Boiling Beast Bloodline
Chapter 338 - 73: Is Beauty Really a Calamity_1

Chapter 338: Chapter 73: Is Beauty Really a Calamity_1

Perhaps he was not aware that he had already been fixed by a pair of vigilant and contemptuous eyes, the count’s exhilaration could hardly be described in words at this moment.

Strictly speaking, Count Casano Shalba is a businessman rather than a noble, as nobles do not usually engage in commerce.

Although Casano’s elder brother, Count Totti, married the Crown Princess of Dorott Duchy, and their family head, the Marquis Casano, who is Count Totti’s blood uncle, is the state counsellor of the duchy, the aristocratic lineage of the Shalba family has never been accepted or recognized by other human nations on the continent. More rigorously, there is no record of it in the ancient noble genealogies. This is mainly because the Shalba family is simply too proficient in doing business, and the lineage of merchants can never be recognized by mainstream nobility.

Before marrying the Crown Princess of Dorott, the Shalba family could hardly find a place to sit when they went to the holy land of Divanci for the annual Pilgrimage Mass.

However, since his elder brother became the Prince Consort of Dorott, it only stands to reason that the Shalba family too became a part of the royal nobility. The manners of the court that they recently picked up had been stringently insisted upon by family head Capello, who also serves as the state counsellor of the Dorott Duchy. He demanded that all family members must learn court etiquette.

The Shalba family can trace its lineage back to its involvement in the slave trade, holding no relation to nobility whatsoever.

Although Count Casano is just twenty-five years old, having just celebrated his birthday after Yostrey Festival, he has been involved in the family business for ten years and can be considered an expert slave trader.

Contrary to what the Feilengcui Lord suspected, the force that attacked the Bimon Kingdom’s front line outpost was not the regular army scouts of Dorott, but the private armed forces of the Shalba trading group - the scout squad led by Count Casano.

His Highness, the Grand Duke of Dorott Duchy, which borders the Bimon Kingdom across the Donau Wasteland, is currently on his deathbed. Even the high priests sent by the Divanci Church have helplessly admitted their inability to save the Duke from death’s grasp. Hence, it is not difficult to understand why the Shalba family would take matters into their own hands and attack the Bimon Kingdom.

The Grand Duke of Dorott had only three daughters. According to the laws of Dorott Duchy, women can become the Grand Duchess. However, the problem lies with the second princess who is married to the son of Gatuso Danze, the mercenary group leader of "Tornado Mercenary Group", the largest mercenary group in Dorott and the "Bloody Scythe" Lord. Her husband, Knight Thomas Danze, is a member of the Holy Knight Corps of the Saint Paul Church.

The Tornado Mercenary Group is the largest mercenary group in the mercenary kingdom of Dorott and Thomas Danze, the second Prince Consort, is a member of the church, a power none of the kingdoms on the continent would dare to ignore. With both combined, it’s not hard to see that there’s a considerable possibility for the second princess to become the Grand Duchess.

Regardless of whether the Grand Princess or the Second Princess becomes the Grand Duchess, the title of "Dorott Grand Duchess" represents more than just the superficial reward of the title of Prince and Duke. The scorching words ’Regent’ and the infinite power behind this title are enough to make the Shalba and the Danze families fight each other to death and beyond.

Indeed, both families have already begun to do so.

When it comes to military power, the Shalba family definitely cannot compete with the Danze family. Gatuso, the leader of the Tornado Mercenary Group, was once a brigade commander of the Heavy Scythe Division of the Pompeii Empire. Under him are two squadrons composed entirely of Pompeian strongmen, equipped with three layers of fine iron tower shields and long-handled huge scythes. Just these two squadrons are enough to make the Shalba family break out in a cold sweat.

However, the Shalba family does have a clan leader who serves as the state counsellor of the duchy, which does balance out their disadvantage slightly. Compared to each other, both families have their strengths and can’t quite best each other.

This stalemate and secret war began when the Grand Duke of Dorott fell ill. Both influential families have always failed to find a way to overwhelm the other. Just as both sides were eagerly searching for a solution, the overlord country of Dorott Duchy, the Holy San Francisco Empire, also sent a minister to Dorott. This minister was the infamous "Lustful Prince" Zhang Bolun. He has the authority to decide which princess will become the Grand Duchess of Dorott Duchy. Whoever can flatter this prince well basically has the winning odds set.

The "Lustful Prince" Zhang Bolun has no other hobbies; he only fancied one thing, beauty.

When it comes to this, the Shalba family has a natural advantage because the human bandits wandering in the Donau Wasteland are actually their own hunting party. The White Crow Wildman Tribe is also a group of indigenous bandits bribed and armed by them. Earlier in the year, the hunting party of the Shalba family, together with the White Crow Wildman Tribe, raided an elf tribe in the dense forest of the Donau Wasteland. They eventually captured hundreds of prairie elves, whose beauty and archery skills are known worldwide. Even at that time, the Tornado Mercenary Group had paid a high price to acquire all the male elf slaves to fill their archer units.

The Shalba family selected the most beautiful woman from the remaining female elf slaves and sent her to Prince Zhang Bolun. As expected, it worked wonderfully. Almost immediately, Prince Zhang Bolun assured the State Counsellor, Capello Shalba, that the position of Grand Duchess would be given to the Shalba family.