Setting aside the fact that Nolan had personally slain several champions and high ranking officers of the Cuckoo Army, along with that infamous Preceptor, just the feat of reversing Caria's crisis and restoring its former glory was enough to astonish the world.
That was why his image had already been carved deep into the hearts of every person in Caria, like a rising light of hope.
And for that very reason, it was only natural that the Lunar Princess would fall for someone as exceptional as him.
Melina pressed her lips together.
"Why did you stop talking? Don't tell me you're actually scared. Ha ha, this is nothing yet."
Nolan tightened his grip on the reins and guided Torrent into a gradual slowdown.
The hooves tapped lightly against the ground before finally coming to a steady stop by the river in the southwest corner.
The view here was wide open. In the distance stood a sizable military camp, and high above it a banner embroidered with the vivid image of a Cuckoo fluttered in the wind.
"Forget Liurnia of the Lakes. Believe it or not, even if we rode all the way to the Royal Capital, you'd still hear stories about me."
Nolan smiled as he spoke, full of confidence.
But Melina kept her head lowered and did not even look at him. Her reply was cold.
"Whether I believe it or not makes no difference. No matter what earthshaking things you've done in the past, none of it has anything to do with me."
In an instant, the previously easygoing mood froze over.
Nolan blinked in surprise and thought to himself, What brought this on all of a sudden? Is this girl hitting a rebellious phase or something?
He spread his hands helplessly, shook his head, and looked away from the girl lost in her own thoughts.
Melina stayed in the same position, quietly leaning against Nolan's back, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist like a well behaved little cat.
But her lips stayed shut, and she did not say a word, as though everything around her had been sealed away from her.
Seeing that, Nolan could only let out a faint sigh and rode slowly toward the camp.
When they got close, he saw a crude checkpoint built from a fence of thick wooden logs.
The knight standing guard at the entrance wore armor draped in a blue surcoat. An old friend of his, a Cuckoo Knight.
This time, though, the Cuckoo Knights were not accompanied by Sorcerers in Glintstone Crowns, but by Graceless Ones who seemed to have crawled up from underground.
Ever since the Magic Academy shut its gates, the Cuckoos had been forced to withdraw from the lands west of Gatefront Town.
On the surface, they still carried the title of the Academy's mercenaries, but in truth, the Academy had no power to control them anymore.
Now the Cuckoos had already seized the rest of the Academy's territory and taken power firmly into their own hands.
The situation in Liurnia of the Lakes had settled into a delicate three way balance.
The strongest faction had become Caria. Next came the Cuckoos, who had risen into a power of their own, and last was the Magic Academy, which remained shut behind closed doors.
"So they really are cuckoos. They actually pulled off a real cuckoo taking over the magpie's nest. These bastards really know how to seize an opportunity."
Standing on higher ground, Nolan slowly swept his gaze across the scene before him and could not help sighing in admiration.
He studied the area carefully and found no obvious signs of looting, but the taxes here were shockingly high.
Quite a few soldiers were patrolling to maintain order. They were still overbearing, but not as vicious as before.
It was clear this group of Cuckoos was trying to change. They wanted to complete a grand transformation, from bandits into masters.
They wanted to turn the land beneath their feet into something that belonged to them.
"Big ambitions."
Nolan thought to himself. With his experience and insight, he could naturally see the problems hidden underneath it all.
To be fair, the commander of the Cuckoo Knights really was a true born warlord.
The Tarnished and ordinary people were clearly being treated differently.
Those Cuckoo Knights paid no attention at all to Nolan as he approached, as if he were no more than air.
Yet a Tarnished led a group of men forward to greet him warmly.
"Tarnished?" the one in front asked, looking Nolan up and down with a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
"Yes," Nolan replied with a calm nod.
"Would you be interested in joining the Cuckoos? Lord Kercius is currently gathering heroes from across the land. If you're willing to cast your lot with the Cuckoos, you'll definitely be treated very well."
The Tarnished glanced at the girl behind Nolan, then at the armor on his body, their eyes practically lighting up.
"Not interested."
"Ah, well, if that's the case, then forget it. You can go through." The leading Tarnished did not press him for long.
The whole exchange went unexpectedly smoothly, and Nolan could not help frowning a little.
He turned to the merchants coming and going and asked in confusion, "No toll?"
"Looks like you haven't been awake for long. Lord Kercius has always been generous toward the Tarnished."
The Tarnished shook his head, then lowered his voice.
"But I should warn you. Caria isn't very friendly toward the Tarnished."
That made Nolan raise a brow.
He fell silent for a moment, unsure whether to believe it, then quietly headed past the checkpoint.
With a crisp burst of rapid hoofbeats, the spirit steed beneath Nolan surged forward.
Its hooves lifted high and crashed back down, sending clumps of dirt flying everywhere.
Torrent sped along the western shore of Liurnia of the Lakes, racing ahead like the wind.
After entering Caria's territory, Nolan changed into Caria Knight armor to avoid unnecessary trouble.
To his right, the lake shimmered in the light.
Small, elegant boats patrolled the water in neat formation.
They were packed closely together, forming a tight defensive line that sealed off the entire lake.
To the left stretched broad farmlands and scattered villages.
When the farmers standing along the field ridges spotted Nolan from afar, they all stopped what they were doing and waved to greet him.
Several squads of soldiers in Caria armor were patrolling along the riverbank with shields in hand and spears at the ready.
Farther ahead, a towering mountain wreathed in mist lay across the horizon like a giant dragon. Its slopes were thick with lush trees, and jagged rock formations could be seen here and there through the greenery.
But the most striking sight of all was the Caria banner flying high from the summit, snapping loudly in the wind as if proclaiming to the world who this land belonged to.
The terrain of the mountain was extremely treacherous. The cliffs were so steep they inspired fear, and there was simply no passable road to be found.
With no other choice, anyone wishing to continue onward had to take a boat along the river, passing through the Village of the Albinaurics to reach their destination.
Nolan rode to the lakeshore and looked at the groups of plump second generation Albinaurics. He gave the reins a light tug, and the little bull horse beneath him obediently came to a stop.