"The King of Castrum Kremnos?"
Caelus looked at the small group standing before him.
The man claiming to be king was dressed somewhat more lavishly than the average citizen, but for a ruler, his attire was still surprisingly restrained.
Only a handful of people accompanied him.
He did not seem particularly concerned about his own safety.
Then again, that made sense.
Castrum Kremnos was home to the most warlike people in Amphoreus. Naturally, their king would not be some defenseless ruler incapable of protecting himself.
"We of Castrum Kremnos aren't like those other city-states that obsess over elaborate ceremonies that do little more than waste time and effort."
Balor laughed.
"Here, we prefer to keep things simple."
"And anyone with genuine skill will always be welcome in Castrum Kremnos. We make sure talented people understand what our hospitality truly means."
He looked toward the weapons displayed throughout the shop.
"I came hoping to meet the master smith who forged these weapons."
"I don't know whether they have any free time over the next few days, or what conditions I would need to offer for an audience."
"There's no need."
"You've already met him."
"I forged these weapons."
Balor stared at the seemingly slender foreigner in surprise.
After a brief silence, he laughed.
"Then I allowed appearances to mislead me."
"I'll get straight to the point."
"Sir, would you be willing to remain in Castrum Kremnos and forge weapons for our people?"
"I'm only a traveler."
"Once I've sold this batch of weapons and earned enough money, I'll continue my journey."
"I don't stay in one place for very long."
"That's unfortunate."
Balor did not attempt to pressure him.
After exchanging a few more words with Caelus, he turned and left.
Olyron, who had remained silent beside him until now, finally spoke.
"Father, why weren't you more forceful?"
"A smith this skilled could become a serious problem if he starts forging weapons for other city-states."
"If we end up facing those weapons on the battlefield, our losses could become much worse."
"Olyron, I understand your concern."
"But the warriors of Castrum Kremnos have no need for petty schemes."
"Even if we forced him to stay, what would happen if he refused to put his full effort into forging our weapons?"
"If he deliberately produced inferior equipment and we distributed it among our soldiers, how much use would that be?"
"And if someone exploited the situation to collaborate with him from within our own walls, how much trouble might that cause?"
Balor shook his head.
"That's enough, Olyron."
"The next war will begin soon."
"Go back and prepare."
"You'll be taking part this time."
"Let those cowardly fools who spend every day drowning themselves in pleasure witness the strength of Castrum Kremnos."
Olyron remained where he was, watching his father walk away.
His gaze flickered.
Eventually, he took a deep breath and whispered to himself.
"Father... you really are getting old."
"You've started relying on schemes and calculations."
"The king who once led the warriors of Castrum Kremnos across the battlefield can't escape Oronyx's power after all."
Olyron seemed to make a decision.
Then he quickly departed in another direction.
...
"Partner! Which city-state are we visiting next?"
After leaving Castrum Kremnos, Mem appeared beside Caelus and looked toward the rolling hills in the distance.
"There are about three months left before our clothes are finished."
Caelus examined the map in his hand.
"Based on our current pace, we'll go here first."
He pointed toward the Grove of Epiphany.
According to what he had learned, it was a land protected by Cerces, the Titan of Reason.
It possessed the strongest academic atmosphere in Amphoreus, with countless schools of thought constantly exchanging ideas.
Every day, different forms of knowledge collided there, giving birth to new flashes of inspiration.
The place was called the Grove of Epiphany because it was supposedly built upon the divine body of Cerces itself.
A colossal tree stretching impossibly high into the sky.
Although the threat of the Black Tide was steadily building, ordinary life remained relatively peaceful.
So far, the destruction caused by the Black Tide had not become severe enough for most people to panic.
Only one or two coastal city-states had truly come under threat.
The Titans had already delivered an oracle revealing a way to save the world.
Unfortunately, the message itself sounded almost sacrilegious.
Worse still, the prophecy had been spread by one of the Chrysos Heirs, which made it seem even less trustworthy to many people.
Trisidios, the Saintess of Janusopolis, was said to have received the blessing of the Titan of Passage.
She had even divided herself into countless fragments in order to carry the divine oracle across the world.
Unfortunately, the spread of that prophecy did not unite the people of Amphoreus against the Black Tide advancing from the sea.
Instead, the kings of various city-states seized Trisidios's scattered incarnations and used the authority of the oracle as a justification for war.
That was why conflicts were now erupting across the land.
It was also why Caelus had arrived directly on a battlefield and found plenty of corpses to loot.
And why selling weapons afterward had been such an easy business opportunity.
From a certain perspective, he really was profiting from wartime.
Still, that seemed preferable to stealing, robbing people, or creating currency out of nothing and destabilizing the existing economy.
Incidentally, someone had already tried that last idea before.
Long ago in Amphoreus's history, the king of a certain city-state had come up with what he believed was a brilliant plan.
At the time, people used precious materials such as gold and gemstones as currency.
So the king began wondering:
If he gathered every valuable mineral into his own territory, wouldn't that mean all the wealth in the world belonged to him?
Wouldn't his city-state become unbeatable?
And so he actually tried it.
The king prayed to one of the Titans.
No one knew which Titan he prayed to, nor what kind of offering or ritual had earned him the ability to manipulate mineral deposits.
Whatever the method, he succeeded in gathering nearly all of Amphoreus's precious-metal veins into the mountains behind his own city-state.
Then he demanded that every other city-state obey him.
Otherwise, no new precious metals would ever be available for use as currency.
Unfortunately for him, people always found alternatives.
If precious metals could no longer be used, then they simply returned to older forms of currency.
Shells.
Feathers.
Even specially marked pieces of clay.
Eventually, the absurd situation became intolerable even to Talanthon, the Titan of Law.
Talanthon intervened and created an entirely new currency from the limitless and omnipresent sand of Amphoreus.
A currency that no individual could ever monopolize.
That was the origin of the currency now used throughout the world.
It was also why Caelus had rejected Mem's suggestion that they simply manufacture money themselves.
The currency was, in essence, a creation of a Titan.
As for the clever little king who had dreamed up the original monopoly scheme, he had long since disappeared into the dust of history.
Whatever happened to him, his end probably had not been pleasant.
"So this Grove of Epiphany is basically a city-state built by scholars."
Caelus folded the map slightly.
"I wonder whether any of them study forbidden subjects."
"Things like why the Titans exist in the first place, or what their true nature actually is."
"Partner, in a world where gods genuinely exist and walk alongside mortals, would scholars really dare study something that sacrilegious?"
Mem looked doubtful.
"In a sense, that would be an extreme act of disrespect toward the Titans."
"People still break laws even when something is explicitly forbidden."
Caelus spoke calmly.
"Some people pursue things that sound insane or completely incomprehensible to everyone else."
"And some are simply drawn toward taboos."
"They enjoy researching things ordinary people believe should never be touched."
"If someone like that really existed, everyone around them would probably consider them a heretic."
"They'd be feared, hated, and isolated."
"That would be inevitable."
Mem tilted her head.
"It's a little ironic."
"The place that values reason and wisdom more than anywhere else would still have to obey irrational taboos."
"Absolute rationality exists only in machines."
"As long as something is alive, there will always be boundaries it refuses to cross."
"Things it considers forbidden."
"Besides, even Cerces, the Titan of Reason, fell in love with the Titan of Romance."
"The moment love enters the equation, perfect rationality becomes impossible."
"Hehe!"
Mem immediately brightened.
"Then, Partner..."
"Doesn't that mean that even before you recovered the emotion of love, you really did care about me?"
"You valued me even back then, didn't you?"
"Of course."
Otherwise, Caelus could have extracted far more from Nyarlathotep's miniature stage.
He could have recovered additional emotions and instincts.
He might even have studied that chaotic power and used it to strengthen himself.
Yet the moment Nyarlathotep attempted to interfere with Cyrene's existence, Caelus abandoned every potential benefit and turned against the Outer God without hesitation.
It had been an emotional decision.
One that directly contradicted pure rationality.
It had come from caring about someone.
From valuing them above the benefits he might gain.
And from love.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)