When
The moment Baron Shuras spotted Lorist disembark, he burst into hearty laughter and strode forward with great enthusiasm, calling out in a booming voice: "Ah-ha, now which old friend has graced us with his presence? It's my dear brother! And you cause quite the stir the moment you arrive. Remind me — what was your name again?"
Lorist shook his head. After half a year apart, Baron Shuras had only expanded further in the horizontal direction. That plate armor of his, which had been slightly too large when he first wore it, now had fat spilling over at the waist. His memory, however, didn't seem to have improved — he had already forgotten Lorist's name.
It was common enough to recognize someone's face without recalling their name, and Lorist understood completely.
"
"Right, right, right — you're Baron Locke! I remember now, you once sent me a crate of fine wine…" Baron Shuras chatted on merrily.
Lorist was left speechless…
Pointing with his riding whip at the plate armor Baron Shuras was wearing, Lorist reminded him with a helpless expression: "My lord, that armor you have on was a gift from me. Surely you haven't forgotten…"
Baron Shuras rarely blushed, but he did so now as it finally came back to him: "Heh heh, brother, I'm truly sorry. The thing is, there have been so many nobles passing through, and with old brother here greeting one and seeing off another, my head's been spinning. Getting on in years, memory isn't what it used to be — do bear with me. Last time you brought a whole caravan home to inherit your title, and now look at you, so spirited and in the prime of life! I imagine everything has been going swimmingly for you lately?"
"Hehe, it's nothing. Baron Shuras seems to be doing brisk business — even added two more ferries. Sitting on such a prime spot, the money must be rolling in…" Lorist said with a laugh.
Baron Shuras waved his hand dismissively. "Those two ferries aren't mine — I didn't buy them… Oh right, brother, I saw you lot fighting it out on the opposite shore just now. Did you run into trouble with that checkpoint garrison Viscount Davulf set up at the ferry crossing — something about fees?"
"Nothing major. Those garrison soldiers at the opposite ferry actually dared to ambush and kill my messengers not long ago, all because the iron armor my men wore made them greedy. Fortunately, two of them managed to escape back and report what happened. I took this opportunity to pass through and clean house while I was at it — had them all captured and hanged," Lorist said as casually as if discussing the weather.
Baron Shuras clapped his hands. "Serves them right! Those fools needed to be taught a lesson. A few months back, that Viscount Davulf on the other side even sent someone to notify me, demanding I hand over half the ferry fees — otherwise he'd block the opposite landing and not let my ferries dock. Does he think I'm an idiot? That Viscount Davulf's territory only covers half the eastern riverbank — if I can't land at his ferry, I'll just use a different spot. I flat-out rejected his demand and moved the ferry crossing elsewhere. Worst case, people crossing the river walk a couple extra steps and still reach the main road, right?"
"So why did you move it back?" Lorist had noticed the ferry was still at the old dock on the opposite side when he crossed this time.
Viscount Shuras pointed at the two new ferries. "See those two new ferries over there? That Viscount Davulf realized I wasn't going to budge, so he had two new ferries built to compete with me here. By the time he finished building them, he discovered that over a hundred li of the western shore was entirely my territory — he had nowhere to dock. That's when he finally realized how stupid he'd been. He sent someone to propose a joint venture with the two ferries, saying I could take the lion's share while he gnawed on whatever bones were left. I still ignored him. In the end, he had no choice but to just give me the two new ferries and ask me to move the crossing back to the old location, so he could set up a checkpoint there and collect some toll money — just a sip of the soup, so to speak…"
"Brother, you know how I am — no talent for diplomacy, no talent for fighting either. But I do have one thing going for me: I'm kind-hearted, always happy to help others. He made such a pitiful case that I accepted his two new ferries and moved the crossing back to the viscount's territory on the opposite side. But lately, the merchant caravans passing through have been complaining that the viscount's ferry checkpoint charges are absolutely exorbitant. I'm worried that if this goes on, the crossing will become a ghost town with no traders coming through — and then I'd be left here drinking the northwest wind, wouldn't I? I was just about to send someone over to give them a warning, and then you came along and taught them a proper lesson. It's just wonderful…"
To show his friendship and hospitality toward Lorist, Baron Shuras generously — and quite painfully — offered a discount, knocking five percent off the ferry fee…
This time, Baron Shuras did not invite Lorist to dine at his manor castle, because he was currently stationed at the ferry crossing and couldn't get away. Every merchant caravan that crossed the river earned him a hefty sum in ferry fees, so he would rather chew on bread while personally collecting tolls at the crossing than hand it over to his subordinates. He feared that someone might deceive him and undercharge the crossing fees.
Very well then. Lorist ordered his forces to make camp on the spot and set out again the next morning. He then invited Baron Shuras to share dinner with him, and this time the baron accepted the invitation quite cheerfully, even sending a servant back to fetch him a bottle of good wine.
They set up a table and chairs on the riverbank, and facing the magnificent view of the river shimmering with silver scales under the silver moon, Lorist felt that dining here was truly refreshing for both body and soul. No wonder Baron Shuras said that even eating bread every day while holding down the ferry crossing could make one fat and well-fed...
Donning a robe, he came to dine with Baron Shuras.
It wasn't a formal banquet, so Baron Shuras didn't mind in the slightest. In fact, he couldn't help but admire Lorist's impressive musculature.
"When I was young and studying in the Imperial Capital, I had a physique like that too. Those were the good old days — after class, we'd sneak out of the academy, cause trouble everywhere, and flirt with beautiful women..." Once Baron Shuras started reminiscing, his mouth never stopped, going on and on about his glorious and absurd exploits of youth...
The food was simple enough — bread, roasted meat, dried fish, and the like — but Lorist found it quite pleasant, enjoying the beautiful night scenery of the Mitoburo River while listening to Baron Shuras ramble on about his youthful stories, right up until the baron suddenly came back to his senses from his memories.
"Apologies for making a fool of myself in front of you, brother. When you get old, it's easy to get lost in nostalgia, dwelling on the past..." Baron Shuras felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, he had only met Lorist twice, and dragging him along to blabber about his past was rather improper. He felt he had been quite rude.
"Not at all, my lord. What you've shared about the past is quite interesting. Everyone has their wild and reckless youth." Lorist raised his silver cup to toast Baron Shuras.
Baron Shuras drank half his cup and asked, "By the way, brother, with so many men and horses, where are you headed this time? Can you tell me?"
"Ah, it's the Viscounty of Tabury, in the northwestern part of the Redlis Kingdom. The current Viscount Tim of Tabury is a good friend of mine. He has always had business dealings with our family — we're accustomed to entrusting him with the Northland's specialty products, and in return we obtain the supplies our family urgently needs." Lorist gave his pre-prepared answer.
"The Redlis Kingdom? Where's that again? I feel like there's something terribly important I've forgotten..." Baron Shuras tapped his head but still couldn't remember, so he ordered his attendant waiting nearby to fetch the animal-hide map he often looked at.
Upon seeing the map, Baron Shuras finally recalled something: "Aha, brother, you're going to have to make a detour this trip. Look—from Vandace Castle onward, the road leading to the Andinak Kingdom's border fortress of Lechidana Castle has been sealed off. Apart from military convoys and logistics transport, all merchant caravans and travelers are prohibited from passing through."
Lorist looked at the map, and sure enough, a red line was drawn between Vandace Castle and the Lechidana Fortress. Even the border between the Madras Duchy and the Andinak Kingdom had been shaded red.
"What's going on? Has the duchy gone to war with the Andinak Kingdom? Why is even the border sealed?" Lorist asked.
"No, something worse than war. Brother, have you heard of a man called the Demon Shrade and the atrocities committed in the Andinak Kingdom?" Baron Shuras lowered his voice mysteriously.
"No, my lord Baron. You know my family's territory is in the Northland—it's always been isolated, and news doesn't travel well there. We're quite ignorant about what happens in the outside world..." Lorist shook his head cooperatively, though inwardly he was wondering—could this Demon Shrade possibly be none other than Fatty? What kind of earth-shattering havoc had he stirred up this time? And now he'd earned himself a demon's title to boot...
"This Shrade, he led an armed convoy and gathered up several hundred thousand refugees, rampaging across the Andinak Kingdom. He ravaged three entire provinces—everywhere they went, rivers of blood flowed. They were like locusts, killing everyone, eating everything, and looting all they could, leaving nothing but bare wasteland behind. Out of over one hundred and thirty nobles with territories in the Andinak Kingdom, fewer than fifty now survive—and that's only because the
Now the Andinak Kingdom lies in ruins, so that demon Shrade has set his sights on our Madras Duchy next. Thankfully, our Grand Duke is wise—he dispatched the Iron Guard Legion to seal the border, keeping that demon Shrade and his hundreds of thousands of refugees out of the duchy. If they had been allowed to enter, everything would have been lost. Imagine the horrors of the Andinak Kingdom playing out here—how terrifying that would be! It would be nothing short of a nightmare!"
Baron Shuras relayed the news he had heard from merchant caravans crossing the river, then embellished it with his own imagination and hearsay, directly depicting the demon Shrade as a barrel-shaped monster with a green face and fangs, standing three meters tall and three meters wide at the waist. Horns on his head and a tail on his back went without saying—being a demon, those basic features were a must. Most outrageously, Baron Shuras claimed this demon Shrade ate ninety-nine human hearts per meal, and they had to be steaming hot with fresh blood before he would deign to eat them...
Lorist suppressed his laughter and played along with Baron Shuras's description, thinking that if Fatty ever found out he looked like this, there was no telling how mad he would fly. Still, this was the first time Lorist had received news of his family's convoy from someone else. Looking at the red border line drawn on the map, it was obvious that the convoy had been stopped there, unable to proceed northward. With this weight on his mind, the smile faded from Lorist's face.
"How long has the blockade been in place?" Lorist asked.
Baron Shuras was quite displeased at having his flights of fancy interrupted by Lorist, but the question still warranted an answer. "It's been a little over thirty days — approaching a month now."
"So is there any word on when the blockade will be lifted?" Lorist pressed on.
"Faland Duchy, and finally into the Kingdom of Redelis. But that would add more than half again to the journey, and a good portion of the route passes through war-torn territories. Far too many variables," Baron Shuras said, studying the map.
"Exactly. That's why I'm worried about how long that blockade will last. We've always taken this route. A detour means unfamiliar ground on the one hand, and security that's hard to guarantee on the other. It's terribly inconvenient," Lorist agreed with a nod.
"Personally, I think it's safest to stay in one's own territory. It's a dangerous world out there for caravan trade. Even if your family soldiers are all elite fighters, accidents can still happen," Baron Shuras sighed.
Lorist shrugged. "I can't be like you, my lord, sitting on prime real estate where the river crossing alone keeps you well-fed and worry-free. My domain is up in the Northland — if I don't go out and run trade, there's no income. I can't just sit idle and eat through my reserves."
Baron Shuras raised his glass. "Then here's to a smooth journey and prosperous business for you, brother."
The two drank heartily and parted ways.
Back in his command tent, Lorist asked
Patt blinked. "They should have been packed. Cedricamp put both items in the same crate, I believe. He said having them on hand could prove useful — if the situation called for it, we could pass ourselves off as members of Sir Tim's family and do things that would be inconvenient for us otherwise."
Lorist nodded. "Pass the word — starting tomorrow, we can't claim to be from the Norton Family. Say we're a merchant caravan from the Terberly Family, and fly the banners Tim gave us on the wagons."
"What's going on, my lord?" Patt asked.
"Fatty Shrade and the northbound convoy have run into trouble. The Duchy of Madras has sealed the border and won't let them through. I'm afraid they already know that northbound convoy belongs to the Norton Family. If we keep claiming to be the Norton Family and go striding up there, we'd be walking straight into a trap..." Lorist explained.
...