With the nobles of Lumir Duchy on high alert, Henwell keeps a low profile throughout, he doesn’t make a single move.

  He simply chats with Count Lierul.

  “Your Excellency, isn’t your domain in Livos City to the east? What brings you here?” Henwell asks.

  Lierul smiles and replies, “I’m sure the lord of Blood Hill knows I have some small enterprises and am part of the Trade Alliance. I’m here at the invitation of the Rich Trading Group to attend their annual trade banquet. I’m heading back tomorrow.”

  Lierul isn’t just making a token appearance at the banquet.

  His Dienbos family also owns a guild—the Crystal Goblet.

  The Crystal Goblet Guild ranks second among the Trade Alliance’s guilds.

  At the same time, Lierul is a powerful count in the duchy and holds the authority to oversee the Trade Alliance on behalf of the duchy.

  Members of the Trade Alliance must hand over 20% of their profits to the duchy and 10% to the Trade Alliance each year.

  Only by doing so can they enjoy the Alliance’s protection.

  So, Lierul’s attendance at the Rich Trading Group’s annual review is more about supervision.

  In modern terms, he’s here to audit the accounts.

  Don’t underestimate these sums.

  Each of the twelve pilr guilds in the Trade Alliance pays at least three million gold coins annually.

  That’s the contribution per guild!

  In other words, Lumir Duchy collects over thirty million gold coins from the Trade Alliance alone.

  And that’s not counting the contributions from other medium-sized guilds within the Alliance.

  All told, Lumir Duchy receives nearly forty million gold coins annually from the Trade Alliance.

  Beyond the Trade Alliance, Lumir also has maritime merchant groups that contribute even more.

  Just from trade taxes alone, Lumir Duchy earns over a hundred million gold coins each year.

  This wealth makes Lumir one of the richest states on the continent.

  Its residents enjoy the highest average living standards compared to other nations.

  By contrast, the Vorry Kingdom is much poorer.

  Vorrians have poured resources into constant warfare to elevate their status, paying heavy costs in every battle.

  Centuries of depletion have left Vorry’s treasury nearly empty; daily life is a struggle.

  On average, the nobles of Vorry are far less wealthy than those of Lumir Duchy.

  But wealth doesn’t equal strength.

  Because Lumir Duchy is so prosperous, with its people living comfortably and commerce booming, its army cks real combat power.

  During the War of the Six Kings, Lumir relied solely on superior equipment to hold its ground.

  Back then, Jansen led a few thousand troops from the Phoenix family and easily crushed an entire regur legion of Lumir.

  That battle was also when the Phoenix family gained enough wealth and weapons to rise in power.

  Though Lumir boasts over thirty regur legions and can muster dozens of guild militias, with numbers and gear comparable to the Vorry Kingdom.

  If a real fight breaks out, Lumir simply can’t hold up.

  Only Lumir’s navy remains respectable, able to keep parts of the Ogiro and Billie navies in check.

  Otherwise, the Ika Kingdom would have swallowed this soft target long ago.

  Vorry’s army alone is strong enough to fight, and Peace Haven’s troops are battle-hardened elite forces.

  Because of this, Lumir’s leaders remain extremely wary of Henwell.

  They’re currently pnning to rebuild several legions.

  These new legions will be sent to Ika Kingdom for training and, when needed, pulled back to stand against the fierce beast that is Henwell.

  Henwell has caught wind of this intelligence.

  He thinks Lumir’s ambitions are a bit unrealistic.

  Most of Ika’s army can’t even hold off his elite troops, why would Lumir assume Ika can train forces capable of suppressing him?

  Maybe it’s an attempt to ease tensions or to test Henwell’s reactions.

  At the banquet’s end, Lierul personally invites Henwell to visit the Dienbos family in Livos City.

  Henwell doesn’t decline and even extends an invitation to the gathered nobles to attend his wedding before the Harvest Festival.

  Once the banquet concludes, Henwell returns to his residence.

  During this time, he doesn’t see Kruze or Papaste again, likely because the guild administrators have already warned them.

  The next day, Henwell tells the steward of the Cheerful Camel caravan to leave an invitation for Papaste to attend his wedding.

  Then, he sets off again, heading east.

  Originally, Henwell pnned to visit Holy Lake City, but now that his identity has been exposed and all eyes are on him, rushing there won’t yield much.

  Even the intelligence station in Holy Lake City is hard to approach without risking exposure.

  Though a bit disappointed, Henwell decides to head home first.

  As he passes through a small town, he spots a man covered in blood riding away in a hurry.

  Moments ter, a group of mercenaries on horseback bursts out of the town in pursuit.

  Seeing Henwell, their leader demands sharply, “Did you see which way that injured man fled?”

  Henwell tilts his head, sizing up this idiot. How did someone like him become a mercenary? So reckless, how has he survived this long?

  Mercenaries are usually cautious, rarely this fool.

  And they’re experienced enough to recognize his fine clothes and horse. How dare they speak to him like that?

  Just as Henwell wonders if this is some kind of trap, the mercenary leader pulls out two gold coins.

  “This is your reward! But if you lie, you’ll be in trouble ter!”

  With that, the mercenary clenches the coins into a small gold ball and tosses it toward Henwell.

  The leader’s no joke, he’s a knight-ranked fighter. No wonder he’s so cocky.

  Henwell catches the gold ball, weighs it in his hand, then smiles and points to the side.

  “He ran that way.”

  The leader warns in a low voice, “You better be telling the truth!”

  Without hesitation, the mercenaries roar off in the direction Henwell indicated.

  Watching them ride away, Henwell reshapes the gold ball back into coins, even amusedly carving new patterns with his fingernail.

  He’s not angry, no point getting mad at someone doomed anyway.

  The direction he pointed to is spot on.

  It won’t be long before those mercenaries catch up to the injured man.

  And when that happens, it will be their death sentence.

  Henwell knows the injured man’s strength well.

  Even wounded, he’s no match for these small fry.

  In good spirits, Henwell whistles as he spins the coin between his fingers, slowly making his way into the town.