At the border between the two countries, Henwell rides a bck warhorse, draped in a cloak of bck and red. He reins in the horse to a halt on a small hill, scanning his surroundings. Reaching into his coat, he pulls out a colpsible monocur, sweeping it over the woods and slopes.

  Though this world has gss, Henwell's dream of becoming rich by making gss like other transmigrators is unrealistic. It's not about the cost; it's about not having the time and energy to dabble in everything. What Henwell truly desires is a rge supply of high-quality steel and advanced basic building materials. Gss isn't his top priority. However, that doesn't mean he can't craft some high-quality gss himself.

  The monocur in his hand is exactly the kind of thing Henwell wants. Being able to see far and clearly is crucial for military operations. Henwell carefully packs away the newly crafted monocur, knowing its value. From manufacturing high-transparency gss to grinding convex and concave lenses, and finally assembling the colpsible tube, every step is meticulously handcrafted.

  It took Henwell dozens of failed attempts to achieve this result. Once he succeeded, his friends in the chat group quickly took the idea to further study it.

  Now, with this tool, Henwell can clearly observe scenes several kilometers away, specifically crafted for this marriage alliance journey. He has three days before meeting up with Arius. Arriving early, Henwell uses this time to survey the surrounding terrain.

  Three days ter, Arius's group arrives at the small border town, but there's no sign of Henwell. The entourage consists of about a hundred people, with a little less than half being combat personnel.

  The leader of the guard is a middle-aged man in his forties, a Knight Commander named Taitnt. Knight Commander is another advanced profession of knights, slightly inclined towards team combat. Although this role leans slightly towards team combat, Taitnt's personal strength far exceeds that of a regur knight.

  The guard is divided into two teams, each with twelve knights led by capable captains. Anthony and Chabri, both in their early thirties, head these two squads. Anthony hails from the duchy's royal knight guard, while Chabri comes from the Blood Lion Knights.

  In addition, there's a squad made up of Arius's personal guardian knights. This sixteen-member team is led by a young man named Robin, who appears to be just over twenty. Robin, a childhood friend of Arius, has achieved the rank of knight. In this squad, not all members are knights; only Robin and five others hold that rank.

  However, the remaining ten warriors are much like Rawkins and Ay from before, possessing the potential to become knights and are not far from breaking through to that level.

  These forty-three guards form the main protective force for Arius. The rest are officials sent by the court, led by the duchy's ceremonial officer, Cronin. Serving Arius personally is a butler from the Jansen family named Samuel. However, half of the servants come from the court, not entirely from the Phoenix family.

  That evening, Samuel approaches Arius. "Young master, we haven't found Henwell yet. He might not have arrived."

  Robin, the guardian knight, looks displeased. "How can he be so unreliable? We've informed him well in advance about this important matter, and yet he dares to be te."

  Arius waves it off with a smile. "Henwell is really busy! Everything at Peace Haven needs his attention. It's his hands-on approach that's making Peace Haven develop so rapidly."

  Robin insists, "Arius, this shows a ck of respect for you!"

  Arius remains unconcerned. "I know Henwell well; he doesn't mean any disrespect. Besides, asking him to come all this way again makes me feel guilty. Peace Haven is several days' journey from here, and he might have encountered some weather issues. It's okay for us to leave two days ter. We're not on an urgent mission, and the princess of the Billie Kingdom isn't escaping to anywhere! What's the rush?"

  Cronin, the ceremonial officer from the duchy, speaks sternly. "Arius, watch your words! Such remarks shouldn't come from you."

  Arius gives a sheepish grin and then shifts the conversation to other topics.

  Among those present, only Robin looks displeased, and he has his reasons for disliking Henwell. Originally, as Arius's companion, Robin was actually groomed from a young age to be Arius's stand-in. Although he's four years older than Arius, he grew at a slower pace. Three years ago, he was on the verge of becoming a knight, and his height and build were simir to Arius's.

  As a visible stand-in, when Grand Duke Amir started showing favor towards Arius, Robin quickly caught the attention of the opposition. The result was a setup against him. Although he survived, his reputation suffered some blemishes. He became the subject of ridicule among many nobles, losing the chance to walk the Path of Honor for Arius.

  Robin always believed that Henwell was just a lucky guy who took over his role. He isn't fully aware of Henwell's experiences but is confident he could achieve, or even surpass, Henwell's accomplishments. Everything Henwell has now should have been his.

  Although Arius still treats him well and has promised that he will become a knight baron in the near future, Robin feels it's too slow. How can a knight baron compare to a knight lord?

  He still has a long way to go to revive his family, and he once thought that by following the Path of Honor, he might have a chance. Robin actually met Henwell once, st year when Arius visited the Phoenix family. However, Henwell was preoccupied at the time and didn't pay much attention to him. To Robin, this felt like a btant insult.

  So now, hearing that Henwell hasn't arrived on time, fills him with anger.

  As Robin broods, the innkeeper approaches. "Excuse me, is there anyone here from the Phoenix family?"

  Everyone turns to look, startling the innkeeper. Samuel, Arius's butler, steps forward. "That's me. What's the matter?"

  The innkeeper points outside. "There's a little girl at the door saying she needs to speak to someone from the Phoenix family. She has a message!"

  Arius gnces at the group, and Knight Chabri stands up. "I'll go check it out."

  Moments ter, Samuel and Knight Chabri return with a six or seven-year-old girl. Arius curiously asks, "What's your message?"

  The girl thinks for a moment. "He said he's gone ahead and is waiting for you! His name is... uh, his name is..."

  After pondering for a while, the girl pouts, her eyes welling up with tears. "I forgot! His name is hard to remember!"

  Arius chuckles. "Don't worry, he's called Henwell, isn't he?"

  The girl quickly nods. "Yes! That's the name!"

  Arius smiles. "Alright, I've got the message! You should hurry home now!"

  The girl extends her hand. "He said you need to give me money!"