Do you have a problem with necromancers?

Chapter 17 Returning to the Family
The human empire has a vast territory, divided into four borders and seven provinces.

The Four Realms refer to the four major territories directly under the imperial family: the Eastern Realm, the Western Realm, the Southern Realm, and the Northern Realm. They are contiguous with each other, located in the very center of the empire's territory, and are also the most densely populated heartland.

The seven provinces, which are the surrounding colonies around the empire's four borders, are the River Bend, Valley, Highlands, Cloud Ridge, Wilderness, and Storms, and are mostly inhabited by humans and other races.

Incidentally, the names of all the regions mentioned above are direct translations of the Elven language from the ancestral Elven Empire.

River Bend Province is located in the southeast of the continent. The ancestral elves called it "Munshita Kurachi," meaning "a warm land surrounded by river bends." The southern part is characterized by continuous mountain ranges, inhabited by many wild elf tribes (who are considered close relatives of the high elves, descendants of the ancestral elves); the northern part is flat, crisscrossed by rivers, and primarily inhabited by Imperial humans.

The Fahl family is a prominent noble family in the Reach. Their hereditary residence is Ravencrest, nestled deep in the mountains of southern Reach. Historically, Fahl's ancestors were knights who distinguished themselves in the campaign against the Wild Elves.

However, when this family is mentioned nowadays, the general impression is only twofold:
The first characteristic of the Fahrenheit is their high fertility.

Their males throughout history were almost all studs, enjoying having numerous mistresses, resulting in a profusion of illegitimate children, which at one time drew ridicule and contempt from other nobles.

After all, in the eyes of the imperial nobles, illegitimate children are the product of "the big head not being able to manage the little head".

The current Marquis Fahre, who is also Renn's father, changed his approach to choosing a spouse in order to balance family tradition and save the family's reputation.

He would marry the daughter of a minor nobleman, then divorce her after getting tired of her, and immediately marry his next wife, aiming for a seamless transition.

As a result, there were 27 legitimate children, and Ryan Fahre was just one of them.

The second characteristic of the Fahrenheit people is their extreme ugliness.

With bulbous noses, beady eyes, thick lips, and rough skin, they are prone to gaining weight in middle age, leading to rumors that Fahel's ancestors once intermarried with wild elves, resulting in a hybrid bloodline that has made the tribe full of ugly people.

Of course, there are exceptions.

For example, Renn Fahr, with his high nose bridge and handsome features, possessed a face completely different from that of the Fahr people. This once led the Marquis of Fahr to wonder if he had been cheated on, and he even took his newborn baby to the Holy Sepulchre to have his bloodline determined.

The result was that he was her biological son. The bishop even claimed that it was due to the "mercy of the gods" that the Fahre family, which had been ugly for generations, finally produced a handsome son with divinely bestowed features.

Marquis Fahel did not completely dispel his suspicions, to the point that Rein had never been favored by his father since childhood.

This child is unlike me!

After a long voyage at sea, the family fleet finally passed through Salt Island and anchored in Sea Rock City.

The Fahr family originated in Ravencrest, but Ravencrest is surrounded by towering mountains to the south and is often harassed by wild men and elves. Therefore, the family moved their residence to Searock City long ago.

Ellina and Dia stepped out of the cabin and looked at the bustling harbor of Searock City. Laborers were sweating profusely as they carried goods, vendors were hawking their wares by the roadside, and sailors were arm in arm, planning to go to Nightingale's Nest for some fun.

Having grown up on the rainforest peninsula, Dia was used to the presence of many lizard people. Now, seeing so many of her fellow humans, she suddenly felt a sense of closeness.

Ellina, of course, had no such feeling at all; she was observing the surrounding mountains and terrain.

The Fahre family rose to power through military achievements, and the location of Sea Rock City was also flawless: it was nestled among mountains to the west and south, making it difficult for the army to invade on a large scale; to the east and north, it faced the sea and echoed the naval base on Salt Island, making it difficult for the enemy to attack by sea.

The only passable roads all come from the northwest, which is a flat corridor along the coastline that bypasses the mountains.

Of course, she was no longer the princess of the Elven Empire, and researching how to conquer a human city was pointless. Ellina was simply using thought to keep her mind active and to dispel the oppressive emotions of being controlled by the evil necromancer.

On the stone path of the harbor in Searock City, Marquis Fahel, nearly sixty years old, stood there in a fur robe, personally welcoming the long-lost Renn Fahel.

Behind him were a dozen or so of Renn's brothers—almost all of them were there except for those who were doing business abroad, guarding the fortress, or serving as servants to other families.

The brothers were very resentful because Marquis Fahl had always disliked his son, Renn, which resulted in Renn having a very low status within the family.

Although they rarely interacted with each other, it didn't stop the brothers from looking down on him.

The Marquis's sudden change of attitude has left everyone feeling uneasy, and their impressions and stances towards this brother are difficult to adjust in a short time.

There's no other way but to rely on acting skills.

"Raine!" Marquis Fahl suddenly called out, opening his arms wide. "Come here! Let your old father see you!"

Ryan Fahre stepped forward and was pulled into a tight hug by his father.

The old marquis emanated a faint stench, the putrid smell unique to the aging population. However, Renn was unconcerned; he was a proper necromancer, what disgusting odor hadn't he smelled?

Renn didn't have much affection or dislike for Marquis Fahel. On one hand, he was a transmigrator and had no emotional attachment to this biological father; on the other hand, although the marquis didn't treat him well, he did provide him with far more favorable conditions than commoners.

The ratio of dislike to like should be about 30% to 70%.

"Aren't you going to introduce them to me?" Marquis Fahel released his son and turned his gaze to Ellina. "And who are these two?"

Raine instantly understood the other party's true intention in coming to greet him: it was indeed not to welcome him.

It should be noted that geographically, across the sea from the Imperial Bay Province lies the Gem Islands of the High Elves.

The High Elves are renowned for producing a wide variety of high-end handcrafted goods, artworks, and magical items, which are highly sought after and in high demand in the continent's aristocratic markets. However, the High Elves are extremely conservative and xenophobic, and their policy has been one of isolationism, prohibiting trade with the outside world.

High profits and trade blockades can only lead to one result: rampant and outrageous smuggling activities.

Like other coastal families in the Reach Province, the Fahr family made a large portion of their income from smuggling goods from the Gem Islands back to the mainland for sale.

The unpredictable weather at sea and the elusive pirate fleets could not stop the smuggling activities of the nobles of the Reach Province, but the High Elf naval fleet was a huge problem.

If they patrol the sea more often, the round-trip cycle of smuggling will inevitably be lengthened, and profits will decline sharply.

Are they planning to find a way to infiltrate the High Elf naval faction through Ellina, a woman who appears to be a high-ranking High Elf noble?
Realizing this, a completely new plan came to mind once again.

Although he did not inherit the ugly appearance of the Fahre family, he did inherit another of the Marquis Fahre's virtues.

The ability to plot and scheme.

(End of this chapter)