February 21st, Year 1771 of the Galentea Common Calendar.
After twenty-eight days of grueling travel, the massive convoy transporting the magical beast corpses finally arrived at Gildusk City. This was thanks to
The panicked guards sounded the alarm horns, but once the misunderstanding was cleared up, all of Gildusk City was thrown into an uproar. Braving heavy snow and bitter cold, everyone swarmed to the square before the Grand Duke's palace to gawk at the spectacle, crowding together in a sea of people to take in the sights.
Over two hundred magical beast corpses representing more than forty species were arranged in several rows across the square, sorted by size. The corpse of the young mammoth at the very front, standing four meters tall, was particularly grotesque and imposing, radiating an extraordinary aura. Had it not been for the height restriction at the city gates, Lorist would have liked to transport two more mammoth corpses — those standing five or six meters tall — as well.
Count Kemaies was flushed with excitement. Lorist had really given him enormous face, sending over so many magical beast corpses and accompanying them with an effusively warm reply letter. In the letter, aside from designating certain beasts as gifts for Princess Sylvia, Count Kemaies was free to handle the rest as he pleased. In that moment, several distribution plans had already flashed through Count Kemaies's mind — how to use these magical beast corpses to build connections, win the favor of beautiful women, and expand the Kemaies family's network of relationships…
The
"Count Kemaies, where is the person in charge of transporting these magical beast corpses? Summon him to me and I will reward him handsomely. Now I forgive Baron
Count Kemaies placed a hand over his chest and bowed. "I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness. Those in charge of the transport were all garrison soldiers from our family. They are not members of the Norton Family. According to the messenger I sent, the Norton Family couldn't spare a single person for transporting the corpses — all of their family forces have been fully committed to the war against the magical beasts."
"Oh, I see. Never mind, then." The Second Prince looked somewhat disappointed.
"My dear Count, I want that snow leopard, and those two azure winter wolves. That white mana antelope over there pleases me greatly as well — would the Count be willing to part with it?" Unlike the Second Prince, the Queen's gaze was fixed on the pelts of the magical beasts.
"Your beautiful Majesty, your humble servant would be only too glad to fulfill your modest wish. However, that snow leopard and the white mana antelope are New Year's gifts that Baron Norton has presented to
The Queen nodded, then turned and began whispering with Princess Silivia.
…
The Second Prince sat in his study, a middle-aged man standing before him.
"Did you find out?" the Second Prince asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. The messenger said that when he found Baron Norton, he was leading the family's forces in the wasteland, setting up a defensive line and building walls of ice and snow to withstand the impact of the magical beast tide. He was very clear with the messenger. Every soldier of the Norton Family was stationed on this final defensive line, and there was simply no one available to transport the magical beast corpses. So the messenger had no choice but to make a trip to the Kemaies Family's territory to recruit manpower before he could complete the task of transporting the corpses…" The middle-aged man answered with deep respect.
The Second Prince tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought.
"Your Highness, the messenger also said that when he passed through that ice-and-snow defensive line, he estimated that the Norton Family's forces numbered no more than thirty thousand. He was very worried — how could such a small force possibly hold back a magical beast tide of nearly a million…"
"Oh? He's certain?" The Second Prince's eyes lit up.
"Yes, Your Highness. That messenger has always served as a dispatch rider at Count
The Second Prince thought for a moment and changed the subject. "Have you been to the square to see those magical beasts?"
"Your Highness, I went to inspect them. The cause of death for these magical beasts was indeed the fatal wounds on their bodies. That mammoth demon elephant was first hit by three bolts from city wall ballistae, then fell under the soldiers' siege. The fatal blow was likely the lance the
The Second Prince asked another question. "Have you figured out where Baron Sahin got all that snow salt?"
"Baron Sahin purchased nearly ten million pounds of miscellaneous grain from the Grand Duke's domain last September, then shipped it all to the Norton Family's territory. So I suspect all of this snow salt was produced by the Norton Family — their domain's Bladepeak Mountains sit right along the coast. There are only two parties in the snow salt trade: Count Kemmes and Baron Sahin. Both are on good terms with Baron Norton and have ongoing business dealings with the Norton Family." The middle-aged man answered.
The Second Prince stood up and began pacing around the study.
"Three years ago, the Norton Family armed over forty thousand men and raided the Grand Duke's domain. Beneath their family's Bastion Castle, they crushed the allied northern nobility led by Duke
"Ever since I came to the Northland, I've been deeply unsettled by the Norton Family's opaque stance. They refused my goodwill invitations, refused to obey my decrees, and even accepted a title from the Andinack royal family — this is nothing short of treason! Even with the First Legion at my command, I didn't dare provoke that roaring bear lurking on the northern frontier. I was worried my hard-earned legion would fight that bear to mutual destruction, letting some other interested party reap the benefits..."
"I was worried sick. I feared that once the Norton Family gained those two hundred thousand settlers and settled into their territory to recover and grow, their power would expand enormously. But today... today I'm delighted, overjoyed even, hahaha..."
The Second Prince suddenly burst into wild laughter.
"So the Norton Family also had to face the threat of the Beast Tide. Their family army of over forty thousand from three years ago has now been reduced to less than thirty thousand. I wonder how many more they'll lose this winter. The Beast Tide swept through their family lands, making it impossible for them to settle those two hundred thousand or so refugees. So they had no choice but to send them to boil seawater for salt, and then use that snow salt to trade for grain. They even brought out their family army's iron armor to sell, all just to get enough food and supplies to feed so many people..."
"I've never seen such a foolish lord. He's a disgrace to us nobles. I could never figure out why that roaring bear was holed up in their territory like a turtle. Turns out he dug himself a huge hole he can't escape from now.
"Your Highness is truly wise," the middle-aged man flattered.
The Second Prince paced a few more circles around his study before stopping. "Have Viscount Sinderson, once the snow thaws—on March fifteenth, let's say—once again serve as my envoy to the Norton Family. Deliver my final ultimatum. You are to pose as his attendant and go along. Investigate the Norton Family's situation, see if they've truly been devastated by the Beast Tide..."
"By your command, Your Highness." The middle-aged man bowed and withdrew.
…
March 15th. The great hall of Rock Castle.
Lorist faced a room packed with Family Knights and numerous civil officials, and delivered his remarks with great satisfaction. "...Last year, it wasn't until May that we could gather here to arrange the fief's work for the year. But now, it's only March. And here we all are. Why? Because through our tireless effort and enduring struggle, we have finally eliminated the Beast Tide that plagued our family lands for centuries! From this day forward, we shall live here in peace and prosperity, enjoying a life of tranquility and calm..."
"Thank you all for your efforts. I must thank you for your hard work. And to those brave family soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting the Beast Tide for the peace of our lands..." Lorist bowed deeply to the assembled Family Knights and officials.
Everyone in the great hall rose to their feet and returned Lorist's bow...
"Norton, Norton, Norton..." The great hall erupted in rhythmic cheers.
Lorist pressed both hands downward, waiting for the cheers to die down before continuing his speech: "Three years have passed. While battling the Beast Tide, we have also worked tirelessly to develop the family's territory. We have built villages and towns, erected city walls, provided new homes for nearly five hundred thousand subjects, and constructed roads. We have also established mines and workshops — building from nothing, transforming the wastelands into our own paradise. As your lord, I am proud of the achievements you have made, and I am proud that our family possesses such outstanding people..."
The great hall erupted in thunderous cheers once more.
"So this year, we shall vigorously cultivate the uncultivated lands of Fertile Joy Plain, overhaul our irrigation facilities, and fulfill the promise we made to every subject who followed us to the family's territory — distributing farmland to them so that they may live happy lives on family land." Lorist announced the key priorities for the year.
Reddy and Pat stepped forward and hung a large map in the center of the hall.
"Allow me to explain our family's future strategic arrangements and plans." Lorist picked up a small wooden stick and walked to the front of the map.
"As everyone knows, the Northland is remote, far from the center of human settlements. Originally, the Northland had two routes to the outside world, and now we have a third — the iron chain bridge to the east — making three vital corridors of transport. However, the ferry crossing downstream on the Midobro River has been completely sealed off by Grand Duke Madras, who refuses to allow anyone to cross there. In truth, we bear some responsibility for that — when the Northbound Caravan returned to our family territory in those days, things did get rather out of hand..." Lorist said with self-deprecating humor.
Quite a few people laughed; they were all former members of the Northbound Caravan.
"Without that downstream crossing, the Northland effectively has only two exits. But we must be clear — both of those exits lead into the Kingdom of Iberia. Take the Kenmes Family, which controls the eastern iron chain bridge; they too have their own troubles. Though they collect substantial tolls, they must constantly face the pressure of Duke Fisabron's border defense corps, and have been forced to bolster the family's armed forces for self-preservation."
"Our Norton Family has never set its sights on these two exits. Reaching the central regions of the Galentea Continent and beyond by land — the journey is too long and too many things can go wrong. I'm sure everyone agrees with me: we never want to send another caravan east. Once was quite enough..."
"We turned our gaze toward the sea. Everyone, look — if we can find a sea outlet in the Blade Range, we will build a fleet. From our Northland, we can sail along the coast to reach the Grand Duchy of Madras, the Kingdom of Andinak, the western reaches of the Kingdom of Redelis, the Grand Duchy of Ruorm, and the Kingdom of Haneabada. In just over a month, we could reach
"Unfortunately, we were unable to find the sea outlet we needed in the Blade Range. However, this does not mean there are no ports within our family's territory that lead to the sea. Everyone, look at this map." Lorist signaled Reddy and Pat to hang up another large map that was unfamiliar to everyone present.
"This map depicts the most treacherous place in our family's territory — the Blackmud Swamp," Lorist said.
The crowd in the great hall was startled, and everyone began whispering to one another.
"Please, quiet down. Perhaps you've all heard the advice that unless you possess at least Silver-rank
Lorist pointed at the map with a small wooden stick. "Everyone, look. This is the Blue Azure River, originating from the Dragonmount Range. It divides the Blackmud Swamp into two halves. After flowing through the Blackmud Swamp, the Blue Azure River empties into the sea. The portion of the Blackmud Swamp on our family's side accounts for only a quarter of the entire swamp, and it borders the edge of the Blade Range. Right here, at the junction between the Blackmud Swamp and the Blade Range, a large bay has formed. This — this is the perfect site for a sea port!"
"In fact, after consulting many historical records, we discovered that the true Blackmud Swamp is actually on the opposite bank — the other side of the Blue Azure River. The Blackmud Swamp on our family's territory came about because, every winter after the season ended, floating ice from the upper reaches of the Blue Azure River failed to melt and instead blocked the river mouth. The river's waters surged and flooded the surrounding land. Over time, this area gradually became part of the Blackmud Swamp."
"Now, we are going to transform this swamp once again — turning it into our homeland and our seaport. Everyone, look here. By the riverbank, there is a hill shaped like a tortoise. We've named it Turtle Hill. From Turtle Hill to Oxenrest Ridge is a mere twenty-some li. We will construct a city wall connecting Turtle Hill to Oxenrest Ridge. Once that is done, neither magical beast tides nor the mountain barbarians will ever be able to threaten the family's territory from this side."
"Next, we will build a long embankment stretching over a hundred li from Turtle Hill to the mouth of the Blue Azure River where it meets the Blade Range. This will serve as both a defensive wall against the Iron-Spine Estuary Crocodiles lurking in the Blackmud Swamp, and a dam to guard against future flooding of the Blue Azure River. Once this hundred-li embankment is completed, this hundred-li stretch of Blackmud Swamp on our family's side will become fertile farmland and a thriving port city…"
…(To be continued.)