Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 119 The Marquis of Corns
In the cold wind, a group of people with a complex and strange composition walked in a long procession on the road to Dragon Sky City.

Although they escaped the misfortune of being kidnapped and taken to Dragon Sky City, the next day, Nikolai's White Blade Guards still "invited" them—the Starry Sky Envoy—out of the Black Sand Territory's escort area without explanation, and then "escorted" them closely to Dragon Sky City.

The Black Sand Territory's army followed slowly and orderly on both sides and behind, while Kanbida and Tuleha continued to diligently send out scouts to confirm the safety of the surrounding roads.

The White Blade Guard—a group of masked elite soldiers—were aloof, taciturn, rude, and unapproachable. On several occasions, they nearly got into fights with the Starry Sky soldiers due to shoving and pushing.

"...The resurgence of the Starry Sky family's royal lineage, ensuring the Starry Sky Kingdom has a successor, is of great significance to the entire Western Continent... What I mean is, the change of ruling family could bring years of unrest to Starry Sky, something the entire Western Continent, including us—the people of Cornmas—do not want to see..." The middle-aged marquis with a golden ponytail, elegantly mounted on his horse, spoke with a kind smile to the second prince of the Starry Sky Kingdom:

“Thank you very much for your concern, Your Excellency Marquis Slays of Shanliu City.” Thiels, stiffly seated on his horse, nodded to the guest from the Commas Alliance with an equally stiff smile.

However, this uninvited guest seemed to be quite familiar with everyone.

Thales thought the smile on his face was like those neatly dressed, respectful, and attentive "local guides" for first-time visitors to Yongxing City at the west gate of Yongxing City—there were quite a few such young men or tomboys in the Black Street Brotherhood. They often had good working relationships with beggars and thugs, and when they found a suitable target, they would decisively strike. The best outcome for those guests was to be swindled out of their money in a daze, the next best was to have their wallets stolen, and the worst was to be robbed in some dark alley. Of course, the worst outcome... you wouldn't want to know.

"Watch out, kid," a lazy voice came from beside Thales, "The Commas people approached you for no reason, they must have something on their mind, it's either for money or... for... for... Achoo!"

As Ada spoke, she supported Thales's mount, sneezed loudly, and pitifully rubbed her nose.

“Ada, are you alright?” Thales asked worriedly. “You’ve been sickly ever since we entered the North.”

"Don't bother! This little temperature is nothing!" The elf waved his hand roughly to the left front forty-five degrees, not caring about the rudeness of the gesture: "Back in the day, I carried a greatsword on my shoulder and roamed the wild mountains, carrying heads in my hand as I fought against the Feast Territory... Achoo!"

“Sigh,” Thales sighed, “I’ll add another campfire for you tonight.”

“This lady who hides her beauty under her cloak must have misunderstood something,” Marquis Slay laughed nonchalantly. “Although the Commas Alliance is famous for its trade, we are not short-sighted people who deliberately flatter for immediate gains. We value long-term interests and mutual benefit... Only such business can be done and last long.”

"Therefore, if I have any ulterior motives, it is your friendship, Your Highness Thales."

Ada snorted: "The people of Cornmas are all liars, not a single one of them is any good—especially in Shanliu City."

On the other side of the horse, Rolf awkwardly scratched his head, while the Marquis Slay on horseback smiled without saying a word.

“That might be too biased,” Wyatt said, shaking his head as he held tightly to the reins of Thales’ mount to prevent it from suddenly leaping out of control (“Alas, I must have been given the ‘Horse’s Enemy’ aura.” – The Second Prince’s mad ramblings). “There are also some Cornmas people in the Tower of the End. Although most of them are from poor backgrounds in the Cornmas Alliance, in terms of ability and personality, I think they are about the same as us and Exter’s apprentices.”

“Thank you for speaking up,” Marquis Slays said with a smile, “Your Excellency Attendant Cassel.”

“That’s because you haven’t—achoo—met the worst of them yet.” Ada sneezed again, hands on her hips, annoyed. “I guarantee you’ll never forget them.”

"So, you've encountered a Commas person like this before, Ada?" Thales asked curiously.

“Yes,” Ada spat viciously, “a vile liar, a pretentious fellow! A smooth talker, an opportunist… Achoo!”

The elf blew its nose and shrank back.

Thales shrugged.

It seems they were fooled by the people from Commas.

They really fooled me quite a bit.

He turned his gaze back to the man before him, Marquis Sila Bemula, from Shanliu City on the western side of the continent and a member of the Comas Alliance.

“I’ve heard that the Commas Alliance is a kingdom of merchants, Your Excellency,” Thales asked slowly, “Is that true?”

“Of course… many people understand it this way, and I can’t say that such a description is entirely wrong,” Srace said happily as if suddenly energized when he heard the prince ask the question. “But it’s all due to history, my prince, history.”

“History? I’ve heard that,” Thales said, his interest in researching and exploring also piqued. “The Commas Alliance, a nation formed by several city-states after the final war? A nation that started with commerce?”

"So this has forged your traditions and foundation?"

“To be precise, we are not a country, at least not a traditional one,” Marquis Slays said slowly, looking at Thales’ expression. “After the final war, four western cities of the Western Continent formed an alliance to help each other in the chaotic world and try to protect themselves. Among them was Shanliu City, located in the southwest of Exter and the northwest of the Great Desert. This is the origin of the Commas Alliance.”

"We lack resources and foundation, and are sandwiched between several powerful forces. Commas can only seek survival through trade, using a free environment and lenient tax policies to support our merchants to go out and make a living, and to act as transporters of goods and resources for the major powers, struggling to survive as intermediaries. From this perspective, we are indeed a nation of merchants."

“However,” Marquis Slays changed the subject, “although these cities belong to the Cornmas Alliance, they operate independently and are governed by themselves. Besides the Alliance Public Law, each city has its own laws and regulations, its own ruling family, its own customs and traditions, and of course, its own unique characteristics. For example, I am representing Shanliu City in this mission to Exter. In this respect, we are not like a single country, but more like a mutual aid organization of merchants.” “But you are called an alliance, aren’t you?” Thales couldn’t help but press, his interest piqued. “Shouldn’t you at least have the appearance of an alliance? Like a supreme authority to which each city obeys?”

“Of course,” Srace chuckled, “The so-called Supreme Council of Cornass is responsible for allocating resources within the alliance and coordinating relations between city-states—at least nominally, and many people believe so, but reality is always more bizarre than imagined… much more bizarre.”

Shrew shook his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“But I still hear that the power of Commas should not be underestimated.” Thales drew upon his knowledge reserves—most of which Gilbert had taught him in just one month: “Commas is rich and prosperous…you are the ‘money bag of the West.’ Some people put you alongside Star and Exter, calling you the three strongest powers of the West.”

“A money bag?” Srace said with a wry smile. “Do you really think that’s a good nickname?”

Thales shrugged.

Ok.

That's certainly not a good nickname, just as no one would be happy to be called "fat sheep".

"The effort we have put into navigating and protecting ourselves among various countries over the past few centuries has consumed a great deal of our energy."

"And a force not to be underestimated? Rather, it's a vast business network," Marquis Slays shook his head. "As I just said, the Watchmen's Alliance has grown bigger and bigger, and its business has expanded further and further."

"Thus, the four small cities became four city-states, and new cities gradually joined our alliance. Now, the Commas Alliance has sixteen independently operating commercial city-states, and our trade routes cover the entire western continent."

"The entire western continent? How did you do that?" Thales asked curiously. "Could you explain it to me in detail?"

"It's not as exaggerated as you might imagine. These are all routes pioneered by the sixteen city-states themselves." Marquis Slayth grinned as he drew a cane from his saddle and traced lines in the air:

“From the city of Qiyuan in Exter and the territory of Weilan in the north, to the Kingdom of Allenbia in the Thornland and the Duchy of Anrenzo in the Dragon's Kiss in the south, and to the White Mountains and the Free Alliance in the east, and even the western edge of the Great Desert, this is the direct route of our land caravans—the places we can visit along the way cover a small half of the western continent, and even the left half of the entire continent is within our reach.”

The Marquis continued, beaming with excitement:

"Our western port, bordering the Devil's Sea, extends the business of the Commas Alliance even further: to the west lie the Devil's Three Islands, the Kingdom of Allenbia, the Tarundi Co-government, and other western coastal states; while to the south, after crossing the Despair Sea to the Long Corridor Sea, lie the Duchy of Norton, the Duchy of Anrenzo, the Long Corridor Islands, the Duchy of Sera, and other southern coastal states."

"If a fleet's trading ambitions extend beyond this, they will continue eastward, sailing out of the Long Corridor Sea, across the Misty Sea and the Fog Sea, directly to Changqing Island, a wealthy island isolated in the southwest overseas under the rule of the Shukader family, one of the thirteen noble families of the Star Kingdom. They will even sail eastward, passing through the Crystal City built on Crystal Island by the Western Sea Merfolk, following the Star Kingdom's maritime trade routes, to the End Sea and even the Eastern Continent—in this way, the right half of the continent will also be included in the Alliance's trade routes."

“That sounds impressive,” Thales frowned, then said seriously, “Your influence spans the entire continent… that’s no exaggeration.”

"On the contrary," Marquis Slays shook his head and said, "The Commas Alliance only has city defense teams subordinate to the major city-states, without a unified military force, so launching a war is absolutely impossible—the infighting in the joint council alone could last for three years."

"Because we rely on trade for survival, even as nobles, we must go out to explore and trade. When I was thirteen, I went to the Kingdom of Allenbia for the first time with my father, where our family's caravan was detained."

Rolf, riding beside his mount, walked through the snow, his fist slightly clenched.

"So you can understand now, right? I'm genuinely happy about the re-establishment of Prince Xingchen. It means that Xingchen, a great power in the western continent, is stable and secure," the Marquis shook his head. "...Even in Exter, where the system of electing a king has become the norm, once the throne rotates to a new grand ducal family...for example, from the Walton family in Dragon Sky City to the Pefit family in Beacon City, or to the Olesh family in Weyland Territory, it's a significant upheaval. Our established trade routes and long-term commercial agreements have to be reconsidered or even completely overturned based on the ruling order and customs of different families. Not to mention a traditional and rule-bound country like Xingchen, or a long-standing hereditary royal family like Radiant Star."

“So, as such, our business is often plagued by the ever-changing situations in various countries and regions,” Srace sighed deeply. “If there are any nobles who are having a harder time than commoners, remember to vote for Commas.”

"Hmph, serves you right," Ada sneered. "Want to make money and be comfortable at the same time? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

“What you say is truly wise, madam,” Marquis Slays sighed, tucking his cane back into the saddle. “So you see, at thirty-eight I still have to go out and make a living.”

“So it’s only natural that you came to see me,” Thales chuckled dryly. “Is it to expand your future business connections in StarCraft?”

“It’s for friendship,” Srace winked amusedly. “Of course, if you have any—I mean any—needs outside your kingdom, please let me know.”

Marquis Slade laughed and said, "As a marquis of a small city, I have no other talents, but I do have some connections and influence in various countries."

“Wait, a marquis?” Thales frowned. “A duke, viscount, baron… but I don’t seem to have heard of a marquis title.”

Hearing this, Srace looked at Thales with a helpless expression.

(End of this chapter)