My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Even if they win, the king won't distribute the recovered lost territory to them as a reward, so why be so eager?

Moreover, the Sorcerer King who occupied the city of Yelantier, according to the rumors, seemed to command a vast array of powerful warriors and was difficult to deal with. Although the rumors were certainly fabricated and exaggerated, even if we halved or tripled them, that "Sorcerer King" was at least the leader of a secret organization that kept a large number of alien warriors and magic chanters under his command, could control undead monsters, and was also very powerful himself.

If the kingdom were to send troops to attack this guy, even if it could win, it would only be through the cumbersome method of attrition and heavy casualties, and the final losses would be staggering, possibly far exceeding any previous battle or confrontation with the Bahars Empire.

Needless to say, even a fool would think that King Rambusha III would first weaken the powerful noble lords in battle, sending their vassals and peasant soldiers to their deaths, before finally deploying the royal elite troops to reap the final victory.

— Sending yourself to your death while the royal family reaps the benefits? You can't do a losing proposition like that!

If that's the case, when will these aristocratic members start to love peace if they don't love it now?

"...Your Majesty, the fall of the fortress city of Ye-Rantil is heartbreaking, but since it has already happened, we can only look forward. In fact, in the long run, it should be a good thing. After all, as long as that so-called Sorcerer King remains in Ye-Rantil, blocking the vital border routes, the Bahars Empire will no longer be able to invade our country. The kingdom's subjects can then enjoy peace..."

"...Even if we take a step back and assume that the Blood Emperor of the Empire still harbors ambitions and wants to open a passage through Ye Lantier to invade our country, then the losses from attacking the Sorcerer King will be shifted onto their shoulders. For our country, which has suffered from war for years, this would still be a good thing..."

This is the sophistry of the "optimistic" aristocracy, which makes one want to complain but also doesn't know how to evaluate it.

"...Since that Sorcerer King is an undead creature from the grave, and his subordinates are basically all kinds of monsters, then monster hunting should be the job of adventurers! How can we let nobles with high bloodlines and long-standing families do such lowly work?"

"...Who pays for hiring adventurers? Naturally, they are conscripted without pay! Since they are adventurers living within the kingdom, they are subjects of the kingdom. It is their natural duty to drive out the monsters currently within the kingdom's territory. How can they shamelessly ask for money?"

This is the rhetoric of the "brainless" aristocracy. Although it seems like they are just pretending to be stupid, it's hard to say whether they are really that stupid.

Next, he went completely off-topic, talking to himself:

"...To be honest, organizations like the Adventurers' Guild, which have so many powerful warriors and magic casters and operate arbitrarily within the country's borders, are the real scourge of the nation. We must find a solution as soon as possible, such as abolishing them all."

"...And the money paid to the Adventurers' Guild is not a small amount each year; it would be more reasonable to change it to unpaid labor in the future..."

All sorts of increasingly bizarre and absurd theories poured out of the mouths of these powerful nobles, whether they were feigning ignorance or genuinely stupid, turning the royal council into a farce stage. King Rambusha III and Captain Ghazef were speechless, rolling their eyes in exasperation.

Chapter 167, The Kingdom of Ri Yestize's Response (Part 2)

Finally, after a long and tedious exchange of interests and bargaining, King Rambusha III, in exchange for several more privileges, finally got these profit-driven noble lords to unanimously pass a resolution to assemble a large army to counterattack the fortress city of Yelantil.

It must be acknowledged that although the Kingdom of Riyestege is old and decaying, with its large population and vast territory, if the ruling class were to unite and mobilize all its forces, the total military strength that the kingdom could muster would still be considerable.

—After the roll call and conscription were conducted at the royal council, and as promised by the lords, the kingdom will gather a force of 200,000 this time!

In fact, when fighting the Bahars Empire before, the Kingdom of Riyestege always had to mobilize two to three hundred thousand troops to fight back.

Of course, although the kingdom's army was huge, its quality could only be described as "appalling". Apart from a small number of noble knights and regular mercenaries, the vast majority of the 200,000-strong army consisted of farmers who were temporarily conscripted from the fields.

Because the army of the Kingdom of Riyestij was so unskilled, in the war with the Bahars Empire, every time the Empire deployed 40,000 regular troops, the Kingdom had to summon 200,000 peasant soldiers to fight back. In every field battle, the Kingdom would collapse at the first touch.

If it weren't for the limitations of the terrain, the constraints imposed by the Slane Theocracy, the fortified city of Ye Lantil, and the "Blood Emperor's" grand strategy of slowly bleeding the kingdom dry, the imperial army would have long been able to advance unimpeded and invade the heart of the kingdom.

However, the kingdom has now lost the fortress city of Ye Lantil, a crucial strategic stronghold and logistical base...

However, no matter how poor the soldiers' quality, how low their morale, how dilapidated their appearance, or how appalling their combat effectiveness, for King Rambusha III, being able to mobilize the noble lords of the entire country and assemble such a large army was ultimately a good start.

However, the Imperial Conference then erupted into another dispute over the selection of the commander-in-chief for this expeditionary force.

—The royalists supported the second prince, Zanak, while the nobles supported the eldest prince, Balburo… Although several powerful nobles wanted to control the military themselves, due to mutual suspicion and checks and balances, they ultimately put forward the eldest prince, Balburo, as their joint representative.

However, King Rambusha III absolutely refused to allow his eldest son, Baluburo, to command the entire army.

This army of 200,000 represents the entire military strength of the kingdom. If so many troops are handed over to the eldest prince, Balbro, what if he, under the instigation of some powerful nobles, uses this army to stage a coup and seize the throne?

It should be noted that in recent years, the noble faction of the Kingdom of Riyestege has been trying to force the old king to abdicate: no matter how mediocre Lambusa III may be, he has been on the throne for decades, and has some remaining influence and trusted followers. He has also gained considerable political experience and is not so easy to control.

If the old king is forced to abdicate and replaced by a powerless and immoral young man, then it will be much easier for the aristocratic faction to either try to undermine the monarchy and establish a constitutional monarchy like the modern British Parliament, or simply abolish the monarchy and establish an aristocratic republic like ancient Rome.

King Rambushe III understood this as well. Despite his old age and declining health, he clung to the throne and tried to promote new people and implement various reforms in an attempt to turn the tide. However, he had few capable people at his disposal, and the results were minimal.

The old king's two sons were both incompetent: the eldest prince, Baluburo, was easily swayed by the nobles and, in his quest for the throne, defied his father, becoming a puppet of those powerful nobles. The second prince, Zanak, was slightly more astute, but still far from outstanding.

Especially now, with the authority of the royal family severely weakened, it is extremely difficult for King Rambusha III to depose the eldest son and establish the younger one in favor of the younger one. In fact, as a soft-hearted and kind-hearted man, King Rambusha III is also reluctant to take drastic measures against the rebellious eldest prince, Baluburo.

In addition, Rambusha III had several daughters, one of whom, Princess Lana, was not only exceptionally beautiful but also possessed considerable political talent, earning her the nickname "Golden Princess." This Golden Princess Lana initiated numerous social reform movements, such as the abolition of slavery. However, due to resistance from various factions, these reforms largely remained ineffective, serving only to enhance the Golden Princess's reputation and having little practical impact.

If the throne of the Kingdom of Riyestege were elected by popular vote, then Princess Lana would undoubtedly be the first choice. However, this is not the case in reality, so even if she has a high reputation among the people, she has virtually no chance of getting the throne.

In short, given the ongoing dispute over the selection of the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, and in order to end the internal strife as quickly as possible, Rambusha III ultimately decided to lead the expedition in person, using his status to subdue all the restless dissent.

Then, the war machine of the Kingdom of Riyestege finally began to rumble...

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More than a month has passed since the fall of the fortress city of Yelantil.

In the southeastern part of the Kingdom of Ri. Yestije, a once desolate wilderness has now been transformed into a bustling and massive military camp.

Thousands upon thousands of people gather here from every corner of the kingdom, filling this wilderness with a constant, bustling atmosphere.

Countless campfires burned all day long, filling the sky with a pale mist, and rows of flags fluttered in the wind, resembling a colorful forest.

To provide tents, cooking, and warmth for so many people, as well as to build a large number of siege weapons—because after the fall of the fortress city of Yelantil, the kingdom would likely have to wage a siege to reclaim the lost territory—the royal family had no choice but to open up the forest and clear it of trees.

Various hastily constructed, enormous siege engines were laid out on the lush green lawn, exuding the smell of tung oil. These mainly consisted of catapults, ballistae, and battering rams. To destroy the triple walls of Yelantil, these machines were made to be extremely large; the wheels alone were taller than a soldier.

Warrior Captain Gazef rode a warhorse through the vast, city-like military camp, surrounded by throngs of people.

There were heavily made-up prostitutes, laborers carrying heavy loads, pig farmers feeding livestock, messengers running errands, peddlers shouting their wares, servants sharpening swords, coachmen scolding their bad horses, and knights in fine clothes and riding spirited horses... Of course, the most numerous were soldiers.

Or, to put it another way, they were amateur militiamen who were ragged, emaciated, and in a daze.

—No matter the era or the country, the cost of establishing and maintaining a regular professional army is enormous.

First, this required recruiting a large number of able-bodied men and paying each new recruit a settlement allowance.

Secondly, newly recruited personnel cannot yet be considered real soldiers and must undergo military training. This requires hiring instructors, establishing training grounds, providing food, lodging, and equipment, and spending a lot of money to support these "quasi-soldiers" in training.

Furthermore, even after training is completed, these soldiers still need to be paid, equipped with weapons, and receive various benefits such as clothing, bedding, and housing. These are recurring expenses that are indispensable even in peacetime.

Then, when war actually came, all kinds of expenses came in like a tidal wave—arrows and the like were certainly a huge amount of consumables; and the lifespan of swords and bows and crossbows was actually quite limited, and they usually had to be replaced after three or four battles at most.

In addition, in order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops, it is necessary to purchase building materials to build fortresses, hire merchant ships and caravans to transport supplies, and prepare medicines and doctors to treat the wounded... Any one of these means an astronomical and terrifying expense.

Finally, the wounded and injured soldiers will receive compensation and burial expenses, and the elderly soldiers will also receive a pension.

In conclusion, when a country undertakes a large-scale military expansion, and the number of professional soldiers reaches a certain level, these expenditures quickly translate into terrifying expenses that can cripple its finances. No matter how abundant the national treasury is, it will be completely emptied in a very short period of time.

Therefore, in order to save on military expenses, the Kingdom of Riyestege did not have a standing army. Instead, it assigned soldiers to fight as an unpaid obligation to its subjects. Each time there was a war, some farmers were temporarily conscripted into the army, and after the war, they were dismissed and sent home without receiving a single copper coin in military pay.

Some particularly stingy noble lords didn't even provide food, requiring peasant soldiers to provide their own rations and weapons...

This saves money, but the problem is... can an army built with such shoddy workmanship really fight a war?

In short, the Kingdom's army that appeared before Warrior Commander Gazef at this moment was nothing more than a disorganized and undisciplined rabble.

They lacked morale, loyalty, equipment, discipline, training, and cohesion; a significant portion of them were so hungry they could be blown away by the wind… No matter how large their numbers, their actual combat effectiveness could only be described as despair-inducing.

Although the king's courtiers and guards made some efforts to make the army somewhat presentable—for example, using the downtime while waiting for the various troops to converge, they leveled the grass near the camp, set up straw men and targets, and created a training ground for the peasant soldiers who arrived at the camp first to practice spear thrusting—loud shouts echoed throughout the training ground as Captain Gazef passed by.

Unfortunately, although the palace guards who served as instructors taught with considerable effort, the peasant soldiers simply lacked enthusiasm. Many seemed to have completely lost their will to fight, trying every means to avoid training, then hiding behind haystacks or tents, just staring blankly into space.

But there was no other way. According to the kingdom's current conscription system, these peasant soldiers were first captured by the ruthless noble retainers, then forced to trek here in tattered shoes and equally ragged clothes, some even barefoot, under the magnificent banners of their noble lords. Most of them carried no decent weapons, only sickles, sharpened hoes, or makeshift hammers made by binding stones to sticks with leather straps. Then, without pay or any other rewards, they were forced to fight to the death for the king and lord…

On the way to the assembly point, most of the peasant soldiers were starving. Before they even reached the battlefield, their bare feet were already scratched by thorns, and their clothes were tattered. Many fell ill from drinking dirty water but received no treatment and could only suffer in agony, clutching their stomachs.

If they lost the war, they would be captured and enslaved. Even if they won, all the benefits would belong to the nobles, and they would receive no spoils. If they were killed or maimed in battle, they would simply have to accept their fate, receiving absolutely no pension or compensation.

If they were lucky enough to survive the battlefield and return home, they would likely have missed the farming season, resulting in a poor harvest. However, the rent owed by the lords could not be reduced in the slightest, so they would probably have to sell their children to pay the increasingly heavy rent and taxes...

In this situation, they had no interest in training and fighting on empty stomachs; they were more interested in figuring out how to escape!

Captain Gazef, who also came from humble beginnings, understood to some extent the thoughts and circumstances of these peasant soldiers. However, faced with the deep-seated problems within the kingdom's system, he, a mere warrior, was helpless. In the end, he could only sigh and continue towards the king's tent.

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Compared to the messy and filthy ordinary military camps, the nobles' tents were much more refined, not only tall and clean but also decorated with gold, silver, and painted designs. In the center of the largest and most luxurious royal tent stood a huge round table, upon which lay a map of the entire Kingdom of Ri. Estize. Some chess pieces were placed on the map, and various documents were scattered around it, including a roster of commanders, reports on supplies entering the warehouse, intelligence on monsters appearing in the surrounding area, and so on.

One can imagine how many heated debates the king and nobles had held around this table over the many days and nights before.

The larger the army, the more things need to be discussed, and the more disagreements arise. Although high-ranking nobles can delegate specific matters to their subordinates, they, as leaders of their respective factions, must personally handle coordination with other nobles.

However, when Captain Gazef entered the tent, the round table was empty. Only Marquis Raven, the strategist or advisor of this expeditionary force, known for his cunning and shrewdness and nicknamed "The Bat," sat behind a small table in the corner, writing something.

"...Oh, it's the captain! His Majesty and the others went hunting in the wild to relax today, and I'm the only one left here on duty."

Marquis Raven raised an eyelid and glanced at him, but his pen didn't stop. "...If you have anything to report, just tell me."

Upon hearing this, Captain Gerdov hesitated for a moment, but then saluted and said to Marquis Raven, "...Reporting to Your Excellency, one of my men who disguised himself as a peddler and infiltrated the city of Ye. Lantier has just returned with some very strange intelligence."

“…Hmm? What intelligence?” Marquis Raven became slightly interested, put down his pen, and picked up the wine glass next to him to take a sip.

But Soldier Captain Gazef's expression suddenly became somewhat awkward. After a moment of silence, he stammered and continued:

"...Ahem, it's like this, the Sorcerer King who seized control of the city of Yelantier recently undertook a massive construction project, building an extremely luxurious palace. However, after its completion, he didn't move in himself. Instead, he summoned many prostitutes and turned it into the world's largest brothel..."

Marquis Raven immediately spat out a mouthful of wine: "...Pfft—what?!"

Chapter 168, The Apothecary's Workshop of Valeria (Part 1)

The apothecary workshop in the fortress city of Ye. Lantier, Liji-Barreare.

It was a fairly spacious room, but it was crammed full of all sorts of things—the table was covered with round-bottomed flasks, test tubes, a distiller, a mortar and pestle, funnels, beakers, an alcohol lamp, a balance scale, and strange jars. The shelves on the walls were filled with countless herbs, ores, and animal organs. On a long row of stoves of various sizes were pots and pans made of bronze, brass, iron, mithril, porcelain, and glass.

The air in the room was always filled with either a pungent or a rich herbal scent.

A short, hunched old woman with wrinkled skin and white hair, but bright, piercing eyes, was wearing a brown headscarf. She was looking at a tattered parchment book while adding various medicinal herbs to a boiling mithril pot, stirring it occasionally with a fine gold spoon.

"...Rose petals, verbena, moon sugar...After mixing thoroughly, add three drops of goblin fluid...Damn! Another failure!"

Seeing the medicine in the pot suddenly change color and emit a foul odor, the white-haired, wrinkled old apothecary, Rigi-Barrerae, couldn't help but curse in frustration. She then casually extinguished the stove fire, threw her sweat-soaked headscarf on the ground, and grumbled in annoyance.

"...I failed eight out of ten times in brewing this medicine. It's really ruining my reputation as the chief apothecary of the fortress city of Ye. Lantier! Sigh, but come to think of it, I'm already this old, why am I still developing this kind of secret medicine for adulterers?" she complained with a resentful look.

Just then, her grandson, Enferea Barrera, reached out and lifted a curtain, walking over from the counter of the shop facing the street.

"...Um...Grandma, an uncle just bought out all the remaining [Passionate Lady] potions. Do you have any fresh ones made? Also, you're running low on [Romantic Dream] potions, [Beast Spear] potions, and [Fine Wine Ointment]..."

“…Sigh, I’m getting old, my skills seem to be getting worse and worse. I only made two servings of ‘Passionate Lady’ all morning…Take them over and change the bottles, then put them back on the counter!” Lizzie took out two small glass bottles from her bosom, with clear orange liquid sloshing inside.

"...Grandma, don't be discouraged! You've only just started making new medicine, and you're not yet familiar with the steps and procedures."

"Once you've practiced for a while and become more skilled, I'm sure the success rate will increase! Have more confidence in yourself! You're the city's chief apothecary, and an honorary court apothecary appointed by the Magic King! Who else but you could develop and produce so many new kinds of medicine in such a short time?"

As Enferea took the medicine, she smiled ingratiatingly and complimented her grandmother.

"...Honorary Court Apothecary? Ha! How ridiculous! When I first received this title, I thought I could finally get close to the nobility and live a more respectable life. But now, it seems our shop's business has become even less respectable than when we sold healing potions to adventurers. It's become a shop that sells medicine to prostitutes and their clients!"

Many of our long-time neighbors, though they don't say it to our faces, are always gossiping about us behind our backs! They say we're immoral, that we've already damaged our health at such a young age and need drugs to sleep with women—they make up all sorts of things!

Seeing Enferea reach out and take the potion bottle, Lizzie shook her head with a wry smile, "...His Majesty the Sorcerer King is really something, actually publicly ordering an old woman like me to devote all my energy to developing something, um, [a bedroom aphrodisiac for adults]... It's really a difficult situation!"

"...Grandma, you can't say that! Although the Sorcerer King's request was embarrassing, His Majesty was also very generous to us. Not only did he send people to help us renovate the shop for free, but he also sponsored us with a lot of rare medicinal herbs and related prescription books. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to recover and develop so many aphrodisiacs so quickly, right? Besides, the shop is now earning more money every day than when we were selling healing potions to adventurers. Moreover, the healing potions we make are indeed not as good as the products from the Nazarick Kingdom's court workshops!"

Hearing his grandmother seemingly complain about His Majesty the Sorcerer King, the young pharmacist Enferea became a little nervous. He first looked around to see if anyone was listening, and then cautiously tried to persuade his grandmother, Rigi.

"...Sigh, it really can't compare to that red healing potion that won't deteriorate or spoil even without preservation magic. It's practically the legendary blood of the gods! Yet it's being sold as an ordinary commodity... I really don't know how the Sorcerer King's personal alchemist managed to make it..."

Lizzie sighed and stroked Enferea's hair. "...I understand what you mean! We absolutely cannot offend His Majesty the Sorcerer King, especially since he's been kind to us. In fact, as long as you're safe and sound, what face do I have to hold back? I was just grumbling a bit. You go ahead and watch the shop! I'll try my best to concoct another jar of [Fine Wine Ointment] before lunch..."

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Like most individual shops of the time, the Barreya Pharmacy was laid out with a "front shop, back workshop" layout—the shop was located behind the main entrance facing the street, while the workshop for making medicines was separated from the shop by a wall.

Originally, this pharmacy had a good reputation, but its storefront was quite simple. It consisted of ordinary wooden counters and shelves, with a few potted plants as decoration. However, not long ago, in order to adapt to the needs of business transformation, it underwent a renovation, and now the Barrera Pharmacy has an exquisitely decorated storefront that is simply stunning and immediately gives the impression of high taste.

The shop's signboard above the counter has been changed to a seductive pink, and behind the counter hangs an honorary court apothecary badge bestowed by the Magic King.

Inside two large, ornately carved, gilded glass display windows, one draped with a purple velvet curtain and the other with a crystal-clear veil. Bottles of magical potions, each containing a different exquisite crystal bottle, lay quietly on purple silk cushions in various beautiful and alluring poses.

Because the colorful medicines in the shop window are all packaged in exquisite glass bottles shaped like seashells, flowers, fruits, and small animals, they look crystal clear, brightly colored, and quite cute, which often attracts many curious children who jump and hop over to watch.

However, if their parents see this, they will most likely rush over with a stern face and quickly pull their children away, often scolding them as they do so, as if these beautiful medicines were some kind of shameful poison or filth.

Enferea, who was minding the shop, could only smile wryly to himself. Following the Sorcerer King's orders and with his funding for research, their shop's main products were no longer healing potions and antidotes for adventurers, but had become all sorts of aphrodisiacs, stamina potions, and lubricants…

And it goes without saying what kind of customers would patronize his shop...

"...clanging..."

The wooden door, decorated with a relief of a goddess, was pushed open from the outside, and the curtain made of crystal beads made a pleasant, soft sound as if to welcome you.

The warm air, carrying the fragrance of roses, immediately filled the air, driving away the lingering chill of spring for the customers entering the store.

Enferea, who was bending down to restock the counter, quickly stood up upon hearing the sound and greeted the visitor.

"...Welcome to 'Barrera's Apothecary,' esteemed guest. How may I help you?"

Then he heard a familiar meowing voice.

"...Hey! Enfieldia meow! We meet again! This time I've brought you a beautiful and generous guest!"

Enferea turned to the side and looked down, only to see Phili, the little cat who had been as tall as the counter, waving at him with a beaming smile.