A few days later—

The Beast Kingdom of Euranazia and the Kingdom of Blumund officially announced to the world that they would be establishing diplomatic relations with the Labyrinth City of Lapris and launching free trade.

But that wasn't all.

A brand-new shopping model suddenly popped up.

Shopping carts. Remote orders. Online shopping.

This novel concept immediately grabbed the public's attention.

At first, most chambers of commerce were skeptical.

Just send out a brochure, and customers can place orders from afar and buy your stuff?

Seriously?

How could making money be that easy?

But when they noticed that every single magic device was stamped with the official authorization seals of multiple countries, jaws dropped.

This was international cooperation.

It was like a private company suddenly becoming a state-owned enterprise overnight.

No one could figure out how that monster-run city convinced actual nations to go along with it.

Maybe they begged?

Or maybe it was some kind of asylum deal in exchange for tribute?

No one knew for sure.

But that didn't matter. These merchants were sharp—greedy, cunning, and sharp.

After analyzing Lapris's location, plus factoring in its backing by not one but two superpowers...

They got it.

This place might actually replace the Kingdom of Falmuth as the continent's next big trade hub.

——————————

Meanwhile—

The banquet hall of the Falmuth Royal Palace was still lively and extravagant.

The palace rang with music and laughter.

Even standing ten meters away, one could hear the raucous music and the sound of nobles chuckling over their wine.

Inside—

Several nobles surrounded King Falmuth, flattering him with sycophantic smiles.

"As you predicted, Your Majesty."

"It's already been over a month. Even if Dwargon acknowledges the existence of that monster faction, it doesn't affect us at all."

The nobles were smiling wide. They had made a killing this past month.

A while back, the Dwarven Kingdom of Dwargon publicly acknowledged a group of monsters operating in the Jura Forest.

But just like the king had said back then—wild monsters roamed the forest, and no sane merchant guild would risk crossing that deathtrap.

Why take the risk when you can just pay a little more in tariffs?

King Falmuth raised his wine glass and smiled smugly.

"As I said, they're just a bunch of monsters. How could they shake the foundation of Falmuth's centuries-old legacy?"

"Besides, it's a bunch of monsters. How clever can they be?"

"Commerce is the domain of humans. They don't even know how to play the game."

With that, he took a sip of red wine, a sneer curling on his lips.

But—

There was one thing that still bugged him.

Where the hell did that investigation team he'd sent out disappear to?

It had been ages, and not a single report had come back.

Did they die in the Jura Forest?

Tch. Commoners really are hard to manage.

King Falmuth let out a cold snort and shook the thought away.

Whatever. He'd only paid five silver coins for the mission.

That wasn't even worth the wine in his hand.

What a waste…

He'd given them too much.

How could the lives of peasants be compared to his wine?

"Your Majesty, cheers! To Falmuth's bright future!"

"Hahaha! Cheers!"

But as they laughed, one of the nobleman's attendants rushed in and whispered something in his ear.

"What?"

The noble's face changed instantly. His expression soured.

"Your Majesty, I've just remembered something urgent. Please excuse me."

With that, he tossed his wine glass aside and hurried out.

Huh?

King Falmuth blinked, confused.

But he didn't think much of it and turned back to continue his chat.

But as time passed…

More and more servants began entering the venue.

Each one found their respective master and whispered in a panic.

And then—

All the nobles' faces turned pale, as if someone in their family had died.

One after another, they made up excuses and rushed out of the banquet.

In just moments…

Half the venue had cleared out.

What's going on?

Why is everyone acting like this?

King Falmuth took another sip of wine and glanced around at the suddenly thinning crowd of nobles.

Just then—

The Chancellor came barging in, visibly panicked.

"Your Majesty! We have a crisis!"

"Euranazia and Blumund have officially announced diplomatic relations with the monster faction in Jura Forest!"

"What?!"

King Falmuth froze, his expression completely blank.

Euranazia? The Beast Kingdom ruled by Demon Lord Carrion?

That arrogant Lion King who didn't even respect Dwargon was forming relations with a no-name monster nation like Lapris?

No way. That's impossible.

"Ridiculous!"

"Where are you getting this nonsense?!"

He erupted in rage.

But the Chancellor of the Exchequer responded anxiously,

"Your Majesty, it's true!"

"The news is spreading fast throughout the Western Nations!"

"A huge number of merchant guilds have already cut ties with us and switched over to Lapris!"

BOOM!

It felt like thunder had exploded in King Falmuth's brain. His wine glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground.

He immediately grabbed a noble who was trying to leave.

"Where are you going?!"

The noble didn't even look at him.

"Your Majesty, the merchants I manage just informed me they're terminating all contracts—even if it means paying penalties."

"They're serious, Your Majesty. These commoners mean business."

With that, the noble pulled away and stormed out without looking back.

What the hell is going on?

Falmuth stood there in shock.

They don't even care about penalties?

This doesn't make sense!

Even if Lapris really signed treaties with those nations, it shouldn't have this much pull!

Enough to make merchants ditch their deals and jump ship?!

"Your Majesty!"

Another minister ran in, out of breath, clutching a well-made booklet in his hands.

"This was delivered by my personal contact from Dwargon!"

"The monsters at Lapris have started distributing these catalogs and introduced a shopping cart system!"

"This thing's already gone viral in the Armed Nation! Almost every household has one!"

"What is this…"

King Falmuth took the catalog and flipped it open, muttering under his breath.

"Underground Labyrinth Specialty Product Catalog?"

That was the cover title.

He flipped through it. And the more he read, the darker his expression became. His eyes started twitching.

"These monsters… they're selling food from the Beast Kingdom to Dwargon?!"

The Beast Kingdom was an agricultural powerhouse, blessed with fertile soil and famed for its crops.

But it had always been closed-off. Why would they suddenly let monsters act as their distributors?

And even worse, this damn catalog also advertised equipment forged by the dwarves!

King Falmuth's knuckles went white as he clenched the catalog.

Even Dwargon is backing them?!

How the hell did these monsters pull this off?

Gazel Dwargo and Demon Lord Carrion—what are you two doing?!

Why would you suddenly support these monsters?!

(To be continued.)

***

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves

(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)