Take the Fight to Rhine

Though Blood Port was theoretically the Prince's territory, the Mystic Society had an extremely strong presence here, much of it rooted among the common people.

Where the Prince's decrees could not reach, any casual word from Theus was law. It could be said that nothing the Prince did in Blood Port escaped Theus's eyes.

Naturally, the Prince knew this as well, but he did not mind. It was merely one city. Even if it were the entire Duchy of Tis, he would not care, so long as it could be exchanged for Castel's support.

He was no fool. The continent was vast, and cooperating with Castel offered far greater returns than anything else.

The Prince did not answer immediately. Instead, he rose to his feet, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.

Night had long since fallen over Blood Port, yet outside the window, the city was brilliantly lit.

Streetlamps lined both sides of the roads, stretching across the entire city. The factories in the distance blazed with light as night-shift workers fed fuel into the Steam Engines. Chimneys belched black smoke, while production lines that never stopped day or night ran at full capacity, sustaining this city that never slept.

The entire urban area had expanded at least threefold. The newly built factory districts alone occupied more than half the area of old Blood Port. The high walls that had once divided the upper and lower districts had long been torn down and replaced with streets, where residents strolled beneath the streetlamps.

Beyond that lay even more temporary housing. Shantytowns spread densely along the city's outskirts, growing larger by the day. Blood Port had become the center of Tis, drawing in the population of the entire duchy.

Scattered lights, roaring machinery, smokestacks billowing thick smoke, workers constantly