Scarlet sighted Kasim from afar while carrying some materials.

“The lazy captain is finally back.”

Everyone stared for a bit, sighing before returning to their respective duties. Scarlet ignored him too since his presence did not mean much for the construction project. Her only concern was that Lord Mizin might arrive in his absence, putting her in a very difficult position.

And with that, Kasim was able to cover his tracks of where he had gone too.

…

The elven teritory was seated on an expanse of land in the central continent. It was a large forest called the forest of Primodial memories. It had a lot of history. Rumors had it that it was the original dwelling of dragons. Although most people say its just a baseless rumor, some parts of the forest have objects shaped like dragons.

On exiting the elven territory, a vast plain appeared before them. Here, trees thinned out, rather sparse, with plenty of grass giving the plain a light green color. She had seen this before, but now she had the chance to experience it by going further. Far off to the east, there were tiny structures each independent of each other from the ground and into the sky. They occurred in layers and differed in size, with the size increasing as it went up.

This was the popular great constellation, and it gathered adventurers above the Knight class, which was the minimum requirement for entering. It was controlled by two regions: the Fue region in Elador and Tolbat in Asram. Unfortunately, they were not headed that way. Their route was through Loran to Rona, where a royal vessel is waiting to carry them to Asramus in the province of Waterwheel.

When they arrived at Loran, Gilly stopped to pay her respects to Mayor Kalin, Hilary, and Grandmaster Henry. Katherine had gone up north with Zin and Xing, leaving Hilary behind. Gilly’s new appearance had shocked them, especially the dress and seal she carried. This was only privileged to members of the Royal Elven court. Kalin had her suspicion at first, as seeing Gilly had made her remember Elim, who wore similar dresses for adventures.

She said he greeting chatting for a while and she was off three hours later. On entering the Rona province, she noticed it had an unusual smell of sea, fish, metal, and other scents she was not familiar with. Having larger ports than most provinces, Rona was known for building ships, specifically warships, as the seas were full of strange sea creatures based on the book she had read.

She had intended to leave the region discreetly when a group of guards stopped the carriage half way through the city. They asked for identification, and she brought out the seal. The guard in charge scanned it with Mana Sense. He had a stern expression on his face, looking down on Gilly, as he had not seen this seal before and was curious, so he had to confirm. He took a stroll into the post, giving his subordinates orders to look through for anything strange.

He spent a few minutes inside before running out. He was smiling, out of breath, and sweating as he handed her the seal through the window. He gave her leave, and they exited the capital of Rona. After they had gone, the other guards were curious at his sudden change in demeanor. He explained that the person who had just passed were members of the royal elven court.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Leaders of an entire country were hardly seen. Their associates too were quite rare to come by. Among the rare races, one of them was the Kitsunes; another was the mermaid and mermen; considering the giants and the legendary beings like angels, vampires, or even dragons, elves were next on that list. Most of the guards began to thank their stars for not causing a ruckus.

Gilly continued on her journey, observing and taking note of the landscape and places the carriage passed through. They had two days of rest in a quiet village. In the mean time, she had helped the villagers resolve the issue of phantom wolves, which had been constantly attacking their livestock. By the time she was done, it was already the fourth day of the night cycle and exactly five days since she left Rona. She did not expect to stay this long, The numbers of wolves and their ability to hide in the dark was a hassle

The next stop was Port Balmor, where a Royal Vessel awaited the group. Gilly had only traveled once before at night cycle and now doing it in comfortable ride made it feel like luxury. She gazed up at the moon. They were five visible out of the nine, each reflecting a distinct color. The central one was full, with the others crescent or less.

On the last day of the night cycle, she arrived at the gates of Balmor. Guards stood at the post, constantly checking the identification of all who ventured in. This was a strategic defense point for Asram, both for the sea and for land attack, so naturally it had high walls and large fortresses. Dressed in white armour that gave a faint glow under the moonlight, a guard stood at the gate, having a distinct aura from the rest.

When Gilly’s carriage approached, she handed out the seal; he nodded subtly and took the seal. He activated his Mana Sense, scanning it; his eyes glowed a bit. When he finished, he returned the seal and bowed.

"Please allow me to guide you into the city, Your Highness.”

This surprised Gilly, who hadn’t received ‘royal’ recognition, but on parking the carriage at an open field close to one of the fortresses, she descended alongside Aroelan, who was meditating throughout the journey. She was shocked to find out that he was a monk and only ate plant-based food. He had been inactive through out their journey, mostly meditating and reciting manthras

“Allow me to introduce myself,”

he saluted.

“My name is Gideon, Assistant Captain of the White Royal Guards, tasked with escorting you safely to Asramus.”

“Nice to meet you; I am Gilly,”

extending her hand.

He shook her hand surprised at the calm and casual demeanor of this princess.

“This way, Princess Gilly.”

He led them to a large white warship, towering over twenty meters above. It was covered with paintings of dragons of different sizes, with inscriptions along its sides. At the forefront, there was a dragon’s head sculpture painted in silver and gold. On the deck, some sailors were moving about, going around their jobs.

Immediately they noticed the blue-haired elf approaching with the assistant captain; they lined up neatly, and the guards dressed in similar armour made a neat line opposite the sailor. Gilly felt uncomfortable at the sight.

“A-, At ease.”

This surprised everyone, sailors and guards alike. Nobles and strong people were known for being rather high and mighty, but the calm demeanor of this elf endeared her to them more, filling them with respect. She entered the cabin and was led to a room; it was well suited for a noble having all elaborate necessities.

“If you need anything, my lady, please call.

“My men will be in the hallway to respond. We will set off once the captain is all set.”

He saluted, shutting the door as he took his leave.

Gilly finally let out a long breath. Since her name had spread around after the incident in the council meeting, she had been receiving special treatment from all, including the resident of Elnor. The uptight nature required throughout the journey had exhausted her mentally, and as soon as she lay on the bed, she fell asleep.

Aroelan was on the deck, having sparked a conversation with the captain. His name was Maverick, and he was an acquaintance of the dark elves. He supplied resources from Asram to Loir. Aroelan was surprised to see him man a royal vessel. It was simple; the King had hired him for a unique quest.

He too was surprised that it had to do with a princess. After conversing a bit, Aroelan walked over to a corner of the deck, assuming a lotus position as he began to meditate. Maverick stifled a laugh and shook his head. Aroelan was a monk to the core and will hardly have any free time as he spoke less and meditated more.