"My Lord, Earl Cummings is here." Reidi warned as he entered the room.
"Alright, I'll go down to welcome him." Loriste stood up and walked towards the castle gates.
Earl Cummings had brought close to a hundred people to Monolith Castle this time. He sat in a luxurious four-wheeled carriage, unlike the first half of the year where he had brought a dozen attendants on horseback to pay a visit.
While Loriste was busy settling the 500,000 new citizens and developing his territory, the Cummings Family had not been idle either. They had come up with a joint development plan for the eastern region of the north. More than a dozen nobles in the eastern region had been dragged into the Cummings Family's carriage, regardless of whether they were willing or not. The six or seven lords who had resisted had their families wiped out. The remaining ones who were unable to resist or knew what was good for them had voluntarily filled in petitions and entrusted their territories to the Cummings Family to manage. They would then sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor, relying on their generous dividends to maintain their noble lives.
Simply put, the Cummings Family had successfully controlled the eastern region of the north and managed it into a solid block. Even the second prince could not do anything about it, and could only pinch his nose and accept this reality. After that, under the Cummings Family's monetary attack, the second prince used the Cummings Family's contributions to the north's transportation network and the construction of an iron chain bridge to promote Viscount Cummings to Earl during the Northern Noble Fellowship held in May. He also bestowed the title of Earl Lopez to him, giving the Cummings Family the right to govern the eastern region of the north.
The first to alight from the carriage was Count Kenneth, who was pleased with his success, followed by two gorgeously dressed maids. Alright, if he had to blame someone, he could only blame the Norton Family for not providing maids to their guests. This caused Earl Cummings to stay in his room alone for three days the last time he came. This time, he had learned his lesson and brought his own maids.
Loriste went forward and casually greeted him, "Hey, what are you doing here? Do you want to stay here for a long time? “
Earl Cummings did not seem surprised. Seeing Loriste staring at the two maids, he laughed, "What, are you tempted? Do you want me to give you one? Let me tell you, they've gone through professional training and have many tricks in bed. They'll make you feel like you're in heaven … "
"No, I'm not interested." Loriste retracted his gaze, "I'm just curious. Can your body handle it? How long have they been with you? Why haven't they squeezed you dry yet … "
Men hated being told that they couldn't do it, and Count Kenneth was no exception. He immediately bent his arms and made a strong pose. "What's wrong with my body? It's very strong. "Stop bragging. Come, let's go," Cummings said.
"Stop bragging. Come, let's have a chat in my study." Laurist curled his lips and turned to leave.
Speaking of which, it was strange. Even though the Cummings family and the Norton family had already made peace, the Cummings family had suffered a great loss, so they should harbor deep hatred towards the Cummings family. On the other hand, the Norton family had gained a great advantage, so they should be on guard against the Cummings family. But as their relationship deepened, Loriste unexpectedly became good friends with Count Kenneth. Even though they were enemies, Loriste didn't hate Count Kenneth.
"Every time I come here, it's like I'm in a bandit's lair. Even this castle was snatched from me …" Count Kenneth began his usual speech.
"Let me solemnly state once again that this castle is built on the territory of the Norton Family. I only chased away a group of bandits who were trying to take over our family's territory and took over their lair. "Lollister said.
"Alright, this castle is indeed built on your family's territory." Count Kenneth was discouraged. "But you have to admit that the labor, materials, funds, and even the master architect who designed the castle were all snatched from me. Poor Master Siroba, his whereabouts are still unknown. "
"I'm warning you, get straight to the point. Don't beat around the bush to find out where Master Siroba is. Let me tell you, I won't give him freedom until he's worked for the Norton Family for ten years. Besides, he's very busy right now. If the Cummings Family wants to build a castle, you'll have to find someone else. "Lollister immediately revealed Count Kenneth's scheme.
Count Kenneth shrugged. "I don't care if Master Xiloba is dead or alive, but my old man wanted me to find out where he is. He wanted me to see if I could redeem him and build a castle for my family. Now that you've made your stance clear, it's fine. It's not that I didn't try my best, but you made me helpless. "
"Pfft." Lollister was amused. "Alright, tell me, where are you going with all these people?"
"Where else? Gildusk City, of course." Count Kenneth walked to the large wine cabinet at the side of the study and clicked his tongue in admiration. "Look at these rows of famous wines. How dare you say you're not a robber. Tell me, which bottle of wine here was bought with your own money? Didn't you rob them all? Let's not talk about the wine. Look at the sofa you're sitting on. It's a treasure of the Megis Royal Family. Duke Lujins spent more than a thousand gold coins to get it from Winderbury City. It's only been a few years, and this expensive sofa is in your study. You didn't even spend a single coin … "
"If you don't mention anything about being a bandit again, you can take two bottles from my cabinet," Lollister said.
"Really?" Count Kenneth was overjoyed.
Lollister nodded.
"Alright, from now on, I won't mention the word 'bandit' again." Count Kenneth began to choose wine from the cabinet.
"I'm curious. It's almost November, and you're still going out. Don't you want to spend the winter in your family's territory?" Lollister asked.
"Ah ha, my boy, we nobles don't have the word 'winter'. Who needs to spend the winter? That's the commoners. They don't have clothes or food, so they need to hide in their houses to avoid the cold winter. We're nobles, so no matter how cold it is, we still have our nobles' pastimes. We host all-night banquets and balls, meet beautiful and gentle ladies, recite poems, invite them to dance, and secretly meet these ladies in the cold night to get to know each other better. That's how we nobles spend the winter … "
"My boy, don't stay in this cold and lonely castle anymore. You should come out and see the world. This winter, the second prince will be hosting a series of grand events in Gildusk City. All the nobles in the north, and even the kingdom's nobles, will bring their families to participate. The city will be filled with the fragrance of beautiful women, and it's a good opportunity not to be missed. I'm sure the second prince will be very happy if you join as well. He's long wanted to meet you, the Roaring Bear whose name shakes the north … "Earl Kenneth spared no effort in encouraging Laurist to follow him to Gildusk City.
"I'm not interested in participating in these boring events. I'm very busy this winter, where do I have the time to play these romantic games with you? Also, don't be a lobbyist for the second prince. I have a feeling that this guy doesn't have good intentions towards the Norton family. That's why my attitude towards him is very clear. No matter what he wants to do, I refuse. If the second prince asks me why I always refuse his invitations, tell him that I've always held a grudge against my brother for dying on the battlefield for him, but didn't give him any compensation. The Norton family has already decided to draw a line between us and the second prince, and no longer care about him, "Lollister said calmly.
"Wow, you're preparing to shed all pretense of cordiality with the second prince? I don't think that's necessary. You just need to maintain the hypocritical politeness between nobles. As for the second prince's requests, you can tactfully decline them. As long as you have the power, the second prince can only swallow his anger and not do anything to the Norton family … "Viscount Kenneth disagreed with Lollister's decision.
"That's too troublesome. Let's just let him choose. He can either become our enemy, or treat us as passersby. In any case, the Norton family will remember the teachings of our ancestors, and protect the northern borders for the empire. We have no interest in their struggles for power. As long as they don't provoke us, "Lollister said.
"Sigh, your family is really strange. Now that the world is in chaos, it's time for heroes to shine. Does the Norton family not have any ambitions?" Viscount Kenneth looked at Lollister.
Lollister shook his head. "Our family doesn't have such ambitions. We just want to live and work in peace in the north. We don't want to participate in the game of world hegemony. That's not something a small family like ours can play. If we're not careful, our family will be wiped out. I just want to pass on the glory of my family. This is my responsibility and obligation as the head of the family. On the other hand, the Kenneth family has a lot of resources. As the largest construction company in the former empire, you should have a chance. "
"Haha, you flatter me, brother. The Kenneth family doesn't have the guts to compete with the Norton family. Honestly, we just want to stand on the side of the winner. We're still waiting for people to place their bets, "Viscount Kenneth said with a smile.
Lollister laughed as well. "Remember to let me know if there's a good candidate. Don't take everything for yourself. Alright, let's not waste any more time. You purposely came all the way here to Gildusk City. If there's anything serious, just say it. "
"I'm looking for you for serious business. First, the second prince asked me to invite you to Gildusk City, but you rejected him. Second, I want to inform you that the green glass and oil glass you ordered will arrive in half a month. You need to make preparations to transport and store them. Also, my father asked if you want green vine glue juice. We can sell you fifty thousand barrels at a low price. If you lack money, you can barter with the armor. My family will buy it for a high price, "Viscount Kenneth said seriously.
Lollister was silent for a moment, then laughed. "In the end, your family is still thinking about our armor. Tell me, how much do you want? "
Viscount Kenneth held up three fingers.
"Three thousand, sure," Lollister said.
"What three thousand? I want thirty thousand sets of armor," Viscount Kenneth said.
"What? Thirty thousand sets of armor? Let's not talk about whether or not your family can afford it. Even if you can, what does your family want? "Lollister was very curious. Even if a set of armor cost forty gold fords, thirty thousand would be more than a million gold fords. Did the Kenneth family want to go bankrupt?
Viscount Kenneth let out a long sigh. "There's nothing we can do, brother. Our family has no other choice. This time, our family unified the eastern part of the north, and our biggest harvest was the discovery of a gold mine. In the past, it was the nobles who mined it privately, but now it is in our hands. With proper mining equipment and procedures, we can mine more than two hundred thousand gold fords every year. So, brother, you don't have to worry about our family's ability to repay the debt. You can also send people to check if our family's gold mine is as I said. "
After a pause, Viscount Kenneth said, "Do you know how much money the second prince has taken from our family this year? It's one hundred and twenty thousand gold fords. Just so our family can legitimately control Lopez's territory and let me become an earl, we've spent so much. I've received reliable news that next year, the second prince will officially establish the Iberian Kingdom's first army in the Northern Grand Duchy, with an establishment of about 56,000 men. In order to prevent our family from being suppressed by the second prince's military force and becoming his money bag, our family has decided to establish an armed family army of thirty thousand men to protect the eastern part of the north from the second prince's invasion. "
Viscount Kenneth smiled bitterly. "Troubled times are coming, and without a reliable family army in hand, we are in a precarious situation. If the second prince wants to make a move on us, the eastern part of the north will face a two-pronged attack. You should know that the iron chain bridge our family built leads to the Makino Province controlled by Duke Fisablun. It can be said that we've spun a cocoon and have enemies in another direction …
So this time, our family has decided to spend a lot of effort to establish a reliable family army and spend a lot of money to equip it, so that it can become our family's military force and the guarantee of our family's survival. But you also know that the only two iron mines in the Iberian Kingdom are in the hands of the second prince, and the iron armor and weapons produced are very difficult to fall into the hands of nobles like us. The north lacks iron, and the only one who can provide good equipment for our family's army is you, my boy. No matter what, you have to help our family this time. I beg of you … "
Duke Kenneth bowed to Lollister in a formal manner.
Lollister rubbed his chin and began to think. After a while, he nodded. "I agree to sell thirty thousand weapons and equipment to your family. As for the specific price, you have to discuss it with Knight Shredder. My idea is that your family can use food and other supplies to replace the cash payment for this batch of weapons and equipment. If you need, I can also provide you with a batch of military ballistae produced by the former Imperial Ordnance Manufacturing Factory. There are about a hundred of them … "
… …
Earl Kenneth stayed in Monolith Castle for five days, haggling with Fatty Shi every day. In the end, they reached a package deal with a total of 1.8 million Gold Fords. The agreement stipulated that the Norton family would provide the Kenneth family with 33,000 sets of iron armor and matching weapons, as well as 143 military ballistae. The Kenneth family would provide 500,000 gold coins in cash, and the rest would be replaced with food and other supplies. After signing the agreement, Earl Kenneth set off on his journey to Gildusk City with his attendants.
After sending off Earl Kenneth, Fatty Shi let out a long sigh. "We've sold more than half of the iron armor and weapons brought back by the caravan to the north. It would be great if we had another Earl Kenneth. We're currently equipped with the standard equipment of the White Lion Legion, and those armors aren't useful and take up space. We even wanted to recycle them last time … "
Lollister laughed. "Don't worry, after the new year, I guarantee that business will flourish. Earl Kenneth said that the second prince will form an army of 56,000 soldiers in the Northern Archduchy next year. For the sake of their lives, the nobles in the Northern Territory who have a bit of wealth will do their best to arm themselves, lest they become the second prince's meal … "
… …
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