"Well then," Blanc said, turning to face Alfred, Jena, and Olivia outside the doors of their house.
"It was a pleasure to host you, Lord Blanc," Alfred bowed, "May whatever it is you are trying to achieve come to fruition."
"And may the Vita bless your family, Alfred," Blanc nodded, grateful for the blessing the man offered him. "We will talk more when I return."
Alfred smiled, offering his hand, "Until then."
"Until then," Blanc gave his own, shaking it lightly before they turned on their heels and walked towards the exit of the city.
Lupa was a brief stop, but one that was fruitful in all possible ways for all, not just Blanc. And it was clear that it was so for all of them, proudly proved by the smiles of Velakia, Tahreni, and Lendros as they carried all their reward on their backs.
But that wasn't the first goal they set out to achieve, so without much of a conversation, once they were out of the city, they resumed their journey with Blanc in the lead.
Their way forward now lay to the northeast, slowly diverging from the main roads they had been following until then.
This path would lead them away from both Blood Elna and the locations they had full control over inside their Domain, ensuring that as few eyes as possible took notice of their passing. Although Blood Elna was a supposed ally of the Empire, it surely wasn't an ally of Blanc.
And all he needed now was for the people he hated with a passion to get in the way and delay them in the name of politics.
So they walked.
They walked without stopping, be it day, be it night, be it rain, or drought, with only one stop three days after leaving Lupa, on the eleventh day of the journey.
Then, for the next four days, they crossed valleys, climbed hills, walked past every lake or forest that came their way, and only stopped for supplies in small, unmarked villages, ignoring the cities and all the things that could happen there.
Managing to walk such a great distance, in such a short amount of time, and without any further issues, gave Blanc confidence in the paths he took and the plans they made.
The only issue was that, even now, on the evening of the fifteenth day of their journey, after four restless days of walking, they were still only halfway through the Domain of Blood Elna.
A route that had taken them weeks on foot could have been crossed in just a day or two by a carriage pulled by trained beasts, if the weather permitted.
The most elite of those creatures could make the journey from the Domain of Blood Maroux to the Domain of Blood Seraph in a single day, provided the road was clear and the skies were kind.
But no such road existed, and neither did the weather.
However, there was no point for Blanc to stress too much about it now, as they still had to cross another Domain before being face-to-face with the harshness of the elements.
All he had to do now was enjoy the well-deserved rest he was having at that very moment.
"Velakia," Blanc spoke, the fire crackling near him, "How are your supplies of food and water?"
"Apa is manacrea titas ucum?" Velakia asked her protectors, turning towards the two as each of them nibbled on a dried fish near the fire.
"Napuit apam," Tahreni replied, still chewing on her food.
Lendros nodded to Tahreni's foreign words as he bit the fish's head off.
"It seems we are low on water, but otherwise we are fine," Velakia turned to face Blanc as he looked disgusted at Lendros.
"I- I see," Blanc stuttered, shaking the feeling crawling on his skin, "Then tomorrow, we make sure to look for water."
"Are you fine on both?" Velakia giggled, seeing his reaction.
"Yes," Blanc sighed, throwing a stick into the fire, "And even more so now, as it seems I have lost my appetite."
"Is it really that strange to enjoy every meal to its fullest?" she asked. "I've seen lavish dinners in the Empire, tables overflowing with more food than anyone could possibly eat, enough to feed an entire island back home, and yet, most of it goes to waste. But we… we eat with care, savour every bite, and make sure nothing is ever thrown away."
"The difference, Velakia, lies in what food represents to each of our peoples," Blanc said with a shake of his head. "Forgive me if this sounds rude, but an island kingdom is bound by limited resources, limited land for crops, and a dependence on both land and sea to survive. A single storm on one island can force its people to flee to another, and if the population grows too quickly, the food supply does not match the harvests, and thus shortages follow. So it makes sense why you cherish food and waste nothing. But for us, food is politics. In peace, there's abundance, enough to prevent famine. In war, there's barely enough to survive. Yet, when it comes time for a political dinner… It's as if the Vita Herself makes food out of thin air, do you know why?"
"Why?" Velakia shook her head honestly.
"Because food was never food to begin with," Blanc replied coldly, "It is a weapon used against the innocent and the guilty, to keep all in line. The Empire, in times of peace, produces more than double what it needs to have every single person survive, yet they stash it away underground, in secret, to make the innocent desperate enough to listen, but fed enough not to rebel, and the guilty weak enough to kill easily. Lavish dinners are the most respectful thing one can show to a person, as they represent the host's intention for peace and friendship. And a scarce dinner, well, that's the exact opposite. It represents hostility and a lack of friendship, done out of spite, with the message clearly laid out on the empty table. So you see, Velakia, the lack of food is an illusion, a non-existent weapon, and food waste is, as wrong as it may sound, a sign of goodwill."