Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 156 Solago Canal

Under the blazing sun, the Solago Canal resembles a sandy yellow knife mark, cleaving through the lush jungle. The deep, long whistle of the steamboats reverberates across the water as they slowly pass through the locks, stirring up turbid waves.

The seagulls perched on the mast seemed to take it all in stride, tilting their heads back and watching the cargo ships sail past them. Occasionally, one or two would take off and land to peek at the restaurant stalls on the shore to see if anyone had ordered fish and chips.

A T-shaped convertible came to a stop in front of the governor's building, which displayed the black thorn flower flag of the Kingdom of Finn.

Dorwan and Delina, two tall, half-dragon people, escorted the petite figure into the building.

Governor Lute of Morgans personally brought a cup of Earl Grey tea to the coffee table and placed it in front of the young dragon girl.

"I'm quite surprised that the head of the Holonig family has come in person. I hope the journey was smooth?"

The kind-looking, somewhat portly middle-aged man squinted and chuckled as he spoke.

Ita didn't even glance at the black tea that had been brewed for her on the table. She placed her hands on her knees and looked coldly at Governor Lut in front of her.

"All the necessary procedures and official seals should have been submitted to the Canal Inspectorate, and the deposit has been paid in full. There are no other requirements. Your company should release the ship tonight."

The ship was previously detained because the Canal Inspectorate had reported that there were magical security issues on board. After a thorough inspection, the ship could not be allowed to enter the port, and the family's ship was detained for nearly a month.

Lute took a sip of his black tea and nodded.

“Indeed, you should be released. To be honest, if I hadn’t been forced to take responsibility by the higher-ups, I shouldn’t have been detained for so long. After all, the kingdom values ​​you very much. If I were to handle this matter casually, it would be a dereliction of duty on my part as governor.”

He kept spouting empty platitudes, but never got to the point.
"By the way, is this your first time in Morgans? What do you think of the scenery? Tourism here is quite developed, to be honest."

“I don’t think I came here to chat, Governor Lute.” Itana’s delicate brows were already furrowed.

"Yes, that's right," Lute said with a forced smile.

"Now, let's get back to the main point. If all goes well, the permit should be issued on the 4th of next month, and your vessel and 14 crew members should be able to return safely."

“Next month,” Ita’s expression darkened, “are you kidding me?”

"I'm so sorry, so sorry," Lute apologized with a smile. "We had no choice. As you know, it's a sensitive time right now. We have too many ships and cargo that need to be inspected, and the procedures need to be processed layer by layer. That's the only time we can manage. Please understand."

"The ship's inspection report and lock passage notarization were completed four months ago. Now you're telling me we still need to prepare them?" Ita's tone was clearly tinged with anger.

“Well…” Lute looked troubled. “So, I’m really sorry, Miss Ita, but that’s just how it is. In the end, I’m just doing my job for the Kingdom. If you can’t wait, you can contact Director Henry of the Kingdom’s Administrative Bureau. As long as he issues a letter of guarantee, I will release you immediately.”

Seeing the other party's pretentious attitude, Ita snorted coldly, got up and left without saying goodbye.

Lute simply smiled indifferently at Ita's disregard for him.

Doruvin stared at Lut for a moment, then followed Ita's footsteps.

Lute stood by the window, watching the figures get into the car and drive away through the gate.

He sneered:
"Ha, dragons, in the end they're nothing but livestock."

The vehicle headed towards the hotel. The convertible couldn't shield it from the sand and dust along the way and the scorching sun. Ita, wearing sunglasses, leaned back in the seat without saying a word, gazing at the exotic houses and buildings along the canal.

Delina turned around from the passenger seat and said to Ita, "Master, the allocation will be completed tonight."

Delina didn't continue, waiting for Ita's reply.

Ita was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's wait until tomorrow night to take action."

Should we change the plan?

“No, we’ll stick to the original plan, but the operation will be rescheduled for tomorrow night,” Ita said.

Delina and Doruvin exchanged a glance. Doruvin, who was driving, nodded slightly, and she didn't ask any more questions.

"I understand."

Back at the hotel, Ita wearily walked into her room, took off her coat, and collapsed onto the large, soft bed. Two days of travel, plus the constant handling of various matters along the way, and without a break upon arrival—immediately going to the Governor's Mansion for a confrontation—left her feeling utterly exhausted.

However, this fatigue cannot be relieved for the time being. From today until the day after tomorrow, she will have to maintain a high-pressure state. Although the emperor has already made a plan, the specific execution still depends on her. Whether it succeeds or not is also up to her.

"It's so annoying."

Frustrated, she grabbed the pillow from the head of the bed and threw it onto the floor in a fit of anger.
Someone knocked on the door: "Master, what's wrong?"

Ita clicked his tongue: "It's alright, don't worry about me."

She stood up and picked up the pillow. Just as she stood up, she saw a familiar figure walking by on the street outside the window.

She hurried over, but when she tried to take a closer look, the figure had already disappeared.

She was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"The pressure was just too much. What's Caesar doing here?"

On the street, Caesar pressed down his sun hat and pulled up the mask that covered half his face.

The Morgans region is mostly inhabited by people of dark brown race, and their appearance differs significantly from that of the Finns. People with striking features like him would attract attention, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, he concealed his identity.

"Master, I'm so hungry!"

The voice of Muyue echoed in my mind.

“I fed you just two hours ago,” Caesar said.

"But I'm still hungry because I haven't eaten enough," Mu Yue's voice became weak and listless.

“I told you to stay in the Boundless Heavenly Domain instead of running around outside these past two days,” Caesar said.

Under normal circumstances, sword users do not need to eat, but if they maintain a physical form for a long time, they will still consume energy. This energy can be replenished either through magic or through ordinary eating.

Because she had brought Twilight Moon out these past two days, and it had maintained its physical form throughout the journey, Caesar was reluctant to let her return to the Realm of No Form, saying that she had finally come out and wanted to spend more time with Caesar like this.

This resulted in its constant energy consumption, and it basically ate and ate every day. In any era, the food on the train was so expensive that it hurt Caesar's wallet.

Although he was somewhat angry with Muyue, he still arrived at a food shop.

This place sells Solago's signature grilled meat. Inside the shop, there's a grill rack with skewered meat that looks like pillars, sprinkled with various spices, sizzling and oozing with oil, and the aroma of meat is irresistible.

The grilled meat sold here is similar to tacos, with the meat wrapped in tortillas, served with salad, pickles, and various sauces, which is very tempting.

Because Solago was heavily colonized by Fein, although it had its own currency, the currency that circulated was primarily Fein's gold.

This "taco" is 1 gold 9 daka.

Compared to the capital city, this price and portion size is quite cheap.

Caesar paid with a ten-gold note and asked for five tacos.

"see you next time!"

The shopkeeper, speaking in broken Iroman, handed him change and an oil paper bag with a simple, joyful smile on his face.

Caesar said thank you and reached out to take it.

Although the Morgans region is an overseas enclave of the Kingdom of Fein and boasts one of the world's busiest canals, its native inhabitants are not wealthy, and most of them still rely on handicrafts for survival.

In 542, Fein passed the Treaty of Fesso, which transformed the Morgans region of Solago, with a total area of ​​1563 square kilometers, into a canal zone and granted permanent use rights to the canal. A governor was appointed, the Solago Canal Company was established, and Fein's laws were applied to the region, giving it a complete monopoly on the development and use of the canal.

The Solago government and its residents receive negligible benefits from the canal, and are even required by the treaty to invest significant human and material resources in its maintenance annually.
At the mouth of the canal stands a monument inscribed with the names of the scientists, architects, and engineers who made outstanding contributions to its construction, but none of the tens of thousands of local laborers who died during its construction.

(End of this chapter)