Klein naturally withdrew his gaze, grasped his gold-trimmed walking stick, and followed closely behind Hagrids as they entered the general's manor.
The architectural style here bore none of the characteristics of the Southern Continent — it neither controlled the lighting to make interiors appear gloomy, nor did it boldly use human bones as decoration for a striking impression. Instead, it felt more like a Northern Continent mansion that had been transplanted here, with an unmistakable Intis flair:
Every pillar was wrapped in gold leaf at intervals, the murals on the walls were painted in warm, vivid tones surrounded by gilded sculptures, and a spiraling, ornate staircase descended from above, spanning all four floors and landing in the center of the grand hall, facing directly toward the entrance —极为 grand in appearance.
It had to be said that the nation led by the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun truly stood at the forefront of the world when it came to gold artistry, with absolutely none of that newly-rich vulgar feel about it… Klein's gaze swept over the staircase railing and the palm-sized gold angel figurines that jutted diagonally from the mid-section of the pillars, and he restrained the urge to reach out and touch them.
Glancing at the guards standing at attention on either side, he casually picked a topic and said to Hagrids:
"Colonel Alfred Hall seems to have distinguished himself in West Balam as well?"
Hagrids nodded earnestly, speaking in that distinctive Loen aristocratic accent:
"He is a resolute and courageous man. He once led a special operations squad of thirty-some people in a surprise raid on an Intis force of a thousand soldiers, completely routing them. I hear he has also distinguished himself numerous times in East Balam, earning the rank of colonel at barely over twenty years of age."
Sounds pretty impressive… Miss Justice's brother might have already become a Beyonder, and at a not-low Sequence at that… In great noble families, there should be at least some members of each generation who walk the Beyonder path… Heh, after this Mister Alfred has endured all manner of hardships and tribulations, finally achieved his goal of becoming a higher-Sequence Beyonder, obtained the rank of brigadier or major general, and returned to Backlund, he might sorrowfully discover that he couldn't even beat his own little sister's dog… Klein, who had taken a potion before leaving, used his internal grumbling to regulate his mental state.
He didn't press further about Alfred's affairs. Instead, he asked in a tone of puzzlement:
"I've noticed that the customs of West Balam and East Balam differ somewhat as well. Here, many of the houses have bone decorations, while in East Balam they don't.
"I've been here quite a few times and had this question for a long while, but I was always too embarrassed to bring it up."
Hagrids stopped and pointed toward the ostentatious staircase entrance opposite them:
"Mister Dantès, please wait a few minutes. The general will be down shortly."
After delivering that business, he chuckled and said:
"The bone custom is actually not all that common. Only the territories directly under the imperial family during the Balam Empire era preserved this practice. For us, the death of a loved one does not mean that our time together with them has come to a complete end. Before burial, we extract a bone from their body and keep it at home as a decoration, signifying that the deceased remain with the living.
"Which bone is selected is decided by the priest conducting the funeral through a ritual. The best and most symbolically meaningful choice is the skull.
"Some families even turn the skull into a wine goblet, using it only when entertaining the most honored guests.
"Mister Dantès, if this deal goes through, I would like to invite you to my home as a guest. I would fill my grandfather's skull with 'Finnis Wine' as a mark of respect."
…Klein's expression nearly froze. He felt that in this regard, he truly could not adapt to local customs.
He let out two hollow laughs and was about to brush Hagrids off when he saw a figure slowly descending the staircase with its golden railing.
The figure wore no hat. He was dressed in a crisply tailored black military dress uniform, its buttons gleaming gold, his ceremonial sash red as fresh blood.
His skin was light brown, his facial contours soft, and his features gave an impression of not having fully unfurled — tightly clustered in the center of his face, making his head appear larger than normal.
Klein, who had gathered information from multiple sources, recognized the man at a glance: this was the de facto ruler of the Northern State of West Balam, the self-proclaimed General Mezayens.
On the surface, he wavered among Loen, Intis, Feysac, Feynapotter, and several rebel factions, maintaining a delicate balance. In secret, however, he had already secured the backing of the Royal Faction of the Numinous Sect.
At the same time, Klein suspected that this indigenous general had also established a solid connection with the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
As for Mezayens' own strength, both "Admiral Iceberg" Edwinna and "Star of the Sefirot" Catadilla had marked him as Sequence 5 in their files, though neither had specified which Pathway, because the abilities the indigenous general displayed were mostly related to the spirit world — yet he carried magical items of the "Death" Pathway.
"Good afternoon, General." Klein removed his hat, pressed a hand to his chest, and bowed.
In that moment, he once again felt a number of gazes — of unknown origin — watching him. They were the glints of light that flickered across the golden angel figurines, the sunlight refracted through the stained glass, and the sheen reflected off the polished marble.
"Good day, Mister Dantès," Mezayens replied in Duntan.
Klein, who had already mastered the Duntan language through his puppet, naturally understood every word. But the longer he stayed in the Southern Continent, in East and West Balam, the more he felt that Duntan bore a striking resemblance to Old Fesac.
Though the two languages unquestionably belonged to different systems — which had made actually learning Duntan a considerable challenge — certain subtle details were always startlingly similar, as if they shared a common root.
The only thing Klein could be certain of was that this root could not be Giant.
Feigning complete obliviousness, he chatted casually with Mezayens until the general himself raised the matter of the arms deal:
"How much merchandise do you have in total?"
Klein smiled and replied:
"Enough to equip three to four thousand men. Additionally, I have several artillery pieces."
Mezayens was silent for a moment, then said:
"Name your price."
After a brief consideration, Klein said:
"If you want me to deliver the goods to the Northern State, the price is fifty thousand pounds. If you send your own team to accompany me to collect the goods, taking responsibility for subsequent transport and security, then it's only forty thousand pounds."
Mezayens thought it over and said: