Marie’s eyes lit up with wonder as she darted around the massive Maverick Fish being unloaded from the carriages. Each fish, as rge as a full-grown horse, was carefully packed in id hauled into the newly built warehouse. The structure, a testament to Jo’s growing infrastructure, was structed with reinforced t and lined with thick yers of cooling materials to preserve the fresh catch.

  “Wow! Look at how huge they are!” Marie excimed, her voice brimming with excitement. She clutched her book tightly, momentarily abandoning her schorly demeanor as she leaned closer to get a better view of the giant fish.

  Hughes, her enthusiasm, chuckled softly. “She’s quite lively,” he remarked, turning his attention to Alice. “Who is the young dy?”

  Alice smiled warmly. “Ah, I fot to mention. Her Highness has taken her in as a disciple.”

  Hughes stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “A disciple? Her Highness? That’s... ued. I hought she’d—”

  Before he could finish, Ravenna’s anding voice cut through the air. “Hughes, meet me in the castle’s study. Alice, Sarah, you two as well. Richard will oversee the handling of the fish.”

  The trio immediately straighteheir expressions turning serious. “Yes, Yhness,” they replied in unison, bowing briefly before followioward the study.

  Ravenna sat in her high-backed chair, exuding an aura of authority. The study’s walls were lined with bookshelves filled with at books and maps, while the rge table domihe ter, scattered with charts and dots. Hughes, Alice, and Sarah took their seats across from her, the tension in the room palpable.

  Without preamble, Ravenna addressed them. “I have reason to believe we’ll be fag an atta the isnd within the few weeks.”

  Her words hung in the air, heavy and foreboding. Hughes was the first to break the silence. “An attack? Yhness, where did you get this information?”

  Ravenna’s sharp gaze silenced him. She didn’t answer his question directly, instead leaning forward. “We don’t know the exact scale of the attack or where it will inate, but we must prepare. What do you suggest?”

  Hughes furrowed his brow, pting her words. “If what you’re saying is true, theackers must have some intelligence about our defenses. No one would dare un assault on Jo, the dukedom of an imperial princess and a strategic location for the An Empire, without thh pnning.”

  “We were hosted by the Ronin family when we passed through their town on our way to Jo. It’s likely they gained some insight into our military strength—or ck thereof.” Ravenna nodded grimly thinking in her mind.

  Hughes tinued “Given our current numbers, defending the city will be a signifit challenge. We only have 300 knights stationed here. Even if the opposing force is small, it could still overwhelm us.”

  Sarah added, “There’s also the issue of time. We’ve barely begun the renovations at the port, and if the attack is only a week away, we won’t be able to hire meraries from the mainnd ahem here in time.”

  Alice leaned forward, her expression serious. “And the ons? The bcksmiths are preoccupied with the steam engine project. Diverting their efforts to produce arms and armor would take more time than we have.”

  Ravenna’s gaze darkened, her eyes narrowing like a raven ready to strike. The room seemed to chill under her gre. Hughes shifted unfortably in his seat. “W-We also don’t know the size or position of the enemy force, Yhness,” he stammered. “Without that information, pnning a defense is... challenging, to say the least.”

  Alice hesitated, then spoke cautiously. “We could send a magical letter to the capital, requesting aid. However—”

  “They won’t aless we have crete evidence or are already utack,” Ravenna finished, her voice edged with frustration.

  She khe truth: Vistess Jessica Ronin was behind the plot. The reputation system had revealed it to her. But without tangible evidence, she couldn’t accuse the Ronin family ht. It was a delicate situation, ohat required careful maneuvering.

  The room fell silent as the weight of the situatioled over them. Each of them uood the stakes. The attack, if it came, could determihe fate of Jo and their lives.

  Finally, Ravenna broke the silence, her tone decisive. “We’ll prepare with the resources we have. Hughes, draft a defense pn based on our current capabilities. Alice, coordih the bcksmiths and see if we expedite the produ of ons. Sarah, double our patrols and reinforce the city’s vulnerable points. We’ll make do with what we have.”

  As the heavy door closed behind them, Raven out a slow breath and turned her attention to the translut blue s h in her peripheral vision. It was time to sult the reputation system. With a simple thought, the interface expanded 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 }

  Her gaze flicked to the familiar options. she clicked on { Speation Points }, curious if anything iore could help her prepare for the looming threat.

  [ Speation Points ]

  Access to the I: 100 Points per HourAccess to Magic Spell Library: 100 Points per Hraphical Ss: 5 Points per 1 KilometerNullify Minor Poison Damage on Self: 250 PointsNullify Minor Poison Damage on Others: 350 Points per EntityMinor Heal: 1,000 Points per EntityMajor Heal: (Locked)Lie Detector: (Locked)Ravenna sed the list, her brow furrowing in frustration. “Not much that help immediately,” she muttered under her breath, tapping her fingers against the armrest of her chair. Most of the optiooo situational.

  Her eyes lingered on the Access to the I option. Now It has bee a go-to resource for her. With a resigned sigh, she activated it.

  The faint light of the system faded as a virtual browser materialized in her mind’s eye. She began typing swiftly, searg for defeactics, military formations, and strategies for fortifying a vulnerable position.

  As she scrolled through various articles, diagrams, and forums, a thought struck her. Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned back, repying an earlier memory.

  “Wait,” she murmured, her fingers freezing mid-air. A realization clicked into pce, sparking a surge of excitement. “That might be useful.”

  She quickly exited the browser and navigated to the {Reputation Log}.

  [ Reputation Log ]

  The log dispyed an exhaustive list of events and iions that had earned her reputation points. Eatry detailed the people involved and the reasons for her gains. She had barely explored this feature ih, but now, it felt like a hidden goldmine.

  “If I py my cards right,” Ravenna muttered, her mind already rag, “I use this to get intel on the Ronin family.”

  Read 12+ Advance Chapters by being a Patron: 40. Exploiting the Reputation Log