Ever since the completion of the docks at Slot, the area has become a must-stop destination for merchants sailing through the Mediterranean. Any fleet passing through would inevitably dock there to trade goods and replenish supplies. Gradually, what was once just two small fishing villages on the Slot coast began to thrive. Like its neighbor, Prinsia, Slot was showing signs of growing into a port city.
While this did pose some competition for Prinsia, the partnership between Prinsia and Sardinson was extensive. After all, Prinsia itself had once been a tiny dock—barely able to stay open in winter—and even if it now faced some diversion of traffic, the overall trajectory for the town remained upward.
The people of Prinsia were well aware that without Sardinson's prosperity, their harbor would still be a quiet, underused port, closed off during the colder months. It would never have become the bustling hub it was now, with ships coming and going daily, greatly boosting the local economy.
Because of the international nature of the ships passing through, Slot often caught wind of news before others did.
Lately, among seafaring merchants, a rumor had been spreading about a fleet from a distant eastern nation known as the Great Song—or more commonly referred to among traders as Silk Country.
Yes, after two years, the Great Song fleet had returned to the Mediterranean.
The news came from sea merchants who had encountered the fleet in a foreign port. The fleet's distinctive appearance—markedly different from the people of the Mediterranean, with their yellow skin, black hair, and black eyes—made them stand out wherever they went. Anyone who saw them was unlikely to forget them.
Alongside the news of their return came stories of how the Great Song fleet had destroyed several pirate bands and seized their ships, casually reselling them afterward to others.
To many, this sounded unbelievable. After all, many still remembered the massive scale of the Great Song fleet that had arrived two years prior. Just how bold would a pirate have to be to provoke a force like that?
Regardless of whether people believed the story, the tale of the fleet's anti-pirate exploits spread like wildfire. By the time the rumors reached Sardinson, they had already morphed into, "The Silk Country fleet wiped out all the pirates in the Mediterranean!"
Whether or not that was true, one fact was beyond dispute: the Great Song fleet had indeed returned.
So, after Kingsley had finished giving the emissaries from across the sea a tour of Sardinson—complete with a firsthand look at their well-trained and well-equipped troops—the attitudes of the dark-skinned delegates became even more cordial. The subsequent negotiations went extremely smoothly.
Sardinson secured a steady supply of cocoa, coffee, and sugarcane, and also convinced the other side to help establish more rubber plantations. In return, the other nation was promised annual trade, a shipment of agricultural seeds, and even Sardinson's assistance in teaching them how to farm and raise livestock.
Initially, there had been no plan to send personnel to provide agricultural guidance. But after seeing the impressive development of Sardinson's farming and animal husbandry firsthand, the emissaries grew eager. By the end of their visit, agricultural assistance had become one of their top priorities, even more so than trade or goods.
Their country, located across the sea from the Mediterranean, was relatively small and insignificant. Compared to the fertile nations along the Nile, their land was barren and underdeveloped. Agriculture and livestock farming were outdated, and their population was large—feeding everyone was a pressing concern. The promise of high-yield seeds, farming instruction, and livestock breeding methods was a game-changer. Even without the previously discussed trade agreements, these benefits alone were enough to satisfy the emissaries.
After reaching an agreement, the delegation didn't leave right away. They had brought a large quantity of goods aboard Sardinson's fleet to sell, which would take some time. Moreover, Sardinson was preparing to ship out a new batch of cargo to the other side of the sea, meaning the emissaries could no longer use the same vessels for their return journey.
Unfamiliar with the area and barely able to speak the local language, finding new ships wasn't easy. It was only with Kingsley's help that suitable transport was arranged for them.
Now a baron, Kingsley would still be traveling with the fleet to the far shore. Given that he would be overseeing development there for quite some time, he thought long and hard before deciding to resign as commander of the Knight Order.
Though being the commander of the Duke's Knight Order was more prestigious than a baron's title, managing the rubber plantations and other affairs for the Duke was equally important. Since he would be away from Sardinson for the foreseeable future, someone else would have to take over the Knight Order. Kingsley wasn't power-hungry and clearly understood what was best for himself. Though the position was dear to him, he chose to step down.
Felix quickly accepted his resignation. It was common practice for knights to leave the Knight Order after receiving noble titles—Felix himself had done the same. Most knights aspired to nobility, and once that goal was achieved, the Knight Order held little further appeal. They would often pass on their knighthood to descendants or their lands.
That said, there was no strict rule prohibiting a baron from remaining in the Knight Order. Felix had resigned only because his inherited title prevented him from staying in the capital. Kingsley's territory, however, was within Sardinson, so his baronial duties didn't conflict with continued service under Felix. As long as he didn't resign, he could have remained in the Knight Order until he was physically unable to ride.
Kingsley was only forty—he easily had another twenty years of service left in him.
He had stayed in the Knight Order until now because Felix hadn't yet found a suitable replacement for the commander position, and because Kingsley's heir had already passed the knight promotion exam and officially joined the Order. Kingsley planned to pass on his knighthood to his younger son's family, specifically his eldest grandson. His eldest son, already a knight, was set to inherit the baronial title. The knight's fief would go to the younger son's line, as previously agreed.
So he remained in the Knight Order mainly for his grandson's sake.
But while his knightly status could be preserved, the commander title could not.
Besides, he'd already been away for some time. Internal affairs in the Order had long since been delegated to others. All that remained was to officially hand over the title. Others hadn't pushed him to step down—doing so would seem disrespectful—but it also wasn't something that could be put off indefinitely. By taking the initiative, Kingsley ensured the transition was smooth and amicable.
Felix, always appreciative of his loyal and capable subordinate, allowed him to retain both his knighthood and his knight's fief. He went a step further.
Inspired by the royal court, and based on what he'd heard from Wei Wei about the title system in the Silk Country, Felix created a new noble rank: Viscount, and bestowed it on Kingsley.
The title of Viscount wasn't formally recognized by other nobles, as it was personally created by Felix. It was, in essence, an honorary designation. However, Felix granted the title a set of rights equal to those of a baron. While it might seem like a name change only, Felix made a promise: once Kingsley completed his duties overseas, he would be granted authority to govern a city, as a viscount.
Of course, it wouldn't be Sardinson's new city—that one held special significance, and Felix intended to govern it himself. Now a duke, he ruled over several counties, each with cities that had previously been under royal administration but were now under his control. He had the power to appoint their governors, and he promised Kingsley that once he returned, he would assign him to one of those cities.
Unlike woodland or farmland, cities represented a new level of wealth and influence. Noble lords who ruled cities could collect commercial taxes beyond the standard land tax. These levies, minus the amount handed over to the crown, were partly the governor's income.
All nobles dreamed of governing a town of their own.
And Felix believed that Kingsley was more than capable of handling such responsibility.
Receiving such an unexpected reward, Kingsley immediately knelt to thank the Duke. With Felix's generosity, he knew that whatever city he would be assigned in the future would certainly not be a poor or remote one.
Amid a wave of congratulations, the joyful Kingsley departed Sardinson once again, leading his people to the far shore.
Their fleet passed the Great Song fleet at the harbor, the two groups brushing past each other by mere moments. At that instant, Kingsley—sharp-eyed as ever—noticed something: the fleet from the Silk Country seemed larger than before. And—though he couldn't be entirely sure—he thought he saw a familiar insignia among the ships.
Since it was only a fleeting glance from a distance, Kingsley wasn't certain. But the workers at Slot's docks had seen it more clearly.
Among the Great Song delegation's vessels were several ships that looked worn down, as if they had recently been through battle. On the hulls of these battered ships, they spotted a faded but still somewhat visible emblem: a fusion of a lion and the elaborate Wei character in calligraphic style.
The emblem had likely been deliberately painted over with other colors, but the original carving was so large and deeply etched that—once the paint began to wear off—it became visible again upon closer inspection.
That emblem was none other than the personal crest of the Duke and Duchess: a new design combining their two family insignias. The Duchess often wore garments bearing that emblem, and it was said that any document signed jointly by the Duke and Duchess bore the same seal.
To see this crest on a ship's hull, combined with the previous rumors of the Silk Country fleet wiping out pirates at sea, led to a bold speculation among those who knew the full story:
Had the Silk Country's fleet encountered the pirates who once stole their ships... and taken them back?