And, on the whole question of reading order, I'd start here...
http://sharonleewriter.com/correct-reading-order/
If I were new to Liad, I would certainly start in publication order. As someone doing a re-read, I rather enjoy doing it in chronological order. But that is not my preference for starting with the series. (The two Crystal books are very much prequels and better read after you've got a feel for what comes after, IMHO. OTOH, you can easily start with
Balance of Trade, which is well before
Conflict of Honors or
Agent of Change.