Fifth Hundred and Forty-Second Chapter: An Ill-Fated Journey

“Sister, we’ve arrived,” Cole. Conde burst into the cabin excitedly.

“I’ve told you twice already, don’t call me sister on this trip,” Edith looked up and glanced at him, “Have you forgotten?”

“No…” Cole shuddered, “No, I remember.”

“Then who am I?”

“My, my shuji official, Ms. Edith.”

“And you?”

“Father… no, Ambassador Calvin. Conde, sent by the Duke of the North.”

“Good, remember not to make a third mistake,” Edith stood up, stretched her stiff limbs, and walked out of the cabin, “Call the entire envoy team, we’re going to the inner city.”

This was a little trick Edith often played. She always liked to observe her negotiation targets from behind the scenes first, form an initial impression, and then come forward to negotiate. In addition to being able to prepare in advance, it could also give the other party a sense of novelty. If the target was male, there was a high probability that they would be full of interest in her.

She never shied away from her identity as a woman, but instead regarded it as an advantage in social situations.

Since she had the title of Pearl of the North, she naturally couldn't waste it.

“What about the… heads?”

“Of course, they’re being kept on the ship, did you think you’d be bringing that thing into the bedroom?” she pouted, “They’re already starting to stink.”

Stepping off the gangplank, Edith noticed that there were an unusually large number of ships in the canal, and many people had gathered on the dock. They mostly carried bags and, judging by their attire, were neither slaves nor merchants. This made her quite curious, apart from the above two categories, few people would travel far during the spring plowing season.

She beckoned a follower, “Go and ask them where they plan to go.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Cole asked, puzzled.

“Since Roland. Wimbledon has occupied this city, he will always issue some new policies to announce his authority. This can also reflect his character from the side, so it does have something to do with us.” Edith smiled, “Besides, you can spend a few gold royals to ask the ‘rats’ to collect information for you, but I prefer the news I hear myself.”

“Is, is that so…”

“Look more, think more, Ambassador,” she said, “This is a rare opportunity.”

After entering the city gate, there were suddenly many more pedestrians on the street. Simple stalls were set up on both sides of the road, and merchants were hawking their goods. For a time, shouts and sales calls rose one after another. Edith had accompanied her father to the royal capital a few years ago to attend the Fifth Princess's coming-of-age ceremony. The city hadn't changed much from her memory and was still lively.

In Neverwinter City, you would never see such a crowded scene unless it was a festival or celebration.

Suddenly, a speaker on the street caught her attention.

“Wait a moment,” Edith stopped the team and led Cole to the crowd that had gathered.

“Can you saw wood? Can you lay bricks? Can you take care of cattle and sheep? As long as you have a skill, you are the talent that His Majesty Roland needs! Go to the Western Region, His Majesty is building a new capital there—Neverwinter City! Your talents will bring you rich rewards!”

Talent? Edith pondered, it was an interesting way of putting it… But what does a new capital mean? Neverwinter City? Is there such a city in the Western Region?

A few dozen steps further, there was another group of people.

“Witches are innocent, this is the confession written by the High Priest before his execution,” another speaker waved the text in his hand, “They may be your relatives, your daughters, your sisters! If you are still afraid of them, send them to Neverwinter City! There, they will receive meticulous care. If you can't bear to leave them, you can go together! His Majesty promises that the families of witches will receive a house to shelter them from the wind and rain, and respectable jobs!”

“The High Priest was executed?” Cole's eyes widened.

Edith frowned, if this was Roland. Wimbledon's new policy, it was a bit too high-profile. Wasn't he afraid of attracting the Church's thunderous revenge? That was not a battle between nobles, but a war against heretics to the death.

She didn't know whether loyalty to such a king was a blessing or a curse.

After spending half an hour walking down the street leading to the inner city, she discovered that there were such speakers everywhere along the way. They almost compiled everything His Majesty had done after conquering the royal capital into a book and repeated it over and over again. Anyone who came to the royal capital could understand these changes by listening on the street for half a day, without even needing to find the "rats".

“My lord, I’ve asked everything clearly,” the attendant who had been ordered to inquire about the news caught up with the team breathlessly, “They are all preparing to go to—”

“Neverwinter City, right?” Edith interrupted.

“You… already knew?”

“Don’t bother looking for an inn, we’ll go to the palace to submit the ambassador’s documents,” she had a faint premonition in her heart, “Now, hurry!”

……

“What did you say?” Cole said in surprise, “His Majesty Roland has been away from the royal capital for a week? Without holding a coronation ceremony?”

“That’s what the receptionist said,” the attendant reported, “Originally, His Majesty left a chief minister named Barov. Mons to manage affairs, but he also left the royal capital yesterday. Now, apart from the servants, the palace is uninhabited. The receptionist also said that if you want to negotiate with the city hall, he can forward your message.”

“No need,” Edith said coldly. She didn't expect her premonition to come true. She had been rushing all the way, only to find that she had come up empty—Roland actually planned to move the capital, abandoning this great city to rebuild a new city in the Western Region! What was he thinking? You had to know that cities of this scale couldn't be completed without thirty or forty years of construction!

“What do we do?” Cole asked quietly, looking at the dazed members of the envoy behind him.

She frowned, and after a long while, she said, “Turn around and go back to the dock, we’re going to Neverwinter City too!”

“Anyway, the person is already gone, we don’t need to rush like this,” Cole said with a bitter face, “I haven’t showered in a week, I feel like I’m getting lice all over my body.”

Edith tilted her head and sniffed her collar, also smelling a strange odor. She finally sighed, “Then let’s find an inn to rest for one night, and set off early tomorrow morning.”

However, when the envoy arrived at the dock the next morning, they found that their ship had been burned to a skeleton.

“What’s going on this time?” Edith felt for the first time that her brain was not enough.

“Ahem, don’t be angry, sis—Ms. Edith, look more, think more…” Cole waved and beckoned a passerby, “Can docks also catch fire?”

“Ah, you’re talking about this,” the other party explained enthusiastically, “I don’t know which damn fool hid a corpse on the ship, and the smell was detected by a rat that was stealing things. You don’t know, everyone is particularly sensitive to this thing, after all, half a year ago, there was an outbreak of evil plague in the city, which was caused by the corpses spread by the Church. In short, to deal with this thing, it’s only safe to burn it. The captain has been arrested by the guards for questioning, do you know him?”

Edith didn't know what expression to use to answer for a while, and after a long time, she managed to squeeze out a sentence, “Thank you, I don’t know him.”

It seemed that she had to find a new ship again, she thought, maybe this journey of allegiance wouldn't be as smooth as she had imagined… would it?