Billis William said softly, "Mr. Dean, are you familiar with the Kingdom of Hibiscus?"


    "The Kingdom of Hibiscus?"


    Dean Bruce pondered for a momt and asked, "Is that the kingdom that angered the Fire God, received divine punishmt, and has now turned tirely into a desert?"


    "Exactly!"


    Billis William replied quietly, "What I''m talking about is a ce deep within the Wild Sand Ridge of the Kingdom of Hibiscus, where one canmunicate with the Dwarves!"


    As he spoke, Billis William pulled out a worn bronze hammer from his pocket and handed it to Dean Bruce, continuing, "Just embed this hammer into the Relics Gate, and you can ter!"


    Dean Bruce didn''t hesitate to ept the bronze hammer, stowing it in his system backpack. He th asked, "Besides investigating your inw, is there anything else?"


    "Nothing more," Billis William said in a low voice. "This time, I truly have to trouble you, Mr. Dean. Furthermore, if things don''t go as nned, it''s perfectly fine for you to give up, as long as you can bring Nichs back safely."


    Dean Bruce fully agreed with Billis William''s words; whatever the task, he wouldn''t put himself in danger!


    "Th tonight, Mr. Dean, you should rest at home," Billis William inquired again. "Tomorrow, I will prepare some travel funds and supplies. Is there anything you need? I can have someone get it ready!"


    "No need," Dean Bruce replied calmly. He had to maintain the image of a superior in the eyes of the William family, so he wouldn''t ask them to prepare much.


    "Very well, I won''t disturb you any longer, Mr. Dean. Nichs, take Mr. Dean to rest."


    Billis William instructed Nichs William, who immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Yes, Father! Teacher, please follow me!"


    Dean Bruce didn''t say much, simply following Nichs William out of the room.


    Once the door closed, Jnier William suddly spoke up, "Father, are you really going to ce your hopes... on him?"


    "What other choice do we have?" Billis William sighed. "Though your strgth is formidable, you must obey the Nine Provinces Alliance and cannot act freely! I cannot leave Notting City either. For now, he is the only one capable of doing this!"


    "Why bring Nichs along?" Jnier William questioned, filled with doubt. "Nichs is still weak; what if something goes wrong?"


    "We''ll do nothing!" Billis William said firmly. "I''ve received news that war is not far off. We must elerate Nichs''s growth. The more we try to protect him now, the more dangerous it bes wh the war arrives!"


    Billis William looked up, gazing in the direction where Dean Bruce and Nichs had left. He softly said, "Mr. Dean is after all Nichs''s teacher. With him a, not only can he protect Nichs, but he can also help him grow quickly!"


    "If there''s a problem with that… th this family will have to rely on you from now on!"


    Jnier William suddly scoffed, "Back wh I wanted to inherit the position of lord, you st me away. And now you want me back?"


    With that, Jnier William turned and walked away, oping the door and stepping outside, but paused at the threshold to say, "As I am now, I have no interest in so-called inheritance. You two should just focus on staying alive! If you die, it won''t matter to the rest of us!"


    Meanwhile, Dean Bruce followed Nichs William into his courtyard and th asked, "Do you know how the Kingdom of Hibiscus, the Empire of Lane Cloud, and Saint Laurt are situated?"


    "The Kingdom of Hibiscus is close to the Empire of Lane Cloud; both are located in the northern part of the contint and not far from Saint Laurt. In particr, the Empire of Lane Cloud is connected to Saint Laurt by a teleportation magic array. It only costs t thousand gold coins to travel there instantly."


    Nichs William exined. "With a warhorse''s speed, we should be able to reach the Kingdom of Hibiscus in three days, and the Empire of Lane Cloud in four!"


    "What about getting to Saint Laurt?"


    Dean Bruce asked again. No matter who he was dealing with, he wouldn''t fully trust anyone; he needed to gather information himself.


    Life is only lived once, and if he was deceived, the oue could be death!


    Nichs William replied, "Getting to Saint Laurt is ev faster. Several nearby towns have teleportation magic arrays, and if we push hard, we could probably make it in less than two days, but… it will cost quite a bit!"


    "Are you nning to go to Saint Laurt first, Teacher?"


    Nichs William suddly realized and asked.


    "What''s it to you?" Dean Bruce nced at him and said nonchntly, "Are you worried I won''t be able to save anyone?"


    "Not exactly," Nichs William shook his head. "In my eyes, you are far more important than any fiancée. I''m just curious about what you n to do in Saint Laurt. I… I happ to have obtained a treasure map!"


    "If you''re going to Saint Laurt first, we can explore a bit, and th head to the Dwarves to increase our strgth. This way, our safety will be sured."


    Hearing this, Dean Bruce was quite surprised; he hadn''t expected that this kid would ce his status above that of the fiancée!


    The treasure map was the only thing that surprised Dean Bruce. After all, Nichs William was still young; despite his noble status, it was unlikely he could have traveled far from Notting City to acquire a treasure map rted to Saint Laurt.


    However, Dean Bruce didn''t bother to ask. He had read ough stories to know that protagonists and key characters oft had their own unique opportunities.


    As long as Nichs William listed to him and quickly grasped new magic, that was what mattered.


    Seeing Dean Bruce nod in agreemt, Nichs William smiled and said, "Teacher, you should rest well. Once we reach Saint Laurt, I''ll have a surprise for you."


    "Alright, I''ll be looking forward to your surprise."


    Dean Bruce smiled slightly, feeling a sse of anticipation. Giv Nichs William''s backg and experices, he was likely a protagonist, and the opportunities that protagonists countered were rarelycking.


    The courtyard contained many rooms, and Nichs William led Dean Bruce to the most luxurious one. He oped the door and asked, "Teacher, would you like someone to attd to you?"


    Many powerful figures had their taboos, which was why Nichs William asked instead of summoning a maid right away.


    Dean Bruce shook his head and replied calmly, "Just go rest well. Don''t think about unnecessary things. Remember, wom will only slow us down in our casting! You need to keep this in mind from now on!"


    "Yes, Teacher, I understand."


    Nichs William''s eyes lit up, and hemitted that advice to memory.


    With Dean Bruce declining, the William family members wouldn''t be foolish ough to sd servants over. The night passed in silce, time flowing gtly as the stars shifted and the moon moved.


    The next morning, as Dean Bruce woke up, he heard Billis William''s voice nearby, advising Nichs William on matters to pay atttion to outside.


    Not paying much atttion to their conversation, Dean Bruce got up, washed, and dressed before pushing op the door.


    "Mr. Dean, you''re awake."


    "Teacher!"


    Both Billis William and Nichs William immediately turned their atttion to Dean Bruce, especially Nichs, whose demeanor was quite respectful.


    As he scanned the room, Dean Bruce frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Where is Jnier?"


    "Ah, the Nine Provinces Alliance st for her early this morning," Billis William replied with a smile. "You don''t need to worry about her. I''ve prepared everything for you—a total of two hundred thousand gold coins, t pounds of fiery chick jerky, and a map!"


    Nichs William grinned and lifted the package he was holding, clearly indicating that those items were inside.


    Dean Bruce replied calmly, "That''s thoughtful of you."


    Interrupting their conversation, Billis William wouldn''t be foolish ough to reprimand his son in front of others. He immediately invited the two to have a meal.


    With the lord apanying them, the meal was quite satisfying, and Dean Bruce felt contt.


    After they finished eating, Dean Bruce and Nichs William mounted their warhorses and galloped through the streets, quickly leaving Notting City and heading toward Tasaro City.


    Tasaro City housed the only teleportation magic array in the Mors Province, making it the necessary route for a swift journey to Saint Laurt.


    As they approached Tasaro City, they countered more pedestrians and caravans along the way,ing from various factions.


    At this point, the differces betwe m and wom became appart. If he were with Lina Jones, she would have tak the initiative to introduce many factions without Dean Bruce needing to say a word.


    But Nichs William acted like a fool, happily observing the passersby and asionally asking Dean Bruce if they could take a break.


    The journey wt smoothly without any provocateurs or bandits; after all, Tasaro City was a vital transportation hub. Both the lord''s mansion and the Nine Provinces Alliance took it very seriously. The momt any signs of bandits or robbers appeared, they would mobilize their forces to eliminate them.


    Under such circumstances, Dean Bruce and Nichs William tered the city within half a day and made their way to the Magic Guild, preparing to use the teleportation magic array!