Chapter 142: Intimate Interaction

My blood is burning.

That was how Charlotte and Roel were feeling at the moment. It was almost as if something deep in their bodies was coming awake with a roar, as if their ancient bloodlines had suddenly gained sentience. Their hands were connected through the envelope, leading their mana to amazingly fuse together as one.

However, what happened afterward was a huge explosion.

It was not a physical explosion but an explosion of mana and consciousness. A great outburst of light poured from their bodies, causing the two of them to reflexively shut their eyes. However, what they were welcomed with wasn’t darkness but an unbelievable sight.

It was a view of the sea that extended all the way to the horizon. There were dozens of ships coming together to form a fleet. The bow of the ship had an artistic sculpture that resembled a golden rose, and it was made out of precious metals and gemstones.

Birds circled in the sunny sky above.

An auburn beauty was looking into the distance when she sensed something and suddenly turned around. Her solemn yet slightly playful gaze seemed to traverse across the boundaries of space-time to meet the gazes of the duo peeking into this seascape.

“!”

This exchange of gazes lasted only for a second before the unbelievable image dissipated into nothing. A blood-colored aura flowed on the surface of Roel’s body as Grandar’s skeleton avatar manifested into appearance. His eyes were fixated on the envelope in Roel’s hands.

On the other hand, Charlotte was also staring at the envelope with eyes filled with disbelief as she silently muttered a phrase.

“… The Golden Fleet.”

“Young miss!”

“Young master!”

As soon as the flash of light vanished, the door to the room was immediately pushed open forcefully as the guards from both sides rushed in. The scene descended into momentary chaos as the guards drew their swords and scanned the surroundings warily for potential enemies, though most of their attention was drawn to the envelope on the table.

“Young miss, please remove your hand from the envelope!”

“Young master?”

Grace and Anna’s worried voices sounded behind each of the recipients. 

Roel hesitantly retracted his hand. He felt that the earlier situation was the result of his bloodline acting up. Charlotte, on the other hand, carefully picked up the envelope on the table to inspect it.

She first carefully felt the texture of the envelope before examining the golden wax seal quietly. An old legend surfaced in her mind, and a long while later, she finally spoke up once more.

“I shan’t be returning.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve changed my mind. Mister Roel, let’s not annul our engagement anymore.”

Charlotte calmly told the dumbfounded Roel.

… 

The Golden Fleet.

This was an organization that Roel had never read about in the historical records. Based on its name, he could deduce that… well, it was a fleet.

“…”

“Fine, I’ll admit it! I don’t know anything about it. There are no records about the Golden Fleet in the Theocracy’s royal library.”

Roel shrugged helplessly as he admitted that this was a subject that he had completely no knowledge of. Charlotte didn’t look particularly surprised to hear it either. 

Forget about a youth like Roel, it was likely that even the old scholars in Brolne, whose beards were long enough to sweep the floor, wouldn’t have heard of the legend of the Golden Fleet either.

Indeed! The story of the Golden Fleet wasn’t classified as ‘history’ but as ‘legend’. The reason for that was the lack of physical records regarding the tale.

According to Charlotte, it was a story passed down orally in the Sorofyas, who had inherited the bloodline of the high elves. 

The story traced back to the Third Epoch Year 200 to 300, more than 700 years in the past. There was some controversy about the location, but the common view was that it was located south of the Rosa Merchant Confederacy, within the borders of the current Mandeel Kingdom.

Of course, given that the Mandeel Kingdom had only existed for 200 years thus far, there was no way it could have anything to do with the Golden Fleet. Nevertheless, there were still some rumors going around that the Mandeel Kingdom was built on the ruins of a powerful old kingdom, and there were some rare oddities being unearthed there from time to time too. It was just that these oddities weren’t worth too much, and the Mandeel Kingdom also didn’t regard them highly either.

Compared to the vague rumors going around in the Mandeel Kingdom, the Sorofyas’ oral records were much more complete.

The story started from the well-known migration of the Ancient Austine Empire to the west. After the passing of several generations of monarchs, the unity and order of the migration army were already showing some cracks. By the time they finally arrived at West Sia, the migration army had long since become fragmented into multiple factions.

Other than the stalwart supporters of the Austine Empire, most of the high brass had chosen to break away from the Austine Empire with their followers and make it on their own in this new land. 

Of them, there was one faction that had inherited the bloodline of the high elves. However, this faction was different from the rest in the sense that they consisted entirely of craftsmen.

This faction specialized in the construction of ships. Most of them used to serve in the Ancient Austine Empire’s navy.

Back in the Second Epoch, the powerful Ancient Austine Empire once ushered in a phase which was later known as the Era of Adventure. Curious about the world around them, humans began exploring the world and unearthing ancient ruins. They harbored dreams of stumbling upon some treasure that would bring them a fortune. 

The adventurers gathered in teams as they attempted to conquer both land and sea, going as far as their limits allowed them to. It was rather similar to the Age of Discovery in Roel’s previous world.

In that era, there was no other force on the seas that came close to matching the Ancient Austine Empire’s navy. According to historical records, their navy had once fought against the Scale Tribe and numerous sea monsters that lurked around the shores of the Ancient Austine Empire, and the battle ended in their resounding victory. They successfully drove them away from shallow waters, significantly expanding humankinds’ region of activity.

Roel didn’t have an idea as to how powerful the Scale Tribe or the sea monsters were, but the fact that they were an ancient race should be more than enough to inform one that they were frightening adversaries. Without a doubt, Ancient Austine’s navy was a force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately for them, this bunch of navy men happened to be born in the wrong era. Nearing the end of the Second Epoch, the humans had all begun to migrate westward. There was no clear destination in mind, and their journey was landbound as well. 

The navy men, who had devoted their lives to learning how to navigate the sea, suddenly found their skills obsolete. As a result, their standing in the migration army fell lower and lower.

So, when they finally arrived at the new land, one particular group of the navy, which consisted mainly of those who had inherited the bloodline of the high elves, decided to part ways with the rest of the group. The first thing they did was search for the sea, where they could put their skills to good use.

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As a result of that, in the southernmost area of human activity, a coastal city-state was founded. While the rest of mankind were pitting their lives against demonic beasts, this city-state utilized the naval technologies of the Ancient Austine Empire to gather key resources and developed swiftly.

In just the short span of a hundred years, they had already grown into a powerful and rich nation. 

“Utilizing the spells exclusive to those of the High Elf Bloodline, as well as a staggering amount of precious metals and gemstones, the Sofya Kingdom constructed the Golden Fleet. It had once sent the legendary sea monster, Kraken, fleeing in panic, and it had breached the defense line the Scale Tribe had formed in the coastal waters, thus opening up humankind’s first north-south sea route.”

Just the name, Sofya, was more than enough for Roel to understand that the founders of the Sofya Kingdom were the ancestors of the current Sorofyas. This beckoned the question—if the Sofya Kingdom was really that powerful, why did it end up getting forgotten by the rest of the world?

A slight frown formed on Roel’s face. It was not that he was casting doubt over Charlotte’s words, but it was commonplace for those in this world to exaggerate their own lineage. The older one’s lineage was, the more exaggerated it tended to be. 

That’s why the stories told by the older generation should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Take the Kraken for example, that was one humongous octopus monster over there! It was just as frightening as advertised in Roel’s previous world. Yet, the Golden Fleet actually defeated it in the sea?

A slightly perfunctory smile had already appeared on Roel’s face, as if he was just humoring her.

Seeing that her words were being doubted, Charlotte’s cheeks puffed up in indignance.

“Are you thinking that I’m exaggerating things over here?”

“Not at all. It’s just that… If the Sofya Kingdom is as powerful as you claim it to be, why is its name not found in any of the current historical records?”

Faced with Roel’s question, Charlotte suddenly fell silent. Her eyes alluded to her dilemma, and it took a while before she finally gave an answer.

“According to the legend, the country infringed upon a taboo. For its sin of defying the gods, it was erased from existence.”

“…”

It was a common reason used for the destruction of transcendent countries, so Roel wasn’t particularly amazed. Instead, he continued staring at Charlotte quietly, which seemed to have pressured the latter to quickly elaborate on her explanation.

“But, based on the results of our investigation, it appears that there was internal strife within the top brass of the Golden Fleet. It’s been claimed that their fight angered the gods, and they were punished for it. There are also speculations that they might have encountered natural disasters such as tsunamis and the sort in the middle of their fight, leading to the eventual decline of the kingdom.”

Charlotte quickly revealed everything the Sorofyas had investigated about the Golden Fleet to Roel, and he nodded his head quietly, thinking that the story was much more believable now. The earlier vision had only lasted for a moment, but he was certain that he saw dozens of ships there.

“I still don’t understand what that has to do with you suddenly changing your mind about our engagement.”

Despite having listened to the long story about the Golden Fleet, Roel found that there was still nothing to explain Charlotte’s change of heart. Instead of answering the question directly, Charlotte posed a question of her own.

“Mister Roel, what do you think of the Sorofya House’s military might?”

“Hm? I guess… it’s not too bad? Hahaha.”

The abrupt question caught Roel off guard, so he tried to laugh it off. Charlotte heaved a deep sigh as she clenched her fists tightly in indignance.

The Sorofyas were renowned for being an economic powerhouse, boasting business networks that extended throughout the Sia Continent. However, there was a wound to their pride that had been plaguing them for quite some time now, and that was the issue of their heritage.

The Sorofya House had inherited the bloodline of the high elves, who were known to be a race as powerful as the angels. Yet, in terms of raw power, it was obvious that there was a huge disparity between the Sorofyas and the Xeclydes. The reason for the disparity was the severing of the Sorofyas’ heritage.

The downfall of the Sofya Kingdom and the Golden Fleet was a devastating blow to the heritage of the high elves. Many of their secret spells and awakening methods had vanished in that calamity, resulting in the significant weakening of the Sorofyas’ transcendents.

While the Sorofyas still managed to rise up once more utilizing their keen sense for money, the lack of powerful transcendents to safeguard their position and wealth only led to them feeling more uneasy than ever. Over the past hundred years, they spared no efforts in recruiting powerful subordinates and heretical mercenaries. They even went to the extent of engaging in political marriages with established transcendent houses.

Their actions could all be attributed to the unease they felt.

In fact, the engagement contract between the Sorofyas and the Ascarts also partly stemmed from the Sorofyas being interested in the Ascarts’ superior military prowess.

The Sorofyas’ wealth and economic leverage made them a potential target of major countries, and that placed them in a very dangerous position. Wealth had to be safeguarded with ample power, and that was why the Sorofyas had been actively investigating the Sofya Kingdom and the Golden Fleet, hoping to bring back their golden age.

And today, through this envelope and Roel’s bloodline ability, Charlotte actually managed to witness the legendary Golden Fleet with her own eyes. On top of that, she suspected that the woman whom they exchanged gazes with in that vision was the final queen of the Sofya Kingdom, Isabella Sofya.

She was depicted in the legends as a talented transcendent, and it was during her era that the Golden Fleet managed to send the legendary Kraken fleeing for its life. The Sofya Kingdom was brought to its greatest heights ever under her leadership, but everything vanished all of a sudden, leaving nothing but a huge mystery for those of the later generations.

“Mister Roel, I need your help, no, to be more exact, our Sorofya House needs your help. I have taken a look at the envelope, and there’s no doubt that the wax seal is the royal insignia of the Sofya Kingdom. There are grounds to believe that my ancestors had ties with the Ascart House. If you have any records relating to that, I ask that you sell them to us. We’ll accept whatever price you deem fit.”

“…”

Faced with Charlotte’s heated gaze, Roel’s complexion darkened a little. From the current looks of it, the 500,000 gold coins extorted out of Charlotte through his convincing acting skills was probably gone. It was replaced with a deal that was arguably even more lucrative, but there was just one little problem on hand… 

He had no goods to sell!

Roel looked at the envelope on the table with a bitter smile. He had no idea whether it was due to the loss of historical records or an intentional act by one of his ancestors, but so far, he hadn’t seen any records relating to the Sofya Kingdom or the Golden Fleet. This envelope was really all he had.

“Miss Charlotte, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but this envelope is the only clue that the Ascart House has on hand.”

Roel’s pained explanation led to the light in Charlotte’s eyes gradually dimming. She couldn’t conceal the disappointment on her face. However, she suddenly recalled another issue.

“Wait a moment, Mister Roel. How did the earlier vision come about then? Could there be some traces of transcendent power lingering on the envelope?” 

“Ah, that’s probably my bloodline ability,” replied Roel with a smile.

“From time to time, the Ascart Bloodline triggers a vision when I come into contact with historical artifacts, similar to how a stellar oracle receives a vision when certain conditions are fulfilled. I would be able to see bits and pieces relating to the past. This envelope doesn’t seem to be significant enough to trigger my bloodline by itself, but most likely, when we came into contact earlier, our bloodlines resonated with one another, which resulted in…”

Roel’s words grew softer and softer as he noticed that a certain auburn-haired girl seated before him was watching with an increasingly heated gaze. He felt almost as if he was being eyed by a predator.

On the other hand, Charlotte nodded her head before getting straight to the point.

“I understand it now, Mister Roel. It looks like we need to get more intimate with one another.”

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