Final Lord

Chapter 325 Road Guide
Wang Bufu's cloak fluttered in the howling wind as he narrowed his amber eyes, gazing at the strange land before him, eroded by wind and sand.

On the border of the Principality of Rock Beach, two pale, towering rocks, hundreds of meters high, stand like sleeping giants. The weathered rock surfaces, illuminated by the setting sun, outline lifelike human faces—a deep crack running across the "bridge of the nose," like a scar left by time.

"Twin Stones City. A border city of the Principality of Rock Beach, a key trading hub."

Wang Bufu gazed at the city, whose inhabitants were wrapped from head to toe in thick linen, even their eyes protected by fine mesh. As the wind swept through the streets, the fluttering headscarves danced like countless pale ghosts, the sand grains pattering against the fabric with a soft rustling sound.

"Let's go!" Wang Bufu waved his hand, and the caravan slowly approached Shuangshi City.

"stop!"

As the carriage approached the gates of Twin Stone City, a squad of fully armed border guards suddenly emerged from the crevices in the rocks. They wore heat-insulating metal masks, and their voices echoed dully through the masks.

The head guard raised his halberd, the cold glint of its tip flashing across Wang Bufu's face: "Unfamiliar face, you need to be questioned upon disembarking!"

Wang Bufu noticed that the seams of the guards' armor were wrapped with oilcloth to protect them from sand, and each of them had a copper pot containing fresh water hanging from their waist—standard equipment for those who lived in saline-alkali land for a long time.

Just as the atmosphere suddenly became tense, Steward Ming strode forward, pulled down his hood to reveal a weathered face, and said in a dialect with a Yantan accent, "Gentlemen, you've worked hard."

Butler Ming took out several exquisite bronze bottles from his robes, each engraved with the emblem of the Stag Kingdom: "This is cedarwood essential oil, a specialty of the Stag Kingdom. Applying it inside your mask can relieve the burning sensation from sandstorms."

The guards exchanged glances, their tense shoulders visibly relaxing. Steward Ming seized the opportunity to lower his voice: "Our caravan was attacked by bandits; all our goods and pack animals were stolen… We only request a brief rest at your esteemed location before departing soon."

The guard captain lifted his mask and sniffed the essential oil, a look of surprise appearing on his wind-eroded face: "It is indeed from the Duchy of the Stag."

He turned and waved to his companions: "Take them to the Salt Crystal Inn—and remember to tell the landlady that Captain Charles referred them."

Upon entering the city, Wang Bufu asked in surprise, "Steward Ming, you also speak the language of the Principality of Yantan?"

“I was surprised too.” Butler Ming smiled and said, “We used to have a male servant in our territory who was from the Duchy of Rock Beach. I learned some Rock Beach language from him. I should have forgotten it long ago, but since my time talent was awakened, these memories that I should have forgotten have been retrieved from the river of forgetfulness.”

As the guards made way, Wang Bufu saw that all the buildings in the city adopted a rounded, streamlined design, and even the window frames were made into a honeycomb structure.

Butler Ming leaned closer and whispered, "The Rock Beach people call this kind of building a 'wind shelter.' Each protrusion is precisely calculated to disperse wind pressure. The Rock Beach Principality suffers from severe wind and sand erosion, and without this design, the houses would have a very short lifespan."

"Did that male servant from the Principality of Rock Beach tell you this as well?"

“That’s right.” Butler Ming said with a smile, “I’ve prepared a lot of little things to help us get through this time, so the journey should be much smoother.”

Salt Crystal Hostel.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the desert border of the Rock Beach Principality, turning the entire sand dune a crimson hue. Wang Bufu and Wei Yi pushed open the slightly worn wooden door of the Salt Crystal Inn, and a warm breeze carrying the scent of spices and sea salt rushed towards them.

Wang Bufu led Steward Ming into the inn, looking around.

The hostel was dimly lit, with various dried foods and yellowed maps hanging on the walls, and several wooden barrels filled with coarse salt piled in the corner.

Behind the counter, a woman wrapped in a dark red scarf was wiping wine glasses with her head down. Hearing footsteps, she slowly raised her head, revealing a pair of amber eyes, sharp and steady in her gaze.

“Welcome, strangers. Are you two staying at the inn or dining?” Her voice was low and hoarse, as if weathered by wind and sand. “Stay at the inn, and also to inquire about some news. It’s related to the trade routes.” Wang Bufu placed a few gold coins on the counter, the clinking of metal ringing out crisply in the quiet inn.

The proprietress glanced at the gold coins but didn't accept them immediately. Instead, she sighed softly, "The Duchy of Rock Beach has been quite turbulent lately. If you are merchants, you'd better leave as soon as possible."

Wang Bufu frowned. His destination was the obelisk in the chaotic zone, and if the situation in the Principality of Rock Beach was unstable and the border was under martial law, he would probably have a hard time reaching his destination.

"What exactly happened?" he asked in a deep voice.

The proprietress put down her wine glass, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and spoke solemnly:
"In the autumn, the old king of the Eagle Kingdom passed away, and a struggle for the throne immediately broke out in the country."

Our two epic dukes of the Rocky Beach Duchy—'Iron Wall' Horn and 'Raging Waves' Carlos—have each led their elite troops, betting on the third and second princes of the Eagle Kingdom, hoping to profit from the succession.

She paused, a hint of sarcasm flashing in her eyes: "And the result? The eldest princess of the Eagle Kingdom suddenly took over the palace, the two princes were utterly defeated, and the two dukes also perished on the battlefield, their bodies never to be found."

Wang Bufu's eyes darkened. The fall of two epic-level powerhouses was enough to plunge the entire Rock Beach Duchy into a power vacuum, and the ensuing chaos was unimaginable.

"How is things going within the duchy now?" he pressed.

The landlady shook her head: "What else can we do? The families of the two dukes are fighting for power, martial law has been declared on the border, caravans are being checked, mercenaries are being conscripted, and even small inns like ours have seen a lot more spies lately."

She lowered her voice and gave Wang Bufu a meaningful look: "If you're not here to do business... you'd better be careful."

Wang Bufu remained silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Thanks for the reminder."

The landlady put away the gold coins, turned around and took out a key, handing it to him: "The room at the end of the second floor has the best view; you can see the entire Twin Stone City."

Wang Bufu took the key and gestured to Butler Ming with his eyes.

He went to the inn to rest first, while the steward stayed behind to chat with the landlady in the local dialect.

After awakening his time-related talent, Butler Ming's appearance became increasingly handsome.

Although he was old, he didn't look old at all; instead, he looked like a lord in a high position.

Clearly, Butler Ming had a knack for dealing with middle-aged women. Before he even reached the top of the stairs, he heard the landlady's coquettish laughter behind him.

Twenty minutes later, Butler Ming sauntered up.

He waved his hand, revealing a somewhat yellowed parchment in his hand.

"Young master, we have obtained the travel permit for the border city of the Principality of Rock Beach. It cost five thousand gold coins."

Just as you predicted, there was a reason why the guard recommended this inn to us.

(End of this chapter)