Following the guidance of the Gray Robe, the fleet finally docked at the neutral harbor of Valenia.
When the fleet appeared above the horizon, the Gray Robe announced his identity.
Even though high-level professionals on the Solun Continent were not bound by any constraints, top-tier high-level professionals like the Gray Robe remained exceedingly rare. Disregarding the title of National Master of Castile, he was still intimidating enough to deter ordinary people, causing ships in the Valenia harbor to avoid them and allowing the fleet to enter the harbor safely.
However, because the Gray Robe was using the title of Castile, once the fleet entered the port, the Castilian envoy quickly sensed the unusual gazes of the people around them.
Merchants within the fleet immediately sprang into action. After disembarking, they started gathering local information while conducting trade with the locals.
When people heard that this fleet came from the distant M Continent, most were skeptical. However, when they saw the exquisite products on the merchants’ carts, nearly everyone gasped in awe.
Especially the intricate self-propelling devices made some knowledgeable professionals’ eyes light up.
“This is the pocket watch that our Empress of the Ror Empire uses! The imperial research facility employs this kind, fire and water resistant, capable of timing, luminous, and even serves as a protective charm!”
The merchants relentlessly promoted their goods. Through the interrogation of Avar prisoners, they discovered what sold best on this continent—luxury goods. After all, the costs were low while the profits were substantial, and they were easy to store. The specifics of prices were merely a matter of how well the merchants could boast.
These merchants habitually tied their products to Lena, because in the current empire, stating that something was similar to the Queen’s model virtually guaranteed sales. As for whether it was truly the same model—who cared, especially after crossing the sea? At least what these merchants recommended was genuinely unavailable on the Solun Continent.
Even if the Solun Continent had similar items, like various special potions, the prices of imperial goods were often cheaper than those on the Solun Continent, thus drawing in the entire harbor’s populace.
Most of what the merchants sold were actually cheap goods or even low-quality items. First, because although the harbor was bustling with trade, it was mostly merchants, and products with trading value sold more readily. Second, the truly high-end luxury items were reserved to be sold to nobles in the countries of the Solun Continent or used as diplomatic gifts.
These merchants felt as if they were selling glass beads to primitives when they saw their products flying off the shelves. Even visibly defective goods were sold with various legendary tales attached, primarily because even the low-quality products far exceeded the expectations of the people of Solun. These items couldn’t compare to what the Avars brought; these were genuinely refined products.
At that moment, a shadow-type professional quietly approached the imperial merchants’ cart, but his target was not the exquisite products but rather the firearms at the merchants’ waists.
“Bang!”
The sound of a firearm instantly silenced the once-bustling market, as the shadow-type professional looked in disbelief at the wound on his thigh and then screamed in agony.
“My leg! My thigh! How is this possible! I had already entered the shadows, why?!”
In the crowd, someone recognized that professional and whispered, “That’s Bate from the Shadow Stalker!”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen Bate from Shadow Stalker caught in the act.”
“But how did they shoot him while he was in the shadows?”
These people were not unfamiliar with firearms as a neutral harbor had the most well-informed populace, and many actually carried firearms themselves. However, the firearms on the traders claiming to be from the empire while flying the Castilian flag were of an entirely different caliber, both in portability and power, far superior to what others possessed.
Whispers soon turned back into noisy chatter, and eyes turned towards Bate, lying injured on the ground, as the merchants, with smiles on their faces, took out the potions they carried and said to the crowd, “Don’t panic about the injury. We also have imperial-made potions blessed by the Goddess, and their healing effect is guaranteed!”
Afterward, they casually tended to Bate’s wound, removing the bullet and pouring the potion over it roughly, causing Bate to faint from the intense pain.
However, the potion proved to be quite effective. After a while, the bleeding stopped, and there was no need for bandaging anymore.
The merchants searched Bate’s belongings, pulling out everything he had on him, murmuring, “Not enough. This guy looks like a strong professional; how does he have so little money? Whatever, when he wakes up, let’s make him work for us until his debt is cleared.”
Hearing the command, the adventurers picked Bate up and began assisting the merchants in demonstrating the effects of the potion he had just used.
Surrounding people, overhearing the merchant’s murmurs, swallowed nervously. Work? What kind of work? Surely it wasn’t having to endure being shot daily just to showcase the miraculous effects of the potion afterward?
After this episode, many people lost interest in the products being promoted by the merchants, focusing instead on the firearms carried by the merchants and their guards, realizing that their firearms and even bullets were of high quality. This momentarily took away the watchful eyes of potential thieves.
The people of the harbor began to understand why this fleet referred to itself as the imperial fleet and how the ships that docked were gradually elevated in stature in their eyes. More and more people started asking which so-called empire it truly was and what had happened on the M Continent.
The Gray Robe did not participate in this verbal exchange at the harbor but rather took Rosalind and the envoy into the port to gather intelligence.
“Have the Avars really been defeated? And did those dragons fall as well?”
Inside a tavern at the harbor, the tavern owner looked at the Gray Robe in disbelief.
The Gray Robe raised his staff and declared, “I swear by my magic power and wisdom.”
Hearing this, the tavern owner, although still skeptical, said, “Alright, you did investigate the news earlier. There was indeed a member from a Castilian envoy claiming to have come from the M Continent swept ashore to this harbor. However, he had nothing to prove himself; perhaps he did, but it was useless. After all, you know the situation in Valenia; there’s no order here. Even if there was, it was long snatched away.”
“He died on his way to Cartiel, but I don’t know the specifics.”
Upon hearing this news, the Gray Robe wanted to say something but sighed instead.
“As for who currently holds power in Castile…”
The tavern owner glanced at the dignified Rosalind behind the Gray Robe and asked, “Which Castile are you inquiring about?”
