. This is just a routine cargo delivery, understand?"

"Understood, understood, sir, please rest assured." The boat owner nodded, sweating profusely.

"Good, it's best to keep quiet to avoid trouble."

Ferdinand turned and left.

Seeing that the soldiers stationed at the port had also left, the ship owner dared not linger any longer and hurriedly set sail to return.

Midway through the voyage, the boatmen finally caught their breath and wanted to ask the ship owner who the young boy was, and what he was transporting that warranted such a grand display.

[Honestly, I've been using this app to follow my favorite books lately. It has multiple reading sources, various voice options, and works on both Android Apple.]

The boat owner thought to himself, "What is all this for? Such a grand display is clearly all for that young boy."

Of course, the goods inside the box are certainly not ordinary either.

He didn't answer, but instead distributed the bag of coins to the boatmen, telling them not to gossip and to treat it as just an ordinary transport trip.

The boatmen dared not disobey.

After all, it was already a miracle that they were spared, so they all made promises to the boat owner.

Everything at Gaina is now officially on track.

After leaving behind enough men, Cyrus led his men back to Visas.

at the same time.

The envoys of the Anas Empire also left Helgoda, heading straight for the Desinia Territory.

A ship bearing the flag and emblem of the Nagabi Merchant Guild sailed down the Volri River, bound for the port of Niramo.

A low-key yet luxurious carriage traveled through the forest, followed by two groups of men in black robes with an extremely imposing and cold aura.

They will arrive in Komoy Fort soon.

Cyrus had no idea what he would encounter when he returned home...