"My lord, Count Kemaies has arrived," Reidi reminded him as he stepped inside.
"Very well, I'll go down to receive him."
This time, Count Kemaies had brought nearly a hundred people to Stone Fortress, arriving in a lavishly decorated four-wheeled carriage rather than riding in with a dozen or so retainers as he had done earlier in the year.
By the way, while Lorist had been busy settling over five hundred thousand new subjects and launching major construction and development projects across the territory, the Kemaies family hadn't been idle either. They had drawn up a joint development plan for the eastern region of Northland, dragging more than a dozen eastern nobles—willing or not—onto the Kemaies family's wagon. Six or seven lords who resisted had already been killed and their families exterminated, while the rest, either too weak to resist or smart enough to know better, had voluntarily signed petitions entrusting their family territories to the Kemaies family's management, content to sit back and enjoy generous dividends to maintain their respectable noble lifestyles.
In short, the Kemaies family had successfully consolidated control over eastern Northland, forging it into an impenetrable stronghold. Even the
The first to step down from the carriage was the beaming Count Kemaies, followed by two lavishly dressed beautiful handmaidens. Well, one could only blame the
Lorist stepped forward and greeted him casually: "Hey, what brings you here this time? With this entourage, are you planning to stay long?"
Count Kemaies took no offense. Seeing Lorist eyeing the two handmaidens, he chuckled: "What, interested? Want me to let you have one? Let me tell you—they've been professionally trained, all sorts of tricks in bed, they'll make you feel like you've ascended to heaven..."
"No, I'm not interested." Lorist withdrew his gaze. "I'm just wondering—can your body even handle it? How long have they been with you? How haven't they drained you dry yet..."
Nothing stung a man more than being told he couldn't perform, and Count Kemaies was no exception. He immediately flexed his arms to show off his physique: "What's wrong with my body? It's as strong as can be. Don't let their kittenish demeanor fool you—I can handle them two or three times a night, no problem..."
"All talk." Lorist curled his lips. "Come on, let's chat in my study."
Strangely enough, even though the Kemaies and Norton families had already shaken hands and made peace, the Kemaies family had suffered a considerable loss and should have harbored deep resentment, while the Norton family had gained a great advantage and should have been on high guard against the Kemaies family. On the surface they should have been friendly while being anything but underneath. Yet as their interactions deepened, Lorist had unexpectedly become fast friends with Count Kemaies—someone he could talk to about anything. Even if they had stood on opposing sides, Lorist wouldn't have disliked the man.
"Every time I come here, it's like walking into a bandit's lair. Even this castle was snatched from my hands..." Count Kemaies launched into his usual refrain.
"Let me state once again—this castle was built on our Norton family's territory. I simply drove away a bunch of bandits who had occupied our family's lands and, while at it, took over their lair," Lorist said.
"Fine, this castle was indeed built on your family's territory." Count Kemaies slumped. "But you have to admit that the laborers, materials, funds, and even the master architect who designed the castle were all taken from me. Poor
"I'm warning you—get to the point. Don't beat around the bush trying to find out where Master Siroba is. Let me tell you: he won't get his freedom until he's served the Norton family for a full ten years. Besides, he's very busy right now. If the Kemaies family wants to build a castle, find someone else." Lorist saw through Count Kemaies' scheme at once.
Count Kemaies shrugged: "I don't really care whether Master Siroba is dead or alive, but the old man insisted I come find out where he is and whether we could ransom him back to build our family's castle. Since you've made your position clear, that settles it. It's not that I didn't try—it's that you've left me powerless."
Lorist burst out laughing: "Enough. Tell me—where are you heading with this grand entourage?"
"Where else? Gildusk, of course." Count Kemaies walked over to the large wine cabinet at the side of the study and clicked his tongue in admiration: "Look at this—rows upon rows of fine wines. And you still say you're not a bandit? Tell me, which bottle here did you pay for with your own money? They were all taken by force, weren't they? Never mind the wine—look at this sofa you're sitting on. A Miqis royal treasure. Duke Lugins paid over a thousand gold fordes to snatch it up at the royal capital, Wendbury. And now, just a few years later, this priceless sofa has ended up in your study, and you didn't spend a single copper..."
"If you stop talking about bandits and such, you can pick two bottles from my wine cabinet to take with you," Lorist said.
"Really?" Count Kemaies was delighted.
Lorist nodded.
Count Kemaies began selecting wines from the cabinet.
"I'm surprised—with November almost here, you're still heading out. Don't you hibernate in your own family's territory during winter?" Lorist asked.
"Ha! Brother, there's no such word as 'hibernation' for us nobles. Who needs to hibernate? Commoners—that's who. They huddle indoors to escape the freezing winter because they lack proper clothing and food. But we are nobles. No matter how cold it gets, we still have our noble amusements. Throwing all-night banquets and balls, meeting beautiful and gentle ladies, reciting poetry and inviting them to dance, stealing secret rendezvous with these ladies on frigid nights, pouring out our hearts and getting to know them deeply—that is how we nobles spend the winter..."
"Brother, don't huddle in this cold, lonely castle any longer. You should get out and see the world. This winter, the Second Prince will be hosting a series of grand events in Gildusk. All of Northland's nobles, even those from the kingdom at large, will be bringing their families to attend. The city will be filled with fragrance and beauty—a golden opportunity you simply can't miss. If you attend, I'm sure the Second Prince would be thrilled. He's been wanting to meet you, the roaring bear who terrorizes all of Northland..." Count Kemaies did his utmost to persuade Lorist to accompany him to Gildusk.
"I have no interest in these tedious activities. I'm busy this winter. I have no time to play these romantic games with you lot. And stop acting as the Second Prince's mouthpiece. I have a gut feeling that fellow harbors ill intentions toward our Norton family. So my attitude is clear: no matter what he wants, I'm refusing. When you get back, if the Second Prince asks why I keep declining invitations, tell him I still deeply resent the fact that my eldest brother died on the battlefield for him and received no compensation whatsoever. The Norton family has decided to draw a clear line with the Second Prince. We will no longer pay him any attention." Lorist spoke calmly.
"Whoa—you're planning to openly fall out with the Second Prince? I really think that's unnecessary. You just need to maintain that fake nobility courtesy and politeness. For the Second Prince's demands, you can politely decline. As long as you have the strength, the Second Prince will have to swallow his pride and won't dare do anything to your Norton family..." Count Kemaies disagreed with Lorist's decision.
"That's too much trouble. Better to let him choose for himself—either become the Norton family's enemy, or treat us as strangers. Either way, our Norton family remembers our ancestral precept: to guard the Northland frontier for the Empire. We have no interest in their power struggles and life-and-death games. As long as they don't provoke us, we're fine," Lorist said.
"Sigh, your family really is something else. Times of chaos are upon us—flames of war rising everywhere—this is the moment for heroes to make their mark. Does your Norton family truly have no ambition at all?" Count Kemaies looked at Lorist as he spoke.
Lorist shook his head: "Our family has no such ambition. We just want to live in peace in Northland. We have no desire to join the game of vying for the world. That's not something a small family like ours can afford to play. One misstep and it's the end—death and destruction for the entire clan. My only wish is to pass on the family's glory. That is my duty and obligation as the head of the household. As for your Kemaies family—with deep roots as the former Empire's largest construction consortium, you should have the opportunity to take a gamble."
"Haha, brother, you flatter us too much. Our Kemaies family doesn't have the nerve to compare roots with your Norton family. To be honest, we just want to stand on the winning side. We're still watching and placing our bets," Count Kemaies said with a laugh.
Lorist laughed as well: "If you find a good candidate, remember to let me know. Don't hog all the profits. Enough chatter. You made a special detour here on your way to Gildusk—just tell me what business you have."
"Seeing you is the business. First, the Second Prince asked me to invite you to come to Gildusk together, which you've already declined. Second, I'm here to inform you that the batch of green glass and oil glass you ordered will arrive in half a month. You'll need to make preparations for hauling and storage in advance. Also, my father asks whether you'd like green vine resin—we can sell you fifty thousand barrels at a discounted price. If you're short on funds, you can trade iron armor for it. Our family will purchase at a premium." Count Kemaies spoke with a serious expression.
Lorist pondered for a moment and then smiled: "So in the end, your family is still after our iron armor. Tell me—how many do you want?"
Count Kemaies held up three fingers.
"Three thousand? That works," Lorist said.
"Three thousand? I want thirty thousand sets of iron armor," Count Kemaies said.
"What? Thirty thousand sets of iron armor? Forget whether your family can afford them—even if you could, what on earth does your family plan to do?" Lorist was extremely curious. At forty gold fordes per set, thirty thousand sets would total well over a million gold fordes. Were the Kemaies family planning to go bankrupt?
Count Kemaies let out a long breath: "We have no choice, brother. Our family has been forced into this. The biggest gain from uniting eastern Northland under our family was discovering a gold mine. Previously, those local lords had been mining it privately, but now that it's in our family's hands, with proper mining equipment and procedures, we can extract gold dust worth over two hundred thousand gold fordes per year. So brother need not worry about our family's ability to repay. You can even send people to inspect the mine and verify my claims.
The Iblia Kingdom's First Corps has a roster of about fifty-six thousand. To avoid being oppressed by the Second Prince's military force and becoming his personal treasury when the time comes, our family has decided to establish its own family armed corps of thirty thousand to protect eastern Northland from the Second Prince's encroachment."
Count Kemaies gave a bitter smile: "Chaos has arrived. Without a reliable family army, we live in constant jeopardy. If the Second Prince decides to move against us, eastern Northland would face a pincer attack from two directions. You should know that the iron-chain bridge our family built leads to the Pastoral Province controlled by the Grand Duke of Fisablen—which is rather like weaving our own cocoon, adding yet another direction from which enemies can come...
That's why our family has decided to invest heavily in building a reliable family military force, and to spend generously on equipping it, so it can serve as our family's military backbone and guarantee of survival. But as you know, the Iblia Kingdom's only two iron mines and forges are in the Second Prince's hands, making it very difficult for iron armor and weapons to reach us lords. Northland lacks iron, and the only one who can provide our family's forces with quality equipment is you, brother. Whatever it takes, you must help our family this time. I'm begging you..."
Count Kemaies formally bowed to Lorist.
Lorist stroked his chin and began to think. After a long while, he nodded: "I agree to sell your family equipment for thirty thousand men. The specific price will need to be negotiated with Sir Shrade. My thinking is that your family can pay for this batch of weapons and equipment with grain and materials instead of cash. If you need them, I can also provide you with a batch of military crossbows manufactured by the former Imperial Armory—roughly a hundred or so..."
...
Count Kemaies stayed at Stone Fortress for five days, haggling fiercely with
After seeing Count Kemaies off, Fatty Shi let out a long sigh of relief: "We've finally managed to sell off more than half of the iron armor and weapons that the northbound caravan brought back. If only another Count Kemaies would show up. The equipment we currently use is all standard-issue White Lion Corps gear—those iron armor sets are both useless to us and taking up space. Last time we even considered melting them down..."
Lorist laughed: "Don't worry. After the new year, I guarantee business will be booming. Count Kemaies said the Second Prince plans to raise a corps of fifty-six thousand in the Northland Grand Duchy next year. For the sake of their own survival, every Northland lord with any wealth will be desperately arming themselves, lest they become a morsel on the Second Prince's plate..."
...(To be continued.)