25 The Capital of Vorbei

Ethan woke up the next morning to one of the duke's servants knocking on his door.

"Baron Von Kastell, it is time for breakfast. The food is lain out in the great hall on the first floor." Said the servant.

It took Ethan a moment to realize that by 'Baron Von Kastell', the servant had meant him.

[This is going to take a while to get while to get used to with this new title.] Thought Ethan.

"Thank you, I'll be right down." Said Ethan.

Ethan then followed the servant downstairs and saw that in the great hall there were many tables laid out with chairs and place settings. On the tables there were all kinds of food. There were all manner of meats including some that Ethan did not recognise. There were countless fruits, vegetables, and grain products. There was beer, water, and wine on the table. There were even bowls of ice, which would have been imported from the mountains in the north. Ethan found an empty seat near Hans and Friedrich.

"Congratulations on getting a title, young Baron Von Kastell." Said Hans.

"You know, despite being small in size, the Barony of Kastell is actually in a pretty strategically important location." Said Friedrich.

"Strategically important?" Asked Ethan.

"It covers the entire junction of the Ritter River and the Strom River. The land around that junction is all a part of the Kastell Barony." Said Friedrich.

"In other words, one of the busiest trade routes in the world flows right through your new territory, Ethan." Said Hans.

"That's good to know." Said Ethan.

"Of course, the Duke controls all of the rivers in his duchy,"Said Hans

"But if anyone wants to ferry across the rivers right there, you could potentially gain revenue by taxing it." Said Friedrich.

"Interesting. Speaking of money, I know that we have to leave this morning, but would I have time to go to the market and sell some of of my monster cores? I'd like to have some more cash money by the time we go to the capital so that I can afford to hire people to work for my Barony. I know that it's a small barony, but I'd like to hire at least a dozen knights, as well as a few masons, alchemists, stone masons and architects. I'd also like to buy a ship, some horses, weapons, and books on magic." Said Ethan.

[If a war is coming, I'd better be prepared to survive it. I should use what time I have to prepare the best military force that I can muster.] Thought Ethan.

"What are you preparing for war? Just kidding, it's good for nobles to be prepared for any eventuality. Our dad right now is in the process of modernizing his military force." Said Friedrich.

"Yes, there should be time after breakfast. It will take us a while to get ready to continue west." Said Hans.

"Your dad? Is he a noble?" Asked Ethan.

"Yes. He's the Lord of the City of Rand, a small city out west, right on the east bank of the River Grenze, the river that marks the border between the Kingdom of Vorbei and the Western Empire." said Hans.

"Actually, in the previous war, Our Dad and his knights and soldiers were away from the city fighting another battle down south, and that was when the Western Empire decided to lay siege to the city, sending a thousand regular troops to try to capture the it.Things didn't work out well for them though because we had already caught wind of their plans. We, the Sun Knights, were sent into Rand with enough supplies to last the city for months before the Western Empire's force arrived. We did not surrender the city, and we dealt such massive casualties on the enemy that they were forced to withdraw back across the river." Said Friedrich.

[Interesting. So, I guess that in this world a force of a couple dozen knights with magic and behind defensive walls is enough to defend against a thousand attacking soldiers.] thought Ethan.

After breakfast, Ethan went to the market that he had seen the day before. He went to an alchemist's booth and sold several lizard-person cores to the alchemist there. The alchemist working there couldn't afford to buy more than a few, so Ethan just sold him a few and then went to a different alchemist's stall. He went to over a dozen more alchemists stalls and sold the lizard-person cores for gold, and, while he was at it, he also bought 20 health potions and 20 mana potions. By the time the Sun Knights were getting ready to leave, he had sold 39 lizard-person cores and had gained about 100 gold coins. He then met up with the others, and they continued on to the capital.

They rode their horses due west for a couple days, stopping their horses for meals, and for sleep, and finally reaching the city gates of the capital by sundown on the second day. The Capital was called Vorbei City, and had a population of about 250,000 people making it the biggest city in the country by far. It had walls surrounding it made of the same material as the Ritter City's walls were made of, but they were slightly higher and thicker than the Ritter City Walls. At the city center was the Royal Palace.

They were planning on reporting to the King the next day. A few knights led Johan away to the city Jail to be held for the night, and the rest of the group rented rooms at an inn, and that is when Mia spoke to Ethan.

"Ethan, I have to meet with a couple of people first, but the Royal Casino in this city is simply marvelous. Would you like to go there with me this evening in a little bit." Said Mia.

[Wow, that's really weird that she's asking me to come with her. I never really took her as much of a gambler anyway. I am good at math though, so if I find a game that is like Blackjack, I could potentially win a lot of money by counting cards. I will need a lot of money to be able to run my barony properly. Still, it is suspicious that she is asking me, like she wants something from me. I guess that I could treat it like I'm doing her a favor by going. Maybe I can get her to introduce me to some people whom I could hire as knights tomorrow in exchange for going with her tonight.] thought Ethan.

"Sure, I'd be happy to, but tomorrow could you introduce me to people you know who could work for me as knights in my barony." Said Ethan

"I'd be happy to. I know a lot of trustworthy independent mercenaries and adventurers here who would be happy to be knights of a prestigious barony like Kastell. Why don't you put your stuff in your room now, and I'll meet up with you in an hour back here in the inn lobby, and we'll go to the casino then." Said Mia.

"Alright, see you then." Said Ethan.