Hanne

Notes ☀️🌊⛱️ 2nd July

Added 2023-05-29 13:56:47 +0000 UTC

Patreon just said that I'm eligible for Annual membership. I tried to set it so anyone who's going for Annual membership can get the maximum discount (16%). I really thank you if you can support this, but don't sweat it if you can't.

Don't let my story become a financial burden to you. I'm already happy that many of you continue to read my 'silly little medieval story'.

Let me know if the Annual membership is working, or if you can see the discount at 16%, should be hovering somewhere.

Again, thank you for your time, attention, and continuous support! 🌴🍍🌺

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PS: I copied from my Billing page -> Patrons are charged on the day they join your membership, and then monthly on that same date. For example, if a patron joins on the 10th, they’ll be charged on that day, and then monthly on the 10th.

So you don't have to worry about the 1st of the month. ❤️

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This a small addition to old Chapter 35. It's nothing big, only more background to clear some issues about Audrey's eyes.

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Ignoring her protests, Lansius buried his face in her hazelnut brown hair. Audrey made a quick attempt to free herself from his arms, but Lansius held her firmly. "But it's winter, you can't possibly be sweating that much- uff, okay, maybe just a little," he teased.

Audrey gripped his arms and managed to break free, displaying her strength. “I’m practicing daily, that’s why it’s sweaty,” she retorted while staring at Lansius with a hint of killing intent.

Eh, no, it’s just her usual gaze.

“Your eyes, Audrey... they’re a bit unnerving,” Lansius remarked, his thoughts drifting back to an event that took place in Toruna the previous year. Spring had yet to fully arrive when a black carriage trundled up the mud-soaked country road to the manor's entrance.

That day, Sir Stan had welcomed a member of the Hunter Guild. The person was invited to confirm the mage's suspicions about Audrey's eyes. The guildsman, a man in his fifties, expressed surprise to see someone outside of the Hunter Guild with a skill akin to Carnivore Sight.

This ability could trigger a primal fear in beasts. It was useful to deter aggressive beast from attacking, or to stun a rabbit from running away.

Audrey herself confirmed the guildsman's assessment, revealing she seldom faced problems with wild animals. Although the guest wouldn't elaborate further, Lansius suspected that the ability also worked against humans, as he had experienced during their regular sparring sessions. It was nearly impossible to fight Audrey while maintaining eye contact.

“Not sorry,” Audrey glared.

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I made a mistake. The correct column Lansius is attacking is The South Hill column, not Three Hills. I'm currently fixing and proofreading the mistake.

I'm sorry for the confusion. 😭

Ok fixed, now the story matched the map. 💖

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The Royal Black and Warlord Tiers now have reached 9 Advanced Chapters, and I will try to add even more chapters in July and August.

Also, when the Top Tiers has reached 10 Advanced Chapter, I'll give 1 extra Advanced Chapter to Grand Prince and Midlandia Tiers. 💗

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Note: Just another little part to tie in about the Races.

Another batch of extra (fix) for Chapter 46, to keep everyone happy. ❤️

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“Fresh quiver, My Lord,” Sterling offered.

“Gratitude,” Lansius replied, accepting the quiver and reloading a mini crossbow. His aim was unusually off today. Despite attempting to clear his mind, the notion of the Emperor’s death was difficult to dismiss.

Considering the thousand years of rule, the impact of his demise would undoubtedly be colossal. If Hannei’s words were true, then it was clear that the Third Imperium would not stand. It would be a doomed entity.

Upon further reflection, Lansius felt naive for his preconception that elves, as a race, were wise and benevolent. The lore actually suggested they were prone to jealousy, and their deviousness might not even be a stretch.

He realized that in a world filled with races that had much longer life expectancies than humans, it was almost absurd to think they wouldn’t take advantage or exploit the other races.

An ambitious elf could easily conceal his intentions, forge his way up, and through his talents, experience, and his gift of agelessness compared to humans, he could ascend the power ladder in a human Kingdom, or in this case, the Imperium.

Over the span of several generations, because humans, even kings, naturally die around a hundred years of age and heirs aren’t guaranteed, the said elf would only need a succession crisis, either natural or with his intervention, to lure a faction to his side.

When such a situation occurred, the elf, as their elder, a face of stability, could easily convince them that he was the logical and better choice to settle their dispute as a stand-in for their monarch or emperor. After all, he would outlast them and their great-grandchildren.

The more Lansius thought of this, the more it made sense. How the Third Imperium lasted this long with stability that would put the Romans to shame. And how there was no religion because an Ageless being walked amongst them.

Lansius suppressed a sigh. The real question lingered: how long would the continent be haunted by strife before a new order could rise? This thought weighed heavily on Lansius’ mind.

If only she would tell me more...

For Lansius, Hannei remained an enigma. He suspected that the problem might lie deeper than just her loyalty to Sir Stan and Lord Bengrieve. Probably, there was another reason that Lansius had yet to discover.

Hannei was eerily secretive about her background, even going so far as not revealing her real name. Lansius only learned that she was French and, unlike him, she had all her memories intact. However, frustratingly, she wouldn’t divulge anything about her arrival in this world or how she could use magic.

She mostly kept her lips sealed and, when pressed, would resort to anger, much like Audrey. However, she did confide in him that her place was here and that she had no plans to return.

As per usual, Lansius had tried to consult Calub, her compatriot. However, Calub himself explained that he didn’t know much out of respect for another professional. He only said that he had known Hannei for almost ten years and that she trust her with his life.

Naturally, it never occurred to Calub to ask Hannei how or where she learned magic. In this world, a mage is a mage, and they were known to be a secretive bunch. The Mage Guild, like any other, kept their trade secrets. However, Calub had also said that Hannei wasn’t part of any guild.

Lansius shook his head. The last thing on his mind was to pry about this issue. The last time he did so, they got into a heated argument and she ended up refusing to see him again. She didn’t even appear when Lansius, Audrey, and Calub departed from Toruna to war against Lord Robert.

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The comments on Chapter 44 in Royal Road convinced me that a short blurb on Chapter 45 is necessary to explain more about Hannei. So, I added this bit to improve the scene (the other text is for context):

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The pale blonde, donned in a squire-like attire of a blue doublet and a broken white surcoat, gave a patronizing air. “Back then in Toruna, you said you read about the Imperium's History, try to remember when the Ageless One took the throne?”

When the Emperor took the throne..?

“The Ageless One was the third one, right?” Lansius tried to recall the history of the Third Imperium.

Hannei nodded and spoke, “The current Emperor was an advisor to the first Emperor and a tutor to the second.”

“And then he finally took the throne to avert a succession crisis because the second Emperor has no child,” Lansius recited. “That happened around 1300 years ago, or so I read. Why ask that?”

Hannei glanced at the room, almost using her magic to conceal, but deciding against it for the sake of not startling Tia. So she leaned in closer. “Remember, how old are the high elves supposed to live?”

Twelve-hundred years...

A realization dawned in Lansius’ eyes. He met her golden-brown eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. “No way...”

“Lans, it could be a lie. You of all people, should have suspected it."

Lansius had nothing to retort.

Hannei continued, "The last of the Great Progenitor probably died before the Elven Calendar even began. Their legend and immortality likely a myth perpetuated by the Ageless One himself so he could rule the Imperium.”

Lansius shook his head. He had suspected something was amiss, but not to this degree.

For an elven to masquerade as a Grand Progenitor and rule humans as the Emperor, what a devious scheme. But how could Hannei know about this, she barely read the common text?

Hannei continued, “This is why Midlandia has been preparing to take action for three generations.”

“You mean they suspected this?” asked Lansius.

“They’re not stupid,” she murmured. “This is also why Baldy Gottfried rallied the North, conquered four provinces, and invaded Arvena. Like Midlandia, he too must have suspected that the Emperor is an elven and is finally dead.”

Lansius had his doubts, but before he could voice them, a commotion from downstairs drew their attention. Two women's voices echoed, "We’re here!"

Like a whirlwind of trouble, two women emerged from the stairs. "Rest assured, Felis is here! Everything is going to be all right," declared the newly arrived blonde, while Audrey, grinning behind her, waved at Hannei.

Hannei waved back at Audrey. Lansius looked at the pair, still in disbelief that Audrey and Hannei had become fast friends despite starting on the wrong foot in Toruna. One was the captive, and the other was the captor's enabler. But their relationship transcended that.

It was Hannei who had suggested to Sir Stan to purchase Audrey during their incognito visit to the black market around Feodosia. Hannei was also the one who had tended to Audrey on her way back to Toruna until more treatment could be arranged.

Despite Audrey's obliviousness to the situation due to her severe head injury, her sharp instincts led her to trust Hannei. However, the same couldn't be said about the relationship between Lansius and Hannei.

Despite the one in a million chance of them both sharing the same origins, Hannei was reluctant to help. She rarely divulged any information, and when she did, it seemed to be more out of pity than trust.

Among the secrets she held was the reason why she and Sir Stan had chosen to purchase Audrey. Her tight lips constantly reminded Lansius that Hannei's loyalty lay firmly with Sir Stan and Lord Bengrieve.

Now, Hannei was eying Felis, anger flaring in her golden eyes. "Where have you been?"

“In the castle. I told you I was going to the castle,” Felis replied innocently.

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June 14. Please note that I'll have a chaotic schedule this weekend. This is due to work and social obligation (sigh). I'll have time to write/finish the draft for the next two chapters, but it'll be impossible to finish editing them before Sunday or Monday.

I hope this note finds you well, and as always thank you for your patience and support! 💖

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Previous Note:

The plan to add more advanced chapters for Warlord & Royal Black Tiers is ongoing!

Also, due to ongoing demands, please welcome the new Warlord Tiers. 🥳🎉

They're expensive because the amount of work I need to prepare, integrate, and highlight for the character is quite immense. I doubt anyone will purchase one, I even feel my work is still unworthy, but they are available should one wish it.

First a reminder,

While I appreciate your support, your financial well-being is paramount to me. The New Tiers and prices reflect the efforts involved in content creation, and they are pricey. I urge you to please consider these carefully to ensure that your generosity doesn't lead to personal hardship.

Any Patron of this Tier is greatly appreciated; because a Historical-Fantasy story couldn't compete with LIT-OP-High Fantasy in terms of quantity, so I hope you don't mind that I try for a quality route.

For the Chronicles I envision, up to chapter 150, these characters will enrich the story! Not a burden to the story, nothing like that. We're going to see the world, the whole Imperium, and the MC needed allies/ friendly faces.

Lastly, your generous support might enable me to move away from a high-stress job into a lesser one, so I could put more time into writing. ❤️

New Tiers:

Warlord II 🥈, 1 Patron Left, $24