Ch.21Try having a taste first.

*Shing…*

Smoothly, yet heavily, the sword was drawn from its black scabbard of Amurtat, and the one wielding it by its elaborately engraved handle was Marcus, the Grand Duke of Fahrenheit, the city closest to Amurtat.

“So this. This is the sword sent by the ruler of Amurtat?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…”

The Grand Duke of Fahrenheit, Marcus, tapped the blade with the back of his hand.

*Ting…!*

With a clear sound, the blade trembled briefly, and a smile formed on Marcus’s face.

“A well-crafted sword indeed. The materials are top-grade… And these inscriptions… Are they my achievements?”

“That is what was said. The messenger from Amurtat stated that the ruler of Amurtat greatly admires the achievements of the Grand Duke of Fahrenheit, and to strengthen the friendship between them, they engraved Your Majesty’s accomplishments with great care.”

“Admiration, is it…”

Grand Duke Marcus muttered as he examined the inscriptions on the blade.

With flawless and elegant engraving skill, his achievements—those he had earned himself or those he had seized—were densely carved onto the blade, and with each inscription he read, his smile grew deeper.

“Too obvious. Wait a little longer and they’ll be uprooting pillars to offer me.”

Unfortunately for them, the Grand Duke of Fahrenheit was not one to fall for such shallow tactics. He was a Grand Duke who had ruled over a population of more than 10 million for over 200 years, and during that time, he had received such ingratiating gifts to the point of nausea.

However, since it was sent by a fellow “ruler” rather than a mere merchant or adventurer, he could not simply ignore the gesture.

This was the realm of politics, and it was a basic moral and ethical principle that when something is given, something must be received in return.

No, rather, as the size of his domain had grown, being stingy in such matters could lead to gossip among citizens. That’s why rulers of large cities often held lavish banquets or jousting tournaments to showcase their wealth.

Moreover, he was a Grand Duke leading a population of 10 million.

If he were to receive a gift from the ruler of Amurtat and say nothing in return, rumors would surely spread that a ruler of a small country had admired the virtue of a ruler of a large country and offered tribute, yet that arrogant Grand Duke was too proud to even express gratitude.

“Well, they’ve put some thought into it. I’ll need to send something quite valuable in return to save face…”

“Then… what would you like to send?”

Grand Duke Marcus sat down and began to think.

The most important point was that the ruler of Amurtat had given the gift to “Marcus,” not to “Fahrenheit.”

In other words, it was a gift between individuals, not between states. It was clearly written on the wrapping, so there was no other way to interpret it.

Besides, if it were truly about friendship between states, they wouldn’t have sent just a single sword, no matter how well-crafted, unless it came with ingots of mythril. So he needed to give something of similar value to the iron sword that one individual could give to another…

“Hmm… This is quite difficult… Above all else, this has an ‘epic’ to it… A sword engraved with achievements… Honestly, this is something difficult to acquire even with money.”

“Well…”

In a world where even carving wood requires skill, to have such dense inscriptions on a weapon like a sword that needs durability, without any sign of reduced integrity, let alone gold—this was a sword that could only have been made with considerable dedication and time.

In short, it was “an item not easily converted into monetary value.”

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

As Marcus was deep in thought, a messenger came rushing urgently to his quarters.

“You there! Show proper respect! Are you not in the presence of His Majesty?”

“I… I apologize, Your Excellency. But there is something His Majesty must see…!”

“Give it here.”

The messenger, breathing heavily, held out a rolled parchment, which the aide received and respectfully handed to Marcus.

“Hmm… A letter?”

Marcus broke the wax seal binding the parchment and carefully read its contents.

Immediately, his face contorted into a frown.

“Your… Your Majesty?”

“That damned fellow!”

“What is the matter?”

“The ruler of Amurtat. He didn’t send gifts only to me.”

“Then to whom else?”

“From what’s been confirmed, he sent them to 30 rulers including myself, and 40 heroes.”

“My…”

A gasp of admiration escaped the aide’s lips.

To mass-produce and send nearly 100 weapons of such craftsmanship? Either way, it was impressive.

But that wasn’t the important issue now.

Rulers, by nature, value their reputation. And he sent gifts to other rulers besides himself?

“Aide!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Select the finest item from my treasury and send it to Amurtat! Immediately!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The aide jumped up and rushed to the storekeeper, while Marcus clutched his head as if in pain.

This was no longer a simple exchange of goodwill but essentially a game of chicken.

To avoid the hellish dilemma of “This ruler gave such a fine gift, but that ruler gave only that meager thing,” he had to be the first, the fastest, and the one to give the best gift to the ruler of Amurtat.

The only alternative was to accept being known as a petty ruler, and some rulers would probably have to make do with just a letter.

Because their circumstances weren’t that affluent.

But major rulers like Marcus couldn’t do that. He hadn’t become a Grand Duke by his power alone; he had risen to his position through exchanges with surrounding rulers. If he disrespected Amurtat just because it was small, he could suffer the backlash of “Are you pulling up the ladder behind you?”

“Damn it! The ruler of such a small city… making me go through all this trouble…!”

“Um… Your Majesty?”

“What is it?”

Hearing his aide call, Marcus turned around.

“We… we found the most precious item, but…”

“But what? Is there a problem?”

“The… the most valuable item is… a fragment of the World Core.”

“What.”

A fragment of the World Core.

For rulers who had not yet extracted the full potential of the World Core, it was a treasure beyond compare.

“Since there’s nothing more precious than a fragment of the World Core… what should we do? There are many less expensive ornaments…”

“Ah…”

Marcus stroked his beard, deeply contemplating. Even as he deliberated, others would be heading to Amurtat with all sorts of rare treasures to make themselves look good.

But no one would bring a fragment of the World Core.

Marcus made his decision.

“A fragment of the World Core. Why not give it.”

“Pardon? Are you certain?”

“Yes. There can be no more precious gift than that.”

Originally, fragments of the World Core were meant for new rulers who had not yet completed the expansion of their protective boundaries.

Rather than keeping it stored away in hopes of getting a higher price, giving it as a gift, even at a loss, was the fastest way to forge a solid alliance.

“Fahrenheit and Amurtat are close neighbors. It’s like placing a debt on a close neighbor. Don’t worry about it.”

“I see… Understood. Then, we shall send the fragment of the World Core.”

“Mm.”

Even precious things are only valuable if they have a use.

Just as the finest medicine is useless to the already dead, giving a fragment of the World Core to Amurtat, which was still growing, was an investment in the future.

Moreover, this could also convey a kind of pressure—without saying a word, it demonstrated that Fahrenheit’s power was so great that they could afford to give such a precious item in exchange for a mere sword.

Honestly, even in modern times, metropolitan cities with populations of millions are abundant. Cities with a single urban population of 10 million were few even by 21st century Earth standards, and regardless, a population of 10 million was no small matter.

When there are numerous countries with populations under 1 million, the power of Fahrenheit—a massive city-state with a population of 10 million in this world—was unimaginably strong to ordinary people.

“Consider this the price for your pathetic attempt to manipulate others, ruler of Amurtat.”

Those who are still growing tend to overestimate their power.

So, as one already established in the existing power structure, he would send a silent warning to the ruler of Amurtat.

A heavy warning that just because they had grown stronger, it didn’t mean that the established powers had weakened.

“By the way, the ruler of Amurtat… what is his name?”

“Tiberius. Tiberius von Adler, Your Majesty.”

“I see… Tiberius…”

Savoring the name Tiberius, Marcus smiled a sinister smile.