Chapter 473: Arrival in the Federation

Chapter 473: Arrival in the Federation

Upon hearing Ren's agreement, Hamadi tried his best to conceal his excitement, but the corners of his eyes betrayed his calm facade, revealing a hint of suppressed joy. "Your Excellency Ren, please go ahead. As long as it doesn't violate any principles, I can assure you there won't be any issues."

"Oh? That's wonderful," Ren smiled slightly and nodded.

"My visit to the Hawk Federation is to gain a better understanding of the situation there. So, I'd like to travel freely and explore various places within the Federation."

Ren paused for a moment as he spoke.

Hamadi's expression turned solemn, and he asked, "Your Excellency Ren, by 'traveling freely,' what exactly do you mean?"

As a spy, he was particularly concerned about the phrase 'traveling around.'

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency Hamadi. I won't be visiting any confidential military sites in the Federation. Instead, I plan to explore the local customs and visit several cities," Ren explained with a smile, understanding Hamadi's concerns.

"Then there shouldn't be any problems, Your Excellency Ren," Hamadi breathed a sigh of relief.

He planned to report this matter immediately.

After seeing Hamadi off, Ren retrieved a map from the side.

The purpose of his conversation with Hamadi was to investigate the ruins of the Gnome Empire's capital.

After so many years, Ren wanted to find out if the ruins had already been excavated or if they were still untouched by the Federation.

Moreover, this matter wasn't suitable for the Swordsmen to get involved in.

Even diplomatic personnel with immunity couldn't move freely within another country's territory, and Ren needed this special privilege.

It seemed that there wouldn't be any major issues.

The map in front of him was a map of the entire Federation, obtained by Olenna from the Swordsmen headquarters.

With the Federation having numerous spies in the Empire, it was only natural for the Empire to have its own network of informants and spies within the Federation.

Ren pointed to a location on the map and said softly, "It should be right here."

Following Ren's finger, one could see the name of the place: Raitbridge Canyon.

Ren was almost certain that the location of the Gnome Empire's capital ruins was on one side of Raitbridge Canyon.

Conveniently, not far from Raitbridge Canyon, there was a large federal city called Zetaya.

"That's good. I can visit Zetaya under the pretext of sightseeing."

"I wonder if we'll pass through there on the way."

Ren wasn't entirely clear about the Empire's return route, but he could ask in advance.

For the next day and a half, Ren didn't arrange many official duties and chose to spend time with his family instead.

The beautiful Jennifer and the barbarian girl Lagre, were still busy with the Chamber of Commerce in Minxter and weren't in the imperial capital.

However, Jennifer had sent a letter reporting on the recent activities of the Chamber of Commerce and informing him that she had started preparing for a new store in the capital.

Meanwhile, Claire was also not in the capital, as she had accompanied her Royal Academy mentor on a journey to the province of Norm for training.

Two days later, at dawn.

Imperial Royal Aerocraft Docking Point.

A group of people were bidding farewell to a massive, streamlined aerocraft as it ascended into the sky, with three long-range aerocraft escorts positioned at the front and rear.

A fleet of seven aerocraft quickly headed east.

Onboard the Aerocraft.

In a luxurious cabin, Ren was examining the latest itinerary he had received.

Due to confidentiality, even Ren had only just received the itinerary.

"First, we'll visit the large city of Wisting on the western coast of the Federation, and then the federal capital, Antuar..."

"Hmm, the last stop is Zetaya. That's even more convenient."

"However, this return visit seems a bit unusual." Ren pondered.

He noticed that in addition to the 'Red Queen' Menya, 'Land Pulse' Reginald, whom he had met before, was also part of the delegation.

This meant that the Empire's delegation included three Epic-tier powerhouses, including himself.

With various cults being active within the Empire's borders, it was somewhat unreasonable to have three Epic-tier powerhouses in a single delegation.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the cabin door.

"Your Excellency Ren, Lady Menya requests your presence," the attendant outside the door bowed.

"Okay!"

Soon, Ren followed the attendant to the cabin of the delegation leader, the 'Red Queen' Menya.

The door was open, and Menya, clad in a red wizard robe, was sitting sideways by the porthole, gazing at the scenery outside.

Hearing the footsteps, Menya turned her head towards Ren, smiled, and nodded, "Ren, come in and take a seat."

"Your Highness Menya," Ren bowed slightly.

"This is honey wine from Anvilamar, it has a unique flavor."

"Lady Mernya, the Red Queen, pointed to the amber-hued liquor on the tea table and said, "Have some, Ren."

"Sure, thank you!" Ren took a small sip, and as expected, a rich honey aroma mixed with a refreshing fruity taste lingered in his mouth.

"Ren, do you remember the Sea Kraken?"

"Of course, I remember. It was you who repelled the Sea Kraken in the first place." Ren recalled the incident vividly, as it had left a deep impression on him when he was in Meister.

"Hmm, in about three days, after we arrive at Wisting on the western coast of the Union, we will cooperate with them to defeat the Sea Kraken together."

Hearing Mernya's words, Ren raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Your Highness, do you mean we will first go to the Union's major city, Wisting, to meet up with our forces, and then head to the western coast to exterminate the Sea Kraken?" Ren had initially thought it was just a simple return visit.

Now it seemed that the purpose of this imperial visit was not as simple as he had imagined, or perhaps, the significance of this visit was more important than he had anticipated.

"Yes, although we have repeatedly repelled the Sea Kraken's harassment of our coastal areas, it has always managed to escape using the convenience of the ocean's terrain."

"Over time, the Sea Kraken has gradually regained its strength. Now, it has become smarter, alternating its attacks between our eastern coast and the Union's western coast."

"This poses a significant threat to both us and the Union, so this time, we will join forces to eliminate it. In a sense, this is also the first real cooperation between the Empire and the Union."

"I see," Ren said, his expression revealing understanding.

He had been wondering why the Empire had sent Lady Mernya, the Red Queen, as the leader of the delegation to the Union. Even for a return visit, her status was too high.

Now it seemed that there was a deeper reason for this visit.

This mission was not just a simple return visit but held a more profound cooperative significance.

Recalling Hamadi's previous description of the increasingly dire environmental situation, it was becoming imperative for the two most powerful nations to collaborate.

"By the way, Ren, you're now a Tier 4 Dawn Wizard, right?" Mernya's beautiful eyes scanned Ren as she spoke.

"Yes, Your Highness," Ren nodded.

There was no need to hide this, and even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

"Hmm, in the battle against the Sea Kraken, try not to use your bloodline transformation into the Dual-Headed Dragon. I've already suppressed the matter of the Dual-Headed Dragon during the Ferdinand Forest incident," Mernya said.

"Hmm?" Ren looked at Mernya in surprise.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There are some complicated internal affairs involved. Just remember this, and try not to transform into the Dual-Headed Dragon, especially in front of the imperial royalty," Mernya said, giving Ren a deep look before falling silent.

"Alright," Ren nodded.

He could sense that the Red Queen, Mernya, held no hostility towards him.

In fact, from what she had just said, it seemed that she was even looking out for him to some extent.

"Not in front of the imperial royalty?" Ren mulled over these words in his mind and immediately had a guess.

He quickly checked the latest chapter of the novel, which was updated at 6:19 PM.

"It seems that it's related to some secret within the imperial royalty."

A moment later, Ren bid farewell and returned to his cabin.

Soon, he shook his head, deciding not to dwell on this matter for now.

Since Mernya had given him this reminder, he would try not to transform into the Dual-Headed Dragon in front of others.

In fact, for the current Ren, ever since he had mastered the Dawn Strike 'Steel Forest,' his combat power remained formidable even without transforming.

This was the significance of the Dawn Strike!

"However, when it comes to attribute points, it's best to accumulate as many as possible."

"Whether it's for recovering spirit energy or physical strength, they are essential for combat," Ren thought to himself.

Ren approached the desk, which was filled with various leatherworking materials.

Before this, considering the long journey to the Union, Ren had brought a substantial amount of leatherworking materials with him.

During the trip, he could use this leisure time to improve his Leatherworking Master profession level, and once he reached around level 10, he could attempt the class change to Elf Leathercraft.

Since Ren's Leatherworking Master profession level had already reached level 7, the experience gained from the Moonlight Cloak was no longer sufficient for rapid leveling. Therefore, Ren decided to craft a new leather chest armor called the Thorn Leather Tunic.

Like the Moonlight Cloak, the Thorn Leather Tunic was also a commonly used Druid leather armor.

In terms of functionality, the Thorn Leather Tunic was slightly more advanced than the Moonlight Cloak. Aside from providing better concealment in the forest, it also offered a protective effect similar to the Thorn Wood Shield. The required materials included a piece of thorn wood bark, a bloodvine, and four pieces of cured hides.

Additionally, there were other minor ingredients like cow tendons and more.

However, materials were not an issue. Before Ren left the Ferdinand Forest, the elves had already prepared ample raw materials for him.

Ten minutes later, the system notification sounded:

"You have crafted the Thorn Leather Tunic, enhancing your understanding of the process!"

"You have grasped the new skill—Crafting the Thorn Leather Tunic."

"Your skill in crafting the Thorn Leather Tunic has improved, gaining 12 experience points."

"You have successfully crafted a Thorn Leather Tunic, gaining 10 experience points in Leatherworking Mastery."

Just as the Dragon Empire's airship fleet embarked on its journey, the capital of the Hawk Federation, Antuar, came into view.

Outside a towering, ten-story spire, numerous researchers in white lab coats came and went.

The signboard at the entrance displayed the words "Hawk Federation Mechanical Research Institute" in gilded letters.

On the top floor, an office with a simple interior design featured a few green potted plants on a deep red coffee table, adding a touch of elegance to the otherwise stereotypical researcher's workspace.

However, behind the dark desk, instead of a middle-aged bald man, stood a young woman in a white lab coat.

Her golden, wavy hair and stunning features made her appear to be in her early twenties. She was intently reading through a thick stack of documents.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The sound of knocking echoed.

"Come in."

"Ms. Rebecca, the diplomatic department informed us that the Dragon Empire's delegation has already departed. Should we prepare to leave as well?" asked a young woman in a short suit and pencil skirt.

"There's no rush. Normally, it would take them three days to reach the West Coast. But for us, one day is sufficient," Rebecca replied without looking up from her work.

"Alright! By the way, Ms. Rebecca, the intelligence department mentioned that Ren, the key person of interest from the Dragon Empire, will also be joining them."

"The intelligence department hopes that we can communicate more with him. It would be ideal if we can spark his interest in our research and have him stay willingly."

"Hmm?"

Apparently intrigued by the topic, Rebecca immediately put down her documents and looked up at her secretary with her beautiful eyes.

As a top-tier genius researcher in the Federation and an early-stage Tier 3 Crystalized Metal-type Wizard, Rebecca Hayden was well aware of the significance of a high-level Metal-type Wizard to the Federation's Mechanical Research Institute.

She had heard about this person from her mother long ago.

"That's indeed good news."

"By the way, is our institute's task to deploy the newly developed 'Ajax' for field testing?"

"Yes, Ms. Rebecca."

"Prepare the others. We'll depart in an hour."

After three days of sailing across the vast Summer Sea, the Dragon Empire's delegation finally arrived in the skies above the federal city of Wisting early on the third day.

Ren stepped out of the cabin and onto the side of the airship, gazing at the scene before him.

Compared to most county and provincial cities in the Dragon Empire, which had a medieval feel, Ren felt that Wisting had already taken its first steps towards the Industrial Revolution.

In front of him, skyscrapers rose, and even more prominent were the numerous tall chimneys.

At that moment, the chimneys were spewing thick black smoke, casting a dark and slightly oppressive veil over the entire city.

Looking down from the chimneys, there were vast factories, and with Ren's keen eyesight, he could clearly see that early in the morning, a large number of workers in simple and worn-out clothes were entering and exiting the factories.

As for the city center, although the streets were bustling with people and horse-drawn carriages, Ren noticed that on some main roads, there seemed to be steam-powered vehicles resembling buses.

"Look over there, is that steam power?"

At that moment, more people gathered on both sides of the airship's deck, and many of them also spotted the steam-powered locomotive.

"Yes, it seems so, and the boats on the river are likely steam-powered as well."

"That's right!"

On the winding river that cut through the city center, steam-powered boats were also visible, and they were not in the minority.

Although the Dragon Empire had large energy furnaces, they were scarce. In contrast, the Hawk Federation had widely adopted steam power, integrating it into various aspects of daily life.

The sight before them was undoubtedly a significant shock to the Dragon Empire's delegation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end