CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74: A TRANSACTION BETWEEN AN IMPERIAL BARON AND A KINGDOM’S VISCOUNT

"This is snow tea—shipped from a faraway place. There’s not much left, and soon, it might disappear altogether."

"Legend has it that snow tea grows in the crevice between ice and water, a resilient plant that requires no air, drawing nutrients from water. The moment it meets sunlight—that is the instant it matures."

"And that moment only lasts until noon."

Ryan told a beautiful tale, one that made a hint of yearning flicker in Mihai’s eyes.

That’s why—those who never lived in Furnace City would never understand what it meant to survive in the seam between fire and ice, and how bleak the future felt there.

"It must be a beautiful world."

"Yes, very beautiful. Like the world blossoming for the first time."

Ryan finished and brought out some of the snow tea. Seeing the golden and silver-tinged leaves, Mihai’s eyes lit up as though she could pounce on them.

"This is a gift for you, Lady Mihai—to thank you for helping me acquire so much grain."

"Also, if possible, I’d hope you could take some of it back to your kingdom and trade it among your nobles."

This tea was of great value—but there was plenty in Furnace City, more than Ryan could ever drink. Selling it was the only option; preservation was nearly impossible, even Mage Luna had said there was no method—unless a master of ice magic sealed it completely.

"Alright."

Mihai agreed instantly—then suddenly caught herself.

"Wait. I didn’t come here to trade tea with you."

Her tone grew serious.

"I speak not as myself, but on behalf of House Fragoso."

She extended her hand, showing a ring with a gemstone engraved with a leaping unicorn.

"Then state your purpose," Ryan said, meeting her gaze.

After a brief moment of seriousness, Mihai’s expression clouded.

"I’m here to purchase weapons."

"Weapons?"

Ryan was surprised—a viscount of a kingdom had come to him for weapons?

Before he could speak, Mihai explained:

"In the south of Andara, two duchies and a county have joined forces. They demanded land from the crown—territory in the fertile southern region near their borders, land rich in farmland and a wide mountain range."

"Everyone assumed the crown would refuse. No one expected the aging king to actually agree."

"He signed a contract. Transferring farmland and the entire Griffin Mountain Range to those three nobles—along with several others who hadn’t even openly made demands."

"And so, four duchies and four counties suddenly stood united."

At this point, Mihai’s tone was filled with anger.

"That foolish old man handed over the kingdom’s land and justified it by saying those nobles could help defend the kingdom from imperial pressure and fight the northern beastmen."

"But everyone knows—the Empire won’t move beyond the Winged Gorge. And those nobles have no intention of fighting orcs."

"As nobles and lords of this land, we will not allow the old king to sell off the kingdom. We’ve already declared war against those nobles in the south."

"But as you can guess, House Fragoso lacks weapons. There isn’t much iron ore in our lands."

What Ryan focused on wasn’t their lack of iron—but rather...

The King of Andara’s decree was now being publicly defied by his own nobles!

The Kingdom of Andara—one of the eight southern kingdoms—was perhaps the weakest due to its position near both the Empire and the northern wilderness. Yet its nobles now dared to openly rebel?

This might be the biggest political upheaval in the south this year, second only to Ryan’s introduction of the lordship system.

No wonder the king ceded the farmland and mountains to the high nobles—this wasn’t foolishness. This was decades of political cunning. He was using the powerful southern houses to weaken rebellious factions inside his own kingdom.

In other words, the Andaran royal family could no longer resolve internal power struggles and had to resort to external leverage.

Ryan felt a rush of excitement, like a spectator watching a grand drama. He stared at Mihai, his eyes gleaming.

"How much do you need?"

Mihai blinked, surprised at his reaction.

"We need 1,000 weapons, 500 sets of leather armor, and if possible, 100 full suits of knight armor. Warhorses, too, if you can..."

"Stop right there!"

Ryan interrupted.

"The rest is doable—but 100 full suits of knight armor and warhorses? What do you take me for? I’m just a northern baron. You think I have that kind of stock?"

Mihai’s large eyes stared at Ryan. She had witnessed firsthand the power of his troops.

At first, the Fragoso family hadn’t believed an imperial baron could possess such wealth.

They couldn’t understand why Ryan needed so much grain or why he had so many powerful soldiers.

But once they learned that Ryan was descended from House Rimehart, they realized he wasn’t ordinary. That’s why Mihai had offered to visit in person.

And what she saw proved her instincts right. No ordinary barony would have a population like this. Just from what she had observed, the Frozen Territory must have at least seven to eight thousand people.

"We can pay in gold, gemstones, even magic crystals."

"I don’t need those," Ryan said.

Mihai stared. A noble refusing gold?

"Grain. Livestock."

"We have those too," Mihai said through gritted teeth.

Though nobles near the north didn’t have endless supplies, their resources were still far better than Northwind Province’s.

"Then we have a deal. Those will be our terms."

"I’ll have my smiths begin forging the weapons and armor you need. Meanwhile, my steward will continue purchasing grain from you."

Mihai was taken aback.

"Just how desperate are you for food?"

"As much as you have, I’ll take," Ryan replied.

He let Mihai stay at the castle for now. Deep in thought, he walked up to the summit of Rhinohorn Mountain, from which the widest and most magnificent view could be seen.

Though Mihai had a youthful face, she was older than Ryan. Her tone occasionally slipped into unfiltered remarks, revealing subtle truths.

She no longer spoke merely as a daughter of House Fragoso—but used the pronoun:

"We."

That "we" revealed that Andara’s internal situation was far more turbulent than it appeared.

Ryan was very, very curious.