Chapter 374: Tamriel

Chapter 374: Tamriel

Rain briefly recounted his experiences in the Frostwind Tundra to everyone.

Although Admiral Edward had received an official letter from the Swordmaster Headquarters about Rain's promotion and transfer days ago, he was not very clear on what Rain had actually done in the Frostwind Tundra. The official letter only mentioned it in passing. As for Neruo, Angus, and others, they were completely unaware of the situation.

Thus, when Rain described how he first slew the mutated progenitor dragon Koraxus and then swept through the Sea God Sect's base in the Howling Gorge, killing three of their leaders, everyone listened in stunned silence. Even Major Stanley and Olana had their eyes wide open and mouths slightly agape in shock.

When Rain mentioned that he had also battled and defeated a projection of the Sea Goddess Helmar, the deity worshipped by the Sea God Sect, even the well-informed Admiral Edward's eyes widened, and his head buzzed.

The others exchanged glances, all displaying expressions of disbelief.

However, they knew that Rain had never had a reason to lie.

After all, his feat of single-handedly wiping out the Sea God Sect's base in the Howling Gorge was already a significant accomplishment, one that earned him the rank of Electrum Rank Swordsman. What benefit would he gain from exaggerating?

Therefore, what Rain said was likely true.

"Rain, tell us in detail about your battle with that deity." Admiral Edward, who had regained his composure, couldn't hide his excitement. He pulled Rain into a room to hear the story in detail.

No wonder my captain remains so calm and composed, whether facing the old noble family of House Dram or the title of Sword Saint. Evelyn's beautiful eyes flickered over Rain, her mind racing.

Neruo couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh and said to Evelyn, "I was hoping that becoming a formal wizard would shock the captain, but... alas."

"Hehe, what can we do? We have such a monstrous captain." Evelyn couldn't help but giggle, covering her mouth.

On the other side, Greenwood, holding his injured hand, quickly arrived at the airship docking point in Minster with Butler Owen, boarding the next available airship back to the Imperial Capital.

Inside the airship cabin, Greenwood's hand was given a simple treatment and bandaged. However, proper medical care would have to wait until they returned to the Imperial Capital, Tamriel.

"Master Greenwood, I apologize for not investigating the situation thoroughly, which led to your injury. I am truly sorry," Butler Owen bowed deeply to Greenwood.

"However, the fact that the opponent is such a young Electrum Rank Swordsman is truly beyond my expectations," Owen frowned.

"This can't be entirely your fault. I didn't expect either, that someone could advance to Electrum Rank Swordsman without to decade or so, situation, truly unusual. It’s not something that happens once in a decade," Greenwood nodded, his face dark, reluctantly accepting Owen's apology.

After all,, Greenwood's uncle's trusted aide, this matter was indeed unexpected.

"Master Greenwood, could you have someone at the Swordmaster Headquarters investigate why this person was promoted to Electrum Rank Swordsman through an exceptional means?"

Although Owen is Duke Dram's steward, with extensive connections in the Imperial Capital, he still lacks the resources to investigate a person of such rank. "Difficult! Information about Electrum Rank Swordsmen is highly classified."

"Moreover, the opponent hasnever"Indeed! The only person had never appeared the Swordmaster Headquarters, and I might learn a bit more about this person. If not, I could probably gather some information," Greenwood shook his head and said.

"Then, it seems only Duke Dram himself can personally contact the relevant officials at the Swordmaster Headquarters," Owen nodded, agreeing with Greenwood's analysis.

"However, though I am no match for this person, I have a basic understanding of their strength. This Rain, relying on both talent and dual paths in the Knightly Path and the Wizard Path, is truly foolish."

"I can confirm that this person has never had a great mentor, That’s why such a situation arose."

"By the way, Sir Owen, are you really going to persuade my uncle to relinquish the shares of the Arkson Auction House Min"Hehehehe, how can that be? If he comes to the Imperial Capital and demands the shares, wouldn't it tarnish the Dram family's reputation?" Greenwood hesitated.

"For the family honor, it matters greatly."

"Hehe, I fear he won't come.. least he won't. Once he arrives in the Imperial Capital, he will realize what true imperial nobility is. Even as an Electrum Rank Swordsman, he will find it difficult to move forward."

At the thought of something, Greenwood's eyes lit up, and he smiled. "Indeed! Even an Electrum Rank Swordsman has assigned tasks."

"And in the past six months, the empire has been particularly turbulent. Many tasks are extremely dangerous, and even Electrum Rank Swordsmen have suffered double-digit casualties," Greenwood's eyes shone with excitement, nodding in agreement.

To Greenwood, this was the foundation of the Dram family as an imperial noble house.

Although the person is exceptionally talented, their background as a 'small-town problem solver' means they will never understand what true nobility is.

He doesn't need to confront Rain directly. Over centuries, the Dram family has woven a dense network of connections that will lead the person step by step into death, and they might never know who did behind it all.

"Indeed! Then, our Master Rain may receive posthum, he might even earn the emperor's commendation."

"As they say, a dead hero is the best hero," Butler Owen smiled slyly.

---

In the following days, Rain continued to work from dawn till dusk, immersing himself in Tailoring at Julia's shop.

Of course, he tried to have meals with his family as much as possible.

During this time, he was invited to dinner and informal gatherings by the Duke of Minster, Bishop Cyon, Branishment, and the Punishment Knight Brandor, Rain attended all.

On the eighth day, Rain had already advanced Tailoring to level 9 (22/10,000). In theory, based on his previous experience with blacksmithing, he should have received a clue for advancing to a subsequent profession after reaching level 5. However, Rain had reached level 9 without any such clue, which was clearly unreasonable.

Rain's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he pondered. Since reaching level 9 in tailoring, the long experience bar had been slow to fill, and he estimated that reaching level 10 would take at least half a month or more.

This was not in line with Rain's plan.

Before heading to the Imperial Capital, he intended to accumulate at least 15 skill points, 12 of which would be used to enhance a second-tier spell that he might acquire at the headquarters, and quickly form a combat technique.

The remaining 3 points would be allocated to the second layer of the Advanced Steel Heart Meditation.

After some contemplation, Rain suspected that the issue might lie in the limited variety of tailoring styles he knew.

Up until now, he had been solely crafting Secret Silver Embroidered Shirts to level up his tailoring profession.

"Julia, please teach me how to make other garments, like trousers, gloves, and more," Rain said, turning to the gentle and beautiful woman beside him.

"Of course," Julia responded.

Julia had previously asked Rain if he wanted to learn to make other garments, but Rain found the experience gained from Secret Silver Embroidered Shirts, and since he had mastered the technique, the speed at which he crafted them was incredibly fast. He didn't want to waste time learning to make other garments.

However, the situation had now changed.

Hours later, as Rain consecutively learned several new tailoring techniques, the system prompt finally arrived:

[You have crafted Soft Linen Shoes, understanding increased!]



[You have learned a new skill - Soft Linen Shoes]



[Your Soft Linen Shoes skill has improved, +5 experience]



[You have successfully crafted a pair of Soft Linen Shoes, +2 tailoring experience]



[You have crafted a White Woolen Cloak, understanding increased!]



[You have learned a new skill - White Woolen Cloak]



[Your White Woolen Cloak skill has improved, +7 experience]



[You have successfully crafted a White Woolen Cloak, +3 tailoring experience]



[Ding! Host has mastered five different tailoring techniques, triggering the job change to Master Tailor!]



[Requirements for job change to Master Tailor: 1. Tailoring level 5 or above; 2. Strength 7 or above, Constitution 7, and Spirit 9 or above; 3. Mastery of ten different tailoring techniques. Current conditions do not meet the requirements! Job change to Master Tailor failed!]



Upon seeing this, Rain smiled slightly.

"It seems my previous thoughts were off," he mused.

"Hmm? Isn't Master Tailor still a regular profession, not Supernal?" Rain asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

However, Rain's eyebrows soon relaxed, and he chuckled to himself, "That's right. The subsequent job change for Blacksmith to Armorsmith wasn't Supernal either. I guess I was misled by the word 'Master'."

After half a day, as Rain learned five more new techniques from Julia, the system prompt sounded again:

[Requirements for job change to Master Tailor: 1. Tailoring level 5 or above; 2. Strength 7 or above, Constitution 7, and Spirit 9 or above; 3. Mastery of ten different tailoring techniques. Current conditions meet the requirements! Do you wish to change jobs to Master Tailor?]



[Note: After changing jobs to Master Tailor, the original tailoring panel will be integrated into the Master Tailor profession panel.]



"Yes!"

[Ding! Job change to Master Tailor successful! Agility +1, Spirit +2! Core tailoring skill 'Mindful Hands' upgraded to Master Tailor core skill 'Spirit Hands'.]



"Interesting, the core skill of tailoring actually upgrades," Rain thought, focusing on the new core skill 'Spirit Hands'. Its description read:

[Core Skill: Spirit Hands (Active)]



Spirit Hands (Active) Effect: Upon skill activation, concentration increases.

(Note: The duration of this skill is proportional to the host's Constitution and Spirit.)



Out of curiosity for the new core skill, Rain activated 'Spirit Hands'.

The surrounding noises, including the whispers of the female employees in the next room and the bustling sounds from the street outside, seemed to fade away, leaving Rain in a world where only the fabric and needle in front of him existed.

At the same time, he felt a noticeable increase in his dexterity.

Rain's already high Agility made him extremely fast with his hands, and upon activating 'Spirit Hands', his speed reached a level that was barely visible to the naked eye.

A few seconds later, he finished a Secret Silver Embroidered Shirt.

Julia, who was standing beside him, was shocked. Instinctively, she picked up the shirt Rain had just made in a matter of seconds, and upon examining it, her eyes widened, and her mouth hung open in awe.

"Young Viscount, I believe your tailoring skills have surpassed mine," she said after a few seconds, still in a daze.

The shirt's Secret Silver embroidery was precise, with each stitch perfectly spaced, as if crafted by a machine. Moreover, the two Secret Silver embroidered lines on the chest were parallel, with consistent spacing from start to finish.

This level of tailoring skill was not something an ordinary tailor could achieve, even with a lifetime of practice.

Even Julia, a talented Master Tailor, could only produce a few garments of this caliber with her excellent skills.

However, Julia had been learning tailoring since she was eight years old, and now at the age of forty-two, she was not willing to spend all her time making female dresses.

"No, Julia, I'm still a tailoring novice, and I need to learn some new styles," Rain said with a slight smile.

He had noticed from the system prompt that crafting Secret Silver Embroidered Shirts would now yield significantly less experience.

After some casual conversation, Rain discovered that the more complex garments Julia knew how to make were all female dresses, and they required skills like lace trimming and embroidery.

This made Rain furrow his eyebrows.

It was already unusual for a male noble to learn tailoring, and spending all his time making female dresses would be considered eccentric.

After some thought, Rain decided to continue crafting Secret Silver Embroidered Shirts.

Although it would be slower, his mastery of the technique, combined with the new core skill, ensured it wouldn't be too much slower.

Most importantly, the time until he reached the Imperial Capital of Tamriel was drawing closer.

Over the next two days, Rain successfully leveled his Master Tailor profession to level 4 (3/1000) and gained 3 skill points and 3 attribute points.

At this point, with the rewards he obtained from leveling up his tailoring profession, he now has a total of 12 remaining attribute points, 16 remaining skill points, and 54 golden skill points.

He had successfully achieved his intended goal.

At this moment, Rain's mind was occupied with two matters.

The first was whether or not to bring Anna with him to the Imperial Capital.

For the Drakum family, a powerful noble house in the capital, taking action in Minster City without restraint was of no concern. But once he left, even with Vereri's support, it was unlikely they could stop the Drakum family.

However, bringing Anna to the capital also presented an issue.

The Swordsman Headquarters had arranged for his accommodation within their compound, which meant Rain would need to find a place to stay in the capital.

The safest option, of course, would be to have Anna return to the Ferdinand Forest and wait for him to locate her mother. Then, he could contact her once he had solid information.

The second matter was a letter he had received a few days ago from the Frostclaw Bear Mercenary Corps, stating that they were already on their way to Minster with Lagrelle.

But time-wise, he doubted they would meet.

"No, Rain, I want to go with you," Anna said, her beautiful eyes fixed on Rain.

"This..."

"Don't worry, if it's not possible, there's an embassy mansion in Tamriel for our Elven race. I can wait for your news there."

"Hmm? There's an embassy mansion?"

"Yes!" Anna nodded emphatically.

"Alright then," Rain agreed.

With this arrangement, there shouldn't be any problems. After all, the security of the embassy mansion represented the Empire's face, making it one of the safest places in the entire capital.

The next morning.

After a warm farewell with his family, Rain and Anna boarded the airship bound for the capital, Tamriel.

Admiral Edward himself came to see them off at the airship platform, and Olana and Vereri, along with other acquaintances of Rain, were also there to bid farewell.

A day and a half later.

The airship was approaching the capital, Tamriel, getting closer and closer.

At this time, many people, like Rain and Anna, had already left the cabin and were standing at the ship's railing, gazing into the distance.

"Rain, look!"

Anna suddenly pointed to a vast expanse of lush, verdant forest in the distance, exclaiming.

Rain followed Anna's slender finger and saw a large area of crisscrossing roads and towering buildings in the distant forest. Despite the distance, he could still vaguely make out the diverse architectural styles of these towering structures.

As the airship drew nearer, the outline of the capital became clearer, and everyone on board began to exclaim in awe.

Passengers from the cabin started pouring out, and within minutes, the deck was crowded with people.

Due to the high ticket prices of the Imperial Airship and the fact that those on this level were either wealthy merchants or nobles, most of them were well-traveled. Yet, even so, when they witnessed the colossal city before them, they couldn't help but marvel.

"Mother, is this our Drakon Empire's capital, Tamriel? It's so magnificent!" exclaimed a girl of about ten years old, wearing a white lace dress, barely older than Rain's sister.

"Yes, this is Tamriel, the heart of our entire empire," said a noblewoman standing nearby, also gazing at the distant city.

"Every time I come here, I have a different feeling when looking down at this great city from the air," said an elderly man with a goatee, standing next to them.

"Indeed, the capital is truly magnificent!" agreed a middle-aged man in noble hunter attire, also captivated by the sight.

Rain noticed that Anna, despite her awe, had a peculiar expression.

"Anna, what's wrong?"

"Um, Rain, do you know what Tamriel means in the Elven language?"

"Oh? Does that mean the capital, Tamriel, used to be an Elven city?" Rain asked, suddenly realizing something.

The pronunciation of Tamriel was indeed quite different from the common tongue.

With his extraordinary vision, Rain could also see some clearly distinct architectural styles—columned towers, arches, and spires. He could even make out the ancient and intricate ornamentation on the outer walls.

These seemed to be Elven scripts and designs.

"That's right. Tamriel, in the Elven language, means 'everlasting beauty.' In ancient times, it was always the capital of the Elven race."

"I see," Rain nodded.

No wonder the capital, Tamriel, was located in the center of a vast forest.

As the airship drew closer, the roads below became denser, but each one was bustling with various caravans and travelers.

Even the sky seemed crowded.

"Wow, so many airships, are they all from different provinces heading to the capital?" The young girl, who had been amazed by the scattered airships in the sky earlier, asked in surprise.

The airships varied in size, all heading towards or leaving Tamriel.

"Look! What's that? Why are there so many huge craters!" exclaimed a male noble, his voice trembling with fear.

Rain narrowed his eyes and looked down at the ground below.

Directly beneath them, near the forest on the outskirts of the city, there were noticeable large craters in the lush forest.

Everyone had been so focused on the airships in the sky that they had overlooked the ground.

"There are more over there!" someone else shouted.

"Even more in the city!"

Rain turned his gaze to the central cluster of buildings with independent walls.

The large spired white building complex had many ongoing repairs, and the ground showed signs of crater restoration.

As they drew closer to the palace, more and more unrepaired craters and damaged houses became visible.

Although many on the airship didn't know what had happened in the capital a month ago, Rain was all too aware that these were the scars of the great battle.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end