Turning Chapter 1085

Chapter 1085

At dawn before the sun had risen. At a time when they would normally still be asleep, people who had hurriedly woken up gathered and sat in Peletta Castle. After slowly scanning the tense and stiff faces of the retainers, who didn't exchange a single word of small talk, the first thing Kishiar said was as follows.

"Everyone's faces are full of drowsiness and their fingertips are frozen. Shall we start the meeting after drinking a cup of warm milk brought by Shusainer?"

Behind him, who was smiling with his eyes curved, Shusainer appeared pulling a cart and placed a cup in front of everyone as if he had been waiting. A sweet scent wafted from the steaming milk that seemed to have just been boiled.

"It's milk with dried muni fruit powder and honey. There's nothing better than this when you're sleepy, tired, and your head isn't working. Come on, everyone, drink it before it cools down."

Only then did those who were facing each other start drinking the milk. Yuder also sat next to Kishiar and picked up the cup that came out as his share. The stiffness he hadn't noticed while examining the surroundings where the crack had disappeared seemed to be relieved thanks to the warm milk.

It wasn't just Yuder who felt that way, as the faces of the other retainers also looked much more comfortable.

"Hmm... It's delicious."

"My lord. Sir Shusainer. Thank you..."

Kishiar, who emptied his cup faster than anyone else, once again looked over the faces of the retainers.

"Good. Now it seems like you're all in a state to properly have a conversation. Then shall we listen together to the report related to the anomalous crack incident that occurred today?"

Yuder already knew the beginning and end of this matter, but among the retainers who had hurriedly rushed over, there were quite a few who still didn't know the situation well. Nathan Zuckerman, who stood up from his seat after receiving a nod from Kishiar, calmly recounted the time and situation when the crack was first discovered, and the events that occurred until it disappeared.

"–That concludes the report on the situation related to the crack that occurred in Peletta."

"Good. Then let's have Welliven, who was in charge of overall communication with other regions, continue the story."

"Yes."

The elderly captain of the Peletta Knights stood up from his seat without any sign of discomfort and spoke about the urgent support signals that had flown in from other regions. Following Kishiar's instructions, he had immediately dispatched knights to other regions, and even after the blue flames signaling that everything was fine had risen, he ordered the knights to assess the situation in the respective regions and return.

"Just before coming here, the report sent by those fellows arrived by the fastest carrier pigeon. The contents were all the same. Strange cracks that didn't disappear, just like in Peletta, had also occurred in those regions, and they requested support thinking it was a sign of monsters appearing, but they disappeared before the knights arrived."

"Hmm."

The letters of the knights' reports handed over by Welliven were passed to Kishiar. As Kishiar quickly flipped through and read them, Welliven continued.

"In addition to the regions that raised support request flames to Peletta as soon as they discovered the cracks, there were also a few regions that didn't raise flames but sent inquiries belatedly. Perhaps they are still coming in even now."

"Are the contents of the inquiries all related to the anomalous cracks?"

"Yes. Since it happened at dawn, it seems to have taken some time to inquire after the incident occurred."

"So, how many places have sent inquiries so far in total?"

"Fifteen, just the ones I've confirmed."

"That's considerable. If it's that many, there's a high possibility that anomalous cracks appeared even in territories that don't send money to us..."

Kishiar, who had been lost in thought for a moment, called Nathan Zuckerman.

"Nathan. Summon the Peletta Knights' emergency contact units throughout the North. Have them make a list of the places where anomalous cracks were sighted today in as much detail as possible."

"Yes."

"And let's mark the places sighted so far on a map."

Soon, a continental map was spread out on the desk. Kishiar unhesitatingly placed red dots on Peletta, located in the northwest, and the surrounding territories. The shape drawn by the fifteen dots spread out on the map looked worm-like and winding as if following some path, but there didn't seem to be any particular meaning to it. Most of the retainers also seemed to think so, as they murmured with furrowed brows.

"What could that be?"

"Is there anything in common among the regions where anomalous cracks appeared?"

However, Yuder thought a little differently from them.

'It feels like... I've seen something similar to that somewhere.'

A map. The North. The unknown route drawn by the red dots marking the lands where anomalous cracks had appeared.

He stared at the red dots silently, then suddenly recalled something and opened his mouth.

'Ah.'

"Is there any part that catches your eye?"

Kishiar asked in a lowered voice.

'How should I say this so that it can be conveyed naturally?'

What Yuder had noticed was based on knowledge that anyone would have known in his previous life, so if the people here and now still didn't know, there was a need to talk around it.

'Still... Kishiar will understand well no matter what I say.'

Yuder gathered his thoughts for a moment and then opened his mouth.

"It doesn't seem to be marked on 'the current' map, but in my memory... aren't there trade routes used by merchant groups in the North as well?"

"Trade routes?"

"Do you mean something like the Yohum Trade Route in the southwest?"

Nathan Zuckerman interjected and asked. Kishiar, who had been lost in thought, carefully shook his head.

"There are no proper trade routes like the Yohum Trade Route in the current North. The trade with the small countries in the North is too small in scale, and the climate is not good, making it difficult to build large roads."

Well, that might be the case now. However... isn't there a famous merchant group's headquarters in the North that is currently showing the steepest growth? The very merchant group that will become even more famous in the future and has a base in Peletta.

The Shuden Trading Company led by Mick Shuden.

In his previous life, the Shuden Trading Company continued to grow steadily as if it had no connection at all even after Kishiar's death. It was a natural result as they mainly dealt with expensive rare goods despite their small scale and were evaluated to have outstanding customer trust compared to any other merchant group.

And one of the products that the Shuden Trading Company would focus on the most in the future was the specialty products of the northern countries. As the rare goods trade with the North flourished due to the Shuden Trading Company, the southerners who began exchanges with the Orr Empire also started to show interest in exchanges with the northern countries.

However, for them to exchange with the northern countries by land, they had no choice but to pass through the Orr Empire, and in the process, there was strong opposition from forces that were not fond of the southerners.

In the end, the solution the southerners came up with was to assist in the construction of the trade route in the northern part of the Orr Empire, which had been progressing sluggishly as if it would be built or not.

At that time, Emperor Katchian gladly approved the matter, thinking it was fortunate that if the southerners paid for the construction of the trade route, the empire's budget could be saved. A few nobles who had opposed the emperor's will disappeared after being assassinated, and the northern trade route was quickly completed.

Compared to places like the Yohum Trade Route, which the country had personally built, it was infinitely small in scale and was merely a slightly better paved version of the originally used path, but it was still the only official trade route in the North.

Yudrain Aile, the emperor's closest aide and the person who knew the military secrets of the empire better than anyone else, was also someone who remembered the location of that trade route very well.

'Yes... the route drawn by those red dots coincides considerably with a part of that trade route.'

It's not exactly the same. Since the trade route Yuder remembered didn't pass through Peletta. However, other than that, it was surprisingly similar. Is this really a coincidence?

"Even if it's not an official trade route, there are paths that merchants take, right?"

As if they didn't know what Yuder was suddenly talking about, the retainers blinked, while only Kishiar had a thoughtful look in his eyes as if he had realized something.

And at the same time, another person opened his mouth with a surprised face.

"Uh... wait a minute. I thought something was off... those territories are all places Mick and I have recently visited together. They are territories located on the paths frequently traveled by merchants!"

His name was Denny. He was a friend of Mick Shuden, the owner of the Shuden Trading Company, and also the stable master and transportation manager of Peletta Castle.