Darius sighed and put the other spell manuals away. It would be time to develop on them when he returned to Safemoon triumphantly, something which he was looking forward to more and more by the day.

Gunner and Xela were extremely restless at this point, and even their beloved anime and the like could no longer satisfy them. When he told them they would be heading to the Test of Mettle, the duo audibly sighed making Darius extremely amused.

Darius then took the Branded Duo with him as they teleported through Ludo. He had to admit, having more than 7 times an increase in his maximum travel distance compared to when he was a Journeyman was wild.

Before, they had not felt any of the shifts they had made. It was akin to having blinked only to end up in a completely different place. The world had practically been moving around them without touching their bodies.

Now though, there was a slight bit of feedback, though given their stats it wasn't uncomfortable. Rather, it was strangely awe-inspiring, like that subtle moment when a roller coaster was moving in slow motion, approaching the pinnacle before it would go crazy.

That kind of feeling.

But the time they reached their location, Xela and Gunner were slightly breathless, the anticipation, anxiety, and slight fear were throbbing in their systems, making them feel alive and aware like nothing else before.

The two were smiling foolishly, feeling exuberant. Darius was also smiling, but his was more normal as he had ridden many roller coasters with his family.

He then focused before him to see that they were in the middle of a large city that was extremely bustling. It was quite spacious and actually cleaner than the average Ludoian city, its scope of architecture surpassing all the others.

Even more amazing was its breadth of life. Hundreds of different races from all over Fallon were walking up and down here, either wearing the local garb to mingle in or wearing their foreign wear despite the heat due to their high Endurance.

As one could imagine, Darius and his posse soon attracted attention. After all, it wasn't every day three fellows of different races and heights came together, garbed rather uniquely on top of that.

"Welcome, good sirs and madam, welcome~! Is this your first time in Shariah?

" An enthusiastic voice addressed them the right, presenting itself to be a middle-aged man with a large paunch.

He wore white harem pants with a cotton t-shirt and a white jacket. His fingers were wreathed in various rings and his mustache gleamed with oil. He wore a stylish white turban on his head, and his wide smile showed only friendliness and a bit of silliness.

Whether you liked it or not, your first impression of this fellow would be slightly good, feeling a bit of amusement at his looks and his antics.

The perfect kind of person to greet newbies.

The fellow stood before Darius and was startled for a bit.

"Oh sorry, sorry, I didn't know you were a local. Coming back from a long trip?

"

Xela was startled by this claim, then gazed at Darius. She then noticed that Darius' caramel skin color did match the residents here, even being the same as the man who had greeted him.

Apart from his outfit, Darius did look like if he wore their local attire, he would perfectly fit in as a local, even though he looked too androgynous. Then again, he certainly couldn't be the only pretty boy among the Ludoians.

Xela turned to Gunner and saw that the half-giant too was the same. He had the same caramel-colored skin as Darius, which was why their combo had been so striking before Xela joined them.

As for her, she definitely would not be confused for a local with her short stature, elfin beauty that no human could possess, sharp ears, and fair skin that was cream-like.

Darius simply smiled as he stretched out his hand.

"I wish I could have been born on such a lovely continent, but truth be told, I hail from Fallon. Same for my compatriot here, Gunner, and my aide, Xela. The name is Darius Stone, and I'm the Lord of Safemoon.

"

The fellow nodded and shook Darius's hand lightly.

"That's right, how could I not introduce myself? I am Shamael Bucktowar and I am the District Magistrate for the Central District of Shariah City, capital of Ludo!

"

When he introduced himself, he puffed his chest out. Darius and co. found it amusing, but they paid him lip service by gasping in awe, making the fellow twirl his mustache with satisfaction.

"Right Lord Stone, you say you are the Lord of Safemoon? That's great! We have a special program where foreign nobles can… a special program… where…

"

Shamael started with vim and gusto, swept up in his usual charismatic side until his brain finally caught up with the conversation and processed the meaning of Darius' words.

He then shuddered as he gazed at Darius, narrowing his eyes. The other simply pulled his sleeve up and revealed his HoloBrace. Shamael shivered and raised his own sleeve up, showing one of the standard edition HoloBraces.

He then communicated with it, a child AI informing him that he was indeed interfacing with the central HoloBrace making the other party the Lord of Safemoon. This made Shamael gulp as he realized a huge bigshot had paid them a visit this time.

He was extremely glad within that he had been the first to greet Darius' group then decided that they looked unique and important enough for him to receive them, especially since he had a bit of free time.

If someone of a lower caste had dared to receive them and made this bloke unhappy… Shariah would not be able to bear the cost.

"Greetings again, Lord Stone. To what do we owe the great honor of our grand continent hosting such an important person?

" Shamael asked as he quickly regained his bearings and wore his amiable grin once more.

Darius smiled, but his former amusement was not present.

"Oh, it's nothing much.. I just came here to participate in the Test of Mettle.

"