"Ohh..."
Well, the sight of maids draped in nothing more than three scraps of fabric was enough to thoroughly shock the normally composed
Lorist certainly hadn't expected the Second Prince to come out with something like that, and for a moment he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Your Majesty, this is White Sand Beach. Those are the
The Second Prince shrugged. "I'm sure you'll find a way. All those shaded tents on the beach are probably your convenience spots. But honestly, they really are pleasant to look at dressed like this, and it goes perfectly with the seaside scenery..."
The Second Prince was a few centimeters taller than Lorist, and both men had similarly athletic builds. However, compared to Lorist, whose body was covered in sword scars, the Second Prince—with his fair, smooth skin and handsome features—attracted far more of the maids' attention. Especially once they learned he was the king of the Andinac Kingdom, the serving girls' eyes practically blazed with fire. Even when delivering fruit and snacks, they loved to press up against the Second Prince, showering him with flirtatious glances, wishing they could drag him into a nearby tent and have their way with him.
The Second Prince was quite helpless against the maids' ardent attentions, and Lorist simply stood aside enjoying the show. The other nobles kept their distance—after all, the Second Prince had told them they were all here to relax and do as they pleased, just having Lorist keep him company. No noble would be foolish enough to approach the two most powerful men in the kingdoms and cause a nuisance; for all they knew, the pair might be discussing some important matter...
When the maids finally finished serving the food and Lorist waved them away, the Second Prince turned to him with a bitter smile. "Lorist, do you really enjoy watching me make a fool of myself that much?"
"No." Lorist denied it flatly. "You're the king—a rare and important figure these maids will never get to see again. Their enthusiasm is perfectly understandable. Besides, you're not bad-looking at all. You're much better-looking than me, actually. I was honestly just jealous—they've never doted on me like that before."
"Heh heh, Lorist, you really do love cracking jokes." The Second Prince gave a few dry laughs and changed the subject. "By the way, Lorist, I heard the
"That's right. If Your Majesty is also looking to borrow money, then I'm afraid I must disappoint you — you're too late. The Norton Family genuinely has no money left now." Lorist wasn't the least bit surprised that the Second Prince had gotten wind of this news. The partnership with the Fulunduo Family to develop Yungeshandela Province had never been intended as a secret — the news had long since spread.
"No way — could seven million really drain the Norton Family coffers dry? What I don't understand is this: if you'd lent me that seven million gold Fordes, I'd pay you back double in ten years." The Second Prince stared intently at Lorist's face.
Lorist sat up and settled into a cross-legged position. "Your Majesty, please don't joke like that. You know perfectly well I could never lend you money — not even if you were the king."
"Why not?" The Second Prince furrowed his brows.
"Your Majesty, Grand Duke Fulunduo borrowed that money to develop the economy and livelihood of his territory. Ten years from now, our family's territories will have a fully developed province serving as a market for our goods. But Your Majesty wants to borrow money to build up military forces in preparation for war. The risk is enormous — win the war and you might make your money back, lose it and there's nothing left. As Duke Kenmais said, if I lent him that seven million, he could at least double it within three years.
But business is like war — most people think about the profits without considering, or simply refusing to consider, the possibility of taking losses. Just like the first half of this year, when our family's territories restructured all those redundant production workshops — many merchants and nobles who had blindly invested in expanded production lost everything they had, and three of them even took their own lives after drowning in usurious debts. That's exactly why Duke Kenmais only deals in reselling and never invests in production directly.
Sometimes, producing too many goods that can't be sold becomes an economic catastrophe in itself. That's why our family would rather lend money and spend a decade cultivating a market, all to move a few more goods. And the most critical point is that our investment in the Fulunduo Family's economic development wasn't a lump-sum loan of seven million — our family couldn't possibly produce that much money at once. That seven million is being invested over five years, in several separate installments..."
The Second Prince raised his gold cup, filled to the brim with fine wine, and offered a mock toast to Lorist. With an amused expression, he said, "All right, spare me the economics lecture on territory development. Relax — I was just making conversation. I'm not actually going to borrow money from your Norton Family. Besides, you'd never be willing to save my pride by lending it to me, and I'm not about to embarrass myself. You may be the most troublesome person I know, but the thing I admire most about you is that you invest so generously in developing your territories. By that measure, I, as king of this kingdom, am still your inferior."
"Ah... Your Majesty flatters me." Lorist hastily raised his silver cup in return.
"However, Lorist," the Second Prince set down his emptied gold cup and fixed his gaze on Lorist, "do you really have no confidence in my military preparations this time? You know what I'm referring to. Tell me honestly..."
"It's just like the Commercial Alliance and the Krisen Empire a hundred years ago — only reversed. We're the ones at a disadvantage. Your Majesty, you must have received plenty of intelligence on the Commercial Alliance by now, correct?"
The Second Prince nodded but said nothing.
Lorist continued, "I trust the outcome of the war between the Commercial Alliance and the allied forces of the Central-Southern Kingdoms must have exceeded Your Majesty's expectations as well? The war dragged on for over four years, yet it failed to cripple the Commercial Alliance. Instead, it was the allied forces of the Central-Southern Kingdoms that suffered a dramatic upheaval. Not only did the Commercial Alliance gain Qigeda Kingdom as an ally, it even sent envoys to mediate the conflicts that had broken out between Qigeda Kingdom and the eight-nation alliance of the Central-Southern Kingdoms."
"Whether analyzed from a strategic perspective or evaluated through the lens of tactical considerations, the Commercial Alliance was the greatest beneficiary of this war. It swallowed three more nations, fractured the remaining alliance of the Central-Southern Kingdoms, secured Qigeda Kingdom as a partner, and accomplished the war's original objective — reopening trade routes across the kingdoms of the central-southern region. Its sphere of influence continues to expand."
"In terms of elite fighting strength, the Commercial Alliance now boasts a Storm Sword Saint to safeguard the nation, and the entire alliance possesses nearly a hundred Sword Saints. Our Andinaq Kingdom, by contrast, has fewer than twenty Sword Saints in total. Regardless of whether we count first-tier, second-tier, or third-tier Sword Saints, we are at an absolute disadvantage."
"The seven giants of the Commercial Alliance — its seven great guilds — now each commands a full-fledged field army. Over the course of more than four years of brutal warfare against the allied Central-Southern forces, these armies have been honed into elite fighting forces. As for the numerous smaller guilds within the Commercial Alliance, they too could mobilize two to three hundred thousand troops. We can reasonably estimate that the Commercial Alliance's total military strength now exceeds five hundred thousand."
"Your Majesty has spent the past three years training troops and preparing for war across the eleven central provinces, yet has only managed to assemble roughly three hundred thousand royal forces. Add to that the Imperial Royal Guard Corps from the capital and the White Lion Corps from Magic Province, and the total under your command comes to no more than five hundred thousand at most. Even if we include the family armies deployed by us Grand Dukes, that brings us to a mere seven or eight hundred thousand."
"Sending seven or eight hundred thousand men to attack the Commercial Alliance as it stands now would at best give us a slight edge. Completely defeating the Commercial Alliance would be impossible. If the alliance were to use its elite fighters to launch a surgical strike against our command structure, we might even suffer a devastating defeat. Therefore, I believe our kingdom's strength is sufficient for self-preservation but insufficient for expansion. I still advise Your Majesty to focus on peaceful development for ten years, strengthen the kingdom's power, and only then consider recovering those provinces that were seized by force."
After listening to Lorist's lengthy analysis, the Second Prince's expression shifted through several changes. It took a good while before he finally regained his resolute look. "No, Lorist, you're wrong. Right now, there is a perfect opportunity calling to me, and I absolutely cannot let it slip through my fingers. If I focus on developing the economy and improving the livelihood of the people, the Commercial Alliance will also be recovering its strength — and it will recover faster and stronger than our kingdom. I must strike while the Commercial Alliance hasn't truly turned its attention to us, reclaim those provinces, and restore the empire's borders and glory!"
"Oh? A perfect opportunity?" Lorist grew curious about what the Second Prince considered such a golden chance.
"In truth, whether we retake those seized provinces and territories or not, the Commercial Alliance will still view our kingdom as an enemy." The Second Prince was right about that. After the Empire had split into three major kingdoms and seven grand duchies, the Commercial Alliance had still treated the Andinak Kingdom, the legitimate successor to the Krisen imperial line, with particular hostility — commercial blockades were everywhere. The Second Prince harbored equally deep enmity toward the Commercial Alliance.
"You understand the situation in the central and southern parts of the continent. Right now, the Commercial Alliance still hasn't reached a mediation agreement between the Qigeda Kingdom and the Eight-Nation Alliance of the Central South. Moreover, four of the seven legions belonging to the Commercial Alliance's seven giants are stationed on the territory of the Qikeda Trading Company, serving as a military deterrent against both sides — far removed from the Commercial Alliance proper. If a peace agreement is reached next year, three of those four legions will likely return to the Commercial Alliance, and they could very well be deployed along our kingdom's borders."
The Second Prince glanced at Lorist. "It's simple. You've forgotten one thing. After our Andinak Kingdom destroyed the four central duchies, the Madras duchy, and the Kingdom of Iberia, the trade routes through those territories were also cut off from the Commercial Alliance. That's why I believe that once the Commercial Alliance frees up its hands, it will undoubtedly marshal a great army and use overwhelming force to compel our kingdom to accept their demands. And you know my temperament — I will never bow my head to the Commercial Alliance. This war is not something I can avoid even if I wanted to. Since it must be fought, why shouldn't I strike first?
I can accept the Commercial Alliance's demands to open trade routes, but they must offer us fairness. Retaking all lost and seized provinces and territories is my bottom line. I can also agree to a ceasefire and sign a peace agreement with the Commercial Alliance, but they must satisfy my wish and return the provinces they seized. Otherwise, I would rather fight them to the bitter end!"
Lorist had to admit that the Second Prince made a compelling argument. His thinking was remarkably clear, and his analysis of the Commercial Alliance was quite precise. But the question was — why should the Norton Family involve itself in this war? Sacrificing the Norton Family's military strength for the Second Prince's dream of reunifying the former Krisen Empire would be the act of a fool. Moreover, the Norton Family had already reached the ceiling in terms of both titles and territories — there was nothing more to be gained. He certainly wasn't going to throw himself into the fray as cannon fodder just for a few honeyed words and flattery from the Second Prince...
"I do not wish to take part in this war," Lorist said, his voice low and heavy. "I only want to develop my fief and let my people live happy, prosperous lives. That was the promise I made over a decade ago when I left
You managed to persuade the other three families in our Northland alliance to commit troops, but I still don't want to join in. I believe this is a war that benefits neither the kingdom nor our family. If the Commercial Alliance were to invade our kingdom, I would deploy forces to repel them. But launching a provocation against them preemptively — personally, I do not consider that a wise move."
Lorist's refusal left the Second Prince somewhat embarrassed, though there was no one nearby to notice — the attendants and nobles had all retreated a good distance away and hadn't caught wind of their discussion. The Second Prince had evidently prepared himself for Lorist's refusal in advance, knowing that Lorist wouldn't be so easily swayed. He soon composed himself and broke into an easy smile, raising his golden goblet once more. "By the way, Lorist, we came here today for leisure. Why let these matters of state and war spoil our mood? Come, let us have a few more drinks. I hear you're quite the swimmer — would you be willing to teach me?"
"Of course, Your Highness. I would be glad to assist." Lorist drained the remaining wine from his silver cup in a single gulp.
Over the following days, the Second Prince was busy visiting the other nobles. Though Lorist remained on holiday at White Gold Beach, he could feel the atmosphere growing increasingly somber. Even the families of the nobles who had been frolicking on the seaside gradually lost their cheerful, carefree spirits. Some nobles even began packing their belongings, preparing to leave. Their expressions were all grave, and there was only one explanation for that — war was coming.
Lorist found it somewhat strange. It wasn't yet September, but August was almost over. Mobilizing a large army for war would require at least two to three months of preparation, and by then it would already be winter. Did the Second Prince really intend to launch a surprise attack on the Commercial Union during winter? That was impossible. Even if he had all the magical beast pelts purchased from Lorist made into winter clothing to keep his soldiers warm, he could field at most twenty to thirty thousand troops. Sending that many men against the Commercial Union wasn't an assault — it was suicide.
Duke Kenmaes, Duke
Lorist said to them, "Don't talk to me about this war. I've already refused the Second Prince, and I don't want to hear anything about this war either. If you want to participate, that's your business. I will not be sending any troops."
...