Chapter 88

Chapter 88

"Babylonia?" Ning Chan mulled over the name, feeling a vague recollection, though it didn’t seem to be a nearby country. During his recent visits to neighboring nations, he hadn’t heard anyone mention it.

Noticing Ning Chan’s confusion, Kane gave him the rundown: "It’s a country on the other side of the Siphato Sea. We’re separated by a great distance—why would they stick their nose in our business here?"

"Oh, that’s the country known for its abundant resources. I’ve heard they have numerous rich mineral deposits and plentiful food. People from surrounding nations all want to live there. By all logic, they shouldn’t need our land." Ning Chan finally recalled where he had seen the name before.

A few years ago, when he had people exchange exotic plants and books for food and money, someone had delivered a bag of rubber tree seeds. The bag was sewn from goatskin, with a note stating that its owner was from Babylonia. The person had been stranded on a small island due to a storm and begging for rescue, promising generous rewards.

At the time, Ning Chan and Kane had a million things on their plate, too preoccupied with immediate concerns to spare time for overseas rescues. Moreover, they were unfamiliar with that sea region—without being 100% sure, they wouldn’t act recklessly. There was no point in risking their lives for someone who might already be long dead.

The goatskin bag had been found stuffed inside a floating barrel, impossible to tell how long it had drifted at sea. The person might have perished years ago, so they dropped the matter.

Back then, Ning Chan had countless tasks demanding his attention, so he forgot about the goatskin note. Now, hearing the name again, he couldn’t help but wonder—was that stranded person still alive?

"How do you know? Did you encounter people from that country later?" Ning Chan turned to Kane, curious if there were others like Josephine around here.

"Yes, I’ve met some in the past two years. People from that country love adventure and commerce. They often boast, ‘There’s no deal we can’t make.’ Since we’re far from them, with ordinary resources and less advanced technology, few of them come here for trade."

Kane recalled his first encounter with a Babylonian—the disdain in their eyes told him they’d likely cross paths again.

"So, their sudden interest now is because..." Ning Chan pointed with his chopsticks at the fresh dishes before him. If there was anything worth a nation crossing seas and borders to target, it had to be something of immense value.

"Exactly. As our country has grown more prosperous, with increasingly novel inventions, traders from neighboring nations have flocked here—some among them must have spread the word. Last year, a major Babylonian merchant even tried to buy crossbows from me, claiming it was for protection against pirates."

Of course, Kane had turned him down flat.

That was crazy—deadly weapons were safest in their own hands. How could they possibly sell them off?

Kane had initially shared this as an anecdote, but seeing Ning Chan’s deepening frown, his expression turned grave. He glared at Josephine. "Did you smuggle military weapons out?"

Seeing that Kane had figured it out, Josephine no longer bothered with excuses. He shook his head weakly, then nodded. "Not smuggled—sold. Over these past months, I’ve sold two ballistae, twenty repeating crossbows, forty bows, and a hundred fifty steel swords."

"You’re insane! How dare you touch those? Why didn’t anyone report this? The supply officers, inspectors, soldiers handling the equipment—how did none of them speak up?" Ai Mi was shaking with anger. If not for the need to extract more information, she’d have cut him down on the spot.

Weapons in their own hands reduced casualties and ensured safety—but in enemy hands, the consequences were unimaginable.

"Some were ‘stolen by bandits’ during transport, others ‘scrapped’ without being destroyed. As for those who handled them—the greedy were bribed with money or women. Those who insisted on investigating were either killed or given the ‘Ecstasy Drug.’"

Listening to Ai Mi’s teeth-grinding fury, Josephine kept his head lowered, not daring to meet her or the king’s gaze—nor Ning Chan’s.

Kane squeezed his eyes shut, inhaling deeply before exhaling slowly. "You’ve outdone yourself. The skills I taught you—you used them all against your own people. Threats, bribes, lies—real impressive."

The broth boiled. Ning Chan started cooking the meat. "What’s done is done. Anger won’t change it—only harm yourself and delight the enemy. Better to eat, drink, rest well, then deal with them in due time. Eat. I’ll handle the aftermath."

Hearing this, Josephine snapped his head up, staring at Ning Chan’s indifferent expression. A pang of bitterness struck him—their meticulously laid plans, the countless people dragged into this, seemed like trivial matters easily dismissed by this man.

What had he been thinking, listening to those people? Believing that as a ‘heaven-blessed bloodline,’ returning for a prince’s ceremony would free him from Ning Chan’s control.

Did those who fed him such lies know this man would intervene? But it didn’t matter now—he could barely save himself.

"Don’t just sit there. Keep talking—tell us everything you’ve done over the years." Ning Chan was sick of those who disrupted his peaceful life. Rather than worrying and guarding, he’d investigate thoroughly and issue a warning. He wouldn’t mind crossing oceans to drop a few bombs on the instigators’ palaces, letting them taste ‘divine retribution.’

Even if his superpower wasn’t top-tier, crafting bombs barehanded was no issue. He’d stockpiled quite a few over the years, barely used.

Those who drugged others and stopped at nothing for their goals were stomping all over his limits. Ning Chan was tempted to declare, "The weather's getting cold—time for Babylonia’s leaders to perish."

Well-acquainted with Ning Chan’s temper, Kane knew this meant he was furious—and Kane was just as incensed.

Ning Chan had finally come to spend time with him, only for these wretched fools to ruin it. Who knew how long this mess would take to clean up? If those bastards fell into his hands alive, he’d make them regret being born.