Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside the door, and the few people inside immediately stopped talking and stood up.
Soon, the servants opened the door, and a young man with black hair walked into the room.
He was handsome, with sharp and well-defined features. Seeing the others, he smiled and nodded slightly.
"Hello, I am the lord of this place. You may call me William. Are you all sea merchants?"
Josh, Kenn, and Jeremiah exchanged glances. They were a pirate, an engineer, and a speculator—not exactly sea merchants.
The three of them saluted in unison. "Yes, we are."
"Excellent. I am gathering sea merchants," William clapped his hands once and sat in the armchair, gesturing for them to sit. "May I ask what you trade in? Do you have any empty ships? I hope to transport some grain to the Northlands."
This news surprised them. Kenn and Jeremiah exchanged looks before Kenn spoke first: "My lord, why do you want to transport grain to the Northlands? Our ship has just returned from there. Due to the threat of the White Calamity, several lords have fallen into conflict, and the entire region is in chaos, filled with refugees."
The three were taken aback and looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
The Principality of Tis was quite far from the Northlands. No matter what, the refugees would never reach here. Moreover, this ’prince’ intended to send grain rather than bring people over. Putting aside whether this was an effective disaster relief measure, was he really doing it selflessly, without expecting anything in return?
Kenn looked at the ’prince.’ His eyes were deep, his face resolute. If he hadn’t known about some of the good deeds he had done, he might have been deceived.
Even at this moment, seeing the prince’s unwavering expression, Kenn still felt an inexplicable urge to trust him instinctively.
Jeremiah suddenly spoke: "We just returned from the Northlands. The situation there is terrible, and we brought back many refugees on our ship."
Kenn’s eyes lit up. Yes, they had refugees on board. If this ’prince’ was as kind as he appeared, he should be willing to take them in.
Now he was in a tough spot.
The ’prince’s’ eyes shone, and he stood up excitedly. "Really? You are truly kind-hearted! However—"
Here it comes. Kenn felt his heart tighten. He didn’t know why, but even though he had left Tis as a child, he still subconsciously held some inexplicable expectations for this prince.
What excuse would he use to refuse these people?
"However, I must trouble you to make a few more trips to bring back more refugees. I am willing to settle them in my territory, and I will cover all the costs!"
The room fell into complete silence.
Kenn opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat, painfully so.
This ’prince’... just what kind of person was he?
Jeremiah was the first to react. He seized the opportunity and said, "My lord, we were actually hired by the lord of Castel to go to the Northlands to assist a woman named Nora."
"Has she encountered trouble?"
Jeremiah took a deep breath, suppressing his irritation at being interrupted. "She was originally from the White Raven Principality and a monk of the Silent Sanctum. As you know, many White Raven refugees fled to the Northlands, but they clashed with the local lords."
"The Silent Sanctum also has conflicts with the Church of Candlelight. With all these tensions, things escalated into a bloody conflict. Earl Bazel of the Northlands massacred two refugee settlements, and Nora is leading the survivors in resistance."
The truth was far more complex. The three Grand Dukes of the Northlands were behind Bazel, and the Empress’s forces were also secretly fanning the flames. But Jeremiah had no intention of telling this ’prince’ everything. What could he do—send troops to help Nora?
Better to steer the conversation toward the missing Castel. Since Castel was so close to Tis, this lord couldn’t ignore it, even for his own safety.
The ’prince’ suddenly slammed the table and stood up in fury. "What did you say?!"
"It is absolutely true. The massacre committed by Earl Bazel has spread throughout the Northlands. The whole region is in turmoil, with the forces of the three Grand Dukes entangled with the people of the White Raven Principality. Our lord sent us because—"
"Johan! Go investigate this matter!"
William turned to a butler-like man in the room, who immediately nodded and left. Only then did William slowly turn back to Jeremiah.
"Sir, the news you bring is crucial. I will send people to verify this. If Earl Bazel truly committed such a heinous crime, I will not stand by. I will mobilize troops, I will persuade the Empress to send an army to the Northlands to save those poor refugees!"
The ’prince’ saw the doubtful expressions on their faces and immediately added, "I know you may not believe me, but I am willing to swear by my ancestors. If what you say is true, I will do everything in my power to help the honorable Lady Nora."
Swear by the ancestors?
This was not a vow to be made lightly. For nobles, swearing by their ancestors meant staking all their honor. Only matters of the utmost importance warranted such a solemn pledge.
Was Nora’s cause important?
Of course, it was. Countless refugees had perished, the Northlands were devastated, corpses littered the land. But what did that have to do with this lord of Tis? The two regions were far apart. Even if Hughes was willing to take in refugees, it would be for population and labor.
Besides, he had yet to receive the Empress’s official appointment and was not even a legitimate lord yet.
Jeremiah’s face twitched. He had no idea what to say anymore.
This ’prince’—was he naive? Kind? Delusional?
Forget it. At least he was willing to pay, not expecting them to work for free.
Jeremiah suddenly realized he was getting drawn in. But he wasn’t truly a sea merchant. No matter what madness this lord was up to, it had nothing to do with him.
He just needed to steer the conversation back to Castel.
But before he could speak, a trembling voice asked, "Really? Will you really go save Lady Nora?"
Jeremiah turned his head and glared at Kenn, disappointed.
Kenn’s eyes were wide with disbelief as he looked at the ’prince.’ He didn’t want to believe it, but the man had sworn by his ancestors...
Looking at the anger and determination on the prince’s face, Kenn couldn’t help but waver.
After all, he was from Tis too...