Chapter: 699
In the land of eternal snow, where the harsh cold reigns, a giant eagle descends. The grace it carries becomes a beam of light and hope for the starving and weakened subjects.
─One could almost imagine a biblical verse being born from the travels of Jeez, celebrated with fervent cheers and heartfelt thanks across the three kingdoms.
– I received a grand welcome! They showered me with gifts!
The gratitude of the three kingdoms was genuine, for the already struggling realms did not send Jeez back empty-handed.
In addition to the vodka and chocolate native to the Lucen Kingdom, they also sent black pearls primarily harvested from the seas off Nosgor and the pelts of sable only found in Stynia. The kingdoms’ utmost sincerity was packed onto Jeez’s back.
“Why did they send pelts instead of living ones?”
– Beeeep…
– Biiing…
Amidst this, two live sables were included in the cargo instead of pelts.
It’s a bit confusing. If everything was supposed to come alive, I’d wonder if the Empire sent them to raise, but why only two out of the pelts?
What gives? Could it be that these sables are related to the pelts? Perhaps they jumped onto Jeez’s back to seek revenge on filthy humans?
– Oh, those are special sables!
“Special?”
– What was it? Born on a sacred day in a sacred location? It was clear that the day they were born in a place with eternal snowfall, it was sunny, making it a symbol of hope.
That’s a reasonable enough story to believe.
Indeed, while Stynia isn’t as harsh as Lucen, it’s still a terribly cold place filled with snow. A pair of sables born on a sunny day there? It wouldn’t be surprising for them to be treated like mystical creatures.
But why send such magical beings to the Empire? They must feel like they won the lottery only to be faced with a disaster.
“Do you want to raise them?”
– Huh? But they’re scared of me!
“Yeah, looks like it.”
As soon as Jeez landed, the two sables hastily hid behind me. If I handed them over to Jeez, they’d either die from stress or attempt a desperate escape with tears in their eyes.
‘Still, I have to send them to the palace.’
Cradling the trembling sables in my arms, I realized these creatures are tributes sent from the kingdom of Stynia to the Empire. Hence, they should go straight from Jeez’s hands to the Emperor’s.
Fortunately, there’s a small zoo run by the palace. I worry about whether the critters from a cold land will adapt to the warm climate of the capital, but that should be a task for the mages.
‘The Crown Princess will absolutely love them.’
The image of the Crown Princess being delighted with new animal friends naturally brought a smile to my face.
These little guys would certainly prefer life as pets of the Empire’s future emperor over being mystical beings from a snowy land.
Upon receiving the winter kingdoms’ tribute, the Emperor opened his mouth with a face full of sadness and sympathy.
“The pelts from Stynia and the black pearls from Nosgor boast remarkable quality. They would be considered flagship products of any kingdom.”
“Thus, it shows their genuine respect and gratitude towards Your Majesty.”
“Conversely, it means they were starving, despite having such goods.”
His words were heavy and straightforward, making me instinctively lower my head.
He’s right. Pelts and pearls typically fall into the luxury goods category, requiring demand from big players to sell at all. If they could sell a quantity of top-tier goods, their treasury would be overflowing.
However, Stynia and Nosgor are impoverished. The sea freezes often, making trade nearly impossible by sea, while the heavy snow complicates land routes as well.
‘And there aren’t many neighboring countries they can even reach.’
Even if they make it to a foreign land by sheer force, the others understand they’ve got no other market. Even the finest goods can be bought for cheap.
‘That’s horrendous.’
It’s maddening that there are goods they could sell to live well, yet those same goods cannot be properly sold. If they were facing such terrible conditions, it’s no wonder their kingdom is on the brink of collapse.
Or it’s possible they should have collapsed long ago, but managed to survive due to the pelts and pearls. Truly a tragic situation.
“Lucen is even more severe. To those living in warm places, vodka and chocolate are luxury items, but for those living in harsh cold like Lucen, they’re survival goods.”
“We need to increase supplies sent to Lucen.”
“Indeed, it seems the Empire is now their only hope.”
Upon hearing “only hope,” I glanced at the pair of sables lounging around the Emperor’s feet.
They regard those two as symbols of hope for Stynia. However, presenting symbols of hope to the Empire means laying all their hopes on the Empire, pledging their fealty as mere beasts.
What a pitiful portrayal. The desperation and despair of a kingdom placing all its hope on another. That’s an emotion I can never understand, no matter how many lives I live.
“Oh, in five days, the foreign ministers of the winter kingdoms are scheduled to visit the Empire. We’ll sign the treaty for market openings and tariff eliminations then, so let’s send Jeez back out in a week.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will inform Jeez.”
As I bowed, I felt the Emperor’s gaze on the back of my head.
“…Your Majesty?”
“Minister, I have one curiosity.”
“Please speak.”
After contemplating for a moment, the Emperor cautiously continued.
“Sending Leviathan as well… would be impossible, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, it would cause chaos in many senses, in addition to speed.”
“That’s unfortunate. Leviathan would have an overwhelming capacity for transport.”
I winced at the Emperor’s response, envisioning the size of Leviathan.
Just imagining it sends chills down my spine. Unlike Jeez, Leviathan cannot travel at light speed, meaning it would take a long time for travel and with a size rivaling a small island, moving it, whether by sea or sky, would create a ruckus.
All the nations along its path would go wild and flock to the Empire’s diplomatic office.
Of course, while I wouldn’t be affected personally by the chaos Leviathan caused, I can’t predict what chaos might unfold if it causes a stir on the continent. Better for such ruckus to not occur from the start.
“Plus, if supplies are delivered in excess, the appreciative feeling would dwindle. It would make better sense to use Jeez instead.”
It seemed the Emperor wasn’t particularly set on deploying Leviathan either, quickly shaking off the thought.
*
Looking at the piles of goods amassed in the palace garden, I felt tears welling up.
Or perhaps I had already shed some. Maybe the cold snow melted as it teetered from my face.
“Oh, divine one.”
I kneeled before the great mound of supplies, thanking the gods.
To He who guides us on a new path, our Lord Enen.
– I am the divine beast following the eternal blue sky! The king of the skies, Jeez! I’ll be visiting more often, so please take care!
And to the divine beast who bestowed miracles and blessings upon us, along with Heaven, my gratitude also extends.
They say “the eternal blue sky” is one of two divine beings acknowledged by the Dawn Sect. While this bear no significant relation to our Lucen Kingdom, I recall it being a deity mainly worshipped by the northern nomads.
Yet thanks to that sky, we continue to breathe. The mercy of the Empire has come closer to us by the virtue of the sky’s divine beast.
If so, we must honor and revere the sky. Just as we are thankful to Enen, and equally so to the Empire─ the sky, too, must be regarded as a benefactor.
‘Since the Dawn Sect recognized it, there shouldn’t be an issue for us to serve it.’
If the deity of the eternal blue sky were to be viewed as a heretic by the Dawn Sect, as the Twilight Sect was, we could never worship it. With our already tough lives, courting the Sect’s ire would only invite our self-destruction.
Fortunately, the deity of the eternal blue sky isn’t of the Twilight Sect. Like the Elven deity Constantina, it has its own faith yet is respected by the Dawn Sect. In that case, our devotion wouldn’t be problematic.
‘…Creating a temple may be out of the question.’
Sadly, the current finances of the Lucen Kingdom won’t allow for the establishment of a new temple.
While we could perhaps make a small, humble one, this is the first temple to the great deity who assisted us. It would be better not to build it at all than to make it small and shabby. When we eventually have the financial means… It would be right to build it properly then.
‘Should I at least carve a statue?’
Still, it would be quite rude to have no evidence of our faith.
If the black divine beast comes again, I should ask it about the deity. I wish to learn who the eternal blue sky is and what form it takes. No matter how broke we are, we can manage to create a stylish statue.
“Minister.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. How may I serve?”
Calling the foreign minister behind me, he answered, his voice trembling.
I understand. I’d likely cry rivers if I loosened up a bit as well.
“Knowing the Emperor enjoys vodka, I couldn’t be happier today.”
That’s the truth. The vodka and chocolate from our Lucen Kingdom are mere ordinary luxuries, unlike the sable pelts or black pearls from Stynia and Nosgor. They are nice to have but not necessary. They don’t exactly scream luxury either.
Yet such things attract the Emperor’s interest. Our spirits could easily impress him with our vodka filled with our very essence. What a stroke of luck!
“If I could, I would love to present him with a national treasure…”
“Such a treasure doesn’t exist in Lucen.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
In truth, we have nothing that qualifies as a suitable national treasure for foreign gifts.
Heirlooms of the royal family and treasures embodying Lucen’s desperate tears—all these items are unsuitable as gratitude gifts to the Empire.
Thus, we need to display utmost loyalty. We must become the Empire’s reliable servants.
“Minister.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“When my children grow up… I must send at least one to the Empire Academy.”
Upon hearing that, the Minister bowed his head in silence.
It’s not something I seek an answer for anyway, so it’s fine.
*
A few days later, after the foreign minister visited the Empire and finalized the treaty.
– Hello! I’m back again!
“Welcome back, Jeez. It’s good to see you.”
The divine beast of the eternal blue sky returned once more.
“Jeez, I have a question.”
– Yes? What’s up?
“I wish to learn about the deity you serve. We are ignorant of the faith of the nomads—”
– You wanna know about the eternal blue sky!?
Jeez’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
– If you’re that curious, I can’t help it! To know about the eternal blue sky, we need to start from when the sky first opened its eyes at the dawn of time─!
Her beak began moving without restraint.
I already knew she was lively, but this was unexpected; I didn’t think she’d be so chatty.
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