Chapter 343: Regional Discrimination

Of course, for the sake of a better future, Marquis Severus now had to find a way to earn gold coins.

At present, the Wallace Territory—located in a remote corner with poor trade routes—could only attempt to develop a sea-fishing business under the guidance of Priest Dominic. But to fish at sea, they needed large ships; and to obtain large ships, they had to spend gold coins in the York Territory to purchase them. Yet the Wallace Territory had no spare gold coins to buy such vessels.

Thus, under these impoverished conditions, the Wallace Territory could only use those small fishing boats that would capsize at the slightest gust of wind to catch fish from the sea.

Because of this, the coastal vassal nobles sent patrols every day, fearing someone might drown.

This wasn’t because they felt obligated to protect the commoners as nobles should—it was simply because, at present, population was the most precious and scarce resource in the Wallace Territory. To address that, they even went so far as to arrange marriages, hoping to encourage births as quickly as possible.

Given the vastness of the Wallace Territory, at least one hundred and twenty thousand people were needed to fully occupy the land. Yet currently, the entire territory had fewer than six thousand.

Although the Church of the Sanctuary did not strictly prohibit the slave trade—as long as the slaves weren’t captured from the Kingdom of Greenwood without reason, and were instead purchased from outside regions—and with Priest Dominic’s assistance, it was still impossible for Wallace Territory to attract slave traders.

After all, who would come to this impoverished, remote place that had neither specialty goods nor gold coins?

Even in other, wealthier regions of Greenwood, nobles were also in need of slaves to fill their territories.

Because of the Church’s oversight, Marquis Severus dared not send troops to conduct traditional noble raids.

After studying the history lessons from the Monastery, they fully understood that the so-called Eastern Crusade was largely an exhibition of the Church’s power.

Moreover, compared to other nobles, Marquis Severus was unlucky enough to have that madman Richard as his neighbor. If he ever made a mistake, Richard would ride his Dragon-Eagle straight into Severus’s castle to “reason” with him.

Still, Richard was only somewhat troublesome. What truly worried Severus was Bishop Marl—that man would likely play political games and strip Severus of his title altogether.

This Bishop Marl was notoriously aggressive within the entire Church of the Sanctuary, especially toward lords bordering the Adrian Diocese. He often demanded that their lands be annexed into Adrian’s jurisdiction and even dared to block trade routes leading to Severus’s already isolated territory.

Even when Severus filed complaints with the Senate, they merely stated that such actions were within the authority of the Adrian Diocese and symbolically fined them three hundred York Gold Coins.

Not a single coin went to Severus; the Senate pocketed it all.

Compared to Marl’s overbearing stance, Severus found that bowing his head to Bishop Jeven of the Diocese of Rod wasn’t such a big deal after all. That was why he eventually accepted Dominic’s persuasion.

It was also for this reason that, under Bishop Jeven’s mediation, Marquis Severus agreed to assist Aen.

Expanding his territory was secondary—the frozen lands of the North held little value.

The main goal was for Severus to seize some Annihilation Fiends and exchange them for gold coins.

The Monastery and the Academy of Magic paid handsomely for such creatures.

Under the Church’s pressure, even the powerful Marquis Severus, wielder of Sacred Relics, was forced to compete with mercenaries for income.

With the intention of raiding Annihilation Fiends, Severus gathered only his most elite troops. Among the hundred men he brought, more than ten were fully armored knights—his vassal nobles themselves—while the rest were all Tier Three elites.

They were too poor. Every noble in the Wallace Territory was impoverished.

So when Severus called upon them to join him in hunting Annihilation Fiends, they all eagerly responded.

As for northern slaves…

They never even considered buying any.

Over the past year, thanks to the tales spread by bard apprentices, the saying “Northlanders are nothing but brutes whose brains are filled with killing and lust” had become Greenwood’s favorite joke.

And as for loyalty and obedience—virtues most prized by nobles—the Northlanders had none.

To purchase Northland slaves was to invite a bloodthirsty brute into one’s domain—one who might, on any given night, slaughter the other slaves.

Thus, even when Northland slaves were cheap, Greenwood nobles would pinch their noses and wave the slave traders away.

They believed that merely breathing the same air as a Northlander was an insult to their dignity.

Now, it was nearly the end of June—the time Aen had agreed upon for their joint action.

Of course, Severus knew that some changes had occurred in the North. According to the merchants who passed through his lands, Aen was said to be on the verge of becoming the Supreme King of the Northland.

Severus didn’t want to believe it, but after hearing the Church’s prophecy, he could no longer deny it.

He thought, With the Church’s power, helping Aen ascend to the position of Supreme King of the Northland is entirely possible.

However, Severus doubted that Aen could hold that position for long.

After all, those were Northland barbarians!

And Aen?

He was merely a merchant from Greenwood. How could he possibly subdue those barbarians?

How could those savages ever recognize him as their Supreme King?

Yet after that, there was no more news from Aen.

But Severus couldn’t wait any longer. Lately, the disturbances caused by the Annihilation forces were so strong that he could feel them even from within Wallace Territory.

From the merchants passing by, he heard rumors that signs of a dragon had appeared.

This thrilled Severus immensely.

A dragon was far more valuable than any Fiend.

But he also knew that he had no means to hunt one himself.

Not that he needed to.

Even if he only obtained information about the dragon’s location and sold it—to the Senate, the Monastery, the Church, or the Academy of Magic—he could still make a substantial fortune.

And perhaps, by activating his Sacred Relic, he might manage to obtain a few dragon scales or a drop of dragon’s blood. Those alone were worth a small fortune.

Besides, who knew if the dragon was even still there?

What if it was like the Northwind Mountains years ago—when mercenaries first emerged and made fortunes collecting the corpses of Dark Creatures?

Could Severus go north to gather Fiends and sell them for profit?

He was simply too desperate for money.

So desperate that a noble marquis was now resorting to the work of mercenaries.

Thus, without waiting for any word from Aen, Severus mobilized his best troops into the North—and there, he finally encountered Aen.

“Withdraw, Marquis Severus.” Aen shouted loudly in his direction.

Severus’s expression turned grim.

He actually felt a sense of threat emanating from Aen.

Before this, Aen had been nothing more than a merchant.

After calming his restless warhorse, Severus hesitated briefly, then dismounted and shouted back, “Aen, we need to talk.”

Stopping his knights from following, Severus walked forward alone.

Aen also stopped his Iron Guards from following.

The two met between the two armies, and it was then that Severus saw the crown on Aen’s head.

“The Crown of Thorns, the symbol of the Supreme King of the Northland,” Aen said.

Severus’s eyes grew complicated as he replied, “It seems you’ve already decided to become the Supreme King of the Northland.”

Aen had come from a background even humbler than his own, and yet now he stood as a king.

Severus felt an even deeper sense of awe toward the Church.

“This is my mission,” Aen answered.

Severus lifted his chin slightly, gesturing toward the Iron Guards behind Aen. He asked, “Those men?”

Aen said, “They are my Iron Guards.”

Severus remarked, “They’re quite powerful.”

Aen smiled. “They are my sharpest blades and my strongest shields.”

Severus could see the eight bare-chested Iron Guards following Aen. They fit perfectly with Greenwood’s stereotypical image of Northlanders—muscular and fierce. He could sense that each of those eight men possessed strength no weaker than that of a knight, and among them, one even gave him a sense of threat.

That one was undoubtedly of Tier Five—the same level as himself.

The mention of eight Iron Guards made Severus pause for a moment.

Back then, the eight Personal Guards who followed Pegira northward from the York Territory to the northernmost reaches of Greenwood had also been eight in number.

Clearing his mind, Severus said, “I came as promised.”

Aen replied, “I thank you for your assistance, but the army of the Lord of Annihilation has already been dealt with.”

Severus asked, “Was it you and your Iron Guards? Or Bishop Jeven?”

Aen said, “It was the pride of the Northland—Hode, commander of the Comrades Group.”

Severus knew of Hode. It was precisely because of Hode’s incident in York City that the Northlanders had earned the nickname, ‘barbarians whose heads are filled only with killing and lust.’

Afterward, the bard apprentices’ tales of the North only deepened that stereotype.

Severus said, “So now, are you ordering me to leave—as the Supreme King of the Northland?”

Aen said, “Annihilation has retreated. Our agreement has long since ended.”

Severus tilted his head slightly toward the men behind him and said, “But I haven’t received any news before now. My knights and I are already here—are you telling us to simply turn back?”

Aen gave a slight bow and said, “Thank you for your assistance. You have earned my friendship.”

“Ha, and how many gold coins is your friendship worth?” Severus laughed. “I want Fiends—dead or alive, at least fifty of them.”

Aen said, “Unfortunately, there are no Fiends left.”

Severus frowned.

He didn’t think Aen was lying. Aen was a merchant by origin; even if fifty Fiends were too much, he would have haggled the number down instead of refusing outright.

But now, Aen had simply said there were none.

Severus asked grimly, “Was it that Commander Hode’s doing?”

Aen said, “It was the dragon.”

Severus pressed further, “Then where is the dragon?”

Aen didn’t respond. Instead, he looked at Severus, and a spectral shadow of a dragon’s soul appeared faintly over his body.

“The dragon is here,” Aen said.

Severus’s body tensed. He could feel danger—the same danger he had sensed earlier when facing Aen and his Iron Guards.

So, that was the source of the threat?

It was undeniably Tier Five power—perhaps even beyond Tier Five.

Still, Severus didn’t think he would lose. After all, Aen had been a merchant not long ago. Even if he had obtained great strength, turning that into true combat power would take time.

But there was no need for Severus to fight him.

Aen said, “The Northland can sign a trade treaty with your Wallace Territory. Our merchant caravans will travel there. I believe this can serve as compensation.”

Severus chuckled. “Trade? From the barren North?”

Even though the Wallace Territory was the poorest region in Greenwood, he still had the right to mock the Northland.

Aen replied, “The Northland still holds some unique resources—mines, Icefield Wolves, and Snowfield Berserk Bears. These are valuable. More importantly, you will gain access to over half of the Northland’s merchant caravans.”

Severus asked, “What about Bishop Jeven?”

Aen fell silent, then said, “Signing a trade treaty with you does not mean abandoning the Diocese of Rod. And besides, I am the King of the Northland.”

At those final words, Severus nodded and said, “I’ll return and consult Priest Dominic.”

Aen was not weak, nor were his Iron Guards. To linger here would only risk unnecessary losses.

Moreover, having seen with his own eyes Aen’s Dragon Soul form, Severus figured he could sell this piece of news for a good price once he returned.

When Aen heard Severus mention the priest, he couldn’t help feeling a tinge of envy.

Not to mention bishops—even having a few priests by his side would make governing the Northland far easier.

With no further profit to be made, Severus had no intention of staying long in this frozen land. Just standing there, he could smell the stench coming off the Northland barbarians.

“If you ever need assistance,” Severus said finally, “as long as you can pay gold coins, I don’t mind sending troops to help you in the Northland. Of course, payment comes first.”

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