Three days after the merchant caravan left the border of the Kingdom of Mason, the wind on the wilderness began to carry a hint of dry heat.
Delilah rode on a warhorse, her black cloak flapping loudly in the wind. Behind her were thirty Musketeers, silent as iron, each resting that pitch-black stick across their saddles. Although most of these soldiers were traveling far for the first time, after experiencing Sophia's 'succeed or die' iron-blooded training, their brows all carried a killing aura belonging to elites.
While passing through the gravel canyon at the border of the Kingdom of Mason and the Kingdom of Leighton, dozens of ragged, fierce-faced rogue bandits rushed down from the hillsides on both sides.
"Hey! Little redhead! Leave those boxes of treasure behind!
"That's not something you poor wretches can keep!"
The bandit leader at the front brandished a rusty longsword, his eyes staring greedily at those exquisite wooden crates. In the eyes of these bandits, this small team of only thirty people was simply a fat sheep delivered right to their door. After all, they didn't even have bows or crossbows in their hands, only a few oddly shaped sticks.
Seeing that Delilah didn't make a sound, those people wanted to launch an attack directly. Delilah didn't even lift an eyelid; she simply waved her right hand lightly.
"Ready."
Fifteen soldiers dismounted in unison, kneeling on one knee, their pitch-black muzzles aimed at the diving bandits.
"Boom—!!!"
Accompanied by deafening roars and thick white smoke, a dense volley swept across. The bandits charging at the very front didn't even understand what had happened before bowl-sized bloody holes burst open in their chests, and they flew backward like rotten sacks. The remaining bandits slammed on the brakes, their eyes filled with a terror as if they had seen a ghost.
In their cognition, this distance was fundamentally outside the range of any throwing weapon; this 'thunderous magic' directly shattered their brainstems.
"Devil! It's the Devil's weapon!"
The bandits threw away their helmets and armor, scrambling and crawling as they disappeared into the piles of rubble. Delilah withdrew her gaze coldly, not even ordering a pursuit.
"Clean the gun barrels, continue moving. Don't delay Her Majesty's business."
She didn't want to fail the first mission she received from the Tyrant; that would be too much of a disgrace to her battle record. However, if she succeeded, what would that Tyrant say? Would she praise her?
Delilah looked straight ahead, the corners of her mouth rising unconsciously.
Two days later, the merchant caravan arrived at the Royal City of the Kingdom of Leighton. Naturally, they did not choose to stop at the small villages of the Kingdom of Leighton; the residents of those places...
Compared to the small villages surrounding the Kingdom of Mason, the national condition of the Kingdom of Leighton was truly not much better. It was likely that only the residents within the Royal City could have some spare money to afford soap. Although the City wall of the Kingdom of Leighton was intact, it revealed a desolation born of years without repair, and the clothes of the common people were similarly patched over patches.
Precisely because of this, the Royal House of Leighton did not possess the arrogance of a great Empire. Instead, they showed considerable enthusiasm toward this merchant caravan from their 'poor neighbor'. The residents of the Kingdom of Leighton also seemed to have not seen a foreign merchant caravan for a long time, so they all gazed at Delilah and the others with attention.
Inside a side hall of the Leighton Palace, Delilah met the King of Leighton and the Queen of Leighton.
"To think the Queen of Mason has such elegance to send people to deliver gifts?"
Although the Queen of Leighton wore a slightly worn court dress, her temperament remained gentle and graceful. Delilah knelt on one knee, presenting the exquisite porcelain jar inlaid with beautiful stones.
"This is 'Mason's Dew' hand-picked by Her Majesty for the Queen. Her Majesty says, 'Above these ruins and barrenness, beauty should not be forgotten.'"
Subsequently, after Delilah explained the 'Mason's Dew' brand shampoo and soap to the Queen, she politely declined the grand banquet prepared by the Queen.
"Thank you for your generosity. But the task delivered by Her Majesty is not yet complete; as soldiers, it is inconvenient for us to stay long for enjoyment."
Delilah's voice was cold and decisive.
"We hope to open trade in the shops of the Royal City as soon as possible to exchange for the raw iron and high-quality materials we urgently need."
The King and Queen exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment in the other's eyes. The discipline of this merchant caravan was terrifyingly strong, completely unlike those undisciplined soldiers of small countries. They had heard a little about the affairs of the Kingdom of Mason, but the distance between small countries was relatively far, and almost no one cared too much about the affairs of other nations. They only knew that the Kingdom of Mason had changed masters, with the youngest Princess Sophia succeeding to the throne.
"Since it is trade, we naturally welcome it."
The King waved his hand boldly.
"I will arrange for the internal affairs officer to clear out a few shops for you on the most prosperous 'Clock Tower Avenue' in the Royal City."
Night fell. The Queen of Leighton's Bedchamber.
The Queen, having been busy all day, sat before her vanity mirror, looking at her slightly dull complexion and withered hair in the reflection, and sighed deeply. The pressure of survival for a small country made her, a Queen, suffer greatly as well. Her gaze fell upon that porcelain jar.
"Queen's Special Supply?"
She opened the lid as if guided by spirits and demons. In an instant, a fresh, elegant scent, mixing wild mint and some kind of precious flower, filled the entire Bedchamber. It wasn't that cheap and strong smell of animal fat, but a scent of civilization that brought peace to the soul.
The Queen followed the method Delilah had described and took out a bar of soap, lustrous as jade and embossed with a Black Rose. When fine, dense foam was rubbed out in the water, that silky tactile sensation made her unable to resist letting out a soft exclamation of wonder. As the warm water rinsed it away, the grease and sweat stains accumulated on her skin over the years seemed to be taken away by a magical force, replaced by an unprecedented dryness and lightness.
Finally, there was that bottle of shampoo. When she dried her long hair and found that her strands were no longer frizzy, and even refracted a healthy soft light, the Queen was completely stunned.
She stood before the mirror, smelling the faint refreshing fragrance lingering on her body.
"Such a thing... such a divine object that is unheard of even in the powerful Imperial Capital, actually comes from the Kingdom of Mason? Even potions made from the best herbs, when applied to hair, would not make the strands this soft and smooth. And on the body, even after rinsing clean, if one smells carefully, a faint fragrance still remains."
This smelled even better than taking a bath with the freshest flower petals.
"That Queen Sophia... what kind of power has she mastered on that barren land? Such 'Divine Miracles' of alchemy, she actually used them to make soap to sell to neighboring countries?"
The Queen stroked her hair, which was now like silk, her eyes gradually becoming reverent and complex.
"No, this is not just trade. She is telling us that even on the most destitute ruins, she can maintain this kind of extreme exquisiteness and nobility."
The Queen took a deep breath. As expected of a Queen who had studied at the Noble Academy in the Imperial Capital, even her ideas for trade were so ingenious.
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