Krakhan Kingdom!
Situated 820 kilometres from the Sunken Basket, it was established by a powerful noble family who fled from the Brimgan Empire a millennium ago. During the Royal Selection ceremony, the Prince they supported didn't succeed, making them the losing side.
Their opposition began to crush them from all sides, prompting them to pack all their belongings and flee the Empire. The Brimgan Empire had a strange rule that any powerful faction that was part of the losing side in the Empire's political war could seek asylum.
The Grand Minister would grant them permission to leave the Brimgan Empire with their dignity intact, including all the resources they had accumulated over their lifetime. This allowed them to establish a Kingdom at a suitable location and begin accumulating power there.
The Brimgan Empire would even support their endeavour. This was left as a way out for the losing side, preventing them from going all out in a mutually destructive path. Thereby, even the most vicious of internal conflicts in the Brimgan Empire didn't destroy them.
Instead, all it resulted in was the creation of multiple Free Human Kingdoms. The Ganrimb Kingdom established at the Sanrey Plains by Fhoong Brimgan was one such example.
At first, it seemed like the Brimgan Empire had established this rule only to minimise damage from internal conflict. However, there were other factors at play.
These Kingdoms, such as the Ganrimb Kingdom would take the Brimgan Empire's culture as a base and derive their own way of life out of it, based on the region's survival conditions. The Kings of these Kingdoms would maintain contact with the Brimgan Empire, no matter how infrequent the point of contact was.
Moreover, these Free Human Kingdoms will have a better foundation than other Free Human Kingdoms, as the founders hailed from the Brimgan Empire, carrying a great number of resources, cultivation techniques, Skills for each cultivation technique, etc.
Using that as the foundation, these Kingdoms developed further. And the stronger they got, the greater the influence of Free Humans became. This was the Brimgan Empire's motive.
Through these Free Human Kingdoms, they expanded their sphere of influence. Moreover, as a Free Human utopia, ambitious travellers from these Free Humans would eventually travel to the Brimgan Empire, where they'll transfer the Empire all their knowledge during the process of gaining citizenship.
The Brimgan Empire collected all the relevant knowledge. Most of the time, the cultivation techniques of the Kingdoms would have been improved extensively from the time the founders left the Brimgan Empire.
The librarians of the Brimgan Empire would then update the respective techniques, further increasing their pool of knowledge. This created a harmonious cycle, further cementing the Brimgan Empire's reputation as the leader of the Free Humans.
The Brimgan Empire had been doing this for more than an era. A good majority of the Kingdoms in this portion of Sumatra Continent could be traced back to the Brimgan Empire.
The Krakhan Kingdom was one such place, established around the same time as the Ganrimb Kingdom by another prince who had lost the successor race.
Now, as the Krakhan King, he dominated the region with his strength capable of killing a Gold Grade Pranic Beast in a one-on-one battle. Before fleeing, he was given enough Rutham to reach the 10-Life Stage.
If he fails to do so, he could transfer the excess Rutham to his successor. And once he dies, the Rutham could be extracted from his corpse, allowing his successor to continue cultivating. This way, the Krakhan Kingdom always had a terrifying Gold Grade existence protecting them, ensuring the longevity of the Kingdom.
Situated on a flat plan ridden with a million ponds, the Krakhan Kingdom was decently blessed with resources, enough for large colonies of Silver Grade Pranic Beasts to exist. As a result, every war between the two sides was brutal, resulting in catastrophic deaths on both sides.
Having been constantly fighting powerful opponents, the Krakhan Kingdom was battle-hardened, with its culture primarily revolving around strength and fights. As a result, they were always on the lookout for ways to grow stronger.
However, the Gold Grade mineral traces present in their region were too faint and uneconomical for extraction even if they only intended to cultivate one Gold Grade existence. Hence, it was always one of their wishes.
Connecting a series of dozen ponds was a cluster of bridges that were interwoven to form the Krakhan Kingdom's castle. The architecture style here was primarily based on bridges due to the sheer number of ponds that existed.
Seated in the throne room, occupying the ruler's seat was Filt Brimgan, having renamed himself Mekta Krakhan after establishing the Krakhan Kingdom. His expression was a frown as he stared at his ministers in a heated discussion.
"It's extremely foolish to trust those Pranic Beasts, especially the Zingers. They are nothing but sneaky bandits!" One of the ministers roared.
"That was in the past!" Another minister refuted coldly, "Now they're backed by the Quip Clan. And we all have heard about the existence guarding them."
"So what?" An opposing minister snorted, "That existence is a Pranic Beast! And the force under him is a Clan! None of them are Free Humans! So, why the heck should we trade with someone like that?"
He then stared at Mekta Krakhan to bow and request with a loud voice, "I plead with His Majesty to slaughter the Zingers that dare set foot in our territory."
"I see," Finally, once the argument reached its zenith, Mekta Krakhan opened his mouth, his booming presence silencing all the ministers. His cold, serpentine gaze trailed across the opposing ministers as he said, "So, the lot of you expect me to antagonise the Royal Zinger, one bearing the title of Sumatra's First Calamity."
"Is that it?"
"No…we didn't mean it like that…" The minister who was the most vocal with his opposition stammered when there was a golden flash, following which his severed head rolled on the floor.
"Please spare us, Your Majesty!" All the ministers, including the ones in favour of the trade agreement, jumped out of their seats and prostrated on the floor, facing his direction, "We went overboard."
"Do you guys know why I killed him?" Mekta Krakhan asked coldly, his every word causing the ministers to shudder in fear. Seeing them remain mum, he calmly said his reasoning, "I have given the lot of you honour as ministers to ensure my Kingdom can one day become an Empire."
"What I seek is your knowledge, input, and ideas for the various situations we face." His voice turned a notch colder, "But that's all I want from you. Opinions, that's it."
He calmly stared at the dead minister, "I don't need any of you to tell me what to do. Have I made myself clear?"
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty!" The ministers shouted at the top of their lungs, barely stopping themselves from crying aloud, unable to handle the voracious presence billowing out of Mekta Krakhan from the moment he started to speak.
"Take a seat," He retracted his presence and stared at the minister who seemed in favour of the trade agreement, "Why do you propose we work with such a risky race?"
"It's to grow stronger, Your Majesty." Once the minister regained his bearings, he calmed down and spoke his point, "The Zinger race can bring us resources from regions far beyond our reach. Since I had the privilege to converse with Sir Kenzar, I could glimpse at their list."
He inhaled a deep breath before stating, "Through them, we can even purchase goods from the Brimgan Empire!"
"What?" Mekta Krakhan got up with a start at the news, "Is this the truth?"
"Unfortunately, we have no way to verify their claims until we receive goods from the Brimgan Empire." The minister bowed before staring at the Krakhan King with a helpless smile, "And I'm afraid only His Majesty knows if the goods hail from the Brimgan Empire or not."
After a few minutes of silence, Mekta Krakhan announced to the ministers, "Contact the Zingers and summon them here."
A few days later, four Zinger Aristocrats entered the Krakhan Kingdom, accompanied by forty Quip Zingers, all in human forms. The one in the lead was a Zinger Aristocrat who went by the name of Pyatu.
Hailing from the first generation of the Quip Clan, Pyatu was currently in the 3-Life Stage, on the verge of entering the 4-Life Stage soon. Her expression was graceful as she entered the throne room with her entourage and bowed before Mekta Krakhan, "The Zinger Race greets the Krakhan King."
There was a pause in Pyatu's expression before easing up. She made eye contact with Mekta Krakhan and asked, "Does His Majesty know of our Deity's identity?"
"The Royal Zinger, yes." Mekta Krakhan nodded, pondering for a bit before saying, "I also know the Royal Zinger is feared as the First Calamity and its human form is named Inala."
"I heard you sell even goods from the Brimgan Empire. Tell me," Mekta Krakhan's expression turned fierce, "How can mere Clansmen live after entering the Brimgan Empire?"
There was a pause in Pyatu's expression before easing up. She made eye contact with Mekta Krakhan and asked, "Does His Majesty know of our Deity's identity?"
"The Royal Zinger, yes." Mekta Krakhan nodded, pondering for a bit before saying, "I also know the Royal Zinger is feared as the First Calamity and its human form is named Inala."
"Yes, you're right. But, our Deity also has a second identity," Pyatu let out a smile as she observed the Krakhan King's expression freeze in response, "The Brimgan Guardian!"
"What?" Mekta Krakhan shouted in shock, "The Brimgan Guardian? That's impossible! It has been some time since I left that place, but the Brimgan Empire I know will slaughter any Clansman or Pranic Beast that dares enter its premises."
"That's true, that has, is, and will always be the way the Brimgan Empire exists as the Free Human utopia." Pyatu laughed, "It is why I asked if His Majesty was aware of our Deity's second identity."
"Stop beating about the bush and reveal it already!" Mekta Krakhan growled, on the verge of killing the Clansmen before him.
Understanding his mood, Pyatu didn't drag on any further and stated solemnly, "Our Deity's second identity is Amita Brimgan."
Seeing Mekta Krakhan's eyes widen in shock, she continued, "Since you're from the same generation, I'm sure you know of Fhoong Brimgan."
"Yes, he's my cousin." Mekta Krakhan nodded, "What about him?"
"Amita Brimgan is his granddaughter." Pyatu nodded, "And that's why the Zinger Race can trade with the Brimgan Empire."
"Of course, we can't do it openly. So, we use the Mystic Humans as an intermediary." Pyatu said and approached Mekta Krakhan, bowing slightly as she presented a box containing a piece of Rutham, "We have already prepared an Information Slip for everything you might need. It has the signature of the Brimgan Royal who's representing the Brimgan Empire while trading with us."
Mekta Krakhan accessed the Information Slip and gained knowledge of many things that he was puzzled about. He then accessed the list of goods and services provided in the Information Slip, asking Pyatu in the end, "So, you guys can also deliver my messages to the Brimgan Empire."
"We can't deliver it to the intended person directly. We can only give it to one of the Brimgan Royals listed in the Information Slip." Pyatu nodded, "It's not in our hands beyond that. So, we cannot guarantee that your information will reach the individual. But we can assure you that the Information Slip will reach one of the listed Brimgan Royals."
'It takes more than a year for the message to reach the Brimgan Empire from here.' Mekta Krakhan saw the exorbitant price listed for the delivery charges, 'I can afford to send them once every five years. That should be enough to regain contact and keep in touch with my uncle.'
"Your Majesty, if you please," Pyatu said and opened a suitcase, revealing neatly placed Ghatyra Pearls, "This is one of our newest items."
"Ghatyra Pearls?" Mekta Krakhan recognised the item and observed their price on the list, "Every pearl costs the price of a Prana Bomb?"
"It's extremely cheap, if I have to say so myself, since it's a Silver Grade mineral." Pyatu said, "Each pearl is the size of our thumb. So, we won't be needing much to fill up a Human Avatar."
'The costs will quickly reach sky high if I were to raise an army of Silver Grade cultivators.' Mekta Krakhan frowned as he stared at Pyatu, 'Did she purposefully showcase it to me while being aware that I have a suitable cultivation technique that can make use of Ghatyra Pearls to forge a Human Avatar?'
'That information is supposed to be confidential. How did she come to know about it?' For a moment, he silently observed the ministers, 'Did one of them leak the information after receiving a fat bribe?'
The likelihood of it seemed high considering the sheer resources displayed on the Pyatu's list. So, with her wealth, she could have bought her way into the opinions of the ministers, which allowed her to stand in the throne room.
'It seems the Quip Clan is a behemoth beyond my wildest imaginations.' If even he, a prince from the Brimgan Empire had such an opinion, the regular populace of his Kingdom would have an even bloated perspective about the Quip Clan.
'Things are changing in this era. If we don't keep up, we'll be swept by the tides.' Thinking as such, Mekta Krakhan stared at Pyatu, "The Krakhan Kingdon will accept a trade agreement with the Quip Clan."
"But first, there are some terms we need to discuss."
"But of course, Your Majesty." Pyatu bowed formally, "It's our pleasure."