Lord of Caldera - Chapter 135

Chapter 135: Chapter 135

After hearing the details, Max gave up on accompanying them. Under ordinary circumstances, he could protect himself adequately. But this was no ordinary situation, and his presence would only be a hindrance.

“Don’t forget to return for me,” he muttered as he bid Sylas’s party farewell.

Sylas then spurred his horse northward. Thanks to the halt in the elves’ advance, monster sightings along the road had decreased significantly.

“What kind of place is the North?” Toby asked, apparently bored with the journey.

“Is it as chaotic as the West?”

“Not exactly.”

Sylas thought back to the North before his return. While monsters weren’t as numerous, stronger ones frequently appeared. And those strong creatures often met their end at human hands.

“It’s a place where humans are more terrifying than monsters.”

“Is it as politically scheming as the South?”

“No, their political skills are rather lacking.”

It wasn’t that the North lacked politics, but compared to other regions, it was simpler. The reason was straightforward.

“Because it’s hard to survive. You only engage in political schemes when there’s a bit of breathing room, but here, everyone’s struggling just to keep their heads above water.”

“Then what is there to fear?”

“The people who live here.”

“…?”

“You’ll see,” Sylas replied, chuckling at Toby’s puzzled expression. It was something that had to be experienced firsthand to understand.

After several days on horseback, Sylas’s group crossed the border into the North. It took less than a day for Toby to react.

“This is insane! Why is it so cold here?”

Toby shivered, furiously rubbing his arms, and Rey muttered under her breath, watching her breath turn white in the air.

“It’s cold.”

“It’s the North,” Sylas replied.

“This is more than ‘just the North,'” Toby retorted, scanning the frozen landscape, where no sign of melting snow was visible.

“A place where the snow doesn’t even melt in spring…”

For Toby, a southerner, this sight was unfamiliar. Sylas seemed amused by his reaction and added, “If you’re this surprised, we’re in for trouble.”

“Is there more?”

“Plenty. Like tonight’s inn.”

Toby and Rey exchanged glances, confused. A little later, upon arriving at an inn, Toby burst out.

“Two silver coins for a single night?!”

It was an outrageous price. This wasn’t even a fancy inn for wealthy travelers but an average lodging house. The cost was higher than many high-end inns, and even Rey, who rarely concerned herself with bargaining, frowned.

“What a rip-off.”

“Then feel free to go somewhere else,” the innkeeper said, shrugging as if he couldn’t care less.

“Other places charge about the same. You might not know, but that’s just how prices are here in the North.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Toby retorted.

“Enough,” Sylas said, handing over the silver. The innkeeper swiftly pocketed the coins and bowed.

“Thank you for your patronage, milords.”

“We’ll also need dinner,” Sylas added.

“That’ll be another half a silver.”

Sylas paid without complaint, and the innkeeper led them to their room with a satisfied grin. The room was passable but nothing special. Toby gave a dry laugh.

“What a scam. Why did you go along with it?”

“It’s not a scam. It’s collusion.”

“What?”

“As the innkeeper said, most places around here charge similar rates.”

The North was always expensive, but visitors faced even more exorbitant rates—especially those who looked like wealthy knights. While price-gouging rich customers wasn’t unique to the North, what set it apart was the region’s unified approach.

“If you don’t pay this price, they simply won’t sell. So wherever you go, it’s the same. Paying now is cheaper than hopping from place to place.”

“Is there no competition?” Rey asked, glancing at Sylas. In most places, someone would eventually lower prices slightly to attract customers, preferring to sell something rather than nothing. But the North was different.

“In the North, that doesn’t happen.”

“Why not?”

“Paradoxically, it’s to survive.”

The North was a harsh land. Aside from a few areas, crops barely grew, and it wasn’t fit for livestock. They got by with trade, primarily gems, but even that wasn’t easy, as the Imperial family strictly controlled the trade.

“The North listens to the Imperial family?”

“They control the main trade route for large-scale grain exports.”

“Oh!” Toby exclaimed, nodding in understanding. Only the Imperial region could supply grain on such a large scale. The East was stable but divided among numerous houses, making large-scale trade challenging. The West was overrun with monsters, and the South wasn’t even adjacent.

Only the Imperial capital had the capacity for large-scale grain exports.

“So they’re essentially bound to the Empire.”

And the Empire wasn’t about to let the North grow too powerful. They kept the supply just high enough to allow the North to scrape by, cutting off the flow if there was any rebellion, leaving the people to starve before they could secure resources elsewhere.

“For the Northerners, it’s unbearable. So they’ve become ruthless in scraping together what they can.”

Price collusion was part of that. In the North, where resources were scarce, competition would only hurt them. So they had agreed to keep prices high, ensuring those who could afford to buy would do so.

“Those damned emperors…” Sylas thought, clicking his tongue inwardly. While it was only natural for an emperor to assert control and rein in regional lords, it was another matter entirely to leave ordinary citizens on the brink of starvation. Whose twisted mind could have devised such a plan?

“All the more reason to succeed here,” Sylas reminded himself.

The North was already rife with resentment toward the central government. Preventing the rise of a Barbarian King here would guarantee them a powerful ally. In fact, merely stopping the Barbarian King wouldn’t be enough.

He would have to crown a true king for the North.

Not a Barbarian King, but a leader who could unify the entire North and rally its people to stand against the Empire. Sylas gazed into the distant horizon beyond the frosty window, remembering someone he had met before his return—someone with the qualities to become a true king of the North.