kingdom of nations

Chapter 250 Golden Crown
After the wise men of Nalsatha returned to their city, they sent their students to find Lego and ask him to come to the synagogue of Isaac.

If someone from Bethlehem were standing here, or a longtime friend of Lego, they would be astonished by his transformation. Lego was once short and stout, like a plump and juicy fruit. But after being expelled from Bethlehem, or perhaps due to a high fever, he rapidly lost weight—a process so swift that his skin didn't tighten with the loss of fat. He now appears as a loose, sagging shell, as if a devil had sucked away all the fat from his body. Yet, admirably, instead of succumbing to despair, he has become even more competitive.

Ultimately, what allowed him to escape was the soap he had been forced to buy from the merchants in Apollo. Although he found a good buyer for the soap, the money he received was far from enough to start a business again, especially since his family's move to Nareza meant he would have to buy or rent shops and houses again.

Although according to the teachings of the Isaacs they should help each other, and indeed two Isaacs were willing to lend Lego a sum of start-up capital—no matter what he did, he would have two more chances to fail—Lego did not accept their kindness. Instead, he used the money he earned from trading soap to establish a small caravan and then went without hesitation to Syria, which had become a deadly vortex.

Not to mention his companions, his clansmen, his daughter and son-in-law, they all repeatedly advised him not to take this risk. Even though he once had a pass issued to him by the Grand Vizier and the Sultan, now that the people who issued the pass to him were dead, no one knew whether the pass was still valid.

Moreover, from Damascus to Apollo, war rages everywhere. Those who are lucky enough to win can occupy cities and villages, while the defeated are reduced to bandits. Now, on those ancient, interconnected roads, there are probably more bloodthirsty wolves than lambs they are about to hunt.

Lego ignored everyone's advice. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and made a desperate gamble, investing all his last remaining funds in this extremely dangerous business venture.

He was gone for several months and did not return, so people thought he was dead. Unexpectedly, he returned one morning, not empty-handed and disheveled—or rather, somewhat wretched but full of energy—he brought several camels with them, the backs of which were piled high with goods.

Can you guess what that is?
Apollo's most famous perfume soap.

At this time, due to the war in Syria, this fragrant, light-colored perfumed soap that could moisturize the skin was hard to find, whether in Arrass, Ak, Cyprus, or even Alexandria and Constantinople. This kind of thing was not like the spices, sugar, salt that were necessary in daily life. Some big merchants may have noticed that this kind of goods were in short supply, but they always hesitated, not knowing whether they should hire soldiers to escort them to purchase this kind of goods.

After all, soap is not like other goods. It needs to be stored for a period of time after it is made in order to be truly saponified. In this era of information cutoff, no one knows how much of it the makers of Apollo have left.

If you spend a lot of money on travel expenses and even risk your life, only to end up with a few dozen boxes of perfume soap, that would be a joke that could be talked about until the end of the world.

Lego saw this as an opportunity that ordinary traveling merchants couldn't achieve, and that big merchants disdained to pursue. Although the caravan had gone through several setbacks on its journey from Nalissa to Apol, he was clever. He promised to bring the Saracen officials, generals, or sultan what they wanted—after more than a year of fighting, not only did the Christians need what the Saracens needed, but the Saracens also needed what the Christians needed.

Soap makers are also worried. Soap is not bread. In times of turmoil, this expensive luxury item is worthless. If the finished soap is not sold quickly, it may spoil because the storage requirements cannot be met.

At this point, Le Gao arrived, and the price he offered was not low at all, almost the same as before Nur ad-Din's death—but he also had a request, asking the merchants of Apol to obtain a pass for him from the Queen Mother and the current Sultan.

Of course, if this pass had fallen into the hands of a crucial figure, it probably wouldn't have been very convincing. But Le Gua was just a merchant, and even for the sake of the deceased Nurdin—the "Light of Faith"—those people, though they had tried to extort and blackmail him, had ensured the safety of Le Gua's life and the integrity of his goods.

The perfumed soaps he brought back were sold out on the very first day. Lego used the money to buy the Saracens what they needed, and then went to Apollo almost without stopping. Such courage is truly admirable, and even Christians believe that Lego's ability to regain his footing in Nalazar was indeed due to his own reasons.

However, when the wise men of Nal'azar summoned Lego, they were still worried that he might be dissatisfied with his people because of what had happened in Bethlehem.

Although the Isaacs of Bethlehem blamed Legault, in reality, Legault only offered suggestions, and the final decision was made by the wise men. The participants were also volunteers; they simply couldn't bear the loss of their property and the threat to their lives, so they found Legault to be the culprit.

They divided up Legault's assets in Bethlehem, seized his house, and plundered his shops and connections. It's fair to say that even without the prince and César's decree, Legault would not have been able to continue living in Bethlehem.

Fortunately, Le Gao's attitude was quite respectful. He bowed deeply as he entered, then stood aside without saying a word, waiting for the wise man to state his request.

That's right. The wise man thought to himself, no matter what, Lego was an Isaac. No matter how well he did, how devout he appeared, or even if he converted, the Christians would not believe him. Even if his people devoured his property, at least his life was safe, and besides, when he came to Nal'azar, it was the people of Isaac and the synagogue of Isaac who welcomed him.

The task he assigned to Lego was indeed somewhat unreasonable—and Lego shouldn't have been sent. Didn't Narcissa have anyone who could speak with Princess Hibil? Of course not.

Princess Hibernath may have been too arrogant to pay any attention to any Isaac, but her husband Abigail was easy to approach, as long as there was wine, gambling, and women.

Lego accepted the order and returned quickly, but his request was equally troublesome. He said that Princess Hibil was willing to test the king's intentions for them. However, as a deposit, she wanted a golden crown, one that was no less magnificent in weight, size, or style than the one the Cypriots of Isaac had offered to the Venetian woman.

“I have never seen such a greedy witch! Who does she think she is?” an Isaac couldn’t help but curse. The reason why the Isaacs of Cyprus offered a crown inlaid with rubies as their first offer was because they wanted the right to tax the entire island in the future.

It could be said that if they could become Cesare's tax farmers, they could recoup all their costs in just one year, and perhaps even make a profit. However, the princess had no real power and was not valued by the king. But she herself did not think so. The Isaacs just wanted to see if there was any room for redemption, and that's why she offered such a price.

“Then can we refuse?” another person sneered. The wise man opened his mouth, but then remained silent.

If they had known of Hibil's greed before Lego went to test him, they might have been able to pretend nothing had happened. But now that they had made the request and received a response, the golden crown was something they had to give him no matter what.

“Lego…” a merchant called out suggestively. Lego wasn’t there—his meaning was clear: he wanted to do what the merchants in Bethlehem did, to shift the blame onto Lego and make him pay for the crown. But the wise man simply waved his hand. “That was also our oversight.” To be honest, Lego’s current appearance always made him somewhat worried. “Let him bear half the responsibility. He can be in charge of the gold base. We’ll be in charge of finding better gems.”

Although the wise man's words seemed quite fair on the surface, several people present were already laughing inwardly. What kind of fairness was this? There were at least fifty merchants sitting in the hall, while Lego was only one person, and the value of the gemstone was roughly equal to the gold base.

This is equivalent to saying that there are fifty people sitting on one side of the scale, and only one Lego sitting on the other side.

But when they remembered that the two Isaac merchants who had agreed to lend money to Lego were students of this wise man, they immediately understood. It seemed to be a warning to Lego.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"You saw that Isaac?"

"Why not? He brought me a golden crown, heavier and more expensive than the one they brought to that Venetian woman."

Hibil said cheerfully. Abigail couldn't help but look over. Although his love for Hibil and marriage hadn't stopped him from having affairs, how could those roadside flowers compare to even a fraction of the jewels on the crown? The reason he deliberately avoided Hibil was because he didn't want to see his wife's mocking gaze.

He knew he might not have the talent or courage to be a knight, but his identity and bloodline destined him to never be a scholar or a merchant. He disappointed his father and his wife, especially after the death of his child, which made him even more volatile.

She often beat and insulted her maids at will, and her husband Abigail also suffered a lot, especially when Hibern mocked his performance in bed, he could only seek affirmation and comfort from other women.

But today, Hibil seemed to be in a particularly good mood. She even took out the crown in front of Abigail and held it with her slender fingers, saying, "What are you doing standing there? Come and help me put it on."

Abigail seemed like a young man seduced by a sea nymph, and walked forward involuntarily.

He took the golden crown from Hibil's hands, and his hand involuntarily sank in; it was indeed quite heavy. Then he carefully placed the crown on Hibil's head. His abundant, dark hair supported the crown like a brocade base. The crown was not set with rubies, but with sapphires as blue as frozen lakes, each one larger than a thumbnail.

Besides the sapphire, pearls and white crystals also served as a backdrop, making the golden crown even more dazzling and hard to look at directly. But even more beautiful than it was Hibil. Even after suffering a severe blow, Hibil's appearance was still so stunning. Looking at her, Abi probably felt like he couldn't breathe.

Hiberl turned her head and saw Abigail's expression. She smiled slightly, stood up, took his hand, and pushed him to the bedside until he fell onto the bed.

Abi was flattered and wondered why Hibil was being so enthusiastic.

“That Venetian woman has a child,” these words instantly dragged Abigail from the peak of expectation into the abyss of disappointment. But before he could explode, Hibil continued, “She may have a boy, she may have a girl, but in any case, I will not let that bastard be more important than our child.”

"Our children?"

“Yes, he came, though he left in a hurry, but I believe he will come again.” Hibil’s eyes blazed with a fiery light as he pressed his hands firmly against Abigail’s chest.

“We should love each other, Abigail, for our child is the true heir of Allazarus. No one but him can take that position from my brother.”

She crouched down, like a raging she-wolf ready to snap Abigail's neck at any moment. "Then you will be the Regent, and I will be the Regent Queen. This is the path our father and your father paved for us together, and it is our right, which we were born with."

“Yes…yes!” Abigail gasped, staring intently at Hibil, his eyes glazed over, his mouth dry. Hibil wanted to bite his throat, and so did Abigail.
He suddenly sat up, grabbed Hibyl's long hair, and pulled her towards him.

The golden crown fell off the bed and hit the ground with a crisp tinkling sound, but no one paid it any attention now. It rolled half a circle on the ground before disappearing into the endless shadows.

(End of this chapter)