[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela":3,"chapter-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-88":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Exiled from the Start and Dominating the Wasteland with an Intelligence System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1688688,2155,"Chapter 88 : Chapter 88","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-88",88,"\u003Cp>Chapter 88. The Letter and the Fish\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days passed, like a bowstring drawn taut and suddenly released.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the security patrol’s painstaking search, so thorough it was nearly as if they meant to dig three feet into the ground, and with the slaves either eager to wash away suspicion or driven by fear into actively reporting one another,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>three moles hidden among the new slaves had nowhere left to hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they were discovered, they did not struggle, did not argue, and did not even attempt to pass along any message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They bit down at once on the poison pills hidden between their teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bodies fell stiffly and cleanly, severing every possibility of following the trail any further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least on the surface, the internal unrest had temporarily been brought under control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early that morning, Eli had just finished handling a report on mining output in his study when, out of habit, he let his consciousness sink into his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A glaring deep violet beam suddenly blazed to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Purple: Sabda Medici has already reached a secret agreement with the remnant army of the Free City-State Federation under Skars of Scorpion Gorge, entrenched deep within the southwestern wasteland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the matter is settled, the three parties will divide all of Eli’s lands, population, and resources among themselves.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three parties...” Eli’s fingertip tapped lightly against the cold surface of the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the corner of his mouth slowly curled upward into a cold smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What an appetite! Sabda... you really are ruthless enough, and stupid enough too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose abruptly and paced twice through the cramped study, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the time being, he could do nothing about Sabda’s shady dealings with Count Alders of the Western Frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was one of those filthy games the nobility all understood without speaking of it openly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But colluding with the remnant army of the Free City-State Federation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was like being handed a pillow just as drowsiness set in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli still remembered that when he had first arrived in Thorn City, he had been singled out by the soldiers simply because he was a noble of the Royal Domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did the federal army mean to the Western Frontier?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant an enemy stained with towering blood-feud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This touched the one line the kingdom—especially the present-day Western Frontier—was most sensitive to and least able to tolerate: colluding with the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taken to its full extent, it could even be defined as treason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a blood-soaked crime great enough to doom any noble utterly, even a duke’s son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So long as even the slightest chain of evidence could be tied to Sabda Medici,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>not even the title of Baron of Runestone City would matter. Even the ducal house of the Southern Frontier would be unable to protect him, and would likely cut ties with him at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An opportunity,” Eli murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately returned to the writing desk, spread out a sheet of fine letter paper, picked up a quill, and dipped it deep into rich black ink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To the esteemed Marquess Marcus Hohenzollern:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In recent days, while purging vile elements that were inciting unrest within my territory, I failed to seize the true mastermind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet while following the trail, I unexpectedly uncovered a horrifying thread of conspiracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sabda Medici, Baron of Runestone City, appears to have established connections with the remnant army of the Free City-State Federation under Skars of ‘Scorpion Gorge,’ who is entrenched deep within the southwestern wasteland.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...The substance of their plot may involve provisioning the enemy with the grain and stores of Runestone City,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>in exchange for the remnant army launching a surprise attack on Lucerne City when he moves against my Obsidian Territory, with the intent of overturning the kingdom’s order in the southwestern reaches of the Western Frontier...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such conduct betrays the kingdom and consorts with rebels. His intentions are deserving of death...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, I hold no direct and irrefutable evidence in my hand. Fearing that I might alarm the enemy, I dare not act rashly, and thus I submit this secret report to Your Excellency.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli drew a deep breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Obsidian Territory and Lucerne City shall never, under any circumstances, have the slightest illicit dealings with the federal rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven and earth bear witness to my loyalty to the Western Frontier. It shall never change for all eternity...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After writing the last word, Eli Black Hohenzollern La Roche Pendragon set down his pen and gently blew on the ink to dry it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the righteous phrases written across the page—especially that final, impassioned declaration of loyalty— even he felt his face grow a little warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a light cough, covering up that faint awkwardness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone!” he called aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A guard knight in light armor immediately pushed open the door and entered. “My lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take this letter,” Eli said, carefully rolling up the paper and sealing it with the black dragon crest of Pendragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deliver it to Thorn City with all possible speed and place it personally into Marquess Marcus’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You are not to stop along the way, nor are you to reveal the contents of the letter to anyone. Do you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By your command, my lord!” The guard knight accepted the copper tube, struck his chest in salute, and turned to leave in long, swift strides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eli walked to the window and watched as the escort’s vigorous figures vanished toward the mouth of the valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold smile at the corner of his mouth surfaced once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sabda... since you dare dance with the poison scorpion, then do not blame me for tossing that whole nest of scorpions—along with you, you venomous snake—onto the furnace and roasting it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same sunlight filtered through layer upon layer of lake water and spilled across the jade floor of the elven sanctuary beneath the lake in Nightsong Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time seemed to flow especially slowly here, carrying with it an ancient stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness! Your Highness! Quick, look what wonderful treasure Great Gulu has brought back for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Accompanied by that shrill and cheerful cry, a marmot came bounding into the tranquil space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Gulu held several plump, silver-shining trout in her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hopped eagerly to Irene’s feet, where the princess sat upon the Water-Jade Throne, staring into the void in a daze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The freshest ones! Great Gulu caught them herself! I guarantee they’re even better than what that human grilled!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She made the declaration proudly, her black-bean eyes sparkling and her tail held high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene’s gaze withdrew from emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It settled on the lively fish at her feet, then on Gulu’s little face, which all but cried, Praise me quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within those starry eyes of hers, there seemed to ripple the faintest trace of emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it vanished in an instant, and her expression returned to the stillness of a deep pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.” That was all she said, in a flat voice that revealed nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe!” Gulu, however, took that as encouragement and immediately brimmed with energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, just sit there and don’t move! Watch Great Gulu show you what she can do!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I guarantee you’ll eat happily and forget all your troubles!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She bustled about at once, her little paws moving quickly as she dragged out the dry twigs she had long prepared in one corner of the sanctuary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm... first, build a frame... yes, just like that human did...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She muttered to herself as she awkwardly crossed and stacked the branches together, making a tottering triangular rack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she hurried over to deal with the fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She tried to skewer them onto sharpened sticks with her little claws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fish were slick, and Gulu worked herself into a frantic sweat—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>if marmots could sweat, that is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew... Great Gulu is exhausted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tiny paws were covered in fish scales and slime, and half a struggling fish tail was still hanging from her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a while, the scene was complete chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene watched quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She watched that crooked little roasting rack, and watched Gulu flail desperately in battle against the slippery fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The image overlapped strangely with another scene in her memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the campfire, that human had built the rack with steady, efficient movements, and with a few flicks of his fingers had skewered the fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames had licked over the fish, oil dripping down with a sizzling sound as a rich fragrance filled the air...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is it him again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That human’s figure was like a ghost that clung to the bones, always surfacing quietly whenever she tried to empty her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He will not go away...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She murmured the words almost soundlessly, her fingertips tightening without thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All right! Great Gulu’s grilled fish is finished! Your Highness, please enjoy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gulu’s excited shriek broke Irene’s train of thought. She held up a branch as if presenting a treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On it were skewered several... things that could, for the time being, be called grilled fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the bodies had turned the black of charcoal, with only a few suspicious patches of grayish white left here and there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strong scent of scorching had replaced any fragrance that ought to have come from the fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gulu noticed nothing. Her black-bean eyes shone brilliantly, full of expectation as she looked at Irene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quick, Your Highness, try it!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Gulu followed the steps in her memory exactly! It’s definitely delicious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene looked at the masterpiece held before her and remained silent for several seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Gulu’s gaze, which seemed almost ready to burst into stars, she finally extended a slender white hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully, from that blackened and twisted fish body,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>she tore off a tiny piece of flesh that looked slightly less terrible than the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hesitated, then placed it into her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, an indescribable taste—a savage mixture of extreme bitterness and raw fishiness—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>violently assaulted her tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so overpowering that, for the first time, a clear crack appeared in Irene’s usually serene and flawless face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned her head at once and spat out the morsel as quickly as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm,” she said, swiftly composing her expression again, her voice revealing nothing at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It tastes better than the human’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” The excitement and anticipation on Gulu’s face froze instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her black-bean eyes widened into perfect circles as she looked first at the bit of fish Irene had spat onto the floor, then at Irene’s face, which revealed not the slightest flaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A huge wave of grievance washed over her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“B-Better? If it tastes better, then why did you spit it out?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her little paw pointed accusingly at that scrap of “evidence” on the ground, and her voice was already beginning to tremble with tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re lying! Have you started disliking Great Gulu?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you... do you have another pet in your heart now?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became. Her round little body shook with every sob.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is so good about that human?! He’s fierce and mean! And he always ignores Great Gulu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grilled fish... his grilled fish is only a tiny bit better than Great Gulu’s!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gestured with her paw to show a tiny gap, though her confidence was clearly lacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve changed, Your Highness!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You were not like this before! You treated Great Gulu the best!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now... now you won’t even properly eat the fish Great Gulu roasted with her own paws!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And you’re lying to me too! Waaaah—!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suddenly flung the skewer of charred black fish to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Covering her eyes with her little paws, she let out a heaven-shaking wail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great Gulu is heartbroken! Great Gulu is running away from home! I’m never coming back again!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shrill crying echoed through the empty jade sanctuary, making even the water seem to shiver with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Irene looked at the fuzzy little ball rolling around at her feet, wailing and throwing a tantrum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she looked at that tragic heap of charcoal-like grilled fish on the ground, and then thought of that human who had disturbed the still waters of her heart...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A certain emotion called a headache\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>quietly climbed to the immaculate brow of the elf princess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Eli had been the one to deal with this, he would have forcefully stuffed that fish into Great Gulu’s mouth\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and made her taste just how terrifying the “delicacy” she fancied to be delicious truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>",2084,"2026-06-06T13:50:45.844Z",1,"novelbin.me","f02151675e4779d7d09987d368667c8fb052e18e3258f7cba27650e697b405ef","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-89","exiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-chapter-87",112,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fexiled-from-the-start-and-dominating-the-wastela-cover.jpg"]