THE TRASH PRINCE'S BLUEPRINTS SYSTEM

CHAPTER 6: GOLD, FIRE, & FAITH

Heh. Look at those goddamn fools. They don’t love me, but they love gold coins. And I will drown them in gold coins.

Raphael Laurent stands on the castle grounds with arms folded behind his back, & black coat fluttering slightly in the cold northern wind.

Right in front of him, chaos unfolds exactly as he expected.

The crowd is enormous.

Hundreds of Frostmark City residents pack the courtyard, forming long, uneven lines that quickly dissolve into pushing, shouting, and outright fighting.

The sound is a mixture of shouting, laughter, crying children, clinking coin pouches, and boots scraping against stone.

Elbows slam into ribs.

Fists crash into jaws.

Someone falls and gets stepped on.

Another man tackles someone just to cut the line.

Guards stand nearby, unsure whether to intervene.

“Uh, Your Highness, perhaps we should intervene and restore order? People all over Frostmark City will have bruises and injuries at this rate.”

Ignatius de Graaf, the Provincial Treasurer, watches in disbelief with his face paling as he sees two men wrestling on the ground over a place in line.

Raphael doesn’t even look concerned.

“Why bother, my lord? Handing them out one by one is too slow and inefficient. This method is faster. Even if it means a few broken bones and cracked ribs.”

He gestures lazily at the tables where coin pouches disappear rapidly into greedy hands.

“The fast will beat the slow, the strong will beat the weak, the rich will eat the poor, the cunning and smart wolf will eat the poor meek and timid sheep alive. I want to rule over wolves, Lord Ignatius, not sheep.”

He smiles slightly.

“It’s better to expose them to reality early on. I don’t want sheltered, meek, and weak sheep who bleat with terror at the first sign of danger.”

In front of them, the last of the coin pouches vanish from the long wooden tables in minutes.

Assistants step back with the tables now completely empty.

The crowd slowly realizes the distribution is over.

Then something unexpected happens.

The citizens turn toward Raphael, and they bow.

“Thank you for the money, Your Highness.”

Hundreds of voices speak at once with excited, relieved, & hopeful faces.

They talk among themselves about food, repairs, medicine, debts, winter supplies.

Raphael watches silently.

A holographic screen flickers into existence in front of his eyes.

“ Ding. Hidden Quest Accomplished.

Total Quest Rewards: 35 Billion Blueprint Points, 100 Status Points

Remaining Blueprint Points: 53 Billion

Remaining Status Points: 294 “

He immediately reallocates points.

“ Ding. Remaining Status Points: 261

Perception: 105

Leadership: 40

Strength: 99

Accuracy: 95

Speed: 100 “

Another notification appears.

“ Ding. Hidden Quest Unlocked.

Foil an attempted sabotage by the Holy Church and House Blackmoor.

Quest Failure Consequence: Frostmark City residents will switch their loyalty.

Total Quest Rewards: 50 Billion Blueprint Points, 100 Status Points. “

Raphael smirks.

I expect as much that the damned Pope will do what he can to sabotage my efforts. But the scale works both ways, my lord. Before the day ends, the Holy Church’s control over the residents of Frostmark City will be smashed. And I won’t need to soil my hands either.

He turns slightly right on cue.

A plump old nun storms into the castle grounds, with flapping robes, face red with fury, & eyes burning with righteous anger.

She marches straight into the center of the crowd like a general entering a battlefield.

“Fellow brethren and believers in the Holy One!” she shouts.

“Accepting bribes, even from the Third Prince himself, is a sin! Read your scriptures and the Ten Commandments as stated in the Holy Book! Prince Cain has committed the blackest of sins, and what he is doing is sacrilege!”

The crowd goes quiet.

Everyone turns, watching & waiting.

Raphael faces the nun, and gives a mocking bow.

“I admit that I’m the blackest of sinners, and a heretic at that as well, Sister Amelie Chevalier,” he says calmly.

“But this sin of mine has helped hundreds of families living in Frostmark City.”

He gestures toward the crowd.

“The bribe money I gave them will warm their halls when the cold night air comes whizzing through their windows. It will put hot, spicy, tasty, and oversized foods on their tables.”

His eyes sharpen.

“And you come here offering nothing but fictional words from a hollow book, along with those dubious hallucinations from a fevered and frail old man dressed in white, prancing about in House Blackmoor, pretending he is holy when he’s not.”

The crowd murmurs.

“Yes,” Raphael continues casually, “I killed your precious little puppets who kept Frostmark Province poor as well.”

His smirk widens into a full grin.

The bored, half-sleepy look in his eyes disappears, & gets replaced by something sharp and predatory.

Sister Amelie narrows her eyes.

“Do you think I came here unprepared, Your Highness? I bring more than words. I bring benefits from the Holy Church, and financial assistance from the Holy Bank.”

She claps once.

Bankers dressed in white robes roll out tables beside the empty treasury tables.

The crowd gasps.

The tables are stacked with bigger & heavier coin pouches.

Each of them have 2,000 Thalorian Gold Coins.

Fresh copies of the Holy Book are stacked beside them.

The crowd immediately surges forward.

But before anyone can grab anything, asharp whistle cuts through the air.

Everyone freezes.

“Not so fast, fellow brethren,” Sister Amelie says loudly. “You must first reaffirm your faith in the Holy One and your belief in the Holy Church. You must reject everything the Third Prince stands for and turn your backs on- ”

The gunshots echo like thunder across the castle grounds.

Sister Amelie’s head snaps back, as she collapses instantly.

The bankers drop next, with blood spraying across white robes and gold coin pouches.

Raphael stands there calmly, with smoke rising from both flintlocks in his hands.

He doesn’t even let her finish her sentence.

Bodies hit the ground.

Silence follows.

Then Raphael turns to the crowd and raises his voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow subjects of the realm, you have clearly heard the words being spouted by that foolish nun. She was advocating rebellion, sedition, and treason against the Crown. The punishment for such crimes is death.”

He slowly spins one flintlock around his finger.

“It is the Holy Church and House Blackmoor who have kept a stranglehold on Frostmark Province, keeping all of you poor and discontented.”

He points toward the city.

“Will you continue to be controlled by the Holy Church and live in fear, ignorance, and superstition, or will you side with me?”

He spreads his arms slightly.

“I gave you gold unconditionally. The Holy Church gives you gold with chains attached.”

His voice hardens.

“Destroy the Frostmark City Convent. Turn out or kill all the nuns. Smash the chapel. Destroy the Holy Bank branch.”

He pauses.

“But I will retain the rights to any funds or treasures inside.”

He fires both pistols into the air.

“Long live Prince Cain! For freedom!”

The crowd erupts.

A mob forms instantly and floods out of the castle grounds toward the city.

Within hours, smoke rises across Frostmark City.

The convent burns first, then the chapel & the Holy Bank.

Flames light up the evening sky in orange and red, with smoke rolling like storm clouds above the city.

But as Raphael ordered, soldiers secure the vaults first.

Gold, silver, documents, relics, & contracts are transported directly to Frostmark Castle under heavy guard.

A holographic screen appears again.

“ Ding. Hidden Quest Accomplished.

Total Quest Rewards: 50 Billion Blueprint Points, 100 Status Points

Remaining Status Points: 361

Remaining Blueprint Points: 103 Billion “

Another notification appears.

“ Ding. Main Quest Unlocked.

Solve the security problem of Frostmark City and eliminate or integrate the bandit groups.

Quest Failure Consequence: Total anarchy in Frostmark City.

Minimum Quest Rewards: 40 Billion Blueprint Points, 100 Status Points. “