Chapter 554 - 421: Seagull Port and the White Siblings

These words left Hank stunned.

He had expected mockery or harsh threats.

"Sovereignty is the soul of a territory. I understand that better than anyone,"

Raylo continued.

"That’s why I’ve never intended to strip you of your control over Seagull Port."

"What do you mean?"

Freya, keenly grasping the key point in his words, was the one who asked.

Raylo didn’t answer directly. Instead, he took a step back, giving the tense siblings more space.

"Perhaps we can cooperate in a different way."

He looked at the White siblings, Hank and Freya, and threw out a brand-new concept.

"Seagull Port can join Black Stone Territory as a ’special port.’"

"A special port?"

A thoughtful expression appeared in Freya’s eyes.

It was a term she had never heard before.

"That’s right."

Raylo nodded and began to elaborate on his vision.

"Seagull Port will still belong to the White Family. In return, you, Hank White and Freya White, will represent the White Family in swearing fealty to me. I can guarantee that I will grant the White Family the title of Hereditary Baron."

"I will not dispatch a single official here, nor will I interfere in any of your internal decisions. All I will do is fulfill our pact, providing you with the military might to resist a Catastrophe and a stable supply of materials and trade routes from Black Stone Territory,"

Raylo said slowly.

Freya’s breathing had become a little ragged.

A bright light erupted in her eyes.

This not only solved Seagull Port’s most immediate, fatal crisis but also painted an incredibly magnificent blueprint for its future.

With the backing of the Thunder Dragon Duchy and a rapidly rising power like Raylo, the heights Seagull Port could reach in the future would far surpass any previous era.

And all they had to give up was nominal allegiance.

Trading a title for the survival and future of the entire port.

’No matter how you look at it, this is a winning deal.’

"Brother."

Freya turned her head to look at her still-hesitant brother and said,

"This is our... only chance."

Hank’s lips moved, but no words came out.

The high wall in his heart, built of family honor and legacy, was shaking violently under the force of Raylo’s words.

Raylo watched him, knowing he needed one final push.

"Hank White."

Raylo’s voice rang out again.

"To protect is not to stubbornly cling to the past. Sometimes, it means choosing a brighter path so that your home can better endure."

"You are protecting Seagull Port and its thousands of survivors, not the White Family’s ethereal, so-called sovereignty."

"The sovereignty of a Lord who cannot protect his own people is worthless."

This sentence, like a sharp sword, completely pierced the last line of defense in Hank’s heart.

He snapped his head up to look at Raylo, his bloodshot eyes filled with a complex and violent internal struggle.

After a long while,

As if using all the strength in his body, he slowly uttered two words.

"I... agree."

The moment he spoke those two words, it was as if all the spirit had been drained from him.

But at the same time, the immense boulder that had been weighing on his heart for months finally came crashing down.

He felt a sense of relief he had never known before.

A radiant smile of profound relief spread across Freya’s face.

Overcome with excitement, she even reached out and squeezed her brother’s arm tightly.

A faint smile also appeared on Raylo’s face.

He extended his hand.

"Then, welcome aboard, Master of White Port."

Hank looked at Raylo’s outstretched hand, fell silent for a moment, and finally extended his own, grasping it firmly.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Count Raylo."

The agreement was made.

The last ray of the setting sun sank below the horizon.

Raylo had dinner with the White siblings, and they discussed matters concerning the reconstruction of Seagull Port.

Freya pointed out that the biggest obstacle to rebuilding Seagull Port—and the cause of its destruction—was the Deep Sea Giant Whale still roaming the Outer Sea near the port.

Because of its presence, Seagull Port couldn’t communicate or trade with the outside world, and the necessary reconstruction materials couldn’t be shipped in.

Raylo then asked about the situation at Storm Cape to the South.

Hank recalled that for the past month or two, merchants and adventurers had constantly mentioned that the master of Storm Cape, the Catastrophe Level Flowing Wind Giant Dragon, had entered a frenzied state. Storm Cape was now shrouded in a storm whipped up by the Giant Dragon, making it impossible to traverse.

Raylo did not stay in Seagull Port for long.

But before leaving, Raylo mounted Baofeng and flew out over the sea.

He patrolled the Outer Sea for half an hour and faintly saw a colossal shadow wandering beneath the waves.

The shadow was enormous, nearly two thousand meters long and several hundred meters wide, moving slowly underwater.

Occasionally, its dorsal fin would break the surface, rising high like the sail of a ship.

The waterspout it created when it surfaced to breathe shot into the clouds, reaching a height of a thousand meters.

Raylo had been circling on Baofeng at an altitude of five or six hundred meters. Realizing this distance was not safe in the face of this oceanic Giant Beast, he patted Baofeng, urging it to climb higher.

An hour later, Raylo left the area, flying east.

In the night sky on his way back, the sea breeze carried a cool dampness.

Riding Baofeng, Raylo flew at a thousand-meter altitude, looking down at the vast, hazy land below, bathed in the moonlight.

From the Black Stone Mountain Range, to Amber Lake, and then to the coastline of the Endless Sea.

Black Stone Territory, Amber Territory, Seagull Port.

These three territories, once unrelated, were now tightly bound together by an invisible thread.

An indescribable sense of pride surged through Raylo’s heart.

But it was immediately replaced by a heavy pressure.

His gaze shifted to the Endless Sea behind him, which looked deep and dangerous in the darkness of night.

The Catastrophe Level Deep Sea Giant Whale.

’An opponent whose name alone is enough to suffocate any being below the rank of Legend.’

He had promised the White Siblings protection against a Catastrophe Level threat.

It was a promise he had to keep.

’I need a sufficiently powerful ally.’

’A being that also stands at the pinnacle of the Catastrophe Level.’

The figure of the Thunder Dragon Astra surfaced in Raylo’s mind.

’Perhaps only Her Excellency can help me solve this problem.’

「The next morning.」

Raylo, riding Baofeng, slowly landed in the open space in front of the temporary camp.

Returning to his tent, Raylo did not rest. Instead, he unrolled a sheet of parchment and wrote a letter.

The letter was for the Duke. It primarily described the agreement reached with Seagull Port, expressing hope for the Duke’s support. At the same time, he asked the Duke for the authority to grant a Hereditary Baron title.

After finishing the letter, Raylo placed the rolled-up parchment inside a bamboo tube.

The three little ones—Lightning, Moonlight, and Coal Ball—were already huddled together on the bed, fast asleep. Raylo considered waking Lightning to deliver the letter to Thunder Dragon City, but decided against it. He would wait for the little guy to wake up.

Raylo lay down on a nearby lounge chair, still fully clothed, to rest.

When he awoke, it was almost Noon.

The three little ones were already awake and had run outside to play wildly.

Raylo called out for them a few times.

The trio appeared from the bustling construction site and ran back to Raylo’s side.

Raylo patted Lightning’s little rump.

A flash of leaping blue electricity appeared.

When the light faded, Lightning’s magnificent true form as a Thunder Dragon was revealed.

After its recent growth spurt, its body was a size larger. Its blue scales reflected a metallic luster in the sunlight, and tiny arcs of electricity crackled between them with an audible CRACKLE.

It let out an affectionate low growl and nuzzled its head against Raylo’s arm.

"Lightning."

Raylo stroked its cool, smooth scales as he tied the bamboo tube to one of Lightning’s burgeoning Dragon Horns.

"I need you to run an errand for me."

Lightning raised its head, its blue eyes fixed on Raylo without blinking.

"Go to Thunder Dragon City."

Raylo’s voice was deep and firm.

"Deliver this letter to Aiden Duke, and at the same time, take a verbal message to Her Excellency Astra."

He paused, then said, word by word,

"Just tell her I have an urgent matter that requires her help, and ask her to come to Black Stone Territory as soon as possible."

"ROAR!"

Lightning let out a clear, resounding dragon cry in response.