One of the entourage noticed the change in Prince Konrad’s expression and instantly panicked, pushing Yoberg aside to step into the center of the hall and bow. "Honorable Baron Arno, His Highness has traveled a long distance and is exhausted, requiring rest. If there are any questions, I hope you will formally raise them at the banquet."

  Yoberg was already displeased at being shoved aside. His respect for Konrad stemmed from the prince being Emperor Orlando VI’s favorite son, but that did not mean he respected Konrad’s attendants. As governor of Bell Province, overseeing both military and civil affairs, he was a dominant figure in the region. How dare a lowly attendant push him, disrupt his plans, and speak out freely? This was sheer arrogance!

  He narrowed his eyes but did not act impulsively, instead looking to Prince Konrad.

  Konrad’s smile reappeared as he nodded slightly. "You’re right—now that you mention it, I do feel rather tired." He then turned to Arno. "Then I shall rest first. Please excuse my impropriety!" With that, he stood up, showing no intention of answering the dilemma Arno had posed.

  Arno did not try to detain him, rising as well. "Then we shall meet again at the banquet."

  "I look forward to it!"

  The group had arrived in a hurry and now left in haste. Arno sat back in his seat, supporting his chin with one hand as he watched their retreating backs, which looked slightly flustered, and chuckled softly.

  As soon as Konrad exited the city lord’s mansion, his face grew gloomy. He did not look back, following the guards’ guidance toward the distant street. "Yoberg, what do you think you’re doing?" he said as he walked. Yoberg was startled, his steps faltering. A shadow fell over his heart as he saw Konrad striding forward, and he quickly hurried to catch up.

  "I didn’t mean to do anything, Your Highness. You know that because of our relationship, we rise and fall together. Arno has gone too far this time—he doesn’t take you seriously at all. Don’t you think he’s using this to tell everyone he fears no royal family and dares to despise imperial authority?"

  Konrad scoffed, sneering as he said, "You’re utterly foolish. Haven’t you even read the Sacred Pact?"

  Yoberg was startled again. He knew of the Sacred Pact but had never actually read it. The Sacred Pact was a covenant established by the twelve noble houses with sacred bloodlines when they overthrew the Holy Empire and founded the new world. It was said to record dozens of treaties on the distribution of mutual interests, limiting each other’s powers and defining obligations, which had nothing to do with ordinary nobles. Many nobles had no interest in the Sacred Pact, as it did not concern them.

  Konrad, who had not looked back, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. After a cold snort, he cursed "fool" and no longer bothered to speak. At first, Konrad had been annoyed that Arno had him sit in the secondary seat. Regardless of whether one truly feared imperial authority, one should at least show respect to the royal family, even if it was just a token gesture of modesty to save face. But Arno had directly placed him in the secondary seat, clearly not taking him seriously.

  In that moment of irritation, he had unexpectedly met Arno’s calm and wise gaze, and his anger had instantly been quenched, reminding him of the Sacred Pact that every prince and princess was required to study after coming of age. He recalled one article: the supreme rulers of the twelve sacred bloodlines were equal in status, regardless of power or seniority, and should treat each other as peers.

  Putting aside the rest, the first part meant that the heads of the twelve sacred bloodlines were equal, without distinction of power or age. This meant Arno, as the last direct descendant and head of House Goldthorn, held the same status as the emperor, imperial chancellor, and grand marshal—they were peers. In other words, Konrad, similar in age to Arno, was considered a junior to Arno.

  Now, if "Uncle Arno" asked him to sit in the secondary seat, how dare he refuse? If he disregarded the hierarchy, not only would Arno not let him off, but his father, the emperor, would also never forgive him.

  After all, the Sacred Pact was an oath sworn by ancient ancestors’ blood, and its rules could not be broken by a junior like him.

  In Konrad’s mind, Yoberg’s credibility kept dropping. He had originally hoped this governor would be a great help in his struggle to seize a fiefdom, but it turned out this fool only knew how to sow discord and harbor ill intentions, understanding nothing of the sacred hierarchy. It was deeply disappointing.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  In the blink of an eye, the group followed the guards to East District. East District was neither as opulent as the noble quarter nor as shabby as the commoner district. The streets were clean and tidy, with single-family houses, though they were no villas or manors—just large homes at best. Yet in the eyes of this group, such mansions were no better than slum doghouses.

  "Arno expects us to live here?" Konrad’s attendant nearly broke his voice with a shrill cry. He widened his eyes, his expression comical, pointing at the three newly renovated houses on the side of the road and shouting in disbelief, "Damn it, is he crazy or are you? Bringing His Highness to this place? Do you understand this is a blasphemy against royal dignity? You’ll be hanged outside the city, and those damned jackals will tear your bones apart!"

  The guard’s mouth twitched. He stared coldly at this clown-like courtier jumping around and said in a contemptuous tone, "These are the city lord’s orders. I’m just an executor. If you have any questions, go see the city lord yourself!" After speaking, he turned and left. After walking more than ten steps, he suddenly spat on the ground and ground his foot into the spit.

  The courtier beside Konrad still wanted to say something, but Konrad’s gaze stopped him. "I think it’s fine. This also complies with the rules."

  This was a show of strength. Only now did Konrad truly appreciate Arno’s dominance. It was not just Arno himself who was dominant; under his leadership, the entire Pramisburg was different from other cities. They feared no imperial authority or noble power, as if with Arno in the city, they were fearless. Yoberg had previously spoken ill of Arno, calling him arrogant and self-centered, which now seemed mild compared to the reality. At the time, he had thought Yoberg was exaggerating, but now he understood Yoberg had not exaggerated at all.

  To give a royal descendant such a humiliating show of strength, Arno was probably the only one in the country.

  Not sure what he thought of, Konrad laughed, shook his head, and directly entered the middle house that looked slightly more luxurious.

  The house had two floors and covered over two hundred square meters, which was not a large house by Pramisburg’s sparse population standards. But the decoration was decent, with at least the necessary furniture and a slightly elegant style, showing some taste.

  Before their arrival, Cooper had arranged for a large amount of hot water to be prepared. Served by maids so unremarkable they were forgettable, Konrad washed his body at the fastest speed ever, snatched the towel from the maid, wrapped himself in it, and threw himself onto the soft bed. Overcome by the fatigue of the long journey, he quickly fell into a dream.

  In the city lord’s mansion, however, it was bustling with activity.

  The largest hall was being prepared for the banquet. In the study, Arno held a pure black cat, listening intently to the news Harvey brought. This cat, found by Celeste, had been loved by the girl at first sight. It was entirely black without a single stray hair, its fur shining brightly, and its golden eyes exuding a charming luster. Named Kidd, this black cat took a liking to Arno’s legs the moment it saw him. Whenever he was free, Kidd would jump onto his legs and curl up, squinting its eyes and enjoying the warmth from Arno’s legs.

  Stroking the kitten’s chin as it purred comfortably, Harvey sat opposite Arno with his eyes lowered, introducing the progress of the slave-hunting team construction. To protect the interests of these vested stakeholders, Arno had organized a 500-man oversight group that was now undergoing training and would soon be deployed to combat illegal slave trade. To seize the market quickly, Harvey had expanded his slave-hunting team, and some small slave traders had joined him.

  Harvey now led a slave-hunting team of over 700 men, controlling slave trade channels covering four surrounding provinces—this was his rise to the peak of his life. His current caution stemmed from the purge in the city lord’s mansion, where the maids and servants he had bribed had become victims. He lived in fear, 生怕 Arno would settle scores afterward, as he knew well how quickly nobles could turn on others. What he did not yet understand was that as long as he was obedient, Arno had no problem supporting him—unless he courted disaster himself.

  "So you have about two thousand slaves on hand?" Arno looked up at him. "Select three hundred uncastrated males and have them join Pramisburg’s privateer corps."

  In addition to the privateer licenses issued, Arno had also organized other unbenefited forces in the city, distributing profits according to investment ratios to establish a privateer corps belonging to the entire city. In his past life, when bored, he had watched some "success mentor" course videos, and one famous master had said something that left a deep impression: When wealth is concentrated, people drift apart; when wealth is shared, people unite.

  To unite more forces, one should not try to monopolize profits. Throughout history, kings revered as sages were rarely selfish individuals who only cared about their own interests.

  The people of Pramisburg were able to unite not because they were convinced by his charisma or afraid of his power, but because Arno could indeed bring them tangible benefits that they could see and touch.

  Following him meant wealth, power, and status, a better life than before, and a future within reach—what more could they ask for?

  At the same time, Arno paid attention to propriety and did not blindly give alms.

  He understood the truth that a small act of kindness breeds gratitude, while excessive charity breeds resentment.

  On the one hand, he needed to give them greater hope; on the other hand, he had to promote internal competition mechanisms.

  When it came to balancing incentives and discipline, it was unlikely anyone in this world could surpass him, the former office clerk who understood the delicate interplay of human motivation.