Volume 6, Chapter 5 – A Gift from Yulisha

The next day, Nola came to the trading hall again.

Unlike other places on the World Tree Continent, in countries outside of the Silvar Kingdom, when people discussed large business deals, the location was chosen either at the home of a noble or a wealthy merchant, or at the Magician’s Association. The reason was simple: for the safety of both parties and the privacy of the conversation. However, in most cities in the Silvar Kingdom, especially in a metropolis like Blossom with a large population and complex flow of people, people often chose to conduct their transactions in a trading hall.

This was because the traditional trading model could no longer meet the needs of Blossom’s merchants and nobles.

The complex and diverse information spurred the need for a platform to help merchants and nobles find the information they wanted. Originally, this responsibility was borne by the Magician’s Association, which was also why the Magician’s Association was always built to be tall, large, and incredibly luxurious—providing a comfortable place for distinguished guests to talk was both business and a favor. However, Blossom had the unique institution of the Elf Tower, which completely squeezed out the living space of the Magician’s Association. And since the Elf Tower was not open to ordinary people, the trading hall was born.

People could learn from the trading hall’s front desk which merchants were selling what goods, including the time, quantity of goods, the furthest delivery distance, and, most importantly, the price. Of course, this price was just the ideal price; in reality, people could obtain discounts through private negotiations. In addition, the trading hall also bore the responsibility of noble social functions.

Finally, transactions conducted through the trading hall were protected by the trading hall. That is to say, if one party breached the contract, the trading hall’s staff would act as enforcers and force the transaction to proceed.

For such an institution, anyone would find it laughable to say the Silvar Kingdom’s officials provided no support. However, the fact was that the organizer of the trading hall, Emeath, was merely a Baron. This provided the populace with ample room for imagination. A mere Baron could make numerous Counts wary; there had to be an unimaginable figure backing her.

Nola had specifically chosen the trading hall to purchase grain precisely because she valued these factors. She needed too much grain; ordinary vendors couldn’t possibly satisfy her needs. Only by finding merchants active at the level of the trading hall could she obtain the quantity she wanted.

Unfortunately, due to the Saint Alexia Festival, which lasted half a month, everyone was now preparing for tomorrow’s festivities. Nola did find a few merchants willing to provide her with grain, but they either quoted prices even higher than the unscrupulous merchants at the border, or the quantity was laughably small. This situation made Nola frantic, but she was helpless.

Fia would not be returning to Cold Night only after the Saint Alexia Festival was over, so Nola did not have much time left. Admittedly, she had the option of not returning to Cold Night with Fia. However, if she chose that, she would have to walk or fly back to Cold Night on her own, which would take another ten days to half a month on the road.

She had to prepare not only for the possible famine at the turn of spring and summer, but the worsening monster disaster in the Weeping Mountains was also waiting for her to handle. Spending half a month on the road, with no guarantee she could even buy grain by staying… just thinking about it made her scalp tingle. Her only choice was to teleport back to Cold Night with Fia.

Dammit. If I knew teleportation magic, I could have brought Ying, who is much better at negotiating. I could spend the day in Blossom discussing deals and return to Cold Night at night to handle clan affairs.

Despite her internal complaints, Nola’s actions in reality did not stop. She urgently tried to detain a noble male who had just stood up. This was a Viscount she had managed to meet with, with great difficulty, in her capacity as the Holy Son of Cold Night. Although this man was not a merchant, his wife’s family controlled the grain trade in the southwestern Silvar Kingdom. As long as she could get through to him, those merchants on the border selling grain at ten times the price would be reined in. This was information she had bought from an intelligence broker at a high price.

However, as soon as this slender, young-looking Viscount heard that Nola’s purpose was grain, he stood up without a second thought. He stood at the door, craning his neck to look left and right, as if terrified of being seen meeting with Nola.

“Please wait! Viscount Famos! I don’t need the grain right now, just by the time spring turns to summer—”

“Don’t come to me! I don’t want to get caught in the fire!”

While speaking, Viscount Famos put on his bowler hat and hurriedly left. However, his words did not stop Nola. Nola, in her white formal dress, rushed out of the room and chased after Viscount Famos in the hallway.

“I’m not asking for grain for the Saint Alexia Festival, but for grain a month from now…!”

“As long as it’s going to Cold Night, don’t come to me!”

“Why is Cold Night specifically not allowed?”

“Not allowed means not allowed! Your king has declared war on us, and you still want our grain? If I were to ask my wife, my entire family would be branded as traitors! I thought you were looking for me to tell me your Holy Son faction wanted to ally with us to overthrow Chazo, so I could recommend you to His Majesty the King. Now, I just beg you not to tell anyone we’ve met. Thank you!”

“But Chazo has already been killed…”

Before Nola could finish, Famos had already fled down the corridor stairs and arrived at the main entrance of the glaringly bright trading hall.

If it had been yesterday, Nola would have definitely chased after him relentlessly. However, she had been rejected too many times. While she felt numb, she had also learned her lesson. Making a scene in public would make her a laughingstock and damage the dignity of both parties. This would lead to nobles associating Nola’s name with public disgrace, and they would then directly refuse her meeting requests. Many of the invitations she sent out yesterday were rejected just like this, so she wouldn’t chase after him and make a fool of herself again.

More importantly, Famos’s words revealed a crucial piece of information: a large part of the reason why the Silvar Kingdom’s merchants were unwilling to do business with her was the war between Cold Night and the Silvar Kingdom.

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Because I’ve been looking at it from the perspective of the Holy Son faction, I felt the war was between the Royalist faction and the Silvar Kingdom, and had nothing to do with me, so I didn’t realize it. But from the perspective of the people of the Silvar Kingdom, they don’t distinguish between the Holy Son faction and the Royalist faction. All they know is that Cold Night is at war with the Silvar Kingdom.

Her gaze gradually lowered as Nola pondered her next move. There were two choices before her: first, tell the merchants and nobles here that Chazo had already been defeated by the Eldest Princess, and the war between Cold Night and the Silvar Kingdom had ended in a victory for the Silvar Kingdom. Second, change her identity and hire an agent to negotiate for her.

For the first option, I can’t produce evidence in such a short time; it would be hard to convince anyone. The second option is deceitful, not to mention I’m all alone in Blossom. Where would I even go to hire an agent?

Nola bit her lower lip lightly, a sense of powerlessness welling up inside her.

Then, her purple vertical pupils, identical to Tilulu’s, suddenly showed astonishment. She had discovered that Viscount Famos, who had just left in a hurry, was suddenly turning back. She subconsciously thought he had changed his mind and quickly took a step down the stairs. However, she had barely taken a step before she noticed another person behind Viscount Famos. It was a young girl with soft golden hair tied into pigtails. Judging from the way Viscount Famos was obsequiously leading the way for the girl, his face wreathed in fawning smiles, this golden-haired girl’s status was not low.

If the girl had been an elf, Nola would have just pursed her lips, cursed, and walked away. But this girl was a vampire—and a pure-blooded one at that, with half-wings located at her waist. This made Nola frown, feeling indignant.

In the past wars between the gods and the Darkborn, the vampire race did not choose to help the gods’ camp, so vampires had an extremely poor reputation on the World Tree Continent. In the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, if a vampire appeared on the street, they would be beaten to death, seen as a race even worse than beastmen.

As a result, she, the Holy Son of the beastmen, was being rebuffed everywhere, while a pure-blooded vampire was being treated as a guest of honor. Nola couldn’t help but feel astonished. Over the past two days, she had keenly experienced the arrogance of the elves—that gaze that discriminated against all non-elf races. Once experienced, it was hard to forget.

She couldn’t help but grab a nearby staff member and nod her chin toward the eye-catching vampire girl on the first floor below.

“Hey, let me ask you, who is that woman?”

“This…”

Seeing the staff member’s troubled expression, Nola discreetly stuffed a copper coin into his hand. Without even looking, the staff member skillfully tucked the coin into his sleeve. He first glanced around, then covered his mouth and explained in a low voice.

“That is Lady Estelle, the Countess of Oro territory in the Bart Duchy. She has come to Blossom specifically for the Saint Alexia Festival.”

“A Countess? So young?”

Nola was incredulous. It was true that vampires had lifespans comparable to elves, but their development speed before the age of twenty was the same as humans. Only after twenty did their development become incredibly slow. The girl in front of her, Estelle, looked to be about her own age, not like a vampire who was hundreds of years old. To be a Countess at such a young age was beyond Nola’s comprehension.

“You’re from Cold Night, so it’s natural you don’t know about Lady Estelle. Lady Estelle’s territory was targeted by the Despair Demon General. The largest city in her entire territory was destroyed by the Despair Demon General, and the two hundred thousand people there were almost all killed. Her entire family died. She was the only one who survived. Didn’t she just naturally become the Countess then?”

“…So she colluded with the Despair Demon General to become a Countess.”

Killing one’s family for power—such things were common in Cold Night. Nola was already unfazed by it.

However, the staff member frowned repeatedly, waving his hand for Nola to lower her voice.

“You’d better shut that mouth of yours! You’re good-looking, but how can you not know how to speak? Lady Estelle is a victim. That fact is guaranteed by the Eldest Princess! See that Viscount you couldn’t detain no matter how you tried? Even he has to curry favor with Lady Estelle. Lady Estelle is a favorite of the Eldest Princess. To celebrate the Saint Alexia Festival, the Eldest Princess personally went to the Bart Duchy to bring Lady Estelle over.”

“Tsk. Having Claire isn’t enough for her; she’s still looking for new women. Dammit!”

Nola couldn’t help but click her tongue forcefully. If Fia were standing in front of her, she was certain she would grab Fia by the collar, even if she couldn’t beat her. She had to stand up for Claire.

“Claire? Who are you talking about?”

The staff member’s eyes widened in confusion. Nola knew this was the effect of the forgetting curse. She didn’t explain, but just continued from where she left off. Although she hated Fia, she had to admit that Fia’s character, outside of her private life, was upright. If Fia guaranteed Estelle was a victim, then Estelle was most likely a victim.

“What about the Despair Demon General? I remember the Despair Demon General is the oldest and most cunning of all the Demon Generals. Successive generations of Holy Son’sssss have failed to capture him. If she was targeted by the Despair Demon General, it’s impossible for her to look this leisurely.”

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“The Despair Demon General? You might not believe it, but he was beaten to death by the Eldest Princess. It’s said his blood-curdling screams lasted the whole night, scaring the survivors in Oro City half to death.”

The staff member laughed proudly, as if speaking of his own accomplishments.

“Beaten to death? Are you sure it wasn’t with magic?”

“The version I heard was that he was beaten to death. The Eldest Princess can even revive the Holy Tree; is there anything she can’t do? You didn’t see the dance the Eldest Princess performed when she revived the Holy Tree. Tsk tsk, even our best ritual dancers here couldn’t compare. The Eldest Princess, be it her appearance, her b… her wisdom, her martial prowess, or her skills, is unmatched. For our Silvar Kingdom to produce such a princess is a blessing accumulated over ten thousand years.”

“…”

Nola was momentarily speechless. This staff member deliberately avoided saying “body,” definitely because he was afraid of getting into trouble. But she didn’t bother to argue with him. All she needed to know was that this vampire girl was respected because of Fia. This proved that it wasn’t that beastmen were inferior to vampires; it was a matter of connections.

Then… if I also publicly announce that I know Fia, and that I was saved by Fia, would I also become like Estelle, not only not discriminated against, but even fawned over by the arrogant elf nobles…

Seeing Famos’s sycophantic expression as he led the way, and the way the surrounding nobles were all trying to show goodwill to Estelle, Nola hesitated for a moment. Then, her eyes suddenly cleared. In front of the staff member, she slapped herself hard across the face.

Nola, oh Nola, what are you thinking! How could you fawn over the person who stole your Claire! Have you fallen so low!

“Hey… Hey! What’s wrong with you!”

Not knowing what had happened, the staff member became flustered. The gazes of the people around them made him extremely nervous. He definitely didn’t want anyone to know he had taken Nola’s money.

Feeling the fiery, burning sting on the side of her face, Nola covered her cheek with one hand and said in a low voice.

“It’s none of your business. Why is this girl, Estelle, here?”

“I don’t know. Probably to visit, or maybe to talk business. The Khesa Barony in the southwest now belongs to us, so we’ve become neighbors with the Bart Duchy. She might be here to buy some things. After all, you can’t rebuild a territory without manpower and supplies.”

“Manpower and supplies…”

The staff member’s words instantly gave Nola an idea.

If she could connect with this girl named Estelle, it meant she might be able to purchase the grain she wanted in Blossom through her. She might even be able to ask her to help borrow a batch of people to return to Cold Night and help build fortifications.

Although Estelle was respected by the nobles only because of her relationship with Fia, there was a complete difference in how Nola felt about “directly using” Fia’s connections versus “indirectly using” Fia’s connections. She was only asking Estelle for help, not Fia. Thinking of it this way, she felt much more comfortable.

She asked the staff member one last question.

“Who is that mature woman with the blue hair next to her?”

Just as Nola said, Estelle was accompanied by a charming woman with long blue hair tied up, wearing a luxurious, dark blue formal dress. Her full, snow-white bosom made even Nola, a woman herself, unable to resist staring.

“Shh—be polite! If anyone hears you, both our heads will roll! That is Her Majesty the Queen Consort, the Fifth Consort, Yulisha!”

So she’s a Queen Consort.

But just the fifth, not the first or second. The Elf King had sixteen wives; she was just one of them. Her status wasn’t that high. Her target was Estelle. As the Holy Son, as long as she puts in a little effort, she should be able to get an audience.

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Nola waved her hand to dismiss the staff member, then leaned on the second-floor railing, quietly waiting for the right moment to go downstairs and see Estelle.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t long before a staff member proactively came to inform her that Estelle wanted to see her. Although Nola was puzzled and didn’t know why Estelle was looking for her, she had no reason to refuse and went with pleasure.

Unlike the small private room where she had met Famos, the staff member led Nola to a spacious room filled with the faint fragrance of fruit. The furnishings and taste within were completely different from Cold Night, giving off a refined and elegant beauty.

“Oh, our guest has arrived.”

The moment Nola entered the door, the blue-haired woman sitting next to Estelle smiled. She greeted Nola with an attitude that made Nola feel a sense of kindness, inviting Nola to sit opposite them.

Nola, unaccustomed to this warmth, tensed up and sat down awkwardly across from Yulisha and Estelle. Although she was a clan chief, she was not good at dealing with women much more mature than herself, especially the gentle and virtuous-looking type like Yulisha.

She placed her hands on her knees like a nervous child, her expression as tense as possible.

“M-May I ask, Miss Estelle, why were you looking for me?”

“It wasn’t me looking for you; it was Queen Yulisha. I’m just here in name. Speaking of which, Blossom truly deserves to be called the largest city in the Northern Continent. Even the rooms in the trading hall are so exquisite. The Magician’s Association in my territory can’t compare to this. Queen Yulisha, I still want to see the things being sold outside, so I’ll be leaving first.”

“Mm, thank you.”

Yulisha gave Estelle a gentle smile as she rose to leave. She put down her teacup, and only when she and Nola were the only two left in the room did she finally get to the point.

Yulisha offered Nola a smile full of a mature woman’s grace.

“You are Nola, the Holy Son of Cold Night, and you have… some connection to Dofi… to Dofilia, correct?”

“Yes.”

She actually knows that I know Fia?

Nola quickly tried to guess Yulisha’s intentions, her mind conjuring up terms like “court intrigue”—for example, assassinating other royals who had been confirmed as heirs, all to get her own daughter or son on the throne. Nola was unclear on the relationships within the Silvar Kingdom’s royal family. She subconsciously felt that Yulisha was emphasizing her identity as the Holy Son of Cold Night because she wanted to commission her, a person of considerable strength, to act against Fia.

She maintained a blank expression and said seriously.

“I am the Holy Son, that’s correct, but I will not do anything sordid.”

“Ho~ You’re a surprisingly good child.”

A look of surprise flashed in Yulisha’s eyes. Her hand, with its teal-painted nails, gently caressed her teacup as she said leisurely.

“I’ve learned of your predicament from the staff. You want enough grain to feed over a hundred thousand people, to get Cold Night safely through the turn of spring and summer, correct?”

Is she offering grain as a bargaining chip to have me kill Fia? Leaving aside whether I can do it, I wouldn’t do such a thing in the first place. If I’m to defeat Fia and win back Claire, I must do it in an open and just manner.

But she didn’t say this immediately, instead following Yulisha’s line of conversation.

“Yes. To be precise, it’s to help my people, the Fire Cat Tribe, get through the possible famine at the turn of spring and summer. We have no relationship with Chazo; in fact, we are enemies.”

“I see. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yulisha, the Fifth Consort of the Silvar Kingdom, and also the adopted daughter of the Greyan family. As the Holy Son of Cold Night, you should have some idea of what the Greyan family represents in the Silvar Kingdom.”

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“To tell you the truth, the surplus grain in the Kingdom’s military south has reached the bursting point. The grain in there hasn’t been used for several years and is about to get moldy and rot. The spring harvest is just one month after the Saint Alexia Festival ends. The military will not allow this batch of old, rotten grain to be sent to the front lines. At that time, it will either be given to prisoners or thrown away. If you truly want grain, I can transfer this batch of grain that’s piling up in the granaries to you. We can just fill it back up with the new grain in a month.”

“…So you want to use your own authority to sell the Silvar Kingdom’s national grain to me?”

“That sounds so harsh. I am merely disposing of something that would rot if left alone. It’s better to use it than to throw it away, right? Besides, I won’t be pocketing this money. I’m just using my influence to have the military make a decision: sell the old grain and fill the national treasury.”

In other words, she was using her influence to do Nola a favor.

Leaving the price aside for a moment, the most important question lay before Nola. She shed her previous restraint and adopted the dignity befitting a Holy Son and clan chief, her brows furrowed.

“Why are you helping me? What is your goal?”

“I was merely asked for a favor by someone. You don’t need to know who it was. That person just said they hope you don’t repeat their mistakes. You don’t need to do anything for me or them in return. As for the price of the grain, I will sell it to you at the market price, excluding the shipping costs. How about it?”

Don’t repeat his mistakes… What does that mean?

Nola was naturally confused, but only Yulisha understood the deep meaning.

The person who had entrusted her was, in fact, Yelido. Yesterday, when Yelido and Yulisha heard Fia speak of Nola, they were naturally reminded of the affair between Yelido, Clark, and Veronica. Perhaps it was out of sympathy, or perhaps because he saw Nola as another version of himself, Yelido had asked Yulisha to step in on his behalf and take care of Nola. This resulted in the outcome of selling the grain that was piling up and rotting in the Silvar Kingdom’s granaries as a casual favor.

This was in sympathy for Nola, but also in sympathy for his past self. If possible, Yelido hoped Nola would not be like him, drowning in the past, unable to extricate himself. Just as Fia had thought, if Clark had been a more capable man and had defeated Yelido in that duel in their youth, the three of them—Yelido, Clark, and Veronica—might have become friends.

In Yelido’s heart, the same principle applied to Fia, Nola, and Claire. He secretly hoped that the three of them could end this dispute in a perfect way, rather than ending up with a regrettable outcome like his. This was both to help Fia and to remedy his own past.

Forcefully suppressing the desire to agree at once, Nola, who knew full well there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, swallowed. Her red cat ears pricked up straight.

“…What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing. I’m just going with the flow.” At this, Yulisha’s brows raised slightly, and her lips curved in a barely perceptible smile. “But if you feel you’re indebted and must find a way to repay me, it’s not like I don’t have something you can do.”

Here it comes. The noble etiquette of the elf race is just as troublesome as ever.

Nola complained internally, but mustered the courage to ask.

“What can I do?”

“Come to my home and be a maid, or help maintain order in the Royal Castle during the Saint Alexia Festival. After the festival is over, you can go back to wherever you came from. However, I only accept obedient servants. If you can’t guarantee you can follow orders like a maid and get along well with the master, it’s better not to force it. I promise that even if you do nothing, I will still give you the grain as normal.”

After thinking it over and over, Nola stood up with a solemn expression. She earnestly tucked away her red cat tail and said, very seriously.

“I’ll do it.”

Yulisha smiled. She took a white handkerchief from her storage item and handed it to Nola.

“Then come with me. We need to have a uniform custom-made first. Before that, Nola, wipe the handprint off your face. Were you hit by someone? You have five red fingerprints on your cheek.”

“Err… n-nothing! Thank you!”

Her cheeks flushed “poof” red, and flames ignited on Nola’s fiery cat ears—a characteristic of the Fire Cat Tribe. She hastily took the handkerchief, lowered her head, and shyly covered the cheek she had slapped herself.