The capital city– Edin. Morning 7 AM.
It was early morning and the bright sun shone over the bustling city port of River Lithe. The air was filled with the scent of freshwater and the sound of rover birds could be heard overhead.
The port was as busy as ever, with ships coming and going in a constant stream. The people were hard at work, with workers loading and unloading cargo onto the ships. The Rankers and mortals worked together, contributing to the growth of the city simply by doing the work they were supposed to do.
Eren appeared at the port with his entourage, ready to depart from the capital city of Edin. His destination was the city of White Raven, with a few stops here and there throughout his journey.
Grimdawn was dressed in casual clothes, wearing a white tunic under sleeveless leather armor. The upper buttons of his tunic were undone, revealing a hint of his muscular chest.
He wore loose-fitted dark brown pants and brown-colored, round-toe, high-top boots. His shoulder-length black hair flowed in the breeze that carried the freshwater smell and coolness of River Lithe.
"It's been a little over a month since I've been here in the capital city. But it feels like it's been years," Eren mumbled to himself as he observed the hustle and bustle of people at the port. "The time spent in the Sansara World skewed my perception of time. Not that I'm complaining. The trip to the capital city was totally worth it," Eren commented as he looked around.
His ship, Freya, was docked at one corner of the port, waiting for him and his entourage to board it. Eren started walking towards his ship, with Nina, Levine, Jiana, Sylphie, Sara, and a few of his low-ranked subordinates following right behind him.
Eren was also expecting most of his White Raven Crew members to join him along the way from a different port city. He also had to pick Marla and Almera. Taking them aboard was about to make the ship more crowded than it already was.
But it was fine as long as Eren could get a skilled runemaster. He could then ask them to expand the spatial capacity of the ship with the help of the space-element runes.
Nina and the rest were dressed in normal adventurers' outfits, looking ready for any type of mission. They stopped talking to each other and halted in their steps when they realized Eren had suddenly stopped his stride.
'Aah… Fuck! I forgot to repair the ship.'
Eren clicked his tongue as he stood in place and saw the condition of the ship closely. It looked banged up and about to sink. His intimate session with Nysa Nael was wild and Freya had paid the price for it.
Eren's days in the capital city were mostly filled with work and more work. So he forgot to delegate the task of ship repair to one of his subordinates. The butcher cursed Nysa for losing control. And he cursed her even more for not reminding him to repair the ship. He decided that he would spank her perky buns the next time they met as a form of punishment.
'*Sigh. The runes over the ship can't be repaired right away. I'll need a specialized rune master for it. I'll get the basic job done somewhere to keep Freya running. I'll figure out what to do once I find the location of a trustworthy rune master along the way.'
Eren came up with a makeshift plan. He doubted any runemaster in the capital city would fix his ship right away. All of them were in great demand and they already had their work piled up. He could always use the money to "expedite" the process. But doing so might offend other traders.
Everyone in the capital city was someone very important. Eren didn't want to offend someone and leave the capital on a sour note. Nina and the rest looked at Freya and had weird expressions painted on their faces. However, they didn't say anything and kept walking behind Eren while talking with each other on various topics.
Just when Eren and his entourage were about to board their ship, Freya, they heard a distinct voice behind them. "Eren Elijah Idril?" The voice asked a question to confirm Eren's identity. Eren turned around to meet the stranger who had come to seek him.
The stranger was a man in his late thirties, dressed in a black leather coat with a black fedora hat. He had a rugged appearance with a few scars on his face. The man had a stern look on his face, and his hands were hidden in his coat pockets.
Eren observed the man carefully and replied, "That's me. Do I know you?"
The man took off his hat and replied, "No, but I know you, Grimdawn. My name is Karl Reverine. I've been sent by Roth Riverine to request your audience.
Earl Roth is waiting behind me. It shouldn't take much of your time."
Eren raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Earl Roth? Hm? Wait," he realized something at that moment. "Ken's House! What do you guys want with me?"
Sedated Perception
'Alephee?' Eren's eyes darted all around him as he tried to find some clues. It was as if he was expecting himself to be surrounded by the Earl's private force. His mana fluctuations were as serene as a calm lake. But his facial expressions would tell anyone that he was expecting trouble heading his way.
Alephee was back to her pendant abode. 'Relax, Eren.' She said, 'I don't think it's any serious.' Alephee got back to her grimoire writing after she assured Eren.
Alephee's words finally put Eren's agitated mind to rest. He canceled his time-element spell and eased his facial expressions. But one could feel that he had not let his guard down.
Karl did not understand why Eren suddenly turned defensive. But he smiled at Eren before answering, "There's no trouble, Grimdawn. Earl Roth just wants to talk. As for the specifics… it'd be better if you ask him."
Karl raised his hand and used his thumb to point toward a certain old man standing not too far from Eren and the rest. The Earl was surrounded by a bunch of powerful rankers. They were clearly his security detail standing strategically around him to protect him.
'It seems war-related protocols have kicked in. Edinburgh is trying to keep its key figures safe from foreign attacks and assassinations.'
Eren immediately understood why Earl Roth was standing so far away from the crowd. He looked behind him. "Nina, Levine, Jiana, Sylphie, Sara, stay here and prepare for the journey. I'll be back soon."
Nina raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is everything okay, Eren?"
Eren shook his head and replied, "I don't know, but I'll find out soon enough. Just keep everything ready for the journey to White Raven."
He then looked at Carl and returned a smile before answering.
"Please lead the way, Master Carl."
Eren said before stepping towards Carl's position. Carl nodded at Eren before turning around, leading Grimdawn towards Earl Roth.
