CHAPTER 272: CHAPTER 270 SECRET AND THE GOLDEN KINGDOM

Morning.

Aiven was alone in a high-end restaurant in Nisk City, enjoying a sumptuous specialty breakfast.

A dish of toasted bread with tomatoes, two fried sausages, a piece of fragrant pear cheese cake, beef cheese scones garnished with olives, and a cup of milk coffee known locally as Macchiato.

He occasionally looked up to enjoy the scenery and tourists outside the window, while his other hand unconsciously played with the family’s heirloom "Golden Compass."

Although during the previous danger, due to being directly trapped, this "Golden Compass," which claimed to guide the ship through any perilous situation, did not show any effect.

But it didn’t stop Aiven from wanting to further explore the secrets behind it during his leisure time, often taking it out for a look in various situations.

Of course, so far he has still discovered nothing.

After this return voyage, the "Storm Horn" reported its encounter with the "Black Dam" and a large group of otherworldly lizards at sea.

Although the chances of consecutive encounters with such supernatural disasters are extremely low, during this critical period of possible "Octopus Ghost" attacks, the stationed commander Major General Koverdale Dulu couldn’t ignore it.

He temporarily mobilized four Level 5 and 6 warships from nearby Navy bases to join the cruise mission.

Thus, the current fleet performing tasks in Nisk Water City was structured around Aiven’s "Storm Horn" and Solomon’s "Royal Guard," two Level 4 Battleships, supported by 12 cruisers.

This level of defense could be considered extraordinarily luxurious for coastal defense!

After all, even in Phaletis’ third-largest military port, "Gabred," the highest level of defense configured, including ships returning for repairs, was only so much.

Originally, the sea was not always the focus of high-level defense plans, but with the increasing number of ships, Aiven and the "Storm Horn"’s cruise missions also became much lighter.

Meanwhile, there was more time to do his own things.

Such as: the completely finalized "Wild Talisman" and the contract with the little lizard "Kaka."

It was just that Bess, who had always considered itself Aiven’s number one pet, found itself a bit displeased that a new rival for attention suddenly appeared.

Thinking of "Kaka," Aiven cut half a fried sausage from his plate and placed it in the shadow at his feet. A black mouth suddenly appeared and gobbled the sausage, the shadow squirmed slightly, then returned to normal after a moment.

After the contract, to cultivate closeness, Aiven kept "Kaka" in his shadow, and the skill of "Shadow Transformation" was as easy as breathing or eating for the "Shadow Lizard" "Kaka."

After feeding, as he straightened up, Aiven’s eyes suddenly brightened.

He happened to see outside the restaurant, a beautiful young girl in a warm yellow dress carrying a painting folder, walking elegantly past him.

Unconsciously, a beautiful name slipped out:

"Miss Vinya!"

"Huh? Oh! It’s Mr. Aiven!"

The beautiful girl with a veiled hat turned around, a hint of surprise flashing across her face, locking eyes with the young man inside in a crisp white shirt through the glass, a smile in her eyes as her pink lips curved:

"What a coincidence! I was just wondering if I might meet Mr. Aiven today while sketching outdoors."

Aiven, impressed by this young girl, also smiled and said:

"Hahaha, I’m surprised too. Has Miss Vinya had breakfast yet? If you don’t mind, please come in and join me."

The other patrons in the restaurant, just about to frown at their unabashed conversation sparked by surprise, saw the beautiful girl who entered the door like an elf and the handsome young man who had stood up very gentlemanly to invite the lady to sit.

The appearance and demeanor of these two young people were so exceptional, even extraordinary, that the slight irritation in their hearts immediately dissipated.

Ah! In this society that idolizes beauty... so realistic!

"Waiter!"

Aiven considerately called for a server to bring Miss Vinya a breakfast as well.

Strawberry cake, caramel pudding, and a cup of hot milk.

"Thank you!"

The girl thanked Aiven very politely and took an elegant sip of the warm milk.

"You’re welcome, please enjoy."

The two of them chatted while eating. Previously, Aiven had been very curious about this seemingly well-bred young lady’s background and experiences, and now he couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer:

"Miss Vinya, last time you mentioned traveling to various places on the continent, is there any special experience you could share with me? And last time you promised to tell me where your homeland is."

The girl forked a piece of strawberry cake into her mouth, a smile appearing on her lips, clearly pleased with its sweet and soft texture.

Ah, beautiful people somehow make eating look exquisite and delightful.

"Well, how to say it, my homeland is a place where even such exquisite food is hard to come by.

I travel across the continent driven by two purposes.

The first is to learn the most quintessential knowledge from various countries to bring back to my homeland, hoping to help the hardworking and wise people there."

Upon hearing this, Aiven expressed genuine admiration:

"Miss Vinya, you are truly a great person. As a pioneer spreading the torch of civilization, the people of your homeland will surely thank you for all you have done for them.

Moreover, I have a suggestion. An individual’s energy is ultimately limited, and your country can send a group of students to study at academies in various countries every year. I think if the price is appropriate, other nations won’t mind the outflow of basic knowledge."

The young girl covered her mouth and laughed gently:

"Hehe, this is what I should do, and I will consider your suggestion.

As for the other purpose of my travels across the continent,

it is to find the fundamental reason why the civilized nations become so powerful that they can fully colonize the Southern Continent, the far eastern Peacock Islands, and the New Continent, the known exploration maps."

As she spoke, Vinya’s beautiful eyes stared at Aiven with a hint of hidden superiority, appreciated subtly:

"Mr. Aiven, I must thank you, I believe what you mentioned last time was the answer I have been looking for all along.

Even in the history of the Old Continent, your words have long been recorded.

Now, the ancestors of the white-skinned, golden-haired rulers of the Old Continent, the Nimansite people, were nothing more than barbarians living in frigid zones in ancient times.

It was only by using brute force to defeat the "civilized" people of the Holy Rosar Empire of that era, that they became the masters of this era, slowly developing and growing to this day."

"Ah, that, you already thanked me last time.

Everyone’s understanding is different, what I said was merely my perspective, it might not be right.

It’s great if it could help you."

Aiven sipped his Macchiato, not thinking that a single word of his deserved the young girl’s repeated thanks. However, he was somewhat surprised by the rise of the Nimansite people she mentioned, a history even he, as a wizard, had never had the opportunity to learn.

His curiosity about the young girl’s origin grew stronger.

"As a token of my gratitude, I will tell you about an unforgettable and significant experience I once had, and... where my hometown is."

While speaking, the girl glanced at the "Golden Compass" that Aiven casually placed on the dining table and continued:

"It might be... very useful to you!"

Noticing the young girl’s gaze sharply, Aiven’s eyes instantly tightened, his voice unconsciously raised:

"You recognize this compass?!"

That glance tied all the previous doubts in Aiven’s heart together, and he asked with a hint of vigilance:

"You mentioned coming from across the sea, just like the mysterious person who dealt with the Galliot Clan claimed to be from across the sea.

Isn’t that the Southern Continent, nor the New Continent, but rather...

the ’Golden Kingdom’ the legendary divine dwelling no one has ever reached?!"

Faced with Aiven’s barrage of questions, the young girl did not rush to answer him.

She merely gave him a slight glance, the pressure of which made Aiven, who almost leaped up, freeze, realizing Vinya’s unusualness, he dared not act rashly.

As if not noticing his sudden change of expression, she leisurely took another bite of the caramel pudding before speaking again:

"Mr. Aiven, you’re correct.

My hometown is indeed the mythical ’Golden Kingdom’ where gold blankets the land. However, it is not entirely unreachable. Would you like to know where it is?"

"This...."

Aiven was momentarily speechless, he only knew of the vastness across the sea, but for the Old Continent, there were countless possibilities across the sea.

Not to mention he is just a mere wizard apprentice, even the most knowledgeable scholars in this world can only learn of the name "Golden Kingdom" from legends, along with its most famous, yet highly debated legend—the land is covered in gold!

If one found the "Golden Kingdom," they could easily acquire enough gold to purchase several kingdoms.

There are many such wondrous tales about that magical realm, impossible to discern their origins, or whether they were merely fabricated by storytellers.

However, even though the Age of Navigation has been inaugurated for two hundred years, no scholar or adventurer has claimed to have reached there! Everything about it remains a mystery to humanity!

"Let us first discuss that significant experience of mine.

In fact, when the Old Continent’s Age of Navigation began, tales of our ’Golden Kingdom’ were already circulating in the community of adventurers.

But just as I mentioned, it was not without visitation.

Actually, five years ago, the first human adventurer from the Old Continent set foot on the territory of the ’Golden Kingdom’!

And I happened to receive him."

As Vinya truly began to recount the tale without further teasing Aiven, she narrated the story of the happenings in the "Golden Kingdom" freely:

"At that time, we actually hadn’t ventured out of the ’Golden Kingdom’ for nearly a century.

Their arrival made us realize that human exploration has progressed faster than we imagined, conquering the various mysteries and terrors of the sea within about 200 years, reaching right beside us.

Even if they were merely pioneers, exceptions among humans...

The adventurer and his wife told us many things about the outside world’s changes, human exploration maps, the latest technological inventions, the vast territories that have been colonized, major events of nearly a century...

Making us finally realize the outside world has undergone earth-shaking transformations.

Therefore, I embarked on this journey of exploration."