Chapter 1025 - 855: Maple Hill County
Serafina led the Duke through the water, and in just moments, the sea began to shallow.
Sunlight poured from the surface, casting countless golden beams underwater, and the seabed transformed from pitch-black basalt to soft, white sand.
In the distance, the silhouette of the continental shelf and the green vegetation along the shore could be faintly seen.
Serafina’s pace gradually slowed, finally stopping near a shallow coral reef a few hundred meters from the shore.
She released the Duke’s hand, gently exhaled a stream of fine bubbles, then lifted her hand to tuck a strand of azure hair behind her ear.
"I’ll take you this far."
Serafina’s voice carried clearly through the water, though it was just ordinary speech, it had a unique, gentle resonance.
Morning light descended from the surface, passing through the water to land on her azure curls, refracting a faint golden halo.
She stood at the edge of the coral reef, behind her was the deep, boundless sea, before her the shimmering shallows; the current gently swept over her skirt, causing the image of myriad sea beasts on the fabric to undulate slightly.
Serafina’s face still bore that bright smile, but the Duke noticed her hand, which had been holding his, quivered slightly upon release.
"Come find me next time." She said, not as a plea but as an expectation, "I’ve learned the Wizard’s Mark now, you can’t make me chase you all over the ocean like before."
"Just use the Wizard’s Mark to contact me anytime if needed."
The Duke smiled, nodded, then turned towards the shallows.
The seawater receded from his chest to his waist, from his waist to his knees, until he stepped onto Florence’s soft sandy shore.
He glanced back, that slender figure by the coral reef still stood there, raised her hand for a gentle wave, then slowly sank into the deep blue water, disappearing at the junction of morning light and sea surface.
The Duke stepped onto Florence’s sandy shore, it was afternoon.
He walked from the shallows to the land, the seawater dripped from his clothes, leaving a string of uneven footprints behind him.
The sea breeze blew from behind, carrying a familiar salty scent, yet beyond the beach, that aroma was replaced by something more comforting—dry soil, ripe wheat stalks, the distant forest’s pine resin fragrance.
Standing on the grassy edge of the beach, he inhaled deeply, allowing his lungs to re-acclimate to the continent’s air.
Then his figure wavered lightly in place, transforming into an almost imperceptible breeze, sweeping towards Maple Hill County.
Though the straight distance from shore to Maple Hill County wasn’t close, with the Duke’s current speed, it was merely a matter of moments.
He skimmed low over familiar lands, at the border between Silver County and Maple Hill County, the meandering creek still sparkled in the sun, the abandoned mill stood resolute, windmill blades long gone, leaving just a stone base quietly among wild grasses.
Ahead lay rolling hills and neatly cultivated farmland, with autumn harvest just past, wheat stubble remaining in fields glowed a dry golden in afternoon sunlight.
In the distance, occasional village silhouettes appeared, smoke curled out from low chimneys, drifting diagonally in the breeze.
Though this continent was still this continent, remote, impoverished, with free energy particles’ concentration far less than the West Coast, let alone the Central Islands, yet it was this land so humble, nearly primitive, that cradled his initial years in this world.
When Maple Hill County’s castle appeared on the horizon, the Duke slowed down.
The castle remained the same, gray stone walls glowed warm orange under sunset; the tower-topped flag had changed from Earl Hardy’s emblem years ago to the Duke’s crest.
Vivian mentioned this in her letter—the Hardy Clan had been promoted to Duke by Vera Kingdom.
Around the castle, the wheat fields had been fully harvested, golden stalks baled into neat cylindrical stacks dotted between furrows like casually placed chess pieces.
At the field’s edge, several farmers drove wagons transporting the last load back to the barn, their laughter and shouts carried far towards the castle in the open fields.
The Duke alighted on the ground near the castle gate, reappearing in form.
The gate guards, initially gripping their spears warily, upon seeing his face, paused for several heartbeats, then snapped straight, nearly dropping their spears.
The Duke felt some familiarity with these two, recalling perhaps meeting as comrades in Nightingale, Vivian’s direct unit back then.
Time had passed, things changed—they weren’t even Official Knights, while he had become a Level 3 Mage.
The Duke nodded to them, proceeding through the castle gate.
The courtyard servants, seeing him, either froze in place, or turned and ran to the main building, evidently to report.
He wasn’t surprised by such reactions, as it had been years since his return to Maple Hill County, in these ordinary people’s eyes, he might have become a figure of legend.
The evening banquet was held in the castle’s main hall.
Though called a banquet, it was actually quite small, without any external nobles invited, no lengthy ceremonies nor pomp—instead, just Duke Hardy’s core family seated around the old oak long table.
The table was covered with a white linen cloth, silver candlesticks held honey wax candles emitting warm, soft light, casting everyone’s faces in gentle hues.