Imperial Council and Shopping

"We are the guardians of the Tartarus Pass, the Skycrown Gate and Skycrown Citadel! No matter how many foul daemons would come, we stand strong! No matter how strong they are, we kill them all! We are children of the Blood and Night; we guard the path to the Empire for centuries and will guard it till the End Times! So, ready your blades, proud sons and daughters of Skycrown and leave them no mercy! For the Imperator!"

Elector Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes speaking to the defenders of Skycrown Gate at Year 10,280 at the invasion of Daemon horde.

***

Codex: Imperial Government

Contrary to popular belief and misconceptions about the Empire in the Westeros and Essos, it is not a confederation of independent states and provinces whose inhabitants are tied together only by a common language, a shared faith in Great Ones and a mutual Imperial culture.

While it was true that the various Grand Provinces enjoyed large autonomy within the Empire, and the Elector Counts of Grand Provinces and High Lord Magistrates of Three Holy Cities had large sway in the Empire, everyone bowed before the might of the supreme Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.

The Holy Arcadia Empire is a centrally unified nation ruled by The Holy Imperator, who also holds the title of Lord High Magistrate of Anor Londo, the City of Gods and Elector Count of Grand Principality of Reikland.

Only those who are approved by the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder have the right to crown themselves as Emperors.

Upon the founding, The Emperor, in his endless wisdom, created a government based on centralized decentralization. While the central government had supreme power above everything and everyone, Grand Provinces and Cities enjoyed a relatively high degree of autonomy and ruled themselves as long as they upheld Imperial standards.

That was done because the Empire was too large for one central government to rule as a whole with efficiency and good results.

***

Lordran, Holy Arcadia Empire, Faust the City of Miracles, Blackrose Castle

MC POV

The Blood Ministration Ceremony went without a problem, which was a good thing because when someone underwent it, there were also risks. But it was a matter of faith, something that I couldn't really influence.

After the Blood Ministration was complete, I took Cersei back to the Blackrose Castle and put her to sleep because she was too tired. People often tended to lose their consciousness when undergoing Blood Ministration.

Though at the same time, I couldn't hide my surprise because she underwent Blood Ministration and her Old Blood was already on Level 3, which was very unprecedented; such things rarely happened.

Usually, a person steadily claimed through the Levels of the Old Blood through various degrees of Blood Ministration and faith in the Great Ones. Nevertheless, naturally, there were also exemptions to the rule.

And those exemptions were people who had magic bloodlines, like Starks or, in the Empire, Sark an Russ from the Kaer Trolde. The first their ancestors drank the Old Blood, he directly became Level 4 and awakened various very potent Ice Manipulation abilities.

But that was to be expected because Westerosi Bloodlines were old, powerful, and magical.

Not all of them, but some of them were, Lannisters, Starks, Nymeros Martell, Baratheons and Targaryens.

Lannisters also had their roots in the first men and had powerful dormant magic in their blood, albeit it was more diluted compared to the rest of the most magical houses in Westeros.

Starks had probably the purest magical blood flowing through their veins together with Targaryens and Baratheons. The last one was something I was inquisitive about because Baratheon Bloodline was the combination of the Valyrian Blood and Blood of Ancient Stormkings...

And as the last ones, there was House Nymeros Martell, descended from the Water Mages of Rhoynar and Earth Mages of Dorn; their Bloodline was also particularly unique to me. But that was a topic for the future as I had other things to do right now.

Now that the corpse of the Daemon Lord was safely in the hands of Byrgenwerth, Cersei successfully converted to the Faith of the Great Ones in the Cathedral of the Healing Church; I could once again resume my training.

From my previous experiences with the Blood Ministration, I knew that she would be sleeping for a few days as I left her in the care of the household servants and Castle Priest, who would be taking care of her.

Meanwhile, I went back to my training... I needed to maintain my body in top condition, and also, there was the matter of captured Euron Greyjoy, who should be en route to the Anor Londo right now.

Straight to the prison, I would need to deal with him at a later date, but from a small talk I had with him during his detainment at the Smeidnir, I have confirmed all of my suspicions.

He was a man who wanted power and who wanted to write his name into the annals of history, to become part of it, aside from being utterly insane and mad, thought that was a bit underestimation of his mental state.

Still, it was shocking to see someone that insane, and it wasn't a Hunter of the Workshop because only they tended to go insane to such a degree from Hunting the Beasts.

Not to mention there were many plans that I would need to implement with the Westeros and Essos present, one of the most notable was to get hands on the things that were in the Valyria at any cost.

The power to control Wywerns, their secret to the Valyrian Steel or the Blackstone Walls, their construction methods, and overall, the entire legacy of their civilization could propel the Holy Arcadia Empire to a new level of prosperity.

From what I saw about the Valyrian Steel, it was superior to most of the metals in the Empire, aside from things like Adamantium or Mithril. Once in the past, Valyrian Steel was common as a cabbage because it wasn't anything precious for the Valyrians, as they were able to mass produce Valyrian Steel weapons and armor to equip their armies with it.

Unfortunately, it was all lost with the Fall of Valyria and nothing only a few swords and weapons remained in the Westeros. Essos was another thing because nobody knew how much of Valyrian Steel remained in the hands of former Valyrian colonies.

Still, if my plan came to fruition, we would be able to replace the standard equipment of our Soldiers with that of the Valyrian Steel, greatly enhancing their combat capabilities which would give even ordinary soldiers a good chance against stronger Orks and Daemons.

"I should probably make a call to High Chancellor; it is time for the weekly report."

Every week, there was a meeting of the Imperial Council, which was the highest Executive Branch of the government of the Holy Arcadia Empire. There were only a few seats in the Imperial Council and each belonged to the highest-ranked people within the Empire.

Naturally, there was a High Chancellor of the Lansdraad who also served as a prime minister of the nation. There was also the seat for the Imperial Bashar, who was essentially a Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Military and Head of the Imperial Intelligence Agency Marian Cross.

There was a seat for Knight-Kommandant of Silver Knights Ornstein the Dragon Slayer, General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde Atreus Atreides as leader of the Imperial Guard, Supreme Patriarch and Headmaster of Byrgenwerth Balthasar Gelt.

From the other factions of the Empire, there was also the Grandmaster of the Workshop, Gehrman the First Hunter, and seat for the Grand Theogenist of the Healing Church, Volkmar the Grim.

The other seats were for the members of the Imperial Administration, Minister of Domestic Affairs and Territorial Management, High Tribunal of the Holy Empire, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Finance.

Activating the Lacrima Crystal, soon enough familiar visage of the High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire appeared before me. Lucca Brewster originated from the Marienburg with roots in the Duchy of Munn...

He was an elder in a white robe with inlaid brass lines. His hair was completely white and neatly combed. His pair of gray-green eyes were so deep that they appeared bottomless.

"I greet His Majesty, the Holy Imperator."

I was right now meeting only with the High Chancellor because meeting with the entire Imperial Council wasn't necessary as I wasn't in Anor Londo, and it was also a bit of my laziness, truthfully.

"So, anything important to report, High Chancellor?"

I was away from Imperial Politics for a few weeks, and most of the meetings I had were only with the High Chancellor. Luca Brewster has already served in the term for more than three hundred years and told me that he wished to retire and spend his time with his grandchildren as his son has recently been married.

"The Duchy of Orleáns is finishing the Wall around the Orklands finally; soon, we would be able to stop the main entrance of the Orks into the territory of the Empire. Aside from that, Eelctor Count Vladislaus Draculya-Tepes has sent a notice about another wave of Daemon horde attacking Skycrown Gate."

I frowned deeply at that... Daemon horde was approaching the Skycrown Gate, which was not a good sight, depending on the size of the Daemon horde.

House Draculya were vampires, the bloodsuckers that assimilated into the society of the Holy Arcadia Empire and after drinking the Old Blood, they could perfectly control their thirst.

Nowadays, Vampires are feeling the blood of Daemons, Monsters, Danger Beasts, and other powerful creatures, and naturally criminals.

"Send one Legion of Silver Knight, One Sadality of Reiksgarde, and Church Executioners and order the General of the closest army to support the Skycrown Citadel. Also, send a request to Master Gehrman to send two or three Hunters in case some powerful Greater Daemons appear within the horde..."

Skycrown Citadel and Skycrown Gate were one of the most essential fortifications within the Holy Arcadia Empire because they guarded the World Edge Mountain pass. The only thing that separated the Daemon Lannds from the rest of the Lordran were the World Edge Mountains.

The Skycrown Gate was a protected entrance to the Lordran for countless centuries, and House Draculya were gatekeepers of the place for many generations, according to the ancient pact concluded between them and Lord Gwyn.

"It shall be done; Elector Count Draculya already mobilized his personal army numbering fifty thousand and stationed them at the Skycrown Gate for defense."

Daemon hordes marching at the territory of the Empire were always a problem, but not a problem that couldn't be defeated.

"On the other hand, in the Duchy of Stormwind, the barbarians of badlands are once again attacking villages and cities. Elector Countess Klauda Cross already petitioned Landsraad for approval of Crusade to the Barbarian Badlands for the final war."

Another crusade...

All crusades needed to be approved by Landsraad and personally declared by the Holy Imperator and naturally, the barbarians of the Badlands were thorn in our eye for a long time already.

Due to the fact that we needed manpower in different parts of the country and that they had kept quiet for some time already, we didn't really feel the need to deal with them en masse.

"Then it shall be it... anything else?"

If everything went smoothly, then we could declare the Crusade in a year or two; it would take another half a month to prepare the Crusading Armies, which would consist of the Imperial Army and personal armies of the Elector Counts and High Lord Magistrates.

"Nothing much... only Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns fought with Ragnar Stark an Russ directly in the Landsraad; in the end, they were pulled apart by the intervention of General-Kommandant of Reiksgarde Atreus Atreides."

This was most unusual... it was a good few decades since the last time nobles had physically fought on the premises of the Landsraad.

"What was the reason for their fight?"

Even was curious about this one.

"It seems that Ragnar Stark an Russ has slept with the daughter of Imperial Bashar and got her pregnant... and when he asked for her hand, the old Iron-Blood Count couldn't hold it and took out his sword and they went to solve it physically."

Idiots... utter idiots, though from Star an Russ, it wasn't surprising, they were a bunch of madmen, but it seems that Iron-Blood Count lost his nerves. His daughter Beye d'Orleáns was his treasure.

And now it was taken by wolf-blood of the north. Naturally, he wasn't very pleased by that fact, but there was nothing he could do. His daughter was even pregnant, which was probably something that delighted and enraged him at the same time.

Pregnancies among the nobles were rare and happy occasions because the stronger one was, it was becoming harder and harder to conceive a progeny. Especially for those who reached a very high level of the Old Blood like me.

"If there is nothing you have to report, High Chancellor, I will be returning to my training."

I said because today I was planning to train with the Warhammer, a weapon that I took a liking in the past decades after the Dwarves of the Ironforge gave me an artifact warhammer as a gift.

"Nothing else, Your Majesty. Just there is a question when you will be returning to the Anor Londo from Faust; there are certain matters that are directly in need of your immediate attention."

Again, work and work and work...

"Soon, we will remain at Faust for a few days; notify Lady Annalise that I plan to send my fianceé for her so she can learn from her about the ruling and also did you contact the Headmaster of Schola Progenium about enrollment?"

Seeing the High Chancellor nod his head, I then ended the call and went to resume my training.

***

3rd POV

Two days later, Faust, Blackrose Castle, training yard.

The Blackrose Castle on the floating island that belonged to the Imperial House naturally had a training yard for the guards of the Castle to train and keep themselves in top condition.

The training yard of the Blackrose Castle was huge, bigger than most castles had because it was not only for the use of Imperial House but also for many guards that were stationed there; aside from that, there were a few neat gadgets.

Many powerful wards and runes were inscribed all around the edges of the training yard and the entirety of it to prevent extensive destruction and this also allowed people to fight with more of their power unleashed.

Because there were a few retired members of the Reiksgarde stationed there, it was indeed necessary to have them.

For the past two days, Karl Franz was either training with his warhammer Ghal Maraz, while the weapon wasn't on the level of Longinuslanze Testament, but it also wasn't that far from it actually.

Ghal Maraz was a mighty magical hammer that was created by the ancient dwarves of the Ironforge and by their Dwarf High King Kurgan Ironbeard and was gifted to the young Warrior Prince Sigmar Heldenhammer.

This happened during the Age of Fire, shortly after the Age itself began. The name of the hammer was Ghal Maraz, which means "Skull-Splitter" in the Khazalid, which was a secretive high language among the dwarves.

They seldom speak this ancient tongue before other peoples, deeming outsiders unworthy to hear it. Dwarfs naturally have loud, rumbling voices, and when they speak Khazalid, their speech is like thunder rolling amidst the mountains or the scraping of rock against rock.

Karl Franz wasn't very fond of the Warhammer in his early years when he learned how to fight, and when he fought the unification wars, he used the Longinuslanze Testament, which acted as a symbol of his divine right to rule the Lands of Ancients.

He was also a Hunter of the Workshop and had the fabled skill of all Hunter, the Eternal Arms Mastership; he was a master in every kind of weapon; if not, he would be just an embarrassment to his teacher.

But after fighting against the Daemon Lord Demogorgon, he realized that he needed a weapon that would deliver heavy hits, and for that reason, he decided to pick up the ancestral weapon of his ancestors.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

The Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire stopped swinging his Warhammer as he looked at the maid who arrived at the training yard.

"The Lady has awoken."

Cersei had been sleeping for the past two days sleeping unconscious from the Blood Ministration, which was understandable, considering how much she had changed after one single Blood Ministration.

During the past two days she was slumbering, Karl Franz occasionally checked on her how she was doing, but otherwise, he left her in the care of the experienced clergy of the Healing Church and maids of the Blackrose Castle.

"I will be right there in a moment."

Before he went to check on her, he decided to change his clothes and take a bath quickly because he was already training for several hours straight. Like the other Hunters, his training regime was extremely hard, challenging, and brutal.

As the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, it was of the utmost importance, so he kept himself in a top-notch combat-ready state. Naturally, during wars or other large-scale conflicts, he was often the one who led the charge against the foul forces of destruction.

***

Cersei POV

'I feel powerful... and tired as well...'

The maids in the Castle told me that I slept for two days straight, but it seemed that the Blood Ministration was successful, which was a very good thing. With this, I can conclude that Karl didn't lie to me...

'And now with this powerful form... he could finally take me, oh my gods above... just imagining how his powerful body will bend me over and ruthlessly pound me, I am getting wet just by thinking about it.'

I couldn't stop thinking about him taking me from all angels, despite my protests... that would be sole delighting...

"My Lady, we have prepared clothes for you."

I frowned when I was woken up from my imagination by one of the maids, dammed servants destroying my beautiful dreams for the future. But what is done is done, and Karl would be angry if I went bitching around to bully servants...

He was right... that was no power...

"Is it the latest fashion set?"

I asked and to my delight it was. Fashion and clothes were another way to show power, though this was especially more important for noble ladies than men... and as expected, Karl was not that helpful in this area.

Clothes in the Empire were vastly different from the long dresses of the Westerosi, but they aimed more at practicality, they were more humble in appearance, but they compensated for their appearance with the materials they were made of.

"This is the latest set from the Master Steamor. A jacket with a vest, complemented with pair of leather boots and a pure white shirt. We have chosen the color red for you, My Lady, with golden trimmings made from the wool of Four-Horned Battle Rams, and the boots are made from the skin of a powerful magical snake."

It looked beautiful, and for sure, it would be expensive because the materials were from magical beasts and rare animals.

"Just for interest... how expensive such a thing would be?"

She only heard Karl tell her that the coins of the Empire were purer in gold compared to the Golden Dragons used in the Westeros, and their exchange rate would be somewhere around 1 Gold Crown to 3 Golden Dragons.

The Reichsmarks were generally purer.

"Right now, as it was just released, it would be around 500 Golden Marks."

The maid said unsurely, but the price... almost shocked me; while I wasn't very knowledgeable about the prices, but I still knew that 1,500 of Westerosi Golden Dragon for a dress was an extravagance that would probably bankrupt some small noble houses.

***

3rd POV

Karl Franz, after taking a bath, visited Cersei in her chambers, who finished changing into the outfit from the brand of Master Steamor, and he had to admit that she looked beautiful wearing it.

The color combination was splendid for her; the red and gold represented the colors of their own house, the House Lannister, and the red color as the main one for the outfit highlighted her lustrious golden hair and emerald green eyes.

"You look beautiful, I would say, but you naturally know this already."

The Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire complimented his fianceé as she giggled lightly to herself. Cersei knew that she was beautiful, but hearing it from Karl Franz was different; it filled her with satisfaction, delight, and happiness.

"What you planned for today?"

She asked in a melodious voice, awaiting some kind of program for him because before they went for the Blood Ministration, Karl Franz promised to take her to sightsee the City and to some good restaurant for dinner.

There was no concept of restaurants in Westeros, but they were known apparently in the Essos, or more like in scarce numbers in more powerful Free Cities. They were essentially something like Inns, where only food was served; there was no lodging or sleeping there.

They focused only on the best culinary experience.

"Yes, naturally... as promised today, we will go sightseeing the Faust and then have dinner at the best restaurant in the entire City. I booked the entire restaurant for only two of us."

Karl Franz said as he outstretched his hand for her, as they interlocked their arms and went to tour the Faust. Under the watch of several members of the Reiksgarde that were following after their every step.

They descended from the Imperial House-controlled Floating Island to the main Floating Island and went to the Merchant district.

"The entire Main Island has several districts, and now, we are in the Trading District of the City. Here, you will find everything from Magic Items, Potions, Books, Tomes, Weapon, Jewelry, Clothes and partially everything you can even think of."

Karl Franz said as they arrived at the bustling streets of the Trading Discrtict of the Faust, which was far more lively than the other parts of the City he showed here when they arrived at the Faust.

Cobbled streets wind their way through the district, lined with a charming mishmash of timber-framed buildings adorned with ornate carvings, colorful banners, and hanging lanterns that cast a warm, inviting glow as dusk settles over the City.

The architecture is a fusion of medieval craftsmanship and fantastical elements, with turrets, spires, and intricate stone bridges connecting buildings at various levels.

The air is alive with the melodies of minstrels, the chattering of merchants, and the occasional roar of a landwyrm-drawn carriage as it glides effortlessly through the narrow streets.

Market stalls overflow with exotic goods and magical wares from across the realms: spellbinding textiles that change color with the wearer's mood, intricate glass globes containing miniature floating gardens, and enchanted trinkets that emit soft, soothing melodies.

Cersei could see many humans, dwarves and gnomes going from one shop to another, but when she saw the enormous landwyrm, she looked a bit scared as she gripped his hand tighter.

"What is that? It looked like a dragon..."

She muttered when she watched the enormous draconic creature pulling an enormous wagon, even bigger than the ones they used when they arrived at the Fuast. But the thing which she recognized was a symbol of the League of the Khaz-Modan and the emblem of the Ironforge on the wagon.

"Landwyrm, they are a type of Lesser Dragon like Wyverns which Valyrians tamed... They are strong creatures and rarely tamed because we lack the suitable method of taming and breeding them; they are very rare to be seen in this kind of state."

Karl Franz said that seeing this was one more reason why he wanted to explore the lands of ancient Valyria even more. While in the lands of Lordran, there were Landwyrms and other draconic creatures; they were almost impossible to tame.

So he knew that Valyrian must have some very special method that allowed them to mass-tame and mass-breed the Wyverns; it should be extremely efficient, considering the sheer number of Wyverns they had at their peak.

"Where do you want to go first?"

He asked her as she looked at the wagon from the Ironforge.

"I want to check out of dwarves."

She said after some time, because she was genuinely curious about the dwarven species, as they were one of the major races in the Lordran, together with Gnomes. Dwarves lived in the Grand Province known as League of Khaz-Modan and with their capital being the underground fortress metropolis, Ironforge.

"Okey, but remember, don't be insulted by their behavior, don't insult their craft and most importantly, be straightforward with them. They are hard folk, they are easy to anger, and they certainly remember grudges well, but they also value friendship and loyalty."

Karl Franz said because he didn't wish for his finaceé to offend the dwarves; while it may seem unimportant, but Ironforge and the entirety of the Khaz-Modan were essential for the Holy Arcadia Empire more than any other province truth to be told.

He knew that Cersei was a proud and even arrogant person, though he was already working hard on erasing that part of their personality of hers, not entirely, but more like he was teaching her to control herself.

Certainly, her fascination with his person helped with that aspect greatly because he was slowly manipulating her based on that thing and molding her a bit into a different, better version of herself.

"I know; you don't need to remind me every time; I am not that stupid."

She scoffed at him as they went together to take a lot at the dwarven shops. They were heading to the biggest one of them was the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory or shortly GMA.

It is important to note that Goldstone Manufacturing Armory (GMA), a dwarven company that specializes in mass-producing weapons, armors, and other types of equipment, was among the most reliable companies available on the market today.

In terms of design, the Branch building of the GMA was of typical Dwarven design. Like the bulk of the buildings the Dwarves built, it had the simplicity of ordinary stone but with some golden linings to indicate the status of the owners of the building.

Basically, they were subtly letting everyone know that they were better than any of their competitors. Of course, their results also spoke for themselves because, among similar companies, the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory had one of the biggest revenues.

Several heavy-armored Dwarves guarded the entrance to the GMA at the time of Samiel's observation. They were keeping watch over the entrance to the Branch of the GMA, and there were even some rare Runic Weapons and Armor.

"Greetings, Master Dwarf."

Karl Franz greeted the Manager of the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory Branch, Arden Longbeard.

The Branch Manager, Arden Longbeard, was a powerful Dwarven warrior and also a master blacksmith and also a member of the Longbeard Clan, one of the more prominent Dwarven Clans.

So his standing in the Goldstone Manufacturing Armory was very high, whether through his position or his origin.

"Greeting ta ya Imperator."

Greeted him back dwarf with a long ginger beard and hair, wearing fur clothing from some kind of magical beast who was doing some paperwork behind the counter. Cersei, who followed behind Karl Franz first hand experienced the bluntness of the dwarf folk and it was like her fianceé told her.

"Greetings, Master Dwarf."

Nevertheless, she greeted the unkept dwarf as well because someone who had responsibility as a Branch Manager in the Faust should be a high-ranking member of some prominent Dwarven Clan.

"So, what ya brought his Majesty Imperator to my shop."

The dwarf asked curiously because it was a rare visit, a visit he hoped to use to strengthen his standing within the Clan and the Conclave of the Forge. The entire League of Khaz-Modan and the entirety of Dwarves gathered in their own ruling body known as the Conclave of the Forge.

Like the conclave of Magisters in Essoss, the Conclave of the Forges was of all dwarven Clans, from which they elected the three strongest and most prestigious Clan to lead the dwarven folk as Council of Three Hammers, among which one of the councilors, the one acting as their leader has the title of Elector Count of League of Khaz-Modan.

The elections occured every century, and right now, the Council of Three Hammers consists of the Bronzebeard Clan of Ironforge, the Wildhammer Clan of Aerial Peak and the Dark Iron Clan of the Shadowforge.

But lately, the Clan Longbeard of Erebor has been rising to prominence after showcasing their mastery over stone by carving the Lonely Mountain into one of the most beautiful and formidable fortresses in the entire Lordran.

And the Longbeard wanted to replace one of the Dark Iron Clan in the next elections and even compete for the title of the Elector Count from the Bronzebeard Clan. Naturally, for that, they needed to have the best craftsmanship, engineering, blacksmithing and strongest warriors.

"A set of armor for my fainceé, also some pieces of jewelry and personalized weapon if you will... Did I forget anything?"

Karl Franz asked Cersei who nodded and put forward several other things that she wanted to have made. The dwarven-made things were rare, especially if they were personally made by Forgemaster, which was an esteemed title within their society.

"Yes, I also want a set of daggers, normal and throwing ones, also three combat dresses, and I saw that somebody talked about retractable shield I want that one too... and I want to see your collection of rings, necklaces and ceremonial jewelry."

She fired one order after another, but she was only making use of Karl Franz taking her shopping as he was getting a heart attack already. In contrast to Maria, Cersei liked to shop for clothes, jewelry and other things, something that Maria didn't really do.

"Poor my wallet."

He muttered as she looked at him sharply.

"Hush, if I am right, he will give us a huge discount."

The dwarves were crafty from what she read about them, and Cersei knew that they would receive a huge discount because this was a good opportunity to obtain some favor of the Imperial House.

"This is our premium collection of necklaces..."

Soon enough, several dwarves came out carrying out thick catalogs as she was listing through them, searching for something that she liked. After ten or more minutes, she picked up so many things that she liked that she couldn't even choose properly, so Karl Franz was forced to choose for her instead.

"This one, this one, this one, and also this one and these two..."

He swiftly scanned her list with descriptions and images of the products next to them and then chose for her. Most of them were with certain motives, like some were based on Magical Beasts or mythical beasts of Lordran, while two were of the motive of a lion.

"Yes, these are the best."

As a reward, he got a kiss on his cheeks before they then went to take measurements for one set of armor, three sets of combat dresses and some weapons. He knew that this would be a good few thousand Golden Mark without a discount, probably something over ten thousand if he was not wrong.

But whatever, he had enough money from all sources that were coming to him in tons; even the Goldstone Manufacturing Armor, where they were right now shopping, was something that was partially owned by him.