Kingdom's Bloodline, page 304
"Isn't it better to let Morris, the fatty directly…"
Roda smiled slightly, causing one of the scars on his face to appear even more ferocious.
"This is just out first negotiation, and these goods are only here to show our sincerity. They do not lack weapons and channels. What they lack is manpower," Roda said plainly. "As for Morris, I'm sure he will not agree to it. We have to do it on our own."
Aoschok revealed an expression of uncertainty.
He glanced over at the group of children, and the slightly bigger-sized boy was an eyesore; his gaze was incredibly disrespectful.
"But, is there a need for us to hide from the other people in the Brotherhood with regard to our cooperation with these people?"
As the rising star in Roda's eyes, Aoschok had more power in speaking to Roda. The young man tried to ask, "Including… him?"
Roda gave him a profound gaze.
"Including him," Roda said earnestly.
"Don't misunderstand, I still admire Black Sword.
"Without him, we won't be who we are today." The infamous chief of firearms slowly opened his mouth, "But their way of thinking is too old-fashioned, whether it's Lance or Morris. They still operate the Brotherhood as a mercenary group, even though it is getting bigger and bigger, spreading to every corner of the city."
'That's not the only case.'
Roda then whispered in his heart, 'They are still living in the past.
'They're trying to redeem themselves for all the blood they've spilled.
'But we cannot live in the past.
'We need to look to the future.
'To cope with the storm that is bound to arrive.'
"However, times are changing," Roda slowly said. "When the nobles who've relied on their estates have to come to the city to find a way to live, and when rich merchants also have the chance to become the kingdom's nobles, then the Brotherhood will also need to change.
"We must stop being simple gangsters, or the servants of nobles, like the Blood Bottle Gang."
Aoschok's expression froze for a second.
"Although we may look powerful, we are just a bunch of…" he said unconfidently.
Roda swiftly raised his head, his gaze was fearsome.
It stunned Aoschok a bit.
"We are broken merchants, lost craftsmen, landless farmers, desperate people driven to a corner by life, lowly people in the city, and the enemies of 'decent people' who were born with silver spoons in their mouth.
"We are a dark undercurrent, consisting of countless low-class people who have neither power nor authority."
Roda revealed a scary smile. "But since decent civilian merchants and vulgar country aristocrats can form their own groups, occupy a place in the National Conference, and voice their disagreements using the king's might against the nobles… why do we have to stay in the sewers and compete for leftovers that the great personages discard?
"We have to look further into the future.
"So, we have to prepare in advance, even if we need to hide our deeds from others. Only by doing so will we be able to seize the opportunity when the key to change our fate arrives."
'The opportunity to change our fate?'
Aoschok lowered his head and suppressed the questions in his heart. 'But why them?'
"The group of traitors who were swept out of the Tower of Eradication? I've heard that they're also in league with our adversary."
Roda's gaze froze for a moment.
"In their case, it's not something as simple being in cohorts," Roda said faintly. "Without the Disaster Sword about a hundred years ago, there would be no Blood Bottle Gang."
'Our old adversary… is not just some normal gang.
'They're the same as us.'
He slowly raised his right hand and rubbed his iron gloves.
Confusion was written all over Aoschok's face.
"Before the Bloody Year, I used to be Prince Horace's military courier, and I learned a lot of disturbing things," Roda said with a grave expression. "How do you think the Disaster Sword got its name, despite comprising of traitors?
Aoschok was momentarily taken aback. "In the name of the calamity who once destroyed the world? I have seen the dramas of Dark Night Temple. Perhaps with that nickname, they'll make themselves sound more hateful and horrifying?"
Roda laughed coldly.
"What if..." Roda exhaled and looked at his students, his gaze was filled with a profoundness. "What if their name isn't what it seems… but has a deeper meaning?"
Aoschok was instantly astounded.
Another few minutes passed, and the snow slope on the opposite side was still empty.
The blizzard was getting stronger and stronger.
Roda's expression became more unpleasant as time passed.
"Let's go." Finally, the leader of the firearms smuggling operation sighed angrily. "It looks like they will not be coming."
Aoschok was not happy. "What about our cooperation?"
Roda sneered. "Don't worry about it."
'After all, they're not our only clients who hold the key... that could overthrow the world.
He turned and walked into the thick pine forest.
Aoschok snorted and had his brothers gather the group of children, who were almost frozen solid, back into the warehouse.
Chapter 274: The Quiet Prince |
Arc 5: The Traitors
The radiant sun hung high in the sky.
At the south gate of Dragon Clouds City, a team of knights reached their destination.
When the thin man stepped into the famous city—heading northwards—and saw the hustle and bustle of the crowd at the city gates, he could only sigh with emotion.
'Even after the disaster, Dragon Clouds City remains dignified, majestic, rugged and impressive. Even the sounds of the people quarrelling on the streets are loud and sonorous.
'Those days…'
However, he still forced down the surging thoughts in his mind, and took his eyes away from the towering statue of Raikaru. He still had things to do.
The man lowered his head and reared up his horse's reins.
The thin man spoke plainly to the dozen or more knights behind him. "Get ready, we have a long slope to climb."
The knights did not utter a word and quietly kept pace with him, as though they were used to his indifferent tone.
This was a low profile team. There were no identifying signs such as flags, ornaments, and crests. They only had their baggage and sundries on the horses, and the hurried look on their faces.
It was clear that this was the first visit for some of them to Dragon Clouds City. They looked around them in amazement.
"This is Dragon Clouds City?" A young retinue wondered, "Was it not almost destroyed by the disaster? How can it still look so undamaged?"
"The one that destroyed Dragon Clouds City is rumors, not the calamity," the thin man replied easily, "Get rid of those thoughts, Mark."
A few minutes later, a Northern military noble brought a few cavaliers to greet them. After a brief meeting, they were taken directly away from the queue and entered the city.
They walked through the open space in front of the city and began to go uphill.
"It is quite flattering that the Chief Garrison Officer came personally to meet us," the thin man said plainly, "Viscount Leisdon."
"Unfortunately, the archduchess is in the Hall of Heroes. Today is the day of her state affairs hearing and Regent Lisban is also inside." The Northland noble named Leisdon looked very capable and very powerful. With a few gestures from him to the patrols, they began to work in perfect unison.
While he was on his horse, he nodded at the thin man.
"Lord Putray Nemain, who came from the Kingdom of Constellation far away."
The Lord of Constellation, Putray, replied with a nod.
Viscount Leisdon—the old subordinate trusted by Count Lisban who remained as the Chief Garrison Officer of Dragon Clouds City after the succession of the archduchess—looked at the travel-worn Constellatiates and nodded gently, "But I think you will definitely wish to see the prince first."
The Constellation attendants looked at each other with excitement and curiosity.
The prince. The legendary second prince.
"Absolutely." On the bustling Northland streets, a smile appeared on Putray's thin face. "Please take us to the Blood Court."
Leisdon raised his eyebrows slightly.
The Blood Court…
"Of course. The Blood Court, located in the most remote and ruined corner of Heroic Spirit Palace. It is home to a special guest." Leisdon sighed, "Please come with me."
The viscount frowned and waved his hand. A military courier immediately set off. After about ten seconds, a team of patrols in front of them immediately turned and headed in the direction of the Heroic Spirit Palace.
Putray nodded with approval and pulled out his pipe. "You are a clever person, I admire that, unlike your former guest relations ambassador."
Viscount Leisdon sneered and rode beside Putray.
"The former guest relations ambassador?" The corners of Leisdon's lips curled up. "I heard that he secretly obstructed the mission to contact the prince. He was later found to be close to a Count of Black Sand Region."
"So I volunteered for this position this year,"—Leisdon had an unpleasant expression as he let out a cough—"after he was suspend- cough! Ahem! Replaced."
Putray inhaled a puff of smoke. While sitting on his horse, he watched the smoke ring change shape, then said sentimentally, "Thank you for understanding our anxiety."
"It is my pleasure." Leisdon nodded thoughtfully, "This is Dragon Clouds City after all, not Black Sand City."
Upon hearing the name of this place, Putray narrowed his eyes and said, "King Chapman still sends a special envoy to 'express his sympathies'?"
At the mention of the common-elected king, Viscount Leisdon's face showed disgust and disdain. "Three times a year, and never late.
"If he could, he might even want to buy all the messenger pigeons that fly over Constellation's sky so that he could monitor our every move." Leisdon looked at Heroic Spirit Palace on the mountainside. "Especially the whereabouts of those two."
Putray puffed out a smoke ring, "But I heard that your king recently encountered a large problem."
"You can say that again." Leisdon crooned, visibly pleased. "Since his coronation, Chapman Lampard's troubles has never stopped."
When they heard that name, the Constellatiate attendants had nervous expressions on their faces as they hurriedly perked up their ears, concerned about the new king who had just recently began ruling Eckstedt.
"Lampard went mad several months ago. He wanted to appoint new nobles without following through the ranking system, and it, in turn, caused him to offend the old vassals in Black Sand Region. From a mass protest by the vassals using aristocratic protocols, to the king ordering a restructuring of the territorial laws, King Chapman and his direct vassals have been fighting battles of intellect and courage. It has been entertaining show after entertaining show, haha!"
Viscount Leisdon's lips curled upwards.
"And his troubles did not end there. Half a month ago, with the four archdukes from the north and west as the leaders, these archdukes launched a resistance against the king for persecuting the nobles in his territory. In the name of the Joint Ruling Pledge, they reached out to the old vassals in Black Sand Region who had their positions taken from them by the king as a way to abolish taxes. They called out for these people to join them against the king's tyranny, and I heard that their forces are very strong."
Of course.
If Leisdon could save up a portion of the country's expenses with a justifiable reason, and even watch the king be stuck in an embarrassing situation while feeling anxious, why should he not be happy?
Putray snorted to himself.
"I suspect Dragon Clouds City will soon be invited to sign their Joint Condemnation Letter." Leisdon exhaled a breath. "You know, having the reputation of 'kinslayer' is already quite bad."
"It is really unkind of you calling your own King Chapman the kinslayer," Putray whispered.
"I heard that the Long-Haired Roknee from the City of Faraway Prayers is the first to call him that." The Garrison Officer smiled happily. "It is practically the worst nickname for a king in all of Eckstedtian history. You must understand, even Jacob the First, who took his own aunt to be his queen, was just known as 'the Disgrace'."
Putray gave a light laugh, not wishing to give a comment.
'Such a poor reputation. Still, that doesn't mean his method was no good.'
"I heard that Constellation is unstable as well. Even though the plagues in the three southwestern countries have finally subsided, it is now showing signs recurrence." Viscount Leisdon changed the topic unpretentiously. "And King Kessel seems to have sent three batches of regular soldiers to Blade Edge Hill?"
Putray narrowed his eyes slightly. "Healing is not as easy when the old wounds are too deep... Just like you lot."
Leisdon and Putray stared at each other. The two people, from the Dragon and Constellation respectively, nodded while they had their own thoughts in their minds.
The group rode through the lively Dragon Wings Plaza, through the messy Bow District, past Axe District and Spear District where the upper-class citizens stayed, and all the way up the upper town of Dragon Clouds City.
Finally, the team reached the First Gatehouse that separated the Axe District from Heroic Spirit Palace. Putray gazed at the towering gatehouse and sighed again.
With a stern expression, Viscount Leisdon spoke with the patrol team defending the gatehouse for a few minutes before the patrol team let the Constellatiates pass through the gates.
Immediately afterwards, several patrol soldiers came up to them and thoroughly searched them—from their luggage and baggage—which made many of the Constellatiates angry.
"Be patient, this is a necessary process. Oh, there is a gift for the archduchess in that box. Please be careful with it."
Putray raised his hands out of habit and awaited the frisk while he comforted the Constellatiates from their bad mood, asking them to endure the fierce and rough Northlanders. He then said to Leisdon who waited for them, "It seems that your security has improved a lot."
Leisdon's face grew tense.
"We added three more passcodes, a lot of sentry posts were added in front, even the emergency warrants issued by the archduchess have corresponding security measures. We even started trying to recruit Psionics—they are rare among Northlanders. This was reportedly suggested by the prince." Leisdon's tone became quite blunt and seemed to be repressing something, "The gatehouse will always be a thick wall that separates us from danger.
"The story of a famous, high-ranking military officer working together with the moles in the military to deceive the gatehouse will not be repeated."
Putray sighed.
Finally, after a complicated search, the group of Constellatiates passed through the gatehouse and arrived at the open space in front of Heroic Spirit Palace.
Putray had mixed feelings as he gazed at the eight large furnaces in front of the palace gate that were both familiar and unfamiliar. He remembered the scene where that small figure went through the palace gate alone. He could not help but sigh.
A team of palace guards surveyed them with unpleasant looks. The Constellatiates dismounted from their horses, the guards then took them away.
"The Blood Court is over here. Follow me, please." Viscount Leisdon led them away from Heroic Spirit Palace's magnificent palace gate and walked into a remote cloister.
The road beneath their feet became narrower and narrower, and was even overgrown with weeds. Despite that, there were gradually more guards on the path.
"How is he doing?" Putray looked at the guards with mixed feelings. The Constellatiates' attentions were drawn to his question.
'He?' Leisdon frowned, he understood who the other party was inquiring about. 'How is he doing? This question…'
"Everyone has different opinions on him." The garrison officer chose his words carefully. "But I would say… the prince is very quiet."
The group from Constellation glanced at each other. This suited their judgments—from both the elders and the youngsters—about the prince.
Putray was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
'This fellow…' Putray remembered the figure of the little adult who spoke frankly and, every now and then, left people dumbstruck.
Quiet? He could not believe it.
"Most of the time, he sat quietly and read books, sometimes talking to himself, or even whispering. You could also say that he neglected sleep and forgot his meals. And every time, it would be in a different place, from the corner of the courtyard to the Cliff of the Sky. He caused worry for his bodyguards.
"Every month, he wants to leave the palace for Spear District to play chess. He likes to stay in a private room and play chess by himself for hours until the attendants remind him that the archduchess' team of personal guards need to eat.
"He does not care much for the disputes in Dragon Clouds City. Whether it is the royal court, banquets, or hunts, he declined them all, even if the nobles have eyes on him.
"Instead, he is rather close with the servants in the royal court. It seems that he likes to smile at them very much, he even greets a messenger crow if he sees one.
"Many teachers teach him and the Lady Archduchess, yet half of them were unable to stay for two months, saying that they 'could not approve of the prince's way of thinking'. Count Lisban gets headaches over this."
"Ah," Putray shook his head, he did not know whether to laugh or cry. "I came here to solve that problem."
Viscount Leisdon had a strange look on his face,
"But his relationship with the archduchess is very good. The two of them often stay in the library from morning till afternoon, which caused him to form many enemies among the nobles in Dragon Clouds City." After Leisdon finished this sentence, he continued, "Count Lisban is very dissatisfied with him because of this."
'Not only that, but it also brought a lot of dissatisfaction and protests to the archduchess.'
