243 - 247

Unforeseen Changes

Here's the first regular chapter of the week. Enjoy!

Come on, Zollo's a sword-wielding hero... When did he become a magus? thought Lorist with dissatisfaction.

He had forgotten that he didn't use his sword even once while he was dressed as Zollo. The mysterious self-lighting flames and his arcane unarmed combat techniques naturally led others to assume that he was a magus instead.

Lorist was having breakfast. The Morante Daily, just delivered to the Red Grace Inn, was in his hands. The main headline read: The Mysterious Case of the Magus of Luxcrimson Winery!

Six days had already passed since the incident. Word had been passed to the journalists of the Morante Daily from the Teribo Kingdom, whom promptly exaggerated almost every detail about the story. Not Zollo, the magus, not the mysterious lights, not the weird techniques used to incapacitate the guards, nor the Z left on their chests escaped the treatment.

The article even included an interview near the end with one noble youth who had been there in person when the incident happened. According to the interview, the 'Z' mark on his chest would hurt slightly every time midnight arrived. He said that he felt as if there was a mysterious power calling out to his soul, and that he would expend lots of mental energy combating the urge to head the power's call so that his soul wouldn't be dragged into the hellish abyss of the magus.

This journalist could probably start writing a long-running fantasy novel series... Perhaps he used to work as one? Lorist guessed the truth unwittingly.

That particular 'journalist' of the Morante Daily had never actually met Viscount Sirwa. The count was rotting on the gallows in front of the palace by the time the journalist finally made his way there. He had even wondered who the unlucky fool was, obviously he had angered or displeased the king.

As for news about the missing glassmith, the Teribo Kingdom had restricted the spread of the information. It was only after visiting multiple inns that the journalist managed to approach one of the noble youths involved in the case. Upon hearing his testimony, the journalist felt a spark of inspiration and began fashioning his own fantasized version of the account. Thus was born the tale eventually published in the Morante Daily.

Lorist put newspaper down and began to read the Falik Weekly. In that paper, the report on the Luxcrimson Winery case was far more reliable. As opposed to the fantasized account written by the journalist from the Morante Daily, the journalist of the Falik Weekly, who wrote the report, gave clearer sources, they ranged from the winery's workers he interviewed, to the investigators of the case, and even included the security official of the Teribo Kingdom that was put in charge of the case.

The headline of the Falik Weekly read: Zollo - Magus or Magician? After some thorough investigation, the journalist realized that Zollo was not really a magus but merely a daring bandit who knew a couple of magic tricks and theatrics. For instance, the investigator of the case noticed that the mysterious ignition of the candles within the hall was merely a magic trick. In actuality, it was rather simple. An oil-soaked rope was lined across the wicks of multiple candles, so when one end of the rope was lit, the other candles would follow suit.

As for the unconscious guards, the journalist believed that the bandit called Zollo was actually a Gold ranked unarmed fighter. The shattered jaws of the two Silver ranked swordsmen was testament of that. In fact, there were signs that the guards were actually struck down by brute force, rather than being rendered unconscious by magic.

The journalist was of the opinion that the bandit troupe had merely intended to rob the winery. By making the servants drunk, they would erase much of the traces of them being there. The arrival of Viscount Sirwa and his mates was merely coincidental, and they ended up being the unlucky sacrificial lambs.

Zollo, the bandit, then turned his sights on the viscount and the others, as evidenced by them having been robbed clean and even deprived of their clothes. However, the journalist found it weird that four days after the case, Viscount Sirwa, his guards and some of his friends, were hanged by the gallows by the order of Teribo VII for unknown reasons.

The journalist felt that there was a far bigger conspiracy behind the case of Luxcrimson Winery. Even if the ones involved wouldn't divulge anything, the journalist was confident that he could expose the truth.

Good luck to that brave journalist, thought Lorist.

He understood that Viscount Sirwa had been hanged the moment the Teribo Kingdom was aware of the disappearance of Master Mancheny. It seemed that the kingdom was intent on keeping the news under wraps while they investigated the disappearance in secret. Despite that, Lorist wasn't the slightest bit worried. After he finished dealing with some other matters, he would bring Master Mancheny and his family along with him back to the dominion. He believed that the Teribo Kingdom wouldn't even begin to suspect that a glass factory would start in the Northlands.

Currently, Master Mancheny and his family were in one of the rooms on the third floor which had been reserved by Lorist, and was having breakfast as well. There was no way that the Teribo Kingdom's agents would be able to find any trace of them. Lorist had at least that amount of confidence. When Lorist brought them into Morante City, he had them disguised as the family members of some of his guards, and entered the city just like the thousands of other servants going in and out of the city daily. They gathered at Red Grace Inn after making their way through the city gates without attracting the slightest bit of attention.

The only problem was that something seemed to have happened between Els and the lovely daughter of Master Mancheny when they pretended to be siblings during their entry to the city. From time to time, they would give each other yearning glances, which Lorist happened to notice. Even though Els was 16 years older than the girl, it didn't stop the two from feeling attracted to one another. Lorist could only hope that his brother's dreams would come true one day.

Lorist put the matters of the Teribo Kingdom at the back of his mind, and continued to read the other reports in the newspapers while enjoying his hearty breakfast.

Ahh, in the end, I'm still much more accustomed to the life here at Morante City.

The largest disparity between being at Morante City and being in the dominion was the flow of information. In Morante City, it wouldn't take long for one to find out about the recent happenings on Grindia. Even though the reports might be delayed by a few days or even a month, it was still better than not getting to know anything at all. Thanks to the wide influence of the trade union, journalists from Morante City could visit many places to collect information without worrying about their safety.

As for the dominion of the house, even though it had undergone several developments during the past few years, and seemed to be on the road to prosperity, the flow of information there was as stunted as ever. Lorist remembered how he was blind to the happenings on Grindia a few years back when he spent all his time at the Northlands. He only got the occasional news from Count Kenmays, but most of them were just about the conflicts between the nobles at the royal court. He would at best have some rumors about the other things happening outside the Iblia Kingdom.

As a person who came from another world, Lorist understood the importance of information and intelligence. He intended to set up an intelligence network so that the house could grasp the changes of the status quo in the outside world. However, the largest difficulty in carrying that out was ensuring the safety of the intelligence agents. It was something that Lorist wasn't able to do just yet. Lorist thought back to how some of his messengers had been captured and enslaved by other dominion lords a few years prior, he couldn't afford the loss of agents like that.

However, now that he had access to Silowas Island, and the maritime transport it enabled, an avenue for interacting with the world outside the Northlands was finally open to him. Lorist resolved himself to put Lundmorde to good use when he returned. That fellow had been forced to marry seven wives, and he had already sired over ten children in just three years. Most of the time, he had to stay at home to tend to the whims of his wives and children.

Rumor had it that Lundmorde was slaving away for his wives and children. He even got the moniker of a saint when it came to treating women and children. His reputation in those fields was such that it was said that the moment he applied the salve, the sickness would disappear right away.

Once, when he met up with some of his fellow alumni, he cried out after drinking a lot and regretted not being careful with his lower body, ending up in the situation he found himself in now. Before he finished complaining, he was hauled back home to reflect on his mistakes by two of his wives. His fellow mates could only mourn for his suffering in silence.

He was a knight of the House after all, he couldn't afford to waste away like that. All seven of his wives had awakened their battleforce as well, and even had potential to be the leaders of the female unit. They were actually quite talented and able. Lorist decided to have Lundmorde head to Morante City to start a herbalist clinic that would double as a base of operations for House Norton with a few of his wives. That way, he could gather information about the happenings all around Grindia, and even recruit much-needed talent for the house to stay ahead in terms of technology.

Lorist sighed as he wondered how long it would take for the dominion to achieve the level of prosperity Morante City had. It was definitely a daunting undertaking that would take a long time to achieve. Compared to the dominions of other noble houses, the dominion of House Norton was already better and more prosperous than most. For instance, Count Kenmays, Baron Shazin and Baron Felim all envied the dominion of the Nortons, given their understanding of their dominion. They were impressed that Lorist was so willing to invest so many gold Fordes in the development of the dominion and the improvement of his subjects' lives.

But to Lorist, the apparent prosperity of his dominion was only skin-deep. If it didn't persist in his efforts, then, over five or six generations, the dominion would return to its former state. He had many plans; establishing basic education to improve the skills of the folks in the dominion and increase their loyalty to the house was just one of them. He was also considering decreasing taxes. The Norton family had no need to oppress and exploit its subjects, unlike other noble families. There were many ways the family could prosper, and Lorist could use a number of tricks he learned from his past life to do so at any time he chose. However, to achieve his goal, he would have to put in much more effort.

Lorist laughed bitterly. Many of his plans wouldn't be able to be executed because of practical restrictions. In the case of education, if the family wasn't able to come up with a breakthrough to make paper, given the high price of beastskins, there was no way that the family would be able to sustain an education system. If he managed to obtain cheap paper like what he had in his past life, the house could not only improve the educational standard, they could also start their own newspapers. They would then be able to control public discourse, and instill in the peasantry a sense of pride in being the subjects of House Norton.

Lorist didn't notice Howard's arrival, given his state of deep thought.

"Milord, milord..." Howard called out.

"Oh, it's you. Why didn't you go to the library today?" asked Lorist after he snapped out of his thoughts.

Rolling his eyes, Howard said, "Milord, we've been to the library for the past few days and got to know what we need. It was you who told me that we don't have to go there anymore yesterday."

Lorist said apologetically, "Sorry, Howard. I was lost in thought just now. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Milord, the person in charge of the shipyard you visited yesterday, Mister Millinor, is here. He said that he had to meet you to discuss something," said Howard.

"Oh, is there a problem with the ship I ordered? Have him come to the third floor, and tell Els not to let him see the Mancheny family," instructed Lorist.

"Understood, milord," said Howard as he left.

On the day before, Lorist had headed to the Wedeley Shipyard and struck an agreement with Millinor to have a large-class merchant vessel constructed at a price of 6500 gold Fordes. Lorist had paid 1000 gold Fordes as deposit. The construction of the ship would take four months. He also had to pay another 3000 gold Fordes after the main keel was laid down. The rest of the fees would be paid on the ship's completion.

In a few quick moments, Millinor arrived before Lorist.

"Welcome, Mister Millinor. I wonder what is so urgent that you have to see me in person so soon?" asked Lorist.

"My deepest apologies, Sir... Due to some factors out of our control, the Weledey Shipyard is unable to complete your order. This is your deposit and the payment for the voided agreement. I hope you forgive us, we have no choice but to cancel the agreement," said Millinor in a rushed manner, before he left without negotiating the possible reinstatement of the agreement at all.

Ten gold Forde notes each worth 100 gold Fordes were laid on the table. That was the deposit Lorist had paid. There was another sack filled with coins, 100 gold Fordes in total, ten percent of the deposit, paid as the compensation for the voided agreement. According to the order contract, if the shipyard was unable to carry out the agreement within ten days, the deposit would have to be returned with ten percent interest.

Within only three days, Lorist had gained an extra 100 gold Fordes. If Lorist was still the same instructor working at Dawn Academy, he would've been so glad that he would lose sleep over it. However, he no longer regarded 100 gold Fordes with the weight a normal person would. He had come to Morante City to spend money, not to earn it.

With 100000 gold Fordes, Lorist had planned to purchase or order 12 large-class merchant vessels to form a trading fleet. However, he didn't expect that the first shipyard he contracted would default on the agreement.

Just as Lorist was pondering the 'uncontrollable factors' Millinor had mentioned, Howard knocked on the door to his room again and reported, "Milord three of the people in charge of other shipyards are here..."

After a few moments, the eight private shipyards with which Lorist placed his orders during the past six days after returning from the Teribo Kingdom all rejected it, with the same nonsensical reason. All of them paid the deposit back with an interest of 100 gold Fordes. After Lorist's intense questioning, one of the shipyards revealed a slight hint: "Your people have got on the bad side of a person we can't afford to offend."

Lorist wore a solemn expression as he thought, who is behind all this? Who's this person that even the skilled shipwrights and laborers of the shipyards along Hidegold Bay didn't dare to offend?

Lorist really couldn't recall anyone of note that he could've crossed.

"Els, go see Jindoz and ask him to look into this and find out who is acting against us. We need some kind of lead. As for the rest, don't leave the inn without a good reason. We have to keep our guard up right now," instructed Lorist.

A day later, Jindoz arrived at the Red Grace Inn. According to his investigation, it was the Chikdor Merchant guild that forced the shipyards to return Lorist's deposit to revoke the order. The person in charge of one of the shipyards was right. The Chikdor Merchant Guild was indeed someone they couldn't afford to offend.

The Chikdor Merchant Guild? Why would they want to interfere with my purchase of large-class merchant vessels? Didn't their president come to apologize to me already? Why would they act against me now, given that I'm backed by the Peterson Merchant Guild?

Lorist continued to think with his brow furrowed. He must've missed out on some key variable. At that moment, Howard came over and reported, "Milord, President Peterson sent someone over to inform you to meet him at the guild headquarters. He has something urgent he needs to discuss with you."

Shocking Developments

Here's the second regular chapter of the week.

Here's the topic of the day:

How do you think Lorist will deal with this threat? Both the expansionism of the union in general, and with the issues with the Chikdor Merchant Guild specifically?

Discuss!

"Two days ago, the seven largest merchant guilds of the trade union had a discussion about implementing the nobility system. In principle, the guilds shouldn't be against it as presidents of the seven largest guilds like me will be entitled as dukes. The only problem was the enfeoffment of land.

"The original plan concerned the Falik Plains which had eight cities in total. Apart from Morante City, each of the seven other cities on the plains will be enfeoffed to one of the seven dukes. However, that territory was a little too small, and the Forde Merchant Guild which thrives on agriculture objected vehemently to that and even threatened to leave the trade union. That's why we had to abandon that plan.

"Even though the trade union had a wide sphere of influence, the only other place under its rule apart from the Falik Plains are the Calisto Mountains. In the end, it was decided that the Falik Plains and Morante City would be left untouched as they were the core of the trade union which the citizens depended on for emotional stability. Calisto Mountains would then be divided into 50 different dominions and enfeoffed to those of the rank of viscount and below. As for ranks above the count, they can only expand their land through their own efforts."

When Lorist arrived at the headquarters of the Peterson Merchant Guild, President Peterson didn't tell him anything about the matter regarding the cancelled ship orders. Instead, he began to talk about the seemingly unrelated nobility system that was pending implementation by the trade union. However, Lorist believed that President Peterson told him that for a good reason, so he resigned himself to pay attention.

"For example, Duke Lormo, of the Lormo Duchy, has been interested in joining the trade union ever since the dissolution of the Krissen Empire. I believe that the trade union will give him a chance this time around, on the condition that he revokes his dominion's independence, and his own sovereignty, and put the two provinces, the Yiwas and Puljas Provinces, under the trade union's jurisdiction. Only after that will Duke Lormo be made a duke of the trade union with Yiwas Province as his enfeoffed land.

"As for the Puljas Province which borders the Falik Plains, it would become the dominion of Duke Forde. Mainly because the founder of the Forde Merchant Guild, Duke Forde Morante, and the six other heads of the largest merchant guilds, are credited with the formation of the merchant guild, it stands to reason that his descendants be given some benefits.

"As for the six other largest merchant guilds -- with the exception of the Wald Merchant Guild, who have their sights on the weak Mobia Duchy, which is near the Calisto Mountains -- the Twinhead Dragon Merchant Guild, the Mayflower Merchant Guild, the Wessia Merchant Guild, the Chikdor Merchant Guild, and us, the Peterson Merchant Guild, will be targeting the lands of the former Krissen Empire. The Peterson Merchant Guild is prepared to take over the northwestern area of the Redlis Kingdom and set up our dominion there.

"Yesterday, I have invited Mister Tim over for a discussion. He said that he would be willing to aid the guild by convincing the nobles of the northwestern area of the kingdom to take me as their senior noble after the formation of the dominion. After that, the nobles there, including House Tebri will become part of the nobility of the trade union."

Holy crap, the trade union is actually going to change the policies they have abided by for more than 100 years... Now that they're powerful enough, they've spread their wings and bared their fangs towards the territories formerly belonging to the empire, and are prepared to swallow as much as their appetite allows...

Even Tim, who had been made a noble through Lorist's efforts, had changed sides and joined the trade union without so much as a notification. It was apparent that he was already completely committed to his new cause, neglecting all the favors he had owed in a naked act of betrayal.

At that moment, Lorist's mind was in turmoil. He felt as if there were ten thousand horses stampeding right in front of him. His hand holding the teacup shook slightly. This wasn't a small change, but rather a history-defining development!

The implementation of the nobility system by the trade union had changed them, the harmless bunny, into a bloodthirsty tiger with its mouth agape. Even though their current targets used to be part of the Krissen Empire, which had been their sworn enemies for the past century, it only applied to the seven largest merchant guilds of the union. As President Peterson had said, anyone who wanted titles would have to fight and conquer their own territory. So, what of the second to third-rate merchant guilds? Who would they target next?

With the implementation of the nobility system, Grindia would no longer know peace. Even though the trade union wasn't an empire, it was possibly more powerful than one. Whether it be wealth, population, or influence, they surpassed the Krissen Empire in all regards. They were not unlike a gigantic, invincible titan.

Lorist suddenly thought of the ambitious Second Highness. The man was filled with confidence in his 300000 troops. He was only waiting for his father's passing to engage in the effort to reunite the empire.

Poor Second Highness, it seems that you've missed the opportune time to reunite the empire, and wasted a year of your time. 300000 soldiers... Haha, what a joke...

Trying hard to keep his shock in check, Lorist asked calmly, "President Peterson, was Duke Lormo willing to accept the conditions of the trade union? After all, he is the head of a duchy..."

President Peterson laughed and said, "Sometimes, situations are beyond the control of man. He doesn't have a choice but to accept our conditions. In fact, several influential nobles within the Lormo Duchy were already on bad terms with the duke. Had it not been for our mediation, civil war would have broken out long ago. Even though the trade union accepts his participation, and he would lose his status as the head of the duchy, it will be a kind of release for him.

"Additionally, the conditions we are offering him benefit him quite a lot. Not only did we give him a loan of 5 million gold Fordes that's interest free for up to ten years, we even sent someone to help him form his own merchant guild so that he can gain observer status in the high council. As long as he pays back the loan, he will also be able to be one of the core members of the council, and his merchant guild will be the eighth largest in the union."

Darn, that's a new milestone for betraying one's own country for power!

Everyone would feel that Duke Lormo got a good deal for selling away his duchy. The trade union was incredibly sincere and generous with its conditions. To Duke Lormo, becoming the head of the eighth merchant guild in the high council of the trade union was nothing short of a boost in status. Similarly, that was also the ambition of many of the lesser merchant guilds within the union.

No, wait. This is all a ruse, realized Lorist. Duke Lormo is a goner. The loan of 5 million gold Fordes is truly an alluring trap. If he doesn't pay it back within ten years, Duke Lormo would have to liquidate his assets to pay back the loan according to the regulations of the trade union. In other words, he would be declared bankrupt and his dreams of becoming the eighth member of the high council would be dashed.

There was no way that the seven largest merchant guilds would be willing to further divide their benefits to be given to someone else. Otherwise, there would've been a merchant guild or two that would attain the same status as the big seven over the course of almost 200 years. When Lorist was studying at Dawn Academy, he had heard a rumor about how a merchant guild would be secretly assaulted and ruined upon expanding their businesses beyond the scope of those of the seven largest guilds. Most of the smart ones within the trade union understood that 'rule'.

Thankfully, my dominion is within the Northlands and on Silowas Island. I won't have to worry about interacting with these sly hegemons anytime soon, cheered Lorist secretly.

But what President Peterson said next almost caused him to jump in shock.

"Apart from us, the Peterson Merchant Guild, the others including the Twinhead Dragon Merchant Guild, the Mayflower Merchant Guild, and the Wessia Merchant Guild will be aiming to conquer the Redlis Kingdom for territory. That's because the union understands that the Redlis Kingdom is near its point of collapse after the incessant attacks of the Andinaq Kingdom's Second Highness. To prevent another nation like the Krissen Empire from being formed and threatening our own safety, the trade union has decided to intervene in that conflict to ruin the Second Highness's plan to reunite the empire.

"The following will be related to you, Brother Locke. The Chikdor Merchant Guild is intent on taking your dominion at Silowas Island, and their plan is supported by the rest within the union. As long as they have Silowas Island, the Chikdor Merchant Guild will be able to control the sea trading routes all the way from Hidegold Bay to the northern coasts. They will become the true rulers of the sea. Even though I knew that the island was your dominion, I wasn't able to object to it. The circumstances didn't permit my objection.

"The Chikdor Merchant Guild is already aware of your true identity, and they have even suggested to make you give them the island by force. I have vehemently objected to their methods. Even if we can't be considered friends, you are still my guest. Additionally, the trade union's reputation would be sullied if such a thing was carried out. The other merchant guilds agreed with me, and advised the Chikdor Merchant Guild against starting a conflict with you in Morante City.

"So far, your safety within the city is guaranteed. However, the moment you depart, I suspect the Chikdor Merchant Guild will attack you at sea. Brother Locke, I suggest that you abandon your ship and travel on land. It's safer that way. The strength of the Chikdor Merchant Guild is most pronounced at sea, but they're rather weak on land. Given your skills, you'll definitely have an easier time escaping.

"Please understand that I am unable to help you, Brother Locke. This is the decision of the union. Other than that, the Chikdor Merchant Guild will be giving control of the trade route from Hidegold Bay to the dominion of Viscount Tebri to the Peterson Merchant Guild, and promised that they wouldn't interfere with that. In exchange, we must take a neutral stance between you and them and won't aid any side. Being able to inform you of this news is already the best I can do."

Lorist wanted to curse out loud when he heard all that.

'When trouble strikes, there's nowhere to hide'. The Chikdor Merchant Guild must have realized the strategic location of Silowas Island. It's no surprise that some sharp minds out there have realized the same things I did.

Controlling Silowas Island would be akin to controlling everything from Hidegold Bay to the northern seas. It was no joke to say that whoever controlled Silowas Island was the ruler of the northern seas.

"Brother Locke, if you don't mind, I can help you negotiate with the Chikdor Merchant Guild. That way, you can take a page from Duke Lormo's book and sell the island to the Chikdor Merchant Guild. We'll definitely make sure that you won't lose out on that deal. Also, I think that's the ideal way for you to avoid conflict. After all, the dominion of your house is located in the Northlands, and through selling Silowas Island for a good price, you can gain the favor of the trade union as well as develop your dominion with those funds," advised President Peterson.

Lorist shook his head calmly and said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, president. However, House Norton prides itself in its military background. We are not afraid of the threat of war. Let's forget about selling the island as well. If the Chikdor Merchant Guild intends to take Silowas Island, the dominion of my house, then they better be ready to pay for it with tens of thousands of lives. House Norton will definitely make them aware of the consequences of provoking the Raging Bear of the Northlands."

Silowas Island was crucial in Lorist's plans for the house's future. Losing it would cut the family off from its prosperous future, this is what drove Lorist to be completely unwilling to compromise.

Since the trade union is going to implement a nobility system and involve House Norton in its troubles, then bring it on. The one thing my house doesn't fear is war.

"Brother Locke, I hope you consider this thoroughly. The Chikdor Merchant Guild is one of the strongest forces at sea. For the other guilds like us, even though we have fleets, the scale of those fleets can't possibly compare to those of the Chikdor Merchant Guild. Not only do they have seven large-scale long distance merchant fleets, including near a thousand warships, and more than ten thousand sailors, they also have great influence over the trade union's Invincible Fleet, as well as the navy of the Hanayabarta and Shyarsia kingdoms. Silowas Island is in the middle of the ocean. I'm afraid your conflict with the Chikdor Merchant Guild will end in your defeat..."

President Peterson felt that Lorist was just being stubborn as a result of his youth and inexperience. Compared with the Chikdor Merchant Guild, Lorist didn't even have a single large-class merchant vessel for show. He was like an infant that challenged a giant to a one-on-one battle, and the result of it was all too predictable. To him, Lorist's futile resistance would only bring unnecessary casualties to House Norton.

But little did he know that the naval superiority of the Chikdor Merchant Guild made Lorist even more resolved. Lorist realized that as long as he was able to trump the Chikdor Merchant Guild, House Norton would become the new ruler of the sea. Perhaps, he would have a far easier time dealing with the other merchant guilds at sea than on land.

"President, when will the trade union execute the nobility system?" asked Lorist.

"It will be done after winter on the 18th day of the 3rd month next year. That is the 175th anniversary for the formation of the Forde Trade Union. Duke Lormo will also become part of the trade union on that day, and will be given title then. At the same time, over a hundred people who have contributed to the trade union will be given their titles and enfeoffed their lands," replied President Peterson.

"President, the various duchies and kingdoms neighboring the trade union have always been part of the alliance with the trade union and can be considered to be under their influence. During the past century, they've also provided lots of help to resist the invasion of the Krissen Empire, thus ensuring the union's victory.

"Now that the trade union is going to implement a nobility system, apart from the largest merchant guilds who have their sights on the Redlis Kingdom, what of the territories of the other lesser merchant guilds who will be similarly given titles? Won't their conquest for territory cause turmoil and unrest among the other kingdoms and duchies neighboring the trade union?" asked Lorist.

The president nodded and said, "The nobility system has been used all over Grindia for more than a millennium. This kind of system has long been engraved within the hearts of Grindians, and gaining a piece of hereditary land for one's descendants has always been one of the greatest dreams one can have. Even though the trade union is second to none on the continent when trading and dealing with the nobles of the duchies and kingdoms, there is an unspoken feeling of inferiority inflicted upon us. It's one of the main reasons the trade union is implementing the nobility system.

"The most troubling part of that would be the enfeoffment of land. Without land, the titles one holds would be only honorary ones. Actually, some have expressed their desires to absorb the smaller nations two years back as the foundation for the new nobility system. However, the high council felt that it would affect the union's reputation too badly. They would become the public enemy named alongside the Krissen Empire. The proposal was denied in the end.

"This time, the high council has declared that those who wish to conquer their own territory must do so only within the Redlis and Andinaq kingdoms, since there's more than enough land over there. It would also extinguish any chances of the Krissen Empire reuniting and rising again, thus allowing the trade union to no longer worry about anything. The neighboring nations won't be too worried about their own safety following the implementation of the trade union's nobility system either.

"As a result, the land all the way from the Great Andalou Plains to the Redlis Kingdom would become the territory to be enfeoffed by the trade union. That's also one of the factors the Chikdor Merchant Guild wants your Silowas Island. Predictably, the trade union will not allow Silowas Island, which can pose a threat to the coasts of the Great Andalou Plains, to be out of the union's control."

Finally, President Peterson sincerely said to Lorist, "Brother Locke, don't think that just because it's only the end of the 11th month that everything will only begin in 3 or so months. Actually, a lot of preparatory work will have to be done during the months leading up to the aforementioned date. In a few days, Duke Lormo will be signing the agreement to accept the conditions of the trade union and relinquish the independence of his duchy.

"The Wald Merchant Guild also hopes that they'll be able to take the Mobia Kingdom into the trade union just like the Lormo Duchy. The rest, including the Twinhead Dragon Merchant Guild, the Wessia Merchant Guild, and the Mayflower Merchant Guild will be building up the military force of the Redlis Kingdom one way or another. As long as they can fight the 300000 soldiers of the Second Highness and cause immense damage to both sides, the various merchant guilds of the trade union can swoop in for the spoils of battle and begin conquering their territory.

"I think that when one's might can't compare to one's foe, one must endure and compromise, lest one make the irrational choice that will devastate one's own house. Brother Locke, please reconsider my suggestion. It is not my wish to start conflict easily. Additionally, sea battles are very different from land battles, and the Chikdor Merchant Guild is no stranger to the former, with their great experience and advantage in numbers. The cancellation of your ship orders during the past few days is also one of the tactics used by the Chikdor Merchant Guild to apply pressure to you."

Lorist replied solemnly, "Alright, president. I will definitely consider this matter seriously."

Two Letters

Hey guys, here's the first sponsored chapter of the week brought to you by Benjamin R. from France. Enjoy!

And for the question of the day:

How do you think this will play out for the eight academies? Will they all be annihilated?

When he returned from the Peterson Merchant Guild, Lorist locked himself in the room and burned the midnight oil.

When Howard opened the door the next morning, he saw Lorist with his eyes slightly red, wearing a pale look of fatigue.

"Milord..." mumbled Howard worriedly.

Howard and Els had accompanied Lorist to the Peterson Merchant Guild the day before. Even though they stood guard outside, they were roughly able to hear about how the Chikdor Merchant Guild had goals towards getting Silowas Island, which belonged to House Norton. When they paid attention, they also heard President Peterson advising Lorist not to start an all-out conflict with the guild for the sake of honor, and said that the best option was to sell the island to them.

When they returned, all of the guards, including Josk, got to hear the news. They were all emotionally charged. It was as though they had been insulted themselves. A merchant guild will never be allowed to strongarm House Norton. They all expressed that they'd rather die than let the dominion of the house be sold out.

Lorist, on the other hand, wore a dark expression. He asked for the maps of Morante City, the Forde Trade Union, as well as those of the neighboring nations. He locked himself in his room after receiving them, and only emerged the next day.

"Don't worry, Howard. Since I'm taller than you, if the sky falls, I'll be the first one to bear the burden. This is no big deal. Get me a basin of water to wash my face with," said Lorist, smiling as he stroked Howard's hair.

As the ice-cold linen cloth was wrapped around his face, Lorist shivered and felt the fatigue that had built up during the night drain away in an instant.

The implementation of the nobility system has nothing to do with me. But they shouldn't have set their sights on me. I only want to continue farming and developing the dominion without offending anyone, but those fools just keep knocking at my door one after another. 'A tame horse will be mounted, and a gentle man will be bullied.' The idioms of my past life truly make sense. Since that's the case, bring it. So, what if they have seven large-class merchant vessels, thousands of armed ships, and 10000 plus sailors? To me, all of them are merely small fry!

"Actually, some have expressed their desires to absorb the smaller nations two years back as the foundation for the new nobility system."

The words uttered by President Peterson yesterday echoed in Lorist's head.

He revealed an insulting smile.

So, the trade union intends to turn the sights of those they entitle to the lands of the Redlis and Andinaq Kingdoms... Do they really think it will be that simple? Merchants are still merchants at the end of the day. And it is in their nature to avoid losses to gain profit. There's no way that they'll ignore the delicious cake right next to them and go all the way to an unfamiliar land to bite on bones... Do they think that everyone within the union are as far-sighted as the seven big guilds?

I guess I'll give you guys a small push and let you know what a situation beyond man's control is like. I refuse to believe that you won't take a bite when I bring that delicacy straight to your mouth...

"Howard, have Master Mancheny come to my room," instructed Lorist.

At noon, after lunch, Lorist headed to the Dawn Academy and bid farewell to all the instructors and professors he knew. He said that he would be leaving Morante City in two days and also went to bid Academy Head Levins farewell.

When Lorist left, Levins and Blademaster Claude looked at the two letters left on the table as their faces wrinkled, giving off a troubled look. Those letters were like Pandora's boxes, ready to unleash chaos upon the world.

There was only one good way to deal with the letters, and that was to burn them and forget that they ever existed. However, upon considering the potential profit of possibly up to a million gold Fordes, Academy Head Levins made his decision. "This is not something that our academy alone can bear. Have the other academy heads invited over here. We'll split the profit and divide the risks among ourselves..."

Two days later, a piece of shocking news rocked the whole of Morante City and spread throughout Falik Plains, eventually reaching the various nations neighboring the union.

The headline of the most distributed publication, Morante Daily, read: The Truth!

The report began referring back to the case of Luxcrimson Winery which transpired within the Teribo Kingdom, as well as true reason behind the execution of Viscount Sirwa, and some others on the order of Teribo VII in front of the palace. The report stated that a glassmith called Mancheny had been kidnapped by the bandits because of Viscount Sirwa's error. That meant that the secret of glass production which the Teribo Kingdom had labored to keep for over two centuries had already been leaked.

The report also stated that a few students from various academies within Morante City managed to rescue a heavily-injured man, who turned out to be Master Mancheny who managed to escape from the bandits that captured him. Due to his injuries, Mancheny had perished despite the emergency medical treatment he had been given.

However, Master Mancheny loathed the Teribo Kingdom greatly. He said that he had worked hard for 32 years in glass-working for the kingdom, yet he wasn't able to receive its protection, causing his family to fall into ruin. It was through his testimony that the rest got to know about how the glassmith was forced to marry off his daughter to the viscount, which led to his eventual kidnapping in the first place.

Given that his daughter was in the hands of the bandits, Master Mancheny no longer felt any will to live. Before his death, he penned two letters, one of which contained the ingredients and procedures for green glass production, and another for oil glass. He hoped that the letters would cause the secret of glass production to be spread throughout Grindia. This would complete his revenge against Viscount Sirwa for forcing his hand, and the Teribo Kingdom for its cruel indifference to his plight.

Naturally, Master Mancheny wasn't aware of the hanging of Viscount Sirwa by Teribo VII. The letters he wrote troubled the students greatly. They eventually decided to bring the letters back to their academies to let them handle the matter.

After some deliberation, the heads of the academies of Morante City had come to the decision to auction off the letters. They would use the profits gained from the auction to reward the adventurous students, and make a fund in Master Mancheny's name for studious students who lacked the opportunity to further their studies because of their poor family background. This would allow the academies to honour the tragedy that befell the Mancheny family.

The report also stated that the Mayflower Merchant Guild would be hosting the auction for the two letters on the 5th day of the 12th month. The starting bid for each letter would be a million gold Fordes.

The Morante Daily article shocked the merchant guilds, and the trade union's neighboring countries, into a stupor. Every one of them was well aware that the Teribo Kingdom was the richest nation after the Forde Trade Union. They made more than 3 million gold Fordes annually from their glass exports alone. The country's royal family was said to be the richest on the whole of the Grindian continent.

With the glass production process leaked, should one nation be able to obtain either letter, the profit they would enjoy would no doubt increase by at least one million gold Fordes annually. To the various nations and merchant guilds, this was an incredible opportunity to make a huge profit. There were less than eight days until the 5th day of the 12th month, and many people flocked to Morante City as the date approached.

The whole of the Forde Trade Union had been embroiled in turmoil as a result of those two letters. Morante City was the eye of the storm. The Mayflower Merchant Guild was even more troubled. They were the hosts of the auction, and became everyone else's target.

Had it been any weaker power, the guild's heads would have taken the letter for themselves and kept it a secret. The profit they could gain from it was not something to scoff at.

But the people that had come to them with this proposal were the heads of eight of the ten greatest academies on the whole of the continent. No matter how brave the heads of the Mayflower Merchant Guild were, they wouldn't dare to take the letters for themselves. This would still be the case even if the eight academies had not each sent a blademaster to watch over the letters. Protecting the letter was only a pretense, of course, they were actually there to guard against any untoward action by the Mayflower Merchant Guild.

Academy Head Levins had said to the seven other academy heads, "There's no way we can begin producing glass ourselves. If we do, we'll definitely become the target of others. We can only profit off this once. I trust that both these letters are worth more than 8 million gold Fordes. This kind of sum is not one that the Dawn Academy can swallow alone. We have no choice but to find conspirators that will join in. After the auction, each academy will receive a million gold Fordes. Are you guys in or not?"

While one academy alone wouldn't be able to go against the seven largest merchant guilds in the trade union, a coalition of eight academies would be left untouched. Even though those academies were ranked among the top ten in Grindia, it was already an incredible feat for them to make a profit of tens of thousands of gold Fordes per year. Sometimes, they would even operate at a loss.

Academy Head Levins had once described the accounts of the academy to Lorist. The most of the Dawn Academy's income came from accepting donations. That was why the academy head wanted Lorist to help with the battleforce awakening of the son of President Peterson no matter what, even though that seemed an almost impossible task at first.

This auction, however, gave them the opportunity to gain a million gold Fordes in one go. The other seven academy heads were unanimous in their decision. For them to be able to make it to their current positions, they had to be at least as sly as Academy Head Levins. They were well aware that they would only be able to make it out of this matter unscathed if they united. Thus, each academy sent out one Blademaster. A unit of eight Blademasters was not one that could be scoffed at. It was almost guaranteed that nobody would be able to do anything to those letters.

When the Morante Daily's article was delivered to the king of the Teribo Kingdom, the king flipped out in anger and smashed whatever he could get his hands on. After that, he summoned his officials and came up with three countermeasures after four hours of discussion.

First, the kingdom would send their envoys to the Forde Trade Union to have them hand over the two letters.

Second, the kingdom would mobilize its 50000-strong army to the borders to let the trade union witness the lengths to which the Teribo Kingdom would go to maintain control of the glass production.

Third, the kingdom would send seven Blademasters with 10 million gold Fordes to Morante City to see whether the Mayflower Merchant Guild was willing to sell the letters for that amount of money.

If they weren't willing to sell them, Teribo VII said, "If we are unable to get those two letters back, we must do all we can to destroy them. Glass production is how the kingdom was able to build itself up. I will definitely not allow any other nation, house or merchant guild to grasp its secrets..."

As everyone's attention was focused on the two letters in the hands of the Mayflower Merchant Guild, on the night of the 34th day of the 11th month, Lorist headed to the port of the Peterson Merchant Guild with his guards, Josk, Howard, Dulles, and Master Mancheny's family, using four carriages.

A black-colored carriage could be seen waiting at the port. Upon noticing Lorist and the rest's arrival, Els and two other guards hopped out of the carriage with two linen sacks, before they carefully loaded the sacks onto the Flying Fish of Dawn.

The sacks appeared to contain people. The guild's guards wanted to investigate, but were stopped by the person in charge of the port.

"We didn't see anything, understood?" said he solemnly.

Lorist then bid Dulles farewell, "Dulles, there are three reasons for you to remain here at Morante City. First, take note of the effects of the two letters, and try to secretly escalate the problem. Second, recruit talented people and head to the dominion of Viscount Tebri on the ships of the Peterson Merchant Guild when the time comes. We will pick you up over there. Third, begin to collect intelligence on the Chikdor Merchant Guild. They will soon become an enemy we will have to face."

"Understood, milord. I will execute your will accordingly," Dulles answered with his chest puffed out, "Milord, please be careful on your way back."

Lorist patted Dulles's shoulder before heading towards the person in charge of the port. He took out a huge sack of coins and handed it to him. "This is my thanks for your tolerating the troubles we caused over here. Also, help us bid our farewells to the president. As the matters of my dominion are incredibly urgent, I won't have time to go thank him myself."

The person in charge was stunned when he got hold of the sack. Based on the weight, he surmised that there was at least 100 gold Fordes within. He couldn't quite hear what Lorist was saying due to his shock and could only mumble 'yes' nonstop. When the Flying Fish of Dawn departed, he was waving his hands nonstop to bid them farewell.

As the skies brightened, Young Master Moribak of the Chikdor Merchant Guild threw a fit of rage.

"What did you say?! Count Norton left Hidegold Bay around two in the morning?! What the hell is going on with our lookout?! You said he fell asleep? Very well, then he shall not wake for the rest of his life. Have the bird-breeders release some sea swallows immediately to notify the second and third interception fleets of this news. Have the first interception fleet begin pursuit. No matter what, we must have that ship! Count Norton must be brought before me! What are you waiting for?! Scram!"

"Understood, third young master."

Blockade at Sea [Cliffhanger 1 of 3]

This is the second bonus chapter of the week also by Benjamin R. from France. Thanks for the support!

Tales of the Reincarnated Lord

Chapter 246: Blockade at Sea

The purplish tint of dawn covered the whole sky. The endless seas turned red under it. The Flying Fish of Dawn was cruising at full sail, riding the winds and waves.

"Milord, Professor Balbo and his maidservant are awake. Right now, they're feeling rather confused and agitated," reported Howard as he got onto the deck.

Els and the guards had brought Professor Balbo -- the man who had cracked open the secrets of dwarven gunpowder -- and his maidservant, Swila, onboard the previous night in two sacks.

They had learned that the professor had no children, and had yet to build a family through Els's mate and current head of the syndicate, Jindoz. He did, however, have a young widow by his side. She had served as his personal maidservant for more than 20 years.

According to Jindoz, the relationship between Professor Balbo and Swila was a little ambiguous. Perhaps the difference in their status made the professor hesitate to take her as his wife. Despite this possible hesitation, they were quite close, to the point that the professor gave Swila his entire salary and let her manage his life.

Venus Academy ranked rather low when compared to other academies within Morante City. They were around 21st on the rankings. Professor Balbo's salary was also merely 3 gold Fordes a month. Coupled with the professor's tendency to research weird things, which cost him quite a bit, he didn't live a lavish life. Additionally, the professor didn't really like his job at the academy. He had expressed a desire to change his occupation more than once.

Initially, Lorist thought that it would be a piece of cake for him to recruit Professor Balbo. Little did he know that the professor was actually an advocate of liberty, and hated nobles to the bone. Lorist was even harshly condemned when he made a personal visit, and was chased out of the house by the professor with a broom.

Even though Lorist didn't know what grievances the professor might have with nobles, the limited amount of time he had didn't allow him to play around with the professor. He ordered Els to take a few men and knock the professor and his maidservant out cold. By the time they woke up, they would already be onboard and far out to sea. They would have no choice but to follow Lorist then.

"Alright, I'll go check on him and try to calm him down," said Lorist.

He didn't notice how Howard was rolling his eyes out of his sight.

The professor wasn't just agitated, he was on the verge of panicking! That was especially the case when he saw Lorist and realised why he was at sea. In a fit of rage, he uttered all the expletives he knew, much to the awe of those present, who found it hard to believe that a learned professor of an academy would act the way he did.

When the professor stopped to take a breath, Lorist said, "Professor Balbo, I didn't bear any ill intentions when I invited you here. I just want..."

"Forget it. I won't do as you wish. No matter what you do to me, I won't agree to your demands, you damned..."

The professor was not in the mood to hear what Lorist had to say. After that, he continued his cursing and even resorted to attacking Lorist personally by comparing his intelligence to that of a mule.

Lorist merely pretended he didn't hear all that, and let the professor continue. He looked at the maidservant Swila, and found that she was a little seasick. He quickly instructed Howard, who was standing outside the cabin, to bring some medicine from his cabin. He also had him make some tea for the professor to moisten his dry throat.

The professor was greatly annoyed at Lorist's thick skin. He had thought that he could anger Lorist to the point that he would give him a beating. The beating would give him the chance to prove his resolve. But Lorist simply ignored him completely, and even began to tend to his seasick maidservant.

"What in the world do you want, a ransom? I'm just a poor professor and I don't have much. Or is it knowledge? There are so many professors in Morante City who are far more accomplished than me for that. And didn't you hear about my misgivings with the academy? In the eyes of other professors, I'm just a weird, stubborn guy, who puts his efforts in researching oddities instead of proper fields of studies," said the professor after he took a few sips of his tea.

This time around, he didn't curse, and only held great suspicion of Lorist's intentions.

Lorist smiled. He was happy to finally have a chance to communicate with the professor.

"Professor Balbo, the reason I've looked for you is for the sake of gunpowder," said he.

"The dwarven gunpowder?" Professor Balbo muttered with suspicion, "That project of mine has long been completed. It was published in the journal last year. Didn't the Morante Daily write an article about it? You should be able to find it in a library. Everything's reported in the article and nothing was kept from them."

"No, professor, what I'm interested in is what you said about there being room for improvement. What I want is the perfected form of it."

The professor shrugged and said, "Then you should go look for the dwarves and get a ton of saltpeter from them. Only then can experiments be performed to refine the formula to perfection. The problem is that there is no saltpeter ore to be found in the human realm. Those shorties are also unwilling to sell any to us..."

After that, the professor cursed a few more times. But this time around, the target for his profanity were the dwarves.

"Professor, I don't have any saltpeter either. But I will be able to provide huge amounts of the nitrite you'll need for the experiments. That's the reason why I invited you to come with me," said Lorist.

"That's impossible!" the professor exclaimed in shock, "How are you able to procure so much nitrite? If you could, you should've told me that the first time you came to see me..."

Lorist smiled and shook his head before he said, "Professor, you must understand that gunpowder is an incredibly destructive substance and even has the potential to overturn the battleforce-driven world of Grindia. I don't want to become an eyesore for those involved. Nature on the other hand, is full of wonders. Even though saltpeter ore cannot be found in the human realm, I have a method that I can use to gather the nitrite that's found within saltpeter. So far, only I have noticed that method. If you're patient, you will be told the method when you arrive at the dominion of my house."

"Can't you just tell me about it here?" asked the professor impatiently.

Lorist shook his head.

The professor glared hatefully at Lorist, but he merely smiled in return.

"Fine, I'll trust you just this once. You better not be lying," said the professor in resignation.

There wasn't much he could do anyway, since they had already set sail. There was nowhere for him to run to.

"Ships sighted up ahead, battlestations!" shouted the lookout.

"Professor Balbo, Miss Swila, please rest well for a few days on the ship and enjoy the view. When we reach the dominion, I trust that you'll come to understand that not all nobles are that darned. If you have anything you need, just notify the guards here. I will satisfy your demands to the best of my ability. Well, I'll have to take my leave for now," Lorist said as he lowered his head and rushed out onto the ship's deck.

"There are two large-class, three-masted merchant vessels, four middle-class, two-masted merchant vessels, and six middle-class, two-masted armed ships heading our way in a fan formation! They seem to bear hostile intent! No, wait, they're flying the sword and barrel flag! They're the fleet of the Chikdor Merchant Guild! They're the enemy!"

As the lookout continued to shout at the top of his voice, the ships appeared clearer and clearer in his vision.

Lorist got onto the deck quickly, and saw Old Jack mumbling while using a weirdly-shaped ruler to measure a rope that was left flying freely on one mast.

"Captain!" Old Jack called out, "We're traveling against the winds at only eight knots while those bastards over there are traveling with the wind. Half of them are fast-sailing ships and they're almost traveling at ten knots! Based on that, there's no way we'll be able to carry out huge turns as evasive maneuvers. They'll be right on our tail in ten minutes or so."

"What's going on?" Lorist shouted.

"Milord, it's obvious that those Chikdor ships over there aren't coming in peace. Their commander of the fleet is also really experienced. They've laid their formation in preparation to capture us. No matter which direction we rush towards, we'll end up being sandwiched by their ships. The moment they destroy our sails with their ranged weapons, this ship will no longer be able to unleash its potential in speed, and we'll be at their mercy. I had wanted to turn tail to escape, but the keel of our ship is too deep in the water, which means that we'll have to make a huge turn to change direction. By then, the enemy will already be next to us," explained Captain Wilson.

"Evade the two large ships first. Travel in a Z-shaped path and pass between the two ships on our left. Josk, shoot down the sails of those two ships. Els, use fire bolts with the ballistae, and have them fire at will against those ships," decided Lorist after giving it some thought.

Josk stood at the bow of the ship with his green longbow curved into a full moon. A thunderous twang rang out as a bolt of green was let loose from Josk's hand. In a flash, the two-masted ship sailing at breakneck speeds towards them roughly 60 meters away seemed to have been hit by an invisible fist. The mast at the back of the ship wobbled twice before it collapsed forward.

Josk had broken a ship's mast with only one arrow. The middle-class ship slowed down after that, and even began to twirl around in the sea in circles, causing a mess to break out on board. It opened a gap in the formation that Lorist's ship could use to pass through.

As Josk began aiming at the next ship, it began to move evasively, zig-zagging back and forth. Some of the crew even gathered at the front of the ship and began to fire their own arrows in an attempt to distract Josk's aiming.

Josk calmed himself and treated the arrows that were flying at him as if they weren't there. However, his second arrow only brushed past the mast he was aiming at without causing it any damage. The crew cheered at his failure. The distance between the two ships had decreased to less than 40 meters. Lorist was already able to see the crew of the enemy ships loading their large ballistae and lighting their flaming projectiles clearly. They were preparing to destroy the sails.

Josk took a deep breath before his bow twanged again. The crew of his target ship was sent into another fit of terror. Four to five of the sailors at the front of the ship, who were firing with their bows, clutched their throats before collapsing lifelessly. Not one of the sailors at the front of the ship remained standing. Feeling the sudden emptiness left by their collapsed comrades, the remaining sailors looked for a place to hide hurriedly. They hadn't expected the enemy's Gold ranked marksman to be this powerful. The skill he showed could almost be considered divine and out of reach of mortal men.

A loud cry of terror rang out as two of the lower sails of the two-masted ship began to contort when the wind blew against it. The four arrows Josk just fired had broken the knot holding them in place. The sails fell on the tub containing the flaming balls, and caught fire. Smoke began to billow from the approaching ship. The lookout in the crow's nest stared at the flames for a moment before jumping into the ocean, desperate to escape his fiery fate.

Captain Wilson turned the wheel hurriedly, and directed the Flying Fish of Dawn past the flaming ship. They had successfully broken out of the Chikdor Merchant Guild's blockade. By the time the other ships turned around against the wind to give chase, the Flying Fish of Dawn would have long left them in the dust.

"Release!" Roughly 100 meters away at the deck of one of the large-class, three-masted ship, five balls of fire were launched from the boat. The ballistae didn't have the range, though; the balls splashed into the water a dozen meters short of the Flying Fish of Dawn.

A brutish, purple-faced man looked to the Flying Fish of Dawn in the distance and calmly said, "Don't fire any more fireballs, it's a waste if they're not in range. Send out the sea swallows to inform the third young master of our failure. Also, inform the third interception fleet and have them be careful of the impressive Gold ranked marksman. It was due to that marksman alone that they were able to break through our blockade and cause us to lose a ship. Leave one ship behind to save the survivors. As for the rest, turn around and tail them. I hope the third interception fleet will not disappoint us."

"Understood, Admiral," said a shipmate before he hurried to relay the orders.

Nearby, another huge man asked, "Elder brother, that ship is incredibly weird, just like a loach. It's too swift and sneaky and will be hard for us to catch up to."

"No worries, we'll just do what we can. The third young master was unable to forget his desire to possess that ship precisely because of its speed. Had the ship stopped and agreed to ferry the third young master to Morante City, he wouldn't have been eliminated as a candidate for succession. The third interception fleet has Blademaster Kumori with them, and their admiral is also incredibly experienced. If they receive our report, they will know how to deal with that ship. And if it turns back in an attempt to escape, we'll be right behind it. It's impossible for them to escape."

Sounds of cheering echoed on the empty sea from the Flying Fish of Dawn. The marines and guards were elated that they were able to evade their enemy without a single casualty, and were incredibly spirited.

Lorist looked at the flaming balls that fell into the ocean behind them and furrowed his brow as he asked, "What are those?"

Captain Wilson turned back and was just in time to see the last ball fall into the ocean. "Oh, that's a fireball, milord. It's the main ranged weapon used at sea. It's a bunch of mixed clay, fine sand, some hemp, and fuel. It's held together by wine glue. It's set aflame before being placed on a large ballista and fired. Its range is roughly 100 meters.

"It's usually fine if those things don't hit us. But if they do, it'll be really troublesome. The flames can't be put out simply by dousing it with water and it'll roll all over the place on the ship. Sometimes a single lucky shot will be able to set a whole ship on fire. I've asked in the past why our ships weren't outfitted with those, but the response I received was that those are too old-fashioned and that we have even better and more advanced ranged weaponry."

Just as Lorist as about to say something, he could hear Els curse as he walked out onto the deck.

"Milord, these steel ballistae are not of much use at all," said Els.

"What's going on? Is there a problem?" asked Lorist.

"Milord, even though we can shoot far with the ballistae, we aren't able to aim accurately. We're not on land and the ship frequently heaves up and down. Also, our targets aren't soldier formations which we can easily hit by roughly aiming in that direction. Ships at 200 or so meters away are only as large as a palm, and they're located quite far from each other, making them incredibly hard to hit. Of the ten shots I made, only 2 hit their targets. One of them merely landed on the ship without causing much damage while the other pierced a hole through their sail and is nowhere to be seen," complained Els.

Lorist realized with shock that he had taken the whole thing too lightly. He understood now that the ballistae used on carriages were unfit for use at sea, and were even inferior to the flaming balls used by the Chikdor Merchant Guild's fleet.

"Milord, the ideal combat distance at sea is around 30 to 50 meters. Beyond that, half of the shots fired will have to depend on luck alone. After all, we're all in the ocean and moving nonstop. A long firing distance does not offer much advantage. The most common mode of combat at sea is boarding and fighting up close. If the enemy has advantage in numbers, ranged attacks won't help us much either," added Captain Wilson.

Lorist nodded and said, "Thank you for your pointers, captain. When we arrive home, let's have another discussion about which armaments are best suited for our ships..."

Before he even finished, the lookout shouted, "Ahead... There's another fleet up ahead!"

Bathing in Blood [Cliffhanger 2 of 3]

This is the third and final bonus chapter for the week. Thanks again to Benjamin R. from France for this chapter. The conclusion chapters to these cliffhangers will be ready by tomorrow as the first regular release of the week, so look forward to it!

"It's the enemy! That's the fleet of the Chikdor Merchant Guild!" shouted the lookout after he identified the flags the ships were flying.

However, by then, they were already less than 200 meters apart.

"There are two large-class, three-masted merchant vessels, six middle-class, twin-masted, fast-sailing merchant vessels, and eight middle-class armed merchant vessels. Ugh, milord, what did you do to the Chikdor Merchant Guild for them to send so many ships, this one's larger than the previous fleet... It seems that they're fixated on holding us back," said Els jokingly.

At that moment, the people on the deck could tell the types of ships that were sailing towards them apart clearly. Lorist laughed as he shrugged and said, "How would I know? The Chikdor Merchant Guild just bit on us like a mad dog. To think that they'd send wave after wave of ships to stop us... Will this ever end? I think their main goal is to capture me and force me to hand Silowas Island to them..."

"In their dreams!" Josk exclaimed, to which Howard, Els and the rest nodded in response.

Captain Wilson asked, "Milord, what do we do? Do you want us to turn back and circle around them? We still have enough time and distance between us for that..."

Lorist shook his head and said, "No. If the fleet that we just escaped is behind us, then we'll be walking straight into the trap they set for us. It'll be even more troublesome if we're surrounded by both fleets. We'll just try to break through them like this. Joe, do you have any strength left?"

Josk wore a serious expression without saying anything. All he did was wave the green bow about in his hand, indicating that he was fine and that the rest could leave it to him. As long as he had his bow, nobody would be able to stop their voyage home.

As Josk made his preparations at the bow of the ship, he waited for the distance between the two parties to close. It didn't take long until the distance was around 100 meters. All of a sudden, the lookout on the crow's nest called out, "Be careful! The enemy has laid chains between their ships! There's no way we'll be able to rush through their ranks..."

Lorist staggered and almost struck against the railings of the deck. Good Sol, what's going on with his eyes? To think that he'd only notice the chains when we're this close... Now that the Flying Fish of Dawn was traveling at full speed, there was no way she could evade the chains. Even if Josk were able to break the masts of the two ships they were heading towards, they would still be hampered by the chains on the ships, allowing the other enemy ships to surround them. By then, the Flying Fish of Dawn would no longer be able to escape.

When I get back, I bet my ass off that I'll get myself binoculars! Heck, even a telescope would do! Now that I have Master Mancheny, glass production should no longer be a problem. The transparent oil-glass can be molded into concave lens pieces which I can fit to an iron tube to make a simple telescope.

Lorist felt that it was incredibly disadvantageous for them to not have a telescope at sea. Even if the lookout had better eyesight, they would only be able to see ships as small dots from 500 meters away and would be unable to tell friend from foe. Only until they were 200 meters away was the lookout able to see the flag the ships were flying. That would leave far too little time for them to respond. For instance, the chains between the enemy ships were also discovered too late.

Currently, the two parties were less than 80 meters apart.

"Milord, what do we do?" asked Captain Wilson hurriedly. That scenario was not one that any of them had envisioned.

Revealing a gaze of savagery filled with seething killing intent, Lorist shouted, "Head towards that ship at the right! Since they have a death wish, I will grant it. I will head to the bow of the ship. Els, order the ballista shooters to fire when we are close enough against people, not the ships. Provide suppressive fire against the enemy. Howard, head to the cabin and lock the door. I will leave Mister Mancheny and Professor Balbo in your care. Wilson, instruct the marines to prepare for battle. Since we're unable to rush past them, we'll fight our way out of this!"

The ship and the fleet were already less than 50 meters apart, but given that the enemy wanted to capture the Flying Fish of Dawn, they didn't use their fireballs to attack and only employed anti-personnel ranged weaponry such as bows and crossbows. Even so, most of the projectiles didn't hit their targets, and the ones that did find their way towards Lorist and the rest were easily deflected.

Lorist finally understood what Els said about the unreliability of ballistae at sea. He had stood beside one of the steel ballistae and saw six successive shots. Apart from a lucky shot that managed to skewer two unlucky bastards on the enemy ship, the rest grossly missed their targets.

Some flew too high and didn't hit anything, while others landed on the deck of the enemy ships.

Lorist couldn't help but sigh at the miss rate despite being only 60 meters away from the enemy. After all, not everyone had the talent for archery like Josk. Given the undulation of the ship, even if one aimed properly, one could still miss at the very next moment. Unless there were enough ballistae to fire in huge waves to suppress the enemy, they wouldn't be a threat to the enemy at all in small numbers.

It was apparent that the enemy marines also had the same thought; they were not the least dispirited despite the loss of two of their comrades. They howled as they waved the weapons in their hands around, prepared to jump and board the Flying Fish of Dawn once she was close enough.

"Joe, I'll leave the left ship to you. I will take care of the right one," said Lorist, who turned back and made a hand signal to captain Wilson at the helm.

Josk merely nodded.

It was then when the Flying Fish of Dawn swerved to the right suddenly, changing their trajectory to point towards the right middle-class, fast-sailing merchant vessel. Originally, the Flying Fish of Dawn would've collided straight against the chains, but with that sudden turn, it would crash against the ship at the right instead.

To the captain of the right ship, having the Flying Fish of Dawn's razor-sharp bow ramming against his own vessel was definitely undesirable. The collision might even incapacitate his ship. He definitely did not wish for his own ship to be the victim of the Flying Fish of Dawn's suicide attack. It would be a huge blow to his career and his future with the merchant guild.

A flurry of orders from the ship at the right to lower the sails and change direction could be heard. The sailors aboard that ship began to work busily and gave up on shooting at the Flying Fish of Dawn. The ship to the right's speed quickly decreased and its bow began to align with the Flying Fish of Dawn's, causing them to only brush past without fully colliding against each other.

"Turn the sails forward!" ordered Captain Wilson. A few of the marines pulled on the ropes and angled the sails to face the front of the ship.

The Flying Fish of Daw had originally been traveling against the direction of the wind. The front-facing sails now caused the ship to decrease in speed greatly, as if she had turned from a strong, athletic runner into an old, trotting lady. That sudden change was greatly out of the expectations of the crews of the two enemy ships, with the left ship wasting a huge wave of arrows and bolts that landed in the ocean directly in front of the Flying Fish of Dawn.

Thunderous twangs rang out again from Josk's bow, causing cries of terror to resound from the enemy ship at the left. As the ship to the left was kept occupied, Lorist turned his attention to the other ship to the right. The distance between them decreased incredibly slowly. It was taking too long.

The middle-class, twin-masted, fast-sailing merchant vessel was 35 meters in length, with its front being narrow and its back being broad. The bow of the ship was 1 meter long and was equipped with a long ram. The middle part of the ship to its back had a rough width of 7 meters and the two masts supported four rectangular sails in total, with another four triangular sails by the sides. The fastest the ship could travel windward was 10 knots, with her being able to transport a maximum of 88 people and a minimum of 34. 2.7 meters of the ship was submerged with the other 3.5 meters of it above the surface of the ocean. She had double-layered cabins which could transport loads weighing up to 24000 kilograms and was hailed to be one of the most amazing middle-class ships on the whole of Grindia, being the ideal choice for long distance voyages.

Even though the Flying Fish of Dawn traveled slowly against the wind with full sail, given the momentum built up from its previous charge and the relative velocity of the approaching ship, the two ships were naught but 4 meters away by the time Lorist finished recalling the information about the ship he had read before.

With a loud cry, Lorist leaped straight towards the opposite ship. Before he even landed, the enemy sailors had already managed to react and flung their javelins and throwing axes towards Lorist in response.

Lorist swung his sword mid-air and deflected both waves before landing haggardly on the deck of the ship. Lorist didn't think he would land flat on his face, but the momentum of his leap was just too much. The sailors made use of the opportunity to rush straight at him.

Swords flashed, and blood splattered through the air with severed limbs flying all over the place. 20 plus sailors had their bodies cut into discrete pieces without being given the slightest chance to cry out.

Rubbing his nose as he stood back up, Lorist thought, gah, that fall just now saw my nose landing directly against the deck, it's even bleeding... And the enemy even tried to swarm me when they witnessed my unfortunate landing...

When Lorist stretched out his left leg to prepare for the landing, his leg ended up amidst a pile of rolled up rope. One sailor saw the chance and gave the rope a pull, causing Lorist to trip over without being able to react and fall straight onto the deck. Had it not been for his quick reaction, he might've lost his life just then.

Wilson was right... The most important thing when it comes to fighting at sea is to pay attention to footwork. This is not land. I must be more careful with how my foot lands and find a perfect balance between heavy and light steps, all the while paying attention to the messy deck. With the fighting space so constrained, when there is a large number of enemies, even an Iron rank will be able to give a critical strike to take down a Silver or Gold ranked fighter...

Bam! The Flying Fish of Dawn that was rubbing against the enemy ship Lorist boarded collided into the chains, causing both ships to rub against each other even more tightly. Those who weren't paying attention collapsed after losing their balance.

Lorist took a horse stance to stabilize himself on the deck and pointed at the helm of the ship with his sword, saying, "Discard your weapons and surrender. Those who enter the cabin will have their lives spared..."

In Grindian naval warfare, the most important thing was to conquer the deck. As long as the deck of a ship was conquered, the enemy would be finished. That was because the most important things such as the helm, the rudder and the mast were all there. The entry into the lower cabin of an enemy in an act of surrender was akin to leaving their lives in the hands of the winning side, since if the cabin entries from the deck was locked up, the fate of the people within would be out of their own hands. A single torch was all that was needed to roast the people in the cabin below alive.

One heavily-bearded man held onto the railings as he stood up and drew his sword, infusing it with his silver blade glow. "You think too highly of your abilities. Everyone, attack him all at once..."

This time around, throwing axes, javelins and all sorts of other thrown weapons flew in Lorist's direction, some of the sailors even tried to lasso Lorist with ropes.

Since you all have death wishes, I'll gladly grant them.

Lorist slaughtered his way from the bow of the ship all the way to its end. Bathed in blood, he seemed like a frenzied killing demon that had emerged from a sea of blood. The bearded man called out in despair, mumbling, 'demon... demon!' until he was finally ended by Lorist's sword.

Fresh corpses that continued to bleed out littered the deck. Lorist didn't keep a count on how many he killed and was only aware that no one on the ship was left alive. He headed to the left side of the ship where two thick beams were. The chains that obstructed the way of the Flying Fish of Dawn were tied onto the beams.

With a slash, Lorist cut the wooden beams apart. But by now, the two ships were already fast against each other. Even though the beams binding the chains had been removed, the ships didn't drift apart.

Just as Lorist was about to leap back to the Flying Fish of Dawn, he suddenly felt the ship shake harshly. Losing his footing due to the slippery, blood-covered flooring, Lorist managed to stabilize himself half-kneeling. After hearing a couple of cries from his side, he turned his head to look and was enraged to the brim.

Surprisingly, the ship at the left Josk was targeting and one of the large-class ships that used to be roughly 50 meters away had approached all of a sudden. Just as the large-class, three-masted ship was pushing against the middle-class ship towards the Flying Fish of Dawn, countless people appeared all of a sudden around the side of the ship, using their higher elevation as advantage to rain arrows and bolts towards the Flying Fish of Dawn. A dozen of Lorist's marines collapsed on deck right away. The one who had it worst was the lookout who was practically indistinguishable from a porcupine.

Following that, dozens of men leaped from the large-class ship and boarded the middle-class ship adjacent to the Flying Fish of Dawn and kept on approaching.

Josk's longbow kept firing, causing streaks of green one after another to shoot towards the enemy like lightning bolts. But right after only two of the enemy troops were struck, a brown-clad old man stepped out of their ranks and easily deflected Josk's arrows.

"A Blademaster?!" said Lorist with surprise.

He didn't think that the fleet of the Chikdor Merchant Guild actually brought with it a Blademaster. At that moment, he made an urgent leap and landed beside Josk.

"You deal with the rest a the back. Let me tussle with that old guy."

After that, he made his way to the middle-class ship on the left and stood in front of the old brown-clad man.

The old man raised his sword in front of him, appearing incredibly cold and fearsome as he bellowed, "You're still not going to surren-"

"In your dreams! Go to hell!" said Lorist without bothering to listen to the Blademaster's ramblings, rushing forward instantly with his sword.

Clang clang clang! Echoes of clashing swords resounded. The old man in brown had already lost his first-strike advantage and was pushed back by Lorist's stream of attacks ever so gradually. As he parried the incoming strikes coming from his left and right, he began to swerve his body to dodge the following ones haggardly.

"Come here and give me some help!"

The old Blademaster was no longer able to hold on and asked for reinforcements without giving the slightest care about his reputation.

Two ignorant sailors rushed forward, right into the trajectory of Lorist's strikes.

After a few deafening sounds of clashing, the two sailors were both cut apart all the way from their left shoulders to their right hips. Even the axe and sword in their hands had been broken into pieces by Lorist's strikes.

But by then, the old man in brown had already turned tail to escape.

"Fool, I'll see where you can run to when we're at sea," Lorist said, unleashing his killing frenzy.

Since the Chikdor Merchant Guild was willing to spend so much resources for his capture, he figured that the loss of a Blademaster would hurt them even more.

No matter what, I have to make sure that old guy dies, thought Lorist as he gave chase.

The small fries barring his way were cut down like vegetables one after another as the brown-clad man began climbing back onto the three-masted merchant vessel.

Lorist was so agile that he seemed to be flying. With but a few steps here and there, he made his way up to that large-class merchant vessel and was greeted by countless blades and spears. A swarm of men rushed towards Lorist quickly while roaring at the top of their lungs.

It was at that moment when Lorist suddenly felt that his vision was turning redder and redder. It was as if he had entered a world that couldn't be adequately described with words. Everything that was happening on the large-class, three-masted merchant vessel was within Lorist's awareness, with not the slightest movement escaping his crystal-clear attention.

The red silhouettes he saw rushing towards him were moving at a laughably slow speed, allowing Lorist to evade the weapons that were swung at him easily. He put his sword through the throats and chests of the red silhouettes lightly, causing one after another to collapse on the deck of the ship in quick succession.

After a few moments, the number of red silhouettes on the deck had already decreased greatly. The remaining ones did not rush forward and instead tried their best to hide from Lorist, but it was a futile effort. In the end, only the brown-clad old man remained.

The Blademaster seemed to have broken while watching Lorist. He mumbled continuously.

"Sword Saint… Sain... Domain."

Do you think you can scare me by bringing up Sword Saints?! Lorist swung his sword, lopping the head of the man off cleanly. He stretched his free hand out and caught the flying head in mid-air. Raising the decapitated head up high, Lorist began to laugh out maniacally, with each echo of his laughter bringing with it a wave of bone-chilling bloodlust across the sea.

"Milord! Milord! Milord! Snap out of it!"

The cackling Lorist heard somebody call out urgently to him. Finally, he began to regain his senses and the tint of red faded from his irises, returning them to their former black color.

Wait, did I do all this?

Corpses could be seen piled up all over the three-masted merchant vessel with the deck awash with fresh, flowing blood.

"Why did you shout at me from so far away?"

Els, who called out to Lorist from the deck of the middle-class, twin-masted merchant vessel heard Lorist's query and replied, "Milord, did you think I would be brave enough to go there? Look around you! You killed the whole crew of their ship like a rampaging demon in less than 30 minutes! There was no less than 300 people there!"

"Ah? Was I really that amazing?" mused Lorist as he looked at the head in his hands.

Ugh, why am I holding this shit? thought Lorist before he threw the head away casually.

"Milord, the ships have separated. We're waiting for you to board right now," shouted Els.

"Alright, I'll come right awa--" Just as Lorist was about to head back, he felt an abrupt dizzy spell that drained him of every shred of energy he had left. As his vision turned black, he collapsed.