Treatise Of A Failed Knight

Chapter 340: The Great Kingdom (Part 1)

"Many of you already know this, but the Great Kingdom of Dustinville is a Large-sized Kingdom to the Northwest in the Eariel Continent. It is primarily occupied by Nowe’arns, but also home to a decent amount of Syl’vaens and a small group of Thal’marians."

Our tour guide is a beautiful woman with fair skin and a beautiful smile.

She introduced herself as Davina, and her navy blue irises shine like gems while her cheeks contain a decent amount of blush. Her skin glistens in the bright but cool Dustinville sun, and her bright linen outfit captures everyone’s attention with ease.

With brilliant white hair and a polished demeanor, she gives off the ambiance of being a noble.

No, a Royal!

Based on how fair her skin is, filled with no blemishes whatsoever, I heavily suspect that this woman has some relation to the Syl’vaens, also known as ’The Fair Ones.’ I have never met anyone from this race before, but it’s safe to say that they may be the most beautiful, based on what I have heard.

"Excuse me, but are you a Syl’vaen?" Klein raises his hand to ask a question without hesitation.

"Oh? So you noticed?"

Although our lovely tour guide tries to hide her pleasant surprise, it’s clear that she is truly happy that someone pointed out this similarity.

"I’m actually partly Syl’vaen," Davina responds with a certain level of pride.

"Okay. Thank you."

Klein falls silent immediately after his question is asked, and he writes down a few things in his travel journal. His earlier question seems to have come from a place of academic curiosity rather than genuine interest.

As expected from someone like him.

I trust my dear friend not to already have eyes for another woman after being separated from his wife for only a month.

... Even though this Davina woman is much prettier than Seraphina.

I’d say she is also prettier than Ciel, although the latter has a certain charm—especially with her height and physique—that still brings her out on top in the end.

Ah, speaking of Ciel... you may be wondering how we were able to legally sort her out.

I already prepared a passport for her, as well as a set of identification documents, so there are currently no problems with her legal standing in Dustinville.

While we were still in the Randalorion Kingdom, I was tempted to use the Dark Guild for this venture. After all, Ciel is a Vey’lithar, and her kind isn’t particularly common or welcomed in many civilizations.

However, since our destination was Dustinville, I decided not to cut any corners.

Instead, I did my due diligence and approached the Royal Family.

Using my influence, it was actually really easy to obtain proper passports for all of us, giving us the highest degree of credibility that the Randalorion Kingdom could offer.

Since Dustinville is also known for its openness and diversity, I’m sure Ciel won’t encounter too many problems. After all, Thal’marians and Syl’vaens also dwell here, which means the people around are used to seeing others who are different from them.

As such, Ciel has no need to don a disguise.

Unabashed and confident in her appearance, Ciel is currently dressed in very colorful clothes that are made from linen, not the typical feather-like leaves that she would normally use if she were in the Vey’lithar Sanctuary.

Her skirt is quite short, though her upper body is covered in a baggy shirt.

Her accessories include bangles, earrings, and necklaces that have glistening colors of all kinds.

Floating behind her is her long pink hair, which nearly reaches the soles of her feet. Her eyes glow with a bright purple, and many tattoos on her arms share the same hue. However, due to her baggy shirt, many of them are covered.

Her slender body is also taller than the rest of us.

Ciel is about eight feet in height, so you can imagine the disparity.

Besides her, Seth is dressed in a casual white shirt and ordinary trousers. Leon is dressed similarly, and Uncle Damon has a lab coat on for some reason. Klein is a lot more fashionable, having a vest and some accessories to accentuate his appearance.

As for me, I’m dressed in a black button-up shirt with purple detailing accentuating its trims.

My dark trousers hang firmly across my tall legs. My belt shines brilliantly, matching the vintage watch I have grown quite fond of. The aesthetic of my outfit clearly matches my raven black hair and the dark eyepatch covering my left eye.

The sleeves of my shirt are curled up, and some buttons are also undone, revealing a bit of my olive chest, which has a pendant dangling at its center.

All of us are in a floating vessel, strapped onto the back of a Sky Lantern Ray.

For safety reasons, we’re meant to remain in our seats for the duration of the flight and descent, though we can stand once a stable altitude is reached. We’re also seated close to the windows, so we can see the bustling city below us.

As for Davina, our tour guide, she has the seat in front of us, which allows her to direct our attention to either side of the window to reveal even more amazing sights.

"The Eariel Continent has the appearance of a bloated and abnormally shaped crescent. The Great Kingdom of Dustinville sits at the top of the crescent and has borders close to the Singing Cliffs. To its east is the Silverwood Forests, partially annexed from Syl’vaens, and to its north are the Eternal Glacier Caves. These are all far away, actually, but the borders of Dustinville are closest to them among the other Kingdoms. The only other Kingdom with a similar trait is Shamahk."

I chuckle softly while nodding my head as I listen to the tour guide.

’Looks like Dustinville is trying to prop itself up as the one closest to these regions, but it’s not that simple. From what I understand, Shamahk is closer to the Silverwood Forests, while Dustinville is closer to the Eternal Glacier Caves. As for the Singing Cliffs, the two share a reasonably equivalent distance and have clashing borders.’

I also know that the Silverwood Forests have been claimed by the Syl’vaens since the previous Era, and the Eternal Glacier Caves are a very dangerous place where an ancient Magivore is said to have been buried.

This Magivore was called Thol’raek in the ancient tongue and was referred to as the Magivore of Endless Bitterness, whose existence engulfed the nations in the Breathless Winter.

It appeared in the late periods of the Third Era and marked the end of the Age of Empires.

Such a place must be filled with great danger.

’By process of elimination, the Singing Cliffs should be considered the safest and most valuable landmark. It just so happens that the two Great Kingdoms share borders in such an amazing place. Or could it be that it’s because it’s such an amazing place that their borders happen to extend to that location?’ I smile wryly, knowing that the true answer isn’t something I can discover just by exploring guesses.

Rather than dwell on my thoughts, I resume focus on the woman in front of me.

"Due to its position in the Northwest, Dustinville’s topography is that of rolling green plains and river valleys. The Kingdom has fertile farmlands and orchards. Kingdoms around this region are highly acclaimed to be Eariel’s breadbasket, providing a majority of foodstuff used in continental trade. Among them, Dustinville boasts the highest yield!"

Wow...

Such a bold statement.

"Dustinville possesses natural resources like wheat, timber, precious stones, and so on. Its power is also immense, capable of easily placing several Small-sized and Mid-sized Kingdoms directly under its control. However, rather than doing this, Dustinville has chosen to maintain friendly relations and cooperation with its surrounding Kingdoms, regardless of how small or powerful they happen to be.

This is unlike the Great Shamahk Kingdom, which is fond of swallowing smaller civilizations. Instead of resorting to such brutish and archaic methods, our Kingdom fosters the growth of these Kingdoms and establishes diplomatic relationships with them. It encourages its own citizens to study in other Kingdoms as foreign exchange students and also accepts a good deal of foreigners in its universities.

This isn’t limited to Nowe’arns, as some Syl’vaens and even a few Thal’marians inhabit the coastal regions of the Northwest areas—essentially the edge of the crescent close to the waters."

Davina’s statements are certainly filled with passion.

From the looks of it, Dustinville appears to be rather generous and considerate.

Compared to Shamahk, it is a much more peaceful, prosperous, and supportive Kingdom.

It’s no wonder many people visit it.

But—

’I wonder how much of what she is saying is actually true. Even if it is the truth, it can’t be the whole story, can it?’ A smile forms on my face as I relax on my chair.

Every Kingdom seeks its own benefit.

This is a trite law.

No matter how concerned a nation is with the affairs of others, it will always look after its own interests. It will also not avoid expending its own resources for the sake of outsiders unless there is something greater that can be gained.

Dustinville is a Large-sized Kingdom with a long history.

This has to be the case for it as well!

Although I am unable to see through this entire ruse, since I am merely a newcomer who is unaware of the intricacies of this Kingdom’s politics, there are still certain elements I have taken note of. These few observations alone have exposed a lot of Dustinville’s supposed generosity to be nothing more than a strategic maneuver to obtain more benefits.

What do I mean?

Hehe...

The strategic diplomacy that Dustinville espouses actually allows it to influence the cultures and politics of other Kingdoms. This Kingdom slowly integrates its way of life into these areas, making it a slow but inevitable absorption into an informal colony.

The most interesting thing about this situation is that all of these Kingdoms will continue to view Dustinville in a great light.

This leads to zero conflict and constant friendly relations with Dustinville without the need for the latter to directly oversee them. As a result, unlike Shamahk, which will expend resources to control its subjugated regions, Dustinville allows them to maintain autonomy while actually controlling most of their activities.

The economy and socio-cultural landscape of these Kingdoms will be so fundamentally tied to Dustinville that they will be unable to extricate themselves. The longer this continues, the deeper the roots will form until such bonds can no longer be severed.

In essence, Dustinville has some sort of ’soft power’ in the Northwest of Eariel.

’Now I see why this Kingdom has lasted for so long... hehe!’

The number of Large-sized Kingdoms in Eariel is less than a hundred, about 70–90 in total, and the estimated population of each of these Kingdoms is about 750 million people.

That is more than seven times the population of any Mid-sized Kingdom.

Dustinville is rather impressive and has over 900 million people!

This is largely due to its prosperity and also the foreign exchange programs it runs.

It is also a great tourist attraction.

’It even managed to pull me into its web. After all, this is where I’ll be spending my time trying to get my Master’s degree in order to become a Grand Scholar.’

Maintaining my calm demeanor, I continue listening to the lovely Miss Davina.

"Dustinville has many sources of revenue. From the foreign exchange program, to its tourism, to its sale of merchandise, art, writings, cultural artifacts, and all kinds of publications. Its educational scene is also very noteworthy, making it one of its sources of revenue and popularity. Beyond that, it engages in the trade of staple food in Eariel. Of all the dozens of natural resources that exist in abundance within the Northwest of Eariel, Dustinville is involved in the production of ten!"

’Ten?!’ I nearly jump out of my seat in shock. ’That is an impressive number by all accounts.’

Of course, natural resources are not the same as Special Resources.

Still, they are very essential to a Kingdom’s economy.

The Randalorion Kingdom only has one major natural resource that it produces, but this isn’t even a bad figure.

Certain Kingdoms don’t even have any!

Many Kingdoms resort to imported goods to survive, using things like Special Resources and other aspects of their national identity to compensate.

Compared to them, Dustinville is truly a juggernaut of a Kingdom.

"We naturally produce and even process a great deal of these resources for export and domestic use. They are: Wheat & Barley, Apple Orchards, Nowe’arn Draft Breed Horses, Oak Timber, River Salmon, Linen Flax Crop, Salt Deposits, Citrine Quartz, Opal Specks, Tin Veins, and a few others. The Kingdom also engages in internal trade, mostly exchanging resources like foodstuff, livestock, clothing, craftworks, et cetera. In terms of economy, it is great—far better than the average Large-sized Kingdom."

I nod while in a daze, realizing just how impressive this place is.

It’s absolutely insane.

Do you know how rare and expensive the Nowe’arn Draft Breed Horses are?!

They are of equivalent value, if not superior, to the warhorses used by Nobles to travel in the Randalorion Kingdom. The reason they might be superior stems from the quality of life and purity of the breed.

Nowe’arn Draft Breed Horses are more purely bred while also having a longer lifespan.

Compared to the Nowe’arn Warhorse, which is the product of crossbreeding the Draft Breed with an inferior horse, the speed isn’t greatly affected, but the lifespan of the Warhorse is only half that of the Draft Breed Horse, and it is more susceptible to illnesses.

In essence, both aren’t comparable.

The only benefit to the Nowe’arn Warhorse is that it can be sourced locally, while the Draft Breed Horses are rarer and can hardly be found. Even when they are purchased, they are mostly used for breeding purposes, to make more Warhorses, rather than for transportation.

This is necessary since the quality of a pure-bred Warhorse is inferior to one that still has the Draft Breed as one of its parents.

And this is just one of the several natural resources that Dustinville possesses!

I could go on!

At this moment, I can’t help but have a terrifying thought:

’How rich is this Kingdom?’

"... As for its Special Resources, Dustinville has many deposits, also known as Special Resource Points. There are a total of nine Special Resource Points, though this number may very well grow in the near future."

I nearly snort once I hear those words.

’You’re basically implying that Dustinville has other deposits that are either undisclosed for some reason or hidden by certain parties. Still...’

Nine Special Resource Points are insane.

This is far more than what a Mid-sized Kingdom will be capable of, especially when one seriously considers that some of these Resource Points could contain Rank 3 or even Rank 4 Special Resources!

"As a matter of national policy, these Special Resource Points and even their locations are available for those interested. I will now be telling you about each of them..."

To say I am amazed would be an understatement.

’Dustinville has such a lax approach towards conserving its national secrets. Is the governing body so confident that it can protect all the Special Resource Points from greedy outsiders? That should explain it.’

As for the Special Resources themselves... they are nothing to scoff at.

As I listen to them, my lips twitch involuntarily.

Ashen Soil... Rank 2.

Goldroot Clay... Rank 4.

Sunberry Fruit... Rank 2.

Shadow Plum... Rank 3.

Emberfruit... Rank 4.

Ashfern... Rank 2.

Hollow Grain... Rank 2.

Emberstone... Rank 3.

Finally...

... Dreamlily, a Special Resource at Rank 5!

These are all Special Resources contained in the Special Resource Points of Dustinville.

Truly unbelievable!

A single one of these is capable of making two Mid-sized Kingdoms go to war against each other. It has happened in the past, during the time my late mentor, Sir Jerome Sirius, was still a member of the Royal Knights.

Yet, this Kingdom has a total of nine exposed Special Resource Points.

It even has a Rank 5 Special Resource Point!

’This can’t be how all Large-sized Kingdoms are, right? Yes... Dustinville is rather special, so I can’t use it as a fair comparison.’ A hollow chuckle leaves my lips as I once again feel my entire worldview begin to shatter before my very eyes.

So this is a Large-sized Kingdom.

So this is Dustinville!