King-Chapter 1111 - 166, The Ten Sins (Asking for Monthly Tickets)_3

Chapter 1111: Chapter 166, The Ten Sins (Asking for Monthly Tickets)_3

Some nobles who disliked Hudson also helped to fuel the drama.

Hudson did not know how the Nobles of the North dealt with these matters in the past; all he knew was that it was a difficult situation to handle.

"Baron Jose, reply to His Majesty the King for me.

Tell His Majesty that we are currently in the middle of collective training, which allowed the smugglers to exploit a loophole.

Once the army’s training is complete, we will immediately apprehend the smuggling offenders and will not overlook these imperial parasites!"

Admitting fault was out of the question. As the highest military commander in the Near East, how could he possibly be associated with smugglers?

It was all because the smugglers were too cunning and exploited the army’s training sessions.

In any case, to ensure the frontline army’s combat effectiveness, training could not possibly be halted. The smuggling issue would have to wait until they were less busy.

Providing a superficial solution did not solve the problem, but Hudson had no choice.

Under the politically correct ideology, he could not possibly defend the smugglers.

Even if it meant scouting for intelligence on the Orc Empire, he couldn’t say: All the smugglers were on a mission.

"Duke, such an explanation probably won’t suffice. Due to pressure from all sides, the Kingdom might well send an investigation group, or even directly form a smuggling suppression team.

There are precedents for this. When the smuggling by the nobles in the North was at its peak and they dared to sell anything to the Orc Empire, the Kingdom formed a smuggling suppression team and temporarily disrupted the smuggling trade.

Later, due to financial pressure and the operation of the Nobles of the North, the Kingdom acquiesced to the existence of the smuggling trade, albeit with restricted actions.

The smuggling trade in the Near East has just begun, and our sold goods do not include weapons and equipment, which in principle falls within the tolerance of the Kingdom.

However, during the heyday of smuggling, many influential figures in the Kingdom benefited from it. Our side has just started and has not yet had time to build a community of shared interest.

So..."

Upon hearing Jose’s analysis, Hudson instantly understood what was going on. No wonder he was targeted—it was a threat to their interests!

It all made sense now. Normally, with his connections in the Kingdom, even if he was envied, it wouldn’t have triggered such an uproar.

Other than the Northland Noble Group, which powerful group in the Kingdom didn’t have a few descendants promoted by Master Hudson?

Perhaps these people couldn’t control the discourse, but there was always some familial affection. If there were no conflicts of interest, it wouldn’t have led to so many people causing trouble.

Upon reflection, everyone had still shown some restraint. All the impeachments targeted only the smuggling trade and did not implicate Hudson personally.

Understanding the problem was easy, but solving it was difficult. The cake wasn’t something Hudson could just decide to distribute.

Each significant division of interests required a lengthy contest, reaching a new balance before a community of shared interests could be formed.

"First, send the letter and buy some time. Even if the Kingdom decided to form a smuggling suppression team, it wouldn’t be a decision made in a day or two.

Secretly leak them some information; if they want to join, let them. Since we border the orc region in Snow Moon Territory, it’s not convenient for them to interfere directly.

Let them fight over it later on—who gets more, who gets less, in the end, it’s all about power!" Hudson said impatiently.

The allocation of benefits was always the most troublesome. He couldn’t avoid these matters fast enough, let alone participate voluntarily.

In the past, due to war interrupting trade lines, everyone went hungry together and no one complained. Now that they saw someone else profiting, it immediately upset the balance.

It wasn’t the scarcity but the uneven distribution that was the issue.

The current state of the Orc Empire certainly didn’t match its past richness. Even if smuggling were allowed, the benefits wouldn’t compare to before.

The Kingdom of Elf could export daily necessities like tea leaves, fabric, salt, kitchen utensils, and spices to the Orc Empire.

The only goods the Orc Empire had to offer were slaves and fur.

Livestock was hard to sell. Transporting large numbers of livestock was too conspicuous; they were involved in smuggling, not legitimate trade.

Any aristocratic military officer could seize the opportunity to pursue this issue and could very likely end the smuggler’s life.

Having a powerful backer was useless once it was made public; even the King couldn’t cover up the matter.

Similar incidents had occurred frequently over the years. Even if agreements were reached on the higher levels, permitting the existence of smuggling, it couldn’t ignore the Kingdom’s laws.

Once confronted by a vindictive aristocratic military officer, such incidents became all too common.

Even if powerful individuals retaliated later, it wouldn’t help the accused. Bearing the crime of colluding with different races, it would be hard not to face death.

Smart smugglers always kept as low a profile as possible, especially when transporting goods whose origins couldn’t be explained. It was essential to be cautious and avoid alarming the nearby military.

With limited goods to sell, the only option was to resort to hard currency to make up the deficit. The Magic Crystal Mines and gold and silver mines of the Orc Empire were few and were monopolized by several royal families, leaving most orc tribes impoverished.

Other than raising livestock, the tribes had either to hunt wild animals or venture into the Ula Mountains to hunt Magical Beasts and gather Magical Materials.

Such trade was definitely unequal. Regardless of how valuable these were in the Human World, they fetched little on the Orc Prairie.

Many small and medium tribes encountered a merchant caravan no more than once a year and had no bargaining power.

Subjected to severe exploitation, they would look for opportunities to make deals without initial investments. But this too was risky. Merchants who managed to establish trade routes were not pushovers.

Within the Orc Empire, these individuals also had their protectors, and compared to the restrained nobles of Alpha Kingdom, the internal affairs of the Orc Empire were much more blatantly managed.

Who protected which caravan was public knowledge and they dared to make public appearances in defense of their interests right away.

...

The skirmishes in the Near East caused no stir internationally, with the most anybody noted being, "Alpha Kingdom has come a long way!"

Now, all eyes were on the Frank Kingdom. Just five days ago, under the auspices of the Frank Church, representatives of various national churches had launched a vehement indictment against the Clergy.

They presented the Dawn Sect with ten grave accusations:

1. Falsification of divine decrees;

2. Impure faith;

3. Desecration of Divine Spirits;

4. Collusion with heresy;

5. Regicide;

6. Rampant corruption;

7. Unbounded greed;

8. Profaning the Holy Mountain;

9. Dynastic clerical appointments;

10. Persecuting nobles.

Any single charge could bring down the Clergy from its pedestal, yet here were ten charges, all with evidence available, making it clear to all that the Frank people were serious this time.

As an entity meant to be sacred and inviolable, the Church was supposed to be flawless. Everybody held them to a very high standard, not allowing any blemishes.

The behavior of the Clergy was now under scrutiny.

What had once been covered up was now exposed to the light of day, and the shock this caused was unimaginable.

Governments of various nations were exacerbating the situation, spreading the evidence continent-wide nearly overnight, making the Clergy’s crimes known to all.

Many fanatics found their faith shattered, unable to accept that their sacred Clergy was such a fraud.

Shelter VII found himself in an awkward position, having just vociferously declared that he would deliver ultimate punishment to Charles III, when the Frank Church conferred Charles III the title of Saint.

This action was even endorsed by church representatives from multiple nations, on the grounds that Charles III had exposed the Clergy’s dark secrets, laying the groundwork for its purification.

Suddenly cast as the villain, those countries that had initially supported the Clergy were now playing deaf, acting as if they were merely spectators to a joke.

Everyone understood this as a collective attempt to weaken the Clergy’s influence domestically. Since the Frank Kingdom was leading, they would let them handle it.

What left the faithful dumbstruck was that even after such a major event, the great Lord of the Dawn had not appeared.

Descending "Divine Punishment" to purge heresy from the Clergy had become a cherished dream for countless believers.

The Clergy was equally disappointed; the storm had even shaken their faith, and yet the Divine Spirits had still not made their stand, leaving them very passive.

The silence of the Divine Spirits was seen by many as implied consent and even led some arcanists to openly proclaim: The Divine Spirits are dead!

With both camps embroiled in internal strife, blatantly blasphemous remarks were surprisingly being ignored, which was a major headache for Hudson.

Helpless, since these blasphemous remarks were being made by the honorary head of the Arcane Academy he presided over. Denials seemed futile—no one would believe they weren’t connected!

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