At the port of the royal capital of the Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom, a massive fifty-meter ship lay at anchor. Thick hemp ropes dangled from the vessel, their ends tied to heavy nets woven from coarse hempen cords, each bulging with chunks of ore.
Bags of ore packed in these nets were piled high at the port, and a steady stream of people continued to transport more, stacking them all in one place.
On the ship, shipwrights from Sedona City were hauling the ore aboard. They relied on the pulley systems Lucas had taught them, making the work both effortless and efficient.
This scene had been going on for quite some time, drawing the attention of many dwarven citizens and foreign merchants.
"What's going on here? Doesn't the Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom strictly prohibit the export of ore?" Someone asked in bewildered astonishment.
"Yeah, I remember they never export iron ore. I originally wanted to buy some myself—what exactly is happening now?"
"Those are people from the Royal Family and Duke Michael's estate," Someone noted with surprise.
"That's Cross. I remember him as the head butler of Duke Michael's estate. Could it be that these ores are being exported by the Michael family?"
"Did His Majesty the King actually permit the export of iron ore? Why is no one stopping them?"
"......"
Listening to the chatter of the surrounding crowd, Dahlia and the others paid it no mind. Instead, they watched the bags of ore being loaded onto the ship, their faces brimming with radiant smiles.
"Now our mission is truly accomplished," Dahlia let out a soft sigh of relief. Seeing the ore finally being delivered meant their task was officially complete.
"Yeah. I wonder if Lord Lucas will give us a reward when we get back to Sedona City?" Mira stretched lazily. They would soon be setting sail for home.
"What kind of reward do you want?" Elisa asked with a smile on her lips.
"Hmm!! I don't think there's anything I particularly want. I'm actually really satisfied with how life is right now," Mira tilted her head in thought before shaking it.
It was true; their current lives were infinitely better than before. Going from not having enough to eat to having meat at every meal and endless varieties of food—it simply couldn't get any better.
"Yeah, it's really good," Elisa said, her gaze distant. She thought back to her old life, a time when she had to constantly watch out for bounty hunters, wearing oversized cloaks whenever she went out, dyeing her hair, and avoiding crowded places. She had to be careful at every turn.
If she had been caught by bounty hunters, her fate would have been nothing but becoming a sex slave. That was something she could never accept.
But now, she could step out openly into the world without hiding her face, free from the constant, looming threat of bounty hunters.
And all of this was given to her by Lucas. If it hadn't been for him, she might have already been captured and sold to some noble by now.
Clop, clop, clop...
Two carriages came to a steady halt near the port, escorted by two squads of dwarven knights.
One carriage clearly belonged to the Royal Family, while the other, with a large character M embroidered on its curtain, belonged to Duke Michael's estate.
From the royal carriage stepped Princess Daisy and King Roberson, assisted by the knights. From the Michael estate's carriage stepped Viscount Muller.
"Princess Daisy, Your Majesty," Dahlia and the other two gracefully stepped forward and bowed slightly in greeting.
"Haha... dispense with the formalities. I leave my daughter in your care," Roberson laughed heartily, affectionately patting Daisy's head.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. We will protect Princess Daisy. As long as she is in Sedona City, you won't have to worry about her safety," Dahlia said sincerely.
"That's good to hear!" Roberson nodded in relief. Besides, he had assigned sixteen knights to accompany her, including the crucial Knight Alan, which put his mind at ease significantly.
"We'll be looking out for each other on this journey," Muller said with a smile.
This time, Muller would be traveling to Sedona City with Daisy. Part of the reason was because of the princess, but another part was due to orders from Michael. His objective was the same as the princess's: to purchase wine in Sedona City.
His final, and most important, reason was to see if there was any possibility of discovering how Sedona City brewed such exquisite wines.
This last objective was the absolute priority of his trip. Although he knew the chances of obtaining the brewing method were slim, he still had to try.
Dahlia chuckled softly and nodded. She hadn't expected Muller to tag along, but a few extra people didn't matter, so she didn't mind. Perhaps he could even bring some export orders to Sedona City.
As for the merchants and citizens at the port, they were completely shocked by the King's arrival. Furthermore, it looked like Princess Daisy, carrying her luggage, was preparing for a long journey.
"Daisy, don't be willful when you get to Sedona City," Roberson instructed, a trace of reluctance in his eyes.
"Father, please don't worry. I'll be a good girl," Daisy's face broke into a giggle, a sly gleam flashing in her eyes.
"I still have government affairs to handle, so I'll be heading back now," Roberson said before boarding his carriage and heading back to the palace.
He was anxious about the wine stashed in the palace; those little bastards of his might try to sneak a drink.
"Princess Daisy, let's board the ship first. We'll be ready to depart soon," Dahlia smiled, glancing at the sixteen dwarven knights standing beside the princess.
Daisy nodded, and the group boarded the ship, waiting for the last of the ore to be loaded before they could set sail and return to Sedona City.
"Sedona City, here I come," Daisy stood at the bow, looking out at the distant horizon.
This was her first time traveling far from home, her first time leaving the Dwarf Kingdom.
"Sedona City, we're finally going back," Dahlia and the other two women gazed towards the west.
Two hours later, all the ore was fully loaded.
"Weigh anchor, weigh anchor, hurry!"
"Hoist the sails, hoist the sails!"
"We're going home!!!"
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