The sky was clear and bright.

The humid sea breeze from the Mediterranean swept away the dust brought from the inland.

Losa, draped in a black cloak, rode at the front of the procession.

Beside him was Ned, who had just enlisted under his command and had not yet completed his transition.

Due to limited openings, he had to queue.

However, this did not prevent Losa from intercepting a batch of plate armor for sale at the armory in Jerusalem and outfitting the new knights under his command ahead of time.

"Ned, how did it go with that noble girl from Austria?"

Ned forced a smile and said, "Sir, you still remember that matter."

Losa laughed, "Of course, the way you exchanged glances in the arena back then made me very envious. A pure love is so rare among the nobility."

Ned lowered his eyelids and said somewhat dejectedly, "Scarlett was betrothed to a baron with substantial power. You know, someone like me, a poor knight, her father would never agree to give her to me."

Losa was silent for a moment, realizing his talent for small talk was indeed limited.

The outcome of that matter was predictable just by thinking about it.

But he had spoken without considering this.

"Birth does not determine everything, Ned."

Losa gave an encouraging smile, "I believe that even those born without renowned bloodlines and from ordinary backgrounds can achieve something truly remarkable."

Ned was taken aback, interpreting this as Losa's comfort to him, and gratefully said, "I'm very thankful you say that."

Because Losa's words were contrary to the mainstream views in Europe.

After the Habsburg Family rose to prominence in later generations, they also desperately tried to trace their lineage back to illustrious ancestors.

They even linked it to Caesar's Julius Family.

This Holy Roman Empire and Rome, can that be the same thing?

"Honestly speaking, Ned, I rarely see North Germanic people in the Holy Land."

Ned hailed from Holstein, which is almost the northernmost part of Great Germania, close to Northern Europe.

Ned explained, "Just like in the Holy Land, you also rarely see Iberian Crusaders. We prefer to join the Northern Crusades because they're closer to our homeland."

The Northern Crusades targeted the Baltic Countries, and the later renowned Prussian Kingdom was a result of these Northern Crusades.

"I see."

The two chatted idly; Ned was a very clever knight, possessing both courage and intelligence, and among the newly recruited Imperial Knights, he was the most outstanding.

Along the path were crisscrossing fields and vineyards.

Villages and noble estates were orderly distributed across the land.

Some wealthy knights even built castles on their own territories to defend against foreign enemies.

"Losa, are all these lands yours?"

Otto rode up to Losa's side and asked with some surprise.

Losa extended his hand, pointing to a vineyard, "Starting from there, except for some estates bestowed to knights, it's all mine."

Otto showed a look of envy, "Quite impressive."

Algo County's land was fairly fertile, but restricted by transportation and other issues, the agricultural produce couldn't be sold in exchange for currency, and the grain stored in the warehouses evidently couldn't be converted into various consumer goods.

The truly wealthy great nobles of Europe were those who occupied large gold and silver mines.

For example, Emperor Henry, who owned the Gosla Silver Ore, and Otokar I, the Duke of Bohemia, who controlled the major gold and silver mines of Bohemia.

The famous Tyrolean Silver Ore, under the control of Leopold, the Border Count of Austria, was not yet developed at this time.

Losa did have the rare idea that someday, if he returned to Europe, he would purchase this piece of land from Leopold.

This was one of the few useful "foresights" he possessed.

Arriving in Hebron.

This ancient capital of King David's early kingdom, a dual holy city for Fire Worship and Judaism, once again awe-struck Otto.

"Losa, is this city your fief?"

"Of course."

"Heavenly Father above, you actually own such a vast and prosperous city!"

In Europe, outside of the city-states on the Apennine Peninsula, many cities in the Germanic regions with five to six thousand people were considered "big cities."

Paris, with a population of nearly fifty thousand, and London, with twenty to thirty thousand people, stood as premier large cities.

The entire Albion, including Gael and Ireland, barely exceeded a population of three million.

"On the European continent, even some Dukes don't have such vast and prosperous cities."

"Of course, this is a holy land flowing with milk and honey."

Losa said with a smile.

In truth, the Kingdom of Jerusalem didn't have a large population either, but its urban cluster appeared more developed due to commerce.

Losa returned to Hebron's Inner Castle and, after a brief rest, prepared a glass of wine for each knight he led, chilled in the well water, before beginning to inquire with Kurs about the recent situation in Hebron.

It was very stable.

The traitors and rebels had been severely suppressed and cracked down on by Kurs's thunderous methods.

This former Vampire Guard, specially assigned to protect the higher blood nobles, is very adept at assassination.

The elusive and unpredictable Shadow Magic, in a short time, had gathered the intel he was inquiring about.

Kurs truly is a talent!

Losa thought to himself and said to Kurs, "Kurs, isn't it a bit beneath you to serve as my housekeeper and financial officer?"

Kurs shook his head and replied respectfully, "To serve you is the duty of a servant."

Losa straightforwardly said, "Here's what we'll do, Kurs. I authorize you to form a direct spy unit under me, responsible for intelligence gathering, assassination, and protection. Select people from the veteran soldiers, Varangian Guard, and Winged Cavalry. Their loyalty is assured."

"I understand."

"Initially, we don't need too many people, let's say ten for now. I know it's not many, but let's first set up a framework."

Losa's current military strength, in fact, isn't small. Once fully recruited, it could reach the maximum of his current directly-controlled territories and population.

But what he lacks is time.

"Oh, by the way, what about that Julia?"

Julia was the vampire subdued by Furinjira. After completing the task of assassinating Countess Stephanie, she was cast aside by Losa.

"Are you referring to that local blood race?"

Kurs slightly frowned, "Apologies, my lord. Due to recent manpower shortages, I took the liberty of sending her to gather intelligence for me."

Losa couldn't help but remark, true to the nature of vampires, they wouldn't tolerate any slackers.

"Hmm, very well. Hebron doesn't keep freeloaders."

Kurs shared this sentiment deeply, so he said, "My lord, that Baron Fulk has been assigned to the position of city guard officer after his recovery from injuries. Is that alright?"

Losa understood Kurs's intentions and shook his head, "Kurs, my allocation for Imperial Knights is very limited. Even if Fulk has outstanding talents, let's discuss it later."

To be honest, even without repositioning, the loyalty of many citizens under Losa was assured.

After all, he wasn't a tyrant who acted against reason or failed to distinguish between reward and punishment.

"Alright, I won't stay here any longer. Kurs, I leave Hebron in your capable hands."

Then he instructed Andreas to learn diligently under Kurs and quickly become independent.

Losa then left Hebron with his entourage.

...

…

On the Red Sea.

The cliffs of reddish-brown hues on both sides reflected a dark red under the sunlight, and together with the densely packed algae in the shallow sea areas, the sea from a height indeed had a blood-red appearance.

Two medium-sized galley ships sailing side by side were cutting through the waves.

They were a pirate crew from Yemen, most of whom were formerly fishermen near Aden Bay, nominally submitted to King Shemu'el of the Ayyubid but often flirting with their previous loyalty to Sassanid Persia.

In the Indian Ocean, even if flying the Ayyubid's Holy Fire Banner, they could not avoid paying a toll.

Two galley ships were now sailing leisurely on the sea, bearing a single main sail.

One of them was headed by a giant ramming horn, which was crafted from the spiraled horn of a narwhal— a fierce sea beast.

When approaching the enemy, they could perform a blood ritual to awaken the whale spirit within, giving a sharp speed boost to pierce the enemy ship's hull with this pointed ramming horn.

With this ramming horn, the Yemeni pirate crew has earned considerable fame along the coast.

A sharp, penetrating eagle screech suddenly sounded.

A falcon, like an arrow, pierced through the clouds and dived downwards.

A sailor, his arm covered in calfskin, extended it to catch the mighty falcon. Its sharp claws even pierced through the calfskin on the sailor's arm.

Grimacing in pain, the sailor grumbled, "You damned feathered creature, are you only satisfied when my arm is full of bloodstains?"

He took the parchment tied to the falcon's leg, glanced over it, then excitedly said, "Boss, we've got a job!"

Amidst the pirates' cheers and jubilations, he quickly walked up to the captain standing at the bow, donning a white turban, and respectfully reported, "Boss, the 'Piercer' from Dahab has offered a sum, requesting us to raid Eira Port—all plunder goes to us, and the only condition is to inflict as much damage as possible on the garrison."

"Isn't Eira Port territory of his brother?"

The captain frowned.

"It's fallen. The current master is some Crusader Prince named 'Losadun'."

"Losadun?"

The captain frowned.

"Is he the subordinate of that arrogant Reynard?"

He hadn't paid much attention to the situation of the Crusader states along the Mediterranean coast for a while, as it felt too far away. With the Suez Canal not yet opened, the Red Sea seemed worlds apart from the Mediterranean.

Unless someone like that arrogant Crusader Prince Reynard decided to transport ships overland and launch them back into the sea.

"Perhaps, 'Piercer' didn't mention those details, but the terms he offered are indeed generous. And that's Eira Port, the pearl of the Red Sea!"

The sailor's face lit with joy.

The captain nodded slightly, "Alright, notify everyone, our target is the Red Sea. Full speed ahead, we will launch a surprise attack on Eira Port at the first light of dawn tomorrow!"

Crusader Princes, in the eyes of these Yemeni pirates, were insignificant.

Because in the Indian Ocean, they had no naval force at all.

No matter how impressive the Crusader fleets might be in the Mediterranean, they could not reach these dominant pirates of the Indian Ocean.

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