555 - 562

Surrender

Reidy looked at the snow-covered hill and suddenly sighed. He took out an intricate silver wine bottle and gulped down its contents, before sighing again.

"What are you doing, sighing here and there?" asked Dulles, the commander of the carroballista division, as he put down the map he was drawing.

"Nothing, really. I just miss my son," Reidy said with a bitter smile, "Sunirulu wrote me a letter, saying that our kid's already almost three and hasn't met me more than a number of times. She said that the child is incredibly naughty and looks just like I do. For some reason, I felt the urge to go home to see my son and hug him..."

Sunirulu was the maidservant of Lorist's lover, Dina Arriotoli. When Lorist went to visit her, Reidy didn't waste precious time and also hooked up with her. The problem was that he didn't want to take responsibility even though he did the deed. Sunirulu ended up giving birth to Reidy's illegitimate son.

Arriotoli was so mad that she went to complain to Lorist about it and when Lorist asked Reidy what he was up to, Reidy said he wanted to focus on training first, and that children would only wear down his determination. He said he would only consider settling down and forming a family until he became a swordsaint like Lorist.

Lorist couldn't do much about it. But at the very least, Reidy brought the mother and child to the manor Lorist gave him and let her manage the fief. Practically speaking, they were husband and wife in all but name. Even Reidy's servants address her as 'Madam Baroness'.

Dulles laughed and said, "It's no surprise. We've been out for up to three years after all. You aside, even I want to go home to The Northlands as soon as we can. Even though Morante is really developed, The Northlands feel more like home to me. Had it not been for our urgent operation, we here at Tigersoar would've been allowed to go back to The Northlands after the new year's. Some soldiers are already complaining and want to head home soon."

Reidy nodded. "I know. Let's just weather through this for a few more months. Come the 4th month next year, Firmrock will come here to replace us and take over the defense line. The Trade Union is already doomed and Peterson Merchant Guild will be founding a kingdom. So, there's nothing they can do to stir things up any longer. All we have to do is to secure the defense line and resist the Trade Union's deathly struggle. After that, we can leave the rest to Firmrock to wear them down while we go back to see our wives and children."

"Oh, Reidy, I've always wanted to ask... Even though you get along with her quite well, why don't you take her as your formal wife? You only need a ceremony to fulfill the formalities," said Dulles finally. The two of them had been acquainted for many years and had a rather decent relationship. Dulles's wife was Sunirulu's close friend and they kept no secret from one another.

Reidy shrugged, gulped down more wine and said, "You know Sunirulu's identity, right? She's Arriotoli's maidservant, and you know what kind of a relationship Arriotoli has with His Grace. And you should know that Arriotoli isn't one to just sit back; she's always been competing with Matron Sylvia by pushing for her sister, Fennazali to be His Grace's second wife.

Under those circumstances, if I take Sunirulu as my wife formally, how do you think the matron will see me? Maybe His Grace will even shove me to where Madam Arriotoli is. How it is right now is far better. Madam Arriotoli has nothing on me and Matron Sylvia and His Grace trusts me greatly. Sunirulu doesn't really mind this anyway."

Dulles had his mouth wife open from shock. "No way... You thought so much over a simple wedding? This is ridiculous! Who taught you all that?"

Reidy glanced at Dulles and said, "Do you really need people to teach you that? Just read more books. When I was by His Grace's side back then, I read many of the books he collected, including those novels about courts and knights. There are lots of depictions of how chaotic and scheming noble houses are and the more I read, the more my eyes opened to the truth. Think about it, House Norton has managed to develop from a small barony to what it is today. His Grace is also quite promiscuous and has so many women with him. I'm afraid that if any of them get jealous, then I will be embroiled in the storm that ensues. So, I'm just preparing myself for the storm so that I don't get involved in it in the future."

Dulles's was a face full of admiration. "Reidy, I didn't think you'd become so smart. When I first got to know you back then, you were still a rash brat, yet now you're able to see so far into the future. His Grace really has a good eye for a disciple. He must've known that you'll become quite a big deal in the future."

"Hehe, Dulles, stop with the flattering," Reidy said, smiling, "I'm not the same as you. You met your wife during the northbound journey. Come to think of it, it was His Grace who let you and some others pick a maidservant. You even had your eyes on Donna on first sight and picked her, and the two of you supported each other during the journey and eventually got married in The Northlands. What a perfect ending. But me... As His Grace's eldest disciple, I have to always watch my actions so as to not harm His Grace's interests. SIgh... Let's chat another time. Is the defense layout complete yet?"

"Oh, almost. Look at here, here and here. I've marked the 17 highest points in the nearby area on the map. If we occupy the high ground, we will be able to set up a perfect defense line," said Dulles as he showed Reidy the map.

They were in the province of Quadro and the date was the 31st of the 12th month. After initial negotiations with Count Mireitas, Lorist ordered Tigersoar, the sentry legion and the Free Union legion to mobilize and they initiated their assault during winter. Thanks to Mireitas guiding the way, they managed to take control of Jerotan and Chalbuk.

The Free Union forces were stationed at Jerotan to dismantle the fortifications and fill up the tranches. The sentry legion on the other hand took control of the whole dominion of Peterson with the cover of 'helping the Peterson forces defend Chalbuk'. As for Tigersoar, Reidy led them to Quadro to set up a defense line to defend against frenzied Union retaliation when they found out about Duke Peterson's betrayal.

Sinjik, a city in Chalbuk, was Peterson Merchant Guild's base of operations and it would also become the new capital of the Peterson kingdom.

Currently, there were a group of people at the south of the city preparing to send Count Mireitas off. Accompanying the count were Charade, Shuss, Park, and a regiment of a thousand guards as well as a rank 1 blademaster sent by Duke Peterson, Cystin. Mireitas used the deployment to deal with the landed nobles of Aligmai, threatening or goading them to become part of the Peterson kingdom and wiping out those who were loyal to the Trade Union.

The wheels on the carriages had already been swapped out for smooth blades of the sleds. Charade and Mireitas sat in the same carriage. Looking at the ambitious-looking count, Charade smiled and took out a document from his pouch that was made out of a black fur skin and handed it to him.

"What is this?" asked Mireitas curiously as he received it.

"This is the deed of Dauslyke Hotel and the six adventurer's taverns in the Falik Plains," Charade explaiend, "After the formation of the Free Union, everything belonging to the Trade Union was confiscated and made public property. When His Grace heard about how you, Lord Count, had been fighting to stop the war only to be mistreated, His Grace was impressed and he paid 200 thousand gold Fordes out of his own pocket to purchase the deeds formerly belonging to your household with the intent to return it as gratitude for your contributions towards peace.

"After buying the deeds back, His Grace also dealt with the paperwork and vouched for your household. Lord Count, you may send your men back to Morante and Falik Plains to take over the hotel and taverns and start your business once more. His Grace even said that you should feel free to ask House Norton for any help should you need it.

"Additionally, there's another agreement over here. His Grace said that even though Aligmai's terrain is not suitable for large military mobilizations, we still have to defend against the guerilla attacks the Trade Union will carry out. So, His Grace has decided to lend supplies enough for a division of troops to your household at half price to help you form a division of elite troops. The term of this 'loan' is ten years. If you want it, just sign here and we'll send the supplies and gear to your dominion and help with the formation of your own force."

Mireitas held the document in his hands and froze. He shuddered, before his warm tears streaked all across his face. "I'm sigining it! Of course I am! Please thank Duke Norton for his kind intentions on my behalf... House Mireitas will never forget this boon you have granted us!"

Not signing the agreement was out of the question. Even though Duke Peterson spent nearly ten days to bargain with Charade, he only got enough supplies and gear enough for two legions for a quarter price off for a loan that had to be repaid in ten years. However, there was an interest of five percent for that loan. On the other hand, to thank Count Mireitas for playing a part in convincing Duke Peterson to secede from the Trade Union, Lorist rewarded him with all the deeds to House Mireitas's properties in Morante and the Falik Plains and even offered them a loan with such great conditions. That was precisely what Count Mireitas needed in a time of trouble, and he cried tears of joy on the spot.

"You're welcome, Lord Count. House Norton will never mistreat its friends. Friends should help each other out after all. We only act for justice and the restoration of peace, so we will still require your aid in ending the war. Also, Lord Count, please advise us on which nobles in Aligmai would agree with our plans and which ones are loyal and have to be removed."

Mireitas rubbed his eyes and smiled gratefully. "Alright, Lord Baron. I'll give you an introduction of the nobles in Aligmai. There are 42 noble houses here, among them..."

...

On the 10th day of the 4th month, Duke Peterson seceded from the Trade Union with Chalbuk, Aligmai and Jerotan to found the Peterson kingdom. At the same time, he sent an ambassador to the neighboring nations and the Free Union with a request to be accepted as a member state of the Treaty of Midsouthern Nations.

The premier of the Trade Union, Duke Cobleit, heard word of that and fainted from blood loss through excessive vomiting. Forde, Riwald and the other minor guilds were fueled by rage and they gathered their forces and mobilized them to Chalbuk in preparation to punish the traitorous Duke Peterson.

The army ended up being severely wounded by the Nortons that lied in wait and suffered horrendous losses. Tigersoar gave pursuit while they were ahead and took 27 fortresses in Chalbuk in quick succession, raided everything there was to raid, and returned to the rear of the defense line.

Once Cobleit heard the news of their huge loss the moment he regained consciousness, he shut himself in his study and spent a day and night without eating before he gathered all the nobles and said, "We've already lost this war. Let's send people to surrender to the Nortons."

"No, Your Grace! We have to fight to the end! Otherwise, we'll have lost too much..."

"We still have one million subjects! Enough food! We can still build an army of hundreds of thousands! We'll defeat House Norton by swarming them in numbers! We'll eradicate the Peterson kingdom!"

"Traitors must be punished! We can definitely not make peace with traitors!"

Cobleit's words were like a stone that sunk to the bottom of the well. The nobles were strongly against his suggestion and everyone was still willing to fight and unwilling to take the loss in the heat of the moment. Some of the more rational ones merely kept silent.

"We must surrender and ask for peace!" the duke yelled with a raised voice, suppressing the rambling nobles, "Do you know what the consequences are if we prolong the war? Our complete and total annihilation! House Norton is tightening the noose around our next step by step without fail! Compared to us, they can afford to be more patient and watch as we take one step after another towards the gallows!

"Even though the Trade Union has existed for nearly two centuries, we have never been in such a dire situation! Right now, we still have a million subjects and enough food, but we lack good weapons and equipment! We can't let our soldiers go on the battlefield with wooden weapons, can we? Look at the Norton forces! Steel ballistae, catapults, cannons, you name it, they have it all! But we can only rely on hand to hand combat! We can only resist our enemies' attacks by throwing the lives of our soldiers at them!

"In terms of weapons and equipment, we're far too inferior. If the Nortons are fully armored knights, we are nothing but stick-wielding farmers! We need time to catch up, time to develop weapons that can match up to our enemy's. Only then can we restore the Union to its former glory.

"But what we need now is time. More crucially, we have a fatal lack of salt in our territory."

"What? Salt?" All the nobles were dumbstruck.

"That's right, salt," Duke Cobleit nodded with a pained smile, "Back then, we could easily get salt when we were at Morante. But now, we have to surrender and make peace with the enemy to be able to obtain that crucial resource. The salt we have can only last us three more months. You all know what it's like when we don't have any salt. The body would grow weak and feeble. If we don't make peace as soon as possible, we'll implode in half a year without the enemy even having to attack!

"I locked myself up in my study to go over this for a day and night about how our Union fell so low to this point. It all started when we made the wrong choice! We had forgotten our roots as merchants. The moment we decided to use war to expand our influence, we became like the very nobles we so frowned upon! We raided for wealth because it was so much easier to make profit than running a legitimate business. It could even be said to be cost free!

"But as a result, we turned our allies into enemies. Because we lost none of our battles, we forgot about compromise. We only knew how to kill and maim. The more territory we conquered, the larger our pride grew, and we always assumed that we were the victors, high up and aloof. Even though we encountered House Norton and lost to them one battle after another we still didn't snap out of it. In fact, we doubled down like chronic gamblers and placed all our hopes in a single victory, only to have our forces decimated so badly.

"It's about time we woke up. We are merchants, and we should use a merchant's wit to tussle with the enemy instead of a noble's war. Our only option now is to surrender and make peace while we still have a chance to. As long as we change our approach and fight the enemy with trade, I doubt that anybody else can match up to us, even House Norton.

"We will have to spend the near future in lots of pain and hardship. Our enemies won't let us go so easily and we might have to pay a huge price to make peace. But we are merchants. We can endure our humiliation to trade with our enemy. We shall hide our gripes and desire for revenge deep in our hearts and use our cunning and wit to make profit from the hands of the enemy. By the time we recuperate to our full strength, we can once again rise to glory!

"Now, let's pick a suitable ambassador for ourselves."

Reconciliation

The Trade Union's willingness to surrender came as a complete surprise to Lorist. Initially, most of the Norton higher ups believed they would continue the fight to the bitter end and would attack Peterson. That was why the Lorist's forces prepared by sending Firmrock over to the defense line in Quadro.

Lorist and Malek had planned to use two years to slowly grind away at the strength and stamina of the Trade Union instead of going all out and defeating them in one blow. They would creep in step by step until their enemy could not resist any longer. From a militaristic view, it was the method that gave them the least casualties, Additionally, in another half a year, the Peterson's royal army would take control of their own defenses. Only after they and the Union could face each other would Lorist sit on the sidelines.

As for the Trade Union's salt problem, Lorist arranged with the duke to have a few people set up smuggling operations. They could keep the Trade Union teetering on the edge, whilst at the same time bleeding them dry. They would sell them rock salt at an exorbitant price and use the profit to fund their defenses. In essence, they were using the Union's money to train soldiers against them. The duke was more than happy to agree.

But now, the Union had asked for peace.

Why didn't you come earlier? You kept refusing when I was willing to negotiate, but now you want peace? Your doom is already rolling down the mountain towards you. Why do you have to go an make my plans a waste?

"Should we refuse?" Lorist asked Charade.

Knowing what was on his lord's mind, he shook his head.

"The Union turned us down in the past because they thought we were being unreasonable and they still had breathing room. Now they have no choice, it's either death or surrender. They may be suing for peace, but this is surrender by another name. We will be calling the shots since we have all the power. We can make whatever demands we want. If they don't agree, we'll just wipe them out. If we just chase them away, we'll look like the bad guys and like our previous sweet words were lies.

"At the same time, we don't have the authority to turn them down. Your royal mandate it to end the war and negotiate peace, so you don't have the right to turn down overtures towards peace, only the king can do that. We should negotiate a deal that makes all our allies happy, then send it along to the king to give his final considerations."

Lorist nodded. Charade's words were true. The Union's surrender meant they were giving up on making up for their losses. Acknowledging the four restored nations and Peterson and the Free Union's sovereignty were the fundamental concessions. As for Chikdor and Mayflower's territories, the Union had no choice but to give up on them because they could not contend with them in their current state.

All Lorist's goals had indeed been met. He'd even got control of most of the continent's market. Given that the Union was willing to surrender, Lorist didn't have to play bad cop and could leave everything in Auguslo's hands. Given the king's nature, he would definitely not let the Union off easily, especially after how they had wronged him.

"Alright, I'll do it your way. Tell our king to come here and handle the negotiations--" Lorist suddenly thought of something. "--And, did the ambassador make any demands?"

"Only one. They demand unfettered access to the markets."

"Hehe, so they're not willing to give up yet. They want to move the war from the battlefield to the market square," Lorist smiled, "The merchants are finally seeing the light. They know war is a matter for nobles. It's still not too late. Looks like they still have some confidence, for them to be willing to return to mercantilism."

"Should we refuse?"

Lorist rapped the desk with his fingers.

"No. The right to trade freely is no big deal. The alliance nobles also have all sorts of trading guilds selling their stuffs. The Union is just asking for the same rights. Agree to see them as equals."

"Understood, Your Grace." Charade stood up and prepared to leave.

"Hold on, Can you talk to Duke Peterson privately about the policy of his salt sale? Make sure he doesn't allow anyone else to cross his borders. All salt sales to the Union must go through him. Since the Union lacks salt, if we have this exclusive arrangement, they can't buy salt from anyone aside from Peterson. Tell the duke that, even though this agreement won't be as profitable as smuggling, it would still net him a good profit. He will pay back the loan much faster. Also, tell the alliance forces stationed in Tenelik and Sylugnika to keep anyone from smuggling salt into the Union. As for the profit sharing, help mediate between them and Peterson and make sure things stay harmonious."

Charade admirated his lord the more he listened.

"Your Grace's suggestion is splendid! The Union will never climb back from this. No matter what they do, they'll always be strangled by this noose. In the long term, their hate for the Peterson will fester..."

"Haha, the more hateful they become, the more assured I am. Even if they recover, they'll have to go through the Peterson first. Otherwise, they'll have to stay cooped up in their four provinces for good."

Lorist raised his teacup and emptied it in one gulp.

Tarkel knocked and came in.

"A message from the capital. The new queen delivered a healthy young prince. His Majesty has named him Helleist."

"Aha, looks like our king is quite industrious. Charade, prepare a congratulatory gift. Also, tell the king about the Union's suit."

"Understood, Your Grace. I'll start immediately.

...

The Trade Union's ambassador spoke with various representatives over the course of a month and finally took the first step to peace. The Union was incredibly humiliated. They had to recognize all the new nations, the kingdom of Chikdor, the duchies of Mokby, Cabasy, Samarita, and Zidkor, and the Free Union. As part of that recognition they had to forfeit all claims on the land the Free Union controlled. They were also saddled with 500 thousand gold Fordes in reparation payments.

The ambassador also met with Mireitas, who was now a duke under King Peterson, and they signed a non-aggression pact. They recognized each other's territory and sovereignty.

Laughably, the two sides seemed to have forgotten that a third of the Union's territory in Quadro was still controlled by House Norton. In their pact, they would respect each other's rights and Mireitas welcomed Trade Union trade.

Charade, who presode over the negotiations, smiled secretly. I wonder how the Union will react after they learn that the Petersons have rallied the other four nations to an exclusive salt trade policy. Maybe they'll tear the pact up and declare war again?

The pact allowed only Peterson salt to be traded within or transported through any of the kingdoms' territories. Since they all but surrounded the Union, that meant that the Union could only buy Peterson salt. Even if they bought salt elsewhere, they could not get it back home.

The negotiations between the two Unions were far simpler. The Free Union did not put any airs. They immediately accepted the Trade Union's offer of a million gold Fordes in reparations. They were also quick to agree on free trade and mutual recognition. Naturally, a large part of that was due to the 'private visit' the Trade Union ambassador paid to the Free Union negotiators.

The Trade Union's only worry was that House Norton had yet to begin peace negotiations. The fat old fox Charade had publicly announced their peaceful intents for the war but now they were stalling for time.

The ambassador finally understood why when news arrived that King Auguslo was on his way south. He travelled with just a regiment of personal guards and started talks almost as he stepped through Morante's gates.

The king had two demands. The Trade Union's premier had to issue a public apology for their sins and the man had to boy before the king in apology to him personally. The second was a payment of ten million gold Fordes in war reparations.

The ambassador almost quit right there. The king had done nothing but almost lose the war. House Norton had won the war, but now he was making all the demands, and they were all focus on his personal prestige. He kept his cool, however, and sent the demands on to Duke Cobleit.

To his surprise, Duke Cobleit arrived a few weeks later and personally apologized to Auguslo. Auguslo settled on five million in reparations as a sign of good will after the duke's show of sincerity. Two million would be an immediate deposit and the rest could be paid over the next five years.

Peace was finally restored.

Chapter 557 Retreat and Leasing Land

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The moment the Trade Union's premier, Duke Cobleit, signed the ceasefire and reconciliation agreement and bowed to him three times was the most glorious moment in Auguslo's life. None of his predecessors had ever even come close to defeating the Trade Union. A few had even been on the brink of defeat themselves. Today, however, he had achieved this century-old ambition passed on from generation to generation.

Auguslo completely forgot that he had little to do with the victory. He was Lorist's liege, so naturally his subordinates victories were his victories. Besides, his forces did take part in the final operation. That they never fought the enemy in actual combat didn't matter.

He was positively jovial during the celebrations and his goblet hat to be refilled frequently. Despite that, he was surprisingly sober when he approached Lorist.

"I can't thank you enough, Locke. This war would have lasted many more years if not for you, and we might not have been the victors when it finally ended."

Well, at least you still know how to acknowledge someone's efforts, though you are still incapable of realising when you had nothing to do with a good result, Lorist thought.

He'd been present for the whole banquet, but few had come to talk to him. He was a swordsaint, after all, few had the qualifications to be in his presence, much less speak to him. Everyone had come to greet him, but most had just lifted their cups to him from a distance. The few that did qualify to speak to him also just said a few words before taking their leave.

Lorist raised his goblet in reply.

"It's not much, Your Majesty. I am your vassal, my victory naturally is yours as well."

Auguslo sighed.

"I have to apologize to you, Locke. I didn't think that dumb son of mine would be so greedy. He's really bumbled into a mess he had no business even looking at. I've cleaned out the bastards egging him on, though, so I hope he will not be this dumb again. Please don't let this sour our relationship."

Lorist took a sip of wine, smiling, before he replied.

"I have not taken his mistakes to heart. He is young and ambitious and somewhat drunk on power and authority he does not know. His shenanigans didn't cost me much, so there is little to reckon with him. That said, I have a duty as your subject, and the kingdom's only swordsaint to say this. Wecksas does not have the dignity, wisdom, and character needed of a king. He must either be radically re-educated, or you must find a different heir apparent. It is your duty to your bloodline's legacy. You need not be rushed with it either. You already have a legitimate son, and you're a blademaster. You still have many decades of life left in which to raise the boy into a proper heir."

Lorist was not as blunt as he could be, but his stance was clear. He would not support Wecksas as heir. He did not like him, and while he could not use that alone as an excuse to break away from the kingdom, he could easily isolate himself in his fief and refuse to have anything further to do with the royal family and their troubles.

Auguslo smiled bitterly.

"Wecksas may not be a kid anymore, but he is still young. There is still much room to grow, yes, but also much time in which to do it. He doesn't have a bad heart, he was just too blind to other people's manipulations, too naive. He will learn from this mistake and become wiser for it. He may lack a proper education due to his circumstances, but he is bright and will learn quickly."

Lorist shook his head.

"I commend your loyalty to your son as a father myself, but as a noble and your vassal, I cannot approve of it. His flaws are not skin deep, Your Majesty. If only you'd put your emotions aside and consider everything objectively, you would see it too. Why would he have an affair with your wife, knowing who she was, if he respected you as his father? The late queen is not blameless, but had he had any sense of propriety he would have turned her down. I can see only two reasons why he would do what he did. He either has no respect for you at all, or he is such an idiot that he cannot understand such a simple moral and social principle. And I do not know which is worse.

"We have a saying in the north: One hand cannot clap. Your Majesty is smart, but your heart has clouded your mind. You let your emotions rule you rather than your wisdom so you let Wecksas shirk all responsibility and push everything onto the late queen. He lacks a father's love for their children, and a knights courage to accept responsibility for their mistakes.

"Do you not see your son's complicity? If he can do such things as a bastard, what would he do if he were made king? What would he have done then with Jillin Harbor? He would no doubt have marched his army on the port city and accused us of treason. You know my personality, Your Majesty, tell me, would I have not defended myself? And what would have happened the moment I took up arms to defend myself? It would have been a civil war, another one."

"Surely it wouldn't be that serious."

But the king knew Lorist spoke reasonably. Wecksas was planning to do just that even though he wasn't king. It might well have been another civil war had he not told Ripleid not to listen to the kid. A civil war would end the empire. Not to mention that Lorist had more than enough power to not just fight a civil war, but win it. The Krissen line would have been wiped out.

"You know I speak accurately, Your Majesty."

Lorist didn't give Auguslo face. He knew just as well as the king what Wecksas had tried to do.

"I know," Auguslo admitted bitterly, "I'll think on your words when I return. Maybe I should give him a fief. Such responsibility may change him. But, Locke, please grant me this one wish, if not as king, than at least as a father, promise to take Helleist as your disciple when he's old enough."

Helleist was the king's only legitimate offspring. If Lorist was so opposed to Wecksas, then hopefully he would take the king's legitimate son as his disciple and train him properly in both swordsmanship and statesmanship. Though Auguslo had not said anything about it, this showed he had given up on Wecksas.

It was a good political move on all levels as well. It not only ensured that his son would become a powerful warrior and a good statesman, it also cemented a relationship between him and Lorist. The duke could not turn on one of his own disciples, so he would naturally support his ascension to the throne when the time came, and with a swordsaint's support, Wecksas would not be able to make trouble even if he wanted.

Lorist smiled and raised his goblet.

"If the boy awakens his battleforce before he turns sixteen, I will take him as my disciple, but I will not lower my standards. He has to awaken his battleforce before his sixteenth birthday. And I will treat him no different from any of my other disciples. While he is my disciple, he is not the prince, nor even a noble, he is my disciple and my disciple only. And I will not let anyone interfere in my approach to training him."

"That is what I hope to see happen, Locke. Thank you."

The two emptied their goblets.

Auguslo quickly got out a bottle and refilled the goblets.

"I must speak to you regarding another matter. With the trade union's surrender we have no more immediate threats. And, with every square inch of the old empire's territory reclaimed, it is finally time to officially refound the empire. I plan to hold the ceremony on the anniversary of the first founding, the 10th of the 8th, next year. What are your thoughts?"

Lorist put the goblet down and lowered his head.

"This is indeed a joyous occasion. The empire was fractured by in-fighting among the imperial descendants, but now it is reunited again. All your vassals look forward to the ceremony."

How perfectly appropriate. Auguslo laughed.

"I will not let the historians forget your name when they write their chronicles. Your contributions will be detailed right alongside my honours. You are model vassals."

Auguslo stayed in Morante for three more days before returning to the capital.

Charade complained that the king had gone overboard when he returned. House Norton fought for his sake and lost so much money, but he didn't give them a single copper from the settlement he got from the Trade Union. He had never seen such a stingy king.

Lorist just shook his head, smiling.

"Forget it. We've benefitted decently from this campaign. Putting aside the Cape Romani, our sales in Morante will make us rich for decades, even centuries to come. Apart from that, even though we didn't get any apparent benefits, we get a stellar reputation. That's something money can't buy.

"The king is stingy, but he has his reasons. The kingdom is just barely staying solvent. He desperately needs the money. Not to mention that he will soon refound the empire. It's not going to be cheap. There's also Jillin Harbor--"

"--Didn't we give half of the proceeds to the king from that? That reminds me. When are we going home? Should we leave some troops here? If something happens here and we're completely absent, it'll take months to respond. We should leave a legion here just in case. I have a feeling the Trade Union is concocting another scheme."

"No need. We have no excuse to stay here. We won such a great reputation, let's not piss it all away for the sake of greed. And it's not like we're leaving immediately anyway. We'll still be here for the rest of the year.

"Anyway, send Tigersoar and Jaeger back first. Have the sentry legion stay for a couple more months. We'll finish once they've finished training the Peterson's military. Firmrock will stay until the end of the year and we hand Quadro over to Peterson.

"As for the Trade Union, I'm sure their time in the limelight is eternally over. And they knew it the moment their ambassador left their territory. Peterson has his salt plan, and that alone will keep a lid on the Union for good. Their next war will be the war that sees them wiped off the map.

"Sending four of our main legions back will show our intent of maintaining peace. However, I don't plan to send our naval forces back. The Free Union won't have enough money to invest in a naval force in the near future, so their maritime safety is still dependent on the Northsea Fleet. Later, discuss with Jindoz about the land near Hidegold Bay. I want to construct a base for our forces and I doubt Jindoz would refuse such a reasonable request."

"Understood. I will negotiate with him about the lease," said Charade.

Chapter 558 Dominion for Rent at 3000 Gold

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"Good investments don't have expiry dates."

Jindoz hurried to Lorist the next day.

"Your Grace, did we do something to offend you?" asked he.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Lorist.

"Why did Baron Charade come and ask us to lease the land next to the harbour to you?"

Ah, that was what he was talking about! So he'd over-thought things and come to the wrong conclusions.

"You misunderstand, Jindoz. I asked Charade to rent that land for you. Currently, peace has returned to Falik Plains and we have no reasons to be here. Our main forces are going home, they'll be almost entirely gone by the end of the year. The original plan was to send the fleet home as well, but then I remembered you guys don't have a fleet. It'll take you a lot of time to build a new one, so I thought of leasing an area next to the harbour from you as a base of operations for my fleet in the south.

"I'm also not very fond of putting military and civilian ships in the same place, it's not good for security. I also don't think it's right for us to use your facilities for free, especially not of we're going to be equals, so it would be best to lease some land from you and build a naval base."

"I see," Jindoz sighed with relief, "The Union is not yet ready to start building a fleet, so we'll be reliant on you for some time yet. But you don't have to pay for it. We'll give you a payment free lease."

"No, we can't have that. You're at peace and you're an independent nation, plus Morante is your capital, we can't be rooming here without a proper agreement. If we aren't paying for the lease, others might suggest you're selling yourselves out. Besides, with how quickly trade is picking up, the harbour is due for an expansion, anyway.

"This isn't wild guesses either. People might not think much about us being here like this right now, but what about in three years? If things continue to pick up, we will be in the way soon and people will become irritated and start asking questions. Better to move out of the harbour before the situation sours."

"Aren't you over-thinking things a little?"

Lorist smiled.

"It's just a precaution. I have always been straightforward with my intentions. I'm just looking at the bigger picture and taking preemptive measures."

"...Alright. Where do you want to build your naval

Lorist tapped on the map on the wall depicting the greater Hidegold Bay area.

"Here. This is the place we want to rent."

"What?! But, Your Grace, that's barren land. It's nothing but bedrock and reef!"

Hidegold Bay was almost more of an inland sea than just a bay, and its entrance was a large channel cleft between two mountains. It shielded the bay from storms and the worst of ocean weather, which made the bay ideal for fish colonies, and thus fishing and human settlement, but also for hosting large fleets of ships. The two mountains themselves and their surrounding mountainous ridges were bare rock. Only the occasional tree broke ground on their faces. The numerous cliffs were home to many birds of prey, most of whom hunted fish in the bay.

Millennia of such calm waters also let murky-water reefs grow quite extensively along the inner coast of the bay. They narrowed the channel down to a thin corridor which ships had to navigate to enter or exit the bay.

The inner reaches of the bay was shaped like a gourd, or a water droplet. It opened up from the thin entryway to a large bulbous sea which terminated in a gentle curves coast like the bottom of a water droplet. The water inside was not just calm, but exceptionally warm and fertile, especially since the continent's largest river, the Silver River, fed into the bay. It was a large, muddy river that constantly carried rich sediment into the bay. It looked very much like the Yellow River of Lorist's old world, though it flowed much lazier.

Morant sat at the southern extreme of the bay where the bay was at its widest. The bay's shores were sparsely populated besides Morante, especially the riverbanks and bay entrance. That area was entirely unsuited for human settlement, but that was where Lorist wished to build his naval base, right by the entrance to the bay.

"Yes. I want to lease that land. Fifteen kilometers of coastline stretching several kilometers inland as well," Lorist nodded, "Military and civilian spheres of operation should be kept separated as much as possible."

"But... isn't it too far from the city? It'll be a task to move supplies, plus you'll have to build the base from scratch. And why so much land? That's an entire barony!"

It would be better for the fleet to be close to the city. Other things aside, the food they consumed was a good source of income, not to mention other money the sailors would spend in the city. Norton soldiers were generous with their spending and good, rule-abiding folk. They were far better than common freeloading soldiers and were most welcome in many taverns and brothels.

"That's because apart from building the base, I plan to provider living space for the families of the men for the time they're stationed here. Naturally most of them will only be here or a few years before going back home, but in that time I'd like the families to stay together. We can set up a ferry to the city to solve the transport problems. It shouldn't be a problem, right? It's not like you have a use for the land, anyway."

"This... for how long do you intend to lease it?"

"Well... we still have to make our final decision, part of it depends on what you want for the land. I'm sure you understand we're not just giving away money, we need a return on our investment. The lease will be for at least as long as it takes for us to earn back our setup costs, but you can discuss that with Charade."

Jindoz bowed respectfully and bid his farewell.

Charade reported the deal's agreement three days later. The lease was for the next 99 years. Charade had wanted to push for 150, but Jindoz would have none of it. The rent was 3000 gold. Charade was, however, a little disconcerted that the land was desolate, it might be a waste to invest so much money to develop it.

"Hehe. Just 3000 a year? Charade, you've outdone yourself! That bit of land and coast is unbelievably valuable. It might be desolate, but it gives us a base of operations from which we can not just control Hidegold Bay, but project our power and influence to the rest of the southern half of the continent. And then there's the reef!"

Lorist took a pencil and began sketching the area in question.

"See?"

Lorist connected the reef area with the shore of the entry point of the bay. Now, it looked like an outstretched fist from the shore.

"Your Grace, you mean to build another seafort like the one we built near Cape Romani?"

Lorist nodded.

"The reef isn't very big, but it's still enough to let us put cannons there. We'll have iron-fisted control of the bay. Controlling that bit of land and sea is the same as controlling all of the bay, and with it all of the trade going on in Morante."

"Who will you give the task of building the fort? How big do you want it?"

"I was only going to build a naval base for the fleet originally. I didn't expect the Union would give us the whole stretch of coast and land I demanded. I was only starting with a high bid so I had room to compromise and negotiate. And with the length of our lease contract, we have more than enough time to recoup the costs of developing the area. If everything works out, the entire fleet's operating costs could be covered by that little bit of land alone.

"As for the development itself, our first priority is sending out surveyors. Send a division along to occupy the territory as well. Since it's coastline, send an artillery brigade along. As for who to put in charge of the project, Howard is obviously the best choice, he's the only one with actual experience in this sort of thing. You can also put him in command of the base and make him the governor of the area. It will be good practice for when he retires to his own dominion. What do you think?"

"Everything seems in order. I have no worries with Howard in charge. I'll have Malek send some surveyors to the area as soon as possible. My only question is where we get the manpower?"

"Just contract a few guilds in the city and let them handle the civilian side of it. But the military installations and the harbour and docks we have to build ourselves."

"Very well. Let me get to it immediately. I'll leave with Malek tomorrow."

"I'll come with you. I don't have anything to do tomorrow, anyway."

Chapter 559 Study

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The worst kind of enemy a man can have is another man with nothing to lose."

Really sorry for the mistaken release. We've chosen to release this chapter as well (making it a double release on the site) so that the chapters can be read in order, so there will be no public site release tomorrow. We apologize for the inconveniences caused.

Duke Cobleit rushed into his study furiously. The meeting had not gone well. His rage made the servants walk on eggshells, afraid the duke would vent on them.

The duke wasn't so petty, though. He had no desire to vent on his servants. Doing it would not help him and it would damage his reputation. He would be much better served turning his anger into a driving force to find a solution to the problem. He needed to convince the opposition to give up their power and centralize under his command.

"Are those blind fools making you angry again?" asked an eerie voice.

Cobleit started. He lifted his gaze and saw a man clad in black in the corner of the room. Only his pale white face was visible. He smelt bloody and medicinal.

"Why are you here? Isn't it inconvenient for you?" Cobleit asked.

"Same old same old, I didn't die so I have to live with this suffering. I thought of ending it a few times, but I can't forgive that bastard to turned me into this, so I can't die. I will drag him with me when I finally go."

A sinister smile flashed across the pale face.

"I'm sorry, Krilos, it's because of my incompetence. I failed to keep my promise. I couldn't bring your archenemy to you and I'm afraid I won't be able to for many years. Maybe not for the rest of my life."

Cobleits cousin lowered his head. He'd taken the swordsaint to the peace negotiations all those years ago as Twinhead Dragon's vice-president and representative. He had volunteered for the honour. It would have been a great achievement and would have ensured he became a duke as well, but alas Lorist intervened and ruined his plan. No, he hadn't just ruined his plan, he had ruined his body and his heart.

Nobody expected he was a swordsaint. He fought off the windstorm swordsaint, even horribly injuring him. Krilos and his companion blademasters were caught. The blademasters were torn to shreds by Andinaq's nobles. Krilos was only spared because the enemy king had an even worse fate in mind for him.

The king refused to acknowledge Krilos as a noble. He instead treated him like a charlatan. He stripped him naked, stuck feathers on him, and sent him back to the Union on horseback.

His treatment was worse than the old folk punishment. The feathers would normally be glued with honey. It could easily be washed off. Auguslo, however, broke all his limbs, destroyed his cultivation, and glued the feathers to him using laquer. His other injuries aside, the lacquer burnt his skin, it caused painful and itchy boils to form which would drive the victim mad. If they scratched the boils, however, the lacquer would get under the skin and fester, if it didn't kill him it would certainly force the healers to amputate the limb.

It was the greatest humiliation any one man had ever suffered. Before the ordeal his reputation was that of a graceful, well-spoken gentlemen adored by Morante's women. After, however, he was not just the Union's greatest laughingstock, but also its greatest shame. He had been forced since to listen to thousands call him "pigeon".

His physical pain was no small burden either. Had he still had his cultivation, he could have completely healed his limbs with just a few potions, but his weakened body could not handle them. He still took them to heal his limbs, otherwise he would never have been able to leave the bed again, but they ruined his nerves such that he was in constant pain in every cubic centimetre of his body.

Removing the feathers was just as bad. The raw lacquer could have been washed off it he was found and treated before it had set, but he was put on horseback in the cold plain air and sent off on a long trek to the capital. The lacquer had long set by the time he was found. With the lacquer set, the only way to remove the feathers and lacquer was to rip the skin off as well. It took months. His body was already weak because of his injuries and destroyed cultivation, so it couldn't all be removed at once. Instead it had to be removed bit by bit over time. As a result, Krilos not only had to live with at least part of his body constantly burning for several months, but there was always a patch of skin that had recently been ripped off and was either bleeding or yelling at him in painful complaint.

Even worse was that the lacquer had soaked into his skin and damaged the flesh underneath. His skin grew back deformed and discoloured. His entire body was a giant scar. The lacquer's work, combined with the side effects of taking a potion meant for Blademasters, was that the nerves under his skin flared up every now and again, plunging him once again into the pain he had felt when the lacquer was applied and later torn off. His damaged skin was also not just deformed, but also malgrown. It split frequently, causing him to bleed and later form puss-filled blisters as his weakened constitution couldn't fight off the infection effectively. Coupled with his damaged nerves, it meant that any physical contact with anything, even just the air moving over his skin gently, felt like knives being shoved into his flesh. This condition was unheard of, so no one new how to treat it. The healers had tried a number of treatments, but most only made it worse.

Krilos shuddered all of a sudden. His black robe shook with him and he bit his lip so hard he split a piece off, causing a thin trail of blood to run down his white face. A wave of guilt washed over Cobleit. Krilos's nerves were acting up again. The worst feeling was knowing that he was both responsible for his cousin's current suffering, and being unable to do anything or him. He couldn't even hold his hand and comfort him, the touch would make things only worse.

"I... I don't blame you..." Krilos spoke finally, what little colour his face did have slowly returning.

"You advised me against going. You wanted to end the war the good old way. I was the fool for insisting on going ahead. I have only one person to hate. He didn't just torture me, what he did should be a crime against all of humanity. No one could ever do anything to deserve this humiliation and torture. He should at least have executed me in a manner fitting of my status as a noble. But no, he instead denied my right to a dignified end and humiliated me in the worst way possible.

"I live for the day I watch him suffer the same fate and that day only.

"That said, you do disappoint me. Not for being unable to keep our promise, but or still lacking the resolve to make tough decisions."

There was no anger, no resentment in Kirlos voice, but that made him sound even worse. It made the hairs on Coblet's entire body stand on end.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" he asked.

Krilos had isolated himself since his return. Apart from discussing the state of the Union in Cobleit's personal study and planning his revenge, he tended his wounds in his room and occasionally stalked the mansion at night. He had become the mansion's ghost, haunting it like a ghoul.

Krilos had been the one to work behind the scenes and organize the new forces after the defeat at Bluwek. He was also the mastermind behind Cobleit's bid to federalise the Union.

"I came to tell you I am leaving. I am leaving the Union as well."

"What? Where are you going? What will you do?"

"Since I can't get revenge using war against the kingdom, I'll get it with my own hands."

"You can't leave. I won't let you take such a risk. Your battleforce still hasn't recovered and you're often tortured by the pains. You know there's no way you can go to the enemy capital in your state. Your enemy isn't just any noble either. He's a king, soon-to-be emperor, in fact. Do you really think you can get past everyone that will be around him all the time? Not to mention that he's a blademaster.

"How would you take your revenge, anyway? Assassinate him? Killing a king will condemn your soul to the abyss for eternity. You'll not just be condemning yourself, but all your descendants as well. Your entire bloodline will be denied entry into the heavens. No deity will accept a soul connected to a kingslayer by blood. Only kings can kill kings. I promised you could torture him all you want when I bring him to you, but I never said you could kill him, and that's why."

A wry smile cracked Krilos's face.

"I won't kill him. I won't let him of that easy. He will go through the same thing he put me through, and I'll force him to live with this pain for decades until he finally croaks of old age. How many years have I waited, though? It's been five years, and now with the Union in ruins, how ma more will it be? You just told me yourself you can't do it anymore."

"If we work together I'm sure we can find another way. We'll restore the union. Twenty or thirty years, that's enough time to get back to where we were and take our revenge. You need to be patient. We still have time. I will keep my promise."

"Cobleit, don't spout that propaganda at me. It's good enough to fool the merchants and the other guilds, but you and I know better. I don't think any of the guilds believe it either. If they did, you wouldn't have stormed in her like you did. Let me guess, they rejected your later proposal, right? They've turned on you and are vetoing everything you propose."

"...I don't understand why. We're in the worst place we've ever been, but they're still being prideful and stubborn. We had to cough up so much to end the war, but now our new neighbors have formed a chokehold on us and are slowly squeezing the life out of the Union. We can't be stingy now, they can hoard all the money they want, but it will mean nothing if the Union collapses. They know we are in no position for a war, but they are demanding I tear up the peace treaty and go to war against our neighbors. Did they forget that they are part of the Alliance now? If we start a war against them, we're starting a war against the whole Alliance.

"So what if they have the exclusive rights to sell salt? Can the price be any higher than gold? We have to rebuild our economy now, no matter the cost. We must endure. We lost Falik Plains and Morante, but we still have Quartz Mountain. Teribo grew into the powerhouse it was because of that mountain. We can do it too.

"I've given them a way to get rich without losing a single life, but they still want war. They won't let me put into motion anything that could improve our position without going to war."

Reaching an understanding with Andinaq despite the consequences had caused Cobleit's status to fall heavily. The exclusive salt deal between Peterson, Zikdor, and their other neighbors added salt to the wound, literally. His opponents demanded war with their neighbors to win back the Union's honor and were vetoing every policy Cobleit proposed in an effort to force him to go to war.

"I told you there were too many merchant guilds in the Union years ago. But you didn't want to listen. Now look what that's got you.

"If I were you, I would cut them all out. You have to excise the boils before they burst or they'll spread their puss and only make things worse. If you let this continue, the Union will fall apart. Duke Forde Morante founded the Union 186 years ago on the plains with only the big seven. Now, you have more than 30 guilds. It's too many.

"Whether you object or not, I will leave for the enemy capital. There have been some developments that have piqued my interests. Before I leave, let me take the blame for you one last time. I know you're a good person and can't take that kind of action, so I'll do it. You just have to clean up the mess and declare me a traitor. That should keep you clean. Just give me your insignia. You don't have to worry about the rest, just let me decide."

Krilos left with Cobleit's command insignia shortly after.

Still so Busy at Home

Lorist returned to The Northlands during the 9th month along with Tigersoar and Charade. However, Tigersoar's acting general, Reidy, didn't follow them back. Instead, he was busy helping Malek and Howard out with the development of their rented dominion.

Malek stayed behind because he was one of the main people in charge as that base was to have heavy significance in the Norton military. He planned to only return after the project was in full swing.

Reidy stayed back for two reasons. The first was for his junior apprentice brother, Howard, who was tasked to become the main supervisor of the project, which meant that they might not be able to meet for the next few years. Reidy decided to stay for two to three months to help Howard continue to polish his swordsmanship. His uncle, Charlando, also wasn't willing to see him return to The Northlands so soon and managed to convince him to stay until the end of the year to return with Els and the sentry legion. That way, the old man wouldn't have to suffer parting with his beloved nephews twice.

Sylvia, Spiel, Kedan and the other officials of the house rushed to Northsea to receive Lorist and held a rather grand welcoming ceremony for him and the soldiers who had fought outside the dominion for years. A grand banquet was hosted in the army camp outside the city for the men of Tigersoar and Lorist.

At first Lorist wondered why a pauper like Spiel was willing to endorse frivolous spending such as that. During the end of last year, Spiel explained to Lorist with a smile on his face that thanks to the restoration of the market in Morante, House Norton's factories were in production nonstop and new factories were constantly being built. The dominion showed a prosperous sign. The increase in production during the past year alone had caused profits to increase by almost three million.

Spiel said that he had no choice but to save back then since the house didn't have much money. He was even more terrified when Lorist spent what little amount they had seemingly thoughtlessly. But now that the house was getting richer. Spiel finally understood the intent behind Lorist's spending and investment. For every gold coin thrown in, more would come back in profit.

That was why he gave his full approval when Sylvia got him to help out with a grand welcoming ceremony. Since they were pretty well off now, the celebration was definitely something they ought to hold as it was something that could affect the house's reputation. Lorist's status as a swordsaint could be upheld that way as well. At the same time, the soldiers that had been fighting abroad on behalf of the house for so many years would be able to feel how much the house cherished them, making them even more loyal to the house.

After the festivities, Lorist noticed that Sylvia and the four concubines seemed to be living in Northsea for the long term. He asked about it and found that the palace that was being built at the east side of Ragebear had been delayed. It would've been completed in another half a year, but Spiel decided that since the house was earning so much in recent days, he wanted to make sure that the palace was the grandest there ever would be for the sake of the house's reputation. So, he added a huge sum to the original budget, causing Ciroba to be even more invested in it and making sure that it would strike awe into the hearts of all in the next millennium about how grand House Norton was. As such, the construction of the palace was halted until the changes were made.

It was then when Lorist just recalled him receiving some documents requesting for additional budget from Spiel last year when he was in Morante. However, his mind was preoccupied with thinking of how to defeat the Trade Union back then that he didn't really bother to read it through. Given his trust for the supervisor, he signed his name on the document casually and sent it back to him.

Sylvia, being someone who obsessed over hygiene, didn't like to live at Ragebear, where construction was taking place all over. Given her liking for the seaside, she brought the whole family to Northsea and moved into the city hall. There was vacancy anyway and leaving the rooms empty would be a waste. And even though Bullhorn Bay was no Platinum Beach, there was a small sandy area that was more than large enough for the women to play with their children at.

At night within the city hall of Northsea within the grandest bedroom was an exceptionally large bed which was exquisitely decorated. Sylvia and the four concubines converted their longing for Lorist into kinetic energy to battle with his rod. Only after he was completely expended did he manage to appease the five ravenous women and survive their relentless attack.

"Why didn't you just bring the children to Platinum Beach for a vacation?" Lorist asked Sylvia, whom he hugged in his embrace, after the strenuous exercise they just had.

The afterglow of climax was still visible on her beautiful visage. She cuddled against Lorist like a little kitten and enjoyed the sense of security his chest gave him. Hearing Lorist's question, she buried herself deeper into his bosom and said, "I didn't feel like it. We went there once two years ago and happened to run into Duke Kenmays returning with his forces from Falik Plains. Only around 13 thousand of his 50 thousand troops returned, and that was a sad affair for the whole of Sidgler.

"The maidservants at Platinum Beach all seemed really down and many of their family members perished from the conflict. We could hear their cries from time to time and the only guests there were us. It wasn't merry like before at all and all we felt was cold emptiness. We also heard that most of the nobles of the kingdom participated in this war and suffered losses as heavy as House Kenmays's. I'm sure that no noble would go to Platinum Beach for vacation in the coming years, so after that, I went to Morante to find you just as the matter with Queen Cacanne came up. We were worried about you."

Lorist felt touched, so touched that his little member reacted once more. He gently kissed Sylvia on the forehead and said, "It's all fine now. You don't have to worry any longer. We've won and obtained peace. After that, I will stay by your side and spend the rest of my days with you all. I won't go out to war anymore. It's getting late, so we should go to sleep, after we have another quick one of course."

Sylvia smiled and looked reinvigorated. She felt up Lorist's bottom and asked, "You still have energy left? Weren't you half dead just now? Eh? You really got hard. Lie down and don't move, I want to take the top this time."

Lorist's legs felt completely weak the next day. Anyone who screwed with five women and only got three to four hours of sleep only to be screwed twice more during the morning would feel like that, even a swordsaint was no exception. That was a biological limitation. Even if Lorist was a swordsaint, he was still human, ways off from becoming a god. Sigh, even a swordsaint doesn't have any way to improve in that department, thought Lorist seriously.

However, there were indeed benefits of becoming a swordsaint. Duke Fisablen for instance was a rank 3 blademaster and was fit as a fiddle even in his seventies and could lie with two women without issue. Perhaps I should ask Duke Kenmays how. He's only a silver rank, but he must've used all his battleforce on his little junior... Kenmays was a famous playboy in the kingdom and the favorite of the loose noblewomen of the imperial capital.

He ceased his senseless thoughts as Sylvia, the concubines and their children were waiting for Lorist to join them for breakfast. Even though he had already met his children yesterday, he was still quite distant from his older children. Anderbael had long forgotten about the father he hadn't met for a year.

The younger children at ages one or two on the other hand thought of Lorist as a mysterious new toy and crawled all over him before claiming their own territory like dogs and marking Lorist with their urine, causing him to have to bathe and change midway through breakfast.

Since Sylvia and the others weren't willing to go back to Ragebear, Lorist decided to stay at Northsea as well. He happened to need to observe and manage the reorganization of the naval forces at Bullhorn Bay anyway. Some two years after the Battle of Cape Romani with Invincible Fleet, the shipyards at Bullhorn Bay had designed and experimented with more than ten new battleship designs. Lorist had to integrate those new ships into his navy according to their respective forms and functions.

Lorist mainly had to check three of those new designs. The first was the Blitz class warship which made up the main force of Northsea Fleet. Those were the ships that allowed the Nortons' fearsome name to spread throughout by demolishing countless enemy warships. Recently, there had been new developments on the Blitz class at the shipyards which increased their durability, speed, and stability. Lorist decided to order 30 of those new Blitz classes to replace the 14 old ones.

The next one was a Swift middle-class ship dubbed a Pursuer by Lorist. Compared to its Swift class predecessor, all these new ships were fitted with bronze cannons and made to have decks and cabins. Even if each of them were fitted with 18 bronze cannons, they would be stable enough to sustain the recoil from all those cannons firing at once. The streamlined shape of those ships could also weather the strong winds and waves of the northern seas and allowed it to travel double as quickly.

The Pursuers probably wouldn't be deployed in the northern seas since the Blitz class was more than enough for patrolling and securing the waters. Lorist had those ships made to deal with pirate ships in the southern seas instead. Blitz-class warships were large vessels that couldn't match up to the smaller pirate vessels in terms of speed and only stood a chance if the winds allowed for it. However, the pirate ships could rely on their familiarity with the local geography and evade pursuit from the Blitz class warships by sailing between the reefy areas.

Lorist believed that with the Pursuers, he could tackle piracy at a large scale in the southern seas. In terms of maneuverability and speed, no other middle-sized Swift class could compete with the Pursuers. The pirates would definitely be unable to escape the Pursuers that were armed with cannons. Their fate was to either surrender or sink.

The last new warship was dubbed the Patrollers. They were super large class warships that were partly based on the sea castle Sabnims used by Invincible Fleet. Each ship was fitted with 72 bronze cannons across two different storeys. The front and rear of the ships were also mounted with four cannons each. It was a complete monster that could carry a crew of 500 corsairs. It would dominate the oceans in both ranged and close combat.

There were three other new ships, with one of the being an improved whaling ship. Lorist had mobilized all the whaling ships in the grand battle with Invincible Fleet and all 16 of them had to be retired after the Battle of Cape Romani. They were used to fill up the reef area there and became the foundation on which Fort Howard was built.

The new whaling ship was larger and hardier, making it more suitable for whaling further out at sea. To Lorist, this was Grindia, not earth, and he wasn't some champion for nature and the environment. The sea of that world seemed endlessly wide and whales were loaded with treasure from head to tail. Whaling brought in more than 100 thousand gold Fordes in profits for the house and each whale could be harvested for more than a thousand. It was a thriving industry that House Norton wouldn't give up on easily.

One of the two remaining new ships were primarily guest vessels that were more or less the size of the Patrollers, but faster and more agile. Currently, a ferry line was established from Northsea to Morante with stops at Platinum Beach, Silowas, Jillin Harbor and Armatrin Harbor. Four of those guest vessels would be constructed and one of them would start sailing from Northsea every month while the other started sailing back from Hidegold Bay. Each voyage would take around 28 days and the passengers could get on or off at any given stop.

That was the ferry line through the northern seas. The one for the southern seas hadn't been decided on yet. Lorist felt that letting the private ship owners handle the ferry business in the southern seas would be better. House Norton could produce the ferry ships which the private ship owners could use to run such a business. They could work together, and form a relationship with the noble backers of those ship owners in the south. That could possibly be a goose that laid golden eggs.

The last new ship was an improved version of the LLDAM-class vessel. The capacity of good it could carry was doubled and it could sail quicker with more stability. It could also be used as a logistics vessel and sustain a supply chain effectively for Northsea Fleet. It was decided that 24 of those ships would be constructed and they would usually be used to ship goods to and from Morante.

What troubled Lorist was that they couldn't outsource the construction of those ships to other parties in the interest of confidentiality. All construction had to be done in Bullhorn Bay. House Norton's land and naval forces were already famous throughout the continent and everybody wanted to steal a piece of what made them so good. Only within the territory of the house could they effectively catch spies sent by other powers.

The shipyards in Bullhorn Bay occupied nearly half the area of the bay and had more than ten thousand skilled workers and laborers. That was where the largest industry of the house was located. However, as building ships was something that required skill and expertise, the production couldn't be increased with just an increase in personnel. Producing 20 new ships each year was the limit.

Given that there were up to 120 ships waiting to be constructed, Bullhorn Bay's shipyards were fully booked for the next six to seven years. After much consideration, Lorist decided to build some shipyards in Silowas and let them deal with the construction of the ferry and whaling ships. That way, they would be able to realize their plans within four years.

Apart from arranging for the construction of the ships, Lorist had to consult Spiel for the costs. In Morante, it cost around seven thousand gold Fordes for the construction of a LLDAM-class vessel. But House Norton required more than double that amount for one middle-class Pursuer to be constructed. Other things aside, the main body of the double-story warship cost 15 thousand gold Fordes to make. The bronze cannons and training of new cannoneers would bump up the costs of each Pursuer to around 50 thousand.

Fortunately, the house now had Fort Howard at Cape Romani and they would be able to legally collect toll from passing ships which amounted to no less than a million gold Fordes each year. That was enough to sustain fleet after the expansion and there might even be some left over for the house. Additionally, around 200 of the ships that were obtained after Invincible Fleet was defeated were auctioned off at Morante, bringing in another million plus gold Fordes for the house. That way, the house only had to pay another five million or so out of their pockets for the construction of those new ships. which was spread out across five years, lessening the burden on the house.

After more than a month of hard work, Lorist finally finished planning the whole expansion of the household fleet and the construction for the ships. The next big thing was the year-end celebration held by the house, during which a large number of vassal nobles would have their titles reissued by the house. There was also a large number of soldiers who earned noble titles and lands.

Chapter 561 Enfeoffment Talks

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"Handing out land is like giving away your children, so be certain their husbands will be good to them."

"We have 48 people to enfeoff this time, Your Grace, 26 to raise to viscount, and two to raise to count. I've checked the list personally. There are no mistakes. The only problem is that Delamock and Winston has no free land left to enfeoff. Our only options are Yungechandler and Wild Husbandry, but they're practically desolate."

One of the sayings was, 'the subordinate runs all the way at the twitch of the superior's mouth'. Though Lorist was busy, storehouses of paperwork, and queues upon queues of official lined up outside his office, he could delegate all but the most essential bits to subordinates.

He pushed everything about the enfeoffment business into Charade so he could goof off with his wife and children. Charade, in turn, delegated much of his work to his direct subordinates. Unfortunately for him, though, he did not like to leave things up to others entirely, and so ended up working the late nights with them anyway.

Enfeoffment was a big deal. The new lands had to be parcelled. The land without deeds needed deeds, those with old ones that didn't match their new borders needed new deeds, new titles had to be grouped into larger titles, baronies assigned to viscounties and viscounties to counties and counties to duchies, all of the latter naturally held by Lorist. Some people were given additional titles, others gained a title above their old one, which they held with the old title, and others were relieved of their old titles and moved somewhere with a larger and higher title. Everything had to be planned, arranged, and all the triplicate papers handwritten and signed either by seal or signature before being arranged and stored for the end of year ceremony where they would be given to their new holders.

Lorist shook his head when he saw Charade slowly caving under a large stack of documents he was trying to carry to the appropriate room.

"No. Yungechandler is being under Shadekampf's jurisdiction. It'll be at least three more years before he's done with the place. I don't want to cause him more trouble. I am willing to manage the province directly for a few more decades.

"Hector, from Wild Husbandry, doesn't want me sending any nobles their either. The province's main purpose is a buffer between our heartland and the barbarians. Sending nobles there would undo that. Our hope is to assimilate the barbarians, and when that happens, they'll be moved into the province and settled there. Sending nobles there now would undo our plans. It's a delicate and sensitive procedure. Noble have the right to autonomy, which means if we settle them there, we can't properly control the area, which will likely cause our plans to fall apart as the nobles pursue their own agendas.

"I stayed away from those two provinces for the last decade for exactly these reasons."

Charade dropped the stack of documents onto the table, it creaked and dust flew everywhere.

"Then what will we do for the new nobles? Delamock and Winston just doesn't have space anymore."

Lorist took out a bottle of blackcurrant wine and two tall wine glasses. He filled them up and dropped a few ice shards into the cups before handing one to Charade.

"Have a drink. It's the vineyard's latest selection of blackcurrant wine. It's great chilled with ice."

"Not bad," Charade praised after a light sip, "But it's only the 10th month. Where did you get the ice?"

There were no such things as refrigerators on Grindia. Most nobles imported or gathered ice in the winter and stored them in massive underground caverns for use throughout the summer. It was expensive, so only the nobility could afford it. The ice would be used for making frozen or cooled delicacies, or cold drinks. The more extravagant might have ice baths to break away from the summer heat. In the hotter climates to the south, however, even storing masses of ice underground could not keep them for the whole nine months between the last snowfall and the first of the next winter. Most places ran out at around mid-to-late summer. The north's summers weren't as hot as further south, so they didn't generally store much ice, if any at all. What little ice they might store was usually gone by the end of spring. It was already autumn, so the ice should have been gone completely.

"Yyou remember the gunpowder research lab? Professor Balbo discovered during some of his experiments that certain chemical reactions using saltpeter would cool things, enough to freeze them in some cases. I simply had him use that to freeze some water. I made a trip there just a few days ago and brought a batch back with me along with some saltpeter to make ice here."

"You sure have a lot of free time, huh? Here I am working my ass off to keep things going, and you're off frolicking in the wilderness looking for ice… And not just that, you're using what little saltpeter we have for gunpowder to make ice? When did we suddenly get a surplus of saltpeter? Did you maybe discover a way to get lots more saltpeteR?"

"No, nothing like that. The salpeter is recyclable. You just need to boil the used crysstals in a specific water mixture and it's fine again. And I didn't just go for ice and saltpeter. I went to check on the two new mine shafts they've been working on. Balbo believes we can double gunpowder production over the next two years."

Charade finished the blackcurrant wine, poured himself another cup,and popped two large pieces of ice into the wine.

"Whatever. Back to the main topic. What do we do about the fiefs? We have no choice but to use Yungechandler. We've already invested a lot of time and money in the province and it's coming along nicely. Give the nobles the swamplands and the wilderness for which we don't have plans. Let them develop those areas using their own money."

Lorist considered it for a moment but shot it down as well. The problem wasn't money, but how to distribute the wealth. The nobles would not be happy with being given land so much worse than their peers elsewhere. There was still a few scraps left in Delamock and Winston, so why where they being sent to the wastelands of Yungechandler? Why should others get prosperous lands and they not? Was this a punishment, or was their loyalty just not appreciated?

"I've made up my mind. Find places for them somewhere in Delamock and Winston. The king's ascension ceremony is next year. We'll officially be the Krissen Empire again and it should be at least a decade or more before any new conflict arises.

"The chance to win land and titles through war is now over, for a generation at least. It's time we scaled out military back a little as well and let the men work in the economy. Even those that stay behind deserve a few years of calm and rest.

"We might even have to resort to promotions based on years of service, rather than achievements. This means this will be our last big enfeoffment ceremony for the foreseeable future. And our territory won't expand much either. The king certainly won't let us have any more than the five provinces we have already.

"The focus of our efforts after we finish with Yungechandler and Wild Husbandry should be the lands I hold the title deed for in perpetuity, the Northlands and our overseas territories. Besides developing those lands, I want to push our territory further north. We've cleaned out the barbarian threat quite deep into the mountain range there, so it's time we pushed our borders up. We'll be the ones conquering the lands of our own accord, so the king won't have a say in who gets the land or how it's used. There's also the wildlands to the east of the mountain range. You don't have to worry, Charade, we won't run out of land for some time to come."

"Ah, so that's what you had in mind. No wonder you had Balk send squads there to survey the land. I was wondering why you were doing that. All my troubles are solved, then."

Lorist nodded.

"When you return to Ragebear, take a box of blackcurrant with you. It's the Duchy of Morbit's secret brew. The brewers there came to us for asylum when the Union took the duchy. Now they run their famous breweries here. They supply me and House Norton alone, no one else can get any."

Charade smiled jovially.

"Well don't mind if I do! But just one box? Come on, give me three! You know I love fruit wine."

Lorist laughed.

"One bottle is worth four gold Fordes! You've really gotten used to raiding my cellar, huh? Sigh, two boxes is all you got from me. If you want more you have to buy them from my cellar. Go see Bowrey for the arrangements."

Bowrey was a man named Boris's eldest son. Boris was House Kenmays' supervisor before defecting to Lorist with his family. He used to govern Hanayabarta, but his term ran out a few years earlier and was brought back north. Upon his return Lorist made him a viscount and gave him land in Delamock. He left his oldest son with Lorist, hoping he'd catch Lorist's eye and be made a disciple, or learn a few things from him as his butler at the very least.

"Fine, but I demand a discount! I'll go see Bowrey later. Anyway, I'm returning to Ragebear tomorrow, want me to take anything with me?"

"No, you already have all my orders. I'll return with Sylvia at the end of the 11th month."

Charade downed the last bit of wine in his cup and stood up, slamming the cup into the table a little clumsily.

"Alright. I bid Your Grace farewell. Let's meet again in Ragebear."

Secret Intel from the Trade Union

Jinolio knocked on the door before he entered the study with a thick pile of pages in hand.

"Sir Tarkel sent us secret reports from the Trade Union."

The house had an importance classification system for its reports and documents based on how sensitive and urgent or important the information contained within the reports and documents were. Urgent class documents contained information concerning household interests directly, and that needed immediate attention. They were usually sent via eagle and were thus short, concise, bare on the details, and in very simple terms. Secret class documents contained sensitive information, which could be about something concerning the household itself, or other forces, factions, places, people, or circumstances, that had to remain confidential either due to the content or nature of the information, or what the fact that House Norton possessed the information implied about its espionage activities or its possible future interests or actions. The documents were usually very thorough but at the same time somewhat circumspect. Due to their sensitive nature, the utmost care was taken to ensure the details inside were as accurate as possible, and any transport or storage of the documents was done under the utmost scrutiny. The queen's affair would have been one such report, but Lorist didn't care about its news spreading and wanted such news at the utmost speed, so it was handled as urgent instead.

"What is it?" Charade asked from his place on a nearby chair.

Jinolio opened the folder and glanced over its contents.

"There's been a rebellion in the Trade Union. It started on the 15th of the 9th. Duke Cobleit mobilized Twinhead Dragon's legion to purge the rebels. More than twenty guilds have been wiped out, seventeen completely, and the rest mostly. It says the prime suspect is Marquis Krilos, Twinhead Dragon's old vice-president. He reached out to the nobles dissatisfied with Cobleit's leadership and staged a coup.

"He's now vanished and Duke Cobleit has declared him a traitor. The duke also put a bounty of 10 thousand gold on his head. He also enacted a few new policies changing the peerage. Nobles no longer hold titles to land, they only gain social status and an annual stipend. He's sent ambassadors to the neighbouring nations to reassure them that he's in control and that peace will continue."

Lorist looked amused.

"It seems this more like a rebirth than a revolt. Cobleit is quite a talented man. He clearly intends to play the game seriously."

"Who is this Krilos?" Charade asked, more interested in the revolt's instigator.

"Marquis Krilos was the ambassador sent to the peace negotiations with the windstorm swordsaint. The one the king declared a fraud and sent back to the Union in feathers."

"Oh, him." Lorist mouthed absentmindedly.

"How's he still alive? Wasn't he covered in raw lacquer? He should've died from poisoning. How's he still up and about?"

"Being covered in raw lacquer won't necessarily kill you. It's not like it's actual poison. What's so weird about him still being alive?" Jinolio countered.

"You don't understand. I've seen something like this personally. There was a lacquer shop next to my house when I was still a child. A horse barged into it one day and knocked a large bucket of raw lacquer over. The lacquer fell on a nearby worker… He died of an allergic reaction two days later. His skin blistered. His employer hired the city's greatest herbalist, but he could do nothing. The blisters festered, and he committed suicide a week later. The horse also got some on its fur and died a couple weeks later as well.

"The lacquer shop was forced to close after the scandal. The big-seven guilds required that all workers wear protective gear from then on. The job became very expensive as well since people demanded greater pay for the dangerous work. I spent a few years studying the lacquer at Dawn Academy trying to find out what cause the reaction, but I was no closer to discovering the secret behind its poison when I left with His Grace than when I started."

Jinolio rolled his eyes.

"Don't make yourself sound like an expert if you don't actually know anything. Marquis Krilos was a blademaster when that happened, the lacquer wouldn't have killed him. He was also a noble, he no doubt hired excellent herbalists to treat him. Besides, a lot of time passed between your tinkering and his punishment, I'm sure someone thought of a better treatment in that time."

Charade was rendered speechless. He grabbed Jinolio in a fit of rage and ruffled his hair.

"You little... When did your balls grow big enough to talk back to me? Let's see how I deal with you..."

Lorist didn't know how to what to do, so he took the documents from the wrestling pair and skimmed them while he waited for things to calm down.

"Enough," he eventually had to get involved when things didn't calm down, "Charade, you're my chief knight and Jinolio's senior. You're basically his uncle as well. Don't go too far, Jinolio will eventually be your brat's senior, and in a great position to pick on him if you push him too far now."

"He would dare?"

Charade let go of Jinolio and opened another bottle of blackcurrant wine. His haste to get to work had vanished when the Trade Union came up.

"Your Grace can rest assured now. I doubt the revolt was anything less than a complete bloody massacre. Most of the nobles must have been put down and thousands of peasants executed. This may have secured Cobleit's position, but I doubt the Union can recover from this."

"You're wrong. We should be more wary of the Union instead. Cobleit got the perfect excuse to kill off everyone who opposed him. His position is now more secure than it has ever been. Even if a few detractors escaped his purge, which I doubt, they no longer have the power to oppose him. He holds absolute power in the country and can have them killed for whatever reason he wishes.

"Cobleit will no doubt start consolidating his position and the Union's remaining strength. He'll first focus on developing his remaining territory. In service of that he'll no doubt overhaul the entire political and legal system. I wouldn't be surprised if eight-tenths of all the Union's laws will either be replaced or amended. I give the current peace a decade. He'll start threatening his neighbours before the next ten years are up."

"Aren't you overestimating Cobleit? He no longer has access to the markets like he used to. We dominate them all. He'll have to fight us if he wants to get back into the market, and he'll have to do it without a good foundation with which to compete. We all know they can't compete with us in either volume or quality. How could they possible supplant us?" Charade argued.

"You're right. We make more and better goods. But the Union has far more experience at mass production than we do. They may never be able to match our quality, but they sure can compete with us in terms of volume, especially where heavy industry is concerned. Tell me, who did their lands belong to before them?"

"Teribo, Teria, and Mokby. So the Union is going to focus on glass?"

"Yes. Most likely oil and green glass. We make a lot of glassware and sell a lot of it to the Alliance, but no one buys oil glass or green glass from us. The reason is simple. We are too far for the transport of those items to be profitable. They can't be sold for a high price so merchants can't make a profit if they buy from us, transport all the way south, and then sell there.

"Before we started producing our own glass, we bought everything from the Kenmayses. But the transport costs turned the cheapest glass in Morante into unbelievable luxuries here. And even then the Kenmeyses barely made a profit.

"That's the main reason why I didn't spare any effort to get the recipe from Teribo. The market here in the north is immense, and we can sell much cheaper than any competitors and still make a massive profit. But the same problem the Kenmayses had with getting glass here to the north counts for us when we want to send glass to the south.

"The Trade Union cannot steal our market here, but similarly we can't compete with them there, at least not where oil and green glass are concerned. Even if we sell at cost, they can still undercut us and still make a profit."

"Teribo relied on selling oil and green glass to make his fortunes. The Union is now doing the same. The market is also perfect for it now. The kingdoms have been ravaged by war and are busy rebuilding. Glassware was no doubt the thing most broken during the various raids and pillages, so everyone will want to re-buy everything.

"The entire continent is also at peace for once, well, the parts that matter, anyway, which is perfect for trade. It's only a matter of time before the Union is back on its feet and rearing to get revenge and take back its lost glory. Cobleit did exactly what I proposed to Jindoz: turning the landed nobility into honorary nobility.

"Limiting salt sales and upping their prices won't be enough to keep the Union at bay anymore. The Union can just smuggle it in, they certainly have the know-how and the connections. Our only saving grace is that they're in one of the worst possible geographic locations for commerce. They're land-locked and surrounded by mountain ranges and other impassable terrain."

"Your Grace is overestimating the Union. If they're really this eager to keep the fight going, why not just march back south and wipe them out for good?"

Jinolio nodded frantically as well. He was a little too fervent in his belief of the Norton forces' invulnerability.

Lorist laughed.

"And what casus belli would we use? We better have a damn good excuse to break the peace treaty so soon after signing it. Otherwise no one will ever trust either us or the soon-to-be emperor again. No, this is beyond us now. We can't make a move again until we're asked for help.

"We should focus on supporting the Free Union and strengthen our grip on Morante and its markets. As long as we maintain control there, the Union can only become a local powerhouse, it won't be able to threaten the empire."

Charade and Jinolio nodded.

"Is there anything else?" Lorist asked.

"Yes," Jinolio answered, "Lundmorde is here for a visit with his four wives and five children." replied Jinolio.