Right of Inheritance
Yes, it's finally that time. We've finally reached chapter 400. Now there're less than 200 chapters left until we've caught up with the author. We are so happy that so many of you have been coming along for the ride so far. Let's make these last 200 or so chapters an absolute blast!
ANd here's the quote of the chapter:
"A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair." ~ Norton Lysecott
"Locke, take a rest. Look, you're already sweating all over," said Sylvia as she wiped the sweat of Lorist's face with a linen cloth lovingly.
When word of how Lorist had insisted that he take her as his wife even at the cost of going against his house's officials and knights, including holding a meeting just to scold those who'd objected and forcefully suppressing their opinions, spread to Sylvia's ears through the gossiping maids, she felt incredibly moved and seemed like a completely different person. All her low spirits and depression faded away at once.
With her mood changed, her appetite returned to normal and she was getting much better sleep, unlike before when she still required Lorist to accompany her at night, holding her hand. She would panic whenever she couldn't see him. She was a two-star gold rank, so now that her emotional problems were gone, her body recovered quickly and she soon regained her stunning beauty.
She was still as clingy as usual though, which made Lorist feel a little troubled by what he had done. It wasn't that he didn't have a chance to finally bed her. There had been an instance one night where he'd made out with her enough that she was willing to dive into the river of love with him. But for some inexplicable reason, he'd decided to resist the urge and leave it for after their marriage. After all, the best moment should be left to the most important night of their lives.
So, he spent the two months at Firmrock with his self-imposed celibacy. While Dilianna and two other concubines were there too, he had no time to 'cheat'. Currently, he was living in the room next to Sylvia's. While they didn't sleep in the same room or bed, they were practically next to each other. Sylvia slept lightly and couldn't do so without Lorist remaining by her side. She would be woken by the slightest movement.
There was this one time Lorist had received an urgent military notification and had to deal with it in his study. However, it was a false alarm. A newly formed garrison squad had gone missing during its training session in Black Forest. The officers thought it might be a barbarian attack. So, Firmrock's troops were put into battle stations. After waiting for an hour, the squad made it back safely. Relieved, Lorist left his study and saw Sylvia in her night robes with her maidservants huddling in the corner of the study's mini lounge. According to the maidservant, when the princess realized Lorist wasn't by her side after waking up, she wanted to look for him no matter what. When she found that access to the study was restricted, she decided to wait in the lounge until he came out.
Seeing Sylvia's panicked, loving eyes, he had no choice but to forget looking for his concubines to relieve him and accompany Sylvia to her room to lull her to sleep again.
Every morning, he was greeted with Sylvia's smile before he had breakfast with her and headed off to his study to work. The local defense forces' expansion had gotten underway recently. Even with Freiyar and Belnick in charge, Lorist still had to personally sign off on the transfers and appointments. He also had to gain an understanding of the newly appointed knights and pay attention to the mine's development, as well as the fort to be built there. There was also the matters of the overhaul of The Northlands' roads and the general construction endeavors within the dominion. Having to provide general oversight to everything made Lorist so busy he usually didn't even have time for lunch.
But no matter what, he still had to accompany Sylvia for dinner every evening. Dilianna and his two other concubines, Daisy and Maria joined them. Fennazali and her elder sister Arriotoli still hadn't returned from new Dina barony. Dilianna's son was already almost two years old, so she brought him with her all the time. It didn't bother Lorist, but Daisy and Maria felt a little vexed when they saw the gazes Lorist gave his child. Ever since he'd returned two months ago, he still hadn't made a move on them.
Lorist had his share of troubles. Celibacy was taking quite the toll on him, but he didn't have the time to relieve himself. These days he was busier than ever during the day. And he spent the night with Sylvia. He only had his stupid mouth to blame for suggesting they left their 'best moment' for their wedding day. Even though Sylvia had already recovered more or less, whenever Lorist tried to strip her after a making out session, she would always say the same thing with teary eyes.
"Locke, do you still love me? Didn't you say you would leave it for the best night of our lives?"
Lorist slapped himself to calm his fire. Though she was right in front of him, he couldn't dig in at all. Sometimes, he was so sexually frustrated he was tempted to crawl into the two maidservants' beds. If not for his fear of inadvertently waking her, he would've done so long ago.
I wonder how long I can last... Lorist counted the days since he'd last relieved himself, Why was I so stupid to set the wedding for the 11th month? It's only the 7th... Looks like there's still quite a wait...
Though he had a rare free day today, he had to go to the training grounds behind the mountain after having breakfast with Sylvia. It was the first day Howard would officially enter secluded training to work on the Dan Ocean Ki-refining Technique. Given that he'd experience teaching the technique to Reidy, it wasn't too hard to repeat the process with Howard. Lorist left after teaching him some key points and making sure he wasn't making any mistakes.
Nowadays, the one who served by Lorist's side was Jinolio, Senbaud's son. He had only just turned 16 and awakened his battleforce a year ago. Senbaud had already written Lorist a letter to remind him so he wouldn't forget his promise to take him in as a disciple. Before this, Howard had already mentored him for a month to show him the ropes as Lorist's attendant.
Though Jinolio was only 16, his physique was incredible. Lorist himself was only 1.86 meters, but Jinolio was a solid 2.06, at least 20 centimeters taller. He was also big-boned and looked really tough overall, much to Lorist's displeasure. As Howard was shorter than 1.8, Lorist could easily stroke his head or pat his shoulders to praise him. However, given his new attendant's, he had to tiptoe to do the same.
The thing most unexpected of this new addition, however, was neither his height nor his girth, but his neat handwriting. It completely disproved Lorist's theory that his mother had been the letters' author. At the same time, he also realized that Jinolio was a gifted academic; he was so good that even Lorist felt he was inferior.
He once asked his new disciple how he'd learned so much. The honest and frank kid said it was all thanks to his teacher. It all started when Senbaud pledged to serve House Norton loyally and recalled that Lorist said he would be taking Jinolio as his disciple. He knew that Lorist had done it merely to appease him. However, he feared a person with his background might be looked down on by his peers in the house, so he decided to make sure his son wouldn't. Senbaud, in a flash of inspiration, thought that letting his son actually become Lorist's disciple would secure his position.
So, he thought of everything he could do to nurture his kid to appeal to Lorist. From his early childhood, Jinolio underwent physical training to mold his will and took classes to learn the traditions and etiquette of knights. When he was twelve, Senbaud attended a household knight meeting and heard Potterfang praise his own son, Howard, for his avid interest in reading. Upon hearing that Lorist greatly favored Howard, Senbaud realized his son was nothing more than a slightly literate hunk of muscle.
This won't do. I have to make Jinolio proficient in both the physical and intellectual. I can't have him lose out to Howard if I want Lorist to favor him.
So, Senbaud started looking for tutors. He couldn't find anyone suitable even after many months of searching. Everyone he came across was either too young or too old. The old ones without an impressive reputation made him feel they probably didn't do well in their field, while the younger ones couldn't inspire his trust. As his wife was quite the beauty, he didn't feel safe having young male tutors around. Given that he was the commander of a Norton legion and often had to go out to sea for months on end, them having an affair with his wife was a realistic possibility and he definitely wouldn't allow it.
In the end, he found Jinolio a female tutor that eight years the child's senior. She was young and beautiful and it was said her father was a famed scholar who had passed away from illness during the civil war, leaving her and her mother to fend for themselves. When Senbaud learned that she was at least four-fifths as accomplished as her late father, he was convinced and hired her as Jinolio's private tutor.
The woman proved worth her salt. Within four short years, Jinolio became a refined scholar. The interactions they had also let him not only develop respect for her, but also love. The reason he could write so finely was because of the painstaking effort he took to mimic his teacher.
"That female tutor of yours is really something, for her to be able to educate you so well. Oh, and, Jinolio, do you really like her? Personally, a difference of eight years isn't much of a problem. Since I'm your teacher now, I can find a way for you," teased Lorist.
Jinolio smiled bitterly.
"Thank you, teacher, but there's no longer a need. She's my father's concubine now."
Lorist couldn't find the words to react. He just patted Jinolio on the back softly.
After returning from the training grounds and having lunch with Sylvia, he took a stroll through the gardens. Tea time soon came. Sylvia quite liked Dilianna's son and played with him the whole time. Lorist was glad that Sylvia treated his concubines rather well. As the three present knew that Sylvia becoming House Norton's matron was already set in stone, they got along with her without any issues, save for how she monopolized Lorist the whole time without letting him look for the concubines privately, much to his frustration as well.
Having nothing better to do, he had Jinolio practice some basic swordsmanship techniques and pointed out his flaws, fully enjoying his role as teacher. He also demonstrated some techniques a number of times and ended up sweaty.
Just as Sylvia was lovingly wiping the sweat off his forehead, a guard came to make a report.
"Your Grace, Baron Kedan requests an audience."
Ever since Supervisor Hansk was made Governor of Silowas, Kedan had taken over the census department of which the former used to be in charge. Coupled with his responsibilities as the human resource department head, Kedan was busy almost all the time. Had something happened in the dominion for him to request an audience?
Hansk, Spiel, and Kedan were old hands in the house who came from Maplewoods. They were the three administrative talents trained by the old butler, Gleis, himself. Kedan was the first to get along with him after he took over the house and also the first to pledge his fealty.
Kedan was the only supervisor among the three who hadn't expressed any objection to Lorist's decision to marry Sylvia. When he entered the study, Kedan made a bitter smile and an exasperated expression.
"Your Grace, Madam Irina had me come over to remind you not to forget the promise you made back then."
Huh? What's going on with Irina that Kedan had to personally make a trip? thought Lorist as he dove into his memories.
Lorist and Irina's relationship had worsened quicker than ever these last two years. As the only maidservant Lorist had bedded since he returned to the dominion and the first concubine to birth him any offspring, Irina should have received the most love and care. However, she had an odd quirk in that she wouldn't leave Maplewoods. Given that Lorist was busy traveling around to develop the dominion and expand his power, Maplewoods rapidly lost its importance as the house's headquarters. Nowadays, the bastide was a forgotten corner in the dominion something akin to Irina's demesne.
Lorist had once fought with her because of their son, Lysecott. The eight-year-old was raised into a lawless tyrant thanks to how much his mother spoiled him. Lorist had given him a harsh beating and took him away from Maplewoods to put him in the care of Malek's wife, though Irina through a massive tantrum upon being informed of it. But after Lorist threatened to strip Lysecott of his rights as the first successor, Irina stopped causing trouble.
In the days thereafter, Irina wallowed in depression in the bastide. She hated how Lorist took her beloved child from her and binged all the time. In the two years since, she had doubled her girth. She was no longer the petite girl Lorist had bedded all those years ago.
"Your Grace, Irina's father was a household knight and he took care of us very well back in the day. But he perished in battle for the house's sake, so we took his daughter in. It was because of that connection that Baron Hansk was so against your marriage with Sylvia. I have come here because of Irina's beckoning to remind you of your word to not change the position of Lysecott as the first successor," explained Kedan.
Lorist was struck with a sudden realization. It turned out that Irina was worried that after he married Sylvia, their child would come to be the main contender for Lysecott's position as heir. After all, Irina was only Lorist's concubine. While Lysecott was on the household registry, the son of the main wife usually carried far more weight than that of a concubine.
"Sigh..."
What the hell is this? Even though I'm still alive and well, they're already discussing succession... If I do become a swordsaint, I might even outlive my sons. Come to think of it, it isn't weird for a swordsaint to have to attend his grandchildren's funeral...
"Tell Irina to stay put in the bastide and warn her to keep her imagination in check. During the year-end celebration this year, I will make her a life peer, a baron, and Maplewoods will be her dominion. It will only be reclaimed by the house a hundred years after her birth date. I hope she will live out the rest of her life happily. As for my sons, the elder one has already changed a lot and I will send him to attend Nico Academy when he is twelve. Before that, I will allow him a trip back home for a meeting with his mother. Since the younger one is still by Irina's side, I hope she doesn't spoil him like she did Lysecott. That will be all, Baron Kedan."
"Understood, Your Grace.
Way to Settle the Debt
"Your Grace, Oceanic Legion currently has twelve Blitz class warships, eight Swift class warships, 46 LLDM (large long distance merchant) class vessels, 124 MSM (moderate speedy merchant) class vessels, 184 MAM (moderate armed merchant) class vessels, and 44 LAC (large armed cargo) class vessels. Other than that, there are 13 LW (large whaling) class ships and near a hundred moderate and small fishing boats, four sailboats and five training vessels in Bullhorn Bay for maritime training. There is also a large base at Flagfish Ridge on Silowas.
"We also have a small flotilla of 12 patrol warships. The whole navy has about 58 personnel. Due to the profits of the trade and fishing that offset part of the navy's expenses, it costs the house just 280 thousand to 350 thousand annually. It's only a third as expensive as Firmrock and Tigersoar."
Oceanic Legion's Blitz class warships were built based on the Windstorm. They bristled with bronze cannons. The Swift class warships were based off Flying Fish of Dawn's design, with the steel ballistae replaced with nine smaller bronze cannons. With impressive ranged attack capabilities and mobility, the class could be considered the ocean's cavalry.
Charade was holding a thick stack of documents concerning Oceanic as he reported to Lorist. Lorist was prepared to make up for the deficit brought on by the four local defense legions' reorganization by first cutting the fleet's budget.
"Commander Senbaud has already received his orders. Right now, he is traveling from Silowas and will arrive in half a month. We will also have to host a meeting with the senior officials of the navy. During the 4th month, he also submitted a request for the fleet's Blitz class warships group to be expanded and hoped the shipyard at Bullhorn Bay may deliver six within the next three years. I already turned the request down. For now, the shipyard is busy with House Kenmays's order of 12 LLDM class and MAM class vessels. It will take two years to finish the order. There's no way we can fit the construction of Blitz class warships in," said Charade.
"That Kenmays fellow is really moving fast. I remember I passed a document last year about building ships for House Kenmays. It was for two LLDM class vessels and eight MAM class vessels, right?"
"Yes. The total cost is 150 thousand gold, including training the sailors and their weapons operators. They have already sent eight hundred people to be trained."
"How about this, write him and ask. If he doesn't mind, we can sell him the MAM class vessels left over after we downscale the fleet. He wouldn't have to wait two years that way. The boats still at 70 percent condition should be more than enough for their trading activities. Naturally, if the ships are already being constructed, that'll go according to our agreement. Only offer to sell them ships in place of those not started yet."
"There's also this proposal I thought up to reorganize the fleet, take a look. When Senbaud arrives, you could discuss this with him and we'll make amendments as necessary," said Lorist as he handed Charade a document he'd drafted with painstaking effort over the last couple of days.
Charade gave it a quick read before he gasped.
"Your Grace, you're going to develop Bullhorn Bay and Northsea? Silowas too?"
Lorist nodded.
Charade continued to read it and, when he was done, gave it some thought.
"Your Grace, you're really going all out with the budget-cut. You're practically leaving only a fifth of the current legion intact."
Lorist stood up and walked to the large dominion map hung on the wall.
"I have no choice. We've been far too busy with conflicts on the continent. We didn't really pay attention to Oceanic. I didn't think it would have expanded this much. Almost all the small fishing boats have been draft and the personnel already exceed 58 thousand. I was really shocked when I heard you guys talk about it. Even though Senbaud is a rather responsible person and carries out his assignments without issue, especially with regards to how well he managed the fishing and trading activities, this isn't what I want.
"Maritime trading should be a sector that rakes in huge profits. But right now, be it fishing or trading, the profits can't even completely cover the navy's expenses. The house still has to subsidize it with 300 thousand gold every year. Naturally, I'm not suspecting the officers of corruption. After all, Spiel is the one taking care of the house's finances. He's done well with regards to preventing exactly this kind of thing. But after analyzing the files, I realized what we were doing wrong.
"Oceanic was formed to protect our coastlines and islands. At the same time, it possesses great military might that will let us open new trade routes and fishing grounds, and prevent attacks on our fishers and merchants. Senbaud has successfully managed to do that and the navy is already the northern oceans' hegemon. There are no enemies that can threaten us by sea anymore.
"But he got something wrong. He believes we should regulate everything in the ocean and take in every sailor into the navy to keep our position. That's not what I want. A force that regulates everything isn't a navy. It's a maritime trading organization! One our house has to fund!"
Lorist punched lightly on the map by Bullhorn Bay.
"Just look at Northsea and Bullhorn Bay. Why do you think they aren't growing any busier? Having stayed at Morante for so long, we know well why Hidegold is known as the number one bay on the continent: its vigor! Yes, vigor. I've given it lots of thought. Look at Bullhorn and Northsea. Why aren't there more people? Why aren't they busier? It's simple. The navy regulates every vessel traveling to our dominion and even sets the dates in stone.
"Now, look at our maritime trade. Currently, there are only two trade routes. The first one goes from Shyarsia to Hanayabarta, and then to Silowas. It carries mainly spice and the daily necessities we produce. The other stretches from Silowas to Northsea. But what we have to pay attention to is that the endpoint for both of these routes is Silowas. Any other trade we have is done through merchant guilds Jigda and Peterson. I suspect they're suppressing our profits. They're treating us like suppliers and that's why our profits aren't enough.
"Actually, there are many business opportunities we can use. For example, we can trade with the coastal nobility in the former Redlis kingdom, or ship our goods directly to Falik. We might even go all the way to Golden Bay further south. Due to our arrangement with the Peterson Merchant Guild, though, all our trade with the Union is done through them. Jigda Merchant Guild uses most of the spice we import and they've even suggested an agreement like the one we have with the Petersons so they can be the middleman for our produce in Golden Bay.
"I want to decrease the navy's size. It should focus solely on military matters and become a reliable navy. As for the merchant vessels and fishing boats, we can form a number of guilds to manage them. Apart from our ships, we'll have the civilians invest. We'll let them purchase our goods to do business elsewhere. We can just tax them. Bullhorn Bay will only become vigorous again if we do it this way. Our free-trading civilians can also use a loophole in our agreement with Peterson Merchant Guild and bring our produce to other markets. That's why I've decided to develop Bullhorn Bay, Northsea, and Silowas."
Charade flapped the documents in his hand.
"But Your Grace, aren't you cutting the navy a little too much? According to your proposal, the whole legion will have less than 50 ships and only 8000 to 12000 personnel."
"It's more than enough. There will be no Oceanic Legion in the future. Only Northsea. Senbaud will also no longer be legion commander. Instead, he'll be made an admiral," smiled Lorist.
"Is this really appropriate? I'm not well-versed in maritime combat, but the union's invincible fleet has over 200 warships. Every time they patrol the southern seas or Golden Bay, they mobilize up to a hundred. And yet, you've decided to further split Northsea into two separate units... I just feel our forces are too sparse," questioned Charade, doubt filled.
"Hehe, don't even compare the Union's Invincible Fleet with our house's Northsea. They only use traditional tactics like boarding. To our Blitz class ships, they are just slow-moving targets. Whether it be mobility or ranged attack capability, there is no maritime force in Grindia that can compare to us. Frankly speaking, the naval technology we use in Northsea is at least two hundred years ahead.
"We can form a flotilla with six Blitz's as the main force, four Swifts as the pursuit force, and two or three LLDMs to carry supplies with ten MSMs to protect them. The patrol flotillas will protect our overseas dominions, our trade routes, and the civilian ships that travel them. We can make two such flotillas and rotate them. Even though I don't intend to Northsea's size, I am prepared to outfit the supply ships and guards with bronze cannons to improve their overall ranged attack."
After mocking the Union's invincible fleet and talking about outfitting bronze cannons on all patrol flotilla ships, Lorist thought for a bit.
"We have to finish the plan to deal with Oceanic by year's end. All the ships not included will have to be maintained and renewed. I intend to announce the news to the nobles and rich civilians during the year-end celebration so they join the maritime trade industry as well. Naturally, regardless of whether they form their own trading fleets or guilds, we house will get three-tenths of their revenue as compensation for developing Northsea, Bullhorn Bay, and Silowas."
"Understood. I will draw up a concrete plan and submit it as soon as possible," Charade said as he put the papers in his hand into his folder, before he took out another, "Your Grace, look at this plan to revamp the transportation routes in the Northlands..."
Just as Lorist was about to receive it, he heard Jinolio's cry from outside the room.
"Lady, this's his His Grace's study! You can't enter!"
"Who are you? Where's Howard?" said the familiar voice.
"I'm Jinolio, His Grace's attendant. Senior Howard has gone to the training grounds."
"Oh, a newbie? Make way, brute. I have something urgent to discuss with Locke."
"No, you can't go in..."
"Don't force my hand. Scram. A one-star bronze rank like you actually dares block me... What a waste of your build."
A loud crashing echoed through the door. It seemed Jinolio had been pushed into a corner.
Charade hurriedly put the folder down.
"There seems to be trouble. Let's discuss things another time."
With a bitter smile, Lorist looked at the study's door. The moment it was pushed open, Arriotoli rushed into the room angrily, followed by Jinolio who had just gotten up from the ground. He tried to stop her with a red face.
"You shall not enter! Ah, Your Grace..."
Charade made it to the entrance and patted on Jinolio's chest.
"Big guy, don't worry. His Grace won't blame you. This young lady here is not someone you can afford to offend."
He turned back and nodded to Arriotoli.
"Good day, Miss Arriotoli. You've become much more beautiful since the last time we've met."
"Apologies, Baron Charade. Was I being too rash and interrupted your meeting?"
This time around, Arriotoli's behavior was that of a polite young lady as she made a knight's salute. However, the female half-body riding armor showed quite a bit of her cleavage.
Charade smiled with a hint of schadenfreude.
"No worries. We were just about to wrap up. I'll take my leave now. Do speak with His Grace if you need anything."
When the door was closed, the look of anger returned to Arriotoli's face.
"Arri, you're being too rude. That aside, I'm glad to see you. Is Fennazali here as well? You two were gone for quite some time," said Lorist with a hurried smile.
"Hmph, us coming back is the last thing you want, isn't it? You should enjoy your days with your princess," snorted she.
"Hey, come on, what are you so mad about? Who angered you?"
"You, you idiot! You said House Norton would gain a strong ally if you married the princess, so I tolerated it. But now... House Fisablen is your enemy and yet you're still marrying her? So you were lying back then, huh?!"
Arriotoli kicked in Lorist's direction, but he quickly sidestepped.
"Hey, keep it to words, okay? Let's talk..."
"I'll keep kicking until you die, you bastard. You want me as your lover? Done. My aunt also became your concubine and gave you a child. While the two of us are fine with this, my sister gave you her first time! At least don't anger her if you can't take her as your wife! But you made even her your concubine. We Dina sisters and my aunt are already your women, so you better make sure you make it up to my sister."
"Arri, don't try to spin this any other way. Fennazali wanted to become my concubine willingly. It's not like I tricked her..."
"I don't care. I want a satisfactory answer," insisted she before she leaped into his embrace and locked her arms.
It'd already been two months. Now that her body was pressed against his, he began to lose control.
"You came right when I needed you, how delightful. I love you so much, Arri," said he as he kissed her and removed her half-body armor.
A little shocked, she struggled.
"Are you crazy? It's still morning..."
Before she could finish her though, her mouth was plugged with Lorist's tongue. She soon turned into a helpless lamb and began to twitch gently Lorist's every touch.
He hurriedly pushed her against the wall and hauled her up in the air facing him with both hands before entering her... (author's note: We're saving 18 thousand characters by not going into details. I'll leave it to your imagination.)
After one time against the wall, once on the desk, and another on the sofa, Lorist felt completely refreshed like a sage rid of worldly desires. Even while leaning against the sofa with the soft-as-clay Arriotoli hugged in his arms, his hands didn't stop working her body.
"Arri, why did you come back all of a sudden? Is there something wrong with your dominion?"
"I... I didn't intend to come back... I just... I was just sending my brother to attend Nico Academy... and dropping by for a visit... My sister's gone to see the princess... And I'm here to see you... you bastard... to settle our debt..."
Even though Lorist didn't let up in the slightest, the first female knight of House Dina wasn't going to cast away her pride and dignity so easily.
"I like the way we're settling the debt quite a bit. I'm not kidding, I'm totally serious."
Marital Bliss
"Variability is one of the virtues of a woman. It avoids the crude requirement of polygamy. So long as you have one good wife, you are sure to have a spiritual harem." ~ Norton Lorist, on wives and women.
Arriotoli had been bullied by Lorist into forgetting the initial goal for which she came. In the afternoon, she hurriedly left Firmrock to return to the Dina barony in Delamock. According to her little sister, their younger brother would study in Nico Academy for three years until he turned either 16 or 17. After awakening his battleforce, he would attend Dawn Academy. This was the plan Lorist had for the descendants of his house as well. He didn't expect Arriotoli to remember it and have her younger brother to go through the same process.
As the regent and knight of her house, there was much she had to deal with in the dominion. After all, the dominion was rather new and problems frequently surfaced. For instance, it was common for the folk to slack off at the dominion lord's expense. So, she couldn't stay at Firmrock any longer. She returned in a carriage instead of heroically on horseback like how she came, much to her sister's curiosity when she was sending her off.
Why does my sister look so fatigued and sleepy? She wasn't like this when we meet at noon...
Arriotoli did bring a new train of thought to Lorist apart from sexual relief. He finally found a good way to placate his four concubines. So, he ordered Jinolio to set up the rooms beside his study into bedrooms which he called 'resting rooms'. He secretly brought his concubines into the rooms for some deep and intimate interactions, ridding them of their dissatisfaction.
Sigh, I've sacrificed quite a lot for my household's peace, thought he.
These days, Fennazali, Dilianna, Daisy, and Maria flocked to him like bees to flowers. He didn't have any free time. Perhaps because of their envy, they vented it on him for how much he spoiled and tolerated Sylvia. Now that they'd finally got their chance, they wouldn't rest until at least four rounds each time. In the end, Lorist was forced to put off his duties until after tea time.
Maria and Daisy attacked him together. He spent tremendous amounts of effort on dealing with them and wondered whether Dilianna and Fennazali would request the same treatment the next day for the sake of fairness.
Gosh, a new problem always surfaces when the old one is solved...
He now believed the usual one-man-one-wife convention in his previous world was actually meant to protect men. Even a person as well-endowed with talent as he was tired after dealing with four concubines. How were those who had tens and hundreds of women in their harems faring? He couldn't help but suspect those harem owners were constantly being cheated on.
It was all Sylvia's fault. Even though they were recognized concubines, they had to go about mingling with Lorist like they were having an affair.
If I have a proper schedule, then they won't come at me in droves...
But thinking about Sylvia's current weak girl state, he felt it was best he didn't shock her too much.
Actually, Sylvia's overthinking this. Since I wouldn't give up on my concubines for her, it's natural I wouldn't give her up for the concubines either.
It didn't mean he was an unfaithful man and taking Sylvia's feelings for granted. The main reason for the current state of affairs was that Sylvia had come into the picture a little too late. The four concubines came before her. As Lorist wasn't someone who could just cruelly ignore Sylvia's affection, he made the responsible choice to treat all of them fairly even if it meant lots of trouble for him. Yes, that was most definitely it.
Charade was currently seated in Lorist's study and enjoying a drink from the wine rack. He was one of the few who knew about the real purpose of the adjacent rooms. He was the one who had a secret path built between them and the rear castle so Lorist's four concubines wouldn't have to pass through the central hall to meet with him. That way, they would be away from prying eyes. However, Charade was quite dissatisfied at how Lorist's performance was decreasing as a result.
"Your Grace, you were late by more than half an hour again."
"I was, apologies," muttered Lorist as he pulled on the bell beside the wall.
Jinolio entered from outside.
"Awaiting your instructions, Your Grace."
"Some macks, please."
"Right away, Your Grace."
"Aren't you going to have some fruit wine?" asked Charade, a bottle in hand.
"No thanks. I'll only be thirstier the more I drink. Is there anything important with which we have to deal today?"
When they started talking business, Charade put the bottle down and picked up his folder.
"Quite a bit, in fact. This is the proposal to reorganize Oceanic Legion submitted by Commander Senbaud. Most of it is as you have specified."
"Oh? Did he not voice any objections?"
Charade shook his head.
"No, Your Grace. Instead, He acted as if a huge burden's been lifted from his shoulders. In his own words, 'I was sure I couldn't hold on any longer'. The stress of managing 58 thousand subordinates is really taking its toll on him. He said he felt something was off when he had to give permission to ten-odd small fishing boats to go out to sea and mentioned focusing on patrolling is much more relaxing than sitting in the office all day managing the entry and exit of transport and shipping vessels, becoming less and less like the commander of a legion."
"Alright then. It seems we've saved him from all the troublesome matters."
Lorist took the proposal Charade handed him and gave it a quick look.
"One patrol flotilla made up of six Blitz-class warships, four Swift-class warships, four LLDMs and 12 MAGs (middle-class agile guards), a total of 3483 crew... makes approximately seven thousand for two such flotillas. If we include the guard brigade of 3200 stationed on Silowas, the four guard ships docked there, and the five training ships and marine recruits at Bullhorn Bay, Northsea Fleet has a total of 61 ships and 11082 hands. Not bad."
"Commander Senbaud believes the guard ships built as merchant vessels to be outfitted with bronze cannons should be further reinforced. Otherwise, they won't be able to take the recoil. They face the risk of rupturing."
"I've already considered that. Funds will be provided," Lorist said as he read the proposal, "Also, have the flotilla at Hanayabarta included in Northsea's chain of command. The 12 warships also have to undergo similar modifications. Their crew have to be reorganized in the same fashion as well."
"Understood, Your Grace."
"Let the ranks of Northsea be Admiral of the Navy, Commodore, Captain, Lieutenant and Commander - for the shipboard marines' leader. Senbaud will be the first admiral of Northsea."
"Understood, Your Grace. I will have the order drafted tomorrow."
Lorist flipped to the next page.
"Over here, separate our merchant fleet from the guest-ferrying fleet. We just have to control the merchant fleet. Let others deal with the ferrying service. Maybe there will be some nobles who use their personal networks to start new ferry routes. JUst collect dividends. Also, we'll keep our whaling fleet but let go of fisheries. The nobles or rich civilians can easily catch more fish than us. Not only will we gain dividends, they will also be taxed. This will allow the merchant guilds that enter the market to become more active."
After discussing the matter of Northsea's reorganization, Charade brought out another document.
"Your Grace, this is about the end of Governor Hansk's term on Silowas. The garrison commander Molocinque and Vice-Commander Wellickson have reached the end of their terms. How should we deal with this? Do we let them stand for another term?"
Time really flies. Each term lasts five years,
He shook his head.
"No. Transfer the officials and knights whose terms have ended back. We can't have them stay overseas for too long. Have Hector take over as Governor and transfer Hansk back to the dominion. As for Molocinque, isn't Second Sentry lacking a commander? Have him take that post. Let Wellickson serve as one of Northsea's Commodores. The rest of the knights and officials are at your disposal."
"But, Your Grace, who will serve as Hanayabarta's governor?"
"Do you remember Butler Boris? He's been in charge of various matters in our dominion's administration for several years now. Given how hard he's worked to make some contributions, entitle him as an honorary baron at the year-end celebration. He'll serve two governor terms on Hanayabarta. After he returns in ten years, make him a landed noble. Similarly, have the knights and officials transfer to Hanayabarta and serve two terms and promote them when they return."
There was no other choice. Given how far out Hanayabarta was, only promotions and beneficial treatment would be appealing enough for people to accept a position there.
"Then, to which department will Baron Hansk be transferred?"
"Aren't we trying to revamp our roads? Have him take care of it. This is something the prosperity and development of The Northlands depend on. I can rest assured if Hansk is placed in charge. Hey, why are you clicking your tongue?"
Charade laughed coldly.
So this is your 'revenge' against him for causing such a huge commotion over your marriage... Now, his position has fallen from a governor to a traffic planner.
Then again, Baron Hansk's luck with people had always been rather bad. Being an old servant of House Norton, he frequently rode on his seniority when dealing with Charade and the others who came with Lorist to The Northlands. The instances of conflict had decrease quite a bit during his term as governor of Silowas.
After giving it some thought, Charade felt it was best for the man to be taught a lesson by being sent to the wilderness, so he didn't feel obligated to straighten out Lorist's behavior. It was his fault for being so vocal about his objections to Lorist's marriage in the first place. While he hadn't minded Spiel's objection, which was brought to him in private, Hansk's rallying of officials to object in unison was a huge mistake. It wasn't an objection in Lorist's eyes, but rather a threat.
"Nothing. My tongue itched, that's all," said Charade as he hid his disdain for Lorist's payback.
Since they both knew what was going on, there was no point in mentioning it outright.
"Also, the formation of First Sentry is complete. Baron Belnick led the legion to Fort Goldridge, so it should be time for Els to return."
"Right. Have him bring the guards back," Lorist said as he downed a mouthful of macks, "Also, I'm planning to have Els serve as the legion sergeant-major and a colonel of Jaeger as Josk's aide. Reidy will take over as the guard brigade's major with Patt as the brigade sergeant-major. What do you think?"
"The affairs of the guard brigade are not my concern," Charade said with awareness of his position, "But I'm fine with Els being appointed legion sergeant-major of Jaeger. You're finally willing to let him free, huh?"
Lorist laughed.
"It's not that I wasn't willing before. The time just happened to be right now. Both of you are important friends of mine. You're a baron now, so I felt Els should have the opportunity to rake in some achievements to catch up, lest you throw around your status in front of him in the future."
"I don't have the time for that! I'm so busy I don't even have time to get intimate with my wife; I sleep right after returning home. Unlike you, who fucks around in your restroom in the middle of the day," Charade said with a squint, "Also, there's one last thing. Zanben, vice-supervisor of the construction department, reports the duke's manor in Roaring Bear is mostly completed. He hopes you will find the time to make a visit. If you have any part with which you're not satisfied, changes can still be made. I'll let you arrange a visit yourself. I have to take my leave now. There's much more waiting for me..."
At dinner, Sylvia posed a question that greatly unnerved Lorist.
"Locke, did you notice, Anna, Fenli, Daisy, and Maria become more beautiful all of a sudden? It's like their skin is glowing with youth. I asked them how they did it, but they weren't willing to tell me. Do you know?"
Of course... Wasn't it because of the 'moisture' I provided?
Before Lorist thought of how he should answer, the four concubines laughed in unison.
After giving them a harsh glare, he turned to Sylvia and said with a smile, "Perhaps they've been taking enough beauty naps. There's a saying in Morante: 'beauties are born through sleep'. Only enough sleep will maintain a woman's beauty."
"No wonder I don't see them in the morning sometimes. When I visit them in the afternoon, they're still asleep..."
Sylvia felt as if she suddenly understood the secret to beauty. However, she soon revealed a troubled look.
"But Locke, I don't understand how they can sleep like that. I can't do it no matter what after I wake up."
They sleep early because they've been tired out...
Lorist wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Well, that's to be expected, my dear. You're a two-star gold rank. They don't have battleforce. The energy you have makes it harder for you to sleep. Also, can you visit Roaring Bear in my stead? The city used to be called Gildusk. It's the city in the southern part of The Northlands. The duke's manor was just completely renovated and we will be married there. It will also be our home afterwards. If there's anything with which you're not satisfied, you may ask them to change it."
"Can't you go with me?" asked Sylvia expectantly.
"I'm afraid not. I'm heading to the east, before going to Bladedge Mountains and Northsea. I really don't have the time. I have to trouble you to make the trip on your own. It's going to be our home in the future, so I hope you can make sure it's perfect," said Lorist as he shrugged.
"Alright, I'll make the trip," said Sylvia with a disappointed look.
"What about them?" asked Sylvia as she looked at the other concubines.
"They'll go with you," Lorist decided, "We will all live together, after all. Let them pick their own residences there. You will make the trip together."
That was just in line for Lorist to get some rest. He had been rather troubled by their aggressive advances lately.
Sylvia nodded.
"Alright, Dear. We'll make a quick trip and return.
"Well... you don't have to rush," Lorist said with a pause, "Also, there are many manors belonging to the former nobles and duke. Pick one for each of you and they will be yours. All the income generated by them will belong to you personally, but they're not hereditary. The term of ownership only lasts for your lifetime. As for Sylvia, I've picked Cherry Blossom Ridge for you. You might want to check to see if it's to your liking."
"Kyaaaaaah!" Before Sylvia could reply, the four concubines screamed with excitement and joy.
It was something completely out of their expectations. At first, they were rather unwilling to accompany Sylvia to the southern part of The Northlands, but now they were itching to leave right away. They all rushed to give Lorist hugs and kisses.
"Alright, that's enough," said he with much difficulty as he tried to push them aside.
Seeing that Sylvia was pouting in a corner, he hurriedly went to console her and relieve her jealousy.
How will I spend my days going forward? Too many women is nothing but trouble... thought he as he slumped back into his chair.
Negotiations
"Negotiation in the diplomatic sense assumes both parties are more anxious to agree than disagree. We weren't anxious at all." ~ Duke Kenmays (name?), in his memoirs, Rise of the Empire, regarding the negotiations between his alliance and House Fisablen.
After sending Sylvia and the concubines off, Lorist prepared to head to the eastern part of The Northlands. But before he could, he received an urgent letter from Kenmays. After more than a month of negotiations, Kenmays and the envoys Duke Fisablen had sent over had finally come to an agreement regarding resuming trade between the salt merchant committee and the Fisablen dominion. Kenmays, Felim, and Shazin would hurry to Firmrock in a few days to meet with him so the agreement could be formally signed and take effect.
Lorist had no choice but to delay his journey; he waited at Firmrock. During the day, he would visit the training grounds behind the mountain to guide Howard in the Dan Ocean Ki-refining Technique while he gave some pointers to Reidy and Jinolio in the ways of the sword. At night, he would sit quietly in his study and read scrolls and documents. Now that the women had left his side, he suddenly felt the world was much calmer.
Kenmays and Shazin arrived after five days, as expected. Felim's arrival was late by a day. Apart from Kenmays expressing his disappointment at Sylvia's absence, he got into the negotiations pretty-much immediately.
"I've upped the prices of 47 products, it's just too bad they aren't big sellers. Don't worry, though, you'll each still get about four hundred thousand each," said Kenmays.
Though he was a duke, he was ever so excited about what little profit he would be gaining from the deal. Naturally, the announcement wasn't directed at Lorist. House Norton only had a ten percent share in the committee, not much at. That they had obtained tens of thousands as dividends over the last few years was already rather good. Like Kenmays had said, quantity was king. House Norton's income came mainly from the production of goods in the factories within their dominion, the good were eight-tenths of all the salt merchant committee's trade stock. That part alone already made the house a hefty sum and its share of three-tenths of all the factories in the dominion would further add to the benefits. It didn't even include the tax yet to be levied.
However, Felim and Shazin's eyes shone brightly upon hearing the figure. Their forces cost them quite a lot to maintain. Even though the soldiers weren't nearly as well taken care of as the Nortons', the costs still amounted to 500 thousand in any given year. With the dividends, their military expenses wouldn't be that huge a burden. While House Norton and House Kenmays contributed financially to the dominion relocation of the two other houses, the help didn't extend to the next year.
Felim looked at the agreement with slight disappointment.
"Why is there no agreement for a ceasefire?"
Even though Felim had already reclaimed the house's old dominion in Southern, it neighbored House Fisablen's. Firmrock was still there holding a tight defense line against House Fisablen's forces and the grassland barbarians. The conflict hadn't yet stopped. Only a ceasefire agreement would allow Felim to rest assured. Otherwise, he couldn't be confident enough to develop his dominion. He would have to mobilize his forces at the slightest commotion.
"Well," Kenmays stammered, before he said embarrassedly, "I apologize. It completely slipped my mind."
He had, in fact, forgot about it. He'd only worried about the prices of products during the negotiations. For example, 50 kilos of salt originally cost one gold Forde, but the current price was five gold for 50 kilograms. Given that the four houses were the victors, Kenmays wanted to get back at House Fisablen as much as he could.
"Don't buy it if you don't have to. I'm sure the plains have lots of salt lumps through which you can crunch." he had said, arrogantly.
He was in a strong position in the negotiation. He completely forgot how great it felt to have all the power. It was common knowledge that salt lumps would cause disease for livestock if consumed after dilution in water. It was, even more, the case with humans; death was a common occurrence. Now House Fisablen was trapped on the plains and had their trade routes cut off, they had no choice but to purchase salt from the four houses. If House Fisablen felt it was too expensive, they didn't have to buy it and could feast on unseasoned food. It wouldn't take more than three months for a huge commotion to break out in the dominion after the supply of salt was cut.
Looking at the envoys' angered and unwilling face as they agreed to the sky-high price, Kenmays felt incomparably elated.
So what if you've occupied the greater and lesser golden creeks and have gold mines in your hands? The gold you dig up will end up with us anyway.
It made him forget the most important point: the ceasefire treaty. In other words, both sides were still in a state of war even if no conflict had broken out between them in a few months.
"Where are the envoys now?" asked Lorist.
"He followed me to Firmrock," answered Kenmays hurriedly, "The negotiation will require your agreement before it can be formalized. Also, the location of the transaction still has to be determined. Also, the two envoys say they want to have an audience with Princess Sylvia."
"Have them come to my guest lounge. I will speak with them," Lorist said before he turned his head to Shazin and Felim, "You two should come along. If Duke Fisablen really admitted his loss, then he will agree to a ceasefire. It would be a relief to him as well since he would no longer have to station any troops on the border."
The two envoys the duke had sent over to negotiate were two old men. The first was tall and had a white goatee. He introduced himself as the house's chief supervisor, Fisablen Aridok. Lorist had heard from Sylvia's two maidservants that Aridok could only barely be considered a member of the house. Though he bore the Fisablen name, he was from a distant branch family. Despite that, he was incredibly loyal to the duke and held his trust. The duke often let him carry out sensitive assignments.
The other was short and fat and felt approachable, with a beaming smile. He introduced himself as Napole; he had no surname. Lorist quickly recalled coming across the name in a list of important people in House Fisablen. Not only had Napole been on the list, he had also been marked for extra attention.
According to the reports, his father was the leader of a small grassland tribe, while his mother was one of the nobles. During one of the raids, his mother had been captured to be a sex slave for the father and Napole was born from their escapades. The tribe was soon swallowed by a larger one, and his father died. His mother was violated to death, leaving Napole a lone orphan-slave. When he turned 16, he secretly contacted Duke Fisablen and orchestrated the large tribe's extermination. It was the first and crucial victory the duke achieved during his expansion of the empire's territory and the formation of Eastwild.
Oddly enough, Napole didn't have an official position in the house. He was a rather mysterious figure. But he was the author of most of the plots Duke Fisablen used against the tribes. Including the reselling of goods purchased from the salt merchant committee, the roping in of the subservient tribes, and the enlistment of barbarian cavalrymen from said tribes to deal with the other tribes that refused to submit. Everything had something to do with the short, fat old man.
As Lorist checked out the two old envoys, they did the same to him. Their gazes soon focused on Lorist alone, despite the leaders of all four houses being present.
The new Duke of The Northlands is really average-looking. His height and looks are average and unappealing, just like any guy one might come across in the street...
In actuality, Lorist wasn't nearly as charismatic and naturally good-looking as Kenmays. Neither was he handsome like Shazin or heroic and dignified like Felim, but the two envoys were brighter than most and didn't easily judge people on their appearance. Additionally, they had heard about the duke's thoughts on the four houses. The duke specifically stated that the truly threatening one was House Norton, or, in other words, Lorist.
And, frankly, the duke didn't really regard the other three seriously. Back in the day, the three houses wouldn't even stand a chance to queue up in the line to kiss his arse even if they wanted. House Kenmays was originally a clan of merchants that had purchased a title from the second prince. The duke considered them nothing but rich imposters. They didn't merit attention.
While House Felim had been quite famous a century earlier, they were a shell of their former selves now. Count Felim fought for the second prince and died on the battlefield during an ambush. It ended with them having to pay to keep their status as landed barons. They couldn't even make the slightest sound as the second prince sent his men to desecrate their ancestral burial site to look for hidden treasure.
As for Count Shazin, his background was even more unworthy of mention. Being a gold-ranked knight that formerly served the old Duke of The Northlands, Loggins, he was ordered to attack House Norton and was taken captive. After that, Duke Loggins made a huge mistake by putting the responsibility on Shazin's loss. As a punishment, he forced Shazin's father to hand over his fief and become their vassal so they wouldn't be labeled as traitors. In the end, when Duke Loggins gathered the Northlander Army to take on House Norton, Shazin sat quietly and watched as the army was dominated and massacred. He even launched his own attack out of nowhere by allying with the enemy and sweeping Duke Loggins' dominion, clean. Not only did Shazin manage to get a huge sum of money, he also inherited most of House Loggins' forces.
Had it not been for Lorist, the other houses would be just a mess. House Fisablen wouldn't have a hard time dealing with them. It would be no different from how he dealt with the Southern nobles that occupied Windbury. But with House Norton's protection, the alliance became a solid and mighty union that everyone had to regard cautiously. So great was their might that they could give even the Andinaq kingdom a run for its money. Their ability to exterminate Madras and Iblia was testament.
And the key to the alliance was House Norton. The one whose decision had real weight was Lorist. It was what the duke told his envoys to remember.
"Please take a seat," Lorist said forthrightly, "Let's not beat around the bush. I want to know of Duke Fisablen's intentions. Is he willing to cease hostilities, or does he merely want to buy time and resist the four houses stubbornly without admitting defeat?"
Aridok rose from his seat and saluted.
"Revered Duke of The Northlands, whether the hostilities are to be ceased is up to you. If you stop invading our lands, hostilities will cease. Everyone knows it was the four houses that started this war. You attacked First Frontier without declaring war first. The duke was forced to resist as a result. Even though we are currently in a disadvantageous position, we will not submit to threats of force. Just like how we defeated Jaeger in Wild Husbandry, we are confident we can obtain victory in the end."
Lorist laughed.
"Ever the stubborn ones! Your mouths are harder to crack than a duck's bill! Very well, if you don't admit defeat, all the better for us. I've always wanted to bring my forces to House Fisablen's grasslands for a stroll. Worry not, we will carry out our deal according to the trade agreement. War is war and business is business. As long as you have the money, I won't stop the goods."
"I object, Your Grace, your actions oppress a prestigious house of the former empire. This is an act all nobles scorn. Not only will you be unable to execute your plans, House Norton will also be denounced by the peace-loving and nobles..."
"Oh, really?" Lorist said with a cold laugh, "The former empire is gone, lost in the ashes of the fire set by the three princes themselves. Let me remind you that the four houses side with Andinaq. His Highness Auguslo is the true heir to the throne and House Fisablen stands with a traitor prince. You call our attack unrighteous, but, to us, we're merely trying to quell a rebellion. In contrast, the actions of your duke in the capital of Windbury is the issue more worthy of spreading and scrutinizing..."
Supervisor Aridok was completely speechless.
However, Napole stood up immediately.
"Revered Duke, our duke doesn't wish to engage in war. He has always believed his true enemies are the barbarian tribes on the northeastern great plains. Actually, our duke was most pained by the war that broke out between us. If our duke is willing to cease hostilities, how would you treat House Fisablen?"
Lorist shrugged.
"Given the history between us, military negotiations and talk of trade in military equipment are out of the question. If House Fisablen really wishes to cease hostilities, keep your forces no less than 50 kilometers away from the border. If there is any incident that requires our attention, you must first inform our border guard. All your trade deals will also have to go through salt merchant committee. At the same time, your house's military affairs will be transparent. If there is any movement you want to undertake, you must first inform us. Other than that, Wild Husbandry is important to the safety of The Northlands, so we want to have the rights to station troops there for our safety."
"Not possible. Why don't you retreat from the border? Why can't we station any troops in The Northlands?" objected Aridok with a furious start.
"Simple: we're the victors," Lorist said with the heavy hand of the winning side, "Does Duke Fisablen want peace… or war?"
Though Aridok had wanted to argue, Napole gave his arm a grab. The tall geriatric shut up and lowered his head.
"Your Grace, we have already sent Princess Sylvia over as proof of our intention," replied Napole humbly.
Lorist stood up.
"Since Duke Fisablen's mind is made, then you may discuss the details of the ceasefire with Duke Kenmays. But I have to say I'm not in favor of how Duke Fisablen treated Princess Sylvia."
"Your Grace, we would like to pay the princess a visit. I wonder if we may?"
"Apologies, Sylvia has made her way to the duke's manor in Roaring Bear. You should know where it is. She's gone to check out her new residence. Also, I'd like to mention that I will be holding my wedding ceremony there in the 11th month. Sylvia will be my wife. She will become the matron of House Norton. I extend my heartfelt invitations to Duke Fisablen to visit so he may participate in his granddaughter's grand wedding. I will graciously await his arrival."
After Lorist finished, he turned and left coldly.
Salt Merchant Committee
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in servant's garbs and looks like work." ~ Duke Kenmays on his decision to manage the salt merchant committee.
The blade cut as quickly as it fell. With but a few words, Lorist set the terms of the armistice in stone and left. All that was left was to negotiate the smaller details. Even if the alliance was the victor, the terms of House Fisablen's surrender couldn't cause them to lose sovereignty and be completely humiliated. The world of Grindia was unlike Lorist's previous one. The conditions he'd put forward were already rather excessive relatively speaking.
Normally, when two houses fought, the losing side would have to pay a large sum in wealth to end the war. If they didn't have money, they could cede part of their dominion, or pay regular tributes. Naturally, there would be additional interest if the price was paid in installments. Lorist didn't need House Fisablen's money, however. Now that they had cut off their trade routes, The house's wealth would be sucked out by the salt merchant committee sooner or later anyway. It was a longer term money-making solution.
Even after the armistice was signed, Lorist wouldn't let his guard down against House Fisablen. Only damned fools would think the war was over and everything was fine after the signing of an armistice. However, the most important conditions of the armistice were the retreat of House Fisablen's forces 50 kilometers away from the border and the ability to station troops in Wild Husbandry. At the very least, it would give Lorist more time to react to sudden changes as well as limit House Fisablen's ability to choose the battlefield.
Two days later, Kenmays brought the armistice's draft to Lorist to look over. Apart from the perfunctory explanation that the conflict between the two houses started because of a misunderstanding, the clauses on the retreat of House Fisablen's troops and the necessity to notify the four houses' garrison forces about any military movements were included. Similarly, any military mobilization of the four houses' garrison had to be announced beforehand to prevent any misunderstanding.
"These conditions don't apply to the assault legions stationed at the border of the two sides, only the garrison forces. Why so?" asked Lorist.
Kenmays hurriedly explained.
"Supervisor Aridok and the other envoy insisted on fair treatment. They mentioned that even after House Fisablen's forces retreat 50 kilometers behind their borders, the presence of Firmrock Legion at the borders of Southern and Eastwild unnerves them. They requested that only garrison forces would be allowed to be stationed at the borders. No offensive military force of any kind may be stationed at the border. Since we already ceased hostilities, I thought it didn't really matter, so I agreed."
"Sheesh, you're always giving me more trouble," Lorist said as he glared at Kenmays with a smile, before he instructed, "Jinolio, after this, have a copy of this ceasefire agreement made for Potterfang. Tell him tomorrow to change the name of Firmrock into Firmrock Garrison and call it a sentry legion. Don't make any changes beyond that. Also, send this fellow here a bill for the costs of changing the legion's banners."
Kenmays shrugged.
"Come on, you're being far too petty. You can't even pay a hundred-odd gold Fordes out of your own pocket?"
Lorist ignored him and continued reading the document. What followed were the stipulations of trade. In actuality, after the signing of the agreement, all things in which House Fisablen wanted to trade, ranging from the smallest piece of paper or salt crystal to things like cows and horses had to go through the salt merchant committee. For example, the things they purchased from the committee just recently was actually worth not more than 600 thousand gold Fordes. A few years earlier, they could have purchased it for around 800 thousand gold Fordes. But now, the hiked prices pushed it as high as two million. It was no wonder Kenmays proclaimed so gleefully that Felim and Shazin could get up to 400 thousand gold Fordes in dividends.
In matters of trade, Kenmays was still reliable. The fellow loved being the middleman and would be more than happy to take in goods with his left and sell them with his right. At most, he had to coordinate their transport. He was completely unlike Lorist, who liked to develop his dominion. According to Kenmays's own words, not only did developing means of production contain great risk, the value of the good would depreciate if they couldn't be traded. If the cost of production is high, the product would also lose its edge against its competitors. From time to time, funds would also have to be provided to develop new or improved versions of the products. All of it was rather troublesome and far more stressful than merely reselling goods like he did.
After reading the last clause, Lorist expressed his dissatisfaction.
"What's this? House Fisablen refused to recognize our occupation of the whole of Wild Husbandry?"
"I had no choice. I said all I could, they were only willing to compromise up to Soxius. We can occupy everything North of it, but everything south of it is still theirs, effectively splitting Wild Husbandry in two. They said occupying half of Wild Husbandry would be enough to ensure The Northlands' safety. I've tried my best, but I couldn't convince them otherwise. So I had no choice but to bring it to you as it is now," said Kenmays as he made a helpless expression
The territory did include a good portion of Wild Husbandry, two-thirds of it, in fact. But much of it was raided by Jaeger quite early on in the war. It was desolate and ruined. House Fisablen's Fourth Frontier suffered defeat after defeat following the ambush, causing what remained of their forces to escape to Soxius and stand guard there. It wasn't until Duke Fisbablen's arrival and ambush with 100 thousand barbarian cavalrymen that Wild Husbandry was reclaimed. The armistice would recognize the Nortons' occupation of the land already conquered by Jaeger.
It seemed this was the duke's baseline. Since the part of Wild Husbandry to the north of Soxius was ruined, it'd be better to let the Nortons have it as a show of sincerity. After a moment of silence, Lorist decided.
"Then let's leave it as is. Have them sign."
"There's another question we need to settle," Kenmays said, "How long do you want the armistice to last?"
Armistices, and their associated conditions, had limited terms. It was a sacred agreement in the Wargod's name that the sides involved would not take hostile military action against one another for the time the agreement was valid. When the armistice expired, however, the two sides could continue the war or negotiate an extension. If both sides reconciled during that time, however, a peace treaty could be signed and neither side would treat the other as an enemy any longer. Trade would resume and borders would reopen. The number of troops stationed at the borders would also be decreased to save on military costs.
Lorist laughed.
"Let the two envoys go back to the duke and decide this for themselves. They're free to choose how long they want, be it one or three years. We don't need to bother ourselves with what House Fisablen believes, even if they think they can recover and get back at us. The moment they strike, we will give them an even harsher lesson. Maybe, we can inflict so much pain on them they'd rather die instead. This is the extent of our might."
Kenmays was completely stoked after hearing what Lorist had said and could feel his blood boiling.
"Alright. I'll tell them, word for word. They'll be allowed to consult the duke and are free to choose how long they want the armistice to last. We couldn't be bothered to care. But the next time they dare to attack us again, the price of our products will no longer be as low as they are now... We'll double them at the very least..."
After saying that, Kenmays marched out of the door arrogantly. But just as he exited, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and walked back in.
"Um, Locke... I'd like to ask you something. Baron Charade mentioned that you're going to sell a large number of LLDAM-class vessels approximately 70 percent complete. Is that true?"
Sheesh, can't you discuss private matters after finishing the official ones first?
Lorist nodded, nonetheless.
"Yes. The house is cutting Oceanic, so we have a lot of large and small ships we aren't going to use."
"Are you going to sell them all?"
"No. I will announce this during the year-end celebration, as well as the development of Northsea, Bullhorn Bay, and Silowas. The rest of the boats will be auctioned off to the nobles and merchants so they form their own guilds to start trading and fishing."
"Oh, so that's it..." Kenmays said with a dismayed expression, "I thought you would simply sell the ships instead of holding an auction. I didn't think you were planning to do that."
"Haha," Lorist laughed loudly, "Do you wanna bet for how much these ships will sell? Here I am worried that I don't have enough to meet demand, and you want to buy them cheap? That's not good, you know. Then again, I suppose you can invest in the guilds. Maybe, you can even form a guild yourself."
"I won't form a guild since trading at sea is not my specialty. It doesn't feel nearly as safe as relying on you anyway. So, that's out of the question. The salt merchant committee already tires me out enough as it is. Also, the committee has the ability to trade at sea. The order our house made at your shipyard was so we could form our own merchant fleet. But the house's will also have to go through the salt merchant committee to get goods to trade. At most, I'll give them some small benefits, nothing huge," said Kenmays gleefully.
Lorist was completely speechless looking at Kenmays, who was even prepared to profit at his father's expense. However, he couldn't help but admit that Kenmays was an incredibly intelligent man who understood the true extent of the benefits of cozying up to a huge backer. The salt merchant committee was Kenmays's self-run business. He had a five-tenths share of the company and also took half of the profits it generated. The other half was split between Felim, Shazin, and Lorist. Lorist owned only a tenth of the committee whereas Shazin and Felim each owned two-tenths. At first, the three houses, save for the Nortons, each owned three-tenths. But Felim and Shazin felt bad for profiting off it for doing nothing, so they each gave a tenth to Kenmays and left him completely in charge.
The committee was originally formed as a joke, they didn't think Kenmays would grow it into the largest merchant guild in the eastern area of The Northlands. It traded in goods to upwards of 300 thousand gold Fordes annually. It became an essential source of income for the four houses. To Felim and Shazin, who couldn't manage finances well, the committee's dividends were a great help. Kenmays himself also got quite a lot of benefits, so many that he could take out nearly a million gold Fordes' in wealth and supplies to aid House Shazin and House Felim during their dominion's relocation.
On one occasion, a conversation between Kenmays and his father spread to Lorist's ears through Furybear's agents. Kenmays's father said he shouldn't give up on the family business for the sake of running the salt merchant committee. But, when Kenmays brought out the committee's accounts, the color drained from his father's face almost immediately. Kenmays's intentions were clear: the committee's turnover had long exceeded that of the house's business. Kenmays mentioned that he was already used to trading in excess of millions of gold Fordes, and that the house's entire business wouldn't even amount to one million -- not worth mentioning at all.
Enraged, his father said that no matter how small the house's business was, it was still something their house owned. He mentioned that Kenmays running the salt merchant committee so successfully was a waste of his talents since half of the profit was earned by others, and that Kenmays had to occasionally take a smaller cut to help Felim and Shazin out by rounding up their dividends. His father also complained about how Kenmays didn't allow his house to gain any benefits as seen with his punishment of one member that faked accounts to get some benefits in the committee. Apart from firing him, a large number of people from House Kenmays were kicked out as well.
Kenmays merely laughed and called his father old for not being able to see the situation clearly. The four houses had already united in alliance, and House Kenmays had the weakest military of the four. They couldn't even compare with House Norton when it came to funds. He was thankful that the three were even willing to form an alliance with his house, and the reason he focused so much of his effort on running the committee was that he wanted to do his best to contribute to the alliance. If the three other houses were really interested in going all out in business, they would've hired their own men to run the committee and kick House Kenmays out. That way, they would earn even more.
Since they had placed their trust in him, he wouldn't let them down. He mentioned that even if House Kenmays's own business got a large deal, apart from having to take care of the capital themselves, they would even have to bow their head to the other nobles and bribe them for their favor. Even if the deal got 300 thousand in profit, less than 100 thousand of it would be left for them. If they were unlucky, their efforts would probably end up wasted and they would only have themselves to blame.
But the committee had House Norton, House Felim and House Shazin backing it. With that much might behind them, they didn't have to bow down like House Kenmays's own business. They could reach anywhere within the four houses' sphere of influence. In fact, he was confident that as the influence of the four expanded, the committee could even connect to thus far uncharted territories and perhaps develop into a body not inferior to the Union's big-seven guilds.
Kenmays told his father the reason he worked so hard to manage the committee was his determination to make the alliance last as long as possible. Whether it be providing huge financial support to House Felim or rounding up the dividend of Count Shazin, it was all for the sake of the alliance's longevity. House Kenmays's position among the four houses could only grow more and more secure this way. And with the four's development, the house would truly be included in the ranks of the traditional peerage instead of being considered as an outlier commoner who happened to be rich.
After hearing what Kenmays had to say, his father thought silently for a long time before he finally sighed. Soon after he called a household meeting where he abdicated and gave his son his position. He made it clear that he would only manage the household business in the future. All household affairs would be managed how Kenmays saw it without question.
That was the real reason Lorist trusted Kenmays so much. Only when the alliance had members who were aware of their position could the alliance last and develop in the long term.
"Alright, stop showing off," Lorist said as he tapped on Kenmays's shoulder.
"Since you're prepared to take the committee to the seas, hear a bit of my advice. You may purchase a fleet for the committee, but don't form a large one just yet. Test the waters first, if you will. As for the safety at sea, it's nothing about which you have to worry. House Norton's Northsea will protect the vessels. However, it's on you to establish the market. As the old saying goes, 'the man who leaves sooner than others picks the best apples.'"
"I know. After sending the two envoys off, I'll go look for Baron Charade," said Kenmays as he left joyfully.
The Storm Brews Again
"Joe, have you recovered?"
The moment Lorist entered Jaeger's campsite, he saw Josk drenched in sweat training with his green longbow. It seemed he had been training for quite a while. Upon seeing them arrive, Josk hurriedly bowed.
"Your Grace, I've more or less recovered. I feel like I have moss growing on me -- I was in bed for three months!. I've been busy with recuperation training for the last two days."
"You should watch your condition. Your injuries have just started to recover. You know haste makes waste," Lorist said as he dismounted and handed his horse's reins to Jinolio, "Some introductions are due. This is the gold-ranked Divine Marksman, Baron Josk. Josk, this is Jinolio, my new attendant."
Josk wiped the sweat from his face with a linen cloth and nodded.
"Where's Howard?"
"He's in seclusion training like Reidy. It'll last two years."
Josk noticed Els.
"Hey, Els..."
He walked up to him and give him a bear hug.
Lorist smiled.
"Joe, Els is Jaeger's legion sergeant-major now and the colonel of his own division. He's yours now. I'm relieved you get along."
"Great," Josk exclaimed excitedly, "I was just worrying about having no one to help me since Yuriy's still injured. This is great news."
"How's Yuriy recovering?"
"The herbalist said his injuries are recovering well. But he will need more than a year to retrain his battleforce."
Lorist nodded.
"I'll send him to Roaring Bear to recover by my side. Maybe I can help him increase his speed. Also, Jaeger's ranks should be filled by now, right?"
"I'm not too sure," Josk said, hesitantly, "You know Waxima's usually in charge of such things. I've never asked. But seeing how busy the camp is, I suppose they're full."
"Good. Apart from the 3500 new recruits from the dominion, there are another ten thousand transfers from Local Defense to Jaeger. The remaining 30 thousand used to be elite cavalrymen in Madras' armies. Now you've mostly recovered, I can stop worrying. Use the remainder of the year to train. You'll deploy in Wild Husbandry spring next year."
"Are we finally going to take revenge?" asked Josk, elated.
Lorist shook his head.
"I know this might disappoint you, but the alliance has negotiated an armistice. It will take effect after Duke Fisablen decides the term and sends it back. We'll deploy in Wild Husbandry next year because in the armistice House Fisablen will recognize our occupation of half of the province up to Soxius. In essence, we've retaken the territory Jaeger conquered."
Josk was silent for a moment before he cleared his throat.
"Your Grace, we were far too incompetent... Our loss brought the house shame."
Lorist took up Josk's shirt hung on a nearby pole and slung it at his body.
"This isn't your fault. Jaeger managed to sweep Wild Husbandry and send Fourth Frontier running haggardly in the early days. This is already far beyond my expectations. Your loss was due to the insidious duke. Even I wouldn't fare much better if I were in your position."
Josk put on his clothes, tidied himself and guided everyone into the main tent. He had the guards blow the horn to summon the commanders, Josk kept his position as the legion's general. Els was made legion sergeant-major and colonel, and given command of his own division. Waxima was made legion sergeant-major as well and chief logistics officer. Many others were made majors, with command of brigades, and captains, with command of regiments. Eidelwoke, commander of the 23rd local defense brigade, who had successfully managed to defend Pedro, had been transferred to Jaeger and given the position of division sergeant-major and major, with his own brigade command.
After the new positions were announced, everyone discussed the lessons learned from their loss and also announced a few new measures. First, Lorist was changing Jaeger's loadout. Two years of experimentation had shown that Jaeger's current loadout was rather lacking in actual battle. Coupled with the fact that many sets of the loadout ended up in House Fisablen's hands after the legion's defeat, the house had to change the style and color to prevent the enemy from sneaking in unnoticed. The remaining 20 thousand sets would be reclaimed and stored.
Second, the house would not provide Jaeger with new carroballistae. It was also a decision Lorist had made personally. He'd had a discussion with Charade, Freiyar, Belnick, and several other knights at Firmrock about the circumstances behind Jaeger's defeat. The revelations were shocking. Pete's third division had been encircled and eradicated because it had two extra brigades of carroballistae. It had also enabled Duke Fisablen to attack Yuriy's second division who approached to reinforce the third.
"Jaeger is predominantly light cavalry. The main threat of light cavalry isn't their offensive power, but their impressive mobility that allows them to come and go unannounced. Why were Duke Fisablen's light cavalry legions able to pose such a threat? He doesn't have carroballistae with impressive firing range, yet every time he comes for us, we have to face him with full alertness like we're facing a great foe.
"The reason is that we're afraid he could strike our weaknesses. Our supply line, medical stations, and food stores can easily be sabotaged. The whole legion will be affected if they're hit. It's because of those factors we lose the initiative in confrontations with their light cavalry and have to watch for them fearfully. Light cavalry should be quick to move and fast as lightning when they attack. They are the best tools for penetration, stalling, sealing, pursuing and reconnaissance.
"The carroballistae is one of the most threatening ranged weapons in our arsenal. Even though they also have rather high mobility, they're slow in comparison to light cavalry. Giving Jaeger carroballistae is like chaining a horse to a carriage. It would lose the ability to run and escape quickly. Had Pete not had the burden of two carroballistae brigades, he could've escaped in any direction the moment he noticed the grassland barbarians approach.
"It would make it near impossible for 100 thousand barbarians to encircle third division. Had the two carroballistae brigades not been present, all it would have taken to break out was to charge in a direction. There's no way the grassland barbarians could've held them back. It's such a shame that Colonel Pete had no choice but to stand his ground because of the two carroballistae brigades.
"We have to learn. You're the house's only light cavalry legion, I have hopes for everyone in Jaeger. Though House Fisablen's frontier legions are our enemy, we have to learn some of their strengths. They are the strongest light cavalry force in the former empire. We have to learn from our failure. We must surpass them and the house will definitely provide you with the best equipment we can. I hope by the time you return to the great northeastern plains, you will be unstoppable."
Lorist turned to Josk.
"Joe, I'm marrying Sylvia in the 11th month. The marriage will be in Roaring Bear I'd like you to be my best man."
Josk didn't say a word.
Lorist smiled.
"Joe, marrying Sylvia isn't the same as making peace with House Fisablen. I personally believe Duke Fisablen will be our most formidable enemy as long as he remains alive. Please don't fault Sylvia for her identity. She's been abandoned by the Fisablens."
"Your Grace, I believe you, but I don't want to attend your wedding, nor do I want to be your best man. Would that be alright?"
"No. Just look at the friends I have around me; even Els got married. You're the only one I have to be my best man. If you get married before the 11th, I won't force you."
Josk wore a look of exasperation.
"Then I'd rather be your best man."
"Thank you, Joe."
Lorist thought to himself happily, I managed to rope another one.
The next morning, Lorist found Tarkel bumbling towards him with ragged breath.
"What's up, Tarkel?"
"Y-y-y-your Grace... Battle has... b-broken out..."
"Battle? Who attacked?"
"No... not us... n-n-n-nobody attacked us... Y-y-your Grace, let me catch my breath..."
Tarkel rested for a moment before he recovered.
"I almost choked to death. The strong wind didn't help either."
"Alright, stop complaining. Where did you say battle broke out? Did it happen between the second highness and the Union? Or did he attack the four central duchies?"
Lorist unleashed a flurry of questions at once.
"It's not the second highness, Your Grace. It's the Forde Trade Union and the mid-southern kingdoms. It started a month ago," said Tarkel as he took out a huge stack of newspapers from the Union.
"So they finally started fighting... The lightning has been striking without any sign of rain for well over a year now. The real deal finally began."
Lorist breathed a sigh of relief. Time really flies. Lorist recalled the conflict back in Morante when he brought Kenmays and the others there for a trip was something that happened four years back. He had convinced Academy Head Levins to move Dawn Academy to The Northlands. Dawn had already been operating for two years straight and had about a thousand new students.
After the unfortunate experience in Morante, President Peterson expressed his apologies. Lundmorde, who stayed at Morante sent word that the big-seven guilds had punished the newly entitled nobles by confiscating the titles of a few dozen who caused too much trouble and sending more than ten to the gallows. In the end, they managed to stabilize the situation and established a code of conduct for the newly entitled nobles. Also, they made the new nobles pledge to not do anything uncivil and also legislated regulations on how one could manage their dominion.
After the situation stabilized, the big-seven began talks with the surrounding kingdoms and duchies in hopes they could reopen the trade routes and stop seeing the Union as an enemy, essentially returning their relationships to how it had been before the war. The Union also pledged they wouldn't set their sights on their new neighbor's territory and tried their best to restore amicable relations.
The shape of the Grindian continent resembled a really uneven shuttle small in the north and large in the south with a few cracks. The area inhabited by humans encompassed only two-thirds of the continent and looked a little like a crescent moon. The northmost area inhabited by humans was The Northlands, which was actually near the middle of the continent. Further north, and separated by the Magic Dragon mountain range were the wildlands where humans had yet to set foot. It was marked by the endless stretches of ancient forests and domineering mountain ranges.
Stretching south from The Northlands was the territory of the largest superpower in days long gone, the Krissen Empire. Forde Trade Union's territory started in the Falik Plains. Around the Union were kingdoms and duchies of varying sizes. Including the Union, there were around 34 nations and they were known as the 34 mid-southern countries. Further south was where the second and third-ranked superpowers among the three great nations on Grindia, the Romon Empire and the Khawistan Khanate respectively. Neighboring the two greats was the Kalia kingdom. All three had a swordsaint. It was precisely because of the swordsaints' presence that the Romon Empire and the Khawistan Khanate -- who used to fight frequently -- had managed to maintain a fragile peace for the last three decades. Kalia also managed to remain safe despite neighboring the two large superpowers because of its own swordsaint.
Further south was the great Amanjiro channel where the Cinque peninsula was located. There were five or six nations on the peninsula whom fought constantly. They had been in conflict for a few centuries, but none had managed to win. But due to its position at the southernmost tip of the continent, the peninsula was quite poor and had never garnered the attention of the mainland. Even the Romon Empire, nearest to them, didn't bother to annex the forest-filled, barren, and undeveloped peninsula.
After the War of Glass, the Union had absorbed the territory of nine nations. Coupled with the Lormo duchy, which had seceded from the Krissen Empire, as well as the two provinces of the now defunct Redlis, the Union was now the nation with the largest territory on the continent. At the same time, the 34 mid-southern nations that stood united to resist the three superpowers north and south lost ten of their members. Faced with the Union's domination, the remaining nations united to seal off the Union's trade routes and cut off all relations with it. It was a heavy blow to the unprepared Union.
After the big-seven stabilized the Union's internal affairs, they began talks, but there was hardly any progress. As a result, the Union formed two standing legions of 140 thousand men and stationed them on their borders. The 24 mid-southern nations didn't cower, though, they mobilized nearly 200 thousand soldiers to guard their side of the borders. Both sides remained in a stalemate for more than a year and ended up going to war. It seemed that both were unable to withstand the huge amount of resources it took to sustain such armies, so they decided to duke it out for a quick conclusion.
"Your Grace, two months ago, the Romon Empire and Khawistan Khanate went to war yet again," Tarkel informed, "Romon eliminated Kalia as well and the windstorm swordsaint's whereabouts are unknown."
Oh, then again, the two nations are too far away from The Northlands... Lorist didn't really care.
"There's another piece of bad news. Lundmorde was forcefully conscripted and sent to the frontlines. The Union announced this matter concerned all of its citizens and they would have to fulfill their civil duties by joining the military. The reports we just got from Morante were collected and sent back by Lundmorde's four wives. They arrived half a month later than usual.".
What?! Poor Lundmorde...