Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 718 Twenty-Eight Hours

"Therefore we failed."

Jenard, who was holding Jenny's hand, suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of many.

“In the bloody year, our Starshine Legion rushed to the aid of Blade's Edge,” Jenard raised his head, also looking up at the sky, full of emotion, “but we were utterly defeated, losing all our armor and weapons along the way.”

Morgan touched the hilt of his knife and frowned.

"Duke John didn't understand why the enemy's morale would soar every time he raised the Nine-Pointed Star flag, becoming fierce, angry, and fearless, comparable to the Northmen—now I understand, we guys who thought we were going to liberate Blade's Edge Territory and 'resist the enemy' were the real foreign forces."

Upon hearing this, the members of the Xinghu Guard fell silent.

Thales sat in the carriage, silent and with a grim expression.

Amidst the unfamiliar gazes of the surrounding crowd, they walked listlessly through the unfamiliar streets of Emerald City, their spirits dampened and the atmosphere oppressive.

But Thales soon realized that the Ruhsan Street incident had far-reaching implications, and that the challenges he would face during his term would go far beyond that.

"This is certainly not a coincidence."

A few hours later, Grover and Miranda returned from outside, bringing Thales the firsthand, direct truth, unmasked and unobscured by any official power:

"It's inevitable."

It turns out that the two groups that clashed were not thugs. On the contrary, they were ordinary people. One side consisted of coachmen from the carriage and horse guild, most of whom were locals from the south bank. They drove horses and carriages through the streets of Emerald City to deliver goods and pick up passengers. The other side consisted mainly of immigrants from other places, many of whom were porters and laborers at the docks and warehouses, as well as cleaners and latrine carriers, making a living by selling their pure labor.

The two groups, from different social classes and backgrounds, crossed paths due to their business dealings, which led to some friction and past clashes. However, under the strict laws of Emerald City, both sides exercised extreme restraint, at most causing each other trouble, but never daring to cross the line, let alone engage in a bloody fight in the most bustling streets, until…

“In the past, when they had conflicts, their respective leaders would sit down and negotiate,” Miranda said in a deep voice. “But it is said that the leader of the rickshaw pullers has recently disappeared. As for the other group of porters, they are all temporary workers who come and go. They don’t have any leaders. They only give face to the head of the latrine cleaners, and he is the only one who can speak for them.”

Golov nodded, his voice heavy:
"That guy's name is Roger, nicknamed 'Dung Ball'..."

“One of the leaders of the Blood Bottle Gang,” Thales frowned, “the one who died in the infighting?”

Glov nodded slightly.

"As for today's incident, we do not yet have concrete evidence to prove whether the conflict between the two sides was truly escalated due to an accident, or whether there were unknown forces behind it stirring things up, but..." Miranda added.

“There’s no difference now,” Golov shook his head. “I know these guys. After the Blood Bottle Gang incident, neither side had a leader or anyone who could speak up, let alone anyone to mediate. It was only a matter of time before a fight broke out. I just didn’t expect it to escalate to this extent…”

Thales fell silent.

He suddenly realized:

The infighting within the Blood Bottle Gang that Golov and Rolf witnessed, which ousted Catherine from her position, was significant for far more than just a power grab or revenge.

"So whether it's a coincidence or intentional, this whole thing started because of me—it was destined to happen ever since the Blood Bottle Gang fell into chaos."

Grover and Miranda exchanged a glance, hesitant to speak.

Thales took a deep breath and forced a smile at them to reassure them.

In the following days, His Highness the Prince tirelessly shuttled between the study, council hall, reception room, and several government offices in the outer palace of Kongming Palace, inspecting and comforting officials, meeting with them, reassuring the people, and issuing orders. Whenever he finally sat down, thinking he could take a short break, a huge pile of documents and letters would appear on his desk, requiring him to read them, write replies, sign and seal them, and write letters back without stopping, leaving him no time to even have a quiet lunch.

And yet, new unexpected events always seem to pop up—like the tragedy on Ruezein Street just now—suddenly intruding into his already limited schedule:
Exhausted, Thales gritted his teeth and thought:

Was Jann always this busy as a city lord and duke?
However, misfortune never comes singly. Just a few hours after the prince returned to the palace, several officials rushed in with another report:
Prices vary in the Jade City, and market conditions change.

The issue was first discovered by a tax collector when he was collecting fees from vendors. His targets—merchants—whether they were itinerant vendors who had come from surrounding towns or even further afield to sell their goods at the festival, or large shops and small vendors who had stockpiled goods hoping to make a small profit from tourists, had begun a vicious price war among themselves.
We're both selling textiles, but if you lower your price by two coppers, I'll lower mine by three coppers; if you offer a discount on two items together, I'll offer three items...

At first, such incidents occurred sporadically, confined to a circle of four or five competitors in the same market. However, after the tragedy on Rue de Rue, similar situations occurred in markets in several districts.

After a long day of work, Thales had to suppress his fatigue and listen to the marketing officer's report, his expression growing increasingly serious.
Soon, whether itinerant merchants, workshops, or even large merchant groups, everyone followed suit and began to sell off their goods in bulk. From grains and vegetables to spices and cosmetics, from local specialties to ocean-going goods, the prices of almost all commodities, textiles, handicrafts, luxury goods, and necessities on the market in Jade City plummeted...

It wasn't until several market supervision officials noticed something was wrong and started investigating that they realized something was amiss:

Rumors began circulating in the city at some point, saying that the upheaval on Ruchsan Street was just the beginning, and that given Duke Starlake's aversion to even drinking, the political turmoil in Emerald City would soon affect the market...

As a result, many merchants were scrambling to sell their goods and clear their inventory, even at a loss, to get cash. There was even a merchant ship, laden with luxury goods, en route to Emerald City. Upon hearing of the upheaval, the ship's owner was extremely anxious and hurriedly sent messenger crows to inform the warehouses to pre-sell the goods at half price or even lower to prevent losses due to unsold stock upon arrival.

"I heard that at the docks, some merchants even dump their unsold goods on the street for free, letting people pick them up or even throw them directly into the water." Miranda returned from making inquiries outside, her face ashen.

"These are panic sell-offs. People are worried about political turmoil and are pessimistic about the future market, so they want to make sure they have enough cash on hand in advance."

A few quarters of an hour later, the treasurer, Myrahovic, who had rushed to the scene after receiving the news, was calculating the accounts in the council chamber, his brow furrowed:
“But Your Highness, if this continues, Emerald City’s reputation and standing on the trade routes will only get worse and worse, and the market will only get worse and worse. With Emerald City’s prosperity, the income it relies on for its livelihood—transaction tax, property tax, and customs duties—will probably be cut in half.”

“If Emerald City’s annual revenue declines, and we can’t guarantee that next quarter’s revenue will exceed, or at least match, this quarter’s…” the tax official gritted his teeth. “Damn it, we’re counting on it to pay off our debts!”

Thales was completely bewildered.

"Gentlemen, this is only the mildest consequence," another experienced market official said, sweating profusely. "Listen to me, if this continues for a few more days, the news will spread, and merchants will lose the incentive to trade in Emerald City. Once most of the goods in the city have been sold off, and there's no more circulation of goods, the market will begin to decline, followed by shortages of supplies..."

"Then what do we do?" Wyman asked, his head throbbing.

"Allocate funds to stabilize prices and maintain market stability," General Manager Myrahovic said through gritted teeth. "The money problem can only be solved with money."

"What about our debts...?"

"Don't think about paying off the debt yet, let's get through this first!"

"If all else fails, just borrow more and use the new money to pay off the old debts..."

"Then the debt will just snowball..."

"First, ensure stable annual revenue. As long as the rule of Emerald City is secure, there will always be a way to resolve the debt..."

"Your Highness, I wonder if His Majesty has issued any decree or instructions on how to proceed?"

"Can Yongxing City provide some financial support?"

"If all else fails, how about waiving a portion of the taxes that need to be paid to the kingdom..."

The council chamber was in complete chaos, and Thales, who was overwhelmed by countless problems, became increasingly impatient. He lost his temper and ordered Marius to throw all the officials out.

“From finance to taxation, from the market to law enforcement, I can see that they haven’t done their best. They’re all just paying lip service, dragging their feet, and shirking their responsibilities,” Paul said, closing the council chamber door with a serious expression. “They’re even waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves.”

“After all, the former duke was only deposed yesterday, and in a rather unseemly manner,” Miranda sighed. “It’s understandable.”

"If they've done a poor job, can we make an example of them and punish them?" Morgan scoffed.

“They didn’t openly disobey orders, nor did they speak rudely,” DD shook his head. “At most, they were perfunctory and irresponsible, which is far from a crime.”

“It doesn’t apply to ordinary people,” Morgan made a fierce gesture, “but to these officials… humph.”

“Be careful, everyone,” Wyatt said, holding his notebook. “When faced with setbacks and disasters, it is often easiest to blame others, especially the weak who are in positions of power below us and have no power to resist.”

He gave the crowd a warning look:
As stated in "The Strategies of Wise Rulers": "Abandoning the difficult for the easy is often the origin of tyranny."

"Oh, is it another reference book for the Royal Guard's entry test?" DD picked at his ear.

"Uh, no, this is my own extracurricular reading material."

"And it's still extracurricular reading?"

Sitting in the main seat, Thales rubbed his forehead, lamenting his dwindling energy. Hearing their conversation, he managed a rare smile.

But before Wyman could finish speaking, he was interrupted again.

This time, the person who came was the commander of the Emerald Legion, a Seychelles Knight and Captain.

The Xinghu Guard immediately tensed up and stood ready for battle.

Fortunately, the Seychelles knight who entered the hall merely glanced at the crowd with disdain before, as was customary, disarming himself and handing his weapons to old Genard, then bowing respectfully before reporting to Duke Thales:

The Emerald Legion discovered at all the major outposts throughout the city that travelers, guests, and merchants attending the Emerald Festival were packing their belongings one after another, preparing to leave the city. As a result, the ports and land routes of Emerald City were crowded with people and blocked.

Thales let out a long sigh.

More bad news.

Everyone has eyes, and such actions spread like wildfire. The crowds rushing to leave the city quickly spread rumors that Duke Jann's imprisonment and the tragedy on Ruhsan Street were just the beginning. Soon, the Palace of the Sky would issue more measures to thoroughly investigate the murder of the young duke and the death of the old duke. At that time, the entire Emerald City would be in turmoil, and Prince Thales's anger would surely burn fiercely.

Thales frowned more and more as he listened.

Under these circumstances, more and more people are rushing to leave the city. Boat owners and carriage owners have become highly sought after, and the prices of boat tickets and carriages to leave the city are being driven up. Scams such as selling tickets and taking the opportunity to raise prices are happening frequently, which is putting increasing pressure on the security of Emerald City. The Guard Hall and the Emerald Legion are complaining bitterly.

"This is bad," Thales thought. "If things continue like this, the decline and fall of the Emerald City—in his hands—will only accelerate and become inevitable."

Damn!

“It’s not just travelers and guests from outside; I’ve heard that many locals, and even quite a few nobles, are packing their bags, planning to leave Emerald City for a while to avoid trouble,” Kommuto added quietly from the side.

“Misfortune? What misfortune? A calamity?” Thales asked helplessly.

“People are worried that the situation in Emerald City will become unstable in the coming days,” the Seychelles knight stared intently at him, “especially after the coup.”

Yeah, as if I'm not worried at all.

“But it wasn’t a coup, it was just…” Thales explained weakly.

“I know, it’s just a temporary personnel change in the administrative leadership of Emerald City, right?” Seychelles said coldly.

Thales sighed.

Why didn't he become a government official?
"Alright, now that the people are panicking and rushing to leave the city, how do we handle this..."

Seychelles nodded:

“We can restrict the movement of people, for example, by setting up checkpoints at entrances and exits to prevent them from leaving the city…”

"No!" Thales and Marius stopped him in unison.

The prince and the watchman exchanged a glance. “But we can’t let this continue; panic will spread,” Marius said calmly.

Thales nodded:

“We have to do something to calm people down and dispel their doubts.”

The prince sighed, his headache growing stronger.
“Wyatt, take my warrant to the city hall and urge them to post a notice announcing: Starting tomorrow, the Emerald Festival will continue as usual. What’s the next event again?”

“A Night of Revelry,” Wyatt opened his notebook. “The main events take place at night. The Emerald City will light up its corridors with lights throughout the city, and the citizens will parade through the night to commemorate Hyman and Regina’s moonlit encounter amidst the chaos of war.”

"Holy crap, in all this chaos, and you're talking about meeting under the moon?" Thales cursed in a very unladylike manner, his face full of annoyance. "This is fucking romantic."

No one dared to answer.

"Also, I need to summon the important vassals currently in Emerald City, as well as the leaders of guilds and merchant groups. Their influence extends throughout the South Coast. I need to hold a fifth meeting with them to stabilize the market and, ideally, obtain a commitment... Seychelles Knight, are you still here?"

Thales looked up in confusion.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the Seychelles knight nodded slightly, his eyes sharp as swords:

"I heard that Your Highness intends to disband the Emerald Legion?"

Thales was taken aback.

"Where did this news come from? How is that possible..."

"Then why did the finance director misappropriate our expenses, even the promised overtime bonuses during the celebrations?" The Seychelles knight raised his voice.

The guards in the council chamber tensed up.

Thales paused for a moment upon hearing this.

“I assure you, Sir Seychelles, I knew nothing of this,” Thales took a deep breath, “but I think…”

“It seems the news is true,” Seychelles interrupted him, scoffing, “After Duke Janne lost power, Your Highness will have to divert funds from Emerald City to support Everstar City.”

Thales frowned.

Oops.

"And we, those who wield swords, those who write, those who engage in commerce... are the price to pay?" The Seychelles knight stepped forward slowly.

Marius stepped forward, speaking casually:

"Captain Seychelles, what are you doing?"

The Star Lake Guards around him looked hostile, and they all stood in formation with their hands on their weapons.

Seychelles glanced at Marius and narrowed his eyes.

“Sir Seychelles, I swear to you, I had no such intention,” Thales said earnestly, trying to ease the tension. “After all, the long-term peace and stability of Emerald City and even the South Bank Territory depends on the protection of the Emerald Legion.”

Seychelles remained silent for a moment.

“In that case, Your Highness, please show your sincerity and pay us our salaries from last month to ensure that my soldiers do not believe the rumors that they are about to lose their jobs,” Seychelles said coldly. “Moreover, my men have worked extra hard during the Emerald Festival, so it would be even better if they could receive an advance on this month’s salary as an incentive.”

“Hey! How dare you talk like that—” Neshi said indignantly, but Paul grabbed him and held him down.

“My brothers in the legion, though they have all shed blood and risked their lives, deserve a better life,” Seychelles ignored him, turned around and walked toward the door, snatching his weapon back from Genard’s hand. “Otherwise, Your Highness, you can find someone else to maintain order.”

After saying this, he walked out of the council chamber without any politeness or hesitation, leaving behind the door that slammed shut.

“Thor, please take my letter with you and go to the finance minister of the outer palace in person,” Thales said, rubbing his temples in anguish. “Besides the previous issues, tell them that no matter what, the expenses for the Emerald Legion cannot be reduced.”

Marius nodded slightly.

The people in the council chamber looked at each other in bewilderment, and DD, upon hearing this, spoke up in protest:

"Your Highness, don't be afraid of him. Besides, those incompetent officials in the Finance Department can't even keep proper accounts, and they're still racking their brains about how to raise funds to stabilize prices..."

“The root of the problem isn’t prices,” Thales shook his head wearily, feeling that everything happening was working against him. “No matter how much money we spend to stabilize prices, it’s useless.”

“Believe it or not, from finance and taxation to the market, and now to the security issue,” Marius nodded, “if the Emerald Legion changes course again, such as disobeying orders or turning a blind eye to security problems…”

Everyone tensed up.

“Now I understand these officials, I understand why they are so perfunctory and inefficient,” Thales sighed helplessly, forced to pick up his pen again to write a letter. “If you feel that your future is uncertain and your job is insecure, who the hell would be in the mood to work?”

Seeing His Highness in this state, Wyman was deeply worried, but he had no good solutions and could only slap his thigh in frustration:
"Damn it, why is everything going wrong today?"

"Because we're too big to be noticed?" DD shrugged.

“Because they did it on purpose.” Paul’s gaze was deep.

“Because here,” Miranda suddenly said, “we are all Exeterans.”

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and Thales' pen paused slightly as well.

“Exterians? What Exterians? Why are we Exterians…” Neshi looked around, completely bewildered, then her eyes lit up. “Oh, I get it, madam, you mean all this trouble is the work of the Yankees? Maybe there are spies among us? I know, the Scarlet Witch’s secret chamber, right!”

The young vanguard officer looked eager to try:
"So what should we do? Self-censorship? Counter-espionage? Target only northerners? Or foreigners?"

Miranda, a noblewoman from the North, sighed helplessly and gave up trying to explain.

The others were also divided into two groups; most were puzzled, while a few seemed thoughtful.

“Jernar,” Thales suddenly remembered something and asked softly, “how did you win?”

Jenard, who was scolding Willow at the entrance of the council chamber, paused upon hearing this and stepped forward:

"Prince Thales?"

“You said before that the Starshine Legion was utterly defeated when they first arrived at Blade's Edge Territory,” Thales put down his pen and paper. “So how did Duke John turn the tide and win?”

Jenard hesitated for a moment.

"run."

Everyone turned to look.

Jenard took a deep breath:

"We retreated, Your Highness, fleeing all the way, drawing the rebels in pursuit: from Blade's Edge Territory to Central Territory, and then to South Bank Territory. Over the months, we've honed our skills in running and hiding. One moment we're cooking soup over a fire, the next we're carrying a pot and running. Haha, we can even cook soup while running..."

"As for the enemy, the enemy is spreading like wildfire, growing stronger and stronger, with more and more people and their ambitions growing. The leader even wants to establish a kingdom and become king in Sodala City."

Jenner gradually lost in thought:
“When these rebels leave their homes and are no longer the local ‘insurgents’ that everyone sympathizes with, but the foreign ‘invaders’ that everyone hates, and become a real ‘foreign force’, then we can fight back and slowly reverse the decline.”

Thales' eyes flickered.

Jenard lowered his head, the nostalgia in his eyes turning into desolation:
"And then, they won."

The meeting room fell silent.

Neshi was completely confused, but Miranda's eyes lit up:
"Lady Sonia once told me, 'Where the enemy is, is what the enemy thinks; what the enemy thinks is confined to where the enemy is.' Changing the enemy by changing the battlefield—truly worthy of being called the God of War."

“Oh, no,” Jenard said, coming to his senses. “This was a summary by Duke John, but the strategy was originally conceived by one of his noble advisors. I remember he came from the Vora Territory on the south bank twenty years ago to join the army. He was very down on his luck, and his coat of arms was two towers stacked on top of a sword.”

Miranda was taken aback by what she heard.

“But this method,” Wyman couldn’t help but say, “abandoning land and luring the enemy deep into our territory… a lot of people will die along the way.”

In that instant, Jenard's high spirits vanished without a trace.

"Yes, quite a few people."

The veteran's face was ashen, and Willow, standing beside him, forced a smile to comfort him:

"Quite a bit."

Everyone sighed and shared their thoughts, discussing the brutal war from many years ago.

Only Thales pursed his lips, his eyes revealing an unreadable emotion.

An hour later, amidst the puzzled gazes of the Star Lake Guards, Thales stood in the corridor, watching the heavily guarded soldiers make way and open a door for him.

Thales took a deep breath.

He waved to his subordinates and stepped solemnly into the unusual room.

The door behind him slammed shut.

Inside the room, a man sat casually on a luxurious sofa, his back to him, pouring himself a drink.

"Twenty-eight hours."

Thales was taken aback by what he heard:

"what?"

The man chuckled softly.

"I mean, you waited until now to come find me..."

The Duke of the South Bank, Jann Kevin Deer, caught in the whirlpool, raised a glass of fine wine and looked back leisurely.

"Not bad, you lasted four hours longer than I expected."

(End of this chapter)