Chapter 13

The next day, before dawn, a queue of over two hundred people gathered at the entrance of the Kiki Inn. They carried luggage, held children, and supported the elderly, all dressed in their finest festival clothes. They waited under the leadership of thirty adventurers.

Bradley and the others had returned, all twenty-six of them reunited with their families. The remaining four even brought female companions, showing that they were more successful in matters of the opposite sex compared to Moses and the others.

Gongsun Muren and Nalasha had already come out when everyone was assembled, rather than waiting for the mayor's office to call them.

It was unclear how the adventurers communicated with their families, but their families made every effort to show the proper respect to their hosts.

Even the families of Kellyser did not display any arrogance or disdain, even when the hosts were just two children without any titles.

"From now on, we will be a family. Muren and I will buy a large piece of land to build an estate, and we will live together." Nalasha, clearly not a qualified estate owner, spoke too casually to her subordinates, failing to demonstrate her noble status.

However, the families of the adventurers identified more with her current self. Dressed in a white princess dress, she gave off a different aura, and her cute expression could not overshadow her innate charm.

******

The people from the mayor's office did not take long to arrive. Seeing the two 'important figures' had already organized the crowd, they called for a dozen carts to transport them to the largest square in Qishui City, where the magic airship would take off.

In the already secured square, Mayor Aurel personally supervised.

Seeing Gongsun Muren and Nalasha leading the group, he pulled them aside to introduce the situation.

The items being transported to the capital included a small portion of crystal cores, which were taxes, fixed taxes paid every six months. This year's harvest was good, so they were sent ahead of schedule.

The majority of the items were the hides, bones, and dried meat of sand beasts, which were gifts for the various departments in the capital.

There were also people carrying gold coins to purchase items needed in Qishui City, such as weapons and magic tools.

"Our charming Miss Nalasha, you also need to help Aurel, who cannot go personally, by delivering a gift to the Duke's granddaughter. She is the Duke's most beloved granddaughter, the same age as you, four years old. Three months ago, the royal court sent a message saying she wanted a flying pet."

Mayor Aurel had someone bring a cage, remove the magic patterned cloth covering it, and show it to Nalasha.

Nalasha was very puzzled and asked, "Why give things to others? Did the Duke's granddaughter ask for them?"

"Because I want to continue being the mayor of Qishui City, to defend against the Ruye people's attacks. Otherwise, if a mayor with poor political and military skills were to take over, countless civilians would lose their lives. Plus, we need to buy weapons, so we are asking for their help." Aurel explained with a smile.

Nalasha nodded her head vigorously, making her pigtails bounce, and said seriously, "Nalasha understands. It's like when Nalasha and Muren give gifts to Grandpa Mayor, to ask for his help."

"No, no, no. The most precious gift for Grandpa Mayor is that the lovely Nalasha accepts the invitation to have dinner with him. Grandpa Mayor loves having dinner and chatting with Nalasha the most." Aurel's smile became even warmer.

"Nalasha likes it too, having dinner with Grandpa Mayor. Last night, Muren said that Grandpa Mayor is a good mayor, who hasn't made things difficult for us, saving us a lot of trouble." Nalasha agreed.

"Really?" Aurel made an exaggerated expression and asked.

"Really, because Nalasha thinks the same. If Grandpa Mayor were a bad mayor, a greedy mayor, Muren and I would have to kill many more people. Nalasha has killed many people, but Nalasha really doesn't like killing."

"Those who force our lovely Nalasha to kill are all bad people." Aurel echoed with certainty.

Gongsun Muren expressed gratitude for the opportunity to give a gift to the Duke's granddaughter.

Speaking of the gift, the red bird in the cage chirped twice, as if reminding others of its presence.

"Hey? Muren and I have seen this bird before. It likes to stay near warm things, and it shivers from the cold at night, always trying to get close to the fire. It likes to eat small fireballs." Nalasha opened the cage door and placed her finger near the bird's feet.

Aurel was startled and quickly shouted, "Be careful! If you release the Fiercebird from the magic cage, it will hurt you."

"It won't. As long as I feed it small fireballs, it will be happy and well-behaved. Let's fill its stomach first." Nalasha was not concerned. She extended her index finger from her other hand, and a small flame appeared, which she offered to the Fiercebird.

The red Fiercebird took a deep breath, closed its eyes in satisfaction, and hopped onto Nalasha's finger, indeed behaving well.

"Master Muren, isn't Nalasha a water mage?" Aurel, still looking at the Fiercebird, asked Gongsun Muren in a low voice.

Gongsun Muren: "Selling fire in the desert doesn't make money."

"A very powerful reason!" Aurel showed understanding.

The families of the adventurers were delighted.

What a powerful mistress, a mage! They hoped she would always remain as cute as she was.

"Fiercebird, what class are you? I've seen many like you in the desert, coming to Muren and me for roasted meat at night." Nalasha's attention turned to the Fiercebird.

Moses stepped forward dutifully: "Miss, the Fiercebird is a fourth-level, ninth-grade creature, but..."

"So low, I thought it would be about the same as Little Gold." Nalasha compared.

"Miss, although it is a fourth-level, ninth-grade creature, the Fiercebird's main use for humans is not for battle but for delivering messages. Its flying speed is three times faster than a magic airship, and it can fly for at least twenty hours before needing to rest. One Fiercebird costs at least a thousand gold coins." Moses continued what he had been interrupted.

"Ah? If I had known that, I would have raised more of them before." Nalasha regretted it, which made her more determined to receive a proper education. How terrifying it was to be uneducated; the birds that used to eat roasted meat with them were so valuable.

"How much water would I have to sell!" Nalasha couldn't help but say what she was thinking.

Mayor Aurel heard it and sighed, saying, "We are about to depart. There will be two stops for supplies along the way. In five days, you will reach your destination. Remember to deliver the gift to the Duke's granddaughter."

Gongsun Muren thought for a moment and suggested, "If we don't carry water, only food, can we go directly to the capital?"

"Without water, you people... Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot about our lovely Nalasha. As you wish, bring the water off the ship and get it from Miss Nalasha when needed." Aurel slapped his forehead and immediately arranged for it to be done.

The magic airship was 35 meters long, 7 meters wide, and 4.2 meters high, with a total capacity of 1,029 cubic meters. Including other areas, it was 1,250 cubic meters.

After unloading a large amount of water and replacing it with food, it could fly directly to the capital.

The living conditions were also good, with three-tiered bunks, two public washrooms, a separate rest room for the captain and first mate, and an extra spacious room prepared for Gongsun Muren and Nalasha, complete with a private bathroom and a small dining room.

After bidding farewell to the mayor, the airship took off amidst the tension and excitement of the first-time passengers.

Mayor Duncan Aurel waved goodbye until the airship became a small dot and disappeared from sight. He turned to the butler beside him and instructed, "Spread the news in this city and the surrounding cities."

"Understood." The butler replied with a bow.

Then countless messages involving Gongsun Muren and Nalasha were spread.

They were said to be the lost children of the War God and the Magic God.

They were said to be over a hundred years old but had transformed into their current appearance through some secret technique.

They were said to be powerful sand beasts in disguise.

They were said to be the descendants of a son born to the Duke decades ago when he met a woman in the desert.

They were said to be the descendants of a prominent family in a certain empire.

They were said to have gained the recognition and protection of countless experts.

They were said to...

Countless legends were released and further embellished during the spread, continuing to circulate.

Mayor Duncan Aurel listened to the butler's report, a smile on his face, and said to those around him, "When they return, Qishui City will surely be lush and green."

******

On the magic airship, Nalasha first demonstrated her ability to produce water, conveniently creating the amount of water needed for half a day on the ship.

When the water ran out after half a day, she would produce more.

When producing water, she recited the incantation carefully, avoiding the mistake she made in the desert.

Kellyser and the other adventurers who joined later did not tell their families much, including the fact that the young lady could instantly cast advanced magic.

They were afraid that their families would be approached by others and reveal secrets about the young lady and the young master.

So Nalasha needed to cooperate, first saying the name of the Water Spirit Spell, then producing a large water mass, which was then divided into several streams and poured into containers.

The families of the adventurers showed sufficient respect to Nalasha. Having a mage in the household was a guarantee of a better life, especially since the young lady was still a child, and the future looked promising.

As for the loss of freedom, it was just a delusion to deceive others and oneself. Did commoners really have freedom?

When a noble whipped you for blocking their way, was there anyone to stand up for you?

But if you wore the symbol of a powerful force, even if you were a lowly servant, the noble would think twice before raising the whip, considering whether your master would be angry and whether they had the power to challenge your master.

Clearly, a beautiful, cute, kind, and young mage mistress was even more worth following for commoners.

Nalasha, not wanting to spend time pondering others' thoughts, curiously looked out the airship's window and said to Muren, who was meditating, "It's not as good as our home in the desert. It doesn't look sturdy. What do you think, Muren?"

"My survival pod, if it's not broken, can perform short-distance spatial jumps, while this small broken ship can't even leave the planet's atmosphere." Gongsun Muren exhaled slowly.

He practiced the Fuxi Technique provided by his family. According to the smart butler, this technique had nothing to do with Fuxi, more symbolic than practical, similar to the Yan Emperor Technique of the Muran family, named after ancient figures to give a sense of solemnity, depth, and heritage.

Every boy in the family was given a qi ball in their dantian by a powerful family member after birth and sent out to train under the protection of a guard fleet.

Girls practiced a different version.

It was not a case of favoring boys over girls but a matter of adapting the technique to the different body structures of males and females.

However, the qi balls were similar and could be guided, nourishing the body for three years before formal cultivation could begin.

Nalasha had a qi ball in her dantian, given to her by Gongsun Muren, which was not as good as those given by the family's powerful members.

But she could still practice the Fuxi Technique. She had just learned a little, progressing slowly, due to the quality of the qi ball given to her by Gongsun Muren.

After all, Gongsun Muren was not strong enough. The Fuxi Technique had nine grades and eighteen levels, and he was just reaching the upper third grade.

"The butler said my home should also be able to fly. It's strange, how can such a large ruin fly? It doesn't have a power source, does it?" Nalasha thought of her home, a place without an owner in the eyes of the adventurers.

"Once our power grows, we will move both homes." Gongsun Muren comforted Nalasha.

"Um! We must move them." Nalasha nodded seriously.

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