Chapter 335: [Another Perspective] Happenings in the Kingdom of Fiesta

[Kingdom of Fiesta]

A slightly dimly lit interior. On white stone walls that were immediately recognizable as belonging to a stone structure, shadows created by the fire serving as lighting flickered.

The room was large, and even the countless lights could not illuminate it entirely. In such a room, there was a long table that looked as if it had been hewn from heavy stone, and around it were the figures of twelve men and women. There were no chairs; save for one person, everyone remained standing, looking down at the items placed on the table. The sole person sitting in a chair was positioned to view the center of the table.

Tran, one of the twelve, picked up some of the items lined up on the table and spoke.

“Please look at this. It is blue glasswork. There were many other crafts that cannot be made in this island nation. Of course, this includes weapons and arms that pose a threat to us as well. Currently, the Kingdom of Scuderia, the largest nation on the Western Continent, is strong; I was told that even when two nations of equal or near-equal power joined forces to challenge it, they could not win. This is the map of the Western Continent, but there is no mistake that the hegemon of the Western Continent is the Kingdom of Scuderia.”

Tran briefly disclosed the information obtained from this voyage. At that, everyone groaned in understanding. In the center was a large map, depicting three continents. A bald man sporting a white beard nodded at Tran’s report and pressed the tip of a black, branch-like stick onto a point on the map. From that spot on the sea, he drew a line to the left side of the map.

Tran pointed to the end of that line and spoke.

“This is the territory of Marquis Rosso in the Kingdom of Scuderia. I hear the Royal Capital lies to the south of here.”

“…The name of this town was Tribute, was it not?”

“That is correct. It is a peaceful port town, but no large ships were to be found. As far as I heard, ship research in the Kingdom of Scuderia has not yet advanced to the point of open-ocean navigation.”

Tran answered, and the man nodded along while writing some information onto the map. Then, a woman standing on the opposite side of the table raised her face. She was a woman in her forties with purple hair. She had broad shoulders, and even though she wore somewhat loose-fitting clothing, her muscular physique was apparent.

The purple-haired woman furrowed her brows and pointed to the Kingdom of Scuderia, the Kingdom of Yelenetta, and the Shelvia Confederate Nations on the map in order.

“…Essentially, this means they are the rulers of these three nations. Is contact with the Kingdom of Scuderia not dangerous?”

When the woman asked in a slightly low voice, Tran nodded with a serious face.

“It is likely dangerous. However, having met and spoken with power holders such as a Marquis and a Count of the Kingdom of Scuderia, I felt they were people worthy of trust. Furthermore, they are a partner from whom we can gain much. Particularly regarding manufacturing, they are excellent beyond imagination. If we can cooperate, we could likely make the fleet of our Kingdom of Fiesta even stronger.”

“So you are saying we should build a friendly relationship.”

“That is correct. I believe if we make them an ally, they will become a very reliable allied nation.”

Having stated his thoughts, Tran waited for everyone’s reaction. The ones surrounding the table each examined the information and stated their impressions.

“I see. Interesting.”

“I am curious about the reason they are excellent at manufacturing, but…”

“No, I want to hear about the other countries first. Next is the Fourth Fleet, is it? Mondeo Orcus. Give us the information you obtained.”

While everyone spoke their minds, a one-eyed man exposing his muscular arms spoke up. Receiving those words, the smallest brown-haired man among the twelve answered.

“Yes, understood. I sailed toward the Eastern Continent. The landing point was here, the center of the Solstice Empire. It seems Lord Spect of the Fifth Fleet also reached the southern part of the Solstice Empire, but it was just that huge of a country. This map was also received in the Solstice Empire from a large organization called the Commerce Guild. As you can see by looking at this, the Solstice Empire occupies over seventy percent of the continent called the giant Central Continent. What is worthy of special mention is its overwhelming national power and its latest weapons.”

The man called Mondeo spoke proudly, as if he himself were a citizen of the Solstice Empire. At that, Tran asked a question while furrowing his brows slightly.

“Latest weapons? What kind of things are they?”

Perhaps thinking the same thing as Tran, everyone’s gazes focused on Mondeo all at once. Pulling back his chin at the attention, he opened his mouth.

“They are weapons for long-range attacks called ‘fire cannons.’ Once you know the magnificence of these fire cannons, you will all surely think that we must form an alliance with the Solstice Empire.”

Mondeo declared so with a smile and began to speak eloquently about the latest weapons possessed by the Solstice Empire.