The Black Iron Glory
Big news

Chapter 18

Big news

Claude slept so well that he didn't get up from the morning bell of the wargod temple. When her mother realizes that she is waking up later than usual, she sends Angelina to wake her up.

After washing and rubbing his face, he brought two pieces of white bread and his bag before rushing out of the door. He was almost late for class. If he did not arrive on time for the morning class session, Instructor Weckham would not mind letting him stand outside the classroom during the entire period.

He entered the classroom with a rough breath. He was rather lucky and he managed to get in just when the bell rang before Instructor Weckham came in, and it was not considered too late.

"Why are you so late?" Eriksson asked, "The three of us are waiting for you outside the house and think that you've left early. We just found out that you weren't at school when we arrived."

Claude took out an arithmetic book and said, "Don't ask. I fell asleep and had to run all the way."

"Your eyes seem a little puffy and you have eye bags. You also look a little pale. Did you sleep last night?" borkal asked after he saw Claude's face.

"Is that so?" Claude stroked his face and said, "You know how my father had dinner at home yesterday? After which, he spoke at length with the guests in his study until late at night before they left. And just as I was about to sleep, two overheated cats were crying loudly on the roof. You know that I live in the attic, right? How can I fall asleep? After I kicked them out, I became too busy and could not sleep well, causing me to wake up later than usual. "

"Haha, your luck is a bit annoying," said Welikro, "It may be mating season. Yowl it really sucks. But there's a way to curb that. Just kill the stray cat on your roof. I'm sure no other stray cat will dare to come to your rooftop in the future. Want me to lend me my rifle? Cat meat tastes a little good, even softer than chicken. "

"Forget it," Claude said with a stern look, "Do you think my father would allow me to fire a few cats onto the roof? What if I broke the roof instead of killing a stray cat? We have to fix it later! You have to hunt your own cat if you want to eat it. "

"Wero, is cat meat really softer than chicken?" Ask Eriksson. Welikro managed to divert the conversation.

"of course. Let me tell you, that time ..." The two of them spoke warmly about how the cat meat should be prepared. If they weren't in class, Claude would be convinced that the two of them would return for their rifles and go around the cat hunting town.

"Claude, I know about what they're discussing," Borkal said in a soft voice.

"They? Who?"

"Your father and others of course. My dad was there last night. He talked about embarking on a maritime trade route from Whitestag to the Tyrrsim area of the Nubissia continent. If that succeeds, the status of Whitestag can be raised to that of a port city and we no longer have to be under the jurisdiction of Baromiss. We will receive full autonomy in terms of budget distribution and come under the jurisdiction of the royal capital itself. We'll be on the same level as Port Neru … "

The longer Borkal continued, the more gently he spoke. His mouth was so close that it almost touched Claude's ear.

The longer Borkal continued, the more gently he spoke. His mouth was so close that it almost touched Claude's ear.

"Well, that's big news" Claude knows why Borkal is so secretive. If the news came out, there would be a huge commotion. So that's what his father planned all that time.

Port Neru was the only major port the kingdom had. It was also a military port where the kingdom's only naval fleet was stationed. The fleet, otherwise known as Fearless, was in charge of maintaining the security of the kingdom's east coast. It was tasked with fending off enemy navies and pirates to protect maritime trade routes.

Aueras is located in the eastern continent of Freia. Although it has a beach that stretches for 500 kilometers, there are not many suitable places for the construction of the port. Aside from Port Neru and some shallow water fishing ports, the rest of the beach is nothing but shallow waters, beaches, or cliffs that do not allow for long-distance boat anchoring.

Since Stellin X ascended the throne, he changed the foreign policy used by the former king to intimidate and suppress other countries in the eastern part of the continent and instead tried to start better relations with them to open routes trade and strongly encourage trade with other countries.

In some ways, Stellin X is more like a merchant wearing a crown. He likes money and profits. However, that does not mean that he does not fulfill his other duties as king. It was just that he had set his sights on the Nubissia continent.

Compared to other countries in Freia who were armed and suffered losses of up to tens of thousands of people in one war and even lost thousands in small border battles, aueras expansion on Nubissia went smoothly without a hitch. It only used seven years to expand the colony to the area twice of the kingdom and divide that territory into seven that were administered by the kingdom directly.

The most important point is that the kingdom did not suffer any major casualties during their expansion in Nubissia. It is said that the number is about three to four thousand so far and the kingdom has only sent about 100 thousand troops to the continent.

That was mainly because the people the royal army had to deal with were the Aboriginal people who held bows and threw axes. It reminded Claude of the western colonial era when they sent soldiers holding weapons against the native settlements. That was really amazing. The difference between the technological advances allowed the royal army to obtain victory without much difficulty.

That was mainly because the people the royal army had to deal with were the Aboriginal people who held bows and threw axes. It reminded Claude of the western colonial era when they sent soldiers holding weapons against the native settlements. That was really amazing. The difference between the technological advances allowed the royal army to obtain victory without much difficulty.

When the first long-distance ship returned from Nubissia full of gems, gold and silver were found in Nubissia and many other rare materials to Port Neru, the entire kingdom was shocked. Everyone from every social class praised Stellin X's new policies and foresight. He was the only person who encouraged 100 thousand royal soldiers to sail to Nubissia despite the risks, and now it seems that it paid off greatly.

Stellin X has restored peace with neighboring countries and allowed trade to prosper. He also encouraged colonial expansion in Nubissia and brought back much of the wealth from their territories abroad to further strengthen the kingdom. A series of achievements have proven him to be an extraordinary ruler.

But at the same time, the rampant expansion of the Auerasian colonies in Nubissia alerted other countries in Freia.

The Nasri kingdom east of Freia had always been an enemy of Aueras. Although Stellin X succeeded in signing a peace treaty with them, it was because Nasri could no longer take the terrible losses inflicted from the relentless war and they accepted the offer of peace from Stellin X when it came.

Unlike Aueras, who had invested a large amount of manpower and resources into Nubissia, Nasri had only conquered two territories with relatively small territories. Because of the power struggles that took place within the kingdom, their colonization did not develop much.

Seeing the Aueras continue to expand their overseas territories relentlessly and bring back mountains of wealth and other resources and getting stronger by the day, Nasri finally became desperate. If it was allowed to last for another decade, they would no longer be able to keep up with Aueras's progress. Nasr's people shivered as a result of the consequences of that.

Although Stellin X often went on about keeping the peace of Eastern Freia and signing peace treaties, the Nasri kingdom that had been an enemy of Aueras for so long had its own thoughts on the matter. Although Stellin X continued to continue the peace, no one said whether Stellin XI would not advocate for war when they were more developed. Peace is just a formality. They can easily find reasons for future conflicts because winners do not have to bother to justify themselves to anyone.

Nasri has failed in their ground war the last few times and they will not easily start a new one anytime soon. They were even more unwilling to start a conflict with Nubissa. The thousands of soldiers they sent there could not possibly compete with the 100 thousand Auerasian army. It was a shocking difference and it would be great if they could defend themselves.

However, Nasri had the greatest weakness in Aueras: his naval strength was lacking. There is a big turn on the route from Port Neru to Nubissia. The first long-distance ships had to sail through the east coast of Freia through the maritime territory of the duchy of Ledin, the capital of the Duchy, the Duchy of Askilin and the Duchy of Rimodra reached the very top corner of the continent before sailing north through the Storm Seas and Ocean Tranquil before arriving on the western coast of Nubissia.

Nasri has failed in their ground war the last few times and they will not easily start a new one anytime soon. They were even more unwilling to start a conflict with Nubissa. The thousands of soldiers they sent there could not possibly compete with the 100 thousand Auerasian army. It was a shocking difference and it would be great if they could defend themselves.

However, Nasri had the greatest weakness in Aueras: his naval strength was lacking. There is a big turn on the route from Port Neru to Nubissia. Long-distance ships first had to sail through the eastern coast of Freia through the maritime territory of the Duchy of Ledin, the Duchy of Askilin and the duchy of Rimodra reached the uppermost corner of the continent before sailing north through the Storm Seas and Ocean Tranquil before arriving on the western coast of Nubissia.

It was a short distance of 2,400 nautical miles which took almost a month to traverse. It was a trip fraught with risks, especially since the announcement of the Aueras catch obtained from Nubissia. Their ships have been the target of countless pirates ever since.

Nasri allied with four other dukes in Eastern Freia and formed an allied navy on behalf of the pirates and protected trade routes. However, it was a knife held around Aueras' neck as it could sever the connection between the two continents whenever desired.

And the allied naval forces were superior in scale and strength to the Fearless Aueras Fleet. It would serve as a reminder to Aueras that allied naval forces could close Port Peru with Fearless in it should war break out. It could even dock in one of the five coastal states with troop-laden ships, allowing them to target the Auerasian heartland at any time.

Allied naval forces had already become sore in the neck for Auerasian officials. Since the formation of the alliance, many transport ships traveling between Nubissia and Aueras have disappeared at sea.

The occasional wreck they found had signs indicating pirate involvement. But the royal officials were well aware of what was going on. They just don't have any evidence. The endless sea was an ideal place to erase all evidence. Crimes committed at sea can be perfectly hidden without leaving a trace.

Currently, the kingdom had no choice but to arrange a large transport fleet to maintain contact with its colony and even had to send many long-range warships to escort it. However, that alone put a bit of strain on the kingdom's only port. Port Neru was not only the kingdom's naval base, it was also the kingdom's only trading port that facilitated much of the kingdom's maritime trade.

Whenever long-range warships returned or departed, Port Neru had to cease operations for several days. Under such circumstances, the royal officials decided that they should increase their naval power to be able to resist or even eliminate the allied naval forces. The situation of Port Neru cannot be allowed to continue.