Chapter 24: The Times Have Changed, Young Master

The following morning, with a thunderous roar, a massive steamship slowly departed from the imperial capital’s dock. Reporters who had come upon hearing the news were blocked by a human barricade formed by the Kingdom’s military on the far side. They struggled fiercely to carve a path through the crowd of onlookers, pushing forward to the very front. Stretching onto their tiptoes with great effort, they hoisted their wooden box cameras high above their heads to capture images of the colossal vessel as it set sail.

The crowd buzzed incessantly with murmurs.

“That ship is truly magnificent. I wish I could go aboard and take a look.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. That’s the Deep Sea Council’s ship! I read in the newspapers that it’s powered by…”

“Steam.”

“Right, steam power! Have you seen the people behind the human barricade? The guild master of the merchants, the arms magnate, the Cardinal in red — I’ve lived here all these years, but I’ve never seen so many big shots gathered at once! Only people of their stature are invited aboard!”

“But that means the visit is over. It’s a pity we didn’t see any representatives from the Council.”

“I heard through the grapevine that the Deep Sea Council is about to undergo a major shakeup.”

“Who told you that?”

“Never mind that. I have my own intelligence network!”

“Now that you mention it, does that mean we’re about to…”

“What nonsense! Don’t get yourself killed, and don’t splash blood on me!”

Despite the warnings, the chatter continued unabated. This was the favorite pastime of the imperial capital’s residents; it always made them feel close to politics, as if with a word or a raised hand, they could almost grasp it.

At the very least, they had the eyes to watch the great ship vanish over the horizon.

Something significant was about to happen.

Everyone understood this without words.

...

Meanwhile, aboard the steamship, a blond young man dressed in a white formal suit leaned against the railing, gazing back at the gradually fading silhouette of the imperial capital. When the cityscape finally blurred beyond sight, he stretched in relief.

“Master, how do you feel about this visit?” The captain, a few sailors, and a black-haired maid approached. The maid carried a tray at chest level, holding roasted fish, fruit, and a cup of bluish beverage.

“Oh, Lily, you always know how to win my heart!” the blond youth praised without reservation. Then he turned to the captain, “Only Fireplace Bay was worthwhile. When we return, send someone to contact the Lofik Consortium. We should establish more teleportation magic nodes on our side as well.”

The black-haired maid named Lily held a different opinion. “Master, you were swindled out of quite a bit there. Everyone in Fireplace Bay knows that a foolish rich lamb has arrived.”

“Hahaha, Master, you’ve upset the head maid again,” the crew teased.

In front of outsiders, the head maid always behaved with decorum, fiercely protecting Master’s image. Only in private would she occasionally reveal her sharp tongue.

The young man leisurely settled onto a deck chair, picked up a cluster of fruit, and smiled, “Lily, have you still not come to terms with it?”

“It’s not about coming to terms, Master. You were clearly tricked by that so-called Heisenberg, the elemental energy manipulator.”

She stood firm. Wasting money was one thing—Master was usually extravagant—but being treated like a fool and deceived was another matter entirely. In Lily’s eyes, this was far worse than Master spending 100 gold lions to buy that pitiful couple.

Fortunately, no one in Fireplace Bay knew their true identities, so it hadn’t escalated to a political issue. Otherwise, if the Empire got the impression that Deep Sea Council members were “foolish and rich,” it would be a grave offense.

Sensing gossip in the air, the crew swarmed eagerly, itching to hear more.

“Lily, spill the details!”

“Who is Heisenberg? How did he fool Master?”

Lily’s expression darkened. She scolded the raucous sailors sharply, “There’s nothing amusing about this.”

Then she recounted the encounter with Master from the previous evening.

The crew’s reactions were exactly as she had expected.

“Pfft hahahaha, a triple magic scroll?”

“Even I, who’ve never dealt with magic scrolls, know that’s impossible.”

“There were 60 silver antelope scrolls available at the shop.”

“Wait, could it be that those 20 scrolls were bought from the shop by Heisenberg and then resold to Master?”

“Very likely. This was probably a setup by Heisenberg and the shop owner. After all, it’s Master’s first journey away from home. He’s still too young.”

The deck was filled with laughter. Lily remained expressionless. In principle, they shouldn’t mock Master in groups, but his behavior this time was just too absurd. If he continued like this, he would suffer great losses in the future.

“Isn’t there anyone on my side?” the youth protested. “That’s a triple magic scroll, isn’t it? Doesn’t it sound interesting?”

The crew expressed their stance with action—they all stood behind the black-haired maid, leaving the youth isolated. The captain even stepped forward to add a final word. “Interesting as it may be, unfortunately, it’s impossible. The material used to make magic scrolls is called energy-storing parchment. Each sheet is independent with limited magical capacity. How could three be combined into one?”

“No, I don’t think he lied to me.”

The youth was resolute; he trusted his instincts.

“Master, the age of knights and magic has passed. The future belongs to them.”

Before the crew lay an exquisitely crafted revolver, its silver body inlaid with gold trim, the grip carved with an iris pattern. At the sight of the iris, the captain’s smile vanished, replaced by solemnity.

The iris symbolized the Imperial Royal Family. He immediately guessed this was a gift to Master from the crown.

On a grander scale, it symbolized the friendship between the Empire and the Deep Sea Council.

“This is a gift from Imperial Military Industry, which you have never even inspected. When you toured the factories, you must have heard that even a great power like the Empire, which signed an alliance with the Nasirel Sanctuary, has been steadily downsizing its knight units in recent years. Since the emergence of the marksman battalions, their proportion in the Kingdom’s army has increased year by year. Imperial Military Industry has long become the Empire’s premier heavy industry.”

Because there were always outsiders around during the imperial visit, and ears might be listening through walls, Lily remained silent. But someone had to say this to Master.

“I know you’ve loved magic since childhood, but now you represent more than just yourself. Your father entrusted you as the ambassador for this visit because he holds high hopes for you.”

Another of her duties on this trip was to assess Master’s performance.

The evaluation could only be described as... less than satisfactory.

Master was still the same Master, distracted during the visit to Imperial Military Industry, missing such crucial information.

“Lily, you’re right,” the youth’s gaze suddenly sharpened. “All the more reason why I trust my own eyes. Didn’t you notice the expressions on those workers’ faces?”

Lily was momentarily stunned.

Silence fell over the deck. The crew were caught off guard by this sudden change.

“I thought His Majesty Henry was still robust and could last at least another ten years. But now it seems... even the once mighty dragon slayer cannot defy time.”

He paused, then once again glanced toward the now indistinct imperial capital dock.

—“This country is on the verge of civil war.”