The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 155 - 36: Return (3)

Chapter 155: Chapter 36: Return (3)

Gray’s prestige on this continent was indeed at its peak, as Count Gruglu had said. It wasn’t just Gray’s personal pinnacle, but the pinnacle of humanity, even though he wasn’t actually human.

On the fifth day of entering Lion King City, as the limited grain supply brought by Yilin from White City was about to be distributed, the second batch of grain arrived. It was sent by the Bert Duchy, accompanied by Shelley and others.

In front of everyone, Shelley rushed into Gray’s arms, hugging him tightly, refusing to let go, never getting enough of him.

"I hope that someday I can truly touch your face. According to how the story develops, there should be a kissing scene right now."

"Maybe you wouldn’t like it."

"No, I would definitely like it!" Shelley declared confidently.

In the crowd, Gray also saw Camilla, dressed in gray armor similar to Gray’s. Everyone marveled at her beauty and magnificence.

"I have received my father’s permission to become a female knight. I am willing to serve you and become a member of the Silver Moon Knight Order."

"But you are not good at combat."

"It doesn’t matter. My father has arranged the best knight in Bert as my attendant. He will stay by my side, protect me, and teach me until I can survive on the battlefield independently."

The Silver-armored Knight standing behind her heavily struck his chest armor and saluted Gray.

Shelley stood to the side, pouting as she watched.

Vivian whispered in the Black Cat’s ear, "I think she’s yet another shameless little fairy."

"Why say ’another’? Who else do you think is?"

"Uh..."

*Gray hesitated, with everyone around watching him.*

Pausing, Camilla continued, "Bert Duchy does not require the Holy Knight to repay the grain. We are not short of grain or money. But we lack honor, and Camilla lacks a different kind of life. Please, Holy Knight, grant us what we desire."

She knelt down on one knee.

Gray turned his face to look at Shelley, who was frowning so much it could squeeze out water, yet still pretending to be indifferent.

"Gray," whispered the Black Cat, "I suggest you agree. If you want to go further, you need the support of the royal families of various countries. Having Bert’s ’Princess’ as a knight under your command would undoubtedly be the most reliable alliance."

"But we don’t need allies! The Demon Lord’s power can solve all problems!" Vivian exploded.

Ignoring Vivian’s complaints, Gray replied softly, *"I think agreeing would make Shelley unhappy."*

"Exactly!" Vivian quickly switched to supporting him.

"Don’t worry, Gray, I have faith in you. Shelley’s unhappiness would only be temporary. After all, nothing will happen between you and Camilla."

"So much faith in me?"

"Yes, absolutely certain."

*Gray felt a bit confused, but still drew his sword and gently touched Camilla’s shoulders.* "I accept your request. From now on, you belong to the Silver Moon Knight Order."

Bert Duchy was not the only one wanting to form an alliance with Gray.

The day after Bert Duchy’s first batch of grain arrived, Allen Kingdom’s King Banette III brought grain, an envoy group, and his eldest son to Lion King City.

He knelt on both knees at the Pearce Cathedral before Gray, lightly kissed Gray’s hand, and made his request: "Honorable Holy Knight, I, the ruler of Allen, Banette III, willingly submit to your brilliance. Your wishes are my wishes, your despises are my despises. I seek your protection, and ask you to let my eldest son, like Prince Bob of the Sharp family, become your follower."

"Another alliance," the Black Cat murmured.

Gray looked at Banette III’s shy, young son with a bowl haircut, and said to Banette III, "But I’m not sure if he is kind and upright, it’s our first meeting today."

Banette III raised his head and said, "If he is not kind and upright, then please teach him. From today, I entrust him to you completely, for you to judge if his actions align with morality and doctrine."

"Alright, I agree to your request," Gray replied softly.

"Thank you, Holy Knight!"

Black Cat said, "Isaac Kingdom is under your control, Prince Bob is your follower. Allen Kingdom’s heir also becomes your follower. Bert Duchy’s Princess is a knight of your Silver Moon Knight Order. The King of Fides was consecrated by you, with no connection to the church... Out of twenty-three countries, you already hold four."

Like dominoes, Gray’s snowball kept growing bigger.

*Seeking alliances was one thing, seeking arbitration was another.*

"Cecil Kingdom is garrisoning troops at our border, intending to invade! Eden Duchy requests the Holy Knight to arbitrate!"

...

"Bivis Kingdom requests the Holy Knight to protect the Princess to avoid a potential coup."

...

"Iliad Duchy requests the Holy Knight to consider the deteriorating situation east of the Bilinte Mountain Range."

...

*Of course, there were accusations too.*

"The Augres family of Harvey is being persecuted, requesting the Holy Knight’s attention. The King of Ilay is using his power to marry off a sixty-year-old woman to our heir, intending to end our lineage."

And there were probes, especially from northern visitors.

"The Emperor of Gustav Empire is watching what is happening here. The Emperor invites the Holy Knight to visit our capital. We will welcome you with the most fervent ceremony."

*The Black Cat whispered,* "Gustav Empire is the largest northern empire, with the strongest military, and is also the seat of the church. Their interests are closely tied to the church. They don’t seem willing to stand firmly behind the church, but they also won’t easily submit."

"Lunbak Empire hopes to understand the Holy Knight’s stance on north-south trade."

*The Black Cat whispered,* "Lunbak Empire is also a major northern empire, even farther north than Gustav Empire, and Gustav Empire’s arch-enemy. It’s a nomadic country with a strong military, almost half barbarized. The church has almost no influence there, and they seem to worship demons. Their biggest headache is Gustav Empire blocking their trade channels with southern countries."

Though Gray had sent invitations to only twelve countries, thirty-five envoy groups had unexpectedly arrived. Besides envoys from every country on the continent, a few bypassed their overlords to file complaints, and some northern barbarians tagged along.

There were even two elven envoy groups and a dwarf envoy group.

"The Blood Elf Queen hopes the Holy Knight will support us in the excavation of the Krimasha Relics. You will receive copies of all the unearthed documents, if you can understand them," the Blood Elf messenger said arrogantly.

"The Wood Elf King wants to know the Holy Knight’s attitude towards the sinful elf trade." The Wood Elf messenger was equally arrogant.

"The Giant Hammer Dwarf Empire thinks the Holy Knight may need new, higher quality weapons to equip his army. The dwarves are willing to establish a good, long-term weapon trade relationship with you." The dwarf envoy leader, with a big beard and hooked nose, said.

And then there was the goblin merchant from who knows where: "We have some great new products, maybe the Holy Knight will like them! If the Holy Knight can change the church’s previous rules and allow us to open a shop in Lion King City, that would be perfect!"

That didn’t even count the various merchant envoy groups.

Every envoy group, more or less, expressed willingness to support Gray in terms of grain, and each had different demands. Clearly, it wasn’t just about hoping Gray would repay the grain promptly or with a bit of interest. Fortunately, the promised grain was far more than Gray actually needed, giving him room for selection and negotiation.

*Anyway, these messages were enough to make Gray’s head spin. It felt as if someone suddenly stuffed the whole world into your brain. On the surface, it was just an ordinary piece of land, yet living there were real people. Each one had their own life, thoughts, joys, and sorrows. Every decision you made could bring about monumental changes, and you had to consider carefully, yet you couldn’t possibly truly understand each person’s situation.*

Even a Lich’s brain couldn’t handle it.

*These were just the overt matters; privately, there were some hidden ones looking for him too.*

Andrew said, "The Mage Alliance hopes to deepen mutual understanding with us. You know, I’m the Chief Mage of the Mage Alliance, and now that I’m serving you, the news has spread, so they’ve approached me. They hope we can connect. Also, the Mercenary Alliance Headquarters and the adventurer guild have the same intention."

Jones said, "My dad said..."

"Aren’t I your dad?" Gray asked.

Helplessly, Jones emphasized, "I mean the one who gave birth to me."

"Alright, continue."

"My dad wants to know the Holy Knight’s opinion on the Blood Clan, since I’m serving the Silver Moon Knight Order now. Maybe this could be a turning point in the relationship between the Blood Clan and the church. Other races also asked him to inquire, such as goblins and many others."

"So, Lord Jones is now the pride of the Blood Clan?" Dora exclaimed.

"I don’t think so," Jones said emotionlessly.

Except for the Lich, Titans, and dragons who completely disregarded humans, news had trickled in from almost everyone else.

...

The overwhelming flood of information made Gray’s mind feel like it was about to explode, yet he laughed happily.

He said to the Black Cat, "I feel this world is many, many times more exciting than I initially imagined."

"Yes." The Black Cat replied softly, "This world has always been exciting; it just lacks eyes that discover the excitement."

"So our journey is still very long! There are many, many things to do! Fight towards tomorrow!"

"Hiss—!"

The Black Cat looked helplessly at the two fools, smiling contentedly. After going through so much and traveling such a long road, this Lich and his Bone Horse were still like the first time they watched a knight show, still just as foolish.