Klein naturally retracted his gaze. With his gold-inlaid cane in hand, he followed closely behind Haggis and entered the general's residence.
The architectural style didn't have any of the Southern Continent's characteristics. It didn't control the lighting, making the interior appear gloomy, nor did it boldly use a small number of human bones as decorations. It gave off a strong sense of impact. Instead, it looked more like a transplant from a mansion in the Northern Continent. Furthermore, it had an indelible tint of Intis.
Every pillar was covered in gold leaf, and the murals on the walls were painted in warm colors. They were surrounded by golden sculptures, and a magnificent spiral staircase descended from above. It connected all four floors and landed in the middle of the hall, facing the door. It was extremely imposing.
I have to say that a country led by the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun is truly at the forefront of the World when it comes to the art of gold. It doesn't feel like a nouveau riche at all … Klein's gaze swept across the staircase's handrails and the middle of the pillar. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch it.
Looking at the guards standing on both sides, he casually found a topic and said to Haggis, "Colonel Alfred Hall seems to be at the forefront of the World when it comes to the art of gold.
"Colonel Alfred Hall seems to have made contributions in West Balam as well?"
Haggis nodded sincerely and said in a Rouen aristocratic tone, "He's a determined and brave man.
"He's a determined and brave man. He once led a special combat team of more than thirty people to launch a surprise attack on Ince's thousand-man army, completely defeating them. I heard that he had made numerous meritorious contributions in East Balam, becoming a colonel in his twenties."
Sounds impressive … Miss Justice's brother might've already become a Beyonder, and not a low one at that … Hmm, in a large aristocratic family, there should be a number of members in every generation who take the path of a Beyonder … Heh heh, after this Mr. Alfred experiences all sorts of hardships and finally achieves his goal, becoming a Beyonder of a relatively high Sequence, obtaining the rank of brigadier general or major general. When he returns to Baekeland, he might sadly realize that he can't even beat his sister's dog … Klein, who had drunk some medicine before heading out, silently lampooned to adjust his mental state.
He didn't ask about Alfred and instead said in a puzzled tone, "I discovered that there are certain differences between West Balam and East Balam's customs.
"I noticed that there's a certain difference between West Balam and East Balam's customs. Here, many houses have human bone decorations, but East Balam doesn't.
"I've been here many times. I've had this question for a long time, but I was too embarrassed to ask it."
Haggis stopped and pointed at the grandiose staircase opposite him.
"Mr. Dantès, please wait a few minutes. The general will be here soon."
After settling the important matters, he chuckled.
"The custom of using human bones isn't common. Only the territories under the royal family during the Balam Empire retain this custom. To us, the death of a loved one doesn't mean that our interactions with them have ended. Before burial, we will take out a piece of bone from their corpse and place it at home as a decoration to show that the dead are with the living.
"The specific bone to choose will be decided by the priest who presides over the funeral through the ceremony. The best and most symbolic bone is the skull.
"Some families will even make a wine cup out of the skull and only use it when entertaining the most distinguished guests.
"Mr. Dantès, if we can reach a deal this time, I'd like to invite you to my house as a guest. I'd like to use my grandfather's skull to fill it with Finis Wine to show my respect."
"…" Klein's expression nearly froze. He felt that he really didn't know how to do as the Romans do in this aspect.
He chuckled and was just about to brush off Haggis when he saw a figure slowly walk down the golden staircase.
The figure wasn't wearing a hat. He was dressed in a black military uniform with shimmering golden buttons. His sash was as red as blood.
His skin was light brown, and his facial contours were soft. His facial features didn't give off the impression that they were tightly squeezed in the middle of his face, making his protruding face appear larger than a normal person's.
Having obtained information from various sources, Klein instantly recognized him as the actual ruler of West Balam's Northern State, the self-proclaimed general, Maysanchez.
On the surface, he was swinging between Rouen, Intis, Feysac, Feynapotter, and the Resistance, maintaining a balance. However, he had secretly obtained the support of the Charismatic Order's royal family.
At the same time, Klein suspected that this native general had established a stable relationship with the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
As for Maysanchez's strength, be it Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina or Admiral of Stars Cattleya, they had labeled him as a Sequence 5. However, they didn't mention which pathway he was from. This was because the powers this native general displayed were mostly related to spirits, but he had a mystical item from the Death pathway.
"Good afternoon, Your Excellency." Klein took off his hat, pressed his hand to his chest, and bowed.
At that moment, he felt an unknown gaze staring at him. They were the light that flashed from the golden angel statue, the sunlight reflected from the stained glass, and the light reflected from the glossy marble.
"Hello, Mr. Dantès," Maysanchez replied in Dutanese.
Klein, who had grasped Dutanese with the help of his marionette, naturally understood it. However, the longer he spent in the Southern Continent and East and West Balam, the more he felt that Dutanese and ancient Feysac had similarities.
Although the two languages undoubtedly belonged to different systems, making it extremely difficult for him to learn Dutanese, certain details were astonishingly similar, as though they had a common source.
The only thing Klein could confirm was that the source wasn't Jotun.
Pretending not to notice anything, he very naturally began chatting with Maysanchez until he took the initiative to raise the issue of arms deals.
"How much do you have in total?"
Klein smiled.
"It won't be a problem to equip three to four thousand people. In addition, there are a few cannons."
Maysanchez fell silent for a moment before saying, "Name your price."
"Name your price."
Klein deliberated for a moment before saying, "Name your price.
"If you want me to deliver the goods to the Northern State, the price will be 50,000 pounds. If you send a team to retrieve the goods with me and be responsible for the subsequent transportation and safety, it will only be 40,000 pounds."
Maysanchez thought for a moment.
"The latter.
"Take the deposit and bring my men with you. When you see the goods and move them onto the carriage, my men will pay the rest."
He paused and added, "However, I don't have that many Rouen pounds."
I don't have enough foreign reserves … Klein surveyed the area and smiled nonchalantly.
"You can pay me directly in gold coins, or even gold bars or bricks."
Maysanchez was rather decisive and didn't beat around the bush. He nodded and said, "Deal.
I'll get Haggis to bring men and money to you tomorrow. "
Maysanchez was rather decisive and didn't beat around the bush. He nodded and said, "Deal.
Not bad, I like doing business with such people who don't bargain … Klein first heaved a sigh of relief before he began to wonder if his asking price was too low.
Not bad. I like doing business with such people who don't bargain … Klein first heaved a sigh of relief before suspecting if his offer was too low.
"Your Excellency Lucca, is this the person you're waiting for?"
A figure slowly appeared on the upper level of the gorgeous staircase.
It was an elder dressed in a white robe with brass threads. His hair was completely white, but it was combed neatly. His grayish-green eyes were so deep that one couldn't see the bottom.
He replied in an unhurried manner, "I can't be sure.
"I can't be sure. Although my prophecy tells me that I'll meet someone who can resolve my future predicament here, in the next two days, that person was just too ordinary. Apart from being a Beyonder, there's nothing worth describing about him.
"Of course, I can't see the deeper truth behind him. Perhaps there's an existence hiding behind him that isn't inferior to me."
Having said that, he slowly walked down and said after a few seconds, "I'll attempt to use a dream to see if I can discover more."
After saying that, he slowly walked down and said after a few seconds, "I'll attempt to use a dream to see if I can discover more."
"Do I need to prepare a special room for you?" Maysanchez asked respectfully.
Lucca shook his head.
"Let's do it in this activity room. Hmm … The best time is four hours from now. Don't disturb me before that."
He then entered the room and sat down. He leaned back on the sofa, relaxed his body, closed his eyes, and fell silent.
Only when the sky gradually turned dark did the old man truly fall asleep.
In his dream, he found himself standing in the main hall of the general's residence. He was standing on the first step of the gorgeous staircase. Beside him were Maysanchez, Haggis, and many guards.
The middle-aged man named Dawn Dantès stood opposite him as the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up into an exaggerated smile.
Flames soared, and poker cards fell from the sky one after another.
Lucca's grayish-green eyes darkened as Dawn Dantès's body immediately fell into a strange darkness.
The old man in the white robe spread out his arms, revealing a dark vortex at his chest.
The vortex expanded and swallowed Dawn Dantès.
Before Lucca could confirm the situation, he suddenly sensed something as he turned his head to the side. He saw Maysanchez's face squirm as his body elongated, instantly turning into another Dawn Dantès.
Almost at the same time, Haggis and all the guards present grew Dawn Dantès's face as they cast their gazes at Lucca!
Lucca jolted awake. Under the gaze of Maysanchez, who had entered at some point in time, he was stunned for two seconds before he said in a deep voice, "I have to meet that gentleman personally.
"I have to personally meet that mister and the Demigod behind him."
Before he could finish his sentence, he subconsciously turned his head and looked out the window.
At that moment, the street lamps were already lit. The sky was dark, and the crimson moon was strangely dyed with the color of blood.
Another Blood Moon!
…
Thankfully, there's Mr. Fool … Aren't there too many Blood Moons this year? It's only been two months since the last one … I wasn't prepared at all! Fors, who was sitting up, wiped her cold sweat and silently muttered to herself.
She had already arrived at the town at the edge of Delaire Forest and checked into an inn. She shared a room with Xio and planned on doing a preliminary investigation of the abandoned castle the next morning. To her surprise, she encountered a Blood Moon just as she was about to rest.
At that moment, she seemed to recall something as she stiffly turned her head to the side.
Xio, who claimed to be sleeping early, had already woken up at some point in time. She opened her eyes and looked at her.
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