The Eldest Prince's Prejudice

Old King Kerry closed his eyes to rest, and only then did Hughes, standing beside him, turn serious.

"How did you discover the mineral vein?"

"I was originally sent to wipe out the Ghost-Eyed Giants. Then I discovered that they had crystals associated with turquoise ore..."

Lister briefly explained the sequence of events to Hughes, feeling rather expectant as he wondered what reward he might receive from the royal family.

Hughes listened intently, asking detailed questions about certain points and even pressing him for details of the battle.

Yet when Lister finished his account, Hughes showed none of the reaction he had expected. His expression remained serious.

"Since you discovered the turquoise mine, why didn't you tell Duke Will first?"

"Did you notice that he had divided loyalties? Or that he had ties to another country?"

Lister had never expected three questions in a row and was naturally unprepared.

He had assumed that the Lucian Royal Family would be consumed by the news of the turquoise mine and immediately fall into a frenzy of delight.

Who could have known that old King Kerry was so advanced in years that he didn't care about such things at all?

Though Eldest Prince Hughes took the matter seriously, he was extremely wary of Lister.

He seemed to be questioning Duke Will, but in truth, he was directing his remarks at Lister.

"If Your Highness has reservations, then I'll return to the duchy and tell Duke Will first."

"That won't be necessary!"

"I've long heard of the Seven Great Families of your Duchy of Will."

"I didn't like you in the past, but you did the right thing today."

Though Eldest Prince Hughes looked only middle-aged, he was actually over sixty.

His face was well maintained, with few visible wrinkles, but the lines running from his nose to his mouth were extremely deep.

He came across as far more stern and imposing than even old King Kerry.

Lister was beginning to understand.

It seemed the Lucian Royal Family had long heard about the situation in the Duchy of Will.

They had taken a dislike to the Seven Great Families' faction that Lister represented long ago.

With a little thought, Lister could understand why.

From the royal family's perspective, while they hoped things within the Duchy of Will wouldn't be too peaceful, and that there would preferably be some internal friction and conflict,

they didn't want the Seven Great Families behaving this way, acting almost as if they were semi-independent and refusing even to answer the kingdom's summons. It was tantamount to a power within the kingdom not being under their control.

If Lister were king, he would indeed have found it hard to feel any goodwill toward such remote "local emperors" within his territory.

Of course, from Lister's own perspective, he had now lost all goodwill toward Hughes as well. Whatever else might be said, he had come today to bring them benefits.

Had he known this would be their attitude, Lister probably wouldn't have been so eager.

If his strength hadn't fallen short of theirs for the time being, leaving him unable to contend with the Kingdom of Lucian, Lister really would have wanted to keep the turquoise mine all to himself.

Thinking about it now, Lister admired Count Connor all the more.

The count had probably anticipated the Lucian Royal Family's attitude long ago. No wonder he had distanced himself from the matter early on and made Lister the representative.

"I've already sent people to investigate the turquoise vein."

"If what you said is true, you may ask for whatever reward you want."

With that, Hughes changed the subject.

"How much do you know about the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty you mentioned to Kavin?"

"I don't know the details myself. I only know from a written account that such a great imperial dynasty exists on the other side of the Lost Land."

Lister had revealed some information about the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty because of another request he had made to Kavin.

It was also part of his tentative plans to continue his main quest in the Kingdom of Lucian.

The Lost Land was tremendously valuable, but to Lister, it was more a place to grind levels and kill monsters.

And unless Kavin disregarded their agreement and told them, the Lucian Royal Family wouldn't know about the underground Alchemy Civilization either.

So Lister decided to indirectly share the news of the Great Chu Dynasty and test the waters first.

"A written account? From where?"

"A bard's travel journal."

"Based on a travel journal alone, you're convinced that such a great imperial dynasty exists?"

Hughes gave Lister an odd look. Even now, he couldn't figure out what the young man before him was thinking.

Unlike the usual style of the Seven Great Families of the Duchy of Will, this Merrick seemed to have ambitions that extended beyond the duchy.

He weighed the matter for a while, and the atmosphere began to grow heavy.

Kavin stood to one side, apparently uninterested in the conversation.

The twenty-six-faced cube appeared in his hand once more, seemingly out of thin air. With intricate movements of his wrist, he scrambled and restored it.

This time, of course, Lister saw it clearly. The twenty-six-faced cube had been removed from the bracelet on Kavin's wrist, twisting at unusual angles until it became the cube in his hand.

"Since you're willing to investigate, I'll agree to give you a squad."

"I'll also grant you the status of a representative of the Kingdom of Lucian's delegation."

"If you really do find this great imperial dynasty, you will represent our kingdom in extending goodwill to them first."

"Do your best to record information about their country, as well as any resources useful to ours."

"If you can truly bring this matter to the expected outcome, I guarantee that when you return, I can give you an even greater reward!"

With that, Hughes signaled to the attendant waiting outside. Today's conversation was over, and the attendant was to escort Lister out of the palace.

After hurrying along the whole way, Lister finally let out a long breath once he had walked out of the palace.

Though the process had taken a few twists and turns, and his relationship with the royal family hadn't grown closer as he had expected, everything had gone smoothly in the end.

He had told the royal family about the turquoise mine, and he also had a new official position in the Kingdom of Lucian.

At the same time, he could now openly make further contact with the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty.

Although the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty was the setting for an expansion in the first act, and its NPCs' levels should not, in theory, exceed level twenty,

that meant Lister, entering the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty at his current level, should have been an ultimate boss, capable of slaughtering everyone in his path.

In reality, however, the first act's expansion took place within Jiangling Prefecture in the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty, under the jurisdiction of Marquis Yongyi's Residence.

All the players operated within Jiangling Prefecture.

It wasn't until the two great powers of east and west went to war in the third act that the players would be exposed to the full extent of the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty.

Lister was certain that the levels of NPCs in Jiangling Prefecture would be suppressed, but he really couldn't make any guarantees about NPCs in other regions.

He could either sneak over and lie low in Jiangling Prefecture, waiting for the players to arrive in this world,

or, as he was doing now, come to the Kingdom of Lucian, borrow its authority, and visit in the name of an envoy.

With the title of envoy, Lister would certainly gain noble status in the Kingdom of Lucian, giving the second stage of his main quest a major push forward.

Moreover, the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty followed old customs in its rules and conduct: even when two countries were at war, envoys were not to be killed.

Under normal circumstances, it would even grant envoys from other countries preferential treatment in an indirect manner.

Lister's other request to Kavin had been for a team and an official status, so he could enter the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty with greater security.

He had thought the matter through. The Kingdom of Lucian would soon begin a struggle for supremacy in this land, and if there really was another great imperial dynasty, that would be a good thing for the Kingdom of Lucian too.

No one could guarantee victory in a struggle for supremacy, so it would be good for the time being if they could win over an ally.

A week later, in the Kingdom of Lucian's council hall.

Old King Kerry had made a rare appearance. He sat high in the center, wearing a crown, holding a scepter, and dressed in noble, splendid royal attire.

Though he was in the twilight of his life, he was still a professional, and he forced himself to remain alert when he came to the council hall.

Guided by an appointed attendant, Lister stepped steadily into the hall.

Almost everyone around him belonged to the Kingdom of Lucian's core power structure. There were nobles, high-level professionals, and mid- to high-ranking officials, and their gazes were all fixed on Lister.

Lister held his head high and his chest out. This was the second time he had experienced such a ceremony.

The only difference was that the Kingdom of Lucian's ceremony was more solemn and attended by more people.

Lister came to a stop at the innermost end of the hall. Eldest Prince Hughes, standing to one side, silently nodded to him.

Old King Kerry slowly rose from his seat and walked down the steps, finally stopping in front of Lister.

An official at the side quickly presented two documents and a cane.

Although the Kingdom of Lucian's ceremonies were complicated, things became much simpler when it came to King Kerry.

Nor did anyone dare tell the king what to do.

"Lister Merick, are you willing to pledge your loyalty to the Kingdom of Lucian and to the Lucian Royal Family?"

"I am!"

Lister looked at old King Kerry before him, doing his best to appear sincere.

The old king's eyes, however, looked clouded. He was merely going through the formalities and showed little intention of testing Lister with words or a searching gaze.

He quickly took the document of ennoblement from the attendant at his side.