CHAPTER 533: CHAPTER 511 NORTH COUNTY AND SECHING

Horn took out a letter opener from the cupboard, sat at the dining table, broke the wax seal on the outside of the envelope, and reached inside to pull out another envelope.

Horn blinked, waved the letter opener, and continued to open the envelope inside, then pulled out a small envelope from it.

If Armand hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought it was some old friend from Black Snake Bay pulling a prank on him again.

Fortunately, this time, apart from the small envelope, there was also a note written on birch bark paper inside the outer envelope.

Horn glanced at the note and understood that it was entrusted by a Count from North County to be forwarded by Mira’s father and then sent to Mira.

This created a situation where three layers of envelopes were used.

The Duke who sent the letter is a highly respected old Count from North County, named Seching Uninots.

And his territory, Dragon Breath Village, borders Langsande County.

Inside the last small envelope, besides a ring as an identity token, there was a short message of only a few hundred words.

While Armand was serving porridge to Horn, Horn quickly read through this peculiar letter, which alternated between crude and refined language.

Putting down the letter, Horn’s face revealed a playful smile.

He set the letter aside, mixed the scraps of beef and lamb from the banquet into the rice porridge, spooning the rice into his mouth, Horn’s gaze gradually lost focus.

North County is located to the northeast of Langsande County, belonging to one of the five mountainous counties.

Internally, it is divided into Dragon Breath Village, Gray Mist Village, and Stone Cliff Town.

Its area is slightly larger than Langsande County, but the population is only over two hundred thousand, roughly one-third of Langsande County.

The main reason for this is still that problem—the interior is mostly mountainous and forested, with scarce arable land.

Luckily, there’s Stone Cliff Town, within which the Kala Mountain Range has rich grasslands suitable for small-scale cattle and sheep grazing.

This is supposed to be a treasure land, yet it happens to border the Burning Castle Territory of the Norn Kingdom at Angus Castle.

Angus Castle is famous for producing beef and cheese; they not only need this important pasture but need more of it.

With the unique simple and honest customs of the North People, they naturally wouldn’t indulge them, and the herdsmen fight every day, resulting in no profit for either side.

Although one side is called Norn people and the other North people, there is hardly any blood relation between the two.

The reason it’s called North County is only because the original native tribe living in this area was called the North Tribe.

The Norn people of the Burning Castle Territory were forced to migrate from the north by the knights of the Empire.

Now the Norn Kingdom and the so-called Norn people are spoken of by Leia and the Falan people west of the Dragon Sleep Mountain Range.

They are essentially hundreds of indigenous tribes from the East Continent, with different languages, who united and formed groups and kingdoms after learning feudalism from the Empire.

This is also why the Norn people’s lords are often called Great Monarchs, instead of Counts; it’s a title evolved from chiefs.

The North Tribe lived here earlier than these Norn people and with more backbone.

Many of those Norn people converted under pressure during the Pioneer War and intermarried, while the North Tribe managed to hold out even after the Pioneer War.

However, now the mountain folk of North County, apart from retaining some basic worship customs, are no different from the Kush people.

The Count of Dragon Breath Village, Seching, is descended from the chief family of the original North Tribe.

This letter he sent is both related and unrelated to the North labor issue.

Accurately speaking, the Count of Dragon Breath Village seems to be trying to carve out a piece; he requests a meeting with Horn and plans to bring two thousand two hundred diplomatic envoy to visit.

In the letter, he expects to place these two thousand two hundred diplomats as liaison officers at Joan of Arc Castle.

If Horn is willing to offer them part-time jobs, that would be even better.

This shameless attitude makes Horn guess that he is envious of the prosperity of Langsande County.

Currently, due to Horn’s appropriations from monasteries and nobles in Lower Reif County and Langsande County, a large amount of gold coins have entered the market.

This means local prices have increased, and wages have also risen.

To outsiders, a mason can earn several dozen Dinars a month, which seems too wealthy.

Only, Seching still has principles, and he doesn’t pretend to be unaware, but comes directly to discuss the matter.

After all, he defeated the army of the Holy Edict even without causing trouble.

"Your Grace?" Watching Horn lost in thought, with the bowl of porridge finished yet still scooping with the spoon, Armand whispered to remind him.

"Oh." Horn handed the letter to Armand, "You have a look; I’ll have two more vegetable pancakes, then it’s time to set off."

Horn stuffed the vegetable pancakes into his mouth and swallowed them, while Armand quickly finished reading the letter: "Count Seching’s request seems somewhat excessive, but after all, he’s from Moliat. Your Grace, what do you think?"

"What do I think? Isn’t Mira also from Moliat? And now she’s obediently working for us."

"Do you want to win over Count Seching?"

"No, I want to win over the mountain folk of North County." Horn picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and sent the tableware into the kitchen, "He’s secondary."

Turning back from the kitchen, Horn lifted a red lacquered suitcase from beside the table.

"Armand, go fetch the North maps and related notes from my study cupboard."

Putting the documents on the table and several pieces of bread from the cupboards into the lacquered briefcase, Horn donned a woolen coat and hat.

"Join me for lunch later?" Armand categorized the maps into the briefcase while Horn walked to Jeanne who was still eating heartily.

Shoveling a full bowl of porridge, Jeanne replied without raising her head: "I might have lunch at the camp with the new recruits; without me, they’ll definitely turn the place upside down."

Giving Jeanne a kiss on the head, Horn picked up the packed briefcase and stole the vegetable pancake from her plate in protest.

"Is everything packed?" Horn chewed the pancake, speaking incomprehensibly to Catherine who had stood up.

"Packed." Dressed in a nightgown, Catherine acted like a little wife, tidying Horn’s collar.

"Good, then I’ll escort you at noon." Spreading his arms, Horn hugged Catherine, "Leave the Saintess Bank and white sugar matters to you."

"Don’t worry."

After saying a word to Jeanne and Catherine, Horn carried the suitcase out. Outside the courtyard, Patrick, serving as a coachman guard, awaited with a felt hat.

Leaning on the vertical wood of the carriage’s handrail, Horn looked up at the distant mountains.

They were wedged between the red-tiled roofs and blue towers in the middle of the view, with dawn perched on the ridges, dyeing half the sky a glazed blue.

The morning mist enveloped the distant sun, so bright and red, with the sounds of chicken crows and smoke rising, filling the air with the smell common in the countryside during his childhood.

The smell of honeycomb coal.

It finally feels a bit like home.

Sitting in the carriage, Horn put the briefcase beside him, looking up at Armand who had climbed in: "So, what’s the schedule for today?"

"We need to first go to the Holy Arrival Hall to handle some documents unfinished yesterday. Several Legion Commanders from the Exorcism Court need to report military supplies, and we’re meeting a few wealthy merchants.

If we’re quick, before noon, we should visit the Lubyanka Monastery; they say the Holy Oil is finally completed."