Chapter 174: Simone Is Injured
The next morning, between seven and eight o’clock, two passenger ships and one warship departed from Silent Harbor in succession.
Duane was aboard one of the passenger ships, a newer vessel over thirty meters long.
According to the Count’s men, the ship could carry up to 150 people and was of excellent quality.
Duane stood on the deck for a while, watching Heck and the others learn how to pilot the passenger ship from the captain assigned by the Count, before returning to his room.
It was a luxurious cabin of about ten square meters, furnished with a bed and a small table.
Duane recalled the harsh conditions on the cargo ship he had taken to get here. Comparing it to his current situation, he couldn’t help but sigh.
He lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to practice the Basic Meditation Skill.
This was the Meditation Technique seized from Daniels. Its core was to focus one’s Spirit and meticulously trace a pattern resembling a Spell Model within the mind.
This process allowed a Mage to connect to the Magic Net of Heaven and Earth, enabling them to sense the Heaven and Earth Elements around their body.
After many days of practice, Duane’s Skill Level with the Basic Meditation Skill had reached Skilled (18/300).
So, despite the ship’s gentle rocking, he quickly entered a state of Meditation.
In his perception, there were four different colors in his surroundings.
The most intense was purple, representing Duane’s extremely high Affinity for the Arcane.
The second most intense was a bluish-white, representing the Thunder Element.
Besides these two, there were also faint traces of cyan and crimson, representing the Wind Element and Fire Element, respectively.
Just last night, Duane had specifically asked Natalia about this. The intensity of the Elements during Meditation represented one’s Attribute Affinity.
In other words, Duane’s highest affinity was for Arcane, which was likely Super Class.
His Thunder Element affinity was next, possibly Upper Level.
His affinities for Wind and Fire were lower still, potentially Middle Class or even Lower Class.
Because the Mana space in a Mage’s mind is limited, the amount of Magic Power converted from refined Elements is also finite.
Therefore, to maximize the value of their Magic Power, Mages generally reserve most of their Mana space for Elements with which they have a high affinity.
The remaining space is used to store enough Magic Power to cast one or two spells from other elemental schools.
For Duane, his best option was to refine Magic Power from only the Arcane and Thunder Elements.
However, while he possessed Spell Models for Wind, Fire, Water, Light, and Arcane magic, he had none for the Thunder Element.
So, he decided to first focus on refining only Arcane Magic Power and concentrate on that path.
After increasing his Skill Level with "Magic Shield," the Level 1 Arcane Magic spell provided by Selena, he would then learn Level 1 Wind and Fire Magic.
In the future, once he became a Level 4 Mage and mastered the Level 4 "Shaping" spell, he would no longer need to refine Wind and Fire Magic Power. He could simply convert Arcane Magic Power to cast spells from those two schools.
Not long into his Meditation, Duane’s Magic Power was fully restored. He then began practicing the Magic Shield spell in his room.
This was a defensive spell capable of blocking ordinary Arrows.
For an Earth Tier Warrior like Duane, such a defense was more or less negligible.
He was practicing this spell purely to gain attribute points.
Currently, his Skill Level with Magic Shield had reached Entry (109/200).
The Basic Meditation Skill and Magic Shield had earned him a total of 0.4 attribute points.
His Strength Attribute had increased to 36.2.
During these few days at sea, he could use up most of the Earth Tier Potions he had purchased.
By the time he reached Black Forest Island, his power should be approaching the Middle Stage of the Earth Tier.
At that point, with his highly proficient Combat Techniques and Combat Skills, it would be difficult for an average Celestial Tier Warrior to kill him in a single blow.
Therefore, what he had told Natalia last night was no empty boast.
’After I get back this time, I’ll go to the Hot Spring Mountain Range and even Thorn Valley to the South for a period of real combat. Once I raise my Combat Techniques and Magic to the Perfection level, I estimate I’ll be able to reach the Celestial Tier.’
If Duane could achieve this goal before the end of May, he would become the youngest Celestial Tier Warrior on the Shadow Mist Continent since the resurgence of the Power of Elements.
Such a level of talent was even more terrifying than that of the top geniuses from the legendary Star Continent!
The sea conditions on the Silent Sea were below Level 3, so the risk was very low. After a smooth voyage of more than six days, Duane’s group finally arrived at Black Forest Island.
From the warship, Baron Jick Buchanan had long since spotted the three cargo ships anchored in the waters near Black Forest Island’s dock.
The banner of the Blazing Sword was still flying from them.
The thought that the other party had lost an entire regiment plus four large cargo ships here made Jick shake his head in amazement.
If he had lost such a fortune, he probably would have coughed up blood on the spot from sheer anger.
Kaelon and three squads had taken over from Raymond to be in charge of Lingang Village’s defense.
Having an Earth Tier Warrior stationed here could prevent any unforeseen incidents.
As the fleet approached, Kaelon led his men to the dock.
He recognized the banner of the Kennedy Clan, and even more so the Sword and Shield banner of the Brian Clan flying on the passenger ship behind it.
"The lord is back!"
Kaelon relaxed, a relieved smile spreading across his face.
Duane had been gone for exactly one month.
During this time, the safety and security of the Territory had been entirely Kaelon’s responsibility.
If it were just a matter of facing Demon Beasts, he wouldn’t have felt much pressure.
But the prisoners on the island, along with potential enemies from the sea, had left him sleepless and without an appetite.
Only then did he realize that the Baron had become everyone’s backbone.
This time, it was obvious the Baron had returned with reinforcements.
The ships docked one by one, and Duane and Baron Jick disembarked onto the pier.
"Duane, your dock is in need of repairs."
Jick commented, "You have so many ships, but they all have to be anchored at sea. That’s too inconvenient for the crew!"
"That’s true!"
Duane looked at the ships anchored out on the water. Without a crew to maintain them, leaving them at sea for long would cause them to wear down.
"Heck, these ships are now your responsibility!"
Duane looked at Heck and the full squad of sailors he had brought with him.
"If you don’t have enough people, you can request to recruit more from my butler, Ralph, and my political advisor, Julian."
"Leave it to us, my lord!"
Heck and his men hadn’t followed Duane to live a life of leisure; they were here to create a better future for themselves.
While on the ship, Duane had already promised them land, housing, and a monthly salary.
Free from worries about their livelihood, they could naturally perform their duties better.
Just then, Kaelon came forward with his men and greeted him warmly, "Baron, you’ve finally returned!"
"You’ve worked hard recently, Kaelon!"
Duane nodded in acknowledgment. "It seems everything in the Territory is in order?"
"There was one Demon Beast invasion, but it was just a few Wind Wolves, and Gaius handled them easily."
Kaelon reported, then glanced at Jick, who was beside Duane, and didn’t continue.
Duane understood. Something else must have happened, but with an outsider present, it wasn’t convenient to speak plainly.
"This is Baron Jick Buchanan from the Silent Shore," he introduced.
Kaelon performed a solemn Knight’s salute. "Welcome, Baron!"
Jick laughed. "If I’m not mistaken, you must be the Earth Tier Warrior Duane mentioned?"
"That would be me."
Jick nodded slightly, looking him up and down.
He had come this time ostensibly to take the prisoners back to the Silent Shore, but secretly, he had another mission.
That was to observe the situation on Black Forest Island for the Count, and thereby assess the reliability of Duane as a business partner.
After all, a labor force of six thousand three hundred people still needed to be transported to Black Forest Island.
If Duane’s credibility was low, then that number would have to be reduced.
"Let’s go, Baron Jick!"
Duane said with a smile, "Let’s head to Forest Castle first. The prisoners are being held there."
"Excellent. I’ve been wanting to see this group of prisoners for a while now!"
After seeing Baron Jick into a carriage, Duane walked over to Kaelon, his expression turning serious.
"You were hesitating just now. Did something happen?"
"Yes, my lord. Your Insight is as sharp as ever!"
Kaelon said in a low voice, "Simone was injured. The injuries are quite severe!"