Chapter 109 : Chapter 109

Chapter 109. The Chessboard

In Obsidian Territory Valley, Sabda’s threat had already been eliminated, and resources from every direction were pouring in without end.

The entire territory continued to operate and develop at breakneck speed, just as before. Busy figures could be seen everywhere, and the air was filled with a vigorous, flourishing vitality.

Inside the study of the lord’s keep, however, there was a rare moment of peace.

Eli sat at his desk, his brows slightly furrowed.

He was staring intently at a wooden game board marked with crisscrossing lines.

Black and white stones were scattered across the board like stars, and the battle upon it appeared to have reached a deadlock.

Across from him sat old butler Sebastian in silence, his aged face utterly expressionless.

Only from time to time did he extend a thin, bony finger, pick up a stone, and gently set it down.

Yet each move made Eli’s brows draw tighter.

Over the past few days, the great affairs of the territory had largely been settled, and Eli had at last found a rare stretch of leisure.

Sebastian, from some unknown corner, had dug out this ancient board game called Caesar Chess and proposed a match.

According to legend, it was a game invented by Caesar Aurora, the founding monarch of the Kingdom of Orlando.

At first, Eli had found it strange. The old butler was usually elusive and unpredictable, rarely the sort to indulge in such leisurely amusements. Still, with little else pressing, Eli had agreed.

Yet after several straight days of nearly wracking his brain dry, he had not won a single match, and that only stirred his competitive spirit further.

At this moment, the game had already reached the middle stage. Eli’s white stones seemed faintly suppressed by the black stones, unable to break through.

His eyes remained locked on the board while his mind raced, calculating one possibility after another.

Suddenly, his gaze lit up, and an irrepressible smile of satisfaction curled at the corner of his lips.

“Heh-heh,” he chuckled softly as he picked up a white stone that had long been held in his fingers.

With a turn of his wrist, he set it down crisply on a seemingly insignificant intersection.

“My apologies, old butler. It seems that this time, you are finally going to lose.”

The instant that move landed, the formerly deadlocked situation opened up at once.

That single move was like the finishing touch that brought a dragon to life. Eli’s previously scattered and feeble white stones instantly linked together, their breath flowing as one.

Not only did it completely dissolve the black stones’ latent offensive, it also formed a fierce counterattack like a rising tide, driving straight at the black side’s vital point.

In a heartbeat, offense and defense reversed.

“A divine move!” Eli could not help praising himself, feeling utterly delighted.

The frustration that had built up over the past several days was finally swept away in that moment.

Sebastian’s clouded eyes rested on the board, on the position that had been turned completely upside down by that single stone, and he remained silent for a moment.

Then he gave a faint sigh and calmly returned the several black stones in his fingers to the stone box.

“Young Master, your skill at this game... has indeed improved astonishingly quickly.”

The old butler’s voice remained as flat and undisturbed as ever, without the slightest trace of annoyance at having lost.

For once, Eli laughed aloud in high spirits.

But the joy of victory made him overlook one thing. With Sebastian’s unfathomable age and wisdom, how could he possibly have spent less than a century immersed in such a pursuit?

The several days of repeated defeat, and even this seemingly thrilling victory before him...

It was plainly nothing more than the old man deliberately indulging a child, holding back and letting him win.

Yet before Eli’s laughter had even faded, Sebastian’s ordinarily placid face suddenly changed.

He rose to his feet. From the deep hollows of his eyes shot two sharp rays of light as he abruptly turned toward the direction of the royal capital, Orlandia.

Eli was startled by his intense reaction and asked in confusion, “What is it, Butler?

It was only one game. You cannot be that bad a loser, can you? Next time I’ll give you a few stones to start with.”

Sebastian turned his head and cut off Eli’s teasing. His voice carried a rare trace of emotion.

“No, Young Master! I fear... it is the royal capital! Something major has happened in the royal capital!”

“The royal capital?” The smile on Eli’s face vanished at once, and his expression turned serious.

“What happened? How do you know?”

“My ‘shadow’ in the royal capital has just sent me an extremely powerful warning...”

Sebastian’s brows drew tightly together, as though he were trying to sense some vague fragment of information.

“It is very... chaotic... and... steeped in blood...”

He shook his head lightly, as though unable to obtain more precise intelligence.

“The signal is very blurred, but that tremor... there can be no mistake. Something drastic has likely happened at the very heart of the royal capital.”

At that moment, a clear knock sounded from outside the study door, temporarily interrupting the heavy silence between them.

“My lord, Captain Ron has returned from Runestone City! He is currently waiting for you in the council hall.”

Hearing this, Eli forcibly pressed down the stormy waves Sebastian’s words had stirred in his heart.

Rising to his feet, he responded, “Understood. I’ll be there at once.”

He was just about to open the door and leave when Sebastian spoke again.

“Young Master...”

Eli paused, stopping before the door.

The old butler’s aged voice slowly sounded behind him.

“No matter what situation you face, so long as you can see far enough and think deeply enough,

there is always a chance to seize that fleeting opportunity in a desperate situation and turn defeat into victory...

Think one step farther, and then one step farther... just like... the game we just played.”

Eli stood before the door in silence for a moment.

Naturally, he understood the warning in Sebastian’s words.

If a great upheaval had truly taken place in the royal capital, then it would certainly affect the entire kingdom. Even from the far Western Frontier, he would never be able to remain untouched.

The old butler was reminding him that he had to think ahead and make plans early.

He gave a helpless smile. His tone seemed to recover its lightness, but his eyes had already grown deep and thoughtful.

“I understand, old butler. But next time we play, you are not allowed to go easy on me like that again.”

With that, he did not linger any longer. He pushed open the door and strode toward the council hall.

Inside the council hall, Ron Hohenzollern was speaking with the steward Estor, while his adjutant sat quietly at one side.

The moment they saw Eli arrive, all three immediately stopped talking and turned their eyes toward him.

Ron rose at once, a vigorous smile on his face.

“Baron! Hahaha, it has been a long time! You look much better on your side now!”

That was not mere flattery. The faint exhaustion that had lingered between Eli’s brows earlier had indeed faded considerably.

Eli smiled and nodded, then walked to the seat of honor and sat down.

“It seems matters in Runestone City have already been handled more or less properly, Captain Ron?”

At those words, Ron showed a bitter smile and sat back down as well.

“More or less. Things have stabilized for the time being. What needed to be purged has been purged, and what needed soothing has been soothed.

But... sigh, I still do not hold any formal appointment, so my position is neither proper nor legitimate.

There are many things I cannot do too openly, lest I leave others with a pretext to criticize me.”

His words carried a trace of regret and unspoken longing.

Naturally, Eli understood the meaning beneath them.

It seemed that this powerful captain of the Golden Lion Knights had long coveted a formal title of nobility and a true territory of his own.

He possessed strength and ability in abundance, yet had always lacked a stage on which he could truly display his ambitions.

Eli smiled faintly and followed along with his meaning.

“Do not worry, Captain Ron. I have already promised you before.

When I travel to Thorne City this time, I will report in detail to Sir Lucius about your tremendous contributions and outstanding ability in quelling the rebellion.

You are a hero of the Western Frontier. You deserve the reward that ought to be yours.”

Those words struck directly at Ron’s heart. He burst into loud laughter at once, feeling immensely satisfied.

He even rose to his feet and gave Eli a forceful embrace.

“Good! Baron!

You, Eli, are a friend I, Ron Hohenzollern, am determined to claim!

A pity, truly, that our Hohenzollern family has no suitable woman of marriageable age in this generation.

Otherwise, I would dearly love to become kin with you by marriage! Hahaha!”

Eli was left both amused and helpless by this sudden burst of enthusiasm.

“Captain Ron, you are too kind.

Since matters on both sides have now been provisionally stabilized, we should not delay.

Let us set out for Thorne as soon as possible. Sir Lucius is no doubt waiting for news as well.”

“That is exactly why I came.” Ron nodded heavily, his face filled with confidence and anticipation.

“Rest easy, Baron. Some time ago, besides telling my uncle, Marquess Marcus, about Alders’s matter,

I also put in a few good words for you. By the time we reach Thorne, perhaps people will already need to address you by a different title.”

He was clearly hinting that Eli might be granted a higher rank of nobility for his merits.

Eli merely smiled faintly and made no comment.

Turning to Estor, he gave him several careful instructions, telling him to assist old butler Sebastian in overseeing the territory’s daily operations.

Once everything had been arranged, Eli made some brief preparations, summoned Aila, and brought Wolfgang along with several elite Black Crow Knights as guards.

After joining up with Ron and the small squad of Golden Lion Knights led by his adjutant, the party departed the increasingly prosperous Obsidian Territory and galloped toward Thorne City, the capital of the Western Frontier.

Hoofbeats rang out in fragments, kicking up clouds of dust.