In Pentos City's castle.
Count Hudson was receiving a guest, another count, Count George. The two were meeting in the living room.
"Count George, you're here quite early." Count Hudson greeted with a smile, but in his heart, he thought, This old fox, his news network is truly impressive. Even from such a distance, he managed to get the information.
"I immediately came over as soon as I heard that Count Hudson has a treasure related to the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom.'" Count George said with a grin, but in his mind, he thought, This stingy old man, I wonder if he's spreading false information.
"Please, have a seat." Count Hudson said with a smile, not responding to Count George's remark, and sat in the main seat first.
"Please." Count George said, not in a hurry, sitting down leisurely. When it came to cultivating his composure, he was no inferior to anyone.
"Count George, how's your health recently? Have the income from your territory doubled again?" Count Hudson asked, starting to talk about all sorts of things, intentionally keeping the other man's curiosity piqued.
"Very well, I could live another few decades without any problem." Count George squinted his eyes, thinking, This stingy old man sure knows how to keep things interesting.
The two of them continued talking, dragging the conversation on until they both grew thirsty. They exchanged glaring looks, neither willing to concede, a typical power struggle between the older generations of nobility.
In the past, the two had been on good terms, frequenting the high society spots in the royal capital together. Then, they both fell for the same woman, only for her to end up being taken away by some duke. This caused a rift between them, leading to a falling out and years of no communication.
Eventually, as trade relations began between their two cities, they slowly started talking again, because after all, no one could afford to turn down gold coins.
"Hmph, you're still as stingy as ever," Count George scoffed. "We've been sitting here for so long and you didn't even offer a drink, just like back when we went 'out to have fun.' Afterward, either you didn't have any money or you had to sneak off for a quick escape."
"Who—who snuck off? I just went home to get some coins!" Count Hudson widened his old eyes, his face flushing red.
"Come on, your reputation, Count Hudson, still lingers in the royal capital's high society. The story about you 'playing' with women without money is still being passed around." Count George said casually.
"You... you..." Count Hudson's face turned even redder, glaring at the maidservants and knights who were standing to the side, sneaking smiles. He shouted angrily, "Get out, get out!"
Clack clack clack…
The maidservants and knights, trembling in fear, hurriedly left the parlor.
Hoo... Count Hudson took a deep breath, quickly regaining his composure.
It was precisely because of the embarrassing incident he caused in his youth that Count Hudson hadn't dared to go back to the royal capital for years, afraid of losing face. Some familiar nobles often ridiculed him over it.
"Come on, tell me, what treasure related to the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' do you have? Or are you just lying?" Count George asked indifferently.
"Lying? How could that be?" Count Hudson sneered.
"Then what exactly is it?" Count George straightened up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he asked in a low voice, "You should at least give me some idea."
"The other nobles will arrive by tomorrow at the latest, and by tomorrow evening at the auction, you'll know," Count Hudson said, not revealing any more. "Just make sure you have enough gold to bid. You won't be disappointed, I assure you."
"Ha..." Count George sneered, mocking, "Stop with these little tricks. Hurry up and tell me, what is it? I need to estimate if I have enough gold to bring."
"This..." Count Hudson hesitated for a moment, looked around, leaned slightly forward, and lowered his voice. "The Amos Notes."
"What?" Count George suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at Count Hudson. His mouth hung open, and he shouted, "You miserly old man, are you kidding me?"
"Miserly old man???" Count Hudson widened his eyes and roared, "You old fox, believe it or not!"
"Uh..." Count George froze for a moment, realizing he had slipped and called him by the nickname he used behind his back.
"Forget about that," Count George said, stepping forward, his tone tense. "Are you serious? Is it really the Amos Notes?"
"Of course, it's true." Count Hudson lifted his head proudly, saying, "I've verified it. It's definitely the Amos Notes."
"..."
Count George silently sat back down in his chair, furrowing his brows as he began to ponder the stories surrounding the Amos Notes.
Amos was a legendary knight from the now-destroyed Mancha Kingdom, a duke of great renown. He was an extraordinary talent in the field of knighthood, and by the age of thirty, he inherited his father's ducal title and became the great knight of the Mancha Kingdom.
The following year, he was given the command by King of Mancha to lead five hundred royal knights into the Forbidden Mountain Range, tasked with finding the location of the "Divine Heavenly Kingdom".
This journey lasted for three years, and during these three years, the elderly King of Mancha, unable to hear back from Amos, passed away in the second year. With the death of the old king, a new ruler took the throne, and a rebellion soon followed.
The Mancha Kingdom eventually split into what are now the Mulen Duchy, the Maer Duchy, and the Chama Duchy, but this process took thirty years to complete.
In the third year, Sir Amos, the great knight, emerged from the Forbidden Mountain Range—alone. When he was found, he was already delirious, muttering, "I found the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom'."
Before anyone could ask more, Sir Amos passed away, leaving behind only his travel journal: a set of seventy-two sheepskin scrolls, known to the world as the Amos' Manuscript.
The value of the Amos Manuscript is immeasurable, especially considering the phrase "Divine Heavenly Kingdom." The events of that year were filled with bloodshed and chaos, but we'll leave the details of that for another time.
In the end, the Amos Manuscript disappeared during the struggles for its possession. No one knows who hid it, and it remained lost for thirty years. During this time, the manuscript resurfaced a few times, each time sparking massive turmoil.
Count George didn't expect that the Amos Manuscript would end up in the hands of Count Hudson. No wonder Hudson dared not leak the news—if word of the manuscript got out, Pentos City would be trampled by major noble families in just a few days.
"Hudson, don't auction it off. Donate it to Prince Four, help him ascend to the throne, and you'll at least become a grand duke in the future." Count George tempted.
"No, I've already spread the news. If I don't auction it, my reputation will be ruined." Hudson rejected outright, inwardly sneering. He hadn't expected that, upon learning such a critical piece of information, Count George was actually aligned with Prince Four.
"Then I'll take my leave." Count George said, rising to leave. He had to prepare; the news was too shocking.
As he watched Count George disappear, Hudson turned to the person behind the chair and said, "Spread the word about the Amos Manuscript. I want it to be all over the city by tonight."
"Yes!"
The messenger vanished into the dim corridor without another word, and the heavy wooden door creaked shut behind him. Hudson leaned back in his velvet-lined chair, a slow smile creeping across his face.
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