Chapter 175: Constantine

Sinuoli examined the Human before him; he had long black hair and a face etched with deep weathering, which made him appear much older than his actual age, giving him a very mature air.

"Greetings, Knight friend. Time is of the essence, so let us talk as we walk!" Sinuoli signaled for the army to set off. Kangsitanting was naturally eager for this; although he had full confidence in the sturdiness of his own castle, the situation on the battlefield was ever-changing, and no one could guarantee what might happen.

Kangsitanting and his men walked at the front of the column, leading their mounts to serve as guides. Sinuoli noticed that the knights under his command were not equipped with the common knightly lances, but rather long-handled tridents.

"Are these... Sea God Knights?" Sinuoli asked, recalling the term. He was sitting on the Doom Anvil, his height comparable to a walking Human, making communication quite convenient.

"You are truly as learned as the rumors say!" Kangsitanting praised. "Yes, they are a religious Knightly Order serving the Sea God Mannann. 'Sea God Knights' is a nickname given to them by outsiders; we internally call them the Sons of Mannann!"

The young Human noble was quite proud of this unit; they were one of a kind in all of Bretonnia. Sinuoli observed the bearing of these five knights and nodded inwardly.

Their martial arts might be slightly inferior to a veteran Kingdom Knight like Viscount Akeman, whom he had seen at Sanlak Castle, but Sinuoli smelled the scent of divine grace on them. Though faint, the power of the gods was enough to allow them to contend with the strong among mortals.

"Let us talk about the enemy! The Vampire Coast—you must have had quite a few dealings with them, right?" Sinuoli's primary focus remained on those adversaries. Since Kalake-Zifulin lacked flying units, Sinuoli's favorite method of gathering intelligence in advance was difficult to carry out.

"Indeed!" Kangsitanting pulled a flask from his tunic and took a swig. Sinuoli noticed it was not the wine typically drunk by Bretonnian nobles, but a type of liquor he had not seen before.

"Praise Mannann!" Kangsitanting invoked the divine name. The Sea God Mannann was a local deity born at the beginning of this world, not a mask for any Elf god, so there was no need to avoid mentioning him in front of Snuori.

"Compared to the Dark Elves—those dregs among the pointy-ears—the raiders from Norsca driving their longships, and, heh, the navies of our friends across the mountains, the Vampire Coast cannot be considered too great a threat!"

"Is that so? I feel the same way!" Sinuoli nodded. In his view, the legendary lords of those Vampire Coast pirates were not particularly impressive.

Airuinasuo Yan yuan, that Norscan cripple, and Sailuosi ta Kongbu zhi qi, that matron who was merely a mortal singer before her death, are not even worth mentioning; the two of them could hardly compare to the true powerhouses roaming the Old World.

Noctilus, who commands the Dreadfleet, is indeed a true-blooded member of the Manfred Family of Sylvania.

But his claim of being "tired of power struggles and yearning for a free life of sailing," Sinuoli believed, was open to question; perhaps it was more likely that he could not gain the upper hand in the power struggles. This meant he counted as a powerful mage, but that was all.

The Pirate King of Lustria, Luse Haken, is indeed a character. He was once the commander of the Laimiya Port Guard, and was later turned into a Vampire by the Blood Dragon ancestor Aibolashi. Becoming a Blood Dragon Vampire meant his personal strength and military level were both guaranteed.

However, he accidentally triggered a magical barrier left behind by the Slann Mage-Priests in Huatuo, an abandoned Lizardmen temple city. Luse Haken was driven into having multiple personalities by the magical backlash; specifically, twelve different personalities were fighting for control of his body. The once-great Pirate King had become a schizophrenic patient.

"The truly troublesome ones are the fellows on land. My duchy is sandwiched between Muxilong and Akuitan. Not to mention Muxilong, which has already become a land of curses, even the Duchy of Akuitan has many Vampires lurking within!"

Kangsitanting explained to Sinuoli. He knew that the Sons of the Mountains did not like the ocean, so he spoke a few extra words for Sinuoli's sake.

"Hahaha!" Sinuoli laughed out loud. "I know that, of course! Many of your compatriots are even more ruthless than Vampires when it comes to exploiting their own people! Vampires only suck blood, but they go so far as to strip the bone and suck the marrow!"

Sinuoli had heard that many Bretonnian peasants preferred to be ruled by the bloodlines; generally speaking, as long as they provided fresh blood on time, they could live and work in peace during the rest of the time. This had a bit of the flavor of the "Account of the Snake-Catcher" from another world.

"Your kin's thirst for gold is no less than the bloodlines' thirst for blood!" Kangsitanting muttered, but he knew Sinuoli spoke the truth, which was why the Vampires could never be wiped out in duchies where the peasants lived poorly.

"However, everything is different in Bordeleaux! Although my father has not yet drunk the Grail Water, he has always held himself to the standards of a Living Saint!"

Subsequently, Kangsitanting briefly introduced his homeland to Sinuoli: unlike some duchies that were almost entirely covered by forests, most of the land in Bordeleaux was arable, and there were also some pasture areas near the coast.

Only the southeastern part of the entire duchy was the Chalons Forest. This forest was not as dangerous as the section in Basituonieli; although there were Beastmen about, it could still be developed and utilized.

"In terms of area, Bordeleaux cannot be considered large among the duchies, but this also means our family's decrees can reach the countryside without being blocked by knights or even village elders!" Kangsitanting concluded.

Sinuoli nodded inwardly. He did not see the pride common among Bretonnian nobles in this young man. From the enthusiasm and talkativeness he displayed, he was more like an experienced sailor whose passion had not yet been worn away.

"Your family's decrees?" Sinuoli repeated. "Shouldn't they be yours, honorable Regent?"

"Hahaha! My father and brother have taken the duchy's knights to participate in the crusade in the name of, er, that Lady! I am just acting in their stead." Kangsitanting laughed.

"Do not mind me; if it weren't for Beast-King Horn-Breaker Fatisi being by my side, I might even use the common term used by our friends across the mountains to refer to Her!"

"Oh? There is such a thing? The term we know shouldn't be the same one, right?" Sinuoli became interested upon hearing this.

"A woman engaged in the noble profession of offering her body, and the working environment is also very unique!" Kangsitanting laughed heartily like an old captain. Fatisi Qishi simply took his horse a few steps forward, choosing not to listen.