Nidhogg received Federigo's letter. In fact, even without Federigo's reminder, he was perfectly aware of the problems this sea route was facing.
After all, Nordic and some of the captains often complained to him about the ubiquitous pirates from the Tudor Empire and the Kushan Empire's fleet. They seriously threatened their free trade.
Nidhogg was determined to find the time to solve the source of these problems. He couldn't completely cut off the Junction from the eastern continent. This maritime trade route was essential.
For this, he needed the help of the mermaid clan.
The Western Sea was too vast. It was difficult to stop these sea raiders and fleets without the mermaids' assistance.
Evelyn quickly agreed. Now that the Junction and the Island of Fairies had become an important home for the mermaids, they had a reason to give back.
Therefore, the mermaids began a search and observation journey from beneath the sea. Nidhogg gave Evelyn the "Guidance of Blessing" so she could report on the situation at any time via the Roundtable Hold.
Speaking of the Roundtable Hold, it was no longer a place in another space. It was a place that actually existed beneath the giant golden tree on the coast of the Island of Fairies.
Over the past few months, the golden tree had rapidly grown from a man-sized tree into a huge tree. It was truly impressive.
Anyone a little closer to the Island of Fairies could see the outline of the golden giant tree on the shore in one glance.
With the flourishing branches and leaves of the golden tree, the Roundtable Hold was fully revealed beneath it. It became a tangible landmark and a place for daily meetings and consultations between Nidhogg and all those who had received the "Guidance of Blessing."
Those who could enter the Roundtable Hold were either the core forces of the Junction and the Island of Fairies, or Nidhogg's old acquaintances, such as Guts, Casca, Pippin, Judeau, Corkus, and Rickert.
Nidhogg had not given the "Guidance of Blessing" to any more people. It was now large enough to make the Roundtable Hold the core of the administrative hub.
Those who received the Guidance of Blessing, besides being able to teleport to and from the Blessed Lands, also gave Nidhogg Runes after killing hostile creatures in the Junction.
This increased Nidhogg's leveling speed.
In just a few months, Nidhogg had leveled up from 110 to 142. Considering that each level required more Runes than the previous one, this was quite exaggerated.
The people in the Roundtable Hold also actively reflected the current situation in their daily discussions.
For example, academic exchanges between the mages of the Island of Fairies and the mages of the Raya Lucaria Academy had become increasingly close. New magic had even been invented.
For example, the "Full Moon Queen" Rennala had been safely escorted from the Magic Academy to the Island of Fairies a few months ago. She had entered the "Corridor of Dreams" to retrieve fragments of her memories.
However, Rennala was a demigod. Her own memory chaos was also the result of self-isolation. It wasn't so easy for Danan to help her regain her sanity.
Therefore, the ceremony to extract memory fragments in the "Corridor of Dreams" had been performed by Danan several times. But fortunately, as more and more fragments were found, Rennala's condition gradually improved.
For example, with Nidhogg's help, the Carian royal family and Magic Academy forces, represented by Ranni, had recaptured the Carian Royal Manor, defeated the rebellious Cuckoo Knights and mages, and recovered all of Liurnia of the Lakes.
Moreover, the old ministers, knights, and soldiers who had originally been Carian royal troops were reunited under Ranni's command.
In particular, two important figures, the "Half-Wolf" Blaidd and the "Blacksmith" Iji. One was a werewolf, the other a giant. Both were Ranni's loyal retainers, and both had died for her.
Now they were once again under Ranni's command, further strengthening her power in Liurnia of the Lakes.
There was originally supposed to be a retainer named "Preceptor" Seluvis, who possessed outstanding abilities. But this man harbored ulterior motives and intended to turn Ranni into a puppet. He was not a good person.
It must be said that Ranni was also a ruthless person.
She had long known of Seluvis's wolfish ambitions. But she wasn't afraid. She still calmly used Seluvis's knowledge for her own purposes and resolutely didn't deal with Seluvis until she achieved her goal.
Now, Ranni had neither the threat of the Two Fingers and the Baleful Shadows, nor the ambitions of the Age of Stars. So she no longer needed a retainer who was always plotting against her.
The moment she saw Seluvis, Ranni killed him.
Furthermore, all of Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula had also been recovered one by one as Guts, Edgar, and others gathered their armies.
Nidhogg only entered the fight when an enemy appeared that they couldn't handle.
However, to Nidhogg's surprise, the person who was supposed to be found in Limgrave, Sellen, had vanished.
He had personally gone to the cave where Sellen's body was imprisoned, and to the cave where Sellen's puppet was imprisoned. Both caves were empty. It was obvious that Sellen had already freed herself from the Magic Academy's seal due to the changes in the Junction.
The sorceress had also disappeared without a trace. He didn't know where she was hiding in the Junction.
No wonder. She opposed the rule of the Carian royal family. It was the Carian royal family and some members of the Magic Academy who hindered her from delving into primeval sorcery and prevented her from breaking various taboos. That's why she was sealed.
Now that she had regained her freedom, Sellen naturally wouldn't appear easily and get caught by the Carian royal family and the Magic Academy again.
In this case, Nidhogg wasn't going to look for her. So he let her go, hoping that when he saw her one day, she wouldn't have transformed into a magic sphere again.
Although Nidhogg didn't claim the title of king in the Junction, his status was already that of the King of the Junction. Everyone in the Roundtable Hold was also centered around him.
However, Nidhogg wasn't planning to centralize power just yet. He didn't sit well in the Roundtable Hold like an emperor making decisions. He maintained the character and habits of a general who rushed into battle.
Thus, the Roundtable Hold had become an administrative center where Melina, Ranni, Guts, Edgar, and others could rule the Junction, even if Nidhogg wasn't there.
That was precisely why, when today's Roundtable Hold meeting ended and Nidhogg received a message from Evelyn that her mermaid clan had blocked the Kushan Empire's naval fleet, he was able to decisively decide to set out.
Since the residents of the Roundtable Hold were managing the Junction, Nidhogg naturally didn't worry. He immediately boarded a newly built warship and left the harbor of the Island of Fairies.