Max and Sophia observed the entire island's topology and noticed many vehicles joining them midway from other ports on the island, forming a joint large convoy.
There are at least 20 to 30 vehicles in the convoy, with each vehicle carrying 3 or 4 members, making the number of people who are attending the evening party to 100 members.
Soon he found he isn't travelling on the slanted road anymore but has got on a plain leveled road which was made with black high-quality rocks.
As they observed their surroundings, they soon came across a massive city gate and the towering walls of the city, standing 20 meters high and 5 meters wide, coming into view.
Few tier1 extraordinary soldiers stood at the entrance of the city gate and stopped the vehicles and the stewards who were leading them immediately got down the vehicles and went to meet the soldiers and showed some documents which made the soldier nod his head and he instructed the other soldiers to open the gate.
The soldiers then pushed open the gate from both sides into the city side and the doors split open and Max saw the city which he was anticipated.
As night approached, the city was adorned with countless lights. Max wanted to leave the vehicle and explore, but he had to attend the Island Lord's welcome party. Suppressing his urge, he stayed in the vehicle.
The stewards returned from the soldiers' side and informed everyone to stay in their vehicles since they hadn't yet obtained the permit cards to enter the city. They explained they would get the cards from the lord and requested everyone's cooperation.
Understanding the consequences of breaking the rules, the ship captains complied with the stewards' instructions and remained in their vehicles.
The vehicles slowly entered the city, moving along the main road lined with people and shops. On either side, some were busy buying goods while others were selling them to the bustling crowd.
Max discovered that there were at least a thousand on the main street, and by calculating the city's area within the walls, he estimated that it could accommodate a population of up to 100,000.
By observing the spacing of the buildings, Max realized that the city was seriously underpopulated and could easily accommodate all the ship captains while still having plenty of space left.
Soon they reached the center of the city after travelling for few minutes and a huge castle came into his view.
The castle was surrounded by few meters high wall which was made from white marbles unlike the black rock which was used to build city walls.
As soon as the convoy entered the castle premises, the huge gates opened from inside and nearly 100 guards lined up on both sides welcoming them.
Max was astonished to see that it wasn't the number of guards, but their tier—each being level 1 extraordinary—that caused the ship captains to palpitate with trepidation under the intimidating aura of the guards.
Soon the stewards got down the vehicle and invited the ship captains to get down the vehicles.
All the ship captains hesitated for a moment but then remembered that, just as they were bound by the system, the lord of the island was also bound by the system's basic rules, which did not allow lords to attack them without reason. With this realization, they bravely got out of the vehicle and stood by its side.
Soon, the stewards who had received them joined their group's side, dividing them into four groups based on the side of the port they had arrived from. They were then guided to the main reception hall of the castle, adorned with various decorations, and subsequently directed to the main stage, where seats had been arranged for them.
After seating the guests, the stewards requested the maids to serve the food and wine they had prepared, inviting them to enjoy while waiting for the island lord to arrive in a few minutes.
Everyone relaxed upon hearing the island lord hasn't arrived and got seated and started to enjoy the food and wine.
Max and Sophia took their seats and began chatting with the people around them. Many attendees quickly recognized Max as the most popular ship captain in the region, known for helping others both directly and indirectly on numerous occasions.
This recognition prompted several people to stand up, approach him, and introduce themselves. Max started feeling the burden of his fame as the hall grew noisy with people competing to shake his hand and make introductions.
Since Max had never been one to accept personal friend requests, many saw this as their chance to leave a good impression.
Max also knew he couldn't escape, so he politely welcomed everyone and greeted them with the same respect they had shown him, which left a good impression on them.
The maids and guards watching the ship captains compete to shake hands were baffled by the captains' enthusiasm, as they had never been this excited, not even when told they would meet the island lord.
They didn't know what to do, as they felt it was a challenge to the dignity of the island lord. Every captain who came before them had shown basic respect upon entering the castle, but this group was a rowdy bunch, making noise and fighting to introduce themselves to the other captains.
They couldn't simply ask them to keep quiet, as they were the island lord's guests for the day. Reprimanding them for their behavior might displease the island lord, who wouldn't appreciate the guards' rough attitude toward the guests. So, they just watched the spectacle with gritted teeth.
Soon they realized that the island lord had arrived some time ago and was watching the spectacle with amusement, showing no anger.
They started to approach the ship captains to inform them of her presence, but she simply waved her hand, signaling them not to.
Instead, she joined the crowd, gently pushing through until she reached Max. With a joyful leap, she threw herself into Max's arms and hugged him tightly.
Max, who was chatting with everyone, was suddenly startled when someone hugged him fiercely. He quickly realized it was an 18-year-old girl, and upon closer inspection, he recognized her. Smiling, he gently rubbed her head affectionately, then separated her from him and asked how she was there, as he hadn't seen her among the ship captains when they entered the castle.
"Iris how were you here, I didn't see you when all the ship captains enter the castle, were you late by chance" max asked in doubt.
Iris immediately made a triumph pose and said " Brother, I'm not the ship captain but the lord of the island, I was selected as lord as soon I came here."
Max was astonished by her revelation, glancing around to notice he was now surrounded by guards on all sides. He saw they were creating space for the two of them to chat freely.
Embarrassed he reminded her to entertain the guest's first as they have all the time to chat later after the party is over.
She too was reminded that many were watching them, so she made a funny face at him, separated from him, and moved to the front of the crowd, protected by the guards. Unlike the childish side she had shown him earlier, she now exuded the dignity of a lord.
She addressed the crowd, introduced herself while shaking hands with everyone, and encouraged them to enjoy the dinner party.
She assured them they could approach her if they faced any issues on the island, earning their goodwill and then left the crowd and asked max to follow her and made their way into the castle.
Max then asked Sophia to follow him, and he followed into the castle while the guards showing the way.