In Blade City, dawn had just begun to break. Every beastkin in the city was gathered together, their eyes fixed on the City Lord's manor.
Inside the manor, Santner sat at the head of the table, staring expressionlessly at his handful of confidants. His heart was filled with bitterness and a profound sense of helplessness. He had never imagined that the Fourth Prince would actually move to this backwater region, let alone bring two thousand knights with him. It was a force he simply could not contend with.
To make matters worse, the Prince intended to summon all local city lords for a council. Had the previous Lord of Blade City not overdosed on "Moon Fruit" and died, perhaps he could have sent him. But now, Blade City was entirely occupied by beastkins. If they sent a few human slaves as representatives, the chance of being exposed was ninety percent.
Once exposed, they would be besieged by human knights. Their situation was different from Sedona City; that place was ruled by a human, so the aristocracy could tolerate its existence. Blade City, however, was ruled by beastkins—a reality no human noble would ever accept.
The only choice left was to abandon Blade City and disappear before they were discovered.
Santner had originally hoped to find the treasure, use it to recruit more beastkin knights, buy massive amounts of wheat, and trade with humans for armor. His dream was to seize the Western Territories and carve out a kingdom of his own. But plans couldn't keep up with reality. Aside from failing to find the true treasure, Sedona City had proven to be a formidable neighbor that developed far too quickly.
Now, those dreams were shattered. He had finally won the auction for a map supposedly leading to the Valtoria Kingdom's treasure, but the arrival of the Prince and his army forced an immediate decision.
Santner's choice was the Forbidden Mountain Range. He had no other option—his food stores were running low, and his gold was almost gone. He had no money and no grain; staying meant certain death.
"Your Highness, are we headed to the Land of Chaos? I heard a group of beastkins has already seized a territory there," Karl ventured cautiously. He had to speak up; they had been packing all night and were up before dawn. He couldn't let Prince Santner waste precious time in a daze.
"Who is their leader?" Santner asked, his eyelids flickering slightly.
"It's Lady Bella," Karl replied after a moment of hesitation. "I heard she has over three hundred beastkin knights. If we go there, we might be able to take over the Land of Chaos together."
"Hmph. Stupid," Santner snorted in cold disdain.
How could he not know Bella? Her ambition was no smaller than his, and she was fiercely competitive. If he went there to try and get a piece of the pie, they would likely end up at each other's throats. It would be a struggle of who would devour whom. Getting Bella to submit to him was harder than climbing to the heavens; back in the original Valtoria Kingdom, she hadn't given him an ounce of respect, and things would only be worse now.
"Then... where? Are we going to Sedona City?" Karl's eyes lit up. He immediately thought of the delicious food and comfortable environment there.
"You idiot!" Santner glared at Karl, his eyes wide with rage. "Are you trying to send us to our graves?"
The recent changes in Sedona City were impossible to hide from neighboring cities. Santner had kept a close watch on them, and the sight of over a thousand knights in training was common knowledge to any keen observer. That city was a bone just as hard to chew as the Fourth Prince's army.
"..." Karl sheepishly shut his mouth. He had spoken from the heart but knew Sedona was out of the question. He groaned inwardly, fearing they were in for more hardship.
"Your Highness, why don't we seize another city and install a puppet lord?" Karl suggested another idea.
"Is there any other city like Blade City, where the entire population consists of slaves?" Santner asked flatly. Blade City had been a unique opportunity; in a slave-driven city, whoever became the master held absolute control without fear of rebellion.
"Uh..." Karl stammered. There were such cities, but they were major hubs. With their current strength, they couldn't even get close to them.
"We go into the Forbidden Mountain Range," Santner said, glancing at Karl. He pulled out the treasure map he had won at the Sedona City auction. "If we find this treasure, we still have a chance."
He had been studying the map relentlessly, as had his subordinates, but they had found nothing so far. He planned to search for it within the mountains themselves. Most importantly, they could hunt for food there. His obsession with the treasure was born of pure necessity; they were broke and starving.
"This is..." Karl wanted to argue, but seeing the hostile look in Santner's eyes, he bit his tongue. Is this really the plan? He felt that the Prince was possessed by the idea of the treasure—it had become a mental demon. Did he really think it would be that easy to find?
"Is everything packed?" Santner's bloodshot eyes turned cold and sharp. He looked ready to kill anyone who dared to offer a word of resistance.
"Everything is ready. We can leave at any time," Karl replied instantly, sensing the murderous intent. He decided to play it safe and stay silent.
"Good. We leave now." Santner stood up and walked out. Today, they would abandon Blade City.
"Your Highness, what about the slaves?" Karl followed close behind. He was referring to the skilled slaves who worked for them. They had sold off many for cheap earlier, but a few hundred remained.
"Leave them. Carrying them along is just a waste of food," Santner said coldly. "We only take the knights. Everyone is to carry their own wheat and supplies."
"Understood." Karl nodded helplessly. He wished they had sold them all off earlier.
"Move out!" Santner mounted his horse and shouted, "Follow me to war!"
"Yes, lord!" The beastkin knights roared.
Thud, thud, thud...
In the end, Santner led over three hundred knights into the depths of the Forbidden Mountain Range in search of the lost treasure of the Valtoria Kingdom, leaving behind a ruined and hollowed-out Blade City.
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