Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

The identity of little Priskin in Maplestone City is an open secret.

All the prominent merchants in Maplestone City know that although Mr. Priskin is young, he is a close ally of the Blood Wolf, an important advisor to the Ironpeak County Lord, and the chief agent in Maplestone City for the top wool smuggler in the Newly Reclaimed Land.

Of course, the top wool smuggler in the Newly Reclaimed Land, the Ironpeak County Lord, and the Blood Wolf himself are completely unaware of this.

If it were any other young lad giving himself so many titles, he would likely be seen as a joke.

The surname "Priskin" doesn't help much either. While the Priskin family is a foremost noble family in Revodan, they are not considered prominent in Maplestone City, and they have no notable reputation here.

However, little Priskin has a distinguished introducer—Fernando Leo, a senior partner of the Navarre family and the full authority representative of the Sea Blue wool import and textile guild in Paratu.

It is well-known that Vineta needs to import massive amounts of wool every year to satisfy the ever-hungry spinning wheels and looms in its textile workshops.

But trade is always a two-way street; Paratu's need to export wool is almost as strong as Vineta's desire to import it.

Fernando Leo is an unmissable mountain on the road of wool from Paratu to Vineta.

Since Fernando Leo personally introduced little Priskin into the social scene of Maplestone City, the prominent merchants of the Newly Reclaimed Land's capital must look favorably upon Priskin—at least on the surface.

Also, because Fernando Leo does not stay in Maplestone City most of the time, little Priskin inadvertently plays the role of a liaison between Maplestone City and Mr. Leo—causing even those who know Priskin is boasting to refrain from exposing him.

Additionally, the social scene of Maplestone City originally has a strong interest in the Ironpeak County rebels.

The Paratu People revere heroes, especially tragic heroes. If such a hero also has a rebellious streak, it's like dancing on the most sensitive spot of their souls.

Without exaggeration, if Winters Montagne had died at the moment of victory in the Bloody Mud battle, he would instantly become a hero forever remembered by the New Reclamation People—and even the Paratu People.

The New Reclamation People would carve statues, build churches, and erect monuments for him. The day of his death would gradually turn into a holiday, with people wearing blue flowers to commemorate him, and his name would eventually be declared in the canon of saints on that day.

His story would be sung in taverns, recited in churches, and told by fireside to the next generation, eventually sparking a fierce debate over ownership between the Paratu People and Venetians someday.

Given the culture, it's no wonder why a young lad from a backwater area like little Priskin could become the most welcomed guest in the parlors of Maplestone City overnight:

The young men of Maplestone City all want to learn more about the renowned exploits of the Blood Wolf;

Unmarried ladies eagerly wish to hear the legendary tale of the Nether River Ghost's resurrection once more;

The elders are extremely interested in how the rebels defeated the Terdon Tribe Khan Court relying only on one county.

Thus, in countless toasts of fine wine and heaps of compliments, little Priskin rose swiftly from being "Mr. Priskin from Revodan" to "a close ally of the Blood Wolf", "an important advisor to the Ironpeak County Lord", and "the chief agent for the top wool smuggler in the Newly Reclaimed Land".

From another angle, little Priskin himself is also very likable:

He is good-looking, witty, always cheerful, and knows how to please others;

With young people, he doesn't put on airs as "Mr. Priskin", he's daring and playful; with the elders, he knows how to show respect.

Though he loves to boast, he never belittles others in the process, so he rarely arouses resentment. Even listeners who don't fully believe his stories find them entertaining.

The "upper class" of Maplestone City welcomes little Priskin; they greet him on the driveway, open their homes to him, and prepare seats for him at the dining table, naturally standing up for him in all respects.

For unknown reasons, the New Reclamation Legion has also never taken any action against him.

In this way, little Priskin's identity has become an open secret within Maplestone City.

He even visited the home of Major Ronald—the former military commander of Iron Peak County—once.

After the Bloody Mud battle, Major Ronald and other captured officers were released. The released officers were immediately summoned back to Kingsfort for debriefing, while their families received temporary accommodations in Maplestone City.

As they were unfamiliar with the area and lacked assistance, many officers' families encountered various difficulties in life.

Little Priskin took it upon himself to deliver the unpaid "back salary" of the officers in the former Iron Peak County Military to Mrs. Ronald, entrusting her to distribute it to the officers' families.

Sometimes, little Priskin would wake up startled from a dream, fearing the New Reclamation Legion's military police would break in the next second and haul him into a dark cell for severe interrogation.

He couldn't understand why the New Reclamation Legion allowed him to freeload in Maplestone City.

Do they truly not know? Or do they want to maintain a communication channel? Or are they laying a long trap?