Chapter 23: A prince from the Eastern Continent?

Black Wolf Castle, Great Hall.

*Slap! *

The exquisite teacup made of ceramic fell from the Viscount's hand, turning into countless fragments the moment it touched the hard floor.

Scalding black tea splashed all over the Viscount, but this noble person completely ignored it, his mind still immersed in the information the knight had just reported.

"Say it again, heir to a kingdom of how many citizens?"

Karen pushed away the two maids who were frantically wiping his body and stood up abruptly from the main seat, his rugged face full of surprise, completely losing his previous calm demeanor.

"My lord, the identity protection on top of that Prince Highness's head is 1.4 billion citizens."

Sir Solin said respectfully. He was not surprised at all by the Viscount's loss of composure in shattering the teacup; he even felt that his own lord was already very calm. If it were him, he would have definitely been shocked to the point of falling off his chair.

"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Karen doubted.

It could be 14 million, or 140 million, but in any case, it shouldn't be 1.4 billion!

Because the three main human kingdoms on the continent today—the Kingdom of Suoxia, which worships the sun and wind; the Kingdom of Milan, which believes in thunder and earth; and the Kingdom of Rhine, which promotes the sun and moon.

All the free people, serfs, slaves, etc., of these three kingdoms plus their vassal states added together certainly did not reach that terrifying figure of 1.4 billion.

Karen found it hard to imagine that if there really were a country with a population of 1.4 billion, how vast its territory would be, how high its grain yield would be, and how shocking its national power would be.

"My lord, when I had an audience with that Highness, I counted it secretly several times; it is indeed ten digits." Sir Solin said with a bitter smile.

Karen's expression gradually became solemn, as if a cloud was lingering on his face.

Even in the past war to suppress the rebellion of the Duchy of Mason, when he was surrounded alone by several enemy Transcendent Knights, his expression had never been this solemn.

He knew very well that although his knight was not highly educated and hadn't read many books, at least his counting was sufficient.

This meant that the identity protection of that person—that Highness—was indeed true.

However, was what he saw with his eyes true, or did the possibility of an illusion or some kind of magic exist?

Although Karen hadn't heard of any magic that could modify protection in his past experience, this didn't mean such a possibility didn't exist.

"Hmm..."

Karen sat back on the main seat, his fingers tapping the armrest of the chair unconsciously, the rhythm slow and heavy, as if calculating something.

And Sir Solin, seeing this, didn't disturb his lord's thinking, only kneeling respectfully on the wolf-skin rug.

By the way, he secretly changed legs; that leg was too numb...

Time passed second by second.

*Tread, tread, tread. *

Just then, a series of light footsteps broke the silence of the castle hall.

"Darling~"

Accompanied by a frivolous female voice, a tall figure stepped in here.

That was a beautiful woman who looked to be only in her early twenties. She wore a loose silk pajama, the collar slightly open, revealing elegant collarbones like beautiful jade, with a hint of snowy white vaguely visible.

She had soft purple hair hanging on her shoulders like a waterfall, the hair strands shining with a faint luster under the candlelight.

Her figure's curves were alluring, her waist slender, her buttocks slightly raised, and her legs long and symmetrical, hard to hide even under the loose pajama.

Undoubtedly, this was an extremely charming beauty.

Sir Solin only glanced at the person coming and bowed his head sharply, fearing that any blasphemous thoughts would pop into his mind.

Because this beauty was none other than his lord's second wife, Viscountess Danielle Martha.

"What kind of urgent intelligence is it that made you leave me alone in the room for so long?"

The lady sat directly on Karen's lap without any avoidance, wrapped her snow-white arms around his shoulders, and breathed hot air into the man's ear.

*Hiss! *

Karen only felt his whole body go numb, thinking if his old waist could be saved this time.

"My lord, the intelligence has been reported. Can I withdraw first?"

Sir Solin said respectfully, fearing that if he stayed here any longer, it would affect the lord's wife's interest.

"Go, go." Karen's mouth twitched, and he waved his hand.

He actually wanted to keep Solin, but helplessly, the pair of arms suddenly exerting force on his neck made it impossible for him to speak.

"Alright, alright, there is urgent business now. Besides, you just gave birth, you should take good care of your body!"

Feeling the mischievous little hand under him, Karen hurriedly pushed Danielle off his body.

"Danielle, Solin reported that a noble Highness has come to our territory. His identity protection is actually..."

Without waiting for the woman to lose her temper, Karen hurriedly poured out the intelligence.

This Viscount, known for his extraordinary martial power, seemed to treat his wife as some kind of monster that ate people without spitting out bones.

"1.4 billion!"

The lady covered her small mouth, her purple-blue eyes full of surprise; for a moment, she even forgot to blame her husband for his heartlessness in rejecting her many times.

"Yes, to be honest, I already suspect that Solin was deceived by some magic or protection ability. After all, where on the continent is there a country with so many people..."

Before Karen could finish, a finger as white as a scallion gently blocked his mouth.

"Darling, you seem to have forgotten: just because there isn't one on this continent doesn't mean there isn't one on the other continent~" the lady said with a charming smile.

"You mean..." After being reminded by the woman, Karen revealed a thoughtful expression.

"That Highness is a prince from the Eastern Continent?"

"Perhaps so. After all, there really isn't such a large country on the Western Continent where we are." Danielle bit her index finger, trying her best to think.

"But in the past War of the Gods, the continent was shattered into two; half is the Western Continent where we stand, and the other half turned into the Eastern Continent and drifted away."

"Plus the Silent Mist and the boundless Sighing Ice Wall that suddenly appeared on the ocean, since then, there hasn't been a visitor from the Eastern Continent on the continent for hundreds of years."

Karen sighed lightly.

In these hundreds of years, countless navigators on the continent have set sail, dreaming of achieving the great feat of reaching the Eastern Continent, thereby gaining fame, status, and the transcendent power brought by profession advancement in one fell swoop.

Even he himself, when he was young, had fantasized about such a dream.

It's just a pity that what the navigators brought back over the hundreds of years were only tragic tragedies, so much so that now almost no one holds any expectations anymore.

"The world's first Great Mage, Bayes, once said that everything is possible." Danielle said slowly.

"Since the eternal gods exist, what is impossible in this world?"

"Karen, prepare gifts and go visit that Highness." Danielle gently held her husband's hand and said softly.

"If it really is an illusion, then he couldn't possibly deceive you. After all, you are..."

As if to respond to the woman's words, torrents of dark green magic suddenly erupted from Viscount Hughes's body, and the surrounding air began to tremble.

"A Morning Star Rank knight, the Howling Wolf!" The lady looked at her husband with eyes full of admiration.

As everyone knows, the lord of Black Wolf Territory is a powerful knight who shone brilliantly in the "War of Dragon and Lion," which is also why... she, the only daughter of the noble Martha family, was willing to marry down.

The secondary reason, of course, is that darling is very handsome~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 24 =====