Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 213 Swearing by the Ancestors

There was a sound of footsteps in the corridor outside the door, and several people immediately stopped talking and stood up.

Soon, the servants opened the door and a young man with black hair walked into the room.

He had a handsome face, with features as hard as if they were carved by a knife or an axe. When he saw the few people, he smiled and nodded.

"Hello, I am the lord of this place. You can call me William. Are you all sea merchants?"

Josh, Ken and Jeremiah looked at each other. They were pirates, engineers and speculators, and they really were not maritime merchants.

The three of them saluted in unison. "Yes, we all are."

"Great! I'm gathering the merchants." William clapped his hands, sat down in an armchair, and gestured for them to sit down. "I wonder what you're selling? Do you have any empty ships? I'm hoping to bring some food to the North."

The North?

This news surprised several people. Ken and Jeremiah exchanged a glance, and it was Ken who spoke first. "Sir, why are you transporting grain to the North? Our ship just returned from the North. Due to the threat of the White Plague, several lords were arguing, and the situation was in chaos, with victims everywhere."

"That's why I want to transport food to the North." William said with a sad face. "When I think of those poor disaster victims still suffering in the North, I can't just sit there and watch. I want to transport some food there first to alleviate the famine there."

Several people were surprised and looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

The Principality of Tis is quite far away from the northern border, and the disaster victims cannot get here no matter what. Moreover, this "prince" wants to transport food there instead of bringing people in. Regardless of whether this is a good way to provide disaster relief, is he really doing this for no reward, just to provide disaster relief?
Ken looked at the "Prince". His eyes were deep and his face was full of determination. If he didn't know what good things he had done, he would have been fooled.

Even at this moment, seeing the prince's determined look, Ken still had a subconscious urge to trust him.

Jeremiah suddenly spoke up: "We are returning from the northern border. The situation there is terrible. We brought back a lot of refugees on our ship."

Ken's eyes lit up. Yes, there were refugees on their ship. If this "prince" was really as kind as he appeared to be, he should accept these refugees.

Now he's in trouble.

The Prince's eyes lit up and he stood up excitedly: "Really? You are such a kind person, but..."

When he came, Ken felt his heart tightened. He didn't know why. Although he had left Tis when he was young, he subconsciously had some inexplicable expectations for this prince.

What reason would he find to reject these people?
"I just need to trouble you to pick up a few more refugees. I am willing to settle them in my territory and I will pay for all the expenses!"

There was a moment of complete silence in the room.

Ken opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he felt the words stuck painfully in his throat.

Who is this "Prince"?
Jeremiah was the first to react. He took the opportunity to speak, "Sir, we were hired by the Lord of Castel to go to the North to help a lady named Nora." "Is she in trouble?"

Jeremiah took a deep breath, suppressing his annoyance at being interrupted. "She was once from the White Crow Duchy, a monk of the Silent Temple. As you know, there are many refugees from the White Crow Duchy in the North, and they have some conflicts with the local lords."

"The Silent Temple and the Candlelight Society disagreed, and the friction eventually led to a bloody conflict. Count Bazel from the northern border massacred two refugee settlements. Nora led the remaining people to confront them."

The truth of the matter is much more complicated than this. Behind Bazel are the shadows of the three dukes of the North, and the Queen's power is also secretly fanning the flames. But Jeremiah has no intention of saying more to this "prince". He can't send troops to help Nora, right?

Let’s talk about the missing Castel. It is so close to the Territory of Tis, and the lord will not ignore it even for self-protection.

The "Prince" slammed the table and stood up with an angry look on his face: "What did you say?!"

"It's absolutely true. The news of Earl Bazel's massacre of refugees has spread throughout the entire northern border. It's now in chaos. The forces of the three archdukes and the people of the White Crow Duchy are all entangled. Therefore, our lord sent..."

"Euan! Go check this out!"

William turned and looked at the man dressed as a butler in the room. The other party immediately nodded and left. Then he slowly turned around and looked at Jeremiah.

"Sir, the information you bring is crucial. I will send someone to investigate this matter. If Count Bazel really did something so outrageous that it would be condemned by both God and man, I will not sit idly by. I will send troops to the north and persuade the Queen to rescue those poor refugees!"

Seeing their expressions, the Prince immediately spoke, "I know you may not believe me, but I swear by my ancestors that if what you say is true, I will do my utmost to help the honorable Lady Nora."

Swear by ancestors?
This was not an oath that could be made casually. For nobles, swearing by their ancestors was like gambling their entire reputation. Only extremely important matters were worth such a solemn oath.

Is Nora's matter important?
Of course it was important. Countless refugees had died, and the North was devastated, with corpses strewn across the land. But what did this have to do with him, the Lord of Tis? The two places were so far apart that even if Hughes was willing to accept refugees, it was for population and labor.

Besides, he has not yet been canonized by the Queen, so he cannot be considered an official lord.

Jeremiah's face twitched, and he had no idea what to say.

Is this "prince" really innocent? Kind? Wishful thinking?
Never mind, at least he was willing to pay the fees and didn't ask these sea merchants to work for free. Jeremiah suddenly came to his senses and was almost fooled. He was not a real sea merchant. No matter what crazy thing this lord was doing, it had nothing to do with him.

He just had to direct the conversation towards Castel.

But before he could open his mouth, he heard a trembling question: "Really? Will you really go to save Ms. Nora?"

Jeremiah turned his head and glared at Ken with disappointment.

Ken opened his eyes wide at this moment, looking at the "Prince" with some disbelief. He didn't want to believe it, but the other party swore by his ancestors.
Looking at the anger and determination on the "Prince's" face, Ken couldn't help but feel a little shaken.

He is also from Tis.
(End of this chapter)