Chapter 57: Phantom Thief Dauphin (1). The Wildflower of Sarnos
Most noble families possess a territory tied to their name, and through developing that land, they expand their wealth and influence.
However, that doesn’t mean every territory in the world was cultivated from the ground up by a single family’s efforts.
The city known as Lebruk was a prime example.
With its massive river flowing through the center, the city was striking at first glance, and its history stretched back more than a thousand years.
Lebruk had existed even before the founding of the Birka Kingdom. Over the ages, it had passed through the hands of many rulers, and depending on each ruler’s inclinations, the city’s development had shifted accordingly.
One tried to turn it into a massive breadbasket by using its abundant water supply. Another wanted to make it a fortress to fend off rival incursions. Yet another attempted to grow it into a center of commerce.
Perhaps due to those countless trials and errors layered across generations—
By the time House Sarnos took control of Lebruk, the city was in a state that could only be described as an absolute mess.
Its geography was excellent. It had abundant resources. Its population was large.
But where to even begin cleaning it up was completely unclear.
The first Count of Sarnos, more a warrior than an administrator, chose to maintain the status quo rather than embark on sweeping reforms. That approach persisted through multiple generations, reaching the current count.
The city’s administration was a tangled mess—so much so that no one could even estimate the population, let alone name an exact number.