Carl was taken aback by Adela’s sudden, stern tone. His face fell, but he didn’t back down. Instead, he jutted out his chin and retorted, "I’m just stating the facts! Are you saying the reports from the Imperial intelligence department are baseless? Besides, a hero is a hero, and strength is strength. And..."

He waved a hand toward the somewhat desolate scenery outside the carriage window. "Look at this place! A mere Baron’s Domain. What kind of decent industry or wealth could it possibly have? When it comes down to it, it’s just remote and backward. I truly don’t understand why His Highness the Prince would personally send a delegation to a place like this to discuss business partnerships."

Adela took a soft breath, as if she couldn’t be bothered to argue with him about heroism anymore. She switched to a matter-of-fact tone. "If a Baron’s Domain is able to produce high-quality ironware and steel products, not to mention its reportedly soft, durable, and uniquely patterned wool and linen textiles, and sell them not only throughout all of Vilt, but also through the channels of Blackstone Fortress into the Castile Kingdom, and even as far as the Jade Coast and the Desert Countries... then, Carl, I for one would love to know the secret of such a ’backward’ place."

Carl was stunned for a moment, then his voice rose again. "That’s only because he has the titles of Legendary Knight and Holy Protector! Without that halo, who would care about anything from the Monte Territory? Those merchants are only coming here for his reputation! If you take that away, could he still sell a thing?"

Adela tilted her head slightly, looked at Carl, and calmly asked, "Didn’t you just say he might be the ’weakest Legend,’ or even ’weaker than a Great Knight’? How is it that you’re now admitting his reputation is useful?"

Carl’s cheeks flushed red. He was tongue-tied for a moment but quickly retorted defensively, "That... that’s not a contradiction! His reputation was earned in the past; his strength is failing now. But no matter what, it doesn’t change the fact that this is a remote territory! Look at this Path, these villages. Can they compare to the wealthy provinces of our Empire? I heard Monte Castle itself isn’t even that grand. I really don’t get it..."

He rambled on, disparaging everything he saw along the way, from the somewhat crude farmhouses to the uneven road, trying to prove how "backward" and insignificant the place was.

Adela no longer responded, having no intention of correcting him again. She turned her gaze back out the window.

The hilly region they were currently passing through wasn’t actually part of the Monte Territory yet; it was merely the border area of a neighboring domain.

The fact that even such a peripheral area could maintain basic villages and signs of life in the lingering chill of early spring, after a long winter, already spoke volumes.

She turned her gaze back to the window, toward the end of the rolling hills.

In the distance, a relatively gentle pass in the Twilight Mountain Range was already in sight.

She knew that only after passing through that gap, and then crossing the Twilight Mountain Range, would they truly set foot in the Monte Territory.

The source of the "high-quality ironware" and "unique textiles" she had mentioned, the residence of the controversial Legendary Knight Carl had spoken of, all lay behind that mountain barrier.

She knew Carl’s words were full of prejudice and youthful arrogance, but certain rumors about the Legendary Knight’s physical condition were indeed circulating within small, high-level circles.

This business delegation had come, on the surface, to negotiate expanded trade—especially an exclusive procurement agreement for some of the Monte Territory’s unique high-quality metal goods and textiles. But whether there was also a covert intention to ascertain the real situation, she couldn’t be sure.

After all, behind this were the will and plans of His Highness the Third Prince himself, and perhaps even higher authorities.

...

The carriage struggled up a steep slope.

When it finally emerged from the Twilight Mountain Range and continued onward, a brief silence fell over the carriage.

The complaint Carl had been about to voice caught in his throat.

He instinctively rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

This side of the Twilight Mountain Range was a world completely different from the one they had just left.

A winding but clearly well-maintained, grayish-white stone-paved road replaced the muddy dirt Path, extending gently along the valley.

Lining the road were no longer sparse, dilapidated farmhouses, but orderly rows of village homes with walls plastered in a pale-yellow stucco.

Dark tiles covered the roofs, and wisps of cooking smoke rose straight up from the chimneys into the cold, clear air.

Even more astonishing, nearly every house had a neatly tended garden out front. Although it was too early in the spring for flowers to bloom, the tilled black soil and erected trellises spoke to the diligence of the homeowners.

’No! To be more precise, it means they have ample supplies for heating. Otherwise, no amount of diligence would matter.’

In the center of the village, there was even a small square paved with stone blocks, with a stone well standing in the middle. Several neatly dressed villagers with ruddy complexions were gathered there chatting, not hiding from the cold like people in ordinary villages.

When they saw the Imperial convoy coming down the mountain Path, they showed no alarm or excessive curiosity. They merely paused their conversation, glanced over politely, and then went back to their business.

"Is... is this the Monte Territory?" Carl’s voice was hesitant with disbelief, the caustic tone from before completely gone.

"This probably isn’t the core of the territory yet." Adela’s gaze was also captivated by the scene outside the window, her voice holding a trace of suppressed amazement. "According to the map, this should just be an ordinary village on the outskirts of the Monte Territory."

"An outlying village?" Carl whipped his head around to stare at Adela. "You call this an outlying village? Look at those houses, look at that stone road! This is more respectable than many of the towns I’ve seen in the Viscount’s Domains back in the Empire!"