blueteamnovel Chapter 211: Gedhe, the Frozen Agent
Chapter 211: Gedhe, the Frozen Agent
Henry turned his gaze to the Frozen Agent, a familiar face amongst those he had met only a couple of times - "Gedhe, over this last month I haven’t seen a rise of medicinal herbs and wood collected, did something happen?" - Henry asked the barbarian leader, the one he had used to rally the northern tribes under his throne.
Henry wanted a representative of the barbarians to sit on the table together with these merchants, without discriminating them, allowing them to have a say on the products that they were going to buy and sell. It was a way to maintain loyalty and order amongst the barbarians, while also integrating them in the economy. They were an important part of the capital and the economy, being the only people with courage to enter the Frozen Forest on daily basis, fighting against the extreme cold and the creatures within it, and the things collected within the Frozen Forest were going to be important to develop other areas, like sailing and medicine.
Gedhe cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over the others seated at the table. He noticed a few disdainful glances cast his way, but he remained solid. He had grown used to such looks; the only opinion that truly mattered here was that of the king.
"As Your Majesty commanded," he began, his voice rough and respectful, carrying a tinge of accent, "we have deployed additional patrols around the Frozen Forest to monitor for any dangerous beasts that might escape from the Inner Layer. However, this has led to a shortage of manpower for gathering wood, herbs, and hunting."
Before Henry embarked on his campaign to conquer the enemy kingdoms down south, he had witnessed Winter Orcs crossing into the Outer Layer and breaking through the invisible barrier that protected the humans, forcing the barbarians to leave their new established village within the Outer Layer.
He might have dismissed it as a rare but isolated event, a lucky or mysterious creature that managed to cross the border. However, memories inherited from Caelum had revealed deeper and ancient truths. Henry understood that the barrier weakened every few hundred years, allowing those creatures to attack the lands down south. He knew that these beasts’ incursions only got stronger with each passing iteration. He had to be careful.
Henry held his chin in thought, asking - "Have you seen any other creatures from the Inner Layer cross into the Outer Layer in recent months?"
"There’s no need for concern," Henry assured him, meeting the man’s nervous gaze directly. "Your operations won’t be disrupted. The Sea Agent’s role will be limited to overseeing sea-sourced goods and supporting the crown’s efforts in shipbuilding and exploration. This won’t interfere with the broader scope of your trade. You will still be responsible for trading all miscellaneous goods."
The frail, golden-haired man took a quiet, relieved breath, his eyes betraying the fear that he had nearly lost a large portion of his income, his shoulders relaxing.
"The meeting is over" - Henry declared, rising from his seat - "Luke will send you further instructions over the next month. I will also arrange for governors to be appointed within that time frame. They will be responsible for relaying each region’s needs and priorities directly to me. I expect each of you to work closely with them."
"Pass down these directives to all merchants under your influence. Ensure they understand the importance of their loyalty and service to the crown. They all need to support those appointed by the crown." - Henry finished.
Without waiting for a response, Henry left the room, Luke falling into step beside him. Behind them, the agents remained seated, some visibly relieved, others apprehensive, as they processed the king’s every words. Except for Gedhe, who still had that small smile on his lips.
"I need to visit Leier’s shadow agents" - Henry thought as he descended the stone stairway of the Sun God Company’s headquarters. His mind couldn’t help but think about the Iron Agent. Something felt off. He needed to investigate.
At the foot of the stairs, he turned to Luke. "Let’s return to the castle"
He would put his shadows on each one of them.