Two days later.
On the cold sea, almost covered with snow, a warship was slowly approaching the central island where Storm City was located.
The ship carried a large flag marked with a crimson moon—its appearance alone showed power and authority.
Naturally, such a ship attracted the guards at the port, who watched it carefully.
Just two days earlier, Storm City had been attacked by intruders. If not for the Duke's strength in stopping them, the damage would have been huge.
Although the Duke managed to suppress the blue-skinned man, the girl with the powerful mental ability caused great destruction to the city's infrastructure. The city was still on high alert, especially because the intruders had managed to escape.
So, when the warship approached the port, it was stopped immediately.
A guard shouted loudly for everyone to hear:
"Who are you? State your identity and the reason for your arrival!"
Inside the ship, a tall, slender young man slowly stepped out of his private room when he heard the call. He raised his hand and removed his hood, revealing a handsome face with white hair and red eyes.
"I am Louis Maclain, the border baron granted his own island in this sea by the Emperor. I have come to greet Duke Smith and confirm the location of the island I will govern."
The guards exchanged looks, surprised.
The Maclain family was one of the six great families of the Human Empire, and even in the sea region, they were well known.
Even if they did not know this young man's exact status within the family, he was not someone ordinary guards dared to disrespect.
Soon after, a middle-aged official hurried over to welcome them.
"Lord Louis, the Duke has been informed of your arrival. Please dock at the port, and I will personally guide you into the city once preparations are complete."
Following the official, Louis and a few of his knights passed through the heavy city gates and entered Storm City.
Of course, it would not be appropriate to bring everyone along, so only Robert and two elite knights , accompanied him.
Inside the city, the streets—although wide—were full of holes. Broken pieces of buildings mixed with muddy water everywhere, and many houses were damaged or nearly falling apart.
Few people walked in the streets. They were mostly divided into two groups:
The first were the border soldiers wearing thick fur coats. Their tired faces and cold eyes showed years of battle experience.
The second group were ordinary civilians. It was clear that in this world, everyone's social standing depended on their talent in climbing the Multiverse Tower.
Louis looked around with interest. A small smile appeared on his face.
He knew very well that he was the reason for all this destruction.
Two days ago, Louis had sent Boros and Tatsumaki to attack Storm City—not to destroy it, but to measure the Duke's strength and the power of his knight battalion, the strongest force in the sea.
Duke Smith was one of the rare humans who had reached stage 70 of the Tower. Louis was curious to see how such a person would fight against someone like Boros.
As for Tatsumaki, her intense training with Louis for few days had built up some frustration, and she wanted a chance to release it. Louis agreed to send both of them on this scouting mission, but only on one condition:
Do not overdo the destruction. Focus mainly on testing the Duke's power.
In the end, Tatsumaki used her psychic strength to manipulate the sea and form a massive tsunami aimed at the city, forcing the Duke to abandon chasing them so that he could stop the wave instead. That allowed both intruders to escape safely.
"The Duke is inside," the official said as he led Louis and his men to the governor's office.
The room had no unnecessary luxury. It contained only a large heavy desk, several shelves of old books, and a dark blue military banner on the wall.
Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with a terrible sword scar running from the corner of his left eye down to his jaw. The scar made his already sharp features look even harsher.
His presence was suffocating. Louis felt a slight pressure just by seeing him.
This man was Duke Smith, the ruler of Storm City and the true commander of the sea border region.
After a brief greeting, Louis didn't waste time on polite talk. He took out his exploration certificate with the Emperor's seal and said:
"I am here to register my island and exploration area."
Smith took the certificate, looked through it without much interest, confirmed Louis's identity, then pulled out a map from a pile of documents on his desk.
He spread the map and said flatly:
"Except for the red-marked areas, you may choose any place you like. As for your exploration range, do whatever you want."
His tone made it clear that he expected nothing from someone he believed to be useless.
Louis was not offended. This attitude was normal, considering his predecessor's reputation as a failure.
After confirming the island he would rule, Louis didn't stay long and said his farewells.
"Hmm… he didn't ask anything or request help. Is it confidence… or is he simply such a failure that he didn't even think about it?" the Duke wondered as he watched Louis leave.
What he didn't know…
was that the "failure" he dismissed so easily was the very person who caused the recent attack on Storm City.