“Good morning, Nara . Long-time no see . ”

“Whoa, this is a surprise . I thought I was going to be meeting Miss Freya when I received news that there was a meeting . I never thought I would get to see you . You have changed a lot since we last met . ”

The only guest I had to see during the day was Nara . Luna and I hadn’t seen her in a long time . We hadn’t seen each other since we last met in the Royal Capital . Nara hadn’t changed at all . It was my first time seeing her in winter clothing, though . Her wheat-coloured skin made her stand out in the North .

Nara’s gaze s.h.i.+fted to Luna . Luna saluted her with a smile: “I am very glad to see you again, Lord Nara . You look the same as before . Is Mr . Tarak doing well?”

“Uhm, we are both doing fine . However, because our marriage witness was never present, our wedding never proceeded . ”

Nara then gave me a smile and waved her hand: “I was joking, Pr-, King Troy, Your Majesty, would be more appropriate, I a.s.sume . After all, you are now the King of this land in the North . ”

“It doesn’t matter, Nara . You’re my friend, so you can call what you like . I had to loan money from you for construction in the North, as well, so I’m very grateful . ”

Nara picked up her cup of tea in front of her and blew it . The tea wasn’t made with tea leaves, but extracted juices from plants . Hence she wasn’t blowing tea leaves but merely stagnant water, thereby creating some ripples . She didn’t answer me .

Up until then, the two of us had conversed amicably . In actuality, I was fully aware of her desires this time . She wanted rifles and ammunition from us . As friends, it wasn’t impossible for me to provide her with some out of friends.h.i.+p . If it could repay our loan, too, then that was even better .

In saying that, I couldn’t possibly provide her with the best weapons . I was aware of her ambition; she wouldn’t be satisfied after uniting the entire desert . I wasn’t convinced she was willing to continue remaining as a va.s.sal state to the Rosvenor Empire after she united the entire desert . There was no doubt Nara would oppose Rosvenor Empire . She couldn’t defeat the Rosvenor Empire with the strength of the desert alone; however, she would most probably deal a heavy blow to Rosvenor Empire’s military in the desert . After all, they weren’t locals of the desert . Consequently, it would be a challenge for them to battle Nara in terrain she was familiar with .

If Nara revolted against Rosvenor Empire, others would join the fray and revolt . That might not be able to fully destroy Rosvenor Empire, but it would undeniably be a heavy blow to Mommy Elizabeth’s empire . To add, I didn’t want my mom to have to step onto the battlefield again .

Nara was a very ambitious young girl . She was definitely not an ordinary city lord . She really wanted the weapons that could change the way wars were fought, but she knew that Rosvenor Empire wouldn’t provide her with such weapons . Subsequently, she turned to me . My relations.h.i.+p with Nara was decent, and I did want to come up with a way to thank her, which was why she took the initiative to provide funds . She went ahead and loaned Karnashun’s money despite knowing Freya loaned more than the latter could repay . Then, she would leverage that to force the North to repay her with firearms .

In all fairness, Nara was a good friend . As I said, my relations.h.i.+p with her was decent, but her ambition and power meant that she would never consider personal feelings when it came to national affairs . In order to obtain what she wanted, she’d resort to lies and rob if she deemed it necessary . That was Nara’s nature .

Karana was no different . The three of us all understand that national affairs and personal feelings were separate . We could turn our backs on each other for our respective nations, but we’d still share drinks with each other in private as friends .

There are no good people or bad people at the political negotiations table . There are only teams and profits . I was fully aware of that concept . That was why I wasn’t angry with her for trying to ensnare Freya in her elaborate plot . All I could say was that the cautious and clever Freya was careless during that time .

Of course, if I didn’t go to the desert during the time Nara loaned Freya the money, I would’ve been at a complete loss, too, for the reason that I had no idea what to do . Although money is the easiest thing to obtain in this world, you’ll always feel that there’s no enough during crucial moments . I had no money, and I couldn’t pay back Nara . However, after returning from the desert, I was the wealthiest man on the continent . I could buy out Nara’s entire national treasury, let alone pay back a debt .

“So then, I shall not waste time with unnecessary drivel . While we may be good friends, we cannot allow our personal feelings to impact national affairs . I loaned you money from Karnashun’s national treasury, because I have absolute faith in your character . Unfortunately, I now need the money I loaned . I heard you were constructing a statue of yourself, but the plan has been sc.r.a.pped . So, can you repay the money now?”

Nara was hasty as I predicted . That was fine, though . Having somebody else speak to her wasn’t going to make money appear out of thin air . It didn’t matter who spoke to her if we didn’t have money . At most, I’d be able to use my character to reduce the losses a little .

“Sure . ” I nodded, and then stretched my hand out .

Luna handed me an invoice; I took a look . No kidding . It was an exorbitant sum . I was sure Nara gambled everything on this . She literally exchanged all of her national funds for weapons that could equip her with the power to conquer the desert . Then, she’d begin attacking other nations and looting other places to refill her treasury .

Nara maintained her very calm and proud smile . She was no ordinary woman . This was a gamble with her nation on the line . If Mommy Elizabeth was in her shoes, she’d have silently deliberated it for days, tossing and turning . I don’t know how much pressure she was under when she made the decision . Nara had lost her mind for her nation . They sure didn’t say she’s married to her nation for nothing . ’

Sadly for Nara, not only could I pay back the loan, but she’d also be able to make a bonus from interest . It wouldn’t be an enormous amount of interest . Still, it wasn’t a modest amount based on her investment .

I confirmed the details on the invoice; then, I handed it to Nara: “Nara, take a look . If you’re fine with it, sign your name . ”

Nara’s smile instantly froze on her face . She looked at me with a stupefied look . Her stiff smile was gradually disappeared . I, on the other hand, didn’t budge . I maintained a straight face: “Since you came for your money, I have prepared it for you . I’ll be sure to pay both the loan and the interest . I can arrange for my guard unit to escort you to Karanshun . Nara, you’re my friend, so I wouldn’t ever lie to you . Therefore, you don’t have to worry . ”

Nara looked at the invoice with a blank expression . There were no problems with the invoice . It was a very standard invoice; there were no word games or problems with the numbers . I was even prepared to wait for her to finish counting . She knew in her mind what the numbers should be . She knew how much she could get out of her loan long ago . Subsequently, she couldn’t make any comments .

I smiled: “Nara, if there are no complaints about the number, come on over . I’ll give you a look . I know what you’re thinking . You think I don’t have the sum there, but I didn’t make the loan in the first place . I must admit the amount Freya loaned was outrageous . Under normal circ.u.mstances, it’s impossible to fully repay . I also knew you wanted money . Rosvenor Empire and I don’t have much of a connection between us, nonetheless . Empress Elizabeth is my mother, so I couldn’t possibly try to rip you off, which would, consequently, affect her . ”

I stood up and walked over to Nara . She silently trembled; her lips were ghastly pale . She looked up at me with a look of despair . In a shaky voice, she asked, “Wh-Where… Where exactly… did you get so much money from…? Where did… you loan this… from?”

I shook my head with a smile: “Unfortunately, I didn’t loan it . My mom gave me this money . ”

“Is this… the elves’ money?”

I shook my head . I laughed in a quiet voice: “No . Nara, this money doesn’t belong to the elves or humanity . You could say my mom it gave me . You just haven’t met this mom of mine before . Come, Nara . You didn’t manage to get what you wanted from me, but, at least, you haven’t made a loss . If you want to buy firearms, you can discuss it with Freya . I supplied Rosvenor Empire with a batch, so I can supply you with a batch, except I won’t provide our ammunition manufacturing process . If you want to buy ammunition, however, I can sell them to you at the acquisition price . ”

Nara continued looking at me with a dumbfounded look . She was out of bargaining chips . The only chip she could use to negotiate with me was the debt, but I could repay it . As I had repaid the debt, she had no means of refusing the money, because she took the initiative to come and ask for her money . I couldn’t beg her to take it if she decided that she didn’t want it . She didn’t get what she wanted; all she could do was watch the money being moved back and forth .

Gold is meaningless . As opposed to saying that war is a financial war, it should be said that it’s a war with the resources obtained by exchanging the gold . The weapons the soldiers used were rifles and ammunition . The food they ate was bread and grilled meat, not gold . Circulating money wouldn’t make Karnashun powerful . Karnashun was the outcome of what the money purchased .

Nara slowly stood up . I could tell she was about to trip, so I swiftly caught her to support her . With a smile, I subtly jeered, “It’s all right, Nara . You can get what you want; it’s just that you have to spend some money for it…”