Chapter 614: The Storm That Crossed a Thousand Years

"Give me the helm."

Marcus took control of the ship, set the course, and guided them straight into the Storm Seal.

They got lucky, and the journey went surprisingly smoothly. There was no sign of the Twin-Winged Thunder Wyrm, and they didn’t encounter any other sea monsters either. Massive waves and howling tornadoes raged barely two or three yards from the hull, yet somehow, none of them ever touched the ship.

"Amazing!"

The mayor and the townsfolk stared in awe, their reverence for Marcus deepening with every passing moment. Finding a safe route through the Storm Seal had been their dream for a thousand years, and countless brave souls had died attempting to accomplish what Marcus was doing now.

After sailing deeper into the Storm Seal, the formation master carrying the Lightning Ring Array suddenly felt the formation pulse in his hands.

"Sir! Lightning resonance detected! This is the spot!"

"Got it."

Marcus slowed the ship while the three formation masters carefully searched for the exact location where the array would function most effectively. After several adjustments, they finally determined the optimal position.

Marcus brought the ship to a stop, and the three old men immediately began chanting. They stepped off the stern and floated over the surface of the sea, stopping roughly ten yards away from the ship. Taking their positions, they formed a triangle around the designated point, while the palm-sized Lightning Ring Array floated between them.

As their chanting grew louder, the tiny formation began to pulse with energy, and then it expanded.

The Lightning Ring Array rapidly returned to its original fifty-square-meter size, spinning faster and faster as brilliant arcs of lightning wrapped around it. With a deafening crack of energy, the enormous formation plunged into the sea.

The three formation masters stopped chanting and immediately floated back toward the ship.

"Sir! The array has been placed! It’s about to activate. Move the ship away!"

"Go!"

Marcus already knew what was supposed to happen next, so the moment the three masters landed on deck, he pushed the ship forward at full speed.

From the stern, everyone watched as the Lightning Ring Array disappeared beneath the waves, and the lightning surrounding it spread through the water, racing outward until it connected with the enormous waves surging on either side.

CRASH!

A colossal wave erupted from the point where the array had sunk, and then something even more spectacular happened.

The chaotic lightning that had been striking randomly throughout the Storm Seal suddenly began converging toward the formation beneath the sea.

Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!

The water around the array began to boil as countless bolts of lightning poured down from the sky, filling the heavens above the formation before spreading outward in every direction.

It was a good thing Marcus had gotten the ship out of there quickly. If they had still been anywhere near the formation when it unleashed that much power, the ship would probably have been torn apart.

Within minutes, the sea within a five-hundred-yard radius of the Lightning Ring Array had transformed into a violent maelstrom of lightning and raging water, every bit as terrifying as the Storm Seal itself.

Now came the crucial moment, and everyone crowded around the stern, staring at the raging sea below.

Would the Lightning Ring Array actually work?

No one knew for certain, since they had never been able to test it before. The formation masters had relied on ancient records and calculations, but theory was still only theory.

Thirty minutes passed, and then, without warning, the violent waves disappeared.

The sea became completely still, though only the lightning remained, continuing to strike down into the five-hundred-yard area surrounding the array.

The three formation masters stared at the scene for a moment before shouting together.

"Sir! The array is active! It’s connected to the electromagnetic field! It’s working!"

---

Back in Dragon’s Roar Town, the ancient teleportation gate that had remained dormant for more than a thousand years suddenly flickered to life.

Light spread across its surface as energy began circulating through its core.

"The teleportation gate is active!"

The townsfolk immediately sent the news to the mayor through a private message.

"Sir!"

The mayor was already in tears when he received the confirmation.

"The gate is active! Dragon’s Roar Town is finally connected to the mainland again! After a thousand years!"

Marcus nodded, though he was grinning inwardly, and of course he was happy. This was his territory now, and if Dragon’s Roar Town remained isolated from the mainland, being its lord would hardly do him any good. He’d have an entire island at his disposal and no convenient way to reach it.

Before he could say anything else, a system notification suddenly appeared.

Ding!

[Congratulations, Player Stonehaven, for successfully activating the teleportation gate between Dragon’s Roar Town and the mainland within the allotted time. You have completed the quest "The Storm That Crossed a Thousand Years." Combined with your completion of "Blood-Fiend Fruit," you are now the official Lord of Dragon’s Roar Town, ruling over Twin Wing Island and its surrounding waters.

Rewards: Reputation +1,000, Gold +100,000]

The quest status updated immediately, and everything related to Twin Wing Island was now officially complete.

Marcus was no longer merely someone who had been given temporary authority, for he was now the rightful and legitimate lord of this island paradise.

Another system notification followed almost immediately.

Ding!

[Player Stonehaven, the teleportation gate between Dragon’s Roar Town and the mainland is now operational. As the Lord of Dragon’s Roar Town, do you wish to open the gate for all players to use according to system regulations?]

"Decline."

Marcus grinned.

’No chance.’

There was no way he was going to give everyone free access without getting something out of it. Now that Dragon’s Roar Town belonged to him, he needed to think carefully about how to make the most of his position.

The townspeople could use the teleportation gate, but everyone else would have to earn the privilege.

---

After returning to town, Marcus and his companions used the Dragon’s Roar Town Return Scroll, and the moment they appeared, the townspeople greeted them with cheers. The entire town was celebrating, and after waiting a thousand years for this day, no one was willing to let the opportunity pass quietly.

In the middle of the feast, the mayor officially announced Marcus’s new title.

Lord of Dragon’s Roar.

The mayor raised the golden official token high for everyone to see, and the town erupted into another round of cheers. One after another, people came forward to toast Marcus, eager to celebrate with the new lord who had finally accomplished what generations before them had failed to do.

The following day, the mayor and several town officials would travel to the Imperial Palace to report everything that had happened, and afterward, the Dragon Dynasty would issue the formal imperial decree recognizing Marcus’s authority.

Eventually, the celebration began to wind down, and the mayor turned his attention to preparing for the journey to the capital.

Marcus, meanwhile, returned to his mansion in Dragon’s Peak Citadel, where his women and bros had already gathered to wait for him.

"Marcus! Is it done?" Amber asked the moment she saw him.

"Done."

Marcus nodded proudly before taking several items from his inventory and handing them out.

"These are Dragon’s Roar Town Passes. Until the town officially opens to the public, anyone carrying one of these can teleport there from any city’s teleportation point."