"I'm not going to welcome his arrival—the King is a murderer!" Even after turning thirty,
"Fine, then don't go. Fennagali's been having some rather strong morning sickness these past couple of days—go keep her company."
Over these three months, Lorist hadn't been idle. He had successfully gotten Fennagali pregnant, fulfilling her wish to become a mother. As for Princess Silivia wanting to have another child and Daisy also hoping to become a mother—that would require more effort on Lorist's part.
"Where is His Majesty the King now?" Lorist asked.
"Don't know," Genorio replied. "This time the King came to
Three years of bloody warfare had turned the Mana Hill Plains into a wasteland. Packs of wild dogs fed on the dead, posing a serious threat to the settlers preparing to pioneer in Thomas City and Gyptsis City. Reidi had been tasked by Lorist with leading men to eliminate the red-eyed wild dogs roaming the plains and had been busy in the field these past days.
"All right then, let's ride down the mountain and check the road. If we run into him, that'll count as a welcome," Lorist said. He then led a squad of guards on horseback down Brin Hill.
When Lorist saw the
Lorist dismounted and approached, performing a knight's salute. "Your Majesty, how come you're here?"
The Second Prince turned around. "Oh, Locke, my brother—you came? I really didn't expect that in just half a year, you'd have governed Morant City so well. Completely transformed from when I last visited. No wonder they call you the Kingdom's foremost administrator. Why don't you come serve as the Empire's first Prime Minister? I'd entrust the entire Empire's governance to you—I'm sure you wouldn't let me down."
Lorist smiled bitterly. "Your Majesty, please don't joke like that. Do you know how much the
The Second Prince stumbled, nearly falling over. "How much? Fourteen million gold Forde! Your Norton family really is loaded. Why not loan me ten or twenty million to spend..."
Lorist cursed outright. "Loaded, my ass—we were forced into it. The Norton family took a terrible hit in this campaign. Not only was the family fleet crippled, but even capturing Morant City brought no returns. Instead, we've had to keep shipping all manner of daily necessities, trade goods, and massive quantities of grain from family territories into this bottomless pit called Morant City. Of that fourteen million, four million came from spoils of war. The other ten million came from the ransom paid by the Commercial Alliance and the proceeds from liquidating supplies seized by our family's forces—all of it invested into the development of Morant City and the Mana Hill Plains."
"I don't understand..." The Second Prince mused for a moment before asking. "Locke, brother, in the plan you originally described to me, capturing Morant City was meant to force the Commercial Alliance to agree to our peace terms and sign a ceasefire to restore peace. So why is the Norton family pouring such a huge sum into Morant City's development? Does the Norton family intend to permanently occupy Morant City and the Mana Hill Plains?"
The Second Prince had to get clarification on this. The Norton family dominating the Northland and the surrounding provinces was still within his tolerance—after all, no matter how powerful the Nortons grew, they were still nobles of the Andinak Kingdom. Even if Lorist became a Sword Saint, he would still be a subordinate who acknowledged the King as his sovereign. But if the Nortons occupied the Mana Hill Plains and Morant City, effectively turning them into another family territory, it would mean Lorist and the Norton family could potentially break away from the Andinak Kingdom and form their own nation.
"Your Majesty, you're overthinking this." Lorist keenly perceived the Second Prince's unspoken concerns and spread his hands. "Since when did Your Majesty develop the illusion that the residents of Morant City would willingly become docile subjects of some king or lord? Our Norton family certainly doesn't want to bring trouble upon itself. The only way to permanently hold the Mana Hill Plains and Morant City would be to slaughter the million-plus residents and then resettle the land with immigrants. The Norton family has no intention of becoming blood-soaked butchers..."
After a pause, Lorist continued. "As for investing fourteen million gold Forde into Morant City's development, we had no choice either. But let's discuss that when we get back—I'll explain everything to Your Majesty properly. This isn't the place for such a conversation."
Brin Hill Manor, Lorist's study.
"What? You want to support the creation of an entirely new trade alliance?" The Second Prince finally understood why Lorist had poured such a massive investment into Morant City. The plan exceeded anything he had anticipated or imagined.
"...a council composed of representatives from each participating trade association, serving as the alliance's supreme governing body. While they would similarly prioritize commerce and the development of trade associations, they would absolutely not allow a single association to monopolize any sector of the civilian economy, as the Commercial Alliance does. They would promote or encourage at least three competing associations in each industry, maintaining vitality in development and keeping consumer goods prices competitive..." Lorist explained.
"But what benefit does this bring your Norton family?" the Second Prince countered.
Lorist shook his head with a smile. "Your Majesty, don't forget there's still the Commercial Alliance watching us like a tiger. They refuse to compromise with our Kingdom, won't agree to negotiations, and insist on fighting us to the end. Our goodwill and sincerity for peace only fed their greed—they imposed unacceptable ceasefire terms and threatened to battle our Kingdom to the last man.
Under these circumstances, I've lost all confidence in reaching a peace agreement with the Commercial Alliance through negotiations. That's why I'm using Morant City's million residents to establish a new Free Alliance, making it the Commercial Alliance's new target and enemy. The fourteen million gold Forde investment is mainly to give the Free Alliance independent military strength to resist the Commercial Alliance's armed forces. That would allow the bulk of our Norton family troops to withdraw from this battlefield—we'd only need to dispatch one or two legions to assist the Free Alliance in delivering a crushing blow to the Commercial Alliance's forces.
The free Mana Hill Plains and free Morant City—the sacred homeland of free people. We Nortons are outsiders; we can't exactly usurp their role and fight the Commercial Alliance's forces to the death ourselves. Defending their sacred homeland is the duty of every free citizen of the Mana Hill Plains and Morant City. At most, we can serve as a well-meaning and righteous ally, helping them resist the Commercial Alliance's invasion.
Why does the Commercial Alliance refuse our peace offer and ignore our sincere desire for peace? Simple—they're rich, and they control the vast markets of the central-south and south of the continent. They believe they can drag this war out until we collapse. Then they can extend their filthy hands toward our Kingdom, seize our commercial interests, control and monopolize the economic markets of every sector, and become parasites feeding on our Kingdom's body—turning the wealth we create into nourishment for their growing trade associations.
So this war isn't just a life-and-death struggle on the battlefield—it's also a life-and-death commercial battle. Fortunately, while our family fleet and the Commercial Alliance's Invincible Fleet both suffered grievous losses, we severed the Commercial Alliance's fastest maritime trade route to the southern continent. Though they can still transport goods overland to the southern markets, they've lost timeliness and increased shipping costs.
The Norton family's massive investment in Morant City also aims to revive Morant City's commercial economy and propel it into competing with the Commercial Alliance for the central-south and southern continental markets. As long as we hold off the Commercial Alliance's armed forces on the Mana Hill Plains and simultaneously seize their market share in commerce, I believe that within two or three years, the Commercial Alliance will run out of momentum and no longer pose a threat to our Kingdom."
After hearing Lorist's explanation, the Second Prince pondered for quite some time, then nodded with great satisfaction. "Locke, brother, I'm very pleased that you've thought so thoroughly for the Kingdom's sake. The Commercial Alliance has indeed become the Kingdom's greatest threat. If your plan can eliminate this enemy, it will be a historic achievement for the Kingdom. You and your family will be inscribed in the Empire's history, shining with brilliant radiance. However, in implementing this plan—as the King, is there anything I can do for you?"
The Second Prince needed to claim some share of the credit, lest the day of victory arrive and he be nothing more than a passing bystander. For a self-proclaimed Restorer Emperor who aimed to reunify the former Krisen Empire's territory, that would be rather embarrassing.
"Of course—we all look forward to Your Majesty extending a helping hand." The reason Lorist had explained everything so clearly to the Second Prince was that he'd already had something in mind. Now that the King had offered, he wouldn't stand on ceremony. "I know the Kingdom has struggled these years due to the great war. I'm not expecting material or financial support. I only need Your Majesty to agree to two conditions. First, please position a mobile legion in Malivya Province. That province is closest to Bruvik City, the first fortress city on the Mana Hill Plains, and can provide immediate reinforcement the moment the Commercial Alliance attacks."
"I agree to this condition." The Second Prince was quite satisfied. With this arrangement, once the Commercial Alliance was defeated, he wouldn't be a mere bystander—at the very least, one of his legions had participated in the fighting, and he could even claim the war was won under his command. "So, what is the second condition?"
"I want Kilin Port," Lorist said.
"Kilin Port..." The Second Prince was startled, and upon realizing the implications, immediately asked warily. "What do you want Kilin Port for?"
He couldn't help but be alarmed. Kilin Port wasn't far from the Imperial Capital—three days' ride would put an army at the capital's walls. The Norton family already held Silovas Island as direct family territory. If they also obtained Kilin Port, the sea route from the Northland through Silovas to Kilin Port would become a highway for Norton family forces, and they could threaten the capital at any moment.
"We don't want Kilin Port as family territory—we only want its operating rights," Lorist clarified.
"What are operating rights?" The Second Prince began to grow curious.
"Very simple. Kilin Port would remain Your Majesty's territory, but how to develop it would be up to us. Think of it as you having a shop and entrusting it to us to run. Regardless of whether we profit or lose, you receive a fixed income."
The Second Prince walked to the wall where a map hung and stared at Kilin Port's location for a long time. "I don't see Kilin Port as a mere shop. Tell me your plan, Locke—how do you intend to operate Kilin Port?"
"In my vision, I hope Kilin Port can become the Kingdom's largest distribution market for goods and a transit hub for long-distance transport. Its geographic position is superb, surrounded by the Central Province where the capital sits, as well as the northwestern and southwestern provinces. Once developed, its influence could encompass over a dozen provinces in the Kingdom's southwest. Developing Kilin Port would also give the soon-to-be-established Free Alliance an additional maritime trade route. The Kingdom could use Kilin Port to exchange goods and conduct various trades with the Free Alliance—a win-win path for both sides."
The Second Prince stood before the map in deep thought for a long while, then finally turned to Lorist. "I also have two conditions. First, Norton family forces are not to land at Kilin Port. I will station a regiment there and order them to assist with development and maintain order. Second, I don't need fixed rent or taxes—I only require that once Kilin Port is developed, the profits are split equally between us. Locke, brother, if you agree to these two conditions, I will entrust Kilin Port to your family's management."
Lorist smiled bitterly, but nodded. "Deal, Your Majesty."
After concluding their arrangement, the two fell silent. Lorist fetched the fruit wine and poured the Second Prince another cup. "Oh, by the way, Your Majesty—I received word two months ago that you planned to inspect all the Kingdom's provinces. How did you end up here?"
The Second Prince drained the golden goblet of fruit wine in one gulp and motioned for Lorist to pour another. "Actually, actually, I wanted to come explain that scandal in the capital to you. Surely you've heard about it?"
Lorist pushed an entire bottle of fruit wine toward the Second Prince. "As your subject, I cannot presume to discuss Your Majesty's private affairs. Your Majesty has been away campaigning for years and neglected the Queen. But after such a scandal, Your Majesty and Grand Duke Fisablen were rather too hasty and ruthless. That Knight Vexas who had an affair with the Queen—he's Your Majesty's son, isn't he? No matter what, the child the Queen carried was still of royal blood. Why couldn't you wait until the child was born before passing judgment on the Queen's crimes?"
This question was really from Princess Silivia on her behalf. The Queen's adultery was indeed a crime, but the child was innocent. Moreover, she was nearly eight months along—this was a death sentence for both mother and child.
The Second Prince grabbed the wine bottle and drank directly from it, draining more than half before revealing a helpless smile. "Locke, brother, we couldn't let this child be born. Because aside from Vexas, Queen Sisi had two other lovers. Nobody knew who the father truly was. For the purity of the Krisen royal bloodline, we had to send her and the child back to the War God's kingdom together. Perhaps only the gods know who the child in her belly truly belonged to..."
Well, this revelation from the Second Prince's own mouth completely stunned Lorist. This Queen Sisi had practically brought it on herself. Lorist was speechless for a long while before cautiously asking, "So what agreement did you reach with Grand Duke Fisablen?"
"Grand Duke Fisablen apologized to me, then personally sent Queen Sisi on her way. I'll continue inspecting the Empire's provinces and arrive in Fisablen family territory in the second half of next year. Grand Duke Fisablen will select a suitable woman from his family and adopt her as his daughter, then marry her to me as the new Queen..." So spoke the Second Prince.
"..."
...