About sixteen hundred years ago, the two-hundred-year-old Emperor Charlemagne, after a series of battles, nearly unified the entire continent and established the Empire. It was the Golden Era for humanity. Charlemagne reigned as Emperor of humans for four hundred years before announcing his abdication. Before stepping down, to quell the disputes among various tribes over the heir, he established the Prince-Elector system.
The empire's system was reverted from a centralized system to a feudal system. The vast lands were reallocated to twelve Prince-Electors. The Emperor ruled the capital and the most fertile plains near the capital of the entire continent. After a reigning Emperor's death or fall in battle, the twelve Prince-Electors along with the Justice Church, Life Church, and Magic Church would vote to select the next Emperor of the Empire from the candidates. This Prince-Elector system remains to this day.
"Mr. Oliver, the Empire is obviously a centralized and powerful state, so why create such a Prince-Elector system? Isn't primogeniture another option?" Laine gazed at the wild scenery. In the distance, the pine forests stood silently atop the snow-covered mountains. The cold air made the horses snort, while the guard Mather vigilantly watched for any possible disturbances. Fak's skills at driving the wagon were not proficient as he was not the original driver; the original driver had died in an encounter.
The weather was cold enough already, and without some conversation, it would only feel harsher.
"If the Empire had no external enemies, if we were located on an isolated island where no one would come to see us and we wouldn't trade with others, then hereditary succession by the Emperor's firstborn could work. But the Empire is nearly surrounded by enemies. Yes, we have the knight allies of Brittania, and close allies with the dwarves, but what about elsewhere? Enemies are everywhere. His Majesty Charlemagne used this method with the hope that the most capable heir could lead the Empire forward, rather than nurturing a spoiled group of pampered fools through foolish nepotism." The Imperial Merchant spoke with a tone full of admiration: "His Majesty Charlemagne never hesitated to speak about his past, frankly telling the ministers he used to herd cattle and was proud of it. His Grace Ludwig also came from a minor noble background. Origins don't matter; what's important is strength, a brave heart, and love for the Empire."
"Makes sense." Laine nodded, not saying much more.
After several hours of trekking, they finally arrived at Kaltenhaven, the port city of the Nord Kingdom.
Compared to Wulan Town which only had a few hundred households, the port city of Kaltenhaven was much larger, with about eight hundred households residing there. From a distance, black smoke rising into the sky gave an idea of the city's scale. The gray city walls, although not very tall, were already sturdier than the wooden walls of Wulan Town, having been transformed into robust stone walls. The guards at the city gate were noticeably better equipped; while Wulan Town's guards wore chest armor, those in Kaltenhaven had full sets of scale armor. They carried long spears and long halberds, appearing healthier, with the Guard Commander even wearing a full set of chain armor, bearing a longsword at the waist, holding a shield, and clad in a black cloak, presenting a quite imposing sight from afar.
"This medium-sized port can accommodate more than a dozen medium or large merchant ships, with all necessary port facilities in place. There are a hundred and fifty standing army troops and a Kingdom Knight stationed here. If needed, up to six hundred militiamen can be summoned—if the local Lord is willing to disregard the consequences and costs," Laine explained to Teresa.
"Have you been here before?" The female sorceress asked curiously, observing the medium-sized port city.
"There's no place in Nord I haven't been to, even visited the Celestial Vault Castle, let alone this port," Laine said with a bit of pride. Indeed, he had traveled to many places, certainly more than Teresa, who frequented only a few main cities or stayed at home.
Cargo ships were setting off along the river, seemingly transporting goods. The port's soldiers appeared very serious, indicating that something was amiss, aside from Laine noticing a merchant convoy at the city gate arguing incessantly with the Defense Commander.
"Liars! Cheats! You deceived me! If it's impossible to go to sea, why not inform us beforehand, yet still charge us the entry fee? We don't plan to stay—give us our money back!"
The city gate was in chaos, with an entire merchant convoy dragging several carts of goods, arguing with the guards. By the look of the red-faced confrontation on both sides, evidently, the discussion was not going well, especially as several convoy guards had already grasped their sword hilts, while the guards' long spears gradually tilted from an upright position.
Due to the stagnation of this group, the Mercenary Corps' entry into the city had to be temporarily delayed. Seeing this, Laine felt a bit impatient, as he was anxious to enter and look for traces of Belte.
So the Kingdom Knight directly dismounted and stepped forward under everyone's gaze: "What is happening here?"
The rest remained still, noticing several guards with hands already on their sword hilts. The experienced Vice-Captain Viert knew this was not the time to further provoke the guards' tense nerves. Everyone's gaze turned to Teresa, as if to ask, what should we do?