Cold rain lashed at his face, carrying the faint scent of the sea.
"My Lord, you should go back to the cabin and rest. We know this sea route like the back of our hand — we could sail to Northland with our eyes closed. There's no need to slow down or drop anchor at night anymore; as long as there's wind, we can sail at full mast. From Shilovas Island to Northland, the trip takes only eleven or twelve days now. In two more days, we'll be back at Ox Horn Bay."
"I'm fine. I just came up to get some fresh air. Go about your business — don't worry about me," Lorist said.
The ship Lorist currently stood upon was a large ocean-going, three-masted topsail merchant vessel — the flagship of Fleya, commander of the Naval Corps. This time, Fleya had brought twenty-eight medium-sized armed, two-masted merchant vessels back to Northland, intending to transport the large stockpile of magical beast pelts to Shilovas Island to fulfill the trade agreement established with the Peterson Trading Company.
Lorist had boarded Fleya's ship to return to Northland with Doles and El, leaving Josk and
After sending Fleya off, Lorist stood alone at the bow of the quarterdeck, watching the flagship cleave through the waves on a sea of howling cold wind, drizzling rain, and surging swells. His mood was wonderful — light and carefree. The news of the glass war between the Forde Commercial Alliance and the Trinbert Kingdom, along with the
Lorist now hoped those two wars would drag on as long as possible. Ideally, the Alliance would finish off the Trinbert Kingdom and then clash with the Second Prince, who had destroyed the Eldest Prince, over the Lulm Duchy. If the two nations' armies ended up in a standoff, that would give his family's territory the maximum amount of time to develop.
Once he returned to Northland and developed cannons, mounting them on warships, even if the Chikted Trading Company wanted to seize Shilovas Island again, they would pose no threat. Warships armed with cannons would blast their merchant vessels to splinters one by one on the open sea. Only then would people learn who the true maritime hegemon was…
Thinking along these lines, Lorist realized his return to Northland would keep him impossibly busy. There were countless matters awaiting him, and most of them could not be delegated — he would have to handle them all personally. His mood began to sour once more.
El, also draped in a rain cloak, came to stand beside Lorist, leaning against the railing.
"Locke, I've been puzzled about something these past few days. Before we headed back to Northland, you sent me on a trip to Baron Diner's fief west of Qilin Port to deliver a thousand gold Forde and a batch of gifts. I just found it strange — when did you get to know those sisters from the barony? That aunt of theirs is quite the beauty too, and they all seemed very familiar with you. The elder sister cursed you for being heartless when she heard you hadn't come.
I've been racking my brain trying to figure it out. I'm your guard captain, practically at your side around the clock — how did I never notice you getting involved with those two sisters? And that aunt must have had a thing for you too, from how much interest she took in conversations about you. But after learning your identity, they all seemed quite deflated, then politely sent us on our way. What exactly happened?"
Whenever El called Lorist "Locke," it meant they were speaking as friends rather than as lord and retainer — a clear sign that his curiosity was burning.
Lorist grimaced. He understood what El meant about them being "deflated" upon learning his identity. If Lorist were merely a knight of the
"Nothing much. Back in the Imperial Capital, Doles, Karitok, and I snuck out for a night on the town. We attended a party, and I met that elder sister and her aunt. The girl thought I was just a knight and hoped I would marry her…"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk — My Lord, you certainly have a way with women. Just one night, and that sister and aunt were head over heels…" El slipped back into his subordinate role.
"All right, enough about me. You're not getting any younger yourself. That youngest daughter of Technician Mancheni — things seem to be going well between you two, don't they? When we get back, shall I help you propose and have him marry his daughter to you?"
"Uh…" El hadn't expected to set fire to himself. Lorist had turned the conversation right back on him.
"Well, Locke, I think I'd like to wait another year or two. Once I've advanced to Golden Knight, I'll propose to her. That way she'll feel more honored. Besides, once I have a knight's manor, I won't have to worry about what happens to her if something goes wrong…"
Lorist clapped El hard on the shoulder and snapped, "Nonsense! What do you mean 'if something goes wrong'? Stick by my side and I guarantee you'll live to a ripe old age surrounded by children and grandchildren."
El didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "My Lord, the way you put it — who exactly is supposed to be protecting whom…"
……
March 11th — Lorist arrived back in Northland.
Fleya had been right. The return trip had taken only eleven days.
He had insisted on sending Schwarde back to Northland first. As he had explained, if the Chikted Trading Company attacked Shilovas Island, Lorist would certainly be at the front lines, facing a Great Swordmaster. Under those circumstances, having Schwarde still by his side would be far too dangerous. It was better to send him back early, where Lorist wouldn't be distracted.
Lorist ruffled Schwarde's hair and smiled. "What's this? You're too old to be crying. Come on — let me see this port city first. Have the carriage take us around."
The port city, situated on high ground by the sea at the edge of the Black Mud Marshes, had already begun to take shape. Two residential communities had been completed and occupied, naturally by the families of Sembawood's pirate fishing village who had been relocated here, as well as residents who had transferred from Shilovas Island — they had the advantage of arriving first.
At the center of the port city stood a large lord's manor and a spacious garden plaza, consistent with the urban planning of other cities on the Galentea Continent. However, Lorist would have to wait a few more years before moving in — the area was still in the foundation-laying phase of construction.
"Excellent. Master Siroba has done fine work. Make sure to send him and the project managers some bonuses. Oh — has this port city been named yet?" Lorist asked.
"No. The naming should be left to you, My Lord," Schwarde replied.
"Then tell Master Siroba that I'm granting him the naming rights for this port city, in recognition of his achievements in designing and constructing it. Once it's completed, I'll also have bronze statues erected of all who contributed, here at the port, for future generations to remember. Oh, and remind him — he's already named the hundred-li levee the 'Siroba Levee.' I don't want to hear about a 'Siroba City.' Tell him to come up with a better name," Lorist said.
The previous year, the nearly hundred-li-long levee stretching from the port city to Tortoise Mountain along the Blue Azure River had finally been completed after three years of grueling labor by nearly two hundred thousand workers. With this levee in place, it could not only prevent the Blue Azure River from flooding back into the Black Mud Marshes on the family territory side — where thousands of acres of farmland had been reclaimed — but also guard against iron-spined bay crocodiles from crossing the river from the marshes on the opposite bank.
The family's investment in this hundred-li riverside levee had exceeded five hundred thousand gold Forde. The bulk of the labor force consisted of over fifty thousand prisoners of war, though their terms of hard labor would expire this year and they would be released. Additionally, sixty to seventy thousand displaced laborers recruited from Winston Province had been brought in. They would settle with their families near the levee, establishing village after village and transforming the Black Mud Marshes on the family territory side into yet another of the family's grain production bases.
Furthermore, all of the family's armed forces and garrison troops were required to perform three months of labor service each year. On top of that came the peasants from Fingle Plains and Xin'an Plains who arrived during the off-season to earn some wages. It had taken three full years for the levee to be completed. When reporting the good news to Lorist, Master Siroba had asked in his letter what Lorist wanted to name the levee, or whether they could name it themselves.
Lorist hadn't thought much about it and couldn't be bothered to come up with a name, so he wrote back leaving the naming to their discretion. As a result, Master Siroba promptly named it the "Siroba Levee" after himself, complete with an inscribed stone monument. The rest of the crew was both envious and infuriated, but with Lorist's letter in hand, Siroba wielded it like a royal decree, leaving everyone unable to do anything but grit their teeth and accept the name.
This time, Lorist had learned his lesson. He forbade Master Siroba from naming anything after himself, lest this fame-hungry fellow stamp "Siroba" on every project under his charge. Still, Lorist believed the promise of a bronze statue would make the man work even harder…
During the remaining twenty-odd days of March, Lorist inspected military camps and civilian conditions across the various regions. He spent only a single day each at Maple Forest Manor and at Miss Tresti's preparatory office for the Niko Academy, then hurried on to
……
April 5th, Rock Fortress — the Norton Family's New Year assembly was officially convened.
The proceedings followed the same format as in previous years, minus Fatty Shi and the others who remained on Shilovas Island, but with an added agenda of commendations and enfeoffments. This time,
After summarizing the previous year's achievements, it was time for commendations and enfeoffments. Lorist announced that Bodfeng, Ross the Fierce, Josk, Fleya, Belunek, Malek,
Next, Lorist ordered
…developing so close to them. If they occupied this place and carried out large-scale development and construction, the Kenmais Family would actually be relieved — because they would believe the family had truly let go of the old grudges and enmities between them…
The final agenda item was military expansion. This was aimed at the fifty-odd thousand prisoners whose hard labor terms were about to expire and who would soon be released. Moreover, the Second Prince's three-hundred-thousand-strong army had finally given Lorist a measure of unease. Who knew whether, after sweeping through the Iblia Kingdom, the Second Prince might set his sights on Northland when he had nothing better to do? It was always better to be prepared.
Bodfeng's heavy infantry would be expanded to two regiments. Ross the Fierce's lance cavalry would likewise be expanded to two regiments. Doles would be tasked with forming another war wagon steel crossbow regiment — without horses for the time being. Lorist wanted to see whether an idea of his could be realized. If it worked out, Doles' war wagon steel crossbow regiment would become a foot-mobile steel crossbow cart regiment instead.
After the assembly concluded, Lorist kept behind Hidd, the head of the dark iron extraction base known as Ironforge, and Kamora, the Steward in charge of the weapons production base known as Stormwind. He gave them two tasks.
The first was to test one of Lorist's ideas. Lorist had drawn up a sketch of a wheelbarrow from his previous life and wanted Hidd to experiment with whether the steel crossbows mounted on war wagons could be fitted onto wheelbarrows instead. This would eliminate the trouble of caring for draft horses while still allowing the crossbows to be moved, rapidly deployed, and flexibly prepared for firing. In fact, on mountainous terrain too rough for war wagons, wheelbarrows could carry the steel crossbows up and secure favorable firing positions…
The second task was for them to design another batch of ornate standard-issue equipment — it only needed to be slightly lower in defensive capability than the White Lion standard armor. This batch was intended for sale to the Commercial Alliance. Given merchants' nature, the more extravagant and beautiful the design, the more it would catch their attention and entice them to open their wallets…
……
April 5th, the same day, noon — inside a private dining room at an inn in
Meribak, the third young master of the Chikted Trading Company, sat holding a cup of tea in deep thought. The person who had just taken his leave was an informant from the Peterson Trading Company whom Meribak had spent a fortune to buy off — and this informant had been one of the attendants who accompanied the vice president to Shilovas Island. From his lips, Meribak had learned a great deal about the island: the tens of thousands of displaced laborers working on development and construction, a three-thousand-strong elite garrison force, and the fact that Count Norton was on the island as well…
But even knowing the situation on Shilovas Island, the third young master could do nothing. All the arrangements had been proceeding smoothly, and then suddenly the situation had changed completely, rendering all his efforts worthless. Every time he thought of that blockhead Trinbert VII, the third young master ground his teeth in fury. It was that madman who had stuck his nose in and turned all seven giants of the Alliance's plans into a mess. Even after losing half his territory, the fool still refused to admit defeat — the man was clearly insane.
The third young master Meribak was widely known in the Trading Company for his shrewd calculations, and he understood that under these circumstances, the Company could no longer lay claim to Shilovas Island. Especially after news arrived that the Second Prince of Andinak Kingdom had launched a surprise attack and seized the Redlis Kingdom's capital — it had become clear that not only the Chikted Trading Company, but also the Twin Dragon Trading Company, the Mayflower Trading Company, and the Peterson Trading Company had all abandoned their ambitions of obtaining Company territories from the Redlis Kingdom. No one wanted to stand in the path of the Second Prince's military might…
But a fire burned in the third young master's chest. He refused to let that contemptuous count — who didn't even deign to look at him — get away with it. Was a third-rank Great Swordmaster really that untouchable? Had the lives of so many from the Trading Company meant nothing? The previous naval interception had been entirely his arrangement, yet it had cost the Trading Company dearly. And whenever he thought of the way his second brother looked at him with mockery in his eyes, the third young master could barely contain his urge to explode.
"By the way — the northern fleet departs in a few days, correct?" the third young master asked.
"Yes, young master. They set sail on the twelfth," the elderly personal servant standing nearby replied.
"Pass the word — I'll be departing with them. I'm making another trip to the Shaiisia Kingdom and the Haneabada Kingdom." The third young master had made his decision.
……
April 5th, the same day, afternoon — the Trinbert Kingdom front lines.
Comberlate, president of the Twin Dragon Trading Company, who commanded the Alliance's forces, watched as the troops under his banner grew ever more numerous — now approaching a hundred and fifty thousand. With winter and the rainy season both behind them, and unable to endure any longer the daily clamor inside his command tent that resembled a vegetable market, he finally issued an ultimatum to the four-nation coalition army locked in standoff with them: withdraw and clear the road within three days, or the Alliance forces would attack without hesitation, and all consequences would be borne by the four-nation coalition…
Well, the commander of the four-nation coalition figured they had held off the Alliance's forces for three months already — enough to give Trinbert VII an explanation. Moreover, no one truly wanted to provoke the Alliance. So they replied that they would guarantee withdrawal within three days. The three-month-long sit-down war was over…
……
April 5th, the same day, afternoon — Federiga, the royal capital of the Redlis Kingdom.
The banners of the first Andinak Kingdom Royal Guard Corps regiment dispatched from the southwestern front had finally appeared beneath the capital walls.
Standing atop the battlements, the Second Prince finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. In the weeks since his surprise seizure of Federiga, he had scarcely slept a proper night. His cheeks had grown gaunt, his chin covered in stubble. The negotiations with the seventy thousand garrison troops of Kambona Province had exhausted him — but he had finally gotten them to lay down their arms. Now his directly commanded corps had arrived. Next came sweeping up the remnants and capturing the Eldest Prince alive.
"…command them to offer me their loyalty and respect. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to annihilate their families and seize their territories."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Your decree is our mission. But what if those territorial nobles have petitions to make?"
"Petitions? They colluded with the Eldest Prince to disrupt the empire's peace and set the land aflame. I have already shown tremendous clemency by sparing their lives, forgiving their crimes, and leaving their families intact. And they still find that insufficient? Tell them — if they can satisfy me, the worst they face is reduction in title or reassignment of territory. Surely that should be enough…"
"Yes, Your Majesty. We depart immediately to convey your decree."
……(To be continued.)