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Chapter 38: Dreaming of an Empire

"Well, with Tatur\'s ragtag group that would be difficult, to say the least. We\'d need the strength of the northern tribes and the southern barbarians."

"You talk a good game."

"I\'m not just talking." Karyl turned to look at Suan Hazer, who stood behind him.

"Ah..."

Suan flinched under Karyl’s gaze and recoiled.

"I\'ve brought the solution you\'re curious about."

"What?" Dushala looked at Suan Hazer as well, her face filled with disbelief. "Him? What can he do, besides fighting and crossing rivers?"

However, contrary to the Dushala’s cold reaction, Karyl smiled mysteriously. "He can offer much more than that."

With a swift motion, Karyl pulled down a map from the wall and spread it on the table.

"Suan Hazer, let me ask you. In Tatur, surrounded by rivers on all sides, what\'s the most reliable way to travel?"

"That would be..." Suan’s gaze lingered on the map, his focus drawn to the Fonein River that cut across the continent, with Tatur at its heart.

The answer was a simple one, really, given what he had been doing all along. "Crossing the river."

Karyl nodded at his words. "Most travel across the continent is done by land, but the river currents offer a much faster route. It may be impossible for the empire and the principality, but not for us."

"Oh, I see, what\'s the grand plan then? Bring in more barbarians from the continent? Why not just invite all the northern tribes to come and live here?"

Dushala glared at Suan Hazer. "Your needless compassion has already put us in a precarious position with the kingdoms. We are barely managing thanks to the black market."

Suan\'s expression hardened at her words.

"It\'s not about bringing more people in," Karyl explained, his voice filled with a soft chuckle. "It’s about selling information."

He clenched his fist tightly without anyone noticing. "And we have Suan Hazer to thank for this. This is something only he, who can navigate the currents faster than anyone else, do."

"Selling information?"

"Yes. Tatur is the only place that can handle information from the principality, the empire, and the three kingdoms. We can become the hub holding weaknesses of all nations."

"How?" Intrigued by Karyl\'s words, Dushala, who had been dismissive just moments ago, inquired with newfound interest.

"The empire has issued an extermination order against heretics, but the principality and the three kingdoms are different. They have immigrants settling in. Plus, Tatur isn\'t just for immigrants; there are also people from the empire here."

"Ah!"

As if struck by a sudden realization, Suan clapped his hands together. Pointing excitedly at the map, he exclaimed, "We use them—the dispersed barbarians! They can be our eyes and ears on the ground. If we gather information through them and transport it via the Fonein River..."

"Wait." Karyl interrupted him. "If we make sudden moves, they\'ll notice. It might even invite attacks from the empire and the principality."

But Suan confidently replied as if he had been waiting. "That’s where trading companies come in. If we establish one ourselves, we can ensure the freest form of movement across the continent."

Karyl nodded approvingly at Suan\'s suggestion, the image of Suan in the distinctive tunic of a merchant flashing in his mind.

It\'s the same as my previous life. Tatur was undoubtedly a strategic location and the Rabat Guild had also dealt with information. Creating the Ravat Guild and growing Tatur in that manner was Olivurn\'s idea.

But now it was different; Suan Hazer had come to this realization on his own. This alone was a huge change from the past. Back then, the man was certainly talented, but he lacked the proactive nature he displayed during his time as the King of Slaves. He simply followed Olivurn\'s orders.

If Karyl hadn\'t seen Suan Hazer defy Olivurn while he was imprisoned, he might not have seen this potential. But now, Suan planned to establish his own guild.

He was the hero who, by imperial decree, established a free guild and gathered crucial information for the empire, ultimately leading it to victory. But now, the guild’s not limited to the empire.

He now has the potential to achieve so much more. He was free from the shackles of the empire.

Karyl recalled the words left by Kaye Aesir.

Free will.

It was the most important thing for a human being.

"Correct," Karyl said, nodding slowly as he retrieved the dagger lodged in the wall. He drew a series of intricate lines on the map spread before him. "The bigger world I\'m talking about isn\'t just a simple country."

Glancing at Dushala for a moment, Karyl continued. "From rivers to cities, from barbarians to imperial citizens. If they all become the eyes and ears, the foundation, all connected..."

His voice trailed off as the map was torn into shreds, the myriad lines invaded the map, resembling a spider’s web awaiting its prey.

Both Suan and Dushala were entranced by the graceful movements of Karyl\'s blade. Kingdoms to villages, mountain bases, and deep valleys—all the severed gaps were connected, forming a network resembling a road.

"This is the vision I hold."

At the heart of it all stood Tatur, as if all the roads on the continent originated from there.

"A country that exists everywhere, yet nowhere."

Thump—

Karyl drove the dagger into Tatur on the map. "The Invisible Empire."

At that moment, both of them couldn’t believe their ears. The boy before them was calmly laying out an unimaginable plan.

Karyl slowly uttered, "We will exist across the entire continent."

***

"Are you saying... I should become an information merchant?" Dushala asked, her frown deepening at Karyl\'s words.

Even her voice trembled slightly, a rare sign of even the formidable Dushala being quite taken aback.

“It would still be much better than managing the black market. People should live in the sunlight, don\'t you agree?”

"You\'re bold, I\'ll give you that. But I suppose youth has its limits. Do you even know how many information guilds there are across the continent? And what became of them?"

Karyl responded with a light laugh. "Right, none of them fared well. Information, after all, is a secret. Knowing too many secrets is a surefire way to an early grave."

Dushala wore an incredulous expression. "Are you suggesting I lead such a life?"

"As I said, information is ultimately a secret. The information guilds failed because they didn\'t keep their secrets; they sold them openly."

"So..."

"Like Suan Hazer said, we\'ll establish a trading company. However, the information will be dealt with secretly. We\'ll gather it openly through the company, but sell it only through the black market."

Karyl pointed to a section on the spread-out map. "But that alone won\'t be enough to sustain Tatur. Wealth is the most crucial element in protecting the city. The trading company led by Suan will handle the actual sale of goods."

"A legitimate trading company?"

"Yes."

He pointed to a rugged mountain range on the map. It was the Canatra Mountain Range, located not too far from Tatur and nestled between the Three Kingdoms of Istria.

"Why there?"

"To put it simply, we will make it ours."

Dushala grimaced at his words. "The Canatra Mountain Range? That barren land that not a single country among the three kingdoms wants because it\'s worth nothing?"

"Exactly."

It was a fact known to everyone on the continent.

Yes, it was certainly a useless wasteland, for now. However, six months later, a vein of elemental stones would be discovered there, changing everything.

Elemental stones have a variety of uses. They could be ingested or applied to weapons, making them highly sought after by sorcerers and alchemists. They were difficult to handle, and the biggest problem was their scarcity.

Finding an elemental stone that aligns with one\'s own element isn\'t easy either.

But if one could acquire them, they became the best tools for enhancing one\'s magical power. Thus, elemental stones were highly prized by nobles in all nations.

The Canatra Mountain Range will become home to one of only three elemental stone mines on the continent where octahedral stones can be mined.

That place was the Kadhium Magic Mine, the exact location Karyl had pointed to.

The mine will be discovered eventually, but the problem is time. In my previous life, it took so long to mine that it wasn\'t even utilized properly.

As valuable as the stones were, their initial discovery triggered a battle for control among the kingdoms.

Thanks to that, instead of being developed, the Three Kingdoms of Istria fought amongst themselves, leading to their destruction.

This sudden shift in the power balance gave the empire an opportunity to crush both the principality and the three kingdoms.

If I can acquire this place, it will not only elevate Tatur but also prevent the empire from becoming overly dominant.

Furthermore, it would safeguard the three kingdoms from being destroyed and save some of the outstanding talents from dying in vain, even if they were from weaker nations.

"A mining site... Is there really such a thing?" Even Suan Hazer, who had followed Karyl, found it hard to believe, his voice trembling.

"The neighboring three kingdoms don\'t know about it yet. Only the empire is aware and moving in secret."

Dushala stared intently at Karyl. Knowing what she desired, Karyl spoke confidently as he pulled something from his cloak and placed it on the map. "You, as the head of the black market, should recognize this."

What Karyl revealed was the badge of Kuwell MacGovern, the captain of the Blue Knights and a Sword Master. He hadn\'t expected to use it in this manner, but he believed there was no better option to convince Dushala. It alone could validate his claims.

Is what he says true? How could he possess such a badge at his age? Being connected to nobles from various countries, Dushala recognized its significance immediately.

I expected he wasn\'t just any kid... But to be in such a position?

"I can\'t reveal all my sources of information. But for a grand undertaking, taking a gamble is necessary," Karyl spoke calmly. "What do you think? Does this give you enough courage to take a chance?"