Exploring Technology in a Wizard World
Chapter 451 - 450: Muxu Port

Chapter 451: Chapter 450: Muxu Port

November, under the Cold Moon.

Muxu Port.

Muxu Port is a medium-sized harbor on the East Coast, about the same size as Hai Ya Port, named for its abundant purple alfalfa.

At this time, the port of Muxu was bustling, packed with numerous ships, densely populated by sailors and laborers moving cargo, busier than some larger ports.

Off the busy port, not far from the port, a small sailboat approached, conducted by Richard. As for Pandora, she was confined in Eden for wrongdoing, dutifully studying and working.

"Whoo Whoo—"

The sea wind blew; the waves kept splashing "Hualalala." Richard controlled the ship, pulling the sail toward Muxu Port, his eyes twinkling.

It had been nearly a month since he had left Hai Ya Port and landed on Undead Island. After almost a month, he had made a big loop and returned to the East Coast. The voyage had not progressed much northward; it was a sheer failure.

However, he had no regrets. Acquiring the second treasure of the Black Spirit King had benefited him immensely, and he had also learned much more about the ultimate secret of the Black Spirit King, which greatly aided his journey to Mo’er.

Thinking this, Richard entered the port, maneuvering the ship through the gaps between the larger vessels and moored in a corner to disembark.

Upon ashore, Richard slightly frowned as he looked at the numerous vessels in the port, puzzled at why so many ships had suddenly converged here. He didn’t ponder further and walked out of the port, entering a tavern called "Fire Burning Wine" on the street that seemed decent.

He sought out a tavern for a simple reason—just like in Hai Ya, he planned to inquire from the tavern owner if there were any ships heading north. After all, taverns served as platforms for information in this era, and nobody knew the goings-on better than tavern owners.

"Tap tap tap..."

Richard walked into the "Fire Burning Wine" tavern, swept his gaze around, and noticed that the tavern was nearly full even in broad daylight, immensely bustling. Somewhat surprised, he turned his head towards the side, his gaze falling on a person behind the oak bar.

The man was gaunt, almost a head taller than an ordinary person, giving the impression of a skull wrapped in human skin, wearing human clothes. However, the man’s expression was very welcoming, greeting people while continuously conveying messages to the kitchen.

"Hello, there’s a table inside, sit wherever you like. What would you like, um, a serving of meat, a bread, okay, just a moment."

"Nopos, a serving of meat, make it a generous portion, a bread, get one that’s freshly baked!"

"All right!"

"Hello, what would you like? Meatball soup, bread, and boiled beans? Alright, find a spot to sit for a moment, I’ll bring your order right away."

"Nopos, a serving of meatball soup, a bread, a serving of boiled beans, hurry, the customer is waiting."

"Got it."

"..."

Richard stepped closer, and the tall, lean tavern owner, smiling, asked, "What would you like, sir? Anything we have, we’ll surely satisfy."

"A glass of water," Richard spoke, pulling out a silver coin.

"A glass of water?" The tavern owner was visibly taken aback but soon personally filled a cup from a nearby water pitcher and placed it before Richard, glancing at the silver coin on the table but not taking it, "Sir, a glass of water is all you want? If so, let me offer it to you as a gift, the money is not needed."

Hearing this, Richard felt a touch of fondness for the tall, lean tavern owner in front of him—at least he was better than the greedy fat tavern owner in Hai Ya Tavern.

However, Richard didn’t take back the silver coin, catching the water passed by the tavern owner and placing it on the counter, he spoke, "No rush, besides water, I have another request."

"A request? Alright, tell me."

"I’d like some information."

"What information?"

"Are there any ships heading north from Muxu Port recently?" Richard asked.

"Ah, this—" The tavern owner was visibly startled upon hearing this, looked at Richard for a while, and said, "If you’re looking to gather this information... the silver coin, really, keep it."

While speaking, the tavern owner pushed the silver coin towards Richard’s side.

"How so?" Richard raised an eyebrow, "Is the money not enough?"

"No, no, no." The tavern owner quickly shook his head, "It’s just that this piece of information is worthless."

"How so?"

"Sir, you must be new to Muxu Port, right?" The tavern owner looked at Richard, asking with a degree of certainty.

"Indeed." Richard responded, as there was nothing to hide.

"Then, sir, you might not be aware of the recent maritime situation?" The tavern owner asked again.

"I don’t know." Richard responded, as there was no need to feign knowledge.

Hearing Richard’s response, the tavern owner took a deep breath, spoke earnestly, "I’ll tell you then. Currently, there isn’t a single ship heading north. You saw the ships in the harbor, right? They’ve all been intercepted by the naval forces up ahead and had to stop here. In a few more days, there might not even be space in the entire port."

"Why?" Richard puzzled, but just uttered a few words when he suddenly recalled a piece of information he had heard before, and spoke out, "Could it be related to the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom?"

"Yes." The tavern owner nodded, giving an affirmative answer, "The Black Holy Mountain Kingdom and the Luobu Kingdom have been fighting, it’s been almost half a month now. The entire sea is blockaded by the Luobu Kingdom’s fleet; no ship can pass, and any found will be sunk!"

Richard listened, blinked, and asked, "So, it seems, in this war between the two nations, the Luobu Kingdom has the upper hand, and... the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom is at a disadvantage?"

As he understood, the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom was the home of Princess Rose, who had a few encounters with him at the White Stone Tower Academy. Although the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom was a Wizard Country, not necessarily having many wizards or strong power, the country was extremely wealthy.

It was because of its wealth to lend money freely to other nations that Princess Rose had many fiancés. How could such an exceedingly wealthy kingdom be defeated by another country he hadn’t even heard of?

Seeing Richard’s expression, the tavern owner said, "You’re surprised, right? Many people are. But let’s face it, that’s the reality, the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom is really... well, not striving hard enough..."

Subsequently, Richard quickly learned from the tavern owner about the war situation between the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom and the Luobu Kingdom and understood just how lackluster the Black Holy Mountain Kingdom really was.