Hughes and his crew rode into the city with their horses and heavily den carriages, the familiar sandy winds brushing past them. Though it had only been three weeks sihey had left for the northern coastlihe city of Jo had undergone remarkable ges.

  The arid desert air still carried its characteristic dryness, and the golden sands stretched endlessly, but now there was somethiirely fn to this once-barren city—greenery. Patches of green dotted the ndscape every few meters, a surreal sight in the heat of the desert. Sea-bed soil farms had begun to yield results, with potatoes and other root vegetables sprouting i rows. For a moment, Hughes thought they had ridden into one of the lush mainnd cities of Ana, but the gritty sand carried on the wind quickly reminded him they were still in Jo.

  stru projects dotted the cityscape, though many were clearly left inplete. Half-built structures, made of brid t, blended Romanesque designs with rge domes meant to bat the oppressive desert heat. The foundations stood stark against the sand, with scaffolding abandoned and no workers in sight.

  “It looks like they’re still w on these,” Richard remarked as he rode alongside him, his eyes sing the abandoned stru sites.

  Hughes furrowed his brow, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t think so,” he replied, his gaze shifting toward the distant port. “Uhe port area, where you see tents and workers everywhere, this part looks... deserted.”

  Richard houghtfully but said nothing more, his attention turning back to the road ahead.

  Ravenna had envisioned a modern urban yout with better housing, effit infrastructure, and a design that would improve the lives of the citizens. However, those pns had been halted abruptly with the arrival of the uninvited ship carrying the Herptian priests.

  That i made Ravenna reize the city’s vulnerabilities. The poorly fortified port was a gring weakness, especially with the uable arrival of ships that could reach their shores unnoticed until it was too te. She had immediately redirected all avaible workers to focus on fortifying the port, setting aside her grand vision for the city’s redesign for now.

  As Hughes and his creroached the castle courtyard, the sight of familiar faces waiting for them brought a sense of relief. Alice stood at the forefront, her hands resting casually on a book, with a few knights stationed behihe courtyard was bustling with activity as more knights and workers moved about, unloading supplies and preparing for the arrival of the carriages.

  Hughes slowed his horse to a stop and dismounted, a broad smile breaking across his weathered face. “So,” he called out to Alice, “what did you catch?”

  Alice grinned as she walked toward him. “You’re the ones who went fishing, Captain. Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” she teased, her tone lighthearted.

  Hughes chuckled, embrag her. “Fair enough,” he admitted, stepping back as the rest of his crew began unloading the carriages. Behind them, knights and fishermen worked in taheir movements effit as they handled crates of supplies, barrels of salted fish, and iced fish brought back from the coastline.

  Meanwhile, inside one of the carriages moving toward the castle courtyard, Ravenna sat silently, her deep bck eyes fixed on the panel floating before her.

  [ Reputation System v0.1 ]User: Ravenna Sorius / Joy Cha KimReputation Level: 60 (8024/8200)Curreation Points: 2,621Titles: Raven of the Sun Pace, Unruly Princess{ View Reputation Log } { Speation Points }

  Ravenna studied the s with a quiet iy as the carriage gently swayed along the stone-paved roads. Opposite her sat Marie, her young disciple, her nose buried in a thick book brimming with illustrations of magical creatures. The girl’s excitement alpable, her foot tapping against the floor in anticipation of seeing the magical beast fish.

  With a faint sigh, Ravenna tapped on the [View Reputation Log] option. The translut panel shifted, revealing a detailed log of her ret reputation points she had earned.

  [ Reputation Points System ]

  +1 Point: Vistess Jessica Ronin’s fear of you has haunted her. (Effect of Title: Raven of the Sun Pace)+10 Points: Saintess Marie Leon’s admiration for you has grown. (Effect of Title: Raven of the Sun Pace)Ravenna skimmed the e first, ued in the mundane points she seemed to collect passively. However, her attention so the entry. The reputation log always recorded the name of the individual associated with the earned points, along with their title, such as “Citizen,” “Vistess,” or “Saintess.” This made her curious, how does it select these titles and also how does it even find names.

  Curiosity piqued, Ravenna tapped on Marie’s he panel expanded with more information than she had ever seen before.

  [ Reputation Points System ]Title: SaintessName: Marie LeonReason: Marie is slowly starting to feel admiration for you, akin to the resped love she held for her te father, who taught and supported her tirelessly before his death. She feels gratitude toward you and seeks to prove herself worthy in your eyes.Background: Marie Leon is a simple girl from a small vilge near Nexus Town, oskirts of the An Empire. She is the reination of the great saintess. After an atta her vilge that cimed her beloved father—her only family—she was sold into svery. She was ter rescued by the Herptian Church, which led to her being your disciple.

  Ravenna’s eyes widened slightly as she read the detailed profile. “Wait... it shows this muformation?” she muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible over the creaking of the carriage wheels.

  She scrolled back up, her mind rag. If Marie’s log could reveal such details, what about the others? Her thoughts immediately turo another hat had caught her attention: Vistess Jessica Ronin. The name rang a faint bell in the back of her mind. Digging into her fragmented memories of the inal Ravenna, she recalled Jessica as the daughter of Lord Edward Ronin. Years ago, Ravenna had disgraced Jessica’s mother during a grand ball, a sdal that had left sting sequences for the Ronin family.

  Tapping on Jessica’s he log expanded once again, revealing a simirly detailed entry.

  [ Reputation Points System ]Title: VistessName: Jessica RoninReason: Jessica is pgued by worry over her uping atta Jo in a few weeks aly had a nightmare about the humiliation Ravenna inflicted on her mother.Background: Jessica Ronin is an ambitious noblewoman who retly ied her father’s title. She is driven by a desire to elevate her family’s status, a trait she admired in her mother. However, the sdal at the ball years ago traumatized her and tio haunt her dreams. The i left her mother socially ruined and straihe Ronin family’s retionships with other noble houses. Jessica’s fear ament toward Ravenna have only deepened since.

  Ravenna’s gaze sharpened as she read the entry. “An atta Jo?” she muttered, her voice heavy with disbelief.

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