Chapter 223 - 203: Visitors from Beyond the Storm Strait

Chapter 223: Chapter 203: Visitors from Beyond the Storm Strait

Meanwhile.

The Storm Strait, known as the line between life and death.

On the vast, night-shrouded sea, a colossal ship nearly a hundred meters long emerged slowly from a thick, white fog.

The great vessel was scarred and damaged, its entire hull covered in mottled scratches—clear signs of a desperate battle.

"We’re out! We’re finally out!"

On the ship’s deck, a man with long, flowing golden hair looked up at the night sky, his arms spread wide and a wild look on his face.

He first let out a great shout, then began to weep loudly.

"We’re home! We’re finally going home!"

The golden-haired man suddenly dropped to his knees, resting his arms on the deck and pressing his forehead to the planks, his joyous sobs trembling.

Behind him stood a thin woman, her fists clenched and her eyes also moist with tears.

It was hard to imagine what they had endured over the past three months, crossing the Storm Strait from the even more distant outer seas.

Waves nearly a hundred meters high, terrifying and bizarre Sea Beasts, all sorts of bloodthirsty Sea Race clans... After overcoming so many harrowing obstacles, they had finally returned.

It was hard to imagine what their ancestors, who had fled for their lives all those years ago, must have gone through.

They had chosen to cross this desperate strait rather than remain in their homeland.

"Fidala..."

The thin woman knelt beside the golden-haired man, Fidala, and gently supported his arm.

"We’re home now... Don’t cry anymore..."

She gently patted Fidala’s shoulder, trying to soothe him.

Under the thin woman’s comforting guidance, Fidala’s emotions gradually stabilized.

He took a deep breath, straightened up, and looked at the thin woman beside him, forcing a relieved smile. "Philina, we’re finally home."

"This time, we will restore the former glory of the Sivall Family and make the Tivert Family pay a heavy price!"

Fidala’s expression suddenly became agitated, his eyes a complex mix of desire and hatred.

If anyone from the Lanton Duchy had been present, they would have instantly recognized their identities.

The Sivall Family! The Royal Family of the Cold Lion Duchy, which had been destroyed by Duke Kaqier three hundred and twenty years ago, bore the surname Sivall.

And the current royal surname of the Lanton Duchy was Tivert.

These two were actually descendants of the Cold Lion Duchy’s Royal Family, which had been annihilated over three hundred years ago.

"Fidala, are you really going to accept that man’s proposal? I feel like he doesn’t have our best interests at heart; he just wants to use us as tools."

Philina recalled the scene from half a year ago.

The First Duke of the Iron Eagle Kingdom, Duke Northland, had personally sought out the barely surviving Sivall Family.

Having lost all their backing, the Sivall Family was nothing more than an insignificant player in that land of competing powers. Some families and factions who knew of their origins even saw them as a prime example of fallen failures.

The Cold Lion Duchy, which once held sway in the southeast corner of the continent, had become an object of ridicule.

So, when Duke Northland personally came to their door, the Sivall Family was both suspicious and terrified.

Having endured all sorts of hardships and tribulations, and surrounded by powerful rivals, the Sivall Family feared any outside interference.

However, when the cautious Sivallians met with Duke Northland, they found that this renowned Duke was, in fact, a complete philanthropist—at least on the surface.

This Duke Northland, acting as a warm-hearted friend, expressed his willingness to help the Sivall Family re-establish their nation in the Southeast Continent.

This left Fidala, the head of the Sivall clan, both in disbelief and ecstatic with joy.

But after calming down, Fidala knew very well that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Any seemingly unreasonable action would start to make a little more sense after a cost-benefit analysis.

He cautiously inquired about Duke Northland’s intentions.

Duke Northland was very magnanimous and generously laid out his thoughts for Fidala.

According to him, due to interference from certain external forces, the current landscape of Kingdoms and Duchies was about to be shaken up. The Duke of Northland, acting on the will of his Kingdom’s Monarch, had decided to make a move on the Southeast Continent.

The Duke of Northland had already set some plans in motion there; it was said he already had arrangements behind the scenes in the Wata Duchy and the Sosen Duchy. The only uncertainty, the difficult-to-control Lanton Duchy, was a target he had decided to eliminate through his own means.

At the same time, he would install the Cold Lion Duchy in the Lanton Duchy’s former position, thereby reviving it.

But this all came with conditions. After its revival, the Cold Lion Duchy would have to become a vassal state of the Kingdom backing Duke Northland. This meant that even if he became the lord of a duchy, Fidala would still be a subject of the Kingdom.

After hearing all this, Fidala understood the reasoning.

With almost no hesitation or deliberation, Fidala immediately accepted the proposal.

Duke Northland wanted to use the lingering prestige of the Cold Lion Duchy’s Sivall Family to prop up a new proxy in the Southeast Continent. Fidala, in turn, needed this opportunity to wash away the infamy and disgrace of the Sivall Royal Family and re-establish his nation, even if it meant becoming Duke Northland’s puppet.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

After finalizing the agreement, Duke Northland showed Fidala the path forward.

He told Fidala to cross the perilous Storm Strait with his clansmen and seek out the Duke of Wata Duchy. There, they would personally help Fidala plan the restoration of his nation. And by joining forces, they would ensure the complete destruction of the Lanton Duchy, which had stood for three hundred and twenty years.

And so, Fidala followed Duke Northland’s proposal.

Taking a third of his people, he embarked on a perilous journey toward the Southeast Continent—their homeland.

Although he had long been prepared, the horrors of the Storm Strait still exceeded Fidala’s expectations.

A journey that was originally planned to take five months was forcibly extended to over half a year, nearly seven months.

However, despite the arduous process, they had ultimately made it through.

"Even if it means being a tool, I’m willing."

Fidala gripped Philina’s hand, his gaze firm. "You know, Philina, the disgrace of our Sivall Family must be cleansed. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it might be our only one. I... I can’t give it up."

Looking into Fidala’s eyes, Philina fell silent.

After a long moment, Philina also nodded firmly. "No matter what you decide, I will follow you."

"In that case, give the order. We’ll head for the Sosen Duchy at once."

Fidala knew very well that his actions must not cause a stir in the Southeast Continent; at the very least, he couldn’t let the Lanton Duchy discover his whereabouts.

Entering the Sosen Duchy first, and then being guided to the Wata Duchy, was the best course of action.

"No. You take the clansmen to the Wata Duchy first. I must make a trip to the southern seas to find our ancestor’s hidden treasure."

Philina shook her head and said to Fidala.

"But..."

Fidala hesitated.

"Although we don’t know what’s in that treasure, we can’t rely solely on outside help when we’re just starting to rebuild our nation. If we can obtain some resources from our ancestors’ treasure, it will allow us to regain some initiative."

Philina’s words moved Fidala.

"But I can’t rest easy with you going alone... You’re only a Middle Grand Knight. Your safety..."

Fidala’s brow furrowed, clearly worried about Philina’s safety.

Seeing this, Philina smiled gently and reassured him, "Don’t worry. This is just the Southeast Continent, a remote corner of the world. A Middle Grand Knight is more than enough to sweep aside any enemy here."

"We can’t delay any longer. You see, that treasure’s entrance only opens twice within the same month every twenty years. I’ve already calculated the dates. The first opening of this twenty-year cycle is happening these very days. We’ve already missed it. So, we must hurry there within the month to enter during the second opening. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait another twenty years to try again."

Philina seemed to have thought this through for some time as she tried to persuade Fidala.

"But what if the treasure has already been opened...?"

Fidala knitted his brows, a trace of worry clouding his features.

"How could that be possible? Our ancestor’s journal states that the core of the treasure can only be opened by someone with the blood of the Sivall Family. An outsider could never open it. Besides, the treasure is hidden overseas in a remote location. No one would ever find it."

Philina said to Fidala.

"No, I’m not talking about outsiders..."

Fidala narrowed his eyes slightly. "I mean, is it possible that other branches of the Sivall Family have already gotten there first?"

"That..."

Philina faltered.

Indeed, when the Cold Lion Duchy fell, the pure royal bloodline of the Sivall Family had fled beyond the Storm Strait.

But some collateral branches of the family had escaped into the distant seas of the Southeast Continent.

The possibility Fidala mentioned was entirely real.

"It’s possible, but unlikely." Philina thought for a moment. "It’s highly improbable that the descendants of those collateral branches would have seen our ancestor’s journal."

"For all we know, besides us, all the other branch bloodlines have already been completely wiped out by that Demon, Kaqier."

Philina continued, "So, I must go to that treasure’s location."

"Then..."

Fidala pressed his lips together. "You must be careful."

He knew very well that everything Philina did, she did for him.

"Thank you."

Fidala moved to kiss Philina’s forehead, but she gently yet firmly pushed him away.

"I’m going."

With a complicated look in her eyes, Philina turned and left.

A bitter smile touched the corners of Fidala’s mouth.

’If only there weren’t the bonds of blood between us,’ he thought, ’perhaps things would have ended differently.’