A Journey That Changed The World.

Chapter 771 Absurdity Of It All

Archer spent hours hunting all kinds of monsters through Elysium and eventually got bored hunting the weaker ones and decided to find some stronger foes. As the afternoon sun shone overhead, he was resting on a branch in a tree that overlooked a woodland where rhino-like creatures roamed below him.

He looked down and scanned one of them.

[Ironhorn Rhino]

[Rank: S+]

The monsters were eating grass in the clearing without a care in the world due to their rank and skin that resembled armor. Before attacking, Archer decided to check the experience he had gained so far.

[Exp: 2500000/4000000]

'More than halfway until I level up again, which will take some time, but I'm getting there,' Archer mused as he vanished in the shadows.

He still couldn't get over how easy it was to travel in this form as he glided through the shadows until Archr was directly under the largest Ironhorn Rhino, who quickly looked around as if he sensed him.

Archer chuckled when seeing the monster look confused, but he didn't let it last long before rocketing out of the darkness and piercing the Rhino's eye socket, causing it to grunt in pain before he dragged it into the shadows.

All he heard was a quiet thump that caught the others' attention. When they noticed the biggest monster vanished, it didn't bother them, as the creatures didn't see or hear anything.

'They're dumb as rocks; this will be easy,' Archer thought while hunting from the darkness. He took out the rest of the Ironhorn herd and stored their corpses in his Item Box before continuing his hunt.

Hours passed, and he was finally getting bored standing on the shore of a massive stormy sea. He sensed strong monsters but didn't want to travel under them without Kassandra or Lucrezia.

When thinking about the Mosasaur girl, he wanted to check up on her. With that, though, Archer rechecked his experience.

[Exp: 2853500/4000000]

He was pleased with the amount he gained but wanted to check if his Shadow Prince form had leveled up, as that's the form he used to hunt in.

[Shadow Prince: 4>5]

'It went up one level, which is good,' he internally mused while the waves crashed against the shore below.

After checking that, he returned to the treehouse to get something to drink and eat. He opened a gate and stepped through just as a giant tentacle flew out of the sea, but it missed him, thanks to the portal.

Archer heard the loud crash once he was on the other side, prompting him to turn around only to see a tentacle twice the size of Kassandra's thrashing at the portal, but thanks to the magic, it went straight through it.

This sent a shiver down his spine, but he chose to ignore it while promising himself not to go in the water until he was stronger or found some way to become a sea dragon, which made him laugh at the thought.

It was quiet when he stepped into the treehouse, and no one was around. Archer smiled, knowing the girls were spending time together, before making his way to the kitchen and making a sandwich.

Ten minutes later, Archer sat at a table while munching on a few sandwiches and wondered what he could do. He decided to see Hemera's Mother, Cassandra, as he hadn't seen her in a while.

After finishing his food, he opened a Gate to the Ravenna City in the Solari Empire down south. When stepping through, hot air hit his skin, causing him to smile, as it was different from the cold air he was used to.

Archer appeared just off the main street where people were doing their business. He started walking toward the Greek-style palace he could spot in the distance, built from beautiful white stone that shone when the sunlight hit it.

The heat forced him to remove his thick shirt before he put on a thin one in the middle of the street. Archer's changing shirts caught the passerby's attention as the women admired his sculpted abs while their husbands dragged them away.

Once dressed, he continued his walk but was soon stopped by a group of soldiers who resembled Spartans from Earth. They wore the same helmet and leather armor and held spears ready for any trouble.

Their armor looked sturdy and robust, allowing the soldiers to use their speed. Archer wondered how they would fight and asked Agamemnon when he saw him, as he could use a phalanx in his army.

The only difference he could notice between them and their Earth counterparts was that one had yellow mage robes on and looked to be in charge as she stepped forward and demanded while holding the hilt of a sword, ''What indecent acts are you doing in our great city, weird elf?''

Archer cocked his head when hearing the woman's voice, ''What are you talking about?'' he asked.

''You stripped off your shirt in the middle of the street, and we had many troubled husbands claim a strange-looking elf was trying to charm their wives,'' the sun elf woman said while the others watched him with narrowed eyes.

''Oh,'' he said. ''Sorry about that; I've just come from the north, where it's colder, and I was still wearing a thick shirt that made me uncomfortable.''

The elf mage stepped forward as the elf woman and three other men eyed him incredulously. "You know, we have inns for around here," she deadpanned. "And since indecent behavior in Ravenna warrants a two-silver fine, you've got two options: pay up or enjoy a cozy day in our luxurious cellblock."

Archer couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all as he was practically the prince of Solari and the White Dragon, but a random city guard was fining him. He fished out the required silver without complaint and handed it over to the stern-faced woman.

However, her expression remained unmoved. "Take it to the Office of Fines, just off the central square," she instructed, scribbling something in her notepad before handing him a slip of paper. "And make sure to present this when you pay the fine."

He nodded and remembered he didn't know the city that well, so he asked, ''Can you point me in its direction? I have to visit my in-laws and want to pay the fine before I do.''

The woman pointed east and left the area without a word, confused him, but he shrugged and followed her directions. Archer walked for ten minutes until he arrived at the central square and looked around for the office.

Archer couldn't see anything but a group of Solarian soldiers guarding one of the street corners, so he asked them where it was. He walked over to them, and when spotting him, they all knelt.

The commander, who was an older man, spoke in a respectful tone, ''Dragon Prince. It's good to see you back in the city. How can I help you?''

''Where is the Office of Fines? I have to pay one,'' Archer revealed while taking out the paper.

When the man heard this, his eyes widened before taking the paper and reading it before mumbling to himself, ''Damn woman, she fined the damn prince, and now I will get in trouble for it.''

Archer laughed, which caught their attention, ''Don't worry, I won't let you guys get in trouble,'' he said with a smile. ''I find it amusing, but it shows that the city guard is well trained and takes their jobs seriously.''

After they spoke for a bit, the older elf was happy to point Archer in the direction, and Archer was told that he saved the commander from one of the sieges when the empire was invaded along with some of his siblings during the war.

When hearing this, he was happy about that and said his farewells before walking toward the smaller building made of wood and stone, which had beautiful decorations all over the front.

Archer approached the front door. He had to ring a bell to gain someone's attention from inside, so he did and rang. No one appeared initially, but a kind old woman opened the door warmly.

"What can I do for you, young man?" she asked.

''I'm here to pay a fine that a soldier gave me,'' he said while handing over the slip of paper with the two shiny coins. ''It's two silver.''

Before speaking, the woman took the paper and coins, ''Your fine has been paid and will be recorded in the city records.''

Archer nodded before making his way to the palace. He walked through the city, where hundreds of people shopped or worked. There were humans, sun and moon elves, and many other races.

After walking for twenty minutes, he arrived outside the gate, where a row of guards blocked the way. When they spotted Archer, three rushed to meet him and knelt before him. There was a younger elf who looked similar to Hemera.

While looking at the certain elf, the commander introduced him, ''This is Athanasios Helios, cousin of Princess Hemera and new recruit to the Solarian Imperial Guards.''

Archer nodded to the young man before introducing himself, ''I'm Arch Wyldheart, King of Draconia.''

When the commander heard that, his eyes widened until he remembered something and cheerfully said, ''Oh, Draconia, they grow some delicious food and have fine craftsmen whose products are popular with the Solari Nobility, especially the children and women.''

''Very good, but keep an eye out as we will be selling rare ingredients and many other products that the empire should like,'' Archer said with a greedy smile stretching across his face.