Chapter 158: The Five Kingdoms
Ever since the King shifted the topic to how to handle the matter, Duane, the person at the center of it all, found he had no opportunity to speak. It was as if the entire affair had nothing to do with him.
Then again, as a mere Little Baron, he could neither pressure Viscount Freddy nor influence the decision-makers of the Akutas Kingdom.
Aside from presenting the captive and giving his testimony, there seemed to be little else he could do.
Fortunately for Duane, his purpose in coming to the Royal Capital was to seek protection.
Now that his goal was achieved, he just needed to cooperate when necessary and listen quietly at all other times. There was no need to trouble himself further.
During the process, he did learn a bit more about the five kingdoms of the Shadow Mist Continent.
Of these five kingdoms, the strongest was the Kasa Kingdom in the north of the continent. Akutas ranked second, Pruck third, while the westernmost Asando Kingdom and Fidun Kingdom were roughly equal in strength.
The founding of all five kingdoms had been accompanied by decades of war.
Since the Kasa Kingdom and the Akutas Kingdom occupied the central part of the continent and bordered all the other nations, they had experienced disputes with all their neighbors.
Although the five kingdoms had now entered a relatively peaceful era, in reality, the Pruck Kingdom, Fidun Kingdom, and Asando Kingdom had closer ties with one another.
If the Akutas Kingdom were to go to war with any one of them, it would likely face a pincer attack.
The Fidun Kingdom had recently been causing intense trouble with Akutas over border issues. If Pruck were to stir things up in the east, Akutas would be forced to reconsider carefully and weigh the pros and cons.
This was the source of Eric and Kais’s confidence in this "extortion."
During their discussion, Kais revealed that he was already organizing warships to head for Flowing Silver Fjord.
This place was the strait between the Akutas Kingdom, the Starfall Islands, and the Pruck Kingdom’s Fernando Province.
This also made Duane realize that their negotiations were no longer just talk; corresponding deployments and actions had already begun.
Over an hour later, the meeting concluded, and King Eric invited Duane and Kais to join him for lunch.
By the time the two of them emerged from the Cyan Snake Fortress, it was already two or three in the afternoon.
Count Kais had to visit a friend, so he left directly after exiting the Royal Palace.
Duane was left staring at the walls of the Royal Palace, and a wave of relief washed over him.
"My lord."
Raymond and the others, who had been waiting outside the Royal Palace, approached. "Garrot has been successfully handed over to the Royal Palace Guard. Also, they just had us give a brief statement."
Duane nodded. They had already coordinated what to say and what not to say before leaving the island, so there was nothing to worry about.
"We’ve accomplished our goal for this trip to the Royal Capital. If you want to go have some fun, I can grant you two days of leave."
Raymond scratched his head. "I’d like to go home for a visit and deliver the pension for the guards who died. Also, some of the guards’ letters to their families need to be mailed."
Duane nodded. "The pension must be delivered. If his family is unwilling to come to Black Forest Island, then compensate them with five Gold Coins instead of the ten acres of land."
"Understood!"
Michele and a few other guards whose homes were near the Royal Capital also had the idea of going home, but they were too embarrassed to say so.
"Go on, then. Just be back within three days."
Duane waved his hand dismissively. "Those of you whose homes aren’t here can help Raymond with these matters. And tell your families that Black Forest Island will soon have its own fleet of ships. When that time comes, if your families want to settle on the island, we can bring them over at any time."
"Thank you, my lord!"
The group of guards thanked him profusely before leaving the Royal Palace.
Duane also mounted his horse and rode straight back to the Earl’s Mansion. Since there was nothing else to do, he began to absorb the potions that Michele had purchased at the Silent Shore two days prior.
There were fifteen bottles of the potion, priced at 35 Gold Coins each, for a staggering total of 525 Gold Coins!
The money he’d brought with him on this trip was nearly all spent; he only had about a hundred coins left.
Even including the funds he had left on the island, his total savings were barely approaching a thousand.
’If I sell the late-season rice, I could make a few hundred gold.’
Although he was short on cash, he had plenty of surplus grain.
He could even pay the wages of the laborers on the island with grain, since grain was currently a hard currency on Black Forest Island.
Duane allocated all his attribute points, raising his Strength Attribute to 34.8, which was close to the upper limit for the Human Tier.
Once he raised his Spiritual Power from its current 4.5, he would be able to break through and become an Earth Tier Warrior.
He looked at his attribute panel. Due to his current living situation, it was inconvenient to level up many of his Skills.
’I have to wait for those families to arrive over the next two days. Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well go for a ride and do some fishing.’
Duane had a servant from the Earl’s Mansion buy a few fishing rods and other tackle. The next morning, he rode his horse toward Lakefront Manor.
In just over half a year, Lakefront Manor had completely transformed.
The road here split into two paths. One, a packed dirt road, led to the Lakefront Secret Realm deeper in.
The other path led to Lakefront Manor itself. Its surface was paved with smooth bluestone slabs and lined with tall, broad-leafed trees, the neat rows exuding a sense of solemn dignity.
As Duane rode along, people constantly passed by. From their conversations, he gathered they were coming here to pray. It was likely some kind of ceremony for the Holy Radiance Court.
Duane rode his horse to what was once his home.
The castle had been completely renovated. Its once-gray walls were now a brilliant white, and a radiant Sun Emblem hung from the top of the tower.
And to one side of the castle, a new church had been built.
Duane saw warriors in uniform armor, guarding both the castle and the church.
He then saw a woman in a white robe using a Healing Technique to treat a wounded person who had been bitten by something.
From their grateful words, he gathered that the woman’s name was Lucien, and she was the Priest here.
"Sir!"
As Duane observed the scene, a warrior clad in Light Armor approached him. "Aren’t you going inside to pray?"
Duane shook his head. "I’m just passing by to take a look."
The man saluted. "It is best not to be on horseback in front of the church."
"Oh?"
Duane showed a hint of surprise. "Is there such a rule?"
But the man shook his head. "The Holy Radiance Court has no such rule. I just believe one should be pious before the church. Only then can you receive the Saint Master’s protection."
"Haha..."
Hearing this, Duane couldn’t help but shake his head with a soft laugh. He ignored the man, tugged on his reins, and urged his horse toward the lake.
This area near the shore was private land. He rode a few hundred meters farther, tied his horse to a tree, and took out his fishing tackle and bait to begin fishing.
He hadn’t fished much in the latter half of the year.
For one, this Skill leveled up slowly, much like his Basic Riding Skill.
For another, he didn’t know what sort of ability he would gain once its Skill Level was maxed out.
That was why he had lowered the priority of his Basic Fishing skill.
Duane began to chum the water.
Soon, a text prompt appeared before his eyes:
[You have fed a school of wheat fish. Skill Level +1]
Duane was unfazed by this kind of prompt. His Basic Breeding Skill Level also increased very slowly; this +1 was just a stroke of luck.
He finished chumming the spot, baited his hook, and began to fish.
He opened his attribute panel.
His current Basic Fishing Skill Level was Skilled (267/300), and Basic Breeding was Skilled (198/300). Both were still far from a breakthrough.
However, since he had been riding a lot recently, his Basic Riding Skill Level had already reached Mastery (392/400).
He planned to find a stable tomorrow for some intensive training. If he could successfully break through to the Perfection level, he might be able to become an Earth Tier Warrior sooner.
Meanwhile, inside the church, the Holy Light Priest, Lucien, clad in a white robe, sat cross-legged on a raised platform, slowly reciting the doctrines of the Holy Radiance Court.
A faint glow seemed to emanate from her body, inspiring awe in those who looked upon her.
Below, the people who had come to pray looked up at her, their faces full of piety as the Priest’s beautiful voice echoed in their ears.
It was as if a light shone in their eyes, and they felt themselves basking in the warmth of the Holy Light.
Lucien’s sermon today was on the subject of piety.
Only pious faith could earn the Saint Master’s protection, allowing one to master the Radiant Power and become a follower of light and justice.
As she repeatedly emphasized the importance of piety, the Light Armor Warrior who had just spoken with Duane stood up in the main hall.
"Priest!"
The abrupt voice interrupted the Priest’s words, causing her to frown slightly.
At the same time, the Guard Knights standing by became alert and began to close in on the man.
The man flinched, appearing somewhat timid, but having come this far, he could only brace himself and continue speaking:
"Please forgive my impertinence, Your Holiness the Holy Light Priest, but I just met a heretic outside the hall!"
"A heretic?"
Lucien’s brow furrowed slightly. ’The Pruck Kingdom doesn’t even have any other religions. Where would a heretic come from?’
Nevertheless, she patiently asked, "The Holy Radiance Court values love and integrity, believes in truth and piety. The Holy Radiance never protects a liar."
She looked him directly in the eye. "Follower, on what grounds do you claim he is a heretic?"
The man in light armor recalled Duane’s mocking laugh as he left, and he grew increasingly angry. "I don’t know him! I was just outside, advising him to be pious, and he laughed at me!"
He declared sharply, "He showed extreme contempt for faith in the Saint Master and for showing piety!"