Lorist needed Count Miranda's help. Without the local lord's permission, no matter how strong his family army was or how much money he had, he could not secure the manpower and supplies available around Port Ametlin. That would seriously affect his plans for the journey north.
Lorist, Fatty Shi, and the family knights under his command had held several discussions. Everyone agreed that the greatest challenge would be crossing the two thousand li of the Kingdom of Redlis. If Lorist were traveling with only a dozen people, it would be no problem. But more than six thousand people were following him north, along with a vast quantity of supplies. That made things difficult.
The Kingdom of Redlis had been founded by the former Krissen Empire's First Prince. Even before the Empire fell, he had been notorious for his brutality, greed, and broken promises. The old emperor had therefore stripped him of his right to inherit the throne and sent him to Portoorg Province, far from the Imperial Capital. But the First Prince had thrived there. With the emperor too far away to interfere, he quickly seized control of the province's military and government, squeezed wealth from its people, raised a private army, and even posed as a bandit to rob traveling merchants. He was suspected of being behind the destruction of the Norton Family's merchant caravan.
After the old emperor died, the First Prince had been the first to raise the banner of rebellion, plunging the entire Empire into a devastating civil war. Now, less than a year and a half after a ceasefire agreement was signed, he had found an excuse to start a war with the Duchy of Fulendo. His real aim was the former Empire's wealthy central region. Fortunately, the grand dukes of the Duchy of Fakel,