"Generally speaking, for a young noble who has just become a ranger knight, the most crucial thing to avoid is constantly offering opinions and criticizing everything," Ryan continued. "At this stage, it's essential not to reveal your thoughts and plans too early. Speak less, do more, listen more, learn more, and try to understand how the kingdom operates. Observe how the dukes manage their territories, what they do daily, how the king unifies the country, and how issues are handled."
"Hmm." Fedmond had already gone through this stage, but Ryan's guidance gave him new insights. "So, when you first came to the kingdom, did you choose to quietly accept the king's orders and challenges?"
"You should know that Richard and I don't get along," Ryan nodded. "But I am his vassal. He granted me my fiefdom, and some matters cannot be dictated by personal will. In our conflicts, he adhered to basic rules, and so did I. Sometimes, we must advance a little to secure our interests. Other times, we need to retreat to leave some buffer space. Relationships between people aren't like championship battles where it's all or nothing."
"For instance, a conversation consisting of ten sentences might sometimes only require eight because we both understand the full ten sentences."
"Other times, we need to say all ten sentences because the message consists of ten sentences, and it must be conveyed in full."
"And sometimes, even if we only know eight sentences, we must pretend to know all ten because, as a lord and Holy Grail Knight, we should be expected to know all ten."
"Fedmond, you have to find the balance yourself. This is as far as I can guide you. You must grasp the differences on your own."
"Lastly, think about how many knights there are in the entire Bretonnia, and how many eventually become Holy Grail Knights?"
After saying this, Ryan left Fedmond ample time to ponder.
The Holy Grail Knight sat with his arms crossed, his expression shifting. Ryan waited patiently, buying two sandwiches from a vendor and offering one to Fedmond.
So, the two Holy Grail Knights ate sandwiches in a secluded corner of Margaret's central garden. Ryan mused about the dullness of it all.
After a long silence, Fedmond finally sighed deeply and gazed into the distance with a look of realization. "You truly deserve the title of a human hero, Lord Ryan. My father was right."
"It's not that hard to understand." Ryan shook his head, watching the noble children playing below with a smile. "It's just a matter of time. You have the foundation from the Grail Expedition. What you lack now is someone to guide you, and that's enough."
"Hmm... Next, we need to meet with Amancio Pérez, the leader of the Estalian Merchant League, and Enzo Moretti, the Grand Master of the Margaret Knight Order. According to your analysis, Amancio Pérez is someone we can ally with, while Enzo Moretti is our enemy?" Fedmond thought aloud. "Merchants seek profit, and they wouldn't want trade routes completely cut off, so they should be mediators. The Margaret Knight Order wants to seize the Trident of the Sea God, making them our adversaries?"
"Ha~" Ryan chuckled at Fedmond's reasoning, nodding approvingly. "You've made progress from your earlier thoughts, but you're still mistaken."
"Mistaken?" Fedmond furrowed his brows.
"Yes, mistaken." Ryan nodded solemnly, his expression becoming serious. "First, let's talk about merchants."
"Merchants are essentially people engaged in trading goods or conducting business activities. Their primary goal is to make more profit, so they desire a specific type of environment," Ryan patiently explained. "Firstly, merchants need basic order, because only within a framework of law and the inviolability of private property can they be assured that their hard-earned wealth won't be taken away. Even with legal protections, such violations often occur, making them even more crucial."
"But merchants don't want to see a world stagnant as dead water. If a pound of wheat is worth two silver coins in Nord and also two silver coins in Estalia, they lose the incentive to trade because they wouldn't profit after covering transportation and protection costs. So, they need some level of chaos—enough to cause price fluctuations and allow them to buy low and sell high. However, the chaos shouldn't be too great; if trade routes become impassable, it's all for nothing."
"Merchants are always greedy," Fedmond nodded, indicating he understood.
"A pound of wheat sells for eighty copper coins in wealthy Wenfort, but in Nord, it can fetch five silver coins," Ryan continued with his eyes closed. "If the trade route is cut off, Amancio Pérez earns nothing. And your family and your Sea God Fleet certainly have the means to ensure that. Therefore, we can be sure Amancio wants to be a mediator, and that's accurate."
Fedmond couldn't help but feel elated internally, sensing recognition.
"But that's not the whole picture, Fedmond. We need to think more broadly." Ryan intertwined his fingers and gazed at the bustling Estalian market filled with exotic goods from the Old World. "Bordelaux is a renowned deep-water port, and Amancio Pérez is the head of the Estalian Merchant League. If your family, the Dukes of Bordelaux, could reestablish this trade route and reach a commercial agreement with Amancio, think about how much profit there is to be made."
"A win-win deal! Father would certainly agree!" Fedmond's eyes lit up, and he began pacing excitedly. "Yes! Yes! After the Invincible Fleet was destroyed, trade between Bordelaux and Estalia ceased. If we can restore this route, it could bring at least five hundred gold crowns in annual profit! Yes! It's a win-win deal! The merchant can't refuse it. He'll not only be someone we can ally with but also become our friend and trade partner!"
"You are the heir of Bodrick. Only you can broker such a trade agreement," Ryan nodded with satisfaction. "That's what merchants are like."
"And the Margaret Knight Order? They were not our concern initially, but they overstepped by orchestrating the theft of the Trident of the Sea God! What could the Grand Master possibly say to us? The moment they decided to steal the Trident, our paths were destined to clash." Fedmond's expression grew troubled again as he pondered. "Facing an underground organization that has existed for centuries, we must tread carefully. A single misstep could ignite a full-blown war."
"So, we need to consider the perspective of the Margaret Knight Order for this meeting. First, what is the main reason for the conflict between us and the Margaret Knight Order?"
"They orchestrated the theft of the Trident of the Sea God through rogue knights," Fedmond answered immediately.
"Then why did the Margaret Knight Order instruct rogue knights to steal the Trident, causing this conflict and leading to our expedition to Estalia? What's the fundamental issue?" Ryan pressed.
"The Margaret Knight Order believes that obtaining the Trident will help them in their crusade against Araby. Their ultimate goal is to conquer Araby and eliminate all southern threats," Fedmond pondered deeply. "Wait… maybe we can talk to the Grand Master. We don't have to fight to the death!"
"Exactly!" Ryan nodded seriously. "Remember the vampire from the Lahmia family you killed? Clearly, this is part of a vampire plot. I suspect that the notion that the Trident could aid the Margaret Knight Order in their crusade against Araby was spread by these vampires."
"The undead are always despicable!" Fedmond muttered. "So, Ryan, according to your analysis, the Margaret Knight Order… may not actually be our enemies."
"Keep going, Fedmond," Ryan encouraged, nodding. Fedmond was quickly catching on.
"The Margaret Knight Order's goal is to crusade against Araby, which doesn't fundamentally conflict with our interests. Therefore, we just need to tell Grand Master Enzo Moretti that the Trident of the Sea God not only can't help them in their crusade but will invoke the Sea God's wrath if used by someone without the Sea God's bloodline. Enzo Moretti should know what to do." Fedmond fully grasped Ryan's point.
"Not just that," Ryan continued as he stood up. "Fedmond, don't forget, Bretonnia has two chivalric expeditions in Araby. From this perspective, we're natural allies!"
"If they oppose us, the Margaret Knight Order will not only fail to gain the Trident's aid but also face a formidable enemy and the future threat of the Sea God Fleet. But if we sit down and talk, we'll find that this was all a misunderstanding. We're not enemies but friends with compatible goals. During the Crusade of the Red Flame, we fought side by side as knight brothers. Now, we can continue that friendship."
With these words, the clouds hanging over Fedmond's heart finally cleared. In this intricate web of relationships, Ryan had methodically unraveled the knots, using his influence and understanding of complex human interactions. Through careful analysis of core interests and leveraging his status, Ryan had identified the correct approach and solution.
Fedmond was utterly impressed and speechless. After a moment, he said, "Lord Ryan, if the merchants are our friends and the Margaret Knights are our friends, then who are our real enemies?"
"Our enemies?" Ryan laughed. "Our enemies have always been the rogue knights and those scheming vampires."
"So, this is diplomacy?" Fedmond mused deeply. "Lord Ryan, do you always use diplomacy to avoid wars?"
"No, only with humans, and sometimes with dwarves
and elves," Ryan shook his head, smiling. "But with Chaos or Greenskins, I usually don't say much. I just say one thing."
"What's that?"
"Your horse is dead. Then we can start the battle."
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
Fedmond burst into laughter, his previous frustrations dissipating. "I like that approach."
"Well, we've been out long enough. It's time to head back and prepare."
"Hmm."
Ryan and Fedmond left the central garden and returned to the Margaret Guest House.
As they entered their suite, they found Alfred sprawled on the sofa, looking dejected. Seeing Ryan and Fedmond, he raised his hand weakly.
"How did it go, Alfred? Did you get her contact information? Do you know which mailbox to use for your letters?" Ryan teased.
"Not very well, my friend," Alfred replied with some disappointment. "Miss Claudia said she doesn't plan to leave Margaret anytime soon, and she has to work, so she couldn't agree to go out with me. We just chatted a bit at the front desk. She was polite but distant, clearly not very interested in me. We talked about some everyday things."
"Oh? And what did she say?" Ryan casually took a bottle of sherry from the room's bar and poured three glasses, handing one to Alfred and another to Fedmond.
"She said… she's still young and doesn't plan to leave Margaret. She wants to focus on her career, meet more people, and enrich her life," Alfred said, taking the sherry. "Regarding relationships, she wants to let things happen naturally."
"That's essentially a rejection, Alfred. We must respect the lady's choice," Fedmond nodded. Respecting women was an important virtue in chivalry.
"To be clear, Alfred, did Miss Claudia name her conditions?" Ryan asked with a knowing smile.
"Conditions?" Alfred was puzzled.
"Did she mention any requirements for a potential boyfriend?" Ryan continued.
"Yes… she said her future boyfriend should have a villa or knight's castle of at least 150 square meters, an annual income of no less than 800 gold crowns, and a high-quality mount, preferably a mixed-blood elven warhorse. Moreover, he should be handsome and hold at least a Kingdom Knight's noble title..." Alfred's voice grew more dejected with each detail. "And there were more…"
"Do you think she's worth that?" Ryan asked calmly.
"Lord Ryan, it's not proper to evaluate a lady like that," Fedmond interjected, a bit displeased. "How can you treat her as a commodity?"
"If she's set a price on herself, Fedmond, then she's already treating herself as a commodity. Talking about chivalry and respect after that is pointless," Ryan's words made Fedmond fall silent. "You have to choose one: respectful interaction or straightforward transaction."
"My friend! I really like her. I know you're great with women. Please help me!" Alfred pleaded desperately.
"Hey... Alfred, what about your morning prayers?" Ryan looked pained.
"This is my life's plea!"
"Your life's plea is to be a lovesick fool?! That's pretty cheap, don't you think?!"
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