Chapter 77

After sailing on the Volri River for more than half a month, Cyrus adapted well, and the three beasts and Black Sugar also showed good endurance.

Because the journey was smooth, no seasickness occurred.

Cyrus even once saw Snowball stand up, using its front paws to grip the gunwale, looking down at the fish leaping out of the river, its tail swishing behind it, looking curious.

The fleet approached the Anas Empire.

Judas brought over a stack of carefully selected clothes and said gently to Cyrus, "My lord, it's time to change."

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Cyrus was lounging in her seat enjoying the sun in a baggy shirt and overalls to keep cool, said, "... Can't you wait a while before putting them on?"

The young lord's brows drooped, and he looked rather pitiful.

The answer is naturally no.

Judas gently refused.

--How could the lord of Desinia appear in the port of the Anas Empire in such disheveled attire?

The dignity of the nobility is to button up the top of the shirt, wear a waistcoat and a formal coat, and put on long boots, even in the hottest weather.

Cyrus had no choice but to follow the responsible butler Judas, into the cabin to change her clothes.

--A soft linen blouse and black trousers with a cinched waist, the waist area featuring a dark brown fabric panel tied with thin, crisscrossing straps for a subtle transition, accentuating a slender waist.

On her feet were ankle boots made of leather, which visually lengthened her legs.

As for the outerwear, it was a short cardigan blazer with Thorn Rose badge on the right breast and a silver chain below, giving it a clean and unconventional look.

But no matter how elegant or proper it is, once you put it on, there's only one word: hot.

The weather after May has reached a point where it's enough to make you sweat.

Cyrus stood on the deck, enjoying the river breeze, and finally, as the fleet slowly slowed down, she could see the distant imperial port and the dense crowds of people.

Tosi Cavendish accepted the task from the King to come to the port to welcome Desinia.

He had already driven away the idlers and obstructed ships from the port, and lined up armored knights on the shore, ready to thoroughly thwart and deflate Desinia's arrogance upon his arrival.

From the very beginning, they suppressed them, making Desinia understand that a small lord within the empire was nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter.

Tosi arrived very early; the weather was hot.

His standard aristocratic attire of long robes and trousers made him sweat profusely, and even the servants' constant fanning could not help.

Not to mention the knight standing on the harbor shore in chainmail, completely covered from head to toe except for his face and hands, which were covered in sweat and he was almost fainting from the heat.

But they cannot bear the consequences of their downfall; they will surely be held accountable by the Marquis.

Not long after.

Just as Tosi was pacing impatiently along the harbor, Grand Duke Achiyoli arrived.

Although he was the king's illegitimate son and a marquis, Tosi dared not put on airs in front of this grand duke.

He was jealous of the other person, but he could only swallow his pride and obediently go over to greet them.

Why would Grand Duke Achiyoli come here?

Orville, dressed simply, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing intently at the river.

He brought only a few people with him, including his personal subordinates and attendants, Robert being one of them.

Orville disliked Tosi and was always too lazy to answer his questions, usually having Robert do it for him.

Robert: "Your Excellency, the Grand Duke has come to the port to escort the Lord of Desinia to his residence for a short stay. The Grand Duke is in charge of all arrangements for the Lord of Desinia within the Empire."

"This isn't quite appropriate," Tosi said stiffly. "His Majesty ordered me to receive you..."

Orville gave him a cold look. "I will handle things with His Majesty."

Tosi's face instantly turned pale and ashen, looking extremely unpleasant.

This wasn't the first time he'd been refuted by Duke Orville without giving him any face.

After all, the Achiyoli House wielded immense power within the Anas Empire.

Orville inherited the title of Grand Duke at a young age and was highly regarded by his family; even His Majesty would give him some face.

To put it bluntly, he, as an illegitimate child, had no right to assert his presence in front of Orville Achiyoli.

But the fact that Tosi, an illegitimate child, could be brought into the public eye by the king shows that he still has a lot of ways to please people and understands who he should not offend.

So Tosi forcibly suppressed the surging anger in his heart, intending to say something amicable to Orville, when Robert suddenly pointed to the distant river and shouted, "Your Highness, the Lord of Desinia's fleet has arrived!"

Tosi instinctively turned his head to look—

--A fleet of ships, bearing the banner of Thorn Rose high, broke through the shimmering river and sailed toward the port. The dazzling sunlight shone down, as if gilding the entire fleet with a dazzling golden edge.

Flocks of waterbirds circled and flew around, and a cry of an eagle seemed to echo in the sky.

The next moment, the waterbirds scattered and then suddenly took flight, as if slowly unfolding a dynamic scene that directly entered people's hearts, making them want to sigh involuntarily.

Countless ships broke through the water and slowly lined up as they approached the port.

Fortunately, Tosi had driven all the ships docked in the port away beforehand in order to give Cyrus a hard time; otherwise, whether they could even dock would have been a problem.

Many people are sighing.

However, such a shocking and astonishing scene left Tosi with an indescribable expression, and the butler tried his best to keep a low profile, not daring to provoke him.

Finally, the Desinia fleet was neatly lined up in the port.

The long planks were lowered, and two rows of soldiers, led by Ferdinand and Walker respectively, appeared on either side of the ship's side. Their light and thin new armor, with red and black undershirts and silver armor protecting vital parts of their bodies, did not appear cumbersome at all, but rather enhanced their imposing presence.

Tosi bit his throbbing cheek, forcing a smile as he was about to speak, when a half-grown black panther suddenly leaped out from the deck.

Immediately, three enormous beasts also leaped over the ramp and landed on the ground, causing a burst of screams and panic.

People around him kept backing away. The knight gripped his weapon tightly. Tosi, who was closer, was so frightened by the sudden appearance of the beast that the color drained from his face and his lips trembled.

In his panicked attempt to back away, he accidentally bit the flesh near his mouth with his teeth, his face contorted in pain and looking comical.

Orville's expression remained unchanged; he even seemed about to take a step forward.

Finally, Robert, whose face was equally pale, stopped him—"Your Excellency, didn't you see the beast's sharp teeth and claws?!"

Coalball roared at Black Sugar, as if disciplining a disobedient child. Black Sugar stopped and turned around, but hid next to Snowball.

This was entirely because when the ship docked at the port, it was unstable. Black Sugar, who was lying next to Coalball chasing after the black and white striped tail, slipped and got a mouthful of fur.

Cyrus then slowly walked down from the wooden plank.

Ferdinand and Walker led two columns of soldiers in close succession.

Samuel did not disembark but remained on the ship to await orders. The soldiers on the other ships also did not disembark. The gangplank was lowered, and several soldiers were assigned to guard the sides of the ship.

The two rows of soldiers following Cyrus alone outshone the knights brought by Tosi.

Although he was a young boy, he was tall with long legs and a handsome face. Cyrus Zuoyi was wondering which nobleman the Anas Empire would send to receive her, but she did not expect to see a "familiar face" after coming down.

"Your Grace, it's been a long time."

Completely ignoring the startled Marquis standing to the side, Cyrus nodded to Orville, "You'll make the arrangements?"

Orville: "Please come and stay at my residence for a while."

"Good."

Although Cyrus was somewhat surprised, he would not refuse, as staying in a grand duke's mansion would save him a lot of trouble.

Tosi stepped forward, his face grim. "Desinia, it's me..."

A large, golden lion happened to be standing right in front of them, and with a flick of its tail, it almost hit Tosi in the face.

Tosi's legs went weak and he stumbled back two or three steps before the butler caught his arm.

He met Cyrus's puzzled expression and was about to speak again when Orville suddenly reached out and put his arm around Cyrus's shoulder, turning her around and saying, "Let's go."

He heard Desinia asking him who he was from afar.

Orville: Don't worry about it.

Tosi: Fuck.

Tosi Cavendish broke a lot of things after he got back, but that's another story.

After the Duke made arrangements for Cyrus, she sent someone to the Nagabi Merchant Guild to find Boris.

He arrived early, eight days before the Queen's birthday banquet was scheduled to begin.

Cyrus planned to lease the port where his fleet docked entirely, prohibiting outsiders from entering. This port belonged to the Nagabi Merchant Guild of Commerce, which was a good opportunity to discuss with Boris.

Boris asked, "What do you want to do?"

Cyrus: "Of course, it's about doing business. The nobles of the Anas Empire should be even less short of money."

Boris asked, puzzled, "Doing business?"

"There are no Thorn Merchant Guild shops in the royal city, so what are you planning to do? Besides, doing business shouldn't be related to leasing the port..."

You'll find out then.

Faced with Cyrus's insistence, Boris nodded in agreement.

The port where the Desinia fleet was anchored changed the next day.

Along the shore where the ships were moored, many soldiers were dragging timber and hammering it to build simple stalls. In front of each stall was a conspicuous wooden board with the items to be sold, their names, prices, and so on written on it.

Lemon Candy, rose candy, and syrup are used to coat skewers of cut fruit, which are then decorated with various shapes on a smooth cutting board using syrup...

Stylish and beautiful women's ribbons, hats, and unique accessories...

Place dried rose petals into a jar, add salt, honey, etc., stir well, and then seal.

After two hourglasses have passed, open the container to drain the excess water, then add white sugar, stir, and seal. Fermentation takes ten to fifteen days, and the container can be retrieved just as the fleet arrives at the Anas Empire.

A small amount of the marinated rose sugar is placed in a small dish. Its bright and tempting color fills the air with the fragrance of roses and the sweetness of sugar.

It seems to be even more popular than Lemon Candy.

Cyrus ordered her men to prepare bread, and spreading rose sugar between two slices of bread made it an irresistible delicacy.

Of course, the price is so high that it's prohibitively expensive.