ã€ŠWorld Development Systemã€‹


 Chapter -1

    Chapter -1

    Characters: John ¨C Arrived at Arkon from Earth, Who is the main character of this story . He still holds his values from the earth .

    Jay: Hunter from North-frontier town . He was the one who found John in the wilds when he was unconscious after arriving at Arkon .

    Josephine: Swordsman warrior who lives in North-frontier town and works with Eva and Sally as a team .

    Eva Simmons: Fire Magician who lived in Imperial City, now lives with her Grandma at North frontier town . She is the leader of her team .

    Sally: Light and Ice Magician of Eva¡¯s Team .

    Mnie Simmons: Great Grandmother of Eva .

    Paul: Woodworker from North-frontier Town . He was introduced to John by Vige Chief Sam .

    Sam: A middle-aged man from North-Frontier town . He is also the chief of the North-frontier town . He has 3 children .

    Ron: One of the two cksmiths from north-frontier town .

    George: cksmith from north-frontier town . Most of the time, he makes weapons for Baron Mendez who owns the dominion .

    Gordon and Arnold: Both of them are trustworthy people who were rmended by Jay to John for his Factory .

    Jack Snake: One of the merchants traveling to North-Frontier Town . His family controls a lot of business in the North of Aelius Kingdom . Their Family puts emphasis on the strength to do sessful business and they are well known for their poisons .

    Dolores: Capital city of Baron Mendez

    East sea Town: Town east of North Frontier city .

    Joseph Morgan: Prominent son of Morgan Family and one of John¡¯s good friends .

    Frank Morgan: Joseph¡¯s Father .

    Max Morgan: Joseph¡¯s elder Brother .

    Carl Morgan: Joseph¡¯s Grandpa and head of the Morgan Family .

    Duke ckwolf: Duke of West in Aelius kingdom .

    Antonio Mendez: Second Son of Baron Mendez . He is also pursuing Eva .

    James: Antonio¡¯s personal butler .

    Prince Hector Aelius: Third prince of Aelius kingdom .

    King Lionheart Aelius: King of Aelius Kingdom .

    Diana Bluesea: Daughter of the Duke of Bluesea family from Fire Abyss kingdom .

    @@novelbin@@

    d: Duke Bluesea¡¯s right-hand man, currently protecting Diana Bluesea and works as his butler . His nickname in the underworld is d of the Dark .

    Maurice: Diana¡¯s Maid and friend from childhood .

    Captian Eric: Joseph right-hand man and in charge of his Joseph¡¯s fleet in Morgan family . He is somewhat of a pervert .

    Phillip: Butler of Joseph .

    Frank Morgan: Father of Joseph Morgan .

    Marquis Steve Ray: The Marquis from the south of Aelius Kingdom .

    Marchioness Aine Ray: Wife of Marquis Steve Ray .

    Duke of Southern Forest: Duke of the southern Domain of Aelius Kingdom .

    ve Trader Tom: Marquis Ray¡¯s front man in the ve Trade .

    Jacob: Head of Guards of the ve Market controlled by Tom .

    Bart: Son of a Marquis, currently vying for Prince Hector¡¯s favor .

    Alistair: Prince Hector¡¯s right-hand man .

    TornWall: Dwarven ve bought by John at Tom¡¯s ve market . He was sold by one of the mercenary groups controlled by royalty of Dwarven kingdom .

    ???????: Mysterious friend from Tornwall¡¯s past .

    Taylor and Martha: ved because of Debt and conspiracy, they are currently ves of John . Currently working for John to improve their status .

    Jake: Son of Taylor and Martha, he mes himself for his naivety and the situation their family faces right now . He still desires for revenge for the injustice done to his family .

    Her highness Cecilia: One of the wives of Lionheart Aelius .

    n Lopez: Knight captain escorting John¡¯s group .

    Lorr Family: Personal Weaponmakers of the Royal Family .

    Lukav Aelius: Second prince of Aelius kingdom

    The New year incident of Red Lake City: Took ce 7 years ago . It was executed by Lukav Aelius . There are a lot of rumors going on why it happened .

    Felix Aelius: First Prince of Aelius Kingdom .

    Duncan: Prince lukav¡¯s right hand . He has seen Prince grown up since he was a child .

    Architect Ryfon Zinfiel: Architect from the imperial city . currently working under John . He is a Half-elf and a Half-human .

    Georgio: Duncan¡¯s right-hand man .

    Heath: Old acquaintance of Mnie and d .

    Redbeer: Tornwall¡¯s assistant .

    Dearil: d¡¯s subordinate .

    Glenn ckrose: Professor from Imperial University .

    Professor Hague: Old-age professor from Imperial University .

    Joe: The clumsy officer hired by Jay as a police officer, he hates studying .

    Marsh: Serious guy and partner of Joe . Thinks rationally but gets influence by Joe sometimes .

    Grey: One of d¡¯s Trusted men at Redwood city .

    Martin: Grey¡¯s Aide at Redwood city .

    Rudolf: One of the knights from Redwood city .

    Greg: Rudolf¡¯s friend and a knight from Redwood city .

    Sapphire Rose: Half-elf, Duke of South .

    Duke Norman: Duke of North .

    Michael, Kevin and Thomas: Farmers of North-frontier town .

    Professor Liam: Arithmetic professor from the imperial university .

    Duke Fjord Laguna: Duke of eastern seas .

    Evan Laguna: Duke Laguna¡¯s third son .

    Henry: Duke Fjord¡¯s spy to protect Evan at difficult times .

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3

    John was a monster because many people spent years just to improve some ws in the techniques however he did it in just quite a few hours for almost all the techniques he bought . John even taught him his improved Hunting technique and this stemmed jay¡¯s thinking that this guy was quite a monster .

    "Jay do you know any guys whom i can hire for my soap making business . I would like it if they are trusted so they don¡¯t leak the secrets of soap making to others when it expands . " Asked John when they were conversing .

    Jay was shocked at this development as he knew that soap making businesses mostly belonged to nobles and it was mostly strictly guarded and researched quite a lot by nobles for improving it to expand their markets .

    "How many guys would you need in your business right now" inquired Jay

    "i think atleast 10 for production processes and at max 30,i have already bought the materials for making 2000 pieces already . Then i would also need a ce for a factory to make my production efficient . " John replied as told his ns to Jay .

    There was no concept of factories in this world where certain people did certain processes to increase the production and quality of the products . By Factory Jay thought he just needed a ce to make soaps .

    "well i know some trusted guys who can help you in your business . i would introduce them to you as they can be trusted they are 7 guys from the vige but i dont think you can get 30 trusted guys though . you have to handle how to make your production a secret from prying eyes . Because people will start looking the products after it hits the market by hook or crook . i think you should be well prepared when ites to your safety . however you can ask Vige Chief for help if you need guys" Said Jay

    John thought for a while and agreed to his proposition as he didnt knew most people in the vige .

    "do you know where the pharmacy is,i wanted buy some ingredients for making a medicinal paste amd potion for myself . " asked John .

    "Well there is one pharmacy here at north-frontier town . you might get your ingredients there if you go there . we should first visit Gordon,Arnold and others since you wanna start your business . " Said jay as he hurriedly took him to the pharmacy .

    While jay had gone the other way to Sam¡¯s house to discuss something and arrange for his business . he thought that a soap making factory would be good for town before he left him at the pharmacy .

    @@novelbin@@

    Pharmacy here had two storeys, a backyard garden and and 3 rooms on each floor .

    When Jay entered the pharmacy he met a familiar person here she was the woman he met earlier . Josephine was here to restock her supplies after her outing .

    Upon seeing Jay,Josephine approached him and asked "Ohh you are here as well . So what brings you here at the pharmacy?"

    "Well i wanted some herbs and animal ingredients for personal use so i thought i should visit the pharmacy . looking at your cheerful face it seems you made quite a windfall this time?" asked john Curiously

    "Well thats true . this time our team killed a magic beast and its body is quite valuable so i came to resupply for the team" replied Josephine

    While they talking were conversing,

    Owner of the pharmacy Grandma Mnie came from inside the room and asked the duo

    "So Josephine what brings you here and how are Eva and others in your team,is she still as unruly as always?" . she always pried gossip about her great grand-daughter from her teammates .

    "Well i cant say about Eva but our team is doing quiet good recently but we had big catches these days . today we caught a magic beast so i was here to restock our medicinal supplies . "

    Eva was Grandma Mnie¡¯s Great Grand-daughter . she was aged 25 and she was a fire magician .

    Mnie thought for a while and bought the supplies Josephine bought everytime .

    "are there any other things you need apart from these?"then she turned to John and asked

    "so you are the neer jay bought recently in vige . so what brings you here"

    To which john stated the herbs and animal ingredients which he needed .

    While looking at the pharmacy he saw that there were numerous books here at the pharmacy so he asked Mnie in a very enthusiastic tone "Grandma I see that you have a lot of books here do you mind if I take a look at these books and learn some things about medicinal herbs . "

    "Just as Sam Said you were someone who likes books a lot,well Sam already informed me about you amd your situation so i expected you toe here with that request . well i can take you as a Disciple however it depends on yourself and your learning capacity,i wished that Grand-daughter of mine was like you who took interest in pharmacy and potioneering knowledge instead of bing abat mage,her fire magic would have been so much useful in controlling temperature when making medicine and potions . "

    "Well go ahead and read the books you like on the right shelf beside potion the potion shelf they have basic herbology . you would have toe here in morning everyday for 2 hours after your breakfast at 9 a . m in return you would help me in making medicine" Said Mnie

    Mnie might look like she was in her sixties but she was already 126 years old . magic and medicinal potions here were quite useful for people here to increase their longevity .

    Josephine¡¯s team had 3 people,

    Josephine - as a warrior and knight

    Eva - as Fire magician dealing high damage

    and

    Sally - the Light magician for healing .

    "it seems almost everyone in the Vige knows about you .st time i didnt hear you so what are your future ns in the vige?" asked Josephine

    "Well i intended to start a soap making factory here in the vige and start selling it for a business" John replied without much thought .

    To which both Grandma Mnie and Josephine showed a slightly shocked expression .

    "Interesting,maybe i stuck gold this time in finding a disciple" thought Grandma Mnie

    In her opinion very few people knew soap making,

    while Josephine didn¡¯t care much about it apart from her initial shocked expression .

    After thinking for a while she said to John

    "if you need help in future you can contact me,no you will certainly need our help in future after you start your business so contact me . We will see you bothter . " Josephine smilingly said and left hurriedly with her supplies .

    Grandma Mnie left for herboratory to make potions and said to John before leaving "OK you can go to look for the books over there and your herbs and other ingredients are over here in the basket,it would cost you 80 silvers . you can leave after reading . "

    John then paid for his goods and nodded hurriedly .

    John then started moving towards the shelf and then started looking at the books one by one .

    [Reading book: Basic Types of herbs . . . 1% . . . 2% . . . 3% . . .

    100%]

    [Reading book:Basic Features and uses of various wild herbs . . . 1% . . . 2% . . . 3% . . .

    100%]

    [Artificial Breeding and evolution of herbs . . . 100%]

    This way,

    1 hour passed and then john read half the books over at the shelf . then told Grandma that he had an appointment with Jay so he left in the evening .

    He then came to Sam¡¯s house and then everything was then decided on how to start tomorrow . he gave him permission to use some opennds in the vige which were currently not in use after hearing from jay that John needed a ce for factory . Sam promised to bring 10 guys on the site next morning at 11 . 30 pm as john said that he had to go to Grandma Mnie¡¯s pharmacy to learn about herbs .

    John agreed to pay people 50 coppers a day as their daily wages to the people working in the factory .

    Sam was always in a dilemma on how to employ the guys in vige with good paying jobs so he saw the soap factory as an opportunity to develop the vige and vigers at least .

    While Jay and John were were returning he met Gordon,Arnold and other 5 guys while returning home .

    These guys were 20 years old either working at farm or hunting for a living . jay knew them as they lived nearby his parents house from childhood so he introduced them .

    Among them Arnold and Gordon knew to read and write .

    John and jay reached home and then John got busy with making his potion .

    after making the potion and medicinal paste .

    he started training both the

    Body refining technique and Six sense body refining technique .

    [Training in Body refining technique . . . . . 100% Complete . ]

    [Training in Six sense body refining technique . . . 100% Complete]

    After 2 hours he came out from the Bath tub in the backyard . he got up and headed for the dinner and then talked to jay about what happened on the day and on how he met grandma Mnie and Josephine at the pharmacy .ter going to sleep .

    After training the techniques and soaking in medicinal paste, his body started having changes . His six senses were magnified and his body got sturdier from the inside rather the outside when he was asleep .

    After Waking up the next morning he hurriedly ate his breakfast and left for Grandma Mnie¡¯s pharmacy .

    he arrived early at Grandma Mnie¡¯s pharmacy .

    When he met Mnie at the pharmacy . she was quite happy with John¡¯s enthusiasm on learning about herbs medicines and potions .

    "Okay,you can start learning about the books there for 1 hour and thentere inb for practical assignments . You see medicine and potions aren¡¯t all about theory so one must simultaneously learn both theory and practical applications"

    After taking the instructions,john directly headed to the shelf and started reading all the remaining books . He finished reading all the books in 50 minutes,

    [All the ws have been identified inside all the books . Ready for improvement . Host is required to confirm this collection . ]

    [Confirm] john selected .

    While Sarah started analyzing all the books and the ws in the books were first identified

    [18 hours remaining]

    [Host has an option to elerate the improvement by using the remaining WDS points] .

    [It will take 20 WDS points to elerate all these books by 100 times] . John thought that it was not a bad idea to elerate if it only took 20 points to elerate by 100 times .

    So he choose to confirm it .

    [up-gradation elerated : time remaining 18 minutes . Quite wasteful in my very honest opinion . ]

    Came the voice of Sarah inside his head .

    [Cant you give this suggestion before i confirm . you even asked if i want to elerate it . Arghhh i feel like am getting more retard as i converse with this A . I] thought john inside its head before noting down a mental note that he would never be fast when it came to offers from Sarah .

    [As a profit-or . . . . i mean as a service-oriented A . I i believe host should know all the offers provided by the system before giving personal opinionster on] Came the voice of Sarah

    As he was reading the books from the 1st floor came a woman with ck-purplish hair,it had a shade of purple at the tail end of the hair . she had a whiteplexion,she wore a purple one piece which cut a side of the legs for more flexibility . on it she wore a silver armor with runes . she also wore silver Pauldrons .

    on her hands were long white gloves reaching till the pauldrons,on wrist it was slightly purple like bracelet design and on fingers it was ck like rings design . gloves were ck in a circr shape on the end where it reached the pauldrons .

    She wore silver leg guards with long white socks reaching her thighs and white shoes . on her hand was a long magician wand which was 6 foot in height . it had a crystal ball on its heads and it had various other metals and jewels inserted below the crystal ball at its base . she was of the height 6 foot aswell . her age was 25 . she was quite a beauty with full chest .

    This woman was eva who was mentioned earlier yesterday . her full name was Eva Simmons . same was true for Grandma Mnie .

    It seemed as if she was prepared for going towards the forest again like her party members . She saw that someone was reading the books and decided to approach him . She never liked books so she pursued her training in fire mage training at imperial capital when she was younger however she still had basic knowledge on herbs and all as she studied it all since young age . her parents died at a young age when they were out on a mission .

    She now lived with her Great Grandma Mnie who lived at country-side in north-frontier town . her grandparents and uncles lived in imperial capital .

    She approached John and said to him . John already noticed her presence when she came down and started concentrating on the other books he had left .

    "So you are john who Josephine talked about recently . i heard yesterday from grandma that you were possible new candidate for the new disciple" said eva

    "it is quite an honor to be remembered by a beauty like you . actually the thing is i hoped to learn about pharmacy and potions from Grandma Mnie . At first i only i was only interested in reading all the books which were on the shelf here when i asked her . then grandma Mnie who had heard my situation from Chief Sam thought about taking me as her disciple . "

    Replied john smilingly .

    Like most women who likepliments Eva too was happy from John¡¯spliment

    "You have quite a glib tongue . "Said eva smilingly

    Then she said in serious manner to john "anyways you shouldnt waste your time on pharmacy and potions . just understanding and learning all these will probably take a year for you . "

    While they were conversing Mnie came from inside theb and said very angrily to Eva after hearing their conversation

    "Hey,hey don¡¯t discourage my new disciple already,how will youpensate me if he runs away . if you don¡¯t like it don¡¯t make others hate herbology as well . hmph"

    "as for you johne in theb for practical experiments on how take to make medicines first"

    "I mean just look at all these books . okay let me just ask few questions from the book you are reading then both of you will realize what i said was correct . "said eva in a teasing manner to mnie and john .

    "how is the poison from twin tailed snake neutralized . "as she continued to ask her question

    John thought that he should go along to y this game between the grandma and great grand-daughter . From her question he understood she wanted to embarrass her grandma and him which will lead to an awkward situation .

    "Twin tailed snake¡¯s poison need a matured fox-tail grass,a 10 year old ginseng and a cup to magic tiger¡¯s blood . the three of them have to be refined together in the ratio of 2:3:5 for 15 mins at 60 degree Celsius ording to this book . however its effects can also be improved by using blood red flower instead of tiger¡¯s blood at the ratio of 2:3:3 however this improvement is just my own hypothesis . " replied John in a natural tone . this answer surprised both of them . while one was happy other wasn¡¯t happy at the answer as it was correct .

    Later she asked question on "How do you cure the acute pain caused by the bites blood honey bees . "

    "one would need Ice cold Flower, blood neutralizing poison,Tears of a snow leopard and dews of Moon flower they would need to be refined in the ratio of 3:2:1:2 . instead of using blood neutralizing poison we can also rece it by ck mist flower at ratio of 3:1:1:2 using this would lessen the pain and costs incurred when making the cure of pain for blood honey bees . ] replied John in a natural manner as if it wasnt anything .

    This time again Eva was shocked while grandma wasn¡¯t . Eva realized she faced a hard nut to crack this time . however she didnt believe he would know all the books here .

    and consecutively she asked him 8 more questions to which john replied urately plus improving their details .

    Eva could only ept this situation as her defeat and red at both her grandma and John .

    Figuring out that she was again here to foil her n to get a good disciple she decisively said to john and Eva . She was quite afraid that john would scared of repeated questions .

    "john you go inside theb and wait for me and Eva you should go to meet your team aren¡¯t you runningte already?"

    "okay i will take my leave miss Eva"John said in a cheerful mood .

    Though Eva was quite irritated she wasn¡¯t angry at john but she still wanted ask him more questions but she couldn¡¯t atleast right now .

    "hmph" Eva humphed in anger and left . As she was leaving she tripped her leg and was almost fell down .

    John saw that she was going to fall down so he immediately caught her from behind so she doesn¡¯t fall down . When both of them stood perfectly up,Eva was quite red on her face because of the awkward situation but she was still angry . Before she left she still thanked john as he helped her when she was going to fall down .

    "John it seems you have quite a good memory and your foundation theory seems quite solid when you offered alternatives to the medicines which were there in the book as the nature of the elements matched the original ingredients or were atleast close them when concocting medicine . Have you earlier learned pharmacy and potioneering somewhere else?even i am quite astonished by your current level of basic knowledge in pharmacy" Asked Grandma without bothering Eva as she was quite happy at her acquisition of a brilliant new disciple .

    "No i only learned about pharmacy from some books from Vige chief and then here at Grandma¡¯s pharmacy . actually those alternatives were only my hypothesis after ipletely read all the books from tomorrow and today . i didn¡¯t think my alternatives were good enough so i only wanted to see your reaction and opinion on my alternatives . "

    This time she was even more shocked unlike thest time .

    In her opinion even the most formidable genius on Arkon would atleast need 10-20 days to have a full understanding on all the books over here .

    however she still doubted he was a pharmacist in his previous profession . Sighing John didnt bother clearing her misunderstanding as he knew he really couldnt clear her understanding . he could only clear her understanding after showing memorizing talents to her .

    At first she gave him simple experiments which he did precisely to the point without doing a single mistake after calctions made by his brain . he didn¡¯t even need Sarah¡¯s help .

    While he was experimenting she asked him various questions on basic pharmacy knowledge to which he gave precisely right answers without even blinking his eyes while simultaneously doing his experiment .

    When she asked him questions about middle pharmacy and advanced pharmacy . he couldn¡¯t give answers about them . This time john was quite embarrassed about not knowing the answer which the grandma didnt mind however he still understood that she was testing him if he lied earlier .

    This time she was convinced that she either acquired a Genius or a professional who was dabbling in basic pharmacy for a number of years .

    after sometime notifications sounded inside his head,

    [Ding . . . . !Congrattions to host on integrating and improving all the books on basic pharmacy from grandma Mnie]

    To Grandma¡¯s surprise John was very good at applying theoretical things practically and controlling the outside factors like fire,ratio of ingredients, and determining age and value of ingredients and how it could be best used when making medicine .

    Grandma Mnie had actually acquired these skills after who knows how many experiments and concocting of medicine making and potioneering . While John seemed like a natural at doing these things .

    He even improvised on some of the practical skills used for medicine concocting and potioneering .

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4

    Grandma Mnie had actually acquired these skills after who knows how many experiments and concocting of medicine making and potioneering . While John seemed like a natural at doing these things .

    He even improvised on some of the practical skills used for medicine concocting and potioneering .

    After two hours werepleted

    at 11 am it was time for john to go on Soap Factory and meet other people,Grandma mnie also allowed him to ess middle pharmacy books from next day onwards as she determined that he didn''t need basic pharmacy and potion books so there was no problem . he then left for the soap factory site .

    After 20 minutes he arrived at the site .

    people there were already waiting . Sam,jay and others were there and were having some serious discussions .

    it seems they were talking about agricultural yields this time and there were problems this time . it seems after repeated use the soil it had be less fertile and hence lower yields .

    People mostly sowed wheat as it was the staple food of people on this continent in Arkon .

    After John arrived they stopped discussing about yields and instead focused on the present issue .

    The ce here was quite big it was around 3,500 sq . meters which was more than enough . there was a warehouse in the middle which could be used as a factory and there were 30 more people apart from jay and sam . there was also a small workhouse near the Warehouse .

    These 30 people included arnold and gordon . all the people bought here were young and had age ranging from 16-21 years of age .

    It was good aswell since young people were quite trustworthy .

    John was then introduced by Sam and Jay to others . They were already informed that their employer was a young men so they didn''t show any surprise .

    Sam then turned to people and said "This is John, he will be the one instructing you guys on what to do and how to operate this ce . your sry will be 50 coppers per day as agreed before . i hope all of you will do your work sincerity and make north-frontier town proud . "

    Jay and others had already bought all the necessary materials here at the factory site .

    And Hence started the Rose Soap factory in North-frontier town for the first time .

    Slowly and steadily John allocated all the required work in 5 batches of 6 people . he would not have to worry for the time being about people spilling the secrets .

    He had already made lye one of important ingredients for making the soap .

    and Hence for the 2 two days he distributed the processes which included using the molds,pots for heating and mixing the ingredients and then waiting for solidification to these 5 groups .

    And then 3 types of soaps were finally made,

    1 . Toilet soaps made using animal fats . these soap used local sweet and acidic vors which suited soaps . (510 pieces)

    2 . Bathing soaps made using vegetable oils with 4 vors of Orange,Rose,Strawberry,Cherry these

    fruits had simr smell to these items mentioned above . (1120 pieces)

    3 . Soaps used for washing clothes . (521 pieces)

    it seemed that an extra 150 soaps were made,well it was good news to John anyways .

    After sessful making of the soaps he decided to give them a bonus of 20 coppers on the fourth day . to which everyone one was cheerful .

    during these days he always practiced his martial arts techniques . after refining his body he didnt had to face the same problems which he did on the first day .

    now he didn''t seem fragile nor did he seem muscr . what you call was a normal build,

    during these four days he always visited Grandma Mnie and during these 4 four she became sure that she had dug a whole bucked of gem for herself after witnessing his talent for herself .

    @@novelbin@@

    Because she was sure that he previously didn''t know anything about middle pharmacy books which she had written herself based on her theories long ago and potioneering so she became sure he didnt know about middle pharmacy from earlier . what shocked her even more was how he also improved some of the potions and medicines of her own books aswell .

    However after watching his pace of learning she was very shocked in a sense that it became very hard for her to believe that someone could memorize and understand so much information in such a short amount of time .

    During these 4 four days he learnt 3/4 of all the middle pharmacy books while also making medicines,potions and doing the personal experiments . almost all the experiments were right on mark .

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

    These observations were recorded by Grandma Mnie as she thought they would be very beneficial for her in the future . Plus she was quite pleased that she gained such a genius student .

    Perhaps John might not know but she is one of the top 20 potion makers in this continentpared to court potioneers of Aelius . She was here because she liked to experiment in peace .

    only potions requiring magic support were sometimes off the mark for John . It seems that He and Sarah didn¡¯t have an understanding of magical elements .

    Eva didn¡¯te home during these 4 days it seems that her team had visited a nearby town to the east and continued their hunt on the eastern side of the town .

    This news was delivered to them via a postcard to them . Postcard services are normally used via the Merchants Association . However many times it won¡¯t guarantee that it will reach the destination on time .

    however they the receiver always gets the postcards even if there are idents on the road . Merchants get amission for providing their delivering services .

    Merchant associations are only located in Big towns and cities .

    Today was the Day Jack snake wasing back to the vige to sell his goods . So John thought that he should try to sell his newly produced soaps to jack and get his reaction .

    John then left for the market after taking all the samples of his soap to show jack as he thought about paying him a visit at the market .

    After some time he arrived at the market with a bag in his hand,

    When he arrived at the market . He saw that this time jack was with a Fat man with luxurious clothing and was discussing something with him .

    he guessed they were doing some business deal .

    As John approached Jack, Jack already noticed him and greeted him in a cheerful mood this time "Ohh its john again this time, So what brings you here this time?? This Fatty here is Joseph, he is a big businessman in south at Marquis Ray¡¯s domain . "

    Joseph was at first surprised with the tone Jack was talking with John because he knew Jack was usually hard to talk to even if it came to family members . He thought maybe John could be an interesting person as he can make Jack talk to him in such a cheerful tone . So he thought he should calmly watch from sidelines after greeting John .

    "Hello, I am Joseph Morgan from Morgan Company . So what do you do John?" Joseph greeted John,

    "I was actually here to show some of my new products from my factory . I thought Jack would give me the right price as I did some deals with him earlier . " John replied to Joseph¡¯s question .

    John thought that as Jack seemed to be in friendly terms with Joseph so it would be bad if he didn¡¯t reply to him .

    "So which new items did you bring this time around . I am very much looking forward to it . "

    "Your itemsst time were pretty much useful, especially the Wallet you broughtst time . A nobleman bought for it quite a price at 12 gold coins . " Jack said to John in a very enthusiastic manner with his hands .

    @@novelbin@@

    What surprised Jack, even more, was that when he patted john¡¯s back he didn¡¯t even make a budge .

    From John¡¯s outer appearance it didn¡¯t seem that he was strong but it turned out differently . He could only guess that John¡¯s was at least at the knight level as he himself was a strong man with a knight¡¯s level of strength .

    Even John himself didn¡¯t realize that he got so strong just from 5 days of training . He guessed it was due to his improved body refining method . However, his superhumanputing ability also helped him which he didn¡¯t know .

    "Actually I started a soap factory here in the vige and our batch of goods have been produced recently so I thought I should visit you today and get a price of soaps from you since you were visiting the vige today . "

    Both Joseph and Jack were quite surprised after hearing that John started a Soap factory in this small town . Because usually, people would coborate with big business or nobles andter start the business in big towns or cities . Many times merchants would also get an incentive in taxes as well if they have enough strength .

    John then opened his bag and ced the various types of soaps in front of Jack .

    Then both Jack and Joseph took the soaps and then tried to make a value of it . After scrutinizing the Product for a while . They decided to use it and then see the effects of the soap .

    After using the Soap,

    Both Jack and Joseph were quite stunned watching the texture of soap and how clean their hands were after using it . Plus the fragrance of the soap just made it better .

    So the thing was these Soaps made quite a good impression on the minds of both of them . They had already that they will buy these soaps no matter what .

    After watching their reactions,

    John smilingly said to them "So did you like these soaps?"

    John already knew the answer but he still asked the question just to tease them .

    To which both jack and Joseph knew that John already guessed their intentions after watching his yful tone .

    So this time both jack and Joseph were straightforward and gave him their own offers .

    Jack gave his offer of 2 . 5 gold coins per soap while Joseph gave an offer of 2 . 7 gold coins per soap .

    They both intended to sell these soaps to the high-end market after watching its effects and they also thought that making this soap wouldn¡¯t have been easy and its costs would have tremendous as well so they thought of a reasonable price .

    If people knew that he made these soaps for less than 6 gold they would certainly puke an endless amount of blood .

    After hearing Joseph¡¯s offer Jack too increased his offer, In the end, it was decided that they would buy these for 3 gold and would divide it equally .

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

    @@novelbin@@

    After hearing Joseph¡¯s offer Jack too increased his offer, In the end, it was decided that they would buy these for 3 gold and would divide it equally .

    It was also decided that they wouldn¡¯t infringe each other¡¯s market . Morgan family business operations were in Southeast while Jack¡¯s family business operations were in the northeast .

    After hearing that there were 2152 pieces of soaps the duo instantly became excited and the first thing they did was to hire a carriage and take it towards his factory warehouse .

    Before selling them the items he had one condition for them before selling .

    he had already decided that since he wanted to brand his items . They must be more presentable so people would like it at first nce .

    "You see I hope you guys sell the soaps in packed Small Wooden boxes carved with a Rose pattern which was on the soaps . So it bes more presentable . " John said to them in a serious manner .

    Both of them thought for a while and agreed to him since they thought it would have quite negligible costspared to the soaps .

    "Okay, it won¡¯t be a problem if that¡¯s the only condition for buying the soaps . " Said Jack .

    As both of them agreed, they first headed to the Warehouse in the carriage .

    After reaching the Warehouse all the workers in the factory loaded the remaining soaps inside the two carriages equally .

    Both Jack and Joseph checked the number of soaps multiple times so that they don¡¯t miss out .

    then they went to a woodworking shop and ced their order of making the Wooden boxes .

    After dealing with all the issues .

    John received a total of 6450 gold coins from both of them .

    [Ding . . . . !Congrattions to host on conducting a trade worth 6450 gold coins]

    [Reward: 7500 WDS points and 11200 experience]

    [There are some offers which host would like . . . . ]

    John shut Sarah off without even listening to the offer . As he knew she was into her usual habit of scamming him of his points .

    Before leaving John bought all the magic and martial arts techniques which Jack brought this time around which cost him 500 gold .

    He was most interested in Blood Refining body technique in Martial arts and

    Time and Space magic books that Jack bought time around .

    He also reminded them that they could alwayse to Rose Soap Factory to ce their orders in the warehouse to either Gordon or Arnold .

    so both of them already ced an order of 5000 soaps each again for the next time theye again .

    Joseph hade via the sea in east port to north-frontier town . The seaport town to the east was known as east sea city .

    Jack and Joseph became busy with their preparations on handling the soaps and so all the three guys bode their farewell .

    all the parties were quite happy with the deal they made and hence John¡¯s problem of selling the soaps was done . John had also decided to sell his soaps to Jack and Joseph because he thought that those guys had some backing when conducting this trade . So even if some people eye his business he can at least take their help when the timees .

    After selling the soaps he called Arnold and Gordon to go and purchase the supplies for more soap materials . He gave both of them 50 gold each .

    He then returned to his workhouse in the factory and took some papers from his cab and started drawing some designs with a pencil .

    he wanted to make the soap machine blueprints so that even if people wanted to steal his secrets they can¡¯t do it easily .

    Afterpleting the blueprints of the machines he then set out towards the shops of two cksmiths for both of them to make various different parts of the machines .

    After reaching the cksmiths shop . He headed inside the shop to meet the owner cksmith Ron

    he was a Middle-aged man with muscr features . He was safety gloves on his hands with a mask on his face as he worked on making the armor recently ordered by one of his customers .

    He wore a white t-shirt and brown half-coat on it . With brown pants . He had brown hair and a fairplexion with a height of 5 feet 11 inches .

    Inside the shop, there were other apprentices and colleagues doing their own work .

    After waiting for a while . John got to meet him . He showed him his designs and asked him if he could make the machines with an urate measure .

    He looked at the machines blueprints and then thought that these machines were pretty much manageable . However, he couldn¡¯t understand the workings of the blueprints . It was because of was only given half of the blueprints .

    Then he looked at him curiously and said to John in a very serious manner,

    "I can make them but it would cost you quite a fortune to make them, do you have this much to burn on some random machines? these machines would cost you at 500 gold coins plus I will take an upfront of 300 gold coins for my materials andbor . "

    Hearing this John became quite overjoyed at the fact that he could begin the process of industrialization in this world without a lot of problems .

    "Well recently I made a quite a fortune so I wanted to use some my ideas and apply it in different things . " he gave him an answer in a roundabout way . Since he didn¡¯t want others to know about it too much .

    Ron didn¡¯t bother much about it as he didn¡¯t care if this silk pant wanted to spend his money without thinking .

    John then gave him all the money upfront however he still warned him that he wanted to the machines with urate measurements .

    Ron noted John¡¯s demands after receiving his money as he didn¡¯t want to such a fat customer plus the other guy shouldn¡¯t have any excuse to ask for a refund if he didn¡¯t like the made product .

    Then he made his way to the other cksmith shop and made his order . The other guy charged him 550 gold coins for the other half . He gave him the same warning to him as he did to Ron .

    The owner of this cksmith usually made weapons for others and it was quite popr with the people .

    The owner¡¯s name was George . He had a physique of 6 foot 3 inches . He was quite muscr . He was wearing full ck and it seemed quite luxurious, unlike Ron . From the patrons, he heard that he gets orders from Baron Mendez and his order of knights and makes their weapons .

    Although George was quite skeptical at first yet he still didn¡¯t bother about the blueprints and epted his request .

    As John was looking through the shop he also bought a good quality sword from George for a price of 15 gold .

    John couldn¡¯t buy those knight swords as he didn¡¯t have a rmendation letter from a high enough authority .

    In the end, John had a total of 4800 gold remaining and had a total of 11900 WDS points and 15000 exp points from all the trades of the past .

    Now he felt like he was a rich man ready splurge on the system and take heed to its offers .

    thenter he decided to meet Sam and go towards Vige chief¡¯s house for buyingnd, discussing about the problem of low yields in the vige and then visit a craftsman working on wood to make him a house and other required things .

    And hence he headed towards Vige chief¡¯s house after dealing with the workings of Rose soap factory .

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7

    thenter he decided to meet go towards Vige chief¡¯s house for buyingnd, discussing about the problem of low yields in the vige and then visit a craftsman working on wood to make him a house and other required things .

    And hence he headed towards Vige chief¡¯s house after dealing with the workings of Rose soap factory .

    After arriving at the Vige Chief¡¯s home there were vigers discussing with him on how to solve the Yield problem .

    Chief¡¯s 3 children invited him in when they saw hime here . They had already met him earlier when he had visited .

    they were aged 6, 7 and 8 respectively . The two boys were 6 and 7 and the girl was 8 and their names were Sonny, mark, and Jennifer respectively .

    After waiting for a while he got to meet Sam after the viger¡¯s had left .

    John then said to Sam "It seems you have quite a headache this time around"

    "Don¡¯t say, this problem alwayses every 5-10 years down the road . It is just nature¡¯s cycle which it can¡¯t be helped . Dealing with this mess is always a problem for most of the vige Chiefs . "

    "Actually if you don¡¯t mind then I have a perfect solution for this problem if you want to know," John said in a serious manner to Sam .

    This Time Sam didn¡¯t look surprised as he got used to John and he had already heard from Grandma Mnie¡¯s bragging that she got a genius this time around to whom she can pass on her techniques .

    She also mentioned if possible she would just marry of her grand-granddaughter to him so then she would have no qualms in her life .

    Of course, Sam didn¡¯t divulge this information to John or this might create many misunderstandings between all the parties .

    "you see thend over here in this vige has be infertile because you guys Sow the same type of seeds on thend over the years which would deplete the soil from a certain type of ingredients and hence bing infertile because of using the same crop"

    "Tobat this problem you guys should institute the four crop rotation method which would always keep the soil fresh because of rotation of crops and bncing the nutrients taken from the soil each time . The sequence of four crops (wheat, turnips, barley, and clover), including a fodder crop and a grazing crop, will allow livestock to be bred year-round would be very beneficial for farming here . "

    "Plus you guys should make use of the fertilizers from Animal excretion, dead nts, leaves and forest soil which would re-energize the soil for nutrients . You see the things living being eat and excrete have nutrients which is useful for soil so you guys should use this method to improve the yields, anyways it would be better than nothing and just a few days worth ofbor . "

    John also exined to him in detail on how to makeposts, fertilizers and the pros of modern farming methods of earth and Sarah¡¯s world .

    Plus it is worth a try anyway . They won¡¯t lose anything apart from a few days worth ofbor .

    So he,ter on, he came to his main topic on why he came to visit him today .

    "However this time I came here because I wanted to buy and for making my house . It would be very helpful if it is a bignd like thest time when you gave me the warehouse for operating . Also if it is okay I wanted to buy the warehousend as well . "

    Sam thought about the proposal and then agreed to it as he thought that the vige was anyways in need of funds and it would be quite helpful with gold if the vige doesn¡¯t have a yield this year . By purchasing the food in gold from the market in other towns to make up the deficit . Baron Mendez anyways never developed the North-frontier for quite a few years, to be exact 10 years, as he just thought about this town as only a buffer town between the Wild forest and his main domain . He was even more willing to sell this vige to merchants but they would have protected thend themselves . It was always the vigers who footed the bill for protecting the town hook or crook . Jack¡¯s main poison also sold well because it helped in paralyzing big beasts at least . However even he was always short in supply and it cost quite a lot for his poison .

    People with money would never buynd over here as there was always a problem of safety from wild and magical beasts as soon as winter came and it was always better to invest in big towns and cities . because during the winter food was scarce in the forest and in desperation many times wild beasts woulde over to the vige in search of food which would always ce the vige in jeopardy . Plus the baron never sent his knights to protect the vige . So he never cared about thends sold in North-frontier town and he only cared about the taxes from the yield of crops .

    Both thends cost a total of 20 gold coins only . It seemed he was quite luxurious when he spent his money on the Soapmaking the machine .

    "So here is your Deed of both thends, all you need to do is give your signature here and pay the 20 gold coins needed . btw your newnd is north of Jay¡¯s house over here . Its only 10 minutes of walking distance . "

    basically, it was near the barbed fenced gates north of the vige, however, it can¡¯t be helped since most of thends were already upied thought John .

    @@novelbin@@

    After paying the gold he headed towards the Wood craftsmen Paul introduced by the vige chief .

    While he was going to meet Paul, Vige chief convened a meeting between the 10 important people in the vige at his house

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    After paying the gold he headed towards the Wood craftsmen Paul introduced by the vige chief .

    While he was going to meet Paul, Vige chief convened a meeting between the 10 important people in the vige at his house

    Arnold¡¯s father and Gordon¡¯s father were also there and 6 people in charge of farming also came .

    Most Importantly Grandma Mnie was also there, Sam wanted to have her serious opinion on what she thought about remedies provided by John¡¯s .

    Grandma Mnie usually wouldn¡¯t havee to this sort of meeting but since this time it was her disciple¡¯s opinion she thought she should go and see this matter anyway .

    After learning all the information which John had provided she was deep in thought and then remembered his remedies and improvisation he provided for various medicines and how it was right almost all the time, she gave her answer . Plus this was quite a unique and creative way of farming in her opinion . However, as she was never involved in farming but more on herbology potioneering and medicine making . But she also thought about how certain herbs needed certain environments like poison bloom flower which grew on poison marshes or Red burning flowers which grew near volcanoes and hence she agreed to john¡¯s theory . And thought vigers might as well practice this type of farming . They won¡¯t lose much anyway . If it worked it was anyway a good thing for her and the vige .

    "well, I agree to John¡¯s remedies after thinking myself a lot . Plus it would be very beneficial for us and our future generations if this remedy worked we would have anyway left the currently cultivatednd and gone to cultivate othernds so it could recuperate over the years"

    "Plus we can already use the fertilizers andpost which he mentioned earlier and see its results in a few days since the crops already look malnutritioned . " Grandma Mnie said this in a very serious tone .

    Sam was also quite persuaded by John already and hence he too agreed but didn¡¯t mention and waited for other¡¯s opinions .

    After listening to Grandma Mnie, people thought over and agreed that it would be useful for future generations if this method worked for them and hence there was a unanimous decision with everyone agreeing to the remedies .

    So everyone started making preparations and informed others of the n on using fertilizers from the next day and use four crop rotations method from next time around during the sowing period .

    During this whole time, John was unaware of what took ce at Sam¡¯s house as he was visiting the Carpenter Paul .

    After leaving Sam¡¯s house he soon came to Carpenter¡¯s shop . It was a big shop with Lumberjack nearby . The shop wasrge in area size and could assimte a lot of things .

    The Owner of the shop was called Paul . He was in his normal work clothes assimting with his co-workers . He had a slightly brownplexion and was muscr with a height of 6 feet . His age was around 30 years old . Paul had quite a Jolly personality .

    After waiting for a while at the shop he got to meet the owner Paul .

    John soonid out his ns on how he wanted to build his house to Paul .

    He gave him various blueprints of modern furniture and made him make those furnitures .

    After watching those furnitures, John was surprised that such beautiful furniture can be designed . After watching this he had an urge to take this guy as his new designer but the current business came first for him .

    After watching all the ns he understood it was a big project with building a two-floor house plus all the new furniture he just saw .

    "So how much would be the costs and how much time do you think it would take to finish this project," John asked Paul in an inquisitive tone .

    Paul thought for a while then called one of colleague Tony . He was his colleague who worked from his father¡¯s time . He was 50 years old . As he had a lot of experience Paul would call him on big or interesting new projects .

    After looking at all the details seriously . At first, he was surprised at watching the blueprints of the house and all furniture¡¯s but he still epted the work . He said to Paul and John .

    "I think it will take a lot of money but this can be done with our avable manpower in the vige . As for costs, I will take 200 gold for materials and 100 gold for manpower toplete it as early as possible . "

    it was a first of a kind of project for Paul and Tony in their life,

    As the area ofnd was quite big John thought that his house should be luxurious and hence added a pool in the backyard of the house with 150m to 50m . On the right and left side of the pool was a garden and Apple Orchard .

    @@novelbin@@

    The house was 2 floors big(ground, 1 and 2)

    It had a Mediterranean Revival architecture, there were multiple rooms on each floor . (to be exact 7 rooms and the main hall room on each floor . Other rooms surrounded the main room) .

    there were multiple beach chairs beside the pool for sunbathing and a ce for barbecue as well .

    This was the reason that both Paul and Tony were surprised as they had never seen anything like this ever in their whole life .

    They thought just maintaining this house would take a fortune . Before John left they asked him if they could use the blueprints of the furniture which he had shown .

    John thought and agreed to it as he thought if otherse to his house they would anyways try to emte it and helping the duo would anyway strengthen the goodwill between both the parties .

    After paying them the money he left for Jay¡¯s house . To thank Jay for all these days he thought he should take a gift for jay he thought of bringing food as he knew Jay wouldn¡¯t reject it plus jay loved food .

    He bought top quality meat and other vegetables enough for both of them from the local food market .

    As Jay was a hunter he even thought aboutpiling his personal hunting book to jayter on which could help jayter on .

    Then heter visited Grandma Mnie¡¯s Pharmacy .

    She was not at the pharmacy instead it was Eva who greeted him this time . She had just arrived back today in the morning from their hunt this time . She was wearing a Red top and White tight pants in the shop .

    this time he needed ingredients for other body refining techniques he bought from jay mainly the blood refining body technique and Bone Strengthening technique .

    "Sorry not all the ingredients are there this time here on pharmacy but if you want those other items you cane with us tomorrow for getting other ingredients" she was just teasing him at first as she thought she might as well triumph him atbat at least . She got quite depressed from the morning after hearing all feats which John had achieved from her Grandma and so she didn¡¯t test him when it came to herbology, potioneering, and pharmacy .

    This time he didn¡¯t get all the materials plus this time it was not the basic techniques but some high-quality techniques which sometimes required more resources for better effects of them .

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9

    This time he didn¡¯t get all the materials plus this time it was not the basic techniques but some high-quality techniques which sometimes required more resources for better effects of them .

    He still needed the body of Tiger magic beast, Purple snake blood, wild white elephant blood, and three-legged ck crow¡¯s blood .

    @@novelbin@@

    Of them, 3 legged ck crow was the most difficult to find .

    "Okay, I need to anyway get those ingredients and it¡¯s better to get it in a team . "

    John thought for a while and agreed to her offer as he thought that he would anyway need those ingredients and it would anyway be better for him if he was with a team rather than alone finding the items plus he might as well find those rare items mentioned in the book .

    Eva was quite surprised at this development as she didn¡¯t expect John would ept her proposal so easily after thinking for just a few seconds . She also thought he might be making a brave front so that he doesn¡¯t lose face . However, it couldn¡¯t be seen from his face that he was making a brave front .

    "Farewell . Someone is really going to Miss someone . But, it is not going to be me!" John smiling said to her before hurrying out of the pharmacy with his items .

    Too which Eva this time wasn¡¯t angry but irritated and slightly red on her face . Let¡¯s see how he deals with those monsters tomorrow at the forest .

    After John left,

    Grandma Mnie came back and saw that John was already leaving in a hurry, she went into the Pharmacy . She saw that Eva was quite irritated and jolly on her face this time so she understood(misunderstood) what happened .

    "It seems you had quite a good chat with my disciple . You usually wouldn¡¯t even nce those guys from imperial capital howe you are fine while talking with John" Grandma Mnie asked Eva in an all Knowing tone .

    "Its nothing like that . Grandma, you are just overthinking it . " Eva reacted in a fierce and irritated manner .

    "Okay, okay I understand"

    Grandma again nodded in an all-knowing tone and went back to herb .

    After returning home, Jay today proceeded to take a look at books which he could learn .

    This time he took out magic books which he hadn¡¯t touched practically all the time .

    He first started reading the main magic element books of Water, Fire, Wind, and Earth .

    Suddenly sounds of Notifications came from inside his head

    [Analyzing basic water magic . . . 1% . . . . . }

    [Analyzing basic Fire magic . . . 1% . . . . . }

    [Analyzing basic Wind magic . . . 1% . . . . . }

    [Analyzing basic Earth magic . . . 1% . . . . . }

    Then he did the same for other Time, Space, Dark, Ice, and Light books .

    after analyzing the books in two hours he tried to use the magic for the first time .

    [After Analyzing Host¡¯s body it is discovered that host has a very low-level Magic root and hence would be unable to upgrade his magical abilities

    However, it is also found that the host has aptitude in all the low-level magic . And has Supreme level aptitude in Spatial magic due to XL-380]

    From his own conjectures, he found that his body had mutated due to XL-380 after getting all the magic information . People in his world didn¡¯t have magic aptitude due to low magical environment and hence were unable to use even tiny spec of magic .

    This time he also opened the second gift which was left there for a long time

    [Ding . . . !Congrattions on obtaining papermaking skills . System hopes that the host doesn¡¯t reveal the paper or it might lead to other unexpected situations]

    John was now in a dilemma on whether he should Buy gun making or upgrade the system .

    Then he thought that the gun might be useful so he thought of buying it . He saw that the prices of Gun making had changed from 10,000 points to 11,000 points in front of his eyes .

    he angrily inquired again to Sarah why the points had changed when he received an answer .

    [It is to be noted that it was only a limited time period offer] a nd tone came from Sarah

    You certainly did that on purpose John thought in an irritated tone inside his head . Although he had 11,000 WDS points he didn¡¯t want to spend them after the prices .

    So this time he immediately chose to upgrade his level authority to level 2 before she could even change the prices .

    Then suddenly came the notifications

    [5 days remaining for upgradation . The host can choose to elerate . . . . . ]

    he cut her off before she could even finish hertest offer .

    Today he decided to make food for jay which he had bought and hence got busy with preparing the

    Roasted turkey, Lamb chops and Chicken Wings and a bowl of Vegetable soup .

    After 2 hours of preparation, he made them ording to Spices avable here and went back to preparing the things for tomorrow¡¯s hunt .

    After waiting for a while, Jay came home .

    Food was already there on the tables this time, He didn¡¯t decline as he understood that John meant goodwill to him by preparing the food . They conversed normally and how their day went and had their dinner .

    The next day he Prepared all his supplies and went to Grandma Mnie¡¯s house to meet Eva and her Team .

    F . N: He gained some points from trading with Paul before

    [1400 WDS points 16000 Exp points

    4480 gold coins]

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    He made necessary preparations for the time if that wild snake ambushed them if they were too focused on fighting the fox . It was Josephine who started out to attack the Fox while Eva would hurl fireballs at the Fox however it won¡¯t work much as it was FireFox so this time they thought it would take a fight of attrition to tire the fox out and then kill it .

    The fight started with Josephine bashing the fox with her shield and trying to hack it with her greatsword from the sides . Josephine seeded in Bashing the Fox but was not able to hack it with her sword because that fox was too fast and avoided the mortal strike . After making some distance from the group the Fox first attacked with a fireball to Josephine . Josephine defended herself with her shield and again rushed in to attack it . Eva¡¯s fireball didn¡¯t do any damage to it . John looking out for the snake first took out his bow and aimed at the fox, he then filled the Arrow with wind magic and shot it at Fox . The arrow Moved in a very fast manner and hit the Fox in its leg . It pierced the fox in the leg and it became quite easy for others to take it down . John didn¡¯t take any other action apart from that one move . Now he was only looking for the snake and when the snake would ambush them . As Josephine was about tond a killing blow on the Fox the Snake Finally made its move on her . This time John had already fired his arrow with fire magic and thenter a knife stuck on the Snake¡¯ throat before killing it . coincidentally it waster found out that the snake he killed before was actually the Purple snake which he needed . Ambushed by the snake Josephine and others were shocked however what shocked them, even more, was the reaction of John . His Actions were very fast and precise . After thisbat, Eva and her team had a renewed opinion of John and his archery skills . The things that shocked them the most was his ability to use multiple magic on the arrows and infuse it . Although magic was only a supportive element it had quite an effect when it came to overall battle . Josephine sessfully killed the FireFox and then they started collecting the necessary materials required from their bodies . John only collected blood and poison from the Purple Snake . He thenter helped them in harvesting the Skin and blood of the fox to the Team . Fire Fox¡¯s Skin sold for quite a lot in the cities .

    While they were Travelling they slew quite a lot of beasts and collected all the required materials . John wasn¡¯t quite interested in these items however he did try to take Herbs which he found useful on the Journey .

    It was evening and they found a ce for Camping . This time John sensed that a pack of animals were stalking them from quite a distance it seemed that they chased them via the smell of blood and their own unique smells .

    During this time a group of Snow wolves were tailing them . John made everyone aware of their current situation and told them to prepare for a big fight this time . During the whole journey Sally hadn¡¯t made a move but this time she moved and started preparing her wand and few talismans . Talismans were usually prepared by magicians before the battle so as to use for big magic so they don¡¯t have chant them or get distracted while focusing their mana .

    As the Group of Wolves neared them both Eva and John started attacking them before they coulde near them . Both used fire magic . She used the fireballs and firnces while John infused Fire magic inside his arrows and shot them . They already shot 10 of the wolves down while they still needed to kill 10 more . This time Sally moved and used her big magic after preparing for enough time and shot multiple Ice arrows on them . Although it was Ice element they were still vulnerable to Physical Damage . They got pierced by the ice arrows and hence became immobile . Meanwhile, the snow wolf king was still in the back watching from the sidelines . As the wolves approached them only 3 were left and Josephine took on 2 while John moved forward with his knife infused it with his Fire magic and then engaged the remaining wolf . He first dodged its attack then directly pierced the knife inside Snow wolf¡¯s eye as the most efficient means of engaging the wolf then heter pierced the wolf in its head and killed it . Meanwhile, Josephine and Eva were engaging the 2 wolves Sally was looking out for John if he would be in some Problem . Watching the moves of John, Sally was very surprising in the sense that he moved and acted like an experienced hunter and killed it cleanly .

    Thenter he moved to help both of them and they cleaned the remaining Snow wolves without a lot of effort . This time Snow Wolf King didn¡¯t attack and instead retreated inside the Forest . After making a camp they made their food, they decidedter to take turns in keeping watch over the camp .

    @@novelbin@@

    While they were sleeping John still had his senses on his surroundings, it may be because of his six senses body refining technique and super fast calctive brain that it became an instinct for him that he could sense malicious entities that were nearby in his range . The Night had gone without a hitch after the fight with snow wolves previously . Every one of them took turns to switch who will guard during the night for any incidents .

    The next morning they again set out to hunt the monsters that they needed .

    Today Eva, Josephine, and Sally took John¡¯s Combat seriously and decided their positions appropriately . Both Josephine and John were the Vanguard whenever they get intobat with Wild and Magical Beasts . Josephine was quite happy with the situation subconsciously and was in a very jolly mood .

    This day they hunted Tiger magic beast which was quite deep in the forest . It was quite a hassle to kill it as this tiger magic basic could use the light magic itself every time it got injured . It was John who dealt the main finishing blow by piercing both the head and heart via Multiple Fire Arrows .

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12

    This day they hunted Tiger magic beast which was quite deep in the forest . It was quite a hassle to kill it as this tiger magic basic could use the light magic itself every time it got injured . It was John who dealt the main finishing blow by piercing both the head and heart via Multiple Fire Arrows .

    As they traveled the forest they moved east and so they got near the East sea city . They first hunted the animals they needed but John still didn¡¯t get the Three-legged ck crow . What was unusual this time was that there were quite a lot of beasts in the forest this time around . This was noted by Josephine, Eva, and Sally . John didn¡¯t know about the flow of animals in the forest . He thought it might be the normal number of animals . There were quite a lot of dangerous beasts this time around when they entered the forest . Eva and her Team even thought that it was good that John was with them this time or there might be quite a few injuries this time around . Because of the long journey of 5 days, they decided that should just rest in East sea city while they were near it .

    East Sea city,

    They neared the City and got into the city after paying and showing their ID proofs . John got his ID proof of North-Frontier town by Sam .

    After entering the City,

    "H . . . aah I am so tired my body is aching . I seriously need a Bath and a ce to rest . " Eva said stretching after they entered the City .

    "Well, lets first Check in to the Inn andter we can check the Markets for any new things they might have this time around," Sally said in an easy going tone .

    So they headed towards the inn to first rest and Bath thenter check out the market and sell their catch and just keep the important stuff that they need for the vige . After checking they first rested and did their own things .

    John then came inside his room, took a bath and then decided to check the system .

    John checked his notifications bar where saw that he got a medium sized gift box and a ce where he saw that authority level had risen and brain activity increased .

    He then opened his gift box to look for the rewards .

    [Ding . . . ! Congrattions on getting the blueprints of Steam engine]

    Then he decided to buy 16 small gift boxes worth 16000 exp points from the system .

    He opened the first gift box,

    [Sorry this gift box didn¡¯t contain anything . try your luck next time around] came the voice of Sarah inside his head .

    For the next ten gift boxes, he got the same answer which irritated him a lot . he thought he should have rather exchanged the Exp points for WDS points previously .

    After everyone was ready they then headed to the Market . After heading to the market they first decided to sell their catch . John didn¡¯t take the money as head taken the other body parts of the animals he needed . While they were in the market Eva slightly furrowed her brows as she saw a person at some distance away from them .

    This person was none other than the second son of Baron Mendez . His name was Antonio Mendez . He was a normal aristocratic silk-pant who lived in the imperial capital from his childhood where he studied most of his knight knowledge and mingled in aristocratic circles from a young age to increase his political and business connections .

    Like any other aristocrat, he had his fair share of women who he dumped themter on because of interests and their status . Although Polygamy was normal in this world but aristocrats still minded that the people they married should either be a noble or at least their family owned a big business . It was all about interests when it came to aristocratic circles . Antonio was interested in Eva because of two things, one was her beauty and other was her family connections and her grandma who could even make potions which could increase the longevity of people . Eva knew about her situation since a young age and hence always hated the aristocratic circles . She only stayed in imperial capital toplete her Magic training and then live with her grandma in the countryside . She didn¡¯t like her main family as well as they always tried to use her as a chip to improve their family interests and hence she escaped from capital as soon as possible .

    Antonio approached the group and greeted Eva first,

    "My my miss Eva is as beautiful as ever, you are here again in East sea city in a matter of 10 days . I guess you are having good hunts nowadays . so what brings you here today?"

    "It is none your business of what I do and where I do, Hmpfh " Eva didn¡¯t give him any face because of his inquiry and fake smile . She knew what his intentions were anyways .

    To this Antonio didn¡¯t mind anything as he knew what her social standing was anyways and thenter he greeted the other team members to which Josephine only nodded with a fake smile while Sally ignored him .

    Atst, then heter came to John .

    He was quite surprised that there was a man in this team as he knew the temper of these women . Plus he also saw that this man had quite a good rtionship with Eva and her team from the way they conversed . To this, he was quite infuriated in a sense what did Eva saw in him and not him . However, he didn¡¯t show his thoughts outside and thought about how to make this man understand his position . Plus he also noted that this guy didn¡¯t even have a high-quality sword so his position might not be too good anyway . He was at least not a noble or high knight from the imperial city .

    So To retain a bit of superiority in front of these women he thought maybe he should embarrass this fragile good looking man in a duel where he can shame him fairly without anyone questioning him and make him show his position .

    "Friend from your attire you look like a swordsman . How about we have a duel in the city to exchange pointers? How do you feel?" Antonio asked John in a friendly manner so he doesn¡¯t find his malicious intentions .

    From the start, John watched everything from the sidelines and thought he should go along this y and epted the duel . From the start, he watched the ruthlessness in the eyes of Antonio so in this fight he decided that he won¡¯t show him mercy .

    @@novelbin@@

    The women didn¡¯t show any expression but Eva and Josephine were still worried that he might get injured as he had only shown his knife skills and not sword skills when they were hunting previously . As for Sally she was convinced that John won¡¯t lose after watching him fight for a few days . She knew how terrifying John¡¯s senses were unlike the other women, they thought his senses came from his instinct of fighting but Sally knew better as she saw him over the days .

    They then headed to the Duel grounds .

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13

    From the start, John watched everything from the sidelines and thought he should go along this y and so he epted the duel . From the start, he watched the ruthlessness in the eyes of Antonio so in this fight he decided that he won¡¯t show him mercy .

    The women didn¡¯t show any expression but Eva and Josephine were still worried that he might get injured as he had only disyed his knife skills and not sword skills when they were hunting previously . As for Sally she was convinced that John won¡¯t lose after watching him fight for a few days . She knew how terrifying John¡¯s senses were unlike the other women, they thought his senses came from his instinct of fighting but Sally knew better as she saw him over the days .

    Theyter headed to the Duel grounds .

    John wasn¡¯t nervous for the duel, On the other hand, it was Eva and Josephine who were nervous because they knew that Antonio was one of the powerful knights from the Imperial city . Although John was strong they didn¡¯t watch him fighting with a sword nor did they know his sword skills so they were quite worried about the duel .

    From Eva¡¯s point of view, as she knew Antonio quite well and understood how the nobles dealt with things, she was sure that he would try to at-least cripple him as he thought of him as nothing more than a meremoner . Worried that John might take it just as amon duel she approached him and told him in a worried tone "John, be careful of Antonio while you are dueling him because from what I know he is a well-renowned knight in the imperial city . And it just so happens even the third Prince Hector has taken note of him . In 2-5 years he might even be High Knight and be a part of his army as amanding officer leading at-least a Company of 200 soldiers at-least . You should at least try to protect yourself well and not underestimate him . "

    This time John was quite surprised and happy by Eva¡¯s worried tone but told her in a carefree manner "well I don¡¯t think there would be any problems in the duel . Just to make sure I don¡¯t get injured I will be extra careful and save my light magic to heal myself for an emergency . "

    Watching this unfold both Sally and Josephine were surprised by Eva while from Josephine¡¯s eyes John could see that she too was nervous but she couldn¡¯t express herself .

    John approached Duel grounds in a carefree manner so that the team doesn¡¯t get nervous .

    Antonio, his butler and his batch of bodyguards watched this unfold while they were preparing for the duel .

    Watching this Antonio was surer now that he must dispose of John or else he will snatch Josephine in front of his eyes .

    @@novelbin@@

    Duel arena was 50m by 50m enough for a duel between people whether they were knights or magicians . People on the sidelines watching the duel arena recognized that Antonio was going to duel someone .

    "Hey who is the new unlucky guy dueling Antonio this time around," Someone from the crowd said .

    "I heard it was Antonio who proposed the duel this time around from his guards and it seems that it was because that guy was in the team of Miss Eva . " Other guy said

    "No wonder Antonio challenged him to a duel . That guy might not know that Antonio had ced his sights on Miss Eva from a long time ago . I guess it¡¯s his misfortune this time around for meeting Antonio in the wrong ce . " Said the guy who just came here . People looked at John with pity .

    While all thismotion was going on, Joseph was in East sea town to supply his 2nd batch of soaps to his family merchant ship . While John was out in the forest . Joseph had again bought and ordered a new batch of Soaps from his Rose Soap factory .

    Watching themotion he too was interested in what was going on and heard that Antonio was going to duel someone so he thought maybe he should watch what was going on .

    Watching John on the stage he was quite surprised why someone like John would be challenged by Antonio . However, hearing from people why the duel was going on he understood what happened . he only hoped that John would at-least get unscathed as he knew that John at-least had the strength of a normal knight but he was still worried as he didn¡¯t if John had the necessary skills to fight Antonio .

    In the dueling arena was the man supervising the duel . He was a middle-aged man who worked for quite a few years already over here . This arena was anyways maintained by Mendez family .

    As both of them entered the arena . The supervisor vaguely didn¡¯t answer all the rules as Antonio asked him . He was making sure that if things go differently he would use a magic scroll just to be on the safe side . John also noticed the rules were vague but didn¡¯t mention about it because he felt it anyways suited him better with his magic .

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14

    The supervisor vaguely didn¡¯t answer all the rules as Antonio asked him . He was making sure that if things go differently he would use a magic scroll just to be on the safe side . John also noticed the rules were vague but didn¡¯t mention about it because he felt it anyways suited him better with his magic .

    It was only stated that it would be a knight¡¯s duel with their swords . Many people in the crowd understood what was going on between Antonio and the supervisor .

    As soon as the Duel started, John didn¡¯t move instantly but waited for his opponent to move so that he could gauge and understand his movements better just so he be careful and attack appropriatelyter on .

    Seeing that John wasn¡¯t moving he thought that his opponent might have got cold feet or he might be approaching this duel very cautiously . Having no choice he first charged towards John with his shield and sword with medium strength just to see how he reacts to his movements . To which John dodged his attack to right with minimal movements and attacked Antonio from his sides with his sword to which Antonio Instinctively reacted and held up his Shield to protect his rib-cage . After this attack, Antonio instantly understood that his opponent had very high reflexes . From his attack, he gauged that even with the armor he would have broken almost all of his bones from the rib-cage and he would have struggled to win the duelter on . After the first attack, Antonio decisively made the distance between him and John .

    Many in the crowd were astonished by this especially those who had discerning eyes and the same was true for Joseph as well who was watching from the sidelines .

    This time John made his move as soon as Antonio moved back . John intended to finish this duel as soon as possible . He was a guy who didn¡¯t like hassling around a lot . As Soon as he moved closer to Antonio he saw a ruthless glint in Antonio¡¯s eyes .

    @@novelbin@@

    He was skeptical but he still charged forward . Antonio then started using his full strength and met him head for the first sword sh between . As soon as the swords shed there came a thundering voice of Sparks between them and it was Antonio who moved back a few steps after this singlebat of strength .

    After this contest of strength Antonio well understood that John was quite a strong fighter and even stronger than himself so if he had to win against him then it would be in terms of technique, speed or the magic scroll . Speed-wise John was faster than himself .

    John didn¡¯t give him space for time and to adjust himself . John started using his improved version of Flower swordsmanship . As Antonio got cornered, in thisst moment he couldn¡¯t bear this humiliation of being in a passive position at this stage and hence he used his magic scroll of Earthnce and used full force to attack John . This attack was full of murderous intentions . Seeing that something was off after watching Antonio¡¯s actions, John moved toward the left and barely escaped from the earthnce, Then came the barrage of attacks from Antonio . Seeing that his attack of earthnce failed he was quite enraged . This time John showed no hesitation when he attacked him across his chest . His attack was filled with fire energy and as soon as it contacted Antonio¡¯s armor it still couldn¡¯t help him and his internal organs got injured . After the attack, Antonionded outside the Arena and fell unconscious . This attack wasn¡¯t enough to kill Antonio but it was still enough to cripple him for the next 2 months at least .

    All the people below the arena were stunned by this development and started thinking who was this guy who had such good skills .

    Watching this his guards and servants hurriedly went to Antonio and watched that he was only unconscious and had injuries on his chest .

    Even The butler of Antonio looked angrily at John and said to him after approaching him "Boy you have certainly offended Young master after ruthlessly injuring him . There was no need for such a ruthless attack . There will be consequences of these injuries . "

    The name of the butler was James . His family always served the Mendez family from a long time of his grandfather¡¯s era and hence the position . He was an old man in his fifties with gray hair and a normal build .

    Johnpletely ignored him and said "Weapons don¡¯t have eyes when it hits people, Old man . The same thing could have happened to me if I wasn¡¯t careful of that sneaky Earthnce at the end . "

    Be d that you are the son of a baron that you are still alive thought John in his mind for Antonio . This was the first time John saw the ruthlessness of the aristocrats first hand aftering to this world . He was very sure that if he wasn¡¯t careful he would have at-least been crippled .

    After the duel, Eva and Josephine made a sigh of relief as if a stone was lifted from their hearts

    Watching the debacle Joseph Morgan Approached the duo and asked John "John, I didn¡¯t expect you to be here dueling with Young Master Antonio"

    "Your skills in the arena surprised me quite a lot . Your swordsmanship was quite unique with some simrities to Flower swordsmanship Technique . "

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15

    Watching the debacle Joseph Morgan Approached the duo and asked John "John, I didn¡¯t expect you to be here dueling with Young Master Antonio"

    "Your skills in the arena surprised me quite a lot . Your swordsmanship was quite unique with some simrities to Flower swordsmanship Technique . "

    Butler didn¡¯t expect that John would have Joseph of the Morgan family as his acquaintance . Before John could even reply Butler first asked Joseph .

    "I didn¡¯t think Mr . Joseph knew this guy . "

    "Well, we had some business earlier so we got to know each other . It was Jack who introduced me to him" Joseph deliberately mentioned Jack as he understood the situation John was in right now after the duel . However, he was very sure that Antonio and his men wouldn¡¯ty their hands on John directly now that they knew that he was one of his acquaintances .

    Butler then turned to Eva and said to her in a displeased tone, "We will now take our leave now that the duel is over . " He then turned to the guards and then left with the unconscious Antonio from the arena .

    After the Duel Eva and Josephine then met Joseph who was John¡¯s acquaintance . After making their greetings they got to know about each other .

    Joseph had juste here after taking back the second shipment of Soaps from John¡¯s factory to the port and making another order of 10,000 soaps to Gordon . While he was in the market he saw that there wasmotion so he came here to look at it and saw that it was John having a duel with Young Master Antonio .

    Joseph actually warned John and her team that they should quickly escape the North-frontier town as it would be problematic in 6 months when the winteres because this time the situation was quite different from earlier years . This year the wild animals were more than 10 times then it was earlier .

    "From the information I received, it seems that Baron Mendez has decided topletely abandon the North-frontier town and wait for the situation to settle after winter . Although the situation right now is not so serious but after winter when food bes scarce then it would be a different scenario . " Joseph said to them

    Hearing this they were shocked at the development . They only thought the activity of the animals had only increased recently but didn¡¯t think that it was such a situation .

    After thinking for a while John asked Joseph "Joseph will it be possible to buy the north-frontier town from baron Mendez if I pay the necessary price to him? You see I feel at home over here at North-frontier town and I hope that I can at least do something for the town . "

    Joseph then replied to him after some thought "Well its quite easy if you want to buy the North-frontier town from the Baron but after that debacle with Antonio, I think it would difficult to buy it from him at small money though . but I can still help you in negotiations as a mediator from my family connections . "

    "You see North-frontier town¡¯s yield at most is 1000 gold worth at most in a normal working year for the Baron . Pluster there are maintenance costs of roads which amount to 400 gold if done . That is the only cost that the baron mostly pays"

    "usually he would mostly always try to sell his domain to most merchants at 6000 to 10000 gold coins but merchants aren¡¯t really interested because we don¡¯t see value in thisnd . I think it can be negotiable between 8000 to 12000 gold if we try it . What do you think?"

    John directly agreed to Joseph and thenter asked him for raw materials of Steam engine, Guns and Guns powers . He agreed to bring in these materials next time came to North-frontier town for his next batch of Soaps for a price of 8000 gold .

    @@novelbin@@

    After saying their goodbye¡¯s .

    "It seems John you know a lot of skills apart from archery and knife skills or your knowledge capability," Sally asked John after a long time in smiling way yet teasing as well .

    Eva and Josephine were quite skeptical but thought it might be his natural talent that makes him better at learning things .

    "I just a know a little bit of everything," John said to sally with a poker face as he didn¡¯t want to get caught in something which he cant exin . Sally didn¡¯t bother him much as she knew everyone has their own secrets and asked the team to go towards the market as they still haven¡¯t finished the shopping . While Eva and Josephine were in a hurry as they wanted to prepare for the vige before winter came . They were quite worried about the vige after getting Joseph¡¯s information .

    As John also needed a Three-legged Crow¡¯s blood he soon got in the search of the blood while he joined them to the market .

    After searching for a while He got into a shop . It was a big shop with 2 storeys which almost had everything .

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16

    "I just a know a little bit of everything," John said to Sally with a poker face as he didn¡¯t want to get caught in something which he can¡¯t exin . Sally didn¡¯t bother him much as she knew everyone has their own secrets and asked the team to go towards the market as they still haven¡¯t finished the shopping . While Eva and Josephine were in a hurry as they wanted to prepare for the vige before winter came . They were quite worried about the vige after getting Joseph¡¯s information .

    As John also needed Three legged Crow¡¯s blood he soon got in the search of the blood while he joined them to the market .

    After searching for a while he saw a shop from afar and got into a shop . It was a big shop with 2 storeys which almost had everything . After a while, John found out that it was the biggest shop in East sea city . It dealt with various things from buying parts of wild and magical beasts to selling potions, herbs, and medicine . They also dealt with various materials which were required at home .

    @@novelbin@@

    In the Shop was an Old man with a big goatee . This man seemed quite aged and from the looks of it, he was at least 60 years old . After getting into the shop he first looked around for the various things sold in the shop . He saw that there was a ce where there were various animal ingredients . After finding out that there was no three-legged crow blood on the shelves he decided to ask the old man if there was some in case he missed somewhere else .

    Old Man was watching John for a long time and he also noticed that John seemed to be looking for some blood of an animal which he couldn¡¯t find plus John seemed like a well-bnced fighter to him so he thought maybe he needs something rare . John approached the Old Man and asked him "Hello, I am John, I just recently came to the town and saw that this was the biggest shop So I hope that you can help me find a Three-legged crow¡¯s blood . If there¡¯s isn¡¯t any do you know where I can get some in this town?"

    "Three-legged Crow¡¯s blood? hmm" Said the old man thinking .

    "I have some blood of it but I don¡¯t if it will be enough for you . Plus its quite costly because Three-Legged Crow¡¯s are very rare and hard to find in these parts as they are mostly found in north-western forests . Anyways there is still 2 bottles of Three-legged crows blood inside the basement plus it is years old . So I don¡¯t know if it will suffice with your requirements . However, it will cost you 10 gold coins for purchasing one bottle of that blood . " the Old man said after thinking for a while .

    John first decided to check the blood to ensure that it was workable and then buy it if was good enough .

    "Sure, I don¡¯t have any problems regarding the price . Can you bring the blood bottles?" John replied .

    The old man then brought out both the bottles of Crow blood and handed it to John so that he can check it .

    After checking the Blood and making sure that it was usable . He decided to buy it and left the Shop to join the team and meet up with Eva and others .

    Meanwhile, at Antonio¡¯s residence in East sea city, He wasying down in the bed with a doctor on his side and his butler preparing the necessary medicine and food and holding various necessary documents .

    After eating his food and medicine Antonio first asked the doctor about his injuries in an irritated tone, "How are my injuries and how much time would it take to recover from them?"

    "Young Master, the injuries are deep but aren¡¯t serious for any long term damage to the body . It will take 2 months of bed-rest and if taken some precious medicine are used then it will be healed in a month at most . " the doctor said cautiously to Antonio .

    After nodding to doctor Antonio then turned to his butler James and asked: "So what have you found about that guy from Eva¡¯s team . "

    After taking the document and giving it to Antonio, James then summarized the whole situation to him "Young Master, from the information I collected he is someone who recently came to a north-frontier town . As far as connections are concerned he knows Jack Snake from the Snake family and Joseph Morgan from the Morgan family . ording to some people working under Joseph, it seems that he is doing business with John in new soaps from John¡¯s factory . He also explicitly said that Morgan family is going to protect them as they value this business rtionship with John . And it seems that John also has a good rtionship with Jack . So I think it will be hard to make a move on him directly but we can still move him indirectly . But there is one problem"

    Antonio asked the Butler after frowning his eyebrows "What¡¯s the problem"

    Butler then said with some fear and ryed the information "That guy is a disciple of that old hag Mnie and it seems that she will protect him if pushes to shove . "

    "What other methods can be used to move him . " Asked Antonio in a frustrated tone .

    "We can move against his Soap factory or we can at-least bribe someone from the factory to acquire his soap making methods," Told James .

    James then told in heavy expression to Antonio "But this time we don¡¯t need to worry so much . As you know about the situation of the beasts roaming in the north this time is quite dangerous . Your Father Lord Mendez anyways isn¡¯t ready to pour resources to protect North-frontier town this time so we can move against him at that time as well by sending some assassins . "

    "OK, we will move when the winteres but we would have to be prepared this time so that there aren¡¯t any problems . Also when we do the assassination it is better if we spend more on better assassins . " Antonio said to the butler .

    "Lord I have a suggestion, Why don¡¯t we try to use some help from the third prince for better assassins than regr ones . Plus we have plenty of time before we prepare against him in winter" Suggested the butler to Antonio .

    After thinking for a while he agreed to his idea and started thinking about his preparations .

    After a While,

    John then met Eva and the team in the market . This time they were in the market looking for new clothes and other necessary things . The most surprising thing was that shirts with buttons already starteding . It seemed that Jack already started poprizing the newfortable clothes for both men and women . However, the buttons were made up of iron and hard ck stone rather than stic .

    "John it seems that those unique clothes of yours have be popr in the northern market," Eva said to jack teasingly and it seems that even the men¡¯s underpants have be famous over here .

    It may be because Jack watched his underpants when he gave him new clothes to change thest time .

    John meanwhile thought "He made quite a profit this time just by the designs this time . Maybe I should sell him more designs and do a business partnership . Just watching from the stalls selling clothes here it is very likely that he was a bigwork when ites to the northern market . "

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19

    After their Goodbye''s John set out to meet Jay and take some rest at home .

    "So how was your Journey in the forest this time around?" Jay asked John after meeting him at home .

    "Well this time I had quite a hunt plus i didn''t have many problems since i travelled with Eva and her team . But there was some hassle with Baron''s Son when i was in East sea city . "

    "It was somehow rted to Eva andter he challenged me to a duel because of it . " John said to Jay in a sighing tone .

    Hearing this Jay was quite surprised as he understood how those guys from noble families usually behaved . But the most surprising thing for him was John''sbat prowess . However he was d that John was safe and there weren''t any problems .

    Johnter made dinner for both of them as he didn''t like the nd food here . As he had a lot of money he had bought a lot of spices from East sea city for his cuisine needs .

    Jay didn''t decline as he had already gotten hooked to John''s cuisine . He even thought if he could he would keep John in his house just for his cooking skills .

    Next day he visited Paul to see how was the work on his Mansion going on . And it seemed that paying extra forbor was worth it as they had almost nearedpletion for building the mansion .

    Johnter gave him another order of making 2 factories for Guns and Paper on the site of Rose soap factory . It was made ording to modern architecture . Paul was quite happy these days for getting multiple orders from his rich man .

    Three days passed normally, these days his normal routine was to visit grandma Mnie andter he would train by himself .

    However these days it was Josephine who dropped by so that she could learn the Swordsmanship technique from John .

    He had also improved her own swordsmanship techniques with the help of Sarah .

    After three days his Mansion wasplete and he had decided to visit it today . Today Josephine was apanying him as he had decided to visit his mansion after they hadpleted the training .

    During these days Josephine was quite active when it came to John, it seemed that she was quite stirred after watching Eva and John during their journey .

    After visiting the mansion he first paid a visit to Sam so that he could have people to take care of his mansion .

    @@novelbin@@

    Paul and his men had already started building the 2 factories . As it was not a big job like the mansion it was guessed that it will be finished quite early .

    After arranging all the things regarding maids and servants he had decided to throw a banquet for building his new mansion .

    Josephine was quite shocked after watching the Mansion for the first time . Though she had seen a lot of mansion she had never seen such a mansion in her lifetime with such furniture and architecture .

    She decided to ask John "John who made your mansion this time around?" She was sure that John hired some architect from imperial city or someone who came from a foreign country .

    "Well it was Paul from our town who made it . I designed the Mansion and furniture''s, he made sure to make it ording to my adjustments . " John replied to her in a teasingly haughty tone .

    Josephine was surprised at first but it seemed that she gotten used to it,

    She then told him skeptically with serious eyes "Tell me honestly, do you know any profession which you don''t know? You even improved my sword techniques . "

    This time John didn''t meet her eyes and said to her with a poker face while changing the topic at the same time "Well i have thing of learning things faster so it isn''t that i know everything and i was just lucky when i improved your techniques BTW why don''t we go inside the mansion and take a look around and greet the servants . "

    Josephine still looked at him skeptically but at the mention of mansion she decided to have a look for now .

    Next day the servants in the Mansion were preparing for the banquetter on . John had decided to go his factory because Joseph was going toe with his materials today .

    After reaching at the factory, Joseph was already waiting there for him in the factory, soon they got busy with important talk .

    "Well the raw the materials which you had asked were transported by the carriages . But i got message from my father that the family had contacted the baron about the acquisition of North-frontier town and it seemed that the baron was not happy with you but dad said that it was mostly likely him acting to get more money from you so you would have to be prepared to cough up quite a lot if you want to acquire the town . " Joseph said to John .

    "Well i expected something along the lines after my confrontation with Antonio . Maybe the baron was quite happy with his son getting pummeled so that he extort more money and conditions from me . " John said to him after thinking for a while .

    "Well it will take some time anyways so are youing with me this time in south since you wantedbor for your factory?" Joseph said to John .

    "I guess i will join you this time since i would need people urgently anyway . " John agreed to his proposition .

    "BTW i would need a continuous supply of metals, can you provide it on a long term basis?" John then asked him .

    "Well that wont be a problem . We deal in a lot of things so don''t worry about it . "

    Joseph then prepared to load the soaps and got into preparations of sending it to East sea city via his men . Joseph had decided to attend the banquet 2 dayster and head to South with himter on .

    John got busy into making preparations for the Gun and Paper making factory . This time as well he had decided to take the help of Ron and George from the town so it would save him time .

    And just like that the rest of day passed . This time he was packing his stuff from Jay home''s and said goodbye''s to him as he was going to move into his own mansion .

    "I will certainly miss your cooking while you are not here" Jay said to him sighing .

    "Well you can alwayse by the Mansion if you miss my food so much"ughing John said to him .

    After moving to the Mansion he first headed to Grandma Mnie''s Pharmacy as he had promised her earlier . These days John already learnt middle grade pharmacy from all the books he had read .

    These days Eva and her team hadn''t gone out to the forest after hearing the news and were busy preparing for winter so that there were least casualties .

    Today John met Eva when was reading the books . It seemed that she had gotten know about John training Josephine when he was training as well which irritated her quite a bit . So today she decided to ask his help inbat as well as magic .

    "Its a good thing that he knows magic as well maybe he can help me improve mybat style" thought Eva as she approached John .

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20

    These days Eva and her team didn¡¯t go out to the forest after hearing the news and were busy preparing for winter so that there were least casualties .

    Today John met Eva when he was reading the books . It seemed that she had gotten to know about John training Josephine when he was training as well which irritated her quite a bit . So today she decided to ask his help inbat as well as magic .

    "It¡¯s a good thing that he knows magic as well maybe he can help me improve mybat style," thought Eva as she approached John .

    "John I heard that you were helping Josephine in closebat and sword techniques nowadays . And you have even improved her Sword techniques . So I thought maybe you can improve my closebat and magic as well . Do you think you can help me in mybat techniques as well?" Eva asked John .

    @@novelbin@@

    "Okay, that won¡¯t be a problem . You cane at the same time Josephinees in the afternoon as that would save time . Meanwhile, we can start today or day after tomorrow only because as you might know, I am having a banquet for my new mansion and sess for the Rose Soap factory tomorrow . " John agreed to this proposition without thinking .

    But Eva still furrowed her brows but thought against expressing it and agreed to the arrangements made .

    From Today onwards John was allowed to read High-grade pharmacy books from Grandma Mnie . No one was surprised by this development as everyone thought it was only natural when it came to John . Even Eva thought it was natural after watching numerous of John¡¯s miracles whether it came tobat or his learning capability .

    Meanwhile, Grandma Mnie was busy experimenting with John¡¯s theory on farming and implementing on her backyard herb garden . From this, she got quite a few results when it came to the quality of herbs or medicinal flowers . Hence in happiness, she had also allowed John to ess her personal books as well as high-grade medicinal books . She was happy but also in a dilemma that John would learn everything she had to teach in a very short time about pharmacy and magic medicer on . She anyways thought that if he learned everything then maybe he can help her in high-grade medicer on where it took her a lot of time which would be helpful in the long run .

    After his time at the pharmacy today he decided to invite people in the vige for the banquet in his mansion which included all the important figures .

    2 days before he had already given all the important recipes of food which he liked to the maids in the mansion and they had already begun doing preparations for it . He was still looking for a butler but there wasn¡¯t anyone suitable so he thought he could pick one from the debt ves when he traveled with Joseph towards the south .

    Today he also got a report from Gordon and Arnold that someone was looking for them and tried to bribe them for learning the workings of the operations of the factory from them . It seemed they were knights of Antonio who brazenly tried to do it . John had expected such a sort of oue from the day he had started his factory .

    "It seems it was good that I increased the wages of all men in the factory after my first deal which has increased the loyalty of men or the situation could have been different" John thought after Gordon¡¯s report . He also told him to keep an eye on people who seemed suspicious around their factory . The first thing he did after this incident was to tell everyone in the factory that they must look out for suspicious characters around the factory which gave a sense of trust to the men working in the factory .

    Before leaving he invited everyone in the banquet the next day and gave Gordon and Arnold money for the necessary operations of the factory .

    He also made sure to make them learn modern ounting methods so that money couldn¡¯t be embezzled . Though he wasn¡¯t worried about the money but he still wanted to implement the modern ounting methods as it would help himter on when his businesses be too big .

    After inviting everyone he headed to his mansion for his trainingter on but today both Josephine and Eva were in the Mansion while it seemed that both of them didn¡¯t say anything to each other . Though both of them still had a great rtionship as they had known each other for a long time . Both of them still had sparks in their eyes when it came to today¡¯s training . It seemed as if both of them instinctively regarded each other as enemies .

    Servants in the Mansion were tending to both of them in the garden . As they knew that Josephine came to train every day while Eva was Grandma Mnie¡¯s Great granddaughter while John was her student . They all tacitly thought that there was something going on between both of them and there would be a show today but contrary to their expectations nothing happened . It seemed that even Eva joined Josephine for her ownbat training purposes so there weren¡¯t any problems .

    John then arrived and the day¡¯s training also started . John made simtions based on his spar with both of them and gave them advice based on his conjectures on how to best utilize their techniques .

    Today he also taught Eva tobine two magics . Eva was fire and wind magician but when it came to wind magic it had a veryrge difference whenpared to fire magic .

    Plus using 2 magic simultaneously wasn¡¯t an easy feat . So she rarely used wind magic so that she could save her mana in battles . Only today John got to know that she was a Fire and Wind magician .

    He also taught her Fire bullet magic and Wind bullet magic which he had created on his own after learning magic . He made this magic because this magic was very efficient and it had a low consumption of mana . Eva also realized how it was convenient using this magic . Fire bullet magic could also be strengthened by wind magic which was a plus for her . She had never seen people in the Imperial magic academy trying and creating new magic and if there were then it was the old coots who were inside theirbs all day and they would certainly not teach their new magic to anyone but only show them to everyone just to raise their prestige .

    John taught her this new magic as if it was nothing to him . Now she felt quite grateful that she had asked him to improve herbat and magic .

    As for Josephine he only focused on her closebat as her new sword technique can only be improved with practice as he had already taught her all the important points about her own sword technique and Flower sword technique as well .

    As they were training, 3 hours passed and their training ended for the day . Both Josephine and Eva left the Mansion . Today both of them were quiet but there weren¡¯t any ill feelings .

    Meanwhile, John was teaching the servants on the new recipes from Earth and Sarah¡¯s world and doing the finishing touches for the banquet .

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22

    So it seems that everyone was going south with Joseph and John this time around . They were going via the sea because there was a whole fleet of Morgan family going south to conduct their trade and it would be much safer going with a group . Plus it would anyways save time and reduce tolls going via the sea . The only problem was the Noble funded pirates but it was safer with a fleet this time around . Hence all of them got busy in their preparations for their journey the next day . This time Grandma Mnie didn¡¯t nag as she hoped Eva and John got closer while John was also learning at an rmingly fast speed so she wanted a breather in teaching him as she thought John would learn everything in no time . As there was no time everyone was in a hurry to make preparations for the journey . Sally as always joined them as she didn¡¯t want to be left behind while Josephine had no qualms about this issue . This made Sally very sure that there was something going on as both Josephine and Eva seemed proactive nowadays but she couldn¡¯t figure it out but knew that it was rted to John somehow . However, she was more interested in food served in John¡¯s mansion this time around so she didn¡¯t bother much about other things and hence started doing the preparations for the journey .

    Next day Jay, Eva, and her team and everyone else left for the east seaport . John also took most of his money with him since he was going to make big deals this time around .

    They left with Joseph as he had prepared carriages for travel this time around . They reached East sea city in a day after they traveled from North-frontier City . John had automatically be the chef for the group this time around .

    After they reached the port they saw various fleets of various nobles this time around . However only Morgan family recently traveled with a big fleet here in North because of their Soap business with John .

    This time the Fleet was led by Captain Eric who served in Morgan family for a long time . It was so that He could protect both the trade fleet and Joseph .

    Captain Eric was a tall middle-aged man with sharp features, fairplexion, and brown hair . He had a slight tan probably because of all the sailing he did at the seas . He looked like any other Navy men from medieval times however he had jolly nature unlike most strict men from the army or navy . This was because he believed in having fun and not be serious all the time . So he was like a handsome navy man with a jolly nature . The woman had a good impression of Eric after meeting him .

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    The fleet was with 5 ships with 1 main big ship and 4 medium sized ships . The fleet was equipped with a Morgan family g . Soaps were loaded in the Main ship while other materials for trade were loaded in other remaining ships . The fleet had a total of 110 men with 30 men in the Main ship and 20 in other ships . These men were sailors and hunters as they perfectly fitted the criteria for Navy battles . Knights weren¡¯t preferred in the Sea where mobility was important as they would be considered more of a burden .

    The fleet also had 2 magicians as support for healing men at times of danger .

    Captain Eric was drinking and having fun with his fellow men on the ship as they had nothing to do and all the preparations were already made and they were only waiting for Joseph to return for the past two days . Joseph quite liked Eric because of his jolly personality unlike the strict men from his family who only preferred interests above anything else .

    After getting informed by the guard that Joseph had arrived with everyone else . Eric stopped the chattering and started givingmands to his men to prepare for the journey . He then arrived to invite Joseph into the ship .

    "Joseph you have arrived atst . I was pretty bored for these two days waiting for you . Well, we are anyway prepared for departure so would you like to rest first or should we depart immediately?"

    "So what do you think?" Joseph asked John and others for their opinion .

    "Well, I think it¡¯s better to depart early now that sun and seas are clear" John and Jay said their opinion .

    "We don¡¯t have any problem with an early departure . I guess its better if we leave now, What do you think captain?" Eva said to Joseph and asked Eric¡¯s opinion .

    "Well its certainly true that now is a good time to leave," Eric said his opinion to everyone .

    "Since everyone is in agreement . I shouldn¡¯t be a party-pooper and ruin everyone¡¯s fun . Eric, we will depart after all the preparations are made . Ready the men and load the ship . " Joseph gave his order to Eric .

    Josephter introduced everyone to Eric after the Fleet set sail . During these days on the ship Eric was caught trying to steal clothes of women but they didn¡¯t think anything of it and it was onlyter known from Joseph that Eric was a pervert . Joseph sighed as he said the harsh truth regretfully . However, this didn¡¯t change the fact that Eric was Joseph¡¯s most trusted man .

    After watching all the shenanigans of Eric, the looks of all the women changed from a good handsome man to a pervert with looks of scorn burning from their eyes .

    The sailors on the ship were allughing as they had long known how women¡¯s views would change after staying together for a few days because they had seen this scene quite a few times already .

    "People don¡¯t understand me" Eric sighed as he left . Before he left he red at Joseph, it seemed his eyes said the words ¡¯Traitor¡¯ to him .

    People became used to the atmosphere on the ship . John also taught the Chef of the ship some of his recipes as he was plenty tired these days from all the cooking . During these 3 days of travel, they experienced attacks from pirates only once however after watching the big fleet the pirates only tried to probe and left after they watched the firepower of John¡¯s team from the main ship . They thought the Fleet was well armed this time around and they would most probably lose if they didn¡¯t have enough firepower to overpower and upy the ships .

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23

    "It seems that they came to probe this time around after hearing the profits we made after 2 trips," Joseph said to Eric in a serious tone .

    "Well, it was expected anyway . maybe one of your siblings or cousins informed them of the source of soaps this time . I guess most of your brothers and sisters couldn¡¯t wait to get their hands on the soaps you brought this time . " Eric replied to Joseph .

    "Well, that¡¯s true as well . Plus my standing has increased this time after I made this deal with John . But I already have Dad¡¯s backing for this business rtionship . For him, Morgan family interests alwayse first so we don¡¯t have to worry for some time . " Joseph said to Eric .

    "But what about your uncles? I don¡¯t think they would be happy watching your business grow day by day" Eric asked Joseph .

    "We don¡¯t have to worry for now since dad is backing us but we would have to be careful of their conspiracies and then there are nobles backing them as well, hmm . . . " Joseph said .

    "Well, this problem would have arrived eventually . Plus this deal was too good to be thrown, you should know that aristocrats don¡¯t mind spending on luxury and you should already know the potential market for these soaps, whether in the country or outside the country . The Elf and Demonic domain have already shown a good response and so has the nobles from imperial capital . We should take things as theye . Plus dad has already negotiated with Marquis Ray . " Joseph continued .

    "Since your father has already negotiated with Marquis Ray then a lot of our outside problems are solved then that only leaves us with internal problems of your brothers and cousins . I guess your father hopes you solve them on your own to prove your worth in the family . " Eric replied .

    "Well for now just nt more spies on my siblings and cousins end and try to bribe their men so that we can get important Intel at the times they are conspiring . I think that will do for now . I just worry about my uncles helping them behind the scenes . " Joseph said to Eric .

    "Since you betrayed mest time around I would need the Red Feather Bow you boughtst time from the auction for this job aspensation," Eric saidughingly to Joseph to lighten up the mood .

    "Well that won¡¯t be a problem, But I would still not help you peeping at women you know . " Joseph smiled and replied to Eric and continued to their usual conversation .

    During these days on the ship, John was quite aware of the change in the feelings of Eva and Josephine but he deliberately acted dense as he was quite scared by his previous rtionship on Earth additionally it seemed that his increased brain abilities had toned down his emotions a bit . But on some asions, he would show his emotions, like the time when Antonio was aiming for his life or his time with grandma Mnie as he felt quite affectionate from her care as he was an orphan on earth and yearned for such affection .

    Meanwhile, Sally also joined them in training as she didn¡¯t want to get left out . It was also during this time that she understood what was going on between them . She deliberately teased both of them in front of John which forced John to act dense on these asions .

    For which John improved her closebat effectiveness . As John didn¡¯t have much knowledge about her magic he couldn¡¯t offer her any pointers on them .

    Normally John would be carefree but he would always keep his guard up when he was in the presence of Sally . Her instincts were quite good when it came to judging characters which he had already seen on previous asions .

    During these days John understood that pirates usually didn¡¯t attack the Morgan family fleet after watching their g and the one that attacked them was only probing them for future endeavors . From this, he understood that family connections and strength was very important when traveling via sea as Nobles didn¡¯t like merchants bypassing through the sea to conduct trade and save their taxes . So many times they resorted to robbery to give a lesson to those who harmed their interests and for a quick buck as well . Even the Imperial family kept their eyes closed when it came to pirates in the sea as they knew it was the Nobles doing it .

    While Joseph and Eric were conversing in the cabin, John joined them for a drink and saw a little bit heavy mood between them . He understood maybe it was rted with pirates because from one of the sailors earlier he got to knew about how big fleets weren¡¯t usually attacked unless there was prior nning and they were mostly done by Aristocrats .

    So at first John thought that maybe it was rted to aristocrats .

    So Josephter told him about his family politics and how they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about other nobles for now as Marquis Ray supported them . Only Dukes could most probably attack them but even Marquis Ray had a Duke to support him so it wasn¡¯t that easy for other Dukes as well .

    @@novelbin@@

    However, there was still a jolly mood as they didn¡¯t let these things bother them too much and they had their drinkster on .

    After 4 days of travel, beyond the Horizon they saw a big port Town unlike the one at East Sea city, it was currently sunny and they didn¡¯t have any problems at the sea from the weather this time around . The city¡¯s name was Pearl as its very foundation was based on pearls harvested from the seashore long ago by Marquis Ray¡¯s ancestors .

    It was a very big city and the port was flourishing with lots of Mercantile boats as well as fishing boats with Coastal guards patrolling the nearby area .

    After watching the Morgan family g they were immediately allowed tond on port and unload their goods at the hangar and warehouse .

    After arriving the first thing Joseph ordered was to report to his family about his arrival via his men and let the other men have rest at the nearby bars .

    Eva and others first looked around the market while Joseph was following them waiting for his butler and men to arrive with carriages .

    While going to the market Joseph introduced them the various specialties of Pearl City . The Pearl and precious stone market was monopolized by Marquis Ray while metals were in abundant and hence various families were given rights over their mining and export .

    This city was 7 times bigger than the East sea city and this showed how much developed Pearl city was .

    After going through the market they returned to the bar where everyone was resting . Later an old man who looked to be in his 70¡¯s came with Eric and greeted him . It seemed that they were already waiting for their arrival . The old man wasn¡¯t very tall but was filled with energy when he greeted all of them . This old man¡¯s name was Phillip and was Joseph¡¯s butler since he was young . He is used to handling all the business affairs of Joseph and counsels him regarding certain situations . After the greetings, all of them headed towards the guest house Phillip had prepared for them . After which they headed towards the west of the city in the carriages prepared .

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25

    20 archers/hunters and some educated individuals for handling his mansion and business smoothly .

    John was really surprised that ves only cost 5 gold coins since his soaps cost 3 gold coins . Josephter exined that it was only his Rose soaps that costed 3 gold coins and above since they had a better quality and there was nopetition in the market and there was this thing about nobles who didn¡¯t think when they spent on their luxuries other factors which resulted in ves being low cost was because of a very high poption in the continent . John thought for a while and understood, so came to the conclusion that maybe it was because of his previous value of humans from earth which muddled his head here at Arkon .

    From John¡¯s conversation and demand of ves, Tom got to know that he had gotten a big fish this time around to sell his ves additionally it costed money to maintain ves so it was good for him . It was only the knights, warriors and magicians which were useful since they always got sold early .

    While looking at the debt ves he looked at the bunch of people who were fragile but seemed quite knowledgeable from their behavior and clothes . After inquiring Tom he got to know that they were from a well-known family who got their family fleet hijacked and looted by pirates after they offended a noble¡¯s son . Additionally, they were in debt when they were doing thest venture so that was how their family became ves because of losing theirst business .

    It was a family of 5, with a Middle aged man and woman, there were 3 kids with the oldest being 16 and the youngest being 10 and the second one being 13 . All of them knew how to read and write and it seemed that it was the 16-year-old boy who had offended the son of noble . From his eyes all John could see was his determination .

    The only problem with buying them was they would offend the noble if they bought them . However, this could be solved if people didn¡¯t know plus someone would anyway have to buy them . They costed a total of 40 gold coins since they were educated and it was rare formon men to get educated during this era . Mostly Nobles or Rich merchants used to get education privately .

    Then he proceeded on to buy dwarves as they would be helpful in building machinester on . There were no experienced dwarves as they were mostly bought early on by nobles and merchants . But there were still apprentices . These Dwarves were brought by Big Mercenary Guilds . The ve trade just facilitated these mercenary guilds to earn more . Many times they were used by the Nobles to do their bidding in the dark . But Mercenary guilds were a powerful organization but as there were conflicts of interests, they weren¡¯t united . Many Mercenary guilds were just a cover for Nobles .

    There was a Middle-aged dwarf in lying over the corner . The thing about this dwarf was that he was the most violent of the ves they acquired . Tom only knew that he was violent towards everyone, whether dwarf or not . So many people didn¡¯t buy him because he would be hard to handle and it would be less efficient for work .

    This dwarf¡¯s name was Tornwall . John didn¡¯t care about it though as he only cared if he made his machines . The circumstances in which he was sold was rather peculiar as well . He was sold by Dwarves royalty themselves . It seems he had a story that was hidden for now .

    Jay helped him pick up 20 archers for now, they weren¡¯t expensive like the knights or magicians . andter on he picked up 100 ves, of all of them 80 were humans and 20 dwarfs were for his smithy . So In total, he bought 127 ves for which he paid 1500 gold coins . If he wanted Elves for architecture and building he would buy themter on was his thought .

    "Meanwhile you don¡¯t have to worry about their transportation . When my fleetes to North-frontier town we will deliver them . We would anyway getmission and since my family has connections to Marquis we would mostly get the transportation job . " Joseph said to John who had a face filled with a dilemma .

    "Let¡¯s go to Auction for now . Since there is nobility here today I think there will be some good items sold today . "

    @@novelbin@@

    "You don¡¯t have to worry about ves for now . They can be controlled via Runes engraved"

    John didn¡¯t know that Runes can be used to control life and death of ves it was his first time watching runes to control them . However many ves sometimes were violent who didn¡¯t fear death and for ve dealers, they were goods who were worth money so they always try to keep them alive .

    "Okay let¡¯s go to the auction, I will talk to the vester on," John said to Joseph and moved on while Tom did all the preparations for the ves and made sure they were in good condition when they reach North-frontier town as they were the instructions of John . Tom understood well that John nned to cultivate loyal ves so he wanted to treat them good like normal people however this came from John as a natural instinct from his life on earth .

    Soon they got out of the ve market and got into one of the biggest buildings in the Pearl city .

    The auction was 3 storey tall, with the highest floor reserved for Nobles, Middle floor reserved for Rich merchants or those who had invitations and ground floor for normal men who nned to see the auction and buy something, these men also served as a tform for free advertisement .

    After entering the Building they were greeted by One of the Managers of Auction .

    "Aah Master Joseph you came after a long time here and it seems you brought someone new this time around . " The manager greeted Joseph as he saw Joseph entering the auction .

    "Well, that is true . He is my friend as well as my business partner, you can call him John . He came from the north with me to settle some things and tour south at the same time . Right now we are onlying to look at the auction and see if there is anything interesting today . " Joseph said to the Manager in a carefree tone . It seems both of them knew each other for a long time .

    "That is no problem . Today you will be quite surprised by the items we have brought this time around . I am very sure you won¡¯t be disappointed . But you have to be careful when you bid today since there is royalty from other countries as well . " The manager replied to Joseph after greeting John .

    "Okay let¡¯s head inside" Joseph thanked and agreed to the Manager and headed inside the Auction .

    The manager then led them to the second floor . From this interaction, John understood that Joseph was a regr here and hence allowed to sit on the second floor . There was a huge tform in front of them in the Auction hall and all the three floors could see the Auction tform from their floors .

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26

    The manager then led them to the second floor . From this interaction, John understood that Joseph was a regr here and hence allowed to sit on the second floor . There was a huge tform in front of them in the Auction hall and all the three floors could see the Auction tform from their floors .

    On the topmost floor there were nobles of many different regions and countries present today . However, it was mostly the offspring who liked to spend their money and not the other way since the Nobles would onlye to auctions if there was something very valuable sold at the auctions .

    Those Auctions were mainly held in the cities of Dukes and the Imperial city of Royal Family .

    In the topmost floor the Main manager of the auction was entertaining various other nobles . This included the demondy and her entourage as well . The demondy had 2 gray horns, she had bluish-gray long curly hair, Blue round pupils, big eyes, she was a tall woman with a height of 6 feet 1 inch and bluish gray lips, she had a blue crown on her head which had 5 sharp leaf like points, she wore a tight one-piece skirt dress, which had ck as background and sky blue as patterns on the ck background, she wore indigo color gloves, she wore blue heels and ck socks which reached her knees, she was quite a beauty with a full bust and full bottom, while on her right hand was a long dark blue thorn with a ck handle as a weapon, she had a whiteplexion with indigo ribbon tied behind her head, she also wore a cape behind her back which was ck from outside and dark blue from inside, she also wore a ne with a sky blue pearl, she looked like a 25 year old beauty which had all the aura of royalty . It seemed that she wore something which was something unique in Aelius kingdom but those Nobles weren¡¯t flustered a bit and then Joseph exined to John that the demoness wore the Royalty clothes of Fire Abyss kingdom . Her name was Diana Bluesea and she was the daughter of Duke Bluesea of the Fire Abyss kingdom . Their family was adept in Water and Dark arts from their bloodline . They were one of the 4 Dukes of the Fire Abyss kingdom .

    Her entourage was Grand as well with numerous knights and magicians with a maid and a butler beside her at all times . Many of the noble children were trying to start a conversation with her but to no avail as she simply ignored them . It was her maid and butler who declined the nobles politely so as to not tear their faces fully . It seemed she was only interested in the Auction held today in Pearl City .

    @@novelbin@@

    This time the announcer brought the next item . Previously the unimportant or onlymon items were sold . This time main items were starting to be presented after a long wait . The manager aswell ran down and started arranging the security guards for the protection of the items as they didn¡¯t like to take chances .

    As it was the main show, the Manager decided to hold the auction from now on then announced the first item,

    "The first item presented this time is a longevity potion which is useful for all races and this was specially made by one of the court magician and herbalist from the Aelius kingdom, This potion can increase the age limit of a person by 15 years, I am certain all of you are astonished by the first item presented this time around . This item was specially bought by our auction 3 days back from one of the princes, though we still can¡¯t disclose which prince sent the item . The starting price of this potion will start from 50 gold coins . "

    There were voices of exmation from the 3rd floor as nobles were scrambling to bid on this item . However many understood from the announcement of the manager why the potion managed tond its way in this auction instead of the auction at imperial city or cities of dukes .

    But many Nobles still bid on it as it was rare to get a longevity potion and most of them were grabbed by Big nobles and royal family for training their knights .

    "55 gold coins"

    "60 gold coins"

    "70 gold coins," said one of the barons .

    After the bidding stopped at 200 golds coins and momentum stumped a bit . Then the Butler of Miss Diana stood up and bid 500 gold coins .

    John wasn¡¯t really interested in this potion plus he remembered Joseph¡¯s initial warning that he shouldn¡¯t offend the great nobles so he didn¡¯t try it as he was new in Pearl city and Marquis Ray¡¯s dominion .

    Then a series of items were auctioned off .

    The Manager announced the next item this time around "The next item this time is one of the long thorn swords made by the craftsmen of Bluesea family from the Fire Abyss kingdom . This time Miss Diana decided to auction off one of the swords crafted by her family as she hopes to show off the majesty of Bluesea craftsmen . This sword will be started with a bid of 100 gold coins . "

    "120 gold coins"

    "150 gold coins"

    "200 gold coins"

    Then suddenly came a bid of 1000 gold coins from John¡¯s seat . John had decided to buy this Sword as he was always using the rugged sword bought from George earlier and wanted to equip an excellent sword and from his calctions, he deemed this sword worth of at least 2000 gold coins .

    John bid earlier as he wanted to scare off the potentialpetitors for the sword . Many nobles in the second floor stared at John, they thought he was someone new as they didn¡¯t recognize him but understood that John was with Joseph after watching them sit in the same box .

    Meanwhile, Diana¡¯s maid said to Diana,

    "Miss, it seems that this guy isn¡¯t buying that sword to show you off and buying it for his own practical use . Isn¡¯t it quite amusing that we see such a guy after a long time"

    The Old butler remarked as well "Well that seems to be true, as after watching his attire he looks like a guy with multiple professions mainly sneaky techniques and it also happens that he also knows that boy from the Morgan family . Recently our men said that it was this boy Joseph who brought those new soaps from north to sell over here . His father hid it quite well but as we know his own brothers sold off the information .

    Additionally don¡¯t you think this guy who has bid for the sword has some rtion with the soaps? Plus from looking at the reactions of these Noble children, none of them know this guy . I don¡¯t think a nobody would have this kind of money to spend on a sword . "

    From the exnation and conclusion of the butler, the maid was quite astonished . She knew that the old man was quite a crafty, sly and unpredictable guy . But just by looking at Joseph and the bid from John the Old man deduced so much from the information of his men .

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27

    This Old man was appointed by Diana¡¯s father so he could help her at all the times and secretly protect her from assassinations as well which she didn¡¯t know and shouldn¡¯t care about . He was one of the most trusted guys from Duke Bluesea¡¯s people working in information collection and assassination . He was a slender guy with a handsome look on his face and two white gray curled horns, ck and white hair neatlybed . He was what you call a perfect handsome butler . His name was mostly famous by d of the Dark in the underworld . However, he was currently only d .

    The maid¡¯s name Maurice, she was a woman with 2 ck horns, height of 5 feet 7 inches and she was well endowed on her curves, she had lived with Diana from her childhood, her parents long followed Bluesea family and same was the case with her and hence she was with Diana and training as a maid from her childhood . She had ck hair, ck pupils and a busty chest and wore normal maid clothes while following orders and aplishing her tasks .

    Meanwhile, Diana smiled from d¡¯s deduction and remarked as well "It seems this time our journey was quite good at this auction . In the first ce, I was looking for the producer of those unique soaps after I tried them . Maybe we can profit from this encounter back at home and we can anyway have an excuse to meet him since he bought our sword . Selling this sword was quite a profitable venture this time around, don¡¯t you think so d?"

    d smiled and replied to Diana slyly "That¡¯s certainly true young miss . Your instincts were quite on the target since I always wondered you were only selling that sword to show-off to the nobles in Aelius kingdom . "

    Diana furrowed her brows a bit but didn¡¯t reply as she knew she would be in this old man¡¯s trap and make a fool of herself .

    Meanwhile the maid Maurice was giggling by the side and stopped only after she saw that re from Diana .

    One of the nobles who was the patron for the prince bid for the sword but John won the sword by again raising it to 1500 gold coins . He and many nobles thoughts that this sucker was only buying this sword to please Miss Diana and thought Miss Diana won¡¯t pay any attention to this non-aristocratic boy as that amount of gold coins simply amounted to nothing for her .

    After the bidding, John bought some Herbs for 1000 gold coins more and left the Auction as Joseph had warned him that they were attracting more gazes from the nobles . After they left Diana¡¯s Butler chased and stopped them after they left the auction . John¡¯s reactions were quite fast when he sensed d¡¯s presence nearby . Watching John¡¯s reaction even d was quite shocked by it because he thought these were like the reactions of most alert animal however that was not the case for John since these were his normal reactions .

    However, d continued and Stopped the duo and introduced himself without any malicious intentions and asked them in a polite manner with a smiling face .

    "Would the two of you mind stopping and meeting our Miss Diana, she hopes to meet both of you and have some conversation with you, I hope both of you don¡¯t mind"

    Joseph immediately recognized this man as he had seen this man¡¯s dealings with his family however none of his siblings knew about the dealings their parents did with this guy .

    Joseph looked at John and John understood from his gaze that he knew this guy .

    "Okay, we will meet Miss Diana as John was quite grateful for this sword being auctioned off . "

    @@novelbin@@

    d smiled and told to Joseph,

    "It seems you still remember me, little boy . Hasn¡¯t it been quite a few years already?"

    "Well, you were standing out quite a lot when you came to our house so it¡¯s not surprising that I remember you, by the way, why don¡¯t you introduce your name already," Joseph said to d .

    After thinking for a while d replied to Joseph,

    "Well that won¡¯t be a problem, my name is d . I am quite surprised that your elders still kept their promise to not reveal my identity"

    "Anyways it seems that this is the boy who is making and selling those unique soaps to you . Would both of you mind considering a deal with Bluesea family?"

    After hearing his name and the sneaky dealings of his family Joseph understood that he was one called d of the Dark . Most possibly his parents hired him and his assassins to deal with some of their enemies . It seems d deliberately revealed his name so that he can show his own value and there could be a good deal between them . He was quite shocked at first that he recognized John to be the one making soaps but he still kept his calm . While John still maintained his calm as he didn¡¯t feel any malicious intentions from his six sense body technique so he was quite at ease but he still understood that d was much stronger than him plus Joseph knew him as well so he was at ease for a while .

    Afterward, they came into the Auction from the back and got into a room made for important guests in the Auction . Diana was already waiting for John and Joseph with her maid . She was drinking tea and snacks bought from Fire Abyss kingdom which was served by Maurice . Maurice carried most of Diana¡¯s luxuries as she knew Diana was quite a picky character when it came to certain things .

    d first greeted Diana and introduced John and Joseph to her . d quite knew where to shoot off his tongue and where not to as the face of Bluesea family was more important to him than his sly jokes on personal asions so he behaved as a butler should .

    Diana maintained her loftiness as it was important to maintain a noble demeanor in front of other people and waited for them to speak first . d understood the situation and hence he decided to speak first on everyone¡¯s behalf .

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28

    d first greeted Diana and introduced John and Joseph to her . d quite knew where to shoot off his tongue and where not to as the face of Bluesea family was more important to him than his sly jokes on personal asions so he behaved like a butler should .

    Diana maintained her loftiness as it was important to maintain a noble demeanor in front of other people and waited for them to speak first . d understood the situation and hence he decided to speak first on everyone¡¯s behalf .

    d invited both John and Joseph as said with a smiling face "as you might know Miss Diana is the only daughter of Duke Bluesea of the Fire Abyss Kingdom . We had a proposal which could benefit both the parties plus young miss was very interested in having a conversation with you, So what do you think?"

    This time John said, "It won¡¯t harm to listen to his proposal first and then decideter, what do you think Joseph?"

    "Sounds good, I don¡¯t have problems with it" Joseph looked deeply at d and answered John .

    This time Diana decided to talk, "Well your soaps are quite well made and very popr, so I was very much interested in it after using it for the first time so then I had decided to go to Aelius Kingdom and meet the one who made it, luckily we chanced upon you and Joseph . So would you be interested in being the sole provider of these soaps to Fire Abyss kingdom via us?"

    "Of course we willpensate you guys with gold coins and other means, so what do you think?" Diana smiled and said to them while drinking her tea .

    "Wait, first let me ask him a few questions" Joseph suddenly said to Diana and pointed to d .

    d expected as much from Joseph and immediately agreed to Joseph¡¯s suggestion .

    "But you will only get to ask one confidential question and you can¡¯t ask anything rted to Bluesea family . You see I can¡¯t go on spilling secrets everywhere . "

    Joseph thought for a while and understood that d wanted to contain as much information as possible but he still agreed since he got to ask one question he wanted to ask for a long time .

    Joseph thought for a while and asked his question,

    "Why were you hired by my familyst time you came to our Mansion?"

    d smiled cunningly and answered Joseph,

    "Your Grandfather hired us for an assassination of someone who was bothering your family . "

    "So whom did you guys assassinate?" Joseph asked .

    "Sorry this is the second question which I can¡¯t answer so can we get ready for other business?" d had a smile of a sadist where it seemed that Joseph just got yed in the palm of his hands .

    As soon as he heard the answer he understood that he got yed by d . He had an angry look on his face but he more cursed his own naivety as he had asked his question eagerly and thought d would at least answer everything on this subject .

    Meanwhile, Diana and her maid Maurice saw the show which happened in front of them . They were quite used to these scenes already as they had seen this type of scene ying a lot of times in the mansion or outside their mansion .

    Diana had a serious face while Maurice was giggling . Diana didn¡¯tugh as it would be rude to their guests and she also remembered her own embarrassing conversations with d which had her angry .

    John also saw this y out from the sidelines and understood the sort of person d was .

    "Sorry for the previous disturbance, let¡¯s get to business first . We can have that conversationter as well . " Diana said to Joseph and John while she red at d who then got behind Diana and started preparing other documents as if it didn¡¯t matter to him, in the first ce he never wanted to spill confidential contracts he made in past .

    @@novelbin@@

    "Its Okay, it was own my personal business so d was not obligated and there might be some contract conditions which both sides had to adhere which I didn¡¯t consider" Joseph calmly answered Diana .

    Joseph anyways cleared the possibility that d might havee for protection purposesst time around and it was assassination which he received .

    "So How many Soaps can you guys provide us?" Diana got straight to the point .

    "Well, it depends on your number . Since we have already acquired the required man force we can make soaps in bulk from now on . " This time it was John who answered her question .

    Diana just wanted to probe them and understood that they had enough man force forrge scale production of those soaps .

    "We would require 100,000 Soaps Half-monthly and it will mostly increase based on the demand in the kingdom since these soaps are already popr in Aelius and I think it would be the same in Fire Abyss Kingdom . "

    d then came close to Diana and said in her ears .

    "We can also give you guys intelligence support from Domestic as well as International enemies as proposed by d"

    Diana said to both of them after listening to d¡¯s suggestion .

    d then gave one of the documents from his hands to Joseph as their proof of sincerity, after looking at the document Joseph understood how his information got disclosed while they were delivering the soaps this time around . It turns out it was one of his elder brothers who leaked their information and why their fleet almost got attacked . He also understood how d came to the conclusion that John was the soap maker this time around .

    d meanwhile said to both of them with a curious smile "Both of you kids should be more careful from now, these soaps will bring a lot of change this time around"

    "Just a word of advice, one of your brothers contacted a duke from your kingdom and they might target your soaps and it is not the one who leaked your information . "

    d usually wouldn¡¯t give free advice but both Diana and he had taken an interest in both of them and he hoped they could further this rtion with them which would be better for future rtionships between the two parties and he also felt good about them, unlike the other people whom he usually met . His instincts told him that this rtion would help the Bluesea familyter on and so he decided to reveal a lot of cards . Additionally, he was very curious about John as he didn¡¯t have any killing intent or blood from his aura but he still had those good senses just like a predator so he thought it was because of his natural talent .

    John gave it a thought and decided against increasing the prices of his soap after he saw the abilities of d and his men in information collection .

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29

    Joseph as well was happy since he got a good source of information and the same was true for John because he understood the importance of knowing the information when it came to people who were targeting them .

    "Miss Diana your men can collect the soaps at North-frontier town in Northeast, you guys cane by sea ornd and it will cost you 3 gold coins per soap . Meanwhile, you guys can expect new itemsing from the factory in the future" John thought and deliberately said to them .

    "Interesting" d whispered slowly which only the maid could hear .

    While Diana then signaled to d and he gave a box of money to John and other documents to Joseph .

    "Miss Diana I see you that you have quite a variety of luxurious food from Fire Abyss . I would rmend you visit John¡¯s Mansion as they have quite a variety of unique and delicious food there . I can only say that I have not eaten that food anywhere else . For your information John himself is a good cook as well . " Joseph thought and gave Miss Diana a ce where she can have the new delicious cuisines since she seemed like a picky character when it came to food and he also thought to add more troubles to John after watching John acting dumb in front of obvious confrontations in the ship this time around . He obviously understood why John did that so he would like to see him tough spots as John always liked to act cool in front of others .

    John furrowed his brows and this time he red at Joseph with a pair of angry eyes . He obviously understood what Joseph was trying to pull here and he didn¡¯t like it when it came to cooking . Joseph conveniently ignored John¡¯s re and smirked while d was trying to understand what was going on .

    Diana meanwhile was quite interested since John could cook and had made new cuisine¡¯s so she had decided that next time she would visit North-frontier town with d as she was anyways traveling Aelius kingdom .

    "Okay, I will certainly visit your mansion John and taste the new cuisine¡¯s I hope you entertain us well . " Diana thanked Joseph and John and both parties bid their farewell .

    As John and Joseph were going out of the Auction from the back, the noble whopeted with John for the sword saw both of theme out of the auction .

    He had already noticed Diana and her two servants had already left after the duo of John and Joseph left the auction . Now he understood why both of them came from the back of the mansion . However, he didn¡¯t act in front of them as he understood that both of them were invited by Diana as he saw ding to lead them out .

    d saw that the noble was looking at them and the same was the case for John . d smiled at the noble after he saw him looking at John with angry eyes .

    After looking at d he decided to first inform Third Prince Hector and then take actionter on after getting his instructions . Prince Hector was not in Pearl City and he was busy with Royal gathering or else he would havee over here today .

    This noble¡¯s name was Bard and was the third son of a Marquis in the west of Aelius kingdom . He always hoped to Join the Knight order of a Prince since it was his brother who was going to inherit the title of Marquis and he hoped to win the higher title than a baron by fighting with Prince Hector in the next war with his men .

    He left without saying anything, Joseph onlyter saw that both d and John were looking at someone but he couldn¡¯t recognize that person since he already left .

    So he asked both of them about the person they were looking at,

    "Nothing, just a small fly peeking from shadows" d replied to Joseph while John didn¡¯t bother about the person looking at them .

    After this encounter, d was now sure that John had very extraordinary senses that¡¯s why he felt familiar with John when he first saw his reaction when he greeted them . But he was still surprised since John was human and it required a lot of experience and time to develop such acute senses over the surroundings .

    John and Joseph decided to meet Eva, Jay and her team .

    Jay had already left after they made their purchases at the ve market . He was more interested in the market and was hoping to find new weapons and poisons .

    @@novelbin@@

    After John and Joseph left, d came inside the room and Diana asked him,

    "So what¡¯s your opinion on both of them?"

    "Well, that boy John is quite interesting . And the Morgan boy is the same as always naive but trustworthy and always cautious"

    "ording to my observations that boy John is well versed in most of the forms ofbat, I only verified it after I saw hisbat positioning when I led them out . And it also seems that he knows a variety of other professions after hearing your conversationst time around . Plus he has very acute senses when ites to detecting people . "

    "However both of them are trustworthy . I think we can trust them and its Okay to deal with them in business . My instincts say that both of them will be helpful to us in the near future . Additionally, both of them seem to have quite a deep friendship judging by their conversation . "

    "From our information snake family also got the soaps at 3 gold coins so it seems John wasn¡¯t intent on jacking up the prices even though we could pay it . So it seems he wished to repay us with sincerity as well as he deliberately disclosed his ns on introducing new items which would be more helpful in future ventures . "

    The maid was quite shocked by this evaluation . As she knew d wouldn¡¯t say this most of the time . But his instincts were quite on the mark as they had saved the lives of many members in the Bluesea family in past incidences .

    Diana agreed to d¡¯s evaluation as she had got instructions from her father that she should trust d at most of the times as he was one of his father¡¯s right-hand man and helped them many times and she too thought that they weren¡¯t the scheming kind plus she liked the fact that John could cook and she could have new cuisines . Then after they decided to leave the auction and pay the Manager of the Auction and decided to see the market . Meanwhile, John and Joseph met with Jay and Eva¡¯s team . Jay had already met them after Phillip saw him in the market looking at poisons . While the women were looking at new jewelry and magic equipment .

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30

    Diana agreed to d¡¯s evaluation as she had got instructions from her father that she should trust d at most of the times as he was one of his father¡¯s right-hand man and helped them many times and she too thought that they weren¡¯t the scheming kind additionally she also liked the fact that John could cook and she could try new cuisinester on . Later they decided to leave the auction and pay the Manager of the Auction and decided to see the market . Meanwhile, John and Joseph met with Jay and Eva¡¯s team . Jay had already met them after Phillip saw him in the market looking at poisons . While the women were looking at new jewelry and magic equipment .

    After meeting with Eva and others they decided to spend their day together . While conversing Joseph described about their day to Eva, Sally, and Josephine . While Jay was looking at his new hunter¡¯s trap which he had brought previously . While it was Phillip who helped him buy a potent poison for wild and magical beasts .

    They were quite interested when it came to the part where they discussed about d and Princess Diana of Bluesea kingdom . While Eva and Josephine furrowed their brows and had an angry expression on their face which said everything while Sally was giggling from the sidelines . However, this didn¡¯t stop their curiosity and they dug out as much information as possible from Josephter on . They were very irked about the fact that Princess Diana was going to visit John¡¯s mansion to see his mansion and try his food . While John as usual acted dumb and said that it was important to receive her as a guest since it was a big business deal and a potential source of information and it would be a good olive branch for them in the present and future . Watching this Jay, Sally and Joseph couldn¡¯t help but smile from the sidelines .

    While they were traveling d spotted their entourage from afar, as he knew John had very high sensing capabilities he didn¡¯t try to hide himself from John and acted as if he was going with Diana and her men and coincidentally spotted the team . This exchange took ce only between John and d while others were unaware of it as it was hard to spot people over long distances .

    Both of their entourages were going into different directions so they didn¡¯t bump into each other however Diana¡¯s entourage still gained a lot of attention because of how grand it was . Many people thought it was some noble or Royalty going through the streets . As it was amon case in this world so Eva and other¡¯s didn¡¯t pay much attention to it and went on their way .

    After going through the whole market for the day, they reached home and decided to take a bath and then have their dinner . Because of John, the varieties of cuisine¡¯s had increased recently in Joseph¡¯s mansion . While they were rxing, the servant who had gone to deliver the letter had returned and gave the letter to Phillip addressed towards Joseph and John .

    During the dinner, Phillip approached and said to Joseph while handing him the letter,

    "Master, your father has replied to your letter which you gave him earlier . And an appointment for tomorrow is set with Marquis Ray and your father for further discussions . Do you have any special instructions for tomorrow¡¯s meeting?"

    Josephter replied to Phillip,

    @@novelbin@@

    "Since we will be visiting Marquis as well, prepare a suitable gift for Marchioness . Prepare the bathing soaps which we had in stock for her since there are none in the market and I saw that it is very popr with noble women so it would be a good gift . "

    "John, what do you think?" Joseph then asked John .

    "Sounds good . Maybe we can prepare ice-cream as cuisine for her which would at least have a good impression and Marquis and Marchioness . " John thought for a while and replied to Joseph .

    "Okay, we will go with your proposal . Phillip go and prepare ording to the arrangements discussed here . " Joseph agreed and immediately ordered Phillip .

    "As you wish Master," Phillip replied and then immediately got busy with arrangements and started ordering the servants to prepare the carriages and other necessary things which would be required next day .

    While it was also decided that Eva and others would join them and visit the Marquis tomorrow . No one had problems and all of them got in their rooms to get some rest .

    The next day in the morning all of them had lunch and started preparing for the visit to Joseph¡¯s father and Marquis Ray . Phillip prepared everything with food, soaps and other gifts required .

    Joseph¡¯s father Frank was one of the heads of the family while most of the power was concentrated in the hands of his Grandfather, Carl . He had 3 uncles and several other cousins . Today Joseph and Phillip briefed John on the details of his family as they were going to meet them . At the same time, he briefed them on Marquis Ray and their family .

    Everyer headed to the Mansion of Marquis . In the letter, it was written that both Frank and Marquis would be meeting them both at Marquis¡¯s Mansion . Phillip headed to the center of Pearl city . Today¡¯s entourage was very grand with 7 carriages, unlike the normal times where there were only 2-3 carriages for travel .

    It could be seen that Marquis Ray¡¯s Mansion was one of the biggest Mansion in the city onlypared to the ones with royalty . It was made from Stone and was 4 floors tall . There were several servants working in the Mansion . After reaching the Mansion and giving the invitation letter at the entrance, the butler of marquis Ray came and invited them quickly .

    Today he was already informed that one of Frank¡¯s sons would be visiting them and therefore he was already prepared .

    Joseph, John and their team came inside the mansion and waited at one of the guest rooms while a maid was serving them tea and other snacks .

    The butler had gone to inform Frank and the Marquis of Joseph¡¯s arrival so that they can get to business earlier .

    Marchioness came in first and greeted Joseph as she was familiar with Joseph from a young age .

    "Joseph, did the sune from the west today? you hardlye by the mansion nowadays . So what business did you have with Steven and Frank today? I bet they won¡¯t call you brats unless it is something where they could make profits or gain somewhere else . "

    Marchioness Aine was middle age woman with beautiful features, it seemed that she maintained her beauty regrly with herbs, potions, and other items . She was brte with brown eyes with a height of 5 feet and 9 inches . She also had a son named Julius who was 18 recently but he was in the Imperial capital¡¯s knight academypleting his initial training .

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31

    Marchioness Aine was middle age woman with beautiful features, it seemed that she maintained her beauty regrly with herbs, potions, and other items . She was brte with brown eyes with a height of 5 feet and 9 inches . She also had a son named Julius who was 18 recently but he was in the Imperial capital¡¯s knight academypleting his initial training .

    "Greetings to the Marchioness, as you guessed this time we came to meet father and Marquis since we wanted toplete a deal regards to the soaps we provided this time around but it was fortunate to meet you today . " Joseph greeted Aine andter mentioned his intentions .

    "Hmm . . . I heard from Steve that you were the one who supplied the Rose soaps in the city this time around . Well, good luck with your venture . Meanwhile, who are those friends of yours over there?" Marchioness said to Joseph .

    "Let me introduce you, this is John, Eva, Jay, Josephine, and Sally . As for Phillip you already know him . It is John who made those new soaps which are being circted in the upper noble circles nowadays . " Joseph introduced his friends and waved to Phillip so that he can present the gifts which were prepared to Aine . While John and others greeted Aine .

    Marquis Ray was a tall man with blonde hair and a sharp face . He had strict as well as a jolly air around him . He looked like a man who had been through a war but understood the importance of life . During his younger years he had followed the kingdom¡¯s army in war and had made great achievements for himself and his domain and hence he had this air around him . Today he wore luxuriously with a ck cape, ck shoes, and white gloves . He wore a full sleeved leather shirt with a sleeves furry coat on it with a white shirt inside which could only be seen on neck and borders of leather shirt with a ck pant . The borders of his hands were cuffed like most nobles clothes . And it seemed that recently the nobles had started using buttons and new designs from the snake¡¯s family and it had be quite popr because of itsfortability .

    Marquis Ray very much understood the importance of trade andmerce and hence he promotedmerce and merchants in all of his domains but there were certain norms like very which he couldn¡¯t fight as it would require a lot of money, strength and political will to achieve his aim so he never dered his intentions to anyone and acted like most of the noblemen . But certain businesses like the Food and Pearl industry were under his family¡¯s control as they were very strategic to them . Most of the nobles also controlled the food circted into their domain .

    As they were conversing Marquis and Frank came in the room with the butler leading them inside .

    Whileughing Marquis came inside the room and said to everyone in the guest house "Well well well, everyone is having a happy conversation this time around . You might be John which was being talked about earlier when I talked to Josephst time and you guys might be the friends of John and Joseph, Aine please show them the house while we discuss our business dealings for now . Well we can converseter on"

    Aine led Eva and others and let them discuss their business matters as she understood from her years of experience .

    Aine turned to Eva and others and offered to lead them in the mansion .

    "Why don¡¯t you guys join me and tour the mansion while they deal with matters of their own"

    "Okay, that won¡¯t be a problem . " Eva replied without thinking much and let John and Joseph finish their dealings first .

    Only Phillip and Marquis Ray¡¯s butler remained while others left the room .

    "It seems you have been quite jolly these days Joseph" Frank asked Joseph after he was done watching from the sidelines .

    "Well, I got Information about who was targeting us just yesterday so I guess it was a good asion to feel happy . " Joseph smiled and deliberately revealed this information to Marquis and his Father so that they can understand that they cant use Intel as a potential bargain chip this time .

    Both the Marquis and Frank were shocked but thought they were bluffing and hence they decided to probe them a bit .

    "So who might be targeting you guys and the soaps you produce?" Frank asked in a probing tone .

    "Well lets first sit and have drinks first" Marquis signaled his butler and decided to have the conversation in a rxed environment unlike the tense one .

    Phillip then handed over some of the documents to Frank and Marquis which were already prepared by him .

    "This was some of the information which we collected aftering to Pearl city . So what do you think dad?" Joseph knew that his father would mostly ask him this question and hence he was already prepared .

    Both the Marquis and Frank looked at the documents one by one and they were very shocked because a lot of information matched while there was some information which even they didn¡¯t know about . Like how one of Joseph¡¯s brother was plotting with a Duke from the west . Plus from the authenticity of the information, they knew that Joseph¡¯s eldest brother Max was recently in the ckwolf Duchy at the western part of Aelius Kingdom . Max and some of his cousins had allied with ckwolf duke because duke too was in the business of soaps and hence their interests matched so it seemed Max had quite an ambition by hiding his purpose all this time while allying with the Duke at the same time .

    "I think the information they have this time is very credible since most of the facts match with our information while some of them need to be verified . What do you think Frank?" Marquis asked Frank in a serious tone after looking through the papers .

    "Well 3/5th of the information has matched with us and it wasn¡¯t that bothersome since there was bound to be a leak from your brothers sooner orter . However Duke ckwolf supporting Max and your cousins from behind the scenes would be quite troublesome . However, it won¡¯t be a problem for now as Duke could only help them in the form of funds and his own connections since his domain is quite far in the west while we are in the south, additionally with our support you guys don¡¯t have to worry much if our deal is finalized . " Frank thought and gave his opinion to everyone present in the room .

    "Hmm . . . Joseph tell me one thing how did you get this much information about the people eyeing you guys? Or have you always hidden your spies and decided to show your cards today?" Marquis was very curious and hence decided to ask them .

    "Well, it was John who got this information from one of his partners this time around so we thought we should at least make preparations beforehand and reveal it to you guys . " Joseph thought and decided to throw it all on John¡¯s head as he didn¡¯t want to reveal John¡¯s deal with d and Diana .

    @@novelbin@@

    "It was anyways expected that Duke ckwolf would make a move on us sooner orter since our interests conflicted but it is a good thing that we got early information on Max and your cousins so can take preventive measures this time around" Marquis told Joseph and John while he didn¡¯t probe further on John¡¯s source of information . Marquis didn¡¯t hold back if it was Frank¡¯s son or not because after using the soaps this time both of them had decided to support them and it would be a good opportunity for them to im another market and source of ie while it was inevitable that there would be treachery and betrayal in a big family where everyone hoped to acquire more power .

    Frank was of the same opinion as he had already experienced the same thing with his brothers when he was young and decided not to interfere in the rivalry and treachery between the siblings and cousins .

    Both the Marquis and Frank looked at John very curiously this time around as they didn¡¯t expect John to have a partner who had such a detailedwork when it came to information gathering and decided not to probe further as everyone had their secrets and got back to business .

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32

    Both the Marquis and Frank looked at John very curiously this time around as they didn¡¯t expect John to have a partner who had such a detailedwork when it came to information gathering and decided not to probe further as everyone had their secrets and got back to business .

    Frank then said the terms after Marquis signaled to him "I will get straight to the point so here is the deal, you guys will solely provide soaps in bulk to us in the southern domain of the Aelius Kingdom, at the same time we will meet up with market demands and use our connections to advertise in upper circles of nobles and merchants in return of a contract for southern domain . "

    "Last time you guys talked about your problem with Baron Mendez, right? We have already negotiated with them and they will sell you the Town if meet a suitable price . From our predictions, he will most likely settle at 15000 to 20000 gold coins . As we had thought earlier, he wanted to milk as much as he can from the injuries of his son Antonio and this was the price he agreed . But there is a catch that if you guys fail to protect your domain then Baron may try to invade your domain and soap factory in the name of reimingnd from beasts because of your ipetence . However this time it will be quite hard for you if you want to protect North-Frontier town so our advice still remains that you should leave the town . Meanwhile, the Royalty of Aelius Kingdom have the same rights to reim a territory lost by any noble to foreign invaders . "

    So it was decided that they would first buy it from Joseph first, he wouldter sell soaps in his capacity in other domains while if more were needed then Marquis and Morgan family can directly buy it from John at the same price which Joseph¡¯s sells to them but most probably it would be Joseph providing them the soaps .

    "Okay that sounds good but I would like it if I can buy more ves whether it is forbor or warriors since I would need them inrge quantitiester on . " John thought for a while and expressed his thoughts to Marquis .

    @@novelbin@@

    Marquis Ray took out a token from his pocket and gave it to John while instructing him on how to use it, "Okay that won¡¯t be a problem, take this token and show it to ve dealers so other nobles and people in authority wont question you if you anything where it is warrior ves orbor inrge quantities . Meanwhile, I think you guys weren¡¯t able to buy any better warriors this time around, am I right?"

    Marquis had already expected this problem to ur as most of them were already bought by Rich Merchants or Nobles while they had already expected John to buy more ves forbor and protection as there was low poption in North-frontier town and John was going to North-Frontier town so Marquis and Frank were already prepared to clinch the deal .

    Both Joseph and John smiled as they had already expected this type of thing to ur before they arrived and hence this was also one of the reasons they had decided to Coborate with Marquis . The most unexpected deal this time at Pearl city was actually their meeting with Diana and d .

    "That¡¯s true, it would be quite helpful if Marquis and Mr . Frank can solve our problem this time around" John replied without hiding his intentions .

    "We were already prepared this time around so you don¡¯t have to worry, we have prepared 50 warriors ves and 5 instructors from my knight order to apany you and help you at North-Frontier town if you want . But I can¡¯t guarantee you that they will be useful in deterring the beasts outside however we can help you in other ways . ", Marquis said to John .

    This was how both the parties sealed the deal and now was the time that they decided to rx and tour the mansion . With the passing of time, it was time for lunch .

    Everyone then went to the dining room, During this time Aine and Eva were looking at the artifacts and paintings which the Marchioness had recently acquired . During this time Marchioness also got to know and was very shocked to hear that Eva was Mnie¡¯s Great Grand Daughter while John was her student who was proficient at the mid-level pharmacy and about how he had defeated Antonio in a duel at East sea town .

    Later everyone gathered at lunch, during the lunch there was a lot of new cuisine¡¯s which were prepared for everyone, from the looks, it seemed that Phillip and other servants of Joseph¡¯s Mansion helped the chefs and other servants of the Mansion .

    Both the Ray couple and Frank were very surprised after eating the new dishes provided by the servants . After inquiring from the Butler they got to hear that it was Joseph¡¯s chef¡¯s and Servants who helped the chefs of mansion today and gave new recipes and cuisine to increase the variety of food . Ice-cream was especially liked very well by Marquis and Marchioness .

    "Joseph which one of your servants made such a delicious dish in your Mansion?", While eating Marchioness asked Joseph in a blissful tone .

    "Well, it was John who introduced this dish after we had a banquet at his house . So it waster found out that John was the one who created this dish and taught it to the servants in his mansion so I too made my servants take the recipe without hesitation after the banquet . I had the same reaction which you guys are having right now", Josephughed and replied to Marchioness pointing towards John .

    "This dish was quite a surprise, I am sure if it makes its way towards the Imperial capital it will create quite a sensation that it made at the mansion today, what do you think Steve?" Marchioness asked Marquis and gave her opinion .

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34

    Meanwhile at John¡¯s end,

    After reaching the mansion, they rested for a while,ter everyone headed towards the ve market so that they could have a better look and make use of the token for buying better ves for production purposes . And they also wanted to take a look at all the ves they brought recently and tell them his conditions so don¡¯t resist when they are transported via sea to North-Frontier town on their next journey . John had already told to Joseph that all the ves must be treated with respect so that he can have Loyal menter on which he could rely on . John was most interested in that family of 5 and the dwarf named Tornwall . It was because both of parties seemed to have a story, that was why John was more interested in them and hoped to make them his loyal menter on . One of the reasons was that he knew that he can¡¯t handle every single thing on his own and he would need loyal men who would support himter on .

    As soon as they arrived at the ve market, John and everyone else first decided to head towards Tom the ve Dealer . Today, Eva and others decided that they would go and see the ves since they would be brought to North-Frontier town eventually so it was always to better to check them first .

    Meanwhile, Tom had already started treating the ves as he was instructed by Joseph and John . So for thest 2 days, all of the ves were given proper clothing and food while John and others handled other business . All of the ves had astonished expressions on their faces since most of the time this treatment was only given to Warriors, Magicians, Runemasters and Top craftsmen . Tom didn¡¯t bother since he already got his payment, while he only ordered the guards to stop themotion which the Magicians and elite warriors were making .

    "Hey, why are those other ves getting the same treatment as us?" the head of the magicians from the group asked the guards .

    "Yes, why are they being well fed and clothed like all the warriors and magicians?" another elite warrior joined in and asked the question . After hearing this question, the guards weren¡¯t shocked and acted normally as they were thinking the same as warriors and magicians since this didn¡¯t fit the norm .

    At this time, The head of guards came in the cafeteria,

    watching hime, everyone on the scene became silent, while guards restrained those making a ruckus at the cafeteria .

    After watching everyone be silent, one of his guards came and exined to him about the ruckus which was created by the warriors and magicians .

    Hearing this, he first sighed andter headed towards the tform to exin everyone about the current situation .

    He stood on the tform and said in a very firm and authoritative tone to everyone present in the cafeteria,

    @@novelbin@@

    "You guys might be thinking, why are those ves getting better treatment? Well, the answer to it is, these ves were bought by a merchant two days ago and it was under his orders that these ves are getting better treatment . He hoped his ves get better treatment and he has already paid for these services so if any of you have problems regarding our discriminatory treatment thene and pay for the services and you can get the same treatment . After this, anyone creating problems with the guards will be dealt with appropriately, it won¡¯t matter if you are a magician, warrior or a normal ve . "

    He thought that this problem would not have happened and hoped that these bought ves leave already but this time it was a big buyer who woulde continuously and hence Tom already ordered him to manage this ruckus .

    Hearing this, all of the ves and guards were shocked since this was the first instance where they saw arge number of ves being treated equally because most of the time only knights or nobles captured in wars were given this treatment .

    Meanwhile, the ves who were getting better treatment were also wondering about this situation and only now did they understand that it was their new owner who had made this request .

    In the corner of the cafeteria, Tornwall also had his own thoughts while he was eating and listening to themotion like everyone else .

    While that merchant family of 5 was observing the situation from the sidelines . The head of the family was named Taylor and her wife¡¯s name was Martha .

    The 16-year old boy¡¯s name was Jake while he had his own opinions after watching what was unfolding, so he decided to share his opinion¡¯s with his family . During this whole time, he cursed his own weakness and naivety for the earlier event . His parents didn¡¯t me him but he still felt that it was because of him that all of them got implicated . From this, he understood how ruthless the aristocrats were in regards to most of the things .

    Taylor was a man with short ck hair while his height reached 5 feet and 11 inches . He looked like normal men but he wasn¡¯t bulky like other men from viges but more like people from the city who didn¡¯t dobor . He had ck eyes and normal features of a white male, unlike the slight tan whichborers possessed .

    Martha, on the other hand, was very pale these days after they became debt ves . She had brown long hair, blue eyes and she had a height of 5 feet and 7 inches but was still full of energy after John had ordered Tom to keep all of his ves well fed .

    Jake had a height of 5 feet and 8 inches already, he also possessed brown hair and blue eyes like his mother . He had a whiteplexion and a sharp face however he had a very serious look on his face . During this whole ordeal, it seemed he had matured a lot and there wasn¡¯t a single tinge of naivety on his face . however, his eyes expressed a lot of emotions which included: anger, sadness, revenge, determination, and regret . During this time he also trained and had bulked up a bit after asking other ves around . After looking at this boy, Tornwall most likely understood what had happened to them and treated this boy in a good manner as he pitied him and taught him some self-defense techniques he learned over here .

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35

    Jake told his father and asked his opinion, "Dad, I think this time we are quite lucky to be noticed by that merchant, how do you feel?"

    From his tone, it could be seen that he had matured quite a lot and thatst event had changed himpletely on how he viewed the world .

    Taylor sighed after watching his son and thought how he changed,ter he shared his thoughts with everyone, "We can¡¯t be sure for now, who knows what he is nning but regardless of that, we won¡¯t have a choice so your hypothesis is mostly right and we are lucky this time around to be bought by that merchant, what do you think Martha?"

    Martha meanwhile thought that it was little toote for them after the previous incident and so she said to them in a serious tone after listening to the father-son duo, "to be very honest, we will have to wait and watch so we can decideter on . but the situation is good for now as he bought all of us and we won¡¯t be separated so from this I can assume that he sees something of value in us and that¡¯s why he bought all of us so there isn¡¯t any ill-willter on . "

    Taylor and Martha had the same opinion on ves like normal people before when they were merchants, it was only now that they sympathized with them after watching themselves in a hopeless situation where they can¡¯t do anything to be free-men .

    While Jake and his two Brothers Stephen (13) and David (10) always thought that it was wrong when it came ve trade . Most of the countries had their own interests in the ve trade and hence they always tried to rationalize the ve trade and made propaganda in these forms: War ves who were captured in wars .

    Debt ves who couldn¡¯t pay up their debts and hence became ves .

    or the criminal ves (who could be freed if enough money was paid and could be manipted either way) .

    However, behind the scenes, there was always the ugly truth of profits triumphing conscience while there were mercenaries and nobles who were always ready to increase their profits and forcibly ved people during wars .

    Meanwhile, Tornwall was in a trance and thought of his past while all of this was going on,

    he saw his very friend giving him some documents about a certain noble and that was thest day he saw him .

    "Tornwall, You see I am being chased by some strong people and I don¡¯t have much time to converse with you but promise me that you will keep these documents in a safe ce and not let anybody get their hands on them, you must only pass these documents to ****** . "

    As his friend was in a hurry, Tornwall didn¡¯t even get to ask questions from him about what was going on that made him so much worried .

    As soon as he got the documents from his friend he immediately buried them near the biggest tree of the forest when he grew up .

    On the next day, he saw that there were wanted posters of his friend which was issued by a certain prince .

    To fool everyone, his friend met a lot of people and hence Tornwall escaped death but due to their close rtionship, there were suspicions and hence he too got implicated and was sold as a ve .

    This was done very attentively and hence most people thought he got kidnapped by mercenaries .

    As killing on such arge-scale would have created a very big scandal, all the people who got kidnapped were sold as ves to make it more authentic that they were indeed kidnapped by mercenaries and sold in ve markets across the world . While their prints could still be seen behind these mercenaries .

    Tornwall didn¡¯t me his friend as he knew he wouldn¡¯t do things if there wasn¡¯t a need . He didn¡¯t know what became the fate of his friend but he knew something big was brewing .

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    After a while, he came back from his trance after listening to the Head of the Guards and he thought that his new owner was very interesting as he treated all of his ves equally . As a dwarf, he was an elite cksmith even among dwarves but those mercenaries who sold them never inquired about them . While they selling them in a hurry and hence he was taken as a normal man, Tornwall also never intended to show his capabilities and had given up his fate because their enemies had nned too thoroughly so that nothing could be spilled .

    After themotion settled down, John and his party arrived at the main hall, they were already waiting and Tom was entertaining them while Tom ordered Jacob the head of guards to calm down themotion which was taking ce at the cafeteria .

    Today John came with the token Marquis gave him but after looking at themotion, he understood that the Ruling ss controlled the ves via dividing them based on hierarchy .

    This time John signaled to his friends and he first decided to meet all the ves . So they understood John¡¯s meaning and remained in the guest hall while John walked with one of Tom¡¯s men to the hall where all of his bought ves were kept .

    While Tom keptpany with his friends,

    Jacob was in the room waiting for John with all the ves, he had already seen himst time when he came, it was only when John was leaving that he remembered him after Tom¡¯s reminder . Tom usually only reminded Jacob when it came to important customers .

    After John came, Jacob greeted him first and said to him "Mr . John, as you had instructed previously we had taken diligent care of the ves you bought while you were absent . I hope you liked our services . What are your opinions?"

    John was satisfied with the oue he had intended for his ves . He replied to Jacob, "Discipline of your men is quite good when ites to controlling people and executing orders, I was very satisfied this time around after listening and watching your performance first hand . "

    Hearing this, Jacob was very satisfied so he nodded and proceeded to the temporary tform made so that matters could be dealt with as fast as possible, watching this, all the ves became quiet and paid attention to him . "As you can see, this is Mr . John, he is your new owner and on his request, he wanted to meet you guys personally . Most of the time, buyers won¡¯t care about their ves but you guys are lucky that Mr . John wanted to converse with you guys about matters which would take ce in future . "

    John signaled to Jacob and he left the room . He was first worried about his safety after looking at his physique but he still remembered Tom¡¯s reminder that he was a strong man himself so he shouldn¡¯t worry and hence he left the room immediately . Additionally, there were runes engraved on all the ves so there was not much need to be worried about .

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36

    John signaled to Jacob and he left the room . He was first worried about his safety after looking at his physique but he still remembered Tom¡¯s reminder that he was a strong man himself so he shouldn¡¯t worry and hence he left the room immediately . Additionally, there were runes engraved on all the ves so there was not much need to be worried about .

    "Now you guys might be wondering why am I being so much generous to the ves? So I will be honest with you guys, what I need is loyal ves who have meaning and life in their eyes . I don¡¯t want ves who don¡¯t have determination and will to live in their eyes, if you can promise me this then I can promise all of you guys that all of you guys can be free after 5 years of servitude under me without any conditions .

    I have seen that a lot of you guys have different feelings which can be seen from your eyes, some want revenge, some have regrets over their actions, some show determination which will mean you will try to leave your status as a ve by any means possible, some show self-mockery over their misfortune .

    Personally, I find the very idea of the ve trade very abhorring but circumstances lead me to go for ve trade since Ick manpower . I just wanted to let you guys know of my true intentions before you started any work for me . you might not believe me now, but I am sure you will believe meter on . "

    Hearing this, many of the ves were surprised, this included Jake and his family however Tornwall was still skeptical but he still thought this was still a better situation, unlike the one where he would die as a ve .

    Jake was the first to ask him a question,

    "Why do you think we should believe or trust you? How can you guarantee that you will free us from our very after 5 years, what if you kill us in the name of freeing us?"

    Everyone here listening to him thought that Jake was right since why would a ve owner be so generous to ves .

    John gave it a thought and replied to him, "Everyone one of you may have noticed that I didn¡¯t buy any criminal ves, right? So you can see my sincerity from this action . As for the guarantee of you guys getting freed after 5 years, we can write that on a magic contract if you guys don¡¯t believe me . Perhaps you guys might be freed even before 5 years but that will depend on your performance . As for my sincerity, I will pay you all the same as normal men which you can spend however you want . "

    Later John smiled and said to them, "If you be one of my close confidantes then maybe I can even help you in your revenge or regretster on, how is that as an offer for you guys?"

    A lot of people here didn¡¯t know about the magic contract but Tornwall and Jake knew about it, it was specially made for people dealing in ves so that neither parties get scammed . Even John only got to know about it after he heard it from Tom when he was dealing with the ves .

    "We can make that contract here?" Jake asked John .

    Usually, magic contracts were made when dealing with Warriors and Magicians or between two nobles who dealt in arge number of ves .

    People not following the contract would anyway lose their rights over their ves and hence people gave money without any hesitance when it came to dealing with ves, the only thing they needed to do was confirm the actual ves and their numbers .

    "Yes, we can, we will get it done right away . " John then turned to other ves who were confused and exined to them about the use of magic contracts which would be helpful in the current situation . So if John didn¡¯t follow the contract he would anyways lose his control over the ves after 5 years . Jake also nodded in eptance about the exnation which more or less convinced them about magic contracts and this also gave them more hope .

    All the ves were quite astonished about this development and thought their new owner was quite interesting and sincere in his offer .

    @@novelbin@@

    Every ve was discussing after they saw all of this

    It was only now that Tornwall spoke to John, "Tell me, kid, what are you nning?" . Tornwall even thought John found out his identity and hence he wanted to use his ability and hence all this drama taking ce right now .

    John smiled and asked Tornwall, "Well, what I want is Loyal ves so I thought this would be the best and most effective measure to gain their trust, what do you think?"

    "Maybe, you have already known my identity as an elite cksmith but I still wouldn¡¯t make you weapons of our country," Tornwall told John with very firm and serious eyes .

    John was quite shocked but kept a calm face and said to him, "Well, I don¡¯t want you making weapons or machines of the dwarven country, what I want is, you make equipment ording to my designs and not leak it to anyone, what do you say?

    Tornwall thought and replied, "Hmm . . . that won¡¯t be a problem since it is only making machines you want and not to be leaked . Looking at you I see that you are still a naive and honest child but you are still cautious enough to buy ves so that your secrets don¡¯t get leaked . Usually, I wouldn¡¯t have even tried to risk and expose my identity but your behavior told me I should trust you . Maybe it is your sense of values which will attract people . "

    Meanwhile, Tornwall sighed and thought of his past that it has already been 3 years .

    ¡¯Maybe I should trust this kid for once and he has already made a magic contract so it¡¯s better anyways plus he doesn¡¯t seem like those cunning old guys while from his eyes I can see that he doesn¡¯t discriminate people based on their race . ¡¯ Tornwall made his opinion on John after conversing with him .

    This was quite an unexpected turn of events for both John and Tornwall .

    Meanwhile Jake and his family had their own thoughts about this situation . Taylor and others weren¡¯t bothered about their revenge and thought that they should make a new start under John while Jake still had the idea of getting revenge from the noble .

    Taylor asked Martha while saying to everyone, "With this magic contract I am pretty sure he doesn¡¯t have any ulterior motives and it is still better than nothing and it can give us a new start, what do you think Martha?"

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37

    Martha said to everyone seriously, "That¡¯s true if only our children can get freedom in the future that was worth it not to mention everyone . All of us have to work harder so that we can be free earlier and earn his trust . Any objections?"

    No one objected while Jake was still in his own thoughts .

    After his speech was finished, John rang a bell and called Jacob and asked Tom to make a contract for everyone .

    Meanwhile, Eva and others came inside after he finished dealing with the ves .

    Joseph was the first one to react after watching the contract Tom was making,

    "John, are you sure about making this contract? won¡¯t you be losing if you make this contract? you can still get their loyalty by normal means you know . "

    John firmly said to him, "Think about it carefully Joseph, with that, I would only get their loyalty as they are my ves and not their trust . In the future I would need people who I can trust and as you have seen many ves even die in the span of 5 years because of many physical and mental reasons . "

    "With this, I will be pretty much profiting from this deal . However, this deal needs to be under wraps from certain people . "

    Joseph sighed and agreed, "Since you have made your firm stance and decision, I can¡¯t do anything but support you since you are my friend and our interests are intermixed now . Well, I will respect your decision on this choice of yours . As for Baron Mendez, he won¡¯t get a whiff about this contract to make any trouble among the noble circles . As for Tom, he is the main man of Marquis who deals in the ve trade in Pearl city so you shouldn¡¯t be worried about him and he might have already known about our deal with Marquis Ray . We only have to make sure to include this in the contract that the ves cant reveal about this contract to others so everything will be solved . "

    ¡¯Maybe he has past rted to very and that¡¯s why he abhors very or maybe a ve could have saved his life in crucial moments and so his disgust when ites to very . Anyways I should respect his decision . ¡¯

    Under John¡¯s influence, even Joseph¡¯s thinking on ves was changing day by day .

    Even Eva and others after hearing this from Joseph were shocked about this development but thought it was anyways John¡¯s way of dealing with his ves . While Sally looked at him with very astonished and curious eyes, the thing was people very rarely treated ves this good and it was only after a long period of time that they were treated fairly and may be given freedom .

    Meanwhile, it was also because of this magic contract and John¡¯s speech that Tornwall trusted John and decided to make his machines with utmost secrecy . Tornwall was the man who always upheld his words seriously and that was also the reason why he had declined to make any of the machines and weapons of Dwarven tech which he swore would never reveal in the past .

    Of all the ves it was only Jake which interested Jay, Eva, and her team . They also thought maybe this guy could be one of the reasons why John is using so much of his resources .

    After this whole ordeal, all of them signed a contract with John and all of the ves were quite reassured about their future and understood that they should never reveal about this contract until they are free again,

    This time even Tornwall didn¡¯t make all the fuss like he used to make so that he won¡¯t be bought in the past . Watching this most of the ves and dwarves understood that this deal was most likely true since even Tornwall epted it and thought of following his lead .

    Sally approached John and gave him a piece of advice, "You know if you were a big noble then it would have created big political waves after this decision because Many Noble interests are interlinked with the ve trade . You must be cautious and make yourself stronger since this would be revealed sooner orter . "

    Meanwhile, Joseph approached Tom and told him not to reveal this contract to anyone apart from Marquis and his Father . When Tom was making this contract, he already understood that it needs to be hidden or else there would be problems and implicationster on and he was just wondering if he should talk to Joseph or not .

    @@novelbin@@

    As Tornwall had guessed, John was changing the perceptions of his friends towards ves slowly but definitely and it was his abilities and his sense of values which were attracting people .

    Meanwhile at a certain castle nearby Pearl City,

    Bard was currently meeting with Prince Hector and waiting for him,

    Prince Hector¡¯s butler reported to the prince in a certain hall, "Prince, Bard hase and he wants to meet with you as he wants to pass on certain information about the events which took ce in Pearl City . As you might know, Princess Diana was currently in Pearl City so Bard had gone out to represent you at the auction unofficially meanwhile Princess Diana was able to buy the longevity potion but we encountered certain trouble when Bard was trying to buy Bluesea Family¡¯s Longthorn sword . It was actually a merchant who bought it at a very steep price . What do you think about this situation Lord?"

    Prince Hector thought for a while and gave his answer to him .

    "Okay, bring him over and treat him well . We would anyway need more support from nobles if we want to achieve something in the next war and the best way is to socialize and intermix our interests with these nobles . As for the merchant, we will see and act ording to the situation I don¡¯t want any political implications right now if that merchant has a big duke as his backer . Its a good thing that I wasn¡¯t present there but if he had offended me then he would have certainly been made to apologize to me . Maybe that wouldn¡¯t have happened if I was present . "

    Butlerughed and gave his answer, "As you wish Prince, I think the same as more nobles supporting us would be beneficial to us in future, plus your eldest brother already has a lot of grasp in Military matters so we would anyways need more chips against him in future so it would be better to make more connections and fewer confrontations in upper noble ss for now . "

    Butler then proceeded to invite Bart .

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38

    @@novelbin@@

    Butlerughed and gave his answer, "As you wish Prince, I think the same as more nobles supporting us would be beneficial to us in future, plus your eldest brother already has a lot of grasp in Military matters so we would anyways need more chips against him in future so it would be better to make more connections and fewer confrontations in upper noble ss for now . "

    Butlerter proceeded to invite Bart who was waiting in the Mansion,

    "Okay, As Master is free now, you can have a meeting now so please follow me, Lord Bart . "

    Bart didn¡¯t act all haughty in front of the butler because he knew that this butler was one of the right-hand men of Prince Hector and hence he followed the butler without making any problems .

    After entering to the room where Prince Hector was staying, Bart first made his greetings and waited for the instructions of Prince Hector to proceed, while the butler was preparing the food and drinks for both of them .

    This time Bart had prepared all the information about John and his connections to Morgan family while waiting for Prince .

    After a pause, Prince Hector said Bart, "You should already know why I am already pissed with the oue, right? I don¡¯t want any of your excuses, just tell me who was the guy and who are his backers . " indicating that he would be more pissed if he didn¡¯t even investigate about them and came empty handed .

    Bart told without holding back because, after years of dealing with upper-ss nobles, he understood one thing that you should be prepared if you make mistakes after watching his father and brother .

    "Prince, this time it was a new merchant named John but this time he was with the grandson of Morgan family and while we were bidding I had even added all of my money but when I was bidding for the sword their attitude seemed like they wanted to buy that sword at any cost and they had already raised by 4 times so we didn¡¯t have enough money at that time . "

    Bart emphasized on the word grandson as he knew that Carl had a lot of authority in Pearl city and he had connections to a lot of nobles with upper ss since he was an honorary Marquis which he gained after using a lot of connections and fortune .

    "But the most important thing was that when I was leaving the Auction I saw that, John and Joseph were having a meeting with Princess Diana and his personal butler . When I was looking at them from a distance and in dark, both Butler and that guy John were able to sense me . So it seemed like both were quite capable fighters," As Bart didn¡¯t know about d so he said in a nonchnt manner .

    Prince Hector was thinking after taking in all the information which he got from Bart and asked him, "You didn¡¯t provoke or offend that butler, right?"

    Bart then replied cautiously as he sensed danger from that tone, "I don¡¯t think so . "

    Prince didn¡¯t mind to Bart as he knew d wouldn¡¯t bother about small fry and asked his butler about his opinion, "Alistair, what do you think after listening to this information?"

    Alistair turned to Bart and confirmed the information, "You said his name is John and he was recently traveling with Joseph, right?"

    Bart confirmed it, "Yes, I am certain his name is John, he was with Joseph and he recently came with his friends to Pearl city on Joseph¡¯s trade fleet,"

    "Master, a few days ago, it was also this guy named John who defeated Antonio in East sea city due to a dispute over miss Eva, at that time he was only acquainted with Jack but Joseph was present during the duel as well so I think this guy is the same John,"

    Prince Hector thought a bit and said to Alistair, "Hmm . . . so this guy also made problems with Antonio and now he bought the Icethorn sword at auction . "

    Alistair understood and then asked Prince Hector, "Additionally a few days ago, Antonio had requested for some elite assassins as he needed them to wash off his humiliation in East sea city . But it has still not been approved yet . "

    Prince stopped him and told, "But if from what Bart says is correct then the problemes if they have made a connection with Princess Diana and that scary Butler . "

    Alistair thought a lot and gave one his suggestions to Hector, "That¡¯s true, but that can easily be solved if we asked a third party to help Antonio where our hands would not be seen . But the main problem is that we don¡¯t want to antagonize Marquis Ray and Duke of Southern Forest for now, I suggest we use one of the brothers of Joseph to handle that situation so even if we get discovered, Morgan family would restrain in using us since one of their kin was involved due to their rivalry in business and it would be hard for them to use us since we are only helping the other brothers for acquiring power in the family,"

    "I suggest this because after looking at the history of Morgan family there were always nobles supporting brothers from behind the scenes whether it was previous generations or the ones before that . "

    "And if we want to be more careful then we can use those assassins in the name of Antonio, we would only need to make connections between Antonio and one of Joseph¡¯s brothers and as their interests would match, no one would be able to use uster on since we were only connecting merchants and nobles like we do all the time . " Alistair finished giving one of his ideas . Most of the time it was Alistair who would help Prince Hector in strategizing his ns whether it was political or economical .

    After hearing Alistair¡¯s conclusion and n, Bart remarked in a cheerful tone, "Excellent! with such a great n we would seed no matter what . But Prince I also wanted to add one more thing when you mentioned miss Eva, from my information John is also a disciple of Potioneer Mnie . "

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40

    After Dealing with all the things for the day they headed to Joseph¡¯s Mansion and nned for the next day .

    Meanwhile, Prince Hector and Bart also concluded their meeting at the pce in the outskirts of Pearl City .

    During this time one of d¡¯s men reported to him about the meeting which took ce between Bart and Prince Hector so he started preparing for the eventual assassination which Diana had warned him about . As he was already given orders he didn¡¯t bother Princess Diana and continued with preparations of his own .

    Meanwhile, when John wasn¡¯t looking at the WDS, he got a lot of points and experience during his absense . There was a change that he didn¡¯t expect would happen after not looking at it for a long time . He had earned a lot of WDS points and experience points .

    [Host you are now eligible for the new offer while it is only avable for a limited time period . ]

    This time Sarah didn¡¯t finish and waited for John if he was going to shut her up or not .

    ¡¯hmm . . . it seems she is waiting for my reply now¡¯

    After all the deals which took ce during his journey, John had earned a total of 240,000 WDS points and 250,000 experience points .

    "Okay, tell me what is your new offer this time around . " Since John hadn¡¯tmunicated with Sarah for a long while now, John decided to listen to her new offers today .

    [Host can now use his experience points to level up the WDS authority level at the cost of 170,000 WDS points . Meanwhile, host can also use his WDS points whenever required to level up the authority if ites short . ]

    John thought that this opportunity may note again and it was better to utilize his experience points rather than always spending it on Gift boxes which were never useful .

    John then confirmed on his order of using 170,000 WDS points for future use of experience points for leveling up authority .

    [Host, are you sure you want to confirm this purchase?]

    [Yes]

    [Deducting 170,000 WDS points . . . ]

    After a few minutes,

    [Process Completed . ]

    "Sarah, use all of the experience points for leveling up authority . "

    [Using experience points . . . ]

    [Used all of the experience points for leveling up authority]

    Meanwhile, John thought Sarah was rather quiet today as she did all the work rather thanining or teasing him . It seemed that not talking to her for thest few days had worked for his benefit .

    [You are thinking too much, I am only nning my next move after you loosen your defenses . . . ]

    @@novelbin@@

    ¡¯As I thought, I was thinking too much, this crook will never improve¡¯]

    Today was a free day for John andpany so they decided to tour the whole city today . Meanwhile, they decided to travel to Dolores for their meeting with Baron Mendezter on . Eva and others had decided to get hold of John today .

    While traveling the market and looking for clothes, a lot of new fashion showrooms had the newly designed clothes of the Snake family, which were very popr among the nobles and rich merchants nowadays .

    "Hey, John your new clothes have be very popr nowadays, don¡¯t you think so?" Josephine asked John while they were traveling .

    When Joseph heard this he was shocked that it was John who provided these designs for new clothes which have been circting in the market . Although there were already knockoffs being made after their poprity . But the snake family already withheld their foot in the market as their creator, because of which they got the brand recognition among the nobles .

    "Hey, I didn¡¯t know that you were the one who provided them with those designs," Joseph said to John in a questioning manner .

    "Well, it was well before we made contact, so you can say that it was my first ever contract with Jack and hence our business rtionship . " Though John actually wanted to deny because of giarism but he didn¡¯t do it as he thought that no one would be harmed in this world and exined to John about his encounter with Jack .

    "Well, anyway how about we look at those new clothes for now . It will be my treat today . " John changed the topic and he too joined the group as thought about buying new clothes for himself and the team .

    Meanwhile, Joseph thought deeply and agreed to it, he also made a mental note on this matter where John designed those new clothes .

    These new designs were being incorporated in various other clothes and essories as well, such as bag etc .

    All of them tried various clothes at the biggest shop at the center of Pearl City and bought clothes from them . Later on, they learned that this shop had even made a contract with the Snake family for those clothes which got popr and hence they wanted to sell it to rich merchants and knights so that people don¡¯t doubt the brand of the clothes they were selling .

    Meanwhile, in a Mansion in Pearl City, Diana as well tried the same type of clothes which she had bought earlier,

    Diana asked d while Maurice was serving her tea, "d, what are your opinions on these designs and clothes?"

    d was in a happy mood while he was answering Diana¡¯s questions, "Well, If I have to describe it in one word, then I would say they are very ¡¯efficient¡¯ or fortable¡¯, anyway these type of clothes suit me and my ilk more . "

    "As for the provider of these clothes, it is another one those brats who is acquainted with John and Joseph . If you didn¡¯t guess wrong then he is Jack snake from the Snake family, I think this matter as well is rted to John since both of them are friends from north-frontier town . I think we can expect more things from John as he had already indicated to us during our previous meeting . Anyway, that brat made some good clothes which can look good . "

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42

    Inside a very luxurious room, his highness Lionheart as well was pretty much pleased with Rose soaps he used after bathing for a few days,

    Today before going to the courtroom, he asked his butler, "What do you think about these new soaps which are quite popr among the aristocratic circles nowadays . "

    Butler replied, "Quite unique and they are of better quality from the previous ones which were made by other nobles and merchants . From our information, it is being made by amoner of the North-frontier town in the northern Domain of Baron Mendez . "

    King thought and remarked after hearing about some of the information rting to these soaps, "North-frontier town, hmm . . . so that¡¯s the case, anyway keep a watch on them and try to keep a neutral position of the royal family in the front and if there is a chance to snatch the soap making techniques then do it covertly, we are anyway running low on finances because of all the yearly wars and maintenance of all our industries and priorities .

    Meanwhile, on John¡¯s end, Today they were preparing to leave Pearl city and visit Dolores, while Tom the ve dealer was preparing to send all the ves to the port for their transportation .

    @@novelbin@@

    Transportation of ves this time was handled by Eric . Joseph had already given him explicit instructions about the treatment and lodging of ves which would be required at North-Frontier Town .

    John, Joseph, and others meanwhile headed North of Pearl City by Land and decided to travel towards Dolores city for their Negotiations with Baron Mendez for the sale of North-frontier town .

    One of the Guard Order of Marquis Ray had also escorted them to Dolores city of which some 50 odd people would follow John to North-frontier town to help and train other people for the protection of his domain while others would leave after reaching Dolores .

    The knight order was headed by a man named n Lopez .

    During these Five Days of travel, they bypassed the Imperial City where they only stayed for a day before leaving for Dolores in the northern domain . During their stay at the Imperial city, Sally was quite upset and had an irritating mood . While Eva too didn¡¯t like Imperial City because she would have to face her rtives here if she stayed any longer and that was also one of the reasons, why they didn¡¯t stay for long at the Imperial City .

    After a few days, they reached Dolores without any problems, This time Baron Mendez knew that Joseph and others were going to visit him and talk about the agreement on the sale of North-frontier town, which the Morgan family talked about earlier . As a noble, he couldn¡¯t lower himself to visit John and others even if he knew that a big piece of meat wasing his way . So this time it was one of the servants who went to receive them .

    The servant was quite surprised after watching the 50 knights of Marquis Ray which were traveling with John and Joseph . The remaining knights already left after reaching Dolores .

    This was also one of the moves by which Marquis Ray intended to show his support for John to Baron Mendez and others who were aiming for John and his business .

    From this, he intended to show everyone, that, anyone moving against John was as good as moving against him as it would harm his interests .

    Most of the people in the political circles would have alreadye to the conclusion that John and Marquis Ray have reached an agreement that would benefit both sides . Because most people tracking those soaps and John already knew about Joseph and John¡¯s meeting with Marquis Ray when they visited Pearl city . They also got hints from the behavior of Tom on how he treated John after his meeting with Marquis .

    The scene of Knights marching in the city was quite a sight for most of the people in Dolores, many people thought some noble had arrived today but after watching Baron Mendez¡¯s servant, everyone concluded that some rich merchant or son of a noble arrived here today .

    After some shock, the servant headed towards John and others, after some talk, they decided to head towards the mansion prepared by Baron Mendez .

    After waiting for an hour, Baron Mendez came to the room where Joseph and John were staying . Joseph and John had already expected to wait for a long time when they arrived today to seal the deal between them . As Baron Mendez was in a superior position of the negotiation table so they already expected such an oue because they were the ones who proposed to buy the town .

    Baron Mendez was a middle-aged man who looked in his 40¡¯s-50¡¯s, he had Brown hair, a Burly body, and a height of 5 feet 9 inches, he was wearing luxurious and imposing clothes . He wore imposing clothes intentionally for their meeting today so that he could squeeze as much as possible from John and Joseph .

    Meanwhile, Diana and her entourage headed towards North-frontier city after they finished their business and Tour in Pearl City .

    During her Journey, she got various reports from d and Maurice, during this time she was quite ustomed to food recipes of John which was always by prepared Maurice, d too took a liking towards these recipes .

    d meanwhile always gave her reports from her domain and all the matters which concerned her, one of the reasons Diana was traveling Aelius kingdom was because she was fleeing the various suitors who were pursuing her in Fire Abyss kingdom, this included one of the princes of Fire Abyss Kingdom . To keep the face of the royal family she always kept traveling whenever she got reports that the prince wasing to the ce she was staying . And so fleeing to other countries was always the best option for Diana as princes cant travel to other countries easily as they would require very high security which would cost a lot of money and their lives would still be in danger . Because of this she also became to be known for her adventurous and exploring spirit .

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43

    However, this time around it was because of her curiosity in John and hispanions that she decided to visit North-frontier town and see how things changed first hand in North-Frontier town .

    This Time at Baron Francis Mendez¡¯s Manor,

    Baron Mendez came along with Antonio¡¯s butler James and his second son Antonio, Baron Mendez had spent quite a sum to recuperate his son earlier so that he could be a better knight in the future and there are injuries which could affect himter on, while also for their meeting with John and Joseph which was going to take ce today .

    As soon as both Antonio and John met, their eyes only had cold looks for each other . Both Joseph and Baron Francis were watching the show from the sidelines, meanwhile, the butler James was keeping a watch on Joseph .

    John greeted Antonio with a sarcastic tone and a smiling face, "Nice meeting you again, Lord Antonio, it seems you have recovered quite well from your injuries . I hope we can have a Blood pumping duel like the one we had in east sea city again in the future . "

    Antonio didn¡¯t reply but stared at him with an angry expression, to remove the awkwardness of the conversation, Joseph came forward and suggested that everyone rx a bit .

    "Why don¡¯t we rx a bit and have a taste of some unique cuisines which were specially prepared by our chefs this time, they have also been praised by Marquis Ray and Marchioness Aine, so how about everyone grabs a bite of it?"

    Joseph knew that such a type of situation would arise and he had already nned a lot toplete this deal, and he also had expected John to react in the same way . Additionally, he didn¡¯t want John to bend in front of Baron as this would totally mean that John was not cut off for handling a domainter on if he can¡¯t even handle such matters .

    From this encounter, it could be seen that Baron had prepared quite a lot when it came to confronting them and handling their business matters .

    After watching this encounter, Baron had decided to move towards the main business .

    "That¡¯s quite true Joseph, okay, let¡¯s head towards the dining room first and discuss business while we have dinner . "

    James led everyone to the dining hall while Joseph ordered one of his men to bring the dishes which were already prepared .

    While Eva and others were busy touring the city today and she also didn¡¯t want to interact more with Antonio, so they had decided to go to a hotel to avoid him andter watch the city at their own leisure .

    Dolores was quite a beautiful citypared to North-frontier town in a sense that there were more merchants and this ce was one of the transit hubs as it interconnected a lot of other cities in the northern domain . This was also one of the reasons why it was the main capital of Ancestors of Baron Mendez .

    While they were traveling today, Eva and her group today saw George, who was conversing with one of the cksmiths in Dolores, Today he hade to deliver one of the batches of his Weapons which were made recently, every time, he was the one who escorted the weapons and armor made by his shop to Baron Mendez as this would ensure that no one steals them and he would also get a chance to get acquainted with other nobles for bigger business if they visited Baron on any given day .

    "Hey, isn¡¯t that George from our town? What¡¯s he doing here today" Josephine recognized him and asked others with a curious tone . Like most of the time, she was always ignorant when it came to nobility .

    Jay then exined to her, "Well, from what I know, he always personally supplies Baron with his weapons and armors produced in his shop for their Knight order . You should know that the nobles always try to earn more merits in war and hence raise their social position by achieving merits in war . And the same is the case for other sons of nobles who at least try to get a chance to be important officials in the Imperial city . And so weapon makers are always important to nobles and so are nobles important to weapon makers . You might have known about the Lorr family who became aristocrats a long time ago and now they are personal weapon makers of The Royal Family . So most of the cksmiths try to emte the achievements of the Lorr family . "

    Eva also added bits of her own information when the topic of cksmiths and the Lorr Family came up, "That¡¯s true, also from what I heard from Grandma, they are said to be providing weapons for the spies of the Royal Family so they have earned quite an important position in the imperial pce . As far as rumors go by in the Imperial Pce, it is believed that the Royal Family gave the Lorr family two choices after they became famous and too strong because of their weapon making . 1: They be personal Weaponmakers of the Royal Family, or

    2: The Royal family would forcefully extract their weapon making techniques and silence them if necessary . However 2nd option was not said but was only implied by many in their family after the Royal family tried to hire them .

    After considering the pros and cons, their elders had decided to be personal Weaponmakers of the Royal Family as this would improve their social status but they could also avoid a disaster . For their family, it was a joyous asion as most people didn¡¯t know the cost of declining the Royal Family¡¯s offer . Although the Lorr family was quite strong during those times as well however they may not have enough strength if it came to a rebellion and they already made quite a lot of enemies internally while their dominion wasn¡¯t close to any border . However, my grandma only heard it from the gossip of those old men in the court which usually took ce . So this can¡¯t be confirmed yet . My grandma is one of those believers of this story while there is a group that says it is a rumor to malign to the royal family . However, this Gossip only takes ce between those strong men privately in court and most of the time there is a gag order when ites to this gossip . Additionally, Lorr family always said privately that they were never forced by the royal family so not many can confirm this gossip even if it is true . "

    @@novelbin@@

    All of the people here knew about Grandma Mnie being a court official in her day so they weren¡¯t shocked by this revtion However all of them got a new perspective on the royal family and understood one of the reasons why Grandma Mnie lived here away from the politics of the Imperial Pce and was spending her days in rest, experimentation and leisure here in North-frontier town . While guiding Eva in potion making but as she found her interest as a fire magician she started finding a capable disciple who can inherit her legacy in potion making and now she can see that exactly in John or maybe he would go even higher than her and make a bigger name than her in the future .

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44

    All of the people here knew about Grandma Mnie being a court official in her day so they weren¡¯t shocked by this revtion However all of them got a new perspective on the royal family and understood one of the reasons why Grandma Mnie lived here away from the politics of the Imperial Pce and was spending her days in rest, experimentation and leisure here in North-frontier town . While guiding Eva in potion making but as she found her interest as a fire magician she started finding a capable disciple who can inherit her legacy in potion making and now she can see that exactly in John or maybe he would go even higher than her and make a bigger name than her in the future .

    Meanwhile, during the dinner at the Mansion of Baron Mendez, Joseph was the one kept the mood alive of all the people in the dining room .

    Baron Mendez was quite surprised with the food he tasted this time around, he had heard a lot of rumors that about the food served by servants of John and Joseph, but he thought they were nothing special, it was only now that he felt that food today was quite goodpared to the ones made by chefs at his mansion . He had thought of taking a shot at them if the food wasn¡¯t good enough but it seemed that the rumors among aristocratic circles were quite right and earlier thought that Marquis Ray was only giving them face because of their deal . So after tasting the dishes, he decided against ridiculing them but genuinely praised their dishes .

    "It seems that the rumors were quite true about your dishes and chefs among the aristocratic circles," Baron remarked after eating the dishes .

    While it seemed that Antonio also toned down his cold stare quite a bit after eating some delicious food . It was because he was quite surprised after making his first bite on the food . As a noble, he had eaten quite a variety of delicacies in Aelius kingdom so he thought it would be just like those normal dishes he often ate but this time he was quite surprised and hence the surprised reaction .

    Watching that the mood of both Antonio and Baron Mendez softened a bit, he decided to start the main topic this time around after a bit of light talk .

    "haha, no no, we were just lucky to across these new dishes and so we decided to share it with others . Actually, it was John who made this dish and told their recipes to his servants which were also transferred to my chefs . " Joseph replied whileughing .

    Baron was skeptical a bit and smiled but he neither agreed nor did he disagree with Joseph .

    While Antonio and James were watching the show from the sidelines .

    "Last time I heard, you guys pretty much injured Antonio in the duel for 2 months . If it wasn¡¯t for the doctors or using precious herbs, Antonio still would be on his bed . How do you n to exin to me about the previous incident?"

    As expected, Baron had intended to use the previous incident to Jack up the prices and put pressure on them .

    "Well, I think it was only a duel and as you know, in most of the duels some will get injured and some won¡¯t . How about this, we will pay for the road maintenance charges which would incur to us aspensation for the previous incident . " John and Joseph were already prepared for the jacking up of prices and hence they decided to use road maintenance as one of the chips . The thing was they were anyways going to unterally maintain the roads and hence John proposed this idea to Joseph earlier who in turn proposed to baron here .

    Baron thought this would be better for his dominion as this would reduce his costs . he also made sure that John pays for Road maintenanceter on even if John doesn¡¯t own thendter on,

    "However you have to make sure that you pay for road maintenance in the future even if you don¡¯t own North-frontier townter on and if you fail to do so then your soap factory will be coteral against it . " This was Baron¡¯s main aim the time during their negotiations .

    Joseph thought for a bit and didn¡¯t agree to it butter made a counter-proposal, the new proposal included, "As long as John owned north-frontier town he would maintain maintenance for free but in case he loses thend then he will only pay for 10 years worth of road maintenance in the future and if he fails to do so then his soap factory can be used as a coteral against it . "

    "Ok, these terms are fine as well . "

    After some thought Baron agreed to these terms as it was anyway a bonus for him since he got a buffer which would save his costster on even if they managed to survive the Beast attack, Later on, it was Joseph who handled the negotiations for buying North-frontier and an honorary noble title of Baron .

    The negotiations were quite hard and it seemed that Baron knew that John was willing to pay a big price for the town and hence he betted on ying hard during the negotiations . It was also because he knew that John wanted to finish the deal as fast as possible so that he can increase the defenses of North-frontier town for preparationster on and save as many people as possible . Baron didn¡¯t try to push his luck muchter on but he knew this year¡¯s invasion of magic beasts would be more ferocious than the previous years . It was only when Baron reached their bottom line that he agreed to sell North-frontier town at a price of 25,000 gold coins with an honorary noble title .

    @@novelbin@@

    Both the Baron and Antonio were quite happy with today¡¯s result as they got a buffer zone and this decreased their defense costs for the current year without any me for the North-frontier town . And if anything happenster on, it will be their responsibility . While they sessfully managed to hide the fact that this year it was going to be harsher than any other years for North-frontier town they thanked their fortunes gleefully however they still didn¡¯t know that John was already prepared and knew about the attack, that¡¯s why he made a big risky bet this time to get a dominion .

    Meanwhile, Eric, on the other hand, reached East seaport in the north and arranged all the lodgings and required supplies for all the ves and proceeded to transport the soaps which were newly ordered from the Rose Factory .

    He already had orders from both Joseph and Frank about their treatment of ves, mobilization of fleet and importance of this trade route since a lot of people will try to target themter on .

    That was also why he got a bigger fleet and crew this time when they made their journey north this time around .

    Afterpleting all the tasks, Eric was going to wait for Joseph and John for further instructions .

    During their journey this time around, he found Jake to be the most interesting person in the whole group of ves . When he watched Jake, his eyes reflected deep sorrow and pain from his past .

    One of his mates Sean saw this and understood what he saw in Jake . He didn¡¯t bother Eric and let him be on his own . he was one of the guys who traveled with Eric from a long time ago and he understood him the most .

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45

    Eric approached Jake and said to him with a smile and kind tone when Jake was training alone among the ves, "If you hate your weakness, be strong enough to protect yourself and your loved ones . " This was unlike Eric¡¯s unusual behavior previously and it was the same old carefree and happy mood . However, these words were deep and contained practical experiences .

    While smoking in the bar, Eric was chatting with one of his mates,

    "This Time young master made quite a good deal and a friend . Our internal problems this time are also fixed by reports we are getting directly from one of those men and this has decreased our cost on manpower and resources . "

    "That¡¯s true but our problems have increased as well this time . But Captain I bet you miss those beauties on board this time around . " replied one of his mates after joking andughing .

    Ericughed and replied sheepishly in his usual carefree and joking tone, "Sure enough, but I am still a gentleman when ites to treating women, I only peek at them for their safety so others don¡¯t have other malicious thoughts . "

    After some lighthearted talk, Eric came to the main point and said in a serious tone .

    "From now on, all of you guys have to be more focused when we travel down south and up north . As far aspensation and wages go, you guys will be receiving 3 times more from now on so there is something to cheer about . And for those who want to leave they can leave as well . "

    "What are you talking about captain, since we have followed you on our journey in seas from a long time, there will always be problems of pirates when we travel in seas, its good now that we can increase our base of operations and fleet . Let¡¯s enjoy ourselves since we will be getting paid 3 times more from now on . " Said his right-hand man, Sean, as he drank beer and said in a drunk mood, while othersughed and agree to Sean . He was not a guy with a big build but he was the one who always organized people during Eric¡¯s absence, The crew respected him because he had already proved himself in the past because of his firm decisions which changed a lot of oues for them .

    The serious talk ended in a happy mood because, as sailors, they always knew there will be problems when ites to pirate attacks so their lives were always in danger and hence increase in wages was better for them anyway .

    Eric¡¯s aim was achieved as there was nomotion about the problems that were mentioned and an increase in wages cheered up the mood for everyone .

    ¡¯It seems I made a good set ofpanions during the time we traveled the seas . ¡¯ Eric thought after watching their reaction .

    During this time Diana arrived at North-frontier town, the first thing Diana did was to go to John¡¯s Mansion and made her lodging at his mansion . The other problems were handled by d as he met Eric and told him to exin the servants of the mansion as Eric was familiar with people in Mansion and Factory . Eric knew about d from Joseph before traveling so he helped him exin the servants of the Mansion about their identity .

    The servants in the mansion were quite nervous but they still believed Eric as they already knew that he was Joseph¡¯s, right-hand man .

    During this time, d arranged the security of the mansion and guided Servants for their work . he was also quite amazed by the ice house which was made with the help of saltpeter as it was present in the mansion but he didn¡¯t pry further for more details as he understood that they already crossed a lot of boundaries because of Diana¡¯s willfulness earlier and so he hoped John and others ignore their behavior this time around .

    Meanwhile, at Baron¡¯s Mansion,

    Baron used this opportunity to get as many recipes from Joseph¡¯s chef as he can get, he knew that Joseph and John are unable to reject him unless and until the deal was finalized and sealed . After dealing with the Baron for the whole day and giving him 25,000 gold coins, they signed the contract and nned to head on their way to North-frontier town in the north after some rest . After signing their deal, John made a sigh of relief as he can now aggressively continue his ns afterying low for such a long time after arriving at Arkon .

    After they left, they went to meet theirpanions and tell them about the good news .

    After they left Baron¡¯s mansion, one of Prince Hector¡¯s men came to Baron¡¯s mansion and sent them a letter . This letter was a reply to their request for the elite assassins which Antonio had asked for earlier . This letter was read by both Antonio and Baron Mendez . He already concluded that this letter was a positive one since Prince Hector had replied to them . If they weren¡¯t interested then they would have not even bothered to write a reply letter to them .

    While George, who was in Dolores, he had already heard about the rumors of John buying North-Frontier town from the servants of the mansion after he delivered his weapons to Baron Mendez . Baron Mendez this time had asked him a lot about John and his factory this time around . From Baron¡¯s words, he understood that there was something going on behind the scenes but he still remained cautious with his words as he understood that John also got backing of some nobles and had earned an honorary baron¡¯s noble status . He also got to know that Baron had earlier nned to abandon North-Frontier town and had only told him about it so he doesn¡¯t get inflicted . Although George is quite selfish about some things but he still clung to North-Frontier town because of his past and ancestors or else he would have long ago settled in Dolores or some other big city but he was still living in North-Frontier town because he felt free here and it reminded him of his past but he still cared about life . His past had also changed him a lot and that is why he became selfish as he got more experiences interacting with other people . Hearing this he was quite mad, usually, he wouldn¡¯t be mad unless a question of North-frontier town¡¯s survival came into question but he still hid it well when this was mentioned .

    he always tried to be sincere with people who were sincere with him but when he was forced to choose a decision he would always take decisions that harmed him the least and wait for an opportunity and hence he was perceived as a selfish person many times by people .

    In the Market at Dolores,

    John and Joseph met with theirpanions and told them about the good news that Baron Mendez had agreed to sell the Town to them and they got both the deeds,

    1 . North-frontier Towns deed .

    2 . Deed of Honorary Baron .

    Sally was quite skeptical about how the Baron so easily gave up thend but she still understood that there were many benefits for him in throwing responsibility on John¡¯s head about the magic beast attacks and sessfully creating a buffer between forest and his Domain while lowering his costs at the same time .@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48

    Meanwhile in a certain Mansion in the Western part of Aelius kingdom was a man with brown curly hair and royal clothes sitting on a chair . he wasn¡¯t tallpared to other people . he was 5 feet and 7 1/2 inches, he had sharp eyes and he had a slight stubble on his face . by all means, he looked quite handsome . He had a physique of a strong man and he gave an aura of oppression when people met him . he had quite a bad reputation among all the circles whether it was the nobles ormoners . He was very well known for his cruelty to his enemies . The name of the man sitting the chair was Lukav Aelius . He was the second prince of the kingdom and was known to be as cunning as a fox in the noble circles .

    He was also under house arrest 7 years ago under the personal orders of the king . At that time he created quite a big scandal that was even known among the masses . The rumor was that he caused a lot of deaths of nobles andmoners 7 years ago . The day this massacre happened was very widely known as The New year incident of Red Lake City .

    At this time he was drinking wine and reading one of the reports provided by his butler . This man followed Prince Lukav from a young age . He was his most trusted and loyal follower . He was a man with white hair, a normal physique and his eyes reflected his experiences of the past . His name was Duncan .

    While reading one of the reports he asked his butler, "Since Hector is nning such a big banquet, I don¡¯t think it would be a normal socializing event so what is Hector nning this time around?"

    "From the reports, he is nning this banquet to introduce new nobles and businessmen as well as making some ns for his future, we are not sure about the urate details, but from my personal point of view, he is going to make his future ns with other aristocrats when they will meet at the banquet as it willst for 5 days . However, from the recent reports, we got information that one of his men was quite humiliated in an auction a few days ago by a new merchant . Apparently, that merchant is also the producer of new soaps we got into the market recently . "

    "Judging by Hector¡¯s petty temperament I am sure he will try to take his revenge from him immediately"

    "Quite the opposite this time around, he is remaining cautious this time as Marquis Ray, Morgan Family and Duke of Southern Forest are backing that merchant and have interests in the soaps produced by him as they are one of the main suppliers of that soap in the market . However, as you think, I think he will try to find a roundabout way to seek face for his humiliation at the auction . Most probably he will n for that in the next Banquet as well . Currently, that merchant lives in the Northern domain at North-frontier town and is a disciple of Grand Potioneer Mnie . He also bought a fief of North-frontier town from the proceeds of his new soaps from Baron Mendez . "

    Lukavughed and said to Duncan, "This merchant is quite interesting to have made a connection with so many nobles in a short period of time and he also managed to antagonize Hector . What is his Majesty¡¯s position on the issue?"

    "Well, he has said to keep a neutral position to his followers for now, but as you know they will try to take any advantage if they get a chance so the neutral position is most likely a ruse and they will do as the situation follows . "

    When it came to important matters Lukav said in a very serious tone to Duncan, "As for the important matters, is there any new news on Felix?"

    "No, as far as thetest information is concerned, he is still cooped up in the military camp and busy preparing for the war next year and heavily training every day with his men so he can gain something from the war . But this time, Duke ckwolf from the west is making some movements towards the merchant who pissed off Hector, it seems it is because of the high-end market of soaps which is being captured by that merchant but I am not sure about his movements if they are rted to him or is he nning something else . " This time Duncan replied in a very serious manner .

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    Lukav made his conclusion, "Most likely Duke Southern Forest and ckwolf will have a go at each other¡¯s throats and this is also the most likely the reason why he backed that Merchant . "

    "Meanwhile, keep a watch on that Merchant and north-frontier town . Since he is not afraid to confront Hector and other nobles he should be worthy enough to keep a watch on him . Anyways our position will be to be on good terms with him, send him a gift and congrattions on owning a fief to him and yeah make it public, it should annoy all those assholes in the imperial capital . And since he is a disciple of that old ghost then it would be a benefit for us in the long run and he must be quite capable to be her disciple . This would also exin how he managed to make such better soaps . "

    "Ok, master, your orders will be followed as instructed, do we attend today¡¯s meeting in the evening with that Marquis Evan? Master, how do we deal with that spy who was caught recently?"

    "We will attend, make preparations for the carriage, we will head there immediately . As for that traitor, execute him, make him feel as much pain as possible and like always make an example out of him in front of everyone so that people think twice before joining us and think more doubly before bing traitors in our faction . And kill anyone who opposes this execution . "

    Lukav concluded his reports and headed inside to prepare for one of his meetings with Marquis Evan .

    Duncan sighed a bit but he still followed his orders to the point .

    During this time, John and others set off for North-frontier town . After getting the deed, John was now going to aggressively bring in a lot of new technologies which he was hesitant about in the past few days . He already understood that he needed people whom he can trust and he also needed to be strong enough if he wished to protect himself and his friends and this was also one of the reasons why he trusted men under him so he can judge them early on . Their return Journey this time was quite peacefulpared to their Journey when they headed south, maybe one of the reasons was because Knights of Marquis were escorting them on their return Journey and hence they never faced bandits on the road or problems when they crossed the borders of various nobles .

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49

    During this time, John and others set off for North-frontier town . After getting the deed, John was now going to aggressively bring in a lot of new technologies which he was hesitant about in the past few days . He already understood that he needed people whom he can trust and he also needed to be strong enough if he wished to protect himself and his friends and this was also one of the reasons why he trusted men under him so he can judge them early on . Their return Journey this time was quite peacefulpared to their Journey when they headed south, maybe one of the reasons was because Knights of Marquis were escorting them on their return Journey and hence they never faced bandits on the road or problems when they crossed the borders of various nobles .

    In the North-frontier town, d met with all the ves who were bought by John . Eric had settled all the ves in the North-frontier town . After meeting the ves, he could see that all the ves showing Rays of hope . It was unlike the usual ves where they disyed no hope who were normally bought by merchants and nobles likewise .

    After this encounter, he understood that John was going to treat his ves differently from how other nobles and merchants treated them . John to him appeared like a unique star standing out in the night sky which was different from others . He possessed fearlessness when it came to take action for sticking up to his values .

    However, d still wondered, for how long would John stick to values when he would have to choose between two evils in the future .

    Unlike the ves who never showed any positive emotions, he could clearly see those emotions from the ves under John . Among the ves, he could also see one guy who very different from all the ves present, it was Jake who was training alone who had an expression of hope, determination and tenacity . Unlike the past where he was in disbelief, now he could see a way and hope where he could nullify the wrong he did to his family . This event was also one of the knots which bind his heart .

    After asking Eric, he understood his situation and decided not to bother him for now and headed to the mansion and report the recent happenings of the day to Diana .

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    After a day whole day of traveling, the whole group returned to the North-frontier city . Their return caused quite a stir among the people in the north-frontier city as there were knights who were escorting them . Mayor Sam was already informed during the day about the transfer of ownership ofnd from Baron Mendez to John via a letter .

    So during thismotion, he informed everyone of the transfer of ownership ofnd to the people . People also didn¡¯t know how to react but a lot of people were quite happy and cheered about the transfer .

    It may be because many were farmers who benefitted a lot from John¡¯s proposal in farms and many were ones who were benefitted from John¡¯s Soap Factory . After the construction of his factory, the volume of people who came to the North-frontier town had increased a lot as well . The same was the case with merchants and so people didn¡¯t have to stock up on necessities and give exorbitant prices like they usually did .

    Looking at themotion, John decided to speak in front of everyone,

    "I know that many of you might be confused and wouldn¡¯t know how to react on this current situation However there is still good news for you guys, from now I have decided that all the taxes on the yields will be reduced to the minimum 65% of the kingdom and in times of need I as the Baron, No, as one of yourrades from thisnd will do my best if the town faces danger in any form . Previously before I owned North-frontier town, I had already asked Mayor Sam about the problems of our town faced and hence I had first decided to buy the town first . This time as well I have decided to use my money if the town faces any problem when ites to food . For this situation, I have also decided to construct various big granaries in the town . Mayor Sam will remain the mayor, as for the knights which you might be worrying about, they came from Marquis Ray¡¯s dominion and they will help us train more people in knight training for the protection of this town . "

    After listening to John¡¯s spellbound speech, many people were happy with the most important being the reduction in taxes as it would help them lessen their burden, unlike the past where nobles usually squeezed most from the masses it was different for John . If it was in full control of John then he would have reduced the taxes like the modern times of earth however he didn¡¯t want to bring more unwanted attention from aristocrats towards him as this decision would practically mean that he was challenging all the nobles of Aelius Kingdom . However, this didn¡¯t mean that he did not have other ways to improve the situation of people under his rule and he had decided that when he got stronger he wouldn¡¯t care about them and simply reduce the taxes without giving two hoots to the nobles .

    Mayor Sam was very happy with the change in ownership of thend because he already knew about the monster attack and Baron¡¯s n to abandon North-frontier town if an invasion of magical monsters took ce, however also he understood that Baron Mendez intended to defend his dominion from a better geographical area rather than defend from North-frontier town however he still felt that Baron should have informed the people of North-frontier town if he intended to abandon this ce so people would be more prepared in case of an emergency .

    Meanwhile, the folks in the town were continuously talking about the incidents John did which helped them previously .

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51

    "For reasons of precaution, you won¡¯t be able to see the precise designs of these blueprints but a prototype will be made for a demonstration for all the people in this room and see for themselvester on . "

    "Of all the suggestions, we will implement Jay¡¯s n and buy more ves whether it is forbor or for forming an army . " Many here were unfamiliar with the term army .

    John smiled a bit and said to Tornwall, "Tornwall . what do you think of these Blueprints? Can these be made with current materials avable?"

    Tornwall was very astonished after watching the Blueprints of Crossbow Ballista and Catapult, he never thought that a lever could be used in such a unique way in the form of catapults . He was even more surprised by the ballista however he didn¡¯t have time to be surprised and after checking out for a while he gave his honest opinion .

    "I think these machines of war can be made from the forge provided by you and I am pretty certain that these weapons will change thendscape on how future wars would be strategized," Tornwall emphasized on these heavy words and said with a very serious tone to everyone present in the Hall .

    Everyone in the room was surprised by Tornwall¡¯s use of these heavy words and his reaction .

    However, from his reaction, they also understood the importance of these weapons and the importance of this matter . This also reaffirmed their thoughts that these weapons would be very useful in the future whether it was against the magic beasts or against other nobles .

    d was very surprised after hearing these words about those new weapons from Tornwall and he had quite a different reactionpared to others, he was very serious when heard it from him . He already knew about Tornwall¡¯s past but Tornwall¡¯s past was like a ho¡¯s nest and that¡¯s why he never revealed it to anyone and poked on it unless it was required .

    ¡¯As expected, he had a n regarding the invasion of beasts, so it seems he wasn¡¯t as naive as I thought however he should still have kept these weapons a secret or maybe he is baiting others in this room¡¯ d smiled and made some conclusions

    ¡¯Anyways if he is that cunning then he sure is worthy enough to be my disciple . ¡¯ d smiled happily and made some notes and thoughts on John at this meeting .

    From this encounter, everyone in this room also understood that Tornwall would be one of the main men of John and chief leading engineer of North-frontier town .

    Tornwall also understood that John trusted him enough after their previous encounter on his loyalty and it seemed that John was moved enough to trust him after observing his resolve .

    This was a very modern crossbow which was made bybining the knowledge of both the worlds of earth and Sarah¡¯s world . Meanwhile, the Catapult could be started for production already however it would not be urate but it would still be very effective .

    "Okay, so it is decided that Tornwall will be in charge of the industrial base of the town, you will report directly to me . Every day the warriors will be trained by Jay in archery . While Josephine and n from Marquis Ray¡¯s knight order would be responsible for training them in meleebat . I have already prepared for their Training techniques and herbs required for the men . You guys only need to train them inbat and it would be better if you guys can also master the training techniques . We will end this meeting for now and n for other things from tomorrow . "

    Everyer headed out and started preparing for the future events of the town .

    Later on, Taylor was given the position of Head Butler of the mansion while Martha was the head Chef of the Mansion . They and all the ves were allowed to keep their children near them from now on .

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    Next Day,

    John visited Grandma Mnie as always, today she had a surprise for John as she formally introduced d to John .

    "John, let me introduce you to one of my past colleagues, you might already know him since you have met him earlier at Pearl City . he is one of my acquaintances from my past and as your master who expects you to be strong and safe in the future, I have previously decided that you will be training under him to improve all the aspects of yourbat, you might not know him but few people can defeat him in hand to handbat in this world . If someday you are able to defeat him then that would be the most glorifying day for your master" Mnieughed and Joked as she said to John in the pharmacy hall .

    Meanwhile, both John and d didn¡¯t take it as a joke, John had the confidence in him to defeat d in future as he knew he could use the AI to improve himself and his techniques while simtion would improve him every second inbat while d¡¯s instincts rejected this idea as Joke and believed John could certainly him in near future but he still took it as apliment from Mnie .

    However, Mnie still stressed this as the main point while having a conversation with them .

    "Of course your first priority would still be to learn under me and be the greatest Potioneer of all time in Arkon so you still can¡¯t ck off on herbology and learn about potioneering from me . From tomorrow on, some of your time will be allocated onbat training with d and then,ter on, you can y baron in the town . "

    "I don¡¯t have any problems with it since I would anyway get to learn more techniques and improve my techniques as well from a guy who is a veteran when ites tobat and covert operations . However . . . "

    After this time John paused for a bit added a suggestion after thinking for a while . ,

    "I would like one person from the group of ves to train with me, is that ok with you guys?"

    Mnie meanwhile had a thoughtful expression on her face as she wondered who was the guy that happened to get John¡¯s attention out of all the ves .

    d already had an idea who the guy was but since that guy was John¡¯s ve he didn¡¯t bother as it would be rude to John . ves here in Arkon were treated as livestock and therefore people remained cautious when dealing with ves of other people .

    "who is the person that has caught your attention? I would like to meet him first before we decide . "

    Mnie asked and said to John .

    "Well, I already have an idea on who that person is as I already met all the ves before John and co arrived at North-frontier town, so I don¡¯t think there would be any problem if we have one more person in the training . Since he thinks he can be his asset we might as well try it . However, I will not be responsible for your injuries while we are training," d said to them in a serious manner .

    d then looked in the direction of Mnie in a meaningful manner and said to her, "It will be your responsibility to provide medicine baths and pastes for both of them, the only thing I can provide is training and share some of my experiences, I have gone through the same training and so will John so we can¡¯t go in a roundabout way for this training . Anyway let¡¯s look at the guy since you are so interested in him"

    "Well that guy¡¯s name is Jake, he seems most worthy for the future among all the ves when ites forbat . Additionally, he is young enough who can be trained for the future . "

    As aspected, it was Jake which d already knew about since only Tornwall and Jake stood out among all the ves however Jake had eyes of a wolf showing emotions full of determination and revenge deep inside them and hence d¡¯s conclusion on Jake .

    As the conversation concluded between them, all of them first headed to John¡¯s mansion and look for Jake .

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52

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    d then looked in the direction of Mnie in a meaningful manner and said to her, "It will be your responsibility to provide medicine baths and pastes for both of them, the only thing I can provide is training and share some of my experiences, I have gone through the same training and so will John so we can¡¯t go in a roundabout way for this training . Anyway let¡¯s look at the guy since you are so interested in him"

    "Well that guy¡¯s name is Jake, he seems most worthy for the future among all the ves when ites forbat . Additionally, he is young enough who can be trained for the future . "

    As aspected, it was Jake which d already knew about since only Tornwall and Jake stood out among all the ves however Jake had eyes of a wolf showing emotions full of determination and revenge deep inside them and hence d¡¯s conclusion on Jake .

    As the conversation concluded between them, all of them first headed to John¡¯s mansion and look for Jake .

    Today in one of the markets of North-frontier town there was a man who wore a hat that had a long feather behind it . This man looked very different from other people, he wore a yellow sand-colored long coat, he wore a dark brown colored shirt within it, below he wore long trousers of light brown color . He had a bowtie on his shirt and a broach pinned on his coat, He had a bag on his back and carried a portrait on his hand with a feather brush on his other hand . He had long earspared to other people and Golden hair . He had an average height and he showed an extraordinary demeanor . He was basically a half-elf and half-human .

    He was also the guy who sold the portrait of John¡¯s Mansion to one of d¡¯s men . During his visit to North-frontier Town, he was quite fascinated by the changes that were urring over here . His name was Ryfon Zinfiel, he had studied at the Imperial city and came from there to rediscover about himself and more about the world .

    During his visit, he noticed that the volume of traders and peopleing to this town had increased recently and the center to this attention was the newly appointed honorary baron who bought this fief from Baron Mendez only recently as this was the talk of the town .

    Today after a long time he had decided to visit John as he already came back . He had long wanted to meet John because of his interest in John¡¯s mansion and its architecture .

    Recently he also visited Paul the Woodworker from this town and he was quite shocked by the workings of his shop as they were the ones who recently made the newly designed items of furniture around the North-frontier city and recently even a lot of nobles ordered them to try it .

    Because of the increasing poprity recently a lot of rich people ordered their furniture from Paul and this has also resulted in many people imitating their designs . Ryfon inquired about these designs directly from Paul andter he got to know from them that these designs were personally made by John . They were made because John wanted these types of furniture to be made in his mansion when he built his mansion and hence this was how they got these designs . He also rified that they already got permission from John when they started selling this furniture in their shop .

    This small creation of John actually helped the vige a lot, because he created employment opportunities for the vigers in the town indirectly . It was because Paul nowadays required more men as he was in short ofbor to fulfill all the orders taken . This month alone, he took more orders from merchants and nobles when he usually didn¡¯t get this much work in a full year .

    Many merchants were even ordering furniture from him so that they could resell it in other cities as works made by original creators .

    This one small detail made Ryfon understand that Baron John was changing North-frontier town with small steps but they were havingrge effects as it umted more and more .

    Meanwhile, at the other end, Mnie, d and John arrived at the Mansion . Taylor as the head butler of the Mansion invited them .

    Taylor had started organizing all the work of the Mansion after he got appointed as the head butler of Mansion . At first, he didn¡¯t understand the importance of this position .

    But slowly he will realize the importance of this role,

    As always Taylor greeted John and other guests inside the Mansion,

    Mnie remarked after watching the Mansion, "John you have made quite a good mansion, I only heard it from Sam and Eva but it seems that the rumors were really true that your Mansion was quite different from Normal Mansions and Pces . "

    "Ahem ahem"

    d coughed a bit to indicate that they should get straight to the main point .

    John understood and asked Taylor to bring in Jake . Taylor was quite confused but he still bought Jake to the room they were staying, recently Jake was training with n and Josephine in the courtyard .

    "You can stay Taylor"

    As Taylor was leaving John indicated that he stay and listen to the current conversation that was going to take ce .

    "This is the guy who I am going to take in to train for future, what do you think master?" John asked Mnie in a serious tone .

    Mnie saw Jake andmented after watching him for a while to everyone present in the hall, "Well he seems like a determined boy, I guess I can understand the reason why both of you were interested in training him . It will be interesting to see how he grows along with you . "

    Mnie then saw Jake and said to him"Boy, you are too young to have those eyes, learn to hide your emotions if you want to achieve your goals . you still have pure eyes and are trying acting like a man . See that Old man on the side, you can never understand what he is thinking even when you know him for years as many times he would do things differently from the norm . He could kill you with a smiling face and you wouldn¡¯t even know who killed you if you are not alert . That man has buried a lot of secrets . Learn to hide your emotions like him . "

    "Okay let¡¯s get to business, I think it is ok to train him, I won¡¯t have problems using resources on him as well . well anyway, it would his decision if he wants to get stronger . "

    Mnie sighed and then signaled to John,

    John then asked Jake and Taylor of their whole proposal since they saw him previously, "Jake what do you think about training with us? It will fully be your choice, we have two proposals for you which are either you can join us in helping our business since you have experience in business with your father or you can train with d for special training .

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53

    This training would be very different from the ones you usually do with other warriors and it can also be life-threatening so I hope you discuss with your father and give me an answer . "

    Taylor sighed as he heard their conversation and he too knew what Jake would choose in the end and gave his opinion, "I think we should let Jake decide what he wants to choose for his future . "

    Taylor looked at Jake meaningfully and said to him, "Go on, we are quite lucky this time that Baron John Bought us so you should be grateful to him for the opportunity given to us in the future, maybe it is fate that we are here today .

    I think all of us here already know what you are going to choose as you already hate the weakness you experienced in the past and it is also because you still show your emotions from your eyes that they understand you . However, my only advice to you would be that never let your rage consume you and learn to control your emotions . "

    Part of the reason why Taylor let him walk his own road was that he too understood that he was too weak to protect his family and understood that even if he rejected Jake, he would still train and risk his life to gain strength by other means .

    Jake was surprised as he thought that his father would rather want him to help John in business operations and think about improving his status and then maybe think about revenge .

    Jake thanked his father without saying anything but both of them could understand how they felt right now .

    When Jake heard from John that he can be stronger with special training, he had already disregarded any pains which would follow him in training because he knew that if he wanted to gain something then he had to sacrifice something to gain it .

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    His past experience had already taught him that weakness was sin and justice can only be achieved if you have enough strength .

    After John¡¯s proposal, Jake already reaffirmed John¡¯s position in his mind as he understood that John didn¡¯t want him to do his bidding but rather have his own free will and gave him two choices where he could decide where he wanted to take his path .

    Jake bend his left knee, put his right palm on the left side of his chest saluting and said to John in front of everyone,

    "Lord, I have already decided that I would like to serve you in this life and I hope to do your bidding in your absence where my presence is required . I hope to train under the tutge of everyone present here as it would improve me with least risks and it would be better to train under your leadership rather than finding my own answers at the starting stage . "

    This was one of the signs where one made an oath to a person in Arkon whether he was a lord or not .

    Both Mnie and John were quite surprised by Jake¡¯s decision to make an oath to serve John as this required a lot of determination . John was surprised because it was the first for John to experience this current situation .

    Mnie thought as she saw the scene folding before her eyes, ¡¯It seems he made a correct decision to train this guy . He surely has a way to attract people towards him . ¡¯

    People don¡¯tck talented people working for them but they surelyck loyal people working for them this was what Mnie thought on the current situation .

    Meanwhile, d already understood what would happen after his previous encounter with ves and only smiled in an all-knowing way as if it was saying he knew what was going to happen sooner orter .

    Taylor expected his son to take this oath sooner orter as he understood Jake¡¯s mentality . He reciprocated good with good and bad with bad .

    "You don¡¯t need to call me Lord, you can call me John like all my friends and people . This is my first time having someone give an oath to me however I would not reject your intentions . Since you have decided to serve me I would like to gift you my most precious technique which isn¡¯t avable to others and it was only recently improved by me . I think this would suit you more . "

    It was the improved version of the Six-senses Body refining technique which John had already improved many times over after he bought the improved versions of the technique andbined with his simtion system .

    "d, do you think Miss Diana and Duke Bluesea be interested in having our weapons in exchange for something else?"

    to be honest d was very much interested in those weapons but he didn¡¯t ask about them as he wanted to wait for a perfect opportunity to do a deal with them .

    d answered him in a serious tone, "I am very surprised that you are proposing to sell your weapons to us so early, What do you need in exchange for those weapons? If it is money then that won¡¯t be a problem for us . "

    "Well how about a deal where you guys help us protect our industries and train our men from spies and in return, you guys can be the sole suppliers of all our products in the whole of Fire Abyss kingdom and additionally you guys can buy our weapons, i . e the ballista and catapults at production costs . "

    d thought after John¡¯s proposal, ¡¯So that¡¯s how it is, he ns to build more industries and needs our help, well that is fair enough . Anyway since I have taken him as a disciple I should be considerate enough to him right now . ¡¯

    "Well, this deal sounds good . You can bring in the papers so that we can finalize the deal . "

    John signaled Taylor and he immediately bought some papers that were already prepared so that they can be signed at any moment .

    After watching the already prepared papers d understood why John disyed those Weapon blueprints in front of everyone yesterday .

    ¡¯Quite a cunning boy, So he already predicted that I would agree to the terms . Well that¡¯s good enough to be my disciple¡¯

    Watching this from the sidelines Mnie scowled to d and said to John, "Boy you are quite lucky that he isn¡¯t extorting you already, He always waits for people to approach him that¡¯s why he could always extort from people in the past, don¡¯t be so trusting already even if he is your master now .

    This way they concluded their talk and went back to their own business . Meanwhile, Mnie stayed at Mansion to experience some of the food which was famous among all the people in the town .

    The servants in the Mansion treated Mnie with utmost care as they knew she was John¡¯s master . During this time, she also saw the peculiarity in all the furnitures inside the mansion .

    These furnitures were very different from all the luxurious things she saw in the pce and they looked quite good .

    Meanwhile, Ryfon finally got a chance to meet John after John concluded his meeting with Jake and others .

    After some time John met Ryfon in one of the rooms,

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55

    Most of the people in the room understood that deal would have most likely involved providing them with weapons that he presented in front of everyone yesterday .

    ¡¯It seems he intentionally presented those weapons in front of d yesterday so he can exchange some benefits with them until the time he and his domain gets stronger . ¡¯

    This was how Tornwall thought after today¡¯s announcement .

    Many other people in the hall also thought that John intentionally presented these weapon designs in front of d and Diana so he could exchange some benefits with him .

    John started a long set of orders for everyone which he had already prepared after arriving with the help of Sarah,

    John started, "Meanwhile Ryfon you will also be involved in making the school and university in this town . I n to have everyone in our town to be literate when ites to reading and writing at least .

    It will be a school which would consist of a normal school, Military school and Magic school . So our main objective of this project would be to get as many capable teachers and famous professors as much as we can .

    The main objective of these respective schools and universities would be,

    The Normal School and University would focus on: Making everyone literate when ites to culture,nguage, basic arithmetic, geography, and history .

    The Military University would focus on training people inbat, engineering and strategizing for war with various missions andpetitions between each other .

    The Magic University would focus on Medicine and Magic for experimenting with various theories that could be helpful in future ventures . It would be good if Magicians and people involved in medicine coborate with each other . If they are able to make cheap pharmacies affordable to masses or make magic medicine they can use a part of it to fund their own theories and be eligible to ask for funding from us . "

    "Because Light Magic is always avable for aristocrats . The rich people with money never focused on development of medicine and hence poor always felt the burn of gues and other diseases that they could never defend against and hence in my Magic university at North-frontier town I n to focus on a fusion of Herbology, Medicine and Magic . It would be helpful for everyone in the town in the long run whether it is rich, powerful people ormon people . For this project Eva, Josephine and Sally would be in charge of it . As we are in shortage of personnel, n would have to train Warriors alone for some time now . " People were quite surprised after watching the ambitious ns of John .

    John looked at Eva and said to them, "As you guys are more aware of people in Imperial city, that is one the reasons why I want you guys to administer the Schools and University in our town . You guys will be a great and better influence to attract teachers, professors, artists, musicians and other people to our town as you already studied at Imperial city and can influence them . "

    "And remember every guy in our town would have to attend our school and universities . persuade them as much as you can, because it will be beneficial for them in the future . "

    "Our Paper Factory would fund the cost of their books while I also n to make a Library in the town . I know this would be a big project but I hope you guys can make, don¡¯t worry about the money which would require for these projects . We will also be encouraging works of arts via our library"

    "Mayor Sam would be in charge of building the administrative headquarters and report directly to me after it is built . In future, we will hold our meeting over there so this one of the important structures of the city . "

    "Gordon, you will leave your position as the deputy manager of the soap factory and will be in charge of maintaining roads connecting this town to others as soon as the cement making starts in our town . You would have to n for theborers required for this project and hence you should make early preparations . Taylor will help you if any problems ur and he will report to me . This will be one of the things where you can experience handling big projects and learn from it . "

    "Taylor will be in charge of our Farming administration . As we have seen the results previously, we will implement my new theories on farming in the whole of the North-frontier town . He will also be taking reports in my absence . If any of you guys don¡¯t find me then you can give your reports to Taylor in my absence . "

    "Andst but not the least, Today we have a new member over here, he is Taylor¡¯s son Jake . I have decided to take in Jake for my special training with d so he will mostly not be avable for warrior training and will be supervised directly under me . If any of you guys have any doubts then you ask me right now and if you guys have proposals then send it Taylor in writing with a n or present it in future meetings with prior notice the same day . "

    After John¡¯s introduction, many people in the room understood that John nned to groom him into one of his people for the future .

    @@novelbin@@

    During this time one of the servants in the mansion came to the meeting . He was told if there were any important guests then he cane into the meeting to report about it if it was a grave matter . The servant reported to Taylor first in his ears, Taylor nodded and let him leave, Then after getting permission for John, Taylor reported about the matter to John, "Lord, One of the servants of Second Prince Lukav has sent a present and he sends his regards to you on bing the honorary Baron of North-frontier town . And it seems he means no will from how they have greeted us . How do you think we handle this matter . "

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56

    John asked the people in the room, "I would like to hear the opinions from you guys . As I have very little information on him I would like to hear suggestions from you guys . "

    On hearing the name of Prince Lukav many of them showed annoyed expressions, some showed disdain, some showed curious expressions while some showed an understanding expression on how they knew something .

    Eva and Sally were the ones who furrowed their eyebrows first and showed annoyed expressions . It was because both Eva and Sally had seen and heard a lot of rumors about Prince Lukav . They had even seen his cruelty first-hand at the imperial city . To many people, Prince Lukav seemed like someone who was always provoking themoners as well as the nobles . He didn¡¯t spare anyone and mocked them about their hypocrisy . A lot of people tried making moves on him because of his provocative behavior but many paid painful prices for their actions . Even her own mother feared him because of his insanity .

    Having experienced and seen a lot of things it was Tornwall who suggested first to the whole group, "I feel we should treat them with reciprocity as they don¡¯t mean any ill-will to us for now . Plus as you might all know his behavior so we wouldn¡¯t want to be on bad terms with him so it is best we keep a neutral position .

    I think its mostly because he noticed us and thought of using us to piss on people he doesn¡¯t like so they don¡¯t approach us and he may be intentionally challenging them to the fact he can bow down and greet an upstart while they can sit up on their high horse and act all mighty . Meanwhile, it is also to gauge our reactions regarding his goodwill . The most important thing is if we are on bad terms with him we won¡¯t get anything but one more enemy while Imperial nobles would think it was only natural for us to be on bad terms with him .

    However, If we keep a neutral position on him it won¡¯t affect our positions on both sides . People would only think that we are cautious and smart . "

    Meanwhile, Eva with an angry face thought, "God, why do we attract all those crazy guys in this barren border town . I hope we can pass this storm if we face one because of him . "

    and Sally thought, "What is doing here, is he here to create another incident here . "

    Eva this time raised an opinion, " I know one thing sure, if we antagonize his men on our first meeting then I am sure he will hold on this grudge on us for a long time, However that guy is dangerous as an ally well . Many of his allies have faced the burnt because of his insane actions in the past . However, I still hope we keep some distance with him . "

    Meanwhile, Gordon cautiously them, "Would it be good? I mean all of you have heard of his rumors, right? plus we would be facing a beast invasion this year, don¡¯t you think some nobles would use this pretext to attack us . "

    John considered all of their opinions and made a decision finally, "Okay we will conclude our meeting for today now and I have decided that we won¡¯t be on bad terms with him for now . we can judge himter on . You guys can get back to your work while I meet him . Jake, you can remain here since your training will start today . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Hearing that everyone set off to prepare and fulfill their duties . For many, this was the first time they were handling these sorts of jobs and it will be up to John to guide them so that they can help himter on .

    Meanwhile, in this meeting, John focused on teaching everyone in the town because he hoped that this city transcends from abor-oriented work to multiple fields as it will help everyer on . He also nned to make dramas and musical instruments from earth as well as Sarah¡¯s world which would enhance the culture of the town, however on this path he would be facing many unknown hurdles .

    After everyone settled, John headed to the room where one of Lukav¡¯s servant was waiting to be greeted by John .

    He was one of Duncan¡¯s man, Duncan had given him a letter which was specially made by Lukav so that only Baron himself reads it and gives him an immediate answer .

    His name was Georgio, he was quite young to be holding a sufficient position of power and authority under Duncan . He seemed like a 25-year-old guy with a height of 5 feet 8 inches, the most peculiar features about him were his red hair which stood out among the masses . He also had two small red horns on his forehead . He wore clothes that were more suited to a trader or businessman .

    After John arrived in the room, Georgio enthusiastically stood up and greeted John, from this reaction it can be seen that they sent their greetings and gifts with good intentions while the others were thinking of him as an upstart honorary baron who didn¡¯t even fight in a war to deserve the same status as them . He wasn¡¯t even from any big family to deserve the same status as them .

    Usually, the new merchants who became nobles by paying always faced this discrimination from the nobles and This can also be seen from how they were givennds, it was almost always a loss-making project for them and many of them because of losing money gave up on it and as merchants, they always emphasized on profits so most of the times it was a rationale for them to give up on it . However, there were some who endeavored for a lot of years and got results of their work .

    It was only after 1-2 generations when their interests were intermixed with Nobles that they were gradually epted by them as they were able to survive in this world of aristocrats .

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58

    Taylor proudly said to Georgio, "Yes, Lord himself designed this Mansion to suit his tastes and he also created those dishes because he felt there were too few dishes and he liked none of them so he made these . "

    Taylor had also inquired about this peculiar scene after arriving at the mansion when it came to food and architecture of this mansion . He was quite amazed after learning that John created so many unique things .

    @@novelbin@@

    After Confirmation, Georgio had different thoughts, ¡¯As expected from her disciple . But Master is quite insane sometimes when ites to certain situations, I wonder how long this rtion wouldst . ¡¯

    During his stay, he observed all the things that he could find interesting . It was also on Duncan¡¯s order that he was enthusiastically looking at all the new things which he hadn¡¯t seen previously . He only leftter in the evening after checking out the mansion and its special peculiarities, he was escorted by Taylor .

    During this time, John and Jake today started their training with d, Meanwhile, Mnie was going to be watching over their training so that if any idents happen, she could be present for necessary precautions .

    "Okay since today will be the day you guys wille under me as my disciples . Let me introduce myself to you guys . In the past, I was usually called by those who feared and adored in the underworld as d of the Dark . There is quite a past behind why I am called d of the Dark so I won¡¯t waste your time on worthless matters . Currently, I am working as a butler to Miss Diana Bluesea of House Bluesea . anyways why don¡¯t you guys introduce yourselves first? Though I might already know a lot about you, I would still like to hear it from your mouth about your future goals and what motivates you to achieve those goals . "

    As soon as d finished, Mnie interrupted him in a mocking tone and called him out for his lies, "Worthless matters of past? I say bullshit, who are you trying to fool, you think they are kids who don¡¯t understand shit about you? or do you want me to recall that previous incident where you created a lot of stir in a lot of kingdoms?"

    d staggered as soon as he heard Mnie and coughed a bit, He also cursed the fact that why Mnie would have to Join while he was training them .

    d thought frustratingly as soon as he heard her, ¡¯Can¡¯t she keep her mouth quiet and let me train them instead of digging up all the buried graves of the past . ¡¯

    he coughed a bit and tactfully mentioned about her involvement and said, "Mind you, you and Heath were the ones who provided me supplies when that incident urred . So it¡¯s good if both of us keep quiet or do you want me to reveal other incidents?"

    Hearing this Mnie was even more enraged when she remembered how she was conned by him in the previous incident . As soon as she thought to reply to him, she stopped remembering the incident .

    John was amused and watched this scene from the sidelines . Meanwhile Jake still didn¡¯t know a lot about both of them so he didn¡¯t think much of it and broke the awkward atmosphere between them when he answered d¡¯s question .

    Jake was precise when it came to answering d¡¯s question . He said in a very cold tone "Central-West of the Aelius Kingdom, Radiant city, a merchant and ve previously, currently serving under Lord John . Goals? I only 3 goals right now, One is getting power, two is killing a certain aristocrat while my third goal is to serve Sir John with the best of my capabilities"

    d had expected such an answer from Jake, d was more curious about John as he didn¡¯t have much information on him so that is one of the reasons why he had earlier asked that question to both of them .

    John was very much aware about why d asked him that question, he thought a bit and said to d, "If I am honest, I think I came from a very far away ce even I don¡¯t know its current location . Talking about goals? I want to change this world if I am capable enough to do so, I would like it if my subjects can have a better livelihood in the future, for that I would need resources and power to defend myself so I am currently striving towards that path . "

    John gave a very vague when it came to his own origin or his goals . However, d came to the conclusion that John knew about his ce of origin but he was hiding something, maybe he needed to hide something was his conclusion .

    d thought, ¡¯A very vague answer from him, however, it¡¯s good that he didn¡¯t say any falsehood and his goals seem very ambitious from the way he says he wants to change the world but very vague as well since small things can change the world as well . ¡¯

    d stopped and said to them after their introductions,

    "Okay enough with the introductions Today I have prepared some gifts for both of you since I have epted you guys as my disciples . If both of you could make good use of these gifts in the future, then I will be very proud of you guys . "

    "My first gift is the technique stealthy steps of hell, this is a technique which I had created personally all those years ago . I have always been refining this technique to better heights if you guys can show the true worth of this technique and make it reach pinnacle then that would be the happiest day of my life to be alive . "

    d then gave a small rusty knife to Jake and "My second gift would be this small knife to you, use it well, it might seem rusty but It can give a lot of surprises when it is in work . "

    d then gave a small book to John and said to him, "It is a book on potion making which I had found earlier when I was traveling the world . I think it would be of better use to you unlike someone else . "

    It was a book he had found earlier in ancient ruins but he couldn¡¯t trante it but he could make it out that it was book rted to potion making and herbology because of the pictures present in the book . Previously he had lent the same book to Mnie but he took it again from her since she couldn¡¯t find answers after a few years . This was one of the reason Mnie always said he conned people .

    He said that intentionally as he hoped a lot from this book and also wanted to disy his displeasure of her previousment as he didn¡¯t get act cool like he always does .

    John thought, ¡¯It seems they are both quite petty with each other . ¡¯

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59

    Today d had made the servants in the Mansion bring 2 big pots which could even be upied by 3 big men . Today he prepared a special Poison for both of them so that they could gain some resistance to poison and it would be very helpful in their training . The only thing was every step of d¡¯s training was especially was life-threatening .

    "both of you need to bath in this tub of poison for 2 whole hours then you would go in the medicinal bath and then we would start reaction training . The main reason for this training is to dull your senses via using this poison and have you guys work under extreme circumstances which would help you in activating your extraordinary senses . "

    As soon as the topic of poisons came, Mnie said to d, "Poisons? I make better poisons than those lousy poisons you bought . "

    d was going to retort but he soon saw Mnie¡¯s smile and also remembered a previous incident where he was identally poisoned by one of her poisons .

    He ignored her and carefully said these words to them, "These are poisons made especially for your training so we wouldn¡¯t need potent poisons for now, we will slowly increase the potency and intensity as your training progresses . "

    Jake was very determined when he was going to dip in the poison tub . He grit his teeth and took a dip immediately as soon as he remembered the previous events he faced in the past .

    John wasn¡¯t concerned as much as he knew that Mnie wouldn¡¯t let them die even if they were in the worst possible situation . During these days John understood that Grandma Mnie had quite a lot of power in the past from the way she talked to d and how d too talked carefully in front of her and this was one of the reasons he concluded that Grandma Mnie might be someone big in pharmacy .

    John very patiently took a look at Poison, he first dipped his finger in the poison and smelled it, from this he concluded that it was poison was specifically made for dulling the senses of all the body parts and it may poison you if someone has low poison resistance however the effects of this poison would remain for the whole day and this one of the reasons where their senses would activate if they were in a continuous state of extreme dull senses .

    John then took the dip in the tub without any hesitation . After 2 hours they came out from the poison bath and took a medicinal bath which was specially prepared by Mnie, Only after the bath did they start their training .

    @@novelbin@@

    This time d bought a pot full of snakes, there were all kinds of snakes who can spit acid, poison, smoke and other things .

    "You guys would have to dodge all of their attacks in this specific yard . The more you dodge the better it is for you, or else you guys will continue to suffer in the following days, I hope you all the best . And yeah I will still be watching you guys when you dodge . "

    Mnie spoke to d in a questioning tone as she was quite concerned about this training, "Won¡¯t you train them like all those guys in knight schools do? like weight training, stamina training all those training exercises like the ones at the pces . are you doing this purposely?"

    She was more concerned about this training because she felt this would affect John when she taught her in the morning . She felt conned by d as soon as she saw this training and hence asked him this question .

    d knew why she was angry however he only gave her a mocking smile and said to her as if he didn¡¯t what was going on in an arrogant tone . "Hmph, why would I follow those lousy schools in all these kingdoms, I have my own way of dealing with things, I feel the best training onlyes from extreme situations and practical training . No amount of muscles or magic training would make you a veteran on a battlefield, this is what I learned from all my experiences all these years . hahaha, any way you can¡¯t back off after we agreed on John¡¯s training . We never agreed on what type of training I would conduct with these guys so it¡¯s your fault for never asking about it before agreeing . . "

    She knew she was conned by d as soon as she heard those words and she had to ept the result because of their earlier agreement .

    She thought as she argued with d, ¡¯Maybe I need to poison him again so that he learns his lesson again . ¡¯

    However on the sidelines, John was able to do better than what was expected of even the normal extraordinary people, d had expected this from John because of his earlier encounter however what he wanted to see was something different .

    d thought as he saw John coping with the snakes, ¡¯How long can you endure this high intensity training with such a focus, however he is still able to have a high focus even with a poison bath just recently, truly unexpected . even I wouldn¡¯t have performed like this without any drop in my reaction speeds, body speed or my efficiency after a year of my initial training . I truly hit upon on an invaluable gem this time . ¡¯

    Mnie meanwhile was very shocked after watching the movements of John, ¡¯I never thought John was such a capable fighter with such a high reaction speed . No wonder that this conman wanted John as his disciple . I should have bargained for more if I knew more about this . ¡¯

    However Inside John¡¯s head a lot of notifications were popping out, these were notifications of which were simting the movements of these animals while the AI was simultaneously simting John¡¯s brain calcting speed and body reactions to reach the maximum efficiency .

    He was quite satisfied and was showing a joyous smile .

    [Sessful stimtion of Body has improved the bodily reactions of the Host . Host will now have better reactions under extreme situations which include poisons, paralyzes, smoke and other external factors . I hope Host increases his normal intensity of training for better results in the future . However, host is advised to be prepared for better results of the training . ]

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61

    John got quite used to this scene after some while now, however from her words he still understood that Mnie was going to use a lot from her own personal collection when he heard her .

    During these days, their training passed quite smoothly while all the officials were handling all the matters given by John with utmost importance . He usually got reports from Taylor when he was free .

    The intensity of John¡¯s training had increased after his previous performance . During these days he had alreadyprehended the technique Stealthy steps of hell which d gave him recently . Unknown to d, John had already improved that technique to suit his body with the help of Sarah in these few days he was training .

    As he wanted to share his improvements with both of them, John today decided to ask d in an Indirect manner,

    "d, what do you think of the changes I had made to the technique you gave us recently?"

    d smiled as he liked John taking an interest in stealthy steps of hell and rmended to John, "That sounds ok, let¡¯s spar a bit so I can gauge the changes in the technique, show the changes to meter on so I can get a more feel to it and if there are some changes which are good for us then we can incorporate those changes as well . "

    Their Spar started,

    Today it was the first for John to perform the Stealthy steps of hell in front of d . John moved at very fast speeds during this spar with d today . He wanted to try his best and test his own limits as hecked experience when it came to hand to handbat so John wanted to get the most out of this duel .

    d wasn¡¯t taking this spar seriously as he thought John only recently grasped this technique so it would be tough for even a genius like John toprehend a technique in such a short amount of time and give him a tough time in this spar . He was currently observing the movements of John .

    ¡¯Let¡¯s see how much did he improve during these 15 days of training . His reflexes might have improved so maybe I should put a little more effort if I want to go past his defense . ¡¯

    Today both of them were wielding battle knives in their hands, The very basic foundation of this technique depended on momentum, speed, and efficiency . The servants in the mansion made a small arena in the backyard a few days back on d¡¯s order as they would need it for spars . It was John who made the first move today, he moved at fast speeds and tried to circle d as he was hoping to make a move from his back .

    As an experienced veteran, d knew this kind of attack best worked only when people ambushed from the dark . However, he understood John¡¯s choice to use this strategy as he wanted to y safe when he charged at him .

    Whenever John moved, d would always have his eyes glued on him as he watched every bit of his movements . John finally made a move from behind his back as he felt this was the best chance of attack or he would only consume more energy and get tired faster .

    The first attack was the most important for an assassin but the follow-up attack was even more important because there were always chances for unexpectant situations to ur on battlefields this was what d had taught them recently . He had incorporated all of the teachings of d these days . he also made some of his own changes from all the simtions based on his own attack patterns and chances of each attacknding a sessful blow, block or a dodge by the opponent .

    The movements of John were a bit different from the usual stealthy steps of hell, the attacks were more direct,pact and focused on targetting people¡¯s vulnerable parts with not a single wild and big attack .

    After numerous simtions in his head, John attacked d with a predetermined course that he had simted just recently and he attacked first behind d¡¯s back .

    John¡¯s attacks were more focused on vulnerable parts like ribcage, head, and eyes and were filled with momentum . d was always following the movements of John and urately predicted his attack and dodged it to his left and engaged with him .

    What surprised d more was that after the first attack of John, the momentum and speed of his attacks were increasing at an rming speed . If it was not someone experienced like him then even some veterans would have fallen to his attack in some time . And the most important thing about his attacks was the lethality with which John was attacking and continuously focusing on the weakest parts of the body .

    For some people, it was hard to attack with full lethality even after years of training . This was also one of the reasons why d focused more on practical training instead of training based on a theoretical approach so that it could steel the hearts of people .

    John was continuously keeping no distance between them so that he doesn¡¯t lose the advantage of his first attack .

    After some exchanges, d very much understood John¡¯s talent whether it came to actualbat or talent in improving anding with substitutes based on his current knowledge .

    @@novelbin@@

    This time, to show some surprise, John decided to use some magic, He used earth and water magic to soften the ground and made it muddy where d was going tond his next step and followed him with an attack .

    d saw that John¡¯s momentum stopped a bit, from his experience he knew that John won¡¯t get tired so easily after watching his training these days . As he felt that something was off, he decided to change his pattern of attacks and dodging .

    As expected, d didn¡¯tnd his foot on the muddy terrain and he dodged the followed up attack of John . After this attack, d had a weird smile on his face as he thought of this attack .

    ¡¯An advanced attack based on the movements of his opponent . Quite a good performance as it is hard to pull off such an advanced attack even after lots of training . Ok, let¡¯s end it and show him something he hasn¡¯t seen . If he can use itter on then it would be better . ¡¯

    Suddenly all the movements of d changed and this time d was one who took the initiative to attack and made a sneaky fast charge at John .

    John was able to block this attack because of his fast reactions . This surprised all the people who were watching this spar . This blow had a lot of weight behind it because of which John was pushed back a little .

    After a bit of surprise, d notched up another gear on his attacking momentum and attacked John again with his next charge .

    This time he attacked John from the sides and again John was able to block the attack but this time d already took his reactions into consideration and put more power in his attack while he attacked from below .

    As soon as John blocked the attack he was flown high up in the air, John was surprised at this development . As soon as he flew up in the air John knew that he was in trouble so he decided to be decisive the moment d was going to attack him, ignoring his own defenses John decided to throw the knife in his hand at the direction of d which was added with wind magic . He added wind magic to it to increase its speed as well as increase its prative power so it was hard to change the path or block the attack .

    As d saw this decision from John, he smiled and continued to make hisst attack,

    d calmly used water and dark magic to nullify the attack and blur John¡¯s vision . This water-dark magic also slowed the speed of this attack from John with which d was able to change the course of John¡¯s attack and gave d the chance to attack John .

    Johnnded on the ground and d had a knife on his neck which concluded this spar¡¯s result with d¡¯s win . However, there was a paper thin film cover of stone on John¡¯s neck when hended . This proved that John predicted that d would have attacked him on the neck if their spar continued however he would have most likely died or gravely injured after this attack .

    During this whole spar, Mnie and Jake were watching this from the sidelines, both of them were shocked beyond belief after watching this performance from John, they never thought that John was

    this strong .

    Only after watching this duel did they get the whole feeling of John¡¯s current power,

    Mnie thought about and made a conclusion after watching the duel, ¡¯No wonder, he was able to defeat Antonio with these set of techniques under his belt and it has only been a few days of his current training . The way he incorporated magic with hand to handbat seems very refined, quite different from the young folks who take years to practice and master them . ¡¯

    After watching this duel Jake was even more determined to be strong enough like d and John, he approached d and asked "Master, is there any way that I can be stronger faster and be as strong as you are . "

    Upon this question, d understood his thoughts and replied to him, "The current you are improving faster than the ones I have already seen . You don¡¯t have to be awed and feel you are weak after watching John¡¯s performance because he is the only oddball among all the people I have seen and that is also one of the reasons why I wanted to take him in as my disciple . Your strong point is your determination and the will to achieve certain things because that will help youter on . Everyone has certain qualities and you have those as your gifts . Don¡¯t let your Determination harm you because certain risks aren¡¯t worth the strength you gain from it in the future . "

    d then pointed towards Mnie and said to Jake, "You see that old hag over there? Many people won¡¯t even get a single bottle of potion from her, let alone all the training resources she is spending on both of you . So you must dedicate and focus on your current training . I am already increasing the intensity of the training for both of you guys which is quiet ahead of schedule"

    After the spar, d said to John about his thoughts on the technique which John used, he was already surprised by the changes in the technique and gave his opinions .

    d looked at the technique, at first he thought there were only minor changes to suit the user when John mentioned about it, however, he was shockedter on after watching it in the spar where he saw the difference and efficiency of the technique which John had made in the duel .

    He looked at John with a meaningful gaze and asked him, " Do you know, you made a lot of significant and major changes in this technique and most of the changes improved the performance of your current technique . "

    d became a bit nostalgic and said to everyone present, "Do you how many years did it take me to make around 50 changes from the original technique? and I was quite proud of that achievement . "

    Watching this scene Mnie was quite happy as she had already experienced the numerous antics of John when he was always training for Pharmacy and potioneering . She had the same reaction previously when John made various substitutes for all the types of potions he had learned about .

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63

    John continued to ask more questions to him, "What about George and Ron? Have they given any reports on the order which I gave them previously?"

    "Currently both of them have faced difficulties in making precise parts of the blueprints you had given them, They are even contemting on hiring Magician cksmiths from Imperial Capital but since it was one of the top-secret of our projects, they asked our permission if they can hire them .

    George was able to make precise machines for barrels of the guns you provided and Ron was only able to make some parts of the flintlocks . "

    John gave his orders as he listened to the reports, "Hmm . . . Ok tell them to suspend the current operations, pay them for their currentbor, Its good that the New Forge is already built, We will ask Tornwall to make the machines for the guns, and tell them to provide the parts they already made . Tell them we willpensate them with other projects since we didn¡¯t urately gauge their current production capabilities . "

    "They will be notified at the earliest . On your orders, we have started to encourage all the people in the Vige to go to schools prepared by us regardless of their status . At first, they were quite skeptical but they are slowly starting to show positive reactions after the changes Lord has carried out in the whole vige . Vigers are particrly happy about the reduction of taxes and the Farming solutions which you had provided in the previous incident . This is one of the reasons why there is a positive reaction from people when they heard that you were the one who proposed the education of all the masses . However, I think we will face the problem of shortage of manpower in the universities . We need to aggressively hire more people for our schools and universities so we can be prepared for a time when a lot of people start recognizing the importance of learning . "

    "As for the farming administration, we have already gathered data on people and their farming practices in the town . we have also carried out a census a few days back and the poption of the town has recently increased to 6833 people and it will continue to do so . "

    "That¡¯s true, If needed I will need to personally look for people for our universities . What is the situation of the dramas in theaters which I mentioned earlier?"

    "We have already made preparations regarding the dramas but we need to be fully prepared before weunch it . However, there is one thing which has been concerning us these days I hope you can give us the solution for it . "

    John furrowed his brows as he heard this report, "What is it?"

    Hearing John¡¯s tone Taylor immediately reported, "Because of the increasing poption, there has been a rise of crime from people arriving from other cities, So I hoped we can resolve this problem early if it esctes to higher levels . Those same people are also causing a ruckus near our factories these days but d¡¯s men are handling this matter smoothly so it is not be worried however I thought there was a need to report about this situation . I hoped we can make an internal policy and deploy some knights . "

    John then realized he had ignored one of the basic problems which came with an increase in poption, he was d that Taylor noticed this problem earlier and reported him while giving him solutions which also met his directions,

    John seriously thought and finally, he made a decision, "Call Jay immediately . "

    @@novelbin@@

    ***

    After some time Jay arrived and met with John and Taylor, " I think you already know about the problem of crimes which increased recently, I am going to make a department which is especially dedicated to internal matters, it¡¯s going to be called Ministry of Internal Security, under it we are going to create a homnd police security force . The men don¡¯t need to be trained a lot but they need to be disciplined and carry out orders perfectly . As you have a lot of influence in the Town, people will not resist it and actively join the team . I want you to be head of the Ministry of Internal Security and find a suitable man to head over Homnd Police security force . "

    "Taylor will provide you with the funds and if you have any problems you cane to me, So what do you think? you wanna join something different? the security of the North-Frontier town is very important to all of us and that is also one of the reasons I choose you . "

    Jay thought about John¡¯s proposition and replied, "I think this would be a challenging position to handle however I like the idea of keeping the internal security of the town . Okay, it¡¯s decided I will immediately choose people who fit the profile for this position . However, we would need a set ofws to handle unexpected situations so it doesn¡¯t get awkward when something unexpected happens . As you know a lot of nobles have recently started visiting our town because of the poprity of Hope Restaurant so I don¡¯t want my men to face situations where they don¡¯t know what to do . And yeah I want a discount whenever I visit Hope for a year from now on . " Jay Joked a bit and said to John

    John smiled as both of them had the same line of thinking whenws were mentioned and said, "I had already decided to make a set ofws when I decided to make this ministry . As for Restaurant Hope, you don¡¯t have to worry, Taylor will immediately inform Miss Martha that you will get free food for a year . Try recruiting more people from the vige who you can trust at the earlier stages so it won¡¯t be a problem managing them . "

    Taylor then interrupted him as he was a lot more familiar withw in Aelius, "Master, I think there will be conflicts ofws if we don¡¯t follow thews of Royal Families when ites to nobles, We can only makews for those who aren¡¯t aristocrats, for other cases we would have to toe the line of Imperial Capital, However we can reduce the problems of aristocratic behavior if we deploy some of our guards whenever a noble visits our town, and If we are strong enough to be duketer on then only can we make certainws to suit our interests and ideologies . "

    John thought a bit and ordered Taylor, "It is good that you reminded me of this grave matter or else I would have certainly made a big political blunder and be aughing stock . "

    Bring me all thetest books regarding thews of the Imperial city . I might as well go through these books and find loopholes to makews suiting our interests"

    John looked at Jay after this reminder and asked him, "So, that¡¯s how it is Jay, It will take time but we will certainly achieve our dreams . Do you still want to ept this position after hearing about thosews?"

    Jay sighed and said in a nostalgic tone as he remembered a thing from his past, "It¡¯s okay, every work has it¡¯s own hardships and this one will have its own hardships as well, at least remaining in this position will at least help me reduce the incidents which ur regrly in other cities . "

    Jay ended this with a determined tone as if he was prepared to endure and work on this for a long time .

    John smiled as he saw Jay¡¯s determined face and said to him,

    "As for the training of warriors, you can always train them during the specified time, maybe they can help youter on if required . you should teacher¡¯s have a respected position in the hearts of their students unless you are an awfully bad and cruel teacher . "

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64

    ***

    John finished this meeting with both of them as they also started to make their preparations . Right now he decided to visit the forge which had been recently finished by Tornwall, John looked at the huge building which was upied by the forge,

    ¡¯Quite a good piece of art, it seems Ryfon is certainly enjoying his time exploring architecture, its good that he nned the town based on their need . ¡¯

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    he entered the forge after watching the forge for some time,

    As soon as he entered the forge, a dwarf recognized John and immediately headed to invite him while he ordered his new colleague to call the manager of the forge, Tornwall .

    This Dwarf¡¯s name was Redbeer, he too was kidnapped and sold by mercenaries, His family engaged more in the business of Beer in the Dwarven kingdom however they never stopped working on their main work as cksmiths .

    Recently, after watching and experiencing the normal life which they had been promised he had started to believe the promises which John made to them earlier . He also had a good opinion of John as he understood that John meant well and he too was under constraints when it came to tackling very as a single man .

    The ves who were bought earlier worked with more passion as they experienced the life of normal men . They were fed well, clothed well and given shelter while they were also given higher than normal basic sriespared toborers of other cities because of this they were able to have a good life and able to spend the money which they earned, this also reaffirmed the point that John meant good for them and only genuinely needed men . And there was no need for John to exin to them about his intentions if he was only doing lip service . Redbeer thought that If he was in John¡¯s ce then he wouldn¡¯t have bothered about ves if it was earlier when he wasn¡¯t a ve . His guilty conscience made him ashamed as he had that thought .

    The New ves were quite afraid at first but after watching the treatment they too started to believe the promises that Morgan Family gave them when they reached here .

    Tornwall arrived with Ryfon, As soon as they watched John, they immediately hurried and invited him inside Tornwall¡¯s workce .

    "Ryfon, Forge was quite well made this time around . You did a good job, it seems you are enjoying your work here . "

    At John¡¯spliment Ryfon was quite happy as he answered him in a Jolly mood, "Haha, I certainly am enjoying more over here at North-frontier town than I did at Imperial city,

    the food here is especially great at ¡¯Hope¡¯, I can always explore the wilds over here and there is a lot of inspiration in this town . So I guess a lot of factors are helping me discover more about the world, life and myself . "

    Looking at Tornwall he remembered meeting Redbeer, John asked him in a teasing tone, "Tornwall, you didn¡¯t hire that guy as your assistant because of his beer¡¯s right?"

    Tornwall didn¡¯t meet John¡¯s eyes as he said with a flinching yet firm tone, "No . . . , I don¡¯t have anything to hide . "

    Ryfon showed a teasing smile when he saw Tornwall andid him bare, "don¡¯t you lie, I know you had got a Box of beer in your courtyard, weren¡¯t you already bragging in front of me when I couldn¡¯t find a source of good wine and beer at Hope and all of North-frontier town . "

    Tornwall panicked and gave a furious roar at Ryfon, "You . . ! How dare you spill all the beans in front of Lord John . "

    "No . no, I didn¡¯t . I mean I didn¡¯t mean anything . It was only a gift from a colleague . " He panicked more as he unconsciously said the truth and tried exining himself .

    Tornwall said as he got exposed about his earlier deed, "Didn¡¯t youin about not being able to use Cement which was recently being used for building roads . "

    Ryfon hmphed and said with a triumphant smile to Tornwall as he was enjoying Tornwall¡¯s miserable state, "Hmph . . . me yourself for being a cheapskate when you didn¡¯t share that box with me and hence the spilled beans . "

    Ryfon was not bothered about Tornwall revealing his frustrations on not being able to use cement and bricks for construction as he too understood that Maintenance of roads was one of the important work right now as they had already signed a deal with Baron Mendez .

    During these few days, Ryfon understood that Tornwall loved his beer more than anything else and his time when he was experimenting to make new things . He was waiting for this opportunity to get back at Tornwall for bragging and not sharing those beers with him .

    Watching this show between them, John smiled and understood that both of them became quite close buddies in these few days now that they were cursing at each other without any hesitance .

    John stopped their fight with a cough and said to both of them .

    "Okay, okay it¡¯s not a big deal Tornwall, I was only Joking . Let¡¯s get to serious matters first . "

    Ryfon showed a sad face as heard that while Tornwall was quite happy as he escaped the current situation . He seriously heard John now that he was serious .

    John continued and asked him in a serious tone, "Tornwall, were there any problems with the forge when you processed the metals?"

    "Quite the opposite, It is easier to handle this forge with the supplementary equipment provided, And the most important thing about this forge was the power and control which it showed when we were working on it . Soparably it will be easier to work with this forge for our men, unlike the traditional forges where it required experienced hands more . "

    ¡¯As expected¡¯ John thought when he heard Tornwall,

    After confirming that the forge was working well, John came to the main topic, "I heard that you have already started making the prototype of the Ballista, how is the progress? If there were any problems, you can always ask me as they were designed by me so I can always modify it to suit our needs . anyway first let¡¯s head to the room where the prototype is ced then answer my questions . "

    Tornwall, John and Ryfon came to a room which was tightly guarded by guards which were provided by both John and d, some of these guards had Horns at their heads which indicated they were demons from Longsea house .

    One of the guards thought after he recognized John and showed a bit of killing intent, ¡¯So this is the guy that Master is teaching right now, I wish I had such luck¡¯ and he sighed as he saw him .

    John looked at the ce where Killing intent came from and didn¡¯t bother any longer as he smiled at him and headed inside .

    After recognizing John and his men, they allowed them to enter the room, "hmm . . . it is good that the security here is tight . Meanwhile, it seems that the prototype is 2/3plete, did you face any difficulties when you were making it?"

    Tornwall thought as John asked this question, ¡¯I guess there were some difficulties when we didn¡¯t have the new forge, I wonder where he gets all these crazy ideas to make such incredible machines . ¡¯

    Tornwall reported about the difficulties he faced at the start, "We faced some difficulties at the start but it was resolved after we used the new forge to produce the required parts, I think now we can easily make the remaining parts now that we have the forge . "

    John smiled and thought of Tornwall¡¯s answer, ¡¯I guess the forge came in to be quite useful after he adapted to it . ¡¯

    Heter asked him in a serious tone, "How many days would you require toplete the prototype?"

    Tornwall thought a bit and gave his answer, "It won¡¯t take long, I think we can finish in it in the next 3-5 days . We can demonstrate its ability as soon as we make the prototype and prepare for its testing . "

    John heard his assurance and said to him in a serious tone, "Okay, I am reassured now that you have adapted to the new machines . Report me directly as soon as you finish making the prototype, you don¡¯t have to report to anyone else regarding this project . It would be good if fewer people know about thepletion time of this project . You understand what I am saying right?" John smiled and said to him .

    Tornwall was someone who was experienced and understood that John wanted to keep this project under the wraps so that they don¡¯t reveal their firepower this early in their game . After looking at the blueprints he very much understood the firepower of the Ballista and hence had given that remark earlier when he saw the theory behind it .

    With an understanding gaze he replied to John, "Lord you don¡¯t have to worry about it, I will make sure to keep thepletion of this project a secret . "

    After hearing Tornwall¡¯s answer, John smiled and said to him, "When you finish this project I will give you a surprise blueprint which will change your thinking on wars and how we will handle strong powers in future . "

    "I just have one request lord, as you know, not a lot of traderse here to trade for high-quality beers and wines at this town and the ones we get here are already low-quality one so I hoped you could solve this problem for all of us dwarves,"

    John thought and gave him an answer, " Okay I will look into it, However, It will take some time . Maybe if you can show better results then maybe I myself will create a good wine which is never tasted in this world . " John said that with a mysterious smile .

    Listening to this Tornwall instantly jolted and got back into work as he knew that the various cuisines which were introduced in this town were created by John . Hearing this assurance, he hoped to drink the wine personally created by John . This bit of news motivated him a lot more as he got busy with his work .

    John then turned to Ryfon and told him about the matters which he had observed today, "Ryfon, recently you are doing a good job, After watching this forge I am quite satisfied with your work . You should go to the Administrative building and help Mayor Sam in building it from now on . And as the cement and brick factory has already started and increased their production, you can use those resources to build a grand structure . In your free time, you can look for me as I have certain types of architecture which I want to be built . However, as I am not free to handle everything on my own I need you to execute some projects from start to end . "

    At the mention of new types of designs and architecture for building grand structures, Ryfon was quite excited and he couldn¡¯t wait to finish his work at the Administrative building however he also understood the importance of that building as it would represent North-Frontier in the future . This structure would be recorded in history . However, he was still excited since he would be able to use those new resources in building architectures from now on i . e Cement and bricks which would improve the solidity and grandness of the structures .

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66

    @@novelbin@@

    As soon as the men reached a suitable field in the wilds, they started to clear the surroundings and started to prepare for testing of the Ballista prototype .

    When John watched all themotion, he thought and said to d and Tornwall, "I think we would need a permanent testing field for the future as it would be hectic to always travel such long distances and make our men do such a hectic job . This not only createsmotion but it could also jeopardize the ssification of our important weapons . This also reveals the information on the current firepower of our weapons . "

    Hearing this d also raised his own opinion, "Well its quite true but it would still need to be kept a secret when ites for the testing of new weapons . "

    "However it would be more convenient to keep confidentiality if we have a testing ground .

    And you can¡¯t forget the fact that the best you can do is to dy the rying of information since most of the time, information is leaked one way or the other . "

    Hearing this John gave his order, "Okay, it¡¯s decided, we will start the construction of our testing grounds as our next project . Tornwall next time you see Ryfon at the town, tell him to meet me at my Mansionter on . "

    Meanwhile, all the preparations for the testing had been prepared,

    Head of the men, Lopez was handling all the procedures came to John, saluted him and made his report to John, " Sir all the preparations areplete . We are ready at moments notice to start our testing procedures . "

    After Hearing his confirmation, John then ordered him, "Good, We will immediately start . Give notice to all the men to be on their posts as we will start our testing procedures in 5 mins . Hurry up . "

    Lopez blew a horn which signaled all the men to be on their posts and keep guard . Hearing this horn, all the men started to head towards their designated posts .

    For a while, everyone was tense as this was the first time for many people to test such a unique weapon .

    John signaled Tornwall as he started to handle the Ballista .

    "Fire!" Roared John .

    Everyone was tense for this first shot of the Ballista, some thought, like always it would be a failure, some hoped for sess and while some like John and Tornwall were fully convinced that it will definitely work .

    After watching its first attack, everyone was shocked which included d,

    The first attackpletely destroyed a big tree which was 550 meters away from them .

    The second attack destroyed a small terrain 600 meters away from them which created a very deep hole inside .

    d thought after watching the first attack, ¡¯So that¡¯s the reason why he wanted to keep the firepower of this weapon a secret, it seems I underestimated this weapon a lot . So it seems what Tornwall said was correct but this weapon alone wouldpletely change how the wars would be fought in the future because of its firepower alone . The range of this weapon alone is a terrifying asset . I wonder how magicians would feel after the introduction of this weapon¡¯

    Watching the reaction of everyone, John and Tornwall showed a satisfied smile,

    John was especially happy after watching d¡¯s reaction from how intently d was watching the newly made Ballista like a young boy who found his favorite toy .

    Tornwall said when everyone thought it was all over, "Wait, wait, It¡¯s not all over, Let me show you all my biggest asset after I made this weapon, this is one of the reasons why I took 5plete days toplete this project . "

    He took out a specialized arrow of the Ballista from one of the carriages . This arrow was imbued with various patterns, he then loaded that Arrow with the help of some men . He said proudly as he exined about the specialty of the arrow to everyone present over there,

    "This is a specialized arrow which is imbued with fire and wind magic . this arrow will travel 1 . 5 times faster and with 1 . 3x more distance when it activates wind magic and I don¡¯t know the current statistics when ites to the output of its firepower, we can only know after more tests .

    The other specialty of this weapon is that it catches fire to the targets as soon as it hits them . So this weapon has more usespared to normal long-range weapons . It has value in destroying high-value targets on a battlefield . Okay, that¡¯s it, you can fire it . " Tornwall said proudly to everyone as he gave an opportunity to one of the men carrying the arrow .

    That man was already excited when he watched the earlier performance of this weapon, This time when he got an opportunity to fire the weapon himself personally, he got pretty much excited,

    As he heard the orders from Tornwall, he repeated the same procedures which Tornwall did previously as he excitedly fired the Ballista .

    Boom!

    The Ballista this time hit a top of a small hill 800 meters away, The terrain of the small hill waspletely destroyed as the sound could be heard by all the nearby beasts as they scrambled to retreat in fear because of their instincts after watching the firepower of this weapon .

    All the guards including d werepletely shocked after watching this scenario . They were very excited at the fact that they would be able to handle this weapon in the future .

    "I wonder when we will be able to use this weapon in the future . " Said one of the men escorting them .

    ***

    Watching this even John was shocked as he didn¡¯t expect to see such firepower from the Ballista after a rune was imbued to the arrow .

    This time Tornwallpletely stole the show from everyone,

    Tornwall thought proudly as he watched the Ballista doing its work, ¡¯I hope I can be qualified to get alcohol personally created by Lord John this time around after this performance . hahaha . ¡¯

    Tornwall grinned as he was quite pleased with himself as heughed when he thought about the current performance .

    "It seems this was even outside of your expectations, weren¡¯t they?" d asked John when he saw his surprised reaction when Tornwall suddenly brought out a new trump card this time around .

    John: "Yup, I was quite surprised this time around, I guess I will have to reward him this time for this unexpected performance, I didn¡¯t expect that incorporating runes would have this effect on this Ballista . "

    d: "Well, it¡¯s not like this usually since Tornwall is quite unique in himself as he himself dabbled a lot in runes as he was making weapons previously over the years and to improve them he studied a lot of those weapons which included runes . Normally it is quite hard to imbue these runes in bigger weapons like this time around . "

    John thought a bit and understood as he replied to d: "Hmm . . . so that was the case when we saw its firepower, however, it still showed improvement in the quality of Ballista when we observed the earlier show . So, this will help meter on when things get tough, it has quite high value in its uniqueness . "

    d smiled a bit and said to him, "That¡¯s true, and its quite likely that you will need those weapons in thising winter . This winter would be quite cold and fearful for the North-frontier town from what I know . "

    John showed a mysterious smile as he said these words, "Maybe true, Maybe you could be wrong, I can tell you that everyone will experience changes from North-frontier spreading to the whole of Aelius Kingdom and across the boundaries . "

    d was quite surprised after watching his confidence and ambitions from his previous words as he thought and seriously said to him, "Quite possible since you have this weapon, but I can tell you one thing in advance, as soon as you showcase the real firepower of this weapon in front of everyone . The royal family will watch you like hungry wolves as well as a potentially hostile force challenging the throne . You may have heard about the rumors of Lorr Family, right? Are you really ready for the consequences which you will face because of revealing such a weapon? You need to make preparations for potential bloodshed . "

    John smiled more mysteriously and said with confidence to him, "Well I have another option, that is to create another more terrifying weapon than the current one . This would also help me identify friends and foes . The very fact that you warn me already proves my instincts that you were different .

    As for the royal family, I can always keep them under an illusion that I am in their control while I only provide them Ballistas even if I choose to reveal it . And I can always choose to release a weaker version of this Ballista . "

    When John said that he would create a more terrifying weapon, d shivered as he heard this and his blood almost ran cold on the mention on something more terrifying than this when it came to the range or firepower .

    d came back to his senses and made a very satisfied smile he heard John say this and thought, ¡¯I guess my instincts were right when I betted on this kid when I felt something different about him . This kid shows eyes that he is already confident enough to create more terrifying weapons . ¡¯

    d smiled and said to him, "As I thought, you were really baiting people in the room when you revealed this weapon, I guess you intended to score two goals with that one arrow when you fired that shot and revealed about this weapon at that meeting . "

    d continued in a serious tone this time as he revealed one of the important secrets of big kingdoms and empires,

    d: "However I would still warn you to be more careful of the fate sorcerors of the kingdoms and not to underestimate the thrones just based on some factors, those guys have averted disasters for a lot of kingdoms whenever they faced big events . Even I almost got did in by their trap when they predicted my next assassination years ago and this is one of the reasons I am cautious and currently guarding Mistress instead of taking on high-risk targets . "

    d said with a nostalgic smile as he said to him, d was someone who always liked to go against the odds as he this to John, "However, since I have already made a bet on you I guess I will stick to it as it is unlike of me to go back on my word . And I would also like to see how you deal with those assholes . After that incident, they always got on my nerves as I had to n more thoroughlyter on . You having space magic as your main element would be quite useful against them . " d said with a satisfying tone as he thought about the miserable faces of those Fate sorcerors . Plus he also got the feeling that John would certainly screw them overter when he confronts them .

    Johnughed as he heard about d¡¯s miseries of the past .

    "When you said that you would create more terrifying weapons, do you n to kill a dragon with it by making such terrifying weapons?"

    John showed a confused expression when he heard about dragons for the first time and asked d in return, "Dragons? Do they actually exist? From what I know, only the Royal family have dragon knights which they rarely use?"

    "I guess you aren¡¯t nning about ying dragons as you don¡¯t really know about Dragons . As for those dragon knights which you mentioned, they aren¡¯t really dragons but they are lesser dragons with little to no intelligence as they can be tamed this easily . However, those dragon knights of the kingdom¡¯s are quite strong . They were made with the very intention to create a bnce between magicians, court officials and the Aristocrats . "

    d sighed, however, there was still a smile on his face as he thought about today¡¯s events, ¡¯I guess this would be an eventful and exhausting year . However, I guess it would be worth it . ¡¯

    d called his assistant, Dearil and immediately ordered him, "Make a gag order for everyone to keep this event as a ssified project . Anyone even peeping a sound about it will be dealt with appropriate consequences as for thepensation for this gag order we will increase their wages . "

    d then turned to John and seriously said to him, "You should make this gag order as well as it will be big deal if this information is leaked out early on . " Dearil was the same red-haired guy who guarded the forge .

    Dearil red at John as both of them chatted happily . He was more pissed after he heard from d that John already recognized him when he detected him earlier when he unconsciously leaked a bit of killing intent .

    John smiled as he said to d, "Well you don¡¯t need to worry . Beforeing here and deploying my men at the forge, I had already informed them about the gag order and took my most trusted men when we were going to the testing of our weapons in the future . "

    "I very well understood the consequences of revealing this weapon for everyone to see . There would be a battle royale for it if they saw it in action first hand . "

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67

    After the testing,

    John then called Tornwall, "I am very happy with the results and with the effects of the currently improved ballista, the very fact that you tried to improvise this weapon and gave a good result to us was very satisfying . "

    John continued as he smiled and said to him, "As for the reward, you will certainly be getting one of a kind Alchohol which you haven¡¯t tasted ever . I will be immediately ordering the start of construction of a new distillery in North-frontier town to meet our domestic needs, it would anyway be useful for the town as it would increase the employment opportunities and it would also increase the poprity of our town when ites to making unique food and beverages, it would be quite good for advertisement among other duchies and domains of other lords . As you know rich onlyck experiences, not money so it would be better for us anyway . "

    Hearing this good news, Tornwall was a lot more pumped than usual today . He was already pumped up enough after that incredible show a while ago but now he was pretty much excited as he knew that he won¡¯t be disappointed by John because he already tasted all the food at Hope which was recently created by John these days and he knew about its quality which was leagues apart from anything he had dined and wined even as a high ranking official in the dwarven country .

    Eating at Hope and drinking beer from Red had be the favorite moment for Tornwall these days after arriving at North-frontier town .

    Hearing that news Tornwall replied to John, "I guess, improving weapons of any typees as a part from my previous work so it was only natural of me to help and create a better weapon suiting our needs . And getting John to personally create a new alcoholic beverage was certainly worth the effort . I guess this alcohol would be as famous as the dishes from Hope . If every improvement of mine could make you create more beveragesparable to those dishes from Hope then I would be happy to dedicate even more of my time just to get a taste of those unique beers and wines . "

    Hearing this Johnughed and replied to him, "Well, What I can assure you is that after drinking that alcohol you won¡¯t be disappointed by what I have experienced after drinking some famous beers and wines in Aelius . "

    "However after this event, I want you to take the dwarves who were bought personally by me earlier and make a team out of them . This team will be focusing on producing these Ballistas for the preparations of winter . The team producing these ballistas will have to sign a confidentiality agreement with us . Inpensation, they will get freedom from very 2 years earlierpared to the current contract for maintaining confidentiality and increased wages plus incentives . "

    "So we will practically be building a special workshop for the production of these ballistas .

    However, due to political reasons, you will also be required to build a less powerful version of the current ballista so that people don¡¯t be too much wary and hostile to us this early . "

    Tornwall very much understood why John wanted to make a less powerful version of the Ballista for a show . So that even if the current power of the ballista is revealed then it would be an illusion for their enemies about their current power, "Okay I will make sure to implement those orders, Are there any ns about the small miniature ballistas . is there a need for a live test . "

    John: "Hmm . . yes we will make them equipped for our warriors if they are good, they can be pretty much useful to our men for their archery training and for practicing their shooting, as for its presentation, I can pretty much already guess its power however we will still need a live demonstration to make an urate guess on its real firepower . "

    Tornwall asked for confirmation from John, "As for the lower grade version, how much do you want its power and speed to be lowered to the standards that match our current situation . "

    John thought a bit and said"Well lower its performance by half and I just wanted to confirm one thing, could all the runemasters upgrade the firepower of that Ballista like you did earlier? nah, make it 40% of the current power . "

    "Well there are quite a handful but it requires a lot of energy and time to engrave magical runes to suit the current weapon and if ites to runemastersparable to be me? I don¡¯t think there are more than 30 people who can engrave runes as masterfully as I can do on this whole continent . You see I am someone who focused a lot when it came to improving weapons anyway possible and hence I got acquainted with runes early on in my profession of weapon making . most of the runemasters could only reach 50 percent of my power when they make runes . One of my strong points is when I make weapons, I know about it inside out and hence the advantage over other runemasters . "

    "The miniature Ballista will be tested a bitter after weplete our current conversation . "

    "And yes make sure to take all your trusted men who were recently recruited from our current batch of ves . They could also get an increase in their wages and other incentives which they could benefit fromter on if they agree to the confidentiality agreement . I suggest this since we are short onbor . "

    This was one of the ways John wanted to build more trust about him among the ves which would benefit and reflect about himter on, As ves see more benefits, they would eventually start developing a positive image on John which would be useful for Johnter on in future . He didn¡¯t want to be seen as someone who dabbled in the ve-trade for future historians and people to see .

    Hearing the current wave of good news Tornwall replied in a very happy tone, he had a big smile stered on his from the time he heard that John will be making an alcoholic drink personally because of his results . This made him quite proud .

    "I will make sure to inform them of this good news . I am pretty much assured that they will be excited on working for such an honorable project which would benefit everyone in the north-frontier townter on, whether its employment, defense or honor to be able to protect their own homes . "

    "As you have already given the good news of making personalized alcohol, they will pretty much be excited to taste that beverage . This would be a piece of very wee news for all the dwarves as you know we are quite heavy drinkers and love it second to none . "

    Johnughed and said, "Haha, I am pretty sure they will spend most of their wages on alcohol if they don¡¯t control their urges on alcohol . And the most I am worried about is you as you are pretty well known when ites to drinking . "

    Tornwall grinned and said, "Haha, you don¡¯t have to worry Lord, this will only motivate us to work more splendidly so we earn more and spend more on the things we enjoy most . "

    d heard them from the sidelines as he thought of a sinister n to irritate Tornwall as he joined them with a curious look, "I am hearing a pretty interesting talk between the two of you and from your expression, I can guess that you were rewarded quite heavily for your current performance . "

    Tornwall proudly said after hearing d, "That¡¯s true, after my performance, John decided that he will make an alcoholic beverage to suit us and we can get ess to better alcohol in the North-frontier town as you know trade here is quite low which creates a shortage on certain goods which are needed for everyone . So previously before when this project started, John promised me that if I can show a good performance then he will consider my proposal on building a distillery dedicated to making various types of new beverages and he will personally make one alcoholic beverage as my reward . So I guess my face pretty much reflects my current happiness . "

    d thought about Tornwall¡¯s answer and said, "So that was the reason you were so happy because from what I know, very few things can make you happy unless it is rted to alcohol or it is rted to new technologies and those are also the things which can make you angry easily . So the reason this time was rted to alcohol . hmmm . . "

    d continued with a sheepish smile as he knew what would be the answer from John but he still said it to both of them, "However, from what I know, there are a lot of people involved in this business, don¡¯t make too many enemies, you wouldn¡¯t want to piss off another dude, do you? And this time it would be the brother inw of the king which you would piss of this time . From what I know, he is a duke from central . "

    Everyone knew he was duke from central but d still emphasized on both the things .

    Tornwall panicked as soon as he saw d¡¯s speak, "Hey, hey, don¡¯t ruin the party over here, go and deal with your own business and first deal with that kid over there instead of bothering our important business . "

    Tornwall continued and snarled when heard another big aristocrat would ruin all of his efforts as he said, "as for those snotty guys from capital I can simply make more of those weapons if they dare point their swords in the direction of my Alcohol . . .

    @@novelbin@@

    Ahem . . . I mean if they dare point their swords in the direction of North-frontier Town . I won¡¯t let anyone dare to ruin my n . "

    Both John and dughed as they watched this show from the sidelines as they were quite amused by Tornwall¡¯s act .

    When Tornwall saw this, he understood he was already being yed by d when he made those remarks earlier . Tornwall¡¯s whole head was red hot after realizing his current situation as he angrily pointed his finger at d and cursed him, "Damn you, you nned all this from the start since can¡¯t stomach my happiness . Didn¡¯t you, right?"

    Tornwall angrily stamped his feet, he thought a bit and said to d with a sheepish smile, "I will make sure to make under par weapons with no runes when ites to your deal, now let¡¯s see who will have thestugh . hahaha . . . " Tornwallughed with a high nose as he said that to d .

    d smiled cunningly and said to him, "Well just for your information I made sure to add a use that would have consistency in quality of weapons for both the parties i . e John and Bluesea house when I signed it with John so it¡¯s not my problem whether you make good weapons or not .

    d harrumphed and continued, "As for those runes, I don¡¯t need them I can anyway hire one of those guys from Fire Abyss kingdom . "

    Tornwall was pretty annoyed as he heard that d had already included factors outside of his expectations when he had the deal with John but he still replied .

    "Can you really? I wonder because from what I know they aren¡¯t that easy to persuade and make them work for others . "

    "Well I can any way make them forcibly work for me, so there won¡¯t be a big problem," d said without any sense of shame, rather he was proud of it .

    John watched as both of them bickered with each other,

    John stopped their fight and said to both of them seriously, "Tornwall, you don¡¯t have to worry, they will attack us sooner orter so you don¡¯t have to worry about them attacking us . The only question is when will they make a big move . As for those alcohols, I will only make it a luxury wine at the start which would only be served in my Mansion, Hope, specialized shops in limited quantity every day in North-frontier town and our business partners to properly handle this situation so you and your folks won¡¯t have to worry about the shortage of Wine . This will anyway enhance the reputation of our town in the long run so its better this way . "

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69

    Prague said seriously after hearing Glenn, "After considering all the pros and cons of remaining at the Imperial University, it would be better to try our chances at the North-frontier city . "

    Glenn thought a bit after Prague¡¯s influence and said to Prague, "Okay, it¡¯s decided, we will move there and announce our departure in theing days, I guess some people would anyway be happy that I cleared their way . "

    Prague said a bit hesitatingly, "Maybe, but the management would certainly be unhappy and try to get back at us for leaving them without a good reason as they would think we are rebelling because of their unfair treatment . "

    Glenn frowned a bit and said, "Well, I don¡¯t care anyway . We only need to be prepared if they try to do anything funny . And I guess since Baron John has personally sent this letter to us, he is prepared to face the consequences of hiring us . Recently I heard he had also offended Prince Hector but because of a certain backer, Prince Hector isn¡¯t acting directly but I am sure with his petty personality he will try to get back at him soon .

    Anyways Eva too lives over there, even she sent me a letter but I thought it was not worth it previously until I got a letter personally written by the Lord of North-frontier town and also that rejection letter from management again . "

    Prague smiled after hearing Glenn¡¯s decision and said to him, "It is still better than nothing, who knows maybe we can change something if we go over there . A lot of people got invitations from them and also others which included increased wages and better resources however a lot of people have shrugged it as we did earlier as they think how much resources can the north-frontier town give them to support their works . However, a lot of people who are at the other end of the stick were moved by their offer because they are not in good books of management or other powerful aristocrats plus they have not seen results of their hard work over the years . One such person is Professor Hague who published his work on the cruel reality of the ve-trade over the years which included propaganda from the state which normalized it . His resources were seized the moment he published this work and gave it to upper management . This work was censored to the masses and only professor Hague carries it now . He was quite stubborn on some of his views . however, he kept a low profile as he understood that after that incident, his life could be in danger since he was someone who is powerless . You know what happened to professor William years ago after he wrote about the scandals about the throne and some court officials, I guess Hague is afraid of dying without achieving anything great and one of the most important reasons is most nobles wouldn¡¯t hire him in their domain as they might get implicated by their rivals because of him .

    The most horrifying thing about Professor William was that his wife ended up dead and his daughter in a whorehouse, only his boy escaped that massacre . I guess that incident scared a lot of people . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Glenn thought a bit and said, "Yes I remember Professor Hague, he was given a lot of cold shoulder by upper management, He gave me quite an impression when I met him for the first time, he had a determined gaze when I met him . Well, where did you get this information? and it seems Baron John intends to hire anyone capable even if they are misfits for some and are hard to control . The very fact that he is willing to court these people to educate his masses means that he has the political will to confront the Imperial University, even if it means going head-on against them however his only obstacle would be the funding to operate such a massive project . However, I am relieved to know that we are being hired by someone who is fearless on certain issues so I guess I will bet on this chance even if it means I am taking a wrong path . "

    Prague said to Glenn in a mocking way and a determined gaze, "We don¡¯t know if it is a wrong path unless we try it . From my current information, some of those guys who got the invitation are going there because of the increased wage, as they don¡¯t see a future over here . As for the information regarding professor Hague and professor William I got it from the brats gossiping as usual . You might know how our University has a lot of children from noble households and their gossiping habits, don¡¯t you?"

    Glenn thought and said, "I guess that¡¯s true as those children can¡¯t control their mouth . Anyway, what I liked about the letter is his big ambition where he ns to educate all the people from his city, regardless of their status . You also saw his n for a systematic way of removing very from his city . I guess Professor Hague was probably moved by his n . I only came to this conclusion after I got your information regarding his previous work . And from his initiatives, I can see that he is nning big and long from how he even nned to remove very and his n to teach all the people regardless of their status . I guess if he bes strong enough he will disregard thews of Aelius and make his ownws ording to his values and people of thend . "

    Prague also continued, "A lot of professors got the same invitation like us but it seems Baron John had only written that letter to us as he was quite interested in your theory of teaching and need for reduced taxes . However, I don¡¯t know and can¡¯t confirm the personal letter for professor Hague . "

    Glenn said without any hesitation, "He most probably got it since he is working for such a long time and has a lot of experience on how the Imperial university deals with certain situations . Experienced men would be valuable to him and he certainly would know about him . I am only wondering why he is spending suchrge amount on teaching people because most of the Nobles only create Knight schools unlike the other schools of learning where there is no real benefit for them unless they have resources and reputation of royal family to create a profit as you know most of the people are poor and can¡¯t afford such education . "

    Glenn smiled and continued, "Maybe he sees something which we can¡¯t, I wonder what we will see after the sess of such an ambitious n . "

    Prague too nodded and said, "That¡¯s true, However, the biggest surprise was the arithmetic Professor Liam who has announced that he will head to North-frontier town . I wonder what persuaded him to make such a decision to work there? He even proimed that anyone pursuing a career in Arithmetic and Mathematics should follow him to North-frontier town for higher studies . Anyway, he has always been an odd one when ites to certain things . However, I don¡¯t think he was Joking when it came to the topic of arithmetic and mathematics .

    And from rumors, in a few days, Baron John is going to reveal the internal policy of his city where he will reveal thews for his town . I wonder how it will y out . And recently there are rumors that he is creating a new type of army called the police force which would only focus on the internal order of the city . Quite a unique creation of dividing the work of army for invasion and defense while another force for internal order of the city . "

    Glenn asked Prague, "The division of work for army in internal matters and outside is quite a unique and good idea since the teams would focus on their main jobs without the need for diverting their strength and time on other matters, This may also increase the efficiency of particr forces when ites to certain matters .

    Anyway, what do you think of their papers, ink and how they write on those papers? they were quite identical characters so its hard to believe that someone can copy the same identical characters on other pages . I believe they made something which gives them power and resources for publishing in quantity and hence their confidence in providing us with enough resources because unless you are a duke you won¡¯t be able to get hands-on so much resources whether it is men or material . "

    Prague thought a bit and replied to Glenn, "I don¡¯t know, but that may also be the reason they are quite confident in funding this project of educating everyone from small to old in that town . As for the paper, it was of higher qualitypared to the papers we use over here . They may have higher costs which we don¡¯t know or they may have revealed it to us just to showcase their prowess . Recently they have been creating a lot of new things, from my sources, the recently popr Soaps in the upper aristocratic circles have been produced by them and the designs for new the clothes which were provided by the Snake family has also been provided by them . Because of this, recently a lot of traders and people have been visiting North-frontier for better opportunities . However, people still don¡¯t like the idea of living in a border town where beasts could invade them at any time . "

    ***

    Meanwhile, at John¡¯s Mansion, there was an important meeting taking ce where all the officials were present .

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70

    Glenn and Prague¡¯s conversation ended as they got ready and left for their sses .

    ***

    Meanwhile, at John¡¯s Mansion, there was an important meeting taking ce where all the officials were present today .

    Recently Joseph had arrived back and so too had Jack after handling all the matters concerning at their home .

    Meanwhile, Tornwall hadpleted his next prototype with half the firepower and Jay had selected all the required men for his police force which would help him keep the internal order of the town . These Days Ryfon was most busy with his work as he had to coordinate with multiple individuals for the construction of various projects . He also had to coordinate with Brick factory, cement factory, concrete factory and other various factories which required the construction of buildings . So basically he was the head of all the major constructions taking ce in the city these days . In short, he had most manpower allocated to him after road construction which was headed by Arnold .

    Ryfon first reported his work to John at the meeting, "Lord, as per your orders we have immediately finished the construction of Testing grounds for weapons at the earliest . We have especially chosen a ce on the outskirts of the city so that there won¡¯t be anymotion during the tests in the future . Additionally, if any suspicious individuals wander there we can immediately report and investigate their backgrounds and arrest them if required . There are some men already deployed at the testing fields . "

    "The construction of for the police headquarters and Ministry of Internal affairs are nearpletion .

    As per our ns, School and University grounds have been built at the center of the city near Lord¡¯s Mansion as we will expandter on so it will be better built there . "

    John, "Were there any problems that need to be addressed?"

    Ryfon shook his head and said, "No, Sir, the only problem is manpower however we are continuously being supplied with more manpower every day so there is no need to worry about ack of manpower . The most important thing is, the people from nearby viges have started to migrate to the North-frontier town because of the lucrative wages and less travel time from their viges . "

    John thought, ¡¯Maybe I should introduce Wheelbarrow¡¯s and Bicycles to increase the efficiency of construction and reduce travel time, any way we will leave it forter . ¡¯

    John signaled Tornwall as he asked his question, "Okay, Tornwall what¡¯s the progress of our Ballista . "

    Tornwall immediately understood and said without any fluctuations in his emotions, "We have just recently finished our prototype for the ballista and conducted tests with which we were quite satisfied and as per your orders, we have started the building of Ballista factory . It is in the outskirts and marked as a ssified ce whiches under Militaryws as these are secrets which can¡¯t be leaked . We can begin a public test for officials at any time with short notice . "

    John smiled a bit and made a decision, "Hmm . . . that¡¯s good, we will conduct a testter on just before or after Prince Hector¡¯s Banquet which would also serve to send a message to some people . "

    "Okay, Taylor make your report . "

    Taylor: "Previously, because of a low response to our invitations for the University and after your n to reveal some of the information on our papers and printing, some of the professors from the imperial university have been moved and started to respond to us . Professor Hague is one who has responded first to us after you wrote a personal letter to him, He was especially more interested in how you were systematically going to remove the ve trade from North-frontier city . Previously he wasn¡¯t interested because he heard that you were aggressively involved in the ve trade . He has also visited the city recently after our guards noticed him and have reported about him . In a few days, he would most probably visit us at Mansion . Meanwhile, The letter from Professor Glenn and Prague has responded to our previous letter and they mentioned that they woulde to visit us in a few days after theyplete all of their preparations . However, there is one matter which is quite concerning . "

    John thought and said, "Hmm . . . Its good that the Printing house and Papermaking factory made quite an influence and moved them enough to join us . Make sure to short-list people who are capable and can be lured over here and we don¡¯t need to worry about money . "

    John continued as he frowned when he heard there was some concerning matter, "What are the concerning matters that you are talking about?"

    Taylor hesitated a bit but finally said, "It¡¯s the Radiant church and some representatives from other churches, they wanted to buy paper in huge quantities with some people interested in our printing and they were making some unreasonable demands which included their dislike for the presence of demons and demi-humans . And most of important of all they didn¡¯t like our close rtionship with d . They also were expecting to have a meeting with you in the future,"

    John frowned as he heard about the churches being interested in the papers they were producing as he replied to Taylor, "Hmm . . . Tell them we are on shortage and don¡¯t have resources to fulfill their demands, dy them as much as possible . Sell them some paper to appease them however say no when ites to our printing methods .

    As for the presence of demons tell them its all business and we have already signed our contracts so we can¡¯t go back on our contracts . I will think about meeting themter on, tell them these days I am busy in training . " John understood that this was a pretty sensitive and tricky matter where Radiant church was trying to show their influence and power to him .

    Taylor, "There was another matter, they subtly told that if we don¡¯t heed their advice then they would most probably use other means so that we listen to them . I think they would most probably use their church and refuse to offer healing services altogether which they usually provide in all the domains . It won¡¯t be a problem now that we are a small city but they could be a big influence when our city grows and would need their services as there are very few alternatives for light magic and 60% of the light magicians are in Radiant church while the remaining 30% is mostly hired by Royal family and remaining 10% is with other Aristocrats . The Royal family faced the same problem 128 years ago and since then they have always been trying to bnce out the power which Church has over the masses and hence the Royal family cultivated their own light magicians over the years . "

    John thought and said, "It seems I will have to speed the construction of Medical school and Medical department if we are going to face this problem in the future . You don¡¯t need to worry about their threats for now as I will have a solution to their threat of healing services . As you might know that I am a potioneer and if the need arises I will personally head the creation of medicines and medical departments in the North-frontier city . Are there any other matters which you wanted to report?"

    Taylor immediately reported other matters and ended his report, "There is some good news, because of our maintenance of roads, traders are quite happy and had a positive view regarding the smooth concrete roads which we repaired during there days . Meanwhile, we have started the construction of the brewery to meet the current demands of North-frontier City . "

    This time Jay reported his work which he did over the few days, "I have selected a few men already who would finish their initial training for police force in a few days and start their work for keeping internal order in the town, I think it would be best if weunch the police force after announcing our newws as people would ept them much easily after newws are announced and the need for a new force to keep internal order of the town where miscreants don¡¯t roam free without any punishment for their actions . However, I would still need time to select a guy as a new chief . "

    John nodded and replied, "It¡¯s good that you already selected people, I was only waiting for you since I too nned to announce theunching of the police force and newws on the same day as it would have more effect and understanding among the popce . Taylor hand me the document which I already prepared a few days ago . "

    Taylor handed over the document which John asked him for .

    John took the documents, handed those documents to Jay and said to him, "Take these documents and look for any changes which you want it to be changed . However, only the serious ones which needs rectification would be changed . Hand all the copies of thesews to the men in training . If they can¡¯t read and write, send them to the school¡¯s immediately from now on . "

    ****

    Meanwhile, Jack and Joseph were conversing after meeting at the restaurant in North-frontier town,

    @@novelbin@@

    Jack asked Joseph after he heard his decision, he was quite shocked, "Are you sure you want to do this . this is quite a big decision because in your absence your brothers will cease more power and resources from the main family . "

    Joseph then said to Jack, " I have decided atst that I will move my headquarters and base of operations at the north-frontier city from now on and I have already discussed this with Phillip, he will handle the trade in Pearl city for some time and groom a man for handling the business over there . I understand the consequences of this decision but from what I know it can go either way and I don¡¯t want to regret because of dying my decisions . Plus as you know, a lot of pirates have already started to target our fleet and I can¡¯t expect to get more help from Marquis or father as they will ask for more share to bnce out my power with my brothers as I am growing rapidly because of this trade route as I am also selling raw materials to John . "

    Jack sighed as he heard Joseph¡¯s decision to move his headquarters here at North-frontier town .

    Jack thought as he too was influenced by Joseph, ¡¯Maybe I need to take a decision as well . What am I fearing?¡¯

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75

    Martha noticed them after they entered the establishment, seeing the looks on their faces, immediately she let out a sigh of exasperation .

    @@novelbin@@

    "I guess Jay is footing the bill tonight . . . "

    Meanwhile, Hague calmly sat at his table as he watched theedic scene happening before his eyes . Laughing slightly, he thought .

    "Damn, their eyes mean that the food here is more attractive than their observation target . Hahaha, who would have thought! They are professional at protecting and observing me huh . If I didn¡¯t notice them earlier, even I would have thought that they were just here as customers..."

    A few hours after cktiger¡¯s assassination...

    Grey and his men were scouting the area where Jake assassinated cktiger and his men . Astonishment filled their eyes as they noticed that the area was barely even damaged at all .

    The big bearded man quietly remarked to Grey, with an obvious tone of happiness and pride .

    "Heh, the little bastard did a pretty clean job huh . If not for the injury, it would have been a perfect job well done . "

    Overhearing his words, Grey turned around andmented .

    "It¡¯s all part of the learning process of being an assassin... Only with experience will perfection truly be achieved, but remember, experience isn¡¯t usable most of the time . Only through honing your instincts will your battle sense improve, and will you be able to deal with your enemies faster . Many at times, it¡¯s usually your instincts that tends to decide the life and death of you or your enemy... Hmph, he is young and just needs time to train . "

    The big bearded man, Martin thought a bit,

    "Guess you are right . The more talent you have, the better your chances of survival will be in this survival of the fittest world... Well, he is doing great for just a beginner . Anyways, regarding thepletion of Jake¡¯s mission, I already informed my men about it . He is currently traveling to the north to say, any other orders other than that?"

    "... For now, just keep a look on the men over there, like you said they might be rted to the masterminds behind the previous incident . We can¡¯t let it happen again!"

    Grey then looked at Jake¡¯s room with slight emotions brewing from within, he walked away and spoke,

    "Keep a look on that kid¡¯s situation, I¡¯ll be out to take a look at that situation for a while . "

    ***

    Meanwhile, a meeting was held in John¡¯s mansion between Ryfon, John, Tornwall and Taylor as they were personally called by John a day before .

    Ryan reported his recent aplishments and works to John, happiness filled his heart as he began to speak with excitement and pride,

    "The construction of the brewery has already started after I met Taylor and heard about Tornwall¡¯s amazing performance previously . After starting it, the only thing now is the distition machines which you mentioned before and given to Tornwall to handle . Now it¡¯s just on his end and we are waiting for him in order to finish the project and start the brewery operations . "

    "Luckily, there is a piece of good news this time . After checking out the cement and experimenting with a lot of materials for construction, it seems that when the cement is mixed with Mulberry Glue, the results have proven that the toughness is 200% stronger! Its solidity can allow us to construct stronger structures too! It was an unexpected discovery that we learned about after an ident happened at the construction site . "

    John was quite surprised after hearing this and happilyughed out loudly

    "Never expected that useless fruit actually being so useful, quite an unexpected discovery that Mulberry Glues actually increased the properties of cement . Ryfon, reward the person who contributed to the discovery!"

    Ryfon smugly replied,

    "Already ahead of you, we rewarded the person who discovered this shocking effect of the fusion between cement and mulberry glues . This also sped up the construction speed by quite a fair bit too... Most of this newly found trick has also been implemented in various industries and quite a lot of it was useful in the road constructions, due to the increased speed of construction, the need forbor has reduced .

    John nodded in agreement and seemingly satisfied with the way that Ryfon handled the situation, and immediately gave his orders .

    "This discovery must be kept top secret and ssified from others . The people involved in it will be under a gag order and rewarded appropriately in order to prevent any information leak, though make sure the involved officials know about this . Though it won¡¯t affect us as much since cement making is a secret, but the prices of mulberry fruits for sure will increase if anyone ever knew of its useful ability to increase the properties of cement... Ryfon, from now on stock up on as many mulberry fruits as possible . It will be one of the strategic resources for us in the long run . Furthermore, continue experimenting with various tests which would give us better results . "

    Ryfon smiled a bit and said,

    "I already expected this and had immediately ordered my men to buy as many mulberry fruits as we can, since we require these materials inrge quantities for the construction from now on . "

    After Ryfonpleted his report, Taylor came and said to John,

    "Lord, Jake haspleted the mission given to him earlier and Mr . d ordered me to inform you about his current situation . ording to the letter, Jake was injured during the mission . He is currently recovering at one of the bases of the Bluesea family in Redwood City near the imperial capital . "

    After hearing this John said,

    "Hmm... It seems that problems urred while he was on the mission . Anyways, it¡¯s good that he is back safe and sound . Are there any movements from the other Nobilities?"

    After saying so, Taylor handed over a document that contained information as he summarized the report .

    "Currently, the only movement is from Prince Hector¡¯s side . He is preparing for a big banquet that he organized for the Sun Festival after this month . There are also movements from the Duke of the west . He is funding more pirates to interrupt our trade routes, recently Joseph¡¯s fleet was also under the attack of pirates... If not for the high defense abilities and the fact that Joseph and co were prepared for confrontation like that to ur, they would have probably lost their lives from that attack..."

    John said in a small tone,

    "It seems that Duke ckwolf has already started moving against us huh, I guess we need to arm Joseph or else it would be bad for us . "

    John smiled a bit and continued,

    "What do you think about arming them with half powered ballistas? We can also demonstrate it in front of the other officials of the kingdom in order to showcase our power and wealth . This will pull some of the officials and nobles in to try to get us to their side and we will be able to get better backings and stature . What do you think would be the perfect time for such a show?"

    This time Tornwall smiled as he understood him and said to everyone present,

    "I think the best time would be to test our weapons before Prince Hector¡¯s banquet, we should also announce the sales of the Ballistas to Joseph¡¯s fleet on the same day too . It would be quite a scene for the aristocrats supporting Prince Hector but drooling over our Ballistas, We can at least deter Duke ckwolf if not Prince Hector because of his Royal connections . However, it would at least make other aristocrats take a position on the fence since they would like to acquire those Ballistas . "

    John smiled and said,

    "We think so much alike, As proposed by Tornwall, we will announce our official tests of Ballistas 5 days before Prince Hector¡¯s banquet . In addition, I will announce about the sales of those weapons to Joseph¡¯s fleet as a goodwill gesture . "

    Tornwall nodded in agreement and said,

    "A good decision, Lying as ducks won¡¯t take us anywhere, we need to show some strength if we want others to respect us, the same is the case if we want power and wealth . "

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76

    ***

    Near the Imperial capital at Redwood city,

    At the ce where cktiger died, one of the inspecting men of the domain lord said after looking at all the corpses, "Its a work of a professional, clean and precise, from the wounds it looks that the assassin used a lot of potent poisons . He was most probably a speedy guy from how he could inflict these many wounds on cktiger . While looking at those other two guys they seemed to have died in an ambush, The assassin most probably targetted them first since they were weaker ones . "

    The guy who was speaking looked like a middle-aged tall man with long hair and a tan . His name was Rudolf .

    The other man was Greg, He had an average height as a person and ck hair . Greg spoke after hearing Rudolf¡¯s spection, "Anyways it is good that he is already dead, we were already having enough headache with him and his men and them neglectingws willfully over here . I was always pissed that we could never take action against his men . "

    Rudolf smiled a bit as he spoke, "Who knows maybe Lord himself was his patron and hence his stay over here . So all that headache may just be a ruse to fool everyone including his enemies . "

    As soon as Greg heard it, Greg made a funny motion with his fingers which told Rudolf that he should keep quiet and not implicate him with his words, "Shh . are you intending to kill yourself and take me along with you on your Journey to hell after speaking these words in public . Some things aren¡¯t intended to be spoken aloud unless you are powerful . It¡¯s good that it was only me who heard this over here . God knows what would if any of the other men heard it . "

    Rudolf smoked his Cigarette,ughed and spoke to him, "Do you think I am that dumb to speak this in front of others, I trust you enough that I can talk anything I like in front of you . "

    Greg grinned and said, "Who knows, I won¡¯t vouch for your dumbass behavior if someone asked me . Meanwhile, I heard a rumor that this guy was involved in the illegal ve trade of our own people during the war to recuperate his losses . do you think it is true? and if it is true why didn¡¯t anyone take any action against him . "

    Rudolfughed mockingly and said, "Hmm . . . you don¡¯t understand the nature of war, there is not only one guy or mercenaries involved in this ve trade, but a lot of aristocrats are also involved in it . Many times some nobles are involuntarily involved as they would not want to be left out in that group, so many nobles have to pretend in the upper circles . We don¡¯t know for certain if our lord is involved or not . But I know for sure that a lot of them are involved in it . This is what I heard from the inner circles of our Lord . Anyways some people areing in our direction . Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore . "

    Greg too hushed and spoke, "Yeah, we better not, Anyway, so what¡¯s your conclusion on the reason for this guy¡¯s death?"

    Rudolf thought seriously and spoke his thoughts, "A professional guy, It looks like the Assasin tailed the bar owner to their hideout and started his ambush from the window . A silly choice however a very clean job .

    Rudolf looked at the bar owner and said, "Our sources never knew that this bar owner was one of his men . He was pretty good at hiding his real identity . What do you think?"

    Greg thought a bit and gave his conclusions, "It might be because he was recruitedter on by cktiger, or they intentionally didn¡¯t contact each other for the initial years so people don¡¯t doubt him . As a bar owner, he has a pretty good source of information from all the people traveling here . So it is expected that he might be a spy of one faction or other since selling information is quite a profitable job . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Greg smiled and continued, "Don¡¯t you think the same?"

    Rudolf rebuked frustratingly as heard about information brokers, "Hmph, However, it has its own dangers as well, like how he met his fate today because of being on the wrong side . "

    One of Grey¡¯s men were near them and spoke to each other, "Still no new information, the same old shit, a lot of people being involved in the previous ving which included A lot of nobles, however, cktiger being someone¡¯s pawn is something new . We would have to investigate deeply to find something new . cktiger always gave the impression of someone who is wild and free . I guess everyone has masks just like us and he had one as well . Anyways let¡¯s report it to the higher-ups and get this job done as a lot of people are increasing in volume over here I bet most of them are from domain lord . ,"

    Another man nodded and spoke, "Okay, I will work on it immediately . "

    The big bearded guy Martin said after he heard their report, "It seems that cktiger was indeed supported by an aristocrat from the western part of the kingdom . This is what we can confirm as that incident took ce in the Western Border . Most probably at least 2 big nobles of at least Marquis rank were involved in this scandal and that may also be the reason they were able to keep this under wraps . However, it is hard to guess because he did work for a lot of dirty work of nobles from what we know about the past deeds of his men . To others, it only looked like he was doing any work for good pay and it is also because of this reason our target had been cautious enough to not reveal any obvious links between them . "

    Grey heard him and said, "My gut feeling is telling me that someone even bigger is involved in this incident, and are using other small pawns as a medium to not get directly involved" .

    Grey seriously said as he continued, "There is another reason which is bugging me, cktiger didn¡¯t even flinch when he made his decision kill himself as he concluded that he would reveal more information if he was under Jake¡¯s interrogation for longer periods of time .

    And as he was willing to die for him, this means that he either trusts his backer enough to keep his word or he is someone who is very strong and has enough authority that even cktiger fears him . This is what I can conclude if what that brat is saying is the truth . "

    Martin Joked a bit and said one of his conclusion, "Another reason may be because of your reputation, I mean our organization¡¯s reputation over here at Aelius kingdom that he didn¡¯t trust us enough when Jake offered him a way out . "

    Grey nodded seriously and said as if that was natural, "Hmm . . . I guess that hold¡¯s true as well . I would have most probably killed him after I got information from him . He needed a pretty good reason for me to spare his life . "

    Martin grinned as he heard Grey¡¯s answer and thought, ¡¯I guess this joke never gets old . ¡¯

    Martin spoke after hearing Grey and asked one of his conclusions, "Anyway, we still got something good out of this mission which may involve a big scandal and leave some leads . What do you think about the domain lord of Redwood city?"

    Grey added, "Suspicious from what I know, Most likely a pawn in the bigger picture . Anyway, Report and send a coded letter about the current situation here and also make sure to report our findings to d when another caravan heads towards North-frontier city . "

    Martinughed a bit and said, " You don¡¯t need to worry, nowadays a lot of people head for trade and travel so its safe these days when ites to sending spies . "

    ***

    In a certain Mansion near the capital,

    A man¡¯s Shadow reflected as he said, "So cktiger was assassinated in the end, Don¡¯t send any of our men from now on to guess about any leads of the incident . It would only give others more leads about our involvement in that incident years ago . Try to gather information from other nobles as we are only interested in gossip . It would also prevent those guys who assassinated cktiger to not get any leads back to us .

    Hahaha, Let them guess for ages . " That manughed at the end as he gave orders to one of his trusted men . His silhouette reflected that he was in luxurious clothes .

    He continued, "As for his brother, Give him his medicine which we promised and feed him enough hatred about the guy¡¯s who assassinated his brother . it would be quite a dramatic scene between both the parties wanting revenge if they ever meet head to head and fight . This will also make us honor our promise to cktiger . I wonder how cktiger would feel if he knew about this n, A pitiful soul indeed . "

    His confidant nodded and agreed with the man on the throne, "Indeed, a brilliant n Lord, this would keep our enemies at bay with little to no information at their disposal . I would immediately convey these orders . "

    The man on the throne spoke as he seemed quite fearful of the man he was talking about, "Do you have any news on that mad man . "

    The Aide sighed as he saw his lord¡¯s fear of the man he was talking about and reported, "Nothing concrete yet, just that he was using a certain upstart to diss all the aristocrats in the capital . Even his own men don¡¯t know what he will n in the end . Many times he works on instincts and changes his ns abruptly . He is someone who likes to flip the table . "

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77

    Jake recovered in 2 days after resting up at Grey¡¯s Base . During these 2 days, he heard a lot ofmotion in the base because of the continuous movement of people .

    Martin, "It is good that you have recovered so fast because of the potions and your own body¡¯s capability . Many people would have taken up at least 10-15 days to recover from those injuries . Meanwhile, there is good news for you, it seems because of the information you provided usst time, we got some clues about the previous incident . Many people thought it was only done by ckheart but it seems there were many people involved in it . you can leave any time as you have recovered already . Master d might already be waiting for you at North-frontier town . "

    Jake thought and replied, "I will leave for North-frontier town today as I have already recovered, as for the previous mission, as I have alreadypleted it and reported all the things required, you guys can continue to do as you wish with that information so I won¡¯t be involved in it anymore . "

    Martin saw that Jake was a bit down and thought, ¡¯I guess he is down because of the injury and the mistake he did during his mission . Wellpared to others on their first mission, he did quite well, which is well above industry standards as they wouldn¡¯t even be doing this sort of B rank Job from the start . ¡¯

    Martin said to Jake . "You don¡¯t need to feel down after hearing about the previous mission, you did quite wellpared to other people who start doing their missions . They wouldn¡¯t even be doing this level of mission from the start, I guess Lord d trusted in your capability and was quite confident in you when he gave you this mission . I think only some people would even achieve this sort of performance, I think Grey could be one, I heard rumors that he was quite a proficient Assassin when he started doing missions . You could wait for Grey toe as he is out doing some investigations of his own however I don¡¯t know when he will return . "

    Jake smiled and said, "I guess it¡¯s okay, you guys can handle the previous incident, I would like to go North-frontier town and Join both Master and Lord as I was given orders to immediately return afterpleting the mission . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Jake thought of Grey and his carefree rude attitude and said, "Nah, tell him that I already left and it will be evening soon so I should probably leave early . If there is something, you guys can send me a letter to Lord John¡¯s Mansion or to Master . "

    Meanwhile, Jake had his own thoughts on what Martin said, ¡¯I guess I have set high expectations and goals for myself, the previous incident was a fatal mistake duringst mission and I could have died if not for my instinctive reflexes and training with Master and Lord . I still have a long way to reach the Master¡¯s standard when ites tobat . I need to train more . ¡¯

    ***

    Meanwhile, Baron Mendez at Dolores,

    Baron Mendez and Antonio were treating another noble, He was a count up in the North of Aelius Kingdom . His name was Casey White while his Domain bordered south of Baron Mendez¡¯s domain . recently he was traveling north because he heard a lot of rumors about the increase of volume in trade, this was also noted by his men and financial officers observing trade routes and tolls, as a lot of goods recently passed to the north and he received a lot of taxes from the transit of goods from north and south which was usually dull as it was only one way street with maximum trade being carried out in south . This was one of the reasons he was curious .

    Count Casey said after having a feast at Baron Mendez¡¯s mansion, "I guess this food was still a lot better than the ones I usually eat, however, it still pales inparison with the new dish which I recently ate at North-frontier town¡¯s Hope restaurant . "

    Count Casey said these words instinctively as he recently visited North-frontier and it was quite a different city from what he had expected .

    Baron Mendez frowned as he heard this sentence again from another noble . However, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh .

    Count Casey grinned a bit and said, "Well you too are earning a lot in restaurant business these days, how did you manage to get those recipes out of him, some of them are not yet public . "

    Mendez grinned as he heard him, "Well I did make sure to squeeze him dry when he wanted to buy that shitty town . I heard he recently even tacitly rejected the Radiant church . huh, what a fool . I guess he still doesn¡¯t realize the power of the Radiant church, he will either regret his decision when we are at war in the west or he might have to pay a lot to hire Light magicians as there is always a shortage of those guys . "

    Mendez continued irritatingly, "Well, it¡¯s good that he didn¡¯t align with those guys or it would be a lot of headache for everyone . I guess I also got rid of that hot potato, North-frontier town . It would have been a disaster for meter on . I guess it was a Blessing in disguise to have that rich fool wanting to protect hisrades . " Mendezughed as he ended .

    Count said his opinion seriously as he heard him, "I guess it may be because of the Radiant church¡¯s ego and them trying to exert their control and power as he has a close rtionship with the Bluesea house that they got rejected . As for that town who knows, however, I can see a lot of changes being carried out over there . he has quite an ambitious n, however, a risky one . "

    Mendez understood and gave a neutral opinion, "I guess that¡¯s true, however he would still have to spend a lot in future for the healing services because, from the way his town is rapidly developing into a city he would at some point need the light magicians and I wonder how he would cope with the situation when he faces a war and Radiant church decides to y hard, I guess he will learn about their power the hard way when he faces a problem .

    I think he would also have to expand his domain in the north and it would be very interesting at that point as he still doesn¡¯t know what unknowns lie whether it is in the kingdom or the wilds . Anyways do you have any news on Duke¡¯s position?"

    Count Casey smiled at the question and said, "Well, as you know Duke Norman is aligned with Prince Hector so you can already guess his position . This also stems from the fact that Duke Norman¡¯s daughter is already engaged to Prince Hector . And the fact that a new Baron didn¡¯t pay any respects or give a message to him as a Northern Duke, this also angers him greatly . He guessed, that Baron did this because of his rtionship with Prince Hector and the fact that Duke might have humiliated him greatly for his previous behavior at the auction . "

    Baron Mendez said, "Well, we all already know that he most probably would have humiliated him for Prince Hector as he is his future son inw however I still wanted to confirm his position . "

    Count thought as he said with a rebuke when he mentioned Sapphire rose, "I guess that is true as well . However, I think the bigger reason is the alignment of that upstart noble with Marquis Ray and the Half-elf, Duke of Southern Forest, Sapphire Rose via the use of his other businesses . Duke most probably harbors more anger because he had shrugged that off upstart earlier after he received some reports of their agreement .

    And it was onlyter that he understood the significance of the high-end soap business . At first, he thought Sapphire rose and Marquis Ray only intended to piss him off over an upstart noble as heughed off at first .

    I think he got more angrier after realizing he himself was one of the users of those soaps, it would be quite hrious . However, I can still bet he still uses those soaps as they have better qualitypared to other products in the market and that is one of the reasons it is a big hit in the high-end market . And the most probable reason is their hate over the years which has onlypounded over the years . " Count chuckled as he added thest sentence . There was clear disdain when he mentioned the Half-elf Duke .

    Baron alsoughed as he heard this and said, "I guess both duke and I had the same thoughts as those soaps are really too good . However, that guy still has a w and that is Strength . He still hasn¡¯t gathered any knights or magicians from anywhere, he only has a ragtag bunch of ve warriors who lost on the battlefield from what my guys have observed . I guess it¡¯s natural that knights would not want to join an upstart noble as it is risky for their careers . "

    Baron Mendez continued as he added seriously, "however, he still has some good people when ites to protecting business secrets . I tried a lot of infiltration in his workshops with my men but most of them are either dead or crippled . I don¡¯t know how he hired those type of guys . " Baron said with a sigh

    Count Casey smiled as he heard Mendez and spoke in an all-knowing manner, "I guess you still don¡¯t know about the backing of Bluesea house¡¯s miss Diana and one of Duke bluesea¡¯s most trust men, d . I think that upstart most probably provided a lot of benefits to them in return for their help . I saw a lot of carriages going to North-west of Aelius towards Fire-abyss kingdom these days, the interesting fact was it was being protected by high-end mercenaries . So it was most probably the soaps which they intended to sell in the whole of Fire-abyss kingdom . "

    Casey was annoyed as he continued his frustrating talk, "Well I didn¡¯t even try to infiltrate him as I knew I couldn¡¯t best the assassins from the bluesea house, I rather tried to buy them directly at Hope after I tasted their food . When I saw their chefs, I directly offered some of them positions of the chief chef at my Mansion but all of them rejected my offer, I guess most of them are either locals and are quite grateful to the guy or they have big wages aswell . What I didn¡¯t like was the fact that they were making those ves work in such a high-end restaurant after I heard that from someone local . Even if ves were working then that ve at least should have worked in a high-end ce before as amoner before working here . I guess upstarts will be upstarts who don¡¯t know anything about noble etiquette . "

    Meanwhile at North-frontier town,

    There were many changes taking ce at the North-frontier town which were getting noticed by everyone, it was especially the visitors who noticed most of the changes .

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81

    Jake just arrived afterpleting his mission at Redwood city, he saw that there was amotion going on near the restaurant where his mother worked and decided to check what was going on over there .

    Jake saw that her mother was bleeding profusely as some people from the restaurant were helping her .

    Watching this scene Jake was able to control his feelings as he saw her mother bleeding and thought, ¡¯Surprisingly I was able to control my feelings when I saw mom Bleeding, back in the past I would have surely been enraged and acted rashly . It seems that my Training had a lot of effects on my body but it was the mental state that changed me the most . I wouldn¡¯t have realized about this unless I encountered such an incident . ¡¯

    Jake calmly approached her mother as he saw her bleeding as he wanted to know about the situation, as soon as he saw Evan Laguna he understood what was going on over here . He remembered the past events as he saw Evan .

    ¡¯I don¡¯t know if I should regret or rejoice over helping that poor girl Barbara from the hedonistic schemes of this Silkpant Duke Laguna . This time he will pay dearly for hurting mom . I will make sure he feels that same amount of pain that I did all these months as a ve at Pearl city .

    Jake looked at Evan sharply, this clearly reflected his cold demeanor and killing intentions .

    Evan smiled as he saw Jake and said, "So it seems your whole family was bought here, From the looks, it seems you still haven¡¯t changed that annoying look from your face . I guess your master is taking good care of you . You should just have behaved like a ve just like your mother as you are a ve . I wonder if your master would choose to protect you and your family or he would rather choose to offend me and house Laguna for mere ves . "

    Evan¡¯s knights talked among themselves

    The first knight said, "The Lord here is a mere honorary Baron on the outskirts of the borders with a few good institutions which could be ruined anytime . I am sure, the baron here will fawn over Lord Evan like all the others . "

    Other Knight said, "That¡¯s not quite true, The Baron here had previously offended Prince Hector indirectly at the auction so we can¡¯t be sure . "

    The first knight grinned and said, "I guess you don¡¯t know the full story, many say that the baron here was clearly ignorant of the factions and how they worked in the upper ss and hence he unknowingly offended Prince Hector . I am sure that the baron is currently regretting his actions and hence tried to make allies at the south in hopes of getting protection but the geography alone won¡¯t help him even if they wished to help his domain . He could at most get small help from them and a lot of his money will eventually be squeezed out by those traders in the south . I think the Lord is trying to show this baron his ce by putting him in a difficult position . "

    Another Knight said, "I guess this is because of Lord¡¯s long travel to get good food here as he heard about it and eventually meeting this family that pissed him off . Additionally, buying them wasn¡¯t a problem but treating them like valued ves is what pissed off lord more as he hoped to teach this family a lesson as that boy previously ruined our ns . "

    The first knight raised his sword pointed at Jake and said to him, "Hey Kid why aren¡¯t you kneeling now that you are in front of Lord Evan? Don¡¯t you know thews for ves?"

    Dearil meanwhile was watching this show keenly as he thought, ¡¯Let¡¯s see how he deals with this situation, he is quite calm unlike what I thought previously . It seems he is currently analyzing his opponent and his chances of seeding . It seems analyzing his opponents has be an instinct for him after his training period .

    Jake furrowed his brows as he heard the knight, he was already angry after watching her mother bleed, this time instead he replied to the knight with a mischevious smile, "What if I don¡¯t? What can you do to me? Mind you, your lord doesn¡¯t own thisnd . So piss off already with those bunch of thugs . "

    Behind his smile, there was a good scheme going on how to bait the knight as he pretty much understood the mindset of these knights who were full of pride and honor as he intentionally and provocatively said thest words .

    The knight was quite angry as he had never seen a ve talking back to him in such a way, he felt incredibly humiliated . Jake¡¯s baiting worked as the Knight roared and dashed towards Jake with his sword without asking anyone¡¯s permission as it was implicitly implied that ves never had any legal rights even if they died and most of the time, the matter could be solved by paying their initial costs,

    The knight Roared loudly, "You surely have quite a vicious tongue as you managed to anger me . I hope you are as good as your tongue inbat . "

    Jake grinned and continued to provoke him, "I am sure you have the same skills when ites tobat . "

    @@novelbin@@

    One of the knights said as he saw this scene, "That kid is a goner, he is only a ve or does he really think he has any rights? Marcus will try to torture and kill him slowly . Even if his lordes and begs to spare his worthless life, this kid will most likely be killed or disabled for the rest of his life . "

    Another knightughed and said, "Are you kidding me, do you really think any lord would stake his reputation and humiliate himself for sparing a mere ve it would have been a different case it if was a valuable knight or magician . And as for the fate of this kid, he most likely would die by his sword in the next sh if Marcus is merciful . If not, like you previously said, he would die a torturous and painful death . However, the biggest thing is that the Lord of this domain will anyway be humiliated now that the situated has risen to these levels . "

    One of the knights noticed a peculiarity and said to others, "Hey, don¡¯t you guys think that the guys who protected the women over there are quite calm right nowpared to the situation previously . "

    Another knight smiled as grinned and said, "Maybe they think just because this kid trained a bit, he can fight with the personal knights of Lord Evan . Marcus is one of the knights from Lord Fjord¡¯s knight order whoter followed Lord Evan on the orders of Lord so that he could be protected at all times . I have some news which you guys don¡¯t know about, from the rumors I heard that Marcus is a Magic Knight who has been hiding his true strength all the time since two years ago . If those guys have something up their sleeve then they are in for a surprise . "

    Jay watched the scene as he smiled as he had already known of Jake¡¯s sess in hisst mission . However, he was still very alert when it came to the protection of Martha and the movements of those knights .

    ***

    At the mansion,

    One of Dearil¡¯s men came and reported to Taylor, "I urgently want to meet Lord John in person . This matter is of great urgency . I hope I can meet the Lord at earliest . "

    Taylor saw the urgency in man¡¯s tone as he replied to him in a serious tone, "Okay, wait here for a minute I will inform Lord immediately . "

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83

    ****

    Diana spoke seriously unlike her jolly self, "That¡¯s true, That weapon will change a lot of dimensions in naval andnd warfare, Meanwhile, Father has approved your request which you made earlier, from now on Bluesea house will support North-frontier town to their fullest . It seems it was because of this weapon that changed the opinion of elders in the house and father was able to openly support you . "

    d spoke with a happy tone as he smiled after hearing the good news, "It¡¯s good or else I would have to support them in my personal capacity as I already gave him my word . "

    Diana said smilingly, "Well, I too would have supported this city as I have taken quite a liking to this ever-changing city so you don¡¯t have to worry much if ites to funds . Additionally, John is quite interesting unlike others who I have always encountered . What about that guy who was training under you? ooh, lets first head to the site and check where the fight is going on . "

    d said, "You don¡¯t have to worry about him, I had already given orders to Dearil to keep Jake safe if John is hesitating to protect him . Well, he would anyway protect him but I still don¡¯t want to take any chances if there is amunication problem with him and his men . So I just wanted to make sure if he is safe . "

    Diana smiled as she spoke her thoughts, "As always you are prepared for all the extreme situations . I wonder what sort of things you don¡¯t take into your ns?"

    She knew he would always take more precautions even if her father didn¡¯t give him orders .

    d thought a bit, smiled and spoke smilingly, "I wouldn¡¯t have taken those new ballistae into ount if I was kept in dark about them . So I guess even I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, what I can do is, Hope for the best and prepare for the worst so that¡¯s my motto . "

    ****

    The rusty knife now seemed sharp after it was wrapped in Dark Magic . As soon as both of them shed with their weapons, there was a heavy sound of metals colliding with sparks appearing .

    However after 2 more hits, Jake sliced through the sword which Marcus was wielding . Jake without any hesitation reached for the throat as he intended to kill him with his first blow .

    All the people in the sidelines were shocked and rmed after watching this scene,

    Shocked after watching the scene one of the knights spoke with a dry throat, "How could that rusty knife slice through Marcus¡¯s famed sword like it is mere scrap metal?"

    Henry thought as he saw Evan, ¡¯Hmm . . . So Marcus was always hiding his wind magic and it was quite surprising to see that kid using Dark magic . I guess we have to be prepared for ughter as Lord won¡¯t leave this kid alive as he understands of the dangers lying if he is kept alive . However, that demon over there is quite dangerous if I make a move on this kid . ¡¯ Henry thought as he saw Dearil who was observing their men from the crowd .

    Martha was quite nervous from the start as she spotted Evan earlier hade to North-frontier city with his whole entourage . She knew that there will be a ruckus today . However, she hoped that the day passes without any trouble as she didn¡¯t want to burden John with problems of her past .

    As she saw the events folding right now, she was quite shocked after watching Jake¡¯s capability as a fighter . From the gossip of knights and others, she understood that Jake was an aplished fighter himself . She was very much worried about Jake as she saw the duel unfold in front of her eyes .

    She was quite horrified as she saw Jake going for a kill as soon as both of them started showing their magic .

    Evan too was quite shocked after watching this scene . After this shock, there was a sharp ruthless glint in his eyes which was filled with heavy killing intent as he decided that this kid can¡¯t be left alive .

    Evan immediately ordered his knights to save Marcus as he would die if he didn¡¯t do anything to save him .

    Evan roared towards Jake, "Kid, if you dare kill Marcus, I will make sure you and your family will die a painful death . You wouldn¡¯t want your brothers to be crippled, right?"

    As Jake heard him, killing intent rose from his body as he decided to charge towards Marcus more ruthlessly .

    Jake roared at Evan as he aimed for the kill, "Hmph . . . I will make sure this man suffers and dies because of your arrogance . "

    Evan roared furiously as he heard Jake as he ordered his men, "Go, kill that kid, he can¡¯t be left alive . Make sure to at least disable him so he can¡¯t be a threat for me in the future . I don¡¯t care about the consequences, make sure he is dead . "

    Meanwhile, John just arrived with his men at the site, as he saw that Jake was going for the throat of Marcus .

    John smiled as he saw this scene, John thought, ¡¯It looks like he has matured quite a bit after histest mission and decided to bury the hatchet from his past today . ¡¯

    Dearil said to his men as saw movements within the ranks of Duke Evan¡¯s men, "It seems that he has decided to make a move . Go and protect the kid, make sure no one interferes in this duel . Since they chose to duel, they should be prepared for death as well . Go and stop those knights, you can kill them at will since they already broke thews of interfering in a duel . "

    Henry saw John¡¯s smile as he ordered one of his men, "Prepare a carriage, if worsees to worst, we will run with Lord . Make sure, Lord doesn¡¯t know anything about it . "

    Jake saw that there was an arrow aimed at him that came from Duke Evan, he ignored the arrow that was aimed at him as he had already decided to kill Marcus and make a move towards duke if required .

    Jake pierced Marcus¡¯s throat multiple times as he charged towards him, While he was targetting Marcus, an arrow pierced his back . One of Dearil¡¯s men came and protected Jake as he saw an arrowing which pierced Jake .

    Evan was quite furious as he saw Jakepletely ignore his warning and arrow as he continued to target Marcus without an inch of hesitation .

    "Let¡¯s see how he escapes the toxin of that arrow . "

    After Multiple Stabs, Marcus tightly held his neck as he breathed for air . He was quite shocked and rmed that his famed sword which was imbued with wind magic was pierced so easily by that rusty knife .

    He again saw that kid but this time his eyes were filled with horror as he realized that he was at the end of the rope as he squealed hard for his life . This time his eyes lost the light of life as he dropped on the ground with his eyes wide open .

    Watching this all the people present were shocked after realizing that Marcus was already dead while Jake¡¯s back was pierced with a poisonous arrow that was shot by Evan .

    Henry sighed as he saw this scene and thought, ¡¯Quite a Dangerous and ruthless kid, we have to escape fast or we will be in trouble . It¡¯s good that he is already poisoned . ¡¯

    @@novelbin@@

    Henry ordered his men, "Make sure to protect the Lord if that kid tries anything funny . You know our families will be implicated as well if anything happens to the Lord . "

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84

    Henry meanwhile stealthily moved towards Jake as he thought, ¡¯I have to kill that kid, Lord won¡¯t budge unless he sees his blood . And from the looks of people, this kid and his family seem quite important to this Baron . While from the way he demonstrated his battle capabilities, I am sure that this domain lord won¡¯t give up on that kid and his potential . ¡¯

    Dearil came behind Henry with his de when Henry wanted to make a move on Jake from behind, Dearil mocked Henry as pointed his de behind his back, "Tch Tch Tch, it is quite dishonorable to interfere in and after a duel, don¡¯t you think you so?"

    Henry let out a dryugh and raised both his hands as he heard Dearil, "I am just a regr knight following orders, do you really think I can evene close or manage tond a scratch on that monster? And about honor? Who cares about honor when your life is at stake . "

    Dearil smiled cunningly as he saw Henry, "You may fool others, but you can¡¯t-fool me, I can see that you are using quite a high-level technique to conceal your true aura as well as your mana . And the very fact that you don¡¯t have care about any honor implies that you are more dangerous than the other muscleheads over there . "

    Henry sighed at Dearil¡¯s answer as he spoke to him, "Hmm . . it seems you have quite outstanding and unique eyes if you can even detect my aura and magic . Very few people could actually detect my aura . "

    Without saying anything Dearil immediately charged towards Henry as Henry dodged Dearil¡¯s attack and both of them got locked into an intense confrontation with each other .

    ****

    After a while,

    @@novelbin@@

    Jake removed the arrow that was stuck on his back . He looked at the direction from where the arrow came from .

    Meanwhile, Evan saw that Henry was confronting Dearil and he was pretty much frustrated at the turn of the events .

    Evan then prepared to shoot another poisonous arrow at Jake so he thought to nip the bud while he is still growing .

    Jake saw that another arrow wasing towards him, he again filled his rusty knife with dark magic and threw it towards Evan¡¯s direction with great killing intent while he dodged the arrow this time .

    Watching this Henry was pretty much very rmed as he saw Jake throwing the knife at Evan¡¯s Direction . Henry whistled to give a signal as he confronted Dearil, one of the knights came to defend Evan as the Knife thrown by Jake pierced his arm and scratched Evan¡¯s hand who was being protected by him .

    The man protecting Evan copsed on the ground grabbing his right hand while Evan had a pretty scary face where he faced death for the first time in his life . He screamed hoarsely as the Knife scratched his hand .

    Jake thought in frustration, ¡¯It seems that his poison was quite potent . ¡¯ Jake fell on the ground with great reluctance after this encounter .

    John saw this scene as he ordered Taylor, "Go and tell Jay to keep him safe, bring him to Grandma Mnie¡¯s Pharmacy or Master¡¯s d¡¯s men just so we remain vignt . "

    Henry backed off as he saw Jake falling to the ground and came back to Evan¡¯s side .

    Henry saw the scene as he thought, ¡¯hmm . . . It seems Lord used a specialized poisonous arrow from the start . Good, this at least reduces my work . I hope Lord isn¡¯t too stubborn and pursues this matter for retaining face . I guess he will be very angry to find that Marcus is dead . ¡¯

    Henry saw that the guy who was protecting Lord was wreathing in pain and the same was true for the lord who was gritting his teeth so he doesn¡¯t lose face in front ofmoners . "I guess that ve aimed to make a mockery of lord before trying to kill him . Hey,e and bring one of those potions to alleviate Lord¡¯s pain . "

    Henry ordered one of his men .

    Evan roared towards John as soon as he saw him, "How to do you intend to solve this matter . I hope to get a satisfactory answer or else this matter won¡¯t be forgotten by house Laguna . There will be big consequences since you can¡¯t even control your ves . "

    One of the knights gossiped, "I guess Lord is quite angry at the death of Marcus, I don¡¯t think he will leave this matter even if he gets the heads of this ve¡¯s family . I am expecting him to humiliate this lord and extort the hell out of him . "

    Henryid out his thoughts as he heard one of the knights, "Well, I guess this is in favor of Laguna house as well since we would anyway want a reason to raid ships traveling north and south . This can perfectly stop trade between Southern Domain and this town where there is a massive amount of money involved nowadays, this would force this domain lord to trade viand and pay taxes which would inevitably increase his costs . Duke was anyways looking towards this big pie of North-South Sea trade . Even that Baron who sold this Town is quite happy as he is getting a lot of Taxes from his Port Town in the east . "

    John scoffed at Evan¡¯s words as he rebuked him harshly, "Mind you this is mynd and it is myws which work here . And as for the incident, Even if we go ording to Kingdomws for nobles, from the current information, it was your men who started a duel and it was on your orders that they interfered in the duel, had it been other way round I wonder how much more enraged you would get hearing your knight¡¯s death . "

    Henry interjected, "It is well within our rights for protecting a knight in a duel if his opponent is using coercive techniques to fight which included assassin techniques . It will only sully the honor of knight if he dies unjustly in a duel . . . . "

    John interrupted him as he spoke strong words to Henry with an imposing manner, "A duel which was imposed on my men by your arrogant knight for which he paid the price by underestimating him . Speaking of coercive techniques, didn¡¯t your Lord used quite a Potent Poison arrow to injure my men when the duel was going on? And the word Honor doesn¡¯t suit you from the way you are hiding your aura or Mana . "

    Henry seriously gave his defense, "Lord had already warned him before releasing the arrow, there was nothing dishonorable when he intended to save one of his knights from mindless ughter . Your uneducated ve ignored his warning even after hearing him and continued to attack . "

    John rebuked when heard his words, "Hmph . . . The duel had already started, It was either Jake¡¯s death or his opponent¡¯s death . I wonder what would have happened if the situation was reversed . I am sure your Lord would have tried to humiliate me or killed him in the most ruthless way in case I was not present . "

    Evan waved his hand that signaled Henry to stop, "Enough Henry . "

    With cold and sharp eyes, Evan looked at John, "So you intend to protect a ve and Offend Laguna house over him even though we have legitimate reasons to kill him . Even if you wish to protect him, there will be consequences and you will suffer for protecting him . If you are regretting over previous statements because of false bravado in front of your people, There is still a chance If you still wish to undo the previous incident, all you have to do is beg for mercy and hand over that family to me as I am more pissed over that brat trying to im my life . "

    Johnughed as he heard him, "We will see who will suffer, As for begging mercy and handing over my men, you can dream on . "

    John thought as he heard his arrogant tone, ¡¯Hmph . . . who will believe in me if I hand over my men . You think I am that naive?¡¯

    Everyone watching this scene was quite happy as this further assured them of the previous promises given by John and co earlier because most of the people would have mostly given up the ve instead of offending a duke .

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86

    Evan ordered his men as they prepared to leave in a hurry, "We have had enough of humiliation at this shitty ce, we are leaving immediately . "

    At the end of the conclusion, everyone in the town cheered which included ves andmoners alike . The cheering was done by ves in the most extravagant manner as this very event removed the knot that was tied in their hearts and minds for a long time .

    John was smiling from ear to ear after watching this event, however, it was not the same for all the officials .

    Many of the officials had different thoughts, This included Tornwall who had mixed thoughts, ¡¯We are making too many enemies and that too in a short time . I guess this is what I would have thought if I never lived a life of a ve However after bing a ve I guess I now have a different opinion regarding John¡¯s decision¡¯

    Watching this d thought andid out his thoughts to Diana, "So this was the reason, why he defied that duke, it seems he preferred to strengthen his long term goals instead of short term gains . A very wise choice by him . "

    Diana was confused as she asked, "Why do you think so, practically looking, didn¡¯t he only make an enemy out of Duke Fjord?"

    d pointed towards the people cheering and remarked, "You see all those people celebrating? At some point, they will be John¡¯s biggest force and asset . Why do you think your father treats his people betterpared to all other domains?"

    Diana spoke as she heard him, "Well, I thought it was inherent in father¡¯s nature . "

    d smiled as he asked, "Do you know why the royal family hates our guts?"

    Diana said in an obvious tone, "Well we are strong and we have a long history where we defied them a lot, so that is one of the reasons why they hate us . "

    d exined, "Where do you think our strengthes from? It is frommon people, our men don¡¯t sell us out easily under pressure, it is harder to cause civil unrest by raising the issue of taxes . So there are a lot of factors . It¡¯s good that the elders understand when ites to the internal interests of our family however they still nag when ites to lowering taxes . well, lets go there, they are already waiting for us . So you got the gist why he is prioritizing long term goals?"

    Diana nodded in agreement as she signaled Maurice, "Ok,e, Maurice, we are heading at the square, inform our men . "

    d and Diana arrived at the square where all the officials were gathered in front of the Hope restaurant,

    Dearil came and saluted d as he began to give his report,

    d came to Dearil as he flicked him on his forehead with his finger and said, "I heard you were previously enjoying the show when this incident took ce . "

    Dearil frustratingly thought as he murmured, "That lieutenant of mine must have ratted me out, I will make sure to make him work twice than he normally does . As for that incident, even if I did something, it would have escted to these levels as that Noble Evan had already recognized Martha so I thought why not let the fire re and see the show . "

    Dearil smiled as he gave an understanding look, "I am sure even you were surprised after watching that brat¡¯s performance, aren¡¯t you? As for that brat, he is already safe, our men gave him the medicine and he is resting for now . "

    d nodded as he spoke gravely, "Okay, enough of these boring reports, right now I need you to carry out an urgent mission . As you might already know, it is to tail Evan and his men, you will have to report his whereabouts and all the aristocrats he meets, Inform me immediately if hees in contact with Duke ckwolf of the west . That guy is seriously funding a lot of pirates to raid our fleets nowadays .

    Recently he even tried to hijack our caravans heading to Fire-abyss kingdom . It seems he is quite annoyed by these high-quality soaps . "

    ***

    Meanwhile, Glenn and Prague had other thoughts as they saw the whole scene from the sidelines, Glennid out his thoughts to Prague, "He is quite imposing and different from what I heard in the rumors . From this incident, I can at least expect him to protect us if the Imperial academy tries to target us in the future . "

    Prague touched his chin and added, "Hmm . . . quite different however from a practical point of view, he should have handed over that ve instead of offending Duke Evan . As the gains might not outweigh the losses . However, I am not sure If I am correct since there are a lot of factors which I don¡¯t know that Baron John might have considered . "

    Glenn smiled, "Isn¡¯t that good? Since that guy is willing to protect a ve, I have no doubt he is a man who would protect all of his men . I was always worried that he doesn¡¯t hand us over if he is implicated with something big in the future . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Glenn pointed at Diana as he asked, "Hey Prague, isn¡¯t that the famous princess from the Fire-abyss kingdom?"

    Prague nodded and confirmed, "Yes, from what I heard, She only moved here recently as she liked the City and was most happy about the food here . From the rumors, I heard that she even made various deals with Baron John and that is also one of the reasons where his backing ising from . That man beside her is Duke Bluesea¡¯s right-hand-man d . Currently, he is working as her bodyguard . From the rumors that man has quite a lot of authority in Bluesea house and quite scary when he takes matters in his own hands . "

    ***

    d met John as he reached the square, "Quite unexpected coincidence that such an incident took ce with Jake and his family today . Well, some things are meant to be the way they are, The only advice I can give you is that you should be careful regarding that port town as that Baron is a pussy when someone stronger gives him some pressure, you should immediately start the nning to either invade that port town or im the wilnds north of Port town so that you can have ess to sea and your trade to south doesn¡¯t stop or get costlier because of all the taxes you will pay because of crossing thends . As for Jake, he is already ok and would recover soon enough . I expect this incident to create a lot of waves in Aelius . "

    John gave a mysterious smile and shrugged, "Well, you can¡¯t expect me to give up my men, do you? No one in the future would believe in me if I even gave up on my first knight . As for those waves I already have a solution for those waves . Have you tailed him already? From what I know he will try to make deals with a lot of nobles however his only obstacle will be his brothers . "

    d nodded, "Well, no worries, They are already being tailed by Dearil . There is some good and bad news . we will talk about themter . You should start making those Ballistas earlier just to be safe . "

    John nodded and gave an understanding look, "Okay, we will talkter . We will have to prepare from now on . "

    d and Diana left as they too headed to make their own preparations,

    John turned to Taylor as he gave an immediate order, "Bring both Tornwall and Jake to my chambers after he recovers . We will be having important discussions at this meeting . Make sure to inform them earlier . "

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87

    Taylor nodded as he noted down the details, "Okay, I will immediately inform them about the importance of this meeting, are there any other orders?"

    John thought and asked, "Hmm . . . When are the tests going to take ce exactly?"

    Taylor replied, "It will be 4 dayster in the afternoon, we had also decided to ry the news about newws and the police force which will be implemented . It was decided earlier by all the officials as they thought it will give a bigger impact among the popce,"

    John thought a bit and spoke, "Hmm . . . Okay, no need for any changes, bring me Tornwall and Jaketer on . "

    ****

    Both Tornwall and Jake arrived at John¡¯s chamber,

    John spoke to them, "As you know, this is an important meeting so I will get straight on the topic of discussion, As you know we have already offended a lot of people and watching our weakness the Royal family will likely make a move on us sooner orter . For such a situation I had already made a lot of preparations . This book in front of you is thetest weapon which I designed . I didn¡¯t take it out earlier as there was no need to bring it out and there was a problem of secrecy . No one apart from both of you knows about the existence of this weapon . First, Tornwall I want you to make this weapon into multiple parts from which people will not be able to tell about the usage of this weapon . Everyone will only be involved in a single process which would reduce the leakage of all the information about this weapon . Second, Jake, I want you to create a force that would work directly under me, you will head the force and their most important task would be to collect information, internally as well as externally from both our enemies and allies . As for the funds, you can ask for them directly from Taylor, this weapon will first be introduced to your force, I hope you do a good job when you hire people for this force . Both of you can ask your questions now . "

    John signaled as Tornwall asked him,

    Tornwall asked hesitatingly, "Lord when you said no one, did that include Bluesea family and your Masters Mnie and d as well?"

    John nodded and smiled as he spoke to both of them, "Yes no one knows about this weapon fully, only you both know about it, I tried to divide the weapon and have George and Ron make the guns but they were unable to make it because of technological hurdles . However, you don¡¯t need to worry as they don¡¯t know about the form of gunpowder to use this weapon . And because of the chances of leakage by the elders of Bluesea family, I preferred to keep this a secret as long as we can . So what do you think about this weapon?"

    Tornwall watched the designs very carefully as he gave his thoughts, "I don¡¯t know about other things but these designs are very precise . As for other things we would have to test the gunpowder mentioned in the design . I had seen such a form in Dwarf kingdom but it was different from what I know . A lot of our guys were experimenting on that thing . "

    John looked seriously at both of them, "Quite true as you haven¡¯t tested this gunpowder, however, this would be one of the biggest military secrets of North-frontier town so I prefer it to be ssified . What is the progress of the machines in the brewery? I want you to focus on building these guns, Ballistas and Runic shells of Ballistas . "

    Tornwall understood as they needed to be prepared, "No worries Lord, it is already built, I wanted to make its announcement 2 dayster after running more tests however it can start working if we want to proceed and focus more on weapons from now on . I have already given most of the work for wheelbarrows, Bicycles and Snowboards to the main workshop in the town and other small shops of Ron and George in the town . They were quite happy after getting the order of Wheelbarrows as this increased their ie . Recently George wanted to meet you but as you were busy, he wanted to pass on a message . "

    Johnughed after some good news, "Hahaha, Okay, I will meet himter on since it is important, it is good that we are ahead of schedule . You guys can go after having lunch since it is alreadyte, Taylor, lead them both to the dining hall, I will be attending other matters, bring me George¡¯s letter next time when youe with reports . "

    ****

    John used all the experience points this time around to increase his authority in the system .

    @@novelbin@@

    Sarah replied in a cold voice, "Congrattions to host for upgrading the system to the 3rd level . There will be increased features from now on . You have also received a free gift box . "

    "Congrattions to Host by sessfully acquiring North-frontier with the formation of various administrations in your domain . To encourage the host to make more transactio . . . I meant to develop his domain faster, from now on there will be a new feature called reputations and there will be goals which would give the host more ess to the resources of the system .

    Reputation points will be divided into two parts,

    1 . Internal reputation points, this will only include your domain, Your current reputation is 74/100 . People are happy with your policies however they are still worried about the winter . (A tip of reminder, some people are collecting money in case you don¡¯t have any after spending it all) and

    2 . External Reputation points . this will only include the Aelius kingdom for now . (excluding your own domain,) your current reputation is 14/100 among the outside masses . Most people (this includesmoners) only take you as an upstart without any real power . From now on, you can acquire certain premium items after reaching a certain amount of reputation points .

    Your current goals are 1 . Expand your territory sessfully in the wilds . (Awards would be upgrading Authority level from now on . The Next authority upgrade will cost you 10 million exp points so transact more . . ahem I mean achieve my goals . . . I meant your goals, Due to the increased amount of transactions and sessfully acquiring your own domain . From now on, you will gain experiences by developing your own town, this includes all the things, economic, social, cultural, political and military developments, instead of transactions so don¡¯t nag as it was only the beginners offer, haha, you should have bought the blueprints earlier when you had the chance . )

    2 . There is danger looming in the east, sessfully invade the eastern port to the north or acquire Lands North of the eastern city to reveal the hidden danger . "

    John thought in anger as he heard the new notifications, ¡¯Did this bitch just jack up the prices so I spend more acquiring her expensive blueprints . I can¡¯t get free gifts from system Upgrade?

    And what do you mean my goals? it¡¯s her goal obviously . The heck, no exp from transactions from now on? Damn, I hate it, more work from now on .

    Well thinking calmly, Something is brewing up in east? Well, I still got some useful information, it might be rted to that arrogant noble, Evan . I better increase my surveince in the east sea town from now on . ¡¯

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90

    Duncan thought about one of his reports as he spoke, "I don¡¯t think that would be a problem since I heard from Georgio recently that John had rejected Church¡¯s offer as they tried to impose their wishes on him where they didn¡¯t like the presence of demons and other species . Recently, Grand Potioneer Mnie was also seen at the newly made university where she usually conducted sses once a week on basic of Herbology . From the looks of it, John intends to fight back the Radiant church by creating medicine and potions if they ever face a crisis . "

    Lukav, Duncan and all the other spectators arrived at the scene where the tests were going to take ce .

    Taylor announced to everyone present at the site, "This is one of the weapons that we created recently, because of a lot of reasons we were forced to disclose this invention of ours, The initial design was made by Lord John which waster on improved by Forgemaster of the Town Tornwall by using his special craft in runes, he just recently arrived at the town . Well, I won¡¯t go into the details, I think it would be better to show rather than talk as you guys would be better able to judge this weapon after watching it with your own eyes . Just previously, we announced that we will arm the Morgan naval fleet at the cost price, this is also to protect our and Morgan family¡¯s trade interests as we believe in this weapon . Well, we had enough of small chit chat so we will get on to the important show . Forgemaster Tornwall please present the weapon . "

    The Ballista was bought in a carriage with at least 10 men guarding it .

    After the Ballista was bought to the ce for testing, Tornwall gave orders to men precisely so they could prepare to fire it .

    Tornwall gave orders to men, "ce the arrow correctly at a 45-degree angle . "

    Tornwall then continued to present, "As you all can see, our target is 350 meters away from us, Even for archers it is quite hard to shoot the target that far away with so much lethality . Let me show you first, as this will let you know about the lethality of this weapon, our target is that big tree 350+ meters away from us . All the preparations are made, Fire at the count of five . "

    "5 . . .

    4 . . .

    3 . .

    2 .

    1 . "

    Tornwall roared his order to the soldier after the preparations were made, "Fire . "

    After the first shot, there were a lot of exmations from the crowd,

    Marquis Ray was full of excitement as he watched this weapon live in action, "It seems we are really onto something new and great this time around . I didn¡¯t think we could see a weapon that could be on par with magicians . It was good that we followed your decision to travel here, I am quite sure your father would be regretting his actions if he watches this weapon live . From the looks of it your son had good instincts when he decided to invest in John before however, I don¡¯t know how this weapon would fare as it could be a piece of hot iron which could be too hot for them if they aren¡¯t prepared . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Frank said "It looks like Joseph¡¯s instincts were right from the onset, It¡¯s good that I was not biased as I knew he wouldn¡¯t joke when ites to important matters . The very fact that John has decided to deploy this weapon on Joseph¡¯s fleet is good enough and it would be very useful against pirates and our northern trade route .

    Previously I was worried that if Duke Laguna too starts his raids then it would be very costly for us and we would have to keep a distance from Joseph since it would be catastrophic for us in regards to sailors or fleet if the losses outweighed the gains, this very distance of 350 meters would be a game changer in naval warfare for our fleet . "

    Prince Lukav meanwhileid out his hypothesis to Duncan, "I guess this weapon was also one of the reason¡¯s why John precisely bought the best archers at pearl city since he had already made those weapons . I just get chills wondering how further back his ns went if he already possessed such a weapon from such a long time when he was only making soaps . I guess he was quite happy buying a domain without any time or military exploits as it was such a hot potato . What do you think Duncan?"

    Duncan spoke a smile on his face, "Indeed, his purchase of ves confirmed me one thing, he possessed this weapon a long time before he bought those ves or he possesses a weapon that is much more lethal than this current weapon called Ballista and it seems he is preparing something big as a lot of Lords in the north are recently gathering up to target him as he is making a lot of profits recently from soap, restaurant, tourism and paper businesses . That very deration of hisws earlier was very challenging to the royal family though he didn¡¯t vite any rules as he found out a lot of loopholes which he can use to exploit for his own goals and benefits, I don¡¯t think a lot of people will be happy with that . I wonder your brother Hector would react to this situation 5 dayster . "

    Lukav rebuked as he mentioned Duke Fjord as heid out his thoughts,"The very reason Duke Fjord sent Evans was so that he could get a pie in his business by offering him protection and investment as it is no wonder a lot of people are eyeing John¡¯s businesses or he hoped Evan fucks something up and he gets a chance to loot Morgan family legally in the seas . I am just wondering how he would react after his previous deration on making John pay if he knows about this weapon . "

    Duncan spoke, "I guess he only wanted a reason tounch attacks on Morgan family fleet previously, I am very sure, now he would try to ally with ckwolf if he wants to keep his face and he might also be worried about his losses if he tries to engage them in seas . Though they have a great fleet and great men however this weapon would exponentially change how battles on water would y out from now on . "

    Lukav saw Dearil and his men andmented, "From the looks of those men, I guess they already knew about this weapon as they aren¡¯t showing any shocked expressions . I wonder how is he doing nowadays . "

    Duncan sighed as he heard about the word master, "Lord, he still doesn¡¯t consider you as his friend or anyone, he only considers you someone who he met on his Journey and passed some techniques . "

    Duncan saw Lukav¡¯s scary face as he tried to change the topic, "Okay, Okay I won¡¯t babble more on that . from the looks of it, it seems Duke southern forest also sent some of his men here to watch this event, from the looks they weren¡¯t interested at first so I think they were only here to witness the new Laws . "

    Lukav spoke in a cussing tone when he mentioned both of them, "I am more concerned about those bastards from Royal family that is the ambassador and that Bishop from Radiant family conspiring together something . "

    Duncan saw the ambassador, "I don¡¯t think we have to be worried that much since both The Royal family and Radiant church has different aspirations and goals so both of them allying is definitely Impossible . "

    Lukav had a serious face as heid his thoughts, "However, they can still make agreements on certain matters . Maybe the royal family doesn¡¯t want paper and printing as much as the Radiant church so I always feel they might always conspire something . Well, it¡¯s good that we still have our spies on both sides, Just increase our observation on the Royal Family¡¯s side for now because I am sure they will strikest but very lethally at a perfect time . "

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92

    John thought and spoke, "Well, I can meet them but there wouldn¡¯t be any productive talks and both parties antagonism with each other would only increase with more disagreements . And I have already made my intentions clear when I previously announced thosews . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Taylor worried said, "Lord this time, the Bishop himself came personally . Bishop Robert¡¯s position in the Radiant church is quite high as he controls the northern domain and its activities, and it seems it was also his n where he wanted the printing machine to be made to use . Plus they would give us big troubleter on inevitably when the size of our city increases . "

    John understood and nodded, "Hmm . . . I don¡¯t think I can agree since he would want the papermaking technology and printing machine by hook or crook . Additionally, their Ideology is quite stringent which won¡¯t suit our interests currently . moreover, I heard he is already in talks with the Royal family . Well, he would be in for a surprise as I already intended to make a deal with the Royal Family and also warn my enemies . Meanwhile, hiding our real strength, I hope we can get some time after making this deal with the royal family . As for the Healing services, you won¡¯t have to worry, I already talked with Grandma Mnie and she agreed to train some pupil at the institute in basic herbology . You too would be required to recruit more basic and intermediate herbologists for our institute from now on as I intend to create a bigboratory for inventing and creating cheap drugs in case of an emergency . I would personally lead and act as the head of this department . You can use master¡¯s name to attract more people and also give them the information regarding the huge funding as they would not be short on resources when ites to various bigger experiments . "

    Taylor smiled as he understood John¡¯s intentions, " Okay, Hmm . . . From the looks of it, bncing The Royal family and Radiant church is quite hard however this would at least make the Royal family reduce their guard . "

    John smiled as Taylor understood his intentions, "It¡¯s good you caught on earlier, I intend to squeeze some benefits from the Royal Family and make a bnce between the royal family and the Radiant church . Come, let¡¯s meet the guests first . "

    Taylor replied as remembered, "Okay, Marquis Ray and others are already waiting for us in the lounge and it seems Georgio is here as well . From the looks of it, everyone is interested in the ballistas . "

    ***

    The spy named Simon who bought off the blueprints thought as he saw themotion and said to his men, "It seems we would have to release the new type of soaps which we can make after acquiring those blueprints however I don¡¯t think Prince would be happy after watching this show . And there is that ambassador as well . Hmm . . . make sure to escort that guy (spy) out to the imperial capital this can at least save master¡¯s face . It was good that I acted quickly . "

    One of his men replied, "Okay, we will immediately escort him to one of Lord Hector¡¯s mansion in the Imperial Capital . Lord Simon, As for the Ambassador, he has ordered us to wait for the deal toplete before revealing the new soaps . "

    Simon thought a bit and ordered him, "You don¡¯t have to worry about it . In the end, it will be Lord Hector¡¯s decision . Just reply to him, We will consider his proposal and wait for Lord¡¯s consent on whether to abide by it or not . You just have to follow the orders . "

    The Man nodded and replied to Simon, "Okay Lord, I will be leaving after delivering the reply . "

    ***

    Joseph saw Eric¡¯s good mood and asked, "Eric, from the looks, you are quite excited today, I guess you are eager to take those Ballistas back to your crew . "

    Ericughed with an excited look, "Haha, that¡¯s true, this weapon would indeed be a good addition for us in naval warfare and I have already lost quite a few men by the pirate attacks recently so I wanted to make sure to increase the morale of our crewmembers . This weapon would be quite a good addition to us physically as well as mentally . I am sure they are already excited after watching this show . However, I think your father and Marquis would be more surprised after watching today¡¯s show . "

    Joseph grinned as he began to speak with pride, "Well, I am quite happy with my previous decision this time around, from now on I won¡¯t have to be worried about Grandpa and theck of resources . I have one more piece of good news, I will be the head of the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce that is going to be set up by John to keep an eye on the types and volume of goods that would be circted in the market from now on . And it seems John is quite good at trade from how he made those taxation rules and introduced those new ounting methods . Quite a lot of merchants were surprised to find that they weren¡¯t able to dodge taxes here however they were quite happy with the lower taxes and the loopholes they can use in other domains . "

    ****

    Everyone arrived back at the Square of Hope,

    There was a lot ofmotion going on at the market ce, it was full of people with an atmosphere simr to a festival . The surrounding Hotels around Hope was a Vip area where all the important guests were staying currently .

    Kevin spoke to Michael, "It seems, our city will flourish quite a bit after this event . I was quite worried about the beasts earlier . It seems I was worried about nothing . "

    Michael thought as he drank his beer, "So this was the thing that the officials were indicating about earlier when we inquired . I guess they made sure to keep it under wraps so that they can reveal it at the right moment . "

    Thomas grinned and said, "What have you thought about the joint animal farm in the vige, do you want to manage it? Lord¡¯s butler Taylor was very happy with your proposal and decided to invest fully in the project while only taking 70 percent in the big animal farm . He has said, the Lord decided to invest in your proposal and wanted to share the benefits with everyone in your settlement as this was quite a promising project . As you were the one who proposed it, you will be getting 5 percent of the shares on the farm, meanwhile, the remaining 25 percent will be divided among all the inhabitants of the settlement who are willing to work there . Taylor has given the deed for thend and is waiting for us to make a team and divide work, they willter issue the funds after the creation of the team . You did receive the news, right?"

    Michael smiled and he spoke when he heard Thomas, "I did receive the news, I discussed with my Wifeter on and we have decided to manage the animal farm . She said it would be quite beneficial for our sonter on when we can enroll him at Rose Institute . It seems she can read and count now and it has been quite a headache as she always tries various new things . Well, her cooking has certainly improved as well so learning at the school has their pros as well . "

    Kevinughed as he heard Michael¡¯s concerns, "Hahaha, well I am quite happy with the improved cooking of our women . And they won¡¯t be conned by traders as they can count now . "

    Thomas sighed as he spoke nostalgically, "Looking back I am quite happy that John took over this vige . It has only been 3 and a half months and there are already so many changes . "

    Kevin too sighed, "That¡¯s true, at this time of the year, I would usually be worried about next harvest, taxes and if we can make it past the next winter . "

    Kevin lifted the mood as he spoke, "Well, why don¡¯t we worry about the management team of the animal farm and move on from our past . "

    Thomas remembered something and said, "Meanwhile, warn the inhabitants to not to sell their shares to outsiders as they may try to profit from it . If anyone really wants to sell their shares in the future then they can go directly to Taylor . "

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94

    John smiled and replied, "I guess that won¡¯t be a problem since I have already decided to arm Joseph¡¯s fleet . I will keep in mind about Duke Sapphire¡¯s visit . "

    Marquis Rayughed as he mentioned Frank and Joseph, "Frank will handle all the negotiationster on . Since Joseph is one of your men now, I think you might intentionally make Joseph handle all the negotiations . Well, I only Hope his Grandfather Carl doesn¡¯t curse him like hell . "

    ***

    Ambassador Luke spotted Mnie as she arrived, "It has been quite a while Grand Potioneer Mnie, I didn¡¯t see you previously at the show of Ballistas . Father and a lot of people in the court still miss you . "

    Mnie mocked Luke as she heard him, "I think they miss my potions more than me and curse me more when they are in a bad mood . As for the Ballistas I wasn¡¯t interested in them as I already knew about them . "

    Ambassador Luke tried to confirm one of the rumors as he asked her, "I heard you recently decided to teach some students on Pharmacy in the Rose Institute from now onwards . I guess you have decided to fight the Radiant Church actively . "

    Mnie thought and said, "Well that¡¯s the only thing that my Disciple asked me in help and it was for the well being ofmon people so I thought to help him out . Recently, Eva has been too busy with the institute so I thought to help her out when I am present at the institute . I guess your only goal here is the Ballistas that John showed earlier . Well, You won¡¯t have to be disappointed as long as it is a fair deal . I guess he wanted to bnce out the enemies he had made recently . However, don¡¯t push your luck and be too greedy when dealing with him . "

    Ambassador Luke showed a surprised as well as a happy face when he heard that, "Of course, we will give him a fair deal, I guess Lord John didn¡¯t want topromise with Radiant church when it came to certain ideologies of theirs where they discriminate other species . However, I will still warn you that the madness of the Radiant church won¡¯t stop with using money as well . I guess they have taken a liking to paper and printing unlike the Royal family . "

    Mnie mocked him when she heard him, "Well you guys are no different as well when ites to certain interests, it¡¯s just that this time you guys are only interested in Ballistas so I guess John decided to ally with a stronger force with fewer restraints . So don¡¯t be hypocritic in front of me . "

    Mnie meanwhile thought, ¡¯I guess John values the printing technique more than those ballistas . Maybe he and the Radiant church can see what others can¡¯t . Or maybe it is d and Tornwall¡¯s influence that he doesn¡¯t want to impose the Radiant church¡¯s ideology . I guess it is the mix of both . ¡¯

    Luke blushed as he heard her however he didn¡¯t refute her as she knew the in¡¯s and out¡¯s of the Royal Pce .

    Luke looked at Marquis Ray andmented in front of Mnie, "It seems John is done with his business talks with Marquis Ray, From the looks of Marquis Ray I guess he got what he wanted . I think reading people¡¯s expressions has be a habit because of this Job . "

    @@novelbin@@

    looking at Robert he mocked, "looking at Bishop Robert, I think he is quite angered by the answer of butler Taylor . However, it can be seen that he is still waiting to meet Baron John . Well, I will head first and conclude our talks . "

    ****

    John greeted Ambassador Luke when he entered his office .

    Ambassador Luke smiled as he met John, "It looks like you intentionally revealed your position to Grandpotioneer Mnie before you decided to meet me . Well, I will get straight to the point, The Royal Family would like to purchase the Blueprints of the Ballista you presented previously . Ofcourse we will offer you enoughpensation for the production lines and those blueprints . Currently, we are prepared to waive off the Taxes for the next 50 years and promote your Aristocratic status from Honorary to Hereditary Status . Meanwhile, your Noble status would also be promoted from a Baron to Count . "

    John thought, "Well, I don¡¯t think that would be enough since the yield in my domain would be quite negligible to the Royal Family . As for the Noble achievement, I can easily earn them in war and get the hereditary as well as the status of the Count with those weapons . I think you need to stop being stingy . The only real gain is the waiving-off of the taxes but it would be umted in the next 50 years . "

    Luke blushed a bit and made an excuse, "Of course, that was only our initial offer, Royal Family is also prepared to give special rights to you where you can trade at the Domains controlled by the Royal family with half the taxes just like the Dukes . You can also have ess to markets of Imperial Capital without any restriction . And because of all the troubles that Prince Hector is giving you and as we can¡¯t control him If you have any special requests then we can consider them as a sort ofpensation . "

    John smiled as he heard and mentioned his request, "Special requests? I would like to have the right to expand my borders in the wilds . Of course, I won¡¯t infringe upon the rights of my fellow neighboring lords as long as they don¡¯t infringe upon my rights . And as I am recruiting basic and intermediate Pharmacist/Potioneers I would like to get in contact with some of them as I hope to counter The Radiant church by expanding my funding and my research on themon diseases . I would also like to have ess to granaries of Imperial Capital in case of emergencies, of course, I will buy it at market price . "

    Ambassador Luke "Well, we can agree to your requests as long as this deal ispleted before winter this year . In fact, we are even prepared to give you ess to one of the magic metal mines . However, you would not be allowed to sell the blueprints and the technology to any other party . I don¡¯t think any of us would lose in this deal "

    John thought and agreed as he wanted ess to magic metal mines, "The magic metal mine is quite enticing . Okay, I will take this deal since I don¡¯t have any ess to magic metal mines, I hope this deal is announced before Prince Hector¡¯s Banquet and this as well is one of my conditions .

    Luke asked him as knew Prince Hector would certainly reveal the new soaps and said to John indirectly, "Are you sure? Because I think this will anger Prince Hector and Duke Norman quite a lot . We won¡¯t take any guarantees on any of their actions . "

    John shrugged and spoke without any hesitation, "Well, Prince Hector is a petty person either way so I would like to rub salt on his wounds . And you can¡¯t control them either way so I guess it is all right . I am only interested in legal rights to expand my borders so I guess this works . "

    Ambassador thought on John¡¯s answer, ¡¯This guy has quite the guts while at the same time ruthless to his enemies, And bolder than what we previously thought, from the looks he isn¡¯t really afraid of Duke Norman or Prince Hector . I guess he likes to hide his true intentions by appearing weak . It¡¯s good that he is only interested in the wildnds, he would have to start from scratch even if he is able to survive after this winter . ¡¯

    Ambassador Luke smiled and nodded, "Well, I guess we can conclude the deal . We can immediately sign the Deal and I can immediately announce it to everyone . I will take my leave as we have concluded the deal . "

    John too nodded, "Taylor will handle the deal, I will inform him about the details . I hope you enjoy your stay at Hope . I am sure you will be satisfied with the hospitality of my men . "

    Luke thought about the deal as he left for the party as he watched Prince Lukav, ¡¯It¡¯s good that he had friction with the Radiant church or it would have cost us more to get those ballistas . However, I guess it wouldn¡¯t have been possible without the magic metal mine that we offered him . I wonder why that madman is here today, I always wonder why he doesn¡¯t along well with anyone in his family . I guess the Royal family has its own secrets that they intend to hide . ¡¯

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95

    ***

    Lukav took another ss of Red Moon as he asked Duncan, "Duncan, what do you think of the wines presented by Baron John? it was the first time that I was this surprised after drinking a ss of wine this good . "

    Duncan looked at Ambassador Luke who was quite cheerful, "That¡¯s true the wines were quite good, to be honest . Meanwhile, from the looks of Ambassador Luke, it looks like he was able to achieve his goal this time around . So I am sure he offered something invaluable . "

    Lukav replied, "My intuition says that this ballista is not everything that we are watching right now . While observing John previously it looked like he intentionally disclosed this weapon to get some benefits . Well, maybe I am only imagining things . As for Luke, he would only work for the interests of the Royal family . He is most likely happy that it didn¡¯t cost him much toplete the deal . My instincts say they will betray Johnter on however they would be in for a surprise . "

    Duncan nodded as he gave his conclusions, "Though I am a person who mostly believes in evidence . However, from my experience, Lord¡¯s intuition has mostly been right so there may be there are some things that we don¡¯t know . Well, we are in for a show from the looks of Bishop Robert . "

    Lukav rebuked and mocked them, "As long as they don¡¯t change their arrogant ways, no one would want to work with them . As for the show, the most they will do is intimidate him or his loved ones . You should know why they banned me and my men as I decreased the Morale of Radiant church whenever I caught their spies and assassins as I tortured them publicly . Those men would even renounce their faith in fear of getting castrated . The more humiliating part for them was us freeing their men after they renounced their faith . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Duncanughed as he remembered the past and sighed, "Hahaha, that was quite a funny affair years back . I guess it is our grudge with the current pope that we can never reconcile . I guess a lot of people will burn in Lord¡¯s vengeance including the pope . "

    Duncan looked at Lukav¡¯s scary face as he decided to shut his mouth and keep quiet about the previous incident .

    Duncan continued as he saw Bishop Robert heading to John¡¯s room with his scepter, "Well, as far as Bishop is concerned I don¡¯t think he will get anything even after meeting John personally . And after knowing John¡¯s personality I know one thing for sure, he won¡¯t abandon his men even if he is a ve after knowing the previous incident . "

    ***

    Bishop Robert thought as he looked at Luke, ¡¯From the looks of Luke, it seems he was able to get a deal with this Baron, it seems hard tactics won¡¯t work . Well, we can still change our ns and adapt ordingly . ¡¯

    Bishop Robert entered the room as Taylor greeted him inside .

    He shrugged him off as he sat without greeting John as he intended to intimidate him a bit .

    Bishop Robert was a Bald man with an Average height, he had a big scepter in his hands and like all the Bishops he was covered in a luxurious White Gown . He had an air of Authority and Superiority around him that naturally made him stand out in front of others . He was a bit fat on the physique and wore a lot of essories that looked like it boosted his magical powers .

    John still didn¡¯t mind it as he greeted Bishop, "Greeting to Bishop Robert . I hope you are doing well . "

    Bishop Robert took it as a sign of submission from John as he smirked and said, "I guess you still know your manners . "

    John still smiled as he said with a firm and ruthless glint on his face as he kept holding Robert¡¯s hand tightly, "However I would like to say to you that I won¡¯t abide by your conditions if it involves me deserting my rtions with Master d and the other races or your interest in my Printing Techniques . "

    This time John¡¯s smile resembled more like d¡¯s smile that was quite scary to others who knew about his past deeds however it would seem Innocent to the ones who didn¡¯t know about him .

    Bishop Robert sweated as he took back his hand and replied, "It seems you are quite different from what is said in the rumors . You have the eyes of a predator . Okay, we won¡¯t talk about your rtions with those scummy demons, we will purely talk business, what do you say about providing printing services to the Radiant church, as we know that you intend to hoard the printing technology we won¡¯t ask for it, we will provide you more than the current market prices . We want you to print our bible inrge quantities so that we can provide it to every head cleric of the Radiant Church and we want it printed on those new papers that your men created recently . And what if we can provide you more information on Prince Hector, then will you still consider our proposal?"

    John thought and decided to y the waiting game, "Well it will only shorten some timepared to manualbor . are you still okay with that?"

    Bishop was still satisfied as he agreed to John¡¯s proposal, "Well we only want a thousand books printed that we can provide it to all our men . Even if you can provide us with 100-120 books a month, we hope you finish it by two years . It takes a lot of money, time and resources if we do it manually or ask people in the capital to do it . The biggest problem is hiring people so We will provide you with money or other things as you won¡¯t have to worry . "

    John seriously, "Well, what is the information that you have on Prince Hector . "

    Bishop Robertughed and handed over some documents to John, "Well from our sources, we know that one of Prince Hector¡¯s men was able to infiltrate Ron¡¯s workshop and was able to steal a part of blueprints of your soap making machines . I am sure that the spy has already escaped your borders . "

    Bishop Robert grinned, "From your looks, it can be seen that you were conned by that scammer from Royal Family . Am I right?"

    John looked at the documents and thought, ¡¯It seems George was worried about the infiltrators that he might have encountered at his workshop and wanted to meet me previously, I guess today¡¯s meeting was still a bitte . Well, it was good that I took back the Blueprints of the Guns previously . Well, it is not a big matter as they still aren¡¯t in the possession of the full blueprints of the soapmaking machine or how to use it . ¡¯

    John smiled and replied to Bishop Robert, "Happy cooperation, Lord Bishop . "

    Bishop Robert grinned as thought about the conversation, ¡¯I think I was at least able to make a crack between both the Royal family and this Baron . This meeting was still better than nothing, the royal family and this boy allying would be a nightmare for us . ¡¯

    Bishop Robert left as he spoke these words, "This meeting was worthwhile, I hope to meet you again in the future if there is any business . "

    Bishop Robert took out a token and gave it John before leaving, "You can always meet me at our Northern Headquarters at Dolores by showing this token . I am quite sure you will need our help in the future . Meanwhile, we also have a lot of information which we usually sell . I will be taking my leave now . "

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97

    John nodded, "Continue, I am listening, where did you find the differences . "

    George nodded and continued, "After my investigations, It was actually the top Magic cksmiths of the Imperial city who wereing to my workshop at mediocre wages . That was the first time when I became cautious . Because from what I know, these guys are quite arrogant and won¡¯t even look at our Border town and mostly work directly for nobles . So I guessed they were mostly disciples of other Master cksmiths who were only here as spies . Recently, I spotted one of Duke ckwolf¡¯s Head cksmith¡¯s Disciple and that was when I was sure that most of these guys were spies of other nobles or even the Royal family . I guess a lot of creations from our town must have been the cause of their interest . I am quite sure that it is the nobles of other domains who are sending those spies at my workshop . "

    John nodded and asked, "Ok I got the gist of the situation, are those guys still working at your workshop?"

    George remembered, "Well, there were 3 people working at my workshop but after the ceremony, today 2 of them couldn¡¯t be seen after the recent event I guess they might be enjoying the festivities . Meanwhile, the third guy, as usual, is quite energetic whenever hees to work . However, I have made sure to destroy all the previous blueprints so you don¡¯t have to be worried about them however I worry about the safety of my men and myself as they might kidnap me if they are spies and get desperate . "

    John nodded and spoke to Taylor, "Hmm . . . the 2 of them might have most probably left the town . As for the third one, he might not be a spy but someone who is genuinely interested . Taylor, did you get the spy at Ron¡¯s workshop?"

    Taylor spoke are handed over the reports, "We were able to catch two spies from Ron¡¯s shop and from our investigations, they were spies of two marquis in the east who are also involved in Soap business . I guess they wanted to get something out because of market pressures . And it seems Ron is quite dense when ites to hiring men as he easily trusts them and this is also one of the reasons, our Soapmaking blueprints were leaked to Prince Hector . "

    John nodded and spoke, "Okay, from now on tell Jake to keep an eye on people who are being hired at both George and Ron¡¯s Shop, they must at least have a background check . We might actually be able to spot some spies, however, don¡¯t catch them if they are spotted, we will use them in the future purposes by feeding false information . Convey him these matterster on . I hope you don¡¯t mind surveince of your recruits"

    George smiled and agreed, "No, I won¡¯t, I would be grateful as it would keep me and my men safe from any potential danger . "

    The next day, there was great turmoil in the whole of Aelius Kingdom as Ambassador Luke announced their deal with Baron John .

    Many people were surprised that a single weapon was able to alleviate John¡¯s honorary status to Hereditary while his status as a baron was promoted to a Count that included giving him expansion rights to the wilds in the north .

    This very announcement cemented John¡¯s status in the whole of Aelius Kingdom as this deal solidified the fact that his new weapon was the real deal and hence the Royal family already made a move .

    A lot of nobles were quite astonished after hearing that the Royal family had signed a deal with Baron John which signified that his new weapon was a real big deal for Royal Family at least .

    ***

    At a certain guest house,

    Count Casey already arrived at Prince Hector¡¯s banquet and gossiped with other nobles,

    "Hmm . . . it seems he intentionally revealed that weapon before Prince Hector¡¯s Sun Festival Banquet and the fact that there was an announcement meant that he intended to ruin Prince Hector¡¯s banquet . "

    One of the fellow noble Marquis Chris spoke as he got interested in gossip, "I recently heard rumors of Duke Evan getting humiliated at the hands of that upstart, I wonder what sort of weapon he offered to the Royal family that they promoted him to a count while they also reduced his taxespared to the dukes . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Viscount Rob thought as heid out his thoughts, "That is not all, The taxes in his domain were also waived off for next the next 50 years . These privileges are mostly given to the Lord contributing most when a big war between countries take ce . "

    Chris thought andid his hypothesis, "I am very sure they made a weapon matching the Lorr Family years ago, I would say it didn¡¯t cost anything to the Royal family this time around apart from the promotion deed of that Noble . Mind you this lord only has a smallnd that is not evenparable to other barons so I guess Royal Family wouldn¡¯t even mind waiving his taxes for the next 100 years . However, I am very curious about how would Prince Hector reacts after hearing this news and I am very sure Baron Mendez might be d for not taking any action against that upstart or that upstart will get a reason to invade his domain . "

    Count Casey showed a mysterious smile as he remarked, "Well, I am sure he would still be in a dilemma right now as he is in a hot ce right now that is making him money while others are either salivating to invade that ce or take revenge for their past humiliation . And from the way, the Royal familypleted this deal so fast I am sure this weapon is quite worthy .

    Well, recently I visited that Restaurant called Hope and it was quite worth it to visit that ce apart from all the ves and those demi-humans . I am d I was calm when I visited that ce instead of raging about ves and demi-humans or else I too would have suffered the same fate as Duke Evan . I heard he is currently in Bed and is heading somewhere . " Count Casey gave a sigh of relief when he mentioned his previous encounter .

    Viscount Rob was a musclehead as he spoke with a proud smile about North-frontier city, "Well, that town is not bad, it is quite clean evenpared to the Imperial city . As for the ves or Demi-humans, I don¡¯t have any problems with them, they were quite well mannered unlike the arrogant chefs of the restaurants working in the Imperial city that is currently funded by the Royal family, they even expect big tips and praises for the shit they make . Compared to food served at Hope, that restaurant seems nothing to me nowadays . I am only going to North-frontier City when ites to good food . "

    Count Caseyughed as he heard Rob, "Hahaha, even I would have to agree to that, however, don¡¯t speak this in front of others . Meanwhile, when did you visit North-frontier town? I never got any information about you visiting that city . "

    Rob grinned and narrated his events, "huhuhu, well I was disguised as a trader when I visited over there, that town felt quite betterpared to the Imperial capital . How can I say, I think it felt freer unlike the fake masks that we try to show in the Imperial city . "

    Marquis Chris seriously advised them after hearing their gossip, "Well, I would still try to remain away from that city . Recently my father warned me to stay away from that city and I think it has be an eye of the storm after that previous debacle of that upstart with Duke Evan . Additionally, now they have a weapon that would interest a lot of people not to forget the fact that they have those soaps, papers and that new agent with which they are making those roads . "

    Count Casey nodded and spoke, "That¡¯s true, I guess I will remain on the fence this time around at Prince Hector¡¯s conspiracy . I would not want to implicate myself as my domain is near that Upstart¡¯s domain, we don¡¯t even know the real firepower of that weapon called ballista however I can guess it is pretty useful from the fact that Royal Family immediately jumped on that weapon . I am d I am not in Baron Mendez¡¯s position as it would be quite a dicey situation on bncing between both Prince Hector and Baron John, no I mean Count John . "

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98

    Chris smiled as he spoke, "I wonder, as I think I would have liked this situation as I would try to squeeze as much as possible and then side with a more powerful side in the end . I am quite sure, there are a lot of conspiracies still going on behind the scenes that we don¡¯t know . "

    ****

    Prince Hector was in a very angry mood as he threw a fit to his butler Alistair, "What the fuck is going on, exin to me clearly . How was that upstart able to make such a deal with the courtiers and father . Were they unaware of my conflict with that upstart?"

    Alistair directly gave the report and spoke, "This came directly from Ambassador Luke who was given the right to take over if any changes took ce . Your father was quite happy with Ambassador Luke after watching the effects of the weapon and the meager amount that they paid unlike the previous time when they coughed up quite a sum when they bribed the elders of Lorr family . They also coughed up quite a sum to convince the head of Lorr family as there would only be chaos for Lorr family if they rebelled . "

    Hector rebuked when he heard Alistair while he didn¡¯t even bother to read the report, "Well, Lorr family had a lot of power and hence the price, there would have been a civil war if we didn¡¯t give anything . I don¡¯t think there was even a need to deal with that upstart . "

    Alistair stated the current situation to Hector as he tried to calm him down, "Lord you are forgetting that Duke Bluesea¡¯s men are currently stationed at North-frontier city and recently the Duke announced their full support for them . From their elders, we got to know that they already made a big deal of ballistas with them, however, the details are not clear . I guess the Royal family at least wanted to acquire the technology of this ballista instead of someone else . Lord, we still don¡¯t need to worry . "

    Prince Hector raged in anger as he heard Alistair, "How can I calm down, I prepared so much and all for nothing, that madman might already beughing as his men delivered us his letter confirming that he ising to this banquet . Can¡¯t you see how much face have I already lost? And that pussy Baron is already showing signs of not following our orders in hopes of not getting burned in this tussle . "

    Alistair still had a calm face as he spoke, "Well, we can still turn this situation around, you might have already known that Duke Fjord¡¯s son Evan was injured and poisoned by Count John¡¯s ve at North-frontier city . We can make use of this situation . "

    Hector interrupted him and rebuked, "Hmph . . . you think it would be this easy? Duke Fjord and ckwolf have irreconcble differences and they would never work with each other against an upstart at least . And that Buffon Evan also has his brothers who would block him from doing anything . Nothing woulde out of it . We at least can¡¯t make a coordinated attack . "

    Alistair smiled as heid out his ns, "What if Evan identally dies because of the poison from that ve¡¯s knife?"

    Hector thought as he spoke with a big smile, "Hmm . . . now this seems interesting . However, I think he has a big guard that protects him while we don¡¯t even know where he is currently . I don¡¯t think it would be possible?"

    Alistair continued with a mysterious smile as he bought a letter, "When I mentioned our dilemma to his eldest brother Ralph, he first came out and gave us the suggestion as well as Evan¡¯s travel route as he didn¡¯t like the idea of supporting that upstart . Even though he might want to oppose Evan but one of the big reasons that he didn¡¯t like Count John was that he made too many enemies in such a short period of time so he is unlike the usual aristocrats and takes decisions more with his emotions unlike his head . So what do you think master?"

    Hector nodded, "The n is good . However, he is too far away, isn¡¯t he? I don¡¯t think the n might suffice . "

    Alistair gave a proud smile as he heard it, "Well, our assassins were near North-frontier town when that incident took ce so I instead told them to tail Evan and his entourage . I would only need your permission to kill him and we might as well have a grand Alliance . At the same time, all the me will be shared by that upstart and his ve . with 3 dukes against him, even the Royal family might think twice and I am very sure that your father wouldn¡¯t even bother about that upstart . He might as well try to take a bite out of him . As for the other conspirators, we don¡¯t have to worry about them, we only have to pressure that Baron so he heeds our orders and doesn¡¯t ruin our ns as North-frontier City is only connected via his domain and we should vary about the ns of other countries . "

    Hector gave a heartyugh after he heard the n, "hahaha, as expected of my chief Strategist, you never let me down . I might as well announce about the new soaps we got from our spy to rub salt on his wounds . "

    Alistair smiled as he heard Hector¡¯s praise and immediately asked for confirmation, "I guess my n is well liked by Lord . I will immediately order Simon for assassinating Evan, his men are also escorting the spy who managed to get part of the blueprints of the soapmaking machine from Ron¡¯s factory . "

    Hector nodded satisfactorily and gave his orders, "Yes immediately bring that spy and tell Simon to Assassinate Evan, I will see how he escapes this ordeal after offending me . We will also announce the production of our soaps from now on . Even though that upstart managed quite well to ruin my ns however he is too naive to think we won¡¯t try anything . "

    ****

    Duke ckwolf was at his court in the western capital, Arctos Mind, He looked like a buff man in his 50¡¯s with brown hair . He was wearing his armor as usual at his throne .

    ckwolf seriously asked his finance minister, Justin, "So how are the sales of our soaps from now on?"

    Justin nervously answered whenever this question was asked to him, "Well, 20 percent of our sales have mostly been affected by those new soaps in the kingdom and it is particrly those big nobles who have reduced their orders . "

    Duke ckwolf with a scary face asked another question, "What about the pirates that we have funded recently in the east? are there any breakthroughs on their trade routes?"

    Finance minister sighed as he reported but this time it was less stiff as he had some good news, "None from our information, Morgan family and Marquis Ray have increased their funding and the protection of their fleets . It is particrly hard to prate eastern waters because of the influence of Duke Fjord and southern waters because of that Half-elf . However, there is some good news . "

    ckwolf ears perked as he heard hisst sentence because these days he only heard bad news, "Continue, what is the good news?"

    Justin smiled as he reported, "From our sources we got some information, It looks like that upstart has yet again offended a big aristocrat and this time it is Duke Fjord¡¯s Son Evan over protecting his ve . I think this might be our chance at disrupting the north-south trade .

    ckwolf sighed as he heard that, "Nah, I don¡¯t think we can still ally and coordinate our attacks against him because of our differences with Duke Fjord after thest war where I ruined his chances to get more merit . "

    The finance minister gave both the letters as he smiled and said, "However, there is an interesting emergency letter that I got from Prince Hector just a while back and I think this may be our chance to make some breakthrough, It was written by Alistair and personally stamped by Prince Hector . What do you think of this n Milord? There are two letters, one is particrly addressed to you only . "

    Duke ckwolfughed hysterically as he remarked, "hahaha, good, good, such an incredible turn of events, it seems that gods still haven¡¯t abandoned me and my stars, however, there is some bad news as well . From the looks, it can be seen that Prince Hector changed his ns because of the upstart making quite a significant weapon that even the Royal family waspelled to buy it . "

    Justin asked hesitantly, "What would be our answer this time?"

    ckwolf smiled as he gave his decision, "We won¡¯t be directly involved in his assassination, we will only give them support from the sidelines with information and supplies, Prince hector¡¯s assassins would do the actual killing . It looks like Evan is heading to one of ourmunication points because of his fight with Count John . "

    @@novelbin@@

    With a confused face, Justin asked Duke, "Count John? I think he is a Baron . "

    Duke ckwolf gave a mysterious smile as he gave the other letter to Justin, "Read it yourself, you will understand . "

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100

    Ambassador thought as he remembered, "Looking back, It seems Prince Lukav was also present there . He also said that it was the best alcohol he ever drank in his life . He was quite happy with both the wines"

    Lionheart furrowed his brows as heard about Lukav, "I never heard of him traveling there, why was he there, do you know any particr details? And why weren¡¯t our men sessfully able to tail him?

    Luke spoke, "He was invited there by Count John that is what I heard from his own mouth so I guess he wanted to take a look at this town as he came in a disguise . Well if that foolish count sells that weapon to Prince Lukav then we can have a legitimate reason to oppose him"

    Lionheart murmured, "I would rather hope Lukav doesn¡¯t get his hands on those weapons and cause more trouble for us . It would be better if he dies at the hands of his own brothers after doing going against us all those years ago . "

    "That son of mine has bought me enough humiliation all these years . and It seems we have to be cautious of that count since he is keeping good rtions with that count . "

    Luke acted as if he didn¡¯t hear anything from the king .

    ¡¯I guess the grudge between them is deep, even dad never speaks anything about that incident . It seems only a few people know about it and those who know keep their mouths shut about it . ¡¯

    ****

    The Day of Prince Hector¡¯s Banquet,

    The banquet was taking ce in the Northern part of the Aelius Kingdom .

    People from all over the kingdom wereing in their most luxurious carriages . Today¡¯s audience also meant where their allegiances lied .

    Viscount Rob spoke, "Today¡¯s Sun festival will be quiet eventful, don¡¯t you think so?"

    Marquis Chris thought, "Yes, it seems that upstart had a n when to counter Prince Hector and hence his announcement just before this Banquet . I guess he intended to target this Banquet as people will refrain from joining Prince Hector¡¯s conspiracy against him . I guess many are feeling that they would be burned as pawns if they follow Prince¡¯s orders this time around . The very big reason behind their hesitance is the Royal family¡¯s announcement 5 days back which made them think that this weapon might be quite powerful that even the Royal family gave enough face to that upstart while also giving him various benefits while neglecting Prince Hector . "

    Count Casey, "I guess you are right, this was also one of the reasons why I decided to sit on fence this time around . As I don¡¯t want to get burned in this fight between that Count John, the southern forces and the whole northern and western front . Though Duke Norman might get offended, however, this time I am not alone in defying him . I perfectly know the difference between a suicide and a well-calcted n . And in this case, I would be doing suicide if I decide to bear the burnt and be the vanguard for others . "

    Rob gave his hypothesis, "I guess Baron Mendez might still be envying your position and from his nature, you might well know how he pussies out when taking important decisions,"

    Chris rebuked and spoke disdainfully, "Well, you don¡¯t have to worry about him, I am quite sure he is only acting to get more benefits from Prince Hector and Duke Norman . "

    Casey smiled, "Well, let¡¯s see how it unfolds and what are the cards prince is prepared to show to keep his face after such a big humiliation, I am sure many of his allies would want an answer to keep faith in prince Hector and one of the reasons to support Prince Hector for the throne . It seems unlike what we guessed, Baron Mendez is more enthusiastic this time around unlike his previous self before the start of the banquet . " Caseymented after watching Baron Mendezing to the Banquet .

    Chrisughed as he spoke, "I am sure he was offered something big as he is making that happy face .

    As I said earlier, I would have loved to be in this position if I was Baron Mendez, however, we don¡¯t know what actions Duke Sapphire Rose might take as he too has a lot of interests in soap trade and now after hearing about those Ballista I am sure he would not like to see his ally in deep trouble . "

    Rob reminded them, "Well, he is usually known for his generosity and backing up his allies if possible, you still haven¡¯t forgotten how he backed up Marquis Ray during his previous wars . He also helped him a lot politically and diplomatically during his younger years . "

    Casey rebuked, "Hmph, That Half-elf still would be sore in the eyes of Royal family, That Half-elf only became the duke because of conspiring against his brothers and grabbing the throne . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Rob "I don¡¯t think we know anything concrete about that as I heard Sapphire¡¯s brothers conspired against each other which was one of the reasons why he was able to legitimately take the throne . And even if he conspired against brothers, isn¡¯t itmon in big Aristocratic households and this only proves the mettle of Duke Rose . "

    Chris spoke as he spotted a man with Prince Hector, "Anyway let¡¯s see who is that man with Prince Hector, I am sure that man might be important as he is introducing him here . "

    In the Mansion, Prince Hector introduced that guy who stole the blueprints and gave it to Royal Family, "Guy¡¯s let me introduce everyone here to a neer, he is master Sylvan, Recently we made a deal with him and from now on he will be researching and making new types of soaps with us . There is another good news for everyone . Because of the increasinglypetitive market we have decided to ally with Duke ckwolf . We have decided that we will cooperate and research on soaps as a team from now on . We have already decided tounch new types of soaps 15 days from now so I hope everyone is hopeful . "

    Caseyughed as he realized something, "It seems, this was one of the aces he was hiding from that upstart, I guess Prince Hector¡¯s men were still able to bribe someone from that Upstart¡¯s workshop . From this, it can be seen that he is intentionally provoking Count John . "

    Chris sighed as he too concluded, "Looks like it is true, from the way Prince Hector is openly unting his spying prowess I guess he is still feeling proud . Let¡¯s see if this guy called Master Sylvan is assassinated or not by that Count . "

    Rob noticed someone and remarked, "Hey look, even Duke Norman and Princess Mary is here today, I guess Duke Norman wanted a pie out of that North-frontier town . "

    Chris rebuked as spoke, "Even thatckey of Duke ckwolf, Finance Minister Justin is here today to attend this banquet, I guess some alliances are already made and some are already forming,"

    Rob, "Hey, why would Duke Norman support Prince Hector when he was interested in Miss Diana as well . "

    Casey rebuked him as he spoke harshly to Rob, "Rob, Were you seriously living under a rock all this time? Of course, it is for political gain and Isn¡¯t it normal for kings to have multiple wives, even Duke Norman has 3 wives . I guess that is also one of the reasons why they weren¡¯t opposed to Prince Hector trying to get Miss Diana¡¯s favor . And the most important part of this fact is Miss Diana is that she is the only child of Duke Bluesea so I guess he saw a lot of potential gains . "

    Rob wondered as he spoke mindlessly, "I see, however, I don¡¯t think my mother would be happy if she saw my dad with another woman . "

    Chris sighed as he exined to him, "Well, that is because your father married into your mom¡¯s family . Rob, you are quite dense when ites to certain matters it doesn¡¯t need to be said to understand some things . "

    Rob jolted as he understood and remarked, "Aah, right, I forgot about that . It looks like there will be a lot of ns going to take ce today from the way people are gathering here . "

    Casey spotted Prince Lukav arriving and spoke to the lot, "It seems even that madman is here today, I guess things will get interesting from now on . A lot of unknown characters have shown up over here at this banquet . I guess that Ballista has stirred up a lot of waves and people in and out around the kingdom . "

    Chris sighed, "Well, from the way he is waving that Invitation like a hand fan it looks he wants to make a mockery of Prince Hector today, I heard he was previously at Count John¡¯s ce . And from his good mood, it looks like Count John eded to his demands or maybe who knows . As for waves, it already took off long back I think . "

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102

    Rob thought and spoke his mind, "I guess he already got that weapon from the looks of this imposing announcement . "

    Chris shook his head as he gave his hypothesis, "Nah, I think he is bluffing so that the Royal family actively starts taking action against that noble since he didn¡¯t sell those ballistas to him . This would only corner that upstart to ally himself with Demons fully ore and ask for Lukav¡¯s support or maybe go to Radiant church as they have a lot of influence and power . "

    Casey has other thoughts, "I think Prince Lukav looked very serious today, and from the way he was talking to Prince, it looked like he was giving sincere advice to him in the end . It seems we will have to be prepared if a big war is reallying as he said . The very creation of that weapon has increased the chances of war in my opinion from the looks of it . I think many countries will start moving as well as they won¡¯t like Aelius getting any stronger in navy as well asnd . Meanwhile, from the way Prince Lukav mentioned Count John it looks like he sees him as a big deal . I guess I need to start taking him seriously since my domain is near to him below Mendez¡¯s domain and he has those Ballistas so I guess I need to take out my biases when ites to demi-humans and demons if I don¡¯t wish to offend him in the off-chance I unconsciously act against his men . "

    Rob rubbed his chin as he said, "It looks like Prince Lukav really has a big grudge against Prince Felix . I really won¡¯t like Prince Lukav as my enemy as he is very infamous about torturing his enemies far more ruthlessly . Even the royal knights who were spying Prince Lukav some years back were raped and castrated before their head was delivered to the king since they didn¡¯t speak a thing . "

    Charlie signaled Rob to keep quiet and talk in a low volume, "Shh . . . Don¡¯t mention it if you don¡¯t want to get implicated for reducing the morale of the knight order . And even if you are discussing that you need to keep your voice low . Those weren¡¯t just the first two who were treated like that . I guess Casey, what you are saying is correct as well . We need to be prepared at least in case something big happens . "

    Rob thought and asked, "Hey, have you noticed Prince Charlie is never present whenever he hears of Prince Lukav¡¯s arrival . I know for sure that he was going toe here today but I guess after learning about Prince Lukav¡¯s arrival, hehe . "

    Chris gave out his rumors, "I guess, he is really traumatized after that incident where he almost lost his life after entering the aristocratic circle for the first time . Anyway, let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on over here today . However, from what I know, he is a real cautious guy when ites to dealing with people . "

    Lukav told his goodbyes to everyone, "I guess this party won¡¯t continue unless I leave, Well, my objectives and announcement here are done, So, Gentlemen, I would take my leave, you guys can enjoy the Sun festival and take your sweet time to think about your alliances . " Prince Lukav sarcastically ended his sentence .

    Mary asked her Father, Duke Norman, "Father, what do you think? isn¡¯t Prince Lukav making a hill out of a mole . "

    Norman thought and exined, "Well, what he partly said is true, my actual reason for aligning with Hector and cooperating with him right now is so that I can legitimately steal that new weapon and all those new creationsing out of that small city as they are pretty much profitable so I guess a big war is actually brewing in the upper noble circles to get a share of pie in North-frontier city . However, people still don¡¯t want to suffer losses first if he is somewhat of a hot iron . And from my information, after that show, many countries are moving to get that weapon as well . Which includes the Dwarven Ind kingdom in East and Fire-abyss kingdom in the north-west . We don¡¯t know anything about the elves in the south across the sea . As for the West, as you know there is always anarchy with demi-humans with various tribes controlling the Western part to resist our wars . However, the most I am worried about is the Fire-abyss kingdom¡¯s royalty, I wonder how they will react to this news with Bluesea family having a good rtionship with Count John . "

    Mary asked, "And what about the war that Prince Lukav previously mentioned? could that small Count really resist attacks from all sides? Didn¡¯t Duke Fjord also order his men to start raiding Morgan family ships in the sea from now on? I am really curious since that small count is able to raise such big waves in the kingdom in such a short period of time . He would most probably suffer for his offense for not paying respects to father and offending so many people in the upper aristocratic ss . even if he has support from Duke Sapphire or Prince Lukav, I don¡¯t think that would matter as their only ess to North-frontier town is from the eastern sea while other ces arendlocked in our domain . "

    Norman smiled while nodding and spoke, "I guess you are starting to understand why I decided to act against him even if he has support of Duke Sapphire, this time geography yed a big role in me and my court officials taking the decision to act against him, if he was near Duke Sapphire Rose¡¯s domain then I wouldn¡¯t have attacked him . Even those Old professors at the imperial university are offering a big price for that new type of printer and paper making machines from that domain . And there are always risks when there is war even if minimal, I guess you have to take your chances or get crushed by your rivals . Duke Sapphire¡¯s alliance with that Count is a big headache for us as they would only grow stronger slowly but surely because of all the money he generates for them . Even he himself would be a big threat in the future from the way he is growing so fast . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Norman spoke with clear disdain when he mentioned Lukav and continued, "As for Prince Lukav, you don¡¯t have to worry about his Lunacy he might be bluffing the Royal family to act against him since he didn¡¯t get those ballistas . Meanwhile, I am only worried about outside forces meddling during winter in the north . A lot of people recently came north with the intention of traveling to North-frontier town however I think many are spies . Well, it is still good since the Tourism industry is finally booming and increasing our ie because of thatndlocked city . "

    Mary thought andid her thoughts, "I guess it is because of their famous food and new architecture . I recently heard they started serving a new dish called Hotpot . As far as food is concerned, that Count is quite good at creating new types of food . I guess I will travel there again . Dad, can¡¯t we bribe those Cooks from Hope to our Mansion or at least keep a spy near the houses of those cooks . "

    Duke Norman sighed at his daughter¡¯s question and spoke, "If it was easy to bribe those chefs then even the Royal family would have already gotten their hands on them . Those chefs have a very high sry that isparable to Royal chefs and it seems that count intentionally trained the local people so that they would feel guilty if they still abandoned the city after so many changes . We were only able to get some dishes out of the locals . And it is hard to contact those chefs who are staying in those new buildings near his mansion where all those men from Bluesea house patrol for suspicious unknown individuals . Even those men who we sent for creating ruckus in that town are now being handled by that internal force called the Police force . However, we were still able to get 1/4th of new dishes created by those locals with a big sum . "

    Mary murmured, "I guess promoting the food culture really helped out that town, Dad, why don¡¯t we do the same?"

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108

    John nodded, "Ok, we will head there first . "

    Talyor thenmented after hearing Duke, "A lot of ys over there were written by Lord John at the start and it is those ys which are attracting themon traders and people to watch it nowadays . "

    Dukemented after watching the theater, "I was quite surprised by the level of dramas and Pianists in particr at this theater . Particrly that sad song, it really portrayed the feelings of the characters in that y . Your theater was quite great and I got to see a lot of new perspectives from this y as this included amoners story unlike the time where I would only be able to see cliche stories of brave knights, honorable nobles or kings . I guess I can understand why your dramas are bing more popr among the traders andmon people outside the domain . I too would incorporate these elements in the ys at Iron Rainforest . "

    Sarah meanwhilemented inside John¡¯s head, "Praise me, for you were able to giarize the songs of my world and your own world . Well, you can still make your own songs but I feel it would be quite a hassle for you . So praise me anyway . "

    John thought as he heard Sarah, "Noisy and greedy . "

    Taylor proudly spoke, "This too was introduced by Lord John, he always felt that piano¡¯s should be used to better express the feelings in y and hence we see a lot of ys in Capital or elsewhere trying to make songs connected to the y . We would feel quite honored as Duke would incorporate our themes in his theater . "

    Duke, "John, I guess you would have seeded anywhere with so many talents and innovations . I guess this is also one of the reasons why your domain is flourishing at such a rapid pace . It was good that you didn¡¯t ally with the radiant church because it would only getplicatedter on for this whole region . "

    Taylor then said, "I don¡¯t think Lord Rose¡¯s domain is bad . From what I heard it is flourishing at the same speed of Imperial Capital . "

    Rose smiled and answered, "Well it because of my trade with Elves, south of the sea . And another reason is reduced taxes to traders which reduces intion and keep the prices in check, well it quiteplicated . "

    ****

    Meanwhile King Lionheart and Luke were in the courtroom,

    King Lionheart as he heard news of Lukav from Luke, "What did you say? That asshole gave such an announcement in front of everyone . Hmm . . . is he provoking me to attack that upstart or does he want a war? I guess he wanted to start something if we got involved in the northern mess early on by provoking me . "

    Luke gave his own opinion, "From this announcement, I look it at like this, he wants to involve that half-elf and he wants legality to start a war against us . So I think he at least wants chaos where he could do his own bidding . "

    Lionheart spoke with a little bit of frustration unconsciously, "Who knew that innocent Lukav would turn into such an extreme menace over a single demon girl . Can¡¯t he get other women and move on . However, he will still pay for trying to kill me 7 years ago . "

    An Old man with a big beard said, "I guess he won¡¯t rest until he or Felix die . Because Felix started the conspiracy to gain power and you unknowingly supported him in the guise of ignorance . Hmph, he even learned those sinister ways of the Demons . "

    This old man was a seer of the Royal Family . His name was Eanred .

    King Lionheart still didn¡¯t take it to heart for that rebuke as this man was one of the pirs of the Royal Family, "Well, he was always docile so I didn¡¯t think his reaction would be that extreme for one demon girl . And he still didn¡¯t ally with the demons . "

    Eanred exined, "I guess he was smart as he had no allies and he used every trick to gain powerter on . Hmph . . . you even tried to arrest him from the pressure of nobles who were allied with Felix before that attempt on your life, while his right-hand Duncan had already made preparations in case anything happened to him after that incident at Red Lake . It¡¯s good that you at least followed my advice,ter on, to ask his mother to secure your own life . However, his acts of cruelty are still worrying as a lot of nobles fear getting castrated or getting raped by his insane actions, the most they might fear is for their family, they might not fear death but they fear that humiliation and dying in such an honorless way . We already know what happened to that Marquis right? You might as well get killed by him the same way as you too didn¡¯t like him getting close to that demon girl . "

    Lionheart and thought and spoke, "I guess it was pretty good to ask Joanna to help me, however, this had a price . And its that the way Lukav tortures our men is extremely terrifying . That very incident 7 years ago has scared me enough . I guess this is because he was always courageous when facing enemies and that is also the reason Felix conspired against him as he was quite strong inbat and focused mentally when he targetted his enemies . It was good that he didn¡¯t know about my participation when I asked help from Joanna to get a promise out of him or I fear even Joanna wouldn¡¯t have escaped his wrath . "

    Eanred then spoke gravely, "However, he knows about it about now . however, he still has that honor and pride of a knight in keeping his words . However, he likes to use words to suit his own needs, he is not the same old naive Lukav . It¡¯s good that the current pope was involved in power strugglest time and won with the help of Felix when they conspired against Lukav . "

    Eanred then moved his gaze to Luke and said: "I guess you were always wondering why Lukav disdains his family so much . The only person he trusts might be Duncan because he has tested him enough . That butler of his is quite stubborn and loyal or else our work would have been quite easier . And those instincts of Lukav has been very problematic for me as he always somehow manages to get hints on our ns . "

    Luke nodded as he keenly heard, "Yes, Father never spoke a word when it came to the incident 7-9 years ago . I heard Prince Lukav was quite popr when it came to hisbat abilities . However, Father felt that he was quite naive politically . "

    Lionheart frustratingly said, "Anyway, just ignore his previous ramblings as we won¡¯t take his bait . we will only actter on as master cant see the future predictions of that upstart Count . "

    Eanred spoke about John, "That guy is quite an anomaly as he has started a lot of waves in this kingdom aftering to power . "

    Luke spoke, "Speaking of that Count, Baron Mendez has increased the taxes of Morgan Family fleet in the East Port town on the orders of Prince Hector and Duke Norman . It seems all of them are itching to get that weapon as well as all the new thingsing out of that town . What do you guys say?"@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109

    Eanred spoke as he tried to understand the thought process of Duke Norman, "I guess Duke Norman is betting on Prince Hector and the fact that North-frontier Town isnd-locked on all the sides and has no ess to the outside world without that port for trade improves his position for war . Well, personally I too prefer Hector bing the king or that guy Charlie as I know for one that he is quite a sinister guy . Felix bing king would create a lot of chaos unless Lukav is dead . If Felix is sessfully able to kill Lukav then I guess there won¡¯t be any questions . "

    Lionheart said as he heard them, "As far as I know they would at most only get the weapons . Not the blueprints and they would have to research them for sometime before they can even imitate the lowest quality of the ballista . So We don¡¯t need to worry about them getting their hands on Ballista . "

    Eanred spoke, "From the way that Count dealt with this situation, it seems that he knew that he would be eyed like prey and hence he made a deal with us at such a crucial moment . However, I would have still hidden that weapon like the Lorr Family until it was really necessary to show it to others, The thing about Lorr was that they weren¡¯t able to hide it from me and hence our predictions . However, that Count sometimes might seem naive but he is quite cunning like the situation this time where he bought archers so early when he wasn¡¯t even something big and hid those ballistae for so long . I guess he prepared for a lot of time before taking his actions . However, he sometimes seems a lot naive when he tries to openly show his disrespect to the radiant church or the previous encounter where he chose to save a ve over keeping rtions with Evan and Duke Fjord . Well, value only lies to the beholder I guess he has nned something . "

    Luke asked confusingly, "Master, why do you think that he had something in his mind?"

    Eanred spoke as he thought, "I guess it is because of my instincts and years of experience . Because if he was a fool he wouldn¡¯t have been able to make so many connections in such a short amount of time . "

    ****

    Duke and John were at Tornwall¡¯s Workshop .

    Duke then asked John, "What do you think would happen at Riverside town . As you don¡¯t seem distressed I guess you are either pretty good at hiding your emotions or you have something nned already . "

    John thought and replied, "Well, I think either Hector¡¯s men will be able to sessfully kill Evan and the me will fall on us or Jake will kill Evan and the me will still fall on us so I don¡¯t care either way . I would rather start to prepare our naval fleet against the onught of Duke Fjord . As we earned a lot of money recently, I bought quite a few old ships from Marquis Ray . Some ships will be remodeled ording to my preferences . However, we still need to secure our passage to sea as we are already being targetted by Prince Hector via that pussy baron . As for my emotions, well even I don¡¯t know if I am good at controlling them or not . However, I am someone who likes to think of solutions rather than worry about my problems . Killing Evan won¡¯t affect us much as when ites to naval warfare, we will have aplete edge on them with our ballistas at least for some time . I have already found a naval admiral for our sea fleet, I guess you will be able to meet himter on and if you are curious the only thing I can say is that he was previously a sea pirate who used to raid big merchant ships . So rather than worrying about the oue of the event at Riverside town, I would instead start to prepare our naval prowess against the onught of Duke Fjord as it would be the worst situation based on the events taking ce . "

    Duke smiled and curiously asked John, "By revealing so much information to me, aren¡¯t you worried about me betraying you now or in the future?"

    John spoke in a carefree manner, "Well, I won¡¯t worry if it is future and as for the present, my instincts tell me that you can be trusted . and there is this thing called mutual interests that wouldn¡¯t make sense for you betray me . Well, mostly it¡¯s the instincts . Lets head to the testing site, you will be able to see that weapon first hand in our testing fields . "

    Tornwall arrived and greeted Duke, "Wee to Duke, we have already made the preparations for the testing . "

    Duke was confused as he asked Tornwall directly, "I heard that Forgemaster Tornwall is a ve, where is your mark? Are you really Tornwall or someone imitating him?"

    Tornwall rubbed his nose as he said, "Actually, Lord freed me from my very just a few days ago because of my previous performance and I guess he trusted me a lot and of course I won¡¯t betray the trust that Lord has shown me . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Duke was quite surprised after hearing this and looked at John as he nodded which confirmed it .

    John exined in a serious manner, "Well, Tornwall is one of the important members of my administration and a lot of officials were feeling pretty low since Tornwall was a ve however at the same time he had a lot of authority so they proposed to free Tornwall and I too felt that my most important men shouldn¡¯t be ve as this would reflect badly on me so I released him from very . Well, I am only looking for an opportunity to free Taylor as well . "

    Tornwall thenmented, "That¡¯s true, this has also solved the awkward problem of other conservative guys who felt conflicted as I was a ve but at the same time, I had a lot of achievements so they wanted to respect me for my achievements . However, I think a lot of officials have changed their behavior towards ves after watching Jake previously fight Marcus and realizing their own positions on what would have happened if they asmoners were against him where Lord decided to support their men . "

    Duke then looked at John and Tornwall as he said, "You guys should be careful as the dwarven kingdom is the east aswell is sending their spies to this town from now on as they heard about the ballista and wanted to confirm its existence . This can also be confirmed by the fact that they have increased their forces and patrolling in the eastern sea of Aelius Kingdom . I guess they might have already smuggled some ships full of spies towards Aelius . "

    Tornwall¡¯s face changed as he heard about the Dwarven kingdom because he knew that a lot had changed after that conspiracy all those years ago .

    He thought, ¡¯I guess I still can¡¯t escape them, however, I am d that I choose to follow Lord John as he would surely protect his men . ¡¯

    Duke whispered to Tornwall, "Your Lord might not know your entire background and past but I know it . Aren¡¯t you worried about involving him in this mess . "

    Tornwall spoke gravely, "Well, I trust him and he trusts me and if ites down to the matter of existence for Lord¡¯s domain then I won¡¯t hesitate to use my life . However, I am confident that we will only prosper here at North-frontier town . I know he will be a great King known by everyone in all the realms . The very fact that he treats everyone equally is his biggest trait and that will be his biggest asset in his kingdom . "

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110

    Duke was quite surprised after hearing the words of Tornwall and asked him in surprise, "Do you really know about the ambitions of your lord and think that he wants to be a king . While the question is, would he still be able to be a king?

    Tornwall proudly said, "It is not a matter about would he really be able to be a king . The question is WHEN would he be a king? Most of his confidants understand that Lord has a big ambition and everyone is doing their 100 percent to achieve that goal . "

    Looking at the confidence of such a conservative guy even Duke Rose was quite surprised and thought that they might have more secrets which he didn¡¯t know .

    ¡¯I guess he really has a way to fight on three fronts and hence the ck when ites to provoking all the other dukes . It seems he always intended to create his own kingdom and hence the conflicts while he could lower his head and settle the problem, however, he always kept his head up . It seems I need to re-evaluate them . The very fact that they made thosews should have cleared his intentions to everyone . And that deal with the Royal family to expand hisnds might be a big hot matter in the future if he is sessfully able to clear and im thends . If there are lot more Magic metal mines then it would be a big hot potato to everyone in and out of the kingdom . ¡¯

    Duke smiled and replied while Tornwall was keenly observing him, "It seems after this conversation with you . I could understand a lot of things which I wasn¡¯t able to previously . I guess my decision to support you guys was right after all since you guys are quite decisive as I witnessed earlier . "

    @@novelbin@@

    John came back,

    As Duke saw John,

    Duke then spoke to John, "John after witnessing your town I was interested in a lot of things . The thing which interested me the most was your education institution where people from all walks of life were able to study there together . I saw that there was no shortage of papers or new books in your universities so I guess you guys are producing those papers in veryrge quantities with minimal costs . I am someone who likes literature and I have quite a few rtions with the elves in the south of the Aelius at sea So I would like to trade up some magic wood with them . So the thing is I can help you acquire Magic wood which is always in demand because of low supply . The elves were quite interested in your papers . So what do you say? are you interested? However, they don¡¯t want an artificial restriction on the amount of paper they can buy . However, they can promise not to resell that paper . After their research on paper, they concluded that this paper can survive far longer than the current goat and animal skin papers and hence their interest in this new paper . What do you say?"

    ****

    Simon and co meanwhile were engaged in a bitter duel with Henry . While Evan was struggling because of the poison from Jake and the lethality of the current duel .

    This time Simon and Pallet both attacked Henry at the same time . Jake saw that both of them intended to kill Henry . He threw one of the knives at the fireball that was thrown by Pallet and interjected it . Both the parties were shocked initially after watching this, however, Simon was still sessful in breaking through Henry¡¯s defense as he thrust his sword at him .

    However, Henry fell from the hill as he tried to defend himself . While Pallet used a scroll on Evan, This was an earth spike scroll that pierced directly into Evan¡¯s ribcage .

    This time Jake didn¡¯t have the same intention when he saved Henry¡¯s life as he continued to watch on . Henry sighed as he watched this scene as he fell from the hill .

    Evan was squirming badly as he watched both Jake and Simon . Before dying, Evan stillughed and spoke to Jake, "Hmph . . . you will pay for your insolence, its good that I already nned against you, lets see how you protect your loved ones . . . "

    Evan then moved his gaze to Simon, "As for you, you guys will pay for your insolence against me, My father will avenge me now orter when he realizes Prince Hector¡¯s conspiracy . "

    Simon thrust his swordpletely into Evan¡¯s throat as he spoke, "Noisy . You don¡¯t mean shit to me . "

    Pallet asked Simon as they concluded, "Hmm . . . it seems he only intended to save that guy . Simon, what do we do about that guy who escaped?"

    Simon rebuked, "He will most probably be dead after falling from such a height added with my strike which was poisonous . As for them, we are leaving I don¡¯t want to engage with that demon after such a bitter duel . We have alreadypleted the mission, it doesn¡¯t matter whether Count John¡¯s men know about the conspiracy or not . "

    Meanwhile, there was a peculiar sound of ringing bellsing from Evan¡¯s main camp .

    Pallet then confirmed to Simon, "It looks like they too havepleted the mission . "

    Dearil and Jake meanwhile hid far away from them,

    Dearil advised Jake, "We will not engage with them over here, they have many men so we will be at a disadvantage . That previous action of yours was too risky for us, why did you try to save that man, Henry?"

    Jake spoke, "I might not like that scum Evan but that doesn¡¯t mean I will treat everyone as the same . He was an honorable man though he might act differently . he was the one who protected his master till the end, so I guess my instincts told me to save him . Among all the knights, I felt he was the one who was most honorable and had most masks on his face as he followed Evan¡¯s orders . "

    Dearil thought as he spoke, "hmm . . so you saved him based on your instinct? I guess we might have a situation at our hands . Come lets go downhill and save him . "

    Jake saw them leaving for the camp, "Wait, they are leaving, first lets check that scum¡¯s corpse before leaving . "

    Dearil nodded and both of them headed towards Evan¡¯s corpse .

    Jake saw Evan¡¯s corpse andmented, "I guess he really is dead, It¡¯s good that I had a part in his death . The very fact that he again targeted my family was thest nail on his coffin in my mind . "

    Meanwhile, an arrow came from behind both of them, Dearil was fast to react as he deflected the arrow with his short de .

    While Jake already moved to his right as he sensed danger from behind .

    Simonmented to Pallet as he shot the arrow, "We are leaving, we won¡¯t be able to handle them both . Both of them are dangerous from the way they were able to sense danger . lets regroup and thene . "

    Pallet ran with his fat body and spoke, "That¡¯s true, it would be disadvantageous for us since both of them are mid-range and melee rangedbat fighters . We have anyway finished our mission, I would rather like to rest than do any job for a while . "

    Simon facepalmed as he heard Pallet but he still moved towards the camp to regroup with his man, Meanwhile, he thought, ¡¯That boy surely grew at a frightening pace . It seems that the rumors are surely true that he is the disciple of that demon d . Well, I guess Prince would still be happy with the result of this mission however there were still some missteps . ¡¯

    Simon ordered one of his men after reaching the camp, "Quicklye and write the report about the current mission . "

    "Already done, we have already written aplete report about the events that took ce in this camp . We are only waiting for the report from your end . "

    Simon saw that both Jake and Dearil were leaving the corpse and heading north .

    "It seems they are already leaving . Pallet, go and report the events to him . "

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111

    Pallet eximed as he asked, "Don¡¯t we need to follow them?"

    Simon spoke gravely, "They are most likely going to their own hideout . Tailing them would be riskier as they are assassins, it is better to note their presence . Go and help him report Evan¡¯s death . "

    After some while,

    Henry came up ashore to the river downhill as he waspletely in aa .

    @@novelbin@@

    After a long time, Jake and Dearil were able to locate Henry near the river .

    Jake and Dearil came near Henry as they checked his body, Dearil spoke, "He is in aa and his body ispletely poisoned . Do you really want to save him?

    Jake nodded and took out a potion from his body and poured it in Henry¡¯s mouth, "This can at least help him cope with the poison . This was given to me by Grandma Mnie for dangerous events, I am sure this would work on him . Come, lets bring him back to North-frontier town now that he won¡¯t be poisoned anymore . "

    Dearil rebuked as he heard Jake, "Hey, I ain¡¯t carrying him, it¡¯s your baggage, you decided to save him . I thought you had already matured after you killed that knight and now this . Can¡¯t you decide to be cold or be fully sympathetic . "

    Dearil sighed and said, "I am really disappointed in you Jake . "

    Jake dissed as he heard him, "Stop your bullshit and bring me a rope . No one said that you will be carrying him . "

    Dearil watched him as he thought, "Damn, he is already acting like an old grandpa and I wonder if I am really older than him . Am I still in puberty?"

    ****

    Meanwhile Duke Sapphire witnessed the firepower of runic Ballista as he spoke,

    "I am really surprised by the firepower and range of this weapon, I can already guess why the royal family eded to your demands without even blinking an eye . It was good that you agreed to help them or else it would have gotten moreplicated for you as they would have actively started to conspire against you to get the tech of these weapons . You really got a good Forgemaster this time around . I really envy you having Tornwall . "

    John smiled as he spoke, "Well, I understood that fact and hence I decided to show one of my aces to at least get Royal family¡¯s support even if it is in name¡¯s sake . As for Tornwall, I guess it was fate and also our agreement . "

    Duke still nodded and reminded him, "However, I would still remind you to be careful of Dwarven kingdom¡¯s spies as they would try to assassinate him, you should at least keep him under protection as they are quite aggressive these years . "

    John nodded and spoke, "Okay, I will make sure to keep him under my protection . However, I am only worried about my men¡¯s privacy . "

    Sapphire smiled a bit gave him his advice, "Remember this, Lord Count, People in positions of power don¡¯t have any privacy . And Tornwall is someone who is in the position of power . "

    Sapphire continued, "Well, it was good meeting you Count John, it was really refreshinging to this ce and have a new experience in this town . From now on Our fleet will alsoe with Ray¡¯s fleet to this town to increase our trade . So I guess we will be increasing trade for the whole duchy with North-frontier town . "

    John nodded and proposed, "It was nice meeting you, I would like it if your fleet can trade more in food as the size our town will only increase so I hope to keep food security from all the sides as I don¡¯t trust the royal family fully to keep their promise . It would be better if you can help me contact with Elves bring some nature magicians to help our town . I heard that this nature magic is hereditary to Elves so I wanted to see it in action, I will meanwhile be offering all of our new products to them if they decide to trade with us . If you are sessful I will also sell you Ballistas enough to install it in all of your naval fleets . You will meanwhile be having an edge on Duke Fjord who is always raiding your merchant ships in the sea . Wouldn¡¯t it be great for both of us?"

    Duke Sapphire smiled as hemented, "It seems you really are a good politician, John . Striking 2 targets with one arrow . Well, I will not reject your offer as it will benefit me more to project more power at sea . I cannot guarantee you that they will bring the nature magicians but I think our talks will bear some fruit . "

    John too gave a meaningful smile and spoke, "Well, you too are a good politician, weren¡¯t you also waiting for me to sell those ballistas to you?"

    Duke Sapphire spoke, "Well, it¡¯s true that I was waiting for you to sell me those Ballistas because of my rtion with elves in the south across the sea . Well, I will be leaving now that we have concluded the talks . "

    John nodded and called Taylor, "Taylor, go and escort Duke Sapphire till he stays in our town . Make sure he doesn¡¯t face any problem during his stay . "

    ****

    Meanwhile at the Imperial City Church, the Current Pope of Radiant church, David said to one of the Temr knights

    "It¡¯s good that I already noticed the rtion between that Count and Lukav previously when they started smuggling all those soaps in the west . "

    David was quite young as a pope of the Radiant Church . He was only 38 this year and rose to power thanks to his rtionship with one of the 11 cardinals and Prince Felix .

    Calvin the Temr knight said, "Master, don¡¯t we need to stop the assassination now that they have this weapon . We should atleast stop till we get our hands on that Ballista . If the assassination fails then it will be more troublesome to get our hands on them . "

    Pope shook his head and spoke, "Nah, we are already at loggerheads with that Count and from the way he is increasing his rtion with Demons and those other inferior species you can¡¯t expect us to change our codes because of that one man . And that man is already covered by enemies on all the sides, he can¡¯t do anything even if we try to pull anything . Continue with his assassination . Meanwhile, continue to provide information to Felix as we will be supporting him in his fight for the throne . "

    ****

    Grey said as he read the letter and information that was provided by Jake and Dearil, "It looks like Evan is dead . It seems we need to move as we would be needed more at North-frontier City after this event . Just keep some men at all the branches so that they can give us periodical reports . "

    Martin then gave an envelope to him, "It looks you won¡¯t be able to join us, you have another mission . Join us up at North-frontier city after youplete your mission . "

    Grey sighed as he read the letter, "It looks like Master d wants me to kill that spy on the day they inaugurate their new soaps . Well, I will join you up after Iplete my mission . "

    ****

    Meanwhile, 2 dayster, almost the whole country got to know the news of Evan and his entourage¡¯s massacre while it was also reported that Henry was missing . The whole country was in turmoil as this indicated a lot of things .

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112

    Prince Hector was quite prepared as he had bought off one of the guys from the entourage who gave a fake log on the events that took ce near riverside town to Duke Fjord .

    He used Henry of running off with the transfer scroll while he and his team fought tooth and nail with Count John¡¯s men .

    Henry was dered a traitor by Duke Fjord in anger as he concluded that Henry used the transfer scroll himself to save his life .

    Duke Fjord roared in the court to his officials, "That Count has quite the guts to kill my son so openly and brazenly . And that coward Henry, his family will pay for his sins . He thought I didn¡¯t know about his past endeavors where he used to save people from Evan¡¯s hands if someone mistakenly offended him? I always used to ignore it but it seems they need to be taught a lesson and it is also because of this that he was never epted in the main knight order even if he wasparable to Darius . "

    Ralph smiled as he saw the events that unfolded, ¡¯It seems Prince Hector seeded in killing Evan . There will be a big show to watch from now on . I guess even Darius would be happy as he was itching for action for a while . ¡¯

    Duke Fjord ordered Darius, "Darius, bring Henry¡¯s family to the gallows . from now on you will join Shannon in the raiding fleets . You can bring the magicians to raid them from now on . It seems they think that I am a pushover . They need to be taught a lesson so they learn the might of house Laguna . "

    Ralphmented as he heard him, "Father, I don¡¯t think it would be possible as new reports suggest that Duke Sapphire just met that Count 2 days back and theypleted some deal where Duke Sapphire¡¯s fleets will be deployed with those new ballistas as Duke¡¯s entourage was seen deploying new Ballistas in their fleet . "

    Duke was quite angered as he spoke to both Ralph and Grim, "So what! Do you think we can¡¯t deal with them with our armies just because they have those ballistas? Hmph, we still have the best ships in the whole region and they will see the might of our armies with the best ships . I will dere it now, between both of you brothers, whoever brings the head of that Count would be the next Duke . "

    Grim replied, "Yes, father . "

    Grim was a man with an average height of 5 feet 8 inches, he had blue eyes, brown hair and it seems he was more on his mother¡¯s side when it came to physical features . The same was the case with Ralph who was a bit taller . However both Ralph and Grim had different mothers .

    Ralph intentionally asked his father keeping his eyes locked on Grim, "Father, what if this matter isn¡¯t done by that Count but someone else and is a conspiracy?" He indirectly wanted to point the fingers to his brother Grim even though he was one of the men who conspired against Evan .

    Duke rebuked him as he heard him, "It doesn¡¯t matter . Since he offended us he will pay for it . And it is because of him that Evan was injured and died . That very poison proves that he was killed by that ve . I will dere it again, both you will target that upstart to get my position . "

    Grim nodded and added, "That¡¯s true, that very poison is different from all the poisons used, and the very fact that he is the disciple of d doubles the fact that Evan was most likely killed by that upstart or his ve . However, since that upstart was meeting Duke Sapphire then it is most likely that ve . And it is reported from our spies that, Jake had hurriedly left the North-frontier Town one day before Evan¡¯s death so the direction of this most likely points that Evan was likely killed by that ve . And there is one more thing . Bring those assassins in . "

    Those two assassins came in with Grim¡¯s men .

    Grim narrated in front of his father, "I got to know from these assassins that Evan had put a bounty on that ve¡¯s family and that is also likely the reason that Evan was killed on the orders of that Count as he wanted to show solidarity with his important men . "

    Grim then moved his gaze towards the assassins and asked, "So is it right that Evan gave you money to kill that ve¡¯s family?"

    Both of them showed the bag full of gold coins to everyone in the court, "Yes, this was the advance and token given by Prince Evan toplete our mission . And this was the token given by Lord Evan . "

    Duke Fjord nodded and said, "As expected, Grim, you made a full investigation regarding this event . Now does anyone have any doubt regarding Evan¡¯s death? Both of you will still continue with the assassination . "

    Both assassins looked at Grim who then helped them out, "Father it would be difficult as this plot was already uncovered by that Count . We would need more thorough preparations to kill that count and that ve¡¯s immediate family members as this operation was already leaked . I think it was most likely leaked by Henry as was witnessed by Sebastian . "

    Duke Fjord nodded and understood, "Hmm . . . Yes, we will make more thorough preparations before another assassination attempt . Hire more men so that we can have greater sess . Now, do you have any doubts regarding Evan¡¯s death?"

    Ralph thought, ¡¯It seems, as I predicted father has lost all the decorum in the face of anger . From the fact that Count John acted so quick and sold those ballistas to Duke, it means that he might already know about Evan¡¯s assassination and didn¡¯t stop it intentionally when he sent his men to riverside town . I need to be careful as that Count seems quite dangerous as he doesn¡¯t seem afraid from enemies at all the sides, I should have allied with that Count instead of conspiring together with Prince Hector . And it seems Henry¡¯s predictions were true, I guess I need to at least protect his family in case of some conspiracy as I would like strong men in my knight order . ¡¯

    Ralph saluted his father, "No Father, I don¡¯t have any more doubts, We will follow your orders . As elder brother, Grim exined the whole situation concerning Evan¡¯s death there shouldn¡¯t be any problems . "

    ****

    @@novelbin@@

    In the western side of Aelius kingdom, in the mansion,

    Prince Lukav read the reports and concluded, "It seems this was the n that Hector was nning all this while, it was most likely nned by Alistair as Hector isn¡¯t smart enough to n these conspiracies . "

    Duncan nodded andmented, "Alistair¡¯s n most likely involved to gauge those ballistas by making Duke Fjord as the vanguard before taking any concrete actions . Quite a well-crafted n however in front of the absolute power of those ballistas it would be nothing . Meanwhile, they have also increased the taxes of that port town to increase pressure . "

    Duncan continued, "That port town will be a hot potato after some time . It is also likely that Duke Fjord will announce war against Count John . Even the royal family is hesitating to take any position on this matter as they think Duke would open the eastern fronts in his rage because of his son¡¯s death . "

    Lukav smiled and shrugged, "Well, we don¡¯t need to worry as long as the battlefield is only the sea . it will only change if the battle shifts tond and for that Duke Fjord would need to invade that east port town . Have you heard anything about that pirate which John intends to make his naval admiral . "

    "He is a pirate who only looted big fleets of the kingdom . he is quite strong as he is adept at Water magic, he particrly targets the fleets that deal in the ve trade . He was formerly a small captain in Aelius Navy . During the war, his family was captured and ved by a Marquis in the east . His immediate superiors and kingdom didn¡¯t help him as this would be a big scandal and hence this case was shrugged off the table . So you can understand what happened, right?"

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117

    Eva spoke as she heard him, "Yes, but as you might know, Ryfon is the head of the construction department . If you want a sturdy Mansion or House . you should bribe him with the new items(wines) rather than bitching . "

    Tornwallughed as said, "That won¡¯t matter as the new agent will anyway keep the houses sturdier from now on so I don¡¯t need to suck up to anyone . The only thing he can do is dy the construction but I already have a way . Come we are already here, it seems the ceremony has only finished right now . "

    Tornwallmented as he saw the Administrative headquarters, "I guess he really did a fine work making this grand structure . It looks bigger than any type of Imperial pce I have seen earlier . From the looks, this new agent is quite better and reduces thebor shortage and deaths when ites to making this grand structure . "

    Eva asked him, "Yes, this structure alone is at least 12 storeys (35 meters) . It took up a lot of area to make this Pce . I heard it has 600 plus rooms alone . That towering gate alone is quite awe-inspiring for anyone visiting this ce along with those towers on both sides behind the gates . John said that it looked quite a lot like Gothic Moorish and Victorian architecture with some parts quite unique and it is as big as Buckingham Pce while having the features of the white house . Tornwall do you know what these terms are?"

    Tornwall, "I guess it is rted to Architecture . Anyway, let head on . "

    John was briefing Taylor, Ryfon and Sam about the new policies and their implementation as he saw Tornwall, "Aah just the right person when I was thinking . I guess you missed a lot of events when you were cooped up in your workshop, Tornwall . I made this thing called a clock and I wanted you to make this thing called a Clock tower in our City . People will get a sense of time and able tomunicate better with fixed timings so I needed your help . For this Project, both you and Ryfon will work together as it will require both of you to co-operate with each other to make this building . Look, this is the prototype of a clock I asked Redbeer to make in the workshop . However, it would be very expensive right now to make this clock for the consumer needs so I intend to make this clock tower so themon man can get its benefits . "

    John thought as he proposed his idea to Tornwall and Ryfon, ¡¯Well, I guess 1 million points on various types of clocks were worth it . I can earn quite a few points because of this clock tower . ¡¯

    Tornwall was quite surprised as he asked, "Would this clock show exactly the same time tomorrow after 24 hours, won¡¯t we need to take a lot of factors for uracy?"

    John proudly and seriously imed to both Tornwall and Ryfon, "You don¡¯t need to worry . For now, I have tested it already so you only need to implement the blueprints when you construct the clock tower, make sure to use the best materials . Additionally, this architecture would be unique to our town as this will only increase the prestige of our North-frontier city so I hope it can be a prestige symbol of our town . Both of you would be needed to make this possible . You both understand the importance, Right?"

    Sarah mocked John inside his head as he tried to brag, ¡¯It¡¯s not you who tested it, I the great Sarah was the one who simted and tested these blueprints, you narcissist . You only made some modifications to the blueprints . And what importance? you only want to earn more points by making it a unique structure . "

    John thought as he heard her revealing his ns, ¡¯Can¡¯t you keep quiet and not ruin my mood every once in a while because of this bullshitmentary? hmph, aren¡¯t you a hypocrite when you call others narcissist . ¡¯

    Eva roared as she felt ignored, "Hey, are you really going to rx or going to work today aswell? You even forgot about me as soon as you found Tornwall for your new project . And what is with this bragging, We all know that you have an incredible memory and mind . "

    John touched his nose in embarrassment as he spoke to Eva after hearing her roar, "I am sorry, I am sorry . I was quite immersed in work as I wanted to contact Tornwall earlier . Come, lets go the market . Work can be der on . "

    Tornwall just wanted to speak about something as he shut his mouth down as he saw Eva¡¯s re . Tornwall thought, ¡¯I guess I can still inform himter on about the new developments . ¡¯

    Ryfon meanwhile pulled Tornwall as he spoke, "Let them go on their date or you will have to face the wrath of that old woman already . That old hag even made sure to force me and make Eva¡¯s office beside John office¡¯s in this administrative HQ¡¯s so that theymunicate more . "

    Tornwallughed as he heard, "hahaha, I guess that old hag is abusing her power quite well to match them up . Meanwhile, I am quite surprised that you were able to make this grand structure, I don¡¯t think I have seen anything like this in our long history . Your name will certainly be written in history books for making such a grand structure . And what is the name of this pce? Meanwhile, what is with that big statue of John in front of the garden . Can¡¯t you see, even Lord was quite ufortable being around that statue . "

    Ryfon spoke as he heard about this grand structure, "Well, I wasn¡¯t alone in this, Lord too offered me a lot of help and I guess it wouldn¡¯t be possible without that new ssified agent . The cost alone would have raised by 10 times and the same goes for time if we didn¡¯t have that agent . As for the name of this pce, it would be called the Winter Pce as titled by Lord today . As for that statue, it was proposed by the council and the majority of the officials voted yes so that is how we got that statue . Meanwhile that old hag also wanted a statue but all the council members rejected it . That was quite a funny moment . " Ryfon spoke proudly as he told about the statue .

    Tornwall Facepalmed as he heard about the statue and the voting of council members .

    Tornwall sighed, "I guess the name of this pce has multiple meanings, Come lets go to Hope for now . I have missed a lot of things . Meanwhile, first, What do you think about this new project called Clock Tower? I guess I missed watching the face of that old hag . "

    Both of them headed inside Hope,

    Ryfon thought as he spoke his ideas, "To be honest, it is quite new, creative and a novel idea . People would start saving more time by using this clock . Additionally, as people are getting educated, it would be helpful to our town . Speaking of other things, Duke Fjord¡¯s Son Evan and his entourage were just massacred a few days back . I guess it was quite good on Count¡¯s part that he already made an alliance with Duke of Southern Forest, Sapphire Rose . "

    Tornwall gravely asked, "Who did the massacre? Lord or someone else?"

    Ryfon thought and spoke what he heard from Taylor, "ording to Taylor, it was done by Prince Hector¡¯s men . So In the previous meeting, we concluded that Prince Hector did this to basically gauge our Ballistas while using Duke Fjord as a vanguard . While Duke Fjord also is falling for the bait because of his anger while he also wishes to have pie in North-south trade . Well, this was anyway apparent even before Evan¡¯s death as he had started trying to raid our ships . Have you heard about our new Admiral?"

    Tornwall asked confusingly, "No, Who is he?"

    Ryfon smiled and spoke, "Previously he was a pirate . What do you think?"

    Tornwall shrugged as hemented, "Well, I trust Lord so it won¡¯t matter to me who he hires . Anyway, tell me more about him . "

    ****

    John asked Eva, "Meanwhile, where are Sally and Josephine? Weren¡¯t theying as well?"

    Eva gruntled as she spoke, "I guess Grandma conned both of us this time around . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Georgio thought as he saw Eva and Johning out of the administrative headquarters, ¡¯Geez, why do I have to suggest these ideas to that old hag? That old hag is quite cunning as she was able to take a promise from both of them . What are these days where I have to do these shameful things instead of spying or diplomatic work . ¡¯

    Eva spoke as she heard John, "Speaking of Sally, she was quite downtely because of your interactions with Prince Lukav . While Josephine is busy teaching the brats from the vige about the fighting techniques she discovered recently, I guess she will return as soon as she is out of all thebat techniques . "

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118

    John thought and exined his position, "I guess Prince Lukav¡¯s reputation precedes him . Well, I am someone who judges people based on my interactions and not on rumors . So I guess I didn¡¯t have any problems with him . Did something happen with Sally in the past that she hates Prince Lukav?"

    Eva thought and said, "Even I don¡¯t know much . But from my personal experience, I saw enough from Prince Lukav . He is someone who can take a lot of things to the extreme . But a lot of times it was to provoke Prince Felix However a lot of innocent bystanders were hurt and tortured because of his actions . Even I would advice you to be cautious of him . "

    ***

    One of the Templer assassins spoke to other guys who were disguised asmoners after they saw Johning with Eva in the Market, "After such a long time, we got to make our move now that he is in open . We will target both that woman and that sinner . From our information, we know that he has quite a good rtionship with that woman . She is also the great-granddaughter of that grand-potioneer . Make sure to target him before reaching Hope as there is a lot of security over there nowadays after that previous event . "

    Joe gruntled as he walking to the police station after the institute, "Hmph, why won¡¯t they believe me . "

    ***

    John nodded and spoke to Eva, "Okay I will keep that in mind, Meanwhile how is work at the institute, I heard Glenn was your acquaintance, How do they feel aftering here . I still didn¡¯t get an opportunity to meet them at the institute as I was busy these days because of all these events surrounding Duke Fjord and Prince Hector . "

    Eva thought and spoke, "Well, Work at the institute is quite good . A lot of people are enthusiastic about learning at the institute . The problem guys are actually the teens and those brats who don¡¯t like studying . I rather hope to teach grown men and women . That guy Joe and his men from the Police are quite a nuisance as they curse whenever ites to work of the institute, I guess they are muscleheads . However, they still study seriously as they understand that all the officials need to be educated in this domain . Well, I knew Glenn from my capital days, I had even invited him as I knew that he wasn¡¯t happy there but it is quite hard leaving Imperial university as a professor . I guess your printers did the trick . These printers are quite useful for us as well as it has reduced our book costs and that thing called pencil is quite useful as well . Glenn quite likes Joe as he keeps a Joyful mood at the institute . "

    John nodded as he heard her, "I guess he understands the proverb, All work and no y makes Jack a dull boy . This is also the reason why I have created a holiday one day every week so that people can rest in our domain . "

    Suddenly a Short de suddenly just grazed Eva¡¯s hair near her eye as John pulled her back while the other Knife was stuck on the right side of his chest with the inner armor being prated .

    Eva was quite shocked as she saw the scene that nearly imed her life . She gazed behind at John who was bleeding profusely from his chest . Her chest was beating quite heavily as she saw John saving despite the danger of this assassination attempt .

    John had a grave expression as he spoke sternly to her, "Eva, stay behind me until our men arrive . These men are dangerous . "

    Eva had a worried expression as she tried to stop the blood, "John you are bleeding heavily, You should leave immediately . These men are the Templer Assassins from the church . We can¡¯t match them inbat . "

    John took out a knife as he threw one of the knives at the assassin who attacked him . The knife was d in fire and wind magic as it wasunched at a very high speed .

    He roared as he threw the knife, "Just do as I say, Our lives are at stake here . Do you expect me to abandon you and run? What face would I be able to show to Grandma Mnie if she were to hear about your death under my watch?"

    The man¡¯s throat was immediately pierced by John¡¯s knife as people couldn¡¯t even react as to what had urred .

    There was a bigmotion in the market as people were scrambling for their lives .

    The head of the Templer assassins spoke gravely as he saw one of his men falling, "Be careful men, it seems he is more dangerous than that Jake guy, Surround him and target that woman . "

    While John took out a short de so that he could protect both himself and Eva . There were 3 men still there excluding the head . All three targeted Eva immediately on the orders of their head .

    John was quite angered as he heard the head . He deflected all the 3 knives as he dueled with the head who was wielding a scimitar . He threw another knife at one of the men, however, this time all the men were quite cautious unlike the previous time as this time the knife only grazed past one of the men . Little did he know that the knife was filled with poison .

    Looking for an opportunity, Eva too threw a Fireball at the men ahead of her .

    The other men spoke as he heard the rumblings of the policemening at the scene, "Boss, those policemen areing, what do we do? Abandon or try toplete this mission?"

    The head spoke, "We willplete this mission even it means our death . This sinner has to die . He has a Handicap right now while being injured at the same time, We won¡¯t get the same opportunity in future, All three of us would attack him simultaneously without caring about our deaths . "

    John tried to move his hand to throw another knife but he couldn¡¯t as the injury on his chest acted up . The man who was grazed fell on the ground while John dueled with the head while at the same time parrying the attacks of the other assassin .

    John roared to Eva as he saw a chance, "Take this chance to make some distance, go towards the policemen at Jay¡¯s direction, this will create some space for both of us . "

    The head signaled the other assassin, "A do or die attack . "

    John meanwhile saw Jake who wasing behind these assassins .

    Jake threw his knife on the ankles of the other assassin as John saw him as he calmly parried the head without any worries this time around .

    The head moved his gaze towards Jake as he said, "Weren¡¯t you one day away from this city? How did you guys reach here so early?"

    Jake scratched his head in confusion as he spoke, "I guess we caught a ride from one of the carriages . The trader knew me as he had seen me earlier . Does this answer your question? Was it that difficult toprehend?"

    John didn¡¯t waste was any time as he moved forward and disarmed the man .

    @@novelbin@@

    The Templer Assassin asked in horror and confusion, "Weren¡¯t you guys traveling cautiously all these days . Why did you suddenly change your approach . "

    Dearil came from behind as smiled and spoke, "I guess he is quite entric some times . So you can understand that we decided to take a carriage . "

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119

    Jake moved forward and didn¡¯t allow the man to do suicide . He checked his mouth first for both of them and removed the pill from both of the men, unlike the previous time when he caught cktiger .

    Jake roared at Dearil as he saw himing here, "Hey, didn¡¯t I tell you before to take care of that guy, Henry . Where did you leave him?"

    Dearil made an irritating face as he rebuked, "Rx, stop your bitching, he is at the headquarters . He won¡¯t be running away anywhere as he is in aa while my men are guarding him . And it was all your fault that you suddenly gave your baggage to me suddenly and started running off over here as soon as we entered the city . "

    The Head Assassin suddenly roared as he got shackled by the policemen, "You guys will go to hell for your sins of engaging with demi-humans and demons . "

    Meanwhile, Taylor, Jay and his men arrived here a bitte, Taylor suddenly came to John, "Lord, are you alright? You are bleeding heavily . We are ashamed to not have detected these men over the past few days . "

    Taylor continued, "It was all our fault that they seemed good and always helped poor people while not helping the people of other races . Since they never broke anyw, we thought it was quite a culture shock to them as they came from Radiant city . "

    John then spoke, "It¡¯s okay, I already knew that the Radiant Church had ordered my hit from Prince Lukav . However, he too didn¡¯t know who ordered the hit . "

    Joe meanwhile was the first to speak to Marsh as he saw the Templer Assassin, "I always told you that they seemed suspicious as they only helped humans while abhorring demons and other species . "

    Marsh pped Joe¡¯s head as he rebuked, "Hmph . . . , if it weren¡¯t for Alisa that demon girl you like at one of the hotels . And that these guys showed a disgusting look toward her for serving them food, You wouldn¡¯t even have suspected and tailed them while noticing this particrity . "

    Marsh then admitted his wrongs as he continued, "Well, you were still quite good at discovering them . I guess your instincts y a good role in detecting these men . I guess I was wrong as I thought you were being too sensitive as it was rted to Alisa . "

    Jay came to Marsh and spoke, "Pay attention to his notices from now on . You see some people are natural at some things, while some aren¡¯t . Joe is good at detecting these people . "

    Marsh nodded as he heard from Jay .

    John was the first to order Joe as he heard this conversation, "Joe, you will now be focusing with Jake¡¯s group from now on to increase yourbat ability because knowing your nature you would have lost your life if you even got a hint of them being assassins and tailed them seriously for more days . "

    Joe showed a happy expression as he asked, "Does that mean no insti . . . "

    John and Jay tly denied as everyone knew about his antics at the institute, "No, you will still be attending the institute and educate yourself until we see fit . "

    Joe mourned as he heard them, "But how would I get more time for this new training . "

    Jay then shrugged him, "That¡¯s your problem . You have a bigger position so you have a bigger responsibility now . Act ording to your position, can¡¯t you see that Lord is promoting you . "

    Joe nodded sadly as he couldn¡¯t defy the orders .

    John then continued, "Jay, Take both of these men to the ssified chambers . We first need to interrogate them and who in the Radiant Church ordered my Hit, I don¡¯t think Bishop Robert would have ordered my hit as he wouldn¡¯t like to Jeopardize our deal . I am quite angry as they targetted me along with Eva . If they don¡¯t speak in 3 days then let me know . "

    John moved his gaze to Taylor, " Taylor, go and take a look at Eva if she is alright . "

    Taylor nodded and said, "She is alright, Milord . Our men already checked her if she had any injuries earlier . "

    Eva with wet eyes came towards John, "I thought you would die today . It was my fault for dragging you down today . I will make sure that I will never be a burden for you . I shouldn¡¯t have followed Grandma and Jeopardize our lives today . "

    John sighed as he felt different when he was on the defensive for the first time, "Nah, it wasn¡¯t your fault . I always knew that my enemies would target my friends . I guess they need to be paid in kind from now on . " As John ended up speaking this with a ruthless glint with no hint of sympathy and a little bit of cruelty .

    John continued, "Even that Duke Fjord¡¯s Son Evan was targetting Jake¡¯s family . Jay, We will increase the protection of our important officials and their immediate family members . Increase Tornwall¡¯s protection to most priority as I feel Duke Sapphire wasn¡¯t joking when he said that Dwarven kingdom targets the talented dwarves . Just the increase in protection would deter them from trying anything foolish . We are leaving now, scatter themotion and check if anyone in the civilians are injured because of this chaos . "

    Meanwhile, People were gossiping about this incident, "It looks like, this time these assassin¡¯s main target was Lord John, I never knew that Lord John was this strong inbat . From the way these assassins spoke, I think they were Templer Assassins of the Radiant Church . I heard that they always did high profile killings . "

    The other guy spoke, "From the way that Templer Assassin is speaking, he seems like a big shot . I wonder if lord will hand him over because of Radiant church¡¯s pressure or make an example out of him . "

    "I guess that¡¯s true because today Lord seemed pissed off a lot . This is the first time I have seen Lord this angry . I thought he is someone who is cool-headed . "

    @@novelbin@@

    "I think this is because this time they targetted Eva as well and hence his anger . "

    "Come lets go and inform the elders about this incident . I am sure they will be able to get some news out . "

    The crowd dispersed as they gossiped about this incident .

    ****

    Mnie spoke to d as they were watching this scene from one of the new buildings, "You didn¡¯t go out to help him . Weren¡¯t you worried that they might die? That was a skilled and fast assassin . Even your men weren¡¯t able to locate him . "

    d exined, "I guess these men were good at hiding their bloodlust and killing intent . Instead, these guys felt that they were really doing the bidding of God and liberating these men and hence people could not feel any killing intent from them until the moment they hit . I wonder, who ordered John¡¯s assassination at the church this time around . As for them dying, you shouldn¡¯t worry, I know my disciples won¡¯t lose to these guys and would die protecting their friends so you shouldn¡¯t worry much about your Grand-daughter . And isn¡¯t it correct that you too weren¡¯t worried as John was there to protect her . "

    d meanwhile smiled as he spoke to Mnie and changed the topic, "Recently I heard that you were abusing your power and made Ryfon make an office near John¡¯s office in the new administrative building . Is that correct?

    Mnie tried to exin and changed the topic, "Well it wasn¡¯t abuse of power, it was only shifting of offices . you shouldn¡¯t look much into it as I only want some small great-grandchildren . Well, let¡¯s hurry and check . I wonder if those lunatics created any new poison . Also, I think it would be someone rted to the old pope who ordered the hit as they have quite a grudge against you . "

    d smiled and spoke, "No need to be a worrywart . Dearil already sent information through the signal that it was the same old poisons used by those men of the church . Old pope? Well quite true, I don¡¯t think anybody over there likes the demons so it can be anyone . "

    Mnie then asked d about a matter, "I heard from John that you guys sent Grey to kill that man Sylvan? Is that really needed?"

    d shrugged as he exined, "Well, I suggested sending Grey, as that right-hand man of Prince Hector is quite a troublesome man so Jake would be in danger if he faced that man directly . Plus I also think that Prince Hector or that guy Alistair is intentionally baiting John to act and send his important men so he can capture them and get some confidential information while getting the legality to act against him as John tried to assassinate Hector aka Future Potential King . It would be quite problematic politically if Jake is captured additionally Duke Norman¡¯s pce is guarded quite heavily these days . "

    Mnie rebuked, "Hmph . . . don¡¯t act . I know you and your men are itching to get some action on those mini ballistas called crossbows or whatever and they are already provided to your men . "

    Mnie sighed as she saw John and Eva from far away, "Can¡¯t those men just leave them alone for one day so my ns could seed . Well, it was still good today as both of them got close via this incident . "

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123

    ****

    Alistair meanwhile read the report as he murmured, "It seems they were quite cautious as they made a point to use that assassin . A perfect, fast and precise assassination, unlike those buffoons . Well, they stillpleted their job, I can¡¯t me them . "

    Alistair reported the same to Prince Hector to calm him down .

    Prince Hector roared angrily as he heard the report, "Damn that demon d, always interfering in my business . It seems that count got help from Bluesea house this time around . This celebration is fully ruined . That count will certainly pay for so many offenses against me . "

    The nobles were gossiping on this event,

    "Looks like, it was a show of power from that count this time around . I wonder if I can get that weapon from him . It would be quite useful to kill my brother to be an heir of the house . This weapon is quite convenient even against your political enemies . Plus I don¡¯t think I will be participating in this raid against that count as he seems very powerful just by watching his means . I recently heard that Duke Fjord¡¯s fleet also suffered some losses at the hands of Morgan Fleet . So I would like to be cautious this time around . "

    The second noble spoke cautiously, "Shh . . . Those knights are searching for that assassin in every house like rabid dogs . Be careful so that you don¡¯t get heard by them . And don¡¯t even think about that new weapon . Even the royal family would be salivating over it . "

    The third noble said, "The Incident of Duke Fjord was only an ident in the sea because of negligence from crew members . Even that count or Morgan family has never confirmed regarding this matter . Additionally, Duke Fjord also said that some miscreants are only spreading rumors to create chaos . "

    Another one smiled as he spoke, "Well, who knows anything can be the truth . There can be some truth to it as some people from their own navy confirmed it . "

    ****

    In a meeting conference at the Administrative Headquarters,

    Currently, there were Taylor, John, Jake and Tornwall present .

    Johnmented after watching the prototype, "Hmm . . . It seems this was quite a better prototype than I actually expected, you really made a good weapon this time and it was in time, now we can use those archers with full use if a war urs . Also, start training them in the new archery skill that I created just recently . Call Redbeer as you will be needed in two projects from now on, 1 . The Clock Tower and 2 . The production of Guns . The first one to be armed right now would be Jake¡¯s men . is that clear?"

    Everyone nodded, "Yes . "

    John then continued after watching everyone¡¯s approval, "Now, we will be preparing for winter which is in 2 months . So I want production lines and production of guns to be as fast as possible . Tornwall you will be needed to train more people as we will be involved in a lot of more industries . Meanwhile, I will be focusing on the Pharmacy industry and Potions because of that previous incident with Radiant Church . I just want to be on a safe side in case they decide to react . I am sure they will target us as soon as we hit winter and when everyone starts their schemes . "

    Tornwall murmured as he heard John, "It will be a tough ride this time around with so many responsibilities . "

    @@novelbin@@

    John smiled and spoke, "How about free wine for 6 months and 2 new wines exclusive for you . You will have free ess to it for 6 months? Are you fired up now?"

    Tornwallughed, "hahaha, that would be great . There is that Demon boy Tim who is quite enthusiastic on bing a great forger . He works hard and has the right attitude to explore new things . I guess I will nurture him from now on . "

    John then ordered Taylor, "Taylor you will be in charge of managing, allocating funds for the new factory and all the raw materials required to make the guns . You will also need to stockpile strategic resources for these guns, i . e Saltpeter in secret . Taylor, you will also be in charge of stockpiling all the types of herbs and ingredients in case we face an emergency . We were already able to connect with a lot of Herbologists because of our deal with the royal family . However, we will still increase hiring them . The royal family won¡¯t mind since this move would only be against the Radiant Church so you don¡¯t need to worry about the Royal Family . "

    John then gazed Jake and ordered him, "Jake you will be in charge of its security and privacy of this Gun factory . It would decide the future of our domain once and for all . "

    Everyone saluted and kneeled and answered as they heard this for the first time John, "YES, MILORD . "

    Everyone gasped as they heard John and understood that this was a very important project .

    John, "So Tornwall, have you done any other modifications to this gun like you did to the Ballistast time around, I don¡¯t want you to hide this time around as I want to be prepared before the volcanos burst . "

    Tornwall shook his head as he spoke, "No I just recently finished making this prototype, Actually its quite easy as this gun is small and so are the projectiles, we could modify it with much fewer problems . We can actually hire or contract basic runemasters to modify our bullets . So it would be good and take low energy required . "

    John thought and asked, "However, isn¡¯t it too small, I think mastery would be more difficult, though they won¡¯t require a lot of energy I think they would need a lot of practice . "

    Tornwall nodded, "Hmmm . . . true . . . I didn¡¯t think too much into it . Well, we can still upgrade the guns with runes and by using magic steel to upgrade it . "

    John thought and nodded, "It seems I will have to look into that, Well, the meeting is adjourned . All of you will be having additional work from now on so better don¡¯t ck off . "

    ****

    Ambassador Luke heard the report from one of his men, "Mr . Sylvan was assassinated in broad daylight by an assassin at Prince Hector¡¯s celebration of his new soap machines . The weapon could not be identified but it was a projectile that was imbued with magic . "

    Luke sighed as he heard the scout, "I guess this would be quite humiliating for Prince Hector as he intended to show his spying prowess in the whole kingdom and now this face-pping . Previously that assassination attempt on Count and now this, I wonder how is the temper of Prince Hector right now . "

    Luke then asked the scout to continue, "Anyway continue about that weapon . Any more information on that weapon?"

    The scout continued after hearing him, "There is no information regarding it but from our sources, we heard that d¡¯s right-hand man Grey was the one who executed this deed as witnessed by the hotel owner where he stayed . He was mainly recognized by his scar and silver hair in the nearby towns after his visit to Gritos . Lord Alistair said that this weapon was quite peculiar as it was a lot stronger than normal ranged weapons and this projectile too was runic from the looks of it . He guessed that this weapon was a miniature version of the ballista made with Magic Steel especially or upgraded with runes . "

    Luke nodded, "Alistair¡¯s hypothesis can be true as this weapon was most likely used by Grey and I don¡¯t think d would hesitate on using Magic steel to equip his important men in weapons at least . Well, it was still good as there was less violence this time around unlike the times when he uses his swords . However, even if this weapon was a miniature version of that ballista, it would be very heavy to carry it openly . I wonder what sort of trick did they use it to hide so easily . did they have an engineering team in Gritos to help Grey this time around? Well, tell Alistair to check the town for spies or engineering professionals who recently moved near that hotel at Gritos where he stayed . "

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125

    Knight Calvin nodded and agreed, "Ok, Milord . "

    Pope stopped before going and asked about a certain matter, "Is there any other news or news from Felix¡¯s end or any other important news?

    Calvin "Well, Prince Hector¡¯s spy Sylvan was openly assassinated by men of Bluesea House . This was particrly carried out by Grey . However, the most peculiar thing about this assassination was the way it was carried out and the weapon of use . "

    Pope furrowed his brows and asked him, "What is the peculiarity? How does this assassination even matter? isn¡¯t he and his team fully capable of carrying it out? And what about the weapon?"

    Calvin then exined to him about the particrity of the Mini-Ballista, "This time a new weapon was used and even I too feel that it is quite threatening . I am more afraid of Prince Lukav getting his hands on that weapon and use it against us . You know that he has a big grudge against us for the previous incident . "

    Pope furrowed his brows as he heard him, "Hmm . . . It seems this count is really dangerous to our ns . Keep a more tough tone in the letter . Nevermind, I will personally write him the letter . The very fact that he has good rtions with Prince Lukav is a very bad sign for us . Ideologically that count is too open and against our doctrines, we can¡¯t close our eyes as he corrupts people openly . Even if we keep good rtions with him, he will be fatal to us in the long run . We too will act against him in the winter with Robert . Tell Duke Fjord that we can provide him funds for his uing war and we will also terminate our services in that count¡¯s domain as we did at Prince Lukav¡¯s domain previously when we ransacked him 5 years ago . That n would have seeded and he would have died if not for his instincts and his crazy mind . "

    Calvin asked him cautiously as he asked him about a taboo subject, "Are you sure Milord? Some cardinals might be against this as we will make that countpletely our enemy like we did Prince Lukav during ourst conspiracy, We lost a lot of men when we conspired against him . The Cardinals stillment making Prince Lukav our enemy . "

    Pope showed a cunning smile as he said, "Well, they don¡¯tment us making him our enemy but theyment him bing one of our biggest enemies and dying to my conspiracy . Anyway, We won¡¯t bemencing our ns immediately but it would be in the future, And most of the Cardinals would anyway agree to my proposalter on in the next meeting as most of them hate demons . Plus knowing the nature of this count if he knows that I gave the hit on him then I too will be in danger as this guy is quite impulsive, Additionally Cardinals know the nature and report on this count so they understand that he is a big danger to us . Anyway, we can use his impulse in our favor . Make sure to personally deliver my letter to that Count or his important officials . If that count gets scared then we don¡¯t need to worry as he won¡¯t be much of a big deal, it would be more troublesome if he acts like Prince Lukav . " Pope showed a cunning face as he mentioned the letter .

    Calvin gave a meaningful smile as he nodded, "Understood Milord . I will convey your meaning and proposal to all the Cardinals for the next meeting . As for Prince Felix, he is currently gathering forces for his next invasion of the western beastnds and at the same time, he and his are still training continuously training . However, he believes that we should kill that countplete once and for all or make him our ally as he feels he is very dangerous from the way he is allying with demons and Prince Lukav . He believes we can use him to kill Prince Lukav . "

    Pope nodded and dismissed him, "Okay, I will keep that in mind, Tell him that we are going for his kill for now as he is a danger for both of us . Calvin, you can leave now . "

    ****

    Temr Assassin

    One of the men from ghosts interrogated the head, "You still aren¡¯t opening your mouth eh?"

    Francis Mocked and spoke, "Hmph . . . this small torture is nothing to me . Our torture training themselves were tougher than the torture you guys give us . "

    The man smiled as he understood the psychological games these guys liked to y, "Well, the other guy can still speak even if you don¡¯t want to . Meanwhile, your fate will be worse than death . You know our Lord is quite pissed this time around . Don¡¯t expect anything less than what you have seen like the people who suffered at the hands of Prince Lukav . You know about his deeds, right?"

    Francis mocked him and gave him an eye, "Hmph . . . Well, empty words . No action, all bark . Even that prince is a nobody in front of us Temr assassins, Our pope single-handedly, ruined that lunatic¡¯s ns of marrying demon kin and removed his power all those years ago . As for your Lord, he will die anyway because he chose the wrong side to support and put his pride before his life . "

    The spy asked him as he saw that Francis started speaking in his ego, "I heard that Prince Lukav wasn¡¯t a lunatic all those years ago . "

    Francis watched the spy with a disgustful look and spoke, "Of course he was, anyone dealing with demons and other inferior species is a lunatic including you guys . The good thing was, he was naive politically and hence never had any power . Most of his work was handled by his butler . However, I guess he got ruthless with experience . We miscalcted when that event 7 years ago took ce . Well, we still made sure that his reputation was ruined . "

    Spy asked him confusingly, "But how did ruining his reputation matter anymore as he truly became what you guys spoke before he took all those actions . "

    Francis understood and harrumphed, "Hmph . . . you think you are smart? don¡¯t try to open my mouth, who knows whether I am lying or not . As for your Lord, he might have already gotten instructions from Pope David to free me or face the music for his actions . Look he will beg before me to make a good word in front of Pope so that our tensions can be reduced . "

    The spyughed as he thought, "I wonder, because from what I know about lord . He is someone who hates threats the most . Threatening even privately hasn¡¯t bode well for anyone in the past or present . Anyway, since you guys are so strong then why are you afraid to not tell about the one who ordered our Lord¡¯s assassination"

    The spy thought, ¡¯The very fact that your men tried to kill him in the presence of Mistress Eva was your death nail . He has already started taking action against you guys privately . The very fact that the invested so aggressively these days in Medicine institute proves this fact . While hiring more light magicians in case they face a crisis . ¡¯

    @@novelbin@@

    Francisughed as he heard him, "Ohh . . . that trick won¡¯t work, because, from our long history, we know that even a small mosquito can be fatal and be your death . We are guys that are cautious in not revealing our ns to our enemies easily . "

    The spy then ended his interrogation, "Well, we still have your partner, I wonder how much he can resist because from our looks he is already near exhaustion because he hasn¡¯t slept for 4 days . He will spill the beans real soon . As for you, I can guarantee that you too will spill the beans when Lord starts his own torture . He might be someone who is generous but he is also someone who will not forgive his enemies . "

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127

    ****

    Inside the prison cell of Francis currently,

    John just arrived as he saw the mood,

    Francis pointed to the spy as he saw John and spoke, "It seems he already got the letter . See as I said he is already going to do what the Pope and cardinals have ordered him . The very fact that I am the disciple of Cardinal, Saint Paul must have made him think twice beforemitting any actions against me and my men . "

    As soon as John came in the cell Francis spoke to John in an arrogant, "Come, count John, are you here to apologize or defy again against me? Remember this, your actions will have consequences if you defy us, Your position already is in jeopardy because of Prince Hector and Duke Fjord . Do you really want to make the Radiant church as your enemy as well?"

    John didn¡¯t bother as he ordered the spy from ghosts, "Ross, Feed him this drug, I have personally made this drug . It will increase his sensitivity by 100 times whether it is pain or pleasure or other things . "

    The spy named Ross immediately followed the orders, "Yes, my lord, at your orders immediately . "

    Ross immediately forcefully fed him the drug as Francis struggled and resisted .

    Francis resisted as he mocked them, "What is this, another petty torture poison of yours? haven¡¯t you guys already tried enough . "

    Spy smiled as he spoke, "Your mate has already started speaking . Now, you too will speak . I will make sure to break your faith for the radiant church . In front of absolute power, even your god won¡¯t help you . You know dying is easy if you die in an instant however resisting pain and torture for a long time is hard both physically and mentally .

    Francisughed as he smiled and mocked them . "Well, what he said still won¡¯t be the truth because many a time illusions are better than truth . "

    Francis then continued, "It seems you guys have made your decision to defy the Radiant Church . "

    Ross smiled as he spoke, "We already know that what he was saying wasn¡¯t the truth and hence we came here today . You can still be freed as long as you can say the name of the mastermind . Was it your master or someone else? As for defying the Radiant Church . You guys were too arrogant this time when they should have softened the tone when your Pope requested something . You see lord is someone who will treat someone with respect if he is treated with respect . He is someone who likes reciprocity . I guess you were unlucky this time around as Pope himself wrote this letter . Anyway Lord himself will speak to you now . "

    John then smiled and asked Francis, "You see still have onest time to say the name before you still have a chance . It would be toote for youter on when the torture begins . "

    Francis mocked as thought about small torture he faced earlier, "Hmph . . whom are you threatening? You are just a nobody and an upstart count . you will anyway be decimated in more than a year even if you are able to resist . If you are foolish enough to make us your enemy as well then I guess your foolishness would know no bound . Be smart and release me immediately or face the music . "

    John first used the thumbscrew on his thumb as he spoke to Francis in a ruthless manner, "Looking at your stubbornness I guess it is someone high in your council who ordered my hit . This is very more reason that I can¡¯t trust your Radiant Church . Let¡¯s see how you can tolerate the effect of this drug and resist the pain . "

    The moment his thumb got inserted into the Thumbscrew .

    He screamed as if his life was draining this time as he began to feel tremendous amounts of pain in his thumbs . The effect of the drug was very surprising to everyone present in the cell . Ross was most shocked as he never saw Francis screaming like this in the two days they tortured him . John didn¡¯t stop as he continued to torture him,

    John smiled as he spoke, "This is the effect of this new drug . You can still resist you know . I will dly increase the pressure and I have just started . "

    John then hammered his fingers one by one slowly as Francis screamed hoarsely . Francis lost two of his fingers on his right hand . He was in extreme pain as he resisted his urge to show any weakness in front of John . However, he couldn¡¯t as he felt fear for the first time here at the prison .

    John continued, "You don¡¯t want to lose your eyes, do you? or would you like to get castrated publicly as Prince Lukav does it so often to the dogs of Radiant church or those knights he usually executes? You see I only need one name, as long as you give the right name, you won¡¯t have to suffer this humiliation . "

    Francis shrugged as he hmphed, "Hmph . "

    Francis thought, ¡¯If I name him I would be in big danger myself . I will at least die with honor here . ¡¯

    John bought a short sword as he saw Francis¡¯s stubbornness, He came near him and whispered, "I heard you were quite a lustful guy from the other guy, I guess you don¡¯t like your weiner anymore . As you prioritize saving the ass of someone else I will dly help you sacrifice your weiner . "

    Francis was really terrified this time around when he saw John¡¯s cruel smile as he thought, John was quite serious this time around and he didn¡¯t want to suffer the same pain which he experienced today after losing two of his fingers after John continued his torture . He already pissed his pants at the thought of castration .

    Francis thought as he saw John¡¯s cruel smile, ¡¯No, no, I can¡¯t take this humiliation . This guy seems as crazy as that madman . He might really cut my dick off . God, why was I sent to do this mission and face such humiliation . ¡¯

    Francis tried to calm down and speak, "I will speak, I will speak . I only have one condition . "

    John smiled as he moved his short sword near his dick as he spoke, "You see you are not in a position to make any conditions to me . I am quite angry this time around with your arrogance . You see there will always be consequences of angering me . "

    Francis immediately said as he knew that this was hisst chance, "It was the new pope, David . He ordered us to assassinate you . He was also the one who gave us information on you guys . Please don¡¯t castrate me . I have already said what you wanted . I hope Lord John keeps his word . "

    Ross too was quite shocked this time around as he saw fear for the first time in the eyes of Francis . Ross was also shocked by the fact that his Lord seemed quite scary if he was angered . He thought, ¡¯I guess Lord is quite angry this time around . It seems he is quite prepared to face the radiant church this time around . ¡¯

    John nodded as he was convinced that Francis wasn¡¯t lying, he smiled and said, "It seems you really aren¡¯t lying . Okay, I won¡¯t castrate however you will have to denounce your faith publicly if you want to be freed and not lose your eyes . "

    @@novelbin@@

    John this time gave two bottles of this drug to Ross as he instructed him, "Keep this drug in case you meet any stubborn prisoners in the future . This would be effective for half a day . It will increase the sensitiveness of the body by 100 times whether it is pleasure or pain . You must also target their weakness if you want them to open their mouths . If you are in need of them in the future then go to the pharmacy warehouse to restock it . The name of this drug is . . . . . Schadenfreude . . . Nah, Wonder Drug . Yes, it is called the Wonder Drug . "

    Ross immediately answered, "Yes, Sir . "

    Francis was silent this time around as he didn¡¯t show his previous arrogant behavior . His silence also indicated that he agreed to the terms of John this time around .

    Francis meanwhile thought, ¡¯This count is just as lunatic as that prince . This guy is really dangerous if we get in a big conflict with this guy . He will reduce the morale of the whole Church if we get into a fight with him . He seemed like he would really castrate me with that drug on my body . I need to be careful to not anger him anymore, who knows he would go back on his word . ¡¯

    John ordered Ross, "Meanwhile, Report to Taylor thatter on both of these guys will make a public announcementter on so he needs to make enough preparations for their show . "

    Ross thought as he saw the whole scene, ¡¯It seems Lord is prepared to confront the Radiant church as it was the Pope who personally ordered John¡¯s assassination this time around . ¡¯

    Ross nodded and reported, "Okay, Milord, I will immediately convey these orders to Mr . Taylor . He would most probably be checking and inspecting the farms now that winter is near . "

    John also reminded him, "Meanwhile I will also be increasing my time spent in Grandma Mnie¡¯s pharmacy nowadays as I will be increasing the rate of experiments on various diseases from now on . We are officially treating Radiant Church as our enemy from now on . Convey this message to all of our head officials . As our city is growing day by day, there will also be a logistics Department from now on . Jack will be in charge of collecting all the strategic supplies from now on . He has already left his family to fully invest in our city from now on however his family is quite stubborn as they want to wait out this winter while he just like Joseph has taken his own decision . I met him already and his appointment is done . Inform all of them . "

    Ross nodded and left after taking the orders .

    Later that afternoon,

    People in the city were gossiping as they saw Taylor making preparations for a show,

    "It seems there will be quite a show this time around as even Taylor is personally handling this work . It is most likely rted to Lord . "

    "I heard Lord is quite pissed with the arrogant tone of the Radiant Church this time and he is intending to teach them a lesson . My brother is one of the prison guards . He told me that assassin was Saint Paul¡¯s disciple and lord was quite pissed with his arrogant tone, you might have not known but he pissed his pants when he saw that lord was serious about cutting off his body parts . You can wait for a big show today . "

    "It seems lord is ready to confront Radiant Church . I guess we all should be prepared as well . Lord is most likely pissed by the fact that some bigshot in the Radiant Church ordered his hit while targetting his friends . "

    "Looks like both of the assassins will face a big humiliation today . especially that arrogant guy who was caught that day . I wonder how the Radiant church would react after this . It seems that this would be second after Prince Lukav that someone is intending to humiliate Radiant church in the public so openly and that too Saint Paul¡¯s disciple . "

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128

    Georgio looked at the podium and said to his underling, "It looks he really is intending to confront Radiant church . I guess Prince Lukavv would be quite happy this time around . Go and immediately inform this news to Prince . It seems both of them have the same amount of temper when ites to their enemies . "

    Taylor arrived at the podium with both the prisoners and announced the start of proceedings .

    Taylor started his announcement, "We have an important announcement for all of you guys over here . As you might know, these are the same guys who tried to assassinate Lord John and Miss Eva a few days back . Today these men will be judged ording to their actions . "

    The locals started throwing tomatoes and eggs on both of these guys as soon as they heard that these guys were the ones who were responsible for the previous assassination attempt and the chaos these men created .

    Taylor signaled to quiten the crowd and continued, "Ahem, Ahem, Our Lord has promised to give them freedom as long as they renounce their faith in public . Or else they would be executed or kept alive for further torture . "

    One of the spectatorsmented after hearing Taylor¡¯s announcement, "It looks like both will suffer whether they are dead or alive . If they are alive after this ordeal and freed, The Radiant Church will hunt them for renouncing their faith . "

    Both of them were on their knees with chains on their heads legs and hands .

    Taylor asked both in them in front of people, "You already know that our Lord is merciful and will keep his word as long as you keep your word . The time hase for your decision? Have you decided?"

    The first guy was in extreme dilemma as he knew that as soon as he renounced his faith in public . he would be hunted by the Radiant church and their followers so that he doesn¡¯t bring more humiliation to them .

    He sighed and thought, ¡¯I guess I can still run if I renounce my faith or I will die with that sort of pain in the prison cell or over here . That Francis would most likely be safe as he has a bigger backing, but what about me? . I guess I was always a pawn in the hands of the Radiant Church to meet their targets . Maybe I should offer more information to this count so that I can run into another country with a good amount of money . Well, I was still better off from what I heard from the guards as that count didn¡¯t personally deal with me . ¡¯

    He announced in front of everyone with a heartfelt tone, "I was distracted by my superiors at the Radiant church and hence my offense against Lord Count . I would like to apologize for my offense against both Lord Count and Miss Eva . I am also renouncing my faith as a servant of the Radiant Lord with my own will . The very fact that he didn¡¯t kill me immediately after targetting miss Eva reflects his generosity and my sincere apology . "

    One of the priests cursed as soon as he heard his announcement, "Damn it, How can he humiliate us like that in public like that? Doesn¡¯t he feel any gratitude for all the nurturing we did for him?"

    Taylor smiled as he asked him, "My Lord will keep his word as promised . You are free from now on . Would you like to go with your superiors or on your own?"

    @@novelbin@@

    He replied without hesitating, "I will walk on my own . "

    Taylor smiled as he understood his meaning and signaled his men to free him, "Okay . I hope you are safe in your journey from now on . "

    Ambassador Luke murmured as he saw the ongoing show, "It seems they are ready to confront the radiant church this time around . Isn¡¯t he worried that Radiant church might immediately cut-off their services in North-frontier City? As expected he defied their arrogant tone . Well, it is always better to not trust those men in holy clothes pretending to be holy . They will bite you back the moment they can see a chance to upy power and resources . Just fake men . "

    Simon saw the scene as he spoke to Pallet, "Hmm . . . it seems true that this count is quite an arrogant man . Even Lord Hector doesn¡¯t dare to diss the Radiant church in public in fear of getting refused for their services in his cities . Well, we can still make an ally out of this incident . This Count would anyway have to choose between demons or the Radiant church . I guess he trusts demons more as he got acquainted with them earlier . "

    Pallet heard him as he spoke, "I heard the Fire-abyss Prince is recently trying to court the royal family and Prince Hector . He was more interested in the printing technology of that count . Because of this, even the king is contemting on the importance of that technology as even the Radiant church expressed a big interest in it from the start . The Fire-abyss kingdom are also trying to contact Duke Fjord but that Shorty has more connections to the dwarves as they are near his domain and hence his reluctance . "

    Taylor then moved near Francis who was in chains and asked him while giving him a warning, "So what is your decision? However, you don¡¯t have to worry as you won¡¯t be executed immediately if you choose to decline Lord¡¯s offer right now . "

    From Taylor¡¯s tone and words, Francis understood between the lines that if he rejects then he may face the previous ordeal again and might lose his dick .

    Francis bit his teeth and thought, ¡¯Lets see how much you run amok after I am freed to the Radiant Church . This humiliation will be paid 100 fold by this Temr . Count John, you will regret this day your whole life . This arrogant count will pay for his insolence for humiliating us the Radiant Church in such a way, no one apart from that Lunatic Lukav has dared to humiliate us in such a way even privately .

    Francis then looked at his partner as sighed and wondered, ¡¯And it seems, he is fearing the retaliation of the Radiant church since he chose to go alone on his own . Can¡¯t help it . He will most likely be assassinated or he will leave the kingdom . ¡¯

    Francis then spoke in an arrogant manner so as to seem defiant and doing this against his will, "I ept your lord¡¯s offer . I did a grave offense by targetting Lord John and his woman . I publicly renounce my faith in Radiant Church as I was ordered toplete my mission by the Radiant Church . I hope your lord keeps his word . "

    Taylor again asked him, "It doesn¡¯t seem that you are reflecting on the previous incident like the other guy . Do you want to go back into your cell and have a new experience with Wonder Drug?"

    As soon as he heard about the Wonder Drug, he remembered the torture he received previously and that he nearly lost his dick and immediately spoke timidly, "No, no, please don¡¯t take me back to that cell . I mean seriously, I sincerely apologize to Lord John for my offense against him and his people . I also publicly renounce my faith in Radiant Church I hope Lord John can be merciful and forgive me . "

    While talking, one of the half-beast boys threw a piece of rock at Francis, there was another boy with him who looked like a demon of the same age . Francis was quite angry however he kept his anger in control . John too watched the Half-human beast child as the show was going on . The child was a boy around 12-year-old, however, it seemed that he had a grudge with the radiant church when he threw the rock .

    John smiled as he saw Francis¡¯s fear in public and ordered, "Okay, your men are already here . You can go back with them if you wish . Remember this, You guys won¡¯t be getting the bodies of other assassins . "

    Francis timidly nodded without matching his eyes with John and spoke, "I will go back with them . "

    Ambassador Lukav murmured, "It seems Lord John also loves the thought of making them renounce their faith in public . There will be quite a show on how the Radiant Church tries to save Francis¡¯s reputation . It also looks like Francis quite fears Count John and that prison cell, I guess he faced some horrors which he doesn¡¯t want to experience and share, and hence his timid attitude . I guess the show is over however ther will still be big er on . I don¡¯t think the Radiant Church ever expected to face this sort of humiliation from this upstart, No, I shouldn¡¯t call him Upstart anymore, Count John . Looks like he has quite a spine and doesn¡¯t mind being cruel to his enemies . "

    Georgioughed as he saw the scene, "hahaha, It seems Lord count also is as interesting as Prince Lukav just not cruel enough to his enemies . He should have castrated both of them at least . "

    Simon meanwhile thought and spoke, "What do you think pallet? That count even dared to diss Saint Paul¡¯s disciple in public . "

    Pallet touched his chin as he spoke arrogantly, "I guess he is really pissed at Radiant church this time around and hence the reaction . Isn¡¯t it natural? If this Lord was targetted like that I too would have been pissed and reacted the same . Anyway, This Lord thinks that we should go to Hope and enjoy some snacks instead of watching this boring drama . Come, lets go, this show is over anyway . "

    Simon facepalmed as he sighed and thought, ¡¯I guess some people think with heads while some with emotions . I wonder where does that count lies . And why do I have to be this fatty¡¯s partner who always thinks about food? I shouldn¡¯t have introduced him to that restaurant to make him move and do my work . ¡¯

    Pallet shouted from afar as Simon was in his thoughts, "Hey, Come, What are you waiting for . "

    Simon thought, ¡¯I guess I have no choice . ¡¯

    Simon sighed and spoke irritatingly, "I aming, don¡¯t nag like a kid . "

    ****

    Lucius meanwhile was currently at North-frontier city watching the scenes of Francis . He thought as he watched the scenes, ¡¯This lord at least sticks for his men unlike those bastards at Laguna city . However, I still would never trust anyone . I first need to get into this institute to get stronger . I heard from people that they were taking free care of orphans and would provide training and learning to everyone . It is quite ironic that I will take training from the same guys who were once enemies of dad . I guess Mom was right when she said that Dad shouldn¡¯t be following Duke Fjord based on his morals . I was quite naive as I thought that dad was always fighting for Justice . At least I won¡¯t follow dad¡¯s path . I will be someone who will always fight for his own well being . I need to be selfish in this selfish world . Well at least part Selfish . "

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130

    Calvin the Temr knight nodded and gave his suggestion, "That guy Charlie is quite cunning like Prince Felix, However Unlike Felix, he will be harder to control if we fund him . However, he would be a good bet for us as he has a big grudge against Prince Lukavv as well . "

    David didn¡¯t pay any heed as thought controlling Charlie was easy and spoke, "We can manipte him using women . You should know he is quite weak when ites to women . "

    Calvin again stressed, "However, he is also someone who values his own life more than anything else . We should at least carefully hedge our bets . And aren¡¯t we overthinking about a mere count? Though he has big guts . I guess he is only vying for attention . "

    David didn¡¯t agree and gave orders, "Well, it¡¯s okay, we will fund Charlie as well . it¡¯s okay as long as both of these thorns are removed as both the count and that lunatic are would be big menaces for us in the long run . We can still support Felix after both of them die . Plus my instincts are saying that this count could be very dangerous . I heard from our seers that they weren¡¯t able to see anything through that count about his future even with multiple tries . All they could see was fog . So this Count is a big anomaly considering the unknown future . The future of this kingdom bing uncertain day by day . It has not been like that before the arrival of that count . Plus our spies have reported that King is again gathering those seers . So I am sure something is brewing up . This order wouldn¡¯t have been given without Eanred¡¯s approval . "

    Calvin coughed and reminded, "I think Prince Lukav is already a big menace for us after such a long time . Hmm . . . So seers can¡¯t see him . Well, I will inform our men of the current ns . "

    David nodded as he let him leave, "You can leave for now . And Right now most of the Cardinals would be in agreement with my previous proposal of helping Robert and providing funds to Duke Fjord after that previous fiasco by that Upstart . Even Saint Paul is quite angered this time around . So this would be perfect for us to use this pretext . Even the other guys who are against this would be quite enraged by the treatment that Francis got this time around . So prepare for an emergency meeting of Cardinals . "

    Calvin nodded and left to prepare, "Okay, I will prepare for the meeting and inform the Cardinals . "

    ****

    After 15 days, Henry woke up from hisa,

    He was being constantly treated by Dearil¡¯s men during this time . He had 24 hours of surveince on him in case of an emergency .

    Henry reacted after 15 days .

    One of the demon men who was watching him reported to his head, "He is reacting after a long time, It looks like he is out of hisa . Should we take a look at him, Sir?"

    The Head didn¡¯t even look as he was busy and spoke: "No, Call me only when he wakes up . "

    The head didn¡¯t pay any attention to his man and was busy with his own paperwork .

    After somewhile Henry woke up,

    Henry looked at his own bandages . He was a bit confused looking at his own situation but he soon gained hisposure and spoke to the man looking after him, "Howe I am here and still alive after such falling from such a height? I wonder who saved me . So who are you?"

    Henry saw that a demon was waiting upon him . He was a bit cautious at first and thought, ¡¯Nah, I shouldn¡¯t doubt them . I would have died long while back if these men meant any harm to me . Looking at the bandages it looks like these guys saved me . I should thank them first . ¡¯

    Henry continued and asked him, "Do you guys know where are we and which one of you saved me? I am the knight of Duke Fjord¡¯s order of knights and I am sure he would reward you generously for saving me . Wait, what is the situation of Lord Evan . Damn, this will be big trouble . "

    Henry realized that Evan most probably died as thought about Evan .

    The man got confused as he saw Henry was asking so many questions, "Arrgh, you have a lot of questions . Just stay here and rest . I will bring Lord Dearil over here, he will clear your confusion . He is also the one who saved you . You can ask him your questions . First, let me report about the situation to my superiors . "

    The head of the departments soon reacted after watching that Henry woke up,

    The Head heard about the situation and reported to Dearil about Henry situation and him waking up .

    Dearil thought as he heard his man, "Hmm, I will take a look at him first, Don¡¯t say this to Jake first . Inform Master about him . Come lets go . "

    The Head nodded and reported about other situations and left to inform John and d, "Okay, We also have one of our men keep a lookout for him in case his injuries take a toll . "

    After one hour, Dearil reached Henry¡¯s quarters as he saw him getting dressed in formal clothes . It looked like he was okay after having breakfast anding out of thea .

    Dearil saw Henry okay and asked him, "It looks like you are already ready to leave after meeting your benefactor . Aren¡¯t you in quite a hurry? Can I know where are you intending to go right now?"

    Henry saw that Dearil came and understood what happened, "Ohh, it looks like you guys were the ones who saved me . I don¡¯t think I have anything that I can give you guys as you saved my life, However, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to you guys for saving me . As for me going, I would be going back to the eastern domain to meet up with my colleagues . "

    Dearil smiled as he heard about him going back to Duke Fjord¡¯s domain, "You might want to hear me before going to Duke Fjord¡¯s domain . It is concerning the situation and circumstances after Evan¡¯s Assassination by prince Hector . I think you must harden your heart before listening to this news . Lord John also wanted to meet you personally as he can give you all the urate news . "

    Henry furrowed his brows a bit and asked, "What sort of news? Did something happen to Duke Fjord¡¯s domain?"

    Dearil sighed as he heard him and broke the news to him, "Your Wife Lucy is no more . "

    Henry got angry as he heard this before leaving and asked him with a roar, "What are you saying? How did Lucy die, What happened to her? Are you joking with me?"

    Dearil slowly narrated the events to him, "She actually killed herself as she didn¡¯t want to get captured by Duke Fjord¡¯s men, Darius in particr . So indirectly, she was killed by Duke Fjord¡¯s Personal knight order or Darius in particr . There is one more point . It was Darius who was leading the men on Duke Fjord¡¯s orders . Darius even tried to **** her first to exact revenge for his brother, Marcus¡¯s death but he lost his eye while Confronting Lucy . However, she died saving your Son Lucius so he could escape . Currently, his whereabouts are unknown . So the thing is Duke Fjord judged you as a traitor on word of one of the guys from your team, I think his name is Sebastian and hence the current situation of your family . While Duke is using Evan¡¯s death also as a pretext to attack us . While we were the ones who killed Evan as per Duke Fjord conclusion, however, the thing is, it is Prince Hector who carried out this conspiracy . "

    Henry gritted his teeth as heard about this betrayal and asked with coldness filled in his eyes, while immense rage-filled in his voice, "How long was I unconscious for and how much time has passed since that incident? And why did you guys save me, were there any other intentions from your side?"

    Dearil furrowed his brows as he heard him and spoke with anger, "You were unconscious for, I think around 15-20 days, as for your Wife¡¯s death? I think it is around 12 days as we got information 12 days back only . "

    Dearil continued with anger, "Hmph, as for saving you, it was not my idea, it was Jake who saved you previously as he said that you didn¡¯t seem like a bad person . The only other intention from me would be to expose Prince Hector, I guess Jake¡¯s anger overwhelmed rationality and that is why he didn¡¯t save Evan . As for me do you think I will save my enemies willingly without any benefit?"

    Henry kept his tears bottled inside and angrily cursed, "12 DAYS . . . i . e they concluded I was a traitor in 1-2 days only? This is how I get fruits of my Loyalty by being called a traitor, With dishonor and the death of my wife, orphaning my child . Since they dared called me a traitor I will make sure how a Loyal traitor pays them back . Damn, Why didn¡¯t I listen to her when she was alive and kept remaining in a fool¡¯s paradise that I would be treated respectfully and awarded for my years of hard work and loyalty . Fuck! Why was I such a fool?"

    Henry cried as said thest sentence and cursed as he heard about the event from Dearil . He cried for a long time .

    Dearil too sympathized with him as he knew about his circumstances .

    He thought, ¡¯The very fact that he still believed and cared about House Laguna after waking up is more pitiful . A knight¡¯s oath? Is it worth it for ipetent Lords who don¡¯t even respect their own men? Heck, even ipetent Lord would be better as long as he respects his men . ¡¯

    After calming down and drying his tears,

    Henry continued in anger, "As for Darius, he will wish, he shouldn¡¯t have been born for evenying his eyes on Lucy . As for that hypocrite Duke, he will regret making an enemy out of me . He thinks I will always remain a pushover?"

    Henry then gazed Dearil and asked him, "do you guys know where is the body of my wife and have any other information on whereabouts of my child, Lucius?"

    Dearil thought and answered, "I think you will have to meet my Master or Lord John if you want more confidential information . "

    Henry thought with a calm mind, nodded and asked, "Please arrange my meeting with Lord John as soon as possible . I would very much appreciate it if I can have one . "

    Dearil spoke in a hurry and left, "Well, you should rest for now . Master and John most probably got information on you so you wouldn¡¯t have to wait for long . I will be leaving for now as I have to attend some matters . "

    @@novelbin@@

    After watching Dearil leave,

    Henry thought about his wife but he had a look of determination as he thought about his son .

    Henry thought as he tried to process all the information he got from Dearil, ¡¯So it was that kid Jake who saved mest time around . Even though I didn¡¯t save him or his family when Evan persecuted them . I guess I was too afraid of being discovered . I guess my family suffered because of my sins of following such a master and ignoring so many injustices done by Evan . As for Darius and Sebastian, they will certainly want to die if they are caught in my hands . ¡¯

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131

    ****

    After some time, Henry was able to meet John,

    Henry was Currently in John¡¯s Office,

    John signaled Taylor to bring in some ssified documents and spoke to Henry, "I guess you won¡¯t be liking any chit-chat so I wille straight to the main point . This is all the information that we collected when we were confronting Duke Fjord and Evan . This also has all the events which took ce after Evan¡¯s death .

    Henry looked at all the documents and understood what was going on from the start to the end . He also understood and came to the conclusion that it really was Prince Hector¡¯s conspiracy so that Duke Fjord could be a punching bag for them .

    John asked him as he was reading the documents, "Do you still want to say anything? I can say you with confidence that all the information provided to you here is correct and won¡¯t have any discrepancies . "

    Henry shook his head and gave his opinion, "No, I believe you . I have a request, I would like to meet your Knight Jake . I hope you don¡¯t mind but I would also like to get the body of my wife or to know about the whereabouts to give her a proper funeral for her sacrifice to save Lucius . I would also like to know about the whereabouts of Lucius if you have any . "

    John nodded as Taylor narrated the events,

    Taylor then reported, "Well, we have the body your wife, during themotion we had 3 spies at Laguna city who were able to recover the body of your wife, they knew that you were ina and were traveling with us, so as a form of goodwill they recovered her body in themotion . As we were short of people, we were unable to save her . However, they were still able to help your son get out of the city . As your kid was unwilling to trust our men he ran away while they were traveling to the other city . I guess he feared them looking out for the money he took before leaving the city . Currently, we only know that he left for the north when he escaped . As for Jake, you can only meet him tomorrow, currently, he is training his team . "

    Henry sighed as he heard them, "Looking at Jake and Lord John . I believe I shouldn¡¯t give up on believing a Lord and his Knight¡¯s loyalty towards each other . I guess I made the wrong choice when I choose to be House Fjord¡¯s knight at a young age . Before leaving I would like to give a message to Jake, I am sorry for abandoning him in his time of need . He still saved me even after I targeted him just a few days back . I guess he recognized me long back and hence saved me back then . The girl he protectedst time around is safe . "

    "Meanwhile, I will be leaving in search of Lucius . Lord John, Thank you for giving me your precious time . You are an honorable Lord . Just the fact that you stood by your menst time around was big as most lords would have abandoned their knights and men in front of a crisis for short term gains . Before leaving I would also like to know the whereabouts of my Wife¡¯s body . "

    Taylor then gave him one more report as he saw that Henry was about to leave, "Before you leave, One more thing, ording to our sources the guy Sebastian who testified against you is a spy of Prince Hector . They wanted to make sure that their n was a sess however you fell into the river and hence decided to frame you in . Grim, Evan¡¯s older brother also helped Darius hoping he can gain most of the knight¡¯s loyalty and backing . While Ralph is still mysterious and keeps most of his ns under wraps . There is one more rumor going around that one of the brothers, Grim or Ralph helped Prince Hector in assassinating Evan . Well, we are not sure about this though . As for your wife¡¯s body, you can find it at Eastern port city¡¯s Dock . "

    Henry nodded and thanked him, "Thank you for your information, Butler Taylor . I will be leaving now for the eastern port city . "

    John then gave him his offer before leaving, "Why don¡¯t you join us, If you don¡¯t want to be my knight, that won¡¯t be a problem as I have seen your actions and understand that you are someone that I can trust . We can also help you find your Boy, Lucius . I can also give you an appropriate position in our navy and a chance to fight Duke Fjord¡¯s men . We will most likely have a war with them . What do you say?"

    Henry saluted and thanked John as he left after saying, "I appreciate your good thoughts and offer very much but it will only prove that I was a traitor if I join you now and I would still like to find my son first beforeing to any conclusion . "

    John then handed him 2 potions and a token before Henry was leaving, "You can always contact our men if you need any help . Meanwhile, take these 2 potions with you as they will be helpful in your future endeavors . The ck one is a potion which will increase the sensitiveness of your body by 100 times . so it is helpful in torture and the other blue one is one of the All healing potions that I created, this will help you in case you are injured in any way . This token will help you get your wife¡¯s body and contact with our men for future purposes . "

    Henry left after taking both the potions and the token,

    Taylor sighed and spoke after Henry left, "I guess it will take some time . We could have gained such a big asset . "

    John smiled and gave his thoughts, "Well no worries, Duke Fjord anyway made a big enemy just by targeting Henry¡¯s family . You see even a weak man will go for a kill when his family is killed or he is cornered . In this case, he was someone who was bound by his oath in the past . Right now his Chains are unleashed, I wonder what sort of Mayhem will ur if he goes to Laguna City . Anyway, keep searching for his son . and yes, go and give him his sword before he leaves . "

    Taylor made a bowing salute and left "Yes, Milord . "

    ****

    Meanwhile, Lucius, as usual, was training with Josephine and his mates Azrail, y and Anna near the institute . Currently, they were running again as punishment in the roadside of the market because of the mischief created by y . Lucius was focused on his training as he didn¡¯t bother looking at people in the market . Meanwhile, the Elf girl Anna was following behind Lucius .

    At the Market,

    Both Henry and Lucius walked past each other without noticing each other . Henry felt something and looked back only to see some kids doing theps with Josephine .

    Josephine roared at the kids as they seemed to have gotten slower, "Run faster, do you want to me increase your punishment? You want to learn newbat techniques, right?

    y roared as he began running faster with Josephine, "Yes, Miss Josephine . "

    Josephine roared and ordered as she hit behind y¡¯s head, "Then Run faster . "

    Henry watched them for a second and left, He thought, "I guess I am hallucinating because of missing Lucius . I guess my son would be the same age as these kids . As far as I can see, this ce will be quite an extraordinary domain just by looking at all these cheerful people . " He saw y and sighed, as he left the town with his belongings which included his sword .

    Lucius meanwhile felt something after Henry left,

    Anna saw that Lucius waited for a second on the road so she asked him, "What happened Lucius? Why aren¡¯t you running? Are you tired? Should I call miss Josephine?"

    Lucius looked back for a second then again started running as he heard Anna, "I guess I just got distracted because of y¡¯s idiotic behavior . "

    Anna nodded as she followed Lucius, "That¡¯s true, he always drags us into trouble . We should focus more on the institute instead of his shenanigans . It will always get you trouble . "

    y heard them as he spoke, "Don¡¯t lie, you guys too wanted to go and watch that new drama at the theater . And Anna, don¡¯t lie, you are joining us voluntarily nowadays, I didn¡¯t even have to drag you this time around like previously . Don¡¯t try to create a bad influence on Lucius . "

    Azrailughed as he heard y . While Josephine furrowed her brows as she heard him .

    Josephine knocked y¡¯s head and said, "Continue running if you have so much energy to talk, It is quite ironic when you talk about creating bad influence . "

    ****

    Meanwhile, in one of the administrative headquarters, one of the men named Sparrow in charge of the background checks of people saw a report of Lucius as he saw that he was one of the students of Josephine and gave it to his superior who was checking other backgrounds of people and asked his opinion,

    The head named Billy sighed as Sparrow approached him, "Nowadays because of the previous assassination attempt on Lord John, the workload has increased so much . Gosh, I can¡¯t handle so much work . I need more men . Well, what is it, is there any problem?"

    @@novelbin@@

    Mayor Sam, Jake and Taylor had created a department for checking the background of people who are near important officials after thest assassination and hence the frequent routine checks of everyone .

    Sparrow asked Billy who was busy with paperwork, "Sir, the guy seems suspicious . I think we need a thorough check on him . "

    Billy furrowed his brows as he nced at the document as his work just increased, "He is just a child, aren¡¯t we overthinking?"

    Sparrow reminded him, "Sir, you didn¡¯t forget thest assassination attempt, right? Lord Taylor would be angry if we ck when ites to all the important officials . He has increased our funding so I guess our shortage of men would be filled as well in some time . "

    The Head sighed as he decided to look at the sketch first, "Well, you are right . Hmm . . . this boy seems familiar, Hey, what is the name of this boy?"

    Sparrow checked and spoke, "Its Lucius sir . He is one of the disciples of Miss Josephine . "

    Billy then looked at the sketch and all the documents carefully as he confirmed his suspicions, "Omg, aren¡¯t our men (Taylor¡¯s men) already looking for this boy for such a long time . Hahaha, You really did a great job this time around, Sparrow . Wait here for a while . I will report it to Lord Taylor in no time . "

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132

    ****

    Taylor read the report he received from Billy as he looked at the documents and confirmed that this boy really was Henry kid, Lucius .

    Taylor sighed and spoke, "If you could have bought this to me earlier . We would have gained quite an asset . Well, he has already left, I guess this is fate as well . You guys did a good job this time around . Make thorough checks like this on everyone, I don¡¯t want a repeat ofst humiliation when those guys brazenly tried to assassinate Lord . I heard that you guys were short on men, they will be arranged immediately in a week . You can go now, you guys will be rewarded appropriately for your hard work . "

    Billy enthusiastically thanked him as he left, "Thank you, Milord . "

    Billy murmured as he left for his office, "I guess I need to reward Sparrow this time around . "

    ****

    John sighed andmented as he saw Taylor¡¯s report, "Hmm . . . It seems this boy is staying at our institute . Well, if you can contact Henry then report him about the news . Well, he would most probably be on the move after her wife¡¯s funeral So I think it will be hard to contact him . Well, Let it go as the flow wishes to . Don¡¯t influence the kid as it would backfire us, as he is already being groomed by Josephine so no need to worry about his safety or development . Let him train with Jake, don¡¯t let Jake know about this news of his identity or it will influence him as he has already decided to take all those brats in to train with them . "

    Taylor nodded and noted, "Okay, Milord . Jake won¡¯t get a hint about this as only four people know about this including you and me . "

    Meanwhile, Taylor murmured, "I guess I need to provide Billy his men early on since they would need to keep their mouths shut . Why is there is such a shortage of learned men . "

    ****

    The Pirate naval knight named ke who was captured previously was with Eric Today at the eastern port right now . He was free without any shackles and waiting for people . He had a height of 5 feet 9 inches, he was a man with a tan and a big beard . Currently, he was wearing normal civilian clothes Today he was waiting for John as they had arranged a meeting today .

    Eric smiled as told ke, "You will be getting a surprise this time around . "

    ke mocked him "Hmph, is he catching me again with those weird weapons for raiding his ve and soap ships?"

    Eric looked as if he was disgusted with ke and spoke in a frustrating manner, "Stop the bullshit, you have already joined Count John¡¯s Navy, heck I wonder why you were even made the admiral when you nag so much . You are an admiral and still whining . "

    ke too angrily spoke, "You think I care about this position? I too was forced into it, I would rather raid ships in the sea with my men and my ships . Well, The thing is I too misjudged Count John previously based on the rumors, I guess I changed my opinion after hearing about the fate of Francis and looking at his city which didn¡¯t feel like it had any ves . Now I am convinced that he has a better n to remove very at least . So I guess my goals match with this position and I made the deal . And there is one more thing, I can take my revenge by joining Lord John . "

    Eric irritatingly spoke, "Then you should stop nagging when you are an admiral and know the truth about lord . "

    @@novelbin@@

    ke mocked Eric as he heard him, "Yeah an Admiral without a fleet and going to bars with his mates every day, right?"

    Eric irritatingly exined to him for the nth time, "Well, it is to solve the problem of the fleet that Lord has decided to personallye here today and hence the meeting . "

    John came from behind both of them with Ross as they were fighting on the street, "Both of you should stop fighting and get along . "

    Both Eric and ke roared at the same time towards John, "Who said we are fighting? He is the one who is fighting"

    Both of them started again fighting as soon as they med each other .

    John sighed and spoke seriously, "Ok, ok, lets get to serious talk for now . I am here to address the shortage of ships, arms and our future nning today . Marquis Ray¡¯s ships will arrive today . There is a total of 12 ships, I hope this is enough for your men . I have also asked the shipyards to do remodifications on all the ships . You guys will be surprised after using it . So it will be better from now on . "

    ke mocked him as he heard Jonh, "I don¡¯t want those second-hand cheap ships . I would rather prefer my old ships rather than using them . Hmph . . and what about remodifications? Do you think beautifying it would increase its efficiency? Just because you made those ballistae can¡¯t mean you can even improve those ships after random modifications . I know that you are smart but these ships are under development of various lords and even the royal family for a lot of years and it is very hard to improve their efficiency . "

    John smiled and spoke, "Well, your ships are a wreck . If you still want them, then you can go and take a dip in the eastern sea and look for sharks . "

    Eric too added, "Hahaha, That¡¯s true, your ships are a wreck, go and cry a river over it, This lord was one who did you over when you tried to raid us after that much nning . Hmph, I would have rather Jumped on the ships designed by Count John himself rather than nagging endlessly . You don¡¯t even know how lucky you are, so stop your nagging . "

    ke hmphed and mocked him as he heard about his 2 ships that were wrecked, "Hah, That¡¯s why you will always remain a Pleb . As for you downing my ships . you would have been toast if not of those ballistas . "

    Ericughed and spoke, "Then you should stop nagging as you will also get more ballistas fitted onto your ships and that too in far higher numbers . And this time you would have 12 ships under yourmand unlike the two old ships from the ancient past . "

    ke nodded and spoke, "Hmm . . . Well, those Ballistae are good and all, but my men will also be in danger from now on as I heard that Duke Fjord has dered a war against you guys . He has also increased the funding of his Navy And recently he is seen in a lot more social events as he is rallying lords to wage a war against us . So the thing is I will practically be short of men and ships, wars can¡¯t be fought without men . Additionally, we don¡¯t have a harbor so strategically they can choke us anytime they want .

    ke pointed out at this port as he continued, "Just look at this port, When will we upy this port? I don¡¯t feel safe for my men without a port city that connects to our domain or a base in the sea . What are those weapons for? For show? Can¡¯t you use them to invade the nortnds? There is a good ce for harbor over there where only Wild Dangerous beasts roam and they can be solved with these new ballistas . "

    Eric was quite surprised as he heard ke, "You traveled to the nortnds? As for the port city, I too understand your concerns . In emergencies, we would be cut off from our domain and that is also one of the reasons that baron is able to extort us . Well, Anyway, first tell me about Northnds . "

    ke gravely spoke about his experience, "Yeah, I traveled there once when I was escaping the naval fleet of Duke Fjord and the Royal Navy . I mean I traveled there once as I was a bit adventurous and jolly . However as soon as we reached there, it was quite dangerous with many unknown beasts, even I had a hard time defeating them while we were short of men . So I guess it is hard surviving there . "

    ke spoke gravely and continued, "We only survived thanks to an ind which was near it and it was less dangerous . However it was quite dangerous at night so I guess it was a bit of both . But with these weapons, those beasts will be toast in front of us . We can use that ind as a Loading base in case of emergencies . However, I will still need men to create a full fleet . So you must be ready with all the preparations . What do you say? If you can give me permission then we make a good enough n, this n could be quite good and useful for us in times of need . "

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134

    Frank nodded and spoke, "Well that¡¯s true, the ships are ready but you first need to stamp and sign these papers . We can then go to the ships . Meanwhile, what did you do the ships? From my experience, we arrived quite earlierpared to the time that we predicted earlier at the time of Journey"

    John showed a mysterious smile and spoke, "Well, its a secret . "

    John smiled and thought . ¡¯I redesigned every ship ording to its needs and efficiency . Even if they try to imitate, they won¡¯t be getting any results . Well, it¡¯s good that the ships are working fine . "

    Frank sighed and spoke in a grave tone, "I guess this is also one of your creations . Royal Family will be looking at you like a greedy wolf if they find out about the performance of those ships, you know this, right? You should be careful . I am sure these ships can match Fjord¡¯s ships whether it is speed or maneuverability . Even the Head Captain agreed to it . It¡¯s good that I only bought my trusted men since Duke Fjord is targeting us aggressively these days . "

    ke too was quite shocked after hearing Frank and understood that John wasn¡¯t Joking earlier when it came to the performance of the redesigned ships .

    ke thought as he heard Frank, ¡¯The seas will be exciting and stormy from now on Duke Fjord . The day would not be far when you pay for colluding to catch mest time around and killing most of my men . I will first pay him back in this war where he arrogantly imed he would decimate Count John . I guess he doesn¡¯t know the true fear of those ballistas . I wonder how he will react after hearing about the superiority of these Galleon Ships and the big losses if starts the war . ¡¯

    Eric meanwhile was having the same poker face as he was quite used to this scene of Count John shocking everyone .

    Eric thought as he saw both of them and had a face which had a disgusted look, ¡¯Plebs, getting shocked at every little thing . Isn¡¯t this expected already?¡¯

    ke immediately understood as soon as he saw Eric¡¯s disgusted look . However, he controlled himself as he saw that there was an important meeting going on and he couldn¡¯t mess up .

    Ross too was watching this from the sidelines as he merely smiled,

    @@novelbin@@

    Frankughed as he saw all of them, "Hahaha . You have a lot of interesting men, John . You are quite lucky to have men who trust you fully . Anyway, your Ships are at the Dock . They are charged high tariffs . And Yeah I forgot to remind you, 2 weekster Lord Sapphire wille with Elves from the southern Ind as they intend to meet you first before making any deal . "

    John nodded and asked, "Quite a good piece of news . Thank you, Mr . Frank . I heard you are investing aggressively in the town . I guess you are going against your father as this reveals that you trust us enough that we can protect ourselves . "

    Frank thought nostalgically and remarked, "I guess, over the years, I had lost my courage and this time I am doing as Joseph reminded me of one of the core principles I learned earlier when I started doing business before he left on his own . Well, this time I am quite sure you guys will be able to protect yourselves after watching those ballistas and with the fact that you guys easily gave it to the Royal family . I guess my instincts are good when ites to judging some situations minutely . And this time I am investing my private funds so the family funds won¡¯t be jeopardized . So no one can me me . " Frank smiled mysteriously as he spoke thest sentence .

    John smiled and understood "Well, lets go to the dock then well will talk on itter on . "

    Frank nodded, "True, I too am gettingte . Lets go . "

    As soon as they arrived at the dock Frank bid them farewell after John signed the papers .

    John smiled mysteriously and asked ke, "So what do you say now? Do you believe in these ships after hearing it directly from Frank? and looking directly at these ships?"

    ke nodded and agreed, "I guess, I will have to . It can¡¯t be a coincidence that you were able to invent so many things . "

    Sarah remarked inside his head, "Hmph . . . just giarizing . "

    John coughed a bit and spoke of his ns to all of them, "From now on we will increase the volume of trade with Sapphire Duchy and other domains . You will be in charge of defending important consignments with our new naval fleet . You can raid the pirates at will and this includes anyone who dares to rob us . So how do you like this sort of freedom without any sort of restrictions? However, your men will also follow the militaryws of our Government . "

    ke nodded and agreed, "Hmmm . . . . . Now, this seems like a good proposal . Ok, I will ept this project . We will create a base at the Ind first and then at the Nortnds . From there Our team will first connect to that new town at the nortnds and then from that town with North-frontier city as this will be important for our future and connection to the sea . "

    John nodded and made other suggestions, "That¡¯s a good n . However, you will have to provide me a full n from the start to the end so that I can n ordingly . "

    ke thought a bit and said, "Ok, I will do that immediately after I contact my men . Anyway, You don¡¯t have to worry about your Tradeships from now on as these ships and ballistas are good enough to create chaos among the other pirate crews or Fjord¡¯s own navy fleet . Just watching the current speed of these Ships . I am sure we will dominate the seas for a long time . I am just itching for my encounter with them, this includes Fjord as well as the Royal Navy . I am sure Fjord will protest a lot with the Royal family over my appointment iming that since I am a pirate . I shouldn¡¯t be allowed to join any of the lords . And lord doing so should be punished for my sins . Do you really think it would be Ok with my announcement? I can still be an unofficial Admiral of your navy . "

    John shook his head, "Well, I have a perfect pretext over it so you don¡¯t have to worry . Royal family won¡¯t risk ruining their rtionship with over a mere appointment and Jeopardize our deal of sharing the Ballista blueprints to them . And even if they do create some problems . They can¡¯t do much at sea apart from lip service as they won¡¯t risk the lives of their own personnel over a personal feud between me and Fjord . "

    *****

    Duke Fjord was meanwhile trying to rally the lords at one of the parties hosted by Grim frequently . Duke was also attending these parties nowadays as suggested by Grim . Grim was the one who suggested creating a social influence and rally lords while offering them various benefits . They would eventually follow their greed and join the crusade against Count John .

    One of the Baronsmented after watching Duke at one of the parties, "It seems that Duke is rallying knights and Lords to invade North Frontier city . It looks like even the Royal family is turning a blind eye towards this Development because they understand that Duke can use this as a pretext if Dwarves are able to prate their spies or even their fleet when he continues his campaign against Count John .

    Another one of counts asked with enticing words, "What do you say? Will you participate in this war? From what I know, this war can make most of the lords rich enough to not worry about 20 years at least if any of us can get our hands on the new technologies developed by men at Count John¡¯s domain . And remember this, No risks No gains . "

    One of the viscounts spoke in a grave manner, "However there is also that weapon called Ballista as well . And you haven¡¯t forgotten about that mini ballista as well, right? I don¡¯t want to get me or my men killed over some wealth if that count is pissed over some lord leading the vanguard . "

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137

    Swann nodded after hearing him, "I already know how to operate the ballista, that was the first thing I was taught by Mark first thing before leaving . So you don¡¯t need to worry about it, Judd . I would be careful with all the beast up here in the north . "

    The scout reminded Swann as he saw that they were busy in their conversation, "Get ready boy, you need to shoot that hydra as it has already approached us . Make sure to aim it correctly and then shoot it without any hesitation . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Suddenly out of one of the ships, A ballista was shot and soonter Swann to fired at the hydra .

    Juddughed and spoke watching everyone¡¯s face, "Hahahaha, I never said, I won¡¯t shoot from the other ship . Well, Boy, you still marked the first shot from the main ship . Kid, you are quite lucky as most of the time ke would monopolize the first shot of the main ships whether it is Bows or magical equipments . "

    Meanwhile, Swann¡¯s shot hit the hydra in the eye while Judd¡¯s shot hit Traveled in water at the wild blue whale-shark in the water that wasing for one of the ships from a blind spot .

    Both the beasts were pierced through their bodies and died with in a second . Watching this Swann was quite shocked after watching that shark . It was the first for him to see such a big shark while at the same time he was quite shocked by Judd¡¯s keen observation and instincts in detecting that moving fortress .

    Juddmented and smoked his cigarette after his first shot of the Ballista, "Damn this feels so good, no hassle, easy kills . Get ready Josh . Get one of the hooks and get those bodies we will be having these beasts for some days . "

    Judd then continued and exined to both Ross and Swann, "Usually we would have to mobilize a lot if this urred previously in the northern seas . This time we were quite lucky as we had the ballistas and can have a worry-free ride to that ind . "

    Ross then asked Judd, "So how many days would it take to reach there?"

    Judd thought and spoke, "Last time It took us 2 days to reach there because of all the problems we faced in the seas while fighting with duke Fjord on a constant basis . This time with these ballistas deterring the Sea beasts and looking at the speed of this ship, I think we will reach there within a day . as we were already up in north when we started this journey, it won¡¯t take long . The real problem will start after we enter that ind . "

    Ross smiled as thought about the guns he received just before leaving from John and Taylor, "You guys won¡¯t have to worry about our safety on that ind, this time we have quite a big surprise for everyone . Lord John gave us a very valuable parting gift as he was more cautious and urgently loaded them in our fleet . Additionally, this is a very important mission for us strategically . A base in the sea would be a very big addition and a safety to us . "

    Judd was a bit confused but then nodded, "Of course, A base there would be a heaven for us . Most of the people won¡¯t even dare to follow us there in fear of making a lot of losses just from their numerous sea fights with monsters . "

    ke thenmented as he saw Swann¡¯s shot, "Good Work Kid, You didn¡¯t hesitate to shoot . This is a good sign as a shooter . I guess we will have hydra¡¯s meat tonight thanks to you . There will be more of those toe . So don¡¯t ck already as we are only halfway there . "

    ke then said to Ross, "You won¡¯t have to worry about our journey to the nortnds, My men have it covered already . You will only be responsible for making the base with your men and securing it . I will make sure of the defenses by our men . However, we will need a lot of supplies to make a faster base . "

    Ross smiled and as he heard him spoke, "Well, isn¡¯t it good that we have 12 big ships this time around instead of 3 new ships? Well, I also have to look in the ind for better supplies . As for supplies you don¡¯t have to worry . We already have important supplies for the initial construction of the base and Ralph¡¯s subordinates have also traveled with us this time so there are not many worries as our base will be prepared much faster with the new mulberry cement . Well, you won¡¯t understand these terms most probably, so in short, we will be constructing our base at that ind real fast because of our new agent, Meanwhile, this is a ssified material . Additionally, we have most of the items required for making the base So I don¡¯t think there would be any problems . After this base gets stable then Tornwall will send a team from his main workshop with his disciple Tim to look after the military and strategic supplies of this ind . "

    ****

    Judd thought nostalgically about their previous journey asked ke halfway into the travel, "This time the journey is quite rxed, don¡¯t you think so ke?"

    ke nodded with a cold expression that reflected his anger in their previous conflict with Duke Fjord, "Yes, this time we aren¡¯t being chased and we have these new weapons so it is quite a rxed journey . Do you know the legend of Sea Dragon in the northern seas long back? He had created terror long back . However, he never entered the Eastern or Southern Seas because of Climate and the deep oceans in the north . Many say he transformed into other species so as avoid hunt by other races . We were quite naive back then in the tensed situation when I thought of taking those bastards down by searching for the Sea dragon up in north . "

    Judd looked suspiciously at ke, "Isn¡¯t this just a myth? Don¡¯t scare me early on, I still want to live . I am still single you know? As for the previous time, we all thought you were only joking to lighten up the mood and improve the lost moral of our men . "

    keughed after he heard Judd, "Hahaha, rest easy, of course it is a myth, I was just joking . I am just wondering of a possibility if the myth is real . "

    Judd looked suspiciously at ke but didn¡¯t say anything .

    Swann who was on one of the Ballistas asked, "What if we meet that dragon on our Journey?"

    Judd gave a look to Swann as if he was disgusted by Swann question, He thought, ¡¯Why do these assholes want to meet that Sea dragon and bring me early to my Coffin . I am still single you know . Previously this pervert of our captain and now this kid as well is thinking about those unknown beasts . ke is making quite a bad influence on this kid . ¡¯

    Suddenly one of the ships shook because of the powerful waves,

    The Scout suddenly shouted as he looked through the telescope, "Enemies to the east, enemies to the east, I repeat enemies to the east, approximately 5kms away . They are holding the gs of the Dwarven kingdom . In particr, it is the fleet of Prince Hog¡¯s men . It looks like they are patrolling the area . It looks like they are engaged in a big wild battle with a whole Sea of Sea Serpents . "

    ke nodded as he looked through the telescope and gave orders in a cold tone, "Lets avoid them for now . It seems those dwarves have increased their range of patrols just recently . We will first focus on our mission for now . I want to build that base without any hassles . If they spot us, don¡¯t leave any one of them alive . Increase the speed of the whole fleet for now . "

    Judd and Bran nodded without any disagreements .

    Brad immediately ordered his men, "Increase the speed of all the ships . If you spot any sea monsters . Toast them, no need to avoid them, We will ram through them . "

    The captain of the dwarven ship named Bird ordered everyone in the fleet, "We are going back, no need to patrol this godforsaken ce in the north where all these predators roam everywhere . I wonder why the prince wants to scout thesends over here where costs are high while results are none . Give orders to all the ships . we are going back, we have anyway lost a lot of men . It is always better to bribe Fjord and infiltrate them when there is internal turmoil going on . I guess this is because of that new weapon which is creating waves in all the kingdom . We are going back . "

    Bird¡¯s Subordinate obliged and saluted, "Yes, Captain . "

    Looking at the movements of enemy ships, Boris remarked,

    The scout, Boris sighed with relief and remarked as he saw the dwarven fleet leaving the area, "It looks like they are leaving for eastern waters to avoid any mishaps . "

    ke sighed and spoke as he heard the scout, "Hah, good, I was worried about nothing . "

    Boris shook his head as he heard ke and told about the new developments as he looked through the telescope, "Too Early captain . A good bunch of those sea serpents are traveling in our direction . They will reach us in about half an hour . It looks like they are quite angry this time because of their confrontation with the dwarves . They seem quite dangerous . It is good that we have such a good scouting tool . Count John is quite a genius for making such a tool . "

    ke nodded after hearing Boris, "It is always to better to confront Beasts rather than intelligent beings . Our most important priority is the secrecy of this mission . Men get ready for a bloody battle with those sea serpents . You better kill them before they arrive near us . You guys have full freedom to use the ballistas . Go to your stations and make early preparations . As for that Telescope, give it back to me after we reach the city, I need it to peep Wom . . , I mean need to keep it for safe-keeping . "

    Boris smiled as he reminded him, "Boss, but Ross ordered me to give it back to him when reached back to the eastern port city . I think he said something about Lord was quite angry with both you and Mr . Eric . "

    ke suspiciously looked at both Boris and Ross and tried to figure out something .

    But Ross didn¡¯t even look at ke in the eye as he shook responsibility off his shoulders .

    ke whispered to Boris as he heard him, "You better give that telescope back to me if you don¡¯t want to get transferred to Judd¡¯s ship . "

    He thought, ¡¯Hmph, these guys think that they can take away my fun . I can be as shameless as I can . I am sure that guy Eric is not even giving his Telescope to anyone and protecting it thoroughly while enjoying the beautiful scenery with that telescope . "

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138

    As soon as the Sea of Sea Serpents arrived, they were weed with a big barrage of magically powered ballistas this time . There were huge sts as soon as the Projectiles connected with these lizards . Their Meat was sttered everywhere, while the whole area was full of blood and gore . Swann was quite shocked after watching this sort of confrontation and how the sea serpents aggressively attacked the ships for the first time in his life . All the ships were organized and followed ke¡¯s orders without any hesitation .

    Mark one of the shooter said to Swann as he saw his shocked face, "Be focused kid, it would have been more bloodier if we didn¡¯t have these ballistas with us and this is also the reason why you were allowed to Join us . The seas are beautiful but it is also filled with dangers . You must always remember this .

    The Sea Serpent leader was quite rmed watching this situation and changed their directions as soon as they met a foe which they can¡¯t face, resist or end in mutual destruction .

    Judd nodded as he guided his men, "Good, this is to all the men present here, new and old, It is always better to use full force against sea beasts or else they will devour you the moment they see a chance . Never show any mercy in these seas ornds . I want every one of you to keep this in mind . "

    All of them roared as soon as they heard Judd, "Yes, Sir . "

    Judd nodded as he heard them, "Good, There shouldn¡¯t be any hassles in our journey since you understand the importance of using full force . We will most likely reach the Ind in 4-6 hours since we are going at 2x or 2 . 5x our pace and currently the winds are in our favor . Remember not to ck these 4-6 hours if we confront any new sea monster . "

    Ross nodded as he saw the organization from ke¡¯s men, "Hmm, you have a lot of capable men who are able tomand and keep the men in order . I am quite surprised by theirmanding abilities, how did you gather such capable men . "

    ke simply smiled and felt nostalgic as he spoke, "I have my ways . A lot of them have their own circumstances for joining me, however, remember this, none of them is a criminal so don¡¯t judge them by their appearances or the propaganda of aristocrats . As for them joining me, I guess they wanted shelter and I was the one who provided it to them by coincidence . Anyway, we are near our destination, we will reach in a few hours . Get your men ready for real confrontations when wend on that ind because you don¡¯t know the real horrors of that ind . "

    Ross remarked as he looked at the gun on his belt, "It¡¯s okay, I am quite prepared this time around . Lord gave us a new weapon just in case we face something unpredictable like you mentioned this time around . "

    Ross nodded and thought, ¡¯Well those guns wille in handy if the situation is shaky or a bit dangerous . So there shouldn¡¯t be any worries here or on that Ind . ¡¯

    ****

    Judd soon spoke as he saw the familiar ind which was full of life, "Apart from those Sea Serpents, We quite lucky to not face any dangers this time around reaching this ind . "

    Bran still reminded them, "Well if it was in the past then we would have already lost a lot of our men and attracted other predators because of blood when we faced those Sea serpents . They were only meek this time around because of the incredible force they faced because of the presence of Ballistae . "

    ke nodded as he didn¡¯t add anything .

    ke ordered them in an organized manner so that they can finish making the camp early on, "This ind still hasn¡¯t changed, same old wild beasts roaming on the ind . Men prepare and arm yourselves when you are making a camp on this ind . You need to be careful of both, the small as well as big beasts . First, clear the shore of any wild beasts, Use ballistas, no need to hesitate for saving the projectiles . "

    Ross stopped them and ordered his subordinate to hand every one of them the new guns and bullets, "Wait, before you guysnd, take this weapon in case you find some beasts that are very hard to deal with . Practice it before yound . If you have any questions then you can ask my subordinates . This is the newly developed weapon which was recently developed by the arms workshop . you guys are the only ones who will be using it after Ghosts, So you can understand the importance and honor of using this weapon . The order on this ind will be handled by my men while external threats on this ind will be handled by Admiral ke¡¯s men . Is everyone clear?"

    Everyone roared as they heard Ross, "Yes Sir . "

    ke made a face as if he was disgusted by his own men, ¡¯Damn, these guys are so obedient when this newbie is ordering them around meanwhile no one respects me when I am making a speech . ¡¯

    Judd looked at ke as Ross was ordering them around but didn¡¯t get any signal from ke .

    ke thought as Judd saw him, ¡¯Serves you right bitch . You will always be in the unknown about my ns . ¡¯

    while Bran was smiling so he understood that this was already prenned by both Ross and ke . Judd thought and an angry face, ¡¯Damn them, not informing me beforehand and keeping me in unknown . ¡¯

    The innocent Swann asked Judd as he saw his grumpy face, "What Happened Captain Judd, why is your face a bit angry? Do you want to go to the toilet and hence making an angry face?"

    ke and Branughed as soon as he heard him but didn¡¯t bother to correct him .

    ke then ordered Swann to get back to his Gun training and made a way out for Judd from this embarrassing situation, "Swann go back to your Gun training . The seas were only the starter . be prepared if you don¡¯t want to die on this ind . "

    Judd asked them as Ross¡¯s speech was finished, "Meanwhile, What is the name of this ind?"

    Ross spoke as he heard Judd, "Well, this ind will be named Aurora ind as nortnds are quite an anomaly as exined by Lord and hence the name chosen for his next city . "

    Judd nodded as he quite liked the new name of this ind, "Quite a refreshing name, Good, I like it . Remember this, guys, from now on this ind will be called Aurora Ind or Aurora city when we develop it into a city . You understand, right?"

    One of the menmented as he heard Judd, "Good, so this will be called Aurora Ind from now on . "

    Judd ordered as he saw the men gossiping, "Anyway, get back to work, no cking . Train well with these guns and then build the camp . You can have your time after we establish a good base here . There will be a lot of beasts attack so be careful . ce the Ballistas in the right ce and keep them loaded with magical Projectiles . Shoot them without any hesitation as this will establish our dominance on this ind quite early . You understand?"

    Everyone agreed to him as they heard Judd¡¯s speech, "Yes, sir . "

    The men knew that Judd had been here thest time and know a lot about this ind and hence they took his words seriously .

    Judd sighed and continued as he watched the beautiful ind and thought nostalgically while addressing his men, "This ind hasn¡¯t changed a bit . Beautiful but dangerous, we were quite unlucky thest time . The same old mountain in the center of this ind and rivers flowing from north to west and south to east . It¡¯s good we havended in the North-western area of the ind this time . We can very well hide from the eastern patrols of the dwarven kingdom . Well, we didn¡¯t explore the ind fully, this time it will be different . We won¡¯t be prey but predators this time around . "@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139

    ****

    After establishing their camp they were quite at ease as the monster attacks became low as animals on this ind slowly recognized that ke and his men were the natural predators on this ind .

    They were attacked with Dragon-elephants who were quite scary but this time the ballistas and the news guns did the trick as a herd of Dragon-elephants attacked them as night approached . The Dragon-elephants escaped as soon as they saw the firepower of the ballistas .

    A lot of people were quite surprised by the use of new Guns and its use .

    Bran asked Ross as he saw the performance of the Guns, "These guns are quite handy with their destructive power, speed and force . I guess only tough hides can resist them or magic metal armors would be good enough . These bullets are good as well . low resources used and great results with efficiency . "

    Ross had a proud smile on his face, "Of course, Lord personally handed these supplies to us as he thought about the importance of this project while there is a war looming . "

    Judd meanwhile looked at the mulberry cement as all the engineers andborers were busily building the camp, "This agent is quite good, This alone is worth quite a fortune . This agent is quite revolutionary . I guess this is one of the reasons why it is ssified by Count . "

    Meanwhile one of the men came from the forest as he was injured by the wild beasts,

    kemented as he saw one of his injured men, "It looks like Count John was quite right when he said that these guns wille in handy . These guns are quite Mobile, Flexible and easy to use . I guess I will use one as well . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Judd nodded as he saw one of the injured men, "Quite true, however, we will have big consumption on ammunition if this goes on . Is there any n on the manufacture of the ammo?"

    Ross spoke in a rxed manner as he had made all the preparations, "Well, We have enough ammunition tost us for a month so you guys don¡¯t need to worry for now . We will first be exploring this ce for metal mines . After finding a good ce we will make a factory and City near it . Meanwhile, we will be creating a dock over here as our base . I already have the blueprints about the nning of this city . You guys don¡¯t need to worry . I will handle the nning of this city . We will experiment with the first water-based machines over here . Tornwall felt that it would be quite risky to build it at NF city so we will be handling its production over here and then see the results . "

    Judd left after he heard Ross and his assurance, "Well I am going to find the 3 colored bird and exact my revenge on that bitch . That humiliation must be avenged . "

    All the men got busy with making the camp as soon as they docked into Aurora Ind . Ross was busy managing his men to build the Camp, Collect water and food . At the same time, he ordered some of the engineers to go with 10 guards and explore the Ind for any mines which would be useful for them .

    ke nodded and spoke as he watched Ross managing the camp, "You are quite a capable man being able to handle 600 plus men at once . No wonder Count John handed you the task even though you haven¡¯t even grown hair . Count John has quite an eye when ites to picking talents . However, how are you able to handle the old men, because I know from experience that it is hard to manage old capable men even when you have capabilities . "

    Ross furrowed his brows as he heard him, "Hmph, I am already 22 this year, Who are you saying of having no grown hair? As for handling old men? I learned it personally from my Superior Jake by observing him as he also had quite a hard time as well, I think he too was taught by Count John . Even though Lord personally vouched for him, Jake would only get face in public but you would always have to earn respect if you want face and respect in private as well . First woulde strength, then the wits, I guess watching him, I learned it . Anyway, don¡¯t disturb me, I want to finish this camp before nightfall, at least the walls . "

    Ross didn¡¯t mind ke and roared to all the engineers and the men who were preparing the camp, "Make sure to fortify these walls with Mulberry cement and I don¡¯t want any mistakes when ites to making this wall as this concerns the direct safety of all the members . Are you guys clear?"

    All the men roared, "Yes, sir,"

    Ross once again roared and asked, "I can¡¯t hear you, did you guys skip your breakfast?"

    All the men roared in unison, "No sir . We are very much clear . "

    After giving orders to his subordinate, Ross looked towards ke and said to him, "Meanwhile, why don¡¯t you and your men hunt those animals who are approaching our perimeters . An undisturbed wall would be very good for our initial base . You don¡¯t have to worry about ammunition . We have enough Ammunition tost us a month . "

    ke smiled as he watched Ross¡¯s actions for the first time, "I can see why he choose you to handle the preparations of the base and not your immediate boss, Jake for this project . As only you would be suitable for this project and not him . You are not fully cold but quite an active person but a decisive person . I guess you are a natural leader when ites to interacting with people . Okay, we will prepare and hunt more monsters, I guess we will have a monster feast today, make sure your cooks make good food, I am quite used to the good food provided by the cooks of Count John . "

    Ross reminded ke as he was preparing to leave and hunt the nearby monsters, "By the way, make sure to make a team of 3-5 people at least if your men are wandering through these forests as this would be a more cautious way to explore this ind . "

    ke smiled and said as he heard him, "You are quite a cautious and protective man . "

    Ross nodded, "Well, I value my men¡¯s lives and hence the cautiousness . I guess ites from my boss . Value your men and they will value you . "

    ke smiled as he heard Ross, "Count John is the same . But sometimes it is quite naive to think that you can protect everyone, I like this ideal . However, I believe men should be free . "

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140

    ****

    Swann was wandering around the Ind with his Gun as he saw a herd of Blue horses that was extremely beautiful in the forest . They were fully light blue in color . They had long legs and small protruding fins on both sides which made them seem likepletely different creatures from a different world, they were quite bigger than the best breed of horses currently avable, about 1 . 5 times in size . Swann was quite fascinated as he saw them and decided to follow them in the wood, He thought and followed, "What are these creatures? Are they really horses? They seem like heavenly creatures . "

    "Argh . " Swann frustratingly shot a small red snake that seemed quite dangerous as he was following the horses .

    Hearing the gunshot, The herd was quite bewildered by the sound and ran into the woods sensing danger in the surrounding . Running into the woods they came near a river, however, they kept on moving forward to cross the river without waiting . Meanwhile, Swann was following them continuously and saw them running with bewilderment,

    Looking at the scene he was quite shocked and thought, ¡¯Huh? How are they able to swim in the river with such a big body and that too at the same speed when they were on the ground? What sort of fuckery is this? I think something is fishy . I guess I can only see themter on as I can¡¯t cross the river . I wish I could have gotten one of those horses at least . ¡¯

    Looking at them disappearing into the other side of the river, He thought, "They can make up as good mounts for us in wars or transportation . I should report this to Admiral ke . I hope they won¡¯t be upset at me for sneaking out of the camp . "

    Judd meanwhile was roaming on the ind as he spotted Swann wandering deep into the woods, He called him as soon as he spotted him, "Hey what are you doing here brat? Shouldn¡¯t you be in the camp? And why aren¡¯t you with your mates and roaming alone in these woods? You think you are now a man just because you can kill a hydra? We were the same as you in the past and because of it, we suffered a lot on this ind . We paid the mistakes of our stupidity with our lives . I too was saved because my captain sacrificed his life to save all of us back then . You are the first one to hear this from my mouth . "

    As soon as he said about the past event to Swann, he regretted it and thought, ¡¯Damn, me and my big mouth, always muttering unnecessary things . ¡¯

    Swann ignored theter part and asked Judd, "Aren¡¯t you being a hypocrite, captain Judd? You too are roaming alone on this ind full of beasts and lecturing me about roaming alone . " .

    Swann continued proudly as he showed his new guns to Judd, "And as for my Safety, I already have the guns to protect myself . I already killed 2 beasts on my way . Look at this red snake . "

    Judd was startled a bit but quickly counter questioned him, "What would you do when you run out of bullets to face the beasts? In my Case, look, I could fight them with my swords and knives but you would be a tiger without any fangs and hence I am allowed to roam alone in the forest while you aren¡¯t . Did you get it?"

    Judd sweated and thought as Swann asked him the previous question, He thought, ¡¯Good that this kid is bad at closebat or else I would have lost face in front of this kid for questioning him . Even I sneaked out of the camp to explore the wilds and catch that bitch bird . I guess this kid takes after me when ites to his adventurous spirit . ¡¯

    Swann still looked suspiciously at him this time but Swannter scratched his head and didn¡¯t defy him as he thought that Judd was correct when he said he would be a tiger without fangs .

    He remembered about the horses that he saw earlier and decided to ask about them to Judd if he had any idea on them from their previous exploration, "Judd, This time I encountered some new exotic creatures when I was going through the forest .

    Judd asked confusingly, "What sort of creatures, describe them?"

    Swann remembered and described them, "Blue horses that ran onnd and were able to swim in water with incredible speed . They were very mobile and had acute senses . "

    Judd was suddenly interested as he heard about them and asked, "Really? What did they look like?"

    Swann immediately described his encounter with those horses while Judd was keenly listening to him . Judd pretty got the idea on these horses as he heard him .

    As Judd heard about them he was quite astonished and surmised, "Interesting, I can see why these horses are still able to survive on this ind . I guess they are magical creatures with water magic and have very high mobility whether it isnd or water, I am sure they can survive underwater as well . You made quite a good discovery this time around Swann . If we can breed these horses then we would have a very big ace in naval andnd confrontation . ke would be quite happy after hearing this news . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Meanwhile, Swann murmured, "I guess they are offsprings of that Sea dragon as they have so many abilities . "

    As Judd heard him he irritatingly spoke, "Bullshit, Don¡¯t scare me unnecessarily . Anyway, we are returning to the base, roaming alone is quite dangerous over here as night is approaching . We are leaving"

    Judd sensed something and said thest sentence in a cold tone that could chill the spines of everyone present .

    Swann agreed this time and followed him as he saw the change in tone, "Who knows, Anyway its night so I guess I will follow you . "

    As both Judd and Swann left, a small creature¡¯s shadow could be seen . The creature was of average height as it didn¡¯t decide to follow Swann and Judd after observing the weapon for a long time and watching the fates of other wild animals . Meanwhile, it sensed danger from Judd .

    Meanwhile, in the forest, Judd spoke as he killed animals he thought were dangerous and attacking them, "This weapon is quite a handful when dealing with those beasts . Additionally, this weapon is quite cool, I guess Lord John is quite a handful in making these things . Be careful of the small beasts, especially the red snakes or ck cheetahs, they are one of the most dangerous animals because of their speed and hidden abilities that we encounteredst time . You should always kill them from a range . Target the eyes of your enemies most of the time as they are the weakest and most vulnerable ces of any animal . Do you understand?"

    Swann nodded as he followed Judd in the forest .

    Swann murmured as he saw the volume of animals increasing minute by minute, "It seems the animals are increasing as the day is passing by while the night ising near . No wonder Admiral ke warned us about the nights here at Aurora Ind .

    ****

    Both Judd and Swann arrived at the camp . During their time in the Forest, they faced a lot more dangerous beasts as they arrived safely because of the guns .

    Swann thought as he reached the camp, ¡¯Its good that I met Captain Judd this time around or it would have been a difficult journey and I would have worried others unnecessarily . ¡¯

    However, he didn¡¯t know that others would have already worried about Judd as well since he too ran off from the camp .

    Judd spoke to Swann as soon as they reached the camp, "This time as you remained well-behaved so I will not report you to ke . Always follow your mates when you are nning to explore the Ind, This ind is full of dangers, you know . Tomorrow you wille with me to explore those horses which you witnessed . "

    Swann looked suspiciously at him when he heard him, he thought, ¡¯Why is he bing so generous to me suddenly? Something is fishy for sure . "

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141

    Judd saw that Swann was still making a face as if he found something and immediately dismissed him so as to not raise any of his suspicions, "Okay we will leave for now . Go and rest . "

    Judd thought as he decided to go to his quarters quietly, ¡¯Damn, the kids these days are so hard to handle, they doubt every damn thing just because of my reputation . Can¡¯t they just respect me as a senior?¡¯

    Meanwhile, Bran was just behind Judd when he heard him lecturing Swann, Bran smiled and asked both of them, "Judd why don¡¯t we report this matter to ke . I don¡¯t think anyone would mind . "

    Judd was immediately rmed as he heard Bran from behind, "No Bran, no, he is just a kid so it¡¯s nothing serious everyone has an exploring spirit, right?"

    He then whispered into his ears, "Damn fatty, okay you win, don¡¯t make me lose face in front of this kid, he will gossip about this to everyone for sure if I lose face . I can give you that new bottle of wine which I stole from ke¡¯s room earlier . How about it, Deal? Don¡¯t make me lose face, Please . "

    Bran smiled and saw his haggard expression and gave the signal that he agreed and spoke to Swann, "Okay Judd, on your ount I won¡¯t report this . Kid, Go back, We have to go into the forest tomorrow for exploration . "

    Swann thought before he left, ¡¯Something is definitely fishy here . That Selfish Asshole Judd is helping me this time around, I can¡¯t believe it . Both of them are definitely nning something . Anyway, I better make preparations for tomorrow as we will try to find those horses . ¡¯

    ****

    Meanwhile, Judd was in ke¡¯s room as he reported about Swann¡¯s encounter in the forest today .

    ke thought as he heard him, "Hmmm, So this time that brat found some unique horses which could be quite helpful for us . I think they would be quite hard to tame since they live on this ind and might be dangerous . However, it would be worth a shot if they can be tamed, if what he ims that they can swim in water is true . Then These horses could add apletely new dimension to naval andnd warfare . Okay, you make your preparations to explore the forest tomorrow . Take more men with you to catch them . "

    Judd was surprised and asked ke, "You aren¡¯t angry at that kid even after that previous incident?"

    ke shook his head and said with a smile on his face, "Nah, Men should be free and their wings open if they wish to grow . We had made our choices and we shouldn¡¯t mull over it . That kid is just like you: unbridled and uncontroble, of course, that is only applicable for you . Meanwhile take care when you guys explore the forest, take extra ammunition in case of emergencies . "

    @@novelbin@@

    ****

    Royal Family¡¯s reaction to war .

    King Lionheart meanwhile saw a report from Ambassador Luke,

    King Lionheart roared as soon as he saw the report, "What, that shorty is starting a war with him just because his son died? Did he really announce it? Doesn¡¯t he know this would unintentionally involve that half-elf as well and create a civil war if that elf decides to help that count no matter the cost?"

    Ambassador Luke then reported to him another thing, "Yes, he announced it at his banquet . They have already started propaganda in Laguna east domain . This time even the radiant church is funding them from behind the scenes because of the humiliation faced by Francis at the hands of Count John . This is also one of the reasons why Fjord is uncontroble this time as he has the funding of the Radiant Church while he has gathered enough lords for his campaign . "

    Luke continued as he reported about the eastern borders, "Additionally, the dwarves too have increased their patrols on our eastern borders and hence indirectly Fjord is warning us if we take any actions . This is also one of the reasons why the ministers are reluctant to sanction Fjord or this would be more problematic as Fjord would think that we are prioritizing the Count more while he is higher in the hierarchy . I too think taking a neutral stand is the best course of action this time around based on the current events . "

    Lionheart thought with a calm head and asked, "Okay, What about those ballistas? Has he delivered the blueprints yet? Winter is just 2 months away . "

    Luke thought and spoke, "Yes, they are going to be delivered in a few days . He hopes that we give him political support this time around . "

    Luke then continued as he spoke, "I have promised him that as long as he and his men are innocent then we will support him as the radiant church is supporting Fjord from behind the scenes . What do you think, Lord?"

    Lionheart shook his head and spoke, "Cancel that promise as soon as you receive the Ballista blueprints . Give him reasons that investigation is still going and drag this matter till the end of the war . "

    Luke surprisingly looked at Lionheart and asked, "Are you sure, Milord?"

    Lionheart arrogantly spoke, "Yes, he has no other use than his ballistas . And once we have it, what can we get from him? We will strike him if given a chance at the end of the war or make a deal to take those new technologies in the war when he is in dire straits to take them legally . Yes, we will make the most out of this war . This war can subsequently weaken Fjord, Meanwhile, the threat of Dwarves can be solved as long as we those Blueprints and ballistas fitted onto our naval assets . "

    Lionheart was quite proud of his n as he nned to strengthen the royal family¡¯s power this time around .

    Luke reminded as the king was in his dreams of dominating everything, "What about the Bluesea house, This could be a pandora¡¯s box if not controlled well? After investing so much I don¡¯t think they would easily give up their investment which they made in that count . We could suffer the consequences in the form of assassinations . "

    Lionheart huffed angrily as he spoke, "That shorty already opened the Pandora¡¯s box so nothing can be done . We have to make our choices and I guess that court will get the short end of it this time around . I am only thinking of measures which can give the best results for us . Bring in to and Master Eanred as well . This time we would require their counsel so that we can control this war from the shadows . "

    Lionheart smiled mysteriously and added, "As for Bluesea house, we don¡¯t need to worry about them as we have prepared something for them as well . I was quite reluctant about their proposal before but I can consider it this time around since the circumstances demand us right now . "

    Luke¡¯s spine chilled as he heard him and remembered the Fire-Abyss prince¡¯s secret arrival just a few days ago and understood what King Lionheart was thinking .

    ¡¯I guess something big will happen since the king is considering their proposal . However, I wonder why is that count doing the stupidity of giving his weapons to us so early . Is there some trap or is he overconfident in himself?¡¯

    Luke left to bring in to and Eanred so that their meeting and discussions could start .

    ****

    Both to and Eanred met in the hall when they were going to King Lionheart¡¯s Chambers .

    Eanred spoke in a grumpy voice as soon as he saw to, "It seems something serious is taking ce since both of us are called . Even that Brat Luke is here today . I guess this is all because of that shorty . "

    to smiled and spoke as he heard Eanred, "Well, I expected this meeting to take ce after Fjord¡¯s announcement . I have a pretty good solution for this time¡¯s problem . Meanwhile, how was your ritual when you and your old friends tried itst time around? Were there any results?"

    Eanred sighed as he remembered about the previous ritual that took ce, "Don¡¯t even make me remember it, this was aplete failure, I think it is the future that is constantly changing so it is very hard to predict the major events that will ur in the north this time around . What we saw was a lot of dead bodies that can¡¯t be identified how they died, The eye of the storm being the borders of North-frontier city . I sense something ominous is going to ur this time around . and rest was all a fog of war . Such an amount of resources spent and we can¡¯t even see the face of that Count and predict from his reaction on what would happen next . Well, lets go in and see what will happen, in the end, it is the decision of the king, we can only counsel and guide him . "

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143

    ****

    Meanwhile, in the eastern port city, Henry was currently finishing the funeral of his Wife . With determination in his eyes, he spoke in front of Lucia¡¯s grave, "Your sacrifice won¡¯t go in vain, Lucia . I was too naive or being intentionally naive and believed that my efforts would be awarded . I guess I will stick to my ideals for the first time in my life after getting released from my shackles of the oath . "

    Henry saw that a lot of Warships that were gathering at the Eastern Port and murmured, "I guess war is really approaching this time around . I wonder if Count John can resist Duke Fjord¡¯s fleet with his ballistas and their range . Judging from Fjord¡¯s personality he might already be drooling over this weapon and increase his power no matter the cost . "

    Henry then looked south nostalgically and spoke as he left the town with a determined look, "I guess I need to fulfill my promise I made to you, Lucy . I will be heading to Iron Rainforest, Sapphire¡¯s domain . I guess I will make him honor his promise after all these years . I never asked him but this time I will ask him . I hope Lucius can find me if hears about my presence at Southern Domain . "

    In a nearby pub, A few dwarves were chatting in an unknownnguage,

    @@novelbin@@

    One Dwarf name Wilson spoke, "Why don¡¯t we sneak in and take one of those ballistas installed in those ships of Morgan family or Count John . "

    The head of dwarves named, Greg spoke, "You think I haven¡¯t tried that already? I already lost a lot of men trying to steal those weapons . Even the local thugs call it a grave and are refusing even to scout the ships . Those Assassin demons of the Bluesea house protect them stealthily at night, We can¡¯t expose ourselves by getting desperate . We are not the only ones who are sending people to steal that weapon . Even that pussy baron, Mendez¡¯s men don¡¯t dare offend them in case Count John gets angry and assassinate him or his loved ones . Haven¡¯t you seen his Antonio? Even he has lost his previous arrogance . "

    Wilson furrowed his brows but didn¡¯t rebut him and asked about another thing, "What about Tornwall? Wasn¡¯t he dead or kidnapped by mercenaries? What do we do about him? We can get Blueprints from him since he designed it . Additionally, hasn¡¯t he already revealed a lot of our technologies . Don¡¯t we need to assassinate him as he is a traitor?"

    Greg only shook his head and spoke, "We are going there to learn craftsmanship from him . We are not doing anything of that sort, he is a prided jewel of our kingdom, it would be good if we can convince him toe back . Additionally, there is a lot of surveince and protection given to all the important men close to Count John . We don¡¯t want to suffer the same fate as that guy, Francis . You might not know but he was given incredible torture and hence his confessionst time around or do you think those stubborn guys would budge so easily?"

    Wilson disagreed and spoke, "What about those protections? Don¡¯t we have those new weapons?"

    Greg then continued with a serious face, "Though we have developed Shot, we can¡¯t reveal it so early in the game . Those weapons won¡¯t be released until there is a major war or we have produced enough of them to dominatend and waters . And he might have a lot of things from Runemasters to protect himself . So we can¡¯t be sure of the assassination . And if we fail they will get our weapon and this will expose the dwarf kingdom, at least to that count . "

    Another dwarf named Jackson spoke in a serious manner and with a cold expression as soon as Wilson mentioned about shot, "Wilson, listen to Head, he is correct . Don¡¯t be hotheaded . We can¡¯t act as we wish . Remember we are not at home but as spies here . And don¡¯t make me say it twice . Greg, you are the same, act as a leader as you are . Don¡¯t make me solve your problems . Wilson, As for being a traitor, who knows who is the real traitor, I am only going to follow orders, nothing more, nothing less . You should do the same for your well being . Don¡¯t involve yourself too much into politics or you might lose your life in the future because of your lose mouth . "

    Jackson didn¡¯t speak anything as hepleted his piece .

    Wilson didn¡¯t speak anything as he heard Jackson as he was quite afraid of him . Meanwhile, the other dwarves kept their mouth shut as it seemed like this whole group didn¡¯t wish to speak a word on the topic of being a traitor .

    Watching everyone keep quiet, Greg nodded and concluded, "Okay, we will go to North-frontier town and try to get blueprints since it seems war ising here . It was good that Fjord¡¯s helped us prate this deep in the nortnds . From now on, we need to be careful as there is a lot of surveince at North-frontier town . We just need to act like other dwarves over there . Not high and mighty, Are you clear, Wilson? And you should remember what Jackson said earlier . Never mention that ever again, he is saying this for your well being . "

    Wilson nodded and agreed .

    Greg ordered everyone watching Wilson agree, "Okay, lets go to the hotel and rest, we will leave for the north-frontier city tomorrow morning . "

    ****

    One of the people from town asked Tornwall as he saw him making machine parts, "Looking at your face, It seems you are real busy these days, Tornwall,"

    Tornwall smiled and replied to "Yes, This time I am coborating with that brat Ryfon and making the Clock tower which is really important for the town and hence the workload . "

    Tornwall thought, ¡¯I guess production of Guns is one of the reasons for this load . However, this is really important for the uing war . It¡¯s good that everyone is normal even after that explosive news from Duke Fjord . ¡¯

    He still spoke in a worrying manner, "All work and no fun is no good Tornwall, you should always take care of your body . "

    ****

    One of the journalists named Ealdron was recently working at the Rose Institute, He was an elf who arrived here from the Sapphire domain as he wanted to explore North-frontier town after hearing about it .

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146

    ****

    John spoke reading one of the reports from his spies, "It seems that the Royal family has decided and made their choice . It seems they still value the internal harmony and reduction of losses and hence their indirect support to Duke Fjord . I guess they have forced us this time around . This time they will see a war that was never witnessed in this continent . Taylor, from now on gather as much food as possible, even if it means buying at exorbitant prices from other domains, try making trade routes to the southern ind of Elf kingdom as well . This time we can¡¯t trust the Royal Family as they may go back on their deal . The way they are encouraging people to migrate here at North-Frontier town reflects that they will use food as big leverage from now on and wait for the perfect time to strike us when we are in need dire need of food . I am sure they too are nning for raids in secrets . That would mainly be internally on our Granaries I think . Anyway, Increase the security of the Granary . As for the Immigrants, we will take in more people, as our domain will need people in the future and this works to our benefit . The Royal Family is just behaving the way I expected them to . I guess they are easy to manipte . "

    Taylor nodded and added his position on the current matter, "Lord, it¡¯s good that we can already make contacts with the elves because of Duke Sapphire . Their Nature magic with our Newest Technologies and farming techniques will increase agricultural production in our domain, manyfold . I will try to contact Elves on a personal level as well . When our biggest trade fleet travels there, I will send our naval fleet as well to protect them . "

    John nodded, "Yes, it will be a big and good opportunity for us . We have to start making preparations for their arrival as said by Duke Sapphire . I hope to get their co-operation in exchange for Nature magic . I want this meeting to be a sess . Make the best of our preparations which goes well with their local culture . If needed hire a man who is adept at Elvish culture in south . "

    Taylor noted the requirements on a memo and spoke, "Yes, Lord . I will make sure that this meeting will be a sess for us . "

    ****

    Meanwhile, Ross read a letter which was addressed to him and spoke to ke soon afterward, "ke, you will have to leave for now and Join Eric at the eastern port . I hope you can report to Lord that we have found a lot of metal mines and some new types of mines that we are investigating currently . However, our biggest gain this time is the magic metal mine from our exploration this time around . Making ammunition, as well as our guns and Ballistae, would give us the best results with the magic metal . It is a piece of big news for our domain since war is near . I hope you can ry it to Lord personally . "

    ke nodded, "Well, that¡¯s all okay, but what about those blue horses, I feel they will be our biggest assets in case of war . They are quite mobile in water as well asnd .

    "Hmmm . . . For the blue horses . We will keep them here . We are calling it Aurora Horses as they are the native of this ind . You only need to report about them directly to Lord Taylor or Lord himself . Because I feel taking Aurora Horses to the maind will expose their uniqueness and people will naturally be curious about them which will, in turn, expose this ind and our base . I think we should keep them hidden . Make sure to make a gag order so that no one spills one bean about it . We will use these horses in the war for invasion as well as escape, additionally they will be great for kiting . "

    @@novelbin@@

    ke asked confusingly, "What is kiting?"

    Ross smiled and spoke, "A new term made by Lord . You will understandter on . "

    ke nodded even though he didn¡¯t understand, "True, I too feel they would be our biggest assets in the war, they can tackle geographical advantages and are quite diverse with a lot of mobilitypared to normal horses . Well I still need to know what is kiting . "

    Ross reminded Tornwall, "Meanwhile, tell Master Tornwall that he can send his disciple Tim immediately as we can start other operations over here as it is safe nowpared to before . From the letters and reports, this time it seems that Fjord will start sending his hordes of ships and start raiding soon enough as there has been an increase in the number of ships as well as the posture of their navy on Morgan fleet which travels north regrly . Morgan family will be in danger if they don¡¯t get our support in time . They only have 5 ships . These days they are only traveling with Duke Rose¡¯s ship to avoid confrontation as Duke Rose¡¯s men too are armed with Ballistae . "

    ke frustatingly spoke, "Such a hassle man, can¡¯t you just write and jot it down to report it to Lord . How do you expect me to remember so many things at once?"

    Ross shook his head, "Nah, there is a lot of confidential information this time . Lord specifically said that he wanted to hear it from your mouth or your trusted men¡¯s mouth himself as he doesn¡¯t want to leak any information this time . With so much information, I naturally wouldn¡¯t have trusted you but I guess this time orders are orders . All of us have to follow them . "

    ke sighed in front of inevitable circumstances, "Okay, would you be okay with 3 ships over here?"

    Ross thought and spoke, "Hmm . . . 3 ships are okay for now, bring more supplies for ammunition, next time you travel . During this war, you can use this ind as your base and take them by surprise in case something expected happens . I think you will get more ships on the way youe here . This time I am going to make shipyard over here so that we can realize all the new types of ships that Lord wishes to make this time around . "

    keughed as he heard about the shipyard and ships, "hahaha, Good I will be hoping for a big and armed shipyard along with the coast . I expect nothing less from the new inventions of Lord John¡¯s Designs . Okay, I will be Leaving now . "

    ****

    On the Western front in a certain Manor,

    Lukavv spoke to Duncan after hearing the new reports, "This time, we will act against Felix when the Radiant church focuses and reduces their surveince on us and increasing their focus on Count John . This time I will catch all of those assholes unprepared . He will be tortured just like his knights whomitted that sin in the past . I have never forgotten that night . Felix will beg me to kill him when I catch him . As for that old man, I will make sure to make him go insane after he hears of this news . Hmph . . he thinks I don¡¯t know about his deliberate ignorance and his support to him behind the scenes just because I loved Apophis who was Demon girl . He seems to think that I don¡¯t know about his disdain for the demons . This kingdom will be in turmoil after Fjord starts his raid and I will make sure it is in chaos . "

    Duncan nodded and agreed, "Yes Milord . Our armies are all set for your orders . We are fully prepared to raid our enemies . "

    Lukav nodded, "Okay, What are the report¡¯s on Hector¡¯s side?"

    Duncan took out a document and spoke, "From our reports, he will attack Count John after the war starts . It seems he hasn¡¯t heeded your advice . Do you still want to save him?"

    Lukav shook his head as he heard Duncan, "No, it is his choice . I will only consider it if hees to me . "

    Duncan cautiously asked, "What about count John? I think he is someone who values words . Hector has offended him a lot of times . If it were you in Count¡¯s ce, you would have already killed him or a conspiracy would have been going on to kill him . Meanwhile, Count John is also aware of Hector¡¯s n of assassinating him long ago . When Evan¡¯s incident happened Hector decided to stop that assassination . This time as well this war has started because of Hector¡¯s conspiracy . You might already know that, right?"

    Lukav thought nostalgically and then spoke with determination, "I guess then this is Hector¡¯s fate as he takes a lot after Felix . I guess this start of the war is still good for us as I won¡¯t get the same chance ever again to catch Felix again . Okay, I have decided, We will start collecting strategic resources and also order more of those ballistas from Count John . Offer him Critical information as he would most likely want to arm himself with information right now . My revenge for Apophis is greater than anything in this world, I will make sure that our n seeds this time around . Those assholes will pay for what they did to Apophis . No one can stop me this time around . Not even my mother . "

    Duncan listened and spoke, "Okay, Milord . Is there anything else?

    Lukavv reconfirmed again, "Are there any suspicious movements from anyone . "

    Duncan thought about suspicious movements and thought about Ralph, "I think Ralph is one and another one would be Count John himself as he is increasing the northern patrols nowadays with the new ships he bought . While Charlie also is making suspicious movements this time around with Radiant church contacting him frequently . Currently, Charlie¡¯s whereabouts are unknown . Meanwhile, I think Count John is overthinking that the dwarves will invade and hence his increase in patrolling in the northern waters nowadays . "

    Lukavv spoke with a grave tone, "Maybe, there is something else . My instincts say so . I don¡¯t think Count John would worry about dwarves right now at least and even if the dwarves invade this time they will be in for a surprise with these new weapons . And they would not be foolish enough to invade without any inspection and surveince on local popce . I don¡¯t think they will invade until the end of this war when Fjord asks their help . "

    Duncan thought about certain scenarios and agreed but thought about a certain report, "I guess this is true as well . They won¡¯t invade without thinking, but from the reports, these days they had a lot of aggressive patrols in the eastern waters . It seems something has changed, at least when ites to their patrols . I guess I am only imagining . There is also another peculiarity to note, Recently Count John and his men are buying food at an rming rate and that too at exorbitant prices . Should we be rmed?"

    Lukav smiled and spoke, "As expected he doesn¡¯t trust that slimy old man . I think he already guessed that old man¡¯s intentions and hence his buying spree . The only thing he has to worry about is the old man Eanred and the dragon knights who can change the battlefield within a short time after they are deployed . Anyways, we will attack Felix¡¯s castle after Fjord starts his Raids on Count John . At that time the Church would be more focused on the eastern hemisphere . At that time I will see how that Asshole David saves Felix¡¯s ass . After Felix, David will be the one who we will target and try to capture . They won¡¯t have an easy death after what they did Apophis . "

    Duncan sighed as he heard Lukav and thought nostalgically, ¡¯I guess the end fate of Apophis was the turning point in Lord¡¯s life . She had a lot of influence on the lord . I guess Lord truly Loved Apophis, both lord and that girl are pitiful souls indeed . That pope indeed is a devil in white clothes clinging to power by any means . I guess he feared lords influence on the Radiant church and the kingdom if he married a demon girl . Even Lionheart was no good . A corrupt man, I guess thises because of his fight for the throne with his brother . ¡¯

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150

    Shannon smiled and simply gave small hints to him, "Yes, This time something big will happen . Expect for the good news if everything goes ording to the ns . I can¡¯t give you any more details . But it will be a big operation this time around . "

    Shannon thought, ¡¯Currently we are going to make our biggest raid in the history of Fjord¡¯s reign . Last time we did such a raid was against the Dwarves, Elves and that half-elf . I guess looking at the size of the fleet . This is a much bigger raid, I guess this will mark the start of Ballistae War . ¡¯

    Shannon sighed and spoke in a light tone, "This time even Darius is joining us in our raids, I hope he doesn¡¯t ruin my ns . Okay, I will leave for now . I have a meeting with Minister Jonas for now before I leave . I will meet youter"

    "Darius, hmm . . . Lately, he has been grumpy a lot . I hope everything goes well . I will leave for now . "

    ***

    At the Laguna Mansion, there was a meeting going on between the ministers .

    Duke Fjord asked one of his ministers, "So report me, are there any new developments on that upstarts end? And how are the preparations for the war going on? are we ready for a full-scale war yet?"

    One of the ministers spoke, "Yes Lord, We are already prepared, Captain Shannon is going to carry out the biggest raid in our history that he started yesterday . We will be indiscriminately targetting the north and eastern ships going north for trade and the same for the shipsing south . The war will officially start from tomorrow as they will meet the ships tomorrow and ambush them . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Jonas, Grim¡¯s strategist reported, "As for any unusual or new developments, The Radiant Church is recently contacting Prince Charlie a lot while that upstart Count is recently worried about the dwarf invasion and is currently increasing the northern patrols in case of an invasion by them . We also recently helped those spies to prate deep inside the Northern domain . "

    Fjord nodded as he heard about the dwarven spies, "Okay, no need to speak more on those spies, there are many ears in this court . What about the movements of the Temr armies of the Radiant Church . Are there any movements from their side?"

    Jonas nodded, "Recently, they have all been recalled at the Radiant City . While some are deployed for the safety of Bishop Robert in North . I guess they too are preparing something . This time our naval fleet will certainly be able to teach that count a lesson . We are also fully prepared to take those new ballistas from that count¡¯s fleet . We have also hired a lot of engineers and craftsmen to replicate that weapon when we get our hands on it . We will be making full use of the speed of our ships to dominate them in water . While Lord Darius is also apanying Admiral Shannon with his knights in this raid on the Morgan family ships . The Morgan family fleet is not being apanied by Duke Sapphire and hence this would be our best chance to attack and get those ballistae with minimum casualties . "

    Fjord nodded, "Okay, we will wait for the good news . I hope they don¡¯t disappoint me . "

    ***

    In the Eastern Seas,

    One of Shannon¡¯s subordinate reported him about the current status, "Captain we are ready, We will most likely meet them in a few hours . "

    Shannon nodded after hearing the report, "Okay, alert the men and make sure they are ready . I don¡¯t want anyone cking off today . This time our targets are those ballistas in Morgan Family Ships, so everyone needs to be focused . I have also deployed 50 ships so that we have a numbers advantage over them which would be helpful in acquiring the ships . This will be the biggest raid for me and I guess this would also mark the start of North-South War as it would likely engulf the north mainly andter south if Duke Sapphire Retaliates . "

    The subordinate thought and asked, "I don¡¯t think we should be worried about the south . Aren¡¯t all those lords who were rallied recently are at southern borders facing Duke Sapphire¡¯s army . "

    Shannon nodded and agreed, "True, they were bought so that they can contain Duke Rose . As for the real battle, it will take ce in the seas . However, we need to be careful and things can change at any time . As for Darius, how is he currently?"

    Subordinate as he heard about Darius, "Lord, Currently he is with Lord Grim in one of the other ships . They said they won¡¯t be interfering with your decisions so you can handle the whole fleet as you wish . "

    Shannon looked at one of the ships where Grim and Darius were traveling as he heard some voices and spoke, "Then, why do I hear the voices of women? Are we here for a pic?"

    The subordinate hesitated and finally spoke, "Lord, Actually, it was Darius and Lord Grim who bought those women at the end moment . They thought that as we have the numbers advantage they can . . . "

    Shannon was quite infuriated but kept his calm and spoke, "Enough . No need to exin . I hope they don¡¯t interfere with my ns because of their antics and happy pic . It seems they are already near . Ready the men for raids regardless of any promise I make to them . Do you understand?"

    Subordinate nodded and left to inform everyone on the main ship, "Yes, Sir, I will immediately inform the men . "

    ***

    scout rang bells as soon as he spotted the ships 5 km away from them at both the sides and informed Sean,

    Scout asked Eric and Sean, "Captain, Sean, There is a big fleet of 50 fifty Ships surrounding us . What are your orders?"

    Sean Spoke to Eric and the Scout, "It seems they have finally decided to attack us now that we are not traveling with Duke Rose¡¯s ships . "

    Eric gave orders as soon as he saw the report, "No need to panic, it was expected . It seems they are finally all but ready for War . Sean, it will be a big battle this time around . Prepare all of our men for battle . It¡¯s good that they were able to rest before this uing battle . Inform Everyone, We will fire at will without any hesitation . As soon as they reach the 500 meters mark, use the full force of our attacks, this includes the runic ballistas as well . This time we will show them what real wrath and war is like, We will make sure none of them survives this brutal battle . "

    As their fleet came near, Shannon ordered his men, "Bring me the tool . "

    "Yes, Sir . "

    Admiral Shannon used a magic tool to convey his orders before Eric¡¯s fleet of 5, "Captain Eric of Morgan Family, As long as you surrender without bloodshed I am sure our Lord will take mercy upon you guys and give the minimum punishment for your offense . Remember this is the eastern seas, where only the Fjord naval fleet rules over it after the Royal Family and you can do nothing when you are outnumbered so massively with a 10:1 ratio by us . As I know you are one of the smart men belonging to the Morgan Family, you can do well to save the lives of your crew mates . We don¡¯t want any unnecessary blood spilled . You guys can very well join our army if you drop your arms while at the same time you can get wages at officer level men if you can provide us the expertise on those ballistas . "

    Eric too bought a tool tomunicate,

    Ericughed as he heard Shannon, "Ohh Please, Don¡¯t give me that Bullshit, Do you really think I am a naive young man who will your lies? And you really have so much power to bestow us all these things? The very fact of Henry¡¯s fate is already clear to most of the men from North-frontier city despite his Loyalty . At the same time, we have spoiled Fjord¡¯s party a lot of times when you guys tried to raid us even with the help of Pirates . It was good that the pirates understood who was the king of seas and backed down after watching the fate of the main pirate group funded by Duke Fjord . "

    Eric made a face full of mockery and asked, "So do you really think that Duke Fjord will be merciful to us? I think, by mercy, you mean a quick death, right? As for that offer, we already get good sries by Joseph, it is the same as Count John¡¯s officers . "

    "As for you guys, you will face a fate far worse than those pirates who we annihted earlier . your very honor of knights will be a hindrance for you today . This time I will make sure to prate the word called fear right into your bones . "

    Darius was watching themotion for a long time,

    Darius couldn¡¯t take it any longer and roared, "The fuck are we waiting for after this humiliation? Charge . "

    Shannon¡¯s subordinate looked at Shannon for orders . Shannon nodded which indicated that the order will be followed . Shannon finally gave orders, "Don¡¯t Stop . Keep Advancing . "

    Finally, both the fleets were 1 km away from each other .

    Eric still gave orders calmly after watching Fjord¡¯s fleet on both the sides, "Fire the ballistae as soon as theye in 500m range . No need to bother about the bullshit he spoke earlier . These guys need to be taught what is real fear in their minds so that they will think twice before attacking us again . "

    Grim was quite surprised after watching Eric¡¯s behavior while Darius roared after hearing Eric rebuke and ordered his men ignoring Shannon, "No one will hold back, I will make sure that these guys will wish for death after such a promation . Follow right behind the vanguard, we will be targetting the main ship of that arrogant son of a bitch . "

    Eric sighed as he saw the scene and coldly ordered his men that would im a lot of lives, "Fire . No holding back . This will be our biggest battle today . We the men of seas should Live like a king and Die like a king . We will either go back with Honor and victory in our hands or Die with honor protecting our ideals and resolution . No need to worry about your families if we die . You can take my guarantee that the Lord will honor all of his promises even if it means that he is going bankrupt . "

    Sean smiled and spoke, "Are you really saying this at such time? We have followed you for such a long time . Everyone understands the importance of this battle . "

    This time Grim thought, "Why are these guys still unfazed by such arge force? Are their minds made of steel or have they gone mad just because they have some ballistas?"

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151

    One of the knights on the vanguard ship spoke, "This will be a piece of cake for us . The very huge fleet of ours is enough to create fear and intimidate them . I am sure those men are pissing in their pants after watching this big fleet of ours and are only following orders because they are afraid of their superiors . "

    Another Old knight spoke cautiously, "However we can¡¯t underestimate them, I heard those ballistae have a range of around 350 meters and can do a lot of damage to ships . Last time one of the patrols suffered the same because they underestimated those ballistas . "

    The young knight shrugged and spoke, "You are worrying for no reason, Old man . This time, we have the number superiority as well as the tactical superiority as we have ambushed them . They can¡¯t possibly have anticipated this attack as this was a top-secret mission . I will make sure those guys feel the wrath of provoking knights of house Laguna . "

    The Old knight sighed as he spoke, "This is your first war boy, you don¡¯t understand anything . War is not something anyone can predict . A cornered rabbit is something we must be most wary of and that is the reason you don¡¯t understand war . However, remain behind me kid or you will be consumed as cannon fodder . We have reached anyway, be ready and don¡¯t be distracted . "

    @@novelbin@@

    The vanguard soon reached the firing range of the Ballistas of Eric¡¯s Fleet .

    Sean roared and soon the sounds of fire began roaring in the whole area . The sea animals were scared after hearing the fire of ballistas as they made a distance for themselves . Even the usually aggressive Hydras were not approaching the area of battle .

    The ballistas were fired indiscriminately by Eric¡¯s men without a flinch . There was a lot of noise and passionate cheersing from Fjord¡¯s naval fleet when they were charging . In between, there was a lull as soon as the ballistae connected with the vanguard from both sides . There was a surprise from both sides as soon as the ballistas connected with ships . Apart from Eric and Sean, no one knew about the real firepower and range of these runic projectiles . There was a lull from Shannon¡¯s fleet while Eric¡¯s men burst into cheers as they felt hope for the first time after watching them .

    The first ships that were hit by the ballistas were immediately set on fire because of the fire and wind magic on the projectiles . This was added by the fact that the mini-ballistas were fired with oil skstched on to them whenever a ship came near them .

    The men in the ships hit by ballistas were scrambling for their lives while some were helping their mates who were already on fire .

    One of the knights, who was previously very enthusiastic hoarsely spoke after watching one of his mates on fire, "What is this, I never thought we would be facing these kinds of monstrous weapons . What are these weapons? We never got a report on these weapons . "

    This scene was taking ce everywhere as they tried to save their men . Many died in the raging fires of these ruthless ballistas . Many private cabins of the officers were set on fire . It was chaos everywhere as one of the helmsman too caught fire when they were advancing .

    The young knight looked with rageful eyes towards Eric who had a cold expression on his face as he gave orders to shoot the ships one by one without any stop .

    The knight took his sword and was about to charge into the sea when the old man held him back . "So, do you understand, what is war? You will die if you charge mindlessly . Remember we were the ones who tried to raid them, not the other way around . "

    Eric didn¡¯t even saw the young knight . For the first time the young knight felt helpless .

    Eric was very eagerly watching Grim and Darius¡¯s ship that was behind the vanguard .

    Meanwhile Grim was quite surprised by the sheer raw power of these ballistas .

    Grim asked one of his men, "Hey, was there any report which indicated this type of firepower from these ballistas?"

    The subordinated answered with a bit of fear as he saw Grim, "No Sir . I think this is their new weapon which they had prepared for a long time and are using right now . What we are watching is a totally new weapon . The range, as well as the firepower of this weapon, exceeds what we knew previously from our reports . "

    Grim spoke gravely as he saw the other ships, "It seems, this was one of their trump cards . I guess we have grossly miscalcted in the raid this time . We will die if we follow the vanguard . From my guess, they are using runic projectiles without any hint of regret . Such a waste of precious runic projectiles . It looks like we have faced a cornered rabbit this time around and they are finally forced to use it . "

    Shannon was quite surprised by the firepower and range of the ballistas but he kept his calm and ordered his men, "No need to be afraid, keep up with the charge, our mission this time is to get those Ballistas . And if we run at this point then this operation will be doomed without any results . We will try to engage them in melee and try to focus on one of their ships . "

    Darius meanwhile was hoarsely screaming at the captain of his ship, "No, we can¡¯t follow this vanguard which is even less sturdy than a stack of papers . We will be doomed if we go any further . And that asshole Eric is keeping a watch on our ship as wee into his firing range . We will die a dogs death if we move further . Follow my orders, forget Shannon, turn the direction to the western side . We are moving back . "

    Captain looked at Grim and he too nodded which indicated that he agreed with Darius¡¯s opinion .

    Grim thought, ¡¯It¡¯s good that I bought Darius along with me or it would have been quite embarrassing for me to escape alone . Both that Eric and Sean are eyeing us like hungry wolves . "

    The young knight in one of those vanguard ships was very surprised and shocked after watching one of the ships that changed their directions without any orders .

    The young knight roared as he saw, "These fucking traitors . " but he was soon pulled back,

    The Old man roared as he came in between an arrow and the young knight, "Get back kid . You get lead by your emotions very quickly . "

    One of the arrows from Eric¡¯s ship struck the Old man as he tried to save the kid .

    The knight spoke hoarsely as he saw the Old man taking a hit for him, "Old Man! Why did you do this just to save me?"

    Old man smiled as he spoke and remembered his past, "It¡¯s nostalgic, you reminded me of my old days when I joined the knight order . You know I regret joining it sometimes but I feel happy as well after watching young men like you join the knight order . Protect yourself well in the future . I will not be there . "

    The young knight was continuously healing the old men with light magic as he hoarsely spoke, "Don¡¯t speak Bullshit Old Man . I will bring you back alive from hell even if I need to . I will use all of my light magic to save you . "

    The Old manughed a bit as he coughed and spoke, "I am already too old for this, young man . You shouldn¡¯t go chasing that ship in revenge if you cane out alive of this ordeal . That is the ship of Lord Grim and Darius . You will die a death worse than a dog if you chase them . You are a Magic Knight with light magic . You should use this ability well for your well being . "

    The young man kept his tears in check as he nodded and focused on the ship and his enemies who were firing arrows indiscriminately so that none of the arrows hit them .

    The old man struggled a bit asked the young man, "I forgot to ask you your name, young man . "

    The knight was quite surprised because the old man saved him without knowing his name .

    The young knight spoke with tears in his eyes, "My name is Juan . Don¡¯t speak anymore, Old Man . You are already bleeding a lot . "

    The old man smiled and closed his eyes as he heard him, "I am d . "

    One of Juan¡¯s mate spoke as he saw that Juan was continuously healing the Old Man even after the old man died so he decided to break the ice and say it to him . "Boy, that old man is dead . Leave him . "

    Juan roared hoarsely and flicked his hand, "No . . . ! He can¡¯t die before telling me his name . He saved me without knowing anything about me . Fuck . We here sacrifice our lives and those assholes enjoy glory when we win and ditch us in the pit to save their asses when everything goes south . Where does their honor die in such circumstances?"

    All the men on board were surprised after hearing him, although everyone knew about this but no one dared to diss so loudly against their superiors . The captain of the ship smiled as he saw Juan and ignored it .

    The mate closed Juan¡¯s mouth as he took him somewhere else . He spoke, "Gosh, it was good that I reacted fast or I too would have been implicated with you . Do you have a deathwish kid?"

    Juan kept quiet as he remembered the first words of the old man and decided to remember them for a long time in theing future . He followed the mate as the war was going on .

    The vice admiral of Shannon¡¯s ship reported to Shannon, "Captain our orders are being broken by Lord Grim and Darius and this is causing a lot of chaos, Darius is causing disruption by changing the directions of the ships . Many of the ships have halted and collided with each other leading to multiple injuries on a lot of ships and men . "

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152

    Shannon already saw themotion and frustratingly roared, "Damn these assholes, I knew they would disrupt my ns if anything was going out of the expectations . Ignore that ship and move forward . Blow the horns to charge at full speed ahead . If we fail this mission then it will be hell for us in the court . Those assholes will anyway get away scotfree with a little bit of lip service while we will be ones who would be made to take the me for the failure of this mission . We can¡¯t turn back now that we have already lost 7 ships . The remaining 48 ships will move forward with full speed . We will blitz one of their ships and try to run away by taking advantage of our speed . So continue moving in more numbers . They only have 5 ships and they won¡¯t be able to hit all of the ships and keep up with us at once . "

    Darius roared to one of the ship captains who was rushing at a faster speed behind their ships after hearing Shannon¡¯s orders, "What are you assholes doing? Don¡¯t you know I, Lord Darius and Lord Grim are on this ship? Do you have a deathwish? Follow us protecting this ship and I will make sure you guys aren¡¯t implicated . This operation is a failure just by looking at the firepower of those ballistas . While those mini ballistas are targeting any ships that are able toe near those ships . Every single one of men that has tried to reach them has died a gruesome death along the way . Do you guys want to suffer the same fate?"

    Eric smiled after looking at the chaos that was happening in the enemy camp . He spoke to Sean, "It looks like Admiral Shannon still doesn¡¯t have fullmand and control over his fleet during this operation . I thought he was a very capable admiral when it came to naval battles . "

    Sean smiled as he understood and spoke, "This time it is mainly due Grim and Darius who followed the fleet on Fjord¡¯s orders and hence the result of defying the orders . "

    Eric smiled as he gave orders to his men using the voice enhancer, "Don¡¯t let any single one of them escape . We are going to strike deep fear in their bones after this assault that they would never dare to even think about attacking us . Don¡¯t let a single man leave this battlefield alive . That Duke will pay for his arrogance this time around . I will make sure even the Royal family is rmed and think twice about making a move on us after watching the lethality and results of this war . "

    Sean reported to Eric about situations in one of the ships from their fleet, "Eric, one of our ships is being isted and is assaulted by Shannon¡¯s fleet, what do we do? It looks like they are focusing on one of the ships . From the looks, it seems they are targetting on acquiring the ballistas from our men . "

    Eric nodded and thought, "It looks like Shannon is determined and prepared to sacrifice a bit of his fleet to acquire the ballistas, A wise decision from his part . He has not been Admiral of Fjord¡¯s navy for nothing . We will start by increasing the speed of our attacks . Start supporting the isted ship, don¡¯t hold back in firing the ammunition even if they miss . We will take advantage of the chaos created by Darius and Grim in the right wings . Stop focusing on them and begin supporting the other ship that is being focused by Shannon . Grim¡¯s side is anyways paralyzed and we won¡¯t be facing any attacks from the right wings so just ignore . We will be kiting them at other wings . "

    After two hours of arduous battle and a lot of attrition from both sides . Shannon was only left with 27 ships while Eric was soon running out of ammunition . Water was fully hot because of the intense fire . There were no living beings in the area of battle, from small fish to big hydras . All the creatures were keeping a long distance so that they don¡¯t get implicated in this battle .

    Shannon was quite happy with the result after his strategy started working on focusing on one ship only, He spoke to his vice-admiral, "Atst we are close to that ship, they are already out of ammunition, if only, we had the left wing from our fleet then acquiring one ship would have been much easier with fewer casualties . I guess agreeing to Duke Fjord on bringing Darius and Grim was a very big mistake . I knew that Grim was just like his other brothers, Selfish and scheming scum at the best . I wish I could reject Duke when he asked me to bring them as well . "

    The vice-admiral nodded and spoke, "That¡¯s true, you have been our admiral for a long time . If not for our left wing, we would have been able to assault that ship with 5 more ships that are currently upied at the left wing because of the chaos created by Lord Grim and Darius . I guess this is one of the reasons we have so much of our casualties right now . "

    Admiral Shannon was looking at the sea when he heard cheers from the enemy camp . He couldn¡¯t understand what was happening as the resistance from the enemy ship increased to many folds .

    The vice-admiral spoke as he heard them, "I guess this is theirst resistance, the captain on that ship is quite a capable man since he is able to rouse his men to such a degree even at this point . Ring the horns, we will be decreasing the speed of our assault . This is thest spurt of their resistance . We will only be causing more casualties since they will fight till death . Those mini-ballistas have already caused us enough damage . I wish we had those weapons . "

    The scout eximed as he saw a huge fleet of ships afar, "No . . . ! Look at those huge ships . Those ships have the banner of Captain ke . Those ships are charging for us directly . "

    Vice-Admiral eximed in shock as he too looked at the direction, "How is it possible? We were sure that they left for patrol just 2 days back . How are they here? This doesn¡¯t make sense . "

    Eric¡¯s scout told them of the arrival of ke, Eric eximed after watching through the telescope "Hmm . . . that asshole just came at the right time . It is good, we won¡¯t be losing any of our ballistas . "

    ke smiled as he looked at the ships that were trying to assault one of Eric¡¯s ship, In a carefree manner he asked his men, "Boys now are your fun times . Do you feel excited?"

    Bran spoke as he heard ke, "Of course boss, Fighting those monsters was one heck of a deal . Fighting these scum from Fjord¡¯s domain would be more fun . That boy Swann and Judd are missing some real action this time around . "

    ke spoke as he heard of Judd, "Its good that they are busy at Aurora Ind or Judd would again have started the assault without my orders and made a mockery out of me . "

    Boris the scout spoke, "True, we would have needed to take care of that kid, he became quite cocky on that ind because of those new toys . However, he is quite good as a shooter . Hmm . . . by the way, the enemy ships are already in our range . currently, we are 480 meters away from those ships, You can fire if you want to . "

    ke rolled his eyes and spoke, "Speak this earlier instead of that other bullshit . Is this battle a joke to you guys?"

    Boris spoke with a poker face, "Boss, you were the one who asked us if we are excited or not . And please you are already taking this battle as a joke after watching the effects of our weapons . Don¡¯t give me that look . You won¡¯t like it if I spill about the location of the wines you hid from Judd . "

    @@novelbin@@

    ke was quite speechless after hearing him,

    Bran gave his orders as he heard Boris without waiting for ke¡¯s orders, "Okay, Okay . All the ships, get ready to fire at those ships which are approaching us . "

    Bran¡¯s subordinate blew the horn which indicated their line of attacks .

    Admiral Shannon cursed as soon as he spotted ke¡¯s fleet, "Fuck, if not for those assholes, we would have been sessful at getting those ballistas . "

    Vice-admiral wondered whom did the Admiral Address when he spoke previously, He thought, ¡¯Is he cursing that Pirate ke and his men or is he cursing Lord Grim and Darius?¡¯

    Bran ordered as all the ships fired at once, "Fire . "

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154

    ***

    Erin was currently proudly going back with 2 ships from his raid at the south on Duke Rose¡¯s Merchant fleet which was escorted by his navy . He was quite satisfied with his tactics of non-stop engagement in waves that eventually squeezed Rose¡¯s men psychologically and their attack at the right time when they were resting .

    One of the subordinates asked Erin, hismander, "This Time we will have one of the biggest victories in our belt Lord Erin . Right?"

    "Yes, but I think Master would be getting a bigger victory . This time we lost a lot of men in this raid if not for the pirates bearing the most of the brunt we would have lost more than the already 10 ships and 1000 men . It was a good result . Anyway, prepare for heading back to Laguna city . "

    The subordinated hesitated a bit and asked, "Lord, why don¡¯t we rest at port nearby and then go towards Laguna city? Men are quite exhausted with the battle this time around . We will be keeping a tight watch on the ships while we will first transport those ballistae onto our main ships before going to the pubs . "

    Erin thought a bit and agreed, "Hmm . . . Okay, after such a battle they deserve some rest at least . We will stop at Bilge port first and then head to Laguna . That count and Half-elf must be grieving for offending us big time . "

    "Thanks,mander . I will immediately inform our men . "

    ***

    John saw the report from ke and Eric as he tried to understand the current battle that took ce, "hmm, it seems we need to let the war machine go in full battle mode . "

    John murmured, "I guess I need to buy those cannons just to be one the safe side . Anyway, after the first battle, we will be spreading our wings in terms of the development of the city .

    John looked at ke and ordered, "ke you can raid any ships from Fjord¡¯s domain . It would be better if you can get their ships so it would reduce our costs of time and production . The battle report is good . We had a minimum amount of casualties but it can still be reduced . I will being to their funeral personally tomorrow morning . They will be given the highest honor of the state . "

    John looked at Taylor and asked, "Taylor, What is the status of the Clock tower?"

    Taylor reported as he familiar with most of the big projects in the town, "Milord, it has just recentlypleted and Tornwall has gone into full production mode for the guns and other projects . He is busy preparing for Tim departure while at the same time he is currently expanding the number of factories . Meanwhile, because of your policies, there has been an increase in businesses bymon men which is improving the daily lives of all the people . While Count Casey is one of the men who is secretly trying to get a rtionship with us . This time he also rejected Duke Norman to let him use hisnd for invasion quite bluntly . "

    Taylor stopped and continued, "There is one unsettling report though . "

    John furrowed his brows and asked: "What is it?

    Taylor, "It is about Master Mnie and Miss Eva . Currently, one of his cousins named Dwight is here and is trying to woo them out of our domain . From my information, He is currently trying to get the form for all the new types of medicines which we have created recently to counter the Radiant Church¡¯s influence . The royal family also is quite enthusiastic about those medicines as it is reducing a lot of influence of the Radiant Church . So most likely he was sent by the Royal Family . "

    John smiled as he heard about it, "Hmm . . . The poor soul doesn¡¯t know that only I know about real forms of those medicines and Master Mnie has the form only in her head . Currently, all the medicines are created by going through various processes that they can¡¯t imagine to replicate . No need to worry about that fool . I just wonder, how would Fjord react after this loss . Report about this battle in the next paper . Take Eric¡¯s interview as well if you need it . The boy named Ealdron made quite an inspiring piecest time around . Let him continue the work this time around . I heard he is quite famous among the popce these days . The whole domain must know about our feat of thrashing Duke Fjord in the eastern seas . And yes spread this information in other domains as well . "

    Taylor nodded and wrote it down in a memo .

    ***

    @@novelbin@@

    At the port of Laguna City, there was turmoil after the people saw the rugged ships of Admiral Shannon .

    One of the men at port spoke after watching the ships rugged arrival, "Didn¡¯t they leave just this morning? Howe there are one 9 shipsing back this time around with such a condition? Weren¡¯t there 50+ ships which left this morning?"

    One of the women screamed after failing to spot on of the ships, "Howe I don¡¯t see the ship of my husband? What happened to that ship?"

    Everyone present at the port understood what was going on after watching the low mood of all the sailors and knights in Shannon¡¯s fleet .

    The women started crying hoarsely after watching the result as she understood what happened .

    The whole port of Laguna city was quiet after watching the arrival of the Fleet .

    Shannon ordered his men and left for the pce immediately without saying anything to the crowd . The crowd was quickly controlled by Fjord¡¯s personal knight army . The port was quickly shut off formon men so they can¡¯t see the ships .

    One of the men gossiped after looking at the fiasco, "It seems, finally the war has started . "

    Another man nodded and agreed, "Just by looking at the state of the ships . I can guess there was a gruesome battle in the seas . Just this first battle was this gruesome, I am sure a bigger battle will soon follow . "

    An Old man sighed and spoke, "Yes, from my experience, usually the wars started with small skirmishes which would be bigger and then such sort of battles would ensue . "

    Lily was among the women who were waiting for their loved ones . As soon as she spotted Juan, she was quite happy and full of tears after watching the state of the fleet . Lily was a tall woman with a height of almost equal to Juan with 5 feet 10 inches, she had green hair and was wearing sses . Currently, she was wearing a white dress with a coat .

    Juan broke the ice as soon as he met Lily, "Lily, I will be leaving the navy . "

    Lily was quite surprised after watching Juan¡¯s reaction for the first time because she was quite aware of Juan personality .

    Lily asked in a surprised tone, "Why the sudden change? I thought you would be angry after such a loss and I would have to convince so that you leave the navy . "

    Juan had a determined look when he looked at Lily and spoke, "I guess I grew up after watching this battle . Didn¡¯t you say, you wanted to travel and look for literature around the world? We will be leaving first thing after getting back or else we won¡¯t be getting a chance to leave . We will be having a funeral for this old man and then leave . "

    Lily saw the old man, "Who is this old man?"

    Juan thought and gave his answer, "Someone who taught me what was war and saved my life . "

    His mate from the ship joined Juan, "Hey, are you forgetting me? I too aming with you . "

    Lily nodded and followed Juan, she thought, "I guess this battle was quite a good experience for him . He has matured quite a lot . "

    ***

    Inside Fjord¡¯s court, there was a ruckus going on between all the ministers after such a big loss, One of the ministers asked, "How did we lose so many ships in a raid where we were ones who ambushed them? I think we need a thorough investigation of this loss . "

    Another minister barged, "A war is going on, what do you mean investigation? Don¡¯t you believe the report given by Admiral Shannon? We werepletely outssed because of those Ballistas . That pirate ke¡¯s arrival at the end just meant the final nail in the coffin of the operation . "

    Fjord was quite angry after hearing about the loss, he almost had a heart attack hearing about the loss without any results . "How will you exin this loss, Admiral Shannon?"

    Shannon calmly answered, "Their weapons were on apletely different level coupled by the fact that Darius disrupted our line of orders by giving his own orders and defying my orders . This was coupled by the fact that this time weapons had an increased range and firepowerpared to what was shown before . Apart from these things, I will be taking full responsibility for the failure in this mission . "

    The minister thought after looking at Grim and Shannon, ¡¯Quite an astute man, he knows whom to me and whom not to me . ¡¯

    Darius eyed Shannon with a cunning smile and answered Duke about the usations of Shannon, "Lord, I only intended to save the lives of our men after looking at the firepower and range of those ballistas, this was a battle where we would have only lost without any chance to fight back . I also anticipated that this was a trapid out by Count John and that pirate, after watching the firepower of the Ballistae which only proved to be right after ke showed up at the end with his menter when we were close to capturing one of the ships . Because of Admiral Shannon¡¯s stubbornness and ego, we lost 5000+ men instead of only losing a mere 500-700 after the first assault . We should had reduced our losses at the start after the first assault . "

    Fjord couldn¡¯t reject Darius¡¯s exnation which seemed quite convincing, He thought, ¡¯I can¡¯t anger both of these men at such a critical junction of war . God, why did I agree with Grim to send Darius in this mission? I can¡¯t be angry, I need to calm down and solve this problem . ¡¯

    Jonas came near Fjord and advised him, "Lord, Shannon¡¯s disciple too has been dispatched to raid Rose¡¯s ships this time around . I think you should wait if you are going to give any punishment to Admiral Shannon . Currently, we are at war So I would advise not to take any actions against Shannon, I don¡¯t think you would want any mutiny right now or it will only help Duke Rose and that upstart, while the Royal family is eyeing the blueprints of our ships like hungry wolves . "

    Fjord sighed and gave his orders, "Darius you will go back to thend knights and while Shannon will handle the Navy with supervision from one of my men, he won¡¯t be interfering with his decisions . While Both of you won¡¯t interfere with each other . "

    Shannon furrowed his brows a bit but didn¡¯t object after hearing the orders . While Darius and Grim were quite happy as they didn¡¯t get implicated because of the earlier fiasco .

    Fjord continued with his rant, "Fuck it, This time was quite a humiliation to us in the whole kingdom . We had never lost a war at the seas and today we are watching such a result while losing 5000 of our men . We need those weapons at all costs or else our casualties will only rise . Do we really need to raid that eastern port? And why does it have to be that Pirate ke of all the people? Does anyone have any solutions?"

    Everyone kept quiet when it came to those ballistas,

    Jonas gave a suggestion after watching everyone remaining quiet, "Speaking of Admiral ke, I think we can make a protest against that count in the royal court since he has hired a pirate wanted by the royal family . With this, we can at least make sure that he won¡¯t be getting any political protection from the royal family . "

    Fjord nodded, "Okay, we will go with your n . Meanwhile, increase the patrols and tell the shipyard to increase the production of ships . This time I will consider selling our ships to those pirates . And also increase the recruitment of our navy . And also try to make those ballistas, haven¡¯t you been given the sketches of those ballistas from all the angles to our craftsmen?"

    Jonas: "They are already at work . However, it is quite hard to make a prototype without any blueprints or one physical ballista . "

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156

    ***

    After two Days, at Duke Norman¡¯s pce,

    Hector got a report from Alistair, "Hmm . . so we need to get our hands on those weapons, the current situation is quite rming . I didn¡¯t expect the destructiveness of those ballistas to be so much . Just looking at that count and his arrogant behavior, I can guess they have stocked a huge amount of those runic ballistae projectiles for this war not to mention the other things that the count has hidden . The Battles at the Seas will be very gruesome just looking at the casualties . Maybe we should try attacking them fromnd as we will be more mobile while those ballistae won¡¯t be mobile and it would be more effective . "

    Alistair was quite surprised as he thought, ¡¯It seems lord has started respecting Count John since it is the first time he addressed him as a Count with a respectful tone . I guess it is the consequence of thest battle . ¡¯

    Alistairid out his ns, "Lord, the most likely scenario is that Count dispatching his ballistas on the castles . He has already built a big castle near the northern borders of Dolores . We would have to invade that castle to get our hands on those ballistas . The invasion would reveal our hand early on . I think we should wait . "

    Prince Hector was quite frustrated as even Alistair needed time for a solid n, Hector suggested, "Instead of such a big hassle, I can simply ask father for those ballistae and use it against that count . That count is quite dumb to have given those blueprints to the royal family so early in the war . What do you think Alistair?"

    Alistair was quite happy with Prince Hector¡¯s proposal as he dared not give this proposal to Prince Hector previously, He nodded aggressively as he suggested, "Yes we can certainly do that as Lord Lionheart¡¯s goal has been achieved already after he got those blueprints from Count John . This would save a lot of our resources and men . Knowing from the navymen of Fjord¡¯s fleet personally, this time it was a riot when Shannon faced Eric¡¯s fleet . A lot of them have already deserted their navy . It is mostly those who faced thatst battle . So it would be suicide for us if battle without any ns against those ballistas . This Time, Captain Shannon, had another n and he was sessfully able to acquire 2 ships from Duke Sapphire when another one of his units headed by Vice-Admiral Erin attacked them near the southern port . However, this was only achieved via their use of pirates . From my understanding, replicating those ballistae will take a lot of years since there are a lot of small parts that need precision and only a few craftsmen are capable of doing it . However, it is possible to replicate them . It isn¡¯t 100% impossible . "

    Prince Hector calmly took the information as he spoke, "Hmm . . . So Currently Duke Fjord is in possession of those Ballistae . I am sure we can¡¯t engage that count in seas for sure because of the lethality, At least not until we get a remedy against those ballistas, Maybe we can try outnumbering them . "

    Alistair agreed and nodded, "That Count¡¯s Navy Admiral ke made quite a show of Fjord¡¯s fleet when they engaged . Most of the men were killed just like The royal family and Duke Fjord killed his men years ago . If we confront him directly in the seas, it would bring a lot of psychological burden to our men and many would flee even before the war starts . The Radiant Church hase to the same conclusion and has decided they will increasend warfare as much as possible . "

    "Additionally, ke¡¯s men came to Eric¡¯s rescue in the end moments and this is one of the reasons why they faced aplete wipeout . ke was quite ruthless to Fjord¡¯s men because of his past as a pirate and their grudge against the Royal family and Fjords . I think We can use this as a pretext to attack him politically . At the same time, the Royal family and the ministers too have a grudge and history against him because of his ve raids in the past . What do you think lord?"

    Hector nodded with Alistair n as he spoke, "Okay, this time we will attack them using the Dolores city . It will be better for us to attack from there since it is at a high position . We will make our move when Fjord too moves to attack them from the seas so they will be upied on both sides . During the wartime, we can stop letting them use the eastern port and they will be choked . "

    Alistair too agreed and spoke his opinions, "However there is one problem sir,"

    Hector furrowed his brows irritating as he asked, "What is it this time?"

    Alistair hesitatingly spoke, "That Baron would be the biggest problem to us if we intend to use hisnd to attack against that count because he would be one who would face the major consequences if that count doesn¡¯t die in this war . Maybe we should attack that count when the beasts in winter too start assaulting them . At that time Baron Mendez would likely agree with us . "

    Hector frustratingly spoke, "Tch . again that pussy baron . Shrugg him off this time around . You see, we can¡¯t around and let that Count grow Bigger day by day . He has already be one of the biggest threats in the seas right now after this battle . I am sure other big yers too are watching this battle . What do you think Duke Norman?"

    Duke Norman had his own thoughts, "I think we should go ording to Alistair¡¯s idea since Radiant Church too is waiting to make a move . If we move first, we will be ones who will first bear the brunt of war . Additionally, that count is hiding a lot of things . We should wait for now . Recently I heard that he was funding sons of aristocrats who were not going to be the heir of their family . A Lot of aristocrats are now worried because of this funding . Some have even exiled their children . We need to do something and that too we have to make sure when we do the operation . With more money, he is gathering more power, day to day . "

    ***

    John thought after looking at the prices of the Cannons, "Damn 20 million points, why are the cannons so much expensive . It¡¯s good that I started developing the City and earned 55 million points because of Ross developing Aurora City . I don¡¯t need to fuss anymore since it wartime . "

    The AI Sarah mocked him after hearing John, "You are quite lucky that I ain¡¯t ripping you off currently after watching your pathetic state . I would have charged you much if you had tried to buy these cannon blueprints 2 dayster . I also have a lot of other things for you which cane in handy . "

    John: "Hmm . . . these armor blueprints cane in handy . I guess I will buy them for 5 million . These ship blueprints cane in handy as well since they are only worth 25 million . Lets see what else is there? Huh, Aircrafts! 200 Million? Wtf? Hmm . . . what are these mechas? Are they for real? ssified?"

    Sarah spoke with a tone full of mockery: "This is a premium product host . You should be d that I am offering you these blueprints in the first ce . "

    John irritating sighed, "Okay, Okay, I get it . These parachutes seem quite interesting at 5 million . Yes, maybe I should try them . They can be helpful in this war . Anyway, from now on we will start making the Steam engine to increase the production of our domain to multiple folds . "

    "Okay, buy these all for 55 Million points . "

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes, confirm it . "

    John was in his thoughts, ¡¯I wonder how a fight between dragon knights and Aircraft would seem like . No no, I should strive for my eternal love, THE MECHAS . ¡¯

    Taylor knocked the door twice before he came in John¡¯s private chambers to give him an important report, "Milord, Rose Institute has developed some new things which you might be interested in, here is the monthly report . "

    Taylor enthusiastically continued about the reports as he was excited about the new inventions, "We were able to make coloring agents which can be used in a lot of industries which includes clothes, literature and other industries . "

    Taylor continued with his most interesting report, "Currently they were also able to make magic tools which can boost the speed of ships using water and wind magic tools . While Tornwall has also started rough work on steam engines . He understood the basics of these machines after looking at the blueprints of water-powered machines . So I don¡¯t think there would be any problems . "

    John nodded and spoke, "Hmm . . . the water magic tools seem quite interesting . Maybe I can use them in this war to quite an effect . Okay, We will invest in water tools and those coloring chemical agents . While you won¡¯t have to worry about steam engines . You can tell Tornwall go forward with mass production after he has made the prototype, Nah I will personally tell him . Meanwhile, who created that tool which increases the speed of ships? Very Practical and lethal . "

    Taylor was quite happy as he narrated, "It was actually a team of magicians and researchers from Imperial city . Previously because of theck of funding, they weren¡¯t able to move forward in their research and hence they decided to move here after hearing about the funding that we provided to promising projects . "

    John understood and came to the main point, "So what was the agreement when we decided to invest in them?"

    Taylor handed over the deed as he exined, "We actually own 70 percent of theirpany for our funding of 7000 gold coins . Now they are waiting for our approval on the order of these magic tools . They only finished this product as they approached me . "

    John directly asked the main points as he looked at the documents which gave detailed report about the boosters, "How many of these speed boosting tools can be fitted on one ship? and what is their maximum life?"

    Taylor: "A total of 10 tools can be fitted on big ships but it depends on the size of ships so it can be higher as well . however, they are vulnerable to aquatic creatures and their total life is 2 months with recharge needing every 10 days . after 2 months of operation, the other parts of the booster need to be changed apart from the Runic Magic stones . these Boosters can increase the speed of ships by 3 times when they are in operation . "

    John was quite surprised after hearing about the speed increase, "Seems quite promising, okay give theirpany a big order of 1000 boosters with future maintenance included . However with an agreement that their products would only be sold to us . We will also fund the construction of the factory, fully free since we are at war . Plus I can give them my personal promise of funding for future projects . I will meet themter on . "

    John thought as he looked at the features of these boosters, ¡¯I guess I need to speed up the production of Steam engines . These boosters added with steam engines would be a miracle for our warships . ¡¯

    @@novelbin@@

    Taylor smiled, "That won¡¯t be a problem, Milord . They are already aware about it since they choose toe here . And they are quite happy with our big investment of 7000 gold coins with which they were able to research aggressively in these 3 months when the imperial university wasn¡¯t even willing to fund them 500 gold coins . The head of their research team is a magician as well as a researcher, his name is Will . He is quite a young and enthusiastic entrepreneur . He is a wind magician specializing in research of magical elements . So I think he is quite promising and someone who would keep his word . "

    John nodded as he heard about the background of Will, "Okay, you will handle it ordingly . by the way, who created those coloring chemicals?"

    Taylor handed him the report about them, "It was Ryfon¡¯s research team . They were involved in a lot of ingredients and tried a lot of things which resulted in creating these chemicals after a lot of experimentation . "

    "Hmm . . . Okay, I got the gist of it, Meanwhile, how are horseshoes, saddles and stirrups faring in the market?"

    Taylor: "They are quite well received by our men . Currently, the biggest order is from ournd army of Magic knights who frequently travel on horses . Currently, we have not released them in themon market as per the orders of Jay . He feels we should wait for 2 months after winter before we release them to themon popce . "

    John nodded, "Okay, I won¡¯t interfere with their decisions as long as it isn¡¯t anything big . Arrange a meeting for me with Tornwall, I need to talk with him about steam engines, I don¡¯t think he is fully aware of its uses . you can leave for now . You should know how to proceed after my approvals on all the projects . "

    Taylor nodded and left the room after he got the approvals, "Of course, Yes, Sir . "

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158

    ***

    A traveler came from the western domain of Duke ke wolf to North-frontier city for the first time after hearing about medicines to cure Mria . It was the first for him to see such a unique city . Previously he also stayed at the Imperial city . it was onlyter when he moved to join a Marquis in the western domain . His name was Bruce Connor . he was a middle-aged man with brown hair with a little bit of white hair . Currently, he was wearing a coat as he came here especially to cure his Mria instead of approaching the Radiant Church .

    Bruce thought after entering the city, ¡¯It¡¯s good that there was a cure for this disease or else I would have gone to the Radiant church and convert for their services with a hefty sum while begging them at the same time . ¡¯

    Currently, Bruce was with a local guide, recently because of a boom in tourism there were a lot of guides near North-frontier City and neighboring cities and towns providing their services .

    Brucemented as he entered the city in a carriage with his guide, "The roads here are quite good . A lot better than the roads of Imperial Capital . "

    The guide proudly exined the history behind road as he was quite used to praise for roads and their maintenance, "Yes, it was fully funded by Lord John and these roads were made with concrete and a special solidifying agent called cement which has done the trick for the whole construction industry in North-frontier domain . The roads are now sturdier because of these concretes and cements . Lord did this when he made a deal with Baron Mendez . "

    "Isn¡¯t it expensive to maintain such roads?"

    "No, Lord beleives that the money and roads are interconnected . So they must be maintained . Additionally, this cement is created by lord himself so their production costs are low . Recently we also started exporting cement to Marquis Ray and Duke Fjord . They too n to modernize their roads at least since it will boost trade . "

    Bruce nodded and understood something about the city and John, hemented as he looked at the roads, "Hmm . . . It seems like a good business opportunity as it is a unique and very good solidifying agent . Anyway, I am here in particr for a medicine curing mria . "

    The guide hesitated a bit as he knew that a lot of people came here looking for business opportunities, He spoke with a bit of hesitance, "If you are here to buy in bulks then forget about it . Lord John is only providing them for real Patients or they will deliver it via their merchants to the patient themselves in other domains as the lord is stocking them up currently . It will only be avable in bulkter on . "

    Bruce shook his head and understood after hearing the guide, "No, I am not here to buy it for business . "

    The guide smiled as he had seen a lot of people, but the patients were mostly guided by their rtives or friends, "Okay . then it¡¯s all good . I don¡¯t think you look ill . Well anyway, I will show you the way to the pharmacy . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Bruce looked at the clock tower and marveled as he spotted the clock tower in the middle of the city, "Meanwhile what is that Pce over there? It has quite a unique architecture . "

    The guideughed as he heard Bruce and exined, "Hahaha, No Sir, it is not a pce, it is our newly built clocktower . It helps people to know about the current time . This clock is showing 10 o clock in the morning right now . This is one of the finest piece of artwork and technological work in our domain, So it is abination of both art and technology . It was actually made by the coboration of Lord Tornwall, our chief forger and Lord Ryfon, our city nner, he is also the one who approves architecture apart from Lord John . While Lord John provided the prototype of a small clock . "

    Bruce was quite amazed as he inquired more about the clock tower, "What is the significance of this tower? I am quite interested in it . And what is this time? Can it be calcted? I thought we can only calcte time in days weeks or months . "

    The guide exined to him the workings of the Clock which amazed him quite a lot as he was awed by it . After the construction of the Clock tower . Everyone was made aware of the significance of the clock tower .

    "Wow, it¡¯s quite a convenient tower . It can help people schedule their time . This city has really broadened my horizons . I see that a lot of people here are able to read and write . Even though I am quite a learned person and consider myself a schr, I don¡¯t understand how did such a big change happen within our kingdom . Meanwhile, I see that a lot of people are able to ride those things called bicycles . It seems this town has experienced a lot of changes . Even though it is at war currently . This city is quite lively unlike what I heard in rumors in the west . "

    The guide proudly spoke as he heard Bruce, "It is made possible all because of our lord . He was the one who pushed policies for a learned popce and hence the results . Even I am able to read and write after my training of 2 months at Rose institute, I will be going there again after my break of 2 months, currently, I want to focus on earning money . As for Bicycles? I too have one, It has made my travel between towns a bit easier, It is the proud work of Lord John and Lord Tornwall . Currently, it is being jointly made by 3panies . Onepany is owned by Paul the woodworker and the other is of George who used to make weapons for Lord Mendez and the Main parts are made by Lord John¡¯s Bicycle manufacturers which are currently handled by Tornwall¡¯s subordinates who are particrly trained in making those bicycles . "

    Bruce furrowed his eyes as he asked, "What do you mean used to? doesn¡¯t George still make weapons for him?"

    The guide shook his head and spoke, "Nope, He cut his rtionship with Lord Mendez before the start of the war . At the same time, his increased profits because of Government tenders was quite a good thing for him . he is also someone who loves his homnd so it would be hard for him to leave North-frontier city . This time it was quite an easy decision for him as 70 percent of his profits came from the North-frontier city . As there are not a lot of forges in the city so most of the demand is distributed between those George and paul and otherpanies of Lord John . So they are expanding at an extreme pace . It is only recently that some forgingpanies have started after some internal and external funding . While some have startedpanies after pooling money . "

    Bruce nodded as he understood that the lord was encouraging trade, "Interesting, Anyway, take me to the pharmacy first . I guess my stay will be longer this time around as this city is very interesting and very full of life . "

    The guide adviced him as adviced in the newspapers for the medical tourists, "I would advise you to go to the Hospital first as they can give you a better evaluation and prescribe the right amount of medicine . "

    Bruce was quite surprised and decided to have a look at the hospitals made by Count John, "Wow, a Hospital . I heard there was one at Imperial city which was particrly made for nobles and state guests . "

    Guide spoke as if it was natural, "As count John himself is a pharmacist . He hadid down a lot of policies and many people were trained at basic medicine by other medical professionals and hence the result . They were only recently hired by the lord from a lot of domains . "

    ***

    Lukavv was sipping his White snow wine usually as heughed after looking at the newspaper and the result of those Ballistas first war, he murmured and asked Duncan, "We made quite a profitable investment this time around . What do you think Duncan?"

    Duncan nodded and agreed: "Indeed . Our profit on investment this time is the biggest when ites to Count John . Those medicines themselves are enough topensate us as we were always sanctioned by Radiant Church and this has eased the problem which our men usually faced . I guess the Radiant Church just hammered thest nail in the coffin when they sanctioned Count John and forced him to act personally . I heard he himself took out his time to study those diseases and invent their cures . "

    Lukavv smiled as he heard Duncan, "A genius and dangerous man indeed . "

    "True, just like you Milord . This time they killed 5000 of Fjord¡¯s men in thest battle . Aplete riot this time around . As I guessed it was Admiral ke who did the deed without even blinking an eye . Eric was the one who wanted to arrest prisoners . However, both of them didn¡¯t cross any paths as both respected each other¡¯s opinion . "

    Lukavv nodded and made an analysis, "It would have created sparks if both of them weren¡¯t close and friends with knowing each other¡¯s past . Anyway, we will go with the n . We shouldn¡¯t worry about the radiant church as they would be busy this time around . So we will go ahead with the n . "

    Duncan: "Yes, milord . "

    ***

    Charlie Aelius was currently at a castle near the western borders of Aelius kingdom near the Beastmen Domain .

    He looked at the reports and spoke, "It seems we need to move as well after watching the results of the previous battle . Well, Any results on the investigation about cktiger¡¯s murder?"

    His personal Knight spoke, "Yes, This assassination most likely points towards Count John or the Bluesea house . They are the only ones who would most likely make this move without worrying about any political recuperations or any investigations . This was confirmed in Lord Lionheart¡¯s letter .

    Charlie had a serious face as he spoke, "It looks like these guys are getting dangerous to us day by day for us, especially that count . Maybe I should ept radiant Church¡¯s offer of allying with them in return of taking actions against that count and getting them the printing machines . However, my only concern is Felix who is their number 1 priority . I am not really worried about their schemes, to be honest . "

    The knight showed a cunning smile as he spoke, "Lord, why not use them and dump them as we do to everyone else? isn¡¯t it easy? Both of the parties are anyway working to achieve their own goals . "

    Charlie shook his head, "It isn¡¯t as easy . however, you are right when ites to benefits . I am only worried that if I ally with the radiant church then Lukav will start targetting me as well . He is the only one who has given me a death scare in my whole life . Nah, maybe I will consider their offer . It is no time to be hesitant . As for the count, release that dog . "

    The knight reconfirmed, "cktiger¡¯s brother?"

    Charlie nodded with affirmation and spoke with a smile, "Yes, lets see how far he can go and how much of a challenge he is to Count John¡¯s men . The guys who have revenge in their heads are quite dangerous . "

    The knight nodded and left to see cktiger¡¯s brother, "As your order, Milord . "

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160

    ***

    Aurora Ind, The Shipyard .

    One of the Oldest captains from the Ind asked Ross after the Shipyard was built: "It seems the construction of the Shipyard is going well . It already looksplete . "

    Ross was happy as things were on track, He smiled and answered, "Yes, Things are on time, before leaving I was personally trained by Lord Taylor for handling the operations and working of a domain . We are only waiting for Tim¡¯s arrival and construction of necessary machines and implementation of Designs toplete it . Currently, The Mulberry cement is a miracle ingredient for us in the construction industry and has helped us a lot at the initial stages when we were constructing the base . This decreased a lot of time as well as injuries to our men . This cement will also be used in making ships as mentioned by Lord so I guess you can call it a miracle ingredient . I wonder what sort of ships will we make using these ingredients as they instantly drown in water . "

    @@novelbin@@

    The old nodded as he made some observations, "Yes, I too have noticed that the speed of production over here is 4 folds as we arepletely using the newest ingredients without any fear of getting leaked . Previously I only saw this type of speed in the construction of roads . This is also saving a lot of demand inbor which is low on this Ind . "

    Ross: "Thebor problem will be solved shortly so we don¡¯t need to worry about it . Additionally, we will also be using concrete and Mulberry cement on making our ships as well . Lord has an idea for making new types of ships which will be made with metal . I wonder what sort of ships will we make this time around using these ingredients as the concrete instantly drowns in water . "

    Old had another doubt which he wanted to clear, "I see that there was a lot of construction but we were also focusing a lot on agriculture on this ind . It seems Lord is quite cautious this time around . What do you think?"

    Ross smiled as he too knew the purpose: "Well it was expected as this is a big ind . equal to 4/10th of a duchy, fully unexplored . Additionally, We have just finished the construction of the port so you can understand that we will be focusing on other things and there are the elves who would being in quite a few days so we have to maximize the usage ofnd this time around . We can¡¯t be caught unprepared by our enemies . "

    The Old man sighed as he spoke, "I guess this can be understood . Are those guys out yet again looking for those new horses?"

    Ross nodded, "Yes, they are looking for those Aurora horses quite a few days . I wonder how long would it take to capture them . It would be very useful to us in our current situation . "

    The old man noticed the group and spoke, "It looks like they are already here . I guess they are early today . "

    After they came, All the men on the base were quite excited looking at Aurora horses .

    One of the eximed after watching them, "Woah, they actually managed to catch such a big batch of Aurora Horses . What is going on?"

    One of the men handling the stables spoke, "Yes, we aren¡¯t even able to tame those 2 guys in the stable and these guys caught 40 horses already . How the fuck were they able to catch such a big Horde . "

    Ross too was quite shocked watching them, He thought, ¡¯I expected them to catch 5 horses max in a few days . I guess they have some exining to do . "

    Ross calmed himself down and ordered his men .

    Ross ordered his men as he saw Judd and othersing back: "Good . This Horde of Aurora horses will be a big addition to us . Guys immediately arrange a stable for them, they would need to be tamed and monitored 24 hours . "

    Ross enthusiastically approached Judd as he was the one who led the group .

    Ross congratted Judd as he saw him leading all the men: "You guys did quite a good job, Judd . This was quite a surprise to every one of us present here . "

    Hearing Ross¡¯s praise, Judd proudly imed the credits in a haughty manner: "Of course . Who do you think I am? The best captain in the whole fleet . "

    "Yes, so how were you guys able to catch this many Aurora horses?"

    Swann sniggered as he heard Judd¡¯s haughty tone and spoke: "Hmph, stop bragging conman, if not for my n, you guys would still be wandering in the wilds while chasing those horses without any n . Praise this God that you are free from endless exploration in the dark . "

    Judd didn¡¯t meet his eyes with Ross from which Ross understood what was going on .

    Ross smiled and gave some good news to everyone only now: "Its ok, its ok, all of you guys will be awarded because of this achievement . Meanwhile, Judd, there is news for you . "

    Judd furrowed his brows a bit and asked, "What sort of news?"

    Ross sighed and gave him the news, "We had our first sh with Admiral Shannon and it was a riot as soon as ke arrived . I only got the news right now from one of the ships that travel frequently . Have a look at the letter to get a better understanding of the situation . "

    Ross handed over the letter to him,

    Judd took the letter and started reading it, "Let me see the letter . "

    Judd was quite surprised after hearing of the raid, "Woah, it was quite a battle this time around with Fjord losing 5000+ of his men . While our losses were at the minimum with 109 dead . I guess it would have been 0 if Eric had a bigger fleet and not been outnumbered . I guess John will address thister on . What about that small guy, Tim? We would need ammunitions as we will run out of it shorty which will mean that we would be vulnerable to all these wild beasts . Those Dragon-elephants themselves are quite a nuisance as they try to im ournd every day . "

    Ross understood his concerns and replied, "Yes, Tim will soon be traveling with other men to create factories for ammunition and ballistae projectiles while at the same time he will be building the new types of ships, designed specially by lord John so you guys can expect big things . At the same time, they will also be bringing enough supplies so that we canst a month so we don¡¯t need to worry . Anyway, we will be preparing for their arrival now that we got the message . Are you guys clear?"

    Judd nodded as he got his assurances, "Good, okay, now that everything is clear, lets head back to taming those horses . I will be taming that bastard of their leader . "

    Everyone roared as they heard Judd and left for the stable in an excited mood, "Yes, Sir . "

    Ross sighed as he saw them heading directly for the stables, He sighed and spoke, "Every single one of them wants to ride those horses . I guess I can¡¯t stop them as made such a big achievement today . "

    ***

    Fjord read one of the papers which were recently circting in his domain, He read the headlines on one of the newspapers and cursed immediately, "Damn that upstart and his filthy usage of these Newspapers to humiliate and undermine us publicly . What is this bullshit they are speaking about, Darius and Grim deserting the battle? This negative news will reduce the morale of our armies . I want this newspaper immediately banned in my domain . Who is distributing these papers in our domain? Catch them immediately for conspiring against the state . "

    One of the ministers noted, "Yes Sir . I will immediately ry those orders . It is mostly circted on the borders and from there it is traveling here . Most of the times it is our paid thugs who are doing . currently, as we haven¡¯t employed them for a long time they started this for doing business . I will look after them immediately . Lord if you don¡¯t mind there is one news I wanted to report you . "

    Fjord furrowed his brows as he frustratingly asked while he sipped Red Moon wine, "What is it after all that fiasco? is it another piece of bad news?"

    The minister spoke with a bright smile, this was first good news for them after such a long time, "It is actually about Lord Erin . From the news we have got currently, we heard that he was sessful in his campaign against Duke Rose when Duke was out to the south . Currently, he ising from Port Bilch with 2 of those ships and their ballistas intact . It seems Admiral Shannon¡¯s n of assaulting both of them at the same was better and gave us the required results . However, there were a lot of losses in the previous raid . We haven¡¯t lost so many people in one battle against Rose in the past . "

    Fjord was quite surprised as he heard him, "Hahaha, Good, good, forget about the losses of men . Just the fact that we will have those ballistas will be a big plus to us this time around . Prepare all the craftsmen in the domain so that they can start working on making the prototype of those machines . " Fjord continued with a cruel and cunning look, "Now with these ballistas, I will show him who is the real boss of the seas . We will keep them engaged, tell the pirates to continue raiding their ships . This time we will also fund mercenaries to harass them through thend . Lets see who willst the battle of attrition . "

    Fjord murmured as he noticed the Red Moon wine that was from John¡¯s domain and immediately got angry, "It was good that I didn¡¯t punish Shannon on Jonas¡¯s advice or it would have been a disaster for me right now . "

    Fjord continued in a loud voice, "Damn, even though I hate the guts of that count, I still can¡¯t resist using the products from his domain, whether it soaps, wines or food . Why does he have ess to such good men . This time I will rob all of his men and technologies . Lets see who in this kingdom would be able to stop uster on . "

    The same minister continued, "Recently there are reports that many trade fleets of ours were raided by that Pirate ke after thest assault . Now they are quite tant about it . And they are particrly targeting ships which are affiliated with us . because of this many of the merchants and even nobles are removing their gs to avoid any raids from that pirate . This is a big stain on our honor Milord . Our people are losing faith in our ability to protect us . "

    Fjord nodded as he knew about the incidents, "I understand your concerns . Tell them that they won¡¯t need to wait for long as we already got our hands on those ballistas, so it would be possible to make prototypes and counter them in their own game . So only a little bit more time is needed . "

    Fjord murmured, "This time I will sure this will be an end of you, Upstart . Your very own weapon will be used to kill you . "

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161

    ***

    Erin arrived at Laguna port with his fleet . He wasn¡¯t particrly proud as he thought that he lost a lot of men in hisst battle . He was quite surprised that people still cheered for them when he lost so many of his men .

    The Laguna port, only today regained some of its lost vitality after news of Erin¡¯s win . However, the faces ofmon men were still deste because they knew that war wasing and they would be ones who would feel the most effects of war .

    One of the men gossiped, "Why is Duke¡¯s personal knight order waiting at the port? And what is the reason that they have suddenly opened the ports? Do you know anything about it?"

    The Old man stroked his beard and spoke, "Well the rumor is, Vice-admiral Erin won his battle against Duke Rose and he was sessfully able to bring 2 of their ships in a deadly raid near southern seas . This was partly possible because Admiral Shannon had another n since he believed it would be very hard to raid Count John as he was on alert after Evan¡¯s assassination . And this is also the reason why they are waiting at the port, ready to greet Admiral Erin . "

    The other man furrowed his brows with cynicism and asked, "Isn¡¯t it just propaganda by duke fjord to soothe the masses for this loss and the war he started? You know I read those newspapers from the North-frontier domain as well to get their perspective . They also said that Lord Grim and Darius ran which is true ording to many people in the navy . They were quite disgusted with the behavior of Lord Grim and Darius . One of my friends also left the navy in anger because they stained his honor . "

    The Old man nodded his head but spoke calmly, "However you have to think Logically as well . Not with emotions . Duke Fjord wouldn¡¯t have opened the port for everyone if he was lying . "

    The other man thought about it and agreed, "I guess that¡¯s true as well . "

    The Old man spoke after watching some movement among the knights, "See there is movement within the knights, I guess the scout has already spotted the fleet and they are now getting ready to greet them . "

    The captain of the knight gave his orders and made his men get ready to wee them, "Get Ready to wee Admiral Erin . I don¡¯t want any mistakes from you guys . "

    As soon as Erin arrived at the port, there was a big wee for them by the Fjord¡¯s personal guards which was a honor only state guests and people equal to Duke fjord would get .

    The sour mood after the previous defeat was slowly getting washed away after Erin¡¯s sessful operation and watching Duke Rose¡¯s two ships first hand .

    A lot ofmoners were quite surprised after watching the news ships with their fleeting into the port .

    @@novelbin@@

    The man spoke after carefully watching the ships, "It seems they were correct when they said they were able to raid two of their ships and get their hands on the ballista¡¯s . Those ballistas are quite well protected this time around . Just look at the number of soldiers on that ship . "

    Another man added in after watching them gossip, "Yes, in the end it was shannons disciple who was sessful in acquiring those ships right under Rose¡¯s nose . "

    The Old man spoke to them, "See I told you, I was quite confident because Duke Fjord was already prepared before his arrival . And I have one more reason why Lord¡¯s Operation was sessful . "

    The new man asked, "Why do you say so?"

    The Old man smiled and spoke with an all-knowing tone, "Because he had already hired all the important craftsmen in the domain yesterday and this also gave many people a lot of hints . "

    He continued, "And As I said, they wouldn¡¯t have opened the port this early if they wanted to hide something . "

    The Man spoke with a grave tone after understanding the consequences of such a thing, "If what you are saying is correct then they intend to replicate those weapons to regain superiority in the easter waters just like the old days . I hope my friends who left the navy remain safe . "

    Erin left the ship and headed to the captain of guards . However, Erin was immediately greeted by Shannon .

    Shannon greeted Erin after he came down from the ship, He was quite happy with his safe arrival and spoke, "It is good that you are fine, kid . You have now be a big man after this raid . "

    Erin shook his head and spoke, "It would not have been possible without you, master . And this time I lost a lot of my men . "

    Shannon sighed and spoke, "Nah, you earned this victory, you wouldn¡¯t have won if you hadn¡¯t executed all the orders on the right time ording to your own judgment . And remember war is brutal so it would be better if you stopped attaching your emotions with your men as it would only hurt you more . I know about it as I have experienced it first hand . However, it would be your decision in the end . Take that Pirate ke for example, he attaches a lot of importance to his men and hence it became his weakness for years however this has also increased his hatred and determination to finish Duke Fjord and take his revenge . So this a two-edged sword . "

    Erin sighed and gave his answer, "I understand master, I will keep these words in mind . However, I still can¡¯t do what you expect me to do right now at this stage . Meanwhile, What happened to you master, you don¡¯t look good currently?"

    Shannon sighed as he looked at his own shadow in Erin and spoke, "It¡¯s ok . You will grow with wars eventually . As for my mood, We suffered the biggest defeat in our history under my leadership so you can understand . "

    He continued, "In total, We lost 5000+ plus men this time around . We really underestimated that count and that pirate when it came to the firepower of those ballistas . Anyway lets go, I don¡¯t even want to speak on this topic, Duke is waiting for us . We will talkter on . "

    After Shannon and Erin left, People were allowed to watch the ships in small numbers .

    Themoners gossiped as they saw the ballistas, "So it is really true that Lord Erin was able to capture those ballistas from Duke Rose . It seems we aren¡¯t fated to lose this war just yet . As expected from captain Shannon as his experience came in handy . "

    The Old man spoke after watching the expressions of Shannon and Erin, "True, However, I am worried about the truffle between Lord Shannon and Darius/ Grim duo . "

    The other guy nodded and agreed, "I guess the same is true for Lord Fjord as well . He might be really worried about both of them as both of them control a part of the army and have quite a lot of influence under them . "

    The Old man spoke, "Anyway, I expect the sparks between both Duke Fjord and Count John to continue after this battle, no one of the two will yield knowing the personality of lords . I expect a few big battles like the previous one . "

    The man spoke after hearing about their personalities and the situation of war, "Well, it is their honor which is at stake currently . So it¡¯s expected that none of them will subdue to one another . "

    The mood of the port though low was still a bit cheerful as some good news was given to the popce and spread in the city from the port . Many people started heading to the port for confirming the battle reports .

    Heading to the pce, Erin heard about the events which took ce and understood what happened while he wasn¡¯t present .

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164

    ***

    The Imperial Capital,

    Currently, there was a meeting going on between several ministers from all the domains in the Justice Administration department of the Pce, It was specially made for special cases where there was a dispute between multiple lords .

    There were a lot of people present here today, Including Minister Justin of ck Wolf¡¯s Domain .

    Jonas representing Duke Fjord presented his case to everyone present, "Dear Ministers and your majesty Lionheart, I think all of you are aware of Count John¡¯s various activities by now . In the previous battle as well he had ughtered 3000+ knights of our domain when in fact they had surrendered already . I hope there are severe punishments taken against Count John . The noble etiquette demands that soldiers who surrender should be treated as prisoners of war and given a fair trial instead ofpletely ughtering them . "

    One of the Judges from the Justice department furrowed his brows as he heard about his hypocrisy and asked Jonas, "Well, it is war, what do you expect Minister Jonas? You can¡¯t expect the drums to roll your way all the time . Please talk and present your case with tact . "

    Jonas nodded and gave his justifications, "Had that been the only case then I wouldn¡¯t havee here with this petty matter but the matter of the fact is that Count John has defied a lot of norms and has employed a pirate as his navy admiral . I am sure you are aware of the notorious pirate ke, right? Most of ke¡¯s men are working under him . He is quite notorious and wanted by the Royal family for raiding their ships in the past . Even if the situation was only that I would have still remained quiet . I am sure all of you know about the recent events, right? A lot of the merchant ships in the east were raided by that pirate and bought back at the eastern port . Most of the officials can confirm you that . If it was only the vessels which belonged to us then I wouldn¡¯t haveined but they have also targeted a lot of vessels belonging to other people which includes the Radiant Church and Duke Norman . "

    The Judged furrowed his brows and asked, "Aren¡¯t the Radiant Church affiliated with you guys so why is there any surprise?"

    Jonas was ready for as he handed over some documents and spoke, "Nope, it ispletely a transactional rtionship . We were simply offered loans for this war which we will repay to themter on . Here is the deed of agreement with Pope David . Who knows if that Count might target even the royal family if you ever decide to give a loan to us and they decide to target you for giving us a loan . "

    King Lionheart smiled as he heard Jonas . He thought, ¡¯I guess I can start acting against that count now that we have a legitimate reason . ¡¯

    The judge looked towards lionheart andter spoke to Jonas, "It seems yourints are reasonable . However, didn¡¯t Duke Fjord im the same thing about raiding any ships in the eastern domain . "

    Jonas was quite a good influencer and gave their justification, "I understand that Milord but Talking and taking action are two different things . We haven¡¯t taken any sort of that action which was proimed earlier . And if you notice Duke was only in rage when he proimed that publicly . He retracted about it after he thought calmly . We are only targeting ships that belong to Count John¡¯s Domain . Additionally, that Count hasn¡¯t sent even one of his men to defend himself or present his case in the court here today, isn¡¯t it clear disrespect for the authority of the royal family and our rules?"

    One of the baron¡¯s present here today thought as he heard Joans, ¡¯Hmph, you think people don¡¯t know that you guys simply take it to your different ports and have the mercenaries take over the ships . I guess Count John is either naive or intentionally doing this as he expected the Royal family to support him as he provided the ballistas . ¡¯

    This time King Lionheart stopped the Judge and gave his judgment,

    "You are quite correct Minister Jonas, The very fact Count John did not send a single man for today¡¯s case is very insulting the Royal family and add on the fact that he has employed a pirate who is wanted by us for a very long time . Instead of handing him over to us when he caught him previously, he decided to employ him in his fleet as an admiral which is very insulting to the royal family and all the other nobles who were previously robbed by him . This very much goes against the noble etiquette and honor . This not only brings shame to nobles but it also brings humiliation to nobles for being associated with him because of his position . "

    A lot of ministers saw King Lionheart¡¯s tone and understood what was going to happen . Meanwhile, Eanred had a premonition that this would be bad for them . However, it was toote as Lionheart proceeded to give his judgment without waiting for anyone .

    Jonas smiled as he saw King Lionheart¡¯s tone and understood that he had decided to act against John, He spoke to Grim, "I guess it is time . We got much in return unlike what we expected previously . From the looks of it, King Lionheart is going to take action against him . I guess it was good that I gave him the information about Elves¡¯ journey to the North-frontier domain previously . Additionally, he too is annoyed by peopleining about the Royal cuisines as that count is declining to share a lot of things which includes those recipes and cement for the construction industry . "

    Grim had a smile on his face after watching the court, "Yes, The Royal Family has their own interests and motivations and it was good that we got to know about Rose¡¯s Journey over to south because of our spying over preparations for thest battle . I guess we gained a lot after ourst operation . It was not fully dud . "

    Jonas nodded and agreed, "Yes, Milord . "

    @@novelbin@@

    For the first time, Defense Minister to saw that something was amiss when Count John didn¡¯t send any of his men, He thought, ¡¯That count isn¡¯t that stupid, Even a stupid man would know to send a man to represent him in this dispute between two lords . it seems he is intentionally doing this so that he can get sanctioned by the Royal Family . From the looks of it, it seems that Eanred was right when he said that this count seems dangerous, Why are my instincts saying the same thing . From the looks of it, that count really isn¡¯t afraid of anything right now . ¡¯

    King Lionheart proimed with vigor and unmatched aura that was only leaking authority, "Count John¡¯s domain will be sanctioned with an increase in tariffs for all the luxury goods they export by 20 percent in all the domains controlled by the royal family directly until he hands over that Pirate ke and apologizes to the Royal family . However, I also hope that both the sides show restraint and try to resolve their difference through dialogue . These Tariffs can increase in the future if Count John remains defiant on protecting that Pirate . "

    Jonas neither agreed nor disagreed with King Lionheart as he spoke, "Yes, Milord . We only hope that Count John hands over the culprit who killed Lord Evan as this will be the best measure to normalize the situation and bring peace in both the domains . "

    King Lionheart nodded as ordered everyone, "Okay, everyone is dismissed . The sanctions will be implemented starting tomorrow . Is everyone clear?"

    All the Ministers answered immediately after hearing the King, "Yes, Milord"

    A lot of people were shocked after hearing King Lionheart¡¯s decision and understood a lot of meanings behind this decision .

    The Baron spoke after hearing the conclusion of the dispute, "It seems King Lionheart is pissed at the fact that Count John is interacting with the Elves and he has started umting a lot of food supplies for his domain . From this, it looks like Count John isn¡¯t trusting the Royal Family and preparing for the worst . "

    The Viscount from the capital spoke, "Yes, it seems the Royal family isn¡¯t too happy with the actions of Count John . I guess this was to be expected . I wonder what would Count John do now that even the royal family has abandoned them . I guess he was stupid when he decided to hand over those blueprints of ballistae to the Royal Family . "

    The Baron rebuked and spoke, "Hmph . . . What can he do? He only has power in the seas . Now he will understand what it means for defying and earning too much . Additionally, The Royal family has an army which is 100 times bigger than his army . He will only sumb eventually and share some of his technology to the royal family . This exactly seems like the time when the Lorr family was targetted by the Royal family but at that time the Royal Family was quite cautious when they acted against the Lorr family . However, the Royal family is quite brazen this time around . "

    The Viscount sighed and agreed, "I guess it is because they already got the Ballistas which they wanted . However, I hope this doesn¡¯t go out of control and that count provides those ballistas to the Dwarves or the Demons . "

    Another Count came in and spoke after hearing them, "He won¡¯t provide it to them as the Dwarves are quite close to the Fjords and this would only backfire him . As for the demons, you can¡¯t trust them . And do you think the royal family isn¡¯t prepared when they took action against them? Additionally, knowing the personality of that Count, he is someone who is quite stubborn and won¡¯t give those to anyone easily . And he isn¡¯t as strong as the Lorr where other powers would consider him as an equal . "

    Viscount thought and spoke, "Yes, this is true as well . I wonder how long would this countst . However, I have heard from the inner circles of the ministers that King Lionheart has a grudge against that Count because of his rtions with Prince Lukavv or else the Judge wouldn¡¯t have been surprised after King Lionheart took action personally . I don¡¯t think he would have given such a harsh punishment against Count John . "

    The Count nodded as he thought that something was different when the judge looked at King Lionheart as it seemed out of instructions, "Yes, This can¡¯t be ignored as I heard the same . I guess he should me his rtions with Prince Lukavv from the actions of King Lionheart today . And today was the day King decided to act against him . Additionally, the ministers weren¡¯t surprised and quiteposed as they seemed to have a n against that Count . So it seems that they already had made their ns against that Count . "

    The Baron added, "I guess the reason may be as they already the blueprints of those Ballistas . I am curious how that arrogant count acts now that he is between a cliff and a well . "

    Everyone dispersed as the news hit everywhere .

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168

    Taylor replied in a nonchnt manner to Luke, "Just as you can see . We are only reporting facts nothing different . You see our professors were itching to write these pieces for a long time but never got an opportunity . While Lord was in a very good mood yesterday after hearing the verdict, he allowed them to publish it today . And hence the result . Did you like it?"

    Taylor ended in a cheeky way .

    Taylor spoke in a grave tone as he got straight to the point, "Okay, lets cut the chase, As you guys never intended to fulfill your promise and are brazen siding with Fjord, what do you expect from us? This was, in fact, a very mild reaction from the Lord . "

    Ambassador Luke tried to calmly exin about the verdict, "It was only a fair verdict, Mr . Taylor . You guys should have at least sent a man representing your case at the imperial city . This was very offending And the fact that you guys employed a wanted pirate by the Royal family only infuriated the king further . You must understand the circumstances . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Taylor nodded, "Hmm . . . That¡¯s reasonable but why weren¡¯t you bothered about ke before our delivery of Blueprints or when we appointed him? It is not like you didn¡¯t know about him, right?"

    Luke spoke with a shred a shame on his face, "We were waiting for you to hand him over to us without offending you . "

    Luke was quite used to it as he was a diplomat .

    Taylor made an innocent-looking face and spoke, He gave a document to Luke and smiled, "Well . . . that¡¯s reasonable as well . Have a look at this document . What do you think? You see Master d was asked toe to Bluesea Domain Yesterday by the ministers of Bluesea Family . The timing and coincidences are quite interesting, right? Additionally what happened to your previous promise of political protection when I delivered you the blueprints?"

    Luke¡¯s face was red as he read the reports which exposed their activities left and right, If he could find a hole, he would have immediately hidden his face in it . However, he was quite thick-skinned being a diplomat for a long time .

    The document revealed about king Lionheart¡¯s meeting with Demon Prince Chad .

    ¡¯Damn it . How were they able to spy and get so much information about our confidential meetings . I am sure there is a mole in the imperial pce . I guess, this is it for King¡¯s rtions with Count John at least on a personal level . We can¡¯t even target him just because he is exposing some scandals . ¡¯

    Luke seriously asked before leaving, "Are you guys really intending to continue your charade?"

    Taylor nodded and spoke without any hesitance and a grave tone, "Yes, Lord is prepared this time around to confront all of his enemies . Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know your ns . We have a lot of eyes in your court . The meeting of His majesty with Prince Chad was our red line . "

    Luke left with a red face as he didn¡¯t have any arguments to resolve the current situation .

    Taylor reminded him as he left, "Yes, you guys shouldn¡¯t be worried about us giving those ballistas to the Dwarves or any other party . However, you should be worried about pirates in the seas . And we would continue to expose a lot of things from now on . Just treat it as an Eye for eye treatment from us . And just because we are a small city, don¡¯t think we can¡¯t fight . "

    Shivers ran through Ambassador Luke as he heard Taylor . For the first time, he could see the power of information control as he remembered about Today¡¯s incident .

    Luke thought, ¡¯This will be a tough nut to crack, I wonder If I should believe him that he won¡¯t provide those ballistas to others . I hope this decision by ministers is correct or we will be in a deep mess knowing the personality of this count . This Count gives me a lot of danger signals as he always seems carefree without any worries . He is no less crazy than Prince Lukavv . I guess I will increase his ranking to the S+ category for most dangerous people which are the biggest threats to the kingdom . He seems as dangerous as those demons in the west . I guess we need to be prepared for war . ¡¯

    There was a lot of hubbub in the city because of the explosive news that was reported today,

    One of the Dwarves spoke to one of his Human mates in the pub, "haha, from now we can drink those new wines as much as we want . "

    The Other guy drank Red Moon and spoke, "True, I always cursed to wait in those long lines every day, not to mention those paid guys who would line up every day to sell these delicious wines in the ck market . Such a waste . Those guys in the ck market were simply ripping offmon men like us . "

    One of the demonsid out his hypothesis after wines were sold in bulk, "I think this decision was taken because of the previous verdict which was given in Duke Fjord¡¯s favor . "

    The dwarf smilingly spoke, "Bullshit, It was because Tornwall sessfullypleted the Clock Tower Previously . This has improved the life and productivity of everyone in the city . "

    One of the guys spoke, "I recently met the guys who came from the Eastern Port . This time we got a big raid of Fjord¡¯s ships . You can see the newspaper tomorrow to confirm this news . It seems the Battles are intensifying in the seas . It seems north will be a mess . "

    The Dwarf shook his head and spoke with a smile which was full of optimism, "Nah, it will be all fine, I believe in Lord . Since Tornie is willing to die for Lord John then so am I . "

    Prince Hector was red-faced as he read one of his most embarrassing scandals, "Who the fuck revealed this news to those asses in North-frontier city . How were they able to get their hands on such sensitive information . "

    Instead of focusing on other news, Prince Hector was more worried about the scandal where he was performing BDSM being the one dominated by one of the women escorts .

    Alistair coughed and spoke, "Lord, most of the men in the pce know it because of noises . I think those who left work previously ratted you out to earn some money . These days the ck and White Publishers are offering money for serious scandals rted to aristocrats . They have most likely targeted us this time because of Your Father¡¯s sanctions which were taken in thest court meeting . "

    Hector was fuming with anger as he almost gave out an insane order, "Damn those peasants, rattling out for small change . Kill all the servants, no it won¡¯t work since that Count would immediately use this against me and report it in his newspapers . I want full proof walls where not even the voices of a whole banquet can be passed out . Do it immediately . I am already stressed with that moronic Baron . I am more worried now since we can¡¯t be forceful now after watching the power of these newspapers . "

    Alistair nodded and spoke . " Yes, Milord, I will immediately sort it out . Lord no need to worry about that Baron, if he doesn¡¯t do our bidding . We can use his son Antonio . Additionally, he has grudge against John So he can be a nice good pawn for us . Sir, I would like to give a suggestion . "

    Hector nodded and spoke, "Continue . "

    Alistair nodded andid out the current scenarios, "Now that Count John has infuriated Lord Lionheart I think we can close the eastern port without any worries from the imperial ministers . However, we would be open to warfare because of such radical action . We can do it now or we can do itter on when the Beasts in winter attack him as we nned . My instincts are saying that he has intentionally provoked everyone right now but I don¡¯t understand why he would do this right now . We also got a letter from His Majesty that they are willing to provide those ballistas if costs are paid upfront . So the decision is up to you to decide . "

    Hector furrowed his brows and remembered the warning of his brother and asked before making a decision, "What is the battle report?"

    Alistair immediately handed over the report and spoke gravely, "Very severe . I think you already know about thest battle of Eastern Seas where Fjord lost 5000+ men . And just recently that Pirate, ke has seized 11 ships already . 2 of which belong to us . And if we go by the reports, I think we lost 3 more ships in the seas . They are most likely targeted by Count John . Recently they had a lot of suspicious movements . "

    Hector thought for a long time and made a decision, "We will wait till those ballistas arrive . Immediately answer father that we will pay upfront and buy them . I don¡¯t want to take any chances before moving against him like thest time . You can fund the mercenaries to attack them viand though . That scummy father of mine would try to increase the prices so tread with caution before you go into negotiations . And use that Antonio whatever guy since the Baron is being a pussy, we must use someone else . "

    Alistair nodded and left to carry out the instructions, "Okay, Milord . I will proceed as you ordered . "

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171

    Duke rebuked the minister as he didn¡¯t want to hear these words while he was losing ships every other minute, "I have already lost enough of my men . Deploy those weapons on our ships immediately . We can¡¯t afford to lose more men . Start mass production . It is still better than nothing . Those nobles too are getting restless nowadays after those raids and losing so many of their ships from that Upstart . "

    Duke Continued as he spoke with an unmatched aura, "That count has anyway offended the king . We have nothing to worry about when we attack them . Start targeting them near the eastern port . "

    He thought, ¡¯Heck if that king really pisses me off . I might as well ally with Dwarves . They already showed me their worth after looking at those new weapons . However, their ambitions are quite worrying . ¡¯

    One of the ministers murmured to his colleague, "It looks like he has finally lost his cool . "

    Other bureaucrat spoke, "Yes, however, it is good that Count John offended the King which is to our favor or else it would have been problematic attacking the ships near Eastern Port . "

    The minister spoke as he heard them, "Shh . . . You wouldn¡¯t want to be heard by others . "

    ***

    The outskirts of North-frontier city,

    Currently, there was mass production of Cannon¡¯s and rifles being carried out at one of the secret workshops on the outskirts of North-frontier City . It was currently guarded by 200 guards who were equipped with rifles and cannons in the base . None of the wild animals approached the base .

    One of the engineers asked other men, "Though we can¡¯t leave the workshop quarters for 2 months . The life here is quite good when ites to food and alcohol . "

    The dwarf looked at the boy and spoke, "It seems you are new over here . Well, those are surely the perks the only thing you may miss is your family or lover . But since it is wartime and these are precautions taken by the management . I guess these are likely our new weapon workshops as it is frequently visited by Master Tornwall and Taylor . So the security is also to be expected . However, it ispensated in the form of 5 times extra wages to everyone present . It is quite good as I am able to buy that expensive alcohol every 2 days . I miss the factory . "

    The youth nodded and spoke, "Yes, I too came because of these perks and benefits . I intend to marry and buy a home in the new residential area that is being developed recently . "

    The dwarf spoke gravely, "Kid, it¡¯s all good but you can never reveal about this workshop or the weapons we created here to anyone outside or you will be hunted down for treason . You already read the contract before signing, Right?"

    The kid nodded and scratched his head as he looked around, "Of course I understand the importance of hiding our important weapons . I just recently came here from the Rose Institute Currently I will work as an engineer under . . . I don¡¯t know . Wait, I need to find out . "

    The dwarfughed as he stopped the kid, "No need to go anywhere, Kid, I will be your supervisor kid . Don¡¯t judge me by my appearance . Come we have bigger work this time . I hope to finish tomorrow¡¯s work as well since it is wartime . My name is Redbeer . "

    The kid was surprised as he eximed, "You are the famous Mr . Redbeer who is involved in a lot of projects in the town currently . I heard you previously handled the distillery in our town . I see why you were missing the factory . "

    Redbeer stroked his beard as he frustratingly spoke, "Yeah, currently 1 one of my subordinates handles it . Lucky Basta*d . So what is your name?"

    The Kid scratched his head and spoke, "Ohh, I am sorry I still didn¡¯t introduce myself . My name is Serin . I am 19 currently . previously I worked as a farmer . "

    Redbeer nodded as he headed inside, "Come, let head in . "

    ***

    After 1 week,

    There were 2 elf ambassadors who were currentlying with Duke Rose on their first visit to the North-frontier domain and make a big deal with them as mentioned by Duke Rose .

    The name of those Ambassadors was Alison and Mist .

    Mist smiled and spoke after looking at the seas and the security arrangement made by Duke Rose, "Hmm . . . it looks like the drums of war have already been blown just by looking at the eastern seas . "

    Mist turned to Rose and asked, "there is quite a lot of patrol by your men in the seas, Rose . "

    Rose sighed and showed his empty hands as he exined to both of them, "Yes, even my hands are tied right now because of the northern and western borders . On the one side, there are thoseckeys of Duke Fjord and on the other side, there is ckwolf waiting for me to make a move . It will be disastrous if we are caught unprepared and hence the high amount of patrol these days . By the way, how were you able to notice about the drums of war without even witnessing one fight . I think I made sure you don¡¯t experience any skirmishes right now during our travel . "

    Mist smiled and pointed in the direction of the seas and exined, "True . I was able to determine because of that . "

    Rose was confused and spoke, "Because of the seas?"

    Mist pointed towards a Shark and exined, "No, it¡¯s the animals in the seas, they are quite afraid, we were able to know about war because of their emotions of fear . See, most of the sea animals are running away as soon as they spot any ships, it isn¡¯t usually the case . Even the wild Aquatic animals . I guess you too should be able to sense the emotions of the animals . I guess it is because you were never raised by elves and hence theck of understanding from your part . You can visit us if you want to learn those techniques . "

    All the people in the deck were quite astounded as they heard Mist .

    Rose nodded as he understood, Rose indicated his men to head to Eastern port quickly .

    ***

    After arriving at the North-eastern city borders, Alisonmented, "It looks like this count is quite a capable man when ites to the management of his domain . "

    Mist nodded as he saw the town and all the roads .

    Hemented, "The streets are in quite a good condition . Quite better than our imperial city, The travel here wasn¡¯t bumpy as I expected . Anyway, lets head on our way and see him personally for ourselves . "

    Rose agreed and spoke, "Yes, that would be better . "

    Duke Rose was quite respectful to both of them during their whole journey which indicated their authority and position in the Ayananore Kingdom .

    Alison eximed in surprise as he spotted a vigering to North-frontier town in a bicycle, "Hoo . . . there are a lot of interesting things in this city apart from the papers which we were initially interested in . That tool for traveling is quite novel and interesting . Who made them, I am quite interested in the inventor?"

    @@novelbin@@

    One of the sailors who was originally from North-frontier town exined, "Yes, a convenient tool for traveling short distances . This was actually made by Mr . Tornwall¡¯s Workshop while the designs were provided by Count John . "

    Mist noticed the Clock tower and Administrative Headquarters as he eximed, "I am more interested in the food and architecture over here . That pce and that unique tower seem a work of masterpiece . I heard the food in this town is quite good . Some of the famous foodie traders in the Imperial city were full of praise about that restaurant called Hope . "

    Alison too noticed the Clock tower and spoke in surprise, "This is quite a masterpiece . How were you guys able to make such grand and Beautiful structures . I am sure even the queen would be mesmerized by such beautiful structures . "

    He ended after looking at the Administrative headquarters in envy which looked like a pce .

    He muttered, "Going to work in that pce must be quite refreshing . "

    The guide immediately exined, "Yes, this one of the proud work of our City nner and Chief Engineer . Both of them coborated to make this tower . The city nner, Ryfon, he is a half-elf just like Duke Rose . The Cheif engineer Tornwall, who is a dwarf . Currently, Master Ryfon is building castles in our southern borders after I asked my mates about the current situation of the City . Meanwhile, Master Tornwall is busy with his other projects . I think we will be able to meet Master Ryfon and Tornwall both during our stay . That unique tower which you saw earlier is called the Clock tower . The Brainchild of this project was Lord Jonh himself as he was the one who provided the blueprints for the clock . Because of these architectures, the tourists have increased as well . I guess Lord John had 2 things in the mind when making the Clock Tower . 1 . The sense of time among the popce and 2 . Potential benefits of such a unique tower . "

    Alison asked confusingly, "Sense of Time? Isn¡¯t it just a unique tower with very good architecture . "

    The guide shook his head, "No" . He continued and exined about the use of Clock tower which surprised a lot of people on the deck who didn¡¯t know about the tower .

    Mist eximed as he heard about the tower in Detail . "Good, Good . Truly a masterpiece . Count John is quite a capable man to use this clock tower to such an extent . "

    Mist showed a smile to Alison as both of them were quite impressed with the North-frontier domain and were quite interested in trading with them after touring the town .

    Mist spoke, "I guess trading with them would bring a lot of benefits to us . They have a number of unique products which would improve our domain . The Bicycle or paper or those wheelbarrows for example . They also have quite a good taste in the art after looking at their furniture shops . What do you think Alison?"

    Alison spoke in a serious manner, "Looking practically, there is the problem of the current war where it would be very hard to travel and trade . Well, it would still be manageable since they have these ballistas . "

    Alison smiled and spoke, "We can buy some from them . "

    Mist smiled and nodded, "Yes, anyway I am sure Princess would be happy if our problem of paper consumption is solved . "

    Alison, "Yes, those magicians and Runemasters spend quite an amount of papers every day . which is quite irritating to her . "

    Mist, "Come lets head to meet the count . "

    ***

    Henry was currently meeting Shannon in a pub at Laguna city,

    Shannon opened his mouth as he saw Henry in a disguised, "I heard about your situation . So how are you right now?"

    Henry spoke seriously, "Looking for my kid, and looking for certain people who conspired against me and my family . I need your help . "

    Shannon spoke as Henry, "If you are asking me to help you against Duke Fjord then I will immediately kill you here right now . Since I took the oath I will not be betraying my Lord . If you want help in finding your Kid I will use my all to find him . "

    Henry hmphed and spoke, "Hmph . . . "

    "I want Darius . You know what happened, right?"

    Shannon thought for a bit but he still rejected, "Looking as we are old friends and as I was quite expectant about you, I won¡¯t pursue you . Though I have my differences with Darius and he isn¡¯t good as a knight but I won¡¯t let that be used . However, I won¡¯t interfere in your right to avenge your family as well . So who are you working for, right now? I hope you are not being used by them . "

    Henry didn¡¯t even look as he left without saying and left a note with reading, "No one . Is it really worth it, serving Fjord?"

    Shannon was quite surprised after looking at the note .

    He thought, ¡¯I thought he already joined someone else . I guess I was wrong . ¡¯

    He contemted as he read the note . He immediately burned the note as he left .

    He thought, ¡¯I guess I am overthinking . ¡¯

    ***

    Alison was quite surprised as he looked at the pharmacy and read the description of pills, "Hmm . . . So they have a cure for mria, typhoid and tuberculosis? Do they really work or are these people conning the patients?"

    Alison was quite angry as he didn¡¯t like people using the weakness of other people .

    Looking at the angry Alison, The guide immediately stopped him and exined, "No, no master Alison, These guys are employed by the Administrative Headquarters themselves . All of the cure of these diseases were researched personally by Count John as he wanted to counter the Radiant Church . These medicines are only sold at the stores that are licensed by the Administrative Headquarters . There are also a lot of inspections carried out every month if those stores are running properly . "

    Mist as well was quite surprised and thought, ¡¯I guess we need to make an alliance with this count . He is quite an intelligent man if he is able to create so many things . However, my only worry is his ambitions . Maybe I can get him engaged to Princess Emena if he is suitable for her . ¡¯

    Taylor immediately came as he heard about the arrival of ambassadors from the Ayananore Kingdom .

    Taylor immediately greeted, "Wee to Mr . Mist and Alison to North-frontier kingdom . I hope you didn¡¯t have any problems on your journey . "

    Duke Rose joked as he saw Taylor, "It seems you have forgotten me after watching them . "

    Taylor scratched his head and exined, "No Duke Fjord, it was only a misunderstanding . "

    Mist spoke with an expression, "No, it was all good because of Duke Rose Personally escorting us . You have quite a unique city . Personally speaking, I am very much impressed by the nning of this domain . The roads are good, the streets are clean and thew and order of this city is very good . Even we the elves always have a problem in big cities when ites tow and order . "

    Taylor was flustered and spoke, "You tter us, Milord . It was only possible because of the nning of our Lord . Why don¡¯t youe to the Administrative headquarters and talk there? Lord John will immediately head there as he is rushing with Master Ryfon after the inspection of southern borders . "

    Alison agreed and spoke, "Okay, Lets head in . "

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172

    Juan and Lily currently arrived at North-frontier City . Juan had agreed with Lily¡¯s request as he too wanted to investigate the cause of this war .

    Lily was eating the unique food from the food stalls at North-frontier city, "Wow, the food here is wonderful, isn¡¯t it Juan? It¡¯s good that you left the army, now we can travel as much as we want . "

    Juan too was quite surprised and spoke, "Yes, I am more impressed by the roads and those bicycles here as I am quite used to the roads of Imperial city as well . The culture here seems quite different . People here seem to respect each other quite a lot even though some are ves . I never expected to see such a scene in the Aelius kingdom ever before . "

    Lily remembered something about the ves and spoke, "Well, I heard that Lord John had decided to free all the ves in his domain in 2 years . A lot of nobles were pissed after learning this fact as it seemed that he was directly confronting other nobles . I guess this respect for peoplees from the Lord himself and hence the people . No wonder the people here respect their Lord more than the king . "

    Juan nodded as he understood that the people here genuinely looked happy whether it was a rich man or someone like a farmer .

    Juan spoke as he spotted the administrative headquarters, "Well, lets go to the library or Administrative Headquarters . I want to meet some officials who know about the reason why this war started . I hope I can meet someone important or someone with a bit of authority . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Lily pouted as she saw Juan¡¯s attitude and spoke, "We have just arrived in this city and you want to work already? why don¡¯t we tour this city first andter head to do official business? You see that Clock tower?"

    Juan asked confusingly, "Yeah, it¡¯s a beautiful and grand structure, what about it?"

    Juan was quite surprised after hearing the use of Clock from Lily .

    Juan eximed, "I never thought, it was such a useful thing . It seems this Count wasn¡¯t as bad as it was depicted in the Laguna city . I heard about the funeral which he conducted for his soldiers . "

    Lily spoke after remembering new suits in the shop she had spotted earlier, "Come lets first try those new clothes which have just recently started selling . I am sure that these new suits would look very refined on you . I heard those new suits were worn by Count John in the previous banquet when he made his personal tailor-make this customized clothing for him . I also heard that Miss Josephine and Eva too wore those new types of clothing on the suggestion of Count . Now it has be quite a fashion trend to wear those clothes in Banquets . "

    Juan didn¡¯t want to go shopping as he tried to dissuade Lily, "However, wouldn¡¯t it take a lot of time for them make those clothes for us . I think they would be quite expensive as well . "

    Lily furrowed her brows and had a readymade answer, "No need to worry, recently there was a shop opened by Miss Josephine and Eva for these types of new articles of clothing . Lets head there . As for money, we don¡¯t need to worry . "

    She thought, ¡¯It was good that I read that new magazine from White and ck publishers about the new fashion in the upper circles or else I would have never gotten a chance to see and wear those clothes . ¡¯

    Juan pped his forehead as he prepared to loosen his wallet, he thought, ¡¯Such a hassle . Well, it¡¯s not bad considering the tense period we were going through . For the first time, I am missing that clingy guy . ¡¯

    Juan sighed and headed with Lily . "Okay, we will conduct official businesster, this city is quite rxingpared to other cities . I guess we may as well tour this city . "

    Juan¡¯s colleague Bridge wasughing at Jaun as he saw them and Juan¡¯s dilemma .

    Bridge thought as he saw them, "I guess I shouldn¡¯t interrupt their precious time alone . Lighter wallet suits him anyway . "

    ****

    Laguna City, night time,

    Henry was currently in an abandoned alleyway in Laguna city as he prepared to ambush Sebastian after days of preparation .

    Henry thought as he saw Sebastian entering the alleyway, ¡¯It was good that I noticed his patterns of always drinking and going from this passageway . ¡¯

    As soon as Sebastian reached the middle of the alleyway . Henry made his move and reached behind Sebastian using Wind magic without getting noticed .

    "Move and you die . "

    Sebastian was surprised as eximed, "What do you want?"

    Henry didn¡¯t waste any time as he pushed a sleeping pill inside Sebastian¡¯s mouth and caught in a gunny sack .

    Henry spoke as with cold eyes as he tied Sebastian in the Gunny sack, "Now this would be easy . "

    Wasting no time Henry moved out with the gunny sack which seemed a grain sack without getting noticed .

    Henry moved out and traveled to a deste house in the outskirts of Laguana city, "Now lets go to the interrogation mode . "

    Both of them entered the deste house after confirming that no one else was in the vicinity .

    ***

    Tim was now fully adapted to life in Aurora City as he just recently finished the infrastructures required for producing the Ballista projectiles, armors and gun ammunition for Bolt type Rifles and other types of guns .

    Tim spoke as he looked at the bolt-type guns with great interest while Ross observed him, "These guns are quite novel . I never knew that a bolt can be used in such a manner . "

    Ross did not agree and spoke as he only looked for efficiency, "I am more surprised by these sniper rifles . The bullets can travel 2+kms, urately . I think these will be the game-changers in the uing battles . I wonder why we are producing so many different types of guns instead of these efficient rifles . "

    Tim thought a bit and spoke, "However, these sniper rifles will only be used by special forces and ghosts . In the theaters, they will only be used in extraordinary circumstances . If we reveal them, there would big consequences and we may be targeted from all the sides with full force, you know . As for different types of guns . I guess master and Lord want to see the different effects and their uses on different battlefields . I heard from other men that Mr . Jake came with his disciples and other special forces to train and tame those Aurora Horses . "

    Ross spoke with a sad tone after he remembered about the sess rate, "I guess revealing these Snipers rifles would truly be a cmity, No wonder, they are only kept for emergency situations . As for Jake and his teaming for Aurora Horses Yes, these horses will be one of our trump cards as they can swim underwater as well . However, Only Judd and Swann are able to tame the horses until now . I guess it is rted to the familiarity of the rider with horses . "

    Tim knew about this asked another question as he recently spotted more of those horses in the stable as he frequently visited the horses, "Did you guys caught more horses?"

    Ross took a look at one of the new armors produced currently, "Yeah, the new trick by Swann ising quite useful in capturing those horses . While it is also bing easier to control these horses via Zilch Berries . I guess we will reward that Kid . However, do these armors really work?"

    Tim asked confusingly, "Do you have any doubts?"

    Ross checked the light-weight armor with some doubt, "You see they are quite light, unlike the other armors I have seen . "

    Tim remembered and understood his doubts after looking at his face, "Ohh, you were worried about the weight, I thought the same thing first . But its all good . We have made all the required tests about the toughness of this armor . All of our armors are lightweight and this anti-pration armor will be the best suitable for naval sailors as they can freely fight sea battles . You don¡¯t have to worry . I can guarantee you that much . Well, lets head to the shipyard and start refurbishing the new ships bought by Admiral ke . "

    Ross remembered about the shipyard, "Yeah, I guess only the work of Shipyard is left . There is one more surprise for you this time . "

    Tim, "What is it?"

    Ross gave the instruction manual of Boosters and spoke, "It is about the magic tools that can increase the speed of ships . It was recently researched by Mr . Will and his team . The first batch of Magic tools has arrived already . I hope you can fit them on ke¡¯s Main ship first thing . Here, take this instruction manual . It was personally made by your master for you . You need to train other guys to fit those tools on the ships . "

    Tim immediately snatched the manual and started reading it without any worry .

    Ross looked at the Port which started looking like a town after a month of work .

    Ross thought, "I guess it will transform into a city soon enough after more people arrive . Anyway, I should focus on farming on this Ind for now . "

    ****

    Joe read the letter which mentioned that he was selected for special training on Aurora Ind .

    Joe was currently going to meet with Alisa as he was about to depart for Aurora Ind . Before leaving he had decided to show his feelings to her and propose .

    Marsh sighed as he looked at the nervous Joe who wanted to confess to Alisa .

    He thought, ¡¯This Idiot still doesn¡¯t know that she already knows about his feelings and is only waiting for his proposal . Does he really think She doesn¡¯t know why he doesn¡¯t visit Hope usually, Always an Idiot . ¡¯

    Alisa wondered as she looked at Joe who was looking at her from a distance, ¡¯Aah . . . how much time would this idiot take to confess . Usually, he is quite macho in the streets when catching criminals . He bes a rat when he meets me . ¡¯

    She was a demon with horns and red hair . She was wearing the usual maid clothes in the hotel .

    Joe decided to approach and spoke, "Hi Alisa, how are you doing today?"

    Alisa sighed and answered like she always did, "Nothing, just the usual business . What brings you here today? Are you here again for a new recipe of mine?"

    She smiled as he knew that her food never tasted good .

    Joe thought, ¡¯No, not your food . ¡¯

    Joe strengthened his heart finally spoke, "I will be leaving North-frontier town in a few days . So I wanted to meet you onest time before departing . "

    Alisa understood the meaning behind these words As Joe decided to meet her before departing,

    Alisa was quite tense and surprised as she heard him .

    Joe continued with a determined gaze, "I love you, Alisa, Will you marry me after the war is over?"

    Alisa was flustered as she didn¡¯t expect him to propose to her before leaving .

    However, Alisa still answered him with a teasing tone, "Why wait for the ending of this war?"

    Surprised by her reaction, He subconsciously spoke, "I didn¡¯t want you to be a widow . But, I don¡¯t

    want you to be of someone else aswell . "

    Hearing him, Alisa smacked his forehead as she kissed him, "Idiot . "

    Joe was surprised by her sudden attack as he embraced her and didn¡¯t let go as if fearing to lose her forever .

    Both of them embraced each other as the people in the hotel were quite surprised after looking at the couple .

    One of the old maids sighed and spoke after looking at the couple, "Finally . "

    One of the guests spoke, "Do you know about them?" He was quite surprised after watching a Demon and a human in such a situation .

    The Maid smiled and spoke, "Yeah, just two lovers finally expressing their feelings to each other . "

    The Maid coughed as both Alisa and Joe came to their senses after hearing her and left embarrassingly .

    Marsh was surprised and left both of them, ¡¯Damn, even that Idiot has a girlfriend now . Am I being left behind? Am I too conservative? Maybe I should also arrange for Alisa to go to Aurora Ind . Nah, let him suffer for being lovey-dovey in front of me . ¡¯

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173

    ***

    John currently came with Ryfon in a hurried manner to meet the ambassadors in the Administrative Headquarters .

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    Hearing the rush of people everyone understood that their Lord has arrived and immediately made the arrangement for his meeting with the Elf Ambassadors from the Ayananore Kingdom .

    Taylor gave orders as soon as he spotted his Lord, "Hurry, I don¡¯t want any mistakes from you guys,"

    John greeted as he got ready and met the Ambassadors, "Sorry for beingte Mr . Mist and Alison . due to the wartime, I am busy inspecting the borders . I hope you didn¡¯t find any inconvenience . "

    Alison was the who spoke first, "Nope, Lets get down to business . We originally came here for the papers produced by you guys but after witnessing this city . I have changed my mind . We were quite satisfied with the treatment of your men . We were originally only going to give you guys services of nature magic for your farms in return of paper trade but this time we are willing to offer you the techniques of Nature magic . However you have to remember this, it can only be used by an elf . "

    John was surprised as he understood the importance of this magic and asked, "What do you want in return?"

    Alison understood that John was wary and spoke in a calm manner, "Everything, I am especially moved by the medicines in your domain . These medicines which you have created have moved both me and Mist . We also checked if they work or not and they were quite good . It looked like a work of Miracle . We also heard that you made an announcement where you are going to free all the ves in your domain in 2 years . While their life doesn¡¯t seem any different frommon men . Even Rose is particr had never raised a voice against very . From this, we can see that you quite abhor ve but were forced to buy ves for the prosperity of your domain So we have made a decision, In particr, we want to create an alliance with you guys . "

    John, Taylor and Ryfon had a surprised look on their faces at the mention of an alliance . Elves very rarely made alliances and when they made one . They would always honor it .

    Taylor thought, ¡¯Their expensive and out of the world lumber can be used to make remarkable ships . I hope this deal is a sess . Just trade with the Elves would solve our problem of food . "

    Mist was the one who exined to them, "We hope to send our men to study architecture and other things from your chief nner and Rose institute . We will have no cap to buy any sort of magical resources which you require at the same time you guys would sell us items without any cap . There won¡¯t be any restrictions unlike the other nations However you are not allowed to resell of our magical resources and only use them for the personal consumption of your domain . As a gesture of goodwill, we are prepared to give you the Wood from the tree of beginning . Making it into a magic staff will bring out the biggest prowess of this wood . I think all of you know the value of Wood of beginning . "

    John had a confused face as he never heard of this wood .

    Duke Rose was quite shocked after hearing the offer of Mist . It seemed as if his eyes woulde out from his socket when he heard him .

    Looking at Duke¡¯s reaction, John was flustered in his mind and understood the importance of this wood and the significance of this deal .

    Looking at duke¡¯s face, Mist smiled and spoke, "You don¡¯t need to be envious, Rose . He has earned this opportunity because of his courage and standing up for weak . "

    Mist then turned to John and didn¡¯t press him for an answer, "You can take your time to make a decision . "

    John was quite decisive whenever he made the deals for the benefit of his subjects and this time as well he immediately made a decision, "No need to wait . I have made my decision . I am ready to offer you guys the medicine forms in exchange for a royalty fee of 7% as it is rted to the patients suffering this disease however I won¡¯t be giving you the technologies of other things in my domain as they are the fruit andbor of my men . If you can learn it yourselves that won¡¯t be a problem but I won¡¯t be serving these technologies on a tter to you guys . "

    Mist was surprised after hearing John¡¯s decisive answer but he smiled and spoke, "Ohh . . . you misunderstand us, we only wanted you to sell those items to us and in exchange, we too get ess to your markets . I guess this deal from you is good as well . Do you really think, we the elves don¡¯t understand the sweat and pain gone through by an inventor to create a cure or something innovative?"

    Sarah the A . Iughed as if she heard a Joke when she heard Mist, Shemented inside John¡¯s head, "Sweat and pain by this giarist? I guess these guys have never experienced the true power of this Lord and fast brain and the simtion power behind it . Peasants as always . "

    John coughed up a bit as heard from Mist,

    Mist spoke, "Okay, we have a deal . You are a quite decisive man . However, don¡¯t take this alliance lightly young man . We always keep our words . We hope you do the same . Well, I don¡¯t think you would betray us anyway . We will be staying here for a few days . Is it okay with you?"

    John was surprised after their promation and spoke after hearing them, "Okay, we have a deal . I too am someone who likes to keep up his words . Taylor, make arrangements for our guests immediately . We will have a banquet tonight, I hope you can attend it and join us bypleting this deal officially . "

    Alison was the one who immediately jumped on John¡¯s offer, "Okay, I am any way more excited by all the delicacies of your domain . I have already heard a lot about the food of North-frontier town . "

    Taylor nodded and headed to make the arrangements as he leaded both the ambassadors to their resting ces .

    Duke Rose only spoke now after both of them left, "You really surprised me this time around . You know both of them can discern both truth and lies . I guess you were able to convince them as you didn¡¯t lie to them . You have really hit a jackpot this time around . I wasn¡¯t as lucky when I lied to them about a minor thing . "

    John thought and spoke after hearing the Duke, "Well I never lie when I am making deals . I am not someone who likes to break a contract . "

    Dukeughed as he heard him and joked, "It seems you have the blood of devils when ites to honoring contracts . Well, they may fudge the wordings of a contract though . I hope you aren¡¯t the same . "

    ***

    Sebastian opened his eyes as he saw water being thrown at him .

    Sebastian only opened his eyes to see a blurred figure in front of him . Adjusting his vision after a while, only now did he identify the figure in front of him .

    Sebastian had a grave expression as he knew who had captured him .

    Henry spoke in a grave tone, "You know what I want, right?"

    Henry continued to ask in an agitated tone, "Who ordered you to conspire against me and my family . "

    Sebastian onlyughed after watching the agitated figure of Henry who was breathing heavily .

    He opened his mouth and spoke, "You were a nobody who just happened to survive that ambush . You and I were simply pawns . Pawns of a bigger game that is being yed by our masters . "

    Henry made a cut on Sebastian¡¯s leg as he roared, "Don¡¯t Bullshit and try to talk in circles with me . "

    Henry remembered the bottle of ck potion which was given by Count John before he left .

    He spoke, "You know what this is, right?"

    Henry continued, "It is the same potion that forced that guy from Radiant Church to be humiliated in public by Count John . You don¡¯t want to suffer the same Torture, right? I will make sure you would beg me to kill you if you don¡¯t answer my questions . Don¡¯t forget to tell me about Darius and his schemes . "

    Sebastian was someone who didn¡¯t fear death but he surely feared torture of that extent, he very well knew about Francis who had tough skin but even he was a small cat in front of count John . "Well, it was all a ploy to convince Duke Fjord that Evan was killed by Count John¡¯s men while you abandoned Evan . If you managed to survive from that fall then you would have exposed our ploy and hence the conspiracy against you . I guess your family wouldn¡¯t have suffered if you had simply died in thest assault . Darius? He is currently most likely training with his guards after he lost his eye at the hands of your wife . As for his previous actions, I guess Darius just wanted to y with your wife as she was quite a looker and hence, you know right . " Sebastian smiled and spoke .

    Henry didn¡¯t even let himplete his sentence as he immediately thrust his sword into Sebastian¡¯s chest, "Fuck, all those assholes . All of them will fucking pay . This guy has the nerve to Joke while being in captivity . "

    Henry had a gloomy mood as he heard Sebastian¡¯s reason for why he betrayed him earlier .

    He thought, ¡¯It seems Count John was right when he told me about Sebastian being a spy of Prince Hector . Even if I can¡¯t target Darius, I can still target his loyal men who were present when they raided Lucy and Lucius . ¡¯ He had red eyes as he thought about thest moments of his wife .

    ****

    Currently, the mercenary bandits were getting bolder day by day as they targeted any caravan which left the patrol areas of the North-frontier army .

    One of the mercenaries from the first rank guild spoke, "These guys from the north-frontier domain are quite tough unlike the beasts or other nobles . "

    The mercenary head of the team took a ciggy and spoke, "Yes, it is particrly those mini-ballistas and those armors which are a pain in the ass . We lost quite an amount of men to them . And then there are those Ghosts who always target the heads of the teams from a range . I heard a lot of our spies were found in the trash bins up in the wild north . Upon inquiring we got to know from local thugs that they were done in by the Ghosts who would kill people after thorough investigation and their spying activities . The normal spies haven¡¯t been killed but all those trying to infiltrate or make rtions with officials were killed . This is one tough nut to crack . "

    One of the new recruits spoke . "Goddamnit, I never knew this work would be this tough . I guessed it would be a riot like the other times . "

    The head smiled and spoke, "Do you really think that the Radiant Church would share a piece of pie this easily if they thought that this count was a good pushover?"

    The new recruits thought and eximed, "No wonder, they were able to emerge victorious in theirst battle against Duke Fjord . I heard that the Fjord¡¯s had the best ships avable with them . "

    The head smiled and spoke, "No need to worry about Fjords . They have already made the prototype of the Ballistas and are currently arming their fleets to teeth . and there is Gold Rush and Glorious Explorer Mercenaries as well who have started moving . "

    The newbie asked after hearing about other mercenary guilds, "Should we coborate with them?"

    The head looked at the newbie and spoke as if he was looking at an idiot, "Are you an idiot? Let them suffer, we too have lost quite an amount of men . Lesspetition, more profit . When this city gets invaded, no one of them would remain as allies . These guys are only allies for convenience right now . Most of the people haven¡¯t shown their cards right now . This includes that count who has those demons and that master of his protecting him . However, hisnd would still be ravaged as he doesn¡¯t have enough power . "

    The newbie shouted as he spotted 30 men trying to raid a big caravan, "Hey aren¡¯t they the Glorious Explorer mercenaries?"

    The head nodded and spoke, "Look the show is on way . I guess Joss just lost his head after losing his brother . This will be quite a show . "

    The recruit asked, "Boss why don¡¯t we target those big caravans?"

    The head looked as if he was looking at an idiot, "Do you really think that those big caravans are pushovers? I guess it is yourck of experience and hence you don¡¯t understand things . Look at this raid and you will understand,"

    One of the heads of Glorious Explorer mercenaries roared, "Don¡¯t leave any one of them alive, that arrogant count will pay for his offense against Boss Joss . "

    As soon as they got near, the sides of the caravans immediately fired the arrows from the mini ballistas while a Magic knight burned a rune and gave a signal to the patrol through the sky .

    All the Magic knights first used the Mini-ballistas as they killed several of the men .

    The new recruit was shocked after watching the power of the mini-ballistas and the resistance of their armor which blocked most of the arrows cast by the Mercenaries, he eximed

    "What is that armor? Why aren¡¯t they getting prated?"

    The head ordered after watching the fate of the raiders, "Come lets go, they are dead anyway . "

    The recruit spoke, "Why are we leaving, boss?"

    One of the guys grinned and spoke, "You don¡¯t want to be caught by those patrols, right?"

    He spoke, "Aah, yes . I aming boss . " He immediately followed after watching others had already left .

    As expected, most of them were dead and 3 of them who tried to pass themselves as dead were caught by the patrol .

    Jay read the report as he sipped his tea,

    "Hmm . . . so it seems even these bastards from the Glorious Explorers have started attacking our watch posts . Do you know who hired them? Or are they doing on their own vition?"

    Marsh gave a report, "From the report of Ghosts, they and Gold Rush Mercenaries were recently hired by Duke Fjord as for others we only know their origin but not their employers . They are from the top 3 Mercenary guilds . "

    Jay muttered as the number of raids increased daily which discouraged more traders every day, "It seems I need to tell John about thetest developments . What is the news about the recently built castles?"

    Marsh gave the report, "They are fully fortified with 15,000 men and ballistas while the other 7000 are at the northern borders while others remaining are in the Navy, Internal forces and special forces . "

    Jay furrowed his brows and asked, "What about rifles? are they delivered?"

    "They are already delivered however they are not allowed to be used right now currently . However, there is some good news currently . "

    Jay was interested as he heard Marsh, "Ohh, what is it?"

    Marsh enthusiastically talked, "Mr . Ryfon just recentlypleted building all the castles and we were sessfully able to make a deal with the Elves . So we won¡¯t need to be worried about food currently . We will be trading with them extensively . This is what I heard from Mr . Taylor when I visited them today . So we don¡¯t need to worry about the poption now after this deal . Instead, we will use this against them . "

    Jay asked as he had personally rmended Joe for special training, "What about Joe? Did he ept his new appointment?"

    Marshughed and spoke, "Yeah, the lucky bastard will be marrying Alisa before leaving . I wonder where he got such courage to propose before leaving . "

    Jay was quite surprised as he spoke with a smile, "Well, war sometimes brings the best of people and he understands that this will be a tough time for North-frontier City . I guess I will not be able to attend his wedding . "

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175

    ****

    Pce of the Ayananore Kingdom .

    Princess Emena just read a report that surprised her gravely . She asked her minister, "So Mist has decided to ally with them . I never expected this sort of oue Maybe I should visit them once . "

    Minister Thomas of the intelligence department spoke, "Yes Princess, we too never expected this result of allying with that Count . However, I think this would be for better as that Radiant church in the Aelius Kingdom is at odds with them while the dwarves are slowly showing their fangs near the water borders . Buying those ballistas wille in handy for us, I am rather happy that we made this deal with that count from an interest basis . Currently, we are preparing to send people to the North frontier City ording to the deal to their newly established Rose Institute . Minister Mist had a lot of praise for that count which is very rare . Meanwhile, Minister Alison has already started using nature magic on their farms to relieve them for their future harvests . He was particrly astonished by the work people did even though winter is starting . Currently, he is in love with the wines produced by that town . This time they also sent medicine of mria, typhoid and other incurable diseases . I think this can also save you as this was vouched by themselves . So a lot of things which surprised them . "

    Emena was quite surprised hearing about the cures of mria as she was stressed recently, "Really, they have the cures for such diseases? Have they sent it?"

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    Thomas nodded and spoke, "Yes, it is currently in the pharmacy with Miss Reba . "

    Emena fist pumped and suddenly asked as she quite interested in the Count, "Good, this count seems very interesting, When is our team leaving for North-frontier City?"

    Thomas thought about the schedule and answered her, "Tomorrow I guess, Why do you ask? Wait, No, don¡¯t tell me that you n to go there immediately without making any preparations . The situation in the North is getting dangerous day by day, Miss . I can¡¯t allow you to travel there . The Queen will kill me if she hears about this . At least let me make preparations to prepare a whole fleet for you . "

    Emena was irritated as she heard him and immediately ordered, "Mist and Alison are good enough to protect me . I don¡¯t want you ratting me out to mother or else I will make sure to make your life hell with impossible tasks . are you clear?"

    Thomas shuddered as he remembered about all the rants and tasks he had to suffer in the past because of the princess . He sighed and decided to keep his mouth shut . He thought, ¡¯I anyway can¡¯t stop her since she has decided and is resolved to go there . I will at least send dark elves from our shadow division as guards to protect her . ¡¯

    Emena looked like a 25-year-old woman with long blonde hair . She had an avg height, standing tall at 5 feet 7 inches . Currently, she was wearing a yellowish-white robe with a light yellow vest with a crown that had feathers . She also had a ne with a diamond in it . The ne had a lot of runes in the diamond . She had wood staff with a crystal ball on it which reflected its grandeur .

    Before leaving Emena reminded Thomas, "Okay, I am going to visit Joanna after taking the cures from Miss Reba . Make my preparations . okay?"

    Thomas nodded and sighed .

    ****

    Joanna was currently in bed Emena visited her, "You are still in bed, well I have a surprise for you today . This Medicine was specially sent by Minister Mist from a ce called North-frontier city . "

    Joanna was quite irritated as she remembered about her disease and spoke in a frustrated manner, "Haven¡¯t all the healers in the Kingdom tried their best without any results . Would this really work? I heard this mria is a tough customer even for the best Holy light magicians . "

    Emena looked at Joanna and ordered her, "Why don¡¯t you try it? you will have to take it for 15 days before you see any effects . I won¡¯t be here so make sure to take it . Plus why it is personally vouched by Minister Mist . "

    Emena then looked at the servant and gave him a signal which signified that he would have to obey her orders .

    The servant replied after looking at her re, "Yes, Madam . "

    Joanna looked at the cheerful Emena and asked, "It seems you are going again somewhere this time around . By chance you aren¡¯t visiting the creator of this medicine, are you?

    Emena smiled and answered, "Yeah, your guesses are correct . Keep it a secret till tomorrow . "

    Joanna sighed and spoke, "Looking at your excited face I wish, I could have traveled with you, this whole year was a mess because of this disease, even the healers are barely keeping me alive . I hope this works, well since minister Mist is vouching for this medicine I guess it will work . "

    ****

    Charlie called his knight and asked, "Is the n ready yet? I don¡¯t want to miss this opportunity . Make sure that this mission is a sess . "

    Knight Drew spoke with a cunning smile, "Yes, Milord, it is ready, We won¡¯t be traced back after this incident is over . I was just checking on the loose ends to make it perfect . Meanwhile, that Dog is ready to go as well . However, this action will most likely affect Fjord the most . "

    Drew was a tall man with ck hair and a sharp face . He was someone who would attract people wherever he visited . Currently, he was wearing an armor which was filled with runes .

    Charlie touched his chin and gave an answer while looking at a certain direction with a smile on his face, "It¡¯s okay, A weak Fjord after the war would be the best for us . Additionally, I have already made a deal with Ralph . However, that man is quite cunning, he had quite good instincts like when he abandoned the war, so we should cautious around him even though he most likely ns to backstab his father . This time, we will use that dog in this war the most . "

    Drew sighed as he remembered about cktiger¡¯s brother and the report of North-frontier Town, "Yes, recently there has been a lot of security in that town after thatst assassination attempt . Meanwhile that guy Jake isn¡¯t seen anywhere . I am guessing they are preparing something big . However this time, he can be used as it will be a full-scale war looking at how things are turning . "

    ****

    Bluesea house in Fire abyss kingdom,

    Duke Friedreich Bluesea murmured as he was looking at the report sent by d, "Why do I feel something bad will happen this time around . These ministers are getting on my nerves . After looking at the results of thest battle, It seems this weapon is really something . "

    During one of the meetings in the Bluesea pce,

    The Minister of Trade from Bluesea house suggested, "Lord, we should bring back the Princess, the situation at North-frontier pce is very unstable currently . We shouldn¡¯t take any risks even though d is with him . I heard from the reports that a lot of people are moving after the results of those ballistas in naval warfare . "

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180

    ****

    Marsh spoke frustratingly as he was piled up with paperwork because of the recent war preparations, he roared as he heard a knock on his door, "Don¡¯t call me if it isn¡¯t anything important . "

    Marsh¡¯s subordinate spoke from outside, "Its urgent sir . "

    Marsh nodded for him speak fast, "Ok, speak . "

    The Subordinate came in,

    He gave the report and summarized it to Marsh, "Greenwoods vige is being attacked by a group of armed people . Most likely knights, This is urgent, sir . There is a massacre of massive proportions going on at that vige . "

    Marsh was alerted as he read the report .

    After reading the report, Marsh immediately headed to the Border post and met the viger . Hearing about the incident, Marsh had a grave face . he roared to his men, "On to your Posts men, from today onwards, all of you will be extra alert from now on . Kill any Hostile Invaders . I don¡¯t want anyone of cking during these times . "

    Marsh handed 2 two letters to his scouts, "Bring this letter to Jay at the nearby castle and this letter to Lord John . This is a very serious matter . Bring their reply as well . Okay?"

    Everyone answered in unison, "Yes, Milord . "

    Marsh ordered, "500 of you men wille with me to Greenwood¡¯s vige . If anyone of those perpetrators is still there . I will make sure they regret this for their whole life"

    One of Marsh¡¯s subordinates was against this decision andid out his reasons, "Is it okay, sir? This will be considered an invasion by other lords and this may affect us . Why don¡¯t we wait for Lord¡¯s decision first . "

    Marsh shook his head and spoke, "We will still be used of invasion if we don¡¯t act now, this is a big conspiracy which is aimed at us . If that guy who helped that viger wakes up, tell me immediately . "

    One of the doctors shook his head and imed as he looked at the rookie knight, "He most likely won¡¯t wake up soon, that guy is already in aa . I think that only Lord John can most likely wake him up if he checks him up . He is already in aa . "

    ****

    All the people at Greenwood¡¯s vige were killed by the invading knights disguised in normal civilian clothes so no one of the travelers suspect them .

    The Captain ordered everyone, "Lets go . Our Mission isplete . Make sure to take away all of our mates who were killed . "

    The veteran and the captain noticed that he couldn¡¯t find the rookie, "As for that rookie . we will remove his records from our register . It seems he has died while chasing or already fled . Just looking at the way he almost vomited should have been our wake up call . I guess I didn¡¯t want any chaos within our ranks . Sigh, such a good talent who is bound by the chains of morals . No need to worry about him guys who tried to escape . We haven¡¯t left any corners loose this time around . The Gold Rush mercenaries have coborated with us so there would be no problems . That guy most likely died at their hands if he was trying anything funny . "

    One hourter,

    The Mercenaries avoided Marsh and his men like a gue as all of the 500 Magic knights where charging throughout the forest to reach Greenwoods vige as they were armed to the teeth . Marsh and his men were heading for Greenwood Vige without hiding their destination or their killing intent .

    The Leader of Hell¡¯s yground mercenaries, Liam, spoke with a cruel smile, "Interesting, It seems someone has yed a big move . No wonder, Jim was behaving so nicely with everyone today . " He was the same guy who was advising his men previously when he was teaching the rookie . He was the head of the biggest mercenary group in the Aelius Kingdom .

    Liam gave an order in a grave tone, "Ok, we will be drawing back for a few days, Just looking at the reaction of those soldiers from the North-frontier domain, I feel there is a storming up for sure and we the mercenaries will be the ones who will bear the most burn of this conflict . Let the other guys be the cannon fooder for this conspiracy of others . Knowing the personality of that Count, I am sure he will target every mercenary on his borders . "

    Ed the rookie asked with a confused face, "Why do you say so, Boss? Won¡¯t he be more cautious now that such an attack happened at his borders?"

    Lain stroked his chin and exined, "Well, its because my instincts say so if he was someone who can be controlled even a little bit then they wouldn¡¯t have minded those sanctions which were aimed him . But, what was that count¡¯s reaction? He told the king to fuck off via his newspapers, didn¡¯t he?"

    Ed looked suspiciously at Liam and counter questioned him, "Nah, I never read something like that . Stop lying Boss . Do you think I can¡¯t read so you want to fool me?"

    Liam pped his forehead and thought, ¡¯This idiot . "

    Liam slowly exined containing his anger, "I am talking about the actions of that count, He has made a lot of moves which have directly affected the king¡¯s interest after that verdict instead of simply taking it lying down . Now you understand? Don¡¯t make me speak twice if you are itching for a beating . "

    Ed remembered about Red Moon and spoke, "Aah, yes, I got it, I understand that since we are able to drink Red Moon every day . Hmm . . . okay, so what will you do, Boss? Aren¡¯t we following Radiant Church¡¯s lead this time around?"

    Liam shrugged and spoke with a smile, "Fuck them, I ain¡¯t going to be their cannon fodder . Just some of those magic knights who protect those big trade caravans are scary enough . I wouldn¡¯t want to face such a group of magic knights with those weapons and armors . Those swords of theirs are already lethal enough to cut our armors like nothing not to mention their mini-ballistas where they can kill us from a distance . "

    Ed remembered about armors and spoke, "Aah, Yes, their armors are sturdy too, aren¡¯t you wearing the same one, boss? While all of their men are quite good at riding horses . "

    Liam nodded with a smile and spoke, "Good, now you are learning faster . I only got this armor from one of the guys selling it in Dolores . I guess he stole it from some officer at North-frontier town and came to Dolores to sell it . Well its all good as long as I am safe . This time Jim will most bear the most burnt after these actions from him . Hmph, a fool . "

    Ed nodded and spoke, "Ok, As you order, boss . We will back off since we don¡¯t have the same armor as you . " Ed spoke sheepishly spoke and ended his sentence with a smile .

    "Cunning kid . " Liam smiled and they headed off for their base .

    @@novelbin@@

    Liam was a lean man with quite a height and sharp face, he had red hair and looked quite handsome

    Every one of themughed as they heard Ed and headed to their base .

    Marsh and his men arrived only now after everything was over . A lot of soldiers were angry as they saw the men who used to travel in their city daily .

    One of the soldiers cursed as he saw one of his dead mates in the pile, "Fuck! how can this happen? Why weren¡¯t we informed about such a big mobilization of our enemies? What were the Ghosts doing at that time?"

    One of the men looked in the same direction and eximed, "Hey look, this guy is still breathing, quickly bring first-aid to treat him . "

    The Medic knight imed, "He is badly wounded, I wonder how he is still surviving . Come, help me dress up his wound . He can still be saved . "

    It was the same boy who was shed by the Captain of the Knights that invaded the vige .

    Marsh ordered his men, "Look up for other survivors, We are moving back . "

    Marsh continued as he looked at the scene of the massacre with dead cold eyes, "My hands are tied for now . Damn, I wish I could shoot all of those scums already . "

    ****

    After their operation,

    The captain spoke to prince Hector and Antonio who were present in the meeting, The captain gave his reports, "It¡¯s done, Milord . All of the people in Greenwood vige have been killed . A perfect operation . I was able to take help from Gold Rush mercenaries who killed all the guys who were escaping . "

    Hector nodded and spoke after reading his report, "Good, Now the wheels of fate will move faster after this incident . I don¡¯t think anyone would take this lying down . "

    The captain remembered something and reported, "Yes, we heard that Count John¡¯s men just arrived an hourter with a bigger force when we left the Greenwood vige We can use this to our advantage . "

    Hectorughed in victory as he toasted with his men, "Hahaha, You did well leaving early . now lets see how he will save his ass . Previously he thought that those weapons will help him . hmph, this time his very own weapons will kill him . "

    Duke Norman spoke, "Yes, with this we can start our operations and block the eastern port from where he is earning a fortune . Now lets see how this fish ils without any water . We will me this incident on Count John and his men invading Greenwood as an excuse to block the port . I don¡¯t think that King and the courtiers would mind . I think they are already preparing for an excuse for war looking at King¡¯s stance . "

    ***

    Alistair pped his forehead as he looked at the current report . He thought, "Damn, how can lord take this decision when I was only gone for 2 days? Did anger get the better of him? This will be irreversible . I guess they are counting on blocking the port to their advantage . This would mean that Count John would be forced to invade the eastern port and a bigger war . I hope he doesn¡¯t ally himself with other powers and gift the Ballistas to them . "

    ***

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181

    Jim was surprised as couldn¡¯t find the whereabouts of three of his best warriors .

    "What happened to them? Do any of you have any clue about their whereabouts? If they are killed where is their body? This thing is very puzzling . "

    He shook his head, "No Idea, Boss . It is as if they have vanished from the world . No one found them leaving the camp as well . We suspect that they are most likely dead . However, Prince Hector has sent his Promised amount of gold coins just now . And there were 2 guys able to escape the massacre"

    Jim nodded and smiled as he heard about Gold Coins, "Ok, no need to worry about them . Let me see the gold they have delivered . Good, more than required . Dealing with Prince Hector is quite good as he is generous . Feels so good that we can make a fortune out of that Count¡¯s Misery . The same thing will happen to his town . This way I can avenge my brother . "

    The subordinate nodded and spoke, "The most likely reason for their generousness is the new soaps that Prince and Duke ckwolf have started selling after getting their hands on some recipes of Soaps from Count John . We can gain ground now that the Hell¡¯s yground mercenaries have backed off . "

    Jim nodded, "Yes, lets go to start and make our preparations . "

    ****

    John looked at the report and gravely spoke, "From now on we are treating every one of them as enemies which include the Royal family . Order all of our men to evacuate the Eastern port . Half of them would be sent to Aurora Ind . Another half wille here at North-frontier Ind . Kill anyone who tries to block your way . Everyone¡¯s life is in danger . I guess that Baron Finally decided to take a side after hearing about King getting the Ballistas . Well, this is good for us as well . Its good that we already have the Aurora ind as our naval base or else we would have been forced to clear north-east or invade the eastern port . Is there any news on the construction of North- Eastern port? Have you guys invaded it yet from the sea or are still waiting?"

    Taylor nodded and spoke, "It has been started, Lord . ke has already started preparing to connect Aurora Ind and North-frontier City . We are contemting the name of that Town . It¡¯s north of Eastern port, we are only waiting for your permission to start clearing the forest and connect it with North-frontier . We thought that it would be problematic if we connected it already with our City as people would get to know our secret . As for our men I have already ordered them to leave the Eastern port . I will immediately ry the other orders as well . "

    @@novelbin@@

    John spoke gravely with an angered tone as he was keeping his anger in check as he fully read the report about the massacre, "Hmm . . . The city name will be Winter City as we are constructing it in Winter . Yes, call that Port, winter port as well . As for clearing the forest? Start doing it without getting anyone¡¯s attention . We at least need a secret military road as they will most likely target us via the port blockade after this incident . You would most likely hear the king¡¯s participation in the war in a day or two . This time we will start making raids on the Mercenaries . I am quite pissed this time around . I will personally be taking part in raids from now on . Since they are openly harboring Mercenaries in their Domain then they should expect our invasion as well . I am quite fed up with all these mercenaries buzzing around every day . We will start using our rifles after the King decides to dere war against me . That¡¯s the time I intend to reveal our rifles and cannons to fuck all of them up . From the looks of it, it seems that they think they are hot shit targeting unarmed vigers, huh? This time they will certainly see something hot and This time it will be a bloodbath of unproportioned measures . A bloodbath of our enemies . "

    Taylor shivered as he sensed John¡¯s killing intent which leaked without any restraint as he read the report . He shivered as he heard John¡¯s n, He asked cautiously, "Lord, what about the elf Ambassadors? I think we should hide the current circumstances from them . "

    Looking at the gravity of the situation John ordered and gave him a letter, "It¡¯s okay, report the news to them, we don¡¯t need to hide anything . After we are connected to Winter city we will escort them out of Aelius Kingdom . Don¡¯t forget to give this letter of mine to ke . "

    Taylor cautiously asked John, "Lord, would it be ok for you to take charge of the army? What if something happens to you? The whole army will crumble without you . You should think calmly Milord, our anger will be used against us if we fall for their bait . "

    John smiled and spoke with dead cold eyes which depicted killing intent, "You don¡¯t need to worry . I am very calm, you see . Calm enough to n a full massacre of my enemies . Master d has already approved of my strength rivaling him . Additionally, I have a lot of surprises waiting for my enemies . As a Lord, I can¡¯t be standing back and watch my men die when they are fighting in the frontlines . I have a trump card now . I have already mastered Space magic during these days when I was training alone . I never nned to reveal it but I guess circumstances force you . Our library came in quite handy to develop my Space magic . "

    Taylor was surprised after hearing this revtion from John and thought, ¡¯It seems lord is quite angry after this massacre . Well, it¡¯s good that we have already prepared measures against the moves of the Royal family and other dukes . ¡¯

    Taylor nodded and didn¡¯t disagree as he didn¡¯t want to anger John, "Okay Lord, I will be following your orders . "

    John reminded him before he left, "Yes, increase the production of Cannons and rifles . Meanwhile, increase the order for water boosters for our ships from Researcher Will¡¯s Company . I want all of our 87 ships to be fitted with those boosters . And tell Tornwall to immediately start mass production of steam engines after they are produced . This time they will see the real power of industrialization, a war machine . The ships fitted with steam engines will show the real power of battleships . "

    Taylor reminded him about the guy who saved the viger, "Sir, there is one particr matter about that guy who we found unconscious at the border . "

    John nodded as he almost forgot about the guy, "Yes, I read about him, Bring him in North-frontier City for Treatment . I will personally look at this caseter on . Try to treat him with avable doctors right now . It is very rare to find such men who are willing to fight for their morals . Also, give this letter to the scout who delivered the letter . Don¡¯t forget to tip as he informed us such critical information in such a short time . "

    ****

    Hearing about this thing was thest that he wanted to hear right now, Luke sighed as he read the report and wrote a letter, "Hand this letter over to his majesty, king Lionheart . "

    "I hope I can survive this ordeal . I wonder who did this mischief? King? Fjord? or the Radiant Church? or Count John himself?"

    Luke muttered, "Nah, it can¡¯t be that Count since it was his men who reacted and headed out angrily . This will be big if there are drastic actions taken by that count . "

    Luke never thought about Prince Hector who was lying low for such a long time was the culprit behind this incident .

    ¡¯Should I already leave this ce? Nah, or that king will call me a traitor . ¡¯ Luke sighed and headed off for his office at the square .

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183

    ***

    In Dolores,

    Antonio threw his wine ss as he heard about the previous incident from his Knight Commander, "What, They killed 100 of our men tantly in the Eastern Port? Were you able to catch them?"

    The Commander spoke with lowered head, "No Milord . by the time we arrived, they already left the port . However, this is a big stain on our honor . Our men are not at fault though, they were killed by the Ballistas when they charged to arrest them at the port . My Captain lost an arm as well . "

    @@novelbin@@

    The Commander thought, ¡¯Do you expect me and my men fight against those ballistas? Am I stupid or what? We simply waited for them to go or else there would be more casualties without any results while at the same time the morale of our knights would have been low . ¡¯

    Antonio got angrier as he read the report and roared, "This upstart really gets on my nerves . They dare im to raise a storm and use me of the incident at Greenwoods vige . "

    Themander spoke with a calm mind, "Why don¡¯t we use this incident to further strengthen our case against them in the Court tomorrow? I am sure the king will be pissed by now or maybe trying to think of a way to interfere in this battle . "

    Antonio rubbed his chin and spoke, "Hmm . . . Yes, We might as well use this incident to our benefit . Immediately prepare for my trip to the Imperial city . "

    ****

    Charlie smiled as he read about the report on Greenwoods Vige, "It seems the foolish brother of mine was finally able to do something right . "

    The subordinate spoke with a cautious tone as his lord hated bad reports but he hated his subordinates more for not reporting important events," However, there is a worrying report . "

    Charlie furrowed his brows and asked, "What is it? Did he found out something about our involvement?"

    The subordinate Robin shook his head spoke, "No, that¡¯s not it . Count John¡¯s men resisted Antonio¡¯s men when they were going to be arrested . In doing so they killed 100 of their knights without blinking . Our reports suggest that they were ordered by Count to evacuate immediately and kill if necessary to do so . It seems like he is already treating Dolores as his enemy . Meanwhile, there is heavy movement going on in North-frontier city currently after the previous incident . "

    Charlie sighed as he read this read, "Phew, it was good that I was cautious and didn¡¯t dirty my hands personally . Who knows if that count has the same personality as Brother Lukavv . That count sure is a lunatic and an incredible genius at the same time so it¡¯s always good to be cautious . We don¡¯t need to worry about him at the moment . We have anyway sparked the fire for this battle . Send the report to Radiant Church . It is their turn to go ahead with the n . "

    ****

    King Lionheart smiled as he read the report about Greenwood Vige¡¯s massacre . He thought, ¡¯Probably done by those mercenaries, well this is to my benefit anyway . Now finally, I can move against that count and take over those technologies . ¡¯

    King smiled and ordered his Knight to hold a meeting regarding the previous event, "Arrange a meeting between ministers . I intend to make a decision today . Also, call to and Master Eanred right now . I wish to take their counsel . "

    The knight made a knights salute and headed to carry out the orders, "Yes, your majesty . "

    ****

    Both Eanred and to were meeting right now after getting the summons from his majesty .

    Eanred spoke gravely, "Are you sure, you want to do this, to?"

    to shook his head and spoke, "I have already checked up with our guys, there is no sign of necromancers in North-Frontier Town . As for the dead bodies you have seen? They are most probably the other guys who participated in this war . Currently, we already have the Ballistas which are made from magic metal . So it¡¯s expected to be brutal as they have already tested the new weapons . I can¡¯t ept your wishes because my instincts say that this count is very dangerous . He has already influenced a lot of people in the Aelius Kingdom . The more he grows, the more dangerous he would be for the Kingdom and the Royal family . "

    to added with a grave tone, "Additionally, even if we choose to ally with that count, it¡¯s toote now . There is no turning back now after his nder job on the Royal family . You already know how he circted about the previous scandal rting to Professor William . King is already pissed because of all the exposes . We could have still talked if it was hidden but he exposed all of this in public . Hypothetically speaking, if we have good rtions with that count and chose to help him . Then you should what will happen, right?"

    Eanred sighed as he well knew what would happen, "Can¡¯t we have a middle ground where we are neutral and y at the shing point?"

    to sighed and spoke the realities, "It would still be risky, Fjord was already having interactions with Dwarves and it would have only angered him more if we remained neutral after that previous battle where he lost 5000 of his men . I guess a lot of men will die . I hope the people of North-frontier find peace since it will be hell from now on . I guess that Count was really naive and tried to chew more than what he could . "

    Eanred shook his head and thought, ¡¯Damn this foreboding feeling which I am constantly getting . How do I exin that this kingdom is in a dangerous position right now? If I had something concrete then I would be able to convince these guys to wait before taking any actions . ¡¯

    to headed out and spoke, "Come, lets head to the chambers, I am sure decision has already been made by the King . Nothing can change it now . "

    Eanred shook his head and followed to .

    ****

    After the meeting with King, Eanred had a bitter face while to still maintained his poker face as both of them headed to Court with his Majesty Lionheart .

    After the King arrived, the proceedings for the important meeting started, The first important case was rted to Greenwoods Vige .

    Antonio appealed to everyone "I am sure every one of you in this hall knows about the massacre which took just recently at my Border town Greenwood . Not a single person was left alive . All of them were indiscriminately killed by Count John and his men . Barbarians, Absolute Barbarians . I want to remind you all that the same happened with Duke Fjord and his men when they encountered Count John¡¯s men, only a handful of people survived thatst encounter . And these are not baseless usations, we have witnesses who can verify that they saw Count John¡¯s men heading to the Greenwoods vige . I want justice for my subjects, Milord . "

    Eanred asked a question immediately, "Why is your father, Baron Mendez not present over here? What happened to him . "

    "Tch . " Antonio irritatingly answered, "He is sicktely because of increasing pressures and hence I have inherited his position . "

    King furrowed his brows as he heard Eanred¡¯s question but didn¡¯t rebuke him as he was an important asset to the royal family, he thought, ¡¯This old man just creates a problem if things don¡¯t go his own way . Neither is he confident in his predictions this time around . I can¡¯t wait around for the end of the war and miss out on my chance . I guess I need to give this old man some face and let him ask his questions . I anyway ain¡¯t changing my decision . ¡¯

    King thought, ¡¯From the looks of his answer, it seems he has some hand in this event . Well, I will ept his answer this time around . ¡¯

    Lionheart stroked his chin with amusement and answered, "I heard about it . Your questions are quite reasonable . Continue . "

    Antonio spoke with a passionate voice which resonated with everyone in the court, "This is not all that I have to say, Count John¡¯s men killed my knights at Eastern port when my men arrived there to arrest his naval officers . They indiscriminately killed my men in cold blood without a shred of humanity, I lost 104 of my men, They impudently created an atmosphere of chaos and fear in the domain¡¯s popce while running off when we arrived with arger army . With these impudent actions of Count John¡¯s men, we have decided to block Count John¡¯s domain for using our port unless they hand over all the culprits involved in both the massacres . I think this massacre was most likely nned by Demons as they are the only ones who could be this ruthless . I hope they surrender their Demon Generals d and Dearil . No, I hope the Royal family personally interferes as Count John himself is the disciple of that Demon d as most have heard in the underground . I am sure he did this to make a statement to everyone in the Kingdom . The very fact that they again defied the Royal Family¡¯s court by not even defending their case is proof in itself that they consider nothing about the rule of the Aelius Family . I hope the royal family takes strict action and bring justice to our men . "

    All of the ministers were in a hubbub after hearing about the actions of count John¡¯s men,

    The trade minister expressed shock and spoke, "Really? His men dared to kill so openly? Does he not fear the Royal family even a little bit? He doesn¡¯t respect even a singlew of ours . "

    One of the Dragon Knight generals spoke with a little bit of anger, "Who does he think, he is? He is acting as if he is already an enemy of the imperial city just because the previous verdict was not in his favor . " he was already pissed by John¡¯s attitude from the previous time when he didn¡¯t show up .

    One of thew ministers sighed and spoke, "Not to mention his tant disrespect again by not showing up here today . He has fudged a lot ofws because of his use ofnguage which can¡¯t be refuted unless the Royal family changes certainws . I think Count John will certainly have to handover those culprits who killed those 104 men or King¡¯s anger won¡¯t be appeased . "

    Duke Rose¡¯s internal minister, Brandon this time raised an argument, "Taking a decision and stance without any investigation will create unnecessary rifts, Milord . I hope your majesty reconsider his decision . "

    It contained a certain bit of threat from Duke Rose¡¯s side that they would defy the royal throne if extreme measures are taken .

    Antonio smiled and gave today¡¯s newspaper, "What if it was personally admitted Count John himself? See this today¡¯s newspaper where Count John imed that his men killed our men for uwful arrest . He personally gave such an order as he presumed that his men were in danger after the incident at Greenwoods Vige . I am sure he is afraid of being found out and hence the immediate orders to evacuate . If he was innocent, he wouldn¡¯t have run off packing his bags like a coward . "

    Brandon sighed as he couldn¡¯t refute the factsid in the newspaper . However, he knew of the orders given my Duke i . e they can¡¯t cut their rtions with Count John regardless of the decisions made by King today .

    Brandon spoke with scrutinizing eyes, "Isn¡¯t the coincidence between Baron Mendez getting sick and the attack at Greenwoods vige very rming? I think something is fishy for sure . "

    Antonio shrugged off as he spoke eloquently and exined, "Not really, Prince Hector and Duke Norman know about this as well, they were quite concerned for father¡¯s health for quite a few days already . I guess that Count got to know about this from his demon friends and hence decided to attack us at a vulnerable time with that show of strength . "

    Prince Hector smiled and spoke, "Yes, father . I agree with Antonio . I am sure those demons helped him spying on us and hence the attack when Dolores was at vulnerable times . "

    He also deliberately mentioned demons as he knew that his father hated demons that would only rub him off .

    Brandon sighed and didn¡¯t bother refuting them this time as he knew that what would be the oue .

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184

    ****

    At the same time In one of the Chambers of Dolores,

    Baron Mendez handed over a letter to one of his trusted guards and spoke, "Please hand this letter of Count John . This is a conspiracy by Antonio and Prince Hector . Please ask for his reply immediately . "

    The guard nodded without saying anything and headed to give his letter to a trusted spy of Baron Mendez .

    Baron Mendez sighed and murmured, "I hope Count John isn¡¯t pissed off with my earlier actions . That Unfilial son of mine dares to conspire against me . I really shouldn¡¯t have trusted Duke and Prince Hector . They will discard anyone by any means if they aren¡¯t of use to achieve their goals . After the arrival of Count John, life here in the north certainly got better . Those guys will understand the consequences of offending Count John when they receive fewer taxes from both themoners and the merchants . Sigh, they don¡¯t understand the gravity of the situation as a lot of our ie is dependent on North-frontier Domain . Nor do they understand the consequences if ournd bes their warzone . It is such a hard thing to bnce two powers that are at odds with each other while not bing either one¡¯s pawn . "

    ****

    The Royal Pce, Imperial City .

    @@novelbin@@

    After hearing all the arguments, Lionheart decided .

    King Lionheart nodded and spoke with an aura of grandeur, "Very well, I have decided . Count John is certainly acting suspiciously after thest verdict where he was in an unfavorable position and we can see that there is no respect for the royal family on his part which shows his disdain for the Aelius family . I am guessing he wanted to show his power to everyone at Greenwoods vige because of his current circumstances but he got carried away a bit too much . My opinion is that A Lord drunk in power is more dangerous to the popce than a corrupt Lord . From this moment onward I hope The house of Fjord and House Sapphire make a ceasefire and stop being hostile to each other so that there are fewer conflicts and chaos in the kingdom . From now on we will be deploying royal units both to the south and one at the north . The very fact that a former Pirate leads the forces of North-frontier domain is very disturbing to everyone present here and hence the root of suspicion . From now on there will be fullplete sanctions on North-frontier city regarding any trade in the Aelius Kingdom unless they hand over that Pirate ke and the guys who killed 104 brave knights from Baron¡¯s domain especially their head Eric . There is another thing which has raised interest from us, There are certain miscreants at ck and White Publishers who are ndering the Royal family day in and day out while the count is being influenced by those miscreants . The royal family would like to buy the Printing press at the right prices and have the right to oversee the operations of the printing press . Though it may be hard on themon popce because of the sanctions however sometimes it is themon popce who has to fight a lord drunk in power . The royal family expects Count John to hand over his ve Jake, Captain Eric and his Navy general ke so that we can conduct a fair trial . We also hope that Count apologizes to the royal family for his past offenses . We are also open negotiations if Count John wishes it to however it is up to him . "

    Lionheart continued, "Additionally we will also be deploying a small unit of Magic Guardian knights at the northern frontier to oversee the mercenaries and their activities . We will not be interfering in the private matters of the lords . Unless the count agrees on all these conditions, the sanctions will have no limit . "

    Everyone in the Hall murmured at the mention of deploying Magic Guardian knights and sighed as they heard King¡¯s verdict which was like a nail in the coffin for Count John .

    One of the nobles, Marquis Chris sighed and spoke, "It seems Count John has certainly pissed off King Lionheart bigtime as he still didn¡¯t send any representative this time around . "

    Rob too nodded and agreed with Chris this time around, "No wonder the king took such hard decisions against the North-frontier domain . "

    Casey spoke with a grave tone, "However I don¡¯t expect all of the lords to follow the decree as everyone has their own interests . Some will readily sell their food at premium prices to Count John whether anyone likes it or not . Baron Mendez¡¯s health condition has certainly surprised me a lot as he was quite healthy thest time I met him . I too smell something fishy . It¡¯s better to be cautious of Prince Hector . However, I am sure of one thing, that Count won¡¯t hand over his men if they are in right . I expect a big waring this time . I would rather prepare myself this time around as my domain is near that count¡¯s domain . "

    Chris shook his head and showed him a map, "Well it is fishy for sure . As far as the other thing goes the nobles will have to follow the decree, since North-frontier town isndlocked, now that the Eastern port is blocked for North-frontier city . Their only way is the North where beasts reside . Well, I don¡¯t know, I think that count might change his mind if he sees enemies on all the sides . "

    Casey smiled and murmured with a joke, "Who knows, they might as well clear off the forests with those ballistas and make their way to the sea from north . "

    Minister Brandon sighed and muttered after hearing King¡¯s verdict, "I guess this is really the nail in the coffin . It seems the royal family is finally ready to move . There will no turning back of rtions . I wonder if allying with Count John is a wise choice . It seems Duke is Influenced by the alliance of Elves and Count John . "

    He thought, ¡¯I hope the king finished this farce soon enough . ¡¯

    Prince Hector and Antonio smiled as they heard King Lionheart¡¯s decision .

    Eanred shook his head while to was still contemting something .

    Earnred thought, ¡¯I certainly feel that there will be big consequences for this . I am sure that those demons will give full support to that Count . I just need a key to solve this puzzle . I guess I will go back and try onest time to predict about this war . ¡¯

    to thought, ¡¯I expected Count John to send in someone this time around and renegotiate with us as we squeeze him out . What sort of trump card does he have that he is so confident even against the royal family that he shows no fear or is he really so dumb that he doesn¡¯t understand power and politics? Maybe I should consider Eanred warning, Nah Nah who am I kidding, I am going senile because of these weird decisions taken by that Count . That guy is just a small lord . If worsees to worst we still have the dragon knights and magicians to protect us and get rid of him in case he allies with other countries . At the same time, we already have the magic metal Ballistas which are far better than the original Ballistas . That Lorr family¡¯s kid certainly did a good job this time around . I guess they want toe again in power with the Royal family¡¯s help after such a long wait . ¡¯

    With this, the Meeting for the North Domain was concluded at the Royal Pce . With King¡¯s decision, the tone of the meeting was set and hence the decision¡¯s taken .

    ****

    King¡¯s decision was not yet publicized as they intended to publicize it a dayter . Because of this, the information didn¡¯t spread as the nobles were waiting for the Royal family to speak without misunderstanding anything .

    At John¡¯s castle currently he was passed a letter by Taylor, it read:

    "Please help me escape I will willingly support you and expose Prince Hector for what he is . As for Antonio, you can do whatever you want with him . I know I was wrong and I want to right my wrongs . This is a call for help from one Lord to another Lord . I can guarantee on my honor that I will fulfill my promises . "

    John read the letter of Baron Mendez and understood what was going on . John ordered Taylor, "No need to bother about him, he certainly milked out a lot before getting kicked in the balls for not heeding their wishes . He thought he can continue this status quo forever and milk both the sides out . It¡¯s good that now that domain is headed by that idiot Antonio and it will be much easier for us instead of that cunning Baron . No one will believe us anyway if we expose this letter . I would rather like to give a bloody nose to all of them . Nah, tell him that it would be very hard with all the enemies on all the sides . We are already busy as it is and now the new conspiracy . Tell him if he is willing to do our biddingter on and defy King¡¯s order then we can help himter on after the war starts because this letter can¡¯t stop this war . So practically there will be some strings attached like he would have to surrender all the ves . Keep this letter and give it to that spy . "

    Taylor understood John¡¯s intention and John didn¡¯t wish to expose this as no one would believe him and most particrly it was not in their interests currently, "Ok, Sir I will send that fellow back with the letter . " Taylor took the signed and wax stamped letter from John and delivered it to the spy .

    The expectant spy looked at Taylor and immediately understood the reply however he still appreciated the reply .

    Taylor told the spy, "You see it¡¯s quite hard for the lord as he is surrounded on all the sides . However, he can help you guyster with the help of Demons and there are some conditions that your lord would most likely understand . So what¡¯s your name?"

    Spy smiled and consoled himself, "I guess this is still better than nothing . My lord really appreciates a reply from Count John . My name is Stephen Longman . Our family used to be spies of Baron¡¯s family since the time this Barony was founded . Our ancestors were one of the founders of this barony . "

    Taylor nodded and sent him off, "Ok, have a safe journey . "

    The next day, without even waiting for the king¡¯s deration . John had started his next biggest operation .

    There was a big meeting going on between John and others at the administrative headquarters for further line of action against the perpetrators .

    John spoke with a grave expression, "I am sure everyone here knows about the current situation, right? I want straight answers and solutions for those mercenaries . "

    One of the Ghosts came in a disguise and spoke, "Lord, as per the information provided by that viger, we immediately started tracking Gold Rush Mercenaries and we found that . Their base is currently located at a vige North-west of Dolores right under Prince Hector¡¯s nose . It is as if they are Prince Hector¡¯sckeys, no wonder they tried to create a ruckus in North-frontier City previously . If we want to invade them then we would need those ballistas and that too the ones with a bigger range or the cannons because they too are armed with 6 ballistas currently . They are additionally armed with 3000 men . So it would be tough . We are still not able to identify the real culprit behind this massacre . However, it most likely points towards Prince Hector . "

    Taylor asked with furrowed brows, "Why do you say so?"

    The Ghost spoke with his report, "We just received news that Mendez¡¯s domain will now be headed by Antonio Mendez and this came just before the massacre . However, there was a problem and it was because of the blockade made by the knights of Mendez¡¯s domain at borders suddenly without any notice and hence the dy in information . I am guessing this was nned by Prince Hector but Since Mendez was against this n, he instead used Antonio to do his bidding which enabled prince hector¡¯s men safe passage and his knights were able to cross the borders undetected and made that massacre . "

    Taylor nodded at the hypothesis, "It seems his involvement seems very likely possible, But Gold Rush Mercenaries are still working for Fjord so it¡¯s very hard to believe this coboration . And this fight at the borders would be in the interests of Fjord so Fjord may have a hand in this massacre which may be indicated by their hand on port¡¯s blockade and their amicable rtionship currently . "

    Tornwall shook his head and spoke, "However this isn¡¯t possible without theplicity of Baron Antonio Mendez as he is the one who controls his borders . So I too think it most likely points towards Prince Hector as he has control over both Mendez and Norman . Maybe we can get this information out from Gold Rush Mercenaries if we catch their Head . "

    John nodded and agreed with Tornwall¡¯s proposition, "Yes, this is a better idea . We will go with this approach . "

    Jay raised a suggestion, "Why don¡¯t we target the Gold Rush Mercenaries when they are out hunting? They are anyway poking their noses every day near North-frontier city borders . "

    John nodded and spoke, "Ok, we will go with both the suggestions, we will first start killing them in the wilds with ambushes and then we will start targeting their base at west with ambushes after a few days . We can try this for all the mercenaries out there . Since they like to act like thugs we too will act like thugs . "

    One of the officials raised a question, "What If Prince Hector interferes personally? won¡¯t it get out of proportions"

    John smiled cunningly as he gave a cruel smile and spoke, "What about him? You see there are a lot of mercenaries in the wilds these days so we can¡¯t guarantee their safety, it is their problem . You guys understand what I am saying, right?"

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186

    The magic knight, Amber Charged forth towards John as Marsh gave the signal . John didn¡¯t move an inch as he observed Amber calmly and watched every bit of his movement .

    With a long sword in his hand, Amber targetted John¡¯s heart first in a bid to make John move . John followed his movements with his eyes which seemed ultra-slow to him . Without moving his feet John dodge his sword attack at the very end .

    Amber was shocked as he thought that this charge of his was quite fast . He didn¡¯t stop at his first attack and decided to improve the speed of his attacks .

    John dodged every one of his attacks without moving his feet . John dodged a total of 7 attacks continuously without moving his feet .

    Amber was clearly shocked by the disparity in his battle prowess against John . Marsh only realized thister and murmured, "Sure enough . his reactions are top-notch . Maybe the best in the kingdomparable with Jake and others . No wonder he was so confident about his reaction speed . Do all of these ghosts have the same reaction speed? No wonder Lord John wanted this guy to head the army . "

    Everyone in the field was shocked after watching this development except for Arlen and other ghosts who trained directly under Jack, d and John .

    Arlen¡¯s subordinate was quite amused andmented, "Sure enough, it was quite easy for Lord John to tame them . Well everyone would be surprised by his monstrous reactions or counter-attacking ability . Lord really underestimates his magic . I don¡¯t think anyone is as proficient as lord John when ites to magic . Why is that Boss?"

    Arlen nodded and spoke with a smile, "True, even I who is very confident about his reaction speeds is truly a nobody in front of those monstrous eyes which keeps track of every movement in a battle . Most of the guys here won¡¯t even understand why they lost . Hmm . . . it seems this kid surely realized it . Anyway, this battle has finished . As for the other matter rting to magic, I think this is because of Lord¡¯s Beginner level magic and that is the reason he feels that he hasn¡¯t reached the full potential of his magic . "

    John only attacked him once and his sword broke Amber¡¯s sword into pieces without even giving a chance to defy as he pointed his sword at Amber¡¯s neck which signaled his defeat . Amber didn¡¯t even get to use his Fire magic to defend himself and try once more . However Amber understood that he only himself to me as he didn¡¯t use it earlier and in a battle, you can¡¯t regretter when you lose your life .

    He raised his hand which signaled his defeat .

    John smiled and spoke, "You have good eyes, you can still improve . I guess everyone here is satisfied now? Start making preparations, we will leave to west in an hour meanwhile my men scout ahead and report me . Is everyone clear?"

    Amber was still sweating as for the first time he felt that he was under someone else¡¯s string when he fought Anak . He clearly remembered Anak watching his attacks carefully until the end and dodging it at the correct moment .

    Amber thought after looking back at thebat, ¡¯This guy is certainly a monster when ites to reactions, who waits till the end moment to dodge the attacks of his enemy . Most of the guys won¡¯t even understand it¡¯s significance unless they experience it themselves . This guy is certainly invincible in meleebat, maybe at par with Master d . No wonder Lord John let him be the general of our army . I guess we will certainly benefit fighting under him . ¡¯

    Amber was still sweating as Marsh came to Amber,

    Marsh sighed and consoled Amber, "It¡¯s okay Amber . You did a good job . The very fact that he didn¡¯t even move a single step in front of such a charge is tantamount on his prowess and skills . He certainly didn¡¯t let you use your magic . Well, he is someone who uses his advantages to the best . Come lets go and prepare for our raids . Finally, we will get a chance to exact our revenge . You can maybe release your stress on Goldrush mercenaries . "

    Amber nodded and headed to make preparations, "Yes, Boss . "

    Jay sighed, only as the battle finished, He thought, ¡¯It seems John has surely improved leaps and bounds after thest incident . His aura certainly has changed since thest time I saw him in a battle . I guess I need to work as well . ¡¯

    ****

    Meanwhile, at the same time, Luke was alerted of the heavy movements of Count John¡¯s army,

    He was reported by his subordinate, "Lord, there was a big meeting that took ce in the administrative headquarters in the morning . All the important military officials were present there except some who are currently at the borders . It seems there is a big movement of armies taking ce at the borders . A lot of the reserves from their Rose Military academy are being deployed at the borders . Do we announce the news from capital early so that we can restrain Lord John?"

    Luke sighed and shook his head as he heard about the army movements, "Do you really think it would work? I think he would be more pissed if he hears about that decision and may take radical actions . I am thinking they are most likely mobilizing to take care of the mercenaries . However, King Lionheart and courtiers won¡¯t be too happy if they hear about it . The guess the dragon knights would want to take part as well however, for now, Royal units will be ones taking part . "

    The subordinate spoke with a sigh, "I think, it is very likely that the king has already announced his previous decision today in front of the whole kingdom . "

    Luke asked with furrowed brows are hearing about the announcement, "Whichmander is being sent this time around by King Lionheart and the ministers?"

    The subordinate checked amunication and reported, "It ismander Irwin, the desert fox of the western front . He was previously one of the threemanders at the western front against the Beast barbarians . He usually dueled against the Half tiger tribes . That¡¯s his profile . "

    Luke pped his forehead as he heard that it¡¯s him, "God, why is it him? He will only further ruin the situation . You know how his men act if not given proper respect, right?"

    The subordinate nodded in agreement and spoke, "I guess King deliberately sent him there to further worsen the situation . I am sure everyone in the court certainly knows about his personality including the king . "

    Luke murmured and thought of the scenarios, "I guess they don¡¯t intend to negotiate with count John on equal terms and want to escte things . This time the blockade at the port will be used in full force against the count . This would effectively make Count John¡¯s alliance with Elves useless unless the Elves send their Nature magicians . "

    The subordinate Elison spoke, "I heard that this boldness ising because of the invention of Magic Ballistas made from Magic metals by the Lorr Family . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Luke remembered as his subordinate reminded, "Hmm . . . yes . I forgot about them . So it seems that during this power struggle . The royal family would likelye out victorious unless there is some big change . No wonder, all the ministers and the Royal family are taking the battle in their hands . Ok, you can go back, Elison . Report to me of future important developments immediately and keep a keen watch on Count John¡¯s armies . "

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191

    ****

    Currently at the outskirts of North-frontier city, at the factory,

    Serin was ordering the men to move the cannons in steady order which were to be sent to the borders of north and west .

    One of the dwarvesmented after watching the cannons leaving their factory with a huge sigh of relief, "Finally they are being moved after such a long time . I thought they would never be used and were just made for decorations while upying space day after day . "

    Serin nodded enthusiastically and answered, "Yes, we only got orders from the capital to move them . Lord has personally given his orders . It¡¯s good that we already are well beyond our quota of production which would be good news to everyone . "

    Redbeer came andmented, "Don¡¯t rx just yet kid, This is just the start . These are just the warning bells, you guys should stop your chattering and get back to work immediately . Increase the production of Cannons, rifles and ammunition . I will be treating all of you if can finish my quotas within today¡¯s deadline . "

    Serin smiled cheekily and answered with other guys present, "Yes, Boss Red . "

    ****

    Grey immediately came with a report after having his meeting with Liam,

    Grey sighed as he smoked after getting some news of all the mercenary groups rejecting their offer, He immediately got Taylor and John for a meeting, "Milord, It seems there is only one group who is ready to align with us . It looks like others are pretty much sure of our defeat and don¡¯t want to cross the Royal family after they have deployedmander Irwin in the North . However, the ones who are ready to do our bidding would surprise you . As for our problem of recruiting mercenaries, It is the head of Glorious explorers who have foiled our n . Another reason is the connection of Mercenaries with Nobles and hence they are unwilling to align . Not to mention that we are directly affecting their interests since we don¡¯t intend to keep ves in the future . It looks like they want to teach us a lesson"

    John nodded and understood, " Well it was expected anyway, We are only trying our luck . Who is it that wants to work with us?".

    @@novelbin@@

    Grey answered, "It¡¯s Liam, the head of Hell¡¯s yground mercenaries . "

    Taylor was surprised and asked him immediately, "Woah, I never expected him to work with us . Did you ask him why he intended to work with us since all the others have refused to work with us?"

    Grey scratched his head and spoke, "Well, he says that he is going by instincts . Even I too don¡¯t understand his mentality . However, as far as I know, he will take any kind of work as long as he gains from it in the form of power or immense wealth . He always worked that way . "

    John nodded as read the official letter, "Well, it¡¯s ok, we can sell him our armors and Mulberry cement . This would be better for us since Radiant church would have one less pawn in their hands . "

    Taylor immediately asked with a worried face, "What if they be our enemies?"

    John looked at Taylor and answered, "We have our cannons and improved Ballistas to deal with them not to mention our guns . And we are anyway not going to provide them our best armors . So we don¡¯t need to worry . Are you guys clear?"

    "Yes, Milord . "

    ****

    Irwin rambled as he headed to Gritos with the Royal Army, "Damn, those courtiers had to send me to this godforsaken ce and then that Luke had to give me such bad news . It seems that count already got scared of my presence and hence a huge built up at the borders . I was quite happy at the western borders dealing with half-beastmen and the new Cannons . Can¡¯t they simply send that shrewd guy Bellion . "

    Irwin¡¯s subordinate came near him as he bought him some news, "Lord, Prince Hector and Baron Antonio Mendez want to meet you . They just arrived from the capital and wanted to greet you on your new appointment . "

    Irwin thought a bit and agreed as he was informed by courtiers of the current situation of Northern Domain, "Tell them, they cane and meet me in my camp near Gritos . Lets see, what do they have to say . "

    Irwin¡¯s Subordinate answered cautiously, "Lord there is one more problem . "

    Irwin furrowed his brows as he heard of problems as soon as he entered the northern domain, "What is it now?"

    The subordinate cautiously answered as he knew the temper of Lord Irwin and tried to exin in a calm manner, "Lord, Count John targetted the mercenaries today . Not a single one of them was left alive . I think this was a well-formted n which was made in advance and not an abrupt decision . However, all the men were killed without a single prisoner of war by the Devil General, Anak Everburning as proimed by the mercenaries . However, the main problem is that they invaded Dolores as they chased to kill the mercenaries . So This was practically just a p in the face of the Royal family after their recent sanctions against count John . How do we deal with this provocation?"

    Irwin stroked his china and rubbed his bald head and spoke, "This Count is quite a character to defy the Imperial family with such a small army . Now, fighting such a Count and a general would be fun . Their only advantage of ballistas will be no more with our Magic Ballistas which are more superior to them . We better not reveal it in an earlier stage . Let¡¯s see how he ils with such a small army against us . I think Prince Hector can use the invasion as a pretext to attack them . This time, we aren¡¯t making the first move . As for that Count, I don¡¯t think he was aware of the decisions made at Imperial Captial, Additionally getting offended by this would just drag us first in this mud of war . Let others use up the forces of that count . "

    The subordinate sighed and spoke, "Ok, Milord . "

    ****

    Hector and Antonio were preparing for their meeting with Lord Irwin .

    Antonio asked Hector, "Prince, What do you think about the steps taken by Count John? The situation is quite rming if they do these sorts of operations every day . That General of theirs is a barbarian just like their Naval Admiral ke . No, he is worse than him, even he had some mercy for his enemies . This time, not a single man was left alive . At least ke would deliberately let the running army leave so that they can speak about his actions . "

    Prince Hector had a serious face as he spoke, "Hmm . . . True, it¡¯s quite rming that not a single Mercenary was able to escape their hunting . This guy seems a lot more sinister who isn¡¯t really interested in fame as he tried to kill all of his enemies and almost seeded in it . However, That count and this general can¡¯t do anything now that Father has already made his move . From now on we will shelter all the mercenaries in our borders . If Count John¡¯s men try to invade when they try to catch mercenaries . We will Simply fire at them in the name of invasion, legally there won¡¯t be any problems for us if we attack them . Also, advice the mercenaries to escape near the posts that have Ballistas installed in it . Father has already sent my next batch of 100 Ballistas with Commander Irwin . If Count John Invades then General Irwin would also have the pretext to invade them . Come, lets meet Commander first, he will leave for northern Barracks near Dolores at North-West Later on . This is our only chance to meet him before anything big happens . That count can¡¯t do anything now that the port is blocked . His trade with Elves is now null and void with that blockade so this is a good chance for us to forge rtionships . I will try to get Duke Norman in confidence and try to rally Forces at Eastern port and Dolores since an invasion of Duke¡¯s Domain took ce . Since Count John never gave his allegiance to the Duke, Duke can im that invasion from Count John¡¯s men took ce in his domain . This count must die, he is really bing a big bone that will interfere in my future path of bing a king if he is kept alive . I have already offended him big time, we will try all of our means this time around . As for Eastern port . You don¡¯t have to worry, I have already ordered a part of our Ballistas to be transferred to Eastern Port . I understand that Count John may be impatient and Invade the port if pushes to shove and hence the precautions . Currently, I think their vessels are roaming the small inds without any resources . This would also be a good time for Duke Fjord to start acting . "

    Antonio pped his forehead and remembered, "Ohh! I almost forgot that they also built those Ballistas which they confiscated from the ships of Duke Rose, I think already made a prototype . Now I understood why you wanted to coborate with Duke Fjord . You are such a genius, Prince Hector . "

    Alistair spoke after hearing all of them out, "Prince what if this a ploy by Charlie to get you involved in this mess we did just now? I think we should take our decisions carefully . From the way that count reacted to mercenaries, it seems he isn¡¯t really afraid of anyone . I don¡¯t hope, we face such a fate . Just that previous action from Count is enough for me to understand that this count doesn¡¯t y with words when ites to dealing with his enemies, he simply acts, he is just insane like Prince Lukavv . Who knows if it was the order of Count to kill all the mercenaries . My insticts say the same . You may be ok with Prince Lukavv since you were never on his list but those who faced Prince Lukavv¡¯s barrage know the fear he created when the country burned for 3 months, I think we should deal with the same caution against this count . "

    As soon as prince Hector heard Alistair, the previous words of Charlie rang again in his ear which irritated him to no extent, ¡¯You can take your own decisions, right?¡¯

    Hector made an irritating face and spoke after hearing Alistair¡¯s advice, " That count and Lukavv? That Count is simply an entertainer with a small ofnd . We don¡¯t need to fear anything . Thest assault too was done by his general . You should know that even Generals can be bought . It¡¯s good that he is not a warlord . As for Ploy of Charlie? Who do you think you are, I took this decision carefully after thinking of the consequences . The very advantage of that Count is long gone with no ess to the sea while the Royal family already has the ballistas . We will take Aggressive decisions against that Count from now on . With this one move, I have made his deal with the Elves Null and void while Father has sent troops at the north at the pretext of thest event at Greenwoods Vige . And you call this a ploy of Charlie instead of checkmate and a master n against that Count? Hmph, do you really understand what is going on? As for your advice, keep it to yourself and you should understand your own position, you are only a butler and an advisor . I can make my own decisions . "

    Alistair was quite surprised as he heard this rant from prince Hector, he thought, ¡¯What happened to prince Hector after his meeting with Prince Charlie? He has changed quite a lot and is rebutting me a lot since then . This usually didn¡¯t happen previously . Prince doesn¡¯t understand that we will be the casualty of this war if we fight head-on with that count . I need to talk to Duke Norman and dy this as much as we can . Is this the ploy of Charlie to alienate me from Prince and consolidate power during this turmoil?¡¯ Alistair sighed and followed Hector

    Antonioughed as he saw the scene and showed a mocking face, He was nning to take Alistair¡¯s position in the near future . He thought, ¡¯A mere ve forgets his position and thinks he is something just because his lord favors him . how can he hope to achieve the same status as a noble? I will be a marquis or a duke following Prince Hector in wars . ¡¯

    Prince Hector simply smiled and headed to meet General Irwin who was then followed by Antonio .

    Alistair sighed as he followed them, ¡¯I hope they don¡¯t mess it up because of their fragile egos . ¡¯

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192

    ****

    Antonio immediately greeted General Irwin as he entered his camps, "Wee to the Northern Domain, General Irwin, The Desert Fox . I hope you have an enjoyable stay here go leave with glory and honor . "

    General Irwin nodded and spoke to exert his domination and intimidation to the neers, "Hmmm . . . from my understanding, you guys are here for an important meeting and not some silly chat, right? So get to the point . "

    Antonio furrowed his brows a bit but still continued as he understood that Prince Hector can¡¯t answer him or he will lose at the start, "Of course General . We will get straight to the point . I understand that you already know about the decimation of Goldrush mercenaries and hence agreed to have a meeting with us . We hope to have a solution against that arrogant count . Even though we have blocked the ports andnd routes for normal food trade, that count is still as arrogant as ever . Not even a bit of subservience to the Royal Family . I don¡¯t think he will obey the sanctions will try to bypass the sanctions, one way or the others . "

    Prince Hector joined and spoke, "I think after making this attack on mercenaries he has also very much made his stance clear regarding the Royal family¡¯s decree in the previous Justice department¡¯s verdict . I hope we can teach him a lesson again . I am pretty sure that Count must have known about Royal family¡¯s decree by his spies but instead, he has tried to pass it off since he didn¡¯t know anything about it . "

    Irwin understood that Prince Hector wanted him to act, He shook his head and spoke in a serious tone "Well I think this was an attack which was nned for a long time, I don¡¯t think it has any rtion to our unteral sanctions which were announced today . We are only here to mediate and take action when the time is right . ".

    Prince Hector understood his meaning and asked for Irwin¡¯s confirmation as he didn¡¯t try to pursue his previous goal of Goading Irwin in a war, "What if that Count invaded ournd in hisst attack? Do you think you can take ignore our raids since we are only retaliating . "

    Irwin smiled and gave his own interpretations, "Of course we won¡¯t interfere unless there are some big events affecting the kingdom taking ce . We are only here to prevent and if necessary take actions against the guys who massacred the whole Greenwoods vige . The very fact that Count John¡¯s General killed every single man from the Mercenary groups, I think they might very well be the people who massacred the vige, however, we will investigate and then decide upon it . We will close an eye when you guys retaliate against count John with your regr armies in the future as that general is quite dangerous . I hope our troops can meet when count John invades you guys again so that we can co-operate . I think you guys should talk to other mercenary groups . You guys should go for now, my men will be leaving for northern barracks . Give Duke Norman and your fiance, Mary Norman my regards,"

    Irwin dismissed the meeting after watching his subordinate signal him about an important matter which needed his presence .

    Prince Lukavv¡¯s action against Felix after King¡¯s deration .

    As soon as Lukavv read King¡¯s deration, he had a smile on his face and gave an order to Duncan, "It seems, Hector has finally crossed the red line . Very well, Start the operation, this would be the best time to surprise father, the Radiant Church and the whole continent . The whole continent should know how Lukavv never forgets and takes his revenge . I want Felix alive, He will wish death if I ever caught him . Those guys at the Radiant church have to choose between supporting Fjord and Charlie or Support Felix . "

    Duncan cautiously asked, "Sir what do you think about Charlie?"

    Lukavv smiled and shook his head, "Nothing, just a cunning kid . Well, I won¡¯t me him since he is a son of a maid and hence trying all the means avable to consolidate power . As long as he doesn¡¯t affect my interests, it¡¯s all good . "

    The next day the king furrowed his brows as he read a report on the attack to mercenaries .

    King Lionheart asked Defense Minister to as they were into a meeting, "Who is this new General, Anak The Everburning? I never heard of this guy . Do you have any info? From the way, he killed off all of his enemies, not even sparing a single mercenary . This guy is quite ruthless or does he have some history that he has so much hatred against the Mercenaries?"

    Minister to sighed in frustration and spoke, "No Milord, Even I heard about this guy for the first time . The guy is fully covered in mystery . I think he is a demon from the Bluesea family . There are also rumors circting that he is a demon . From the rumors, it is also said that he is the strongest guy in the Ghosts and hence he was chosen to lead their army instead of Dearil, Jake, Jay or Grey . His subordinate Arlen himself is as strong as Grey . That Guy Arlen was a Vagabond and used to do odd jobs while sometimes also coordinate with Mercenaries if they matched his goals . Previously he worked with Hell¡¯s yground mercenaries when it came to fighting against the Barbarians when the Barbarians Deputy killed his friend in the western domain, however, he left after he killed the deputy and was on his own . That was the time when Hell¡¯s yground capitalized on it . However, There is some good news from North-frontier City . "

    "What is it?"

    to nodded and spoke, "It seems Dwight was able to get close to Grand Potioneer Mnie after getting her approval yesterday . I think he can get the forms very early from them . "

    Lionheart had a grim face as he spoke, "I hope it doesn¡¯t end like the previous incident where she killed her kin . Okay, continue to keep a watch, I don¡¯t really care about those mercenaries, it¡¯s good that they are ying the role of cannon fodder instead of Royals . They are anyway a nuisance to my rule . Tell Irwin not to interfere as long it gets escted to the levels where we have an opportunity to strike and get something out of it . "

    to nodded and left as he down the orders, "As you wish Milord . I will convey your orders to General Irwin . "

    @@novelbin@@

    ****

    Fjord read a report and furrowed his brows as he asked his men in a serious tone, "Why can¡¯t we find their dwelling till now? How were you guys not able to chase them with faster ships? And who is this new guy called Anak? I never knew that they got such a general in their ranks . "

    Jonas came with a report and answered, "Lord, those guys at traveled to the northern waters where there are wild beasts who be quite aggressive which is very problematic to us . In addition to that, there is a risk of the full fleet dying with those guys if they chose to fight in those waters and hence we kept a big distance with them . We never imagined that would dare to travel so deep in the north . It is all that guy, ke¡¯s fault,st time as well he escaped there when we chased him with the Royal Family . As for the new general, there is no information on him apart from the fact that he is called Anak, the Everburning . I think he is the strongest guy in the ghosts and hence he was chosen to lead them from the front by Count John . There is some good news though, currently, we are able to make those ballistas, however, the costs are huge and performance is notparable to those ballistas possessed by our enemies . We were only able to achieve a 50% performance . when we used magic metals we were able to achieve 80% performance . I think there are a lot of aspects which we aren¡¯t able to fully grasp . Using Magic metal would mean a lot of burdens however it is suitable for us now . I would suggest that we shouldn¡¯t arm the magic knights with magic metals but go with the production of ballistas for now . "

    Fjord gave his order as he had his own thoughts, He was in good mood as a big problem got off his shoulders after a ban on eastern port, "Nah, We will go with half and a half for magic metal ballistas and magic knights, We anyway have enough to arm our army . I am sure Erin can catch them in the sea now as they won¡¯t have supplies for long . "

    Jonas didn¡¯t raise his objection as he thought, ¡¯We will die before even reaching them . ¡¯

    Erin meanwhile was thinking, ¡¯It¡¯s good that we were able to make a deal with Duke Norman, this way we will again regain our supremacy in the seas . ¡¯

    ***

    The next day,

    Jay immediately gathered with the army at the North-eastern part where they decided to clear a way through the forest to Winter City base and make a safe route .

    It was early in the morning where the area was closed off by his personal in the name of building a Military factory . John already gave his decree to Jay so that there won¡¯t be any problems with civilian authorities as this was a very important matter of connecting North-frontier City---Winter City----Aurora Ind .

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194

    ****

    Currently, Tim was heading Aurora Ind while Ross was handling Winter city for connecting Aurora Ind and North-frontier city . Both of them were quite busy with their work .

    As free as Swann was because of frequent hunting in the forest .

    Swann asked Tim as he arrived on his Aurora horse, Swann greeted him who was currently at the Shipyard and asked, "Hey what are you doing now kiddo and What is this weird design you are looking?"

    Without looking Tim answered, "Just a type of ship, It¡¯s Called Tartane by Lord . Currently, I am studying its design . You should y with those Brats don¡¯t disturb me while I am busy . "

    Swann murmured as he heard him, "Damn this guy is just behaving like those old men . "

    Tim furrowed his brows as he looked at Swann and spoke, "You should leave, I know why you came here, I am not giving you any more bullets for your fun games, everyone will get their daily specified quota which includes you . After thest time you leaked it to others that I gave you bullets, everyone else started demanding extra bullets which only increased mine and my men¡¯s work . Shoo . . . Go away . I ain¡¯t entertaining you from now onwards . "

    Swann smiled and cursed him, ¡¯Jeez, such a cheapskate, what will he do hoarding so many bullets day after day . And those men at the factory too are such cheapskates always followingws and orders . I better harass those brats Julius, y and Azrail . Or maybe I should try stealing them from Tim¡¯s Chamberter on . ¡¯

    Recently, due to frequent chases by the royal family and Duke Fjord . The travel time of ships had increased due to their tailing and them trying to shake off their pursuits by going into dangerous regions .

    Tim was pretty much used to life at Aurora ind due to all the talented kids training here with Jake .

    ¡¯I hope master makes those Steam Engines early on so I can show the real power of these ships . ¡¯ He thought as he continued observing the various ship designs .

    y asked as he spotted Julius reading a newspaper, "What are you reading Julius?"

    Julius responded without a hitch and continued reading, "Nothing, Just the newspaper . What brings you today?"

    y looked at Julius making a face as if he was disgusted by him and his betrayal, "When did you be so boring like the other old men? Don¡¯t we already have enough Young-OLD MEN in our training group, with that Jake already? While there isn¡¯t even a sign of Lord or Master d . "

    Julius ignored him as he read about thetest attack by North-frontier town on the mercenaries .

    He thought, ¡¯It seems, we got a new general . I will certainly fight under this man . The next we travel I will make sure to make that bastard Swann unconscious and take his ce . ¡¯

    He asked y suddenly, "I guess it is because of the problems we are facing currently . They might be busy already . Meanwhile, Did you read about our new general?"

    y made a disgusted face and spoke, "Nope, why would I read like Old men? but I certainly heard about him from the sailors at the port . They were quite happy with the new General and his actions . He is a straight Hit among the sailors at Port currently . Captain Judd particrly is quite Hyped up"

    Julius asked him as he thought he might have some information from the sailors, "I heard a new General Irwin was appointed by the Royal family . Did you hear anything about him?"

    All hair on y¡¯s half tiger beast Body stood up as he heard about Irwin, "Yeah, a ruthless person who would kill civilians or sell them with no guilt . At least when they are half-beastmen . He is certainly the same like those trash at the Radiant Church . "

    Julius didn¡¯t continue the topic as he understood the mood after hearing y¡¯s tone .

    ¡¯I guess I need to be stronger than Swan if I want to take part in the battle against Fjord . That bastard is quite cocky as he is able to ride those Aurora Horses . I am just a few days away from doing the same . Maybe I should ask Azrail as he might know something about him . ¡¯

    ****

    Juan was grumbling as he couldn¡¯t get any answers in North-frontier town in these few days while Lily was enjoying the time of her life at North-frontier city .

    He grumbled, "Why are these guys at Administrative Headquarters so tight-lipped . Whenever I tipped the guys at Capital, they would easily speak out all the deep hidden secrets . These guys instead kicked me out or is it because of my identity? Do they know about me being part of Fjord¡¯s army before?"

    Bridge smiled and answered as he saw Juan grumbling, "Well it¡¯s correct, it is as you think . They most likely know about our involvement in the previous battle . You should try getting your answers in the Rose university as they too have a lot of information with a lot of rumors as well . Try bing a student and it may help you anyway . You might as well find the truth buried with the rumors . Professor Glenn from University is also in charge of ck and White Publishers so he may know a few secrets about this war as he is close to Interior Minister Taylor . Try making rtion with Glen and speak truthfully about your past, then he may speak and leak you a few secrets . ".

    Lily came over and bought them forcibly to the square where the shop was located, "Hey what are you guys gossiping about? Come, there is a new jewelry shop opened by Blue Paradise, they have thetest designs just like their clothes . "

    Bridge thought irritatingly as he remembered about the prices at this shop and spoke unknowingly in an ill-mannered way, "Blue Paradise? Isn¡¯t that the most expensive cloth shop in this city . Why would any sane person go there to buy clothes?"

    Juan pped his forehead and thought, "And you wonder why would I hang out with you . Of course, it is to protect my wallet . Though the pay in this city is good I am spending more as well because of all these robber shops . "

    Bridgeughed as he ditched him and reminded him of the previous conversation, "Hahaha, Ok, see youter . You should think about my proposal . "

    Juan thought as he forcibly entered the high-end shop with Lily, ¡¯Maybe I should consider his proposal . ¡¯

    Juan looked at Blue Paradise as if he was disgusted, ¡¯This time, I would again be forced to spend on this establishment which has bewitched my girlfriend . Last time it was clothing and now it¡¯s jewelry . Well, the innerwears they sell are quite good in quality . I guess should thank Lily for introducing me to this shop . I just hope she isn¡¯t bewitched by other items . ¡¯

    The Salesman at the shop smiled as he saw his frequent customer which Juan hated however he was forced to smile as he didn¡¯t want to upset Lily .

    "Wee to our establishment, Miss Lily, Master Juan . "

    Juan grumbled and thought, ¡¯I hate the guts of this salesman . ¡¯

    ****

    John again led his men to clear off the mercenaries today,

    "I hope every one of you is prepared, today, though the Royal family has made their move and deployed their armies near our borders, you shouldn¡¯t worry about them as long as your General is present . When I epted this operation, I had vowed that I will end this menace of Mercenaries guing our Domain even if it means to defy everyone . Now, this is the time they will feel the real pain of amon man when he is powerless against them . "

    This time John was prepared and came with 2500 men with the best version of their ballistas .

    Amber roared as he heard his speech, "Glory to General Anak . Glory to the Count . Glory to the people of the North-frontier domain . Death to those Mercenaries and their masters . "

    Others joined Amber and started their march again .

    ****

    @@novelbin@@

    Duke Friedreich received a letter from Mnie and read it which only had some words written on it . The letter read, "I won¡¯t let you seed in your n after reading that letter of d . He will be my son inw . "

    Duke Friedreich roared as soon as he read the letter, "Damn, that hag is challenging me? Hmph, Since even she thinks that this guy is worthy then I will make sure that he is mine even if those old guys stop me . So what if my son-inw is a human . As long as my Daughter loves him he will be as good as my son . "

    Elder Ryan spoke from the Chambers as he heard Friedreich¡¯s ramblings, "You can¡¯t leave now and you should already know why . As for that child Diana, let her remain there under d¡¯s security . I don¡¯t want further problems when you leave . You should already know what is Draco nning . "

    Friedreich smiled and teased Ryan, "So even you believe d more than our own security? Where are the other old guys? As for Draco, I can be bothered about his schemes . "

    Elder Ryan hmphed and answered, "Well Facts and emotions can¡¯t be entangled . As for d, everyone knows his record and hence no doubts . even my emotions can¡¯t deny that . As for others, I don¡¯t really care as long as they work for the betterment of the domain . You anyway can¡¯t leave . Don¡¯t expect toplete the shit you leave behind . You just want a reason since you don¡¯t want to work . "

    Friedreich thought as he heard him, ¡¯Damn this old man and his instincts . Well I can¡¯t leave for now after watching armies at Western borders . ¡¯

    ****

    In the south-western roads of North-frontier city, John was leading his troops in a calm manner,

    The mercenaries today were especially cautious, forming groups to raid big caravans however today not a single caravan passed through as if they knew that something was going to happen . The mercenaries were on a lookout for Count John¡¯s men after noticing this anomaly, On the orders of their superiors, they would run as soon as they spotted John and his men . They knew that something big would still happen like yesterday and hence the cautiousness, John intended to cut off small groups one by one but who knew that mercenaries had formed a big base at south-western borders near Prince Hector¡¯s domain at Dolores . John was only able to kill a few mercenary groups who were unaffiliated or didn¡¯t know the situation .

    John furrowed his brows as he saw the problem .

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198

    John continued and roared at his men who were hesitating after looking at the hostages, "Shoot your enemies, it would be a bigger crime from our part if we can¡¯t eliminate such pests who take civilians as hostage . Don¡¯t hesitate and remember your training, keep the belief in your training and it will be possible . Remember this, you don¡¯t have to fear anything, you have my back even if anything goes wrong . These guys will only create a bigger menace when they invade ournds . Do you want to see such massacres again? Shoot them to protect your beloved ones . Remember they are the same guys who did the Greenwoods Vige massacre . "

    After hearing John¡¯s roar and speech, all of the guys who were hesitating previously shivered as they got goosebumps hearing their General and the fate of their loved ones . Without any hesitation, they roared and shot immediately, "Yes, Sir . These pests will be a bigger danger . They can¡¯t be left alive . Shoot them to prevent future massacres . "

    The Enemy Head cursed as he heard John¡¯s roar and looked at the death of his colleague who had a hostage on him, He looked at John¡¯s cold smile and cursed, "Damn, why would I have to face such a ruthless general . How the fuck did Jim thought that this guy will not use his ballistas . They are insolently using ballistas without any remorse . Doesn¡¯t that count loves his civilians?"

    He ordered with an irritated face to his men, "These hostages will be a burden . Drop those hostages immediately and focus on our enemies . We would face a bigger loss if we continue with this farce . FAST . "

    John switched to his sword as he smiled and charged alone into the enemy camp, his men only followed behind him after looking at their General charging straight to the enemy¡¯s head .

    One of the subordinates roared and charged as he followed his General, "We can¡¯t be left behind . Follow General Anak . Leave the enemy Head for General Anak . This time, they will pay a bloody price for underestimating us . "

    Themoners ran for their lives as they freed themselves from their enemies .

    This time, during the sh, a lot of enemies were frightened as they ran with their horses for their lives in another direction where Head Jim was raiding .

    The enemy general shed with John as he was shed by John¡¯s space sh in no time . The General never knew what hit him . He immediately fainted as the other mercenaries around him were bbergasted as they saw Anak fighting alone with numerous enemies . With incredible movements, John was able to dodge the attacks and attack his enemies at the same time . Each sh of John reaped the life of his enemies as the soldiers on both sides were bbergasted and surprised to see such super fast skills of John . Like a Ghost, his movements were barely seen by his enemies while they never knew what took their life . His feet could barely be seen as it seemed that a ghost had entered a battlefield . The battlefield was in a lull whenever John moved .

    One of the guys roared as he tried to stab John from behind, However, before he knew, he already had his throat slit, "Woah, Woah, How did I get slit in my throat . Help, Heal me fast . " He spoke hoarsely only to dieter on as no one came to his help .

    One of the guys at back remarked as he observed Anak, "Fuck, is this guy a monster? See his frigin unbelievable movements . Can we really fight such a guy who has such skills and weapons? I don¡¯t think even boss Jim can fight this guy . "

    Another guy nodded and spoke, "No Wonder, Count John made this guy his Chief general . I think he might beparable to the strongest man in Aelius, General Leo, the Ruthless . Fuck it, I ain¡¯t fighting an army of such a monster . I heard,st time he killed all of his enemies . I don¡¯t want to face the same fate . You can die in this battlefield if you want . " He immediately left after watching the carnage which John was leaving behind on the battlefield .

    One of John¡¯s subordinates remarked as he watched Anak in surprise, "hahaha, It seems these guys really managed to piss off General . From the looks, it seems that the General is usually only toying with us in our training . "

    @@novelbin@@

    One of the newbies was surprised as he watched the show, he eximed, "So these are real skills of a top-level Ghost, I never knew that General was this strong . He ispletely owning the enemies when in fact he is actually surrounded by them . These guys are actually taking their steps back in fear whenever General charges forward . They can¡¯t even get ahold of him . So this the Strongest Ghost of our Domain, Coming like a wind within dark creating havoc and terror for his enemies . " He marveled as he watched his General shing his enemies with his Pure dark red sword without blinking his cold-blooded eyes . He was barely able to follow his General as he grew excited and charged at his enemies after watching his general .

    The veteran nodded and charged, "Come, don¡¯tg behind . Charge, these guys will certainly pay for their insolence . Our mission is not over yet . Ohh, he already left . I guess this is the work of hot blood . " The veteran nodded as he saw the rookie charging with the vanguard .

    A lot of the people in the enemy camp deserted the battle in panic after Watching the fate of their Captain and their other colleagues . There was no order in their camp after John took the enemy¡¯s head while John¡¯s army charged at them with incredible furor . Very soon the enemy¡¯s army copsed as many deserted the battle and headed towards Jim while others died .

    John roared at the conclusion of the battle, "Ok, stop chasing . Come back . "

    At the conclusion of the battle, 300 people were able to escape while 700 of his enemies died . While John¡¯s men were only injured (some gravely while some lightly) as they had the advantage of Healing magic and other essories which clearly showed the difference in battle power .

    John healed the head of their enemy and immediately got back to heal the vigers and the hostages who were near death because of the raid of Gold Rush mercenaries .

    All of the guys were astonished after looking at their General, John roared, "What are you guys waiting for? treat the vigers immediately . And keep that guy alive . He will be useful . I want to ask him some questions . "

    All the soldiers answered and immediately got to work and started treating the vigers, With a feeling of pride after looking at their General, the army roared in unison, "Yes, Sir . "

    One of the soldiers saw one of themoners who was smiling while getting treated, "Sir, why are you smiling? Even though we shot at you guys without hesitation, you are still full of life . "

    Themoner smiled and answered, "It¡¯s because your general saved more lives by being decisive or else I think more of us would have lost our lives instead of 7 guys only . I am d that General ordered to shot which gave me and my mates a chance to escape . Or else even you might have lost your lives if you sumbed to their vile methods . I am sure the guys who died would be happy knowing that they were avenged . Meanwhile, Who are you guys that came to our rescue? are you from the capital?"

    The rookie was shocked and understood the reason for his General¡¯s order .

    The rookie proudly pointed towards their g which had a thorny Rose (Rose with multiple colors) with a Sun in the background (The sun signified hope) and answered, "We are men from Count John¡¯s army . He is our General, named Anak who is leading us . "

    The viger nodded as he smiled andid back to rest . he had a calm and peaceful face as he rested .

    He nodded and immediately treated the man as he continued doing the same for others .

    After healing all the vigers, John asked the enemy General with a face without any emotions, "So I will be asking you some questions if you answer truthfully you won¡¯t suffer any pain . If you don¡¯t answer, I will make sure that Arkon is hell for you . "

    The enemy general looked at John with horror as he opened his eyes, "You . . . !"

    John ignored him straight and ced his questions, "So who ordered you guys to hunts any vigers who escaped the Greenwoods vige? I want straight answers . "

    Upon not getting an answer, John immediately thrust the ck Miracle potion into his mouth which increased his sensitivity and proceeded to cut one of his fingers .

    The enemy General screamed as soon as he found that he lost one of his fingers, He screamed madly which could raise the hairs of anyone as John ordered his men, "Keep healing him . I will make sure this guy answers me today . Don¡¯t let him faint again . "

    Everyone shivered as they heard John¡¯s order and obeyed immediately . .

    John asked him again as he showed a cruel smile, "Are you sure you want to keep your mouth shut because I would like torturing you for quite some time? Who knows what sort of body parts you would lose, You see I previously worked in Ghost division and I won¡¯t mind doing gory stuff . As far as your body parts are concerned it would depend on my mood and which one is more annoying . "

    The guy soon came to his senses and spoke hoarsely, "No, No, I will speak . Please don¡¯t, not that pain again . It was on orders of Prince Hector and Baron Antonio that we decided to do the previous bidding and killed the escapees, it was solely for business . We wanted you to take the me for that incident . Unfortunately, some people were able to escape that massacre . "

    A lot of vigers were shocked to find out this revtion and crushed, "How could that prince do this to us? I lost my childhood friend because of you guys and I always med the count for this deed . I can¡¯t believe this, Kill this bastard, he can¡¯t live . "

    One of the old men roared as he heard him, "Yes, this is a clear betrayal . I ain¡¯t trusting my life to that brat, Antonio . No wonder Baron Mendez was nowhere to be seen when that incident took ce . It looks like those papers made a correct assessment that Antonio was Prince Hector¡¯sckey and it was quite a big coincidence that Greenwoods vige massacre and his appointment as an heir coincided . I am sure these guys did something to Baron Mendez so that they don¡¯t face opposition . "

    The olddy at the vige fumed as she almost lost the life of her son, "I will be heading to North-frontier city straight thing right now . Previously I was skeptical but now after this incident, I am sure that Prince Hector would want us dead . We better leave now . I will make sure that my son bes a proud soldier of North-frontier city make Prince Hector pay the price for targeting us . "

    The other people joined as they heard her, "Yes, Spread this message to other nearby viges as well . Those guys at Dolores any way hate us because of our recent development . Those mercenaries have done a lot of evil-deeds as they have neared the borders of NF city . Just previously one of my friends lost his son and daughter to those bandits . "

    One of the old men spoke, "Fuck it, I am bringing my son back from their Knight institute which would only make him do immoral deeds . I won¡¯t let him stay there a second longer . "

    The enemy general was getting beaten ck and blue by vigers as he died when John prated his heart without flinching . None of the vigers showed any remorse as they knew the ns of these mercenaries . Many people started heading to other viges to spread the news .

    John ordered his men and got ready to chase the mercenaries who escaped previously, "Come, we don¡¯t have much time . "

    One of the veterans smiled as he looked at John and the vigers, "So this was the reason that General wanted that man alive . I guess this will have a snowball effect when the news reaches other nearby viges . "

    One of the guys asked, "General, Why are we going in this direction? didn¡¯t they escape to the east?"

    John smiled as he looked towards west and spoke with a ruthless glint which clearly indicated that he would be doing something big, "Well, they will, in the end, have to run to their base in the east, I have no doubt on my men . So its better if we try to shorten the distance . We also need to teach that Prince a thorough lesson after his recent conspiracy . We need to attack that arrogant prince¡¯s ego . "

    The rookie soldier nodded as he understood Anak¡¯s line of thinking, "Ohh, now I understand . You surely are a genius milord to think so far ahead . "

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199

    ****

    Jim was heading towards the direction of John when he encountered his mening his way one by one,

    He asked the panicked men, "Hey! what¡¯s happening? Why are you guys running away in panic? What happened over there . Did someone else act?"

    One of the guys spoke, "Boss, it is bad . Our n didn¡¯t work ording to our expectations . That General is very ruthless, He shot those ballistas at us without hesitation even when we had the Hostages . And that General, he is a monster . He is clearly a monster . We can¡¯t fight him . They are heading our way, we need to run and change our direction . Even Commander is dead . He died in one attack of that General even with that runic armor . This is very dangerous . ".

    Jim was shocked after hearing the report from his men . He never thought that Anak was this powerful .

    He thought, ¡¯Damn these guys are quite scared . From the looks of it, they faced a brutal response from that guy . ¡¯

    The very scared faces of his men clearly indicated their fear and the ruthlessness they experienced against Anak . He gnashed his teeth as he clearly didn¡¯t want to run but he epted the reality and current situation . He knew that he can¡¯t win against such a powerful General and he had to take the help of other parties to get his revenge for such humiliation . Jim looked back towards Marsh and his men as he ordered his men to kill those hostages and ran in full pace towards their base inside their borders as they were clearly in danger against Anak and his men .

    Jim murmured as he headed towards South-West towards Dolores, he frustratingly murmured, "Where the fuck did they find such a guy, why have I never heard about such a guy over the years? He should have been famous if that was the case . Even I can¡¯t fight against my men without getting a scratch and being surrounded by them . That guy clearly is from the Ghost division . Is he d of the Dark in a disguise and leading their men? Only that guy was able to create such horror among the armies of demons and humans alike . "

    He murmured as he continued to go past the forest, "Even after such schemes, we weren¡¯t even able to kill a handful of his men with 4000 men . Those armors shouldn¡¯t make this much of a big difference . Such a big humiliation can¡¯t be washed away unless that guy dies or faces the same humiliation which our men did . "

    ****

    Soon Jim and his men were just 2 . 5 km are away from the borders of Dolores .

    Jim gave a signal from here for the guards to open the border which the guardsplied . They also started loading the Ballistas as they saw General Anak and his army from the sides .

    As Jim continued to rush with his men, he saw that an army lead by Anak wasing to attack them from their sides . Soon Jim¡¯s men faced the attacks of Mini-ballistas from the sides . It was a total massacre as Arrows rained down on the mercenaries .

    Jim saw that Anak was giving out a cruel smiling as he charged towards him with a powerful war cry that shook the heavens . John¡¯s men chased them from the sides while Marsh and his men were surprised to find Anak and his team attacking their enemies from the sides and creating such an ambush . During this first sh, Jim lost 600+ of his men however he and 300 of his colleagues managed to run near the borders . The border gate was open as Jim entered there with 300 his men .

    During this time the Guards Shot their Ballistas towards John and their men as they seemed to chase inside .

    Jim roared to the guards as he entered, "Close the frigin gate and fire at them already . He would kill me if not done now . "

    The guards were pretty much scared after looking at the ruthless attack of Anak to his enemies in the previous sh they attacked John¡¯s men on the orders of their captains . On Jim¡¯s order, they soon fired their ballistas with more fervor however they didn¡¯t even reach John and his men when the projectiles reached them .

    John had raised his hand and stopped his men from charging as he had spotted the ballistas earlier . Soon Both the Armies, led by John and Marsh Stopped around 1 . 2 km away from the gates .

    As John and Marsh stopped,

    Marsh, with a grave face, came near Anak, with his head and knees lowered, he spoke, "I am sorry General, I failed at the mission to protect the nearby vige . Jim and his men were able to kill 125 vigers when they took them hostage . It was all my fault . "

    John furrowed his brows as he heard about the casualties but he didn¡¯t bicker as he immediately ordered, "Remember this, you need to be ruthless on a battlefield and clearly distinguish between allies and enemies . This was your first biggest battle and from this, you experienced some intricacies of war . If you don¡¯t want to be hurt in the future . Be prepared next time in the future for such situations . Meanwhile, I don¡¯t want any of you defying my orders in this operation . Is it clear to everyone?"

    Everyone replied immediately, "Yes Sir . "

    John nodded and continued, He looked at the Big walls with cold ruthless eyes which reflected his desire to burn it all down . Some guards on the walls were immediately scared after watching those eyes .

    He ordered his men "Go and prepare the ballistas . We are downing those watchtowers behind the walls . Since they dared to attack us and give shelter to mercenaries openly while we were exercising our right to punish them . They too must be punished for their crime . "

    One of the scouts from Dolores shivered as he looked straight into John¡¯s eyes .

    "Man, that guy is scary . This situation doesn¡¯t look good . We need to inform the captain immediately . "

    Marsh and others were surprised at the order and Marsh immediately asked, "Lord, you mean we are invading Dolores already?"

    John smiled as he spoke with a mischevious and angry tone, "No, we are simply giving them a simple lesson for coborating with the Mercenaries and attacking us . We will kill all those mercenaries and coborators and leave . We are simply burning down a mercenary base, nothing more, nothing less . "

    A lot of people were shocked at this promation while some smiled after listening to the justification Anak .

    One of the Veteransughed as he heard John from the front, "Hahaha, Good, General is very good at Sophistry . He should be awyer . "

    This time Marsh didn¡¯t hesitate and nodded immediately as hepletely lost any pity he had for his enemies after watching the previous massacre and the death of that child who asked him to shoot previously .

    Looking at the mask and the tone of Anak, a lot of people shivered and didn¡¯t voice their objections . They understood that their General was out for blood against his enemies even if it was prince Hector present himself .

    John continued as he roared at his army and gave a warcry, "This time today, they will see the real power of the ballistas . Bring in the runic projectiles . This would bloody teach them a lesson . I have had enough of these games with these assholes, they really need a wake-up call on what it means to provoke this General . NO MERCY TO THOSE MERCENARIES AND THEIR COLLABORATORS . "

    All the soldiers roared in unison as they heard their General, "No mercy to those mercenaries and their coborators . Burndown this base . "

    One of the soldiers excitedly roared along, "Damn I never thought we will be attacking those bloody mercenaries today . They have surely angered our General on a wrong day . "

    2nd soldier nodded and spoke, "Yes, General Anak quite understands the feelings of us soldiers . Previously I was always frustrated to keep myself in control at the borders when they attacked the trade caravans daily without any fear as they knew that we wouldn¡¯t patrol above a certain threshold . I guess this is also one of the reasons why General Anak is popr recently because of his aggressive actions . For the first time, we felt that those Mercenaries felt fear every time General moved with his army . "

    The guards at Dolores were shaken after hearing the roar of John and his army which shook the heavens . The vibrations of the roar reached the enemy walls as they watched this scene stupor .

    One of the officers came out of his quarters and asked, "Hey, hey, what is going on? What are they doing? Why aren¡¯t they leaving already? That roar feels so ominous on different levels . I simply shivered as soon as I heard it . Who is the leader of those men that can rouse such a war cry from a small group of 2500 soldiers?"

    Another guard looked at John¡¯s army with a grave face and spoke, "It seems he is the rumored guy, Anak, the Everburning . No wonder those Mercenaries were in fear these days . Currently, I don¡¯t think this is good for us from the way they are moving currently . I think we shouldn¡¯t have provoked them previously by firing the ballistas . "

    The first guard looked at the walls and sighed with relief, "It¡¯s good that we have fortified our walls recently or it would have been a total massacre from the looks of it . They anyway can¡¯t target us since we are on high ground while both of the ballistas have the same range . "

    The other guy looked at the Ballistas of his enemies and their walls as he spoke, "I wonder, I think the walls were fortified because of the presence of Prince Hector . He had also fortified the castle . As for those Ballistas, we can¡¯t be sure yet as they could have hidden a lot of things . "

    Jim and his men sighed with relief as they entered their camps, Jim looked at Anak with eyes full of anger as he cursed him, "Damn it, this mission was a total failure . I will fuck that General and count up . They dare to humiliate my men in such way . "

    Looking at themotion near the walls of Dolores, Joss immediately came out with his men as he saw Jim who was breathing heavily after the previous failure, He looked around and found that only 300+ men came with Jim while John came with his whole army of 2500 men . He had an ominous foreboding as he heard a big roar which belonged to John and his men, from inside the walls, a lot of people had a sense of danger as they heard the cries of war-drums from across the battlefield .

    Joss asked Jim with a grave tone, "What happened? Where are others? didn¡¯t you say that you had a perfect n to nullify those ballistas . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Jim¡¯s eyebrows creased as he heard Joss¡¯s investigating behavior, "What? You looking for a fight now that you see my miserable condition?"

    Joss shook his head and asked seriously, "No, I want to know what happened . I already know that you guys lost from the condition of your men . Don¡¯t you see that guy is nning to invade us? Inform me quickly . I might have a chance to defeat them . " Joss pointed at the direction of Anak as he spoke angrily

    Jim irritatingly answered as he knew that enemies were at their door and infighting would be fatal for them right now if the enemy decides invades them, He answered, "All of them are dead, this general is far more ruthless than I imagined he was . He is just like Prince Lukavv who won¡¯t mind killing civilians if theye in his way, no, he is worse in a sense that he is capable of influencing people to his narrative . Meanwhile, their armors and weapons are really on another level, we just confirmed it in ourst battle . It was still good that we were able to kill those vigers who will, in the end, me that count . In regards to weapons, I think only the magic swords produced by Lorr family can be useful against them . However, only the Royal Guards own them or the officers possess them . They aren¡¯t even sold in the ck market . What n do you have currently because I don¡¯t think there is any need now that we are behind the walls? That General can¡¯t do anything to us behind there walls as the guards here too have the ballistas meanwhile we are under the protection of Prince Hector and Baron Antonio . All that guy can do is fluster and buster at our doors . "

    Joss understood the situation that they most probably tried their well-tested method of taking hostages that backfired on them this time around .

    Joss nodded as he smiled after thinking about his n and pointed at a direction, "See there, you might be surprised after watching this . Our wait is finally over . You should have waited previously before taking any actions, you got baited and see the results . Well, it¡¯s good that you came well and alive . We might still have a good chance to eat the whole of NF city alone . "

    He continued with a smile as he pointed towards Ballistas, "With Duke Fjord¡¯s men and Radiant Church¡¯s money, they were able to make these Ballistas . With this weapon, we can invade those castles . Currently, they have supplied a total of 35 ballistas . Even if that count manages to invade the walls, the only thing waiting for his small group of men is death .

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200

    After John¡¯s army made all the preparations, all the enemies were surprised to find 30 ballistas pointing at their Directions from quite a distance . To be exact, 2 . 1x the range of their own ballistas . and 3x the range of ballistas owned by Jim and Joss .

    John spoke to his men with a cold tone, "Prepare the ballistas and Aim all the watchtowers that have Ballistas . You guys don¡¯t need to worry about Prince Hector or anyone for the matter . Start making preparations to shoot . "

    "Yes, Milord . " The roar of soldiers was heard throughout the battlefield .

    Jim observed carefully andughed as he looked at his enemies, "Have those guys gone senile? Do they really think that they can hit us from that distance of 1+ Km even if they use the runic ballistas? Hahaha, morons, as expected from the men of that upstart . It seems my n still worked in provoking them to attack Dolores . "

    Joss nodded as he smiled agreed with Jim, "True, Prince Hector and Duke Fjord might be happy with you guys for once now that they are going to attack the borders . It seems your Rtion with Prince Hector and Fjord came in handy to ally both of those guys which were nearly impossible previously . "

    Joss looked at John¡¯s eyes for the first time as he got intimidated as their eyes made contact, He murmured, "Fool, thinking he can pull a miracle now that all the cards in our hands . He will pay the price for his arrogance"

    Jimughed as he stopped after hearing something, "Wel . . . "

    John roared after the preparations were made, "FIRE . "

    @@novelbin@@

    "Boom . . . ! Boom . . . ! Boom . . . !" The ground shook as soon as the Ballistas were fired . The nearby animals had long fled after watching the previous battle .

    Suddenly multiple ballistas hit the ballistas on the roofs of walls . The Watchtowers on the walls and inside the walls immediately caught with fire as soon as the runic ballistas hit them . It seemed that Battletower was sprayed with oil which only made it worse for them . There wasplete chaos on Watchtowers as they caught fire . Men inside the watchtowers were burning while some got torn into shreds as they got caught by the projectile .

    "Woah, what is this?".

    Almost everyone got surprised after the first shot by all the ballistas . For the first time, all the soldiers on the wall felt fear after watching the fate of their ballistas and watchtowers . All of them shivered as panic gripped them for the first time .

    One of the officers came out of his office as he heard the first sound of explosions, "Attack the enemies, what are we doing? Why are you standing here like ducks?"

    One of the guys answered, "Sir, it isn¡¯t possible, look at the position of the enemy ballistas . Our Ballistas won¡¯t reach them even with Runic projectiles . "

    The head cursed, "Oh god, why is this happening? Who are they?"

    The subordinate answered, "It¡¯s General Anak of Count John¡¯s domain . I think they are attacking us because we stopped their path with our ballistas when they were chasing the Head of Goldrushers, Jim . We did it because of clear cut orders given by Prince Hector and Baron Antonio to provide shelter to them . And attack Count John¡¯s men if they try to chase them inside this Border Camp . Sir, How do we proceed further?"

    The Officer murmured as he remembered his conversation with Prince Hector when they decided to shelter Mercenaries, "Fuck, why is this happening? Don¡¯t they know that today¡¯s actions would make them hostile to the Royal family and other guys? Wasn¡¯t it already predicted that they won¡¯t take actions unterally as they are blocked on all the sides and would have to bear the mercenaries? Is this action taken by that General unterally? Fuck why is this happening now? Why must we be the cannon fodder for the start of this war? Maybe that Count doesn¡¯t know about it . Fuck that Jim for provoking him . "

    Officer immediately cursed as he prepared a letter and handed it over to his subordinate, "The most surprising thing is the current range of those ballistas . This is out of our expectations, I hope nothing untoward happens today as this is a very delicate situation . Damn, I need to inform Prince Hector and Baron Antonio . Go and hand this letter to prince or baron only . "

    He nodded and immediately left for Dolores .

    One of the guys handling the ballistas roared hoarsely, "How the fuck is this possible . Our Ballistas can¡¯t even reach them . Even with runic ballistas, they are only improved by 40% which is insufficient . We need to leave or we will die, they are already targeting our ballistas . How are they able to pinpoint us so easily from such a distance . "

    The ballista teams under John were using the Telescope to pinpoint enemy positions . Each team had a guide who specialized in locating the enemy as he guided their teams to attack their enemies without stopping .

    Both Jim and Joss were immediately alerted as they looked at the Burning watchtowers . It was one of the most horrific incidents which influenced the morale of Soldiers inside the camp .

    One of the ballistas aimed by Amber¡¯s team just got past Jim and Joss as it missed them . They looked at their enemies with incredulity . Fear slowly crept and came to their throats for the first time .

    Cursed Jim as he ran, "Fuck . "

    They ran to their camps in panic and started to prepare their men .

    Joss was overwhelmed as he looked at Anak with astonishment and fear, "What the fu . . . How is this possible? This is dangerous . We need to destroy those ballistas at any cost . "

    John ordered his men without stop, "Don¡¯t stop, Load and fire . Target the Ballistas and watchtowers without any stop . Lets see how long they can resist this barrage . Men ready your mini-ballistas as well if they try to approach our siege weapons . Drip your arrows in poison that was previously distributed to you and attack . "

    Amberughed as he saw Jim and Joss . Heughed and headed towards one unit of the vanguard, "Hahaha, look at their fear and surprise . Do they really think that we would give up all of our military secrets? Those pussy¡¯s Jim and Joss surely run faster than a rabbit after getting a scare . I wish it would have hit their dicks . "

    "hahaha, Captain you will kill us with your jokes first instead of our enemies . "All the menughed as they heard Amber and his ridicule .

    Both Jim and Joss looked at Amber with anger as humiliation soon swept them after a moment of fear .

    While Marsh looked at his enemies with cold eyes that were devoid of any mercy for his enemies after the previous massacre .

    Marsh thought, ¡¯It would have been better if it really hit that rapist, Jim¡¯s dick . Damn, what am I thinking after getting influenced by that rookie?¡¯

    All the enemies were in a panic as they tried to save their ballistas and put out the fire created by explosions . They were carrying drums of water as they tried to save their ballistas, however, it was of no use .

    One of the guards of Antonio spoke in a surprised manner as he witnessed the explosions, "Is this for real? That General is really insane . Doesn¡¯t he know the consequences of such actions? This will be big . "

    Jim asked Joss in a serious manner, "How many soldiers do we have currently?"

    Joss replied as he sighed and looked at the battlefield, "25,000 excluding the 7000 border corps of Prince Hector and Baron Antonio . "

    Joss grumbled as he tried to think rationally, ¡¯Did we really miscalcte the actions of our enemies this time around? Aren¡¯t they afraid of theplete blockade? I guess we will bear the burnt as we pushed them into the corner . No, I can¡¯t let this happen . This problem was started by this fool in the first ce . Why did I even ally with this fool in the first ce? Maybe I should take my chance in killing that count for once . Nah, I should conclude my other operation, this fool will anyway get killed . ¡¯

    Jim spoke in a grave tone as he watched the continuous barrage of ballistas, "We can¡¯t let this continue any longer . We will only be waiting for our deaths if we let this continue . We will be charging out immediately . We should organize a team to destroy their ballistas . One as bait and other the main force . "

    Joss nodded as he neither agreed nor did he disagree, "Hmm . . . "

    nearly 60% of the ballistas on the walls were as good as gone after the first attack . There was aplete panic among soldiers . While John¡¯s men were spotting the ballistas .

    Prince Hector¡¯s captain roared as he spoke via sound stone rune towards John after handing over the letter, "General Anak, how dare you attack Dolores? Don¡¯t you fear the consequences of your actions? Even your Lord, Count John wouldn¡¯t support you over these actions . You guys are already facing a blockade on food, do you want to suffer more? Don¡¯t me me if you face aplete blockade, I order you to take back your men immediately . Apologize to us or face the consequences . "

    Anakughed loudly as he teasingly spoke via his sound stone, "Attack Dolores? Nah, I am simply attacking mercenaries and their Coborators . I am sure Baron Mendez and Prince Hector don¡¯t know about some traitors in his army who are coborating with Mercenaries responsible for the massacre of Greenwoods vige . Since you guys dared protect Mercenaries who are our enemies, you guys are equally responsible for both the massacres . If your prince is involved in it then he too will face the same bells . As far as your threat is concerned, why don¡¯t you guys try it? As long as you guys don¡¯t handover Goldrush and other Mercenaries, this attack will continue . If you guyse in my way . I don¡¯t mind killing all of you guys . You shouldn¡¯t worry about Count John as I was given full authority when ites to eliminating mercenaries from our borders, if youe in my way then you too would be considered as mercenaries by me and my men . Don¡¯t beg in front meter on when you and your men face death . "

    "You . . . !" The Captain pointed at Anak¡¯s face with a face full of anger . A lot of soldiers on the walls too were angered after hearing John¡¯s speech and roared .

    The angered men spoke, "Boss, What are we waiting for? We have to teach that arrogant bastard . He dares call us coborators . "

    Watching the finger, John stared at him with cold-blooded ruthless eyes as he provoked him, "What? You wanna fight?"

    Watching those eyes which leaked bloodthirsty killing intent, the captain waspletely taken back as he experienced fear for the first time just by watching the eyes . He had only seen these sorts of eyes from General Irwin and other Generals .

    John coldly ordered as they started targeting the remain ballistas, "Continue firing . Target them if anyonees out of those gates . We are moving ahead . "

    Hearing this, a lot of mercenaries were angered however they didn¡¯t look in the eyes of the enemy general and rant . Instead only ranting behind the back as they feared that Anak might remember their face .

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202: 202

    Currently, Joss had a grave face as he clearly watched the previous attack where John used the space sh which only increased his resolve to kill Anak, ¡¯This guy has to die . I better report this to Prince Hector and Duke Fjord . This guy will be a very big headache for us if he lives . That attack certainly contained Space and wind elemental magic to clear his enemies from the path . And now Fire, dark and wind element magic, how many more elements can he use? This guy is really a monster . We can¡¯t fight this guy in melee, It would be a total massacre against this guy in melee . he is clearly more dangerous in melee fights as he will his speed to his advantage . We need someone on General Bellion or Irwin¡¯s level over here . Where the fuck did that count find such a guy . Even Dukes themselves have 1 such guy with them . ¡¯

    Joss ordered his team of 30 men with a grave tone, "Attack on my signal with your best magic and sword attack, It doesn¡¯t matter if you attack that Musclehead Jim as well since he is engaging, I don¡¯t care anyway . Attack with long-range attacks only, This time I have a n . If we fail, we will run away, No need to worry about any consequences . Is it clear?"

    Everyone smiled and agreed, "Yes, Boss . "

    Joss released a signal while Jim was clearly angered by John who was simply ying with him the whole time . He charged with full force as he used his best attack, The wolf wind sh to kill John which was clearly lethal if not countered .

    "Die . " Roared Amber as he charged to attack John .

    On the other side of the battlefield .

    This whole time, there was a gruesome battle taking ce on Amber¡¯s end as he was clearly influenced by John and started using kiting tactics as well . There were ballistas going off in all directions as Amber¡¯s own team was protecting the Ballistas . During this time Amber noticed that a particr Ballista was heading in John¡¯s direction as John was fighting with Jim . With a clearly angered face, he murmured and ordered as he looked into the direction from where the Ballistas came, "It seems they really don¡¯t care about their lives, Men increase the intensity of our attacks, I want all of those ballistas turned into ashes . We are invading the walls . Kill those dogs of Antonio and Hector . They dare try to assassinate our General . "

    "Kill . " Roared the men as they heeded Amber¡¯s orders .

    The enemies were clearly Intimidated by Amber¡¯s roar as they charged towards Ballistas with more fervor .

    Amber charged with his men from the front as he attacked with his fire sword towards his enemies .

    John was attacked with various magic¡¯s from Joss¡¯s men as Joss mocked Jim¡¯s naivety,

    Joss inwardly thought as he looked at Jim who was fighting for his life, ¡¯Fool . Do you really think that I would fight such a monster head-on? Hmph . ¡¯

    With an ominous foreboding, John felt killing intent from his back as he saw a Ballista attack which wasing straight at him .

    With nowhere to run, he sighed and murmured after looking at Joss, "It seems that guy is the most cunning of them all . From the looks of it, he doesn¡¯t mind sacrificing this musclehead while refusing to engage head-on . I guess I have no choice but to use that move . "

    With enemies on his side and two attacks from the sides, on from the front and other from behind . He finally decided to use it .

    Marsh, atst, finally watched the attacks in the final moments as he hoarsely roared, "Men, protect your general . We can¡¯t let their scheme seed . "

    With a look of horror on his face, Jim looked at the direction of Joss as he saw his smile, he cursed, "Damn you, traitor . You dare cross me and conspire against me . If Ie out alive, I will make sure I cut you into pieces . You want to sacrifice me along with the enemy and earn all glory . "

    At thest moment when the Ballistas were about toe in contact with him, John smiled as he disappearedpletely .

    There was apletely shocked expression on Jim¡¯s face as he clearly watched what happened but it was toote as he got stuck by the explosion and attacks from Jim and his men . Joss had a grave face as he saw that John was nowhere to be found .

    Marsh was charging with his men as he saw that John was 50 meters away from the site of the explosion .

    He too waspletely shocked by the speed of Anak .

    One of the soldiers remarked, "Damn, what was that speed?"

    Marsh immediately came to his senses and ordered, "Stop your chattering, Charge and kill those schemers . and get near General, Anak . Check whether he is injured or not . We can¡¯t leave any of these scums alive if anything happens to General . "

    Meanwhile, Amber¡¯s men werepletely charged as they had increased the intensity of their attacks . Prince Hector¡¯s Subordinate cursed as he saw that Anak was alive while Anak was looking at him with a teasing face . He immediately shivered after remembering the previous sh .

    ¡¯I am fucked . That guy won¡¯t let me go . ¡¯

    "Attack with a more faster pace . "

    Suddenly one of the gates copsed while thest Ballista on the wall fell as Amber¡¯s men were concurrently targetting the walls . They were now free to move and attack the mercenaries with their ballistas .

    The Mercenary Head charged at Amber after losing 7000 of his men to reach Amber¡¯s squad .

    However, without even a chance to fight, he was immediately torn to shreds as Amber gave the order to clear the battlefield of enemymanders .

    The Head waspletely shocked after finding out that one of the ballistas was fired in his direction . he saw the ballista in horror in hisst moments as he used Earth magic to protect himself however it waspletely futile and was torn to shreds .

    The aftermath of Joss¡¯s and the Ballista¡¯s attack left Jim fully bloodstained as he was dripping blood from all the sides as he looked at Joss and Prince Hector¡¯s Subordinate with hatred . However, Joss was near the gates as he left and ran inside gates without looking back .

    ¡¯It¡¯s good that the rune came to use . ¡¯

    He saw the battlefield in horror as there were bodies lying around . Coming to his senses, he ordered his 500 men to head back as he forgot that he was currently poisoned, "We are leaving . "

    However, as he was leaving he found that he was dizzying out as poison kicked in his system while Marsh charged at him with his men .

    Without waiting for anything, Marsh attacked and charged with his water magic d on his sword towards Jim .

    Jim cursed as he discovered his fate, "Fuck, it seems I am really Poisoned, I should at least take this man out before dying . "

    At thest moment before attacking, Jim staggered as he was prated by Marsh¡¯s sword and fell on the ground without any movement .

    In thest moments, Jim cursed, ¡¯Fuck, I am dying to this guy instead of that General . ¡¯

    Marsh with cold ruthless eyes spoke, "This was for killing those vigers . I wish I could have tortured you much more before killing however I can¡¯t let you escape and do more of such massacres . "

    John smiled as he watched the scene of Marsh Killing Jim, ¡¯I guess he has learned his lesson . As I always say, Mercy to enemies is ruthlessness to your allies . That¡¯s the motto you should follow . "

    After the conclusion between Jim and Marsh¡¯s men, Marsh¡¯s men emerged victorious after the fall of Jim . John approached Marsh andmented, "Good Job . It seems you have hardened your resolve unlike your previous self . It seems Amber was able to handle such a scale of battle . Lets go and Join him . "

    All of them answered, "Yes, Sir . "

    The mercenaries who were out of order without their leaders scrambled to run but were one by one soon targeted and killed by Amber and his men .

    At this time more of the Gates copsed as Multiple Ballistas hit it and the walls couldn¡¯t withstand the barrage of Ballistas . There was horror in the faces of guards who were guarding it as Amber¡¯s army slowly marched towards them inplete order .

    With a smile, John came with Marsh and others as he killed the remaining mercenaries outside the wall, He spoke to Amber with a big smile, "Hahaha, good job . You did wellmanding the soldiers . I was watching the whole time . It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t value honor but valued the lives of your men . "

    Amber scratched his head as he smiled and spoke, "Thanks, General, it would not have been possible without you as you always emphasized that I should always take care of my men . Marsh, it seems you were finally able to smile after killing that Bastard . ".

    Marsh nodded as he smiled and answered, "I guess that¡¯s true, That guy opened whole new thinking for me . Come lets march . We need to finish this menace once and for all . Right men," He roared at the end which was reciprocated by others .

    When Joss was leaving the border town, Prince Hector¡¯s subordinate roared at him after watching him loot Jim¡¯s camp and escaping all by himself, "Where are you going? You can¡¯t leave us hanging against that demonic general . Weren¡¯t you hired by Prince Hector . "

    Jossughed after listening to this idiot and reminded him onest time with a little bit of killing intent, "You think you can survive? The walls here are already down . As far as hiring goes . I care more about my life and my main employer currently is Duke Fjord where my job was to divert the war from seas towardsnds . My work here is done . You guys handle that count and this mad general on your own . Do you think we can resist them? Nope . And you should remain in your limits while you are talking to me . " The guy gulped a bit and listened .

    Joss continued as he pointed in the direction of Amber who was watching both of them with cold bloodthirsty eyes, "Run if you want to live because that man ising for your life . Do you think he didn¡¯t notice your order to kill his general from the walls? He would most probably defy the orders of his General when ites to killing both of us . Well, you should me your greed and should have prepared a n B when you agreed with my deal . See ya Boys, I am on my way . "@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204

    John thought and answered Marsh, "Hmm . . . bring back all the things to our temporary base first, it would be easier this way . Meanwhile, make insignia that General Anak and his men were here to kill all the Mercenaries in big bold characters . "

    Marsh asked John cautiously, "Ok . What about the dead bodies of mercenaries . "

    John thought a bit, nodded and answered, "Burn the rest, keep some leaders of mercenaries at the gates so that everyone gets to see their faces and fates clearly . People would know that Mercenaries were here under Prince Hector and Antonio . We are leaving shortly after this . Start making preparations to load all the cargo for the camp . "

    "Yes, Milord . "

    ****

    Meanwhile, the southern border of North-frontier city was currently attacked by Barbarians and Barrenmakers with 35,000 men .

    Previously, Prince Hector made a deal with the Fjord which allowed the Barbarians and Barrenmakers to get their hands on Ballistas and shelter outside from John¡¯s eyes . These days they were in Eastern port .

    Wilkins smiled as they attacked the main castle of Arlen and the Southern border . Wilkins spoke to Sandro with a big smile, "With these, we will be able to mount our attack on NF City . While that General is busy fighting that rookie . We can get this castle as our base . The geography here is quite good to defend . "

    Sandro nodded and answered, "Yes, this is our biggest chance, it was worth it to keep our men hidden at Eastern port . It seems Prince Hector really hates that count since he was ready to make Concessions and deal with us . While that Baron, Antonio was quite happy to shelter us since he fears the Count very much . "

    Wilkins licked his lips and answered, "But the range of those Ballistas is quite a surprise . I never knew that they also have this kind of range while it seems my old enemy Arlen is handling that Castle . It would be tough to bring down that castle as he is quite the cunning guy . "

    @@novelbin@@

    After hearing about the Ballistas, Sandro smiled and answered in a cunning tone, "Well, no need to worry about that . We will bring our Ballistas closer to them even if we face some losses . That castle ain¡¯t moving anywhere while they are in shortage of men . What we need to do is bring those gates down and charge . The falling of those gates will be the end of them . "

    Inside the Castle, As soon as the attack by Barbarians and Barrenmakers started .

    Arlen ordered the men, "No need to panic, this attack was taken into consideration when General left for the frontlines . Keep a lookout for General¡¯s return . Until then target the enemy ballistas since they would be fatal against us . We are still not using the cannons . If the enemies invade inside the castle . you are free to use the Kshnikov and A5 rifles . However, make sure that every one of them dies inside the castle since I don¡¯t want the existence of our guns getting leaked so early . Josephine ising with reserves . so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems . However, it would be better if they don¡¯t get involved . "

    The Ghost subordinate sighed with relief and gave his order to the men, "Ok, sir . I will pass these orders . This would at least encourage the men . "

    he thought, ¡¯This news of Kshnikovs and A5¡¯s will calm down the men since Lord is not present . ¡¯

    Arlen sharply looked at the battlefield as he spotted Wilkins,

    He smiled and thought, ¡¯They are in for deep trouble if they decide to invade this castle overestimating themselves . It¡¯s good seeing you again, Wilkins . ¡¯

    ****

    Meanwhile, In Radiant City,

    There were two men in luxurious clothes, talking in a serious manner .

    Pope David asked the other man with a surprised face, "Are you sure about this deal?"

    King Lionheart smiled and said, "Yes, you can get your hands on the Printing tech so it¡¯s a win-win situation for both of us . Meanwhile, both of us fighting would create a civil war so I would rather share things and avoid a civil war . Additionally, I don¡¯t like his interactions with Demons which is very worrying to me . Currently, he won¡¯t get support from Bluesea house because of my deal with Prince Chad so this is our chance to consolidate power for Aelius kingdom . "

    Pope David smiled and answered, "Hmm . . . ok . I will agree with you as my interests coincide with you and that count has to pay for his insolence previously where he rejected my offer while he has long been a thorn for the radiant church with his new demonic medicines . So when are our armies attacking him?"

    Lionheart thought as he shook hands with David, ¡¯Hmph, I am only doing it because Eanred asked me to . While my losses would reduce as well if I don¡¯t fight the Radiant Church . So this is still better than nothing . Well, I would still need to appease to as he was nning to eat up everyone in Aelius with the ballistas . The dwarves have already stopped their aggressive patrols after 2 small battles with our ballistas in the east previously . These Ballistas surely came in handy . Why can¡¯t that Count simply understand his position and bow his head? He can easily be a duke in 10 years but I guess he overestimated himself when he created that Weapon . He would have been such a big asset for us against the Radiant Church . All the ckmailing of the Radiant church would have ended with the invention of those drugs . Well I am anyway targeting those drugs for now¡¯

    Pope David smiled and thought, ¡¯I guess this is ok as well since I can spread our ideology with printing tech and Felix is already in our hands . It seems it was good to bluff the Royal family after our mass mobilization of Temrs in Radiant city . We could not get a better deal . ¡¯

    Lionheart smiled and answered, "We would attack them as soon as our armies join north of Dolores in 5 days on the pretext of him sheltering Bandits and ignoring the orders of Royal Family . Recently we got the news that Beasts have started attacking them on the northern front so this is a perfect chance . That Printing press is ruining the reputation of aristocrats day by day and the same goes for you guys . "

    Pope David smiled and answered, "Good, My 30,000 Temrs will be ready to join General Irwin tomorrow . Make sure he knows about it . While remaining temrs which are mobilized would be divided between Radiant city and Dolores until the end of the war . I don¡¯t think that this war would end this early . "

    Lionheart nodded as he left Radiant city in a disguise and immediately issued a decree for General Irwin to his subordinate .

    After writing the letter and stamping the decree, He handed it over to his subordinate, "Remember to report him without fail . "

    The subordinate nodded and immediately headed for Dolores on his best horse, "Yes, your Majesty . "

    ****

    After concluding the Battle at the Border Castle town of Dolores, Anak and everyone gathered at their Temporary camp . After 2 hours, they had finally delivered all the resources from the Border town to the Camp .

    Loads of Carriages were transporting all the resources as John asked for a report from his men,

    "Was there anything when I left?"

    The secretary answered, "No, Sir . Even the usual scout hasn¡¯t returned with a report, Milord . "

    John furrowed his brows as he knew that Taylor wouldn¡¯t miss sending him a report about the current events every day even if it was a small affair .

    One of the Ghost scouts came in with an emergency report, "Milord, there are 2 important matters . "

    John had a foreboding feeling as he asked, "What is it?"

    The Ghost answered without any wait as he gave a letter to John, "The first one is, We found some people normal people at the Border town where we attacked previously which we believe were kidnapped from Dolores by the mercenaries, these include both men and women . From the looks of this, we can conclude that Prince Hector and Antonio¡¯s men at the town knew about them . They say that they were brought there for sexual reasons by the mercenaries . However, many are traumatized to the point that they fear speaking to anyone . "

    John sighed and answered, "Hmm . . . Ok, keep them at the camp . Treat them with respect as they might have psychological trauma . We will be bringing them backter on . It¡¯s good I ordered the execution of all those scums . What about the next important matter?"

    The Ghost agreed and nodded as he reported about the second matter, "From the looks of it, we think someone has started attacking the Southern Castle since not even a single scout came to report from North-frontier City . Even my scouts noted that there is arge group of troops near the Southern Castle However, we are not sure about the invaders since they don¡¯t have a g or banner representing them . And it seems that they were attacked when we attacked the base of Mercenaries . So if my guesses are right, they are mercenaries who coordinated this attack when we were away . "

    There was a letter addressed to John from Liam which only had few words written on it, "Barrenmakers and Barbarians, hidden at Eastern port city . "

    John smiled and understood as he read the letter, "Hmm . . . these guys just can¡¯t wait . "

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205

    John continued with a smile, "Okay, prepare to leave, It seems these guys really won¡¯t understand unless they face a big loss . We are going to ambush them today . Keep those guys and 100 men with ballistas over here to protect the camp . "

    *****

    Meanwhile, there was a hubbub in Dolores after they got various reports of the walls burning at the Mercenary Camp with the bodies of Mercenary Heads at the gates .

    One of the guys came back and asked, "Did you hear about that North-Western camp?"

    The peddler was confused as he asked, "Which camp?"

    The guy spoke in a low tone, "The one that was recently made by Prince Hector and Baron Antonio . "

    Peddler remembered that he was pushed away at the gates when he wanted to sell some items over there, "Ohh, Wasnt it off-limits to civilians? what happened there? Did they remove the restrictions? I am heading there immediately if that is the case . "

    He smiled and spoke, "Nah, That whole Castle of the Border town is Burning currently . Many are thinking that some big battle happened over there . The Guards have only gone there to inspect right now . "

    The Peddler was horrified as he heard about the burning Castle and thought, ¡¯It¡¯s good that I wasn¡¯t there, who knows what would have happened to me . ¡¯

    ****

    The Messenger who left early on had a letter with him as he immediately headed and rushed towards Antonio¡¯s office to report as he was stopped by guards, "It¡¯s bad, Lord needs to be informed immediately . There is a crisis . "

    The guards asked with a suspicious look, "Do you have any permission or are you here just to make a ruckus?"

    He handed over the token which was given to him and answered, "Ahh yes, Take this token I was given by my Superior if I was stopped anywhere . "

    After looking at the Token and the messenger carefully he allowed him, "Ok, you can go . "

    he thought, ¡¯I wonder where he got this token of Prince Hector . ¡¯

    Antonio was in good mood these days as he finally sorted out his problems with Duke Fjord while he was in the good books of Prince Hector .

    He thought with a good mood, ¡¯Tomorrow will be thest day for that count since Duke Norman too has agreed to send 50,000 troops with other lords at the borders . Lets see how long does that Count keeps his arrogance . ¡¯

    Finally, the messenger was able to meet Antonio as he reported about the past situation when General Anak was about to invade the Mercenary Camp,

    Baron Antonio smiled as he read about the letter which was written in the midst of battle, "Wow, that Count finally lost his pressure and attacked? I guess we will finally get some good news about the results of the battle since we delivered the Ballistas just today . With this, we also would have a legitimate reason to invade that count . Anyway¡¯s we need to send reinforcements in case something happens . "

    Another Guard came in hurriedly and reported about the tragedy which took ce at the Border Town of Dolores .

    The Guard was in extreme panic as he hoarsely spoke, he was in total shock as he too lost his brother in that ce, "Lord, Not a single person survived, not a single person . The situation is dire, we are totally unprotected, Milord . The heads of Jim and Prince Hector¡¯s Subordinate was on disy at the southern gates of the town . It was all done by General, Anak . That guy butchered 35,000 men over there in a single day . "

    Antonio furrowed his brows and spoke after listening to him, "Calm down and speak slowly . "

    Antonio slowly heard the news as he was shocked by hearing the scale of the battle and the result .

    "How is this possible, I don¡¯t believe it . "

    Antonio thought that this guy was exaggerating and tried to re-confirm, "How did you confirm this news?"

    The guard gave a letter and exined, "It was the Head of Glorious Explorers who gave this news to me . He ran away after handing it over . We too confirmed the situation first hand after visiting the camp where it was written in big characters in blood, "Done by General, Anak, The Everburning and his men . " . Here is a letter addressed to you by Joss . "

    Only now did Antonio came to his senses after he read the letter and roared, "How the fuck is it possible? How can they have better Ballistas? That Bloody Barbarian general, He dares kill all the men belonging to Royal Family . Is he sick of his life? Come we are leaving for the camp . If that guy has really killed off everyone then the situation is grave, That bloody lunatic, this ispletely different from the assumptions we did previously . This would be one of the biggest incident in the kingdom after the Fight between Duke Sapphire and Duke Fjord 3 years back, Damn it . Both of them are Lunatic, That General and the Count . It¡¯s good that he didn¡¯t decide to Invade Dolores or else the situation would have been so grave that Father would have been set free already . "

    With a grave face, Antonio left with his men for the Mercenary camp where the massacre took ce . Looking at the gossiping of people he understood that the Walls of the Camps were burning for a long time and everyone got to know about the dealings which took ce over there .

    Meanwhile, at the nearby viges, the news about Prince Hector¡¯s scheme at Greenwoods vige was being spread to everyone .

    "What? Really . "

    @@novelbin@@

    "Shh . . . If you are intending to leave, then you have to try leaving via Duke Sapphire¡¯s domain as currently there is a big battle going on at the borders . However we can try to leave via the borders as well . "

    ****

    Currently, Barbarians and Barrenmakers were nearing the Castle, after 4 bitter hours they were finally able to bring down the Walls as they lost 20,000 of their men just to close their distance . They were able to take 10 ballistas themselves which had reduced the barrage of their enemies . They were very near to invade the castle as they faced the mini-ballistas .

    As soon as they prepared to invade the castle, they were greeted with Ballistas firing at their rear end . This was an ambush that John and his men led after finding a perfect spot at the hills nearby .

    The Barbarians and Barrenmakers were finally met with a barrage of Ballistas which attacked them from the rear .

    Arlen smiled as he got the signal from John, "Finally,"

    Arlen smiled and ordered his subordinate with a cold tone devoid of any emotions, "Anyone that invades the Castle, Greet them with A5¡¯s and Kshnikov¡¯s . Keep none of them alive . Use them with full force, no need for any mercy . Use the Mini-ballistas if you are targeting them outside of the castle . Miss Josephine is also on standby at the nearby castle, We can¡¯t let the reserves be used . "

    The subordinate nodded and left to give the orders .

    Wilkins roared as he heard an attack at his rear, "Damn who is attacking us now? Does he have a death wish?"

    The subordinate answered, "Boss, It¡¯s from the hills in the west . "

    Sandro remarked as he watched the attack, "It seems they have returned quite early . From the looks, I guess they didn¡¯t chase and attack the base . "

    The Subordinate shook his head and answered, "No Sir, I can confirm from our scouts that there was a big battle taking ce at the Mercenary camp near Dolores . "

    Sandro nodded and understood, "Hmm . . . Now, this is confusing . If they ran away then I am sure that Jim wouldn¡¯t leave them alive and would have chased them here . Anyway, We can¡¯t stop and move back after so many gains . Who knows this might be a ploy by that Elf . Take control of that castle and then we will take care of these pests . Charge . "

    John murmured as he saw that the Mercenaries had decided to ignore and sent only a few men against them, "Hmm . . . Defending seems much easier than Attacking . "

    Arlen smiled as he saw the Barbarians rushing with full fervor and anger because of their experience in the Battlefield currently .

    As soon as the Barbarians entered the Castle . They were greeted with Bullets that were used for the first time in the battle .

    All the Barbarians were confused to find their mates falling one after another . Watching the current situation, they were shocked beyond belief .

    "What the hell is this thin . . . . " The Barbarian spoke in horror before he fell under a bullet as he saw his mates falling one by one .

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206

    Wilkinsughed as he entered the castle, "Today that Elf will pay for his insolence of the past when he killed my subordinate . I was waiting for such a long time to get my hands on that Elf . That guy always used to fight from a range . Today he will be trapped like a small mouse . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Wilkins was continuously deflecting the arrows with his armors and tough skin Earth as he rammed inside with his mace and Charged ahead,

    Looking at the scene,

    Arlen took out his own Rifle which was made especially for him by Tornwall, He took out a magazine that was filled with Runic Bullets and loaded the Rifle .

    Arlen smiled as he heard the ramblings of Wilkin from the first floor, "Time for my specialty, These bullets wille in handy . I wonder what surprise is hidden by Tornwall in these bullets . "

    Looking at Wilkins who came inside the Castle, Arlen spoke to Wilkins who was on the ground floor and rushing with his men towards them, "Wilkins, do you know why you survived previously?"

    Wilkins was confused as he looked at Arlen and thought, ¡¯Has he gone insane as death is around the corner?¡¯

    Arlen smiled and continued, "It was because I wasn¡¯t interested to kill you previously but right now since you decided to invade this castle, you and everyone else have sealed their fates . No one of you will escape alive . "

    Wilkins smiled as he mocked Arlen and gave orders, "Hmph, All talk, no bite . Charge with me, Barbarians"

    He thought as he looked at the rifle which Arlen was handling currently, ¡¯What is he doing with that toy? Hmm . . . maybe his new toy . Hmm . . . These guys too have the same toys as that Elf . Why do I feel something is fishy?¡¯

    He thought as he looked at the calm faces of Arlen and his men .

    Arlen smiled as he fired the bullet and spoke in a low voice, "Exactly"

    The bullet was d in ck fully as it sped with Wind magic, Arlen remarked, "Woah, the recoil is quite heavy with these bulletspared to normal ones . "

    Arlen again shot at Wilkins as he didn¡¯t want to take risks .

    As soon as the bullet came in contact with Wilkins, he was covered in ck around his throat and Head .

    The bullet instantly prated the throat and Head of Wilkins who was in shock and horrorpletely after experiencing the power of Rifles . He never imagined that such a thing could take his life as he was always able to shrug off Arrows with his Earth Magic and his Armor . But this time, He never knew what hit him, The Earth magic activated from his armor was still prated as blood gushed out .

    He thought as he fell down, ¡¯Damn, so this was his weapon . ¡¯

    Arlen ruthlessly ordered as he saw Wilkins falling down, "Shoot . "

    Wilkins fell down in an instant before the Mercenaries could even react, There wasplete chaos as everyone started falling like a pack of cards .

    Sandro furrowed his brows as he heard the shots of Bullets as well as reducing voices of the Barbarian Mercenaries and murmured, "What¡¯s happening? Why has that idiot and his men stopped bbering? They usually won¡¯t be quiet after they go into Battle Mode . Come, let¡¯s go . "

    Very soon Sandro came in as he heard the ominous sounds .

    Currently, his men were preparing Traps so that their enemies can¡¯t escape .

    This time, Arlen without Speaking anything, took his big rifle and immediately aimed at Sandro,

    "Bang," a bullet was fired,

    Sandro dodged it instinctively as he saw wind pass by his right cheek, Arlen was surprised but immediately shot him 2 times again .

    "Bang Bang . "

    With a Recoil, Arlen smiled and murmured, "This guy has good reactions . But this time he is facing something on apletely different level . He would never know what killed him . "

    Sandro was soon met with another two bullets from Arlen which was d in dark and wind magic .

    Sandro looked at Wilkins in horror and only now did he realize how he and Wilkins died .

    "That Weapon . Men, Leav . . . " Sandro screamed as he fell down before even passing his orders .

    The Mercenaries were in chaos as they lost all of their Leaders and were scrambling to attack the castle .

    Arlen checked the dead corpses of Wilkins and Sandro, "Good, they are dead . "

    He immediately ordered his men and he took out his guns, "No need to waste any time, Kill them all, General Anak is rounding them up from the outside . "

    Very soon the soldiers started heading outside the castle as they started targeting the mercenaries .

    However, the mercenaries were met with their very own traps as they tried to escape .

    John too was surprised about such a fast conclusion after the invasion of the castle .

    John smiled and thought, ¡¯Guess, I was worried about nothing . Good thing bringing the enemies inside the castle . ¡¯

    Amberughed as he saw the A5¡¯s in action for the first time, "As expected of him, Like a Ghost, finishing his enemies in one stroke . "

    John nodded as he charged with his men, "Come, round all of them up . Use your Mini-ballistas . Target the ones who are trying to escape . Anyway, let¡¯s clear these traps and finish them fast . "

    Very soon, all the remaining mercenaries were killed in cold blood without even a chance to resist Arlen and John .

    Arlen sighed with relief as he saw the conclusion of the battle .

    ****

    John immediately asked Arlen, "When did they attack?"

    Arlen thought and answered, "It was noon I guess . That¡¯s also when I didn¡¯t allow the Messenger to go to the camp after spotting them . I am sorry for not obeying your orders, Milord . "

    John shook his head and spoke, "Nah, It¡¯s ok, Lives of our men are more valuable . Since all the mercenaries died, it wouldn¡¯t get leaked probably . It was a good thing that you immediately issued the order to use the Rifles instead of Cannons . This time we lost 141 men today when we attacked the Mercenary Base . However so everything has their pros and cons, Anyway, We have finished them all for good . "

    Arlen confusingly asked John when he spoke of mercenaries, "What do you mean? Milord . "

    Amber proudly spoke as he watched Arlen¡¯s confusion, "General means what he says . Today the mercenaries were up to some mischief which pissed General off big-time . Means we have destroyed their whole base along with Prince Hector¡¯s men at that camp . Routes are now cleared, There would be no mercenaries from now on . "

    Amber slowly exined to him about the battle which took ce the borders of Dolores which Astonished Arlen to no extent .

    With an astonished expression, Arlen eximed, "No wonder these guys wanted to invade us thinking that they can win since General Anak was not here . Hmph . . . However, they were in for a surprise today, I am not a pushover when ites to my enemies . I wonder how did they get these ragtag bunch of ballistas and how were they able to bring in so many without being noticed by anyone . "

    John handed him the letter of Liam and spoke with a smile, "The answer lies in this letter . "

    After reading the letter, Arlen thought a bit and came to the conclusion, "Hmm . . . It seems they were able to get their hands on it via the Radiant Church who is funding Duke Fjord currently . Am I correct?"

    John nodded, "Yes, You guys will be responsible to clear that temporary base in the west since the base¡¯s use is over . Bring in all the resources and clear the base . They woulde in handy . Tomorrow there could be big actions taken since that Bufoon Hector ising in with an army towards our borders, it would be troublesome to handle him . It would be better if we defend from the castles and bunkers nearby . From now on we can use the cannons . Bring them in the position of Ballistas . Order Jay to bring in some best squads of Cannoners here in the south . Also, deploy the rifles to all the men . The ban on Rifles is over for good . "

    Arlen nodded as he prepared to arrange all the things required .

    Josephine soon arrived with the reserves as she saw the whole situation, "Woah, all of them already dead? You guys used the rifles already?"

    John asked, "What, you feeling pity for them?"

    With an irritated face, she angrily asked, "No . . why did you guys finish it so early? I just got these men hyped for a battle . How do you expect me to answer them . "

    John pped his forehead as he heard the musclehead, Josephine .

    John thought as he heard her, ¡¯They would probably be happy since they won¡¯t have to fight . ¡¯

    Josephine saw John¡¯s mask and asked, "It seems you are the new General which we are hearing about, Anak . Right?"

    John nodded and coldly answered in his normal way, "Yes . "

    Josephine asked as he looked at John carefully, "Why do I feel you are someone I know . "

    Escaping the question he left in a hurry, "Ahem, let¡¯s leave, we need to make preparations . This will be a big fiasco . I don¡¯t have time for gossip . "

    Josephine spoke as she forgot what she came for, "Ahh yes . Men move and help Commander Arlen . "

    ****

    Liam asked his men after looking at the all fiasco at the borders of Dolores, "What was the result?"

    Ed answered, "Everyone at the Mercenary base which was made by Prince Hector is dead, there is a big hubbub going on at Dolores, While a lot of Vigers nearby Dolores are leaving for North-frontier city . The reason for that is Jim¡¯s action today which exposed Prince Hector¡¯s conspiracy . As far as Barbarians and Barrenmakers are concerned, Bodies of Wilkins and Sandro is up for disy at the southern castle . By the looks of it, every one of them died . While not many of their men died on Count John¡¯s end . Only Joss¡¯s Body was not found, I think he has escaped . "

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208

    Elison shook his head and answered, "No, What I am saying is all the mercenaries are dead at the Mercenary camp which was made by Prince Hector along with the soldiers protecting the camp, this is very big sir . Not a single man survived that battle against Count John¡¯s men . Meanwhile, the Leaders of Barbarians and Barrens are dead as well . "

    Luke was confused as he asked again, "What do you mean, How do you know that both of them are dead as well? Weren¡¯t they previously at the Eastern port? Exin to me clearly . "

    Elison nodded and spoke, "Their heads were on disy at the Southern castle of North-Frontier City . After enquiring the guards at the Southern Castle, they said that Barbarians and Barrenmakers tried to invade them yesterday which resulted in the current situation . Their aim most likely was to capture the castle and take the ballistas or to make a base and im their superiority in the region which they failed miserably . "

    Elison calmed down and slowly started exining the whole event which took ce yesterday . Hearing Elison, Luke had a grave face as he understood the situation .

    Luke was bbergasted as he asked in a hurried tone, "What do you mean? Did he kill 70,000 men in one single day? He didn¡¯t even spare the guards at the Mercenary camp . Have they gone crazy?"

    @@novelbin@@

    Elison sighed as he nodded and answered, "Yes, the camp was burning for a long time with a lot of bodies over here . Many people have witnessed it already . Rumors are already being passed everywhere . But the thing is a lot of nearby vigers are migrating to North-frontier city . The thing is, Yesterday, one of theckeys of Jim revealed about their dealings with Prince Hector and Baron Antonio in front of the whole vige when they attacked them . And this is being spread to all the nearby viges that is increasing this migration by viges . "

    Luke pped his forehead as he waspletely shocked . He murmured after hearing about the deaths of 70,000 men, "Lunatic,pletely Lunatic, That general is aplete lunatic . Why did that dolt Jim had to target the Vigers again and anger that General? Is there any reaction from that Count? Meanwhile, If that migration is true then a lot of people are leaving their fields and this would be catastrophic . "

    Elison spoke with a grave face, "Yes, the countpletely supports the actions taken by General Anak . Here is the news report about the event . This is also the reason, why people are cheering for the eradication of Mercenaries . However, many people fear that general . We can use that to our benefit . "

    Luke massaged his forehead as he thought about this situation, "Hmm . . . Okay, arrange a meeting with Count John for now . "

    "Okay, Milord . "

    ****

    General Irwin furrowed his brows as he read an article about the eradication of 70,000 Mercenaries .

    Irwin asked his subordinate, "Do you know anything about it? Or that count is simply bluffing about this . "

    The subordinate answered, "No Sir, The information provided here is correct, I did report to you about yesterday¡¯s assault by Jim and co . at the nearby vige, where you wanted them to sort it out themselves .

    He continued, "They really did kill 70,000 men in their assault yesterday when they attacked Goldrush mercenaries at camp and The barbarians and Barrenmakers at their borders at Southern Castle . They were led by their new General, Anak . He was the one who gave the orders to kill all of them when they attacked at camp and when they were invaded . And there is another news . We also got a report from Ambassador Luke . "

    Irwin had a surprised as well as serious face as he grasped reality real early, "Woah, It seems I forget about that small skirmish . It looks like the skirmish turned into something big . It seems this General would be quite a handful if he was in our army . That general is quite audacious to announce his arrival in Aelius by eradicating 70,000 mercenaries in a single day . This guy would give Bellion a run for a challenge . Continue . "

    The subordinate spoke, "From the looks of it, it seems that they have always hidden the true firepower of their ballistas . Their ballistas had 2 . 1 times the range of our ballistas which was concluded after we made investigations of the border at the Battle site . We are only able to surpass them in power and range when we are using Magic metal Balllistas along with Dragon materials (these are quite rare) . While Radiant church¡¯s Temrs are going to Join us today, This is the letter given by his majesty today . "

    Irwin nodded as he read the letter, "Hmm . . . It seems they have a n . However, now this is all for naught or else we too will face big casualties in front of those ballistas and it would cost a lot to make ballistas from Magic metal and Dragon parts . How many magic Ballistas do we have currently?"

    "78 Currently . "

    Irwin nodded as it tallied his current count, "They can be good enough . I hope everything goes well . "

    Irwin thought and smiled, ¡¯This would be a bloody battle . That Count surely hid himself quite well all this time, no wonder he was so aggressive . This time he too will be in for a surprise after watching the runic Magic Metal Ballistas . It¡¯s good that we still have a better range than those guys . ¡¯

    ***

    Slowly the whole of Aelius kingdom got to know about the first battle of Northern front,

    "Woah, is this serious? 70,000 people killed in one day? Does that Count really not fear anything? He even killed the soldiers of Prince Hector and Baron Antonio . I wonder how would they react after this . "

    Minister to had a grave face as he asked, "Tell me what happened, why did the situation get out of hand . This is not a small matter . That Mad General killed 70,000 without even blinking while that Lunatic count is supporting his actions . If our army faces such a General . That means we will be facing a lot of deaths . I am ordering to cancel the invasion . "

    The subordinate answered, "It¡¯s not possible Milord . Orders have already been passed by King to Lord Irwin yesterday . The Temr Captain, Johnson is already going to Join Lord Irwin at Dolores . They would soon start their attacks with the new magic ballistas with the dragon materials as they have a bigger range . As far as the 70,000 deaths are concerned, The situation got out of hold because of the Mercenary Jim . After being hunted for days, it seems they were frustrated and hence they decided to use their usual tactic against that count which backfired them greatly . We got this news from one of the vigers . Most of the Vigers now don¡¯t trust Prince Hector and are now leaving for NF City or for other domains where they can trust a lord . "

    to murmured, "It seems What Eanred saw was likely this . This guy Anak is bad news . He should either be in the Royal family or Dead already . We need to make changes . It¡¯s good that their trump cards just got revealed and King has made an alliance with the Radiant Church to reduce the losses . It¡¯s good that King heard Eanred¡¯s query . "

    ****

    Prince Hector was thoroughly enraged as he saw the Border town which seemed like a ghost town currently, "That guy dares to kill my men and loot the fort so brazenly? I will make sure that he faces an appropriate response to the actions taken by his men . They think they are hot-shit as they were able to kill some mercenaries . They have just opened the doors of hell after this action . "

    Alistair reported without any advice, "There is another bad news of Barbarians and Barrenmakers getting wiped yesterday, Milord . "

    Hector cursed as he saw the situation, "Damn it, those guys couldn¡¯t even wait for a day thinking that they would lose out on looting . Even Duke Norman has is pussying out after this result . Damn it what do we do . "

    Alistair sighed and thought, ¡¯Good, or else we would have faced the same fate . No wonder that count was so confident . Those Ballistas were indeed hiding something big . That new General surely is a lunatic considering he killed all the men without thinking twice . It¡¯s better if we don¡¯t provoke them again . Even that Count is supporting that Mad General . ¡¯

    Antonio thought and spoke, "Milord, what if we convince Duke Norman to attack that Count when the Royal family and the Radiant church attack them? I am sure he would be open to such suggestions . "

    Alistair looked at Antonio and then spoke to Hector, "Milord, Joss reported something which would interest you . I wonder if I can speak?"

    Hector nodded and spoke, "Continue . "

    Alistair nodded and reported, "That General was reportedly able to use space, fire and wind magic when he fought Jim . He is also proficient at incredible speeds . Joss has remarked that only a few guys can fight him head-on in Aelius . If we want to do something then we need to take care of that guy first . In the previous fight with Jim, he was toying him with a knife without using any magic and this was seen by many men . I am sure this is very critical news for us . "

    Antonio thought as he heard Alistair¡¯s discouraging words, ¡¯Damn this guy . ¡¯

    Hector thought deeply and spoke, "Hmm . . . Ok, We will think about both the proposals . That count is getting dangerous day by day so he needs to be taken care of earlier . I guess we need to strike when everyone is going to attack them . I will consult Mary who will try to convince duke of our decision . meanwhile, try to contact that general, he can be useful to us . Given his range of skills, I am sure he would be interested in working for the Royal family instead of working at a small run of a mill domain . "

    ***

    Duke Norman was quite rmed after hearing about the end of mercenaries, He thought for a bit, "This is very dangerous, I never thought that guy would take such crazy decision . It seems Alistair was right when he consulted me previously maybe I should heed his advice or it would be fatal for me . There are already some guys who refused to heed my calls . But that Count will be more Dangerous if we can¡¯t do anything to him now . "

    Mary spoke as she heard Norman, "Dad, why don¡¯t we wait and watch while keeping our army at the borders, because the Royal family too will have a reaction when they hear of 70,000 deaths . We should take our chances when the Royal Familyunches an attack . "

    Duke Norman nodded as he thought deeply, "Yes, this would be for better and ckwolf too is currently alert on his borders with the demons and Demi-human and Beasts . Meanwhile, our interests are tied by soap manufacturing currently . I am sure he won¡¯t use this chance to attack us . Okay, we will go with your suggestion . "

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209

    ***

    Lukavv wasughing hysterically as he read the report from Georgio, "hahaha, as expected of the guy I allied with . I am sure this has shaken a lot of hearts in the kingdom as nobles would fear him for taking revenge if they act against him . John has surely found a gem this time around . No bullshit, straight killings just like my old way . "

    Duncan smiled and with a sigh, he answered, "However this would likely jeopardize their rtionship with the Royal family as they will put aplete blockade on him . "

    Lukavv mocked as he spoke, "They weren¡¯t doing him any favors, to be honest . I am sure this p would be ringing for quite a while into Lionheart¡¯s face . However, this time he will have to bear it since he has hit an iron te this time around . "

    Duncan nodded, "From this whole incident, Only Fjord and we profited off the most I believe . However, Hector has gained a big adversary after his whole conspiracy . It seems Count John takes a lot after you, Milord . "

    Lukavv sighed and spoke with a serious face, "Yes, we can¡¯t help it since he started the conflict with him . He would most likely pay for his wrongdoings . Is the information you have correct?"

    Duncan nodded and gave a report by his spies, "Yes, It was ordered by Prince Hector . He had colluded with the mercenaries so that your father could move against him . We have confirmed reports of the money trail and multiple reports that Gold rush mercenaries and Prince Hector¡¯s men were responsible for the massacre at Greenwoods Vige . Currently, the mercenary Joss is in possession of gold which Prince Hector gave to Jim as he was seen splurging his money in western capital Gritos recently . "

    Lukavv had an angry face as he confirmed Hector¡¯s role, "So, he really was responsible for it . Ok, make the preparations for the attack . "

    Duncan smiled and answered, "Lord, this is the first report from him in the north . "

    Lukavv asked with a serious face, "What is it?"

    Duncan gave the report, "He says that Temrs and the Royal family n to attack Count John 4-5 dayster . "

    Lukavv smiled as he remembered his pact 7 Years ago after the Red Lake City Incident, "It seems he is finally starting to act . Good . We too will attack Felix 4 dayster . We will not get a better chance . "

    ****

    Charlie was quite surprised as read the report from his knight Robin, "Woah, this count and his men are dangerous for sure, 70,000 men in one day? I never expected such an oue . That General is dangerous for sure from the way he engaged with his enemies . It¡¯s good that I never acted and let Hector make his moves otherwise I would have made a big enemy . "

    Robin nodded, "Yes, Prince . "

    Charlie asked about another important matter, "What were the weapons that they used recently?"

    Robin gave the report, "It seems they are using some shoes and other essories on the horses to maintain bnce and more efficiency . We heard it from Joss who noticed the peculiarity . He thinks they are likely the reason why they are able to use bows on a horse while bringing out more efficiency . "

    Charlie nodded, "Hmm . . . This information will be quite useful . Ok, we will report it to the radiant church . It would be useful to them since they are mobilizing just recently . "

    ****

    Queen of Ayananore kingdom, Kaylin recently got some news from Reba that Joanna was showing signs of improvement and recovery, She asked her as she had her own doubts, "How did her body recover so fast when we were barely keeping her alive with 24 hours check-ups?"

    Reba hesitated for a while, "Speak up, what are you hiding?" Queen roared,

    "It¡¯s Princess Emena who gave her some medicine recently that might have done the trick . Ambassador Alisson and Strategist Mist had recently sent a parcel to Princess that might have a cure and it is finally showing the effects . "

    Kaylin was surprised as she heard Reba, "What . When did such a miraculous medicine be avable? Did they get it from some Sage who was researching on Mria?"

    Reba shook her head and answered, "No, it is our alliance partners, North-frontier City¡¯s Count, John who made the medicine . "

    Kaylin was curiously reading Mist¡¯s letter as she heard Reba, "Interesting, I haven¡¯t seen that girl quite some time, Where is she?"

    "Actually . . . " Reba hesitated as she was about to say but she saw Elf King Eden¡¯s eyes and didn¡¯t speak .

    Kaylin lifted her brows and spoke with an angry tone, "What are both of you hiding? Speak fast, you wouldn¡¯t want to face the consequences when I am angry . "

    Finally, Reba broke under pressure as she avoided Eden¡¯s eyes and narrated the whole incident about Emena¡¯s departure and why she left .

    Eden murmured as he saw the helpless face of Reba, "Damn it, these guys can¡¯t even hide one thing . I guess must be ready for a beating . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Thomas sighed as he heard Reba and spoke to Queen Kaylin, "Queen I have already sent Head Binz and the whole squad for the protection of Princess Emena . "

    Kaylin roared as she knew that he must have known about Emena¡¯s departure, "Shut up, You guys dare send her in a warzone without consulting me? Don¡¯t you know the consequences? Now, give aplete report on Joanna¡¯s Health . "

    Reba hurried immediately and answered, "Aah, yes . "

    After detailed discussions, the meeting was concluded,

    Kaylin spoke as read the report of Mist, "Hmm . . . This count is quite interesting to be able to convince Alison and Mist to make an alliance with us . From now on activate our spies and keep an eye on him as well . I heard there have been big moves taking ce in Aelius currently, Even that Ludwin has started contacting with Fjord from our unconfirmed sources . We need to be alert . It¡¯s good that we found someone worth allying . "

    Thomas answered, "Yes, Your majesty . "

    Kaylin suddenly asked, "What is the situation on Violent eastern belt?"

    Thomas sighed and gave the answer, "It¡¯s the same as before . Even Our best ships can¡¯t cross that Violent sea belt unless we have better ships . "

    Kaylin thought and gave the answer, "Ok . . . Bring this letter to Alison and Mist . "

    ****

    Lionheart cursed as he read a report while he was traveling back to the Imperial city, "Godammit, that bastard is hellbent on refuting me . 70,000 men, even though I wanted a solution for those mercenaries but they could have been useful for me to some extent . The most I expected was casualties as high as 10,000 where I intended to use them . That guy is really a lunatic . "

 Chapter 210

    Chapter 210: 210

    One of the guys reported the king, "Lord, they even killed the 5,000 personal Soldiers of Prince Hector . The thing was, the soldiers were protecting the camp so General Anak assumed that they were mercenaries and hence dealt with them as well . That was one of the reasons given by Count in his newspapers . "

    Lionheart cursed as soon as he heard him, "What! He dared to kill our soldiers as well! That Count dares y with words . Just because a few viges near his domain were targetted and he decided to obliterate all the mercenaries which could have been useful to us . So many capable fighters . They would have been useful against the Barbarian beasts at the western border . It seems we really need to tighten the screws, Ok it¡¯s decided, from now on they will face full sanctions from our side . No trade, nothing . We will be considering him as a rogue . Start targeting his ships in the seas with Fjord . We will attack him with Temrs 4 dayster since we need a revised n . Now the north-frontier domain will be considered as the property of the Royal family and we have legitimate right to invade it . "

    One of the ministers in charge of Legal matters came spoke with a grave face after hearing him, "Milord it is not possible legally since other nobles too will feel threatened by this move of ours . We should have a valid reason for annulling the agreement which we made with Count John . The most we can ask him is to handover the General and other captains since their General took unteral actions . We can consider him a rogue though since it doesn¡¯t break any agreements . Give him a time period for handing over the generals and then we can invade if he doesn¡¯tply . "

    Lionheart cursed as he thought about the results of this battle, "I am more pissed at the fact that we werepletely fooled by that count . He dared to fool the royal family by giving us the blueprints of substandard Ballistas . Do we have any legal actions against this fraud?"

    The Law and Justice Minister shook his head and answered, "No Sir, I read the agreement carefully and they mentioned that they had handed over the Blueprints of Prototype 2 . I guess their substandard ballistas were Prototype 2 and they had hidden the original and other types of ballistas . We clearly signed the documents which mentioned Prototype 2 . But we can still use this as propaganda that they betrayed the Royal family who funded them without any doubts . Using this we can create public opinion where we will be justified to invade them . We can also assure the other ministers and aristocrats that Count John betrayed the Throne¡¯s good faith and that is the reason we are invading them . And more importantly, currently, we still have an advantage i . e . Magic metal Ballistas from the Lorr Family and also their Lorr Short Swords . Currently, we are exploring the use of Ballista and how they are operated in magic . We have currently made the same type of mini-ballistae which the Dragons knights can equip . "

    Lionheart nodded after hearing him, "Ok, start with the sanctions and tell them that they have to handover that General in 2 days or they will have to face the consequences, that General can be useful to us . Yes, also try contacting that General with our spies . While also start propaganda against that Count in the whole kingdom so that most of the guys support us on our war . "

    The Law minister hesitated and spoke, "Sir there is another matter . "

    Lionheart furrowed his brows and asked irritatingly, "What is it?"

    He nodded and spoke, "It is about Prince Hector, many outskirt viges near Dolores are abandoning their fields and moving to NF city after the previous expose by those mercenaries of Goldrush . This would be detrimental to us if those guys abandon the fields . "

    Lionheart cursed as he remembered about all the scandals of Hector, "Previously he impregnated that noble girl and now this scandal already . That Brat is always leaving the trails, Hmph, Anyway, let them run, they can¡¯t do shit . Those viges can be helpful as bases when we invade them . Anyway, tell Luke to try and get in contact with that General . "

    ****

    Currently, Emena was at Eastern port city with the guards in civilian clothes who escorted her previously .

    Emena roared as she asked a guard at the borders, "What? Why can¡¯t I move to North-frontier city? After traveling such a long way, I can¡¯t even go there . "

    One of the guards smiled and answered with a tough tone, "It is because of current rising tensions and the previous battle near Dolores . You don¡¯t seem like a local, are you a tourist? If you are a tourist why don¡¯t you travel to other ces?"

    Looking at the tone of the guard she understood that he wouldn¡¯t budge and was trying to persuade her to travel elsewhere, She smiled and spoke, "Yes, I am a tourist, I especially came to Aelius because of the North-frontier city . Or else why would I travel such a long way from Ayananore . Hmph, I am here for the medicine made at North-frontier city . If you guys really have a cure apart from the Radiant¡¯s church, I won¡¯t mind traveling elsewhere"

    As soon as the Guard heard of Ayananore and about their medicine¡¯s, he furrowed his brows as he was from one of the factions belonging to Antonio¡¯s General . He was frustrated by people going to North-frontier city for trying to get medicines .

    The guard smiled and answered in a mocking way, "Miss you shouldn¡¯t believe in those rumors of the north-frontier city curing Mria, typhoid and other diseases . And if you insist We can¡¯t help it since these are orders from the top . If you want to go there, you can take other routes . "

    Looking at the map she understood that the Guard was mocking her as there were no other routes . Looking at the futile situation, she left fuming .

    The guard then pointed to Emena and told one of his superiors, "Boss, what do you think of her?"

    The superiorughed and answered, "Quite a beauty, I guess she is someone rich and hence she came here looking for a cure . Lord Antonio is in a bad mood these days, Maybe I can introduce her to him and gain his favor . Keep a look at her and also her dwellings . "

    The guard smiled and answered, "Yes, boss . "

    From a nearby stall, Binz looked at both the guard and his boss as he remembered their face, After hearing their conversation, he murmured, "It seems both of these men are looking for death . "

    His subordinate had an angry face as he asked Binz, "Any orders boss?"

    Binz nodded and answered, "Yes, you should know the routine, Kill both of these men today, take their sketch and distribute it to the men . I don¡¯t want toplicate matters if that pervert Baron gets involved . Meanwhile, Don¡¯t let Princess know that we are here . Do you have any other news?"

    The subordinate nodded and got to the point, "Look at this paper, Boss . "

    Binz touched the paper andmented, "Hmm, good quality, where did you get it?"

    Subordinate pped his forehead, "I am not talking about the quality of the paper, I am talking about the contents . I got it from a bar where they were selling information . These papers are sold for pennies at North-frontier city . Look at this article about the mercenaries . "

    Binz nodded and read, "Woah, 70,000 men . Now that is quite a number . I guess a lot of nobles participated to eradicate these pests as they were hurting their interests?"

    He shook his head and answered, "Nope, It was done by Count John and his General alone . Currently, they are facing sanctions by the Royal family . It¡¯s the same situation as the Lorr family when they made that Magical Short Sword . This time it is because of these weapons called Ballistas . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Binz nodded as he understood the current political situation, "I guess there are at least some guys who really care aboutmon men in this kingdom . No wonder, Princess wanted to meet this guy . Anyway, Complete the task given, make sure it seems like an ident . Try to contact the spies of North-frontier City as well so that we can find another way to meet Count John . Mist and Alison had said that we should contact those spies in case we face any problems . Take this address and go meet the spy . "

    He nodded and left, "Yes, Sir . "

    ****

    Temr Johnson was currently with Francis who was leading their Men to Dolores, "So how do you feel now that you are free from that count?"

    Francis said as he looked at his cut off fingers, "How can I feel good unless I pay him back for the previous humiliation . "

 Chapter 211

    Chapter 211

    Johnson smiled as he remembered about the scandal where he was forced to leave radiant church publicly and asked, "I heard, the mercenaries you hired are all dead . You must have faced quite a big loss time around . "

    Francis smiled as he shook his head and answered, "Well, it¡¯s good either way since we got some valuable information after the previous battle of Count John and Mercenaries while I won¡¯t have to pay them for other services as all of them are dead while the Royal family is intervening personally . Meanwhile, Hell¡¯s Mercenaries were able to escape the ordeal that other mercenaries faced since they were at Gritos after the incident of Greenwoods Vige so overall it was a good investment . However, that new General is bad news for us . Most of the Cardinals too agree with this notion . Our top priority this time is to kill that general since he will be our enemy no matter what whether he is in Count John¡¯s camp or the King¡¯s camp . This time your main job is to kill that General and try to get your hands on Ballistas and the Printing tech . Thetter 2 alone would suffice to dominate this continent and spread our ideology at a faster pace . The devils are already in contact with dwarves so we need to be careful . It is only the range of Violent beasts at the north that is protecting us from those devils . "

    Johnson nodded and spoke, "Hmm . . . Ok . We would anyway be attacking them in 4 days since we have a change in ns after we got new information about the range of those new ballistas . This time Erwin would start the invasion . It seems Lionheart has some surprises ready for us . As far as the devils are concerned, we shouldn¡¯t worry about them as most of the Devil tribes are divided . "

    ****

    The next day,

    Johnughed as he read the official letter of Ambassador Luke, "Luke, what do you think? I would agree with your proposal or not? Do you really think that I would give up my General while you guys are eyeing me like tigers who can¡¯t wait to eat me? Or do you think that I am a fool and would cause mutiny in my army?"

    John smiled and continued with a tone of mockery, "You yourself should know why the situation has boiled up to this point . You guys supported Mercenaries indirectly and hence even your normal soldiers felt burnt of it . As far as Sanctions are concerned, I don¡¯t really care now . Worstes to worst, we will hunt the beasts from the forest and wait for the next harvest . "

    Luke thought that John was simply bluffing, he smiled and asked, "What if we lift all the sanctions up? What we want is cooperation with mutual interests . And don¡¯t try to hide your problems, we know that the beasts have already started their invasion in the north-east and you guys are upied with them . Do you think you can really face war on all sides? Even the Bluesea demons are upied with themselves and Prince Chad who is giving them a hard time . Don¡¯t think anyone would support you . Mind you the Royal family is very serious about this negotiation . "

    John smiled as he knew how smoothly Luke would lie and answered, "Hmph, and you expect me to trust you after what happened before when I handed over the blueprints? And what is with the troop build-up at the south . I am sure you guys are only waiting if the beasts have invaded or not for your start of the invasion . I guess the Lorr family too faced the same situation when they created those Short Swords and started arming their Magic knights . However, since I am weak The Royal family thinks I am a pushover? Remember this, your actions will have far-reaching effects . It¡¯s good that I hid my best Ballistae from your side, this was just a warning to everyone in the kingdom . The next battle will also have the same results as those mercenaries . The invaders won¡¯t be granted any mercy . I have nothing to talk about, you can take your leave . About the North-east, yes the beasts have started invading us and we are dealing with them appropriately . "

    After hearing John, Luke thought deeply, ¡¯Looking at his carefree expression, it seems he actually wants a war with the Royal Family . Is he bluffing or does he have a n which can nullify our Magic Metal Ballistas or if worsees to worst, we will use the dragon knights who can easily crush them, Nah I guess he doesn¡¯t even know about their existence and is currently relying on his superior Ballistas? I guess we should try to squeeze him via food since he is quite desperate when ites to food . Maybe we should increase the immigration there . Let¡¯s see how much he can take . Anyway, this meeting is futile to recruit that General and getting any new info on those new Ballistas . ¡¯

    Luke nodded and answered as he had clear instruction from the top, "I hope you won¡¯t regret your decision, Lord Count . I will give you a piece of advice, sometimes even the kings have to bow down and make concessions let alone Lord¡¯s like us . I hope you remember this . "

    Luke left as he thought about the deal with Radiant church which happened about a century ago .

    Luke left as he concluded the meeting with John . Before he left, he saw that John was smiling, which immediately rang his radars and bells .

    @@novelbin@@

    Luke thought with serious eyes, ¡¯What is he currently nning that he is so confident even after facing enemies from all the sides? Maybe he gave me some wrong information or have they found a Magic Metal mine in North? Yes, that may be the case and hence he is trying to fight it out, He is certainly hiding something in North or else he wouldn¡¯t be this confident . ¡¯

    John was smiling as Taylor came and reported, "Lord, the road Joining NF City and Winter city areplete, however, it is not safe as Exotic beasts still try to approach it, We are making another road and are trying to expand to the north so that we can have enoughnd . Currently, Ross is waiting for your orders . Meanwhile, Tornwall is waiting for the first uses of Steam engines . While Jay is currently expanding thends . "

    Taylor thought as he had given Jay certain instructions, ¡¯I guess we neednd at leastparable to a small kingdom . The Royal family has already pushed us into a corner . The only thing we need to do is wait for their attack . The day they attack us will be the day we rebel . ¡¯

    John nodded and answered, "Hmm . . . Ok, I will be traveling to Winter City personally . I want to see the situation there first hand . Arlen, Marsh and Amber will be handling the Borders currently . I have already given him orders . As for Steam engines, Start using the Steam engines at Aurora Ind and Winter City as there won¡¯t be any eyes . They can be used in drilling for mines, transport of heavy materials and our Steamboats and ships . They will also be useful in mills and looms . This will certainly industrialize our whole domain . I will personally give him some ideas Meanwhile, you guys can openly use the water-powered nts near the rivers to produce energy in forges and other ces as it was at a stop for some time previously . "

    John continued and asked, "Is there any news from ke?"

    Taylor nodded as he gave a report, "Yes, Currently the Fjord¡¯s are slowly approaching the Aurora ind by using their own ballistas . However they are drowned as they get near every day, it seems they are searching for our ships in the seas . Currently, ke and his team have sunk every single Ship of theirs however they will soon approach us and find out about Winter city or Aurora Ind . Previously they almost encountered Dwarves if not for the Sea beast raid . Meanwhile, Grand Potioneer Mnie wanted to meet you . "

    John nodded as he thought deeply, "Hmm . . . Ok . I will meet herter on . I will visit Winter city and meet Ross personally first . Meanwhile, bring in that guy Bruce, he wrote an interesting article previously at Rose institute, I want to meet that guy personally . "

    Taylor nodded as he remembered about the guy who was curious about the medical industry in North-frontier domain, "Okay, Milord . "

    ****

    King Ludwin was reading a report that he got from his men, "Hmm . . . So Tornwall is well and alive . It seems he escaped his fate as a ve . What other news do you have?"

    The spy head reported after getting Ludwin¡¯s approval, "Bigger things are boiling in Aelius Currently, Currently just like when the Royal family annexed the Lorr family for their Short Swords . Currently, they are trying to overpower Count John of the North-frontier domain . I think this may be our chance to realize our goals and expand at Aelius which we couldn¡¯t materialize during the Lorr family Incident . I suggest we align with that Count . His weapons are quite something, recently we lost 2 battles at western seas against the Royal family because of those new ballistas . Our Shots may have a good chance against them but they are not yet ready to be revealed . Take a look at these reports to get a better idea on Count John¡¯s domain from our spies . "

    Ludwin nodded as he saw the report in full, "But there is a problem and that is Tornwall as he was rted to him . There is one guy though who seems more interesting to me . It¡¯s the General Anak, try getting him on our side . This guy seems like a big asset, I would like him to Commander my Shot Units since he was good enough to Commander the Ballistas, Try recruiting him if possible . Otherwise, try supporting Fjord from the sidelines, I am sure the Royal family is eyeing their ships so he can be very useful to us, however, he is quite a cautious guy . Those ships will be the biggest hindrance to us so I want him on our side . This is also one of the reasons why I prefer to support Fjord instead of that Upstart Count . "

    The Spy head looked at a report and remarked, "About that, it would be very difficult your Majesty . That General¡¯s whereabouts are mostly unknown and reports im that he was previously in Ghosts division, he is most likely scouted by Count John or his Master d themselves . As far as his information is concerned most of it is ssified over there . I will try getting Greg to report on him and other things needed . "

    Ludwin nodded as he smiled and thought about Tornwall, "Good, make it as fast as possible . "

    Ludwin thought, ¡¯It was good that all the guys were kidnapped during that coup or else I would have been exposed . ¡¯

 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213

    ****

    Currently, Duke Norman¡¯s men just got the new ballistas and were using these at the other border against the Beasts .

    One of the guards asked curiously, "Boss, it has be quite easy to handle these beasts after we got these ballistas, Why don¡¯t we increase the amount and funding on these weapons . What do you think?"

    The Head nodded and spoke as he smoked a cigarette, "True, previously we always had to wait for those beasts toe near the walls to fire our arrows which would make us vulnerable to their magic . However, these Ballistas are provided by Prince Hector and Duke himself so it¡¯s quite hard to get your hands on it . "

    He watched the men using the ballistas as they were in a happy mood after a long time .

    One of the soldiers spoke as heughed, "With this, we can even easily take the Wilnd away, can¡¯t we? Work has never been this easy . No wonder those guys at North-frontier City act quite cockily . "

    The other guy understood but spoke in a grave tone, "Ohh please, why do you want to increase our workload? We are already at war with that Count . "

    Hearing this gossip, the head immediately jolted after hearing this talk, ¡¯Yes, why don¡¯t we tame all the untamednds? Who knows we can even find Magic metal and gold mines, not to mention we would gain ess to unknownnds . Damn it, I need to inform the Duke immediately . My promotion rests on this suggestion . ¡¯

    However, currently, Ross and men were continuing to increase theirnds where they would face some unknown beasts and roll over them by using the much superior cannons .

    Ross thought as he continued, "I guess Lord Taylor would be quite happy after knowing our current results and increase in ournds . "

    The head murmured as he wasing back from the city office of Bliss City at North, "Damn it, I can¡¯t even contact the Duke or any other important officials . Well, I was still able to write a letter to them who knows if they can take a look at it and get me promoted . "

    ****

    ke was currently patrolling the waters around Aurora and Winter City . As their ship spotted a small fleet of 4 ships with a g of two cross pick-axes, one hammer at the bottom and a crown at the top .

    Boris the scout, irritatingly spoke after he spotted the fleet, "Damn it, again those dwarves, Hmm . . why do they have the ballistas? It seems they have managed to copy it . Boss, see this, it¡¯s the dwarves again . "

    One of the fleets of Fjord¡¯s too was traveling towards the Direction of Winter city which was spotted by ke and his men,

    One of the guys from the Dwarves fleet eximed as he spotted smoke in the sky, "Hey, how is there fire burning?"

    Head of the Dwarves fleet was alerted as he heard of the fire, "Fire? Is there a settlement? Weren¡¯t these Dangerous beasts such as Draco-elephants and the Dark Hyenas running around over there? There can¡¯t be fire beasts over here . "

    As soon as he eximed, he soon heard the sound of a cannon shattering one of the ships .

    One of the guys eximed with horror as he spotted the cannonballs, "Omg, what is this? How are they able to attack us from such a long-range? God, what is this ordeal . "

    ke cursed as he spotted the two fleets, "Damn it, why did both of them have toe here together? fuck it, use the cannon with full force, kill all of them or capture them, I don¡¯t care . No one should escape . "

    He continued as he immediately ordered the other ships with a horn, "Don¡¯t let anyone of them escape or else it would only spell more trouble for us . "

    Judd too nodded as he looked at his Aurora horse as he smiled and spoke, "I guess it is still not your time yet . You will have to wait for your time of action . "

    Judd nodded after hearing ke as he ordered his men to fire at Fjord¡¯s camp, "Fire . Don¡¯t miss a single one . Just use them as we did with the Ballistas . "

    The dwarf captain roared, "So these are the guys who are responsible for the many sunken ships and dead men previously . We will certainly repay you for this . "

    He immediately ordered, "Leave, We are leaving immediately . "

    Judd smiled as he heard the Head, "You wish . We would be dead if you guys are able to escape with these essories . "

    The Dwarves men too were bombarded by the cannons as ke and his men started using the cannons with full force towards their enemies .

    One of the men from Dwarves board liked to keep a log whenever he traveled as he noted down the events he witnessed today,

    Watching the Dwarves trying to run,

    Fjord¡¯s men too started running after spotting the Dwarves,

    The Head of Fjord¡¯s ship cursed as he spotted the settlement, "Damn it, no wonder they were able to survive in the Monstrous wilds these days . They had already made a base at this settlement . We need to inform the duke immediately about this development . "

    As they were running ke smiled for the first time and started to use the boosters and steam engines on the ships .

    ke smiled and ordered, "Time to show them our real power . Men, Unleash this sea beast warship . I will see how they escape today . "

    Bran immediately came and spoke, "Boss, please, you don¡¯t try to act cool . You can give us straight orders . "

    The mates at the shipughed as they immediately followed the orders .

    Both of them(Fjord and Dwarves) were quite surprised as they found the eleration of the warships belonging to Count John .

    The dwarf captain roared as he noticed the peculiarity, "Damn it, What sorcery is this? How are they able to overrun the ship made by Fjords . Are we really running behind the times?"

    He roared and ordered his men, "Resist, we can¡¯t run . approach them and try to kill them . "

    One of the guys threw a bottle with a letter inside the ocean before even his ship caught fire .

    He sighed and spoke, "It¡¯s better if we surrender . "

    Very soon all of them were gunned down, while 2 ships surrendered themselves which was caught by ke .

    ke sighed with relief as he was able to contain the situation, "Phew, none of them were able to escape . Bring the prisoners back to Aurora . "

    Judd remarked as he escorted the two ships, "It is getting dangerous day by day . We need to do something about it . "

    One of the guys roared, "Damn it, what are those weapons you used before? And howe your ships are so fastpared to our ships?"

    One of the guys smiled and answered, "Just a secret trump card . Well, we couldn¡¯t have let you reveal the existence of Aurora and Winter City so, in the end, we had to use them . As far as the speed of ships are concerned it is because of the something that we developed recently i . e . The Magic boosters . "

    With an Irritated face, Judd roared to gossiper, "Stop shooting your mouth left and right . Don¡¯te crying when I give you harsher punishment . "

    Meanwhile, that bottle with a letter was slowly traveling in the sea .

    Very Soon 4 days passed,

    General Irwin remarked as he saw the same casual pace at the borders of the Southern Castle, "It seems they are still not ready to surrender . It seems we have no choice . "

    Johnson smiled as she saw the event unfolding, "Yes, we can finally start our operation . I am sure you are ready, right?"

    Irwin nodded and called his messenger, "Yes, I want to send that general, onest letter . "

    John was at the Southern Castle after he got the warning of invasion from King Lionheart himself,

    Arlen smiled and asked, "Lord, you seem unusually happy currently, what¡¯s the asion . "

    John smiled and answered, "Well, this is the time when we are finally ready to unmask all the pretenses, both by the Royal family and we the North-frontier domain . If a battle urs today then it will be sending shockwaves to the whole continent because of this battle and we will establish our power for the first time . However, this continent will face a lot of losses if that King is stubborn . "

    Arlen was amused as he thought a bit and answered, "Lord, what would be your decision if the Royal family had supported you instead of Fjord previously?"

    John smiled and answered after looking at armies on both the sides, "Well, in that case, I would have fulfilled my promises, fought for the Aelius Kingdom just like any other person if they kept their promises . I am not someone who will betray unless I am betrayed, I guess I have my honor when I make promises . Not to mention, the Royal family who has a history of betrayals . It¡¯s quite ironic as sometimes I value honor while sometimes when ites to the lives of my men I won¡¯t value honor . I guess I am somewhat of a hypocrite . "

    Arlen was quite shocked after hearing him as he pondered on John¡¯s answer, ¡¯Lord is quite an interesting man . ¡¯

    ****

    Luke was currently worrying about his life as it seemed that Count John was not bluffing previously when he had talks with him, "Damn! We are finally at this point . Do we really have to go through this war? Can¡¯t that count simply bow his head once or sacrifice some of his men?"

    Looking at the ruckus at the Ambassadorial ce,

    Taylor came in and spoke, "Minister Luke, you don¡¯t need to worry about your life as long as you are behaving ording to the protocols . We are not someone who will implicate a diplomat or a messenger even if he is of the enemy kingdom . "

    Luke was shocked as he heard Taylor, ¡¯They never referred us as an enemy kingdom . What are they nning?¡¯

    Luke angrily asked after hearing him, "What do you mean, interior minister Taylor? Are you referring us as an enemy kingdom? North-frontier domain STILL BELONGS TO AELIUS . "

    Taylor looked down at him and spoke with a cold tone, "It is as you have heard . I think you already know about the armies at our borders or the situation at present where there are three armies, one belonging to General Irwin, 2nd the Temrs of Radiant Church and 3rd one, ours . This is the Day of reckoning which all of you should know . If we lose this war, most of us belonging to North-frontier domain would die . And if we survive, we will be carving up a new kingdom . You better be prepared for this because the greed of the Royal family led to this situation . And yes you shouldn¡¯t be worried about your life . Do you know why the people here still trust Count John?"

    Taylor had a nostalgic face as he remembered that day clearly, He continued and spoke with resolve, "It is because he has never let his people down from the day he became a lord here . I still remember that day clearly when Count John stood by Jake . When Evan asked for Jake¡¯s head, that was the day when I saw that all the people here changed with him including me . You see, the irony is, even I as a father, I was prepared to not me the count if he gave up on Jake when he met a bigger power in the form of Evan . But unexpectedly, he did the unthinkable and stood by his men for the injustice done by the aristocrats of thisnd . I am d that even if I die in this war, I will die serving a lord who will be there fighting along with us . Look at the men outside, you will see that all of them are determined to fight with their Lord which includes themoners and ves who will soon bemoners . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Luke was astonished as he heard Taylor¡¯s resolute announcement . Most of the guards here were moved by Taylor but angered at thought of carving up a kingdom but still understood the thinking of people at North-frontier city . They were quite used to the royal family scandals when they read the paper and hence their indifference currently .

    Taylor clearly remembered how John wanted to keep the promises he made and spoke with a smile to all of them present, "Do you know what was your mistake?"

    He continued with a smile, "You didn¡¯t keep your promises with us and you thought that we would take all of these offenses lying down . "

    Elison nodded as he heard Taylor, He thought, ¡¯No wonder count John has such big support over here . It seems he always had this big n when he stood up for that ve . I guess I can now trust that we wouldn¡¯t be hurt over here . However, this war will certainly be catastrophic if we face such men . That Count is surely dangerous if he had nned all of this from the start . ¡¯

    Luke seriously pondered for the first time, ¡¯It seems I underestimated them, we really miscalcted bigtime . I wish I had some way to stop this war . Damn it . Did we really make a big mistake by supporting Fjord instead of Count John?¡¯

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215

    ****

    A lot of people were watching this confrontation from a distance as they looked at the moving armies of Lord Irwin and Temr Johnson . Justin¡¯s spy was one of the guys keenly observing this particr battle after hearing about the destruction of Mercenaries .

    He murmured as he looked at the patrolling officers, "It¡¯s good that Duke ckwolf didn¡¯t fight directly with that count, or else we would have suffered enormous losses not to mention the threat of Beasts and Demons in West . I guess this distance was useful to us when thought of attacking that count . "

    Georgio thought as he looked at the Police patrols in the town, he saw that the policemen were not tense but tried to keep their calm,

    He murmured, "It seems, it is really serious . Looking at their resolve to keep calm I guess something big is happening . I better don¡¯t miss it . No wonder Boss Duncan wanted me to keep a keen look at the movements at North-frontier city . "

    He ordered his subordinate, "If there is any important news, deliver the info to me directly . This time a big operation is taking ce and helping Count John would be useful to uster on . Not to mention they are our biggest suppliers of weapons currently . Prince will soon reveal his cards . "

    Georgio headed towards the border as he looked at the patrols and calm streets .

    Liam and his men were nowhere to be seen while Grey was keeping a look on the hostile spies that were already known to them .

    At different locations, Grey and Dearil spoke to the new Ghosts without any hesitation to their men, "No need to worry as long as it is rted to spies, Kill them or take them in custody if they act suspiciously and try to create chaos when we are at war . We already have enough evidence of their espionage activities if anyone raises a question, not to mention we are in a state of war currently so no need to hesitate when taking actions . Take these sketches and keep a thorough look at these guys . These guys were specially hired by the Royal family and Prince Hector and this is the time of high alert . You don¡¯t need to worry about policemen and detectives . They will be handled by Minister Jay and cooperating with us . Except for that guy Dwight you can act on other spies . He will have a bigger use in the future . "

    The new Ghosts nodded as they were already prepared for such a situation, "Yes, Sir . "

    "Okay, you can leave . "

    Everyone of various species left in civilian clothes as they spread to the whole city and started their operations on the foreign spies with determined looks as they knew that a war was going on at their borders .

    ****

    Minister Brandon meanwhile sighed as he left the imperial city for the Ducky at Iron Rainforest, He sighed and murmured, "I guess it was impossible to stop the king and other ministers after such a promation from Count John, I wonder why he is so confident and why Duke Rose is betting on him . Well, I guess he has bigger ns . "

    He left as he sighed .

    The imperial capital was in a happy atmosphere as aristocrats and the Nobles rejoiced as they got a chance to gain honor and glory while some nobles were cursing the decision as this stopped their profitable trade with North-frontier City .

    While themoners too were supporting the crown for invasion after rigorous propaganda by the Royal family . However many had differing voices .

    One of the traders at Imperial city spoke, "Of course he deserves to be invaded, he has no respect for thews of Royal family . Not to mention that his army is full of Bandits whether it is ke or that new General Anak . "

    @@novelbin@@

    One of the guys who knew about North-frontier city spoke up, "What do you know? That General is praised by the surrounding vigers of Dolores . The royal family always supported those Mercenaries discreetly, Hmph . . . now, atst, that menace is finished for good or who knows how many more of those massacres of Greenwoods Vige would have happened . My friend himself witnessed how the mercenaries were taking people hostage in thest battle where all of those guys were killed not to mention the coboration of the Royal family and Prince Hector . "

    the guy nodded a bit as he had a brother at the knight¡¯s division, "hmm . . . but it still doesn¡¯t change the fact that he doesn¡¯t respect the Royal family and most of the people at power have done bad deeds for their interests . "

    The other guy sighed and just gave one advice as he left for Duke Rose¡¯s domain, "This will be a bloody war from what I know and this time Royal family is invading theirnds, what do you think? how would the local popce react to it? It would be better if you love your brother and his morality because after this war his morality will certainly change since he is in the army . "

    ****

    Soon Irwin smiled as he was charging slowly with his army and Magic Ballista team, he thought, ¡¯This guy is in for a surprise today . This guy¡¯s empty bluster will end today . The people at Capital are making a mountain out of a mole when they are talking about this general . ¡¯

    "Charge and start targeting their Castle at 800m- 1000m mark . I would surely like to see their shocked expressions after the first assault and the range of our ballistas . "

    One of themandersughed as he was itching to use these ballistas, "Hahaha, those guys are surely nothing in front of us the Royal Knights . Today is the day they will know what is worse than hell . I would like to see their horror and despair when they would beg for their lives . However, they have already sinned after that traitorous announcement previously . "

    Johnson and his men soon diverted and were going to assault the castle from the sides . All of the temrs had siege weapons as they slowly moved away .

    Johnson roared as he saw that Irwin had started acting, "Today is the day when this city of sinners pays the price for insulting the Radiant church . I am sure all of you temrs are charged up and can¡¯t wait to punish these sinners . Today, this wait is over, the only thing stopping us from spreading the Word of God is that ursed city and those castles . If we are able to achieve our mission, we will be able to spread the word of God 100 times faster, no 1000 times faster . "

    John made a cunning smile as he heard their warcries and waited for the right time to silence them all . All of the men at the Southern Castle had resolute faces as they waited for their enemy to invade their castles .

    John smiled and spoke after looking at the opposite army¡¯s bluster, "I guess they are overestimating their new ballistas, its good that Master was able to find out about their factory which will reduce our losses . I would like to see their expressions of horror and shock when they witness the power of our cannons and rifles . "

    Arlen nodded as he agreed with John, as he thought, ¡¯Well I know exactly how they would react, it would be just like those mercenaries were killed by Rifles . ¡¯

    Irwin was proudly charging with the army as he and his army held their heads high as if this war would be a piece of cake .

    The previousmander was still bragging as he charged with his men, "This time we would ace this battle . We had the best results in training so far So I hope this battle will be stepping stone for us to rise to higher ranks . "

    However, as he bragged soon everyone heard an explosion which came from the castle .

    Irwin¡¯s subordinate remarked as he thought, ¡¯Are they mad? They are already firing? We aren¡¯t even near the 1-mile mark . ¡¯

 Chapter 216

    Chapter 216

    Very soon he saw that various ballista units of theirs were blown to shreds as he witnessed the truly horrific power of Cannons .

    One of the soldiers remarked as he saw that a colleague was blown to shreds, "God, what is this? Is this the end of the world?"

    One Scout spotted the direction and spoke in a frustrated manner, "No, it ising from the southern Castle . Watch carefully, those are round projectiles . Damn it, what are these weapons . "

    The Commander who was bragging previously was the first casualty of the opening salvo of Cannons . Two whole teams were destroyed in shreds as people started hearing explosions .

    @@novelbin@@

    Irwin was the one who was truly shocked after watching the firepower and range of the cannons .

    "What the hell are those things, killing even our best soldiers . "

    Irwin was still in shock as he saw a pair of eyes towards his direction as he saw a cannonballing his way . The owner of those eyes was John as he smiled . John had a mischevious smile as he looked at the monkey show done by the army .

    Irwin roared as he immediately used his short sword when he saw a cannonballing his way .

    As soon as the cannonball came near him, He activated his short magic sword and threw earth projectiles using the sword on the way of cannonballs . The cannons were still unperturbed by projectiles as they moved towards Irwin¡¯s direction as he used water magic and sted a Water Cannon towards the cannonballs which finally sted the cannonballs in a distance .

    Irwin looked at the cannons in horror as he finally escaped the ordeal and grunted, "Good, I had this sword or it would have been tough toe out unscathed . "

    He looked at the Lorr Swords with relief which had increased his abilities as a Magic knight (200% increase in Magic Power) .

    He looked at John and the cannons with anger and dark light, "This is dangerous . Quite a cunning guy to immediately target me . If not for these swords, I would have died probably . "

    John looked at Irwin with surprise and remarked, "It seems those are the famed Lorr swords, no wonder the Royal family targeted them immediately . "

    John with a cunning light immediately ordered, "Arlen, Order the men to use the Runic Cannons on their Commander . Start your assault on the wings towards the invading temrs . Now is the time to shock them . You can use the runic Cannons on the Temr Commander as well . I want to teach them a lesson which they would never forget . "

    Arlen nodded as he smiled and spoke to the cannoneer,

    The cannoneer was surprised but immediately nodded as he ordered his men to take out the runic Cannonball which was full of runes and was immediately loaded into the cannon .

    "Sir, it¡¯s ready . "

    Arlen nodded and spoke, "Target thatmander, The one with that short sword . Orders are straight from General Anak . Kill him and that army would copse"

    He nodded and roared, "Fire . "

    Almost immediately a cannonball was fired which had runes glowing on it . Irwin again saw the cannonballing his way as he cursed, "Again that nuisance, Goddamnit . "

    He again used his short sword as he used Earth magic and shooted bigger projectiles this time around . As soon as the cannonball was in contact with the stone projectile, it elerated as the fire-wind magic activated and started moving towards Irwin .

    With a serious face, he looked at the cannonball as he used Water Cannon along with bigger stone Projectiles almost immediately . In this attack, he used most of his magic power as he started breathing heavily . This time, Cannonball immediately exploded with 10 times power as the shrapnel immediately scattered in various directions and killed the men . While Irwin was resisting with his short sword he activated a rune which amplified the power of the short sword . This time the Water Cannon and Stone Projectiles resisted the shrapnels as shockwaves passed through the whole surroundings . A lot of people in the surrounding died after facing the onught of shrapnels .

    After this sh, Irwin¡¯s sword almost had a crack as he looked at John with an angered face . He cursed as he red at John, "Fucking Cunning bastard . He sure is hellbent on killing themanders first . I guess this was one of the reasons why he won his previous battle as said by Joss . "

    Currently, blood wasing out of the mouth as he ordered his surviving men immediately, "We are leaving . We were yed bigtime by that Count . Now, this war is out of hand . Tell that Johnson to leave immediately if he wants to survive . "

    The subordinate started using Light magic on Irwin to heal him as he pointed towards the direction where Johnson was heading, "It¡¯ste Milord . They are already charging and same is the case for us . "

    Irwin looked at the crazed temrs with anger as he ordered his subordinate, "Goddamnit . Fuck it, let him and those crazies die if they want . Just give him a horn signal . If he doesn¡¯t listen then that¡¯s his fault . Tell the army we are changing directions and leaving immediately from the wings . "

    Before the subordinate could even give the signal, suddenly big noises came from the castle as they started firing towards the temrs .

    He still gave the signal to his men as they started changing their directions .

    30 cannonballs were fired in one round as it surrounded the whole right-wing which was being headed by Johnson and his temrs .

    Looking at the explosions, the whole army belonging to Irwin was surprised as well as it was full of horror and despair .

    One of themanders cursed as he watched his men die one after another, "Damn it why are we facing this? Why was there no news about these weapons from the Spy department? Frigin leave your ballistas if you want to survive . They are deliberately targeting the Ballistas first . This battle is aplete disaster . "

    One of the other captains too noticed the peculiarity as he remarked, "Yes, Almost 60 percent of our ballistas are already in ashes . Fuck, how long is the range of those cannons? We need to escape immediately . "

    Irwin¡¯s subordinate spoke, "Those normal cannons are just the appetizers, Those runic cannons are the biggest threats to ourmanders currently . This count was quite cunning, No wonder he was provoking us for war when he had such a weapon at his disposal . All of us were taken as fools . "

    The Temrs were charging with John as they ignored the various sounds at the nearby battlefield, "Kill the sinners . Kill the sinners . "

    Johnson was smiling ear to ear as he thought, "I hope that Liampletes his work of infiltrating that city and opening the gates of chaos . "

    However, soon he saw the first Salvo of Cannonballsing their way and watched it stupendously .

    Soon after the explosion, realization struck him as he witnessed carnage beyond his imaginations .

    Johnson had his mouth open as he eximed after watching the cannonball flying towards his army, "What the hell is this?"

    Much to his surprise soon a runic Ballista came his way as he tried to resist the cannonballing his way, he immediately activated a rune as he used his sword to resist the cannonball, he used light magic to pierce the cannonball . Soon the cannonball was shattered and the shrapnel exploded in different directions as he too faced the same assault . This time he couldn¡¯t withstand the shrapnels as multiple shrapnels pierced his body as he looked at John with horror and surprise .

    "How can I have such a pathetic death without even fighting a bit . No, I won¡¯t let this happen . "

    He looked at the direction of Irwin who was trying to escape while Blood was seeping from the sides of his mouth .

    "That Bastard . "

 Chapter 218

    Chapter 218

    Marsh¡¯s subordinate grinned and spoke as he heard the explosions, "I guess it has started . It seems he wanted to attack them at the right mark when they can¡¯t head back . What do we do Milord?"

    Marsh smiled as he looked at the first attack, "Order 1000 men to prepare their rifles . The rifle squad will being with us . We will be hunting soon with rifles as they are not in our range . Prepare my Sniper Rifle as well . I want to try it today, who knows I can get a good kill today . "

    Looking at the first attack, All of the soldiers were shocked as they saw the horrific explosion which urred at their base .

    One of the soldiers screamed as he saw his friend getting shredded in pieces, "What the hell is this . Is this the power of their Ballistas? We were never briefed about this . "

    Another soldier remarked as he saw a lord getting killed even after using his runes to protect himself, "Damn we can¡¯t head back after we started the charge . Goddammit . Who the hell can survive that onught? Do we have enough information on our enemy?"

    Alistair was particrly alerted as he looked at the Western castle while Prince Hector and others were confused and horrified after looking at the scale of the previous attack .

    Amber roared again as he ordered his men, "Fire again . I want to make sure none of them leave this battlefield alive . We will chase them if required . "

    Again a salvo of Cannonballs was fired as they shred the soldiers apart . The morale of soldiers slowly faded away after each salvo of Cannonballs .

    Many were desperately clutching their swords as they prayed to leave this battlefield after witnessing the terrifying battle power of Cannons . A lot of people¡¯s bravado was gone after getting stuck by the reality of war . Some lords still had a deep resolve as they were deep in debt and wanted to save their house . For the first time, Battlefield revealed the true natures of a lot of people .

    One of the Lords roared hysterically, "What the hell is this? At this rate, we will be finished in no time . We need to leave . Fuck it, I ain¡¯t fighting a lost battle, not to mention we have such small numbers currently . This would be a massacre before we even reach the range of their castle . They are attacking us when they are 1 mile away from us . "

    As they were charging, another explosion urred, Only now did Alistair understand the n of Count John .

    He thought as he looked at the round Projectiles loaded with horrific power, He curiously thought, ¡¯Looking at these weapons, it looks like he was simply ying with everyone previously whether it was the royal family or the mercenaries, no wonder he sold those ballistas to Royal Family previously . It seems everyone miscalcted this guy . This guy certainly has big ns in his mind . I guess everyone would be shocked tomorrow . ¡¯

    Alistair seriously looked at Hector and spoke, "Lord, this battle is over . We should leave, it is dangerous . "

    Hector was confused a bit as he looked angrily at Alistair for his proposal to desert the battlefield but after looking at the horrific nature of Cannons he nodded calmly and ordered, "Duke Norman, we need to leave . "

    Without saying anything, Duke Norman and Antonio followed the prince .

    One of the marquis cursed as he looked at one of the lords who was torn to shreds after he was struck by the Cannonball, None of his powerful runes was useful against this attack, "Fuck, why did we join this campaign . If I knew we would face this, I would have rather listened to Casey and stayed back . "

    One of the lords remarked as he came to a 1 . 2-mile mark, "Damn it, how big is the range of those Cannons? Aren¡¯t we far away already . "

    Alistair looked at the Cannons and thought, ¡¯It seems they are quite good at targetingmanders, however, it seems that themander likes to tease his enemies . Well, it¡¯s good as long as Prince can escape . ¡¯

    Alistair then looked at Antonio and thought, ¡¯Now let¡¯s see how you il as this war esctes . Yes, I have a perfect way . ¡¯

    In no time, half of Hector¡¯s army was wiped out as they scrambled to run away towards Dolores .

    Alistair keenly looked at the castle where Marsh was residing, "It seems they want to chase us . What are those weird sticks in their hands? Hmm, it seems they have a lot of weapons on them . Those horses too are wearing a lot of weird materials . "

    Marsh and his men were on their horses as they prepared to chase Hector¡¯s army .

    Hector too noticed them as he had some hope on his face as he spotted them . He smiled and spoke, "This would be our chance to attack them after we get out of their range, we can turn the tables . We might be able to capture their castle if we can get our hands on their General . Lure them outside the range of their Ballistas and attack them . "

    Alistair looked at the Guns as he had a bad premonition after looking at Marsh¡¯s smiling face, "Lord, I don¡¯t think they are that stupid to chase us unless they have a good n . Look around us, we have already lost all of our Ballistas not to mention the current morale of our army . Additionally, don¡¯t we know the previous record of General Anak¡¯s men when they shed with mercenaries? That General would not be stupid to appoint an idiot at this Castle even if they are amateurs . We already are in a pit after we attacked them . Those weapons were their trump card . We have to leave . "

    Amber smiled as he looked at Marsh who was preparing his rifle . He spoke to his subordinate, "Come, we too are chasing them . I will be bringing 1000 men along with me . You will be in charge of this castle in the meantime I am gone . Keep shooting the cannons at them as long as they are in range . "

    Marsh and his team were chasing them with full spirit, Today they were quite spirited after hearing John¡¯s promation of carving out a new kingdom .

    Marsh remarked as he heard about Count John¡¯s stand today, "This will be a historic day in the annals of this kingdom . This battle would decide if we go down as traitors or kings . "

    Marsh first positioned himself as he looked at Hector and his men in the middle of the flock as he prepared his sniper rifle to shoot Prince Hector on the horse .

    Marsh cursed as he looked through the telescope of the sniper rifle with irritation, "Damn it, it¡¯s hard to snipe while riding a horse . I wonder how does that sneaky guy Grey does it . It¡¯s good that Lord John¡¯s sniping technique ising to use . Hmm, the wind is going west . Low air pressure, I should try it anyway . Here goes nothing . "

    "BANG!"

    Marsh recoiled with his horse as he looked at the Hector smiling while watching their chase .

    Marsh smiled as the bullet moved towards Hector, ¡¯I guess this is my day . ¡¯

    @@novelbin@@

    The bullet was going straight at Hector¡¯s head as Alistair sensed something as he immediately pushed away Prince Hector as he looked back . Later he saw one of the guys going down as the bullet struck his head .

    He was immediately horrified after watching the power of sniper . He looked at Marsh who was smiling .

    Marsh groaned, "Argh . I guess it is not my day . "

    Hector immediately roared at Alistair after getting pushed, "The fuck is this? What are you doing Alistair . "

    Alistair pointed at the soldier and then at Marsh who fired at them, He spoke gravely, "It would have been you if I didn¡¯t push you, Milord . "

    Alistair thought gravely, ¡¯This is bad . Such a lethal weapon . I never heard about it . What else are they hiding? It is good that he is only a small count or it would have been a disaster for our kingdom . We need to escape immediately . This is bad . ¡¯

    Hector looked at the Soldier in horror as he looked back, He roared hysterically as he looked at Marsh, "They dare target me, the prince?"

    Norman and Antonio too were scared as they looked at Marsh in horror .

    Norman thought enviously as he looked at Hector, ¡¯It¡¯s good that we have Alistair with us . I wish I had such a consultant . I guess he can¡¯t leave because of his ve mark . ¡¯

    Alistair calmly spoke, "Lord, you need to calm down . We first need to escape first or we might face the same fate as those mercenaries . I hope everyone remembers that massacre . "

    Immediately rm bells rang inside everyone as they ran towards their horses .

    Norman came to his senses as he heard Alistair and ordered, "Yes, We need to leave . "

    Antonio too nodded and answered, "It¡¯s good that we didn¡¯tmit all the soldiers here at this battle . "

    Norman rang the horn and gave the order to everyone on the field, "We are leaving, Run . No use fighting a lost battle . "

    Alistair shook his head as he heard Antonio, he smiled and thought, ¡¯I guess he still doesn¡¯t understand the situation . You will soon be invaded . I guess I need to elerate his demise soon . ¡¯

    Aftering in the range of rifles, Marsh ordered his men, "Shoot them . Leave none of them alive . "

    ****

    At Arctos Minds,

    Duke ckwolf read a report from Fen .

    Fen reported gravely, "Milord, he has started . Any actions required?"

    Duke ckwolf sighed as he thought nostalgically, "No, we aren¡¯t doing anything . Let them continue, Be a mute spectator . I don¡¯t want to earn his ire . He has been bottling this up for a long time . We can¡¯t anger him or we will face innumerable losses . "

    Hearing him, Fen gave him another report, "Lord, what about the Hell¡¯s yground mercenaries?"

    ckwolf furrowed his brows as he knew that he was at north previously, "What about them?"

    Fen nodded and reported, "Their leader Liam and his men were recently spotted near Arctos at the capital . I think they are up to something suspicious . "

    ckwolf nodded his head as he heard him, "It seems a lot of yers are moving . We won¡¯t do anything . As long as they don¡¯t attack the civilians, we won¡¯t act . Just act as if we didn¡¯t know anything . "

    Fen nodded as he understood his intentions, "Okay, Milord . "

 Chapter 221

    Chapter 221: 221

    ****

    One of the spies was trying to create a ruckus when the war was taking ce, "What is this? We are not being allowed entry into North? We have the right to know about the activities taking ce over there . What if our lives are in danger? I can see several going there but none of theming back apart from the officials and all the important officers . "

    The action very much upset the mood of people as they were already tensed .

    At this time, Sparrow signaled one of the officers and told to capture him .

    "Capture him, the reason for his arrest is bribery . I was waiting for a long time to use these pretenses over these guys . Take these evidence and these are names of the witnesses required . "

    Almost immediately the guy was arrested on the past charges so that he couldn¡¯t create any chaos .

    During this time, Jay and the ghosts too were rounding up the spies who were trying to create chaos as the Northern domain headed into war .

    Jay gave orders in the police headquarters, "Don¡¯t Spare anyone who tries to create chaos, especially the ones who resort to violence or tries to incite violence . Check the records if you think someone is influenced by the spies . Only target the spies . As for the guys who are influenced, capture them and tell them about the activities of the spies . "

    Mnie and d sighed as they heard John¡¯s decision to secede in the meeting which was announced by Taylor, Mnie spoke, "I never thought he would be this bold . "

    d smiled as he remembered his old conversation with John, "I pretty much had a hint when I conversed with him about the ballistas . I never expected him to create such weapons . I guess he always had big ns . "

    ****

    King Ludwin¡¯s Ambassador was seriously looking at the report which was given to them by Jonas .

    "It seems this was the reason why we lost several ships at North . Lord Jonas, thanks for your valuable information and report . We will always remember this debt . We will be attacking that settlement in 2 days . I will be leaving for now . If you want you can join uster on . It seems that count thinks that he is something . This time he would be facing a kingdom . "

    The Ambassador nodded as he left for the port and headed towards Dwarven kingdom .

    Jonas smiled as he saw the Ambassador leaving .

    He smiled and ordered his subordinate, "Prepare the navy and scout the waters in the east . We will be attacking that settlement with them . This is our chance to dominate the waters . "

    ****

    Stephen Longmen was currently viewing the receding army of Prince Hector and Duke Fjord as he heard explosions taking ce at the borders of Dolores . It was night currently as the battle progressed slowly and steadily .

    He spoke to one of his mates from the castle jails, "Now, this is our chance . Try to open the gates and gather the guys who are loyal to Baron Mendez . This will be our chance to free him and all the other political prisoners . All the soldiers belonging to Prince Hector has left . It seems Count John¡¯s men are taking their sweet time to invade Dolores . Go to work, we don¡¯t miss this chance . We have a deal with Count John so don¡¯t worry about them . "

    At the same time, Antonio was bbergasted as he saw his panicked men .

    Hismander asked with a panicked expression, "Lord what do we do? Those Ballistas aren¡¯t working at all . They are attacking us from quite a distance and we can¡¯t target them . They have also destroyed most of the ballistas . "

    With a serious face, Antonio remarked as a thought ran through his mind, "We are running . We can¡¯t win against this army and those weapons . Even Lord Irwin¡¯s army faced a massacre against those demonic weapons . "

    Themander was shocked as he immediately asked him, "Lord, what about the people of Dolores?"

    With a resolute face Antonio spoke, "Fuck them, My life is more important . You think they will spare you? Just remember the previous massacre of mercenaries and you will get the result . "

    The Commander shivered as he remembered and agreed with Antonio .

    Suddenly there were sounds of gates opening as Amber¡¯s men slowly approached the gates .

    Panicked Antonio roared as he saw the gates opening, "What the hell, who opened the gates? Damnit We don¡¯t have time, we need to leave fast . "

    As Prince Hector¡¯s army receded slowly, Alistair smiled as he looked at the Explosions that were taking ce at Dolores .

    He looked back at the gates with a cunning smile and murmured, "You see I know what you would do and I like crushing that very hope of your survival . Same goes to everyone who has crossed me . "

    A lot of people in Dolores were in chaos as they looked for authorities, "What is happening? Are we at war? Why are the soldiers leaving? Is the Lord deserting us without fighting?"

    Another guy spoke as he heard the explosions, "What are those weird explosions?"

    ****

    Lord Irwin gravely looked at the receding army of General Anak as he spoke, "Bring in the messenger . Tell him to immediately report it to his Majesty . The situation is serious . Tell him about the casualties . We will be receding to Gritos . "

    The subordinate gave another news, "Lord there is another news, Count John¡¯s another General, Amber has invaded the western part of Dolores . "

    Irwin was rmed as he knew the temper of Amber when he read his report, "What? they dare invade Dolores? We can¡¯t leave we need to at least save the Prince . "

    The messenger shook his head as he spoke, "However, there is no need to panic, Milord . Prince Hector has escaped on the suggestion of his Butler Alistair . They already left . It seems they invaded Dolores because Prince Hector and his army were attacking the western castles when we hadunched an attack at Southern Castles . From the looks of it, they too suffered the same fate as we did . However, it seems they lost fewer men . Here is the letter from Lord Alistair . "

    General Irwin sighed with relief as he heard about Prince Hector . He immediately took the letter and got to know about the current situation of Dolores .

    Irwin smiled as he spoke, "It seems they have decided to abandon that fool . Okay, we shouldn¡¯t concern anymore . Dolores has fallen . We will recover it after the reserves arrive . Okay, time to spread it . Spread it everywhere in Dolores before we leave . Give it to the soldiers and slowly leave . We will be leaving at a fast pace now that they have invaded already . "

    The subordinate smiled as he agreed and spoke, "Okay, Milord . Now the real war starts . "

    ****

    Stephen came near Baron Mendez¡¯s chamber and freed him after killing the guards who belonged to Antonio¡¯s camp .

    He ordered his men, "Free the Lord fast while everyone is away . "

    @@novelbin@@

    "Yes, Sir . "

    Mendez coughed a bit, drank water and immediately meet Stephen,

    After watching Mendez in a rugged condition, Stephen asked, "Milord, are you okay?"

    "Mendez shook his head and asked, "We don¡¯t have time about that, What¡¯s the current situation? tell me in detail . "

    Longman slowly narrated the situation to Mendez to which he was quite surprised, "Count John¡¯s men have attacked the Dolores and the Castle . We only elerated it by opening all the gates . This gave us the chance to free you . "

    After hearing the whole situation, Mendez understood what happened when he was in the chambers .

    He remarked as he heard the explosion which was taking ce, "Situation is dire, Come take me to the borders . "

    He murmured as he left, "It seems a lot of people have made their choices . I guess I need to make mine . That foolish son of mine can¡¯t even handle this domain for a few months . I guess he got yed easily . "

    ****

    Meanwhile, Amber was in Debris as he and his men tried to escape Dolores and the whole northern domain .

    Amber was smiling as he caught Antonio and his men who were trying to escape . He thought as he pitifully looked at Antonio, ¡¯I wonder who dug that trap for him . I guess he provoked someone and hence he failed to escape . ¡¯

    Amber¡¯s subordinate spoke as he saw the backdoor of the castle which was filled with stone debris, "Lord, I think it was the spies of Baron Mendez which Minister Taylor talked about, They were also the ones who opened the gates for us . "

 Chapter 222

    Chapter 222

    Antonio was angrily looking at Amber who was looking down on him, He angrily roared "How dare you, a lowly ve treat me, a baron this way? I have all the rights of a Lord as a prisoner of war . You guys will pay for the heresy of invading Dolores and for treating me, a Baron this way . The Royal family will make sure you guys pay for seceding . You guys especially will face the wrath of the Royal family if I am not freed immediately fully with my rights . "

    One of the veteran soldiersughed as he heard the ranting of Antonio, "This guy still thinks he is a baron . I guess he still doesn¡¯t know his situation . "

    A young guy asked in confusion, "Hmm . . . is there any other situation apart from the fact that we own Dolores now?"

    The veteran pped his forehead and spoke, "I guess you still don¡¯t understand anything . Ok, I will teach you now . Currently, Baron Mendez who was in the Cell previously was freed with the help of our men and some of the loyal spies of Baron Mendez . What you don¡¯t know is, Antonio on the order of Prince Antonio usurped his father and took control & power in this domain . "

    The newbie pped his forehead as he understood just now, "aah now I get it . Now, this would be interesting . "

    Both Amber and his Subordinate were looking Antonio with pity as they heard their ramblings .

    Amber smiled and spoke, "You see that receding army? It belongs to Lord Irwin . As far as Temrs are concerned? They all died dogs death, you think they wille for your help? Not even theirmander could get a glorious death . As for the remaining dogs of the Radiant Church, they are running for Radiant City straight . Even the Radiant Church receded immediately after hearing about the massacre of the Radiant Church . I think that guy called Francis was leading them back as he got some news via some channels . You see when we decided to secede, we were fully prepared to face the Royal Family and the Radiant Church head-on . As far as you are concerned, it seems you still don¡¯t understand your pathetic situation . Do you think, your status of a baron will work here? Nope, it won¡¯t . The Sky Kingdom won¡¯t be having any aristocracy, there will only be 2 pirs that will have power . One is the King and the other is the ministers . "

    Antonio was quite shocked after hearing Amber¡¯s im, "What do you mean the Sky Kingdom?"

    One of the soldiers, who was previously a ve smiled and spoke, "Our kingdom . Don¡¯t you know we already seceded? very is already abolished whether anyone likes it or not . I am quite d that I decided to join King John¡¯s army, My family will be happy, there is one thing for sure, he fulfilled his promises to all the ves in his domain . "

    Amber spotted the spy Longman and Baron Mendez who wasing with some men, Amber smiled as he spoke to Antonio who was seething with anger and shock, "Ahh, it seems Mr . Longman and Baron Mendez areing this way . It doesn¡¯t matter whether you are with us or we give you to Baron Mendez . You were abandoned the moment when Prince Hector decided to escape with Duke Norman alone . As far as the Radiant Church is concerned? They didn¡¯t even inform you when they escaped . Well, your fate was sealed the moment you guys attacked the western castle . I guess they were smart when they decided to escape or else we would have to mow this castle downpletely . "

    Amber immediately ordered his subordinate as they rounded up all the soldiers belonging to Antonio, "Loot all the food, supplies, resources and the ves . Don¡¯t loot the civilians, tell them they can join the Sky Kingdom if anyone wants to move there . I hope they are treated fairly . As far as the violent protesters are concerned, kick them in the jails . They can be freed when we leave . "

    Amber smiled and continued, "I think you already know how to deal with protesters after watching their antics first-hand in North-frontier city . I think these guys will be mild . "

    Amber¡¯s subordinate smiled and spoke, "Yes, sir . I think none of the guys would do any such thing because they know that we are invading army . "

    As soon as Baron Mendez arrived, Amber asked him, "You know the conditions of your release, right?"

    Baron Mendez nodded and answered, "Yes . "

    The first thing he did was p his son who was still fuming with rage, he sighed and pped his son who was still ignorant of present facts, "Now you understand why I said you don¡¯t understand politics? Where are your backers of whom you were so proud of? Understand this, you were simply a pawn in the hands of Duke Norman or Prince Hector . Your only value was thisnd which wasing between North-frontier city and Duke Norman¡¯s Army and also the fact that you were my son . You have really messed this up big time . "

    Antonio understood that he was thrown like a chewed gun after his use was over but his ego was too big to take this defeat .

    ¡¯No, it was the fault of that upstart and that ve who was alwaysing in my way . ¡¯

    Baron Mendez sighed as he saw his son¡¯s stubborn attitude, He sighed and spoke to Antonio, " As promised, You guys can do whatever you want with him . My other son will be the new heir, though he is a bit coward but he still has a calm head, I guess my aspiration of an aggressive son who knows no fear lead to this situation . As far as Antonio is concerned, If you don¡¯t kill him, I will certainly skin him alive . "

    Looking at his father¡¯s attitude, Antonio was shocked as reality stuck him for the first time after being abandoned .

    He thought, ¡¯No, this can¡¯t be happening, all of them are conspiring against me . I can¡¯t trust anyone . ¡¯

    Mendez spoke for the first time in a very regretful tone to Antonio, "Why are you shocked? The day you arrested me was the day you already became the pawn of others without any freedom to choose . You see if you had arrested me only for gaining power I wouldn¡¯t have minded about that but the fact that you conspired against me under the influence of someone was the thing I hated the most . "

    Amber smiled as he heard the one-sided rant of Baron against his son and answered, "Ohh well, the deed has been done, we won¡¯t be killing this idiot, he will be useful . Lord wants everyone in the kingdom to see his fate at the hands of other aristocrats . He will be sent to Count Casey¡¯s domain in secret . Count Casey will Cooperate as we have a deal with him so you won¡¯t have to worry about him . I hope no one knows that he is in Casey¡¯s domain . Our spies will escort him to Lord Casey¡¯s domain with your men . You will have to use your most loyal men for this mission . "

    "My Lord had predicted this oue before the war started and now he is sure that this idiot will most likely be the pawn after this secession and this idiot Antonio will be med by everyone, i . e . Duke Norman, Prince Hector, Mary, Irwin and everyone associated . However, my lord doesn¡¯t wish to end this problem for Hector and others in one shot by killing this idiot . He wants to make it more fun and it seems you will also have to face a lot of problems as well because of it . The only thing you have to do is not let others use yournd . We would be more d to have fewer enemies . In exchange, we will have a good trading rtionship which will benefit both of us if you wish so . My spy will escort you . "

    Mendez sighed and understood what will happen, ¡¯I guess they n to reveal Antonio at the Imperial capital via Count Casey when Antonio bes the scapegoat . Well, this would be for the better, I hope Vince bes a better heir after going through this ordeal .

    Mendez understood and nodded as headed to the castle which was being raided by Amber¡¯s men and took in Antonio with his men and some spies of Amber from the ghost division .

    Baron Mendez immediately ordered Stephen with a dark light in his eyes, "Kill the Knightmander and the top 100 other guys who conspired against me previously . Not a single one should survive after such a betrayal . "

    The Knightmander was shivering with his men as he was tied in chains .

    The Knightmander begged for mercy as he cried hoarsely, "Mercy, Lord, Mercy . I was simply blinded by ego and our wrath because of that count¡¯s impudent men . "

    Mendez with an angry heart, spoke gravely, "And that is the reason you guys will die today . Blinded by ego and wrath, you guys almost ruined my domain . If it was someone else other than that count then they would have already upied thisnd after their secession . I guess he has his constraints and prefers not to make more enemies . As far as you guys are concerned, you should be d that you won¡¯t be dying as traitors . I am not doing this for you guys but for your families, you will be dered dead when Prince Hector decided to abandon you guys . Anyway, I will keep my word . Stephen, you and your men can proceed . No need for any mercy for these guys . "

    One by one heads rolled as Stephen and his men started killing the knights who betrayed baron Mendez . Many were trying to resist but failed as they died in the hands of Stephen and others .

    Antonio was shocked after watching his father¡¯s resolve and understood that he had made a grave offense previously when he acted against his father on Prince Hector¡¯s orders .

    ¡¯God, why did I provoke that Count in the first ce?¡¯

    @@novelbin@@

    There was helplessness in his voice as Baron Mendez spoke to Antonio, "Listen, Child, even if I want to protect you, I can¡¯t protect you this time around . For this, you must me your actions . If you can survive then it would be your fate . "

    Soon the Guards took Antonio to another ce while Baron Mendez got back handling all of his men as he got busy with the current situation .

    Outside Amber¡¯s Office,

    One of the spies living in Dolores came to the Temporary office of Amber in a suspicious manner,

    Guards were quite alerted by him . Watch their reaction he immediately showed them his token .

    Showing the token to the guards he immediately headed inside the room as it seemed he was here for an important affair .

    Looking at the man Amber understood that he was deployed here .

    Without beating around the bush, Amber immediately asked, "So what news do you have? is there anything important?"

    The Ghost nodded and answered, "Lord, Prince Hector and Duke Norman has left for Gritos . Previously they only attacked with 15,000 of their men and hence the low casualties . Francis too escaped with his men from Radiant church quite early, I think you already know this . As far as important news is concerned, there is another news . "

    Amber nodded and signaled, "Speak . "

    Ghost nodded and spoke with a grave tone, "Lord Irwin was previously seen spreading something with his men as he too left in a hurry with his men previously . Here is the sample of the powder the ghosts collected after downing one of the soldiers . After interrogating the soldier, The soldier too didn¡¯t know about what they were spreading . And there was another particr thing . "

    He continued, "The radiant Church¡¯s temrs were continuously chanting something around the base of Lord Irwin . I think there is definitely something serious going on . We need to investigate this . "

    Amber nodded and went into thought, "Hmm . . . Yes, this seems serious . "

    Amber furrowed his brows as he heard about the suspicious actions of General Irwin and immediately wanted to reported to General Anak via a message rune .

    The Ghost interrupted Amber before he could hear his decision, "Lord, there is one more thing . "

    Amber furrowed his brows and asked in an irritated manner, "What is it? Now"

    Ghost hesitated a bit and spoke, "It¡¯s about Princess Emena and her escort team, they contacted us . We were contacted by their Spy head, Binz . He says that he wants a safe passage to North-frontier domain for Princess Emena and his team . Is it possible?"

 Chapter 224

    Chapter 224

    During this time a serious meeting was taking ce the headquarters of the Radiant Church,

    The Fifth Cardinal Rene activated the rune and showed how Johnson and his Temrs died, "What do you guys think about their deaths?"

    One of the Bishops spoke, "Gruesome, inglorious and unjustified . It seems they have weapons that are more dangerous than the ballistas . We need to do something about it . The Good thing is, now we can attack them without any interference from the Royal Family or anyone else as that arrogant count has decided to secede . "

    One of the cardinals with a big mustache spoke, "Not necessarily a good thing, as we can see from the rune, General Irwin too was injured quite a lot and it seems he too had decided to run after watching the fates of his soldiers . Count John¡¯s soldiers didn¡¯t have a single loss or negligible losses as seen previously . And from the looks of it, they are pretty much prepared for everything from how they seceded . How do we fight those demonic weird weapons? I am afraid that this time we have made an incredibly dangerous enemy . I say more dangerous than prince Lukavv . "

    Gabriel, the Oldest Cardinal nodded and spoke with a grave face, "I think we should withdraw for now or else we will face more losses . 20,000+ Temrs in one day is not a small number . Not to mention their productibility (Because of light magic) that we lost, how will we recover those losses? From my point of view, that count has simply flipped the whole damn table by seceding and bringing in a new weapon of warfare . That General too is a big surprise this time around . I think we made a big mistake by agreeing with King Lionheart¡¯s previous deal . It would have been better if the Royal family and that Count would had just duked it out . I think that he was adviced by Eanred as he himself seemed reluctant but he unwillingly still conducted this deal . From the looks, they were heding their bets when they attacked that count .

    Eighth Cardinal Richard smirked and finally attacked Pope David, "From the start we were wrong, We should had allied with that count from the beginning, who knows we would have gotten those weapons in our hands and may also be able to twist the Royal family as we wished . Without even capturing the Aelius kingdom we would have created enough influence with the help of those printing machine in spreading our ideology while having enough power with those Ballistas and these new Cannons . The Royal family would have to heed to our demands even if they didn¡¯t like it . But now we have a big situation in our hands . We pretty much lost enough face against that Count . I hope the remaining personnel at Dolores remains safe . Do you have anything to say, Pope David?"

    A lot of cardinals agreed with Gabriel and the other Cardinals including Richard as they looked towards David with some amusement because Pope David was the one who wanted conflict with that count .

    Pope David was raging throughout this battle but he kept his emotions in check during this meeting, he knew he would be targeted after his previous blunder, he calmly spoke, "I guess we certainly made a blunder but if we allied with that Count then we would be facing a big war with the Royal family because of that guy¡¯s secession which would have lead to invasion from the demons in the west and dwarves in the east . You should know that most of the guys are out for blood when ites to Radiant Church not to mention that count¡¯s increased interactions with other species . I think that guy has dealt with devils as he has a lot of unknown and weird weapons . As far as the personnel at Dolores is concerned, they will remain safe since Francis too would have gotten the message of Johnson¡¯s death . As far as dealing with him is concerned, I am sure Lionheart won¡¯t take this secession lying down and send his Dragon knights and the magician squads to deal with them . We can strike when they are engaged . "

    Richard sniggered as he heard David and spoke in a deriding manner, "You missed one point, i . e . Eanred . Do you think he will fail to see such maneuvers?"

    Davidughed as he heard Richard, "Hmph, That Old man has long lost his abilities . If not, then he would have certainly seen such an oue of the previous battle . And as far as he is concerned we too can use our sages to block his vision . I guess he faced the same problems in not getting a single vision as us when it came to that count? Do any of you think that some sage is supporting that count from the shadows?"

    Richard wanted to rebuke him but didn¡¯t after watching his master Gabriel .

    There was constant bickering going on in the Meeting as they couldn¡¯t reach a conclusion because of their internal struggle .

    ****

    Next Morning,

    Amber was currently traveling with Emena, Binz and their escorts towards North-Frontier City on their carriages and horses .

    At this time Amber asked Binz, "What is the history of this disease ck Death? I have only read a little about it . "

    Binz thought a bit as he recalled "As far as I know, About 500 years ago, I think this disease was created by a Undead Sage magician Xylo who had incredible hate towards the Knights as he has lost his eye at a young age to a militarymander in Aelius whoter became a General, Since he was poor he always wanted to join the knights and lead a happy life but he was stuck with reality . Onlyter he was adopted by a wandering magician . "

    Emena too remembered and spoke, "Yes, this disease was first seen in the war between him (with his undead) and the forces of Aelius . Later from the rumors, it is said that he had indulged in Undead arts when he was rejected by the military because of his feeble body . After the war, he disappearedpletely . The General and all of his knights died from the ck Death disease . Not a lot of people know about his end . He had only written a book before he left . A lot of people got to know about this and hence forced a change in the military of Aelius . He left quite a big legacy when it came to magic . "

    Amber was amused as he spoke, "Hmm . . . Now, this is interesting . I never knew that undead arts existed . "

    Emena spoke, "The reason for it is that Undead arts are banned on this continent because everyone fears theck of emotion from Undead magicians as they grow and hence the ban . A lot of Viges faced massacres because of their non-stop experimentation in pursuit of eternal knowledge . The Kingdom had run out of offenders for their experimentation and hence the result was ban when things got out of control . We too have banned it for the same reason . Meanwhile, when will we reach North-frontier?"

    Amber looked at geography and then the map, he spoke, "I think we would reach in about a few hours . "@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 226

    Chapter 226

    A lot of people understood but no one decided to speak against Hector as a lot of people had gained favors from him .

    One of the runemasters spoke as he tried to defend Hector, "Stop spouting false usations . It¡¯s not like Prince Felix has his hands clean . Do you want to recall just the recent past between him and Prince Lukavv . "

    No one spoke while King angrily looked at the runemaster as he too was involved in the incident .

    He saw the king¡¯s expression and tactfully continued further, "In the first ce, that count never had any respect for the aristocrats and our code of honors, so it was only natural that something like would have happened . Currently, we are in a war and you guys are thinking about your personal gains and enmity . The situation is more serious than we think . We have lost 50,000 elite men, it would take a lot of resources and men to train so many men . I hope we can create a coalition which would increase the unity among lords and reduce our losses to a minimum . I also suggest using the All Magic Knight teams and Magician to overwhelm them . "

    Minister to sighed and marveled at John¡¯s genius political maneuvering after watching the quarrel, He sighed and murmured as he was standing near Eanred, "We werepletely duped by that Count . He seceded on high moral grounds that he had no choice but to rebel in unfavorable circumstances, I guess most of the people would have surrendered in such a situation however he had something different in mind when we met that weapon . Every one of us was manipted on the back of his hands like an open box without any secrets . It seems, he acted like a sheep on purpose while in reality, he was a wolf ready to swallow everyone . I have never faced such an opponent . This count is getting more dangerous day by day, probably the most dangerous individual for our kingdom, more dangerous than Lukavv . I guess I should have listened to you Eanred . It seems a lot of his previous actions were rted to this n of secession from the start . If it was really all that unfavorable for him and his domain then all he had to do was show those weapons to the whole world and not share it with the Royal Family . He would have most likely been made a Duke after that action but I guess he had other ns and is only showing his true nature now . "

    He sighed thought, ¡¯I was the one who used to always manipte our enemies in the west (Barbarians and demons) or east (Dwarves) . ¡¯

    Eanred nodded and spoke, "No, the fault lies with me as well because I never got concrete vision whenever it was rted to North-frontier City and that count and we could never make a better n . I guess I was only able to see the previous vision because the Battle endedst night . It seems he either has the backing of a Sage in secret but they too have their limits or he is an anomaly . I guess I was only able to see him now because his actions of seceding can¡¯t be reversed . We have a big mess in our hands . I guess Lord and everyone here became too greedy for power and hence the result . "

    to nodded and agreed as he spoke with a dark light, "However, we can¡¯t let this secession go lying down or else it would be disastrous . I guess our decision to support Duke Fjord still opened a pandora¡¯s box which I feared the most . Duke Fjord would still be controble but this count is whole another monster who is full of mysteries . Meanwhile, Fjord always leveraged his rtion with Dwarves . Damn it if I knew that this decision of our would have lead to such a situation I would have never adviced the King to support Fjord instead of remaining neutral . "

    King Lionheart meanwhile thought, ¡¯That small count dares manipte me and the whole kingdom . He will pay a price for such insolence . I will contact those assassins from Fire abyss if need be . I need to teach him and others a lesson or else I will be taken as a pushover . No, no if we continue down this path then there will be a bigger civil war as predicted by Eanred . I should ask his advice on further n of action . "

    He spoke loudly as the hall was bing a mess, "Quiet Everyone, to, Eanred what do you suggest our further n of action if everything goes ording to your vision . How do we avoid that fate?"

    to was the one who spoke this time around, "I suggest ignoring Duke Rose¡¯s trade with Count John to avoid widening this current war while we remain vignt against foreign enemies . At the same time I hope it is not mandatory for other Lords to participate in this war as it seem that we are making factions which would be more troublesome . "

    Eanred nodded and agreed, "Yes, at this moment we can¡¯t anger Duke Rose as well . Previously we always feared opening a pandora¡¯s box whenever we dealt with Duke Fjord and hence our previous vignce pertaining Duke Fjord and actions against count John but this time we have actually opened a pandora¡¯s box and have to be more vignt since those new weapons have changed the Military scenario where Duke Rose can take the risks if we anger him . "

    King Lionheart sighed and nodded unwillingly as he understood the consequences of his actions .

    ¡¯This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I didn¡¯t get influenced by that foolish son of mine . I guess I was too mad because of that count¡¯s close rtions to Lukavv . That Night in Red Lake City still sends shivers on my body . ¡¯

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    to saw another guard who wasing in with a worried expression

    to sighed and let him speak about what was happening in the North currently .

    The guard came in the current chaos and announced, "Milord, Prince Felix¡¯s Castle is currently under siege from Prince Lukavv¡¯s men . They were seen using armors and weapons which seems rted to Count John . There is a full-blown battle taking ce in the west . Duke ckwolf has asked for assistance . here is the full report . Duke ckwolf has declined to enter a battle with Prince Lukavv as he thinks it is an internal matter between princes . Prince Lukavv has announced that he will be killing everyone this time around for anyone who was involved in the death of Apophis . "

    Guard was surprised as he heard gasps from people when they Suddenly heard a taboo name .

    King waspletely angry, "Arrgh . As I thought those 2 guys are rted to the demons and are the biggest dangers to this kingdom . Why can¡¯t both of them just die . "

    Much to everyone¡¯s surprise, they got the news which waspletely different from the Battle at North .

    One of the ministers spoke in a hushed voice, "What? Prince Lukavv has made a move after such a long time? What is going on?"

    At this time a lot of people who were at Prince Hector¡¯s Banquet understood what did Prine Lukavv meant by a big war previously .

    Many people who were allied with Felix gulped fearfully as they remembered his arrogant speech . Those who were allied with Felix grit their teeth and heard carefully .

    "It seems he was already nning for a long time . I guess he got those weapons quite early and hence his deration . "

    Immediately King Lionheart was enraged as he roared, "As I thought . That guy had rtions with Lukavv . I can¡¯t let that menace run amok in this Kingdom . "

    to and Eanred sighed as they heard about Prince Lukavv,

    "It looks like he has finally started taking actions . We need to move as well . "

    to sighed as he thought, ¡¯Such a shame, we wouldn¡¯t be facing such a situation if Prince Lukavv was allowed to marry that demoness . King¡¯s hate for demons and Felix¡¯s greed for power led to such a situation, Maybe that count also wouldn¡¯t have seceded if Prince Lukavv was one of the potential future King . I guess this time even Queen Joanna wouldn¡¯t be able to help his majesty as she herself fears her life after that betrayal in the past against her son . I wonder what would prince do if he realizes that King Lionheart was indirectly involved in the death of his lover when King sent his knights to aid Felix in secret . I guess this war was inevitable from that day onwards . I guess it was just getting dyed and was waiting for the spark . ¡¯

    to thought nostalgically as he remembered about the young prince who was always full of spirit and energy . Full of righteousness as he trained with his master .

    He murmured, "The demons surely created big chaos when they sent that girl here . That¡¯s why we can never trust them . "

    Eanred sighed as he heard him and spoke with a grave expression, "She wasn¡¯t sent here . She came here on her own will . Who knew prince would be so attached to her after his first interaction and possibly go to such lengths 7 years ago in Red Lake City killing all the aristocrats . The thing was, Felix and the Knights were exposed when that happened . It was good that the knights were loyal and didn¡¯t speak a word about it when captured and hence all the me was borne by Felix or else it would have been a massacre . Why do you think Felix gets so many resources in spite of his rtions with the Radiant Church? I am sure you understand theplexities of the past . You see King Lionheart was more scared after the Red Lake City incident where most of the nobles supporting Felix died . He feared for his life . "

    to was surprised because this was the first time that Eanred actually spoke about that incident from 8 years ago .

    Both to and Eanred had a grave expression as they thought about the Redke city incident .

 Chapter 228

    Chapter 228

    Castle was continuously being bombarded with the Balistas as the vibrations could be seen in the underground as well . Soldiers guarding the Castle gulped as they were sweating continuously thinking about their own fates .

    One of the soldier in pce spoke, "Damn it why did I choose to work for Prince Felix . "

    "Seriously, this job is filled with risks . You heard Prince Lukavv¡¯s previous announcement, right?"

    "Yes, and that¡¯s the reason why I hate it . Fuck it, I am running away . "

    A lot of Soldiers were trying to resist but the Range of Ballistas was too big a hurdle . The only thing they could do now was to currently endure and escape .

    Most of the soldiers had already lost their Morale when they heard that Prince Lukavv was attacking the castle .

    At the Underground passage, suddenly Felix heard Lukavv who was speaking from a sound stone, "It seems you are still a coward and afraid as ever . Well, all of these people will die anyway since they decided to support you . It seems you will still escape like a dog you were like in the past . You see I would have dly given up the throne but you made the biggest mistake when you and your Knights vited and killed her . After that incident, you see, a lot of those knights were raped the same night when theyid their hands on her and today the same fate will be faced by you and your men . You were pretty lucky to escape with your life 7 years ago but this time, how far can you hide? You guys should be happy if you are able to escape or die because if I catch you guys, you will face a fate worse than hell where even King Yama would shiver watching me and my men . I am already warning the guys who are with Felix, you should bring him to me if you don¡¯t want to face the same fate or run . You guys better don¡¯t get caught with him . Because you know what will happen . "

    Felix was rmed a bit but then saw the tunnel which was their way to escape . While a lot of soldiers shivered after hearing about the fate of the soldiers who were captured by Prince Lukavv .

    One of the soldiers remarked angrily as he heard Prince Lukavv, "Damn it, we are fucked for sure . I wouldn¡¯t have joined this army if we were going to face such a war against that maniac Prince Lukavv . Don¡¯t you know, he didn¡¯t spare a single man or women apart from children previously in the castle who were previously patrons of Prince Felix . Not even the servants . Only a few were able to escape his wrath, I seriously fear getting caught by his army . I am seriously pissed this time . Btw, what is Prince Lukavv speaking about? Whom did Prince Felix kill that he is mentioning right now?"

    One of hisrades pointed towards Felix and his knights as he spoke in a low tone, "Shh . . . you wouldn¡¯t want to get heard by them . There are a lot of matters which were buried by the Royal Family, we shouldn¡¯t try to pry them if we want to live . We can simply escape when it is safer so keep your voice down . "

    Many soldiers were currently contemting the idea to escape when they get a chance but only feared being chased down by Prince Felix and his men but for some Prince Lukavv¡¯s treat was bigger and far more dangerous .

    ****

    There were 8000 mercenaries gathered near the castle and were going to meet the Reserves of Prince Felix, A lot of Hell mercenaries were wearing the gear which was made in North-frontier city which looked quite gaudy .

    Ed was currently with Liam who was smiling continuously . Noticing Liam¡¯s good mood, he asked him, "Boss, what the asion? Why are we here today? You didn¡¯t even brief us like you usually do . "

    Liam smiled as he thought about the deal he made 7 years ago, "Well, I can¡¯t risk my n being revealed . everything will be revealed after we meet Prince Felix . Today is the day which will mark the day of chaos . Everything will be revealed today . Anyway, let¡¯s head to meet the reserves . "

    Liam looked at Ed and thought, ¡¯This kid is usually quite an airhead but he is asking a lot of questions today . ¡¯

    He continued and spoke, "Everyone, I don¡¯t want anyone dying when I give you orderster on . Consider this as our most important mission . "

    Ed asked Liam, "Boss, isn¡¯t it dangerous to participate in this battle like we usually do? Prince Lukavv is currently attacking Prince Felix¡¯s castle in the south . It is very dangerous here as it is quite near to our ce . "

    Liam smiled and spoke, "Well, you are right but sometimes you have to fight . And I am someone who can¡¯t back out after giving my word . I have been waiting for a long long time for this moment . We have already hidden for a long time Now is the time to show our fangs to the world . "

    ***

    After a while, Felix¡¯s men arrived at the ce where they were supposed to meet the reserves . One of themanders from Felix¡¯s army saw that there were only Hell¡¯s mercenaries here while there was no sign of their reserves, The mercenaries were fully rugged as if they just came back from a grievous battle .

    Liam smiled as he finally spotted Felix .

    Commander was quite suspicious as he looked at Liam and Ed who wereing with their escorts to meet them .

    Getting an ominous feeling from Liam and his men, the Commander roared at Liam and his men with a lot of authority, "Stop right there . "

    However, Liam and his men didn¡¯t stop as they approached Felix and others . With a cunning smile, Liam spoke, "Finally, after so many years . "

    He continued and gave orders to his men after spotting Felix, "Attack, Catch the prince Alive . Kill others if you want . Target the magicians first . "

    Very Soon Ed led his men to immediately attack the magicians so they can¡¯t have any distance and have an advantage against them .

    Both the sides were bombarding each other with magic and arrows as it suddenly became a battlefield .

    There was a clear difference noted when Ed and his men faced the attacks which were deflected by their armors and runes . They soon got in the range of Vanguard Magic Knights Protecting the Magicians as they soon started shing .

    A big battle started taking ce between Liam and themander who tried to protect the prince . As both of them fiercely shed, Liam used dark magic as his de started glowingyers of ck as he slowly battled with themander . The ground was shaking as both the generals fought .

    Liam spoke in a nonchnt manner, "You are quite sturdy . "

    Themander was an earth magic knight who used earth magic whenever he was about to get hurt . He was called the invincible during his younger years . however because of hisck of speed many times he couldn¡¯t defeat his enemies either .

    Drunk in Pride, Themander harrumphed, "I am not called Immovable rock for no reason . This battlefield will be your graveyard . "

    Liam murmured as he rode his horse, "I guess normal measures won¡¯t work on him . "

    As they battled, themander started losing his bnce and only now did he realize that he was affected by the poison .

    Atst, Liam used his final attack, He swung his sword as multipleyers of ck and white energies gathered on the tip of his sword from the base . Gaining a lot of momentum, suddenly a bolt of ck lightning released from Liam¡¯s sword which targetted the Commanders chest .

    Themander smiled just as the lightning was going to stuck his chest, "Hmph, Even though I am poisoned I can still fight this puny Lighting which you are so proud of . " Little did the Commander know that this lightning was different from his past experiences .

    Just like before, again a big stone came between the Commander and the ck lightning . But this time, Liam smiled as he saw the Commander¡¯s attempt to block his attack and deflect with a sturdy stone .

    He smiled and spoke, "I haven¡¯t trained this move for 10 years just for nothing . I even had to go to bigger lengths to hide this attack of mine so I don¡¯t get noticed . "

    Liam then confusingly looked at Felix who was barely able to fight his men who were average fighters, "I heard that the Prince was quite a military man . Was it all propaganda?"

    When Liam¡¯s attack struck themander, The stone waspletely obliterated as it prated both the stone and the Commanders chest . Themander was bleeding profusely as he looked at Liam with shock and horror after the attack .

    "How is it possible for this lightning to pierce my stone this easily?"

    Liam smiled as he saw that both the magicians and other knights were either killed or subdued by his men .

    Liam was then approached by the spy who was in Prince Felix¡¯s army for quite a long time . "You did a good job . Did you get any info?"

    The Spy smiled and gave him a scroll which was full of information, "Yes, it¡¯s about Prince¡¯s Lukavv¡¯s past and the conspiracy and these are other info which I have collected over the years . "

    Liam asked as he started looking at the scroll, "What is with the prince? Is he really that weak?"

    The spy shook his head and spoke, "Nope, I guess every one of us was fooled when we were traveling . It seems this is his body double . I only realized it now when he was fighting with our men . He is quite a strong man . It seems Prince feared mutiny in his army and hence escaped with his knight on his own . "

    Liam nodded and understood, "It seems we underestimated the Prince . Ok, tell me what you got to know about the conspiracy?"

    The Spy slowly narrated the conversation and the murmurings that he heard previously at the castle and underground .

    Liam smiled and spoke, "My, My, I wonder how would Lukavv react if he gets to know about King¡¯s direct hand in her killing . Okay, we are leaving, take the prisoners with us . "

    Ed asked as he everyone finished their enemies, "Where are we going, Boss?"

    Liam smiled and spoke, "To meet Lukavv . "

    Ed asked as he couldn¡¯t remember and asked, "Who is Lukavv?"

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    Liam pped his forehead and spoke with a sigh, "Prince Lukavv . "

    Ed scratched his face as he thought, "Eh, Now this is confusing . I don¡¯t think we ever had any connection with Prince Lukavv . "

    Liam spoke, seriously, "Prepare a letter and prepare our best scout to deliver it . Meanwhile, try searching for Prince Felix, he wouldn¡¯t have escaped a long distance . "

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233: 233

    *****

    Currently, John was in a serious meeting with Emena, Mist, Alison, Taylor and all the other important ministers .

    After hearing about ck Death,

    John nodded and spoke, "Hmm . . . it seems they have started to resort towards using ck Death without caring about anyone and me it on us when a lot of people die . I expect the Radiant Church to bring out its cure and gain people¡¯s goodwill and start a crusade against us . They at least want to make propaganda against us for the long run . "

    Taylor nodded and spoke his hypothesis, "Yes, I too feel the same, I think the Royal family too is thinking of using this to cast us as evil and voluntarily gain soldiers to fight their wars without any bacsh . Eventually, we will be med for this disease when a lot of people die at Dolores . "

    Hearing them, Mist smiled and spoke, "A good in-depth understanding of this ploy . Well, you guys don¡¯t need to worry . If the blockade is over or if you can get your ships towards our ports, we can help you out with Holy water of Raven tree . The cure for this would be expensive but I think you guys can bear it . Previously, we too faced the same problem when the Radiant Church tried to infiltrate us with tacit support from the Royal family however we had solutions regarding them . Meanwhile, Alison here can dy the effect of this disease so we need aprehensive n . I think your cannons can be useful in bringing Holy water from Ayananore . "

    Emena then took out the Holy water of Raven tree and gave it John, "I think this water here can help you understand how to deal with ck Death for now . "

    John then signaled Amber and asked him to give the powder of ck death as he wanted to personally experience how this disease affected his body . "Give that powder . I want to see it personally . "

    Amber was quite confused when John made the request .

    John sighed and spoke, "Since we have the Holy water of Raven tree, you don¡¯t need to worry about me . Additionally, I am a magic knight as well, so no need to be cautious . I personally want to see how this disease affects the body . "

    John sighed and immediately took the ck Death powder and sprinkled it on himself .

    He suddenly got a notification, [Harmful parasites trying to enter Host¡¯s Body . Parasites trying to consume magic power -1 . . . -1 . . . -1 . Parasites trying to magic power -1 . . . -1 . . . -1 . . . Analyzing the Parasites . ]

    [1% . . . 15% . . . ]

    [100% . . . Analyzationplete . Parasites Eliminated . ]

    [Low-level parasites designed carefully to survive on the magic power andter on the life force . Only the people with low-level magic and those without magic power are affected by these parasites as those with high magic power mutate the cells and develop resistance . ]

    [Finding cure against the disease ck Death . ]

    [Holy water of Raven Tree . . . Highest grade medicine . Works in seconds . ]

    [8:5bination of The Yellow Radiant Flower and Green mystic water . . . Upper Middle-grade medicine . Works in a day . ]

    [4:7:9bination of Yellow berries, White Rose Flower and Brune wine . Lower-grade Medicine . Works in 2 days . Needs 3 doses every day . ]

    Along with it, 9 other forms came inside John¡¯s mind which varied based on the usage and their effect .

    John smiled as he heard the analyzation of Sarah .

    Watching John smile,

    Mist was bewildered a bit but keeping hisposure, he asked, "Did you find anything relevant?"

    John smiled, "Yes, I think I already got the gist of this disease . No need to worry about me, I am safe . Meanwhile, I would like Minister Alison to help to prevent the spread of ck Death disease via his medicine . We will pay you immediately via our best wines which have not yet been introduced to the market (both the aristocratic market or normal market . ) "

    Amber and Taylor looked at Emena and others to confirm the safety of their king .

    Mist sighed and spoke, "He is safe, no need to worry, he is safe . It seems it was because of Lord John¡¯s high control in magic power that there is no presence of Parasites . "

    John immediately ordered Taylor to prepare a lot of ingredients which would be used in preparation to tackle ck Death .

    After checking the list, Taylor sighed and spoke to spoke, "Milord, it would be very hard to find Yellow Radiant Flower in huge quantities as the Radiant Church has the monopoly over them . However, we can get quite a sum if we try the ck market . "

    John smiled and answered, "No need to worry, you can get other materials which have little to no value in huge quantities, See the set of yellow berries, White Rose Flower and Brune wine . I have written all the sets . See the ones which can be bought in huge quantities and their prices as well . I will be heading to the Institute¡¯sb and prepare some experiments . Bring the ingredients of all set though . "

    Mist and Alison were quite shocked after watching him write the set which required the Yellow Radiant Flower . Mist smiled and murmured, "I guess he already figured out how this disease worked . Previously we too always suspected that Radiant Church used their unique Radiant Flower for a cure . This guy has quite the acute senses, No wonder Mnie took him in as a disciple . "

    Mist nodded and signaled Alison, "Start the Preparations, Alison, We have to make those cures for dying the effects . "

    After watching the rxed expressions of everyone, Emena was quite skeptical but didn¡¯t decide to say any further as she understood that things were in control for now .

    Emena thought and murmured, "I guess he is nning to buy a lot of those Flowers from the ck market if pushes to shove . "

    Taylor then approached Emena and spoke, "Princess, we have prepared a mansion for you . If I may, you and your men can stay there . "

    Emena nodded and spoke, "Yes, I was anyway nning to tour this Kingdom . A lot of things here has fascinated me . I want to know how to make those Water pumps . "

    Taylor was about to deny her dying but John immediately spoke, "It¡¯s okay Taylor, They have helped us escape a disaster this time around . We need to treat our benefactors with sincerity . You can give the blueprints to Princess Emena . However, we will take 7% royalties if they are usedmercially . Well, they would be copied eventually when people understand their mechanics so it¡¯s okay . "

    Binz was quite surprised as he understood the value of Water pump in initial stage which would reducebor in the kingdom and increase productivity, He immediately spoke, "We ept . "

    Binz looked at himself and then at Emena, "Aah, Sorry, I spoke without thinking . "

    Emena spoke, "Well, it¡¯s okay, I only wanted it for my Mansion at Ayananore . It would be easy for the servants at the pce and my mansion to free up themselves . "

    John turned to Taylor and spoke, "I will be giving a lecture at the Institute regarding ck Death and its cure after experimentation . So make all the preparations . I currently have a gist on how to solve this crisis . So prepare ordingly . You can ask Joseph and Jack in Trade Ministeries to get the materials in huge quantities . Meanwhile, prepare those ingredients in small quantities for myb at the institute . "

    John smiled and murmured, "This time, The radiant church and the Royal Family has given me a chance to attack them . "

    Taylor immediately asked as John was about to leave, "Lord, what about that Diplomat, Anin and Duke Norman¡¯s recent expansion in the north via other borders?"

    John thought a bit and spoke, "You can handle that Diplomat for now . Currently, we need to have recognition . however, make him aware of our rules or else we can¡¯t help him . Try bribing him with our Wines so it would be easy to control him . As far as Duke Norman¡¯s expansion is concerned, don¡¯t bother for now . We will see when our borders meet . We will back-off from Dolores after handling the ck death . I anyway want a buffer between Aelius and Sky . This is also one of the reasons why I released that Baron . "

    Emena and Binz were outside headquarters as they talked,

    Emena asked Binz, "This city gives quite a fresh feeling . What do you think about Lord John, Binz . "

    Binz nodded and spoke, "Yes, I see a lot of happy faces . As far as Lord John is concerned, I think he is quite strong as I felt it instinctively . However when ites to his people . I can see that he genuinely cares about them . We benefitted quite a bit this time when we got the Blueprints of those Water Pumps . I can also understand why Minister Mist and Alison were enjoying here unlike other ces . "

    Emena thought as she remembered about her cousin, "Ohh yes, I forgot to inform them about Joanna who was cured of mria recently . "

    Binz smiled and spoke, "I don¡¯t think we need to inform them . They wouldn¡¯t have sent those medicines without checking thoroughly . "

    Binz smiled as he sensed some people keeping a watch on them . He sighed and thought, ¡¯I guess they are here to keep us protected . Anyway this time we might as well enjoy our time . ¡¯

    ****

    Henry was currently meeting with Duke Rose,

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    Duke Rose smiled and spoke, "It seems you have decided to take up my offer?"

    Henry spoke with a grave tone, "Yes, I didn¡¯t join Count John as he offered me quite a very good deal because I would have been called a traitor by myrades which I wasn¡¯t and I took your offer because I want to payback Duke Fjord for what he did to Lucy . "

    Duke Rose nodded and asked, "Don¡¯t you want to find your son?"

    Henry nodded and agreed, "Yes and that is one of the reasons why I joined you . I wanted to use your spywork to locate my son . "

    "What will do if I found information about your son and find him?"

    Henry, "I will work for you without any hesitation as long as it isn¡¯t against my interests (i . e . me and my son . ) . But I won¡¯t be swearing any other oath in this lifetime . "

    Duke Rose smiled and spoke as he knew that this would work, "That¡¯s okay for me, I don¡¯t doubt your loyalty . We do have some information on your son . From our sources, I think your son is currently at Rose institute under Josephine . Some of my spies were able to identify him . It seems he decided to court John as he is currently at war with Fjord . It seems your son seeks revenge for her mother¡¯s death . I guess John didn¡¯t know that Lucius was at Rose Institute or he would have certainly brought that up when he offered you to join him . Take this report to get a better understanding . "

    Duke rose smiled and asked, "So what is your decision?"

    Henry too quite shocked as he read the report . He closed his eyes and spoke, "I guess that is his fate . It would be better if he lives there since there would be fewer worries . Okay, I have made my decision, I will join youpletely from now on . From now on I would like to be deployed in Navy or northernnd army near Fjord¡¯s borders . "

    Duke rose smiled and spoke, "You don¡¯t need to worry, I have a perfect position for you . You will be leading a small fleet in the navy . As you gain more achievements, you will be promoted simultaneously . "

 Chapter 236

    Chapter 236

    *****

    Currently, Phillip and his men were at the capital with the Mayor at Bryndyll .

    Looking at the scene Phillip thought, ¡¯It seems they deliberately didn¡¯t send a high ranking minister to show their power . Well, the dwelling they gave isn¡¯t bad though . Maybe I would need to remodel it since they could have ced runes to spy on us . As Lord Joseph said, I need to be cautious since it is a foreign country . First I need to understand who are people in power at Bryndyll . ¡¯

    Phillip didn¡¯t show his displeasure and immediately thanked him, "Thank you Mayor for your help . as a token of our appreciation please take the Blood Moon wine which has just recently started at our Kingdom . This is one of the best wines which has been famous all over Aelius and Fire-abyss kingdom . It is a hard wine . "

    The Mayor was surprised by Phillip¡¯s positive reaction because he knew that he was deliberately sent to incur the displeasure of Count John and his men,

    The Mayor thought, ¡¯Surprisingly he is calm . Well, lets see how long he can keep his calmness . It seems he knows the weakness of us dwarves but they don¡¯t know that not any cheap wine would work here . Insulting them a bit at thepetition would work . Today the Wine King is there as well . This diplomat is quite Unlucky as he is quite picky and wouldn¡¯t let off any guy who has showcased a bad wine . Hmph, even the officials would carefully participate in hispetition . ¡¯

    The Mayor smiled cunningly and spoke, "We have the perfect tform to showcase the best wines of the Sky Kingdom at the 1000 Wine Banquet . Today the Wine King is also present as a Judge over here . This would be a perfect opportunity for you to meet the higher-ups . However, I would warn you, don¡¯t provoke the wine king . Though he might not be an official he has a lot of powerparable to a duke . "

    Phillip smiled as he heard the mayor and asked, "Why is that so?"

    Mayor nodded and spoke, "Well, he provides his best wines to the King, Ministers and Dukes which is made in very small quantity every year . His family has been doing this for centuries . The reason that there is small quantity is that he mostly travels all year round to explore more on Alcohol and its ingredients . Basically, he has a passion for wine . "

    Phillip nodded and thought, ¡¯A perfect opportunity to meet people in power . Well, lets try . ¡¯

    ****

    After 27 Experiments,

    John finally heard

    [Sess . You have sessfully made mana restoring pill . Generating other recipes based on the properties of the Mana Restoring pill . ]

    John finally smiled .

    After he was sessful in making the medicine for ck Death, he immediately called Taylor and others to arrange for a lecture at Rose Institute .

    "Taylor, prepare the auditorium, Today I will be giving a presentation on ck Death . Call all the pharmacists so that they can learn the process of making the medicine . We will be producing this medicine in arge scale and start distributing it at Dolores and the other nearby areas . Meanwhile, try this mana restoring pill . What do you think?"

    John thought, ¡¯Let¡¯s see how the Radiant church after our mass mobilization of this medicine . I guess they willugh at our foolishness at first . ¡¯

    Taylor was quite surprised as he only had 60 Percent Magic power in his body previously but it was fully recovered after taking the pill, "Yes, Milord . This pill is quite magical . "

    Taylor suddenly remembered of Anin and gave another report, "Milord, it seems king Ludwin¡¯s Diplomat, Mr . Anin has arrived . He wishes to meet you and Tornwall . How do we handle this?"

    John nodded and spoke, "Hmm . . . Ask Tornwall himself . If he wants to meet him then it¡¯s ok . We won¡¯t be stopping his freedom . From the looks, they are here to recruit Tornwall by creating differences between us . Any news from the borders . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Taylor nodded and gave the report, "Yes, Our scouts at sea have spotted big preparations from the Royal family, Fjord¡¯s and the Dwarves . Admiral ke has concluded that they will try to invade Winter City and Aurora . Both the cities are on full alert . "

    Taylor added, "Since we have not announced the existence of Winter City and Aurora City . They too are choosing to ignore it and treating it as a foreign power so that they can invade justifiably . "

    John thought and spoke, "Hmmm . . . It seems we can¡¯t hide it for long . Very well, we will announce it after they try to invade us . This can also show our power to our neighbors or else we will be treated as a ragtag bunch from the countryside . Are there any developments from Tornwall and Will?"

    Taylor smiled and nodded, "Yes, Researcher Will and Tornwall have currently discovered the use of Magic stones like we used coal for power generation . They have sessfully made a prototype of Steam Engine which works on the Magic Stones as power . Meanwhile, all the ships are fitted Water Boosters at Aurora and Winter City . "

    John too was quite surprised by this development as he keenly looked at the report about magic stones . John thought and spoke, "It seems hunting those animals can be quite useful to us this time around . Meanwhile, we will be using Mana restoring pills to train our magic knights and Magicians . Has there been any sess in recruiting the magicians? They will be quite helpful in our research . "

    Taylor shook his head and spoke, "No, Milord . Most of the Powerful magicians are either hired by Kings and dukes or they live in isted ces to conduct their research . They onlye out when they need resources for their experiments . However, we are keeping tabs on the magicians with our spies currently . I think these mana restoring pills can spur their interest if we make it public . The demons and Elves would be quite happy to support us publicly as they are races which are highly dependent on Mana . Additionally, it can be our monopolized item as there has been no precedent of such type of pill . The dwarves too can be tempted as they can find other uses of this pill . What do you think?"

    John was surprised as he thought, "Yes, maybe we should try selling the lowest grade of pills in the market . This time we can even pass through this ordeal when we have rebelled . Yes, we can use these pills as a bargaining chip to get support from other powers while the Magicians too can be lured . "

    John meanwhile thought as he looked at Mana Restoring Pill, ¡¯I was just making this pill as I was interested in this ck Death Disease . It seems I need to research more on alchemy and try making other types of pills and medicine . This will certainly have a big influence on this continent . But this will also change the militaryndscape . Well, it is still manageable . ¡¯

    John nodded and made a decision, "Ok, it¡¯s decided, we will start selling these Mana restoring pills at our Auctions . Try bringing that Dwarf Anin as well . Meanwhile, don¡¯t forget to arrange for my lecture . "

    Taylor smiled and spoke, "Yes, Milord . "

    As Taylor left, John thought, ¡¯I need to start nning about making currency notes and Banks to control the cirction of Gold . This will be good for Aelius as a whole in trade and would increase the frequency of trades conducted . ¡¯

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237

    ****

    Currently, ke and his men were currently looking at the big fleets which were frequently patrolling near East Port City and Bryndyll towards the north at Winter City and Aurora very aggressively .

    ke spoke to Sean in a grave tone, "It seems they will attack soon in a few days from the way their preparations and our skirmishes are going on, it is good that all of our ships have a telescope to detect their intentions early on . If anyone of them has the intention to invade, we will be using full force to rout them out . This time Lord has made it clear to show extreme force against any misadventure by opportunists and those with malicious intentions . Pass on this order to every Captain . "

    Sean nodded and spoke, "I will immediately pass on the information to everyone . Including those at Winter city . "

    Sean then prepared several letters for the captains of various ships and handed it over to the guy who was handling the falcon seabirds that were bred just recently .

    @@novelbin@@

    Sean sighed and looked towards the direction of Aurora Port where Judd was currently training with the new recruits who were training with their Aurora Horses, "It¡¯s good that we have bred these falcons . Usually, it is very hard to pass on information from the sea easily . "

    ke nodded as he agreed with Sean, "Yes, these falcons have surely be handy . I heard the Ghosts funded a lot of their funds into this project so thatmunication can be faster . Meanwhile, how is the situation of the Aurora Units?"

    Sean spoke as he remembered about Judd, "Well, Judd and his Aurora team are battle-ready but a lot of the recruits are very young . However their fleet is equipped with all thetest weapons so it is good overall,"

    ke suddenly remembered Swann and nodded, "Ahh, yes, I forgot about it . I guess they can only be used for surprise attackster on . Well, it is still okay . Well, it¡¯s good that those dwarves and others are constantly being harassed by the sea monsters so it is quite hard for them to invade here at Winter City and Aurora City . However, we still need to be cautious and keep a close look at them . We can¡¯t ck off just because we have better weapons and essories . We are still low on numbers . " ke smiled as he was leisurely watching the Dwarven fleet which was going to meet a flock of Sea Hydras .

    "Nothing to see here, lets leave . They would most likely be running away after incurring heavy losses against those beasts . "

    Sean asked him with a confused face, "Why don¡¯t we finish them ourselves?"

    ke smiled as he understood Sean¡¯s thoughts and exined to him the crux of the matter, "It¡¯splicated, Currently the ministers are focusing on stabilizing the situation after we have dered war against the Royal Family . At the same time, we have sent our diplomats to Bryndyll and the same is being done by King Ludwin and his ministers . We are also trying to get in touch with Demons of Fire-abyss kingdom . Currently, we don¡¯t want to be seen as aggressors if anyone of them escapes . Because of our small actions, they might get a justified reason to attack us and get more concessions from us during negotiations . A lot of countries are keeping a close watch on us . So that is the reason we are careful . "

    Sean sighed and understood that it was aplicated situation .

    Suddenly there came the sounds of bombardment . ke was surprised because no one in their fleet made the move .

    Sean pointed at a direction and spoke while looking with his telescope, "See with the telescope over there . It seems the dwarven fleet is engaged with the flock of Sea Hydras . What is that weird Weapon? It is quite different from our Cannons . "

    After watching the Weapons and the Bombardment, ke was immediately alerted and spoke to his men, "Immediately record everything in detail about this weapon of dwarves . This piece of information will be very useful in reducing our casualties when they try to invade . Is everyone clear?"

    "Yes Admiral . "

    Sean nodded and headed towards all the scouts and started giving orders .

    ****

    At the Dwarven side, Their General Nokhud was quite irritated with the sea monsters that constantly attacked .

    One of the sailors spoke, "Haven¡¯t we lost enough men already to these sea monsters . Why haven¡¯t we used them to deal with these monsters yet?"

    Another of the ships was attacked by the Hydras .

    After some while, Nokhud too had lost his cool and spoke, "I guess we have had enough with these Sea Monsters . We might as well use the shots . Start loading the shot powder, Bnce forme and chaos stones inside Shots . We are finally using it . Though it is a bit ahead of time, it is safe here as our enemies aren¡¯t here . We are anyway going to use them against those guys at North . King Ludwin has anyway allowed for the weapon to be used this time around . It would be good if we can colonize them to be our puppets against Aelius . "

    All the mates at the Fleet were cheering as soon as they were allowed to use the shots . The despair and agony of not being able to use their weapons soon faded and was filled with cheers .

    One of the veterans sighed and spoke, "Finally, we can some peace at night while sailing the seas . "

    "But there is a big waring . I hope it is ok to use these weapons just before the war . "

    The veteran smiled and spoke, "Well, not necessarily a big war . We are only trying our chances . Meanwhile, we have most of the information on those ballistas so our enemies are bare naked in front of us, if we y our cards right then we might be able to take over them by using our superior ships and weapons . This time, we have both, the shots for Ships and the small shots for individualbat so this time, ourbat prowess has increased by multiple folds . Even those devils or the Undead we usuallye across will have a hard time . "

    After some time, all the Sea hydras were dead when the Shots were used .

    General Nokhud gave amand to everyone, "Get good rest and eat fully this night, We will be invading them tomorrow at dawn . So be prepared . Meanwhile, Inform the Fjord¡¯s that they should be ready by tomorrow . "

    "Yes, Sir . " Everyone roared as they were filled with morale .

    ke smiled as he looked at the dwarven fleet from his telescope, "This will be interesting . We might have a chance to get their weapons while not facing any casualties if they try to invade us . "

    Sean too sighed with relief as he saw that the range of the cannons was onlyparable with the ballistas, "It seems they want to attack us to get the ballistas since we will be their biggest thorn when they try to expand near their borders . "

    ke nodded and reached the same conclusion, "Yes . However, this might also be their biggest mistake . Meanwhile, send this information to Lord John as well . We would have to be cautious against that Diplomat . He may try something funny like trying to get our blueprints forcefully or through the spies . Anyway, spread this information to all the captains, We should be cautious since the enemy may try to invade us anytime as they have already started to show their fangs . "

    Sean nodded and started the preparations .

    He smiled and thought, ¡¯This Naval war might very well increase our influence in the seas . For the first time, we will be able to fully show the naval Capabilities of the Sky Kingdom . As for Fjord, he might very well cry a river if he hears about the performance of our ships . ¡¯

 Chapter 238

    Chapter 238

    Bran was at the Aurora Port as he carefully read both reports which came within a matter of few hours from Sean, "I guess the dwarves are not attacking without any reason . Sure enough, we too would be confident if we had hidden such a weapon and wanted to increase our borders . I guess their efforts will be futile this time around . " Bran smiled and looked at the Cannons as he murmured .

    The same was reaction was being felt by Eric who was controlling the port at Winter City .

    Currently, Lucius, y and Azrael were training with Judd and his fleet . Lucius was particrly training with sword and guns currently .

    Lucius thought as he trained with his guns, ¡¯It seems my training was worth it in getting Commander Judd¡¯s attention . ¡¯

    Watching Judd making a confused and serious face . Lucius understood that something serious was going to happen or had happened .

    Azrail whispered to his mates and asked, "What do you think happened?"

    y as usualughed and spoke, "I think his girlfriend just found his secret stash and hence his gloomy face . "

    Suddenly Swannughed as he heard y and spoke, "Bullshit, That guy and a girlfriend? Impossible . He is just a weapons maniac . "

    Everyone in the Aurora Unit startedughing as they heard the conversation between y and Swann .

    Unlike the usual Jolly Atmosphere, Judd cleared his throat and gave an immediate order to everyone with a grave face, "All of the guys below 17 years of age are dismissed from today for the next month . You guys will be training directly under Jake . While the other older guys of the Aurora Unit will be participating in direct patrols with me from today onwards . "

    Swann screamed, "WTF? Why am I included in this list as well? I want to join the patrols . I have already mastered Closebat . "

    Lucius furrowed his brows and spoke, "It seems something fishy is going on . Looks like something is brewing in the Northern seas as they have given this order . I think this order is directly given by Admiral ke . It mostly looks like they are either heading for a mission or they are preparing for war at seas . "

    Azrail too nodded and agreed with Lucius and spoke, "Most likely war . I heard we are already at war on thends after the Royal Family and others tried to invade us for dubious reasons . "

    Looking at Lucius, y understood that he was nning to participate in these patrols no matter the cost .

    He thought, ¡¯I guess I will have to help him out . ¡¯

    Judd gave a cold stare to Swann who was defying but he didn¡¯t speak a wordter on as he understood that there was no way to convince Judd .

    He thought, ¡¯This guy is quite serious today . I guess he took my joke quite seriously¡¯

    Swann cursed, "Stinky Old men . Let¡¯s see how he can stop me . "

    Swann looked at the other kids Lucius and their group as he smiled, ¡¯I might as well team up with them and join these patrols . Those brats are certainly nning something . Yes, I should approach that troublemaker y as it is easy to talk with him . ¡¯

    ****

    The Royal family had meanwhile sent General Endo for his expedition at North . He was a newly appointed general by King Lionheart . It seemed that General Endo was one of the brothers of her concubine, Cecilia .

    For raking up quick achievements and making a name for himself, He saw this rebellion as an opportunity and he volunteered himself to raid the Winter City and upy it, Little did he know about the fate of General Irwin and others when they tried to invade North-frontier town .

    One of his assistants who was from the same family spoke cunningly, "Lord, it seems like this rebellion was a heaven-sent opportunity for us . "

    General Endo smiled and spoke, "Well, all the credit for it goes to my Nephew, Hector . He was quite pissed with that man and hence used all of his resources to corner that upstart . It seems the n was a sess from the way that Count acted this time around and showed his fangs to the Kingdom . "

    The Assistant, "What about their weapons? We need to be careful, right?"

    Endo nodded but gave his conclusions, "True, we need to be careful of their ballistas but in the end, they still have to defend that city which can¡¯t move anywhere . Additionally, this time we are moving with the Dwarves so that upstart really won¡¯t be a problem . However, I suspect that Dwarves are only trying to intimidate him and will eventually side with him . So we must be more careful about those dwarves . "

    "And what about the Fjord¡¯s?"

    General Endo snorted and spoke in a mocking manner, "What about them? They are actually being led by that rookie, Darius when ites to naval warfare . If he acts against us, we might as well use this opportunity to pressurize the Fjords into giving us the ship blueprints which Minister to has been drooling for a long time . This problem with that Count was started by the Laguna family(Fjord) in the first ce . "

    The Assistant didn¡¯t agree and spoke, "Not really, Milord . ording to our family sources, this war was instigated by Prince Hector when he gave the assassination order for Evan so that he can use the Fjord¡¯s against that Count . "

    General Endo looked around and spoke, "Shh . . . Though you are my right-hand man and are from the family, you should control that mouth of yours . It will be very problematic if someone hears you . What matters currently is that Fjord¡¯s forced a situation on everyone and hence the current results . Do you have any news on the Dwarves?"

    The Assistant nodded and spoke, "Yes, General Nokhud has sent this letter to you . As far as internal information is concerned, That Rebel has sent a diplomat named Phillip to Bryndyll and the same has been done by King Ludwin . It seems something is cooking up . "

    One of the sailors who was a spy from Duke Fjord¡¯s heard from a magic rune and was immediately chilled .

    ¡¯What! Prince Hector ordered the assassination of Lord Evan? This is big news . This needs to be reported immediately . ¡¯

    He immediately took out his magic pen and wrote a letter, filled it up in a bottle and threw it in the sea .

    @@novelbin@@

    ****

    One-eyed Darius spoke with arrogance as he read the letter of General Nokhud, "This time, let¡¯s see how those guys escape . Previously, they were quite arrogant because of their weapons . "

    He thought, ¡¯This is the war where I will avenge my brother . This Chaos started all because of that Upstart Merchant . ¡¯

    His assistant soon spoke, "General, what about the orders from Duke? He said that we need to be cautious as we have already lost enough ships . "

    Darius saw that his assistant was acting quite suspiciously and spoke, "What are you worried about? You don¡¯t want to be a soldier who was Killed In Action, right?"

    The Assistant shivered and spoke, "No sir, We will attack that city at dawn . "

    He thought, ¡¯Hmph, I am not the only one who is keeping a watch on you . It seems I need to report this to Strategist Jonas after this mission . ¡¯

    ****

    Currently, there was furor at the Capital city of Bryndyll,

    With a surprised face, The Wine king asked after drinking the Blood Moon, "Who made this wine? I would like to know the creator of this wine . "

    The Mayor knew that there would be a problem so he asked cautiously, "Is there a problem, Wine King?"

    The wine king shook his head and spoke, "No, After such a long time I was able to drink such a good wine . So this wine got me interested . "

    A lot of aristocrats were surprised after hearing thements of Wine King .

    The Agricultural Minister who was just visiting the Banquet asked the Mayor, "Hey, who bought in those wines that even Wine King has taken the interest in it?"

    The Mayor hesitated a bit and introduced Phillip, "It was actually the envoy of Lord John, Mr . Phillip . "

    Not recognizing John or Phillip, The Minister asked the Mayor, "Hmmm . . . Someone from outside the Kingdom? Now, this is surprising . What is their history? Please exin in detail . "

    After hearing in detail from Mayor, the Minister and Wine King both understood the reason for Phillip¡¯s arrival .

    The Agricultural minister, Kuggon smiled after having a taste of Blood Moon and got straight to the point and asked Phillip, "It seems you guys are in a diplomatic crisis currently, Offer me 500 Bottles of that Wine and I can help you arrange a meeting with the higher-ups, How about it?"

    Phillip was waiting for this sort of opportunity as he smiled and thought, ¡¯I never thought that I would be able to gain a meeting this early with the higher-ups . I must not miss this opportunity . ¡¯

    "Of Course, we will be gifting these wines to both Wine King and Lord Kuggon . I hope I can meet the defense minister and sort out & negotiate our problems so that our misunderstanding doesn¡¯t widen up . Meanwhile, we would like to offer our best wines in trade with Bryndyll and trade in other items . "

    The Wine King too smiled and immediately ordered the Mayor, "Mayor, you can go and announce the results of thispetition to everyone present . "

    The Wine King showed a big smile and asked Phillipter on, "Diplomat Phillip, I would like to know the name of the creator of this marvelous Wine . "

    Phillip smiled as all the parties were interested in their wine and spoke, "It was actually our lord who made the creation of this wine possible . It was because of our Chief Engineer, Mr . Tornwall that he decided to engage in Winemaking . Recently, there have been various varieties of wines that have been released by our Lord¡¯s Manor . "

    The Wine King, Mayor and the Agricultural Minister, Kuggon were quite surprised when they heard that their Lord made this wine just for his chief Engineer .

    Kuggon thought, ¡¯It seems Tornwall is living quite a happy life . ¡¯

    The Wine King thought, ¡¯It seems I have to travel to North-frontier Town . If these wines are made using the Magic Power, I wonder what will be their real value . They are already this good . My only wines that are capable ofpeting with these are those with Magic Power . I need to talk with King Ludwin and others . ¡¯

    Very soon the Banquet was concluded,

    Mayor was showing a happy face as well as a grumpy face as well,

    Happy because he was able to make a good impression on the Wine King and the Agricultural Minister . Grumpy because he was ordered to create problems for Diplomat Phillip from the Foreign Ambassador at Duke Fjord¡¯s Domain .

    The Mayor, ¡¯Ohh well, I can¡¯t keep everyone happy . Additionally, this wine is so good I would never have imagined to get it in my lifetime . I guess it is worth it, not to mention my contact with Wine King and Lord Kuggon today . ¡¯

 Chapter 239

    Chapter 239

    ****

    The Next day,

    The whole North-frontier city was excited as John had made a Big presentation about the ck Death disease in Rose Insitute and gave the solutions regarding this life reaping disease but he only gave the theories while keeping the forms to himself . There wasn¡¯t much hubbub before the lecture but it became big after the Pharmacists got to know about the contents of John¡¯s lecture .

    One of the Pharmacists spoke enthusiastically after hearing John¡¯s lecture, "I never thought that ck Death was an artificially made disease and could have such a solution . The most important conclusion was that it was a parasite that affected those with low magic power . It seems, our army had encountered this disease and hence the extreme measures employed by Lord John to tackle it . You should have been present yesterday, you missed a big opportunity to see such a lecture which would be recorded in history for the nexting years . I guess this would also develop the next generation of Pharmacists after this example . "

    One of the Pharmacists spoke as he was in hisb yesterday, "Well, this entire lecture was recorded so there is no problem even if I missed it . It will be there at the Rose Institute so I will head thereter on and research more on that case after borrowing the books . Anyway, currently most of the Pharmacists are hired by the Administrative headquarters, I too am going since the pay is good . Do you know anything about it?"

    "As far as I know, It is certainly rted to this war so that is the reason for higher pay . And another reason is that there are few Light magicians in our domain and hence the bigger reliance on us . "

    Foreign Minister Anin looked at the report given by his assistant and asked, "Are you sure that this news is true?"

    @@novelbin@@

    The assistant nodded and spoke, "Yes, Milord . I have personally verified it . I was at the lecture previously with our Pharmacist and he said that this was very big news . It seems they certainly know the source of this problem and may have already created a drug which can nullify it . "

    He continued, "However, the bigger matter right now is, Previously Minister Taylor invited us to attend their biggest Auction today . He hinted that we will be more surprised today after visiting that Auction . From my sources, I know that Demon Prince Chad¡¯s assistant too is going to attend this auction . The only ones that are not being invited are Ambassador Luke and his mates . I think you know the reason behind that . I expect them to introduce the cures for ck Death at this auction . "

    Anin asked with a serious face, "Did you remind him about our lost ships in the north-sea and their consequences?"

    The Assistant nodded and spoke, "Yes, however, Interior Minister Taylor is quite stubborn, It seems currently their policy ising from King John himself . So we can¡¯t influence it . He said that any misadventure at Winter City and Aurora Ind will lead to consequences for which they won¡¯t be responsible . Today, they will officially announce the existence of Winter City, Aurora City and other wild areas that they are trying to tame or have already tamed . "

    The assistant spoke with a grave tone, "However, they gave us another piece of important information which would be useful to us . "

    Anin furrowed his brows and asked, "What is it?"

    He spread out a map and pointed towards some locations, "Duke Norman too is expanding hisnds at North with the permission of the Royal family while carefully avoiding areas that are being upied by Lord John himself . These are the ces where they are trying to upy the nortnds . "

    Anin shockingly asked as he never expected this sort of development, "What! They are already upying all the wild areas in the North? Now, this is big news . We must inform the other ministers . "

    The Assistant continued and spoke in a grave manner, "The reason they gave us this information is that It seems they want to strengthen their rtions with other powers . I guess, the Fire-abyss kingdom too will be rmed by these moves . "

    Anin sighed and thought, ¡¯If we had just moved a year or two earlier, then we would have been able to capture thosends and get a permanent base near Aelius . But all is ruined because of those Ballistas . ¡¯

    He sighed and spoke, "I guess, we were too greedy to swallow everyone up near our borders and waited for too long . "

    The assistant spoke, "Yes, the Fire-abyss kingdom too is rmed . However, they are more worried about Duke Friedreich Bluesea¡¯s Borders and Count John¡¯s Borders meeting up after this expansion . This would basically strengthen both Sky Kingdom and Duke Fredreich . "

    Duke Anin murmured, "It seems this auction will be very important from the way they are promoting it . "

    Assistant worriedly asked, "Lord, What about General Nokhud and their Raid at Winter city?"

    Anin smiled and spoke, "If they(Sky Kingdom) are able to repel it . We will simply say that we thought there was some foreign power and hence sent an expedition . We only got to know about their upation after today¡¯s announcement . If they are not able to repel it, we can ask for some big concessions from their side like getting back Tornwall or some of their technologies . In the end, Might is Right . We are anyway prepared for Diplomatic as well as Military measures . Are you clear?"

    The Assistant nodded and spoke, "Yes, Milord . "

    Anin murmured as his assistant left, "I hope we don¡¯t lose too many men . Anyway, I should check up on Greg, Jackson and others . "

    ***

    Darius¡¯s Assistant meanwhile got a report from his men and took the bottle and unencrypted it to read the message .

    He read the message which was rted to Lord Evan who was previously assassinated, "Hmmm . . . Now, this is big . Should I report it to General? Nah, I will directly pass on this message to Strategist Jonas and other ministers . From the looks of it, General Darius is very much in this war because of his personal hate for Count John where he lost his brother so he may suppress this news and try to use it to his advantage . I need to make preparations . "

    ****

    At the Auction,

    Currently, Georgio was keenly looking at the movements of John and all the other Aristocrats who were participating with much enthusiasm .

    He murmured as he watched diplomats and ministers of various kingdoms, "I guess they are going to reveal something big and hence the big movements today . "

    He smiled as he looked at Ambassador Luke who wasing in as if he was a thief .

    "Serves them right . "

    Meanwhile Ambassador Luke was quite irritated as he had to attend this auction from themoner sitting arrangements while hiding his face at the same time .

    He irritatingly murmured, "Damn it . It is certainly suspicious that all of these aristocrats are present here . Something is definitely going on . Why were we so anxious to get our hands in this pit thinking it was gold mine . "

    His assistant asked as he observed Luke¡¯s current mood, "Milord, I think it is rted to the cure of ck Death and their medicines . What do you think?"

    Luke shrugged it off and spoke in a grave manner, "What about it? Nothing to do with us . We will report them as usual . It is the ministers who will deal with ck Death and the recent cure which Count John has introduced . More than ck Death I am more worried about the presence of those dwarves and demons . I hope they don¡¯t sign a deal with them or else it would be disastrous for us . The very advantage that we have will all go to waste if they ally with Bryndyll . Even those Demons have visited this Auction today . It would be very troublesome to deal with them together . "

    He thought, ¡¯Well on the positive side, the Dwarves will get on bad terms with the Fjords . ¡¯

    Meanwhile, Anin smiled as he saw that Luke was currently hiding his face and seated at themoner area to observe the Auction .

    He thought of some idea after finding them out, ¡¯Aah those arrogant guys are quite docile today . I must have some fun teasing them . ¡¯

    Anin slowly approached Luke and mocked him, "hahahaha, It seems that even the Mighty Aelius can¡¯t do anything to a rebel . Well, I guess it was natural that Count John rebelled against the greed of your king and his ministers who were hoping to eat Dragon meat without putting in any effort . Well, you guys were still lucky to get those Ballistas without any research . If we were in your ce we would have never treated Count John and his men with such contempt . I guess that is the difference between Aelius and Bryndyll when ites to treating their researchers . "

    One of Luke¡¯s guards couldn¡¯t take in any nder and immediately roared, "You dare nder Aelius and the Royal family?"

    Anin smiled as he saw one of Luke¡¯s guards taking the bait of his words, He smiled and further provoked them, "Yeah, What if I am? You know this isn¡¯t Aelius where your brute force would work . "

    He smiled and pointed near the guards at Auction, "If you want, you can try using your authority on them . I don¡¯t think they would mind me ndering Aelius, no, they would be delighted hearing it . "

    With a serious face, Luke asked Anin after hearing him, "What do you mean, Minister Anin?"

    Anin gave a cunning smile and spoke, "As you guessed, we are going to recognize the Sky Kingdom after some negotiations . You see I got orders from Ministers at Bryndyll that they were quite satisfied with the gift provided by Diplomat Phillip . And if you are offended for thisnd being called the Sky Kingdom, then show me that this is Aelius . I don¡¯t see any authority or Power of Aelius or the Royal Family over here . "

    With a dark face, Luke didn¡¯t refute because he knew that if he created a ruckus then he and his men would be thrown out immediately . They had already lost face when they were the only ones who were not invited at this auction .

    He signaled his guard to calm down and headed the other way, He murmured, "I guess we need to tolerate this humiliation for now . "

    A lot of guys were moring as they identified that it was Ambassador Luke and his men,

    One of the Demon diplomats smiled as he saw Ambassador Luke, "Hmmm . . . This is quite interesting . It seems something big is happening today at this auction as even Luke disregarding his face ising here personally . No wonder Ministers wanted me to attend this Auction . I guess this is the effect of that Cure for ck Death . "

    He gazed in a different direction but couldn¡¯t find the source, "Hmm . . . What is this ominous aura? I guess I am hallucinating a lot these days after arriving at this City . "

 Chapter 240

    Chapter 240

    One of the devils smiled as he sensed one of the demons trying to gauge them and asked hisrade, "Why are you so much interested in this Auction here?"

    The other devil smiled and spoke as he continuously looked at the Auction tform, "Well, I feel a bit of external magic powering out of this ce . So we might as well have a look at this ce . "

    "Well, we need to be careful of demons, we are far out of our homnd and don¡¯t want to be caught because of your curiosity . "

    The other guy smiled and spoke, "Yes, but a look won¡¯t be dangerous, right?"

    The other devil sighed, "I guess this is ok as well . This count has anyway attracted the interest of a lot of people on this continent . "

    "What do you think, should we contact this count?"

    The other devil thought and spoke, "Well, there is no harm in it, from the rumors I heard that he is pretty easy going unlike the demons who cry after every contract we make with them . They cry foul for making losses and nder us every time . Anyway, let¡¯s first see what they are up to and thenter make our decision . "

    Very soon the Auction started on time,

    One of the Commonersmented after watching the security and a number of important people attending this particr Auction .

    "It seems something big is going on at this Auction . don¡¯t you think so after looking at the security?"

    "Yes, I too feel the same . The Atmosphere here is a bit tense unlike the previously held Auctions . Additionally, today I can see a lot of ministers as well . See, even Jean the municipal Minister is here . "

    "Anyway, from the looks, we can expect a lot of different things as well as valuable items which can be bought by anyone . "

    "Yes, this time, there will be a lot of items definitely since it is such a grand auction today so we can look forward to it . "

    At this time, Jack was also present who was keenly waiting for this auction for a long time .

    He smiled as he saw Kevin, Thomas and Michael who were new entrepreneurs of Sky Kingdom, "I guess a lot of rare items will be presented today to make this event livelier and hence the big crowd which includes a lot of people today . "

    Very soon the first item was presented,

    The first item to be introduced was the Longevity Pill in a batch of 3 which had disappeared for decades after Mnie resigned from Court .

    The presenter smiled and spoke as the item came into view of everyone, "As you can see this is a pill, We are opening the Auction with the introduction of Longevity Pill . I am sure every one of you is aware about the history of this pill . But this time it is a bit different . As every one of you know, Lord John is a disciple of Grand Potioneer Mnie . This Pill was personally refined by Lord John himself with a change forme . This Pill can increase the Life of a person by 25 years, this has been personally verified by various Appraisers which we hired previously . "

    Suddenly there was a hubbub in the crowd when they heard of this Pill .

    One of the rich men in the crowd couldn¡¯t stop as he heard the announcement and eximed, "WHAT! Longevity Pill and that too with 25 years of increased lifespan that is personally refined by Lord John himself?"

    Alison furrowed his brows as he looked at the Longevity Pill, "Why are these guys fussing so much over a longevity oil which can only increase 25 years . alison

    Having a lifespan of 1000s of years, it was quite natural for Alison to react in such a way .

    Mist understood his mindset and exined to him, "Well this may still be quite useful to our elders . So let¡¯s not spite about the reactions . Those old fogies would react the same way when they heard about this pill . "

    Alison nodded and spoke, "Hmm . . . Yes, we may as well try to get our luck .

    Alison looked around and spoke, "Well it will be tough considering the interest of demons and dwarfs . "

    Mist, "Well, it¡¯s expected as demons explore a lot of taboo magics to increase their power and hence lose lifespan . Anyway, let¡¯s focus on the opening item . "

    The Presenter immediately announced, "The starting price would 500 gold coins with a minimum increase of 50 . "

    Immediately a person from below spoke as he looked at the pills, "550 Gold coins . "

    "700 . "

    "800 . "

    The Demon ambassador roared immediately, "1000 . Who dares fight against me for this pill . "

    Luke snorted and spoke, "Hmph, Elison raise the bid . "

    "1100 . "

    The dwarves too joined the bid, "1200 . "

    "1500 . " suddenly one of the merchants screamed from below .

    He was quite aged .

    He murmured, "I will have it no matter the cost . Previously we never got the chance to get our hands on such items but it is possible at this auction when everyone gets a chance to participate . "

    2000

    3000

    5000 Gold coins .

    Very soon the Price reached 7000 Gold coins which Luke bid .

    "8000 . " said the old merchant with red shot eyes as if he was determined to win at any cost .

    There was a look of astonishment on the faces of a lot of people they heard him .

    @@novelbin@@

    "Interesting . ", spoke the devil with a smile who was continuously observing the situation .

    "Yes, if it was any other ce then he would have been robbed immediately or killed for offending a noble . "

    "Well, he would even be able to participate in such type of auctions if that was the case . "

    Luke was pissed very much as he heard from Elison that they didn¡¯t have enough money currently, "Damnit, why didn¡¯t you guys bring enough money?"

    Very soon the third hammer rang and those batch of pills were won by the Merchant .

    "And these batch of pills goes to Merchant Bill . "

    "YES!!!"

    As soon as he got the pills . He immediately took one of the pills without any hesitation .

    He spoke, "I got these pills after such a long time . "

 Chapter 244 175. General Nokhuds Decision.

    <h4>Chapter 244 175. General Nokhud¡°s Decision.</h4>

    At the time of Dawn the next day,

    General Nokhud and his men were slowly preparing to invade Winter city while General Endo and Darius were just right at the nks behind the Dwarves.

    Nokhud looked at Winter with a serious expression as he looked at the Shots and thought, ¡¯If I seed in this mission to get the Ballistas then the Position of the Marshal General would not be a dream for me. With the shots, my chances of seeding are very high this time around. If it was anyone else I would have been very confident but this time it is the Mysterious Lord, John who has brought miracles numberable times. I need to be cautious, ording to the intel we got, it is believed that have a tool which can look far into the distance.¡¯

    When they were advancing slowly at dawn, their whole fleet saw a light signal in the sky which came from far away about 5-10 km away from them.

    Suddenly General Endo got an ominous feeling as he saw the light signal, ¡¯Something is off, why is this areapletely devoid without any of the enemy ships.¡¯

    Eric was gravely watching the advance of General Nokhud and others as he looked at sky where he immediately gave a light signal for ke and others to gather reinforcements because of the immediate invasion by their enemies.

    @@novelbin@@

    Eric looked at the ships from his telescope and asked Sean, "All we can do is wait and resist. All the ships already got the information about their new weapons, right?"

    Sean nodded and spoke, "Yes, all the captains know about their weapons. Every one of them has confirmed it with acknowledgment."

    Eric looked at their weird weapons as he gave an order, "This time we will be using the full range of our weapons. We can¡¯t let overconfidence in our weapons lose the lives of ourrades. Additionally, they have great numbers so we need to be very cautious this time around. I won¡¯t be taking any chances when ites to the lives of myrades."

    Sean seriously nodded and got to work,

    ****

    Meanwhile, Lucius, y, Swann and others were had quietly snuck on to Judd¡¯s fleet with their disguises which concealed their faces.

    y was in a quite good mood after he was sessfully able to infiltrate the ships with their horses.

    He thought, ¡¯I guess it was good coborating with Swann or it would have been way more tough to infiltrate the Aurora Squad.¡¯

    Lucius meanwhile had other thoughts as he looked at the heavy atmosphere which was permeating in the ship.

    "I guess something big is going to happen, we better be prepared for any unknown circumstances. The atmosphere here is quite tense."

    Swann to nodded as he was quite familiar with Judd and his workings, "Yes, there wouldn¡¯t be such an atmosphere even in the toughest times. I guess something really is off. I think this might be rted to our sudden release and training under Jake. From my guesses, a war is brewing at the seas and hence the sudden abolition for juniors."

    Very soon, there was a light signal at the sky which came from quite far as the entire Winter City port got into action.

    There was sudden order from Judd to everyone, "Prepare yourselves, we are leaving for Winter City. Enemy has apparently advanced to our borders, this time, our job is to assassinate the important men after the main fleets fight them off using the cannons."

    Very soon Judd¡¯s fleet and all the other surrounding fleets left for Winter City, with a few remaining at Aurora to defend the city.

    y and Swann were apparently shocked but they were also excited at the same time while Lucius had the same old cold look as he looked at the gun which was specially prepared by Tim and he thought, ¡¯Finally, I can fight those bastards from Fjord¡¯s domain and avenge my parents.¡¯

    ****

    As soon as General Nokhud and others reached the borders of Winter city.

    Eric used the stone rune and immediately roared towards the direction of Nokhud, Darius and Endo, "Invaders from Aelius and Bryndyll, leave at once. You are entering the territory of Sky Kingdom. Any further advances from your side will be considered an invasion of our sovereign territories. You guys alone will bear the consequences if your fleets anhilliated."

    Expecting the answer, General Nokhud smiled and spoke, "Hmph... whom are you fooling? You guys are simply pirates who have upied our territories. Don¡¯t even try to disguise yourself as the navy of Sky Kingdom. You guys will be dealt with shortly."

    As for Endo and Darius, they didn¡¯t even bother to reply as Darius snorted and simply advanced from the nks of General Nokhud.

    Looking at the reply by everyone, Eric had a grave expression as he spoke, "It seems they simply won¡¯t understand unless they have a taste of our naval prowess. Sean, prepare the cannons and order to shoot them when anyonees in our range."

    Immediately, Eric and his fleet got into preparations mode as they started shooting the cannons when Nokhud¡¯s fleet advanced their Red lines.

    The fleets of General Endo and Darius started advancing from the nks without worrying about others.

    The sounds of cannons could be heard almost immediately when they were fired.

    Watching the Cannons in action everyone was shocked by the monstrous power and the range of the Cannons which was unleashed by the enemy,

    One of the dwarfs immediately eximed as one of their ships was blown by the cannon, "Hey, what is that weapon? Goddamnit, why is their range so big. We need to advance so that they cane in the range of shots. Dammnit, why are they only targeting us and not Darius and others? What is going on?"

    Darius and Endo smiled as they looked at the current situation where only General Nokhud¡¯s fleet was targeted.

    Nokhud had a shocked face as he looked at the Cannons, He slowly murmured as he looked at the carnage that was bought by the cannons, "Were they always hiding such weapons? We can¡¯t fight them if they have such lethal weapons. We will face numerous losses against these weapons."

    He thought, ¡¯I either need to advance with full force or retreat immediately or else it will mean the annihtion of our fleet. And there is this suspicious action where they are only targeting us, do they already know about our secret weapons? No, that is impossible.¡¯

    Very soon the best scout on Nokhud¡¯s deck reported to him, "Milord I need to report you a serious matter."

    General Nokhud had a serious and angry face as he looked at the scout, "What is it?"

    The scout looked around and spoke in a serious manner, "ording to my observations, The enemy ships are more faster than the ones that we bought from Duke Fjord. Lord John and his men have faster ships. We need to make a decision. I only observed it when some of the ships at their back were excitedly running but it was soon stopped as if someone gave the order to hide their speed."

    General Nokhud was shocked as he realized that this won¡¯t be an easy battle, he thought, ¡¯It seems they are hiding a lot of things. More like they were prepared for the worst when they made this settlement. I need to rethink my ns.¡¯

    General Nokhud looked around as he saw the fleets of General Endo and Darius moving forward without any care, he thought, ¡¯We can use them.¡¯

    He then looked at his ships which were blown by the cannons and thought, ¡¯Hmm... so I need to either abandon these ships with Shots or probably face annihtion and conquer them. No, they have hidden a lot of things like the speed of their ships, they can simply run and kite us, from my understanding, that letter wasn¡¯t exaggerating when they described the weapons or their speed. I can¡¯t be sure about victory. I can¡¯t take this gamble.¡¯

    He then gravely looked at the cannons, sighed and came to a conclusion, ¡¯Very well, we will leave. They anyway have better weapons than us. I might as well save the lives of my men and take responsibility for this loss. Those fools (Darius and Endo) might even help us in our escape.¡¯

    Making a stern face, Nokhud gravely ordered their fleet, "We will be retreating, I repeat, we will be retreating immediately, there was amunication misunderstanding between Bryndyll and the naval forces of Sky Kingdom."

    A lot of people from the Bryndyll¡¯s fleet were shocked but decided to follow the orders of their Generals.

 Chapter 248

    Chapter 248

    Swann smiled and spoke to Lucius, "Why don¡¯t we ask Captain Judd to blow that ship . "

    Lucius shook his head and spoke, "No, I will kill him with my very own hands . "

    Swann sighed and spoke, "I guess we have no choice, Very well, lets go . "

    Very soon all of themnded on a ship which previously belonged to Fjords,

    y asked Swann as he watched him fitting some equipment on the ship, "Hey, what are you fitting on this lousy ship?"

    Swann smiled as he looked at the water boosters and spoke in a mysterious way, "Well, this is one of our Trump cards to catch that bastard . "

    After preparations, they started chasing Darius and his ship .

    One of the scouts noted an anomaly and spoke to the cannoneer, "Don¡¯t shoot, those kids are on that ship . "

    Judd was really frustrated as he saw that the kids had disappeared after the magic smoke bomb which sted earlier .

    One of his subordinates came near him and spoke, "Milord, those kids are apparently on Fjord¡¯s ship and going south-west . "

    With frustration, he spoke, "Damn it . Send one team to chase them . That¡¯s why I hate bringing kids on a battlefield . Even that cunning Endo has left . "

    "Yes, Milord . "

    ****

    After watching the general direction of Darius¡¯s ship, Swann activated the water booster and increased his speed by 2 times .

    y was surprised as he looked at the Water boosters with stars in his eyes, "Woah, this is incredible . "

    Pleased with y¡¯s expression, Swann proudly spoke, "Good, from now on follow me and you shall see more surprises . "

    After some while, Darius¡¯s ship in their view and they increased their speed to maximum .

    Darius roared, "Damn, who is chasing us now?"

    "It is one of our ships . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Darius skeptically watched and asked, "How is it possible? I don¡¯t think there is any ship that can bepared to our speed . "

    One of the scouts immediately spoke, "Lord, it is those brats that are chasing us . "

    Darius was shocked as he thought and smiled, He spoke in a cunning manner after some realization, "What? Good, start firing Ballistas on them . Looking at the way that captain was protecting them, they must be good inbat . "

    "Okay, Milord . "

    But very soon one of the ballistas hit their ship .

    Darius immediately roared as he saw one ballista blowing off their mast, "Fu*k, do they want to sink me? Turn the directions, we will deal with them and escape on their ship . Does that brat think, I can¡¯t even handle him?"

    One subordinate spoke, "I advise against this decision, milord . There are other ships which are behind those brats . "

    Darius shut him up and spoke, "No need I have already decided, we will take over their ships and weapons when we escape . There is a better chance to escape with their weapons and essories . This can also give us merit when we return . Don¡¯t target that ship, it is our way to escape . "

    The subordinate sighed and spoke, "Yes, Milord . "

    Lucius smiled as he watched Darius¡¯s ship turning their direction and heading their way, he spoke, "Good, exactly as nned, When theye, starting firing our rifles on their them indiscriminately . "

    "Swann, you will target Darius with your Magic bullets . "

    Swann subconsciously nodded, "Yes . "

    Swann soon realized and spoke in an angry manner, "Aah, whom are you ordering? Hmph, I will target him on my own ord . "

    He thought and nodded, ¡¯I guess I now understand why I don¡¯t like this brat . A natural leader I guess . Well since he has a personal grudge against him, I might as well listen to him for once . ¡¯

    sts and gunfire could be heard as Darius¡¯s ship approached them .

    Azrail smiled and whispered to Lucius which surprised him and he immediately took a sound stone .

    Lucius spoke on the sound stone, "Hear me sailors on the enemy ship . As long as you drop your weapons and raise your hands, you won¡¯t be killed . Resist and you will die in front of our weapons . "

    Darius ruthlessly roared as he understood the n of Lucius, "Who dares betray me?"

    Soon Darius¡¯s ship got near Lucius¡¯s ship and the rate of casualty increased as well . This was the time when a lot of soldiers dropped their weapons .

    At this time, Darius was about to kill one of the deserters when his subordinate stopped him and spoke in a grave tone, "Sir, you don¡¯t want to cause a mutiny, do you?"

    He then pointed out towards some of the guys who had dropped their weapons, "Look some of them are ready to retaliate if you try to kill them . "

    With immense anger, Darius roared, "Why . "

    The subordinate spoke as he looked in the direction of soldiers, "They don¡¯t see hope in surviving this battle if they fight for you . You are meaninglessly leading them to their deaths . Even if we catch this ship, the other ships won¡¯t let us leave . They have already pointed their cannons in our directions . "

    Meanwhile, Lucius and crewnded on Darius¡¯s ship as they rounded up .

    Looking at one of the leaders, Swann orders him, "You, Chain them all up . It seems you are their leader and you are also the one who decided to surrender . "

    The captain solemnly spoke as he understood that he was a disloyal soldier now, "Yes, there is no meaning in this battle . I and my men will unnecessarily lose lives for some merit which will ultimately belong to that scum . However, I don¡¯t think we can survive this battle . We could have left previously but after underestimating you kids, he decided to use us as cannon fodder . We have already suffered enough when he betrayed the mates when he ran in the previous two battles . I ain¡¯t fighting for a scum . "

    Satisfied with his answer, Swann nodded and spoke, "Good, detain the men who have decided to surrender . Our men won¡¯t shoot them . "

    Lucius headed towards Darius and spoke, "Didn¡¯t you want a 1 on 1 duel previously? Look I just came to fulfill that demand of yours . "

    Looking at the situation, Darius knew that he couldn¡¯t back down as he snorted and immediately charged in to surprise Lucius .

    Darius murmured as he charged, "This runt thinks he can fight a knight in a 1 on 1 duel . Good, this will be a good chance to escape if I can get hold of him . "

    Lucius immediately took out his small sword and a knife and moved to his left, he knew that he can¡¯t fight him head-on when ites to strength .

    Lucius watched him and concluded, ¡¯He has good speed, I can¡¯t attack him yet . ¡¯

    When he moved to his left, he scratched his knife on Darius .

    Darius again charged as he ignored the minor damage which was inflicted by Lucius . Again Lucius scratched his skin with his knife . The game of a cat and mouse continued for a while . Lucius would asionally try to attack him with his sword which was always easily deflected by Darius¡¯s shield . This gave the impression that Darius¡¯s shield was very sturdy .

    Getting frustrated by this chasing game, Darius tried to provoke him, "Hmph, Why don¡¯t you give up? You can only fight with that rifle of yours . " But this time, Darius¡¯s movements had slowed down .

    After watching Darius¡¯s slowed movements, Lucius this time smiled and moved in to attack him .

    "Finally . "

    Lucius roared and charged, "Very well, since you want a head-on battle . Don¡¯t regret itter on . "

    This time when he charged with his sword and knife, both his sword and knife were giving a ck glow as runes too activated on it .

    Looking at the sword, y smiled and spoke, "It seems, he is finally going to use that sword of his . "

    Swann was confused as he asked, "What? Aren¡¯t you worried that he might die? And what is with that General¡¯s eye?"

    Azrail sighed and spoke, "I guess, you don¡¯t know . Yeah, you weren¡¯t with us when we were training with Jake previously . You don¡¯t need to worry about Lucius, he is quite strong . As far as that sword and Knife is concerned, they were made from a Dark ore and were personally gifted by Instructor Jake to Lucius for attaining the first position among us juniors . That ck glow apparently is Lucius¡¯s Dark energy covered at the edges . Since Lucius didn¡¯t have enough magic energy, he had decided this trick to maximize the efficiency by only covering the edges of his sword with dark energy . In any case, Lucius is better at closebat anyway, you don¡¯t need to worry . As for that General¡¯s eye, I heard that he lost it Lucius¡¯s mom if he is Mr . Henry¡¯s son . "

 Chapter 250

    Chapter 250

    At Aurora port and Winter city port, a lot of sailors were celebrating their victory over Aelius, Fjords and Bryndyll .

    One of the sailors cheered in the pub and spoke enthusiastically, "Hahaha, today is a good day, We have apparently killed one Enemy general and also captured one Enemy general from Bryndyll . "

    Another guy who was unaware of the situation spoke, "Hmm . . . So that¡¯s the reason why we are seeing so many prisoners in chains at Port . I hope this doesn¡¯t trigger a diplomatic offensive from Dwarves as well . I wonder who killed the enemy general this time around . "

    The other guy spoke as enthusiastically sipped his new wine, "It was a kid called Lucius, he was the one who killed the enemy general from Fjord¡¯s domain . I think the general¡¯s name was Darius who led the Fjord¡¯s this time around, however, they had a very small fleet this time around . As far as a Diplomatic offensive is concerned, we don¡¯t need to worry . Both Aurora and Winter was already dered as a part of our domain a few days back . So it will be considered an invasion if theye . And as it will be opened to public in a few days, so this time, we can expect a lot of people to arrive here and conduct trade . Apparently our ports will be opened after all of this messy battlefield is sorted out . That Storm really changed all of our ns to chase those invaders . "

    One of the guys from Bran¡¯s ship asked, "Isn¡¯t that kid hanging with that Half-beast Brat, y?"

    One of the guys from Aurora squad who was quiet for a while, spoke as he heard about the brats, "Yes, the very same kid, those brats had apparently stolen my Telescope previously . "

    "Yes, I remember them, That kid called y is always creating troubles for everyone . "

    "Yes from what I heard from Captain Judd, After interogattion it was revealed that it was that brats n when they infiltrated the ships to participate in this war . " A lot of guysughed as they talked about those brats .

    "Hahaha, good, these kids sure do have a lot of courage . Countries might notck men but they will alwaysck men with bravery . These kids surely are fearless when ites to fighting and War . "

    One of the old men spoke with a bright shine in his eyes, "It seems those kids have shown their true worth in this war . Where are they now? I am sure they would be enjoying now . "

    The sailor from Bran¡¯s squadughed and spoke, "Hahaha, No, I saw those brats grumbling in the morning as they were cleaning the whole institute at Aurora today . It seems Captain Judd has given them punishment for breaking variousws . You must see that kid, y . "

    One of the Devil travelers murmured as he heard the folks, "It seems Lord John this time waged a calcted war . This town somehow looks more advanced in terms of production capabilities after looking at the nearby clothes . Meanwhile, the atmosphere of themoners here is quite good . I think it will be worthwhile to invest in this kingdom . "

    @@novelbin@@

    The traveler was from the first batch of people who came to Aurora from Sea with Sky Kingdom¡¯s navy for a trade mission .

    ****

    The shockwaves of this battle spread to all the corners in this region .

    The very first to be alerted of defeat was Bryndyll kingdom when they saw half of their army returning from various directions .

    One of the soldier Captains immediately informed their Internal minister about the situation of the current battle, "It is bad, Milord . This operation of ours has failed . This time we faced a lot of new weapons which wasn¡¯t provided by the information bureau . General Nokhud sacrificed himself so that we could escape and ry the news . There is one more piece of information which will shock the whole ministry, Lord John¡¯s navy apparently has ships which are much faster than the ones provided by Fjords . "

    The Internal Minister and Strategist, Mu was quite shocked after hearing the current situation, however considering his position, he calmed himself down and immediately asked, "What is the speed of their ships? And what sort of news weapons did you face that you guys are horrified even when you possessed Shots?"

    The internal minister had a red beard and looked like a refined man as he calmly sat on his chair and heard the captain .

    The Captain nodded and spoke, "I am sure their ships are twice as fast aspared to Fjords . As for their weapons, they had double the range aspared to Shots . And they were 10 times more destructive than shots . However, the most surprising thing was their naval unit of sea horses unit . And for some reason they already knew the existence of our shots as they weren¡¯t shocked when they first encountered it . No, it was more like they were already prepared to face our weapons . "

    Mu tried to confirm and asked calmly, "What? Twice as fast? are you sure?"

    Mu meanwhile thought, ¡¯I don¡¯t think anyone on our side would betray us so easily . Meanwhile, Tornwall and other dwarves don¡¯t even know the existence of Shots . I need to investigate about this . ¡¯

    The Captain nodded affirmatively and spoke with determination, "Yes, I am pretty much sure . I can bet my life on it . "

    Watching the soldier and his determination, Mu nodded and slowly murmured, "It seems all of our ns have failed . We need to change our ns . Maybe an alliance would be better to Invade Aelius . "

    He sighed and thought, ¡¯Whom am I fooling? since they have such weapons why would they need our help? It seems, for the first time in centuries we would need to ally with Aelius since this sheep called Sky Kingdom is more of a wolf or they would be an existensial threat to us . We first need to observe them before making any hostile moves . I better get moving fast . ¡¯

    Mu signaled the Soldier and spoke, "Okay, if you have any other important information, ry it to my assistant, I will be going to meet the King and other ministers immediately . You can go to your quarters and rest now . You guys did well in returning back with this valuable info . "

    The Captain nodded as he saluted and left his office, "Yes, Milord . "

    Mu took out a memo and started nning his further line of action, "I need to contact Anin first . Yes, I should let him know of the situation first . He can start negotiating with them for the release of our soldiers immediately . If this situation remains under the curtain, it would be for best . If not, it can be med to mimunication on our part . Next would be to contact that foreign minister Phillip and Wine King to smoothen our rtions . "

    Mu sighed and thought, "If we had just dyed this operation by 2 days then this wouldn¡¯t have urred in the first ce . I hope our trade deal for Elemental ores and mana restoring pills doesn¡¯t get stuck because of this misadventure . "

    Calling his Assistant and after giving out orders, Mu left immediately to meet the concerned persons and ministers to diffuse the tension at naval borders .

    ****

    The same was the situation at Aelius where to had a grave face, "Goddamit, And he had to get caught . His Majesty, Lionheart won¡¯t be pleased if he hears this news . "

    He slowly read a document that described the strategically important parts, "Hmm . . . It seems they had hidden a lot of things, Those water horses seem quite a good addition to increase the battle prowess . So, they also have a secret spying tool that can be used to see at great distances? Now, this is new . No wonder they were always a step ahead whenever our armies attacked them . It seems this war still produced some results when ites to King John¡¯s prowess . They have ships that are faster than the ones owned by Fjords, How is this possible!"

    Suddenly to remembered the letter of Luke which spoke that if they had supported Count John then he would have fully supported the kingdom .

    He gritted his teeth and crushed ss in his hand and angrily roared, "So we fought this for nothing?"

    He mocked himself and thought, ¡¯We thought that Fjord would coborate with Dwarves and give them his prized Ships and their Blueprints . I wished we had supported count John previously so that we could crush that Duke¡¯s arrogance . ¡¯

    to calmed himself down and thought of solutions, "First I need to do something about Endo . Luke is still there at Sky, I can ask him to look at the current situation over there . "

    Suddenly a knock came to his room from his assistant who came in and gave him a letter which was addressed from Luke,

    After looking at the letter, He thought, "Hmm . . . They have created Mana restoring pills? They have also created a cure for ck Death? Now, this is bad . One bad news after another . Woah, They also have the long lost Longevity pills? From the looks of it, this was prepared by Lord John . It seems Luke is having a tough life . Maybe, we can use Baron Mendez¡¯s domain as a buffer to stop this war . As for the pawn, it can be med on Antonio, No this is a big scandal since Baron is ming Prince Hector . And since this is rted to that count, I better be cautious before taking a position . As for the borders, they can bebated from other areas since it is now possible to expand in the wilds . "

    He deeply thought as he looked at the effects of Mana restoring pills, "Hmm . . . The most important thing is the Mana Restoring Pills . How do we get it? Argh, I better convey a meeting of ministers to get a solution . I don¡¯t think King will be convinced just by the longevity pills . "

 Chapter 253

    Chapter 253

    Meanwhile, at the Administrative Headquarters,

    John asked Taylor after the duo left, "What do you think about them, Taylor?"

    Taylor spoke as he remembered his conversation with the duo, "An opportunity and unknown as well since we don¡¯t know anything about Lemuria . To be more specific they are full of mysteries However, I don¡¯t think there would any problems whether it is in regards to trade, politics or military . However, I only worry about the rivals of the Amon family as they would try to create problems for them and us since our first contact is through them . "

    John smiled and nodded as he understood that there will always be some problems, "If it is only that then there shouldn¡¯t be any problem . Trade is always good for the benefit of people . Currently, you will have to deal with the Diplomats of other countries, i . e . Bryndyll, Fire-abyss Kingdom and Aelius . What we need is ess to their markets and our recognition as a state . Our recognition is the most important thing currently . "

    Taylor nodded as he too understood the importance of recognition, he too was quite determined to fulfill this dream . Taylor remembered a certain thing and then asked about the thing that was bothering him previously, "Milord, Minister Alison and Mist wanted some Longevity pills . "

    John thought and spoke immediately, "That won¡¯t be a problem . Take these with you . Minister Alison and Mr . Mist are anyway important men, it¡¯s good that you reminded me about this . "

    John meanwhile thought, ¡¯It seems I will have to produce more of these Longevity pills . ¡¯

    @@novelbin@@

    Taylor nodded and spoke, "Yes, Milord . Meanwhile, Milord, how do we deal about the situation at Winter City and Aurora Ind? Currently General Nokhud is captured by ke, Darius is dead and meanwhile, General Endo is missing . This is quite a delicate situation . "

    After thinking a bit, John smiled and spoke, "As far as Bryndyll is concerned, if need, Make them forcibly recognize our statehood in return General Nokhud¡¯s matter can be passed without speaking anything . As far as I know, From the reaction of Minister Anin previously at the Auction, I think they are in quite the need for Elemental Ores so you can use those ores and Mana Refining pills as good chips for gaining other benefits as well . However, recognition is a must . "

    John smiled and thought, ¡¯This battle was good for us . This recognition by Bryndyll will certainly piss Aelius off while other states too would recognize us without fearing the wrath of Aelius . ¡¯

    Taylor nodded and understood, "I will do my best, Milord . "

    John nodded as he headed back to look at Tornwall¡¯s new prototype, "You can go for now . "

    Saluting John, Taylor went back and proceeded as nned with John .

    ****

    Two dayster,

    Anin was scrambling madly as he received rming news from Mu, The internal minister at Bryndyll .

    Anin sighed and grumbled as he remembered about Thunder Ore and other items which were presented at the auction, "Those brats have just increased my workload . I said 2 days back as well that we need to stop that operation so that we can have a good trading rtionship with Sky but who knows that they already attacked them and got their butts kicked . "

    Anin¡¯s subordinate wearing his sses spoke with a grave tone, "However, it was quite surprising to see their Prowess, Milord, isn¡¯t it?"

    Anin furrowed his brows and spoke in an angry tone, "Yes, that Fjord¡¯s certainly knew something and hence he sent a small fleet . I think he knew about the firepower of Lord John and hence the small fleet . It seems he wanted us to sh head-on with that Count . I think he was doing it on behalf of the Royal family so that this can reduce the threats from their northern border (Sky) and Eastern Border (Bryndyll) . "

    He smiled and continued, "But this has backfired on him as well since Sky kingdom just revealed theirtest State of Art Tech in the previous battle which included those ultra-fast ships . First, we need to prepare for General Nokhud¡¯s release . "

    The subordinate reminded, "Milord, Wine King too ising this time around to settle the problems . "

    Anin murmured as he stroked his beard, "It seems the ministers are quite serious this time around . I guess He is here most probably due to those good wines . "

    Anin sighed and spoke frustratingly, "I never expected them to have such weapons and ships . I wish Lord John was one of the Lords of our country . We would certainly have treated him well enough . I guess we can onlyugh at the idiocy of the Aelius family . Anyway, have you managed to get an appointment with Minister Taylor or Lord John?"

    Anin sighed as he remembered all the different things he experienced at the north-frontier city, He sighed and thought, ¡¯I really marvel at the genius of Lord John . I wonder how he managed to gather such a group of people and create so many wonderful things . Those fools at Aelius will be crying in 100 years when the Sky Kingdom develops . I always thought we at Bryndyll are quite best at everything but Lord John has certainly changed my world view . ¡¯

    The subordinate nodded his head and spoke, "Yes, I managed to get an appointment with Minister Taylor, this time he will be the one who will handle all the affairs . "

    Anin smiled and nodded his head, "Good, I have heard that Lord John is quite a tough negotiator . So it is better that we would only have to deal with Taylor this time around However, We just have to be careful about not breaching their Red lines . Come, lets go . "

    Anin subordinate nodded as he prepared to make a memo for the redlines that they shouldn¡¯t breach this time during the negotiations .

    Very Soon, Both Anin and his subordinate reached Taylor¡¯s office .

    Unlike the previous times, Anin was quite docile this time around,

    As he approached Taylor¡¯s office, he sighed and thought, ¡¯I hope General Nokhud¡¯s matter can be resolved amicably . Anyway, I have to convince them that it¡¯s a misunderstanding . "

    Taylor assistant lead them in and serious talks started immediately,

    After going in circles a few times, Anin came to the main point, "Minister Taylor, I hope we can resolve the matter about General Nokhud and his soldiers . "

    Taylor finally smiled and spoke, "This is a very delicate situation, Minister Anin, I hope you understand the consequences of such a battle . Then there is a public opinion that is being shaped by the soldiers and their immediate family members . "

    With a serious tone Taylor continued, "From what I heard from Navy Admiral ke, he said that the invaders were already warned that both Winter City and Aurora Ind was under Sky Kingdom . But the reply they got was an immediate rebuke andbeling our soldiers as pirates . How do we quell their anger?"

 Chapter 255

    Chapter 255: 255

    Fjord and Jonas were quite shocked after looking at the casualties from Aelius and Bryndyll,

    One of the ministers spoke, "It seems, Darius is dead . And that too at the hands of Henry¡¯s son . How do we proceed? Currently, we are walking on eggshells . "

    One of the Ministers spoke, "It¡¯s good that this scum died, he was anyway staining our honor day by day . Even after so many essories and support from our soldiers, moreover, he died to a team of children while he was escaping . He anyway has enough cases of corruption against him . "

    Another minister slowly murmured . "The only pity is that we lost a valuable knight and made a frightening enemy . "

    One of the ministers whispered, "Hey, did you read those letters which exined the conspiracy of Prince Hector . "

    The other guy looked around and spoke in a very low tone, "Yes, but it is not appropriate to speak about it right now . You should know why did we start that war in the first ce . It is all about interests . However, From my sources, this topic would certainly be raised by Big ministers since we have already sent an official letter and an inquiry . "

    "Really!"

    @@novelbin@@

    "Tone down your voice, Yes, currently, after looking at the battle results, many of the ministers don¡¯t think that it would be good to have a hostile rtionship with that Upstart . From now on, that upstart will be ruling the sea waters and most of the trade happens through the sea so you understand why they have such a position? Also, from our sources, it seems Bryndyll is moving towards Sky so it will be very bad for us from now on . "

    When everyone was quiet, Jonas moved up and spoke,

    Jonas then spoke, "Currently, I would like to propose an inquiry over Lord Evan¡¯s death, as most of you know, Prince Hector conspired to kill Lord Evan so that Lord John and the Laguna domain fight against each other, This was also the reason why this war started in the first ce . I am sure all of you know how Prince Hector manipted Baron Mendez¡¯s son, Antonio to do his bidding . I am sure all of you know of his fate . He has most likely been executed by Lord John or his father . It would be good if we are vary of the Royal family and their intentions, we should keep them at arm¡¯s length and keep the pressure on them . "

    One of the Ministers who had good rtions at Imperial city asked, "How are you sure that Prince Hector conspired against us . We need proof of that . Who knows we are being yed by that count this time around . "

    Jonas looked at the minister and then calmly spoke, "Following the reports from our spies, we first investigated this matter and spied on Prince Hector¡¯s Mother and her family . From our investigation, we confirmed that Lord Evan¡¯s assassination was indeed carried out by Prince Hector¡¯s men . This can also be proven by the fact that a Lot of assassins from Queen¡¯s family had left for North Frontier town when Lord Evan died . Meanwhile, Lord John only had one of his assassins missing, i . e . Jake when Lord Evan died . "

    Jonas continued . "Following Lord Evan¡¯s Death, it was prince Hector who gained the most since he already had a feud with Count John and wanted to teach him a lesson without using his men . In this conspiracy, We were only pawns or you can say we were the knife that was used against Count John this time around . "

    When Lord Evan died, everyone around knew that they deliberately became the knife for Prince Hector after watching the riches of trade between North-frontier City and Duke Rose¡¯s domain . However, no one uttered a single word since they understood that the previous war too was based on interests and this retreat too was based on interests .

    Defense minister too agreed and spoke, "Yes, don¡¯t we already know what happened to the Lorr family previously? We have to be vignt, This time again we were used by the Royal family in the hopes that we submit our Ship manufacturing to them . I would like to suggest, we send our diplomats to Count John so that we can raise a ceasefire and reach an agreement to maintain peace in the seas . "

    After a lot of day of thinking, Fjord finally came to his senses and agreed to his ministers regarding the current situation .

    Fjord spoke with a grave tone, "Yes, we were clearly manipted by Prince Hector this time around and we can¡¯t let this go easily . Currently, they are already under pressure from traders and Baron Mendez who has used Prince Hector who has instigated this war . "

    Grim too nodded and spoke, "Yes, We need to strike when the iron¡¯s hot . We have already lost our advantage in waters because of those ships from Sky . We don¡¯t have that leverage anymore so we need to keep the Royal family at our arm¡¯s length . This time to diffuse the situation, I suggest that we send appropriate gifts during Lord John¡¯s throning ceremony . We can use the magical Diamonds which we have stored for a long time . "

    Jonas agreed with them as he nodded his head, "We have already suffered enough losses, we shouldn¡¯t suffer more losses by keeping a hostile rtionship with them . We should at least hide our hostile intentions until we are strong enough . "

    Fjord nodded and spoke, "Okay, it is decided, we will follow the n as decided in this meeting . We can at least recognize Sky kingdom unofficially which can soothe the anger of Lord John . "

    Fjord meanwhile thought, ¡¯Where is that kid Ralph this time around? It seems he was right when he said that we shouldn¡¯t fight Lord John . He would have useful in diffusing this situation . ¡¯

    At the Imperial capital, currently,

    to, Eanred and Lionheart were currently in a big dilemma,

    The source of this dilemma was Fjord¡¯s official inquiry over Evan¡¯s death,

    Lionheart cursed as he looked at the inquiry, "That Bastard, after supporting him so much because of his feud with that Upstart Count, he dares question the Royal Family . "

    Lionheart looked gravely at to and asked, "to, how did Hector¡¯s role get leaked?"

    to sighed and spoke, "From my sources, It seems they spied on Queen¡¯s end and their family and this was how they got to know about this conspiracy of Prince Hector . This news has also spread to most of the ministers since it was written to many important personages, Luke has just confirmed he too got this letter from them . From the looks, Fjord is now trying to me Prince Hector for the start of this war so as not to get inflicted from Bryndyll, Duke Rose and Lord John . "

    to continued as he thought about the timing of this letter, "I think you already know that the power bnce in the seas has already changed after the previous battle where Aelius, Fjord¡¯s and Bryndyll lost miserably . And from this move of theirs, I can conclude that Fjord or his ministers want to have a healthy rtionship with them in the seas or they wouldn¡¯t be able to trade via eastern seas, At least not without losing a lot of ships or without getting robbed . I think this is a very calcted move by Fjord or his ministers . They want to rid their hands of this war and put all the me on Prince Hector . "

    Lionheart grumbled as he heard to, "Those gossipers at Hector¡¯s family . Damn, why do they even have ess to Hector¡¯s affairs? Now this will be a problem, we already had a problem with Baron Mendez since he is using Hector of manipting Antonio and usurping him . What do you suggest?"

    After thinking for a while, to spoke, "Well, they don¡¯t have any conclusive proof in regards to Evan¡¯s assassination . As long as people from Queen¡¯s side keep their mouth shut, no one can do anything legally . And as far as the assassins are concerned no one will open their mouth since they won¡¯t want anything untoward happening to their family members . I am sure Prince Hector has a good leash on those assassins . "

    to meanwhile sighed and thought, ¡¯If it wasn¡¯t for that brat Hector, we wouldn¡¯t be losing such a talented individual . Our dream of ruling this continent would have been within our sights . ¡¯

    Lionheart nodded and spoke, "Hmm . . . Yes, this seems good enough, however, Hector needs to learn to cover his tracks . I hope this doesn¡¯t be a big scandal . Those Fjords are already distrusting towards . They even dared to spy on the queen and her family . "

    Lionheart, however, sighed and thought, "I guess this was expected since he had lost his son . "

    Lionheart continued and murmured, "It is those elders who are grumbling more after they heard of Mana-restoring pills . "

 Chapter 257

    Chapter 257

    The Demon diplomat meanwhile was quite anxious as he was given an important task of making sure that they get the deal in regards to Mana-restoring pills and Longevity pills .

    He was also aware of the fact that Sky kingdom recently thrashed both Aelius and Bryndyll in naval warfare near Aurora Ind .

    The Diplomat¡¯s subordinate asked him, "Lord, why are we paying so much respect to this newly established kingdom? Shouldn¡¯t they be the ones who should pay their respect to us?"

    The Diplomat thought and spoke, "It is because of the Previous battle in the seas of east and theplete thrashing of Aelius and Bryndyll . Our spies informed that Sky has already captured numerous prisoners of both Aelius and Bryndyll . So this battle has revealed the true power of Lord John, we can¡¯t underestimate them just because they are newly established . Because of this big event that Cunning guy Anin was so quick to react after the auction . I am sure he certainly made a good deal with them or else he wouldn¡¯t be in a happy mood these days . Apparently, this attack was taking ce when the auction was going on . Though Aelius isn¡¯t that strong in naval warfare but the same can¡¯t be said about Bryndyll . Bryndyll can¡¯t be underestimated as they have always been secretive when ites to weapons and have always created surprises but this time they were the ones who got surprised . Do you think those proud dwarves would lower their heads without any reason? And after the rise of Ludwin, they have been even more aggressive when ites to the border and foreign policy . Even that proud guy is bowing his head so they must have a reason . Not to mention the mana-restoring pills that everyone is scrambling to get . Ayananore already has it . "

    The Demon Diplomat, Ein spoke, "Because of these pills, it would be possible to travel long distances via ships . And this would also increase the battle capabilities of our warriors . These pills will change this world so it is important to have good rtions with Sky . Not to mention Lord John is quite open unlike Aelius or the Radiant Church so it is better to have good rtions with Sky currently . "

    Ein smiled and spoke, "Hmph, even those elders at Aelius would be willing to bow their heads in front of these Mana-restoring pills . I am sure they are currently racking their brains to get their hands on these pills and the form . We are currently in a good position since we didn¡¯t participate during this whole fiasco . "

    After waiting for some days, he finally got an appointment with Taylor and John . This time, the demons bought numerous amount of small and big gifts to show their sincerity to Sky kingdom .

    At the Administrative Headquarters, Taylor invited them,

    The Diplomat immediately congratted Taylor and stated his intentions, "Here is a small gift from our King Apollyon towards the Sky Kingdom . Our Lord would certainly attend the Throning ceremony of Lord John since he was quite moved by the actions of Lord John in protecting his ideals . Here are the two horns of a fire dragon which we harvested years ago at North-sea at an Ind near Lumeria and Fire-abyss kingdom . We have also bought quite a number of precious magical essories that can be useful . "

    Taylor nodded as he fixed his attention towards the horn, "Now this is interesting, just looking at this horn I can tell that it is of great quality and contains immense energy . Can you tell me more about Lumeria and where you found these horns . "

    Seeing ate reaction, Taylor asked, "Any problem?"

    John meanwhile thought, ¡¯It seems they don¡¯t even like talking about Lumeria . ¡¯

    The Diplomat flinched a bit and spoke, "Yes, no problem, Lumeria is actually on the other side of the continent, it is mainly resided by devils as majority and quite a handful of other races . However, those guys cheat a lot so you shouldn¡¯t trust them easily when you deal with them . As for this horn, We got this from an ind, it is between Lumeria and Fire-abyss kingdom that is divided by the nest of dragons near the same ind where we first found this horn . Currently, we have very low contact with them since there are a lot of shipwrecks whenever ships are ready to sail north . Maybe the Mana-restoring pills cane to be useful in long travels this time around . So our contact may increase as well . But Yes, there is a difference in Lemuria¡¯s political system, it is a republic and not a monarchy . so they are ruled by the masses . Sort of like Mob rule . But there is quite a corrupt lot in there so we have a kind of good and bad both type of rtionship . "

    Thinking that John would abhor the political difference, he exined enthusiastically .

    John was quite aware of the pros and cons of a republic and hence didn¡¯t get influenced by the diplomat .

    John nodded and spoke, "Interesting, ok,e to the point . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Diplomat nodded and spoke, "Currently we hope to make a deal with you regarding mana-restoring pills and longevity pills . I hope you can oblige us . We will certainly give you a satisfactory answer . "

    John nodded and spoke, "Well that won¡¯t be a problem . I don¡¯t want much, I want ess to your markets in return we can offer you Longevity Pills in with a constant supply . We would also appreciate it if you can provide ess to your magic library in the Fire-abyss kingdom . I heard there were a lot of intriguing techniques in elemental magic which are unique to the Fire-abyss Kingdom . "

    Thinking that those elemental techniques can only be used by Demons and won¡¯t be of much use to John, Ein smiled and spoke, "That won¡¯t be a problem . We agree with your terms . As a goodwill gesture, we will be officially recognizing Sky kingdom . His Majesty Apollyon will soon submit a decree of official recognition for Sky . "

    ****

    During this time, there was soon official recognition of Sky kingdom by both Bryndyll and Fire abyss kingdom .

    Quite a lot of people were excited in Sky after hearing about support from both of these countries . Meanwhile, there was a scramble going on at the Imperial City in Aelius where ministers were fighting each other every day .

    The ministers on Prince Hector¡¯s side had the tensest moments as Prince Hector was frequently med both in the court and outside the court in private gossips by both the ministers who were neutral and those who joined other various camps .

    ****

    2 days After Celebration, ke, Eric, Sean, Bran and others were apparently at Aurora Headquarters .

    Bran took a letter which he had received just from the maind, He sighed and spoke, "It seems our work is going to increase . "

    Judd with an angry look spoke, "What is it this time? Another invasion by the dwarves or those stupid guys at Aelius?"

    Bran shook his head and spoke as he gave him the letter, "Nah, We will be opening our ports and it seems we need to return General Nokhud and all of those prisoners . From the looks, Mr . Anin, the dwarven ambassador, has reached a final deal and has sessfully negotiated with his Majesty John . There is one more point, This time, The wine king himself also arrived to personally meet John . "

    ke furrowed his brows and spoke, "It seems this time we will be gaining some benefits since we caught a lot of prisoners . Ok, remove Nokhud and his important men from the cells . Bring them to Royal Guesthouses in house arrest . "

    Meanwhile, Endo just ended up at the shores of Aurora . At this time, Joe too was at the beaches of Aurora with Alisa . He was quite happy as in a few days he will be joining the higher practical training of Ghosts .

    As they were touring the beaches they spotted Endo . After spotting him Joe carefully looked at him but didn¡¯t find anything peculiar,

    Joemented after looking at Endo, "I guess his boat shipwrecked, we better help him out . "

    Alisa remembered Endo¡¯s sketch when she visited Aurora Ind Administrative headquarters recently, After identifying Endo, she imed immediately, "Joe, isn¡¯t this guy Endo who was missing for days . If I am not wrong, the navy is currently looking for him as he is on a run after the battle . "

    Joe looked at Endo with some doubt, "Really? This guy doesn¡¯t seem strong . "

    Alisa then took a book and spoke, "Well, from the information, I know that Endo is the uncle of Prince Hector so you understand his value?"

    Joe nodded and spoke, "Okay, okay I believe you, we better tie him before he wakes up . "

 Chapter 258

    Chapter 258

    While they were traveling back to the city, Joe thought and hummed, "I wonder how much credit would I get for capturing thismander . Maybe I will be exempted from attending the Institute . "

    Pouring water on his thoughts, Aliseughed an spoke, "Well they would still not let you leave the Institute even if you achieved a national achievement . You should submit to your fate . "

    There was quite amotion after Joe and Alisa bought back Endo to the city headquarters,

    Watching the carriage, one of Joe¡¯s mates asked, "Looking at your big carriage . It seems you got a big catch while you went to the sea . " Only when he came near did he realize that something was different .

    Joe shook his head and spoke, "No, While I was out at sea, we caught hold of an enemy general who was on a run . This time it isn¡¯t easy to go out fishing since the battle has just finished so we were only enjoying at the beach . "

    Joe¡¯s mate shook his head and spoke, "Damn, isn¡¯t this guy Endo, the enemy general? Heavens have no eyes, azy cker like you got hold of this guy . "

    @@novelbin@@

    After arriving at the headquarters, It was ke who immediately weed, it looked like he was already informed that Joe got hold of Endo when he was out at sea .

    Looking at all the people and their gazes, Joe understood and spoke, "It seems the cat is already out of the bag . That guy Endo is in the carriage, you can take him . "

    Looking at Joe¡¯s dejected expression, ke spoke, "Don¡¯t worry, you will be rewarded handsomely for this achievement . Tell me what do you want?"

    Unsure if ke was joking or not, Joe asked him to be sure, "Are you sure?"

    It was then Alisa who came near ke and whispered in his ear . Hearing this ke was shaken and before Joe could speak, he spoke, "I take that back . You will be rewarded as per the protocols and by the ministers at the Administrative Headquarters . "

    Just as Joe was filled with joy and was about to speak up . All his happiness was squashed .

    ke sighed with relief as if he had dodged a bullet . He thought, ¡¯So, he is Joe . I guess his luck is still good . ¡¯

    ****

    Currently at Imperial court . A lot of Ministers were arguing with each other after the introduction of Mana-restoring pills and the battle results at the North-eastern seas .

    After watching the big hubbub on mana-restoring pills, One of the ministers from Felix¡¯s camp smiled and spoke in front of the Law ministers, "I would like to appeal to Law minister because of the personal enmity of Prince Hector, today we are facing this day where we forced one of the new lords to rebel . Because of his sudden rise in status and wealth, he created a lot of enmities . I would like to propose a suggestion if I may?

    One of the political ministers nodded his head and asked him to continue,

    Nodding he continued, "Why don¡¯t we remove Prince Hector from his position of the crown prince . The way he creates problems almost every single day I fear for the future of the kingdom and we covering up his back every single time . Already Lord John has created Mana-restoring pills which will have a very big impact in the future . If we had treated him fairly we wouldn¡¯t be facing this problem nor would we have scramble like other countries to get in the good books of Lord John . Conversely, we would be having a thriving industry both in defense and other areas . Or at least we can seize his assets in the south which are rted to Magic metals . This will teach him a good lesson and make him fear the consequences of messing up with Lords . "

    One of Norman¡¯s minister spoke, "How dare you . Don¡¯t you know if we indulged with that count his influence would only get bigger and it would eventually create a problem? And from the way he hid his magical cannons and how he offered his Ballistas, it reeks of conspiracy and his high ambitions . "

    Felix¡¯s minister smiled and asked, "What sort of conspiracy . "

    The minister spoke, "Conspiracy of baiting the Royal to attack him so that he can rebel . From the start, he had ambitions of creating his own kingdom . I don¡¯t think anyone of you in the room is naive to think that he suddenly was able to produce such arge amount of those cannons and their ammunition which were far more superior than the ballistas . They were clearly nning and conducting tests in secret all for their n to rebel . Who knows how long would they have hidden these weapons if not for his fued with Fjord . . . . "

    Felix¡¯s minister smiled and spoke, "And who started his fued with Fjord Laguna in the first ce? Prince Hector . To get back to Lord John for his previous fued Prince Hector conspired to kill Lord Evan and then set Duke Fjord and Lord John against each other . His n was quite marvelous to be honest as he didn¡¯t even need to lift a finger and cause a war between lords . "

    The minister roared after hearing the usation, "nderous, just because some random person says that Prince Hector conspired to kill Prince Evan doesn¡¯t mean it is true . You also have to remember that Lord John and Lord Evan previously had a fued and hence the conflict started between them . You should know about the ghosts and his master d, who has a vast number of assassins under him . Unless there is any evidence Prince Hector can¡¯t take the me for Lord Evan¡¯s death . "

    Felix¡¯s minister smiled and spoke, "Hmph . . . everyone knows, whether you like it or not . Fjord¡¯s have already investigated and hence they sent a letter of inquiry . You think they are fools to have sent an inquiry without any evidence or confirmation from their end . We may as well move to the topic of Lord Antonio and Lord Mendez . I am sure all of you know that Baron Mendez is using Prince Hector of the conspiracy which was done by Antonio a few months ago . What do you have to say about that?"

    Currently, Count Casey was in the imperial city and was already prepared . He smiled as he heard that the subject was shifting to Lord Antonio and Lord Mendez .

    A lot of ministers agreed and were gossiping about Lord Mendez¡¯s usation .

    Prince Hector¡¯s minister smiled and answered, "All of you are forgetting one important detail . From our sources, we got to know that Baron Mendez was rescued by Count John¡¯s men when they invaded Dolores . Currently, Baron Mendez¡¯s domain is still under the supervision of that rebel and guise of ck Death . So all of these factors are natural to influence Baron Mendez by that cunning count . I am sure Baron Mendez feels burdened since he was rescued by Count John and hence he is doing his bidding . I implore all of you men to think wisely . Currently, We at the Northern-domain have acquired a lot ofnds, Our catch includes, exotic monster meat, elemental Metals, Silver Mines, Gold mines and other important mines . "

    A lot of people understood why the minister spoke of this . He was warning as well as giving out a way for those who supported him .

 Chapter 259

    Chapter 259

    Felix¡¯s minister pointed his finger at the minister and roared after watching the tant threats and bribery, "You . . . "

    Prince Hector¡¯s minister, Sheer smiled and spoke, "In the first ce, the eastern port was closed off by Baron Antonio and he was the one who started the war . It is not our fault that he was greedy in nature . Everyone must understand that it was Antonio¡¯s very own decision that they should block the port and hence the intense start of conflicts . "

    Suddenly one of the ministers who was attracted by thends and mines at north spoke, "I agree, we can¡¯t me Prince Hector for the acts of another scoundrel . Though he had a good rtion with Prince . It doesn¡¯t mean that he was part of the decisions made by Antonio . Baron Mendez is simply directing his anger at Prince Hector . "

    From the looks, a lot of other ministers were tempted and started raising their voice as they didn¡¯t want to lose out on the resources which can be gained from the Nortnds captured by Duke Norman .

    Count Casey¡¯s smiled and didn¡¯t decide to make his move right now . He moved back to his chambers as the ministers quarreled with each other .

    In the Chambers, Antonio was present, Casey moved near him and spoke, "You see the quarreling at the court? It is because of the war you started . "

    Antonio roared, "I never started any war . "

    Casey nodded and spoke, "Well, Technically you started the war as per theckeys of Prince Hector and Duke Norman . So currently you are being med by most of the ministers to get in the good books of Prince Hector . See, even the neutral ministers are siding with him in the hopes of getting benefits from him since Duke Norman recently acquired a lot ofnd at North via the ballistas . What do you think would happen if I present you at the court?"

    Casey¡¯s assistant smiled as he understood what his Lord nned to do .

    Antonio understood the predicament he was in right now .

    Casey spoke, "Well, you do have a choice right now, before going down, you can take Prince Hector down with you when I present you at the court . Remember this, you offending King John time and again was the reason why you are in such a position . "

    Casey continued, "Well if you choose to side with Prince Hector then you will simply be a pawn to be hanged by the Imperial court for starting problems at the northern-borders . The choice is yours . "

    Antonio thought vengefully as he too heard the gossips from the guards, ¡¯Very well, If I am going down, I might as well take you down with me Hector . At least this kingdom will remember me for a long time since you started this conspiracy and treated me as a small pawn . ¡¯

    @@novelbin@@

    Antonio sighed, ¡¯I wished I wasn¡¯t this arrogant previously, from the looks, Casey and other nobles have already decided to rope in themselves with Lord John . Father was right, I was indeed naive politically . Well, I might do him a favor this time around . " He looked courageously with a determined look .

    With a determined looked, Antonio asked, "Casey, I have a favor . "

    Hearing Antonio¡¯s voice, Casey was quite surprised as he looked at Antonio curiously who was gritting his teeth .

    Casey thought, ¡¯It seems he finally realized his problem, s it is toote or he could have at least saved his life . ¡¯

    Casey nodded and spoke, "It seems you finally realized, Speak, If I can do your favor I will do it . "

    Antonio spoke with a grave tone, "I need you to pass on a message to my Father . Tell him, I am sorry for the past misadventures . I wasn¡¯t a filial son . If I could change the past, I would certainly have followed him and not get manipted by Prince Hector or Duke Norman . After I speak against Prince Hector, I would most likely get assassinated in the Imperial Cells during these hearings . However, this is still better than nothing . I hope father would never trust Prince Hector or Duke Norman after these past transgressions where they backstabbed me . "

    Casey was quite astonished after watching the resolve of Antonio and thought, ¡¯It seems this guy still has the courage to right the wrongs and is better than those guys who ran from the battlefield . ¡¯

    Casey nodded and spoke, "You can write a letter to your father, I will pass on the message to him . "

    After writing the letter, Casey took the letter from him and secured it so that he can deliver it to Baron Mendez and Lord John .

    He thought, ¡¯Lord John would be quite surprised after hearing this . Well, I guess Antonio at least wants to leave with a mark and create problems for Prince Hector and Duke Norman . ¡¯

    The next day,

    Count Casey told Antonio, "I have delivered the letter to your father yesterday . He most likely got the message so you don¡¯t need to worry . "

    Casey continued, "Come, we will be going to the court when the hearing on Hector¡¯s scandal begins again . "

    Unlike the previous self, Antonio was quite refreshed after thinking of bringing Prince Hector down with him, "Prince Hector and Duke Norman will surely be surprised after watching me alive again . "

    Casey nodded and spoke, "I wonder how the neutral ministers who sided with Prince Hector would react after watching you alive . Well, I guess most of the people at the imperial court would be quite gloomy after watching you alive . "

    ****

    Meanwhile, Baron Mendez looked at the letter which was written by his son, Antonio and thought, ¡¯If it was earlier then I would certainly have saved you . I wished you were a bit wise previously . Very well, I will try my best to get him over at Dolores since hemitted his crime at Dolores . ¡¯

    John meanwhile was amused as he looked at Casey¡¯s letter however he gave no more than a nce and thought, ¡¯Should I save him? But he would most probably be killed in the assassination by Lionheart and Hector . Well, I can try . Luke is anyway trying to get an appointment with me for the past few days . ¡¯

    John called Taylor and gave him an order, "Taylor, tell Luke that he can meet me in 2 hours . It seems there is going to be a big show in Imperial Capital in a few hours . Let¡¯s see how he reacts after this sudden appointment . "

    Taylor nodded as he took the letter and understood the undercurrents that were going on at Aelius, "Yes, Milord . "

    He thought, ¡¯It seems I need to tell Grey that he needs to monitor Imperial City at Aelius . From the looks, our spies would need to do a lot of work if they really intend to save this scum . ¡¯

    John meanwhile got back to work and started nning for future, "It seems the harvest this time has been great due to Nature¡¯s magic provided by Elves . I should start nning for the wide usage of Steam Engines and Banks need to be established . I wonder about the big changes after the introduction of Steam Engines . From now on, I better start working onmunication . "

 Chapter 260

    Chapter 260

    ****

    While a fight was going on at the Imperial court, Prince Hector was quite satisfied with the results on how his ministers handled the scandal .

    While arguing, Minister Sheer thought and spoke, "It¡¯s good that Antonio is dead or else this case would have been more tricky . "

    Prince Hectorughed and spoke, "Well, you don¡¯t need to worry, he was anyway a small pawn in the big game . He can¡¯t create big waves . It was good that he died or else it would have been hard deflecting this scandal . Those guys from Laguna family are already on my tail for quite a few days . "

    Prince thought, ¡¯All of this is certainly the fault of that upstart . I need to do something about him . ¡¯

    Count Casey watching the show meanwhile decided to show up and speak,

    "I would like to speak up on this asion since this is rted to Lord Antonio, I can help you all . "

    Felix¡¯s minister was already on edge and hence spoke in a rude manner and ordered immediately, "Speak fast, don¡¯t waste our time . "

    Casey nodded with a smile and spoke, "I wille straight to the point . Today my men were able to bring back Lord Antonio who was missing for a while after the battle . Why don¡¯t we ask him directly since this scandal is rted to him . "

    Suddenly shock and joy could be seen in the face of Felix¡¯s minister, he spoke, "Good, Continue . "

    He thought, ¡¯Now this is interesting . ¡¯

    Felix¡¯s minister asked his men, "Tell me more about this guy . "

    The person in charge of information came and spoke, "He is Count Casey from the northern domain near Lord Mendez¡¯s domain, From what I know, he recently had some friction with Prince Hector and Duke Norman . Today as well he was rejected by Duke Norman . "

    Realizing something, Felix¡¯s minister nodded and spoke, "Good, now I understand . "

    Sheer who was in a good mood previously suddenly got pale as soon as he heard Casey, he immediately asked, "Who is that guy . "

    One of the ministers under him asked, "Count Casey, I heard he was on good terms with Baron Mendez previously . However recently he didn¡¯t participate in the northern war where Duke wanted lords to help him in his campaign . Due to this Duke Norman and Prince Hector had started showing their displeasure for disobeying them . Previously he was on good terms with Duke Norman but for a year he has changed his stance as he didn¡¯t want risk invading North-frontier town and hence earning their displeasure . Currently, he is on quite good terms with North-frontier Town as his Mulberry fruit trade has earned him a lot of gold coins as they have started extensive production of it after the demand by NF town increase . This trade has also released him from previous debts from Duke Norman . So I guess it¡¯s normal . "

    Sheer nodded and thought, "I see . Now this quite a big variable . Has there been any movements in his domain after the war started?"

    The minister shook his head and spoke, "No Milord, there was only 1 movement for thest 3 days . It seems they were trying to capture Antonio . I guess he was trying to appease us but previously Duke Norman declined to meet him and hence the current actions . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Sheer saw that Casey was calling his men to bring Antonio, "Now this is problematic . How was he able to catch this guy . And I don¡¯t think Lord John has incapable men who would let this man go so easily . "

    Most shocked of all among the audience was Prince Hector whose eyes were raging with anger meanwhile Felix¡¯s men couldn¡¯t help smile as they looked at the current situation .

    Hector looked at Alistair and spoke, "How the hell is he present here . Wasn¡¯t he dead previously?"

    Alistair looked calmly at Antonio, Casey and others, He made a conclusion and spoke, "This looks more like a conspiracy by Lord John from the start when he upied Dolores . There are hard times ahead for you, Milord . I think we need to be careful in this scandal . I am certain Count John deliberately released this guy to cause us problems . "

    Watching Antonio going up in stage, Hector hysterically roared to his men, "Kill that guy before he speaks anything . This is disastrous . "

    Alistair shook his head and spoke, "It is not possible now . Previously Duke Norman rejected meeting Count Casey and it looks like this is thesh back since we were rejecting his policies previously . We can still kill Antonio when he is imprisoned . However, we will be med mostly if it does happen . Is it okay, Milord?"

    Hector roared and spoke, "The cat is already out of the bag . I don¡¯t care about my reputation . Kill him or it will be my ruin . My brothers will surely attack my position of Crown Prince for this scandal . "

    Alistair nodded and spoke, "Okay, We can still dy the judgment of this hearing . We will kill him in his cells . "

    There was a lot of displeasure at the court after watching Antonio¡¯s arrival . The only group that was happy was Lord Felix¡¯s group and his other brothers who couldn¡¯t wait to dethrone his brother from his position of the prince .

    Antonio came to the podium as Felix¡¯s minister smiled and asked, "Tell me about the events which led to war previously . "

    Antonio nodded as he looked at Prince Hector and Duke Norman with a lot of hate and spoke, "Before the start of the war, I was instigated by Prince Hector and Duke Norman to usurp my father so that they can block the eastern port and use it as a leverage against Lord John . "

    Smiling, the Minister asked, "Why did you usurp your father, couldn¡¯t you convince him?"

    Antonio shook his head and spoke, "No, my father was against closing the port as he believed that closing the port would certainly lead to war and he believed that we can¡¯t face Lord John in a war . He also believed that Prince Hector and Duke Norman were just using us to fulfill their ambitions and hence we should take decisions calmly . Under greed of power and wealth, I,ter on, did the bidding of Prince Hector and Duke Norman . And another reason my father didn¡¯t want to do their bidding was because if the war started then Dolores and the surrounding areas under them would be a battlefield and it would be disastrous for us . "

    The minister nodded and noted down as he asked, "Do you regret anything?"

    Antonio nodded as he looked at Hector and spoke, "Yes, I regret not following the advice of my father when he warned me before I usurped him . I also regret joining up with Prince Hector since I never knew that he would so ruthlessly backstab me to save his own skin . I was truly naive when my father warned me . However, currently, I am here because I wish the whole of Aelius and its Lords get to know about the deeds of Prince Hector and never trust him . I am sure I might get assassinated in Prison but this will only serve my purpose and show the true nature of Prince Hector . "

 Chapter 261

    Chapter 261: 261

    A lot of people in the court were quite shocked after hearing Antonio . They could see his determination and resolve to take down Prince Hector with him .

    Prince Hector, "Tch, When did he get such balls? If this was the case why didn¡¯t he just die in the war previously . "

    Fourth Prince Jadal smiled as heard Antonio and spoke, "The great deeds of my brother should certainly have consequences? Don¡¯t you think so my fellow ministers?"

    One of the ministers smiled and spoke, "True, because of his Personal grudge, Aelius is broiled up in this meaningless war, we have lost on both the fronts i . e . Land and Sea . Who knows what will happen if we send Dragon Knights as well . I think Prince Hector¡¯s position of Crown Prince and his assets in Magic mines down in the south and central should at least be seized for his actions taken against Duke Fjord and Baron Mendez . "

    Sheer spoke, "Ludicrous, just based on allegations you want to punish Prince Hector? Then we might as well punish your son as ording to the rumors he is well known for the gangs he controls behind the scenes . "

    The Ministers spoke, "Tch, however much you may try to twist the current subject but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that Prince Hector was responsible for his moves taken against Lord John which in return resulted in the present situation . I think all of you know the current casualties in the kingdom . How do you guys n to calm the masses for so many losses of men? Or do you want to say that it was the fault of Duke Fjord, the Royal family, Duke Norman and Baron Mendez for ipetence and their greed . " The minister smiled as deliberately asked this question .

    Minister Sheer didn¡¯t what to reply as he knew that the minister deliberately asked this question to create internal conflict, "You . . "

    Minister Sheer then turned to Law Minister and spoke, "Milord, I hope we can dy this matter since there has been no investigation . It would be quite presumptuous of the court for pointing fingers without evidence . "

    The Law Minister smiled and understood what was going on, he had already gotten an order from the king to dy this matter so as to not stain the royal family¡¯s reputation, "Yes, This suggestion is better . We need to start an inquiry before we decide on the punishments just based on allegations . "

    He thought as he looked Pitifully at Antonio, ¡¯I doubt that he would even survive in the cells . From the Looks, King Lionheart wouldn¡¯t want him alive . I guess I will try to get more benefits from this scandal . ¡¯

    Prince Hector sighed with relief as he heard him, He immediately ordered Alistair, "You know what to do, right?"

    Alistair nodded, "This will be tricky if Lord John is involved in this scandal . I am sure he is aiming to target us when Antonio is assassinated . I am sure he will manipte Lord Mendez if we assassinate him . "

    Duke Norman sighed as he watched how the current situation folded, He thought, ¡¯I guess we should have killed that idiot long back when we escaped Dolores . Now this will be troublesome . If we kill Antonio in the cells then that Mendez will harbor an even bigger grudge against me and Hector . This might increase the chance of smuggling of goods from his border which will hit my industry at the duchy . ¡¯

    During this time, The Cardinals who were present didn¡¯t make a move as they were quite happy with the result . Cardinal Richard stroked his chin as he spoke, "It looks like Prince Hector will most likely lose his estate and the Magic Metal Mines since the situation is not in his favor . "

    Richard¡¯s subordinate, "Milord, It looks like Prince Luke made his move on Prince Felix . He just came back running from ckwolf¡¯s domain . "

    Richard nodded as he looked at another report and spoke, "It¡¯s good for us . However, that Count John seems quite dangerous from the looks of Battle Casualties . Even Johnson died . "

    Richard¡¯s Subordinate asked with a grave face, "Lord, what about the Oracle which we got from Radiant God, Irm? Isn¡¯t the matter more serious now that we got his Divine Message after centuries? Even He can¡¯t determine his fate . Do we start a crusade against him so that we can nip the bud before it grows?"

    Richard nodded as he understood the grave situation, He spoke, "True, Lord John is quite an anomaly . A vitor of boundaries, A being of Chaos as far as Gods are concerned and hence Lord Irm¡¯s divine message . Looking at the way he abhors Radiant Church and other Religions and his closeness to other species . I suspect he is under the protection of other god and has a history of Bad blood with Radiant Church . He might have been a ve previously or might have lost his parents to us and hence his enmity towards us . As far as the crusade is concerned, we can¡¯t make our move now . We could have moved with Aelius when they previously attacked him but after watching his battle power, I don¡¯t think anyone in the church will have thoughts of starting a crusade . Our finest bet is Assassination since we wouldn¡¯t want to lose our face again in a battle . A battle again with him right now will break our back where Aelius might cease the chance to annihte us . Though we might be stronger with our hidden forces but it cannot guarantee victory since that Count is very cunning . "

    Richard¡¯s Subordinate sighed, "However, because of this Oracle, Pope David¡¯s position has improved quite a lot . And this is very problematic for us . "

    Richard nodded and spoke, "I guess it can¡¯t be helped . Even if Prince Lukav¡¯s Scandal is released now he has a secured position unless something big happens . "

    Richard smiled and continued, "However, Lord John¡¯s existence will be a problem for him . And Lord John might be someone who can or certainly will shake the foundations of Radiant Church and hence an active divine message . You might not know but the Last time an Oracle happened was the time when Undead Sage Xylo used ck Death to Annihte the forces of Radiant Church and Aelius . We even lost 2 Cardinals in that fight where Lord Irm¡¯s familiar Heroic Spirit¡¯s descended . I guess this time Lord Irm noticed the presence of Count John and his anomaly in this war where we had the most casualties . "

    Richard¡¯s subordinate was quite shocked as he wasn¡¯t privy to these details previously and understood the gravity of the situation .

    Meanwhile, John saw a prototype made by Tornwall which was able to create electricity and magic from normal fuels like coal, oil, hydropower, etc .

    There was a light bulb connected to the power source which was lighting the bulb .

    @@novelbin@@

    Taylor was quite surprised as he looked at the prototype and blueprints, "Now, this is a big discovery, with this we can enrich thend with magical energy . "

    Tornwall Proudfully showed his creations to John and Taylor, "Just ording to the blueprints, we were able to light the bulbs . As for converting Electricity into Magic power, it was done with the help of Researcher Will . Currently, the ss factory is working quite well . "

    John asked, "How were you able to get the materials to make these things?"

    Tornwall patted Will as he spoke, "It was Researcher Will and his team who helped solve this problem, we reced a lot of materials with simr properties after watching the properties of materials which were not abundant here . "

    John nodded and understood the current situation . "Maybe, I should ept Luke¡¯s offer, this will give me some time to stabilize Sky and they would at least recognize us unofficially . What do you guys think? Meanwhile, we will start the electrification of all of our cities and viges . This will greatly benefit everyone . "

    Tornwall asked, "However, won¡¯t this reveal our new research to the surrounding kingdoms?"

    Taylor thought, "Well, but this would also enrich us and it is not like they will have any ess to our core technologies . Currently, there is one problem, We have quite a shortage ofbor because of all the industries we have set-up . All of the guys are employed . I think our influence would increase our borders are opened and it would be better for us in the long run . "

    John murmured slowly after hearing his dilemma, "I guess I should have robbed Aelius and Bryndyll of its citizens . Maybe I can use all those prisoners whose families can¡¯t redeem themselves . "

 Chapter 262

    Chapter 262

    Hearing John¡¯s murmur, Taylor panicked and spoke, "Lord we can¡¯t go back on our word which we promised Lord Anin . We have to release Dwarves or else it would be a dent on our reputation . "

    John nodded as he knew about his promises, "Hmm . . . What do you think of Prisoners of Aelius?"

    Taylor had no problem as far as their promises were kept which would only improve the reputation of Sky . He nodded and spoke, "Well I think, it is okay as long as it is the prisoners of Aelius . We haven¡¯t made any promises yet . Meanwhile, we anyway have hostile rtions with them . " Taylor didn¡¯t have sympathy when it concerned Aelius because of his past with Whether it came to their nobles or the Radiant Church and hence the apathy .

    @@novelbin@@

    Researcher Will spoke, "Maybe, we can release the important Political prisoners and in exchange keep the other prisoners who can¡¯t redeem themselves . We can also allow their families to migrate here since they will be here Redeeming for a long time, this way our shortage ofbor can be reduced . We might only bear the costs of Transportation and Protection . Keep the other Prisoners for like 5-10 years and then let them decide if they want to migrate back . I don¡¯t think they will migrate back after living here with their families for 5 years . And those who leave would anyway have good memories as long as we treat everyone fairly . If their Families migrate it will be good for us since we will get morebor . And if there are any political prisoners who have been betrayed by their family and the Royal family, we can cultivate them slowly for future . Not to mention since they are literate it would be beneficial for us since people are still in a learning process at the various universities . "

    John nodded and spoke, "I guess Researcher Will¡¯s suggestion is good . However, we have to change their political views of those who migrate when ites to Religion, Particrly Radiant Church and also change the political views of those when ites to the People of other races or else it will be a big problem for us in the long run . I don¡¯t care whether God¡¯s exist or not but Sky¡¯s fate will only depend on ourselves and our own morals . The power of the state, king and the Council of Ministers shall remain the highest in the Sky Kingdom . We already know the fate of Aelius when it gave space to Radiant Church . Or the other countries in our history . "

    Everyone in the meeting hall nodded as they understood the importance of morals and the concept of power remaining in the hands of State, King and Council of Ministers . All of them formed checks and bnces against each other . An outside power would only be a problem for them .

    Researcher Will murmured, "As far as Conversion of Fuels into Magic is concerned, I believe we might get some unexpected discoveries because of the enrichment of Magic power in our current environment . Well, I guess we should only be vary of Religions like Radiant Church or others who may try to suck power . Meanwhile, I can start enriching our environment from now on . "

    John nodded and thought, "Start from the Administrative Headquarters and my Castle . We will slowly enrich our environment with Magic Power . Previously when I was talking with Maeen She also spoke about theck of Magic in Aelius and the surrounding countries . This may also be the reason why the Lemuria Republic never tried to explore Aelius and others . "

    For the first time, d came into John¡¯s office without any intimation even when an important meeting was going on .

    d came in saw some ministers as they were having intense discussions regarding the current issues, "It seems I came at the wrong time . "

    John nodded and spoke, "It¡¯s okay Master since you came in a hurry I guess there might be some important news . "

    d sighed and spoke, "Yes, it certainly is . It is rted to the Radiant Church . "

    Taylor furrowed his brows and spoke, "Have they started a crusade or what after getting a big spanking at our borders?"

    d shook his head and spoke . "It is more than that . They won¡¯t start a crusade over the loss of face . It seems they have received an Oracle and this time it is rted to us . "

    After hearing this, most of the people in the room were shocked while John was making a confused face as he didn¡¯t understand the situation . However, looking at the faces of other guys, he understood that the situation was grave . He asked, "What is this Oracle you speak of, Master?"

    d nodded and spoke to exin, "It is a divine message directly sent by Gods, The same is true for Demonic Gods . This time, The Radiant God, Irm has taken note of your existence and hence the Oracle . The talk in Church going on is that you are some kind of Chaos king in the inner circles of the Radiant Church . They might take some radical actions since it is a direct message from God . Currently, I believe they might try to assassinate you with their special forces since they have faced defeat at our borders in an unprecedented scale and won¡¯t risk further losses unless they are sure of your demise . "

    Taylor looked at the prototype which can change Fuel to magic power and thought, "Maybe it is rted to our sessful project of Changing Fuel into Magic Power . "

    John sighed and thought, ¡¯It seems I have created a problem for myself since Gods do exist in this world . If needed I will root out this menace called Radiant Church . ¡¯

    John nodded and spoke, "It¡¯s okay, thanks for your warning, master . Taylor, prepare my meeting with Luke . I will be going with our proposal . "

    John looked at his status in the System which shocked him quite a bit, He had gained two titles, One was [Creator of Chaos] and another title was [You are being Watched . ]

    He looked outside of the window and thought, ¡¯Looks like the situation is quite serious . It seems I have gained something like levels after sessfully defeating Aelius and Bryndyll . It seems it is my appraisal skills that have increased . ¡¯

    General Nokhud and General Endo were currently under house arrest but didn¡¯t seem panicked as they were having a time of their life after enjoying the delicacies like Cake, Ice-cream, Noodles which was particrly unknown to them previously .

    General Nokhud who was immersed in his noodles murmured, "I guess it isn¡¯t bad to be a prisoner when ites to Lord John¡¯s domain . The Wine here is particrly good . It was good that I surrendered instead of dying meaninglessly without tasting these dishes . Before going I should ask for these recipes and Wines . " As a big gourmet, General Nokud appreciated the dishes he was served and hence his opinion of Sky Improved .

    General Endo meanwhile was currently worried as he knew what was waiting for him after he returned to Aelius . His Brother-inw and his sister wouldn¡¯t spare him for such a big blunder .

    General Endo sighed as he looked the city of Aurora from the Balcony, "I guess I underestimated Lord John when I decided to join this war . I guess I was in bad luck when I ran into that guy called Joe .

    Endo continued as he looked at the city building and the sewage nning, "Just looking at the city nning I can see that he has big foresight and has hidden a lot of his cards . I won¡¯t be joining the war against him from next time . I might try my luck in investing here when I meet Lord Johnter on . From the Looks, I don¡¯t think anyone can sessfully invade them for a long time . "

    Endo called a servant and asked, "Hey, how is it that the tap is giving out water? Is this the work of magic?"

    The servant shook his head and spoke, "No, sir it is fitted in all the houses in our kingdom, the water herees through the pipes . There is no magic involved in this . I think the piping infrastructure was prepared by Lord Tornwall and Architect Ryfon and also some of the local people who know about the terrain and geography of certain areas . It is just like the bike or the clock tower you see in the city . "

    Endo looked at the tracks which were being built at a fast past pace in all of Aelius and asked, "What are they building that such an amount ofbor and steel is being used?"

    The Servant spoke as he too noticed the tracks, "Even I don¡¯t know about that but apparently it is being built in all the cities in Sky, Whether it Aurora, North-Frontier City, Winter City or the recent 9 Settlements City at the north of North-frontier city . Basically it is being built all over Sky . Lord John has personally funded a lot on this project and hence the enthusiasm from People . It is being said that it will improve transportation for people and goods in the Sky kingdom and hence the project . I guess they made another discovery and hence the use of Normal Laborers as well as the Magicians to increase the efficiency . "

    Endo was quite rmed as he understood the situation, ¡¯It seems they are growing at quite a fast pace . No wonder Lord John wasn¡¯t afraid to rebel . It seems he deliberately baited us to attack him so that he can justifiably rebel in front of outer power . ¡¯

 Chapter 263

    Chapter 263

    Currently, John was tending to the guy who was in aa previously who came from Greenwoods vige previously when it was attacked . After giving the potion he recently made, John spoke, "Keep a lookout for him, He would wake up in a few days . Give this potion to him 3 times every day . "

    The North Frontier Hospital¡¯s Cheif Doctor nodded and spoke as he epted the potion bottle, "Yes, Milord . I will look after him . It¡¯s good that he can wake up early . We were quite worried about him when the war started . "

    John nodded as he prepared to see other matters and was about to leave .

    ¡¯I guess finally the mystery of this kid will be solved . ¡¯

    Grey who was behind John spoke proudly as they got some info on the kid, "Milord, We have got some information about this boy after we captured some of the soldiers from Prince Hector¡¯s personal army . "

    John nodded and signaled him to speak,

    Grey continued after watching his approval, "Apparently, this boy had just joined their army but because of his great talents, he was noticed early and promoted to the regr army . As for his name, he was known as Aiden in their team . However, there is one peculiarity . "

    John spoke as he was quite interested, "Speak . "

    Grey knew that John didn¡¯t Radiant Church and hence spoke a bit cautiously, "It seems he is a servant of God of Fire . "

    John nodded and asked, "What are the doctrines of God of Fire? Are they a threat to the state and Monarchy?"

    Remembering about Fire God and their followers, Grey spoke, "I don¡¯t think so . If you don¡¯t bother they won¡¯t bother you . However, they believe they must live their lives morally and hence they are not suited for professions such as spying or assassinations . "

    John nodded and understood, "Hmm . . . It¡¯s better . They won¡¯t be a problem . They are manageable if that¡¯s the case . I don¡¯t want to raise something like Radiant Church which will cause chaos in the future like they are doing it in Aelius . Our state will run on Morals, ethics and state interests, not on ideological or religious doctrines . "

    Grey nodded as he too understood the personality of John which aligned with his own thinking .

    John meanwhile reminded Grey, "You should go and help Taylor in managing the spies meanwhile . I heard there were problems at Imperial capital . Taylor has the rights to manage Antonio¡¯s matter so you can follow his policies . however, you must write a report to me directly . "

    Keeping Checks and Bnces in mind, John told to Grey for reports .

    ****

    Meanwhile, at the Imperial Capital .

    Taylor had already activated their spies and was keeping a watch in the Imperial city for any suspicious movements via his spies .

    One of the spies under Dearil spoke, "Remember this, we can¡¯t save him from the shadows . His enemies should show up near him and reveal their ns so that Baron Mendez can be a good chip for Lord John or else he will always have some sort of hate against our Lord . "

    The other spy spoke, "In short, If the Royal family or Prince Hector¡¯s men move then we have to wait until thest moment and then save him, correct?"

    @@novelbin@@

    "Yes . "

    The leader of the team sighed and spoke, "Quite a tough job . "

    The subordinate spy under Dearil spoke, "That is why you guys will be paid triple and will receive extra state benefits at your retirement . The premise is ssification . "

    The guy spoke and nodded his team to go through the n thoroughly, "Yeah, we already know that . You guys should get ready . Those guys from Radiant Church are already behaving and moving suspiciously . "

    ****

    King Lionheart was quite pissed at Duke Norman and Count Casey because of their differences and about this particr scandal involving Hector, He immediately asked to, "What do we do? I think we should kill that nuisance (Antonio) in the prison . Or do you have any other suggestions? And Why can¡¯t both Casey and Norman solve their differences?"

    to sighed and spoke, "I differ Milord . This will have consequences where nobles will start doubting the Royal family when ites to justice . Though there will be a lot of supporters however, many will be cautious of the Royal family as well . I rmend to prolong this case as long as possible and take Antonio under house arrest . After a few years we will cover-up this case when no one remembers . Or else Baron Mendez might be a pain for us in future if Antonio dies, you should know that Antonio, in the end, he is Mendez¡¯s son and he wouldn¡¯t want to watch him die . "

    to continued, "As for the difference between Count Casey and Duke Norman, it won¡¯t go away easily because it is based on interests and honor . Previously Count Casey didn¡¯t deploy troops for Duke Norman¡¯s invasion as he didn¡¯t trust his neighboring domains as well as in the sess of previous war as he had first hand watched the power of ballistas . And as Prince Hector is Duke Norman¡¯s closest ally it was expected that he won¡¯t leave any chance to get back on the insults he faced previously from the Duke . "

    Lionheart sighed and spoke, "Hmm . . . I guess I can only let them solve their differences . Ok, we won¡¯t interfere in their business . Why do you rmend taking Antonio under house arrest . "

    to nodded and exined his line of thinking, "For two things . First, Lord John of Sky is continuously putting pressure on us in regard to Antonio . They want a fair trial . It may also impact our Trade and Peace deal with them as Luke informed us . It seems it is due to their hatred for Prince Hector and hence their support for Antonio . I also think he is manipting us so that we kill Antonio and they have guise to not deal with us when ites to mana restoring pills . Second, we can fan the mes of revenge on Antonio against Lord John and Mendez, Its a Carrot and stick policy . Keep him happy and he might do our bidding since he won¡¯t anyway inherit his father at Dolores since now that main inheritor will be Vince his elder brother . However, if we kill him in prison then it will have negative consequences whether it is trade and peace deal or our rtions with Lord Mendez will be at an all-time low . He might resist all our policies for the next decades if that is the case . One of important factors is, Sky is at the borders of the Dolores domain and from now on Duke Norman¡¯s new domain as well . So it can be a situation like Duke Fjords where Mendez will threaten us by allying with Sky . And I am certain if we are going to trade with Lord John he will definitely choose familiar borders of Dolores and nearby regions instead of Norman¡¯s border who will be hostile to him because of Prince Hector . "

    Lionheart nodded and understood as he asked his doubts, "What about Hector and that Antonio¡¯s grudge with Hector? I don¡¯t think he will leave his revenge so easily . Not to mention the Greenwoods vige scandal which was done on the orders of Hector and partly Antonio . "

    to sighed and nodded, "Yes, and there is also Prince Hector who might try to kill him . However, it has to go this way . The only thing is Antonio will no longer be in Hector¡¯s camp and he might get purged if Prince Hectores to power . Antonio might join Prince Jadal¡¯s camp since he is always in need of power . As far as Greenwoods¡¯ vige massacre is concerned, Prince Hector can simply ignore and treat it as ramblings of a poor sod who was abandoned by him and hence his ramblings . "

    Lionheart sighed and spoke, "I guess this is inevitable and also the best solution . Additionally, those Mana restoring pills and other new technologies at Sky are very important to us . Those elders are already chewing my brains every day since a lot of Magicians are leaving for other countries . Those magicians are temporarily been detained and given the best treatment . Start the trade routes and sign the peace deal . We have anyway unofficially epted Sky as a state and John as their king . During his crowning ceremony send him a gift so as he is not offended . Additionally, I am already worried about God Irm¡¯s Oracle . I don¡¯t like the thing about God¡¯s interfering over here . If a new pope is chosen by him then it will be a disaster for us since he will have a lot of power among the Radiant followers . "

    to too understood and simply nodded as he too wanted to curb the influence of the Radiant Church which would only increase after the Oracle .

    *****

    Presently, Alistair was preparing the assassins to kill Antonio in the cells under the orders of Prince Hector .

 Chapter 264

    Chapter 264

    Alistair sighed as he looked at the men from Radiant Church and murmured, "I guess hiring them should be worth it . They anyway have a conflict with each other . Prince is anyway determined to kill him . "

    Alistair looked at them seriously and spoke, "Okay, I am sure you guys know what to do, right?"

    The Leader appointed by the Radiant Church nodded and spokezily, "Yeah . We were briefed by our superiors . "

    Alistair gave a token and spoke, "You will be provided internal help from the guards to infiltrate the Prison Barracks . Just show this token . They will immediately back off knowing the situation . However, there can be a situation if Prince Felix¡¯s men are there and that is why we have hired you guys . It would be better if you can make it look like an ident when ites to Antonio¡¯s death . "

    The leader smiled and spoke, "You don¡¯t have to worry about Prince Felix¡¯s men interfering with us . He is rxing at Radiant City currently and Pope David anyway is in favor of Killing Antonio as he would be an obstacle for us in future . Since they believe this scandal is probably one of Lord John¡¯s conspiracy against Hector . As for making it look like an ident? It would be hard but we will try however don¡¯t expect anything when ites to an ident . "

    Alistair nodded and asked, "Ok, When will you start the Operation?"

    Leader thought and spoke, "Afternoon, Most of our preparations are already done . Only execution and a final check is left . We will start after the final check is done . "

    Nodding Alistair signaled his men to bring a big chest full of gold coins for the assassins, "This is the advance, the other half will be given after youplete the mission . If the mission fails, you won¡¯t get the other half . "

    The leader looked at the chest and then at his mates as he smiled and spoke, "Let move . Contact others so that we can leave the city if guards take notice of us when assassination is done . "

    The leader then spoke to Alistair, "If the assassination isplete, pay the other half at the local church giving our code . they will understand immediately . "

    ****

    At this time, the spies which were keeping a look at Imperial city noticed suspicious movements in a run down Radiant Church . There were suspicious individuals who started moving out .

    Dearil¡¯s subordinate spoke as he looked at his subordinates that gave him the report, "It looks like they have started moving . Any changes in n Milord?"

    Dearil was a bit miffed when it came to saving Antonio but understood the intentions of his Master, d and John, "It¡¯s good, our only job is to escort that scum back to Dolores . Well, saving him would definitely give us more dividends . I just hope it is worth it . Anyway, tell Taylor¡¯s men to start moving . Our men will move ording to the ns . "

    Dearil¡¯s subordinate nodded and spoke, "Yes, Milord . I will immediately inform them . "

    Dearil meanwhile was at loss on how he lost against John previously in a spar, ¡¯I never expected him to get so strong in such a short time . I am sure even Master is scared by the rate of his progress . I guess Master took him under his belt for the same reason . ¡¯

    ****

    Currently, Duke Friedreich was quite happy as he heard the news of Fire-abyss King ordering to reduce the army at his borders, He spoke quite happily while Elder Ryan was in his thoughts, "As expected of my Son-inw . What do you say, Old Man? Now, do you agree with Diana¡¯s Choice?"

    Elder Ryan murmured, "I guess you are right, but there is still a difference in our Bloodlines . You must understand that John is a human and we aren¡¯t . "

    Friedreich snorted and spoke, "What about Bloodlines? In the end, brothers themselves try to kill each other for power, haven¡¯t you seen that same in thest century in almost all the domains in Fire-abyss kingdom except the Thorn Family? And as soon as we demons gain power . We start infighting like cats and dogs . When I see this, I don¡¯t see any difference between us or the other races . And anyways, Diana likes that man but is too proud to express it . I might as well solve that problem before that hag Mnie snatches my Son-in-Law . "

    Elder Ryan sighed and noints as he understood that this alliance with John would anyway benefit them .

    Without waiting for anyone to interrupt, Friedreich spoke to his minister, "Prepare for a journey, I will be traveling to Sky kingdom for John¡¯s ceremony . I might as well have a look at my son-inw . I have only looked at him from the newspapers . Old Man Ryan, when the people from King Apollyone you know how to handle them, right? If they are asking for removal armies then it will be done in phases . As far as Bandits are concerned we will handle them . I don¡¯t think anyone has any problems with regards to my decisions . "

    After going to his chambers, he thought, ¡¯I haven¡¯t seen my child for a long time and d as well . This is quite a good chance to ditch work and give it in the hands of that grumpy old man . ¡¯

    ¡¯I was quite shocked when I read about their new General . It seems ording to d, John is the same General Anak who fought previously in the war . I guess John wants to keep it a secret from his ministers . ¡¯

    Friedreich smiled as he remembered his old days, ¡¯However, I don¡¯t think he can keep it a secret for a long time . Anyway, I need to be careful of the old hag who might steal my son-inw first . ¡¯

    @@novelbin@@

    *****

    Mnie sneezed as she looked at the incense, she sighed with relief and thought, ¡¯Good that it wasn¡¯t damaged . ¡¯

    Mnie was quite happy, as her recent experiment had be sessful . Mnie¡¯s pharmacy had now been expanded after a number of reforms and currently, Dwight was handling the pharmacy .

    The sign on Mnie¡¯s room finally changed and it was ok to enter .

    Looking at the sign, One of the guards came and gave Mnie about the information which took ce during these few days .

    She murmured, "I might use that boy Dwight to help Eva . It seems he isn¡¯t misappropriating funds or drugs in my shop . I might as well reward him . Anyways, after this experiment, My ns will finally be sessful . "

    She looked at the report and thought, ¡¯It seems John took the decision to secede However I guess I was worrying about nothing . From the looks of it, they got a big victory, both in sea andnd . I might as well see his cure about ck Death . This very creation will make him a grand potioneer . Now that the situation has calmed down a little I should try it this incense . ¡¯ she smiled and looked at the incense .

    After thinking a bit, She looked at Dwight and spoke as she thought, "Heye here . Give it to Eva and tell her . No, you don¡¯t have to give it to her, All you have to do is, when Eva and John are having a meeting, you have to burn this incense in the meeting room and leave . If you do it I will make you at least my basic apprentice or you can at least get any forme you want apart from the 3 top forme I made . However, this shouldn¡¯t be leaked to anybody . "

    Dwight was quite happy that his perseverance had finally paid off . He thought, ¡¯Finally, I can have a chance to get promoted in the upper circles of Aelius as well as Sky . I guess it was good that I heeded the call of my mother on not to cheat Great Grandma . ¡¯

    Mnie meanwhile thought whileughing cunningly, ¡¯If the rice is cooked, even John won¡¯t escape responsibility knowing his personality . ¡¯

 Chapter 266

    Chapter 266

    Luke thought that since they were prisoners of war it was natural and spoke without much consideration of the topic, "Of course, we understand those rules . That won¡¯t be a problem . However, you can¡¯t charge the nobles overwhelmingly . What I mean is, there should be a standard and personal grudges or vendetta can¡¯t be allowed after negotiations . "

    Taylor got to his main point and spoke, "That¡¯s ok, We too will be redeeming our spies and soldiers caught in the war . They won¡¯t be entering Aelius from on if they are agreed to be released . So it¡¯s a give and take situation . "

    Taylor meanwhile thought, ¡¯I wonder how many million gold coins will be spent on this migration endeavor . I guess it can still be redeemed by extorting the nobles that we caught previously in the war . It was good that we found several gold mines at Aurora and 9 Settlements city or else we would be forced to export our technology earlier to bnce the treasury . ¡¯

    Taylor spoke and gave him a hint of some policies, "Yes, King John¡¯s coronation will be held in a month . The trade and peace deal with Aelius will be signed in 2 days so you guys won¡¯t lose face . Currently, we are going to start minting our own gold coins and start our own currency . There will also be the paper currency which we will be using and it would be easy for future business transactions . "

    Luke asked with a confused and angry face, "Paper currency? Are you guys ying with your economy? I thought King John was quite a brilliant man when it came to managing a state or domain even when he was at Aelius . How can you guys y like this . "

    Taylor spoke, "Don¡¯t worry, those paper currency will be supported by Gold coins in the various branches of our banks . Anyway, I will inform my spies to act and save Antonio now that we have agreed to the deal . You must inform to immediately . If my men are caught and treated unfairly then bear the consequences . "

    Taylor smiled and thought as Luke made an angry face over the paper currency, ¡¯Well our main aim is to control the gold whiches in or goes out of our treasury and keep an ount on it . You guys won¡¯t understand the brilliance of these paper currency unless you use it yourself . ¡¯¡¯

    Suddenly to¡¯s voice came from the Crystal ball which was inside Luke¡¯s pocket, "You don¡¯t need to worry about that Luke . Taylor you can activate the operations of your men without hesitation in the Imperial city . As for Hector, I will deal with him if he tries to create any more ruckus . You don¡¯t need to worry . However, I don¡¯t want your media to report Antonio¡¯s assassination on your papers . Just report it as Normal transfer procedure for a fairer trial . "

    to thought, ¡¯I guess they want to control the flow of Gold coins in their kingdom via the use of these paper currency . I need to warn his majesty early on . ¡¯

    Luke sheepishly looked elsewhere so as not to meet his eyes with Taylor while Taylor looked at the Crystal ball and spoke, "Ok, that won¡¯t be a problem . "

    Taylor took his smallmunication stone and spoke, "Dearil, Grey, you can order your men to start . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Taylor then looked at the big Crystal ball and spoke, "I don¡¯t think you would reveal yourself for no reason unless there is a problem . "

    to nodded and spoke, "Well, this was an important treaty that needed to be signed and hence my presence . I heard that you guys are apparently investing millions of gold coins on Transportation and some wires throughout the households of Sky¡¯s various territories, Even the new 9 settlements city is upgraded as per the required future needs . And I guess that is also the reason you guys are in shortage ofbor unlike what you project for vastnds for Agriculture, right? Because I know that guy Mist and Alison are also there to help you guys with their nature magic . So I don¡¯t think you guys would have any problem in the next harvest no matter the shortage ofbor . "

    Taylor sighed and thought, ¡¯Aah, I guess he is talking about Trains and electrification, it seems we still have some spies or bbermouths who can¡¯t keep their mouth shut . I guess such a big project cant be done under the wraps anyway . Well, there were many loopholes in my excuse in the first ce . I will try to give him as less information as I try . ¡¯

    Taylor sighed and spoke, "I guess it can¡¯t be hidden . Yeah, we are transforming our Transportationwork for better connectivity, As for those wires even I don¡¯t know much . It is under the jurisdiction of Tornwall and Professor Will . "

    to thought, ¡¯I guess he won¡¯t reveal much anything as of now . We will know the results slowlyter on anyway on both those wires and Transportationwork . We can¡¯tg behind any other country if we hope to rule everyone or at leastpete with others . ¡¯

    After waiting for some time, to hesitantly asked, "Are you guys interested in sending the concrete and cement to Aelius . We saw that the building time in Rose¡¯s domain has reduced a lot due to these ingredients which have saved a lot ofbor and time . We would also like to contract you guys for building the roadwork in Aelius . However, there will be a time period requirement . "

    to had already experienced the results of a better transportationwork and hence asked hesitantly .

    Taylor smiled and understood that they have seen the results in Pearl city and Duke Rose¡¯s domain so he asked, "Well, why are you guys suddenly raining flowers on us . I am kinda getting suspicious . Were you guys really our enemies previously?"

    to answered sheepishly, "Hahaha, there is nothing suspicious about it, the answer is simple, it is because both Bryndyll and Fire-abyss are doing the same . I don¡¯t want Aelius tog behind them in years due to political differences of the past caused by Prince Hector . And after watching the development of Pearl City to a cityparable to Imperial City just within a year I am quite surprised and hence I am sure we will have great results . From what I know they saved a lot ofbor costs and were able to maintainw and order at the trade routes which has inevitably attracted Traders because of the reduced mercenary costs and travel costs . "

    to continued, "This time, I am going to invest in Lord John instead of Prince Hector, Duke Fjord orpromising with the radiant church . There are dangerous movements being carried out by Radiant church and hence I want to nip them in the bud . "

    to thought, ¡¯Most importantly, John is quite a cunning individual and thinks of dangers ahead of time . Just looking at the way he is treating religions as a political entity means he knows what danger they pose in the future and what could happen after he dies . I guess his only weakness is that he is not imperialistic in nature . It seems this is because it is the first time he has tasted power or has other ns or other foresight . I wish I worked under him and could influence him to dominate the whole continent . I guess I am too greedy to have a very sturdy political foundation of a kingdom .

    Just looking at the way the Radiant church has increased its influence in Aelius . I wish I could turn back time and nip them in the bud . Well, there is still time, this trade deal is quite important to us . Their very hegemony because of light magic has caused a lot of headaches to us . This time they will be crushed for sure .

    Or maybe we can try the demon¡¯s way when the Fire-abyss family crushed theherworld church but we don¡¯t enough power and resources to try those endeavors . Anyway, betting on Lord John is safer as he already has a grudge with Radiant Church . ¡¯

    to asked to conclude the deal, "Would you guys be taking back your army at your borders from Dolores? And what are your thoughts in regards to investment in Sky from Aelius . "

    Taylor reassured him, "Yes, We n to withdraw In batches and as Baron Mendez forms his local army after the Treaty is signed . We will soon make a policy for foreign investment . Most likely it will be open to everyone without restrictions as Milord believes in more trade to improve the quality of life for people . However, those foreign investments will be under our scrutiny from our various departments so they can¡¯t be used by people with malicious intent . The most important thing will be, people will have to obey ourws strictly . "

    to nodded and thought, ¡¯I guess Lord John, really isn¡¯t interested in Expanding his borders and is intended on securing the internal situation first . He may try to be imperialistic in the future and we must be careful of that . I wonder how would their paper currency work . I hope it goes down in the gutter and we benefit from this to make a recovery . ¡¯

 Chapter 268

    Chapter 268: 268

    ***

    During this time, there was a lot of ruckus in the prison barracks when the assassins from the Radiant Church tried to head towards Antonio¡¯s room . In doing so they had dealt with a lot of guards .

    The Head Temr assassin gravely spoke as he noticed the differences, "It is quite odd that there is such big security this time around . I heard that even the king wanted to get rid of this bastard, didn¡¯t he? Or was our information wrong from the outset?"

    The deputy shook his head and spoke, "No, unexpectedly, the security this time around is provided by Prince Felix¡¯s ministers as they intend to target Prince Hector with this scandal and Antonio is one of the keys to this big scandal . I guess those ministers took this decision with their own initiative . "

    The Head Temr assassin, Neo sighed and spoke, "Aah, I guess those ministers would always think about their interests in the first ce . That idiot Hector is always creating more problems for everyone . But those ministers are even bigger idiots to stop this assassination . Anyway, we have already created quite a bigmotion in getting rid of those troublesome men so hurry up and find his prison to get rid of him as soon as possible . "

    After some time,

    A scout from the Radiant Church arrived and informed the boss, "Boss, we found Antonio¡¯s room . It is on the east side but there are some guards so we need to be careful when we head there . "

    The Head Temr assassin nodded his head and gave orders, "Okay, First gather everyone up . We are heading there straight . We shouldplete this mission as soon as possible, I am getting an ominous feeling about this mission . Check out for the traps if there are any and make sure if it isn¡¯t a double of Antonio or else our men would just die in vain inpleting this mission . "

    The deputy spoke with assurance, "You don¡¯t need to worry about that . I have already confirmed that there is no double of Antonio . However, we need to be careful about to . He is making a lot of moves against our pawns in the Royal court recently . So we need toplete this assassination as soon as possible because I am sure he will immediately mobilize his men if he gets a hint of our activities . "

    The Head Temr Assassin Neo spoke as he sensed changes in the barracks, "We shouldn¡¯t worry about political battles in Royal court, its the job of head Priests and bishops . I am only worried about real battles and this time my instinct is telling me that there will be a hard battle ahead . It is as if someone is watching us and waiting to make a move . I feel like a pawn in the big scheme controlled by invisible strings . I hope I am incorrect . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Meanwhile, Antonio was wondering about the change in behavior of the guards after the guards received an official letter from the Defense minister . He thought, "I wonder if it is because of Lord Felix interference? or is there something else in y that I don¡¯t know about . Anyway, it is for the better . As long as I can leave legally I will make sure to drag Hector down with me . "

    Suddenly 3 guards outside his prison fell down 1 by 1 . When the assassins from the Radiant Church entered they were in full ck colored clothes in contrast to Radiant Church¡¯s Pure white clothes . They had apletely different and murderous aura which revealed that they weren¡¯t new to this kind of work .

    One of the men almost misspoke as soon as he entered, "Head Tem . . . Boss as we found out earlier, he is here . How do we proceed?"

    The head nodded and gave his signal, "Identify and Finish him off as soon as possible and yes leave no witnesses alive . "

    One of the escorts of Antonio from Sky sighed and spoke, "I guess we finally had to make a move and it had to be this guy . "

    the Other guy next to him murmured, "Well, it can¡¯t be helped . We just need to protect him . Let our men deal with the temrs . From the looks of it, it doesn¡¯t look like they have noticed our presence in the room . "

    However, as soon as the Head Temr Assassin gave his order, sudden sounds of gunfire and loud screams from the Temr assassin could be heard which immediately created panic among the Temrs .

    The subordinates watching the eyes of Head Temr immediately nodded and head towards Antonio who was in chains alongside a bed toplete their task .

    Meanwhile, Antonio who watched themotion gritted his teeth and understood that they were the infamous Temr Assassins who did the dirty work of Radiant church .

    Antonio shook his head and murmured, "It seems it wasn¡¯t Prince Felix who changed the attitude of Defense Minister . I wonder who it was . "

    As soon as they moved, two men who were hidden in chambers immediately moved as they targetted the temrs with ease with their guns and knives .

    Head of the group, Duex from Sky who was protecting Antonio, sighed and spoke, "I really hate protection and escort jobs . I will make sure Dearil pays me well this time around . "

    The other guy smiled and spoke as if he was taking a stroll in a park, "Well, you couldn¡¯t reject this work because of the mouthwatering reward . Not to mention, it was d who gave out the job . Well, more than the reward . It was a connection with Lord d and king John that mattered more this time around . Well, I took this job in the first ce because of the future benefits . "

    Duex nodded and spoke as he fired his gun, "Ai, Ai don¡¯t act cocky just because you have these new toys . It has only made our job easier, you shouldn¡¯t rely on them too much and lose your instincts . As for the reward, I have to do it for my men . Anyway, kill these pests from the Radiant Church . They are acting quite cocky these few days even after getting a thrashing in the previous war . I guess it¡¯s that b*tch Irm who has emboldened them . "

    The other partner looked at the head of Temr assassins with a grave face and spoke, "I think it might be tough this time around with that guying in personally to deal with Antonio . It seems the Radiant Church really has a good motive to kill Antonio this time around and make Hector the scapegoat via public opinion . I wonder what are they nning? Perhaps A Civil war using Hector i . e . Wage war legally & take control of the whole region by using Felix . It will be a tough fight without using our transformations . "

    Duex smiled and murmured, "No wonder, Our Lord made a deal with to and Lionheart despite being wronged previously . I guess he is looking at the bigger picture for now . "

    Duex smiled as he looked at his gun and spoke with a mischievous smile to the other guy, "As for the difficulty? Nah, It would be different this time aroundpared to our previous battles . I was only kidding previously when I said that we shouldn¡¯t rely on these toys . The magic bullets are indeed overpowered items . "

    Duex smiled towards Neo and asked him, "I wonder why you are personally participating in killing this minor character? What does he have on the Radiant church that your heads are willing to send you out personally?"

    Neo had a grave face as he heard Duex¡¯s partner and murmured, "King John, he and his men are indeed troublesome as mentioned by Pope David and Lord Irm¡¯s Oracle . These guys are indeed the biggest sinners for Radiant Church . Looking at the current situation, no wonder Lord Irm sent us the previous Oracle . This generation anyway belongs to the Radiant church after the previous oracle and you ought to die by our hands just like the previous sinners . As for the other guy, why do I feel a brutal aura around him? Maybe I am imagining things . "

    Neo looked at Duex with and spoke, "You don¡¯t need to know why we want to kill him if you want the answers you can ask it from Prince Hector . I wonder how you would be able to save him when I personally take charge . "

    Duexughed mockingly and spoke, "Hmph, your Radiant Church wouldn¡¯t send you to do this job if it was only for Hector¡¯s mission . "

    Ignoring Duex¡¯s words, Neo looked at his subordinates as all of themmunicated via using their eyes . All the 7 Temrs moved directly to surround the 2 men protecting Antonio intending to target Antonio with their full force . The temrs sensed that both of the men protecting Antonio were demons .

    Without waiting for Duex¡¯s order, the intensity of the firing increased from outside while both Duex and his partner started shooting their guns towards the temrs who came near them . One by one, the Temrs who were using the light shield got their fatal parts injured and started dodging the bullets with sheer instinct only .

    One of the temrs roared as he got his hand injured while trying to defend himself, "Damn, what are these heretic things? Even the light shields can¡¯t protect us? If I return alive I will make sure to kill every demon I see in the future . "

    Another Temr spoke hurriedly as he was losing blood from his abdomen, "Hurry up and use your most fatal attacks . We can¡¯t fail this mission . Headquarters have given strict warnings toplete this mission . We can¡¯t afford to fail this mission . "

    Neo furrowed his brows as even his divine armor which was lightning up with runes got a dent from the multiple gunshots . He got his special knives which wereced with a special poison, "Attack him together on my call . "

    Watching the baleful knife of Neoced with poison, Duex¡¯s partner almost got a chill instinctively .

    Almost immediately at the call of Neo, All the temrs attacked the three of them with their most powerful attacks at the same time .

    Duex got his magic bullet and also fired it at the same time towards Neo who was firing the poisonced knife towards Antonio .

    Watching Duex¡¯s gun, Neo got goosebumps as if he would lose his life if this duel waspleted . But as he had no time to waste . He fired the Knife without thinking towards Antonio .

    Suddenly a huge firing shot was heard from Duex¡¯s gun, The magic bullet immediately pierced Neo¡¯s armor and burst inside his body .

    Neo was in disbelief when he watched this scene and remembered the higher up¡¯s warning in regards to facing the soldiers of Sky . At the same time, Duex too took a recoil from his gun and got pierced by the poisonced knife as he had moved to protect Antonio . Blood could be seening out of his mouth as he immediately started firing his gun towards the other temrs who were targeting Antonio .

    Duex¡¯s partner too came out of his daze as he immediately came in the front and started firing his gun and poison towards the temrs, He roared in anger as he saw Duex and took a bottle of potion which he had kept safely all this time, "You guys really forced me to reveal this . "

    Immediately after he drank the potion it seemed as if his shackles were broken . Scales and horns started growing on his head as an aura of Brutal ughter could be seen emanating from him .

    Duex sighed as he saw their perilous situation and murmured, "It seems we still had to use our trump cards . "

    Duex took out a bottle of antidote from his pocket and took it to suppress the poison and stabilized his footing .

    The injured Neo was shocked beyond words he saw the potion and the Transformation of the man . He immediately gave an order to his men, "It¡¯s the mad berserker, leave immediately . You guys won¡¯t survive this fight . "

    One of the subordinates of Neo eximed, "The mad berserker from the Fire-abyss kingdom? Wasn¡¯t he wanted by one of the prominent families at Fire-abyss kingdom?"

 Chapter 271

    Chapter 271: 271

    ***

    Finance minister Joel was in a good mood as he had just concluded his deals with the various ministers and nobles the same day after he met Minister to .

    Joel murmured as he was nning to visit the ministers who were under Prince Hector, "Now only the real troublemakers of Prince Hector and Felix remain . I should first try to convince some of them of the benefits of this deal so they don''t oppose it . If they are still adamant to oppose me I might bring up their Tax evasionster on in the court and their role in the previous war \u0026 its effects on Aelius . And from the information, it seems they have lost quite a bit of money in the previous war . Their only constion is thend acquired by Duke Norman during the previous invasion of wilnds . However, I have to move carefully to not give them more information than that is required . I can only reveal the whole deal in the court tomorrow . "

    Joel murmured as he thought about the contract in his hand, "This deal with the Sky is quite good for us but only the point of selling of people is giving me some hunches . Maybe I should ask them to re-negotiate when ites to Political News in their News Papers or set up another Newspaper called Aelius times capital via their Printing Press . Yes, I can exploit these 2 weaknesses, They anyway have a shortage of people and abundance ofnd currently . "

    Meanwhile, Alistair sighed as he sensed the people who were still tailing him all day long .

    He muttered as he saw the people, "From the looks, to''s men are tailing me quite brazenly and there are some individuals who are hidden quite deeply . It seems I really can''t do anything or meet with anyone with them chasing me . Should I really use force? Nah, It will expose myself . Most likely the People from Radiant church have eitherpleted their job or they either failed by now . I better check out the situation and report it to Prince Hector immediately . From the looks, to is prepared to move against Prince Hector . I better be prepared for some scolding by Master . "

    <small></small>Currently, to was preparing to dispatch Antonio with General Gilden and a team of escorts to Dolores .

    to spoke to Gilden before he left, "You better be hiding your identity before you reach Baron Mendez''s domain . This time a lot of factions are involved in this power struggle, among all of them I have chosen to go with Sky or else know that madman''s way he would certainly try to again humiliate us . It was good that we had already made a deal with them before or this assassination would have been all over northern states and then the whole kingdom . "

    General Gilden nodded, "I understand the importance of this mission Milord . I will certainly fulfill it without anyone doubting our identity . We are anyway using a special channel to go to the North so there won''t be a problem . "

    to nodded as he left for his office .

    to thought as he saw rushed footsteps by various people at the Capital where ministers lived, ''I guess we just have to wait for the show tomorrow at the Imperial Court . Hector''s wings will be cut but the main problem of Radiant Church and Prince Felix will still exist . I guess his Majesty should be prepared for other princes to take the throne in the future . ''

    <small></small>Currently, Maeen was having talks with her Grandfather Amon who was the head in the Ministry of Transport and Logistics at Lumeria,

    Maeen''s Grandfather, Ziggoroth Amon was quite amused as he heard his grand-daughter, "It seems you met quite an interesting character in Aelius for the first time . However, you have to be careful of humans . The Radiant church''s influence is not to be underestimated . A lot of people hide their intentions . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Maeen nodded and reported, "Yes, that guy certainly is interesting . It is not Aelius now, it is Sky kingdom where I am currently . They seceded after a rebellion broke out because of the Imperial family''s greed . Lord John was quite different from what I expected I think he and his countrymen looked at us quite differently aspared to the other people of the continent however not all of them had the same eyes . However, from the way he made contracts he was alike us devils . It seemed he liked ying with words and teasing the other party on ater date . "

    Ziggoroth was quite stunned as he heard Maeen, "A human who isparable to us in making contracts? Can you tell me about the peculiarity of one of his contracts he made with other parties . "

    Maeen nodded as she showed the Laws of Aelius and the Laws of the sky before they seceded, "Grandpa, please look at these Laws of Aelius and Laws of Sky before they seceded . They even clobbered a noble previously who was abusingmoners using thesews in their own domain previously . However there is one thing I noted, Lord John looked at the contracts from a long term perspective unlike the other humans we encountered . What do you think?"

    <small></small>Ziggoroth was surprised as well as stunned as he read both of thew decrees, "It seems, he nned to secede from the day he was made a Lord . Damn, this guy is quite sinister and cunning in circumventing thews just to clobber those Nobles, hahaha, now this man seems quite interesting . Okay, tell me from start to finish about his rebellion . I want to understand his nature first before we proceed to do business with him . Just from looking at these, I can see that he abhors the idea of ves and hates those Nobles . "

    After hearing about John''s rise and his rebellion, Ziggoroth nodded seriously and spoke, "From this, I am certain that this guy was amoner previously . He most likely lived in a vige where other species lived jointly but in poverty . Well, it seems his overall nature is good from the way he treats his people . From the way he has shunned off the veryw in his domain It can be seen that he is quite determined . Determined enough to fight against the whole world if he has to . However with this, Gods will take notice of him as they consider the rule of hierarchy as very important, Well, he seems quitepatible with us devils . We once shunned Gods because of their stupid hierarchy system as we preferred power . "

    Maeen nodded as she came to the same conclusion and spoke, "Now that you speak about him there were quite a lot of joint viges which were routed by the Royal family and the Radiant Church during Prince Lukavv''s fiasco all those years ago . Lord John''s origin may havee from these viges and also this guy has always distrusted other people whether it was the Imperial family or the Radiant Church or anyone who showed slight malicious intent . And most importantly this guy cares quite a lot about his people and has never broken his contracts with his partners before he was noble or after he became one . "

    Ziggoroth was surprised as he heard Maeen, "He has never broken any contracts? Now, this is surprising . It seems I will have to personally meet him at ater date . As far as the ships are concerned you should buy it from them at any cost since it will be beneficial for trade and for the Amon family since we will dip our hands in the first pot of gold . I will arrange preparations on our ports for the same when your ships arrive with the goods . And since he likes to keep his word you can start the preparations and buy offices for the Amon family at his domain, you can discuss with him for this cooperationter on . As for the crowning ceremony, Prepare a good gift and you should formally introduce yourself to the other countries . As Sky is quite superior to others in the military as seen in previous war you shouldn''t worry about your operations in Sky at least . I will just need to keep the Diablo n at our arm''s length and not let them get any news on the new developments at Aelius and Sky before full preparations . "

    Maeen nodded as she asked, "Grandpa what about the free trade he asked us for? Won''t we benefit because of our superior products?"

    <small></small>Ziggoroth Amon smiled as he sneered and spoke, "As far as free-trade is concerned, tell him to piss off, it is more like a bait he is throwing at us . Those other guys might be naive . But I am not . Just from watching his confidence, we can''t agree to free trade since he has never broken a contract . You can have a wait and watch attitude as well when ites to free trade . From my point of view, it will be equal trade additionally I don''t want other families to get any news on this development . If you are worried that he won''t agree to sell his ships, you don''t need to worry . Since he is willing to sell his ships to other countries he would naturally agree to sell his ships to us and if he wants to open up markets and since he wants to start a diplomatic rtionship he will certainly cooperate . Never agree on the free-trade of ALL products . you can go case by case basis when you start making deals with him . Do you understand?"

    "Okay, I will go ording to n . "

    Maeen nodded as she stopped pouring energy in themunication crystal . Maeen thought, ''I wonder how lively the Imperial Courts at Aelius would be right now . ''

    Maeen nodded as she orders Cain, "Keep your watch at Aelius''s Imperial court, for now, I don''t want to miss anything . As for the Crowning ceremony which will be held in a month, prepare our people . I will be going to meet Taylor and settle some deals with him . "

    Cain respectfully nodded and spoke as he left to give orders, "Yes, Mdy . "

 Chapter 272

    Chapter 272

    ****

    Duke Friedreich wasing to the Sky Kingdom from the Volcanic mountains of his borders . Currently, Volcanic mountains were bordered with Duke Norman''s Domain because of recent expansion and also with John''s Western domain .

    Duke Friedreich thought as he looked after entering the Sky Kingdom, ''It seems we have to move a lot of ballistas on our borders, at least the ones bordering Norman''s domain . Well, it''s good that John is d''s student so he should give me some face when I propose to buy some of histest weapons, hehe . ''

    Duke looked at themander of the escort team and asked, "What do you think? Would that coward and astute Norman attack our borders now that he has those ballistas? or would he be on the defensive . "

    <small></small>The Commander named Lyon shook his head and spoke, "Nope, no chance for now . Aelius, for now, is absolutely terrified of Lord John''s methods and I don''t think Norman would like to stir up any trouble at our border after the previous war . The Imperial court at Aelius is getting hotter now due to the internal politics and struggle for power over the me of previous war and they are now trying to get a way to acquire their hands on Mana restoring pills produced by Sky . Instead, if we can get more weapons from Sky then we will certainly have leverage whether it is against Aelius or it is against the Demon King . We will gain more stability due to our good rtions with Lord John . However, Demon King, Apollyon will get more cautious against us and Sky because of Strength showcased in the previous war . "

    Duke nodded as he too understood that fact but he had a smile on his face currently, "Well, it is still better than our previous situation where we were always suppressed . I only fear that they will start supporting my brother Draco . Additionally, now we have and connection to Sky which is in our favor . Well, Elder Ryan will handle Draco for now so we don''t have any immediate danger . Come lets see the Kingdom of my future son-inw . Ahahahaha . "

    The guards facepalmed as they saw Duke''s asional stupid behavior but were quite ustomed to it as it loosened the atmosphere .

    <small></small>Lyon thought and spoke as harvest was near, "But we still have the problem of Food . Because of our Demonic power, half of the fields are damaged and we are forced to Plunder or hunt in wilnds . Though because of our strong bodies, we can work more but it leaks out our demonic power to the fields when exposed for a long time which in ruins half of the yields . "

    Duke Friedreich saw that there were a few workers working on cing the rails tracts as well as making roads on the other side, "Maybe we can ask John to solve our problem and we can anyway plunder from the hignds and hunt beasts from now on since we have the Ballistas . Ohh look, From the looks of it, they are nning to connect all the viges and towns by roads from the way they are working . I didn''t expect them to connect to the border viges in such a short time even if they had the money to pay for it . As for those tracks, I heard from d that John was nning to make a new transport system . I heard him call that Rail-road-sea Transport System . It seems John is focusing most on the Transportation system and Electrification system . I wonder why he wants those useless Common Magic Crystal mines when he has so much to do . Magic Crystals from beasts is 10,000 times better in quality . These Common Magic Crystals won''t improve your power anyway . He should focus on Agriculture since food and military is the foundation of any country from what I have seen from this continent''s history . Maybe he can show us a different story with Sky as his ns are all over the kingdom whether it is Agriculture, Military, Finance, or Commerce . "

    <small></small>Commander Lyon nodded and spoke, "True, Lord John may have his ns . And any way we can earn quite a sum by selling those useless crystals mines to him . However, watching the work over here is quite incredible we can take the road to the capital here from this border vige . We will reach in hours since this road was said to be quite sturdy by our spies . These roads can carry a lot of load, unlike the stone roads we have in the Fire Abyss Kingdom . Let''s get our ck Fire Demon horse carriages on the road with our gs . We will be picking up our speed today to reach the capital in 7-9 hours maybe even less after watching the quality of these roads . From the looks of the fields, it seems the Elves have helped them this time around . They need to expand their fields from the next year since they have a poption expansion this year due to migration and it is around 13m to 15m ording to our estimates since those guys at Sky Poption organization are keeping their lips tight and shut . ording to my information, this poption increase has been due to Lord to''s n in the previous war where he hoped to squeeze the resources of Sky to take their technologies . But the problem of Food was solved by hunting the Wilnd beasts and currently, there are quite a few forests that are being handled by the sky in case they need food in the future both here and also in Aurora . However, I wonder how many millions of gold has Lord John spent on this infrastructure project . Maybe even a Billion Taels of Gold would be insufficient if done all over the country after watching those Rail Tracks and Roads . "

    Duke Friedreich nodded as he spoke, "Aah you shouldn''t worry about his finances . I heard from d that This time they have used all the material resources like Steel, wood, concrete, cement, etc internally from Sky . As for Manpower, I heard they have used the Central Bank Notes i . e Sky Dors issued by John this time . That don''t have the money yet but he said they have quite a number of Gold and tinum Mines to pay them back in future and Anyway big trades involving big sums in Sky would be carried in Sky Dors only so those workers andmon people won''t have to worry, only the merchants who travel in and out of the country would worry about the Sky Dors at first but after a few exchanges with the banks, they too are feeling assured in addition these banknotes save a lot of space and are more convenient . This time they even established Banks all over the country in viges, towns, cities and states . This time the government employees too were also paid in banknotes issued by the Government as they were told to encourage the people in using Sky dors in the name of John . Many merchants too have started using the same currently knowing the reputation of John . Even I was quite shocked by the boldness of John this time around . I remember that they have built quite a number of factories just for Steel, Cement and also for the production of their Railways . However, their Chief engineer has stressed on the need of Spare Parts factories rather than those Rail carriages . I wonder what kind of Marvel would we see after this ispleted . Though I heard from d that currently those bills are supported by Gold butter on other resources too will be added to support Sky Dors likend, mines, Magic Crystal Mines I wonder what he is nning . He said that the Common Magic Crystal Mines are rted to energy since Researcher Will and Tornwall recently had a big Technological breakthrough in using Magic Crystal for their machines instead of the usual Coal, oil and other sources of energy . But it would be done only on ater stage when people in the Sky Kingdom be ustomed and arefortable to Sky Dors . "

    Commander Lyon who thought himself to be quite educated too was confused after hearing the Duke and spoke, "Hmm . . . This seems quiteplicated even to me . So In short currently Lord John is paying them from future Ie of their minting . Most likely he has found quite a number of Gold Mines and tinum Mines in Sky to support Sky Dors and hence he is quite confident in Paying Back via his banks . Maybe they found a number of Gold mines at Aurora Ind . I heard that Ind was quite rich in mines and minerals . And since most of the wages are paid to the workers in Sky Dors they won''t have to pay them in Gold anyway since they won''t travel much out of the country Plus John himself is using his own reputation and hence those Sky Dors won''t lose in value for the time being . As for themon Magic Crystal mines he may have found some use for them and hence he is betting on them . Speaking of Banknotes I noted earlier that Lord John is quite cunning in a sense that he semi-forces merchants to pay taxes in Sky Dors whenever they are crossing the borders but gives them concessions on taxes as well if they use Sky Dors . So it seems like a carrot and stick policy . "

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    <small></small>Duke nodded as he spoke in agreement, "Hehe, You too will be cunning after you own a fief to manage . A wise Lord needs to be cunning . From this event alone, I can see that a lot of countries too will start issuing their own notes and force John to give his printing Technology to them, or else he will be attacked by them Diplomatically and maybe they could use their spies on Printing Tech since John would be hoarding their tinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper coins if Sky Dors bemon all over the continent . Maybe we can benefit from John''s rtionship and use it quite well acquiring those printing presses for Fire-abyss kingdom . However, the most incredible part about Sky''s Infrastructure project is that John didn''t a dime of gold this time around since everything was used from internal resources maybe they could have imported some materials but that is negligible in front of this massive project . Now that is some high level of Economic brilliance from John or his subordinates . At first, I too was skeptical about Sky Dors but after reading d''s Letter I understood the brilliance of this Economic Marvel . However, to sustain this he would always need Food as a foundation because of expanding poption I am skeptical since countries always keep a restriction when ites to the export of Food Products and Strategic materials such as magic metals . Well, He can always Invade to plunder by waging war if he feels that he doesn''t have enough food . Countries have always been like that . "

    Commander Lyon nodded as he thought about food and spoke, "True, but currently they won''t have to worry much since Mist and Alison have already given their help to Sky so food won''t have a problem for 3 years since they have stocked quite a lot . Previously I heard that in the Last harvest of North Frontier town as well they had 7 times the yield aspared to previous years even without the help of Elves . This time as well I expect the same in fact more since they have taken the help of Elves . "

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274: 274

    ****

    Currently, at the Imperial Court of Aelius, there was a great debate and furore going around in the Imperial Court as soon as Defense Minister to gave his negotiated copy of a contract with Taylor representing Sky for a ceasefire and trade deal with Sky while the policy was made by Finance Minister Joel .

    One of the ministers and Nobles from Prince Hector''s camp roared as he had lost his son in the war and couldn''t bear it in, "Oi Oi Oi, does it mean that we are officially recognizing Sky as a country? How can this be possible? It hasn''t even been 2 months since the end of thest war and you want peace already? Do you mean that we forgive those bastards who killed our men, family members and soldiers? Unforgivable . I won''t ept this no matter the cause . I simply can''t stand this humiliation from that Rebel . "

    Prince Hector smiled as he had proceeded with Alistair''s n in the morning to incite the families of Knights and nobles who had lost their kin in the previous war after hearing the report of the spy from his mother''s family .

    Prince Hector meanwhile thought, ''It seems Mother''s family are hellbent on opposing and won''t oppose to and Joel on this matter . ''

    Minister to too smiled as he had expected this scenario to y out and hence never revealed all the conditions of the peace-trade deal to Noble families where nobles and knights too were captured by Sky and could be returned to them or else they would be working asborers with basic pay in Sky .

    Another Noble from the neutral camp who hadn''t joined the previous expedition too furrowed his brows as he too had lost one of his sons in the previous war under the Royal Family''s banner which was under Prince Hector .

    He knew that other than his eldest son every other son will try to gain favors from other Princes to gain higher noble status andnd for their future development so he had expected if any of his sons lost their lives in the struggle for power .

    He thought calmly as he sighed and spoke logically and reasonably so he won''t be seen as biased, "I think a peace deal currently is unfeasible . The war has only been finished and families have not even mourned enough . Not to mention the feelings of vengeance most of the families would have against Sky and that Rebel King John . I think this peace-trade n is 5 years too early for us right now . A ceasefire under shadows is ok but officially recognizing them is too early for us as well as the popce who lost their kin . "

    The Head of Magic Association at Aelius, Wharton who was present today spoke furiously after hearing the arguments of Nobles who were hell-bent on resistance, "So you mean to say that you guys will detain us 5 years with ack of Mana Restoring Pills because of your conflict with Lord John? Officially recognizing them would grant us special rights in terms of trade in Mana Restoring Pills which is beneficial for us . "

    Wharton then pointed at the minister from Prince Hector''s camp and roared, "I dare you guys to stop this peace-trade deal . Even if you guys can detain 100 or so top magicians but other low ranking magicians will certainly try to run away from Aelius after hearing your nonsense . The results of the previous war were the result of your notorious adventures for easy money and conspiracy of your Lord against Lord John, Hmph . I still remember when we were debating on whether or not to attack Lord John or to handle this matter diplomatically, you were one of the first guys who wanted to jump on the ship called Hang Lord John and seize his industries . You guys lost your kin in the war because of your own greed . I still remember you were the first one who joined the previous expedition lead by prince Hector previously when count John destroyed the mercenaries supported by you guys . If it weren''t for me we would have also lost a lot of magicians . You either make the Mana Restoring pills even if it is of low quality we will ept it orplete this Peace-trade deal with Lord John . "

    <small></small>As soon as the nobles heard this rant from Lord Wharton, it was as if they had eaten a fly and started cursing him for this humiliation, One of the Nobles who had sent half of the knights from his household roared at him while pointing his fingers, "You dare humiliate us Nobles this brazenly in the Imperial Court, do you have a deathwish, Old man?"

    Old Wharton simply ignored the idiot and looked at the experienced ministers for answers .

    At this time it was the Finance minister who interrupted the fight and spoke bringing the whole Imperial Court to silence . It was because he hadn''t spoken for a long time in the previous meetings . His words carried a lot of weight and hence he spoke carefully every time in the Imperial Court . In addition to this was his power over the whole kingdom whether economically or politically, He spoke very precisely, "I think Defense Minister to''s negotiated Peace deal is good for us, I read it when they passed the documents to counsel . It seems that this deal is already epted by Lord John and the very fact that Lord John is willing to sell his medicines to us will be a profitable venture for us not to mention the fame that his majesty will receive in the whole kingdom for getting back the soldiers or cheaper healthcare services . I think everyone knows the expensive medical services by certain organizations in Aelius and their monopoly? I think thispetition is good for us and since the Royal family will redistribute these medicines we can earn quite a bit while at the same time breaking the monopoly of certain profiteers . Though the situation is under control when ites to Treasury, I have still not condemned the people who bought the misery of war on us and ruined my team''s policies for the next 10 years . Currently, our Treasury is running low and is on a deficit, I don''t think the nobles here would like me to unnecessarily investigate tax evasions so as to raise funds for our treasury . I think all of you should read the contract carefully and its benefits before opposing it . Well, that''s all from me for now . Please raise your opinions and objections . "

    Hisss . . . . .

    <small></small>Everyone in the Imperial Court understood what the Finance Minister was Implying . The very fact that the Royal family''s treasury was running low was a cause of concern and many knew why it was like that currently and why did the Finance Minister choose to attack the military faction . They also knew that this proposal can earn a very decent ie and also break the influence of Radiant Church so no one chose to oppose finance minister Joel in this as he would attack themter on if he was opposed to this matter by others .

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    One of the noble who was on Military faction with Prince Hector thought, ''Damn he asks us to raise our opinions and objections but this, in fact, would make us his enemy . I am sure anyone who raises objections would certainly have himself investigated on tax evasions if it wasn''t a business on their own territory . ''

    Watching this situation in the Imperial Court, Prince Hector was very pissed and signaled to his subordinates to reject this deal .

    Baron Jules and Marquis Polo watching a chance to suck up to Prince Hector raised their opinion .

    Baron Jules roared, "I object, Your Majesty . I can''t see anypromise with that Rebel King . Everyone can see that it was his conspiracy from the start to rebel and If wepromise where would our dignity go . "

    <small></small>Marquis Polo too joined and spoke, "This subject agrees with Baron Jules, Your Majesty . "

    Minister Joel stared at them coldly as if registering their identities in his mind .

    ''It seems that I have to send them out of the capital to make them understand the consequences of objecting my policies, Well I have already investigated these pawns what I need is a majority in support and that clean Baron to take the bait . From there I will start the overhaul in their faction . ''

    About 8 ministers joined Baron Jules in objecting to the proposal without reading it while experienced ministers and nobles like Duke Norman, Queen Cecelia''s family or Neutral camp didn''t object or raise any opinions as they knew the consequences of being an enemy of Minister Joel would be very bad while they also didn''t know the Intention of his Majesty who hadn''t spoken up until now .

    While Prince Hector wasn''t happy with the experienced ministers on his faction for not raising an opinion but he chose to keep his thoughts to himself as he knew that these experienced ministers and nobles were quite shrewd and cautious when it came to dealing in politics .

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275: 275

    King Lionheart who had not spoken up until now spoke after taking a nce at the peace deal as he already knew about the contents, "Minister to, please pass the Contract to all the ministers and nobles . Minister Joel, please borate on the benefits and cons of this deal to everyone so that we can reach a better conclusion . "

    <small></small>Minister Joel smiled as he immediately understood the intention of his majesty while the ones who objected earlier had rather pale faces when they saw the intention of his majesty .

    Some of them thought as they heard King Lionheart, ''It seems the situation of Treasury is quite dire since his Majesty directed his intentions and asked Minister Joel to give his own narrative . As this Policy was written by him I doubt he will raise any cons and doubts about this proposal . It seems his Majesty too wants to pass this proposal . ''

    Minister Joel smiled with an understanding and spoke more freely, "My policy consists of multiple parts . Currently, I have divided it in 5 segments:

    First is the construction sector, with that new item called cement from Sky, we can construct buildings and Infrastructure at a faster pace then what we used to do earlier . It would also be cheaper aspared to our previous methods . We already have a case study and results, I think all of us have already seen the results at Duke Rose''s Ducky or even Marquis Steve''s Pearl City . More Merchants have traveled to Duke Rose''s Iron Rainforest and Pearl City because of the reduced traveling costs and improved safety from bandits which has inevitably attracted more merchants . It was only because of Duke Rose''s southern domain''s taxes frommercial activities that we are a bit afloat in the Imperial treasury . From Duke Rose''s Duchypared to the previous year''s tax of 31 . 12 Million taels of gold, this year we received 121 Million tales of gold because of increasedmercial activities that were rted to the Construction sector . This has inevitably increased the average ie of people and this has also encouraged many people to create their own businesses . The prices of Land there have increased by 3 times in Capital of Iron Rainforest and the Port City of Pearl has increased prices by 2 . 5 at borders to 3 . 5 times at the main square . With this trend, I think Pearl City will be the financial hub of Aelius in a few years rather than the Imperial city . "

    "Second is rted to Health Care, I think all of you previously already heard the benefits of distributing medicines andpeting with light magicians who charge exorbitant prices which is not affordable formoners . This will also generate quite an ie for all the nobles, ministers and the Royal Family . I think all of you already know yourpetitors (Radiant church) . So as topensate you guys, the Royal family will re-distribute the medicines that we received from Sky to the nobles and ministers to sell them in their own domains since we won''t enough channels in other domains aspared to locals . "

    After hearing this, all the nobles and ministers regardless of faction smiled as they understood the intention of the Royal family while an Ambassador from the Radiant Church had a pale face he understood the scheme of Minister Joel, Minister to and King Lionheart . However, some nobles who were on very good terms with Radiant Church had conflicted faces as they would have a face-off with the Radiant Church but at the same time, they didn''t want to let go of this gold mine in the healthcare sector .

    <small></small>When Prince Hector was again going to speak he was stopped by Duke Norman and his Assistant Alistair who understood the gravity of the situation . They understood that this was a face-off between Aelius, Sky and Radiant Church where Aelius and Sky were coborating to suppress them .

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    Duke Norman meanwhile smiled as he never had a good rtionship with the radiant church for decades since the Radiant Church had previously tried to poach his knights when he was fighting against his brothers for the title of the duke decades ago when his knights were suffering diseases which had cost him a lot .

    Duke Norman spoke gravely to Prince Hector after watching his previous behavior, "Your HIghness please keep calm . You should let Lord Minister Joelplete his speech or it will be a very difficult situation for you . You wouldn''t want to make Lord Minister Joel as your enemy and give him a chance to attack you . He has squeezed a lot of Powerful Nobles out of Imperial Court in thest decade who were against his economic policies . The only ones who have resisted and suppressed himpletely are Prime Minister Hasse and Defence Minister to . Previously in thest War, Prime Minister Hasse never spoke a word on his approval or rejection of war which is what disys his foresight and also His Majesty''s trust in his foresight after the conclusion of the war . "

    Alistair nodded as he heard Norman and spoke, "Minister Hasse had spoken privately that he always thought that Lord John was always provoking Prince Hector and Royal Family via greed which meant that Lord John was prepared for a fight for a long time and was just throwing bait after baits . In his opinion, Lord John had the support of Demons from the Fire Abyss Kingdom particrly the Bluesea n . From his perspective, Demons wanted the Royal Family to use the Dragon knights to be away from the Capital so that they canunch a good attack from the west . And this was one of the reasons why His Majesty never moved the Dragon Knights even though he had his urges andst but not the least was Lord Eanred''s Ominous vibes and his visions . "

    Meanwhile, Minister Joel continued, "The third is the most important coboration is in the military . Previously we used to purchase expensive ships from Lord Fjord and State Industries who were satisfied with mediocrity and no innovations were made because of this . I think thispetition would raise theirpetitive spirit between the State, Lord Fjord and Sky . Sky has agreed to sell ships to us which are faster by 1 . 5 times aspared to Duke Fjord''s ships . In exchange, we have agreed to sell them some metal mines and some Common Magic Crystal mines . Later after the peace deal, we will also have an opportunity to deal with Mana restoring pills because of this deal not to mention reduced military costs at the borders at North since it will be managed by Baron Mendez . "

    After watching the silence, Joel nodded and continued, "Fourth is employment, through the above-proposed policies, it will create a lot of jobs in Aelius which will inevitably increase the consumption leading to increased taxes by businesses . Though you people may not understand it, however, it will increase a lot of business and a lot of Taxes . I will just give you one example, Duke Rose''s Southern domain which has increased the prices ofnd by 1 . 5 to 3 . 5 times . The Land Taxes alone would increase by 1 . 5 times which is very good for us . And this was done only by the construction sector . You can read the whole policy to understand this point in-depth or it will take much of your time . "

    <small></small>Minister Joel smiled sinisterly as he came to the main political point and spoke, "Fifth is if we refuse, we will be dragged back by 5 years because of the previous war and lose an opportunity to earn ie in Medical Services . I think all of you understand my meaning . Andst but not the least, here we have the list of names of prisoners of war which was given to us by Lord Taylor to Lord Luke . It was earned with a lot of difficulties by Lord to and Lord Luke to strike this deal and if rejected the prisoners might be working as ves over there . I don''t think any of you nobles would want your children in such conditions . By the way, General Endo too was captured while he was fighting Lord ke unlike some General who ran away . All of the soldiers can be redeemed by family members, the list is separated ording to Duchy, state, city, town and viges so it will be easier to find the kins . The families who can''t redeem the soldiers will have the men who were captured work at Sky for 5 years . The families too can live with them in Sky if they don''t have other sources of ie and are on the verge of bing ves . Meanwhile, Lord John is buying people, not ves at the price of 10 Gold Coins so this includes the families of soldiers who want to migrate to Sky for 5 years . I think with this deal, you guys can give a sufficient exnation to everyone in the domain while also paypensation to families who lost their kin via this policy . And most importantly if we don''t make this deal with Sky right now and ruin our rtions then it would require 3-4 years just to recover from the previous war and my future policies for the next 10 years would need to be scrapped as we won''t have sufficient funds I would most likely need to open up a lot of investigations to follow those previous policies . So Please decide Carefully now . "

    Hiss . . . . .

    A lot of people who were still bent on rejecting the proposal understood the underlying meaning of thest statement and the threat it posed when it came to investigations . First is that the Kingdom was doing this tobat the Radiant Church Politically and at the same time earn quite an amount of money while at the same time they can bring back prisoners who were captured in the war . And the second point, General Endo who was the brother of Queen Cecelia was in the list of prisoners .

    King Lionheart smiled and nodded as he looked at Minister Joel and spoke gravely to other ministers, "As this policy is quite significant and holds the future of Aelius we don''t have much choice as we must ept or reject this proposal today . All of you guys have 30 minutes for discussion . After this, we will decide on the approval or rejection of the proposal made by Lord Joel and Lord to . "

    At this time, Prime Minister smiled for the first time as he understood the pros and his Majesty''s intention so he spoke immediately to give his stance, "Your Majesty, I would like to approve this proposal since it is for the betterment of everyone and it is also save the sons who fought previously, we can''t let them down . "

    Minister Brandon representing Duke Sapphire Rose too smiled and spoke, "Duke Rose''s Manor too would like to give their approval on the proposed policies given by Lord Joel and Lord to . "

    Finance Minister Justin of Duke ckWolf too raised his hand as he spoke and furrowed his brows while looking at Brandon and Prime Minister who spoke before him, "This subject agrees on behalf of Duke ckwolf to the proposal of Defence Minister to and Minister Joel . "

    <small></small>This surprised a lot of people as they understood that Duke ckwolf was trying to pacify Prince Lukavv while at the same time earning some brownie points from Minister Joel with whom they previously had conflicts when it came to taxes .

    Some Shrewd ministers too followed the lead of Prime Minister, Minister Justin and Minister Brandon as they were anyway on the opposite faction of Prince Hector and Military .

    Meanwhile, Duke Norman and some ministers on Prince Hector''s faction had a conflicting face as they looked at those shrewd ministers and then at Prince Hector as they sighed and decided to give their approval, rejection, or abstaining after 30 Minutes of Discussion after looking at the intentions of other Ministers in their own faction .

    Looking at this situation, Minister Joel smiled as he was quite satisfied with the reaction of Ministers as he got a lot of face in this session whether it came to Prime Minister, Queen Celelia''s family, Minister Justin, Minister Brandon or other ministers .

    to looked at Joel as he approached him and spoke, "You seem quite satisfied Minister Joel . What are your ns after 30 minutes?"

    Looking at the few ministers who were previously objecting to his proposal, Joel smiled and spoke, "Well I was intending to expose and Impeach a few ministers who have done a lot of damage to Aelius . I cannot let them go, can I?"

    Joel''s Assistant understood as he called a bureaucrat for the show which would take ce after the approval .

    Minister Joel''s Assistant took some documents from him and handed it over to a bureaucrat for the next session .

    to understood his meaning and spoke, "Hahaha, True we can''t let evildoers who harm the state remain in power, can we?"

    Looking at the meaning of both the ministers, everyone in the factions of Minister Joel and to understood that the next hearing would create quite a storm in the political circles of Aelius .

    Joel nodded and whispered to to, "Meanwhile, do you think that Prince Hector has made any contact with Prime Minister Hasse yesterday?

    Minister shook and spoke, "Nope, we shouldn''t be worried today . And after hearing this proposal even if he wanted to support him . He won''t support the corrupt men in Lord Hector''s faction at least as he has already understood the meaning of his majesty . "

 Chapter 276

    Chapter 276: 276

    Minister Joel smiled at to thought, ''I would have liked to Impeach that arrogant brat Irwin but that guy has the support of to and Hasse who won''t let me impeach him . And since I want a smooth session today . I better not target him today . ''

    <small></small>Duke Norman too was smiling as he understood that a lot of ministers were not going to object to the proposal even if someone put a knife on their throats after looking at their behavior .

    Duke Norman thought, ''It seems Profits and power are always eternal interests . Though no one expressed their thoughts their bodynguage and eyes are speaking everything . ''

    After 30 Minutes, The Imperial Court Administrator, Lord Roman started the Afternoon hearing .

    Administrator Roman looked sternly and asked everyone, "How many of you approve the previous proposal made by Minister Joel and Minister to? Please Speak and give your opinions frankly . "

    One by one a lot of ministers started giving their approvals . This time it was the neutral camp which tilted in favor of Minister to and Joel .

    The administrator nodded and then asked again, "How many of you Object? Please speak"

    <small></small>This time only a few Military faction leaders and the Ministers under Prince Hector raised their objection because of the short time required for the peace-deal .

    ''Damn Traitors'' At this time Prince Hector was quite shocked and angry at the reaction of his ministers . The top ministers on his side abstained from giving their opinions as this rejection would decide their political career . Alistair meanwhile expected this result as he sighed after watching his master''s mediocrity when it came to this political matter .

    Alistair thought as he looked at this session and his master, ''I guess master is driven by his emotions when ites to Sky and Lord John . This will be detrimental for his future if I don''t control him for now . ''

    @@novelbin@@

    Meanwhile, all the other ministers abstained on giving Approval as well as rejection which concluded on Passing the above resolution .

    King Lionheart smiled and spoke, "This peace-trade deal will be approved because of its great significance and also because of the approval by Imperial Court . A lot of people have died and now it is the time to stop and rectify our previous mistakes, I don''t think we want to open another war theater where we will lose a significant amount of soldiers . This deal will strengthen our rtionship and create peace while at the same time help Baron Mendez to get back his domain . And the Medicines alone provided by Lord John will have a significant change in the Kingdom, I hope all the ministers and nobles support this will . "

    The Administrator Roman gave his stamp and sign after taking signatures of ministers and nobles who gave their approval previously . He passed the documents to Royal Pce''s Butler so that he can pass the documents to the King for signature and kept one copy for himself .

    <small></small>Roman nodded and spoke after the resolution was passed, "We will continue with normal procedures of Imperial court . Is there anyone who wants to raise their petitions? Pleasee forward . "

    At this time a middle-aged bureaucrat raised his hand as he looked at the administrator and spoke, "I plead with Lord Administrator Roman to hear this subject out . However, this subject will offend a lot of men when he speaks his mind . "

    Roman nodded and spoke, "Please continue and be at ease . As long as you have enough proof and evidence, the person you want to impeach will be given his punishment and you will be protected by the Imperial Court and rewarded for your bravery . However, if this impeachment is based on false rumors then you have to be ready for consequences . "

    Bureaucrat nodded and spoke, "This subject feels relieved after hearing Lord Roman out . This minister has been working as a Vice Director at the Water logistics department in Capital for thest 7 years . However, there is one thing I have noticed and always feel grieved about it after watching the pain ofmoners . "

    A lot of Nobles and bureaucrats who lived in capital understood as soon as the middle-aged bureaucrat mentioned the Water Logistics department meanwhile Marquis Polo had a pale face .

    <small></small>Roman too smiled as he understood and spoke, "Continue, don''t stop . "

    The bureaucrat nodded and continued, "This bureaucrat for long had collected evidence and proofs against Marquis Polo''s Nephew who is the Director of the Water Logistics department in the capital . ording to the imperial court, People have to pay 1 tael of copper for 10 liters of water which is used for transportation costs in the Capital by our department . However, Marquis Polo''s Nephew using the power of his uncles and father for long sold the water in Capital at 10 taels of copper for 10 liters . First, he sold all the water to his ownpany and then his ownpany sold the water at 10 times the price tomoners who couldn''t afford to dig wells in their courtyard . In essence, theirpany only provides services but they have never provided any invoices for the services they provided . Most of the invoices were dodgy in nature and werepletely fake when investigated by the finance department . The poor people who formed small groups to save costs and traveled to River for collecting water were being harassed by Marquis''s men after they started selling water at 2 to 3 taels of Copper in the name of uwful distribution and high prices to arrest them . The imperial court doesn''t sue people and businessman who sold that water under 1 teal but those who sold over 1 tael were legally liable and this created a w that gave all the powers to the water logistics departments in the cities . These are the documents and signatures of 20 percent of themoners in the capital city who bravely came forward and wanted to file a suit against Marquis and his nephew but were too afraid because of their power . I had once asked one of my subordinates to tell Marquis Polo about the activities of his nephew but he too was soon dismissed by the head after 3 months in the name ofingte at work while he would alwayse in time unlike some people . After that incident, for years I have collected evidence and finally present it to the court . I also hope that there is a change in thew so that powers are divided . I hope that people should be allowed to sell at the price that they feel is correct which would inevitably createpetition and this would stop the exploitation ofmoners by those in power and if they provide value-added services, it would be better . You could also see that during the dismissal my colleague had written in his employment certificate that he was unfairly dismissed by the Director due to hispany''s interests and had clearly pointed out that Marquis Polo and his family had a hand in his dismissal which was ignored by a certain organization . I hope the Imperial Court and Lord Administrator to judge this matter . "

    The bureaucrat smiled and looked at Finance Minister with grateful eyes while he stared at Marquis Polo with vengeance .

    Boom . . .

    There was a hubbub as soon as he finished his speech to Lord Roman . A lot of people understood that today there would be a political storm . Even the people who had clean hands were worrying about their political future .

    A lot of Ministers under Minister to and Minister Joel eyes shone as they spoke to each other .

    One of Marquis under Joel spoke with a solemn and righteous tone, "This minister always had his doubts as he had heard rumors but after hearing this righteous bureaucrat who hase fully prepared I hope your Lord Administrator and Your Majesty also look at the Ministry of Personnel who dismissed his colleague, I think this too is rted to Marquis Polo . I am sure he would have bribed him to dismiss him . I also hope that the wronged Personnel is givenpensation and again weed back with dignity and honor for his bravery . As for thepensation, we can recover that from Marquis Polo''s Nephew . I think he gobbled up quite a lot of money in thest 12 years as a Director from themoners . "

    After hearing that the Ministry of Personnel would be investigated, a Minister Under Prince Hector had a Pale face as it was his man who dismissed the said colleague .

    Another person from Minister to''s Faction spoke, "I agree with Lord Marquis . I also hope there is a change in thews to facilitate themoners and createpetition so that they are not exploited . "

    Baron Jules under Prince Hector who had clean hands spoke, "Milord we can''t make impromptu decisions without any investigation . "

    Joel smiled and thought, ''Finally this old man takes the bait . You were quite cocky and arrogant for the previous 8 years after getting under the wings of Prince Hector . Now I will see how you will escape this . ''

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278

    Meanwhile, near the Imperial court, the Spies from Sky too were a bit stunned but had expected surprises in Aelius Politically as informed by their superiors . <small></small>One of the Head spies nodded his head and spoke to his mates, "You can confirm to Lord Grey and Lord Taylor about today''s decisions taken in the Imperial court of Aelius . Prince Hector''s power has been reduced and it seems Lord to is sending us quite a message by demoting 10 officials and Imprisoning 5 officials on bribery cases from Prince Hector''s faction . As for total demotions, it looks like 23 in total . There are also demotions from Prince Felix''s faction, it seems this is done to aim the Radiant Church . "

    His assistant nodded as they immediately report the current situation to their superiors .

    King Ludwin''s spies meanwhile squinted their eyebrows as they understood the implications and message behind today''s political storm in Aelius .

    One of the men took a parchment and wrote a letter for Internal Minister Mu about today''s matter .

    <small></small>The man murmured as he wrote the letter, "It seems today''s matters are quite serious and indicates a certain alignment between Lord John''s interests . I guess they have a deeper deal as well . Anyway, the mistrust between both countries won''t be gone for a long time . "

    Meanwhile, near the Aelius Court, A lot of ministers and bureaucrats were gossiping on previous dismissals in private and about the big changes in power .

    One of the ministers spoke with a big smile, "I never thought that the bureau of Personnel had such big corruption going on for this long . Now, It is good that we can cut some of their wings by bringing in somews to rein them in . "

    Another bureaucrat who had previously offended the vice-head from the Bureau of Personnel smiled a bit and spoke about his ns, "Yes, the newly created Political inspection department, especially for the Ministry of Personnel, is quite good for us to keep them in check as all the departments can write them letters so that they can investigate them if some corruption is going on . "

    <small></small>Meanwhile, he himself thought, ''I better get those sons and nephews from our family to be recruited in this Ministry of Inspection to get more power . Meanwhile, we can scheme against the vice-head of the Ministry of Personnel to be impeached for his corrupt practices . He and the other heads at the Ministry of Personnel might be feeling quite a lot of heat today . ''

    Simr conversations and schemes were being carried out by ministers and bureaucrats outside the Imperial court .

    At this moment Duke Norman had a thought to gain his Majesty''s favor and was writing a petition which will be given in a few days to the court officially .

    Duke Norman''s Assistant thought and asked, "Milord, What is this petition rted to? I don''t think we would want to poke a ho''s nest by writing a petition since there was such a big political storm today . "

    <small></small>Duke Norman smiled and spoke his mind after watching today''s fiasco, "Haha, Don''t worry kid, since this time the Imperial court has started targeting the Radiant Church''s finances then I too won''t be going against this trend . It is rted to what my spies in Lord John''s domain had observed long ago . I hoped that his Majesty would set up a Research Institute in the Healthcare sector like the one in Lord John''s domain from half of the proceeds of profits of Medicine sale we do in the future . This Institute can be formed by private businesses or the Royal Family itself . Like John''s institute, we should hire Potioneers, herbalists, Magicians, etc to conduct research and experiments to make effective medicines like Sky . Lord John was quite perceptive in creating such an institution . Even if we get unworthy results we can still get some results which can be useful in the future . So even if we create medicine for one of the diseases it will be helpful for us . "

    The assistant''s eyes started sparkling and spoke, "Lord, then why don''t we do it from the profits we earn by selling it in our domain?"

    Duke smiled and spoke, "Kid, I know what you are thinking, I am not doing this to earn money currently . I am doing this to earn political points in the Imperial court and also earn the favor of his Majesty . Come and take this petition and hand it over to the administrator today only . But if it doesn''t work as the Royal family might not have enough funds then I may try to make a business coboration with other Nobles and Merchants to reduce my loss in the initial funding for research . Because from what I know from my spies, that kid is quite a genius disciple of that Old Hag Mnie and it was actually him who created those medicines so it would be quite difficult for mediocre people . We can''t fight with him in a fairpetition but we can try to poach his researchers and also try to nt spies to rob their research data after the peace trade deal . Also if we get some results then the Royal family would certainly support us via giving orders and raising taxes in the name of fairpetition . "

    @@novelbin@@

    The assistant nodded as he understood Norman''s n and eximed, "Aah, now I understand . No wonder you were always an astute politician, Uncle . "

    Duke Norman spoke harshly as soon as he heard his nephew, "Don''t call me uncle at the Imperial court . It will be problematic for you in the future . Now hurry up and give the envelope to Lord Roman immediately . "

    The Nephew hesitated a bit and spoke, "Milord, it seems you are quite respectful to Lord John nowadays after his sessful rebellion . Previously, you only had disdain for him when we were at war with him . "

    Norman thought deeply and spoke, "Well, now he has enough capital and qualifications to gain my respect . Even the Lord Grand Duke, My father felt the same after watching his courage as well as the political schemeid out by that brat from the day he became a Lord . The actions where we thought of him as foolish was something he deliberately did to fool us . If we were in his position then we would have lost the war and the Royal family would have seized our technologies like the Lorr family . Anyway, go and deliver the petition to Lord Roman so that he can review it present it to the Imperial court . "

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280: 280

    ****<small></small>In a private room in the restaurant, Lord Prime Minister and Duke Norman got to business after offering their greetings .

    Hasse drank his cup of wine and spoke solemnly, "It seems Lord Duke has finally made his decision . are you sure you won''t regret it? Because you will make an enemy Prince Hector in the future . "

    Hasse meanwhile thought as he looked back to today''s events in the Imperial court, ''It is anyway better to break the alliance between Duke Norman and Prince Hector . I am sure Prince Hector is harboring a grudge against me for first supporting the peace-trade deal previously . There is also a favor that I owe to the Grand Duke of Norman family so I should pay it back today . ''

    Duke thought a bit and decided to bare out some of his intentions, "Well, I already decided when I decided to meet you . I do have my reservations when ites to one man in Lord Hector''s camp . But the thing is Lord Hector has a lot of personality ws which is very difficult to manage . I think you already saw Lord Hector''s behavior in the Court session in the morning . When ites to his enemies, he can''t think with a clear mind when he is enraged . However, this engagement of Mary and Prince Hector was made by father and his Majesty so it is a peculiar situation for us currently . "

    Hasse nodded and spoke, "I guess you are worried about Alistair who trained under Lord Lukavv for a brief period when he was young? Well, he does have his credentials when ites to scheming and saving Hector''s ass as well as his martial talent . For Alistair . you can buy him at a great price if Prince Hector is neck-deep in debt . As far as I know, Prince Hector doesn''t feel anything of him, he is just better than an ant for him . My only suggestion is that you should strictly keep a business rtionship with Lord Hector and wait for him to make a mistake before you reveal your intentions as you are currently tied to Lord Hector''s pirate ship . I would just give you one suggestion i . e . you should follow the lead of Queen Cecelia''s family and create an artificial public distance by using Mary with him and a close private rtionship so that he won''t doubt you . I am sure you noticed Queen Cecelia and her family''s distancing from Prince Hector in today''s session in the court . From what I know, they took this decision after they received Lord Endo''s letter from Sky and also their future ns . "

    <small></small>Hasse sighed and continued to speak, "As for funding from the Royal family in your previous research n in regards to medicines . The royal family is going to highly fund experiments for making prototypes of those weapons called Guns and also cultivate spy merchants who can try to get their hands on those weapons from Sky since the demons and dwarves too would have started their research and spying activities so we need to be prepared for future confrontations at our borders . In my opinion, Thest war was only a warm-up, The next war will certainly shake up the whole continent when more of such weapons are developed by other countries and I am sure even other continents would be shaken by this war . So currently we don''t have any intentions of conflict with Sky or we would most likely get swallowed up by the demons and beasts in the western borders . Also, Aelius is currently quite unstable because of the previous war . A lot of groups are nning uprisings and power grab with the funding of the Fire-abyss kingdom and the Radiant Church . The most unstable groups currently are Prince Lukavv, Duke Fjord and the Radiant Church with Prince Felix . However, the Radiant church poses the biggest challenge to us currently . The entry of Sky in Aelius with regards trade is also to fill the power vacuum in Aelius after our loss and to nullify Radiant Church''s Influence . This will unconsciously increase the conflict between Sky and the Radiant Church which will inevitably divert the focus of Radiant Church towards Sky . "

    Duke Norman deeply nodded as he understood the significance of this message from Hasse and spoke, "Thank you lord Hasse for his continuous help . Our family would never forget this important piece of information . "

    Hasse thought of the past and spoke, "It is only because your father the Grand Duke had helped me in the past that I am helping you right now . Additionally, I had previous engagements with him and hence I am only fulfilling my previous promise to him . "

    Duke nodded and asked, "Lord Hasse, I am quite confused because of the actions of Lord John in the previous war . From what I know, Lord John''s army was quite strong enough to upy Baron Mendez''s domain as well as the other nearby domains so why didn''t he upy and consolidate it? Additionally, If I or any other noble was in his ce then we would have certainly upied the Eastern Port City of Mendez''s domain as it is quite a gold pot since a lot of trade with Dwarves, Beasts and Elves take ce over there . "

    Hasse nodded as he deeply thought and spoke, "Even I was quite confused with his actions . to and I were prepared for the worst when we lost on both the theater''s i . e . Sea as well as Land for a defense . My most likely guess is that he didn''t want to confront the Dragon Knights if they officially consolidated Dolores which will most likely expose the weakness of his weapons as well as a shortage of troops to Dwarven Kingdom, Fire-abyss Kingdom and us the humans at Aelius as it would also expand the war in all the directions . And that is also the reason why they didn''t chase down our army to expand their borders beyond Mendez''s domain or chase down the Dwarves till their port . And the second reason might be the number of Combatants that they could deploy . The third reason might be the chaos created by the insurgents of Radiant Church and Aelius in the upied territories which will only increase the number of casualties so he most likely made a favorable deal with Baron Mendez and directly earn his benefits and at the same time earning his favor . And thest reason might be that he deliberately didn''t upy it as he has bigger ns for the future . However, those technological changes have certainly changed the future of warfare and from now on, Normal Civilians will also be a big backbone in the army . The difference is that We at Aelius Cultivated Individuals to prepare for war while Lord John Cultivated an Army and Team of Strategists as seen from their actions when they faced ck Death disease as well . From this peace-trade deal, I can see that he has bigger ambitions since he has gone to such lengths just to get people to strengthen Sky for Future Wars . Well, we too are going to extract benefits from Sky in exchange for people . And we anyway have a lot of it . Additionally, your previous point that they are giving back thend so that we can keep our face is also true to stabilize the internal turmoil of Aelius . "

    Duke Norman nodded as he understood the importance of this information and thought, ''It seems I will tread on thin ice from now on since I have to bnce my position with Sky as well as Aelius or else our borders will get hot where I will certainly face annihtion from Friedreich and John''s forces and losend slowly . And also I don''t want the help from the Royal family in keeping my borders . ''

    Duke Norman brought a paper and gave it to Hasse as he spoke with a very serious expression, "Lord Hasse, I hope this piece of information is enough and can help you . We have just discovered a plot from the Radiant church that they are going to go with the policies of stopping very of humans to rally more people . Currently, they are also working on creating a magic that can unseal a ve without any bacsh like the one that was created by Sky . I think you know where this proposed policy will go . I think this move of theirs is to oppose our previous decision to send people to Sky and to keep hostilities with Sky . I can see that with the influence they have over masses they might also rebel with Prince Felix as a center . "

    Prime Minister Hasse was quite startled as he saw the official internal letter of Radiant Church and understood the implications, He spoke with a calm but ruthless gaze, "Abolishing very is a no-go for Aelius . This is tied with the interests of all the nobles . And even if we abolish very, Ministers tied with noble families will undoubtedly oppose it and this also might create a civil war because of the big business interests of the Nobles . Quite a low-hand by the Radiant Church . It seems they are preparing for a civil war and that too on a bigger scale and will prepare for a few years before they start . And from the looks of it, the Radiant church is intending to increase the conflict with other races . I want to know Who in the Radiant Church proposed this n and when was it proposed?"

    Duke Norman sighed and spoke, "Today a lot of heads from the Radiant Church were present in the Capital because of today''s political fiasco and this news was only found today by my family spies . And it seems this proposal was given by Pope David''s First Disciple and also the next designated pope by Lord Irm directly via his oracle . He took this decision after the court decided to make a peace-trade deal with King John . From what I know, they will be proposing the abolishment of very step by step by their spies using Lord John''s name and use the previous loss in the war to undermine the Royal family . Meanwhile, the Priests and Bishop will only seek the abolishment of very for humans publicly when asked bymoners in private . And there is also other news which can be significant or insignificant for us . "

    Prime Minister Hasse nodded and spoke, "Continue . I am listening . "

    Norman nodded and continued, "The Radiant Church is intending to Ban Theater, Dramas and other forms of arts as it falls apart the propaganda and narrative of the Radiant Church . This is because Lord John has funded a lot of Theater''s and other artists indirectly so that they can expose the Radiant Church''s Inhuman activities and create animosity among themoners for the Radiant Church . Previously we too were intending to ban theaters but because of the ease of tensions between Sky and Aelius after Lord to''s talks with Minister Taylor, the n was squashed . Additionally, not a lot of people are educated in Aelius and hence the effect of the newspapers which we will distribute will reduce drastically and hence they have only banned Theater so it doesn''t reach the illiterate masses . And my reason for keeping distance with Lord Hector is because he supports this ban and is trying to court the men from Radiant Church but doesn''t do so openly as he fears making Prince Lukavv his enemy . "

    <small></small>Prime Minister Hasse nodded satisfyingly as he finally understood why Duke Norman had a big change in his policies towards Prince Hector, He nodded as he spoke, "It seems I still owe your family a favor Duke Norman for this important piece of information . I guess your Old father didn''t pick you as a sessor for no reason . An ability to unlearn things to learn new things is quite hard for stubborn people but stubbornness is deeply rooted in living beings with high status and only reality makes them understand it . And those who can''t unlearn the bad are fated to be doomed in some part of history . I guess the previous war changed your views and made you think practically . Well, this change in thinking is still good for your family . My only advice for you would be to keep a bnce between the two factions in your Northern Domain, i . e . Faction of Prince Hector and the Faction opposing Prince Hector or the ones that are interested in trade with Sky . You should know that any lord wouldn''t like to live in high debts and be at other lord''s mercy . Your subtle change in policies will be noted by the Ministers in Aelius and you will face fewer problems in borders against Sky . One good policy can be, reduction of tariffs at Borders since you are running low on money because of the previous war . This will also ay the fears among the nobles and also stimte trade which will inevitably increase tax ie . Now I will take my leave and go to meet His Majesty for now . Don''t look at me like that, I too was quite stubborn a long time ago and facing reality made me change my mindset . There is also another n which can help you in the long-term . But I don''t know if you would like it . "

    Norman nodded for Hasse to continue .

    @@novelbin@@

    Hasse smiled a bit and spoke, "A Secret marriage alliance with the Fire-abyss Kingdom . If you have a good daughter then you should try courting Prince Chad to be engaged with one of your Daughters or a capable heir then try courting Princes Trish however this will undoubtedly enrage Lord Hector so you must take this decision carefully and also execute it carefully in secret . Anyway, lets leave for now . "

    As if a star sparkling in the dark, Lord Norman thought deeply, ''Why did I never thought of an alliance with Demons or other races . I guess I always narrowed my perspectives politically . This way I can also solve my problems at the borders in case Sky tries to invade my domain . Now that I think critically It seems I had disdain for other races subconsciously due to the Radiant Church . ''

    Duke Norman nodded deeply and spoke, "Thank you very much Lord Hasse for enlightening me . "

    Both Duke Norman and Minister Hasse nodded and prepared to leave to finish their duties .

    Hasse thought as he left for the Imperial Court, ''I hope this scheme of mine can change the fate of Aelius and divert it towards the Fire-abyss Kingdom . Even if Lord John remained loyal, he would have inevitably rebelled as Prince Hector had be his enemy in his early days which meant that they would sh even if Lord John became a Duke and this is also the reason why the elders and ministers didn''t favor to support Lord John in the sh between him and Fjord . ''

    Meanwhile, Duke Norman had a smile on his face because of his chance encounter with Minister Hasse with meaningful talks was quite sessful for his future ns .

    Duke''s nephew spoke as he saw the Duke, "It seems you had quite a sessful meeting Uncle . So have they decided to propose your policies and go with it?"

    Duke didn''t mind his nephew''s non-etiquette behavior as he spoke with a smile, "Nope, but we did gain some benefits . Come back to the Manor with me . I need to inform Lord father and elders of our gains and losses . "

    Duke gleefully thought, ''I should secretly arrange a meeting with Prince Chad now that Lord Friedreich is out of his domain and inme his anger against Bluesea family for trying to marry off Princess Diana . If my scheme seeds then I can give a big blow to Sky for certain and at the same time increase the power of our family . I should deeply discuss this with Elders for our future course of action . ''

 Chapter 282

    Chapter 282: 282

    John nodded as he continued drawing the diagrams and asked, "So, what were the results from their research . "

    Taylor hesitated a bit and spoke, "I think you won''t like some of their results . "

    @@novelbin@@

    John nodded understanding as he smiled and spoke, "Continue, I can understand that there will always be some problems . One must have an open mind if you want to improve continuously . "

    Taylor nodded seriously and spoke, "ording to them, In your reign, our country will be peaceful and progress to leaps and bounds but after you die our country could face many problems both externally and internally . Currently, you are the binding force for everyone in Sky but the historical wrongs and the influence of the Radiant Church and other countries are very difficult to change . ording to them, Sky neither has a history neither do we have something inmon like race and this would expose us to external threats who would cause internal discord if you are dead i . e people from Radiant Church, Aelius and other bordering countries, etc would start causing problems . Currently, our only binding force is themonnguage Skye you created and prescribed in the institute as you had already predicted this earlier and also our war of independence which can take deep root in the minds of people who can be future patriots regardless of species and only based on morals . "

    Taylor continued as he saw that John was expecting this sort of answer, "ording to researchers, This generation and second generation won''t have a problem but they worry about the following generations who will live in peace and never know about our hardships . ording to your instructions, the research team was formed of all the various species and this was their conclusion . ording to them, even if you have a capable heir in the future, some people influenced by other countries will see it from the lens of species or wouldpare him with you to put him down which would mostly be fanned by external powers . Though the state will be stable in your heirs'' reign but his sessor will certainly face problems as the princes would fight for the throne .

    So, in the opinion of researchers, we should make the newnguage you created previously to be mandatory to be taught in all the schools since the children are young and also for official duties after one year and semi-mandatory for this year . Themonnguage will slowly be a binding force for Sky in the Future and help the ministers and citizens face future problems collectively . "

    John meanwhile thought, ''Though uniting people throughnguage seems crude for now However, this was also the suggestion provided by Sarah to unite Sky swiftly and efficiently . Okay, that is the way for now . It seems these researchers thought a lot as they also considered my heirs and hence came to the same conclusion as Sarah for the solution . ''

    John nodded as he smiled and spoke, "It''s good that they came to this conclusion, or else I would have to write a big column in the institute to exin our popce and schrs of the future problems which we may face from other countries but many wouldn''t understand about It now as a lot of peopleck such social foresight . Now that we have this research it is good to exin it to everyone and I am sure this will be a big catalyst in uniting all the races in Sky at least . Okay, bring a decree and my personal stamp . And also we will publish this column in all of our institutes on this research for schrs so that they can debate and also so that our country does not face such a cmity in the future after reading this historical research and be able to sense any of the said problems in the future . They should always remain vignt against such schemes to remain united . However, Aelius most likely won''t exist in a 100 years or be fragmented due to certain characters if they make any mistakes and give us a chance if they wish to invade us again in the future . "

    Taylor too nodded and thought the same on the fate of Aelius as he spoke, "Milord, I am sure they will attack us in the future to wash off the previous humiliation they suffered . So most likely we may invade if the need arises by their mistake in the future . "

    Taylor smiled as he thought of his conversation with a Demon and human from the cultural research department and spoke, "Actually this result was only possible because our researchers took the sample spaces from other countries as well which had a grudge against each other and came to this conclusion, or else they wouldn''t have noticed this problem since many heads in various departments were cultivated by you personally and the people here have a different mentality, Milord . Even I was quite surprised and be a bit angry after watching the results but understood the significance since those results were facts and cant be changed so we have to solve the future problem now with the long term vision . There was also a good result from other research by the Cultural Institute . "

    John nodded satisfyingly as he continued making the diagrams in a rather very fast speed,

    After watching him nod, Taylor continued, "After the Previous results, the researchers were worried about the food habits and shes between species due to food habits but there was a good result due to your distribution of multiple recipes in the popce which has spread to the viges . Slowly the taste buds and food habits of our popce are changing and bing moremon So overall it was good ording to our researchers . This is the result of the Hope Restaurant and other ces you built previously . ording to them, we can build the foundation of our country around Food, Language and our war of independence where all the various species fought to remove very as an anecdote . And yes also the first Kingdom in the history of this world to remove very under your lead . This will certainly increase your prestige as well as the prestige of Sky among the popce of all the countries . I am sure our countrymen would feel proud to have this honor for their country . Thend of Freedom is what we will call ourselves in other countries . And No businesses and people over here own ves . "

    John smiled as hepleted the diagrams of Harvesters, Ploughing machines, Excavators and other machines which would require in farming and handed it over Taylor to be passed on Tornwall, "Hahaha, Good, so we do have some things inmon . A very fine result due to diligent work . Okay, Reward the researchers from the cultural department with 15,000 Gold coins and the various heads with an additional 500 gold coins for their hard work . As for the variousmon food recipes, you shouldn''t worry about them being leaked because those idiots and spies from other countries would only take thesemon recipes and use it in their royal restaurants to get a better ie against their rivals . Here at Sky, Restaurants can save their secret recipes and unique sauces to build themselves . As for us i . e . Sky we should have a long term cultural perspective which will be beneficial for us in uniting people in subtle ways . Are there any problems in living habits? And also take these diagrams as well and give it to Tornwall or Tim so that they can build production lines here in the maind as well as Aurora . These various different types of machines can be powered by all the forms of energy we know currently so there are multiple diagrams of the same machines . Anyway, I have written all the instructions so you can immediately give these documents to him . And make a copy and seal these documents in our ssified records for now . They may get published in a few years after people research it thoroughly . "

    Taylor nodded as he thought deeply and spoke, "As far as living habits are concerned, we have not detected any problems because the general popce mimics their leaders and the leaders of various departments are mimicking the Lord''s Pces and Manor from food to clothes and also the use of toilets to keep good hygiene . Basically most of the things are mimicked if possible . "

    John nodded as he thought while speaking, "Okay, What are the statistics of our newspapers and how many printingpanies have been established and also tell me aboutnguages used in the newspapers . "

    Taylor nodded and spoke, "Milord, ording to your instructions, Currently we have 3 big Newspaperpanies and 2 smallpanies in North-frontier city . All thenguages are used in the newspaper for now . First Publisher is North-frontier Times, It is run by 12 Businessmen . It seems that after watching the humongous Advertising Fees and ie of ck and White Publishers they thought it was quite a good opportunity and after learning that Large Printing Machines were sold by your privatepany Sky Manufacturers at various conditions they were quite happy tounch North-frontier times and get a pie in the advertising sector . As far as Political news is concerned, they only report the various speeches by the leaders and department heads so that people can grasp the intentions of their leaders . "

    "Meanwhile as thesepanies are new they don''tment on foreign leaders apart from reporting their public speeches and they would only follow up with ck and White publishers when they start attacking foreign leaders . I have ced a scrutiny team and hence the owners and reporters there are quite sensitive to political news and won''t dare to report fake news at least for now . As far as political and corruption scandals and cases are concerned, The North frontier times have only published 3 political scandals that were investigated quite heavily by them and only disclosed after multiple verifications by their investigating teams . They had even asked for consultations from Professor Glenn and hence have gained courage in reporting as long as they reported truthfully . So they have gained quite a bit of poprity among the locals . One of the cases was rted to one of the police officials who was recruited recently in taking multiple bribes from the businessmen or he would harass them on multiple asions . That Police official was a fallen noble from Aelius . Previously, he was a knight who was noticed by one of the officials due to his education and the various departmentscked men so he was recruited among the prisoners . The bribes were not noticed initially but after one merchant resisted initially then he was continually harassed by that official in the name of quality inspection . This fiasco interested one of the reporters from North-frontier times so he started investigating it and then one day that merchant lost his cool and hit the police officer and got into a fight because of continuous harassment and since he was a farmer previously without knowing thews . It was ignored for now as a minor dispute . "

 Chapter 283

    Chapter 283: 283

    Tayor continued seriously, "That reporter from North-frontier times then investigated the matter thoroughly and found the crux of the matter and published the news after gaining Glenn''s Approval on publishing these scandals as it was likely that this police officer wouldn''t let his higher-ups see this case and dispose-off theints secretly . It was after this article that this case got reported to the Branch police higher-ups which embarrassed them in a big way and then big action was taken by them and the branch courts . The official was removed with 4 years of imprisonment while the merchant was released with a small fine and advice that if he is harassed by officials unfairly then he can directly report to the police station or write letters to branch Police heads and vice-heads and at the same time he can contact the reporters from various newspapers for help if he feels worried . This article was published in the newspaper so as to create awareness among the popce if they faced injustice . "

    John thought and nodded, ''I should set up an inspection team for various bureau''s so as to keep a check on corruption . Meanwhile, the National Security Bureau and the Media can keep an eye on the bureau if there is any fudging . ''

    Taylor continued with a grim face, "The second case was rted to the rape case by a spy from Radiant Church against a Demon . It seems he was a spy from Radiant Church when the big immigration took ce previously but he couldn''t stand working with people of other species and it was quite hard for him to find workces only with humans in Sky . After enduring for months he couldn''t resist and this incident happened . After a sessful investigation by our National Security Bureau via their drugs, it was found that he did that intentionally to sow discord between multiple races and many of his men were going to do the same as they are still here . he was released to the Police Bureau and the Courts to handle the case ording to Law since a lot of reporters were hot on this case . He was given a swift death penalty as he was also a spy meanwhile his properties were seized andpensation was given by the courts from his belongings to the victim . So the case was fully reported to the public so that they can be aware of the Radiant Church''s schemes . The National Security Bureau meanwhile is investigating the actions of the followers of the Radiant Church . As for White and ck Publishers, Glenn has currently rebranded it to Sky Times since he wants to prate this official newspaper into the whole kingdom . The Brand, The ck and white times of the North-frontier city will be handled by his Assistant Prague . The third case was a corruption case by a local leader which was uncovered by them as the Official was duly given a harsh punishment because of his important position . "

    John irritatingly thought, ''These miscreants from Radiant Church won''t stop until I teach them a lesson . ''

    Taking a set of documents, Taylor continued, "The third biggest publishingpany shouldn''t be called a newspaperpany but a magazine and it is rted to Lifestyle news but it is one of the biggest sellers due to arge number of women buying it . It mostly gives thetest news on fashion, food and other trends in other countries as well as Sky . It seems it was released by Her Highness Diana, Miss Eva and their friends after they earned quite a sum in Blue Paradise Cloth and Jewelry stores which most of us men in the city hate since it empties our wallets for no reason . Basically, this magazine is a subsidiary of Blue Paradise for their advertisement and gossip among women in higher society . Currently, a lot of men are making secret bank ounts to save their money from their wives and girlfriends and hailing the creation of Banks currently . Sorry for the unnecessary information . "

    John meanwhile thought, ''Speaking of magazines, it makes me remember the Mangas andics of my previous world . Maybe we can provide resources to the artists from Rose institute and other subsidiaries to start this entertainment culture in art . If I am not wrong, previously during my meeting with that owner Donovan of the Donovan Theather troupe, He wanted to use the services of our ck and White publishers to make 5000 books of one of his best ys so that he can sell them both in Aelius and other countries . Previously due to a high load of work, he was rejected by me . I should call him this time around and start a pilot project and open up our printing sector to artists and other businesses . Okay, lets focus on the current situation . ''

    Johnughed as he smiled and spoke, "Hahaha, Taylor why should you hate it? I think you and your wife earn quite a sum . Anyway, You are too engrossed, How manynguages are used in all those newspapers? As for other things, the publishing industry has gained quite a new development . We will anyway earn a lot by opening up the printing and publishing sector via the paper industry . What is Glenn''s view on other newspaperpanies and the proposal of new publishingpanies . "

    Taylor sighed a bit and spoke, "Well I am quite frugal after myst debacle and bankruptcy in Aelius . I guess it has be a habit and Martha hates my frugalness which I show in front of her friends whenever I go to Blue Paradise . Aah, I was too engrossed, it was my negligence . Coming back to the point, ording to the instructions of the Cultural Department, certainws were passed in the Imperial Court because of their petitions, I mean in the Parliament . So all thenguages were used in the newspapers so as not to create problems and also in our newnguage ss which was avable at the Rose Institute and other institutes all over Sky . This condition can be changed for business efficiency after people get ustomed to Skye . Since Skye Language has a base of othernguages so not many people are resisting it while learning . As per the suggestion of Ministers, we have decided that the newnguage will not be imposed mandatorily on the public as it will create disharmony . "

    Taylor gave the document to John about the bill from the parliament as he continued, "As for Glenn''s views regarding new publishingpanies, he says that it is a good development in the publishing industry since they already get a lot of letters from people all around Sky and they can''t handle all the information at once and can''t report it without investigation but he says we should keep our eyes on owners and reporters of these publishingpanies if they have any secret contact with higher officials of other countries . And if they do any secret deals with other countries to tarnish the reputation of certain important ministers deliberately with fake news as Glenn recently saw some spies trying to gain jobs of reporters in White and ck publishers . He says that we should send some professionals from the Special forces to keep an eye on them while they disguise themselves as reporters . They can also resist their bosses if they notice any malpractice and report the news discreetly to Sky times or the National Security Bureau . Apart from this he always says that Sales of Paper from our paperpanies have quadrupled because of the demand by businesses and also because of the demand by Publishingpanies . He hopes that since we will anyway give away Printing presses at least to the governments of other countries for printing banknotes we should ease the regtions and fully open-up our Publishing sector in a few years or even this year if possible . Meanwhile, the Heads of your Paperpanies areining because of ack ofbor and the need for expansion to meet the future demands of their consumers . As for publishingpanies posting fake news, we can create libelws and National securityws if it hurts the state since Media is one of the pirs of our country to keep ministers in check when they get conceited and this will be done on both the state-controlledpanies and the privatepanies . "

    John thought as he heard Taylor, ''It seems our publishing and paper industry is expanding at a full-fledged rate without any brakes . I guess the demand for paper is increased due to more people being able to read here in Sky while Businesses are also using Publishingpanies to make their advertisements in the form of leaflets or pamphlets as I saw earlier in the market due to increased literacy rate of people . I should tell Glenn that his men can take Purchase orders from Private Businesspanies if it is rted to making leaflets and slogans but he can''t let businesses use the name of ck and White Publishers as they themselves are a Brand of trust which can''t be lost without multiple verifications and an advertisement from them can rise the fortunes of certain businesses . As far as leaflets are concerned, we shouldn''t allow anypany to take any purchase orders when it is rted to Radiant Church in any way, They are aplete ban and a tumor in my book whether legally or illegally, though it is against ourw of freedom of speech . We will make an unofficial ban by telling the publishingpanies . We should first tell the publishingpanies discreetly about this . Later on, I will make a viablew that can ban Radiant Church''s propaganda so the media doesn''t be a double-edged sword for us . Meanwhile, I should tell our spying agencies to start increasing their surveince against the heads of Radiant church for information which we can use against them to impose a ban on them legally without any problem from other countries . ''

    John smiled a bit as he nodded and spoke, "Okay, we will go this way, Keep certain conditions on their publishing like they aren''t allowed to publish fake news, defamation and other things like biased maniption of facts i . e . they need to take responsibility for their words or they can face libel suits for defamation . Make a petition for libelws to the parliament for publishingpanies even if it is state-owned . So this will signal the businesses that we are opening up our publishing industry and they can buy printing machines afterpleting the formalities . However, deals with the radiant church and other countries, etc, in regards to their state ideological propaganda are banned and cannot be carried out without consultations with the Imperial court, Parliament and the King directly for now . However, dealings with Foreign Privatepanies are allowed as long as it is rted to selling their products via ads . I will make aw specifically targetting the Radiant church indirectly since they are the main thorn for us . How about this, Businesses are banned to conduct business with organizations carrying out Treasonous and harmful activities against the state . Yeah, this should suffice for now . The previous scandals can be useful for us . In the current list of organizations carrying out treasonous and harmful activities, add the Radiant Church after National Security Bureau catches a number of their spies and carries out court cases against them at the supreme court . The Radiant Church anyway won''t bother sending their men to defend themselves in Sky . Our courts must seem fair to the world so that people from other countries don''t question ourws even in private . "

    John continued as he smiled, "As for publishingpanies, you can talk with Grey in providing men from the special forces and have Glenn and his men train them as reporters to work in those newspaperpanies discreetly . Meanwhile, Call a press conference and publish the previous research report by the cultural department in the first page of all the newspapers and tell them that all the department heads will be taking courses at various Institutes on the new Skyenguage created by me and Report this decree to all the department heads earlier that it is advisable to learn the Skyenguage to get better performance results in the year-end for promotions . Smart officials will understand the meaning of my decree and as far as Department heads are concerned they won''t neglect it anyway since they are in politics for so long . You can tell the popce that thisnguage was created by me personally so there will be lesser resistance however thenguage must not be imposed onmon people . As far as othernguages are concerned, they will be continued and equally respected while Skye will be our nationalnguage and form a binding identity for our people . "

    Suddenly Sarah''s cold voice came to his mind, [Damn you giarist, give me my damn share and then youin to me about being a loan shark . Give me my damn royalties and my share of fame in thenguage that I created and made it sophisticated for you . You have no right to call me a loan shark when you haven''t even taken a loan yet . ]@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 284

    Chapter 284: 284

    John sniggered a bit and spoke in his mind, ''Now you care about rights, Give me my damn mecha . Both of us share the same body so there is no difference . Okay, See ya''

    John immediately muted Sarah so that he doesn''t have to hear the grumbling .

    Meanwhile, Sarah sniggered and changed the price tag of Mecha, [Since you like your mecha so much I will create a pitfall for you . For now, lets just increase the price to 400 Million points so he doesn''t think too much about the Pit I created . ]

    John then spoke as he didn''t see any changes in the system and asked Taylor, "Okay, now you can continue, What changes have you witnessed in Sky and is there any harmful gossip in the Parliament . Even if it is the rivalry between ministers, it is ok . "

    Taylor was a bit hesitant but still decided to speak, "Well, I don''t bother between the rivalry and conspiracies of new ministers against each other as all of them are working for the benefit of Sky, however, most of them are not concerned in the rivalry but more focused on improving their portfolios as a lot of high ministerial posts are open and would be announced on your crowning ceremony in a month . As far as gossip is concerned there are 2 issues that gue the ministers and bureaucrats . First is theunch of Sky Central Bank with Sky Dors issued recently, though they are convinced of its power because of the borrowing capacity from the banks for the benefit of Sky However, they believe you should personally decide the policies of the Central Bank and should keep a close eye on it for the first few years since if there is any problem detectedter on it could affect our economy and no one has previous experience in Banking-finance since the bank is a new concept for ministers and it would take some time for them to understand it . It would be preferable if you could write a book on the concept of banks for them to understand it in a short period of time . "

    Taylor gave a document about the evaluation from Ministers about banks and continued, "And as for many of the schrs and bureaucrats who have migrated here since they weren''t able to find positions in their own country because of Nepotism by nobles \u0026 corruption havee to a conclusion that because of Sky Dors we would have to inevitably give up our Printing Technology to other countries or face a lot of spying as well as assassinations as they would want to get this technology no matter the cost . Not to mention we may also face pressure diplomatically if Merchants get ustomed to using Sky Dors and countries start to feel the heat . The problem is that we will hoard all the money from other countries as merchants get ustomed to Sky Dors and that will be noticed by other countries . Because of this, we will hold the other countries at ransom during conflicts since we will control the gold and hence control the conclusion of the conflict . So we may face a lot of resistance . "

    @@novelbin@@

    John nodded as he understood the problem, "Okay, you can assign one of the trusted persons as the President of the Central Bank as he learns how to operate such a big organization and at the same time I too will keep an eye on the changing policies of the Sky Central Bank . If I detect any problems I will issue a special decree to change the policies to immediately stabilize it . Meanwhile, you shouldn''t run the Banks solely in the form of Business because Our Banks will run on Credit and trust so that themon men can benefit and should never lose their trust in the Sky Central Bank . This is a very important message which you have to pass it on to the new president of Sky Central Bank and if there is any problem he can directly contact me . Okay, to ease the pressure of Bank managers I will write an internal book with guidelines so that they can follow it when they face problems . But this book shouldn''t be released to other countries . Do you have anyone who you want to suggest as the New President of Sky Central Bank? And what was the second gossip?"

    Taylor was sweating beads but still spoke, "I do have someone who is good at following orders and understanding the intentions of leaders and Ministers . Most Importantly he is good at Administrative matters, Handling big organizations and most importantly managing people . Currently, He is the head of Background checks at the Administrative HQs named Billy . I also have a report from the National Security Bureau as they worked with them quite frequently due to the nature of work and the coboration required . They believe that he is a person of conscience when ites to bigger matters like saving the lives of numerous people . During our resistance against Sky in the previous war, he and his team were the ones that helped NSB (National Security Bureau) in finding out the spies to stop their chaos . "

    Taylor gritted his teeth and spoke, "As for the second gossip, I do not know if I should speak this but a lot of Ministers and Bureaucrats worriedly gossip in private that our kingdom is without an heir which is very worrisome not to mention that Milord you are currently unmarried . They worry that In your absence there will be chaos in the kingdom . However, since this is Milord''s private affair no one dares toment . These worries were ryed to me very discreetly . "

    John sighed as he nodded and thought, ''Arrgh, It seems Master Mnie is using those ministers so that I marry Eva . Though the worries of Ministers are right since the Bureaucrats and Ministers would not get influenced easily on non-worrisome talk . Arggh, what do I do . I can''t reject her bluntly . ''

    John then spoke with an amused expression, "And who do they believe should I marry, right now to ay their fears . "

    Taylor firmed-up as if this was his mission and spoke, "Well, some are of the opinion that you should marry Eva while some are of the opinion that you should marry her Highness, Diana . "

    John snorted and spoke, "Ridiculous, didn''t you guys think that you should first ask Eva, Diana or others opinion on this matter before speaking to me . "

    Taylor was a bit scared but he sighed and thought, ''I have done my work Master Mnie, Sir d, Now you guys can''t me me for not informing His Majesty . Anyway, I expected this answer from his Majesty as he is more focused on the development of Sky currently . But even I am worried that Lord John is not married . A kingdom without heirs is a very worrisome matter to the ministers . Anyway, I better focus on Officials matters for now . ''

    John meanwhile sighed and thought, ''Well, I can only drag this matter for now . ''

    Taylor nodded and spoke as he changed the topic, "What should we do about the security of banks . Currently, we have 1211 Branches all over sky and security is scarcely spread which worries us in case a robbery urs . "

    John nodded as he spoke, "You guys should only keep a nominal amount of gold at the vige Branches to fulfill the needs of Vigers and small merchants over there so you wouldn''t have to spread the security resources . And to solve the problem of money deficit if there is a big deal between merchants . Keep the most money in nearby cities with heavy security whereby money can be transferred in a few hours to the said branch if they want the money at the same branch . In short, you should concentrate the resources in Cities from where the money can be transferred in on a daily basis to the said viges . As for vige branches, as they grow they can hire Magicians and we can provide special police personnel or the one who retiredter on . Currently, let the local police branches to secure the Vige Bank Branches . We will slowly and steadily reform ording to my Book on Banks but since we are offering Interests on Deposits it should attract a lot of people . Anyway, let the local police to guard the banks in case of shortage of personnel . And while transferringrge amounts of money, you can hire the local policemen, Hunters and mercenaries for protection . The men who are hired will have to be noted down in official notes after confirming their identity since the money can be robbed by internal men as well . "

    Taylor shed as if a bulb was suddenly switched on, "Yes, We could always use the local police branches and also hire hunters if we are short on personnel . Okay, I will forward this proposal and increase the policemen required as the Viges, towns and cities transform . Milord, what should we do about loans from new businesses without any foundations . Currently, we are providing only loans to Local big and rich farmers or established businesses like the Morgan family, Jack''s family and other prominent figures in the chambers ofmerce as they have considerable assets in the North-frontier city and so we can recover it if they default . But Now a lot of new businesses are forming in the North-frontier city and they are in need of loans . It is particrly so for the new educated ss from the Rose Institute, Many are formed by a group of Magicians and Commoners . But they don''t have any coterals or resources to set up their business . "

    Johnughed and spoke, "You should first look at their business ns and models and if the business n is good and feasible against the risk involved then you should look at their backgrounds . If their background is ok then they can earn back as they will inevitably repay the loans by working here so you can pass their loans if they have good potential . Additionally, I had already made the bankruptcyws so you can follow them for now . Taylor, this time I noticed that our Construction sector has done their work on a very fast-speed unlike what I expected . Are they cutting any corners? I don''t want any problems in the rail project which I have personally endorsed . "

    Taylor smiled as he too remembered his conversation with Ryfon with regards to speed and spoke, "No Milord, Actually, this thing was imitated by Ryfon after he watched one particr Company buying Cement in bulk from us and remodeling houses for some rich merchants ording to their needs . After Investigation we found that it was a normalpany . It was formed by a group of students, Elves, Earth Magicians and a Group of Merchants who funded thatpany initially . Thispany at first re-designed the Manors and pces ording to the customers'' needs with the help of Elves and then used the High-Grade Earth Magicians to level the ground ording to their needs where very heavybor was required which took a lot of time and money since it was dangerous . So after Ryfon learned of this, he too incorporated and hired a bunch of Earth Magicians and Elf designers at high sries to reduce the time required in the construction sector while at the same time improving the designing wherever his intervention was not required . "

    "Additionally, the new Super Mulberry Cement is working quite well and hence the changes you noticed this time around after reading the reports on rails and roads . Because of the use of High-grade Earth Magicians, the heavybor of 10 days is reduced to 1 day because usually, they needed to fully n the number of resources required and transport men before changing particr geography in the area and this has also saved a lot ofbor costs as Lord Ryfon was always worried about work-rted injuries . And this has made him quite bold in increasing the speed of his work . "

 Chapter 285

    Chapter 285

    Taylor fumed a bit as he remembered something irritating, "Actually I really hate thatpany because Martha too is influenced by her friends and is building a customized Manor that is unique just like them for the Hope restaurant . Though they have done good service for us however how can I as a minister live in such luxury? That Company is now targeting rich businessmen here and nobles in other countries . Previously, they also got a big order from Blue Paradise to build Manor like stores in cities . Arrgh, why am I feeling irritated . "

    John thought as he heard Taylor, ''It seems Taylor quite hates sshing money . It''s okay as long as he doesn''t hate the rich as well indiscriminately . ''

    Johnughed a bit and spoke, "So it was a newpany and an ambitious group of people that bought such change in our domain, Good . You must support thatpany since they will bring in gold and influence trade with other countries and also change Sky slowly with their sess and inspire other people . Taylor, it is okay to live in luxury as long as it is documented ie and you pay the taxes ordingly . You can''t be too frugal or your colleagues might be ufortable when they are spending . Taylor, by the way, who got that idea on using Elves designers and High-grade Earth Magicians?"

    John thought as he heard Taylor, ''It seems change Is already happening in our domain and people are improving Sky day by day . It is good that I built Institutes so people get educated and be more innovative . ''

    Taylor smiled this time and spoke, "From what I know, the founder Elsid of thispany i . e . Dream Construction works was previously a ve . Currently, he is still studying at the Rose Institute . It seems he was always thinking of ways to earn money so he could help his family and that is when he got this idea when he saw the road project being carried out in the city inefficiently . So he along with 2 earth magicians from his ss and a group of children from big Merchant households at the institute founded thispany . At the start, they used to take small orders frommoners and small businessmen for remodeling houses and onlyter on when the fathers of those Merchants took a look at theirpany that they decided to fund thispany for their children to learn the business . As for the Elves, it was only recently that they employed them . It was actually a group of escorts from Princess Emena''s group who wanted to take a look and earn some money when thepany of those brats incorporated the Elves at the advice of that kid after looking at the designer works of Blue Paradise and clothes of the Elves . From what I know, that brat put in quite an effort to get those elves and had given Princess Emena a 22 Percent stake in theirpany for coboration . Currently, Princess Emena is going to bring in a whole new bunch of Elves from Ayananore and they include Famous Designers as well as low-level Nature Magicians to build personalized gardens for rich here by her ownpany . After this sessful venture by those brats, it seems she ns to make a Professional designerpany after looking at thepanies who approached her escort team for designing their products after hearing the sess story of those brats . Though I hate those brats I cannot deny that they have bought good changes to Sky . Aah, I almost forgot, It seems Princess Emena wanted to have a meeting with you . And ording to the instructions, Lord Endo is transferred here in Maind . He is currently under house arrest under Grey''s men . However, he is able to send letters to his family and isn''t restricted . "

    John nodded as he thought, ''Endo huh, Lets wait for to and his men to arrive . As for this new constructionpany, they are Quite Innovative and have bought a good change in Sky . I hope this continues as this will help in the development of Sky . Maybe I should ask them to remodel our Pce and Parliament at our new Capital Golden Spring City and also at the Misty Valley the capital of Aurora state . I can''t have our administrative headquarters and important departments pale in front of other businesses like Blue Paradise and Dream Construction Works . ''

    At this time there was a knock on John''s office as both John and Taylor stopped their conversation as they saw that it was already time for John''s appointment with the head researcher Will and other businessmen .

    John smiled and spoke, "It seems we were quite grossed in administrative matters that we forgot the time . Head researcher Will, pleasee in . "

    After Opening the Door Will came in with a group of men who had official matters to discuss .

    John dismissed Taylor forter, "Taylor, you can go for now, You shoulde backter on afterpleting your official duties for the appointment of ministers and other duties . The distribution of some portfolios will take quite some time . Later on, bring in the reports of the NSB and Our Media Companies for evaluation of various departments . " Taylor nodded as he left immediately after handing over some rted documents to John''s new secretary, Quill who was a Devil . It seems Devils who were hidden previously in Aelius and other countries had started to Migrate and appear openly at Sky after the sessful formation of Sky as a Kingdom and watching the policies and good atmosphere at Sky . It was onlyter known that Quill was a Devil by John because of his acute senses .

    John turned to Will and spoke, "Researcher Will and others, Pleasee in . We will start the official talks immediately . "

    John''s secretary Quill brought the snacks along with official documents that Will had sent to John earlier . John immediately scanned the documents and understood the developments . Meanwhile, Quill took a notepad to make some memos of official discussions .

    After the formal Greetings, Will immediately got to the point and introduced one of his middle-aged colleagues, He had ck- whitish hair and seemed a schrly person who would mostly be engaged in research, "Your Majesty, This here is Mark . We previously worked at Imperial city . He moved here under my influence before the war . Another reason was because of hisck of funding and inappropriate work which some nobles forced him to do . Currently, he is currently working at North-frontier times and also is a student at Rose Institute as he required some resources of the institute to conduct his experiments . He has invented something which may interest you as he ns tounch it for auctionter on . He was quite reserved previously so he has consulted me . Mark, bring that thing out . "

    Mark nodded as he offered his greetings and brought out a newspaper of 2 days back and gave it to John .

    As soon as John took the newspaper he was quite shocked after watching it because the pictures in the newspaper were moving as if it was in a movie in his previous life . After 30 seconds, the pictures stopped moving after depicting the events rted to the news . The same was observed in other news columns that had pictures . This also exined the events in detail to the consumers .@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287: 287

    A lot of people were quite surprised by Will''s firm rejection While John wasn''t and understood his motivations that he didn''t want to get involved in Politics .

    John smiled as he had long seen Donovan who was hiding in the crowd, "We meet again, Mr . Donovan . You are quite shy in today''s meeting . "

    A Handsome middle-aged man with a demeanor of a Noble, he had Red hair and some white hair came forward and spoke eloquently, "Milord, I was sincerely interested in Projectors and it had nothing to do with Printers or any roundabout way to interact with officials for inquiring about Printers . So I just hoped that you won''t misunderstand me . "

    John nodded as he had quite an impression of the man as Donovan had previously helped him in propaganda against Prince Hector, "It''s ok, I was previously a businessman and hence understand your persistence, you can anyway buy the printers or hire other printingpanies for publishing books when we pass the rxation ofws and regtions in a few days so don''t worry about it . However, all the books published in Sky will go through an inspection for preferred age groups before publication so you must be careful regarding that and if possible you should consult awyer to check if there are any legal problems with your book so that yourpany doesn''t get suedter on since we are passing libelws very shortly . So what about the projectors? Do you want to invest in it? I think they are still at an experimental stage as far as I am concerned . It still cannot produce sounds and it only works as a medium to see and not to hear for now . It might take some time to synchronize voice and the moving pictures . "

    Looking at the middle-aged man, John thought, ''It looks like we can see a rise of a media and an entertainment mogul since he is quite stubborn when ites to the entertainment business . Anyway, supporting hispany will form a pilot project for us in bringing up otherpanies in this field and also new industries . ''

    @@novelbin@@

    As soon as Donovan heard that he can buy the printers, he was happy beyond belief .

    Donovanposed himself and spoke, "Your Majesty, I heard the same from Dr . Will but I intended to make movies without sounds at the start to increase our profits as we would be able to broadcast the same in multiple theaters and also improvise the acting skills of our crew as well as edit and reshoot the weaker parts and improve our dramas . Currently, We own 15 Theaters in Sky of which we rent 10 of them to other crews so I would like to improvise on the profits via using the Projectors and Cameras for shooting movies . Meanwhile, we will also create our own research center for the improvements to the projectors for improvements in the Entertainment Industry . "

    Donovan thought, ''Even if the new projectors with sound are out in 4-8 months, we will be able to capture the market and make a good impression on the consumers of ourpany at the same time . So this will be quite a profitable investment . ''

    John nodded and spoke, "Okay, since you are confident that you can do good business via the prototype then there should be no problem and we cannot be med, you will have to make your checks before buying the prototypes . We will however provide the After Sales service and spares via thepany for all the types of equipment like Sky Cameras and Projectors . I will meanwhile authorize our relevant departments at thepany and government to sell the projectors . "

    Donovan then tacitly asked, "Milord, if we make any improvements on the Projectors then it can be owned by us, right?"

    John nodded and spoke, "Yes, there won''t be a problem . You would have to register your research in Trademark, Registration and Patent''s Office if you want to protect your rights or else you won''t be able to sue otherpetitors if they are able to steal your tech via spies . I think you are already aware of how business works, Right?"

    Donovan sighed with relief and then thought, ''I should hire some graduates from the institute who are good at engineering and have worked with projectors and maybe the sound magicians I hired will be able to improvise the projectors via using sound magic and memory magic arrays, I should also contact those two inscribers of North frontier times to make a sound recording machine integrated with the Projector for us . This will surely make us filthy rich in the entertainment industry . Anyway, I should first buy these Magic Cameras as we can film some good Professional Advertisements for certain businesses in the newspapers with our celebrities . I should also change mypany name to Donovan Entertainment since we are entering multiple fields . ''

    Donovan nodded as he got an authorization document from John''s secretary Quill to buy the projectors .

    After taking care of all the important businessmen of Sky for the Future legal affairs . Only John and Will were present at the office .

    Will spoke after those businessmen left the Administrative Headquarters, "Your Majesty, is it ok to rx so many media sensitive industries at once?"

    John smiled as he faced this question from his other conservative ministers as well, "I understand your worries . However, currently, we have borrowed a lot of public money for our infrastructure projects and hence I am opening some industries and technologies so that the businessmen from other countries start investing over here after looking at this big pie . This is also so that it can stimte fast growth . Additionally, the creation of Banks will inevitably leak the Printing technology to other countries as our banks are going to destabilize their financial system which will be noticed in some time now when the border officials of other countries see a change in the inflow and outflow of gold with more merchants dealing in Sky dors instead of Gold at border viges . Basically we are grabbing their Breakfast, lunch and dinner money and hence should expect extreme reactions if we monopolize the Printers . Anyway, the Value of Sky Dors is anyway going to increase with or without gold when our financials and economy starts fattening up because of our banks improving the efficiency ofmerce . The difference between their economies and ours is that they focus mostly on agriculture and the Military but we will focus on most of the sectors i . e . Agriculture, Commerce, Services and Technology equally . Anyway, this is part of the bigger outlook and n that I am opening up some sectors and it is also to improve the standard of living of our people . Additionally, our media is going to condition the people socially ording to our national needs and hence a bigger reach is good internally . I intend to use the media to increase the interactions between humans, demons, elves, dwarves, beasts, devils and all the other species in Sky so that other countries are not able to create conflicts between races in the future at Sky at least . Additionally, opening up our Printing sector will inevitably increase the exports of our paper since it quite cheap and hence earn loads of export ie . "

    Will was quite surprised after hearing this and understood, "I understand now, Milord . "

    Will hesitated a bit and didn''t speak as he thought that social engineering shouldn''t be done .

    John smiled and understood his thinking, "Will, you must understand that every form of literature is propaganda and this is the conclusion that I came up with after my observation of the world . Every person has their biases and hence even if someone doesn''t want to be partial, he will be partial subconsciously . So it is better to ept some of your own ws and make it a strong point but in a righteous way . "

    This time Sarah spoke in his head in a shocked tone, ''Surprisingly, you are quite perceptive . in worldly affairs . Here take this book of policies for implementation of Stock and Financial Markets that you wanted so badly to make firm policies and increase growth . ''

    John was quite surprised after hearing Sarah and didn''t speak .

    Will too thought for a long-time and came to the same conclusion as he nodded deeply and spoke, "I thank Your Majesty for enlightening me about your social observations . I too will try to improve myself and the people around me . I will get back to business, Your Majesty, Tim has sessfully made the lowered down versions of ships and also the production lines that can be used to make ships to be sold to other countries from the next month . Tim has handled quite efficiently at Aurora and trained a number of Engineers at our state-funded Aurora Shipyard Works . We also have Magic power Conversion machines in the Military training areas for our spies, Special forces and also at your pce . It is so that you can cultivate the magicians . People would only think that the ce has a magic vein and won''t suspect anything . "

    John nodded and sighed deeply as he thought, ''I guess this will only increase the arms and technology race between the countries . Anyway, countries wouldn''t stop wars at any time . I guess I can only change this world step by step . Any way I can bait other countries to prepare to attack us in the future and that is when I will make my move when they feel that they are strong enough to attack us . Our Bordering countries will most likely backstab us so I should prepare for the worst . ''

    John nodded and dismissed Will, "You should go for now and prepare for the arrival for the emissaries from Aelius and other countries . " Will nodded and left immediately with others afterpleting all the official business talks .

 Chapter 289

    Chapter 289: 289

    @@novelbin@@

    John asked Quill now that others had left, "Quill do you have opinions on how to keep a check on corruption by officials in Sky . "Quill nodded and spoke as he knew about John''s conversation with Taylor previously, "I do, I suggest my Lord keep a keen eye on Inspection bureau via various other organizations so that although the Inspection bureau would have a very big sword in their hands against Corrupt Ministers However, they too will have a big sword hanging around their neck if they engage in corrupt practices . You should try to get separate reports from your men in Media, Ghosts as they work directly under you, and you can also ask Master d and NSB . You can also ask private detective organizations to investigate them secretly from time to time without letting anyone know of this .

    Meanwhile, at the same time to keep the Inspection bureau highly motivated to root out corruption from Sky, you should give them enough merits and reward to the people cracking these cases in the form of political power in other ministries involving audits and material benefits like bonuses of gold, fame ornd or with promotions and recognition in the Inspection Bureau itself . And I hope you also let them know that they too will be under surveince from time to time so that they understand the responsibility and importance of their position and do their work without corrupt practices . "

    John nodded agreeing as he spoke, "Yes, this will keep a bnce of power between all the sides, we will go ording to your proposed way however if any of the institutions is found influencing the Inspection Bureau then they should expect the punishments for this as I will be secretly making private organizations investigate both the sides if they have any rtions or coborations . You can also tell all the Mediapanies to conduct a survey from the local popce on the performance of their various leaders from time to time i . e every 3 years . Every Media will conduct a survey separately so I can get a better idea of the work practices and get ountability from the leaders in case of big mistakes . The most important thing is that leaders shouldn''t hide their mistakes and immediately report on it to the higher-ups . We can also use the Ghosts, National Security Bureau and Private Investigative Organisations to conduct the surveys too as I wouldn''t want any corrupt leaders in important positions bribing their way out to the media and cover it up . This solution of yours has surely solved my problems of keeping Corruption in check and making a bnce of power among all the organizations . "

    John continued as he remembered about the two important organizations he wanted to create for a long time, "Also write this down, Currently, I am nning to create 2 Important organizations which will be important in the future for the improvement ofmercial enterprises and to create an environment forpanies for raising investment . 1st is the Sky Securities and Exchange Commission as I n to create the stock exchange where people can raise money as well as invest money in variouspanies . For this, I will be writing a book for concerned regtions and on how to maintain it . The first two Stock exchanges will be created in our new Capital Golden Spring City as Golden Spring Stock Exchange and 2nd will be at Aurora as Aurora Stock Exchange and then the Sky Stock Exchange involving the whole of Sky . "

    "2nd thing is the Food and Drug Administration department to keep a check onrge scalepanies selling food and pharma products which will be circted in our market . For that too I will be writing down the required standards . Currently, our focus will be on Pharma Companies so that thepanies can''t sell fake or defective products and fool our subjects . As for you, how do you n to divide the power in the Ministry of Law and Justice . "

    Quill was quite surprised after hearing the ns of John regarding the Stock Exchange and spoke immediately, "I n to divide the powers between 11 Cheif Justices of Sky in the 53 Supreme Courts currently as nned . When ites to the important scandals and decisions, The powers will be divided between 3 sets of Jury, one Jury consisting of retired Judges, one Jury consisting of prominentwyers focused on the case and one consisting of Commoners who have previously earned samaritan awards and have a good reputation among the locals as they too can influence the result of a trial . However, the decision can only be taken with great discussion by the jury of judges and the main judge himself asws can''t be broken easily . However, if themon people''s sentiment is against the rules ofw as it carries out the sentiment of injustice then we will have to make some changes in thew for future trials based on the verdict and proceedings of the trial as a base and also use the arguments of all the juries . I also n to create special fast track Military and Treason courts for the fast trials of spies as well as traitors so that foreign countries can''t misuse ourws against us to create civil unrest . "

    John nodded and spoke, "I guess, you won''t need my help in dividing powers or reorganization of courts as you have aplete idea on ourws and arepletely prepared in the division of powers . I will just remind you, Choose the chief justices of the supreme courts carefully as you may encounter a lot of spies trying to get that top jobs to influence ourws slowly so you must be careful . I will anyway keep a close eye on the change ofws and if necessary I will pass a decree if thews can have longterm effects in the future which might not be seen in present . Anyway, lets head out and meet Duke Friedreich . "

    Quill nodded as he too understood the importance of his position .

    Quill: "Milord, there is one more thing which I would like to inform you as you would like to know beforehand . "

    John nodded for Quill to continue as they headed to the Pce where Mnie and Friedreich were waiting .

    Quill spoke seriously, "As you had previously expected, other species have started emerging after you officially announced thews and also because of the on-ground situation where everything is going ording to thew . Previously they used to hide their identity in Aelius just like us Devils . Currently, Some races have emerged in Sky, one is the Vampire n, Demon-dragons, Chaos Demons, Sylphs, Dark Elfs and others are Medusas . While at Aurora from the report of Tim, we had encountered races of Titans who are 1 . 3 times bigger than us, fairies, Indigenous humans, Sirens, Subus-Incubus, Lizardmen and others who were hiding in Aurora . However, he had sessfully made them join Sky with multiple measures . But one of the most important factors in them joining us was the strength and capability to feed and protect them while at the same time the cohesion of different species in Sky that has reassured them ofw and order . I just got this information before we were leaving from Grey''s men at the NSB . So I hoped to inform you earlier . "

    John nodded and spoke, "It''s ok, I expected this situation to arise after the formation of Sky so there shouldn''t be any worries as they are anyway epting ourws . Ross will be able to handle this situation since he already knows how to proceed . It is anyway good that they showed up early and the situation didn''t end up in a conflict . Later Inform Joseph and Jack that I want to discuss something important as it is rted to the formation of our Securities and exchangemission . This way, the new and small businessmen may get investment from other investors who are only interested in investing in profitable businesses and are not afraid of taking risks . This is so that the burden of banks can reduce to support thepanies . Arggh . . . It seems both of them are already fighting . " John sighed as he already sensed the Bickering between Friedreich and Mnie from quite a distance .

    Quill nodded as he noted down and understood the significance of the Securities and exchangemission for themercial development of Sky . He thought, ''Hmm . . . Investors who are willing to take risks in certain risky but profitable businesses that our banks might avoid, huh, Now this looks promising for Commercial development of Sky . I guess some countries might try to copy us but won''t be able to gain as much sess because of theck of understanding of this system and they might also be cautious and hence take conservative decisions and not to forget the influence of the Nobles that will regress the system . '' Quill nodded and immediately followed John to the Pce .

    Very quickly they reached the Pce . Currently, John released a bit of magic power and exhibited the aura of a king as a lot of guards from Friedreich''s escort team were shocked to see him exhibiting the aura of a general of an army as well as of a powerful king .

    Commander Lyon too was quite surprised after watching John''s demeanor as he walked into the pce and thought, ''No wonder, Just watching his demeanor I understand why he was able tomand people under him to rebel against Aelius . Well, with his scheme against Aelius, no one should underestimate him for his young age . ''

 Chapter 291

    Chapter 291: 291

    Josephine had a red face as she blushed and spoke with a stutter, "Who is vying . . . for his time, Don''t speak nonsense . I am only training swordsmanship under him and not deliberately dying up my learning . I . . . I . . . I . . . am going to eat before the banquet starts . Don''t sto . . . p me, goodbye . "Josephine blushed as she hurried away immediately .

    Sallyughed as she saw Josephine hurrying away .

    Meanwhile, Eva coughed twice as she blushed as she spoke, "You are only imagining things . "

    Sally smiled and teased her a bit, "Really? Weren''t you designing John''s cape only to be foundter by me and then it was me who made Blue Paradise as a whole to prepare for John''s Crowning ceremony so that no one suspects you . "

    Eva snorted and spoke, "Hmph, you have your own intentions as well . If I remember correctly, you were quite startled when you saw me designing the cape . "

    Eva tickled her waist and spoke, "You think you can hide everything from me? I have known you for a long time . Don''t think I don''t know . "

    Sally meanwhile smiled and spoke mysteriously, "I wonder . Well, lets go ahead and see today''s show anyway . Hahaha, please stop tickling . "

    Eva snorted as she muttered in a small voice, "Acting all cool and indifferent in front of me won''t work . Of course, you wonder because you were afraid of your family previously if they targeted him for vying love from royal blood . It was only now after the start of the war that you exposed some of your feelings . I am sure you quite low-key wish for your father to use you as a political tool if it is marrying John or else you wouldn''t even leave this domain if your father wishes to use you as a political tool . "

    Sally blushed as she didn''t speak and pretended to not hear her and looked at the events that were taking ce .

    Quill meanwhile spoke of the 5 point discussion and n for settling the matter of trade, cooperation and other problems that might have urred .

    In the big room, currently, John, Friedreich, Mnie and d were present as John sighed and broke the silence and spoke first, "I guess you had a fine journey traveling here . I would again like to thank you for your help in the previous war where you resisted the schemes of Aelius as well as your ministers and elders internally . It would have been quite tough for us to root out the chaos spreading spies of Aelius during the war without the master''s help . "

    Friedreich nodded and spoke, "No need to mention it . Looking at you, It seems you have personally experienced war . If I am not wrong, you should be strong enough to battle d just looking at your battle senses . The only thing youck is experience but you seem quite adaptable . What do you think about selling more of your weapons to us?"

    John thought a bit and spoke, "That shouldn''t be a problem . However, Cannons and Guns won''t be sold for a while but we can sell you our best Ballistas with the use of Magic Metal . You can even buy our very best Ballista''s technology if you want to build them on a massive scale . I am sure you will be satisfied with those weapons if youpare it with others . "

    Friedreich was quite surprised and spoke, "Okay, I will buy those as it is anyway better than the lousy cannons of Aelius . Previously, I saw those roads and looking at it I am quite impressed by the maintenance as well as those new things called tires used on carts which were reced by one of the shops when we stopped toe here . However, the most I am impressed was by that Institution called Bank . I guess you financed the whole Railway and Road project or Electrification project with the help of Bank, correct?"

    John nodded and spoke, "As expected from Lord Duke, Yeah, we did finance a lot of our projects from Banks . I wonder what you would want to know about them?"

    John meanwhile thought, ''However, I don''t think we took that much loans . Anyway, keeping everyone guessing is ok for now or else everyone will be red with envy . ''

    Friedreich smiled and spoke, "You have created quite a problem for everyone in the region with the formation of your banks . So I would at least want to know more about banks to run it efficiently as the formation of Banknotes is inevitable for the countries here or a ban of your currency in our domain . Or maybe we will go with Banks without Banknotes but only gold . "

    John smiled and understood as he spoke, "Well, I only wanted to use the resources of Sky more efficiently and hence the creation of banks . No one is banned for transactions in other currencies you see . "

    Friedreich thought, ''That Tariff is the problem when people are asked to pay in Sky Dors . And then there is a discount if people pay in Sky Dors . ''

    Friedreich nodded without exposing and spoke, "I guess it can''t be helped . Anyway, my official request would be that you allow fire-abyss to buy printers for the printing of Banknotes and Newspapers as well . I heard from d that you are going to introduce a set of home appliance machines that would requiremon Magic crystals to run it . So I would like to know more on it and gain some advantage over others . "

    John thought a bit and spoke, "I guess it can''t be hidden, yes we have done a lot of research and are able to convert Magic Energy into electricity for energy . However, there are other forms of energy like coal, oil, Hydropower, Petrol, Diesel, and others . Currently, we are preferring Magic energy because of its purity and better mobility aspared to the other liquid forms . At the same time, ording to our recent research, these Common Magic Crystals can be recharged a few times and only be useless after 12 charges . As for other grades of Magic Crystals, we are still conducting our research and experiments . So they have a better value aspared to other forms of energy for now . However, Magic Crystal would be 2-3 times more expensive aspared to other forms of energy . I hope you can keep this information a secret for now . However, you can export them to us as we will need a lot ofbor force to extract them . So I would like to save time and Labor workforce anyway . "

    Friedreich nodded and spoke, "There is no problem, we would anyway like to exportmon magic crystals and low-grade magic crystals as they are all over the ce lying without any productivity and are in abundance in the Fire-Abyss Kingdom because of numerous Fire Volcanoes . What do you think about selling us the medicinal forme''s that you created . " Friedreich hesitated a bit and spoke .

    At this time Mnie spoke immediately, "Don''t even think about it . I am previously agreeing to your requests because of your help to John in the previous war . Hmph . "

    d also spoke at this time, "Master, I think we should focus more on the connection of all the Cities and Viges at Bluesea Duchy via the roads to improve trade as well as improve the security of remote ces by connection . "

    Friedreich shook his head and spoke as he understood the weight of the request if he made it, "Nah, It would be quite excessive of me to request John to build roads for us . It is not a small affair . "

    d thought, ''I don''t think it cost us a lot here at Sky in the construction of roads . Maybe he doesn''t know of the costs . ''

    Just as d was about to speak, John smiled and spoke, "I think we can build the roads for you but there would be one condition . As for those medicines, we can sell it to you cheaply at marginal prices but we can''t sell the forms as those forms are the foundation of thosepanies in return of Mining rights of Copper ore, Aluminum ores and Coal ores . "

    Friedreich nodded and spoke, "Ok, that shouldn''t be a problem, we anyway have a lot of Copper ores, we can give you mining rights of one at our borders . As for roads Please speak, as long as it is an eptable condition, It should be possible to move forward this project of constructing the roads . "

    John nodded and spoke, "We can fund and build all the roads for you in exchange for Toll rights, i . e . we will charge travelers using our roads on certain checkpoints or else they can use other roads for travel . In short, these roads would solely bemercial roads formercial benefits . "

    Friedreich then frowned and furrowed his brows as he asked, "How much do you n to charge at the toll points?"

    John spoke, "It would depend on the weight and value of the carriage and also the number of people . However, it should range from 10 coppers to 1 gold coin depending on the number of carriages . The basic costs for a person would be 10 coppers each side . "

    Friedreich rose his brows up and spoke, "d, what is the volume and number of merchants going to the Sky for thest 2 months after the roads were opened up . "

    d spoke which surprised Duke Friedreich immediately .

    Duke muttered in a slow voice, "It seems, we can easily get back the return on investment in 3 years and depending on the increase of volume of trade it will only be faster . The only thing is the public anger when we charge them for using our roads . But this seems quite a profitable venture for both me and the merchants as they can save time as well as maintenance costs . Those Tirepanies from John''s domain would also earn a fortune but cart maintenancepanies would enter a slump . Maybe I should promote those things called bicycles for travel . It seems a lot needs to be done . "

    Friedreich smiled a bit and finally spoke after some thinking, "John, you are quite cunning . No wonder you are quite sessful in business . Okay, I will allow you to get the toll rights but you will only get the toll rights for 8 years and that too 50 Percent of the rights only as I will invest 50% from my side for building the roads and take the other 50% of toll taxes .

    John nodded and spoke, "It''s ok, it is still quite a profitable business for both of us . As for calming the public anger when we charge a toll . You can simply say to the people that Sky had built this road with Bluesea Duchy formercial purposes and to recoup the investment we are charging toll taxes so that people involved in the project can''tin . Tell them that this road wouldn''t have been built in the first ce if Investment for constructing the road was not there from the investors . I have one request from you and that is to lend me, Master d, as he is continuously rejecting me to ept the position of Defence Minister . After all, he is one who taught me how to fight . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Mnie and d were quite stunned after hearing the talks between John and Friedreich .

    Mnie thought deeply and nodded satisfactorily, ''I never thought, John woulde up with something called Toll taxes . I guess the investment in all the roads would require about 10-20 million gold coins even with the new tech . But it is quite easily possible to get back the investment in 2 years after watching the volume in thest 2 months . The most probable reason that Merchants are using this road is because of the requirement of low maintenance of their Beast carts and being able to move at faster speeds on the roads and not to mention the safety and patrols of the local guards to keep the roads safer . Previously, the royal family didn''t try to build roads because the time required was stretched from 1 year to 3 years and hence a loss of time, money andbor even with the use of magicians . It was only during the wars that Roads were built at a very fast pace . However, John requesting something so valuable from Friedreich is definitely a pit for him . However, d himself has a very high value . ''

    Friedreich smiled and thought as John finally requested something valuable from him, ''I should try out our n now . I should go ording to the n and gauge his reactions . ''

    Friedreich nodded only a bit and spoke, "Ok, we will talk about this business another time . I wanted to first know about your thoughts on the current situation in the region . What do you think about the views of Fire-abyss kingdom, Bryndyll Kingdom and Aelius towards you and Sky?"

    John thought a bit and spoke, "I guess they view me cautiously after watching the fire prowess of my weapons . But they might think that I am naive since I have decided to give back Dolores to Aelius . I think some might be plotting against me by making some alliances . Well, I am quite aware of their understanding towards other countries so I wouldn''t be surprised by that evaluation . "

 Chapter 292

    Chapter 292: 292

    Friedreich nodded and spoke, "I will tell you the truth, Currently, most of them are vying for your Mana Restoring pills for improvement in cultivation and yourtest weapons for domination . You would most likely face a war in about 5-10 years when they develop weapons to counter you . The situation of Bluesea domain is quite problematic and hence I can''t lend d to you without a good reason . "

    Fredric showed a helpless expression as he sighed and continued, "However it is possible to lend him but I only have one request, i . e . I hoped that you would ally with me and go for a political marriage with Diana . As far as I know, Diana likes you so there shouldn''t be any problem and I wouldn''t have proposed this in the first ce if she didn''t like you, I am sure even you have seen a different behavior from her for quite some time . "

    He continued with an earnest expression, "I wouldn''t be forced but Our domain is in such a situation . Currently, the problem is that Prince Chad is vying for Diana''s favor for the political power of the Bluesea family to fight against his brothers and from now on Apollyon too would try court us since he would want to invade you from my borders to catch you unawareter on and also to make a good grip on Bluesea Duchy . In my opinion, This marriage between you and Diana will certainly solidify our rtionship and create a buffer zone for your borders against the schemes of Fire-abyss . Previously as well we prevented them from using our domain to invade Aelius on d''s instructions and hence kept strict patrols . Apollyon and others might now try to rock my boat by funding my brother Draco and build up schemes so it would be problematic for you in the future as well if he gets power in my family . "

    John thought deeply and understood that what Friedreich said was not wrong when it came to the internal affairs of the Bluesea domain and Fire-abyss kingdom .

    Mnie immediately roared as she had expected some schemes from Friedreich and spoke, "Bullshit, You shameless old coot you are just finding a reason to tie down John with your old favors and cing him in a difficult situation . John, I have not requested anything with you but if you agree with this then you will have to marry Eva and those girls as well . I won''t take no for an answer . Thosesses are even making a dress for your Crowning ceremony just to express their feelings just so you notice it . I won''t wait any longer if this goes on and you fall in this old coot''s trap . And don''t think that I don''t know that you act dense purposely to avoid the feelings of those girls . "

    Mnie thought, ''I hope this can make John reject this old coot . Nah, most likely he won''t since he has put John in such a problematic situation . ''

    John was about to nod as he thought of Mnie''s words which made a lot of sense but suddenly Friedreich spoke immediately .

    Friedreich smiled as he spoke decisively, "What if I allow d to be the Defence minister in your domain without any restrictions . So don''t reject it quickly . Additionally, we are tied to you already after my help to you in the previous war and hence there is a peculiar situation for me currently . This tie-up with you can only be broken if I make a political marriage of Diana with other heirs, Chad or one of the children of other Dukes . However, If this alliance with you is done, then Fire-abyss family won''t make their move easily as Duchy of Thorns, Duchy of Bluesea and your influence will make a bnce of power against their bloc . Duchy of Thorns has a grudge against Fire-abyss family for scheming against their daughter Apophis by giving her location to Aelius when she was at Aelius . Their scheme was to make Lukavv the enemy of Lionheart and also to make the Thorn family the vanguard in the next war in which they seeded . This was only known after 3 years of investigation from our side . This is one of the reasons why I don''t trust them easily when ites to a political marriage or anything . And there is one more thing, Diana would surely not agree to a political marriage unless she is marrying someone whom she loves and hence I proposed this as I know of her thinking from a young age . I am sure she would rather run away rather than agree to this sort of marriage . "

    Friedreich thought as he looked at John''s hesitating face, ''I guess this push should work regardless of Mnie''s roaring, maybe I should add more benefits and he will be unable to reject it . Anyway, I have nothing to lose for now . ''

    d too smiled and didn''t meet John''s eyes as he too was involved in this scheme of Duke Friedreich to make John his son-inw and was in favor of John marrying Diana and hence he was rejecting John for a long time to take any ministerial post as a bargaining chip for Lord Duke .

    Mnie meanwhile thought, ''This scheming old coot . It''s good that I came to this meeting or else he would have surely to snatched my disciple with his schemes under my eyes . ''

    Looking at John''s hesitance, Friedreich took out a vial of blood as he offered it to John, "To offer my sincerity, I will offer you our Ancestral blood of the first ancestor . This blood is useful to all the species and can improve the body of anyone absorbing it via our magic cultivation technique . We demons usually integrate about 60% of blood and people of our family integrate about 80% while other species will integrate about 10% to 40% depending on the capacity of their bodies . "

    This time, both Mnie and d were quite stunned after watching Friedreich take out the ancestral blood as they knew about the scarcity of Ancestral blood as it was usually only given to heirs who would inherit the duchy or very important retainers who would safeguard it .

    Looking at the reactions of both Mnie and d, John too got interested and took the blood vial in his hands and started to scan it with his AI, Sarah . Suddenly Sarah''s voice came inside his head . John wanted to give blood vial to Friedreich immediately but Friedreich sped the bottle in John''s hand .

    Friedreich spoke seriously as he took his hand back, "Don''t reject it . Take your time to reject till your crowning ceremony as this is the highest form of sincerity from me . "

    After sessful scanning, Sarah''s voice came .

    [Detecting very high-quality Demon blood . Beneficial for the user''s body to improve it multiple folds . Probable Integration percentage, 95%-100% . Integrating the blood immediately with Body and Soul cleansing method to remove the scanning of that voyeur up in the sky . ]

    Suddenly the blood starteding out of the vial without anyone''s notice and started integrating with John''s body as Magic flowed out of John''s body subconsciously and covered the blood vial .

    Immediately All the people present were stunned as they saw the subconscious reaction of the blood and integrating with John''s body .

    Friedreich thought, ''Subconscious reaction of Blood without the magical technique of our n? How is this possible? Damn it, It can''t be helped . I better help him integrate it now or else the blood will be wasted . I hope it at least reaches 30% of the integration since we haven''t prepared anything . ''

    Mnie too reacted quickly and used her healing technique on John as most of the time it would create a bacsh during a blood integration even with multiple preparations .

    Mnie then spoke immediately, "d go to my pharmacy and immediately bring the Blue Phoniex herb, Blood of a Golden Crow, 5 Snow fruits and a vial of Potion from the inner cab which you know of . It has abel of Life rejuvenating potion . "

    Friedreich nodded to d immediately as he provided the demon energy to John to stabilize his condition . Meanwhile, d Immediately left via the window and headed to bring the required ingredients for John .

    At this time, Blood was integrating with John''s body in a very steady pace as there weren''t any signs of bacsh till now . After Half an hour d came with Mnie''s First aid kit along with all the required important ingredients .

    Friedreich observed closely and spoke, "Now this is suspicious . I have never seen such a steady integration of Ancestral blood even in our family . What is going on? It is as if he is the Ancient Ancestor himself . It seems Purification as well is top-notch, at least better than our technique . "

    After one hour, Mnie started healing John and spoke, "It seems he is losing magic energy at a fast pace because of such high purification and integration . d, give John the Potion in small intervals while I prepare the other potion . It will be done immediately . "

    Sarah''s voice was continuouslying inside John''s head as he was concentrating on integrating the blood .

    @@novelbin@@

    [Using Life-rejuvenating Potions instead of Life energy to purify the Blood . Purification is at 31% currently . ]

    John''s body was meanwhile showing changes as the integration continuously took ce . While at the same time both Mnie and Friedreich were getting shocked every minute after watching the purification and integration of the blood into John''s body .

    Friedreich murmured, "How is this possible, his body is continuously purifying the ancestral blood without any leakage of the same . Is he our ancestor in disguise? I should check his blood and energy if he has any features of a demon . Hmm . . . No . . it seems he ispletely a human . How is it possible for integration to be above 50% for a non-demon . "

    During this process, there were four moments where John was about to start using his root life force and was only helped by Mnie, Friedreich and once by the System to cope up with the problem .

    [100% Purification . Complete purification of Blood . Your status of being watched by an alien entity is gone . Atst, I can work in peace with that voyeur gone . Please rest for a few days to recuperate the life energy and full status of your body . Congrattions on upgrading the system and increasing your brain efficiency by 10 times in analyzing and scanning data from the surrounding environment, It is advised to the host to collect high purity Source Cells of other species for higher biological transformation and evolution . ]

    [Completion of a Hidden S grade Task: Blocking the Prying eyes of powerful hidden entities . Congrattions on earning 700 million Points . You can now ess the second floor of the System Mall . At the same time, the amount of interest rate on credit is decreased by 5% to 25% . There will be a discount on the items on the first floor of the system mall . Congrattions on winning 3 Gift boxes . ]

    Meanwhile, in the other realm, one of the angels under Irm suddenly lost the viewing capacity under John''s domain . Suddenly there was fog over John and his domain as the Angel roared, "What the hell is this? How is this possible . "

    The Angel headed and met Irm as he reported, "Milord, we have lost contact and can''t see that Sinner John neither his domain . What should we do? It looks like he has formed a contract with one of those guys from other species . "

    John too was quite surprised that such a transformation had taken ce and changed his status from being watched .

    It was only now that Mnie, Friedreich and d calmed down after watching theplete integration of Blood with John''s body . All of them had shocked reactions on their faces as this was the first time that the integration of blood had gone so smoothly without any mishaps with aplete 100% purification .

 Chapter 293

    Chapter 293: 293

    John looked at his body and thought, "It looks like the number of my meridians has increased by 4 times which can absorb more magical power, and ording to the system I can take in more oxygen . Externally, a little bit of my physique and hair color has changed . It seems the tone on my face has changed as well . Hmm . . . My power has increased a lot and it seems I can squarely fight against Master . "[The system will be updating for the next 48 hours . Host''s longevity and Life energy have increased to 596 years and isparable to demons . Your status as a human has changed to Evolved human . This is a new branch in human species and hence no alien entity can peep on you via blood and magic energy as you have unique Blood and Magic energy . A piece of advice, from now on you should be careful of those alien entities as they might consider you as a threat . ]

    [Updating Status

    Name: John

    @@novelbin@@

    Status: Human to Evolved Human .

    Physique: Comparable to Demons and Devils alike while at the same time the system has modified your meridians better than others . 2 times aspared to demons and devils and 4 times aspared to humans .

    Titles: Child of Chaos(By all the Alien Entities), King of Sky Kingdom (Uncrowned), First King of Men (given by your subjects for removing very), Troublemaker (By the alien entities called Gods)

    Powers: Small Status check of everything with enough mana (Evolved eyes), Multitasking (Currently able to multitask 12 things at a time . ), Super strength, Super Stamina, Sharp Shooting, Two-handed swordsmanship, Dagger Techniques of d, Ghost Steps, Strategize, Potioneering, Pharmacist, Alchemist (Pill Concocting), Weaponsmith .

    Short Teleportation, Super Scanning, Super Speed, Super Regeneration, Summoning (Sealed), Super Senses, Ultra-high reaction Speed . Super System Mode (Sealed), Cloning(Sealed), Space Shift . Shapeshifting(Sealed) . Resistant to medium grade poisons . Resistant to diseases and curses . ??????, ?????

    Status: Lifted the Curse of Irm by evolution .

    Other powers are not needed to be known by the host . ]

    John furrowed his brows as he saw the two titles, ''Child of Chaos, Troublemaker . Those assholes are really asking for a beating . Well, this upgrade is quite good . ''

    Fredric was quite stunned and muttered, "How is this possible, I still can''t believe it . Even I, 50 years ago had an integration of 86% with a lot of resources was called a genius in thest 20 generations moreover after 90% it bes extraordinarily hard as written in our records . It seems now I have a problem in my hands . That old man Ryan and all the others would certainly chew me out if they get to know that I lost the Ancestral Blood or it was mistakenly used up . I had hoped to see something different but It seems even after Transformation he still remains a human but with rich longevity and magic like the elves . It seems like he ispletely different from humans but still a human . This was only seen in the species of the previous era as far as my guess is correct . "

    Mnie thought as she looked at John in shock and muttered, "This is quite remarkable, aplete purification and integration of Ancestral blood have never been seen even among nearest kin in any of the species . What sort of sorcery is this? This is as if John himself is the incarnation of the ancient ancestor . But I am certain that John was a human and is still a human after checking his body . I am guessing that this is due to that magic integration technique . "

    d meanwhile muttered in a very low voice but it was still heard by John, "It seems Lord Duke won''t be able to answer the elders unless John agrees to marry Diana . Now that he has used this blood we are in quite a tricky situation . Lord Duke has paid quite a price this time around as there are only 9 more Vials of this blood in the family . "

    Friedreich also was quite stunned by the transformation for a long time before he muttered after checking John''s body, "It seems his body has toned up a lot and physique has improved a bit . It looks as if his Longevity has increased and isparable to high demons . Hmmm . . . Yes, as I guessed his Water Elemental energy and Dark energy have increased a lot just like the people from Bluesea family . And his hair has changed just like our ancestors but a bit light . It seems he is exhibiting the Charms of our bluesea demons . I guess overall, it is a very good result"

    After the change in physique, John''s hair had little shade of Dark Blue and he exhibited some charms of demons that would attract anyone . John calmly looked around and saw that quite a lot of time had passed .

    After confirming that everything was fine, Friedreich smiled again and came up with his idea and spoke again, "I guess you have epted my offer since you already consumed our ancestral blood . You should take your responsibility for your eptance of blood, right?"

    He sighed with a bit of anguish and continued, "The thing is, even I am quite tied to this matter this time around . Or else there will certainly be a big problem in interior Elders court at Bluesea family . As this blood is one of the Important things rted to the foundation of Bluesea family and can''t be spread out easily . "

    At this time, Mnie thought deeply as she knew that she can''t do anything against Friedreich''s tricks and hence she too spoke to John as she changed her target to him, "Well, If you are going to ept his request then you will have to marry those girls as well since I don''t want to break them apart by only asking for Eva and as all of them have feelings for you and know you from before . Consider this as my first request to you as your Master . "

    Using her astute in politics from the previous era, Mnie spoke very calmly, "If you want to think about Political benefits of this marriage then there are two benefits particrly . First, Sally is an illegitimate daughter of Lionheart and this will be helpful for you in the future if you ever consider invading them when radiant church gains power so as to root them out . Additionally, a lot of capable courtiers would be able to ept your rule and also defect to you quite easily after knowing your rtionship with Sally as she is still a daughter of Lionheart . The second Political benefit is, If you marry that child Josephine then you will have fewer problems in managing the guilds in Sky as she has quite some influence over there and can manage it well . While Eva can as always help you manage the Ministry of Magic because of her reputation and if you need I can join the Ministry of Healthcare . So here, you have a political justification as well to convince others . "

    Mnie sighed as she continued and spoke, "For tomorrow''s Peace-trade deal, I am sure that cunning to or one of his ministers would propose a political marriage between You and Sally to make it seem like a strengthened rtionship between Aelius and Sky to make you let your guard down . So you can anyway get benefits from them . Meanwhile, I know that Sally would be happier to marry you as she has feelings for you and at the same time she knows that she will be used as a political tool by her father someday . The very fact that he attacked North-frontier city previously reflected that he did not care about her safety as immediate interests were more important to him and might have as well used her death for his political gains for a righteous war to convince themoners . "

    Friedreich was quite surprised by Mnie''s tone as he thought she was always against his daughter''s marriage with John . He thought as he looked at John''s new physique . ''I guess the change is due to the consumption of Ancestral Blood as I can''t go without any results or else I would be chewed out by that Old Man, Ryan and that would alsond my position as a patriarch in jeopardy . Who knows they may even support my Brother Draco and help Fire-abyss family to Kill John as the Ancestral Blood is already used up by John . However, I guess this was still a good result . Because knowing John''s personality he will certainly take responsibility . And it seems that this old hag is nning on returning to the political scene after this many years as she is suddenly speaking politically and not selfishly anymore . ''

    At this time, John only saw d who had a very tense face and understood that it was quite a serious matter this time around and looking at the various benefits of this Ancestral Blood to the physique and the system he understood the seriousness of the matter .

    John thought as he looked at the system, ''The very fact that I am able to chase off the eyes of that Voyeur and gain so much benefits is a very big advantage for me . I am sure it is one of thoseckeys of Irm who was keeping a watch over me . ''

    John sighed as he nodded his head and spoke, "It''s ok, I understand the seriousness of matter as I can already feel the benefits and importance of this blood to the Bluesea family . And to be honest I can''t escape their feelings forever nor can''t I deny my own feeling regarding them forever . I will be taking my responsibility and From now on, I will be treating them as they rightfully deserve and court them as any normal man and a King would . "

    John immediately thought, ''I better cope up with the fact that I am in a different world and hence adjust with some of the norms . ''

    Mnie sighed and nodded as she understood the current situation of Bluesea family as well as John .

    At this time, Friedreich sighed with relief after watching John and spoke, "Since you are going to ept this proposal, You don''t need to announce about it now as I want to see the schemes and moves of Fire-abyss family first to show my moveter on . I also want to clearly watch the moves of other countries and Duchy and prepare for any eventuality for their moves . "

    John nodded and spoke, "Let''s conclude this meeting for now and modify some of the things required during this month . Currently, we will first announce the construction of Roads, Sale of Printers to the allies, Sale of Medicines and Sale of advances Weapons . And I too hope the news of marriage remains a secret for a few months to watch the moves of others first . We can also equip your royal guards with ourtest Guns . But you will have to keep a close look at the moderation of guns so that they won''t be exposed real fast . They will most likely be bought off by thief or spies in a span of 6-12 months by other countries and these weapons can''t be closed off for long but dying their research as much as possible is anyway a good thing . "

    At this time, it was Friedreich who very seriously spoke up, "I would like to suggest you one more thing, That is to forge a trustworthy and a very tight alliance with Elves . Since they would be a big help in times of war because of their trustworthiness . Not to forget that they have many ancient magics that can be researched . Currently, they too would like to make an alliance with you after the advent of your weapons and ships because of the North-South War . Second is, you should try to fund and stabilize the domain of beasts that is south of Fire-abyss Kingdom and South-west of Aelius as they can be a good hindrance to both Aelius and Fire-abyss . Stabilizing them would be a benefit for us in a trade for some of their strategic resources . One of the reasons that the Beast domain is in anarchy is because of the Magic Metal mines and the various tribes fighting over it . Second since Devils are bordering Fire-abyss by water so we might make good rtions with them . "

    Mnie too nodded and spoke, "I agree, it would be good for us by allying with both of them . Ayananore can offer us a lot whether it is food, arts, forbidden Magic, or their expertise in designing and we too can offer them a lot in the form of Technology, Medicine, Weapons and the Latest ships not to mention Military support in case any country attacks them . You would not know but those Elves are adventurous in spirit and would certainly like your ships to explore the world .

    As far as Beasts are concerned, you should first contact them and proceed as required after knowing the ground reality .

    Allying with Devils at Lemuria should be done one step at a time as we don''t know much about them as we have very few interactions because of the problem of Long travel and Particrly bad weather to reach there . From now on, because of the improvement in Long-distance travel, there would also be an increase in conflict because of colliding interests . "

 Chapter 294

    Chapter 294: 294

    It was d who suggested at this time, "If I may, I think John should wait for Elves toe and propose a stronger alliance as I am certain that Ayananore''s Strategist, Mist and Alison have certainly sensed the changes for the next era after the arrival of new weapons as well as other new technology, and hence will soon act based on the orders of Ayananore''s Queen Kaylin after she reads the report . I am sure she will personally make a trip to Sky based on the tips of their spies and ministers . "Mnie and Friedreich both nodded as they understood d''s thinking .

    At this time there was a knock on the door . d spoke after sensing someoneing immediately, "It looks like it is Lyon and is here with some important information if my guess is correct . "

    Both John and Friedreich nodded as d opened the door for Lyon .

    Friedreich spoke with a serious gaze, "Don''t tell me if it is an unimportant matter . Speak, you can trust everyone over here . "

    Lyon nodded as he knew about the importance of this meeting . He came forward and spoke to Friedreich, "Milord, we just got some important information from our spies that Duke Norman''s men and his spies are trying to get in contact with Prince Chad and also your brother Draco . I felt that something was suspicious and hence decided to inform you immediately . "

    Everyone present heard Lyon loud and clear as they understood the importance of this info .

    Friedreich smiled and spoke, "It seems that Norman is doing something quite unusual this time . I guess he is already preparing and making his moves . Well, as long as we know of his moves then the situation will still be under control . What are your thoughts, Mnie?"

    Mnie thought a bit and spoke, "I guess he is trying to sow internal discord by funding your enemies so that you don''t focus much on your borders and hence his borders remain stable for him . "

    Friedreich nodded as he too had the same thought .

    Meanwhile, John furrowed his brows as he had different thinking and spoke, "I think, he might be trying to ally with Prince Chad or Draco with a marriage As he is on thin Ice currently since he has lost a lot of wings in the previous political storm . "

    Mnie thought and spoke, "That should be impossible, right? Because the Royal family won''t overlook him marrying an heir with a demon from Fire-abyss . Wasn''t this hate towards Fire-abyss one of the reasons why Lionheart was so hellbent against you . "

    Friedreich too nodded and thought the same as Mnie .

    John smiled and spoke: "I wonder because strategically it would be a very wise choice of him to ally with them so closely as he will gain an edge against me as well as the Royal Family when Fire-abyss sessfully develops new counter weapons . Not to mention, he can also give a passage to Fire-abyss in discreet against me as well as against the Royal family in case any prince moves against him . However, it is good that all of his domain is surrounded by my domain i . e Sky, Bluesea duchy and ckwolf''s western domain and the Central domain of Royal Family . His next move most likely will be to closely ally with ckwolf so as to give passage against me and also not to raise suspicion of Prince Lukavv and Prince Hector . Anyway, this would be a very big and time-consuming scheme in my opinion . Anyway, Lord Duke, I would advise you to be careful of Draco and his cronies . I am advising you this as a Son-inw so I hope you take this seriously . They may also try assassinations on you to gain power in desperation . "

    d meanwhile took this hypothetical scenario from John very seriously and noted it down as his instincts were telling him that this move from Norman certainly reeked of danger .

    He thought and bit and spoke to Lyon, "Take my Ghost guards, and from on, keep a very close watch on every move of Norman, Prince Chad and Draco . I instinctively feel that something fishy is going on . And also don''t speak of this conversation to anyone outside . Not even your most trusted personnel . You only have to divide the spying work so that no one has suspicions and thinks of it as a normal routine checkup on potential threats to our Duchy . Report to me directly in Sky if there is anything suspicious and serious going on . No, report me every movement of these guys and theirckeys . "

    Lyon was quite surprised as he deeply nodded immediately while he took Friedreich''s permission and headed out to carry out d''s mission .

    After Lyon headed out, John decided to speak as he wanted to forward his ns, "Lord Duke, I heard from Master and Diana that you focused a lot on farming . And because of Demonic miasma, you faced a lot of problems with 50% wastage in food which can''t even be fed to the livestock . "

    Duke Fredric nodded with agreement and spoke, "Well, it is not a hidden secret, This is one the reasons why we demons mostly attacked and invaded nearbynds whenever there is a shortage of food in our stocks . However, I am also interested to buy those things called fertilizers for the farms as this was one of the main reasons for my visit . You don''t need to worry about payment as you can simply export them to our farmers via yourpany . "

    John thought as he nodded and spoke as he remembered something, "Okay, We can export the extra Fertilizers that we produce, that won''t be a problem . What if we solved your problem of wastage? Previously, I was just having a meeting with one of businessman today and theirpany had surprisingly one new innovative creation . Thepany was founded by a Demon and an Elf who used to study at Rose Institute previously . They have created a peculiar pair of gloves that can nullify the effect of Miasma released by demons on the farms . The Longstanding curse of the Gods can hence be nullified . These gloves were made by those pair of entrepreneurs initially because they worried about the plight of Demon farmers in our domain and also to create a level ying field for them . "

    John continued as he remembered his conversation, "This involved a lot of research in magic as well as biology so even I had to use some of my brain cells to understand itpletely . Well, the thing is, after a considerable amount of trials by our agricultural department they too have decided to order the gloves as well as other essories made by them . We also have a n to make some machines which can ease the very huge load of work like harvesting, plowing and other things . It is my personal project which will be announced during my crowning ceremony . So what do you think?"

    Both Mnie and Friedreich were quite stunned when they heard about this,

    Mnie meanwhile thought and muttered, "It seems those children thought from apletely different point of view to improve the farming for demons, quite an innovative way . "

    Duke Friedreich was quite stunned and excited as he immediately spoke without thinking, "Good, Good, Good . All of our problems of food will be solved if we can control the miasma leakage during farming . quickly bring me those children . I will immediately order 85 million sets of these new protective wear . I am sure this will immediately increase our yields by 50% in the next harvest . Who are the owners of this newpany?"

    John smiled and spoke, "Well, thepany is owned by two people, One Demon and One Elf that recently graduated from Rose Institute and then there is some funding done by Blue Paradise forrge scale production of these essories, They own about 41% of the stake meanwhile some engineers from the institute own about 12% of the stake for making some of the production lines . Thepany''s name is Demonic Agricultural essories . For your Information, Blue Paradise is owned by Diana and other girls so you will have to talk to her after I grant your men the authority letter to buy those goods . "

    Friedreich nodded and muttered, "It seems, that girl has really seeded in something good this time around . It looks like I would really have to pamper that girl this time around . Tell me more about how she came in contact with thispany . "

    @@novelbin@@

    Right now, it was d who spoke as he was one always kept his tabs on Diana''s affairs, "Milord, her highness initially funded this project after she saw the Self-promoted Projects column of Rose Newspaper and Magazine i . e . Internal Newspaper and Magazine of Rose institute for Merchants who were interested in funding the projects of the students which the Institute wasn''t able to fund due tock of funds and provided a tform for promising students to promote their projects . Her highness only got interested after looking at a column that introduced a project for increasing the Farming productivity of Demons by controlling their demonic miasma and hence she contacted them first initially . Andter funded their experiments after aplete assessment of their ideas . Well, Blue Paradise has funded a lot of promising projects for now so it is not all bad . Part of the reason she funded this project was that she remembered your dilemma on food every year and hence the results after enormous funding . "

    Friedreich nodded as he stood up and spoke, "Let''s Finish our talks for now . It is already quitete, I am sure all the ministers from both the sides are waiting . We can continue the rest of our talks in the following days . By the way John, When did your domain started making these new wines? This one is quite goodpared to the other new wines that were introduced . I don''t think there was anything like this introduced in the market by the newly formed Exotic Sky Wines . Currently, the most famous wines in the continent certainly belong to Exotic Sky Wines but this one is even better . "

    John smiled as he finally got a chance to speak, "This is a limited-edition wine called Youthful soul, it is strong in vor as it suits the demons and I created it personally to entertain state guests so as feel my sincerity . So it is not sold anywhere else, As a son-inw, I will gift you a whole stock of it for a full year that was personally refined under my supervision . Let''s go for the banquet, I am sure every one of the ministers is waiting with tense expressions on both of the sides . "

    Everyone nodded and concluded the meeting and were going to announce the important decisions taken in the meeting .

    Immediately, John called Quill and told him of his decisions, "You can announce the decisions that were taken today . We canter discuss this in detail . However, you can give the ministers about the future direction of Sky . Duke Friedreich is of the same opinion so you don''t need to worry . "

    Quill nodded and spoke to John, "Lord, It was just now reported that Minister Joel and Minister to along with their team of ministers and businessmen have just now left for Sky from the capital and will reach here at North-frontier city tomorrow as they are traveling the Royal beasts of the Aelius family for faster travel this time around . I was informed of this by Grey as well as their Foreign Minister Luke . "

    John nodded as he looked at the documents which briefed him of the political upheaval at Aelius . He nodded satisfactorily and spoke, "It seems our spy agencies are still up to date . Good, From now on, We will be keeping an eye on Draco i . e . Diana''s uncle . He seems suspicious to me . If possible send the Ghost Red in case he tries to do something suspicious . Tell him that If there is an attack on Lord Duke, then he has to ensure his safety . "

 Chapter 299

    Chapter 299: 299

    Diana nodded her head in anger as she twisted her fist into a punch and made sure to make John pay for deliberately ignoring her .

    Friedreich coughed a bit and thought, ¡¯You can¡¯t me me, son-inw, I hope you can follow through with this path of fire since it concerns my interests or else my daughter will chew me up in business . Anyway, With Johnpletely purifying and absorbing the Ancestral Blood, I am sure he will be more resilient . Anyway, I am sure they will have a child of fortune filled with the blessings of our ancestors . ¡¯

    Diana nodded satisfyingly and thought as she blushed, ¡¯No wonder, he was so assertive today that he didn¡¯t even hesitate to make his move in courting us . It looks like a lot of factors were in y today . The very fact that he has confessed his feelings today is very good for now . It looks like this old man is not ying me for a fool today as even I sensed a change in John and it looks like the Ancestral blood has improved his physique since even I can feel a resonance . ¡¯

    Meanwhile, John told Quill, "You can announce about the Demonic Agricultural essories tomorrow after we sign the deal with Aelius . It will anyway create a lot ofmotion because the Demons at Fire-abyss will then try to keep a bnce with us and try to acquire these essories as this can help them increase their farm yields and also stop their invasions at our side at least . I hope you have sent the appointment letters of various ministers to their offices . "

    Quill nodded and spoke, "The appointment letters have been done and sent to their offices, Your majesty . Most of the people will start preparing after tomorrow for their new roles . We also prepared for the arrival of Ministers from Aelius . Security has been duly arranged by Grey . Meanwhile, we will also take note of the people arriving tomorrow . "

    John saw the note from Maeen and sighed, "It looks like, I really owe her this time around . From the looks, it seems the Radiant church is nning something big in the future for Aelius, Sky and Fire-abyss Kingdom . It can be seen that they adapting to the new realities and strategizing new policies for their future . Quill, pass this note to Master d as well as Dearil and Grey so that they can take a look at this . Also, tell Minister Bruce about this . I would like to see his solutions . And yes, don¡¯t reveal any of the information about today¡¯s meeting to anyone as I am waiting for the moves of other yers . "

    Quill took the note as even he was quite stunned that the Radiant church was now advocating no very for humans . He immediately spoke, "I will immediately inform the relevant departments of this information and ask Minister Bruce of his conjectures and solutions for the same . "

    At this time Jack and Joseph arrived after immediately hearing Quill about the allocation of Ministries .

    Without wasting any time John immediately got to the point, "I am sure that you know about the details of the Chamber of Commerce and Sky Securities and Exchange Commission . So what are your views regarding the same?"

    Joseph satisfyingly nodded and spoke, "I think this quite a brilliant and innovative idea . This sort of exchange can be very helpful to all the people whether it is amon man, small businessman, big businessman, ministers, nobles or even the kings and state itself to raise money or invest money in certain businesses . And for investors, instead of finding information everywhere to invest, they can simply look at thepanies in the exchange for information ande to a faster decision . Also, the rules and regtions might be strict by his Majesty in the policy as it will take a lot of manpower to enforce them but I can¡¯t think of any loopholes in this system for now . Jack what about you?"

    Jack too nodded and spoke, "Yes, I think this exchange will certainly attract a lot of investors in the region . I think even my family will change their stance and will start to invest a lot in Sky and might make a tilt towards us they are already interested in Sky because of the favorable business environment . Also, my Father previously enquired me from his letter that if the Healthcare sector is open for private yers as well then he might want to build a research center and Factory at Sky since the Radiant Church always curbed us previously whenever any private entity challenged the Light magicians . "

    John nodded and spoke, "Okay, I n to announce the Sky Securities and Exchange Commission as well as about the Food and drug administration department tomorrow after my meeting the officials from Aelius . Anyway, Jack, I hope that your family can bring in more people to Sky but my only need is that they shouldn¡¯t be followers of Radiant Church and other Churches that have problems with the policies of Sky . As far as species is concerned, we don¡¯t care . Your family can get 1 gold each asmission for every person bought to Sky as for transport our navy and merchants ships will bear them if required . However, no one should be forced as I don¡¯t want aw and order problemter on . I also want your chamber ofmerce members who are very loyal to Sky to keep a watch on the movement of men of Radiant Church as well as Aelius for future needs in Aelius . "

    "Your Chamber of Commerce should also keep a look at the movement of items like the amount of food, water and other essential necessities transported to the border areas as a sudden influx in the amount of these things can indicate a change in the stance of their military . Or like the increase in Cargo consignments towards the borders and other sorts of things . As for the Healthcare sector, it will be looked out by our Food and Drug Administration department so you products must pass their standards . As far as the private sector is concerned there is no problem for anypany, anyone can go in any sector but there will always be some amount of supervision in the Arms, Media and Healthcare sectors . Jack from now on, you will be handling the Sky SEC along with Sally . While you will also keep your position as the Deputy in the Sky¡¯s Chamber of Commerce . "

    Jack¡¯s eyes sparkled as he understood the power of information of the SEC and spoke, "There should be no problem your Majesty . We will certainly do this task and be worthy of the responsibility and trust you have us . "

    John nodded and spoke, "Yes, you must remember that if your family¡¯spany is listed in the exchange then it will be under the direct scanner of Ghosts and Sally . And likewise, Sally¡¯spanies will be under the direct scanner of NSB and Ghosts . So any big officials that have a direct conflict of interests will be under a scanner of other departments so that they don¡¯t pass biased regtions in onepany¡¯s favor . I hope you can remember this and most importantly it is your family members who must remember this or you can get in trouble because of their corruption . If there is a regtion which you wish to pass but is biased towards yourpany then you will have to petition it at the parliament or the King for the pro¡¯s and con¡¯s as to the whole to the sky and only then will such a policy be passed . "

    Jack nodded firmly and spoke with some determination, "I understand the meaning of such responsibility and power, Milord and I too will make sure to keep a watch on my family members . If they do engage in corrupt activities, I will be the first one to apprehend them and bring them to the courts . "

    Joseph too nodded as he spoke, "Milord, Today I got a letter from my father informing me that Grandfather Carl and Jack¡¯s Grandfather Trevor too will be traveling with the party of ministers of Aelius for tomorrow¡¯s deal . It looks like both our Grandfathers Indirectly wanted to gain some favor but their ego is too big since we cut our rtions with the Morgan Family and Snake Family previously so how do we deal with them? Milord, what do you intend to do with the Food and Drug Administration Department?"

    John nodded and understood why Aelius was bringing them as it was rted to Jack and Joseph¡¯s rtion with him, "You guys don¡¯t need to be biased with your Grandfathers . Handle them ording to the policies or regtions, you can even tease them . No, since they have anyway given you some indirect hints and they also got some rtions with various ministers in Aelius then we can profit from them and make them help us in spying some factories . You can give them some favorable contracts in return . In return they might ask some information from you guys, I will make Grey give you a set of irrelevant Technology and information that you can pass them on . Our enemies know about the Telescopes so we can trade for it but don¡¯t give them information till theyplete the tasks . Currently, the FDA department will be handled by Master Mnie as well as the senior professors at the Rose Institute who are involved in Biology and Medicinal Research . They will test if the food and pharma products meet the standards as mentioned in the packets or not . "

    @@novelbin@@

    John meanwhile thought, ¡¯Maybe, we can still use them more efficiently as business interests will anyway triumph other interests and we can anyway entice them with some of our techs to do our bidding in Aelius . ¡¯

    Both Jack and Joseph smiled at the thought of making their Grandfathers work for them .

    Josephughed hard and thought, ¡¯This time I will certainly teach that old man a lesson . He thinks that he can use me because of blood rtions . Dream on . ¡¯

 Chapter 301 232. The shift in balance of power.

    <h4>Chapter 301 232. The shift in bnce of power.</h4>

    Fredric asked Mnie in a serious tone, "What do you think of that Girl Maeen? As far as I am concerned, I am quite skeptical because she is a devil. As I may have my bias because of the previous interactions so I wanted your opinion on Lemuria and devils."

    Mnie nodded a bit and spoke, "As far as I remember correctly, they might be intending to ally with us for our weapons because of their two small bordering kingdoms, First Betzazel kingdom made of High Devil nobles to the North-west of Lemuria and second because of Demonlili Krengo i.e. The Dark Elf kingdom south of Betzazel and South-west of Lemuria. Also, they might be vary of Fire-abyss now since travel is easier and Fire-abyss think of Attacking Lemuria after gaining some weapons or developing their own like the ones from Sky."

    She slowly continued, "Internalpetition can be one of the reasons because from the looks it didn¡¯t look like that Lemuria had any problems with their neighbors except for the demons in the south. But as far as demons are concerned, there is little contact due to violent sea travel from where we can get any valuable information. As far as that girl Maeen is concerned, it looked like she was gauging the reaction of others by the previous move and she seemed satisfied with the reactions of everyone."

    Mnie continued as Fredric listened keenly, "Additionally, She lives in a republic and hence she might have gotten a liking towards Sky because of the cohesion of different species just like Lemuria aspared to other kingdoms. Not to mention they might have been attracted by the new tech here and might want to forge a real and Strong rtionship with Sky as they might fear the new weapons of Fire-abyss and take precautions with an alliance in-store."

    Fredric nodded and muttered as he got some idea on the devils, "I see. So it seems that forging a rtionship with them might be good for Bluesea Family as well and create a good bnce since after the ease of travel we may see an increase in conflicts for some or any reason between Fire-abyss and Lemuria due to various reasons and also the conflicts of interests between nobles. And I think she may be doing this to forge a rtionship with Sky for the Amon family first and Lemuria second after watching the Tech of Sky. They are most likely attracted to high speed traveling ships and the use of magic pills which can be used in the military for Strategic fights. Anyway, I hope to build a deep-sea port at my northern border to facilitate trade with Lemuria as well as Sky. I better pass some of the info on Lemuria to Old Man Ryan and ask his opinionster on."

    Fredric muttered and nodded satisfyingly, "So the three biggest projects this time are the Deep-sea port in the northern sea of the duchy, Building of various roads and buying of Ballistas and their tech and also the various Demonic agricultural essories and Fertilizers. I guess most of this year¡¯s tax will be spent on these 4 projects and the leftovers on Civil-defense administration. Maybe selling some more of the Mines won¡¯t matter as they are only waiting rubble for now. Anyway, I am selling it to my son-inw so it won¡¯t bother me as much when I sell it to others. That Old man Ryan wouldn¡¯t nag now that I have negotiated a good deal and also persuaded John for a marriage."

    Fredric then spoke to Mnie in a serious tone, "Mnie, I thought a lot previously and I hope that you don¡¯t spread the news about Demonic Agricultural essories to Aelius and Bryndyll as this will have bigger consequences. We can dy it for now and wait till John releases those machines."

    Mnie thought about it as she too was shocked as she nodded as she understood the consequences and spoke with a sigh, "Ai... these small essories can have so much effect on the politics of our region. Those girls really funded something that can change a lot of things in Aelius, Sky, Bryndyll, Ayananore and Lemuria."

    Mnie continued as she gave her assurance, "Don¡¯t worry, I understand the consequences that these essories will increase the ving of demons as the yields in farms will increase and not to mention the abled bodies of demons which can do thrice more work aspared to humans and twicepared to Dwarves. If Aelius gets to know this then they will certainly increase the ving of Demons for farm work as well. Currently, they are only ving them because of construction works. You better increase your defense as well since many would be plotting against you. I will inform John and Quill about this tomorrow beforehand so that it doesn¡¯t get announced earlier. This deal will only happen behind closed doors."

    Fredric nodded and bid her farewell to his newly bought manor in North-frontier city, "We will talkter on. It is gettingte. I better talk with that girl Diana and tell her to increase the security of that Company, Demonic Agricultural essories."

    Mnie too left hurriedly as she sighed after thinking about the events that took ce today.

    @@novelbin@@

    Fredric thought as he left for the Bluesea Pce, "I mostly fear the Radiant church as they will encourage the ving of Demons and this will be problematic in the power bnce in Aelius. Their dilemma of removing very will be eased and will be shifted to Demons. Though there will be a lot of resistance as a lot of Nobles own human ves but this will certainly kick off the migration of very from humans to Demons and this will eventually increase wars. I better publicize this as the effects of Fertilizers. Nope, that won¡¯t work. I better wait for farming machines which will Bnce out the power and keep this a secret as long as it is possible."

 Chapter 302 233. Trevor Snake and Carl Morgan.

    <h4>Chapter 302 233. Trevor Snake and Carl Morgan.</h4>

    ***

    The next day Minister to and Minister Joel¡¯s team of officials and businessman had just arrived in a rush at North-frontier City. There was quite a hubbub among the travelers as they saw the city and discipline of the army exuded by the soldiers of Sky.

    Jack¡¯s Grandfather, Trevor Snake who was quite skeptical about this visit but was quite surprised after watching the Majestic North-frontier city walls and then the city as they passed through it and then Sky first hand.

    He murmured as he watched the surroundings, "Quite a different site from what I expected. I thought all those stories from our spies and traders were merely exaggerated to help that Grandson of mine. I should have trusted my spies and not think of them merely looking out for Jack and them expecting me to help that good for nothing."

    Carl Morgan who was quite grumpy for this first visit but had toe here because of Joseph¡¯s Political connections at Sky was nevertheless unsurprised as he usually checked the situation of Joseph from time to time by his men. He murmured in a low tone as the carriage moved on, "I guess I need to resolve the familial feud between Max and Joseph. However, I never expected that brats friend to create a Kingdom and rebel against the Royal Family. I guess it was inevitable as his highness Hector wouldn¡¯t have left him alive unless John bowed to him or at least epted his defeat. And this would have only added more fuel to the fire and be a long-standing hatred. As far as I know, Joseph¡¯s father i.e. my son too had to bow for his offense to his highness about 10 years back. And this is one of the reasons why I didn¡¯t want Joseph to have close rtions with John as he already stirred trouble. Guess it turned out well so it¡¯s good for the family at least. I guess that incident 10 years ago was one of the reasons why Joseph allied so strongly with John as his ideals matched with his ideals. But this sess of Joseph will certainly create jealousy and animosity among all other grandchildren of mine, especially Max who is under Lord Duke ckwolf as he was just recently fighting with Joseph. These days Joseph has clearly indicated that he is quite happy being independent of the family while doing business from Sky. Maybe I can negotiate a deal with Joseph. but the most worrisome thing would be his smugness and arrogance as I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything since Aelius is a defeated party this time around. Well, I can always use my age and status of grandfather to corner him."

    At this time another head of the family named Dan who owned many mines asked Carl in a worried manner, "Hey Carl, What do you think? This meet won¡¯t get bloody as the rumors suggest, right?"

    @@novelbin@@

    Carl furrowed his brows and spoke, "Are you an idiot believing those rumors? Since we were officially called by Sky you shouldn¡¯t worry needlessly as both Aelius and Sky would be protecting this group from Aelius. And if it was going to be bloody then Minister to wouldn¡¯t have called us in the first ce. Currently, no other nation would needlessly start provoking Sky so as get banned from buying Mana Restoring Pills. You should rather be happy that you were called at this event as this would be a good opportunity to do some business with Sky. It is rather a headache for me and that Cold Guy Trevor sitting in the corner to deal with our Grandsons. Anyway, you can also make a deal with Sky Authorities to get those children and retainers of your family who participated in the previous war."

    As his name got mentioned, Trevor looked at Carl coldly as he understood why Carl made that remark,

    Trevor nodded as he thought while looking the old duo of Carl and Dan, ¡¯It seems, even he was forcibly called by to on short notice. It seems Lord to intends to use our connections with our Grandchildren to cultivate ties with Sky. Carl will most likely speakter with me so I better not start a conversation and show weakness. Previously, As far as I heard, even Carl had officially disowned Joseph from his family register as he didn¡¯t want to get entangled when the war started previously. I presume, like us he also paid a hefty price to the authorities to convince them. The very fact that Sky was able to deal with Aelius and Bryndyll at the same time is good news for us as this will reduce the influence of Radiant Church and make space for our families in Aelius. Previously we never got into medicine business because of the influence of Radiant Church and hence were only making and selling Poisons to mercenaries, nobles and countries or the other business that were rted to clothes and food. As the ones dealing in poison for years, how can we not know about medicines unless we were suppressed by that group of Light magicians and the Radiant Church? The tricky part in this meet is to satisfy the ego of that brat Jack and to meet his demands so that I can expand our family business. I am sure that brat is fully in Sky¡¯s camp meanwhile our family will have to re-align a bit to get maximum benefits from both Sky and Aelius.¡¯

    As expected Carl finally but reluctantly approached Trevor as he gave his greetings and asked him straightforwardly, "I heard that Prince Hector¡¯s Aunt and General Endo¡¯s Sister too is present for negotiations this time around and is in another Royal Carriage. Do you have any intel on it?"

    Trevor Snake focused his eyes a bit on Carl and nodded in agreement, "It looks like your family has also paid a great amount of attention on this visit. This time her visit is for the release of General Endo as well as other nobles who are affiliated in their camp so it is understandable that she is present. As far as I know, currently, their family has cultivated ties with Lord Ambassador Luke¡¯s father i.e. The Mayor of Imperial City, Lord Mayor Andrew Greenwald so that they can get thetest information on the local politics of Sky via Luke. I guess their family has contacted you as well after the previous defeat both onnd as well as sea. Meanwhile, they might also have other deals so as to improve the rtions for now and get the maximum benefits. If you don¡¯t know, ording to my sources the Right-hand man of Prince Jabal¡¯s is also here pretending to be a low-level bureaucrat. It seems Prince Jabal will finally reveal his cards and make his moves. Last I heard that your Grandson Joseph got a great opportunity and struck gold as he decided to join his Majesty John at much earlier time than that grandson of mine. It was good that they took their own decisions and became independent of the family."

    Carl was quite surprised when he heard of Jabal¡¯s right-hand man and thought, ¡¯I guess Prince Jabal never revealed his right-hand man to others or at least one of his important retainers who deals with his shady stuff. As far as the tone of Trevor is concerned, looks like he intends to cooperate with Sky this time around and diversify his interests. And looks like he knows more about Joseph¡¯s work at Sky than our family. It seems Queen Cecilia¡¯s family has taken the road to decouple themselves from Prince Hector as they don¡¯t want to miss the opportunity in Sky and are going to support other children of Cecilia, most likely the 7th Prince. Most likely they had taken this decision after reading the letter from General Endo who might have told them of the Military power as well as other developments of Sky. Most of the countries are keeping a mum on the real firepower of Sky from the civilians. The most we know about is the canons and ships which wrecked the armies of Aelius and Bryndyll however there is a lot of mystery that is being hidden from the civilians. Even that brat Joseph didn¡¯t reveal anything to his father or mother when they asked him in his letters. This meet will most likely demonstrate the firepower of Sky as they will be rewarding their Military for the previous feats.¡¯

    Carl nodded gratefully and spoke, "Thank you for the confirmation. We will talkter as there are a lot of eyes. I will anyway have a longer stay than the bureaucrats themselves as I don¡¯t want to lose an opportunity for business in Sky. If you too are intending for a longer stay then let¡¯s meetter on." Carl nodded and left as he saw that Trevor didn¡¯t intend to reveal anything.

    Trevor nodded coldly as he too didn¡¯t intend to disclose anything sensitive in the carriage. He thought as he saw the border town and Lord to discussing with the border patrols, ¡¯It looks like we will be escorted by the border police and only some military men will be escorting us. This border town looks quite developed as seen from the roads and the way that people are using a lot of new essories and tools. Hmm... cohesion between various species looks quite good. Apart from Minister Joel and Princess Cecilia¡¯s sister, all the other ministers are in control of Lord to so as not to create conflicts and misunderstandings with Sky. It seems there will be a boring Treaty.¡¯

 Chapter 303 234. The Second Demon Prince Bidder.

    <h4>Chapter 303 234. The Second Demon Prince Bidder.</h4>

    ***

    At the Imperial Pce,

    Currently, everyone was preparing for the arrival of to and Joel in a hurried manner as John also got information about their arrival and also the dignitaries from other countries.

    All the officials were busy with the preparations as this will mark the entry of Sky in the regional politics of Kingdoms.

    On the other hand today, every one of the ministers and bureaucrats in the administrative headquarters was surprised by their new appointments and understood the significance of this change.

    A lot of people from the other countries were arriving at Sky via their various Steeds. The Second demon prince of Fire-abyss, Bidder too had arrived with his Awe-inspiring Demon Steeds while he himself was riding a Royal Fire-demon dragon. He had 2 midsized horns in front while he was wearing Royal Fire-abyss clothes of Red with a Royal cape, he had long red hair and a great physique aspared to other demons.

    Currently, He was looking with contempt at the distance at the Team of Aelius when they arrived. He smiled and thought after they arrived, ¡¯I am quite certain that this group of officials from Aelius is certainly holding a grudge against Sky. Well, part of the reason why Sky won was because of us holding Aelius back because of our Fire-demon dragons and hunters. And another part of the reason why Royal father doesn¡¯t bother with Sky is that they don¡¯t have any aerial steeds to defend against us or Aelius and aren¡¯t a big threat. Anyway, I better move as well and make my move. Hmm... Maybe I should teach this group from Aelius a lesson and humiliate them.¡¯

    One of the Captians from the Border guards came to Bidder and spoke in a stern manner as he didn¡¯t want a collision between Fire-abyss and Aelius inside Sky, "Your highness, we have arranged a suitable amodation for your escort team and your Royal steed as you wished."

    A lot of people were quite surprised after looking at the dragon but calmed down after at the team of Border guards who were quite calm and were equipped with Special Rifles in front of the demons. The man leading them once worked in the Ghosts division and had just recently transferred due to mortal injury. He was quite calm as he understood that a confrontation between fire-abyss and Aelius was certain to ur.

    Bidder nodded and thought as he looked at the rifles, ¡¯I guess these toys are the famed guns that were used in the previous battle to defeat Aelius. I wonder how they generated so much power that can even be used by amoner to defeat magic knights and magicians. These guns equipped by our Demon Dragons Hunters would certainly make us invincible in Aerial battle. I wonder who will create those guns first, Aelius or Fire-abyss. Or maybe Bryndyll.¡¯

    The Border Patrol captain sighed as he signaled his men to back off as he kept a wait and watch attitude.

    Bidderughed with contempt as he saw the escort team driver of Aelius that wasing with lowered head ignoring thempletely so as to avoid confrontation. He spoke rather loudly, "Unlike the past arrogance, I guess these wusses from Aelius won¡¯te out of their beast carriages as they only like to scheme behind the scenes and show their power only in their domain. Why don¡¯t we have a spar?"

    Minister to who inside the carriage furrowed his brows in anger as he controlled himself and spoke in a calm tone with quite a presence after looking at the troublemaker, "Ramblings of a poor dog who can¡¯t fight his third brother Chad when ites to the influence of her mother¡¯s side. As for the first Prince, Verzallon you can¡¯t challenge him because of his strength. As far as you are concerned, you are only good at selecting and judging your retainers. Brat, it¡¯s still too early for you to p your wings in front of me and make a joke of yourself. The very fact that you having a spar with me will be a huge honor for you. Remember this and don¡¯t forget this lesson in your life, Even your father had once respectfully tried to recruit me 20 years back. KNOW YOUR PLACE BEFORE I MAKE YOU KNEEL DOWN." Minister to released his terrifying aura when he spokest words which made even the young dragon be serious as it sweated a bit from his head while Bidder himself was sweating subconsciously after hearing him. At the same time, the demons themselves almost kneeled subconsciously if it were not for the Demon Commander to get them back to their senses. The Commander of Bidder¡¯s escort team was quite unconcerned by to¡¯s aura as he was only focused on protecting the Prince and keeping the honor of Demon Guards.

    @@novelbin@@

    The Commander smiled and murmured, "It seems you still haven¡¯t lost your former touch, to."

    As to¡¯s team left, to murmured in the carriage, "This kid thinks he can crap on me. Back in my days, I would have killed him in the battlefield for such an offense. If not for my hurry or any need to create trouble, I would have certainly taught him a lesson. It seems his father is quite considerate in giving him thatmander."

    Minister Joel simply smiled and spoke, "It¡¯s ok, his contemptes from ourst defeat and also the fact that he just recently tamed his dragon. It seems his retainer didn¡¯t interfere deliberately so as to temper Prince Bidder. That guy seemed quite sturdy as he wasn¡¯t even concerned by your aura. I guess his highness would certainly remember thest encounter for his whole life. Let¡¯s go, we don¡¯t have much time anyway."

    The Carriage driver didn¡¯t bother and left immediately as to didn¡¯t bother to look at the Commander¡¯s face which was covered by a mask or he else he would have certainly remembered him after some concentration.

    Meanwhile, Bidder was quite angry and murmured, "Such bad luck to run into to, looks like to himself is arriving for negotiation this time around. I guess he wants to gauge Lord John himself and n a strategy for the future."

    The Demon Commander then came and spoke to Bidder, "Bidder, you should wear this magic charm just in case if demons are targetted as well. From our information, it looks like Lord Irm himself and his men will take action today to send a message to everyone on this continent. The demons in the underworld had said that some interesting phenomenon took ce at the Sky Kingdom yesterday and this has irked Irm so we might expect an interesting show."

    Not letting the previous incident to sour his mood. Bidder nodded his head and left to first check his men and then left for his official duties.

    He muttered to his retainer, "I guess it is always better to be cautious. What do you think would happen this time, Azraz?"

    Azraz solemnly looked in the sky and spoke, "Most likely a show of force, a curse to Lord John directly, An Assassination or an unusual sr or lunar eclipse to tell the people of the world about the arrival of Gods or their minions called angels at least. I don¡¯t think the Arch Demons, Arch Devils, Dragon gods would keep quiet if Irm intends to dominate the whole of Arkon but they won¡¯t if it is only in this region. However, I am more worried about the recent sightings of the portals. Well, it is ok as long as they are deactivated. Let¡¯s go for now. Anyway, I n to meet d after such a long time. I have just heard from my sources that he has epted the post of Defense Minister in Sky. I guess this is due to his influence on Lord John in the initial days."

    The Captain Commander of Sky too was quiteposed as he saw the confrontation between Aelius and Fire-abyss. Arzaz curiously looked at themander and understood that a lot ofmanders had a unique aura.

    The Captain Commander unlike the previous etiquette then spoke in an irritated manner to Arzaz and Bidder, "I hope the show is now over. Let¡¯s go to your Pce."

    Unlike the other nobles Both Arzaz and Bidder nodded without making a fuss as they followed the Captain Commander of Sky from Border Patrols.

    The patrol team was quite stunned after looking at Bidder and Arzaz who were quite easy going.

    Arzaz smiled as he looked at the awkward situation. He thought, ¡¯I guess other guests here were quite rude and hence the shocked reaction by these patrol guards. I am sure thismander is personally chosen by Arlen to teach manners to the rude guests. No wonder the nobles from Aelius, Fire-abyss and Bryndyll are behaving themselves. Well, it is good that Lord Bidder leaves his arrogance whenever he is outside and this is one of the reasons that he has the bestwork when ites to businessmen in Fire-abyss. Not even Lord Apollyon might be aware of this aspect.¡¯

    Bidder then spoke, "Arzaz, didn¡¯t you want to fight to? I heard that you have some history with him."

    Arzaz smiled as he spoke, "Now is not the time confront him and make him aware of my existence. As far as my history is concerned, I just destroyed a few bases directly controlled by him about 25 years ago on our borders. We did have some bouts but never a conclusion as every time someone would retreat after sensing the reinforcements."

    At this time there was quite a hubbub among the people as many recognized the Voice of Defense Minister of Aelius, to.

    One of themoners spoke immediately, "It looks like we are going to be recognized officially by various powers today. Look even the wielder of Aelius¡¯s military force, Lord to has arrived which speaks a lot. As for the demons, they have also sent Second Prince Bidder as their representative while other demon nobles are also present. As for Bryndyll, they have already sent Lord Anin who will most likely handle all the things."

    Another Old demonmoner who seemed like a veteran spoke while smoking a pipe, "This is nothing, as far as I know from my mates at the Border patrol team, even the Lord Baron of North, Baron Mendez has personally arrived secretly in the morning. This news was blocked in Aelius by Lord to so as keep the popce calm. That brat of mine in the Sky army just arrived home today from Dolores to say his greetings and attend the Military parade. ording to him Half of our army has been pulled back from Dolores to the borders and only 1/10th of the army will remain there after Lord Baronpletely forms his army from scratch. 1/10th of our army is also staying there on Baron¡¯s personal request to Chief Marsh as Lord Baron doesn¡¯t trust Lord Duke Norman nor does he trust the Royal family after the failed coup by Prince Hector and Lord Antonio. ording to our mates at the border, Previously Lord to had traveled with 4 Dragon Knights from capital that only stopped at the southern borders of Baron Mendez¡¯s domain. While another two had directly traveled from the capital to the tri-junction borders of Sky, Aelius and Fire-abyss in the domain of Lord Norman, It is near the Volcanic Mountain at the North-west of Aelius. From my Point of view, I am sure that there is a re-organization of their Dragon Knights into small squads who will be focused on Scouting and swift attacks unlike the previous Shock troops as they might fearplete annihtion and also test the waters of Sky Kingdom frequently after a few years. From my point of view, those Dragon Knights will be there for a long time so as to stabilize the border cities, viges and towns and also to keep the rumors in check while unofficially they will be administrators. At least on Norman¡¯s side, they will certainly be there for a long time as they can act as a two-edged sword. One Edge towards to Sky and Fire-abyss and other towards Lord Norman to warn him from trying any mischief like Lord John."

    A Teen kid then keenly watched as he spoke and asked the veteran, "Hey, Old man, weren¡¯t you in the navy? Howe you are here? And aren¡¯t you afraid of leaking sensitive military information to the enemy present here? You can even be tried by the courts because of such leaks. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know about ourws."

    The Demon Veteranughed at this question and spoke as he showed his injured leg, "Well, I retired after this fatal injury when we fought the Fjords a few months back. I was in the vanguard. However, I am d that I shed blood for the formation of Sky and was part of Lord ke¡¯s troops and achieved our purpose, or else we would have remained as ves forever. As far as you are concerned about this leak, you shouldn¡¯t worry as such type of information would have already been leaked to the enemies as it is quite open. And that kid of mine would have warned me or he would never tell me this news if he was banned by the army to not reveal it. Come to square Kid and view the victory parade of our army. Then maybe I will tell you more of our stories in the navy."

    The Demon Veteran thought as he heard the kid, ¡¯If I didn¡¯t know this, then I would have certainly spoken about the arrival of Lord Lukav¡¯s men and also Lord Casey¡¯s men.¡¯

    The kid thought a bit and spoke, "Okay, anyway the lunch is on you Old man, Baan."

    The Demon veteran pped his head as he spoke, "This Snotty brat would empty my pockets, kid, don¡¯t you have school today?"

    The Kid looked at him and gave the look as if he was looking at an idiot and spoke, "Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s a Sunday today."

    Baan ignored the answer by the Kid so as to not seem stupid and spoke, "So what if it is a Sunday. You kids must always strive to learn as much as you can."

    Peopleughed as they heard the conversation between them and continued their chat.

    The Kid ignored the stupid arguments by Baan then looked at the theatre and spoke with some longing, "I heard that today Donovan Entertainment Group will be entertaining the group of Royals from Other countries in the Theatre near the square. I wish to see their y. Hey, why don¡¯t you fund me today?"

    The Demon Veteran sighed as he looked at the exorbitant prices of the y today but cheered up as he followed the kid for the military parade.

    He spoke to the kid with an irritated look, "Kid, what¡¯s so good about that y,e I will show you something better when we reach the parade site. That y will anyway get cheaper after the first show today. That high price today is due to the security reasons and for Businessmen who are intending to improve theirwork in other countries as well as Sky."

    Baan then sighed as he looked at his leg and murmured, "I guess I will need 2-3 years to naturally heal this or maybe I should approach Grand Potioneer Mnie. She may have a solution to this injury."

    The kid subconsciously heard Baan as he made up a resolve and thought, ¡¯I will certainly try to meet Grand-potioneer Mnie to help Uncle Baan. Anyway, lets go to the Military Parade and watch those new weapons as described by this conman.¡¯

 Chapter 304 235. Johns Rantings.

    <h4>Chapter 304 235. John¡°s Rantings.</h4>

    ***

    At the same time, Quill and Taylor were in John¡¯s office as Quill spoke first, "Milord, we need to make some changes in tax benefits to soldiers as we detected a Technical loophole which will give us problems in the long run and people may question our army in future if these policies are misused by certain ck sheep or ignorants."

    John nodded as he was going through the reports on the movements of troops at the borders, "Speak, no need to worry, I won¡¯t be offended if I have to pass a decree and change some things even if it is rted to our army. I am not someone who cares a lot about face in front of long-term consequences."

    Taylor sighed as he came forward and spoke, "Milord, ording to the recent parliamentary bill, retired Army servicemen would be getting an extra 3% tax benefit for life which includes businesses operated by them but there are various loopholes, many merchant families who have those retired veterans will certainly change the shareholding pattern of their business to directly take that 3% tax benefit. I suggest that Soldiers be given an extra 4% tax benefit only on new businesses or personal Ie tax if they engage in services for a period of 15 years. As for other benefits, we can provide free transportation in public services like the Train after it is poprized or free funding from the state to them and their children when ites to higher studies and research. I would like you to veto this bill citing technical loopholes meanwhile I will introduce a new bill consulting Quill to make it loophole-free and also satisfy the veterans. And I am sure this 4% extra Tax benefit will certainly satisfy veterans as opposed to the previous 3%."

    John too nodded as he understood after looking at the bill and vetoed the bill with his stamp, "Okay, there should be no problem. a loss of face is always better in the view of long term interests. As for transportation, it would be all the state-funded transport services. I n to bring in many other transportation services over the years so it would be better to word it that way. Tell Glenn that they should tone down this matter and sensationalize it when they get this news so that Parliament doesn¡¯t get agitated unnecessarily, Just tell them that there are some technical modifications. Those big media house bitches on earth sensationalized every bit of news for more Trp and exposure of their agenda which ruined their reputation and irritated themon citizens who understood the truth muchter."

    Quill was quite confused as he spoke, "Earth? Big Media house bitches? Trp? what are these terms, Milord? The only I was able to understand was big media houses. As far as I am concerned only the Imperial Institute of Aelius and Sky times are the Biggest Media houses in this region."

    John thought as he subconsciously ranted against media of his previous life, ¡¯I almost exposed myself because of the ranting.¡¯

    John came back to his senses and spoke calmly, "Ignore myst line. You won¡¯t understand it. I am just ranting. Just follow my previous orders. Meanwhile, Any news on Aelius."

    Quill nodded as he submitted a report and spoke, "Lord to and Lord Joel have just arrived in the north-frontier city while they confronted Second Prince Bidder but nothing big happened and it was in control. ording to the report of Ghosts, Lord to has reorganized their Dragon Knight squad beforeing here and 2 of the Dragon Knights have been deployed at the Sky-Aelius-Bluesea Trijunction for patrolling while 4 Dragon Knights at the borders of Baron Mendez¡¯s domain. For the same reason, I have agreed to let Marsh keep 1/10th to 3/10th of the southern army at the borders of Baron Mendez, some of our army personnel are in civilian clothes as requested by Baron Mendez to deceive Aelius and know their intentions. In short, he wants us to act as his eyes and ears. In return, Baron Mendez has agreed to provide tax benefits at his borders for our traders. Currently, 30 squads of the artillery regiment are over there and 20 squads of Infantry Riflemen are ced at strategic roads, hills and chokepoints. Each squad has 15 men each and currently, re-organization is being carried out by Chief of Staff, Grand Marshal, Lord Arlen. The small army at Dolores is being headed by Devilmander, On on the rmendation of General Marsh as well as on the rmendation of the Teachers at National Defense Academy for the reason that he had best grades and he had most keen strategic and military mind when it came to using the geography, local, political and economic weakness of the enemy when in a war."

    John nodded and spoke, "It looks like we need to be careful of those Dragon Knights in the future after these border countries create Rifles and other explosives. I hope the Ghosts can gain more information on their Dragon Knights of Aelius and Demon Dragon Hunters of Fire-abyss Kingdom. We should at least know the number of Dragons in their arsenal, their total flight time in one sortie, their total power and destruction capacity if possible and also their weaknesses. Ghosts should approach the Dragon Knight riders to get such info from them. The Ghost can try anything like Honeytrapping the Dragon Knights, Bribing, Bootlicking them or even try to get a position in their office. Our Ghost Businessmen in the name of getting a rmendation from them in local businesses and administration can also gain information from them subconsciously. Tell the Ghosts that should try to approach the ones that like to boast a lot as the ones who boast have loose mouths. We can at least get an idea of their actual aerial firepower. Anyway, let us go and invite our guests personally at the Purple Pce. The Official matters can wait for a while."

    Quill and Taylor both noted down the details on approaching the Dragon Knights and Demon Dragon Hunters.

    Quill sighed as he spoke with courage before leaving, "Milord, we need to postpone the announcement of Demonic agricultural essories as this will create quite a panic among many countries. Master Mnie and Lord Fredric is of the same opinion. It seems they didn¡¯t about it during the meeting and only realized after going through their workter at night."

    John thought for a second and understood that it will increase the ving of Demons and might create animosity among themoner demons against Sky.

    John nodded and spoke firmly, "Postpone it. Bring the papers for my signature. This deal can be done behind closed doors. Inform the founders and shareholders of Demonic Agricultural essories that they should not publicize any news about Demonic essories. We will only announce it when Agricultural machines are produced on arge scale as this will reduce the impact of these essories. This is quite a pandora¡¯s box as this will embolden the Radiant Church of their long-term n to focus the ving on other species and gain the support of humans."

    John meanwhile murmured as he left to meet Aelius, "It seems I failed to grasp the impact of Demonic Agricultural essories as it didn¡¯t concern the demons of The Sky. In the future, I need to be careful and think a bit before taking decisions even on the smallest matters."@@novelbin@@

 Chapter 305 236. Platos scheme.

    <h4>Chapter 305 236. to¡°s scheme.</h4>

    ***

    In the roads of North-frontier City.

    Meanwhile, Minister Joel and his team were quite surprised after looking at the clean organized streets, houses and the bustlingmercial ces in the North-frontier city.

    He asked to as they were waiting for John, Taylor and others in the Aelius Pce which was just brought recently by Aelius Royal Family for the important state visits by Aelius. He asked, "What do you think about Sky, to?"

    to was also deep in thought after looking at the Military arrangements of Sky and spoke, "In my view, they are very good at the management of their organizations. Whether it is the army, city, or people. They are really very good at it. To be honest, after looking at some of their private and state-operatedpanies even I was quite astonished. The most astonishing aspect of Sky seems to be itsmercial operations and then there is their Technology. I fear for Aelius the day Sky ascends and influences the region because of its Military and Economic ambitions riding on their Technological Prowess. Well, I shouldn¡¯t worry much as other forces will intervene as well. This time we lost because Demons were on our tail and they would have certainly attacked us if we moved the Dragon Knights from Central capital to our Northern borders. This is one of the reasons why I have reorganized the Dragon Knights for better efficiency."

    Joel nodded as he quietly looked outside, "What do you think of the Military parade that is going on? And it seems instead of Anak they have made Arlen as the Grand Marshal General of Sky. If my guess is correct then that General Anak is most probably his Majesty John."

    to too nodded his head and agreed with the assessment, "Yes, I feel the same. Lord John is showing the makings of a Warlord as well as a Wise King. I would wish him to be a Warlord rather than a Wise King as Sky¡¯s rule would only be short term and Aelius can certainly subdue Sky in Long term with betrayals and funding people who are unsatisfied. However, see this newspaper here, there is this new research on the long term effects of multiple races in Sky. It seems this news is being published in all the newspapers with the heading of the Social-Cultural path of Sky. This article is most likely being funded by their court as it is in all the newspapers and magazines so that people and schrs can debate on this subject. Now, this is quite an interesting social foresight shown by the researchers of Sky¡¯s Rose Institute."

    Joel took a look at the newspaper and read the article as he understood and showed a shocked expression, He asked to, "Hey, to did you really think of these ns?"

    to smiled and spoke, "Well, In the long term, I did n out my offensive against Sky for the next generation which includes racial division using the media, infiltration of their institutions in all levels, bribing certain individuals and asymmetric warfare and also using the sympathizers of Radiant Church to keep them distracted, However, this n will not be implemented for now. In the short term, we will wait for the time until we create those new weapons called Guns and Cannons that can be equipped by our Dragon Knights and probe their defenses. In regards to social research, their intelligentsia seems quite capable in smelling future dangers as a lot of my ns are included in this paper. I wish we had such capable individuals to warn our people. Well, we can always improvise on our ns."

    Finance Minister Joel gasped as he read the article and thoughts of to which were highlighted by the research. He asked, "Then, won¡¯t they use the same warfare against us?"

    to smiled and spoke, "Certainly they can but not all as ourws are different from theirs. I only fear the Nobles rebelling against Aelius and for this problem, I have given certain proposals to his Majesty which was sadly rejected. Our current problems are also rted to very which will be very hard to remove as it is rted to Noble interests. Anyway, currently, we are in a partnership with Sky as Radiant Church is the bigger nuisance for us. Just recently, we got thetest report from Lord Norman about the new conspiracy of the Radiant Church where they are researching the unlocking of bondage magic which is used by ve owners. On the surface, they are not speaking anything but behind the scenes, their actions speak something else as they are encouragingmoners to speak against very."

    Joel smiled as he thought of to¡¯s problems and suggested, "It is true that we can¡¯t ban very outright like Lord John but we can certainly implement it in phases."

    Joel continued, "First, lets go to the root cause, Most of the times, vese from Mercenaries or from Prisoners of war or from Debt ves. We can certainly Ban the mercenary organizations engaged in the ve trade where they enve the whole viges during war times. And now because of the previous war, I am sure even Lords and nobles with ve interests will be unable to refute you openly. So we should cut the roots i.e. the Mercenary organizations and Tree will automatically wither away. As for the prisoners of war. we can give them some rights and use them in certain industries where there is ack ofbor. Give those prisoners a hefty prison sentence and then offer them leniency in their sentences if they decide to work there. Give them a normal sry which will more beneficial for us in the long term. As for cating nobles, you can tell them that ones to catch the most amount of prisoners in a war will be given the most awards."

    to smiled as he heard Joel, "Hey Joel, why are you helping me suddenly? Aren¡¯t those Mercenary organizations one of the biggest taxpayers in Aelius. As for as your n is concerned, some parts are feasible but some aren¡¯t. Like the one for cating nobles. Do you think every noble is brave to capture enemy soldiers? Nope, they aren¡¯t. In front of capturing unarmed vigers and armed Enemies. Which one will you prefer? Unarmed Vigers, right? As far as Banning Mercenary organizations is concerned, We can certainly make thew but we can¡¯t implement it fully as the nobles behind these Mercenary organizations will certainly protect them in their own territories."

    Joel heard as he nodded and spoke, "Those mercenary organizations aren¡¯t really benefitting us when they ve the full viges because the profits don¡¯t outweigh the losses in other areas. When I conducted research, those viges gave more taxes to us than the Mercenary organizations. Not to mention lost lives as well as lost yields in food. And do you think that themoners in the border areas don¡¯t know? They certainly know but always choose to keep quiet as speaking against Mercenary organizations or Nobles will mean certain death. This is also one of the reasons why Lord John got so much support in his previous rebellion. And I am sure this wasn¡¯t taken into consideration by schrs for certain reasons as they don¡¯t want to stir the pot and be the eye of the storm. Those ves and Commoners had enough trust in John as they personally knew John and hence joined his rebellion. Many times I wanted to speak on this financial aspect openly to the king in the court but I know there will be severe consequences if I speak on it openly. Well, his majesty also is aware of this when I met him personally in his chambers to discuss the financial losses due to Mercenary Organizations but I understand that he has to take into consideration his own power and Nobles behind those organizations as this topic will certainly create a civil war."

    to nodded as he understood certain problems and spoke, "It seems this is the same reason why his majesty decided to reject my previous proposal when I proposed to cut the power of Noble Armies as he instead advised me to reorganize the Dragon Knights who were useless in the previous war. Well, I can slowly achieve it. From now on we will openly target the mercenaries to the power of dukes."

    to then murmured, "Maybe I should make the Radiant Church and those ve-owning nobles to fight against each other. Yup, when I return I will release this news to those nobles that Church is nning to Ban very. It will be quite a show."

    to smiled cunningly as he decided to scheme against the ve-owning nobles and the Radiant Church.

    At this time Taylor arrived with Luke as they finished the documentation work for the diplomatic immunity of certain individuals.

    Meanwhile in the Radiant City¡¯s Main Chruch.

    Pope David had a chill behind his back as he was having a meeting with other Cardinals.

    One of the Cardinals spoke, "Let¡¯s start our preparations. Pope David."

    @@novelbin@@

    Cardinal once again spoke, "Pope David. We need to start.¡¯

    Pope David came to his senses as he nodded and left with the Cardinals.

 Chapter 308 239. Bickering between Grandfathers and Grandsons.

    <h4>Chapter 308 239. Bickering between Grandfathers and Grandsons.</h4>

    Meanwhile, Trevor and Carl who were standing with Jack and Joseph were quite stunned after watching today¡¯s show.

    Trevor looked at to and then the surrounding officials of Sky and understood that these ss marvels were shown to the people for the first time and that he should grab this opportunity.

    Knowing the urgency, Trevor asked Jack who smiling smugly watching Trevor and Carl, "Jack, it seems that you knew about this event from the start, don¡¯t you? Anyway, are these ss articles open to export and if so how do we contact the right suppliers or manufacturers and there is also a need for safe packing. Then maybe we can coborate and discuss various things on this deal."

    Jack understood as soon as he heard Trevor and thought, ¡¯It seems Grandpa is talking to me on equal terms today for the first time. Very well, I shall suck him dry since he spoke first and also since my interests lie in Sky first so it is appropriate for me to do this.¡¯

    Carl too came back from his fantasy and got into action as he tried to converse with Joseph on various topics as he slowly got on the main point, "Joseph, it seems both you and Jack hold high positions in Lord John¡¯s Cab since you aren¡¯t quite surprised by today¡¯s show? Don¡¯t you? I wanted to know your views about my previous letter."

    Joseph tried to control his anger after he watched his Grandfather¡¯s shameless bootlicking skills. He thought as he looked, ¡¯Doesn¡¯t he have any shred of shame? Isn¡¯t this the same as when he used to bootlick certain Dukes in Capital? He just makes me more and more angry. Anyway, knowing his nature this is very hard to change. Well, it still feels good that he is treating me on the same level as the dukes back in Aelius.¡¯

    Watching Joseph¡¯s frowning face Carl understood what was going on in Joseph¡¯s head and spoke in a crude but humorous manner, "What is with this frowning face as if you are disgusted by me like I have not bathed for days. Isn¡¯t it good that now you are independent from the family? If you were dependent on the family then it would have only created more problems for you since your businesses would have been attached to the family business and you would have to provide the shares for it to the family like your brothers. Before leaving for Sky you had already settled the ounts with money and businesses so your current situation is at least better for you."

    Joseph trying to gauge his grandfather, spoke bluntly, "It¡¯s not like you had any choice in that matter since my brothers or even the Aelius Royal family wanted to gobble up a lot of my business. so don¡¯t act like family expelled me for my well being without notifying me first when you started gobbling up my businesses in the name of treason. And don¡¯t tell me that the Morgan Family did not gain anything when I was expelled from the family. You guys gained a lot of Political Support from the Central Dukes, Princesses, Duke ckwolf and other nobles that was gained by offering some of my businesses share, maybe about 30%-40% was offered to the nobles if I am not wrong, while my brothers and sisters gobbled up about 25%-30% with the support of elders while my father was left with pennies i.e. about 20% and the rest was gobbled up by the family, Am I right? It seems you ate something bad on your way. Why is face red with anger? Don¡¯t you want to curse at me right now? And what do you mean that I settled the ounts? You guys forcefully settled the ounts without my consent."

    "Moreover, you guys earned a lot in Mulberry, sand or other raw material business which I used to do i.e. sell those materials to North-frontier town directly. Now you guys simply sell it via Nobles and other intermediaries which you think I am not aware of. Well, everyone had a good share in the pie previously when I was expelled. This time, I will be sucking you dry for not notifying me of the expulsion as I would have been better prepared if that was the case. I also want the names of the ones who first proposed and tried to expel me from the family previously. This should also include the names of nobles who tried to influence the Morgan Conglomerate. I am not someone who will take this insult lying down."

    Carl¡¯s face was almost ck as he heard Joseph because that was exactly the case.

    He thought as he heard Joseph, ¡¯It seems this kid can¡¯t be fooled easily by presenting a bad scenario like a good one. I also forgot the fact that this guy can use the informationwork of Ghosts or even the Chambers of Commerce of Sky to keep an eye on family matters. It was good that I tried my best to shield Frank from other Elders or else this kid would tear my whole face.¡¯

    "Anyway, back to business, our contracts will depend on a deal-to-deal basis. I will be strictly following the usual protocols in regards to state matters while you can still deal with me when ites to my personal businesses. But don¡¯t think that I will give any concessions."

    Carl thought as he heard Joseph, He still had his usual smile while trying to bottle up his anger, ¡¯Damnit, this guy says he will follow all the protocols but at the same time wants the names of nobles and also the elders in the family who lobbied first to expel him. I am sure he will cklist them for various reasons when ites to business with Sky. Who knows, he might even cklist them in the immigration list which was proposed just recently by the Sky Parliament. If they are cklisted in the Immigration list then I will be chewed out by them. I hate it, I hate it. I hate doing such a thankless job. Anyway, Sorry Max, you will be sacrificed first. And Elder Brown you too will be sacrificed since you lobbied most fiercely and also he got on my nerves for the various projects which I wanted to be done earlier about 3 years in the past. Fuck you. I lost 3 years worth of profits in various projects because of your dy and bickering.¡¯

    Carl smiled as he agreed with Joseph¡¯s authoritative tone which was usually done only to the Dukes or Nobles with a lot of power.

    Carl¡¯s Butler, Trevor and others couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and look at the duo.

    Jack sighed and murmured, "Are they really Grandfather and Grandson? because from the looks of it. I think they look more like strangers."

    Trevor sighed and spoke, "Just for more profits, he isn¡¯t even keeping his face. This guy will remain as shameless as he was in the past. I guess I understand his situation since he isn¡¯t representing himself alone while a lot of people are waiting to grab his position in the family. Anyway, Joseph, you let me watch a good scene today which was usually the other way around about 20 years back when I visited your family pce."

    Trevor looked at Jack who was thinking the same and spoke bluntly, "Don¡¯t expect me to bootlick like that shameless guy over there for mere more contracts. I value my face more than profits. You should be clear on the choice you made when you were expelled. While your businesses are still in the hands of your Mother and father and only a part of the business share is given to Duke Howard and Marquis Willow over there to protect it from the Court and the Royal Family. The same would have been applied if it was others in your position. I don¡¯t like such sort of politics in the family since we already have enough problems."

    Carl meanwhile didn¡¯t give 2 hoots on Trevor¡¯sments as he continued with his smile and talked business with Joseph, he thought, ¡¯What do you know about these mere more contracts? These mere more contracts give the most benefits unlike others. Just some side small contracts from the Royal Pce are enough to fill the coffers of middle-sized businessmen in Aelius. All you know is to make poisons, sell information, assassinate or other side businesses in which you got lucky when you started dabbling in them. I can be as shameless as I want since I don¡¯t care about face on small matters.¡¯

    Jack nodded as he understood his Grandfather who was always strict on the outside but soft in the inside when it came to important matters.

    Jack nodded and spoke, "Well, we will go ording to thews of Sky. You wouldn¡¯t need to worry about Nobles or anything of that sort if you are going to do business in Sky. I think you already got reports about the business environment over here by your people. Business here is truly based onpetition,works and other skills. Well, you can also get exclusive deals if you can provide timely information on the movements of the Radiant Church and food supply in the borders and other sorts of deals that are quite generous. If yourpany is good in service then you may be a regr supplier of raw materials due to quality to the Government of Sky directly. This may also benefit you in getting better prices when negotiating with them. You can also reject it if you want to so there is nopulsion but there are a lot of lucrative contracts over there when ites to information."

    Trevor nodded affirmatively as he heard about the business and political climate from Jack and also his spies.

    Trevor thought as he heard Jack, ¡¯True, I have not seen the kind of hooligans which are usually seen in other countries that harass small-businesses usually. Maybe I should invest more from what I intended to invest previously. Even my spies here have not reported about any sort of problems faced in business by hooligans or local authorities. As long asws are followed you can carry on your work and business without any interference¡¯

    Jack continued as he tried to see and amuse himself by watching Trevor¡¯s facial expressions, "When you asked my views on Medical Research Center owned by Snake Family in Sky then there shouldn¡¯t be any problem since there are already 2 other big private yers in the medicine sector in Sky but there should be sufficient trials and results cannot be faked. In short, what you proim about the medicine on the productbel cannot be faked or else thepany can be sued for the same by the prosecutors. You would also need to be aware of yourpetitors who would use the media to nder each other."

    Trevor furrowed his brows as he asked Jack to confirm, "Don¡¯t those 2 other private yers fund the local Authorities or politicians to gain their private backing? Additionally, won¡¯t the private yers be a hindrance for the State-owned enterprises because of thepetition."

    @@novelbin@@

    Jack smiled as he too wanted to confront John about this previously when John privatized a lot of sectors. Jack smiled and spoke, "Well, Lord John has a different view since he likespetition and he feels that the monopoly of any sort of sector won¡¯t bring any innovation and only make the state corporations fat without any responsibility. As for the profits of State Corporations? He doesn¡¯t care since Government would anyway get the timely taxes. He feels that the market should judge which is a goodpany and which isn¡¯t. You can think of this measure as keeping a leash on State corporations so that they don¡¯t ck all the time."

    Trevor nodded and murmured as he understood why John made these decisions, "More like keeping a bnce on both the sides. This is anyway a good measure since Private yers and state corporations will keep each other in check."

 Chapter 310: 241. Smart move in times of chaos.

    Chapter 310: 241. Smart move in times of chaos.

    Rona smiled mysteriously as she heard to''s n to make all the wolves fight each other.

    After the performance by Donovan Entertainment, there was a big apuse as the artists felt exhrated for the first time since it was such a big asion. Donovan took over as he thanked everyone and let everyone know about the future ns of Donovan Entertainment. Quill took over the podium for the announcement of the next event after Donovan left.

    Duchess Rona smiled as she watched the end of the performance done by the artists of Donovan Entertainment. She asked her butler, "Try contacting Donovanter on, I would like to talk to him for cooperation with our theaters in Aelius after the announcement of our North-South Peace deal with Sky. I think investing in media may be a good investment for us in long term. We should buy a press and try opening our own regional newspapers along with a Book publishing house. His contacts will be useful for us in acquiring the Printing presses and other things. Lord John seems like a gold mine if I can have good rtions with him."

    The butler nodded as he left to give instructions to some of the guards while Joel and to focused on the next event.

    The butler thought, ''It seems Princess Rona wants to dabble in media since it can help her in increasing her influence and power. A smart move in the times of chaos.''

    to noted Princess Rona''s instructions mentally and understood that she was trying to increase her influence for her family.

    After the event, Quill spoke as Donovan and his team left the podium, "I hope everyone enjoyed the show today. Now,ing to the main event the next event will be the biggest Auction of Sky where there will be many opportunities for everyone today. I hope everyone enjoys the event and takes the chance. As for the items in the Auction, all of them have been verified by our Floating Pce so no one needs to worry about the quality." Quill stopped and smiled as he looked at the reactions of the people participating in the auction.

    There was a gasp among all the people as no one expected an auction today on such a short notice after the previous auction. Many businessmen were excited but worried as well since some nobles didn''t look happy.

    During this time, John for the first time used his scanning and status check on people near him,

    He murmured as he used his status check, "lets check Taylor first."

    Suddenly rows of data came into the vision of John as he used Status check.

    -Name - Taylor.

    -Mana - 100.

    -Power - 319.

    -Level - 6.

    -Status - Healthy.

    -Species - Human.

    -Talent - Good at Administration, Diplomacy, Investigation and Nurturing talents.

    Other Information can be revealed after Status check upgrades to the next level.

    John thought as he looked at the data, "Hmm... This seems useful. Ok, lets look at others over here. let''s look at master''s status."

    -Name - d Bluesea. (Title - d of the Dark, )

    -Mana - 1900

    -Power - 4500

    -Level - 40.

    -Status - Mortally Injured for quite a few decades. Can be cured.

    -Species - Demon (Shadow Demon).

    -Talents - Good at Assassinations, Protection, Scheming, Training, Spying, Dark arts and Military nning.

    John was quite surprised as he looked at the data as he murmured, "Master is injured! Now, this is surprising. I did hear that he was once injured when he took his revenge and swore loyalty to Duke Fredric. The injury may also be rted to schemes done by Diana''s uncle Draco so I can''t guess. Anyway, I better focus on trying to find a cure for Master. However, it will be hard to convince master since he hasn''t even mentioned his injury."

    John checked a lot of people as he was quite surprised when he saw the results, especially Arzaz who was the retainer of Second Prince Bidder who had a level of 44. When John did a status check of Arzaz, Arzaz subconsciously looked back at John as he felt something.

    Arzaz was quite surprised to have such a feeling as he smiled and nodded to John and turned back to the event as he murmured, "Now I know why Lord John was able to have such results in the previous war I think he possesses the Heavenly Eye or the All-seeing eye but He may not have got any results on some of us like me. He somehow gave me a creepy feeling when he was looking at me. Is he gay? Bullshit. Unlike the outer exterior, he is quite stronger aspared to most of the people as even I can''t gauge him."

    Arzaz then looked at d and then to as he muttered, "It seems even these both old coots are weaker than Lord John. From the looks, I can see that to has not improved after he left the battlefield and entered politics. Duke Fredric and d are more stronger than him currently. He is better as a strategist so he can''t bepared tobatants however it''s a pity that he stopped focusing on his Martial ways."

    Prince Bidder who was focused on Auction spoke as he heard his mutterings, "What are you muttering about? Speak clearly."

    Arzaz shook his head as he said through telepathy, "Lord, it seems that we underestimated Lord John''s Prowess. I think even I can''t handle him on a 1vs1 currently. However, there is good news."

    Prince Bidder was quite shocked after he heard Arzaz as he knew his prowess, "Even your Fire Demon Transformation can''t handle him? As for the good news, what is it?"

    Arzaz shook his head and spoke, "Nope, not even Fire Demon Transformation I have this instinct and feeling where I know that I can be in mortal danger when facing certain enemies and opponents and Lord John gives me the same feeling of mortal danger. Lord John gives the same sort of feeling as General Leo Ruthless, the 4 Personal Guards of Lord Apollyon and Lord Apollyon himself or the Leaders of Beast tribes. From Lord John, I feel that even trickery might not be useful against him. As for the good news, Lord John has finally noticed me and he may soon meet us today so we must be prepared."

    Prince Bidder was in long thought as he heard Arzaz and made a decision, "After hearing you I have made a decision. I will put in more chips and investment on Lord John to show my sincerity for our coboration today. I have heard that he repays sincerity ten folds and I don''t want him as my enemy after your earlier evaluation so it is better that we have good or atleast neutral rtions with him."

    Arzaz nodded and spoke, "That is true, He did offend the Fjord Duchy for the former ves Taylor and Jake. Though people might think that it was politically motivated to open a Pandora''s box but I don''t share the same opinion because from the way he does things I think he would have taken more time to prepare for rebellion if that was the case. This rebellion seemed rushed but also calcted due to changes in real-time. I guess backing up his people at that time was the best chance to win the hearts ofmon people and ves as well as to show his resolve to themon popce."

    Bidder nodded as he heard Arzaz''s evaluation of the esction of the previous rebellion.

    Meanwhile, John too nodded to Arzaz as he smiled and understood why Arzaz looked back at him.

    John thought as Arzaz looked back, ''Ohh! he noticed the status check, now this is interesting. Hey Sarah what do you think?''@@novelbin@@

    Sarah spoke as John asked the question, ''That was instinctive due to years of rigorous training, additionally, this status check is of the lowest level.''

    John meanwhile checked the Advanced store for software and rolled his eyes as he saw the sky high prices, he spoke, ''You seem like one of those game developers who offer free games but make us spend thoroughly through in-game purchases.''

    Sarah whistled as if she didn''t hear John and muttered, ''Hmph, the very fact that you got Aerospace engineering knowledge this cheap in enough to make me vomit bucket loads of blood. If I encounter those peeping bastards again, I swear I will beat the shit out of them to make me suffer a loss. As for high software costs, isn''t it obvious? Software runs the things the way you want or else you are free to opt for manualbor. Software''s job is to make productivity efficient.''

    John sighed and didn''t bother arguing with Sarah.

    John then looked at Taylor and spoke, "Taylor, didn''t you say earlier that Second Prince Bidder wanted a meeting with me today? You can inform them that they can meet me after the auction today."

    Taylor was surprised at the sudden change but soon nodded after hearing John. He then asked his men to deliver a letter to Arzaz and his men for the meetingter on.

    ***

 Chapter 311: 242. This Father in Law of mine is a thorough scammer.

    ***

    A few days ago in the Radiant Church.

    Pope and all the cardinals were present for an important ritual. The hall was big and was specially prepared for Important rituals. The grand hall had a lot of markings that described its history as well as the Importance of the Radiant Church. There were tens of sacrifices present who were virgin non-believers. All the servants were busy preparing the hall.

    After all the preparations were done, Pope David gave a signal to his knights as they started killing all the sacrifices except 1 who looked the healthiest of the lot. The Blood of sacrifices soon filled the array on the ground which started shining Yellow. The Blood traveled through the array on the ground then onto the Altar which soon started showing the signs of glowing. The Last sacrifice was unconscious in the Altar. The sacrifice resisted for thest time as another soul took over the body.

    The Angel who was shut off by Sarah a few days ago soon smiled as he spoke with a cruel smile as he took over the body, "Finally I cane down and teach that non-believer a lesson for making me lose face, shutting me off 4 times and breaking all those Heavenly Crystal Balls. This was so embarrassing between the colleagues up there. It seems I can''t use a lot of my major powers."

    Soon the ritual was finished as the Last sacrifice in Altar soon gained consciousness with a radiant glow all over.

    The sacrifice spoke as if he owned the Church, "A non-believer body, Tut. Well, it is at least a body of a human."

    The sacrifice then gently looked towards the First Disciple of Pope who was assigned as the next Pope and then he looked at the Pope and others as he spoke, "Are the preparationspleted to teach that brat a lesson? Make sure to prepare the Ice-Fire Soul binding chains. This body may onlyst for 2 years as my soul is too much for this body and I don''t want to spend much time in the mortal realm anyway. I guess thest time we had to descend was during Xylo''s era. That damn brat even sold his soul and turned himself into an undead when my senior took action against him just so he can take both of them down. Who knew that brat would even damage some of the senior''s soul, it was good that he died for good. This time, there can''t be any mistakes because this brat John can do more damage in the long term. And this time we anyway controlled the spread of undead magic so chances of failure will be less however we must be prepared in case of any emergency."

    Pope David was quite skeptical but after looking at the tone and aura he soon judged that it was an angel sent by Lord Irm. He looked at the Altar of Angels where he saw the eighth te shining and soon understood the Identity of the soul. Pope David immediately took the lead with his disciple and spoke vigorously, "Lord Leo, the eighth heavenly angel of Lord Irm during the Cmity era 10,000 years ago. We wee your arrival. Please allow us to make your stayfortable during your time of visit. As for the preparations, they areplete for a long time but we were waiting for execution and your arrival. This is my only disciple Ronoah, I hope you can shower your blessings on him. Please take some rest so that you can adjust to Arkon."

    Lord Leo had a lot of scorn for the elders in Radiant Church due to his past when he was a disciple 10,000 years ago and only showed gentleness to Ronoah whose soul had the mark of an Oracle just like him when he was alive.

    Leo nodded as he looked at Ronoah and chanted the spell. Soon the spell entered Ronoah''s body as he spoke slowly, "Child, don''t resist the spell. This will be beneficial for your soul and future cultivation. Your meridians and soul are being cleared which will help you in cultivation, magic and resisting soul attacks of demons and devils in future."

    Ronoah who was quite timid showed a cunning smile for the first time ever subconsciously since he was made an oracle. He understood that the power bnce in the Radiant Church was now being shifted slowly and also understood his worth. The Cardinals too watched the whole show from the sidelines as they understood the nature of Lord Leo. Among all this Pope David was the most happiest as he could now legitimately suppress his rivals and control the church more efficiently.

    Eighth Cardinal Richard smiled cunningly as he saw the scene, ''I guess Lord Leo doesn''t like anyone apart from the chosen Oracle. I guess the recorded history is indeed based on facts and there is no maniption then I may make use of Lord Leo''s nature against David. Though I have lost a lot of power and influence but who says there can''t be jealousy between a master and disciple.''

    ***

    At the same time, In the undead Ind kingdom east of the Ayananore Kingdom covered by violent seabelt there was quite a hubbub. In the throne room, an undead opened his eyes which was full of wisdom, emotion and wrath unlike an undead. He spoke slowly but firmly with a smile as he saw the glimmering crystal ball with scenes of Radiant church summoning an angel, "Atst, they have arrived. I have been waiting for too long and going there to fight would have been a lost cause. I wonder which character summoned (Forced) those assholes toe down here. I need to investigate this new guy called John since he is able to force them toe down. This time, there will be a big show for those entities called gods and High-demons alike."

    The Undead which was full of mighty aura summoned his undead minions to make preparations and went back to rest in a different position.

    ***

    Back to the Auction.

    The host of the auction immediately announced the start, "Dear Guests, we would like to update you all with some good news. Just recently, the Sky pharmacy''s disciples were able to forge the Longevity Pills, the form for the pill was provided by his Majesty John himself. The Pills made by the disciples have 50% to 70% efficacy aspared to the previous pills which could increase 25 years of lifespan. However, we are still researching and trying to improve the form of the Longevity pill. From now on, our Auctions will sell 10 Longevity pills every day and it may increase as more disciples learn it."

    There was a shocked as well as happy expression among all the dignitaries present today. John smiled as he looked at the podium. He asked Taylor, "The disciples are learning quite fast. Aren''t they?"

    Taylor smiled and spoke, "Yes, your majesty. These days Master Mnie is personally teaching those disciples at the Institute as well as the Pharmacy so there are better results."

    John thought with a worried expression as he heard Taylor, ''It seems Master Mnie is really going to enter politics. Now this will be a headache for me.''

    John then asked, "Is the n for Sky''s education system implemented ording to the draft prepared by me?"

    Taylor nodded and spoke, "Yes, from now on we will be taking national examinations every 6 months for morepetitiveness. The curriculum is prepared and distributed to the schools as prepared by you. The newest batch of civil servants wille in 2 months after the examinations are conducted. As far as history is concerned we have not manipted it unlike other kingdoms ording to your wishes but we have rather added the opinions of yours and heads of other races from the cultural department to give readers a freedom of thought so that no race here has a superior or inferiorityplex for the long term harmony of our new sky civilization."

    John nodded as he looked at Sarah''s long-term n with regard to history. John spoke, "It''s important to inculcate national identity to our citizens rather than racial, color or religious identity which can be poisonous and this approach is good as malicious conspiracies plotted by our enemies can be avoided if we follow this path. I can already see radiant church trying this approach to create conflicts between races, religions and what not from now on. As long as Sky''s citizens resist this then I will consider this as a goal aplished and a win against our enemies."

    One of the Persons at the auction roared arrogantly, "100,000 Gold coins. Hmph, these cheap guys just like to package rare items in one deal to jack up prices."

    At the Auction, suddenly one of the demons swiped all the 20 Longevity pills for a price of 100,000 gold coins.

    The demon then looked at John with a sneering expression as if it was beneath him toe here put John in his ce. The guard of the demon too was arrogant as if he wasn''t afraid of anyone harming his master.

    Fredric furrowed his brows as soon as he saw the arrogant guy but didn''t refute him as he knew the status and identity of other party.

    The Demon roared loudly as he smiled and ordered his guard, "Guard, quickly take these longevity pills and give them to Duke Fredric for Princess Diana."

    The Demon then looked at Duke Fredric and spoke cunningly, "You won''t reject this Lord Duke, will you? I heard thatst time you epted a gift from Lord John."

    Sarah meanwhile immediatelymented in a gender-neutral voice before John could scan the demon, "It seems this Demon Prince Chad was actually a simp from the way he is looking at Diana beside you and then you. Hmph, he should change his name."

    John smiled and joked as he heard Sarah and spoke, "I think he is more interested in the wealth and power of the Bluesea family. He may as well be a simp though."

    When the demon saw John''s smile he felt as if he was being mocked internally but he decided to focus on Duke Fredric to make both of them lose face.

    To remove the dilemma of Lord Duke, John signaled to Quill from his eyes. From this Quill immediately understood and told the host to immediately present 5 more batches of Longevity pills instead of the current 3 batches and not wait for this drama to finish.

    to meanwhile was smiling as he looked at the show.

    to spoke to Joel, "You see, this live drama here is more entertaining than the previous show Hamlet, what do you say Joel."

    Princess Rona and Joel controlled theirughs as they and others continued to watch how this scene unfolded.

    The host of the auction spoke as he got a signal from Quill immediately, "Now we present you our second batch of Longevity of pills. We will be presenting 5 batches of longevity pills today so that everyone can have a shot at these pills. We have done this because previously only Merchant Bill was able to procure the longevity pills."

    "Hahaha..."

    As soon as the audience heard the host, many kept their silence but there was one whoughed unscrupulously without paying any heed to the identity of Prince Chad. It was Prince Bidder whoughed to provoke Chad.

    Duke Fredric smiled as he epted the gift and spoke, "Of course Prince, how can I reject you."

    Meanwhile, Fredric''s Bodyguard Lyon spoke as he saw the signal of Duke Fredric, "I will be bidding 110,000 gold coins. Anyone wants to bid a higher price?"

    Demon Prince Chad had red eyes as soon as he saw the tricks, he pointed his finger first to the host and then Lyon who made a mockery of his disy earlier.

    "YOU..."

    Demon Prince Chad looked at Lyon with deep eyes and spoke, "Don''t try these petty tricks on me, Lyon. You won''t be able to bear the consequences. There are many events in this world where people die unknowingly."

    While, Chad thought, ''It seems I made my move too early, well I still need to use this humiliation to my benefit. I thought I could make a mockery of both Duke Fredric and this upstart king then find an excuse to meet Duke Norman and other nobles.''

    Fredric smiled as he spoke, "Is there a problem my Prince? Lyon, what do you think? Give me your exnation immediately"

    Lyon smiled and spoke loudly, "Master, I am simply procuring Longevity Pills as military supplies for our elites. The Autonomy of special funds is in my care when military funds were allocated and I find these pills worthy enough for our squad to practice taboo magic and not lose any life span. Previously I didn''t bid more as I recognized Lord Chad and didn''t want to offend him. As for now, I don''t want to wait for thest batch as I am sure that those merchants down there would be bidding fiercely for thest 2 batches."

    Fredric smiled and spoke, "Fair enough. I too feel that they are good as military supplies for training elites as this saves time and increases efficiency. With this, we can already train 2 squads."

    Bidder spoke nonchntly, "I guess brother''s mind is muddled in anger and hence this mad behavior. Little Brother, why don''t you sit down. Do you want everyone in the hall to wait for you to end your clown-likeedy show so that the Auction can proceed? Look, even that host has stopped as everyone is focused on you so that he can look for more bidders."

    Chad immediately muttered, "This Dirty blooded asshole. From where did he get the balls today to defy me so openly? He wants to gain the favor of Bluesea''s and that upstart? It seems my deal with Draco has been leaked and hence his move. Looks like I can''t float on both the ships now that bidder has made his move."

    Chad''s guard who was beside spoke immediately, "Lord, it won''t be wise to attack them now. Even Arzaz is present here. He is beside him in that mask. He may look a bit shorter in height but from the looks, he has used the Taboo Magic Partial Shapeshifting. Besides, there are a lot of powerhouses here today so I reckon we don''t attack for now."

    Prince Chad sneered at them and sat down as he didn''t want to make more of his mockery as he gulped down sses of strong liquor so as to forward his ns.

    to looked at the scene andmented in a small voice, "What a surprise, Prince Bidder apparently is smarter than Prince Chad. As they say, looks can be deceiving. From this, it can be seen that Prince Chad can no longer pressurize or bet on both the sides i.e. Duke Fredric and his brother Draco. No, now he will be forced to take sides of his brother Draco since Bidder has already made his position clear while giving enough respect to Lord John and his intention for cooperation. A very calcted move by Second Prince Bidder. No wonder capable people want to serve him despite his low status among all the princes."

    Joel spoke, "I think that Prince Chad has less information about Lord John and hence his misconceptions as well as the arrogant attitude. Prince Bidder still has the edge as he moved ording to his wishes with enough information to make Chad give up on Duke Fredric via his jealousy. So your analysis on both of them is on the spot."

    "Ahem, Since no one wants to bid more then I will count till 3." Host coughed and said as he heard Prince Bidder from the sidelines.

    Finally, things calmed down and the auction was back on track with some added pressure as all the longevity pills got sold.

    The host of the auction then introduced the next item, "Ladies and Gentleman, behold this sight which you may remember for ages toe. We now present to you ourtest creation, the Ice-Fire Magic Staff. Now you may wonder, how this is different and what are its pros?

    First: You can engrave 3 magic spells of upto Master rank on this staff and can change it as you like ording to the circumstances. However, Changing the engraved magic spell to another new spell will take 2 hours minimum so it is best if the 3 spells are already engraved before the battle.

    Second: During a battle, you can use the Ice-fire crystal on the staff to recover all of your mana. The power can only be used once a day. Later you will have to rece the ice-fire crystal.@@novelbin@@

    Third: Your casting speed will be increased by 20% while using this staff. Why? Because this staff is specially processed to bettermunicate mana between the user and the staff.

    As for cons? After you change 20 Ice-fire crystals this staff will be obsolete and will get destroyed/dposed. So we rmend not to use the mana recovery skill unless you are in a life and death battle. This novel creation was not done by 1 party but it was a coboration of multiple parties which included Lord Tornwall, Lord John and Grand Potioneer Mnie who also specializes in magic."

    After hearing this introduction, it was as if everyone in the hall got chicken blood pumped into their veins as people started bidding without waiting for the host to even finish.

    One of the low-key nobles from Aelius who was also a magician spoke immediately, "500,000 Gold coins"

    One of the nobles from Aelius expressed shock as he spoke, "Omg, this shithead had actually umted 500,000 Gold coins stashed in his small barony?"

    "700,000 Gold coins," shouted Prince Chad forgetting the previous conflict.

    Duke Fredric kept a poker face as he spoke, "1 Million Gold coins."

    Meanwhile, John looked at Duke Fredric as if he was scammed in the previous deal when he saw Duke Fredric''s bid.

    Duke Fredric deliberately avoided John''s eyes as if he was a thief who got caught. He thought, ''This would be worth it even if I spend 2-4 million gold coins. Just a small 100,000 Gold coins and Ice-fire magic crystal after each fight. 19 times usage is more than enough for 10 years atleast, maybe longer time if there are fewer assassinations and conflicts.''

    John smiled internally as he thought after looking at Duke, ''Go on, spend your money. You will cry when you find out that our production costs are 50,000 Gold coins only. The only con now is the production rate of 20 per month by the Magic Staff factory. Anyway, I just now understood how deep your pockets were so this information was quite valuable.''

    Diana who was beside Johnughed as she saw the interaction between John and her father. She spoke mischievously, "It seems you were scammed by father in thest deal. Of course, he has deep pockets or else why do you think that the Fire-abyss royals covet the Bluesea family? However, he is a miser thorough and thorough as most of the time he is robbed by my mother and big mother. So over time, he has learned to hide his money. Just watching him first bid 1m for this staff means that this staff actually has a minimum value of 5m gold coins."

    John was quite surprised as he heard this from Diana and slowly understood the nature of his future father-inw.

    John muttered slowly, "This guy is more shameless than I am. A thorough Scammer."

    Diana smiled as she heard him and then looked at her father and thought how he would feel when he hears the production cost of this staff.

    John then spoke, "Hey Diana, if he is a thorough miser then how do you get all that money to spend everywhere you travel?"

    Diana rolled her eyes as she spoke, "Obviously my moms provide it most of the time. Or I simply ckmail him about his secret stash. Well, I haven''t taken any money from him for a few months now after I came here as most of the investments are giving good dividends over here."

 Chapter 312: 243. The Blood-Bone Marrow cleansing pill

    Prince Lukavv who didn''t show himself earlier spoke his bid with an authoritative aura, "1.3 Million Gold coins."

    Prince Lukavv thought, ''Even if the prices of this weapon lowerter on who knows if Sky would even entertain future sales. Looking at the staff I can say that the materials used are rare and hence I doubt if there would be mass productions. I guess John is only selling this now to show off Sky''s power and authority to other stakeholders in this region. Anyway, price doesn''t matter as it is a good item for high-end magicians.''

    John was also quite surprised that his status check took more time to see through some parameters of Prince Lukav.

    -Name - Lukav Aelius (The Lunatic Prince).

    -Mana - 4000.

    -Power - 5500.

    -Level - 49.

    -Status - Super Healthy (Soul Bound to Blood Demon) (Disfavored by Gods).

    -Species - Human.

    -Talent - Swordsmanship, High Magician (Arch Mage- Dark, Water, Fire, Wind and Earth Magic), Scheming, High Charm.

    -Owns- Leader of Shadow Mercenaries, Contractor of the Red Death Sword.

    John was quite surprised as he hadn''t detected Prince Lukav previously and noticed him just now.

    He thought, ''It seems Prince Lukav has different ns today.''@@novelbin@@

    As soon as John did a status check on Lukav he felt thick killing intent from Lukav for a second which was soon suppressed.

    John thought as he looked at Lukav, ''From the looks of it, it seems he too can detect something when I try to do a status check. However I have confirmed 1 thing, they don''t know what I am probing. I guess they think I am checking their total mana.''

    Lukav deeply looked at John and spoke through mentalmunication, "Your Majesty John, it is quite rude to try and check the mana power of others this tantly. Although many people might not detect your probing but I am not one of those as I am quite familiar with Seers trying to poke and see my fate."

    John smiled and spoke, "That was rude of me, as this was a new ability which I gained recently so I wanted to see who can detect it and who can''t. Please meet meter on as I will certainly give you a good enough exnation."

    Justin, the minister of duke ckwolf too was looking at this bidding from the sidelines but was shocked after watching the arrival of Lukav, he thought, ''Our spies were fooled by him? Duke ckwolf needs to be informed about Prince Lukav''s interest in this magic staff as soon as possible. I too would have bid for this staff if I had enough money and guards now.''

    Duke Fredric had an irritated expression but still made his bid, "1.8m Gold Coins."

    unbothered by another bid of Duke Fredric, Prince Lukavv watched him once and immediately bid, "2m Gold coins."

    In the end, the bidding reached 2m gold coins which was won by Lukav.

    "The Ice-fire Magic staff goes to Prince Lukav."

    Duke Fredric looked at Lukav for a while but gave up after looking at his determination to win this staff. He thought, ''Lets give up and not offend him. I am sure that John has more of this stuff I willter ask John for more. I just hope that he doesn''t butcher my wallet or other resources. Our Icethorn sword just pales inparison to this sword, this is so embarrassing. Next time, we need a better product to showcase our might and power. Anyway, this Staff is worth the money unlike the arms in the market.''

    John then signaled Taylor and spoke to him, "Do you know the financial position of both the princes of Fireabyss i.e. Chad and Bidder here today?"

    Taylor thought as he understood and spoke, "Yes, as far as I know, Bidder is richer due to his mercantile activities as well as his close contacts with Merchants so I guess Bidder is richer at least when ites to outside Fireabyss. In Fireabyss, Prince Chad is able to borrow money from his rtives or other nobles but outside fireabyss he doesn''t have any reputation unlike his brother who has business rtions."

    John nodded and smiled as he spoke, "I intended to give that treasure to Fire-abyss family directly via Ein or our ambassador at the Fire-abyss Kingdom but lets use it this time to teach that guy a good lesson. Since that guy wanted to humiliate mest time lets see his humiliation today. Auction that treasure of Fire-abyss family next. Let''s see what sort of tricks he will apply this time around."

    Taylor nodded and passed on some instructions which were carried to the auction host.

    The host of the auction looked at Prince Chad then made a wicked smile as if gloating to see his doom and then presented the next item.

    "Our next item will certainly please those who appreciate Culture, History and Arts. It has been said that Fireabyss kingdom has produced many eminent Demon mages. But there is one such mage of the Fireabyss family who changed the way they fought after his research on their blood magic to boost the constitution of Demons. That''s right, The revolutionary mage from 500 years ago, Cromwell Fireabyss. We present you the Cromwell''s Scythe. Though this Treasure is rusted and doesn''t have enough power but it still has value as a cultural artifact. The authenticity of this treasure has been done by our appraisers. As for the source, it was sold to us by one of the merchants who chanced upon this treasure, not knowing the origin or worth of this treasure. We normally wouldn''t auction this type of treasure and were going to send it with the Fireabyss Diplomat but since there are two Prince of Fire-abyss family we were in a dilemma and hence have decided to auction it. We hope that the Fireabyss family is the final owner of this scythe. Prince Bidder, Prince Chad, your men cane up and check the Scythe for authenticity."

    Prince Chad had a sullen look on his face as soon as he heard the auctioneer while Prince Bidder was quite happy as he signaled some of his men to go and check it.

    Prince Chad thought as he looked venomously at the auctioneer who gave him a pitying look, ''It seems this particr auction is a scheme to plot against me this time by that Upstart King. Looks he is quite petty when ites to the matter of face and love. Even if I rage and im it as a fake treasure then Bidder will buy it and present it to Lord Father which will anyway determine its authenticity and this will make me lose face. And if I try to buy it that too is a losing game since I might not have enough funds topete against that dirty blooded asshole.''

    After looking at Chad''s look, Chad''s advisor then spoke, "Milord, it is better if we don''t do a bidding war as he will eventually win right now. We are not in the Fireabyss capital and it is hard to arrange more funds immediately. Make an excuse that as it is a family heirloom it won''t look better if both the brothers fight for it and since he is anyway your older brother then use his older age to your advantage in the narrative building in the upper ss that you wanted to give him face."

    Chad looked at the advisor and then spoke, "This n might have been feasible if only Bidder and I werepeting but look at that guy Lukavv over there. Have you forgotten about him? I am sure he too will bid to make Fire-abyss family lose face."

    Chad''s advisor looked at Lukavv and immediately understood and murmured in low voice, ''Thorn family''s daughter Apo.."

    Chad rebuked him immediately in a harsh manner, "Don''t even speak her name. Do you want us killed over here? Just see his frigin killing intent. I am sure he won''t give face to anyone when ites to that event. Have you forgotten that previously he killed Eldest brother Verzallon''s right-arm i.e. Demon General Bell in cold blood as he mocked both of them and talked about their conspiracy in open with ministers of Aelius? He along with Aelius ministers who mocked them were all killed brutally. Just some new low leveled ministers and servants were spared so that they can spread the news so that people know about the consequences. Hmph, Bell was quite unlucky that Lukavv was also spying that day. Anyway, it was good for us since Verzallon lost his men. Though many might not know but Thorn family currently is supporting Prince Lukavv from behind the scenes and hence I am being neutral in dealing with them. This was confirmed by one of my elite spies in the Thorn family and hence my stance for a few years now. I guess most of the powers might already know this but you have to consider this in mind. Anyway, I will deal with this matter my way."

    "500,000 Gold coins."

    Without waiting for others to check the treasure. Prince Lukav immediately made a bid without shaking any eye-lid.

    He spoke withplete derision on his face, "Why do you guys even bother to check when you can''t believe the validity of John''s own auction? John is someone who will prefer losing money rather than lose face in such an event with so many big personalities. Hmph."

    Prince Bidder was the first to react as he too immediately made his big bid in order to deter others from participating in it immediately.

    He thought, ''Prince Lukav words are quite on the mark. I shouldn''t even have bothered and immediately make my bid.''

    "1.3 Million Gold coins."

    Anin, the Dwarf ambassador too joined the bid this time around and spoke with a smile, "1.5 Million Gold Coins. I think this treasure just from a cultural and historical perspective will look good at our national museum."

    Chad then spoke to Bidder via mentalmunication, "If you need more funds then you just need to ask aloud in front of others. I have 2.5 million gold coins in reserve for this trip."

    Bidder immediately ignored Chad and then spoke to John via mentalmunication, "Milord, I hope you can give me face and dissuade Prince Lukav from the bidding. I will give you a satisfactory dealter on."

    John nodded as he thought, ''Anyway, we currently don''t have a channel to sell our goods at Fireabyss apart from Bluesea Duchy and the Fireabyss ckmarket. Also making connections with other important figures will be useful. Ok, lets give a try to Lukav since this connection can give me long-term benefits.''

    John then spoke to Lukav via mentalmunication, "Prince Lukav, I would like to give you a bit of good advice with regards to this scythe. There is no research value in that scythe with regards to Magic or Fighting techniques. This Scythe only has cultural value since it was the first scythe used by Cromwell Fireabyss. I would also like to mention that the next item will need a lot of funds and it is an item worth great value since its production will be very low i.e. 100 every year and only 10 will be auctioned every year."

    Lukav thought as he heard John, ''True, he wouldn''t have bothered to auction this item if it had any value in terms of magic research. John''s domain is anyway bringing out new technologies and ess of business to these technologies will be beneficial for me in long term. Anyway, this time only these two kids Chad and Bidder are present here unlike Verzallon or Felix so even if I make them lose face it won''t be much to Fireabyss or that brother of mine.''

    Lukav smiled a bit but scoffed and spoke, "So what if I need to spend some more gold coins, making Fireabyss lose face will be worth it. I have anyway been given a good loan by your Sky Central bank for 5 million gold coins for our new business. However, it looks like this scythe really does not have value in regards to blood magic as I too can''t feel anything so I will give you face this time since you helped me with Ballistas to bring that mouse out of his hole during thest battle. However, you better present me a worthy item in our meeting this time."

    John smiled and nodded to Prince Lukav and then informed Bidder via mentalmunication, "Prince Bidder, you better give me a good answerter on since I barely managed to calm down Prince Lukav and make him agree to my demands."

    Prince Bidder didn''t have any hopes on his request but after hearing John''s answer he was quite surprised and nodded to John and made his action.

    As if showing his determination, Bidder spoke with an authoritative tone which surprised everyone including the diplomats and Lukav, "2.5 Million gold coins."

    After looking that no one was making his bid, The Auctioneer spoke, "2.5 Million one, 2.5 Million two... 2.5 Million three. The Cromwell''s scythe here goes to Fireabyss Prince Bidder."

    Chad had an angry face as if he had eaten a fly and lost face after looking at Bidder and his inability to buy the national treasure currently.

    Chad muttered, "Anyway, it is better that I didn''t bother bidding and lose more face."

    Chad''s advisor spoke, "Yes, Milord, we will make sure that this auction doesn''t stain your reputation."

    The Auctioneer presented the next to everyone present.

    "Ladies and Gentlemen, This time we have a new item for everyone which will certainly surprise and satisfy everyone present here. Our Sky research center has recently made a new pill. It is called the Blood-Bone Marrow cleansing pill. Its effects are as follows:

    1. It regenerates any missing parts of a living body i.e. Bone, flesh and blood regeneration. It can be applied to all species regardless of race.

    2. It cleanses the Blood and Magic Meridians of the body which can help you in increasing the Magic power as well as improving the quality of Magic power. This also improves the physique of your body.

    However, please mind that it won''t help you in eradicating diseases or curses. Nheless, this is our best item today. You will also have to mind that only 10 such pills will be auctioned every year due to the scarce and high-end resources required to make this pill. Today we are auctioning all the 10 pills of this years quota in a batch of 2 so in total there will be 5 opportunities for people present over here to buy. The base price of these 2 pills is 1 Million gold coins."

 Chapter 313: 244. Power Capital quotes 3.5 Million.

    The auctioneer continued, "To show the effectiveness of this pill we will be using 1 spare pill from our side on one of the veteran officers. Major Harry had lost one of his hands in our previous war and due to his contributions, we have decided to give him the first pill. Although we had previously used this pill on both animals, humans, demons and other species, it has been found to be safe through various experiments and hence there are no side effects. We are making this live demonstration so that our im can be verified on-site by everyone present as many may think that how does such a pill exist."

    "Please bring the Pill. Major Harry, pleasee forward."

    Major Harry nodded to his mates and came on the podium as he stood proudly beside the auctioneer. Very soon the pill came in a luxurious box that was engraved with various magic. The one escorting the Pillbox used some magic as he unlocked the engraved magic along with the box.

    The magician handed over the pill to Major Harry as he waited to observe the reactions firsthand as he was part of the research team which made the pill.

    Major Harry took the pill in his right hand as he thought and looked at the left-hand side which was empty. However, he had no regrets as this sacrifice saved the life of one of hisrades.

    Lost in his thoughts, Major Harry was awakened by the auctioneer.

    "Major Harry, Major Harry."

    Major Harry spoke as he realized the situation, "I am sorry, I was lost in my thoughts."

    Major Harry nodded and immediately took the pill as he waited for 5 minutes for it to take effect slowly. Very slowly, the pill started taking effect as his left hand started regrowing.

    This scene was quite astonishing to a lot of people present here. Lukav was quite shocked as he watched the whole process. He thought as he looked at the pill, ''Why didn''t this appear 8 years ago? I could have saved those 2 lives.''

    The Demon Baan along with that kid who was present in the auction too was quite surprised after looking at the effects of the pill.

    The Kid with Baan spoke, "This pill is so expensive. If it was cheaper then I would have bought it for uncle Baan. Why is he given the pill and not you Uncle Baan?"@@novelbin@@

    The Demon Baan knocked the head of the kid as smiled and spoke to him, "Don''t speak ill about Major Harry. He was one of the superiors in the navy. When I was with him, He was the one who cared and saved most lives of our men when he was on the battlefield. He is someone who most deserves this pill. As for why the pill is expensive? It is due to scarce resources. Do you think such an effect would be possible if it wasn''t rare? Anyways, now that Sky has made progress in bone, flesh and blood regeneration medicine then there are various possibilities avable now. And I only have an injured leg unlike him who lost his left hand."

    Very soon there were shocked expressions on the face of a lot of people who were present here.

    Even Mist who was usually calm couldn''t help but have an astonished expression when he saw the effect of the pill firsthand.

    John smiled and thought, ''Why didn''t our Longevity pill have such a reaction among these people when it was presented to the world? I guess it is due to its avability over the centuries. It seems Arlen might even swallow the pill from his eyes if he looks any longer. From the reactions, I can say that our military is most excited about this pill. When the research paper was shown to them 2 months ago, why did they shrug it off? I guess it is too unbelievable for them. s, this pill really requires a lot of high-end herbs and the price of those herbs will only increase as we start buying them more in bulk. Just making 1 pill required 400k Gold coins worth of items andbor. This is also the reason why we have a base price of 1 Million gold coins for 2 pills. Just the amount of effort and resources poured into this pill will make countries weep tears of blood. If not for the millions of permutations andbinations of simtions provided by the system, it would have at least required 200 years of continuous research and investment to make this pill or a genius.''

    Immediately after watching the effect of the pill, Maeen who was invisible in the auction made her starting bid, "2 million Gold coins."

    She thought, ''I currently have 2 million Gold coins in hand, I should have brought more for this asion. If I can get this pill with all the avable funds right now. It would be considered a sess. Amon family getting its hands on this pill would be a boon for us. I hope this bid can deter others already or it is a gone case.''

    Bidder too made his bid after watching the effects of the pill first hand, "2.1 Million."

    Very soon, other bids starteding in from the various diplomats.

    "2.2 Million"

    "2.4 Million"

    Chad too thought and made his bid, "2.5 Million"

    This time, Lukav immediately made his bid in an authoritative tone, "3 Million."

    Finally, the other bidders started calming down due to ack of funds but were still excited enough due to the currentmotion.

    Anin, Ein, Bidder, Luke and everyone other looked at the Pill like hungry wolves waiting for a signal to eat it already. If not for the guards and magicians of Sky present today, they would have immediately pounced at the pill without any decorum about today''s event.

    Mist thought as he looked at the event, ''I think we would have witnessed the same when the first Longevity pill was introduced to this world 5300 years ago. However, it required a lot of skill along with rare materials and hence the scarcity. Curse our luck that we didn''t bring enough money when we decided to travel here. Well, there will be opportunities in the future so I shouldn''t worry about this.''

    During themotion, John looked at Mist but refrained from doing a status check on him as his instincts told him not to.

    to, Joel and Luke meanwhile spotted Trevor and Carl as they spoke in a serious manner.

    Luke spoke, "We are currently in shortage of funds, however, if you guys can fund us with 1 million gold coins today then we will consider this as a great service to the crown. Our goal today is to win 1 set of Blood-bone marrow cleansing pills for our treasury. For this help, you guys can officially get help from the crown while you are conducting business in Aelius. We may also introduce bills which may favor you."

    Joel thought as he looked at the current situation, ''It is good that we brought the Merchants with us as it was a military cum civilian agreement between Sky and Aelius.''

    Trevor and Carl were thinking as to what benefits they could extract from them.

    to looking at their expression understood that they are ying hardball since they had an upper hand today. He spoke, "Trevor, I can help you in lobbying the Bill for Opening up the medicine business which your family creates but is suppressed due to Radiant Church while you may also get my backing from behind the scenes in the name of official policy of Aelius. While Carl, I can help you in acquiring materials from Sky for your real-estate business. I think you already know how difficult it would be to import anything from Sky currently even if we may ease our policy due to the new North-South deal."

    to thought as he looked at both of them, ''Originally I wouldn''t have bothered about this thing but after watching the diplomats of other countries today. I am sure that I will be cursed by his Majesty Lionheart if I cannot acquire this type of pill for him. So it is better if we remain safe.''

    Trevor and Carl pondered for a while and then agreed to their request as it was worthwhile in long term.

    Meanwhile, Lukav smiled as he saw the third gong from the auctioneer as he announced Lukav winning the first set of Pills.

    Maeen bit her lips as she understood that she couldn''t get these pills today and will have to wait for the next opportunity or at least 1 year.

    Maeen sighed as she thought, ''I guess this is my fault for less liquidity and more scattered investment due to my greed. Well, I can''t help it since what is done is done. I guess his Majesty John will use this as a bargaining chip in future negotiations.''

    Very soon the next batch of Pills was auctioned and won by to and others at 2.8 Million Gold coins.

    Ein, the demon ambassador at Sky won the next set of pills with Prince Bidder and Prince Chad at the price of 2.9 Million Gold coins. Ein was sweating bullets as he had to bnce between both Prince Chad and Prince Bidder who didn''t want to co-operate with each other while at the same time wanted the credit for getting the pills.

    For the first time after the bid, Prince Chad sighed with relief as he looked at John and thought deeply, ''From the way he is showcasing his power just in terms of arms and medicine, I think I may have bet on the wrong horse. I think I need to change the Chief Spy over here at Sky since I didn''t get enough and right information on his Majesty John. However, the problem is that I have already offended him due to his closeness to Bluesea Duchy and touching my interests. Argh, what is done is done, I can''t cry over spilled milk.''

    Anin, the Dwarf the ambassador was also sweating bullets after watching both to and Ein winning the Blood-Bone marrow cleansing pill. He gritted his teeth as he too didn''t want to get chewed by King Ludwin and borrowed money from human businessmen who wanted to grab such an opportunity. This time, he won the Pills at the price of 3.1 Million gold coins as the bidding was very fierce in theter stages.

    During thisst set of pills, everyone was unscrupulous as the Diplomats had already made their purchases and hence many businessmen grouped and were going to give it a try without minding nobles.

    At this time, one of the new venture capital firms from Sky called Power Capital quoted their price which shocked everyone present, "Power capital quotes 3.5 Million gold coins."

    The representative of Power capital was Dwayne who looked very young. His age was 22 currently. He had ck hair and an average build with a slight tan. He is the Grandson of the Merchant named Bill.

    Even John was quite surprised at the creation of a Venture Capital this early just before he set up the Securities and exchangemission. Dwayne smiled as he got the effect that he wanted for the promotion of his capital firm while at the same time an invaluable pill.

    Dwayne smiled as his eyes met John for the first time as he nodded and thought, ''This time My Lord, I won''t make the same mistakes which I did previously due to the greed of my family.''

    Mist looked at Dwayne as he spoke to Alison, "Alison, that boy''s soul has the aura of Fate and time. But it doesn''t look like he has the blessing of both those gods."

    Alison too nodded as he agreed, "Indeed. Though minuscule I can sense it. The less we speak, the better it is for now. We better discuss thister on."

    John called Taylor and asked, "Give me a detailed report about hispany. If possible, try investing state funds and get a stake."

    Taylor nodded and spoke, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, He is a citizen of Sky and is one of the small stakeholders of Demonic Agricultural essories and North-frontier times. ording to our information, He has earned all of his money on his own from the age of 15 till now. However, there is one striking feature."

    John nodded as he heard Taylor keenly, "Continue."

 Chapter 314: 245. Fooling the eyes of heaven.

    Taylor nodded and continued, "Fromst year, after you acquired the Barony, North Frontier Town, he has always followed our footsteps i.e. He actively acquired the citizenship of North Frontier Town which also forced his family and Grandfather to Migrate here after some time as they were worried about him. He also actively freed the ves which were owned by his family despite resistance from his family but earned praise from our officials."

    Taylor continued as he recalled all the incidents and reports rted to Dwayne, "Previously he also funded researcher Mark in North-Frontier times despite resistance from other shareholders in thepany to develop Illusion cameras and hence his increase in stakes. As far as his other investments are concerned, he has been very spot on. He is also one of the major suppliers of Raw materials such as Mulberry berries, Zilch berries and other items required for making reinforced cement and other items. Previously also he tried to get some shares of Blue Paradise at 5 times and 10 times the premium value which shocked her highness Diana and others but was rejected since Blue Paradise didn''t have any funding problems. ording to the evaluation of our officers andmoners, he is a model citizen and businessman for Sky. Currently Power Capital has assets worth 27 Million Sky Dors, out of which 13 Million are invested in various start-uppanies, 1 Million in real estate of North-frontier city and 4 Million Dors in real estate of Golden Spring City and Aurora Ind. And this has also sped up the development of those cities. Though notparable to rich families and nobles of other countries but Dwayne''s own assets currently are worth 4 Million Sky Dors. He has also actively promoted the usage of Sky Dors among businessmen of Sky."

    Diana who was beside John spoke after hearing of Power Capital and Dwayne, "Yes, he did indeed approach us to buy 7% percent of our stake previously at extremely high prices but I didn''t want to sell it since there were no funding problems as well as other girls also didn''t want to sell their stakes since we liked the work here. By the way, Blue Paradise also has a stake of 4% in Power Capital since he invited me humbly even after I rejected his proposal to buy a stake at Blue Paradise. I think he is good at managing capital."

    Even John who used to remain calm was quite surprised by watching the profile of Dwayne. He thought, ''It is as if he wants my attention but it seems he is cautious of something. Does he have some agenda? Nah. If he had an agenda then he would have surely hidden his tracks from me and my officials. And from the way he is looking at me, it doesn''t look malicious or creepy unlike when I face my enemies. Ok, to get more rity lets meet him and check his status as well so as to gauge his intentions.''

    After auctioning the pills, the host of the auction announced, "I hope everyone over here enjoyed today''s auction. I now announce the end of the auction as all the main items have been auctioned. Now, the ball will start along with meetings with Lord John. The ball and party now will be handled by the officials of Sky who were just recently promoted. As for the meetings, most of the appointments are already made but if anyone new wants an appointment today with his Majesty, please approach Lord Taylor''s secretary so that he can inform if it is possible."

    At the end of this Auction, A lot of people sighed with disappointment as this auction was carried out without any notice and hence many people were unprepared.

    Maeen too sighed as she looked at the Pills with a bitter face.

    As soon as the auction ended, Dwayne was filled with invitations from other businessmen and some small nobles as well. However, he immediately approached Mist who was looking at him curiously.

    Dwayne spoke to others, "I hope you guys can excuse me as I would like to have a talk with Lord Mist. If there are inquiries rted to Power Capital, you can contact our persons and office at 13th Square street, Northfrontier Town."

    The other major shareholders of Power Capital smiled as this was the effect that they wanted to create via today''s auction.

    Dwayne humbly approached Mist as he spoke, "Lord Mist, could I have the honor to make your acquaintance."

    Mist nodded for the first time and spoke, "You are a quite peculiar kid, but you should not make such obvious moves which may be dangerous for you. Today was one such move when you made that announcement which made you the focus. It was as if you knew that there would be an auction today and hence prepared the funds. So you should be careful."

    Dwayne had a look of shock as he became worried and thought, ''How could he know? Are my moves this obvious?''

    Mist smiled as he saw his shocked face and spoke, "Calm down, if I wanted to kill you now, you would not be standing in front of me. Also, I can see that your soul doesn''t harbor any ill will in your actions so it''s okay for now."@@novelbin@@

    Dwayne nodded sincerely and spoke, "Lord Mist how did youe to doubt me? Because I don''t think many people could detect anything."

    Mist smiled as he saw his sincere question and spoke, "Well, as a Grand Arch Magician of Nature Magic. I can see that your soul has a fleeting aura of Fate and Time but not the blessing of both of those Gods, I guess you may have acquired their blessings in the future. And then there was today''s action. You are lucky that you didn''t meet anyone else who has my level of detection. Though not many people can detect it however you should be careful. Don''t resist this spell which I am about to put on you. This spell will help you against future troubles."

    Dwayne had a very shocked expression as he thought, ''I guess I can''t hide anything from Lord Mist. Even my 2 lives worth of experience is nothing in front of his vast experience of 1000s of years. Anyway, lets hear him out.''

    Mist signaled Dwayne who was still thinking and spoke, "What are you waiting for? Do you want me to use that spell in front of everyone here so that everyone takes notice? Follow me to the guest house, we will talk there."

    Dwayne nodded as he followed Mist.

    In the guest house,

    Dwayne along with Mist and Alison were present, Dwayne hesitated a bit spoke, "Actually I would like..."

    Alison raised his hand and stopped Dwayne, "It''s ok, you don''t need to tell us about the future. It has already been distorted."

    Mist nodded and spoke, "I guess it was bound to happen and anger God of Fate since the gods depended on Seers too much to maintain control. So how much of the history have you changed by your actions?"

    Dwayne nodded as if he was a disciple and spoke while Mist with chink on his Magic Staff started using the spell on Dwayne, "I changed some of the fate of my family in hopes of changing their nature which has given some results, I have also cut rtions with my uncle who is a staunch believer of very and Radiant Church. The thing I regret the most is not being able to stop the massacre which started the war. In the past life, it wasn''t the Greenwoods Vige that was massacred but Blue Valley vige which I emptied out by hiring everyone in the vige for my raw materialpany and transferring them to North Frontier city in the name of tight work schedule along with higher wages. I guess certain things can''t be changed. However this time, there were 4 survivors unlikest time which changed the course and narrative of the war. As far as business activities are concerned, I have created Power Capital 5 years early this time and also invested in some promising industries. This time I also progressed the research of Illusion Cameras by 1 year after many people start funding in the stock market and Sky Institute."

    Alison thought as he heard, "Hmm... So the only major changes you did were the Greenwoods Massacre and Cutting rtions with your Uncle. Your Uncle may be a big obstacle in the future since he is blood-rted. And you approaching us today also has a reason, right?"

    Meanwhile, Mist finished chanting the spell as Dwayne''s body got covered by the Magic and got absorbed instantly.

    Mist nodded and spoke, "Now you will remain safe in case you encounter a dangerous situation like this time where we detected your situation."

    After hearing out Alison, Dwayne nodded and spoke with determination, "I don''t regret cutting my rtions with my Uncle or else an unforgiven tragedy would have befallen our family. The very fact I haven''t killed him now is me being very merciful to him. And Yes, I did approach you guys for a reason. I wanted your help in today''s signing ceremony of the North-South Peace deal. In return, I am willing to give you guys 1 of the Blood-Bone Marrow cleansing pill. And I am sure that you will require this pill in the future."

    Mist spoke as he heard Dwayne, "It seems, something major will happen today."

    Dwayne nodded and spoke slowly, "Yes, nothing big but controble. However, I wanted to avoid as many casualties as possible. Today, Radiant God, Irm''s angel and Radiant Church will do a big show which may affect today''s event. Lord John probably already knows about it. However, this time, I want you guys to prepare a formation that can even fool the angels. I want to change this 1 event as much as possible."

    Looking at Dwayne''s determined eyes, even Mist was quite surprised. Mist thought as he looked at him, ''No Wonder, he got favored by gods in future. I wonder what happened in the alternate future. Nah, It won''t be good knowing too far in the future and get heaven''s curse. This boy is unique in a sense that his soul has even fooled the eyes of heaven.''

    Alison looked at Mist and then at Dwayne as he spoke, "Kid, the conversation that we had today, you shouldn''t speak to anybody else or else you and the other person may really be unlucky. Don''t tell even John about this. Also from now on, nobody will be able to detect the aura of Fate and Time on you. Today, you were able to have a conversation with us because of the formation at this house."

    Mist nodded and added, "Though we usually don''t interfere in war or matters of Gods however since you have already warned us. I will help you out even at the risk of angering Irm since you have clear eyes. Don''t lose that shine in the future as well."

 Chapter 315: 246. I need to be careful with my vocabulary as well. What a mess!

    After his sessful meeting with Mist, Dwayne came back to the ball and immediately asked his secretary to ask if he could meet his Majesty John and make an appointment today.

    Dwayne''s secretary came toward him spoke, "Regarding the query, I have already made an appointment with his Majesty John. I have also contacted her Majesty Maeen for us to sell the second Blood-bone marrow cleansing pill. However, before buying, she wanted to meet you in person. She is on the 2nd Floor Ballroom."

    After reaching the second-floor ballroom, Maeen spotted the secretary and then Dwayne as she judged him.

    "Your Majesty Maeen, I heard that you wanted to meet me in person before making the deal," Dwayne asked as he saw Maeen.

    Maeen nodded as she looked at Dwayne, "Yes, your way of attracting more customers for your firm has interested me. Meanwhile, you also are making a profit by reselling the pill and making some connections. I saw that you went to meet Mist first so my guess is that you sold your 1st Pill to Mist."

    Dwayne smiled as he understood how devils worked and acted his past normal self, "You overpraise me your majesty, I am just a normal employee trying my best to market and make profits for my business. I alone am not the owner of Power Capital. A lot of others have a stake in it while I take do take premiummissions for managing their wealth."

    Maeen looked at Dwayne with serious eyes and spoke, "Ok, anyway what is the price for the pill."

    Maeen thought as she looked at Dwayne, ''This guy surely has a lot to hide since he was even able to deal with Elves this easily.''

    Dwayne nodded and spoke, "My current selling price for the pill will be at 2.1 million Sky dors."

    Maeen looked at Dwayne and smiled, "It seems that you were prepared and were observing most of the customers and the current Psychological price at the auction. I saw that your secretary had also tried to approach Prince Chad but was kicked out halfway by his guards. Anyway, I currently only have 2 million Golds so this will be my take it or leave it offer."

    Dwayne acted as if he thought and spoke, "Ok, I can ept your offer but I have one condition i.e. In the future I want yourw firm to represent us in all the cases."

    Maeen looked deeply at Dwayne and spoke, "How did you know that I am going to set up aw firm here at Sky. Currently, only the important officials and John himself know about it. As for representing yourpany, I guess we can do it however if you are scheming something against us then don''t me me for being ruthless."

    Dwayne nodded and spoke, "Actually Lord Jean rmended your Law Firm as he was also in the loop during the meeting when the talk about Amon Law Firm was going on. I just wanted to be the first customer of Amon Law Firm and also owe a favor. Who knows, in the future, I would require your help in curbing my enemies. Also, I have heard that Devils are very well versed when ites to the use of Laws and also Terms and conditions while making contracts."

    After hearing his exnation, Maeen nodded and spoke, "Fair enough. A usible exnation. Here is the Bank check for 1.8 Million gold coins."

    Dwayne''s secretary was confused when saw only 1.8 Million. Dwayne pped his secretary''s forehead and spoke, "Those 200k are the signing fees for the next 3 years."

    Maeen furrowed her brows and spoke, "It is 2 years only. From the 3rd year, our fees will increase appropriately ording to the performance of our Law firm aspared to other Lawfirms. By the way, this is standard for all thepanies unless you represent the state or the top 5 biggestpanies of the state."

    Dwayne thought, ''I guess even I can''t be cheeky and increase the years in the contract. Well, this is still a very good deal and contract,ter on when Sky and Lemuria''s rtion grows, their fees will be in millions due to them being the best. Now even his brother won''t be able to bother our firm this time.''

    Dwayne cheekily smiled and spoke, "Ok, I just wanted to confirm 1 thing, how will you handle cases if there is a conflict of interest."

    After hearing his doubts, Maeen spoke, "Of course, since you are the first customer, your interests will be considered first even if someone is my rtive so you don''t need to worry about that. It is like a firste, first-serve basis unless there is an extraordinary situation that can only be solved with a settlement. Later on, Cain here will send a copy of the contract to your office."

    Dwayne smiled and shook hands with Maeen, "Happy Co-operation. I am expecting a lot of your help in M&As and stock acquisition under the radars."

    Maeen remarked, "Radar?"

    Dwayne thought, ''Oops, It seems Radars are still being developed by his Majesty. I need to be careful with my vocabry as well. What a mess!''

    Dwayne: "I mean stock acquisition from behind the scenes."

    Maeen nodded, "Ok."

    Both Dwayne and Maeen left after their conversation.

    Dwayne thought as he finished most of the work, ''We marketed well, got 3 Big connections at the cost of 1.5 Million gold coins. Gaining master Mist''s favor was the biggest gain. Now only my meeting with his Majesty John is left where I need to be careful as Master Mist spoke.''

    At the same time in John''s office,

    Prince Bidder and his guard Arzaz were in a meeting with John and Taylor.

    After sitting down and not speaking for some time, John spoke: "Ok, lets not beat around the bush and get to the point. So what is your proposal."

    Prince Bidder nodded and signaled Arzaz to bring out the box.

    Bidder spoke as soon as the box was put on the table, "Your Majesty, I think this Item will be very helpful to you if you wear it in today''s Peace deal signing ceremony. I have some information which will express my sincerity to make an alliance with you."

    John looked at the box then at both of them as he thought, ''From the way he is guarding the box it seems it is a good treasure. Lets scan it.''

    As soon as John scanned it, he found out the results,

    [Scanplete

    1. Magical Demonic box

    Effects: Good for storing artifacts and consumables from prying eyes.

    2. Amulet of Thorns

    Effects: Can protect against Godly attacks and reflect 2 times the power using up the mana. (Consumed: 2/3). Reflection status: You have enough mana to reflect the attack.]

    Inwardly, John was quite surprised after looking at the status and judged that something will surely happen today.

    John looked seriously and spoke, "Looking at this Box and artifact. It seems that something big will surely happen today. Continue with your information, If it is worthy, you will be repaid in kind."

    Bidder smiled as this was the exact situation that he wanted. In fact, he was d that his brother Chad immediately got baited previously. He spoke, "Ok, I won''t beat around the bush. ording to the talk in the underworld, Radiant Church may do something big today to warn others and spread their message. So we rmend that you should keep this Amulet with you in this signing ceremony and use it when the time arises. Even if you can''t use it fully, it will still protect you. This amulet has the power of Reflection aswell if you have enough mana. This can only be used once more as it was already 2 times in the past."

    John furrowed his brows and spoke, "Underworld, why haven''t I heard about it? Is it a ce where we can travel and what sort of ce is it?"

    Now, it was Arzaz who spoke, "My Lord, the Path to Underworld is not open. The Portals to other worlds are mostly closed and only opens in case of extraordinary circumstances. We get information from our ancestors and Demon Gods when something major happens. Anyways, Gods and Arch Demons can''t descend here due to certainws. But their bidding is done via their intermediaries like the radiant church or the Netherworld Church. I think, this time there might be a lunar eclipse on all the 3 moons of Arkon together or a sr eclipse depending on the situation. This rarely happens unless initiated by Gods."

    John nodded as started understanding what was going on. John thought, ''I should very well start the promotion of Electricity and Lights today and p the face of Irm. This asion might as well be a good promotion for our products.''

    John nodded and spoke calmly, "Ok, fair enough, I will believe you since I can''t detect any lies from you nor can I see how you may benefit from telling me a lie. I can also see that you have shown enough sincerity as this artifact is quite precious and is invaluable. Taylor, go and make preparations for the safety of our guests and also inform d about the same. But don''t make it obvious. Also, make preparations for the usage of all sorts of Light bulbs in the Winter Castle where the signing will take ce. It was anyway waiting for the perfect inauguration.

    Taylor nodded and immediately headed to make preparations for today''s signing ceremony.

    John thought before speaking, ''I am feeling quite generous today since he helped me p the face of Chad and then also this artifact which will be a great help against Irm''sckeys. Ok, I can make one exception and also judge their thinking based on this interaction.''

    John then spoke to Bidder, "Ok, What sort ofpensation would you like for this information. I can only give you what is within my capabilities currently but I will fulfill if it is possible. Since I can''t name a price, you can get any sort of 2 techs which includes our strategic products."

    Bidder had his eyes open and spoke with shock, "Any Tech? Even Gu.."

    Arzaz furrowed his brows as soon as he heard John and then watched Bidder''s reaction as he stopped him and spoke.

    It was Arzaz now who spoke without letting Bidder speak, "No, we don''t want the tech as it would be too disrespectful to Sky. We would like ess to your Intelligence Network i.e. Sky''s Intelligence Network and Bluesea house''s Intelligencework via you on the affairs at Fireabyss which may affect Prince Bidder directly or indirectly. We also want ess to buy your main products like the Printers, Illusion cameras, reinforced cement, etc whenever it is open to the public at the market price or lower if possible. We don''t want any marypensation. And also we want a promise."

    Bidder then looked at Arzaz a bit angrily but then calmed down.

    John looked at Arzaz and then Bidder as he spoke, "Interesting. Ok, Since I have made a promise to fulfill it as long as I am capable so don''t hesitate. Continue, what sort of promise do you want?"

    Arzaz nodded and spoke, "Protection and backing of Bidder in case his life is in danger. Even at the cost of war with Fire-abyss or any other country if he ever escapes here. This includes Political protection in present."

    John then thought deeply and spoke, "Why do you want to bet on my small country that much and ask my protection? As far as I can see, Prince Bidder is quite capable. If you had asked me for the technology of making guns or strategic weapons then I would have given that without batting an eye since this information is really worth it. Prince Bidder, don''t you want any tech from Sky?"@@novelbin@@

    Arzaz then deeply looked at John and thought, ''As I thought, he was baiting Lord Bidder towards his Guns, Cannons and Printing Tech. Though we would have made a fortune but we would have lost his respect and this connection would solely remain a transaction. ess to products is much better than gaining tech. Lord John had done the same to the Aelius Kingdom when he showcased the Ballistas.''

    Arzaz spoke, "Why did we bet on Sky? Because my instincts say so. And I don''t like to bet on non-living things (Guns, Printing etc), I bet on living things and my eyes aren''t deceiving me."

    Arzaz thought, ''What happened to the Ballista even if they were in the hands of Aelius.''

    Bidder too calmed down and answered John''s question, "Nah, we will follow what Arzaz proposed. I was just too excited before. If you are ufortable with any provision apart from my Protection then please say so. We will ept it."

    Arzaz nodded to Bidder as he calmed down.

    John then looked at Bidder and thought, ''It seems that his situation at Fire-abyss isplicated. I guess it is from his birth. And this Guy Arzaz too is quite strong at 46 Level while having Fire-demon Transformation.''

    John nodded and spoke, "No, I don''t have any problem with the conditions. As I will anyway gain the Fire-abyss market if we cooperate so I don''t have much to lose apart from the Last condition but since I made the promise, I will ept it. I will get Quill to make an official contract if you want one. As for the sensitive tech items? As long as we are selling it to the public, you too can buy it."

    Bidder nodded and spoke, "Happy co-operation Lord John."

    John too nodded to Bidder and then Arzaz as he spoke, "Happy co-operation, You have a very wise advisor by your side. Cherish him unlike that dumb Prince Hector."

    Both Bidder and Arzazughed as the meeting came to an end.

 Chapter 317: 248. Meeting Dwayne Miller (2)

    John didn''t probe more about the information and spoke with a cruel smile as he talked about Radiant Church, "You don''t need to worry about them. Our men are already working to wee our guests."

    John continued, "Anyway, I heard that you have been supporting a lot of our policies whether it is the abolition of very or promoting the Sky Dors. After hearing about your actions, I am very satisfied with them. If you have any problems in the future then you may approach my office or our Minister of Law, Quill''s office. Previously I didn''t notice, but it seems that Power Capital is also a stakeholder of Demonic Agricultural essories, North-frontier times and the recent Illusion Cameras. From this, I can see that you have a very keen eye when you are investing inpanies or individuals. So I would like your opinion on some of our state matters, What do you think should be promoted first currently in Sky."

    Dwayne was quite surprised as he heard John praise and thought, ''As I thought, he is always prepared and hence has been the most capable ruler in the previous world. However, I better not tell him anything unnecessary that may change the current path. The only thing I should warn him should be about the anti-nuclear catastrophe protests instigated by those otherworlders. No, I can''t. If Lord John suspects me to be a spy then that would be bad since the research is currently being conducted by the Top Secret DSDRb that is directly under his supervision along with Lord Tornwall. And since nuclear weapons are the most top-secret I can''t bber about anything.''

    Dwayne nodded as he decided and spoke, "It should naturally be ease of Travel andmunication and that too at faster speeds. Just like how moving money is important. Ease of Travel and Communication should be focused first and foremost along with the defense of our country. A rich country without any fangs is bound to be trampled by others and hence a strong military should be there as well. Other than that I hope we can do regr background checks on the private mediapanies that may try to influence the culture and politics of our country. Who knows, we may miss some entertainmentpanies that may be up to some mischief after bing mainstream."

    John sighed and thought, ''I am already focusing on that. Roads, Ports, Radios, bicycles then carts and then cars. Arghh, this is the problem with time travelers. Anyway, he has given a hint about the problem with Entertainment industries so it is better to do background checks instead of enacting some policies.''

    John spoke, "We are already focusing on that along with improving the quality of citizens by educating them in important fields so that there is better efficiency. Do you have any suggestions on what should we avoid? or on what should we specifically develop. And about the performance, among the State and privatepanies which do you think will perform better?"

    Dwayne sighed as he thought a bit and spoke, "If we really want to focus on something then I suggest that we focus on food. Of course not natural food but one that is engineered in a way that enhances the physical capabilities of Humans, demons, devils, beastman and other species. But if it is developed then I hope it is only circted within our Military. As for State and Privatepanies? If it was other countries then I would have no doubt said Privatepanies but If it is Sky then I am 100% willing to bet onpanies that are led by you. That is also one of the reasons why I wanted a stake in Blue Paradise even at 10 times premium since it is a semi-private public enterprise and has enough backing along with a good brand name. As for whichpany I am most optimistic about? It should be the Sky central bank."@@novelbin@@

    John thought as he looked at Dwayne, ''He believes in Statepanies? I guess he knows about the trajectory which I am going to make for thosepanies. How does he know the term Brand name? Now, this term is not yet poprised but he still spoke. Hmm... I guess it is still hard to dig information out from him. Anyways, I will increase the funding on Improving products for now.''

    Dwayne continued as he spoke, "As for dangers, You should be wary of Prince Charlie and the venomous Prince Hector. Prince Hector may pull another stunt in the future so it is better to be prepared."

    John nodded as he noted down everything and spoke, "OK, What do you think about Sky''s future Politically, economically, culturally and Militarily."

    Dwayne was about to speak as he stopped and then spoke after thinking, "Politics is something which is ever-changing and can''t be predicted by normal factors. Economically and Technologically, we will be a powerhouse. Culturally, People here in Sky will be united whether it is short-term or long-term. I am very much sure about it. And Militarily, it depends on many factors, so we can only strive to improve as fast as possible so as to avoid dangers."

    John thought as he heard Dwayne, ''It seems he doesn''t want to change the politics by influencing me. He has some doubts about us Militarily, which means that we would sometimes face dangers. Anyway, it was a good meeting if Sarah''s guesses are correct.''

    John nodded and spoke, "It was good meeting you and it has been very valuable after hearing your insights. I will make sure to make some policy changes when I return. If you want a stake at Blue Paradise then you can meet Quill and buy it at 5x the current price, The amount of stake would be 6%, you will also be given your voting rights and you or yourpany can appoint 1 director for giving your opinions. As for Sky Central Bank, it will never be listed and owned by the state fully. However, we may enact somews in future where people can make and operate private banks within the framework of Sky Central Bank."

    Dwayne was quite surprised that this small conversation let him get a stake at Blue Paradise which made him quite happy. He thought, ''Now, this is a windfall. Thispany will expand and rise by 500 times in the next 10 years.''

 Chapter 318: 249. It is ok, he is only rude on the outside.

    Dwayne smiled and spoke, "Thank you very much, your Majesty. I will take my leave now."

    John nodded as he spoke, "It''s okay. Investing in Blue Paradise is your personal decision and since you had an interest in it I only made it easier for you to get a stake in it. For now, You can leave and go to the party. I may call you in the future for further consultations if you don''t mind."

    "Yes, your majesty."

    Dwayne almost made a fist pump when he heard John but he kept his calm as he nodded and left for the party.

    He thought as he left, ''This time I can influence the trajectory and avoid the problems which Sky would have faced previously. This time I will also try to influence the bad M&As of Blue Paradise so that the expansion is good and efficient. However, I need to be careful and not offend Queen Diana, Queen Eva, Queen Sally, Queen Josephine and others. Especially Queen Maeen, I heard that she was quite ruthless at that event.''

    After Dwayne left, Sarah spoke again inside John''s mind as he called Quill, [After further analysis, It is highly advised that the host doesn''t giarize the literature of your own world for your safety. Even though you trante the literature and change names, it still doesn''t change the themes. So it is better to let literature rise by itself and hence avoid trouble.]

    John thought and asked, ''Ok, I won''t giarize from my World and rather buy the literature from the system. Happy? Anyway, why can''t he be a reincarnator and why instead he is a Time-traveler.''@@novelbin@@

    [Analysis failure, no information on reincarnation. He is definitely a time-traveler. At least his soul is definitely a time-traveler. This is proven by the fact his soul is mutated. Please provide more information on souls and magic so that the system cane to a better conclusion]

    John sighed and muttered, "Anyway, let''s call to and finish that the minutes of the previous deal."

    Quill came inside John''s office as he smiled and spoke, "That guy Dwayne must have given you very valuable information as you decided to give him 6% of the state''s stake right now at this time."

    John too smiled and spoke, "It''s ok, I am just cultivating good citizens. A small reward is nothing in front of the long-term macro interests of Sky which may decide the future. Btw, We will be focusing more on food research. The focus of research will be to reengineer food so as to enhance the physical abilities of humans, demons and other species. So try investing more in this department. And also increase background checks on new entertainmentpanies. And yes, increase surveince on Prince, it seems he may try to pull something in the future. Report to me about his movements all the time. And even his butler Aliaster''s movements."

    Quill nodded as he noted and spoke, "I guess the information provided by that Dwayne guy is rted to Prince Hector and to put an increase in food research. Ok, I will personally monitor it. Are there any other things which we need to note your Majesty?"

    John looked at his memo and spoke, "Try to find out about the movements of Prince Charlie as well. And yes, bring in Anin and thenter to so that we can conclude our important talks. As for Baron Mendez, is he present for today''s signing ceremony or not?"

    Quill smiled as he took out the documents and spoke, "Ok, I will try to keep track of the movements of Prince Charlie. And Yes, Baron Mendez arrived just today. Lord to was quite bitter when he saw him and protested to us immediately via the embassy that he shouldn''t be allowed as they didn''t the Baron citing Mendez''s current identity as a Baron of Aelius. In return for allowing him to attend the ceremony, he is requesting to meet General Endo before the meeting deal. Of course, I have quashed his request immediately. The important thing is that this time princess Rona has also arrived to meet you in Person to conclude the talks. She is the youngest sister of Queen Cecilia."

    John thought as he nodded and spoke, "It''s ok, she too cane as she would most probably have executive authority. I guess she is here for some benefits as well as the prisoners of her faction. Bring in Anin first."

    Quill nodded and spoke with a serious expression, "What about those guests from farnds? Do you have any other instructions for Grey, Duex, Mad Berserker and others? They are currently keeping an eye on their movements with the binocrs and our spy merchants. Currently, they are near the square."

    John smiled mysteriously and spoke, "No need to worry, Master d will guide them and take care of those intruders appropriately. If we start amotion already before the ceremony then it will affect us badly. Plus I want to see what are they up to right now. And Yes, try to get a stake in Power Capital for our statepanies."

    Quill nodded as he noted and left.

    ***

    Meanwhile, after Dwayne arrived at the party with a contract to show his shareholders. He gave the contract of Blue Paradise''s stake to his secretary and immediately went to meet Mist. This movement was noticed by Maeen as well.

    Mist sighed and thought, ''Why is he so obvious when meeting me. And why does he trust me so much? Is there something wrong in his brain?''

    Mist sighed and spoke to Dwayne, "Looking at your happy expression, it seems that the meeting was very fruitful."

    Dwayne nodded and spoke, "Yes, I had informed Majesty John about the attack and he was quite calm so I guess he already knows about the attack."

    Dwayne then narrated the whole conversation to Mist and Alison.

    Mist thought quite thoroughly after he heard about the conversation between Dwayne and John and spoke, "You had such a long conversation with his Majesty John even during this important period, it seems he valued your opinion quite highly or else such amount of time would only be granted after today''s signing ceremony as there is very little time today. One more thing, there are quite a lot of loopholes in your excuse when you told him about Merchant spies and your Uncle''s connection with Radiant Church as Ghosts have far greater resources and I saw that a lot of new people came in only now after his Majesty concluded his meeting with Prince Bidder. See, even Dearil hase and is instructing people about today''s arrangements. Well, he didn''t dig, I guess he thinks that you didn''t want to reveal your sources or he may be thinking something else. In any case, you are lucky even after lying on his face. I guess he could see your sincerity in saving people and hence ignored it."

    Dwayne gasped as he heard Mist and thought, ''It seems, his majesty was quite benevolent. I better not answer those types of questions in the future which may raise his doubts.''

    Mist then spoke, "Anyways, don''t try to socialize with me so much in front of people or else people would start making suspicions knowing my nature of being unsociable. Make an appointment so I am prepared."

    Dwayne nodded as he left and thought, ''It''s ok, he is only rude on the outside. When it matters the most. He is the one who protects the people.''

 Chapter 320: 251. How can this be possible.

    Watching to''s movement, John spoke, "Ok, that can be possible but we want Greenwoods Vige in return. Also, you might not know the intricate details of the deal with Bryndyll so you don''t need to be downhearted. Anin might just be instigating you by hiding many facts as this may be rted to Tornwall and others."

    to furrowed his brows as he heard John, "That is not up to me your Majesty, it is the domain of Baron Mendez."

    John smiled as he spoke and Quill bought the contract, "Well, you don''t need to worry about him, I had briefed him on the details and he has agreed to sell it to me. Here is the contract. Anyways, There is nothing in Greenwoods vige right now apart from some broken homes."

    to looked at John and thought, ''Since there is nothing, that is why it bothers me. It seems this was his target all along. However, Mana-restoring pills are more important right now. However, he will certainly make a show at Greenwoods vige in the future from the historical perspective. Argh, if I reject it now then King will certainly me me for rejecting such a juicy deal as the elders are already dancing on his head. Even If I exin him he won''t look at the long-term perspective as mana-restoring pills are more important and all the me will fall on me.''

    Princess Rona and Joel too remained quiet as this was a sensitive matter.

    to gritted his teeth and spoke, "Okay, We will ept it. However, we have another request."

    John was quite surprised as he looked at to and spoke, "Go on. What is your request."

    to signaled as Rona spoke, "We hope that we can redeem General Endo and people of our factions. For this, we are willing topletely lose face against Prince Hector."

    John thought of his conversation with Dwayne a bit as he nodded and spoke, "Ok, But I have another request, you have to be hostile politically to Prince Charlie as well. After signing this agreement we will not be able to report on the scandals and actions of King, Queen, other concubines, the Duke and the Princes apart from Prince Hector. But if I sell you the Printing press then you are free to attack your political opponents so including your political opponents you have to just release some scandals of Prince Charlie. Previously I heard from Taylor that you had a meeting with Mr. Donovan and it seems you were interested in Mediapanies for development in Aelius so this will be a win-win situation for us."

    to heard John and spoke, "Prince Charlie? isn''t he just a nobody in the race to the throne? Why are you interested in him."

    Rona too nodded as she found it difficult on why Prince Charlie would attract his attention.

    John nodded and spoke, "I guess it is natural that I shouldn''t be concerned by a nobody but it seems that this attack has some rtion to Prince Charlie as well. When our interrogators talked to Antionio, He told that after Prince Hector''s conversation with Prince Charlie, he started ignoring the instructions and opinions of his counselor Alistair. He thinks that this whole scheme was the work of Prince Charlie so I want to see his next set of moves."

    to too noted down about Prince Charlie as he got angrier about the events which lead to this war. He thought, ''Okay, I have 1 more target now on my hitlist to take down politically. I should make an appointment with Prince Hector even if he is hostile.''

    This time, it was Princess Rona who spoke, "Hmm... if he is as sinister as you im then it might be difficult. Plus you buying people is already absurd enough."

    John nted his eyes a bit as he looked at Princess Rona who raised the topic about buying people and spoke, "Okay, continue. What are your requests."

    Princess Rona smiled and spoke, "We want ess to your educational institutions for our people when ites to higher studies especially medicine. I heard that your educational institutions are open to all the general public of Sky. I also heard that you were quite close to Princess Sally. So we would like to propose an alliance via marriage."@@novelbin@@

    John thought a bit as he thought about his conversation with Sally, He spoke in a dispassionate voice so as not to get found out, "Though we are close, it would be problematic if her Mother is in hostage at Aelius. So it won''t be good if we are allied by marriage. It will be a loss of face for me politically if people say that I am controlled via Aelius. So it is better if...."

    Looking at John''s dispassionate answer, it was to who spoke immediately as if he was already prepared for an answer, "That won''t be a problem, How about this, you get married to Sally and I will personally escort Princess Sally''s mother from her exiled pce in Redwood city. And this will give King Lionheart the reason to pacify the masses for a sudden reduction in aggression from both sides. This way both sides will have enough reason to back down for a peace deal and pacify the masses who want bloodshed."

    John smiled as he thought, ''It seems, Lionheart just wants to save face so as to not be seen as a loser and doesn''t want to use her mother as a hostage. I guess they were probing me if I was too close to Sally or not. It is good that I already discussed this with Sally. I can also guess that Princess Rona deliberately specified about buying citizens or else they would certainly slow down the pace of sending citizens even if they were benefited. My most likely guess is that they won''t budge and keep on dragging about this unless I agree. And We have a big shortage of people which can only be solved by Immigration or Invasion of Aelius and other countries. Invasion is impossible for now, maybe I can add some terms since Lionheart cares about-face so much.''

    Rona didn''t speak as she seriously looked at John''s expression.

    After looking at Rona''s face which was serious, John spoke, "But I have some conditions if you guys want to save the face of your Kingdom in this Peace-deal."

    Rona sighed as she thought, ''I guess brother-inw will be satisfied with his bottom line of keeping face being met or else I could have only dragged this on forever. However, we could not drag forever officially because a lot of nobles are keen to sell the unproductive ves to recoup their losses and this is also one of the reasons why they are in agreement for a peace deal.''

    Rona nodded and spoke, "Please say. Since you have agreed to our bottom line then we may try to meet your demands."

    John thought deeply and spoke deliberately, "I want ess to your Magic Metal mines since there weren''t many in here at Sky."

    to immediately roared, "NO! How can this be possible."

    Rona too was of the same opinion as this was a national strategic asset. She thought, ''He is quite a tough nut to crack.''

 Chapter 321: 252. Conclusion of talks with Aelius.

    John spoke irritatingly as he unconsciously spread his aura when to stopped him, "Let me finish it, I want ess to your Magic Metal mines or I want ess to your magicians and the people you send shouldn''t be very disproportionate species wise i.e. if you would send 1 human for 100 demons or 1 demon for 100 humans and so on then, it won''t be eptable. Disproportion is inevitable but deliberate disproportion won''t be tolerated. Ratios like 2:9, 3:9, and so on are okay. You get the gist of what I am saying, right?"

    to calmed down then thought and spoke, "So you want ess to our Magicians and while we are selling people, the proportion should at least be 2:9 either way. Okay, that is possible but we can''t give you ess to our top Magicians, okay? Only the middle-grade magicians will be allowed."

    This time it was Rona who spoke as she thought that John would change his mind, "Okay, we agree to this condition. We anyway won''t be selling our Magic Metal mines."

    to thought as soon as Rona spoke and looked at John keenly, ''It seems that Magic Metal mines were never in his agenda. His true purpose was most likely the Magicians. Okay, I will let that slip by and make it seem as if I didn''t notice this subtlety.''

    to nodded and spoke deliberately so as to dig about John''s rtionship with others, "Princess Sally would be the Queen, right?"

    John smiled as he understood his intentions and spoke nonchntly, "Yes, is there any other preparations you want?"

    John thought, ''I guess he is most probably trying to gauge my rtionship with Diana, Eva and Josephine for now. Well, he doesn''t know that all of them would-be queens and the matter of status don''t matter. Hmph... using little tricks against me.''

    to and Rona were quite shocked as they looked at John suspiciously.@@novelbin@@

    Even Quill was quite shocked but calmed down as he knew that Lord John was going to marry them after hearing from Master Mnie as these days she didn''t bother him or others for creating more chances of dates between John and Eva.

    He thought, ''I guess this is due to Prince Chad''s meeting with Duke Norman today and hence the calm.''

    Rona thought suspiciously, ''What is he cooking right now, another scheme? I guess I can''t dig into his rtionship with others so easily. It doesn''t matter as I havepleted my mission and he has agreed to his Majesty''s bottom line early on and this is what matters the most. His majesty can pacify the nobles and masses both by saying that Sky''s king is his Son-in-Law and Sky kingdom is just a dowry while other things were anyway developed or expanded by King John himself while keeping a facade of peace for now. A pardonable excuse.''

    to meanwhile thought as he heard John, ''As far I know, our spies report shouldn''t be wrong. I heard that his rtionship with Eva and others has improved since thest ball when Duke Fredric arrived and hence the suggestion for a marriage alliance by our strategic experts. Well, Even if he is lying, Princess Sally''s fate as a concubine anyway is good enough since she would be marrying someone who she knows for a long time now and is better than marrying into a Duke''s house.''

    John looked seriously at to as bought the important points and spoke, "What about my spies? You still haven''t released them."

    to nodded and spoke, "After we sign the agreement and make a formal announcement, we will release the spies. Don''t worry about them. They are not in normal prisons where people are tortured every day, they are living normal lives but are under house arrest. This treatment is enough for your men, right? We can release some of them in good faith for now."

    John nodded and spoke, "Okay, you can meet General Endo and others after our signing ceremony today. You can also make an announcement about thister on so don''t forget to release my spies before the crowning ceremony."

    Both Rona and to were shocked as this meant that John was really going to make her a queen.

    to spoke as he smiled cunningly, "Your Majesty John, I wonder if you are interested in a scheme against Radiant Church and Prince Hector."

    Joel muttered slowly, "Herees the main dish and also the reason why to buttered up to his Majesty John publicly."

    While Rona smiled as she knew that this would happen when she talked with to previously.

    John thought about the attack which was going to take ce today and spoke, "Okay, Continue. What sort of scheme do you have in mind against them."

    to nodded and spoke, "I wonder if you know about Radiant Church''s recent underground activities?"

    John signaled to Quill and spoke, "Bring that ssified report about Radiant Church and hand it over to him."

    Quill nodded as he brought out the report and spoke, "Lord to, are you talking about the Radiant Church recently promoting against very these days to themoners? Check this out, you may get more insights."

    to looked at the report unabashedly and almost cursed, "Bastards, they have spread so much and are doing it to this much extent? We indeed need to be ruthless to them."

    Meanwhile, Quill was quite surprised as he saw that to was able to read Sky''s newnguage without any difficulties. He thought, ''No wonder! he is not called the Grand Strategist for anything. He always has his sights on the borders with national interests in mind.''

    After reading the report, to nodded as he smiled sinisterly and spoke, "I wonder if you are interested in making propaganda about the recent activities of the Radiant Church. You will simply have to make reports about how NOBLE they are for only promoting freedom for humans and not other species. This will make them an enemy of both the Nobles and Other kingdoms simultaneously. With this, the one who will be affected the most will be Duke Von Longbonder. As far as I know, Duke Von Longbonder is currently in an alliance with Prince Hector and might cause problems for you. Unlike Prince Hector, he is a very tough nut. He has a lot of resources at his disposal whether it is Nobles, Bureaucrats, Ministers, Mercenaries or Kings. You see it is his family which has controlled the narratives of ves for quite a long time, about 400 years already so they will be affected the most by the actions of Radiant Church. Previously, it was the other families that controlled major ve trade."

    John nodded and spoke, "True, I saw that Prince Hector has recently been running a lot after being abandoned by Queen Cecelia and her family. Anyway, that guy is just a petty runt. But making Radiant Church fight with Prince Hector and those Nobles will be quite interesting."

    John made a decision and spoke, "Ok, I will be targeting Radiant church economically, politically and if necessary Militarily. I will also be actively making medicines for a lot of incurable diseases so as to attack the services of radiant Church. I suggest that you guys too attack the Radiant Church by propaganda i.e. the only thing you have to do is target the local head and bring up his scandals. Of course, it must be the truth. Same for the Dukes who will be buying the Printing presses along with the Royal family."

    John continued as he thought with skepticism and asked to, "Hey to, do you really think that the Nobles will believe anything that we write on our newspapers?"

    to thought deeply as he smiled and spoke, "You might not know but two of your newspapers have gained a lot of reputation due to their excellent reporting of news. One is Sky times and the other one is North-frontier times. This is because most of the articles written by you guys have been verified by the various sources of the Nobles as well. And in case even if they didn''t believe it, this will sow the seeds of doubts in their mind which will make them take action and investigate Radiant Church privately which will improve the authenticity of your report. So what do you say?"

    John nodded and as he thought, ''It seems that pursuing the truth will inevitably give good results even in the face of the enemy.''

    John nodded and spoke, "Ok, so it is decided that we will go with this n. You guys have no problems, right?"

    It was Rona who spoke now, "Your Majesty, I wonder if you can help us contact the people of our faction."

    John sighed and understood what she wanted, "It can be possible, I will arrange Admiral ke to bring General Endo to Golden Spring city. As for the prisoners, Most of them are in Aurora currently. Ok, I will arrange for them to be transported to Eastern port city. But you will have to wait for a few days."

    Rona immediately nodded and spoke, "That won''t be a problem, we will be in Sky until your Crowning ceremony 1 monthter at Golden Spring City. I will be conducting business for this 1 month so time shouldn''t be a problem."

    Although Joel didn''t speak one word during this meeting he still breathed a sigh of relief as all the talks were decided and both the sides lowered down their auras.

    Even though to didn''t show it on his face but he was the one who was most relieved as he had made a big political bet this time around which could decide his downfall or let him stay at his ce.

    ***

    In Duke Fjord''s domain, there was an atmosphere that was full of doom and gloom because none of the ministers were willing to speak as it would only mean to get themselves killed.

    In his court, Duke Fjord roared irritatingly, "Is there any other information rted to Sky?"

    This time, it was Jonas who spoke, "There is one good news and one bad news."

    Duke Fjord who looked like a zombie these days immediately jolted and spoke, "Okay, lets hear the good news."

    Jonas looked at Duke Fjord carefully and spoke, "ording to our sources, Baron Mendez''s son Antonio was almost assassinated by the Radiant Church. ording to some guards under Lord to, they said that this assassination was funded by Prince Hector and nned by the Top cardinals as the head of the temr knights, Neo was also killed in the skirmish inside the prison."

    Duke Fjord furrowed his brows as soon as heard about temr knights and spoke, "Neo? Is it that Neo? The one trained by cardinals personally."

    Jonas nodded and spoke, "Yes. It is the same Neo. ording to them, there were 2 factions fighting in the prison in which the Temr Knights lost. They say that the 2nd faction was supported by his Majesty John. They say this due to the nature of weapons and the bodies which had bullets, the same as the ones faced during the war by Aelius. Currently, Lord Antonio is in Dolores under house arrest. You can see the report about his house arrest in one of the new newspaper publishers of Sky. Knowing the Imperial Court, I don''t think they would do this if it is in their will. I think some sort of deal took ce as this was also the time when Sky reduced its aggression against Castles Bordering Dolores."

    Fjord smiled as he looked at the newspaper and spoke, "Good, now we can dump all the shit of this war on Hector if anyone from Royal Family''s faction targets us. Okay, what is the bad news."

    Jonas sighed and spoke, "In the North-South peace talks, we were not invited. Lord to cited that it was due to the hostile rtionship between Lord John and us due to the death of Lord Evan. Currently, the talks are most likely taking ce. Some of our people are in the business group so the transfer of information may only dy a little."

    Fjord gritted his teeth as he took down his humiliation and spoke, "These are the tricks by the Royal family. Anyway, as a Duke, I will have the same rights as other Dukes so we don''t need to worry. Any other news?"

    Jonas sighed and spoke, "People from Darius''s army are still getting killed on a frequent basis. At least the ones who were officers and had a close rtionship with Darius. I think it is most likely Henry. I am sure he is supported by other powers currently to create turmoil in our duchy."

    Fjord calmed down after a series of setbacks and took a decision firmly, "Ok, Since Darius''s previous division is reducing the morale of other divisions. We will disband Darius''s division and build 3 other new decisions. As for the officer-level veterans, we will make special corps that will be hidden from public eyes. Now we will see how they attack them. And from now on, keep a keen look on the movements of all the nobles."

    Jonas nodded and spoke, "Okay, I will make the preparations."

    Everyone in the court sighed after a long time since this was the first time after the war that a normal conversation took ce.

    ***

 Chapter 323: 254. Chaos at the Plaza Part 2.

    Irm smiled as soon as he saw the Space Portal opening in front of him when he moved, He snorted and spoke, "Hmph... This level of Space magic won''t work on me. You need to at least learn the basics if you want to use this sort of spell against me."

    Irm chanted a spell and covered himself in light magic as he entered the space portal but was not transported 100 meters away behind Angel Leo to be stabbed by his sword as John expected. It was as if the space portal broke like a mirror without transporting Irm as he passed through it and moved forward towards John.

    John muttered as he made his observations, "It seems Space Magic needs to be upgraded for it to be used against higher level enemies. However, the range of Space Portal seems to be 500 meters from what I can feel. But mana consumption bes high with higher range."

    Seeing that Irm was still moving towards himself without being suddenly transported behind Leo, John held the Amulet of Thorns and activated it using his magic power when Irm was about to prate him with his sword.

    Irmughed and spoke as soon as the Sword Prated, "Hmph, unlike others, I never underestimate my enemies and attack with my most powerful attacks on enemies even if they are ants. For a long time, you have pissed me and my followers in this region with your activities against the Radiant Church. All you had to do was bow against me but you didn''t and now you will pay for your transgressions against me and my followers."

    As soon as Irm stabbed John, he saw that John wasughing while a little bit of blood wasing out of John''s mouth. A Red-colored dome shield immediately rose and covered John''s whole body without being prated by the sword. The Red-colored dome rose from the Amulet of thorns which was in John''s hand. John then bit his hand and spread his blood on the Amulet of Thorns which got activated immediately. John''s hair too started turning red when Amulet was activated.

    Irm''s face was pale as soon as he saw this, "How is this artifact from the underworld in your hands. It is mostly in the hands of Fire-abyss Royalty. And How can you transform? High humans have long been extinct by dilution. Heck, there are a lot of variables."

    After watching this Irm immediately made the distance between himself and John as he started chanting a spell and immediately Golden light shields began appearing before Irm inrge numbers.

    He thought, ''I hope this is enough. I have really underestimated this sinner''s power. Who knew that the demons would help him actively and lend him that artifact. If I was near it then soul magic would have done irreparable damage.''

    Before he could speak, The Amulet of Thorns got activated as Blood Red projectiles started appearing inrge numbers before the Red dome shield of John. There was a very heavy aura being emitted by the Soul-Blood Projectiles.@@novelbin@@

    [Detecting Soul, Blood and Dark fusion magic from the Amulet of Thorns. Started Analyzing.]

    Without paying attention to the notification by the System, John immediately raised his right hand and pointed it towards Irm as the countless Blood Red Projectiles started shooting themselves towards Irm.

    As soon as the first projectile came in contact with the shield of Irm, it got burst in red fire along with other shields in the boundary of 3 meters. This result shocked a lot of people including Arzaz and Bidder who knew about the effect of this Amulet.

    Bidder immediately asked Arzaz, "Arzaz, isn''t the effect of Amulet a bit too much this time around? usually, it only burst around the periphery of 1 meter. What do you think is the reason."

    Arzaz too was confused as he looked at John keenly as he saw his blood-red hair and increased physique. He smiled and spoke, "It seems, it is due to his magic purity as well as his Pure Blood which has a better effect on Amulet. After looking at Lord John, now I am sure that he and Fredric have made some sort of deal."

    Bidder was shocked after he heard Arzaz as he immediately looked at John and spoke, "He has more pure blood than us demons! How is this possible? Is he really a human? That red blood hair is actually the sort of transformation of Bluesea demons which is usually blue in normal circumstances. Don''t tell me.."

    Arzaz nodded and spoke, "Yes, don''t speak more or we might be in danger. We better secure ourselves a ce so that we can watch this fight and also watch the activities of Chad if he is nning something."

    Meanwhile, Chad too had the same face when he saw John''s transformation as he spoke, "No wonder Duke Fredric is allying with him. But how did he get the blood of Bluesea Ancestor? It looks like something isn''t matching. I better investigate more. And it seems that Bidder really invested a lot in this upstart king. We really need to check the sample of his blood before determining his race."

    As soon as the Blood-red projectiles came into contact with the shields, it was as if big explosions were taking ce time and again on Irm who was in the Air. Irm''s face became pale after taking the heavy bombardment. New Projectiles and Shields were being created every second but the firepower of Soul-blood projectiles was more than what could be handled by Irm.

    A lot of projectiles came in direct contact with the Irm''s Shadow Silhouette as it burst and injured Irm gravely. The damage became more grave due to the effect of Soul magic and Dark magic which was fused in the attack.

    [Ding...

    ...Soul magic analyzed fully.]

    After looking at the grave situation, Irm muttered, "This Lowly mortal actually forced me to use this artifact. Truly Humiliating. I can''t go empty-handed after this much loss of face."

    This time, after the initial contact with Soul-Blood Projectiles and grave damages, Irm looked at John gravely and angrily as he made more distance between him and John as he bought out an artifact and burst it.

    Immediately after the artifact burst, A big radiant shield was created around Irm as he remained seated and chanted a spell as if to stabilize the shield. The radiant shield immediately took the attack of Soul-blood projectiles which failed to prate Irm''s defense for the first time. The new shields stopped forming while the Radiant Shield started doing most of the work.

 Chapter 327: 258. Chaos at Plaza Part 6.

    As soon as Irm looked towards Fredric and his group, it was as if bells started ringing in John''s head. The system too started ringing notifications.

    Angel Leo too looked at Fredric''s group and understood Irm''s n.

    [Danger! Danger! The host is advised to protect his allies. The host is advised to protect his allies. Please give your instructions. Suggesting host use Super System mode for the highest efficiency in attacks and order.]

    Mist too was about to act but Dwayne didn''t give the signal yet and signaled Mist to wait for the right moment.

    Mist sighed and muttered, "I guess I can only trust him and wait for the right moment."

    Without waiting for anyone, Irm chanted a spell but was again Interrupted by a Bazooka shot by Quill. Quill had a grave face as he looked at John and then at Irm''s group. He slowly muttered, "These guys are simply seeking death."

    Irm had an irritated face as he was again blocked by the damn bazooka which was a pain in his ass this whole time. Meanwhile, Angel Leo''s wristguards simply turned into dust as he protected his group.

    Irm spoke gravely to his group as he again started chanting, "You guys should at least bring me 10 seconds so that I can create an opportunity to clear this menace once and for all. Take and use this artifact. And while I make that attack, you guys should escape. I will be handling the aftermath."

    John''s face was cold as he looked at this situation, he immediately ordered Arlen and Quill, "Starting using magic shells of higher quality. No need to shy away. After this, I will make sure to fucking root out Radiant Church out of this region. You guys fucking dare to target my women. It seems you guys really are eager to get wiped out early from the face of the earth."

    Thest two lines were spoken loudly as he subconsciously used magic power in anger.

    "Start using Super System Mode."

    [Dragon''s Roar used - Conditions met to use Dragon''s roar. 20% of Mana points used immediately.

    Starting Super System Mode... 3... 2... 1...

    Semi-Super System Mode activated.]

    Hearing this, Eva, Diana, Sally and Josephine had a look of faint blush after hearing John''s open deration.

    At this time, Mnie who wasn''t at the ceremony appeared from a distance. It was Dwight who called her immediately after he saw themotion at the za.

    After looking at this situation, she immediately brought her staff as she increased her speed and chanted a spell that reacted with Eva''s ne. Eva too was quite surprised but immediately inserted her magic power which gave Mnie the permission to use the ne''s magic.

    Dwight sighed as he muttered after he watched Mnie leaving, "Just a little bit of praise from you would suffice grandma."

    With the use of Telekinesis, Irm used the Hand of God which was holding a Golden-colored bow. While the arrow had a bigger Light-colored spirit bomb which was targeted towards Fredric''s group.

    After looking at Fredric''s group, Irmughed at John and spoke, "Look how I kill your allies and loved ones. This is the price you pay for defying the order of gods. If you want to save them, how about you beg for mercy. Lick my feet like a dog and maybe I will consider your request."

    However, unlike previously, this time He immediately heard John''s roar and an announcement that he would wipe out Radiant Church from the face of the earth.

    All of this happened simultaneously.@@novelbin@@

    As soon as Irm heard John''s exmation, he had a grave face as he focused on his bow with anger and tried to fire it.

    Irm snorted as he slowly muttered, "Hmph... As if I was going to spare them. It seems he really needs to be taught a lesson. I might have changed my target if you didn''t have any expression but it was as I expected. When I capture you, I will make sure that your soul gets tortured for a million years for making mee down to personally kill you."

    As Irm was about to shoot the Light Arrow with his Hand of God, the bow simply started disintegrating without a moment''s notice. Angel Leo too lost his footing as he focused on keeping the artifact stable. While other temrs and priests simply fainted.

    Angel Leo was quite shocked as he eximed, "How does he know fusion magic of Soul magic and mental magic. No shield can defend against it unless you have soul and mental resistances."

    Irm had a look of shock as he poured more and more power to stabilize the Bow. However, the Hand of God too started disintegrating without a moment''s notice. Irm, without waiting for anything, poured more mana to stabilize the Light arrow as he used his hands to throw the arrow towards Fredric like a spear.

    The whole attack didn''t even generate 30% of the original power.

    After throwing the arrow, Irm immediately separated from angel Leo and started making a formation in a panicked state.

    Irm slowly muttered after he heard John''s roar, "How does a mortal know Dragonic arts. This is simply iprehensible. He clearly isn''t an offspring of a dragon."

    Looking at this situation, Fredric smiled as tapped his Magic staff along with his ring and chanted immediately to block the iing arrow, "Taboo Magic, Ice Forest."

    Immediately an Ice forest started emerging in front of Fredric''s group and be a barrier to block the oing arrow.

    Irm while was still shocked and panicked as he weaved his hands and started chanting another spell. After his spell. one of his rings started shining green as a portal opened behind Irm.

    As Dwayne saw Irm''s ring shining, he immediately signaled Mist to activate his magic formation, "Now, Lord Mist."

    Mist smiled as he looked at the situation and understood why Dwayne waited for so long for him to make a move, He muttered slowly as he chanted a spell and activated the magic formation, "It seems, it was all for this moment. I guess he intends to kill Irm right here. Quite a scheme he has pulled this time around."

    On halfway towards Fredric''s group, the Magic arrow disintegrated due to the barrier and John''s Dragon''s roar.

    Undead Xylo who was in the sidelines slowly muttered as heard Dragon''s roar, "Interesting. Maybe, I too should join him and try killing Irm''s clone. It would be quite humiliating for him."

 Chapter 329: 260. Spoiler*. (Title at the end of Chapter)

    The fused elemental attack of Soul, Dark, Ice and metal magic did double the damage aspared to de of Undead. Even the Undead Lord was quite attracted to John''s attack as he focused on chasing Irm.

    The Undead Lord smiled as he again spoke tauntingly to Irm, "You never thought that you would be running like a dog just to rescue your clone, did you? I wonder how you would show your face in public from now on."

    Without waiting for Irm to answer, the Undead Lord this time fused his own Dark magic as he attacked Irm''s back. In the aftermath of this attack, half of Irm''s back turned grey.

    Irm looked at the Undead and then at John in anger as he couldn''t keep his injuries. This time, Irm started a chant as a circr light enveloped him which surprised the Undead Lord. After watching the shield, the Undead Lord became quite wary and slowly approached him.

    Undead lord muttered slowly, "It seems he wants to take us down along with him. I better create some distance at thest moment. This is enough humiliation for now."

    At this time, there was a notification inside John''s mind as he prepared to attack Irm with his sword as he too got quite wary from Irm''s shield.

    [Fusing Dragon''s roar with Soul magic attack on the next attack.]

    Hearing the notification, John left his precaution and made his move. This time, when John''s sword attacked Irm, it was as if the circr shield was butter and Irm immediately got shed straight at his face down till his waist.

    Irm was about tough when he saw John''s attack but soon hisugh turned in despair when the situation didn''t turn out as he expected.

    Irm roared as he realized what he was hit with, "How is this fucking possible. 2 Dragon''s roar. You... You heretic, you will pay dearly..."

    The Dragon''s roar immediately interrupted the spell. The self-destruction spell couldn''t remain stable under the effect of Dragon''s roar and disintegrated inside itself that lead to heavy damage.

    Without waiting for Irm to react and speak more, John again attacked and beheaded him as per the instructions of the system with a Soul attack.

    As soon as John killed the clone, there was a notification inside his head.

    [Congrattions to the host onpleting the mission. 500 Million WDS points rewarded.

    Other rewards: God''s fragment. God''s Fragment Integrated with Super scan. Super Scan has been upgraded. ess to Tier 2 advance shop granted.]

    Only now did John rx as he watched and analyzed the current situation.

    After watching this scene, a lot of people were quite surprised as they didn''t expect that John will really kill God''s clone.

    The Undead Lord too was quite surprised as John''sst two attackspletely killed Irm''s clone. As soon as he saw God''s fragment entering John''s body, he made a move and attacked John.

    Xylo meanwhile sighed as he saw that Angel Leo already escaped from Lukavs clutches after sacrificing his men.

    After escaping the za, Angel Leo immediately chanted a spell as he created a space portal and escaped with 2 Temrs and 2 Bishops.

    At this time, the Original body of Irm which was conversing and ying chess with God of Fire jolted back as he immediately eximed, "How is this possible."

    Irm looked at God of Fire and Spoke, "I guess I need to go back as some urgent matters have arrived."

    Without waiting for God of Fire to speak, Irm ran out of his pce angrily and left for his territory.

    "That damn heretic dares destroy my Shadow Silhouette. FUCK."

    Irm, without waiting for anyone, chanted a spell as he looked at the 3 moons and covered them fully.

    Currently, it was nighttime in Arkon when suddenly an eclipse of 3 moons urred simultaneously which rarely urred.

    God of Fire meanwhile almostughed as he took his crystal ball and saw what happened. He slowly muttered as he looked at John, "This person is quite interesting to have actually angered Irm. I guess it won''t be boring these days. As for Irm''s request, I better ignore it and watch the show. Huhuhu."

    As soon as John was attacked by the Undead Lord, John irritatingly dodged his attack and countered by using fire magic with his sword. The Undead Lord was quite surprised as he didn''t see John using Fire magic the whole time he faced Irm.@@novelbin@@

    Mist meanwhile saw this situation as he smiled and lifted the Anti-space magic formation by tapping his magic staff. He muttered slowly, "Let''s see how he handles the Undead Lord."

    Suddenly, there was a notification inside John''s head

    [Anti-space magic formation has been dispelled. 30x decrease in mana consumption. Mana consumption while using space magic has returned to normal.]

    After watching this situation, Xylo became quite skeptical as he knew that Mist wouldn''t do this for no reason. He meanwhile sighed as he knew that he couldn''t control the Undead Lord when it came to his interests.

    After hearing the notification, John smiled as he used space magic and teleported behind the Undead Lord and this time, he used Light magic with his sword and shed him.

    "Ouch. Ouch. Holy... fuck fuck fuck fucking shit. How are you this strong? Even using this taboo word is not this painful."

    The whole back of the Undead Lord was burning as he took pure damage.

    The Undead Lord spotted Xylo who was whistling and trying to escape without him as soon as he spotted him.

    John again teleported on the right-hand side of the Undead Lord as he was going to sh him.

    Watching that the situation was grave, The Undead Lord without keeping any face shouted and put all the me on Xylo without any shame, "Stop. Stop. Stop. Previously I was only joking. It was his idea." It was as if both Xylo and the Undead Lord had a grudge against each other for their past scruples.

    Title: Death of Shadow Silhouette.

 Chapter 331: 262. Conclusion of the signing ceremony Part 1.

    At this time after the battle, it was Eva who immediately hugged John and came to see if he was injured anywhere. This surprised John as he never thought that Eva had so deep feelings for him.

    Eva had a concerned look as she spoke, "When I saw the Sr eclipse and then Irm''s shadow Silhouette, I thought a disaster had struck us as proven historically whenever Gods and Arch Demons made a move. Moreover, are you injured anywhere internally due to using such a high amount of fusion magic?"

    John sighed as he looked at Eva and then at other girls as he pumped himself and spoke cheekily to calm down everyone, "I am ok, it''s all over for now. Well, wasn''t it good that he struck today? I thought you guys were pretty frustrated with me acting dense."

    Eva pouted a bit as she smiled and spoke, "Well, I still liked that previous deration you made in front of everyone in za today. Maybe how about you do the same during the crowning ceremony."

    John coughed a bit as he heard her and didn''t answer her as he was quite embarrassed.

    Following behind Eva, Diana followed as she furrowed her brows when she saw Eva making the first move this time around. Diana came from behind and spoke, "Then you must be prepared for punishment for ignoring our feelings."

    Diana meanwhile thought after looking at the aftermath and the za, ''This time I was really useless due to my weaker strength. This time it was all handled by father, d, John and others. I really need to focus on improving demonic magic so that I can face such situations like Father or mothers.''@@novelbin@@

    After hearing John, Sally looked at John with an angry face and muttered, "YOU..."

    Josephine looked at John in astonishment and spoke, "How can you do that John!"

    Josephine firmed her heart and thought, ''From now on, I can''t be so passive with John. I also need to improve my swordsmanship so as to battle the generals of other countries. If it was not for the nned countermeasures, this event would have been a disaster.''

    At this time, Quill came and fake coughed a bit so to stop this conversation in public lest they be a source of gossip for other people.

    Seeing that everyone was talking in the za, Mnie came and spoke hurriedly, "It''s ok, you guys don''t need to be so angry. I will exin in detail what happened so that you guys can understand the whole situation."

    John looked at his surroundings and spoke to Eva, Diana, Sally and Josephine, "How about we talkter. We must settle themotion made by the Radiant Church and also sort out other matters."

    Diana nodded and spoke, "Yes, I will go and meet dad to get his opinions on the current event."

    They nodded and left toplete their duties.

    John looked at Quill and spoke, "Gather all the Diplomats and tell them that we will bepleting the North-south peace deal here at the Winter Pce. How about making the debut of Illusion Cameras today?"

    Quill thought as he nodded and spoke, "No problems, I will gather the diplomats so that we can make use of thismotion today."

    Meanwhile, everyone in the za was shellshocked after watching a feast of Lights in Night. Unlike, the previous gloomy atmosphere due to the eclipse it had a lot of energy after watching that everyone was getting busy.

    ***

    Meanwhile, In heaven, Irm had an angry face due topletely losing face today when he and his followers attacked John.

    Inside his Pce, Irm angrily gnashed his teeth and immediately gave an order for the angels, "Immediately issue a bounty against that sinner. Announce that anyone who can kill him will get two Talismans and 1 artifact of their choice from our Heavenly Knights Pce."

    A lot of Angels were quite shocked as most of the time ess to Heavenly Knights Pce was only given after years of effort.

    One of the Angels slowly muttered, "I never thought that Xylo would live even after that attack 500 years ago. Even I only recovered after using arge number of resources. Leo was quite lucky in escaping with his life this time around. This time, it will be a long battle of attrition against this enemy of Radiant Church."

    God of Fate had an amused look when he saw that even he couldn''t predict the fate of Sky kingdom. God of Fate had a crystal ball in his hand as he then looked at Dwayne and slowly muttered, "It seems this boy has the auras of Fate and Time, If my guess is correct then this is all the work of my future self in a parallel dimension. Well, I will need to trust my future self if he decided to make this choice. Meanwhile, this kid John seems quite headstrong that even I can''t probe his body despite being a mortal. I should have a talk with him(God of Time) about this kid having the aura of time. Well, it will be more fun from now on since most of the guys will not be able to peer into the future of this kingdom and region at least."

    At this time, deep in the Northern oceans, a wild beast opened his eyes as he saw the lunar eclipse on the 3 moons and snorted as if he couldn''t care less about it and spoke, "Hmph, I would have chewed you up immediately if you showed your face here."

    ***

    At this time, John was arranging the tasks for everyone to settle down in the city. One by one everyone in the administrative headquarters got busy.

    There was an important meeting going on in John''s office. John first called Grey and gave his orders, "Grey, first distribute Angel Leo''s picture along with other escapees to every police station and local guilds. Tell them that if they are spotted then they are free to use magic bullets against them in an off chance that they create aw and order problem."

    Quill then reported to John, "Milord, the venue forpletion of North-south peace deal is already prepared. All the diplomats and important dignitaries will be present there in 1 hour. So we need to prepare ordingly if anything is left out."

    John nodded and spoke, "This meeting won''t be long, we just have to make sure that everything is running smoothly so that people don''t panic. Is everything clear?"

    "Yes, Your Majesty." A clear resounding voice from everyone in the room. There was clear admiration in the eyes of everyone present here today which stemmed after watching the battle of their king fighting against Irm. This battle and its result had instilled a lot of confidence in the eyes of all the ministers.

    John then looked at Glenn and spoke, "I think you were already briefed by Quill for the preparations on tomorrow''s news report. You will have to report everything that happened today. And the main focus should be to promote North-frontier city as a ''City of Light''. From today onwards, you guys can start the use of Illusion cameras and use the Illusion ink from the next print of papers."

    Glenn nodded and spoke, "Yes, I was already briefed by Law Minister Quill regarding the affairs that need to be conducted for tomorrow''s print."

    John looked at other ministers and spoke, "All of you are required to along with today''s script if other private newspapers interview you guys. Is that clear? I don''t want any conflicting statements due to a rivalry between departments."

    The ministers nodded and spoke, "Yes your majesty."

    John nodded and turned his attention to Tornwall and asked, "How is the construction of Railways going on? How long do you think it will take?"

    Tornwall nodded and gave a report which he had already prepared, "We have only started the construction of tracks but it is going on at a fast pace. We havepleted the construction of Trains while we have alsopleted 3 routes, 1st is North-frontier city to Golden Spring City, 2nd is Golden Spring City to Eastern Port of Winter City and 3rd from North-frontier city to Winter city. This is done all ording to the ns so that there is a fast movement of goods and people. Now we will be concentrating on connecting all of Sky together. Our next aim is to connect 9 North-western settlements. However, the speed of construction is only going to speed up as we have already hired a lot of earth and other magicians which will help us in dealing with terrain problems."

    John nodded as he thought and spoke, "So it seems that it is good to go. Ok, make preparations so that it can be integrated on the same day as my crowning ceremony. I will be inaugurating the Railways the same day as I get crowned. It will be good for me politically as well. Tornwall, you would need to start the testing of trains in a few days."

    John thought as he made the decision, ''A less predictable future is better for me as it seems that something happened to Sky since that boy Dwayne''s soul is from Future. So it is better that I inaugurate and start the Railways as opposed to our ns 3 monthster with betterwork. Yes, that''s ok.''

    Tornwall nodded as he noted down the importance of the Inauguration of Sky Railways on the same day as John''s crowning ceremony.

    John then turned to Taylor and asked, "How is the construction of Radio towers going on? Administering Aurora Ind takes a long time and connection viamunication devices will be very important in the long run for us. And also what is the status of strategic material resourcing."

    Taylor gave a report which he had prepared and spoke, "Sky Telmunications Ltd has already built all the required Radio Towers in all of Sky. However, the limited number of radios are only used by our agents in NSB, Homnd Security and Ghosts. If it is made open for civilian use then we may lose a strategic edge in regards tomunications."

    John then thought of his conversation with Dwayne where he emphasized the need to improve the speed of Communication and Travel. He thought, ''Who knows if Arkon gets connected with Earth then we may face unknown dangers if they overwhelm us with their technology. Even the system is nowadays warning me to not giarize the literature of Earth so it might be possible. And from the way Dwayne emphasized the need to improvise our Military, it might be an indication that we might face bigger unpredictable wars which means that our adversaries somehow got better orparable technologies to challenge us. he didn''t worry a lot about wars but I better not ck in regards to improving our tech whether it is military or civilian in case we get shocked in an off-chance by our enemies. I better be prepared whether it is earth or aliens or whatever shit it is.''

    John thought and spoke, "Don''t worry about it. Since we can make this tech then we can also control and observe how it is used by our enemies. So in fact it is better for information gathering without risking the lives of our agents. You guys can proceed with the civilianmercialization of Radios and other devices from Sky Telmunications Ltd."

    Taylor thought a bit as he nodded and spoke, "Okay, we will proceed as per your order. As for the sourcing of strategic materials, we have already made the ns. We have already discovered and made ns for coal mines, Oil Fields, Magic Crytal mines of all levels, Magic Metal mines, Iron and other important materials. Currently, we are also trying to explore them in our neighboring countries and make a deal for them with the local governments via both the merchants and state enterprises. Currently, I propose that we focus on acquiring Magic crystal mines of low grade and mid-grade since they are efficient, safe and quite cheap to transport due to their mobile nature. Other forms of fuel are vulnerable to idents and are quite difficult to handle during transportation."

    John nodded as he agreed with Taylor and spoke, "It is decided that we will go with this n for meeting our increasing fuel needs since we have already started the operation of the Thermal power stations for our factories."

    John looked at the time and saw that it was already time and spoke, "Ok, Lets go andplete the signing ceremony. I hope that everyone is prepared."

    Very soon the meeting was over as everyone returned to the square.

 Chapter 332: 263. Conclusion of the signing ceremony Part 2.

    ***

    At this time, to and others were all ready as soon as they got the information from Taylor about finishing the signing ceremony today.

    Maeen meanwhile was looking at Quill who previously used the Devilish ckfire in hisbat against Irm. She slowly muttered and spoke, "This kingdom really has a lot of hidden gems and can''t be underestimated. What do you think Cain."

    Cain nodded with agreement and spoke, "Yes, in fact, it is better if they are stronger as this will help us spread our influence better than other families. I am sure most of them think that this is a barren piece ofnd due to lower magic in the atmosphere."

    Very soon, John and others arrived forpleting the signing ceremony which required a memorable photo and what better than Illusion Camera for use.

    At the podium of the square, John, to, Anin, Ein, Bidder, Mist were all present.

    Dwayne who was beside Alison asked him rudely, "Lord Alison, Why is Master Mist on the podium? I thought that Master Mist didn''t really liked the limelight."

    Alison fake coughed a bit and spoke, "We already participated in the previous battle against Irm so it is better if we endorse the existence of this agreement."

    Dwayne nodded as he thought, ''It seems that I have again changed the future trend. Last time, although Master Mist saved a lot of people, he didn''t really participate inpleting the signing ceremony. This time, my intervention has changed the oue. Well, it is better as Elves are really shy when ites to making agreements with foreign races.''

    John spoke to all the official diplomats, "I must really thank you all for agreeing to my request on such short notice."

    Suddenly, all the cameras started ringing which signified thepletion of the Signing ceremony officially. Both John and to were holding the agreement when the cameras started ringing.

    to thought as he looked at the situation for the first time, ''This ringing of cameras feels quite good. Maybe, we too should buy these cameras for official signing ceremonies.''

    After thepletion of the ceremony, Ealdron suddenly came to to and spoke, "Lord to, I wonder if you can give us an interview or at least answer some of our questions since the signing ceremony is already over."

    to thought a bit and spoke, "Will this be published in your newspapers?"

    Ealdron nodded and spoke, "Yes, we would like your official position on the statements you make."

    to thought as he heard the answer, ''Our Diplomats must really be careful if they give such interviews. I must warn Luke and Elison to keep an eye on his people.''

    to nodded and spoke, "Ok, I can answer some of your questions. I will reject answering the question I won''t like."

    Ealdron nodded and spoke, "What are your views on the North-south peace deal?"

    As a well-versed Politician, to nodded and spoke, "A genuine quest for the search of peace by both the countries. Increased fighting would only result in the loss of lives which will put both the regions in chaos."@@novelbin@@

    Ealdron thought as he heard his answer, ''Tch, A very cliche answer. How about I try to goad him.''

    Ealdron noted down his answer and asked another question, "ording to my sources, I heard that Aelius has decided to give Greenwoods Vige to Sky. Is that correct?"

    to smiled cunningly and thought, ''Hmph, goading me to give you an answer? Very well, I will throw you a truth bomb. I wonder how you will react to it. This will teach you a lesson for life for trying to mess with me.''

    to smiled cunningly and spoke, "No, Baron Mendez''s domain is still upied by Sky so we can only wait on how muchnd is ceded by Sky to Baron Mendez. However, I would like to give you the good news that Lord John Sky and Princess Sally Aelius i.e. Daughter of My king will be getting married shortly. This is also one of the reasons that this peace agreement was made without any hassles."

    Ealdron was shocked as he never thought that he would hear such an answer from to. After looking at to''s teasing expression Ealdron understood that he had been yed by to. He thought as he heard the answer, ''This piece of juicy news would certainly hit the headlines. I wonder if it would be censored again by Glenn. No, I don''t think so as this will anyway shortly spread since to is taking the lead to speak. Darn, I shouldn''t have taken his interview in the first ce.''

    Ealdron calmed down a little as he noted this down and asked another question, "What do you think of the future rtions between some nobles of Aelius and the Radiant Church. ording to our sources, The Radiant Church is advocating the Freedom of Human ves but are quite unconcerned about other species."

    to calmed down and spoke as it was already nned by him and John to use propaganda against the Radiant Church, "I am not sure, however, if it is true then I can see a big power struggle between those nobles and the Radiant Church. Well, Radiant Church is quite a hypocrite when it tries to grandstand by talking of Freedom from very. Compared to them, Lord John is truly someone who cares about his people regardless of race."

    Ealdron nodded as his cameraman Randolph came and took to''s picture with his illusion camera.

    Ealdron nodded and spoke, "Ok, I will conclude the questions for today. Hope you enjoy a wonderful evening."

    to looked everywhere as he called his disciple and spoke, "Tell Luke and Elison that they must be careful if they are going to give an interview. And tell them that they must control the mouths of their men."

    Today, everywhere there were a lot of reporters from all the major publishing houses as the party in the square unknowingly continued till midnight due to the Feast of Lights.

    John and all of his ministers were giving interviews with an emphasis on North-frontier city as well as the prepared script previously.

 Chapter 334: 265. Sign of a good ruler.

    The next day before the official print of Sky Times, John was thinking deeply as he read Glenn''s report after Ealdron took a small interview of to.

    John then looked at Quill and Taylor and asked them, "What do you guys think about this interview?"

    Quill sighed as he read the Interview and spoke, "Ealdron was quite naive when he took this interview. He tried to goad the experienced to but instead got yed by him for his lousy performance."

    Taylor too nodded and spoke, "It is still ok since publishing is still a very new business and he can only learn with time and experience. I suggest that we shouldpletely censor this interview and only keep it in our archives for future purposes."

    Quill had no opinions on censoring this news and only expressed neutrality on the matter.

    After hearing their answers, John thought a bit and spoke, "No, it would be counter-productive for the peace deal if we censor this news report. I am sure that to has alreadymunicated about this interview to his embassy and then to their Imperial Pce."

    John continued as he seriously looked at the report, "Us censoring this news report may be interpreted by Aelius that we are only making fake promises and this may be problematic forpleting the deal."

    Quill who still had some questions regarding the asked John, "Milord, I still wonder why we didn''t go for aplete fight against Aelius? I think we had quite the weapon superiority which we have in stock."

    John shook his head and spoke, "Have you considered Aelius deploying their Dragon Knights or the Whole Magic Swordsman squad against us in Anger? In a battle between two equals, both parties will get destroyed and it is better to avoid open warfare. This would have also revealed many of our hidden capabilities that will only be deployed in times of crisis."

    John continued, "The very reason to offered peace to us was because he was already sensing defeat from the demons and dwarven side if they continued to battle us. If both of them i.e. Demons and Dwarves joined the fray then we would have been embroiled in a long war with Aelius, Demons and Dwarves. This whole region would be in chaos which is against our ns."

    "In the worst-case scenario, Aelius would have diverted their troops from the beastman border to our border where I am quite certain that they would have started using the Dragon Knights to bombard us. So peace on our terms was quite a good offer. When offered an opportunity, One must know to grab it at the right time during times of war."

    Quill nodded as Taylor asked another question, "Milord, was it really necessary to give up the upied territories back to Aelius? I am sure that you know that Eastern Port Town under Mendez is quite a gold mine now due to increased trading with our domain."

    John smiled and spoke after hearing out Taylor, "As for why I am ceding the upied territories? It is to hide our future ambitions. Our enemies will currently have an illusion that I am a naive new king who only thinks of virtue and Ideals. Well, this will also be good for my image-building for propaganda. Ceding upied territories has 2 main motives,

    1. Themon popce of Dolores and its Eastern Port will have less or not bear animosity towards Sky.

    2. In the Long term, after looking at the progress and the well-being of all the cities of Sky, they will subconsciously think that it would have been better if they were ruled by me. Suppose Even if I upied them right now. We would have faced insurgencies for at least 6 months to bring the situation under control with many lives lost. We would have also born the animosity of the whole of Aelius regardless of regions. The next time our enemies attack the naive me, we will be able to sweep a lot ofnd with fewer problems from the local popce."

    John continued as he emphasized this point, "You must understand that till the enemy''s weakness is known, we have to keep them on friendly terms. The enemy should not know our weaknesses but we should know all of our enemy''s weaknesses."

    "We might think that Lionheart is a fool but he isn''t. He is as smooth as a chameleon. Many a time, he tries to hide his schemes behind the facade of his son Hector. This fact alone can be judged by the courtiers he has like to, Hasse and Joel. The intelligence of a ruler can be estimated by observing the men he has around him and these men aren''t fools to follow him. Lionheart is just good at manipting people to do his bidding. I am sure that you guys know about Prince Lukav''s situation on how he goaded his mother?"

    Quill and Taylor both nodded as they tried understanding their enemy from John''s perspective.

    Looking that both of them were keenly listening, John continued speaking, "Remember this, Faults of the people spring from the faults of their rulers. However, the Rulers can never be wrong and hence the irony and the need to tackle it. History has proven that One who is a ve of the senses will get destroyed even if he has a bigger army. And hence the reason I always strive for Trust but verify against all the adversaries whether internal or external."

    John then asked them a question, "Suppose if Sky was very weak against invasions-, how do you think we should have behaved and interacted against our enemies?"

    Quill smiled and spoke, "Answer is obvious Milord, If we were weaker then we should show our fake fangs even if we know that it can''t do anything to our enemies because it will at least buy us more time to prepare ourselves."

    John nodded and spoke after hearing Quill, "Yes, Even If a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be poisonous. When one is weak he should pretend to be strong and when one is strong he should pretend to be weak to hide his intentions till the right time."

    Quill had been pondering for a lot of time and spoke, "Milord, What do you think is the sign of a good ruler?"

    John thought for a while and spoke, "What is a good ruler? It is quite a broad question. A ruler should neither be nice neither should he be hated due to excessively cruel punishments. He should be someone who is always thinking about the interests of his country. A ruler must be feared as well as benevolent so that people can recognize what is right and what is wrong in nature i.e. People should be able to distinguish why is someone rewarded or punished."

    Quill nodded and spoke, "Your Majesty, how do we deal with Bryndyll and Fire-abyss in the long run."

    John nodded a bit and spoke, "Border countries are intrinsically hostile in nature due to small conflicts of interests umting leading to war and hence our conflicts with border countries are inevitable. I either see a conflict between Bluesea Duchy and Fireabyss or Aelius and Fireabyss except Bluesea Duchy against Bluesea first and then Sky. The only chance Border conflicts won''t ur will be due to a Hegemon country being so big that no one will dare to challenge it while the hegemon won''t even give them a nce due to how small other countries are."

    John sighed first then smiled and continued, "The world is like a jungle where predators rule it. It is an anarchic ce as all the countries are sovereign in nature and have their ownws to govern them. It is either you conquer or get conquered and that is why we must be prepared at all times. Don''t think that just because we signed the peace deal it would be honored. Agreements are bound to be broken and the illusion of peace is just to continue to prepare for the next war. In short, most of the time peace is a facade imposed due to the immeasurable costs of war. When one side can''t bear the costs, it will inevitably choose to negotiate."

    John continued and asked, "By the way, what do you guys think of to?"

    It was Taylor who replied, "Cunning, Capable, and a good schemer. An asset for any country for Identifying, controlling and eliminating any Internal as well as External elements which are a risk to the state."

    John too nodded and spoke, "I want to bring to over here? What do you guys think?"

    Quill had a serious face as he spoke, "It would be quite difficult to move him. He cant be moved by money as he has a lot of honor about his past work. He can only be conquered or if there is a certain situation in Aelius where he has no choice but to ept our offer. So it is not in our hands. If Lionheart dies then we can fish him out."

    Both John and Taylor agreed with Quill''s analysis so they could only put this matter for future consideration.

    At this time, Grey knocked on their door and bought some news.

    John looked at Gray who was perspiring and asked, "What is the matter that you had run here?"

    Grey took out a report as he gave it to John and spoke, "Your Majesty, it looks like there were some sleeper cells of the Radiant Church who helped Angel Leo and others to get inside the city when they were entering through the main gate."

    John furrowed his brows and spoke, "Is it possible that they were manipted by Leo and others?"

    Grey took out another report and spoke, "This is background report of those guys who helped them enter North-frontier City. It can be seen that these guys changed their names before they joined the Sky. At that time, due to a high number of people joining Sky, we only conducted a basic investigation due to the shortage of people. It was only after yesterday''s incident that we started conducting aplete investigation on the persons who interacted with Angel Leo and others. And it is these 3 people who helped them entering the city and ording to our investigations, we are sure that these people are the spies sent by the Radiant Church. We also found one long-distance Magicmunication device in their home. I am sure that we aren''t selling it in the open market for now and it is quite expensive even for a baron while they said that they were farmers when they first joined us. They don''t own any business as well so as to afford it in the ck market. ording to people, they don''t interact with people apart from humans and this is the most striking factor which made us notice them."

    John, Quill and Taylor had cold and angry faces as they heard the report.

    Taylor smiled and spoke to Quill, "It seems we really need to root them out. Go and arrest them. Start their trial as fast as possible to meet out punishments."

    Hearing Taylor, Quill then smiled and spoke, "Do we really need to use the Law enforcement in front of such an amount of evidence and waste the state resources on them. Why don''t we use the ghosts this time around? Who knows we may shake the other spies that may ask the Law enforcement to find them? With this, we can build a bigger case and catch all of them in one go."

    Grey had a chill behind his back when he heard Quill but kept his calm.

    John thought a bit as he nodded and spoke, "Yes, it is better this way. Quill go and call Dearil. Tell him that we need aplete background check on these 3 individuals before we proceed with our ns."@@novelbin@@

    John then turned to Grey and spoke, "Good Job, tell the team that found about these guys that they will be promoted for this achievement. I will be personally visiting NSB in a few days."

    Grey nodded and spoke, "I will take my leave and ry them the good news."

    After Grey left, John then turned to Quill and Taylor, "So it is decided, No need to censor the news. Since we got yed by to, we might very well let him y for a while. Ry the same to Glenn."

 Chapter 335: 266. Ealdronéˆ¥æªš Dilemma.

    ***

    Early in the morning,

    At this time in the Sky Times office, Ealdron was having a headache even though it was good news for the new publishing houses that were going to use the Illusion camera, engravers and Illusion Ink.

    Ealdron sighed as he thought and muttered slowly, "For the first time I wanted to actually censor something and this got published under my name as being the chief interviewer."

    Randolph had a smirk on his face when he saw Ealdron who had a troubled face. Randolph smiled and spoke, "So even you have days where you want to censor something disregarding your values and ideals?"

    Ealdron thought as he heard Randolph, ''He is deliberately poking me with this question since I alwaysin about the censorship. Why do I always feel that this brat is always hiding something.''

    Ealdron furrowed his brows and spoke, "Of course, why won''t I if it concerns the honor of his Majesty Sky."

    Randolph then sighed and spoke, "You shouldn''t worry too much as this news report was certainly approved by Lord John or else it wouldn''t have been published in the first ce. From this, it can be seen that we are disying our intentions in public for the nobility of Aelius to see. This is most likely the face-saving solution for Lionheart and he must be overjoyed right now as he can suppress the nobles who question him in secret for the previous war. However, to is quite cunning in the sense that he gained the most due to the deal and this interview."

    Ealdron too nodded as he couldn''t refute the analysis provided by Randolph.

    ***

    At this time, Fredric and Mnie too looked at the newspaper and sighed.

    Fredric smiled bitterly and spoke, "This guy is quite cunning as he was able to get most benefits out of this re-negotiation. What do you think?"

    Mnie looked at the illusion on the newspaper where to had a face as if he was mocking Ealdron. Calming herself down, she muttered slowly, "Looking at the results of his schemes and negotiations, I should had rather hired him."

    Fredricughed a bit spoke, "It''s ok, it is the same result anyway so it shouldn''t bother us much apart from feeling a little bit defeated."

    Fredric then seriously looked at Mnie and spoke, "What do you think about yesterday''s attack?"

    Mnie nodded and spoke, "The Radiant Church attacked with at least 50% of the firepower yesterday. Usually, it is only 20%, so it seemed quite desperate from their side. After watching that John had quite the resistance to Soul Magic against Irm himself, Leo and others didn''t even bother to use Soul Binding Ice-fire chains like they didst time against Xylo or others who defied their trends."

    Fredric smiled and replied after hearing Mnie, "Yes, this is most likely due to the distorted fate lines of John and hence they tried with more firepower. Their next goal most likely would be the protection and growth of their Oracle Ronoah. Those Oracle''s have always been a pain in the ass for the Demon kings of yesteryears 1000''s of years ago. Angel Leo too was once an Oracle ording to our historical records."

    Mnie had a serious face as soon as she heard of Oracle, "Yes, they will be a problem if they mature properly. That Oracle needs to be killed before Irm''s soul descends using his body and creates havoc. Or it will be a battle of attrition where Radiant Church will most likely use their coffers."

    Fredric smiled and spoke, "Irm won''t recklessly descend using his soul as his soul might get injured if Demon gods take this chance to pounce on him. He will most likely use a clone of 10% unlike the soul form yesterday (3%-5%). And looking at how John is progressing I think that he will be able to manage the Gods and Arch Demons."

    Fredric looked at Dwight who was holding the newspapers and leaving the pharmacy, he spoke to Mnie, "You were quite generous on Dwight yesterday. I always thought you hated him."

    Mnie shook her head as she sighed and spoke, "He is just a naive kid so it is ok to reward him a little. Sins of his Grandfather can''t be med on him or his father. His father was too much into politics so I don''t entertain those brats. As for this kid?" She smiled and continued, "I have no worry since he will inevitably be a person of Sky."

    Mnie then thought about the incense sticks she had given to him and spoke a bit angrily, "On certain matters, he is quite a scaredly cat. He hasn''t even touched the fake advanced poison manual and the fake advance medical manual in the pharmacy which he watches every day."

    Both Fredric and Mnieughed as they continued their chat.

    ***

    In to''s chamber, one of the chief spies in Sky came and bought a set of documents, The Spy spoke to to who was alone in his chambers, "Lord, from my information, it seems Radiant Church''s High executives just 3 days back got extremely angry at Sky and Lord John for some reason. It was quite fishy as I believe Radiant Church didn''t have any sort of conflict or connection with Sky these days."

    to nodded as he smiled and spoke, "It''s ok, they are most likely irritated that their influence among the Humans of Sky is deteriorating at a rapid pace and hence their reduced capability to scheme against them, this reduction of influence might be due to the uing crowning ceremony and rising prestige of Lord John. You can continue your report on other things which are rted to Sky."

    The Spy nodded and continued to speak, "Lord, one of the Barons of Aelius i.e. Lord Vince just recently hired an assassin group to assassinate Lord Ealrdron. The Assassin group originates from Aelius. It seems he wanted to teach Lord Ealdron a lesson for one of his reports which has made him aughing stock among the nobles at Imperial city. He is currently at North-frontier city as a part of the mission with Lord Luke. ording to my information, they will strike at Lord Ealdron after we fullyplete the deal with Sky."

    to squinted his eyebrows as he nodded and asked, "Are there nobles of any other countries who tried to assassinate that Elf? If yes, what happened to them?"

    The Spy nodded and spoke, "Yes, there were 3 nobles, 2 from the Fireabyss Kingdom and 1 from Bryndyll kingdom. From what we know all 3 of them are dead after their return to their respective kingdoms via various means. 1 was sentenced to death by the scheme of Bluesea Duchy at Fireabyss court, 1 from Bryndyll was killed by some unknown Vignte bandit brigade, this is most likely the work of Philip their ambassador and 1 Noble rted to Fireabyss family was killed overnight without any notice however ording to my information, this assassination of the noble was done by Dearil of the Ghosts. This matter was suppressed because the Noble apparently secretly visited his mistress the night he was killed which was unknown to everyone. As far as the Nobles of Aelius who are visiting Sky are concerned, Lord Luke controls them for quite a while via making various checks and other means, including intimidation. As far as the security of Ealdron is concerned, he is protected by Ghosts in secret. Even his assistant Randolph is a part of Ghosts who was trained specifically due to the 3 assassinations and also for unexpected events. The fact that he was a ghost was confirmed after an attempt on his life was made in thest assassination when he was away from Ealdron but was still ok without a sweat while the one assassinating was dead in cold blood. He was spotted by one of our scouts. As far as his history is concerned, he has 6 months of nk history where he ims that he was unemployed in his certificates of Job application but his neighbors im that he wasn''t even present at his home during that time."

    to nodded as he sighed and muttered, "Bloody Baron doesn''t even know how to scheme and hide the traces if he is going to kill someone bigpared to his status. Anyway, contact the Assassin Organization and tell them to withdraw from this assassination. Tell them to instead kill Baron Vince and clean up his family. It seems even Luke may sometimes miss his subordinate''s recklessness. Anyway, make it seem like Sky kingdom killed him and his family off."

    to smiled as he thought, ''As far as I know, Baron Vince is of Prince Hector''s faction so he has multiple motivations to create chaos at Sky. but he has to be discreet until he is back at the Imperial pce under the protection of Prince Hector. No one would doubt us since first doubts would be raised against Sky kingdom as people in the interior circles of Imperial Pce would certainly know about this assassination n of Ealdron to kick Sky''s face and make them tear the peace deal. Now, let''s see how the events unfold.''

    Meanwhile, the spy had a chill and thought, ''I guess someone has bad luck today for crossing Lord to. Anyway that pawn Vince is dead but I wonder who will be more in pain. Prince Hector or the Sky Kingdom. Prince Hector, I guess.''

    to then asked the Spy, "Why wasn''t there any report about the development of Lights which we saw yesterday?"@@novelbin@@

    The Spy shook his head and spoke, "Our men have no prior information about them. This was most likely researched in a secret facility. We only knew that the Light posts were installed all over the city about 20 days ago. The citizens were strictly told to not touch them until the Crowning ceremony so no one dared to ruin the decorations if it was rted to the Crowning ceremony."

    to thought, ''Knowing John''s nature, it is quite usible that they made this in secret. The spies can''t be med.''

    to asked another question, "How is the progress on joining their Defense Manufacturing factories."

    The Spy took out the report and spoke after giving it to to, "All of them were caught in a month after joining. Their Defense Factories does a thorough check on the background of the people who want to join the defense manufacturing industry. I think that we can only try bribing the unsatisfied and it will also be a long process."

    to sighed and spoke, "Ok, you are dismissed. Sky most probably knows that you are our spy since you met me so you have to register yourself at our embassy here in case you get stuck in a sticky situation. If you have an identity as a diplomat they won''t kill you here in Sky. I will tell Luke to register you as well."

    The Spy nodded and took his leave after taking an authority letter.

 Chapter 336: 267. Plato and Endos meeting.

    <h4>Chapter 336: 267. to and Endo''s meeting.</h4>

    ***

    In the Imperial Pce of Aelius, His Majesty Lionheart was looking at the newspaper which was speed delivered to him by Prime Minister Hasse and Mayor of Imperial City, Andrew Greenwald.

    After looking at the newspaper, there was a look of satisfaction on Lionheart''s face.

    He spoke as he read the newspaper, "Looks like to did a very fine job this time around. Now I will see how those pesky nobles badmouth me behind my back."

    Lionheart then looked toward Hasse and Andrew and asked, "So what are your opinions now?"

    Looking at the energetic mood of Lionheart, Hasse nodded and spoke, "It was a fine result, your Majesty. Since Sky Times has officially printed this news we can now be sure of their intentions of not going back on their word on Princess Sally. A temporary peace is the best result for us in the long term."

    Lionheart nodded heartfully and spoke, "Yes, if we continued that useless war then Fire-abyss and Bryndyll would have eventually attacked us at our weakest. It seems even that child coulde in handy in times of need."

    At this time, Mayor Andrew nodded and spoke, "Milord, I think it would be best if we send a part of your Royal guards to protect Princess Sally''s mother, Anna to Redwood City. There are a lot of people who want to ruin this deal."

    Lionheart nodded and spoke as he prepared a document for Hasse, "Yes, it would be best if we do it immediately. Who knows those pesky bastards of the Radiant Church or those Dukes would eveny their hands on her to jeopardize this deal to further their own interests. Hasse, take this authority letter and go and tell the vice-captain of the Royal guards and his team to go to Redwood City Pce and Protect Concubine Anna. He will also have to escort her to Sky with to after his return. Also, tell to that I will be epting the founding of Sky and his Majesty John based on our agreement. For the Domestic Popce, just tell the people that it was simply a Dowry for their marriage. I will see which of the nobles dare to refute it. We will also be officially canonizing Lady Sally as a Princess."

    Hasse smilingly nodded and spoke, "Yes, The nobles who want their soldiers and sons back would inevitably bow down to us. So this was quite a better result than what we expected. I guess Princess Sally and his Majesty John''s friendship dide in y when we proposed this Alliance via marriage."

    After giving the letter, with a serious look, Lionheart asked a question to both of them, "By the way, what is your opinion on that battle yesterday? This son-inw of mine seems quite capable."

    Mayor Andrew nodded and gave a report to Lionheart and spoke, "Yes, Lord to has confirmed that his Majesty Sky is indeed General Anak. As far as his battle capabilities are concerned, it is on par with Fire-abyss King, Apollyon."

    @@novelbin@@

    Lionheart thought seriously and spoke, "Listening to you guys, I think it will be best to treat him on par with Fire-abyss kingdom and not provoke him since Sky has only grown stronger after the previous war and who knows what other things are hidden by that Madman. Thest time when we attacked him, we were duped that he is very weakpared to us but that was not the case. I have also heard that a lot of their weapons are designed by John himself so there may be a lot of other weapons which are not in public view like the Bazooka that they used yesterday against Irm. I am of the view that we shouldn''t attack Sky in the future so that we will have a high moral ground in case they start the hostilities. What are your views?"

    Hasse thought for a while as he nodded and spoke, "Yes, your majesty is quite right in his analysis that his Majesty Sky tries to project himself as a sheep but he is in fact a wolf who wants both the Moral ground and the resources when a war is finished. I too think that it will be better to have cordial rtions with him so that he can''t get a chance to attack us on any pretext. He is certainly more than what meets the eye. Additionally, I know from my sources that he will be marrying Duke Fredric''s Daughter, Diana so he will be having quite a financial as well as military clout. Your majesty, what to do about Greenwoods Vige matter?"

    Lionheart nodded as he dismissed the meeting, "Ok, we will be discussing this in detail when to returns and take his views as well. All of you are dismissed for now. Hasse, you have to immediately arrange Vice-captain of the Royal guards for the protection of Concubine Anna. And also arrange for the Imperial recorder to record Sally as a princess of Aelius from today onwards."

    "I understand that Greenwoods vige will have to be given up in case we need Mana restoring pills. It has no value but after the massacre, it has be scandalous for the Royal family and nobles. However, to has made the right decision for now."

    Both Andrew and Hasse bowed as they left the chambers after taking the orders.

    ***

    Both Andrew and Hasse were outside the chambers as Andrew showed a rare smile and asked Hasse, "You don''t seem happy after watching to''s performance."

    Hasse looked at the newspaper as he furrowed his brows after hearing Andrew and spoke, "Well, his smug face does look irritating and currently he has a lot of focus by nobles due to the interview. But, it is still all good since his Majesty is in a good mood today after such a long time. I guess he was waiting for this news so as to reduce the burden of resources on the borders. The Soldiers will also rx a bit after hearing this news. This will inevitably stop the desertion and the reduced morale."

    Hasse thought as he looked at the new newspaper, ''This thing called Newspaper is quite a good propaganda tool whether it is to inform, manipte or educate the masses ording to our needs. From the interview, it can be seen that it is a good tool for building up one''s image as well. Next time in Imperial Court, I too will propose the need for a national newspaper.''

    ***

    Prince Hector was seething with rage as soon as he read the report of Alistair. He muttered slowly, "If even Irm can''t kill him then what else can we try? Do I, A prince really need to bow my head and reconcile with him?"

    At this time, Alistair bought some ssified documents and spoke, "Milord, look at these documents and you will understand that even a King doesn''t have all the power he needs. Even your father at times had to bow to Duke Norman''s Father for his support to gain the throne or else your Uncle would have be the king of Aelius with the help of the Longbonder family. You must just think of the previous defeats as a process of learning and growing or else the throne will eventually slip away from your hands."

    Prince Hector was just about tosh out but stopped and thought, "You..."

    ''I guess he is making sense. In this whole ordeal against John, I have been taking a lot of decisions based on my emotions and this has lead to a lot of defeats. In the previous war, I was led by the nose the whole time as if I was under someone else''s control. Though we made a lot of preparations in our conspiracy against John but he was prepared the whole time. I must have understood that John was baiting the whole time ever since he gave up the Ballista''s technology.''

    After calming down, Prince Hector asked Alistair, "Ok, What should we do next to get past this ordeal?"

    Alistair smiled as he saw that Hector calmed down and spoke, "First, we need to meet Minister to after hees back and tell him about the whole Greenwoods Vige incident. We just need to pass the me to Prince Charlie. That was the only time when you didn''t ask my opinions due to the instigation by Prince Charlie. Though a little bit of reputation will be lost but people will stop doubting you as the mastermind of the previous scheme. Next, you need to congratte Princess Sally on her canonization as an Imperial Princess so as to show your goodwill to the outside world for the marriage of your Sister and his majesty John. This will help you earn the favor of his Majesty since it was his majesty who wanted to conclude the peace deal and this n was most likely built by Lord to."

    Prince Hector nodded and spoke, "Ok, we will go with this. Now that I think about it, I was indeed manipted by Charlie. It seems that he didn''t want to catch the attention of John, NO, it should be His Majesty John since even my Lord father has epted him as a rightful kinging into existence due to circumstances. Go and start making the preparations since we already got a letter from to yesterday for a meeting."

    Alistair nodded as he left and thought, ''Of course I was targeting that from the start. This time we will see what other cards are in the hands of Prince Charlie. For our crisis to be lifted, we need another scandal and hence the need to muddy the waters.''

    ***

    At the time, to, Luke, Joel and Princess Rona were meeting General Endo in his guest house after getting permission from John.

    Endo waszily sipping his tea while reading the newspaper as there was no other form of entertainment in his house arrest.

    Rona spoke as soon as she entered his room, "You seem to be enjoying yourself over here brother."

    General Endo nodded and spoke, "I guess life has been rxing over here. In fact quite better when ites to food andfort apart from the rigorous checks."

    "Since you guys are allowed to meet me I guess a deal has already been cut with you guys."

    Rona rxed as she looked over and spoke, "Yes, A deal has already been cut. You and your men cane back."

    Endo thought and spoke, "No wonder these guys rushed me back immediately. Well, I pretty much guess it after reading the news report. I would like to report a new development which I noticed here at Sky,"

    Rona nodded and spoke, "Go on. we have already made a formation around this pce. No one outside can hear anything."

    Endo spoke after getting her permission, "From my understanding, I don''t think Sky has any needs of outside funding. I have heard servants saying that a lot of ships were unloaded at Winter City which was full of gold. It seems that Aurora has a lot of resources. Sky is only feigning to be weak. I think it would be good if we invest early in Sky with the opportunities presented. By the way, I ain''t going back after my home arrest ends here. I am fully going to travel and enjoy this country. There are quite a lot of fun things which I have missed out on when I heard the guards talking of going to theatres, Zoos and Parks."

    Rona had an irritated look as she heard Endo and thought, ''Just the facilities alone will make people not want to go back. Turning the Tap will make watere out, Then there is this called gas and there are those toilets as well. We need these magical systems at our Imperial Pce at least. No these systems are not magical as far as those servants spoke. Anyway, I need to bring this idiot back for now.''

    As soon as to heard him, he astonishingly roared towards General Endo, "What the fuck? Are you frigin kidding me? What will be of our face if you don''t even go back at least once to show your face to his Majesty and Her Highness."

    Meanwhile, Grey in the control room almostughed after hearing out Endo who had be ustomed to thefortable lifestyle here at Sky.

    Grey coughed a bit and spoke, "Record everything so that we can give a report to his Majestyter on. Also mention that bugs can pass through magic perception and formation unless the bugs are specially studied."

    Endo had an irritated look as spoke, "Can''t you guys manage with my body double?"

    Ignoring the childish rants of his elder brother, Rona showed her air of authority and spoke with an irritated look, "It is already decided that you wille back with uster on after the crowning ceremony. You cane back with toter on when he escorts Concubine Anna to Sky."

    Endo spoke with a confused look, "Concubine Anna?"

    Rona nodded and spoke, "Yes, Concubine Anna, She and her Daughter, Princess Sally have already been canonized by his Majesty. If you can''t remember her then she was exiled by the Imperial Court to Redwood City Pce during her time as a maid."

    Endo remember and nodded, "Ahh! Yes, Sally''s mother, I remember she was quite a beauty and was fancied by his Majesty but due to her low birth as well as no support from the inner pce she couldn''t be a concubine."

    "By the way, I suggest that we bring all the nobles and soldiers apart from those who are rted to the Radiant Church. This way, we will gain the favor of multiple factions while his Majesty too will be appreciative of our actions. Those who are affiliated to the Radiant Church will inevitably bow down to his majesty if ites to their men."

    to and others nodded as to spoke, "Yes, I originally nned to do the same. Meanwhile, do you want to travel with us here at Sky now that you will be free? We will be here for a month for conducting business."

    Endo nonchntly spoke, "Sure, I was already getting bored in here. You guys should prepare for an authority letter from Taylor or Quill for my release."

    After the conclusion of their talks, Rona and others took their leave.

    ***

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