A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 220 - 174: Courtesy First, Soldiers Later_1

Chapter 220: Chapter 174: Courtesy First, Soldiers Later_1

The next morning, everyone set out again.

This time, the Watchman did not join Duanmu Huai and the others, stating that he would return to the Twilight Guardians to report the vampire situation to them… Despite most of the vampires turning into charred remains, there were still others scattered around that needed to be dealt with… which would be the next research subject for the Twilight Guardians.

As for Duanmu Huai, he proceeded to the Winterhold Mage Academy with Greiya and Bambi to “retrieve” the Eye of Magnus.

That’s right, the Eye of Magnus is essentially a divine artifact made from Magnus’s eye, and since Magnus is the legion commander of the empire, rounding off, the Eye of Magnus is considered the property of the empire. As a Judge of the Imperial Judiciary, retrieving the Empire’s property was hardly wrong, was it?

Not in the slightest!

But what if someone dared not return the Empire’s property?

No need to worry.

Because this time Duanmu Huai did not travel on foot like before, he went all out and flew the Night Raven Black Star.

On one hand, it was for the show, and on the other hand, well…

“Wow… amazing, such a big chunk of metal can actually fly! Amazing, my liege!”

Seeing Bambi, who was excitedly looking around from the co-pilot’s seat, Duanmu Huai smiled slightly.

Bambi didn’t sleep well last night and was lackluster this morning according to Greiya’s observations. So, to cheer her up, Duanmu Huai deliberately summoned the Night Raven Black Star and took her for a ride in the sky.

As it turned out, even though the princess was at least a hundred years old, her mentality was no different from a ten-year-old child’s. She was exhilarated as she admired the scenery outside.

Seeing Bambi regain her lively and cheerful demeanor, Duanmu Huai breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, if it was a typical case of national ruin, Bambi surely wouldn’t have recovered so quickly. But it has been five hundred years and the feeling of her nation’s ruin hasn’t fully sunk in yet. The reality of her situation still seemed unreal.

Seeing Bambi like this, Duanmu Huai put his worries at rest.

While Bambi and Ann were both lively and outgoing, the two had subtle differences. Ann gave off the impression of cheerfulness, often lifting the mood around her and making it feel easy and joyful.

On the other hand, Bambi was like the girl next door, especially with her sweet voice. Even a sigh of mock frustration from her sounded more like a plaintive meow from a cute kitten, irresistibly endearing. Hence, even the ardent vampire-hating Watchman was not too harsh around Bambi.

Princess Bambi seemed to have a natural charm about her, an unwavering allure that captivated people’s attention. Her voice was so tender and soft that whether she was laughing, crying, or even arguing, it was music to one’s ears.

Ah… it was indeed addictive.

Just look at Greiya. Although she was inherently introvert, she was proactive in caring for Bambi… which spoke volumes about the situation.

“We’re almost at our destination, sit tight.”

“Okay!”

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s words, Bambi nodded vigorously. Then she obediently sat in her chair, her eyes wide open as she watched the Night Raven Black Star slowly descend, heading towards the Winterhold Academy in the near distance.

East Castle Mage Academy, located in East Castle, was not well regarded in the Sky Province.

It was simple enough. Winterhold was once the capital of the Sky Province, a sprawling city. Yet a powerful earthquake caused most of Winterhold, half the city and surrounding territory, to be swallowed by the sea. Only the Mage Academy was spared, standing tall above the ocean like an island.

For this reason, many suspected that the disaster was caused by the Mage Academy, thinking that some experiment by the mages had triggered it. This made the mages unpopular in Winterhold, and the academy was also avoided by everyone except those passionate about magic.

Duanmu Huai steered the Night Raven Black Star across the icy sea, stopping at the edge of a stone bridge connected to the Winterhold Academy, which stood on a piece of rock in the sea. He got up from his seat.

“I’ll be back shortly. You guys wait here.”

Although Greiya wanted to meet Ann, Duanmu Huai did not plan for the two to meet so soon as it would reveal Ann’s secret identity. He asked Ann to act as a stranger when they met.

Ann probably didn’t understand at first, but by the time she saw Night Raven Black Star… with her wits, she would have figured things out.

When Duanmu Huai descended from the Night Raven Black Star, a large group of mages was already waiting by the academy’s gate. They looked at him with various expressions of astonishment, surprise, and bewilderment. As mages, how could they not be interested in such a contraption, especially since they couldn’t sense any magic power from it!

Without magic power, how could this thing fly?

As they saw Duanmu Huai, clad in power armor, descend from the Night Raven Black Star, the mages gasped and stepped back. The towering figure combined with the imposing aura of his Fearful Aura was enough to frighten the common folk.

“Greetings, unfamiliar visitor.”

At that moment, an elderly man in a long robe with a long beard, a quintessential mage, stepped out from the crowd, in front of Duanmu Huai.

“I am the Chief Mage of the Academy, Savos Aren. May I ask why you have come?”

“Greetings, Mr. Aren.”

Duanmu Huai stood in front of Savos, nodding at him.

“I am a Judge from the Tribunal. I am here to reclaim what belongs to us —— I believe you should understand what I am referring to.”

The attitude of Duanmu Huai was clear; he was practicing courtesy before applying force. Regardless of whether the other party was aware of it, he first stated his identity. Whether the other side believed him was their own issue.

“The Tribunal?”

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s words, Savos appeared visibly confused. He glanced at Duanmu Huai, then looked back at Night Raven Black Star behind him.

“Forgive my rudeness, I’ve never heard of the Tribunal before…”

“It’s understandable that you don’t know, after all, we originally don’t belong to this place.”

Duanmu Huai nodded.

“In fact, I expect our communication will only be limited to this occasion… So, what do you think?”

“……Please follow me, Sir Judge.”

Although the rabbit decoration on Duanmu Huai’s power armor was ridiculously absurd, Savos thought for a moment and then made an inviting gesture. Duanmu Huai then followed Savos through the gates of the Winterhold Academy, heading toward the building in front of him —— he naturally also saw Ann, the Princess of Manaria was dressed as a mage. But she was laughing so hard at him that she was almost out of breath… Well, as long as it wasn’t discovered by others, it should be fine.

Under Savos’s guidance, Duanmu Huai arrived at what they called the “Elemental Hall”. Soon, he saw a massive sphere suspended in mid-air. Just like Ann said, it emitted a dim blue light, and the steel casing on the outside was constantly moving, making it seem like it was continuously changing its form.

Not only that, the moment he saw it, Duanmu Huai could feel an elusive connection. It was a resonance between genetic forces —— it was clear that this was exactly what he was looking for.

“It’s something we found in the ruins, quite miraculous—you can feel the power within it…”

“I understand what you mean, Mr. Savos.”

Duanmu Huai nodded, staring at Savos.

“Thank you for restoring it. As a token of my gratitude, I will prepare a gift for you.”

“Wait a minute.”

However, at this moment, a voice suddenly sounded, interrupting the conversation between the two. Duanmu Huai then saw a High Elf in luxurious mage robes walking towards them. He squinted his eyes, puzzlement and suspicion in his gaze as he stared at Duanmu Huai.

“Who exactly are you? Where are you from? And how are you going to prove this belongs to you?”

“I don’t need to answer your moronic questions, alien.”

Upon seeing the High Elf, the tone of Duanmu Huai became significantly colder.

“This concerns Tribunial’s internal affairs and is not subject to outsider’s interference.”

“Does this include the Ancestral God Province too?”

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, the High Elf’s expression turned cold as well.

“Don’t try to fathom the will of the Tribunal with your laughable and inferior intellect.”

Duanmu Huai gave no good face to the High Elf. He extended his hand, controlling his spiritual energy. In a blink of an eye, everyone saw the large sphere in the air began to shrink. In just a moment, it transformed into something the size of an eye, and then floated into Duanmu Huai’s hand.

Witnessing this scene, the mages present gaped in amazement. Clearly, Duanmu Huai’s trick had confirmed that he indeed had a connection with the mysterious sphere.

“Thank you for supporting the work of the Tribunal.”

Duanmu Huai, having obtained the sphere, looked at Savos and formally expressed his gratitude.

“As a form of repayment, kindly state a request; as long as it doesn’t violate any of Tribunal’s regulations, we will do our best to fulfill it.”

“This…….”

On hearing this, Savos fell silent. At that moment, the High Elf suddenly spoke again.

“If that’s the case, why don’t we get permission to investigate your steel horse carriage?”

“………”

At this, Duanmu Huai raised his eyebrows, turning to look at the High Elf wearing a strange smile.

You, little bean sprout, seem to have a death wish.