“Oh! Lord Nosvolta. What a coincidence!”

“If it isn’t Lord Sithame? It has been a long time...”

The two lords greeted each other warmly after meeting near the Batla Duchy. Both nobles belonged to families that were once subordinate to the duchy, though they became independent for various reasons at different times.

The two nobles shared their respective greetings before sneaking a gaze at each other’s entourage.

“Is that a slave? I’m guessing it must be a gift for the new duke.”

“Well, it’s nothing extravagant. I don’t think he would like anything flashy since he’s a member of the Dark Clan. He should be satisfied with four healthy slaves to feed off of. And you? Did you prepare anything?”

“Just this,” the lord of Nosvolta responded before tapping his waist and taking out a shiny silver coin.

“Ahahahahaha! Sir, you’re too mischievous. What if the new duke stumbles and falls to the ground as soon as he opens it?” Sithame responded.

“Oh, you jest. I have no such intentions. And even if he is a member of the Dark Clan, surely the duke of the Great Batla family would never act so shamefully, right? Hahaha.” Lord Nosvolta chuckled with an exaggerated wave of his hands. However, in truth, he had been expecting such a reaction from Lord Sithame when he prepared the silver coin.

Both lords no longer had much loyalty toward the Batla Duchy. They didn’t dare to directly oppose the duchy because...