Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"What leaked, the seawater?" Inasanese was even more grammatically unfamiliar than the grammar of the West, and Daisy didn't understand it at first.

“News,” Felix choked for a moment, “that this specialty has since become the specialty of the Earl’s territory instead of my own. Every full moon, those outsiders can drive away all the people under my jurisdiction—and they’re still not satisfied!”

"Do you see these people? They're not from the west. Some are knights under the Earl's command, and some are my colleagues. This battle isn't just about the Earl and his western neighbors fighting for trade routes; we're also fighting amongst ourselves."

"They tried to make me relinquish my fishing rights for a paltry monthly compensation—may they be consumed by the fires of hell forever!"

Reslaufer closed his eyes and looked at the phantom images of the knights around him—it seemed that Felix was destined not to fulfill this wish.

“What do you think, Annie?” the mercenary asked his employer. “If we leave him in the wilderness, we can avoid going in circles. We can go straight into Central Inasas, which will save us a lot of time, whether we find a place to stay in the center or go further east.”

"Hey! You can't leave me behind, that's not fair!" Felix exclaimed in alarm. There's no such thing as self-defense in Inasas. So many people died because of him; if he went back now, he'd be beheaded! And if he crossed the wilderness… how could he possibly cross the wilderness!

The roadside appeared to be an endless wasteland, but he knew all too well that the straight path home was lined with mountains and swamps, and monsters lurked everywhere! He wouldn't even know how he died!

“If we go with him, when will we be able to reach his territory?” Angelita asked after thinking for a moment.

“It won’t take too long, a week should be enough, around…” Felix’s eyes darted around, “...around the time of the full moon this month!”

Once those words were spoken, there was no need to guess Angelita's thoughts anymore.

“I must remind you, sir,” Mary said with a grim face, “that if Anne doesn’t make it there or see what you’re claiming, you should know the consequences.”

Margaret disliked the choice, but unlike others, she had no say or right to choose.

"We definitely can! We'll definitely see it!" Felix quickly agreed. He looked around and his eyes suddenly lit up. "These warhorses can be used as draft horses for now. With them, our speed will definitely be much faster!"

Some of the twelve knights' mounts were cut down by Raslaufer, and some were scattered, but the remaining two or three were more than enough to pull a carriage. Before anyone could react, Felix quickly gathered them together, removed their armor and all their insignia, and changed the class of his own horse along with them.

The druid, watching all this, couldn't help but sigh: it wasn't that he felt sorry for the horses, but rather that the nobleman's horse was hurling truly vile insults, and had also revealed the filthy things its master had done by cursing them twice earlier.

Felix never imagined that he would be completely sold out by a horse without even realizing it.

Having acquired some livestock for no reason, the group moved much faster. Along the way, Angelita and the others, who hadn't been in contact with these "high society people" for a long time, finally figured out the current situation in Inasas.

Since the fall of the Upper City of Treasure City, the gold coins of the Luvalu family have fallen out of favor as the main currency of Western Inasas overnight. Even the locals are eager to sell them, let alone outsiders. Although several families, such as Maple Spring, have re-established order in Treasure City, the Upper City has become the "inner city." Without the protection of Dionysus, Treasure City is unlikely to become the center of the west again anytime soon, and the gold coins reminted by the Maple Spring family are unwanted.

Interestingly, the value of the silver coins, which were originally equivalent to one imperial gold coin, began to rise sharply, and there was a hint that silver coins would replace gold as the main currency. However, the purchasing power of silver coins was not as good as that of gold. Soon, all the silver mines in the western region became objects of contention. Even the small kingdom of Arkent in central Inasas began to covet its lost silver mines again.

Given this opportunity, the two kingdoms immediately began to fight. The Kingdom of Fica, as a neighboring country with whom one side had a marriage alliance, went to help, while the Kingdom of Latour, under the pretext of revenge, immediately launched a sneak attack. The Kingdom of Latour naturally had its own enemies, not to mention that its silver mines inevitably became the object of covetousness of other countries...

In short, the entire western Inazuma was in complete chaos. And how could the neighboring central region let this opportunity slip by? Earl Moser immediately began to seize key transportation routes such as the mountain fortress, and countless others were drawn into the fray due to marriage ties and vested interests.

“If things continue like this, I’m afraid the east won’t be spared either,” Felix said, shaking his head at a dinner a few days later. “I wonder how many more Richard the Greats and how many more ruined cities will emerge after such a great upheaval.”

"Oh, and don't forget the Empire across the Golin Otto Mountains. They've been fighting for years, and I reckon it's time to wrap things up. If they launch another westward expedition while their internal strife is still quelled, will there be any 'Guardian Dragons' to protect us this time?"

"Or will there be only one great empire left in the world from now on?"

Chapter 313 The Devil's Song

In the minds of the Inathas, the Empire will always be the Empire, while they themselves are barbarians. Even if both are in chaos, the difference in power between the two sides is incomparable.

However, compared to the Western Inathas, who were actually neighbors of the Empire, the concerns of the Central Inathas were not so immediate. After all, even in the southeast of Central Inathas, the closest point to the Empire, the entire Dreadswamp separated the two.

Felix was more worried about his disliked neighbors and the count with whom he had both old and new grudges. Although they were still on the battlefield, it would be fine if the Westerners defeated them, but what would become of his future if they returned victorious?

But if they were defeated, and the people in the west refused to give up and continued their pursuit, it seemed that they themselves would also...

"Hey, having too many thoughts isn't a good thing," a rather pleasant voice suddenly reached Jazz's ears. He looked up and saw the girl holding the violin staring at him curiously. "Would you like to hear a song? How about a silver coin?"

Felix couldn't possibly forget this woman. When he was fleeing for his life, it was she who unleashed the magic of flying daggers, forcing him to turn his horse around and risk everything, hoping to move these few strangers who could save his life with her moth-to-a-flame courage.

He did succeed, but Felix deeply suspected that it was all wishful thinking on his part—just like now, this girl, whose voice and smile surpassed any woman he had ever met, had actually come up to him and wanted to play a song for him.

A conspiracy? Or a test?

“I would be delighted,” he sighed, pulling a crudely made gold coin from his purse. “Judging from your accent, you’re also from the Empire, aren’t you? I don’t have any Imperial silver coins here, but I hope this Wright gold coin will be enough to cover the expenses.”

Light gold coins are coins minted by Light, a former lord of Inassus. This lord was very accomplished in his youth, but his governance declined sharply in his old age, and he has now even lost his own territory. It is said that he is now living out his days in the castle of his brother-in-law.

If I could have such a peaceful end, that would be nice... but that's probably just a fantasy.

Daisy noticed that as she accepted the gold coin, the other person's expression became even more complicated—so stingy? She couldn't help but wonder.

“How could that be? He’s worried about his future,” Zheng Ling’s voice rang out. “Do as I said, play him a song first. Sing the stories I told you, and the ones you told me.”

"What exactly are you up to now?" Daisy couldn't help but ask herself while adjusting the sound.

"It's just about stimulating his inner thoughts. Some people are very stubborn. They clearly know what they should do, but they are unwilling to admit it. It's like a campfire. He already has the firewood and fuel, and we're here to light it for him."

"As for fanning... all that firewood was blown in by the wind, hehe."

Daisy pursed her lips. Zhengling was a devil; what good could she possibly have up her sleeve? But at least so far, she hadn't done anything wrong; on the contrary, she had helped her quite a bit. If Zhengling hadn't set her sights on her in this matter, then according to her, it wasn't a big deal.

Upon this thought, the flowing sound of the zither immediately resounded in the wilderness, interspersed with the poet's gentle narration.

These stories are all unremarkable; their protagonists share similar experiences, being distrusted by their respective kings, lords, or others for various reasons. The narrative then divides into five sections, each recounting their respective fates.

The character who cleared up the misunderstanding was placed in the first paragraph; the character who retired and died peacefully was placed in the second paragraph; the character in the third paragraph drank poisoned wine; and the character in the fourth paragraph was burned to death in the mountains.

In the fifth section, Daisy spends a large part singing and playing instruments because these people have lived longer lives than the previous ones—regardless of their initial actions, in the end, they all obtain that "position that can reap all the credit," and the only difference is that some wear the crown while others are not crowned.

“Honestly, I started to feel something was wrong.” This impromptu song was created by two performers backstage. As the performer, Daisy didn’t initially notice anything amiss, but after singing it herself, even she felt something was off.

"Generally speaking, shouldn't it be a case of starting with a down and then rising to a climax? I think the third and fourth paragraphs should be moved forward..."

The devil chuckled, "Oh, my dear Daisy, this was obviously intentional."

“Sometimes, you don’t need to do anything extra to guide a person. We just list all the conclusions and rearrange the order slightly. They will then make their own choice.”

The bard observed the knight's expression with skepticism, and just as Zheng Ling had predicted, when the song ended, Felix indeed showed a pensive expression, his face appearing unpredictable in the firelight, as if he were pondering something.

"His doubts have been aroused, his compromises have been rejected, but does he truly possess resolve? If other options would lead to a bad end, what reason is there not to take the risk?"

Zhengling explained triumphantly, while Daisy listened with a dazed look on her face. But unnoticed by the bard, another listener was also lost in thought. Her slender fingers unconsciously tapped the emerald green blade, seemingly in response to the melody from before, yet the gradually deviating rhythm indicated that it was not what she truly thought.

"It's rare to hear you sing this kind of song," the dwarf said, trying to dispel the somber atmosphere as the tone grew increasingly heavy. "How about something more upbeat? Even epics aren't always heavy. I've never heard you sing so many historical stories before. How about telling us about the great achievements of those important figures?"

"Or perhaps gossip?" The poet paused for a moment, then smiled. The music in her hands abruptly shifted, and a completely different movement immediately drew everyone's attention, as if everything before had been merely a prelude. In this joyous atmosphere, even Felix seemed to forget everything, completely absorbed in Daisy's beautiful melodies, one after another.

The dwarf's request to change songs actually coincided with Zheng Ling's plan! Just as Feng Daer spoke, the devil also asked her to change to a light and cheerful song, but for a completely different reason than Feng Daer.

“The fire has been lit. Next, we will show them all sorts of beautiful illusions,” in the theater of Phrygsos on the fourth level of Purgatory, Zhengling listened tremblingly to the introductory teachings. “It’s like a fairy tale: if this fire is fleeting, all the beauty will turn to bubbles. If you don’t want to lose it all…”

"They will let the flames burn again and again on their own."

Chapter 314 Completely Lacking in Majesty

The time it took for everyone to reach the banks of the Moser River was about what Felix had expected. However, because the flustered and tense knight had forgotten the date of their first meeting, the full moon had already arrived before they had actually reached his manor.

Fortunately, the activity of freshwater fishing for deep-sea specialties has long been an important festival in this area, and long queues have long formed along both banks of the river, so Felix cannot be considered to have completely misspoke.

only……

"There are far too many people!" Feng Daer looked at the endless line on the riverbank with a troubled expression. "If one of them loses his footing, he might be pushed into the river."

"To be precise, they were pushed into the sea. Someone had fallen in before, on the shore of the sea."

Felix straightened his robe, mounted his horse, and charged towards the people waiting to catch fish.

“I am Sir Felix, host of the ‘Full Moon Tide’! Clear this place out; it is to be requisitioned tonight!”

When a lord personally goes to claim land, even without squires and soldiers wielding whips, ordinary commoners should immediately make way, no matter how unwilling they may be. However, Raslaufer and his companions witnessed a rare sight:

When Felix charged across on horseback, the people standing by the river merely glanced at him before going about their business, none of them making any move aside.

"What are you doing?!" Such cold treatment was unacceptable, and the jazz man angrily raised his voice again, "I said get out of the way! Are you all deaf, or are you so stupid that you don't even know who I am!"

“Sir, of course we know you,” a reddish-brown-haired commoner turned around, put down his fishing net, and looked up slowly, “but we are not under your jurisdiction. We are from the next village.”

“We pay taxes to Mr. Fleming.”

“But this is my territory!” Felix knew perfectly well that these people were not his subjects. “I command you to get out of my land immediately!”

Faced with such an enraged nobleman, these commoners remained remarkably unperturbed, maintaining their slow, languid demeanor. Several of them scrutinized the travel-worn Felix and his tattered robes, finally relenting and beginning to move.

"As you wish, sir—if you insist on this."

"I have the right to do whatever I want on my land!" The enraged nobleman unsheathed his sword from his belt and lashed the back of the commoner who had dared to disrespect him. "Get out! All of you get out! You parasites will never touch a drop of my river again!"

"Your river water?"

Felix looked up suddenly and saw two hunting horses galloping side by side along the riverbank toward him. A man and a woman sat on the horses, both wearing common tight-fitting tops and hoods with short capes on their heads.

This attire was quite popular among the nobles of Inasas, but when Felix recognized the emblems on their clothes in the twilight, his face darkened with annoyance.

"Oh, isn't this Sir Felix! We thought it was someone spouting nonsense." The two riders showed no mercy to the people gathered by the river; even if they couldn't dodge in time and were kicked by the horses, they could only accept their bad luck. But when the two men came up to Felix, they pretended to look him over for a while before feigning surprise and speaking.

"Weren't you supposed to be out fighting the westerners with the Earl? What are you doing here? And in such a sorry state?"

"Could it be... that you deserted your post?"

"Enough with the nonsense," Felix growled hoarsely at the two men, his face contorted with malice. "Where did these people come from?"

“These people are, of course, commoners on the Earl’s land,” the man chuckled dismissively. “I’m afraid you’ve forgotten, and I must remind you: this land belongs to the Earl, including the Moser River! This is not ‘your’ river.”

"Furthermore, you'd better start praying. We're not sure how the Count, far away on the front lines, would react if he heard that you've deserted and are now making such disloyal remarks here. Hahahaha!"

"I……"

"You're not trying to say that all of this is because of that statue your family has inherited, are you?" another woman chimed in. "Stop joking. Since Earl Moser is the lord of this place, every inch of land, every drop of river water, and every little statue belongs to the Earl! You'd better give up on that idea!"

"Speaking of which, for such a small place as yours, the Earl is already being more than generous by offering a few copper coins. You actually refuse to accept this offer, so you'll just have to wait for the punishment to come your way!"

"When the Earl returns victorious with his army, do you really think you can continue to swagger around here? He's not his grandmother—"

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

Suddenly, Felix's emotions erupted like a volcano. His roars startled the two composed knights, who hurriedly reined in their horses and retreated. However, they were certain that Felix wouldn't dare to do anything to them. After a brief moment of astonishment, they uttered some poignant words, then with a cold laugh, they spurred their horses and rode off, leaving the knight alone shivering in the evening breeze by the riverbank.

But their meddling also had some benefits. For example, the commoners who didn't belong here were unwilling to offend the master any further, so they all left, leaving the riverbank nearby empty.

“It seems you’re in a rather precarious situation,” Raslaufer said, taking the seats naturally with his companions, since that was why they were there. While the others curiously examined the color of the river, Raslaufer strolled over to Felix. “But I’m curious, why did they have to mention this ‘grandmother’?”

The mercenaries had recently killed a "grandmother" and were quite sensitive to similar terms of address.

“Because the current Earl of Moser’s grandfather married into the Moser family,” Felix said expressionlessly as he slowly climbed down from his horse after a slight sway. “His strong rival at the time was my grandfather. In terms of who was more favored by the Duchess, my grandfather was even more so.”

"After all, he made your family's affairs public," Leslaufer said casually, no longer bothered since it probably had nothing to do with the witch. "But if you ask me, that countess probably prefers the other one. Otherwise, why would she tell her family what your grandfather told her?"

Felix's face visibly turned red and then purple in the moonlight: "That's because their whole family are treacherous, cunning, and two-faced villains!"

"In order to compete with my grandfather, that old man even gave up his own surname! He changed himself to Moser, just so that he and his descendants could rightfully inherit everything here!"

Chapter 315 Deep-Sea Salvage in the Inland Area

Just as Felix was venting his frustration to the fullest, Angelita, who was not far away, suddenly exclaimed, "Look! It looks like a whirlpool is forming under the river!"

“It’s starting,” Felix coughed, trying to compose himself. “It will probably take another three to five minutes for the whirlpool leading to the deep sea to fully form, at which point we can cast our nets to catch fish.”

The group had been traveling through the wilderness and had no opportunity to prepare fishing nets, but fortunately, they were everywhere. With some gold coins, the nets were quickly gathered into their hands.

"Please be careful," Felix said, seeing the young women eager to try. "When fishing, if you have to get close to the river, never let the water go above your knees! And never try to get close to or touch the current below!"

"In the end, the river water here isn't really completely mixed with the deep sea. Once it's sent into the deep sea, it'll be too late to come back!"

Felix's words were not unfounded. In fact, he had been very careful to ensure that this was communication between nobles, and he trusted the announcements sent to the commoners even more. The precautions included, but were not limited to, swimming, relieving oneself, putting people in fishing nets, and so on. Over the years, countless people had lost their lives for all sorts of absurd reasons, and that meticulously detailed announcement was still being updated.

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one acting as a restrainer. Raslaufer, von Dahl, and even Daisy, after communicating with Zhengling, all knew the terror of the deep sea and strictly restrained each of their companions, preventing them from engaging in any overly curious behavior.

What's most worrying is that the little girl rescued by Raslaw was simply pinned under Black Claw and only allowed to watch from a distance, preventing any potentially reckless behavior that might be appropriate for someone her age.

Soon, beneath the calm surface of the river, the current suddenly began to swirl more violently and unnaturally, eventually forming one enormous whirlpool after another. The center of the whirlpool was deep and dark, as if leading to an endless abyss, and accompanied by a low rumble, the edges of the whirlpool began to shimmer with a faint blue light, as if shrouded in some ancient magic. If one stopped to listen closely, one could almost hear some distant and ethereal singing.

As a professional in this field, Daisy was completely captivated. But this state of mind didn't last long, as a cacophony of noises erupted from both banks of the Moser River, abruptly interrupting the poet's reverie.

"Don't get carried away by the singing; it might draw people closer!" Just as Daisy was about to complain, Felix's warning rang out. "This is a pact between my ancestors and the mermaids, but it's become dangerous since the statue was buried in the river!"

"Hey! Let me see how lucky I am!" Vondar laughed, vigorously casting his net into the turbulent current. "I'm looking for some special seabed minerals, and if I could find some luminous nickel sand, that would be fantastic!"

It is a rare metallic mud that is deposited on the seabed. Even if you try to salvage it yourself, you may not be able to find it. It is extremely rare for any race. Its greatest function is to reconcile the differences and contradictions between various conflicting metals during forging and smelting, so that a finished product can retain its own nature while taking into account the advantages of multiple materials.

But the dwarf's luck was probably not so good today. When he pulled in his net, there were only a few strange-looking fish inside. Moreover, these deep-sea fish were obviously not adapted to the freshwater river environment. Before von Dahl-Bancho could catch them, they exploded into clusters of blood in the river.

“Oh, Vigudan (the dwarfs’ lucky charm),” Vondar shook his head, but he didn’t seem particularly disappointed. He turned to the girls and said, “This whirlpool will definitely be able to support us all casting our nets. What are you waiting for? Even though it’s winter, there’s never enough time to enjoy a night like this!”

“This…” Angelita and the others exchanged bewildered glances, Bella blushing slightly. “We… don’t know how to use a net. How exactly does this thing work?”

The dwarf paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Oh right, look at my brain! Come on, let me teach you how to use it: First, take one end of the fishing net rope and tie it to your hand in a certain direction..."

"This job isn't complicated, the important thing is to master it. But Bella, you've really surprised me. Isn't Edas the Mother of Water? How come you don't know how to use this?"