Gregoryâs words instantly brought silence to the room, immediately drawing the attention of everyone present.
The "Shield of Winter" Olaf, having the name of Winterless City as a title, is clearly the name of an extraordinary strong person from the Nightmare Blade.
Moreover, after Gregoryâs reminder, those familiar with Raine also noticed that Raine now had two shields.
The one in his hand was the familiar Obsidian Defender, while the shield on his back seemed unfamiliar, a gilded tower shield with vine patterns on its surface, looking very ancient and precious.
This was clearly equipment Raine did not have before.
Raine did not expect that someone would recognize Olafâs original shield so quickly at the scene.
He also realized that the elder in military uniform had an exceptionally concentrated aura, likely an extraordinary strong person, and although he seemed to be inquiring, both his demeanor and tone were very affirmative, as if he knew Olaf quite well.
After a brief thought, out of respect for the extraordinary strong person, and because the other party appeared to be on his side, Raine smiled and nodded, saying, "Indeed, itâs Olafâs shield."
"Oh? Raine, why did the other side give you the shield? Could it be that after your battle, you became friends?" Laisa, with a peculiar train of thought, suddenly asked a question that left Raine speechless for a moment.
Actually, Laisa couldnât be blamed, because from a normal personâs perspective, no matter how strong Raine was, he couldnât possibly be a match for an extraordinary strong person.
Therefore, no one considered the possibility that Raine defeated the other side and acquired their equipment.
However, after asking the question, Laisa immediately sensed something amiss.
After all, the "Shield of Winter" â an extraordinary strong person with that nickname might give away other things, but would surely cherish their weapon as a treasure, so how could they possibly gift it to Raine?
The possibility was almost negligible.
Laisaâs beautiful eyes instantly widened in realization, exclaiming, "Raine, you... could it be that you defeated the so-called âShield of Winterâ Olaf?"
Laisaâs words were like the heavy tolling of a bell echoing in everyoneâs ears!
"Well... not exactly." Raine said vaguely, "Meredith was helping on the side, and she picked up this shield."
Even though he used a vague manner of speaking, Raine wasnât lying â Meredith indeed picked it up at the time.
The gaze of everyone immediately shifted from Raine to the Drow Elf beside him.
Having faced many big occasions, Meredith didnât panic at all under the stares of so many people. She nodded slightly, softly acknowledging.
Hearing that the shield was picked up by Meredith, both Commodore Gregory and Viscount Henry began observing the Drow Elf, and upon sensing Meredithâs Level 9 Classes aura, they nodded slightly, as if thinking "That makes more sense."
However, those well aware of Raineâs strength, such as Elise, Laisa, and Ryu Teng, glanced at Meredith and then back at Raine, immediately realizing something â clearly, the shield must have been obtained because of Raine.
"Mr. Raine, itâs wonderful that youâve returned safely; you have guests here, so weâll be on our way." At this time, Schneider, the captain of the Giant Blade Squad, stepped forward, representing everyone to greet Raine.
"Thank you for your concern, Captain Schneider. We shall cooperate again when we have the opportunity." Raine shook Schneiderâs hand, expressing his gratitude.
"Mr. Raine, Iâll hold you to that, hahaha."
Although the other party didnât help much, Schneider staying to discuss ways to support him with Elise and others made Raine feel somewhat touched.
"By the way, Raine, and Miss Meredith, what would you like to eat? Iâll go prepare something for you right now." Laisa, curiously patting the ancient gilded tower shield Raine carried, promptly regained her cook instincts.
"Anything is fine."
"Great, whatâs there to eat?" Having traveled through the night and with daytime meals long digested, the ravenously hungry Raine couldnât help but swallow as he asked.
"Thereâs white bread, honey oatmeal crisps, blue-veined cheese, fried eggs, venison pie, honey milk, pickled salmon... What do you want to eat?" Laisa recited, ticking off the items on her fingers.
"Laisa, serve it all for Mr. Raine," said Elise beside him.
"Yes, Miss Laisa, do you need help?" Ryu Teng also asked.
"Alright! Your appetite is big, so weâll serve it all. Leave it to me, itâll be ready soon!" Laisa nodded with a smile, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
Henry, who was just about to get up, was stunned.
âWow!â
âSuch a sumptuous breakfast? Even better than what I eat!â
Henry felt a bit unbalanced inside. He looked at Baron Olsen and Benest beside him, stood up, and said, "Then we shall continue to Dorne City."
In truth, seeing Raine so popular among the young women made Henry feel somewhat uneasy.
He always considered himself rather handsome, and in the Royal Capital, he often received invitations from noblemaidens and even noblewomen.
But he never expected that today he would...
"Raine, rest well." Baron Olsen shook hands with Raine with a smile.
"Thank you!"
"Mr. Raine, see you next time," Colonel Tessa said amicably as she stepped forward to shake hands.
She still admired Raineâs strength.
And when Benest came forward, Raine suddenly remembered something and said:
"By the way, Mr. Benest, thereâs news Iâm unsure if the Harpers Alliance is interested in, but the purpose of the Silver Squad âNightmare Bladeâ going to Lankote Snowfield was to search for a Necromancy Crystal."
"Necromancy Crystal?" Benest froze at this information.
And even more surprising to Raine was that the few people walking toward the door, whether Viscount Henry or Commodore Gregory, suddenly turned back to look at Raine, eyes widening with a look of shock.
Viscount Henry immediately hurried back, asking somewhat urgently, "Necromancy Crystal? Did you just say Necromancy Crystal?"
Unlike most on the scene who were unaware of the details, Henry, due to his special identity, knew some top-secret kingdom information.
Recently, a classified message reported that an avatar of a certain evil god, in order to enhance its power, was organizing followers to collect Necromancy Crystals, and the recent turmoil within the Soladin Kingdom was closely related to the covert actions of this entity.
If he could thwart this action, he would surely receive more commendations and promotions than just pacifying Dorne City.
"Well..." However, faced with Henryâs urgent expression, Raine looked at Benest and Olsen, seeing both of them nod slightly before he said, "If nothing goes wrong, it should be beneath the Ice Lake."
"But the Ice Lake is quite large, almost as big as half of Mill Town." Saying this, Raine took out a map and pointed near the center of Lankote Snowfield.
"This is the place."
Viscount Henry and Commodore Gregory glanced at the map, then exchanged a look, and Viscount Henry said, "It seems we must head to Lankote Snowfield first! Commodore Gregory, have the Kreet Squad set off for Lankote Snowfield immediately!"
"Alright!" Gregory nodded.
Seemingly thinking of something, Viscount Henry smiled at Raine and said, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Raine. By the way, Mr. Raine, if youâre available, could you accompany us?"
To reach the Ice Lake as quickly as possible, having Raine, who was familiar with the situation, as a guide would be most convenient.
Many times, even with a map and route, the actual journey can vary significantly due to terrain, making the presence of a guide crucial.
In response, Raine almost immediately shook his head, saying, "Iâm sorry, I just returned and have important matters to attend to, Viscount, my apologies."
It wasnât due to injuries or simply to report back to the association; it was because of this shield he carried, which he needed to deal with promptly.
He planned to go to the association after breakfast and have the shield directly melted and the star iron extracted through the associationâs channels.
...