Chapter 136: Inviting All Nobles! A Heretic Lord?

The hall fell into a deathly silence once again.

All the dwarves looked at Huo Rong with shocked and suspicious eyes.

If Bagelumu colluding with a human heretic was inviting a wolf into the house,

then what was Huo Rong colluding with a mysterious organization of unknown origin that used strange potions to harm his own kin?

This was the true betrayal of the Dwarf Mountains!

Just then.

Mike, who had been silent, stood out.

He walked to Falco's side and cleared his throat.

"Patriarchs, elders."

Although Mike was young, the bearing of a great noble on him was not to be underestimated.

"My name is Mike."

"My father is Earl Adrian."

"The Ramirez Family has had trade dealings with the various tribes of the Dwarf Mountains for over three hundred years."

"I believe that among everyone present, quite a few have dealt with my family."

His words made many dwarf elders present show thoughtful expressions.

The Ramirez Family.

This name was indeed very familiar to them.

It was a family with an excellent reputation, rare among human nobles.

"I can use my father, Earl Adrian, and the three-hundred-year reputation of the Ramirez Family to guarantee for Lord Roko Raymond."

Mike's voice was resonant.

"He is absolutely not any so-called heretic."

"He is a trustworthy and powerful ally."

"As for that so-called 'Scorpion Society'—"

A flash of disgust crossed Mike's eyes.

"They are a group of vipers lurking in the shadows of the Kingdom; they fear nothing but chaos, fanning the flames everywhere and creating disorder."

"They are the common enemy of all of us living in the sunlight."

Mike's words became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

His status as an Earl's son and his family's reputation provided the most solid evidence for his words.

The situation was completely reversed.

"Huo Rong!"

An elder dwarf with graying hair and a prestigious look slammed the table and stood up.

"You must give us an explanation!"

"What is going on with that red potion!"

"And what is that Scorpion Society thing!"

"That's right! Explain it clearly!"

"Are you trying to get us all killed!"

Those patriarchs who had previously supported Huo Rong also turned their guns and began to question him.

When a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push.

Huo Rong's face was ugly to the extreme.

He knew he was finished.

All his schemes had been completely shattered by this inconspicuous human envoy.

Just then.

Bagelumu, who had been silent, seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He stood up and roared with all his might.

"Brothers!"

"Now is not the time for infighting!"

"Our true enemy is the Scorpion Society that attempts to control and enslave us with conspiracies!"

"Today they can provide potions to the Fire Beard Tribe, and tomorrow they can provide them to other tribes!"

"They want us dwarves to kill each other so they can sit back and reap the benefits!"

Bagelumu's gaze swept across the audience.

"I propose that all dwarf tribes should temporarily put aside their differences and unite!"

"Fight against the Scorpion Society together and clear these vermin in the shadows out of our mountains!"

"Protect the independence and freedom of our Dwarf Mountains!"

His words received the response of the vast majority of dwarves present.

"That's right! Kill those vermin!"

"Dwarves will never be slaves!"

"Unite! Protect our homeland!"

A roar like a mountain collapsing and a sea churning rang out in the hall.

The dwarves raised their wine cups and battle axes, filled with righteous indignation.

Looking at this scene, Huo Rong's face was ashen.

He knew the situation was gone.

Not only did he fail to topple Bagelumu, but he had made himself the target of public criticism.

The meeting ended in an eerie and impassioned atmosphere.

The dwarf tribes reached a preliminary consensus and decided to establish a joint investigation team to thoroughly investigate all activities of the Scorpion Society in the Dwarf Mountains.

And the Stone Hammer Tribe, because of the strong support of Vanguard Valley and Bagelumu's call to arms at the critical moment, saw its status rise instead of fall, vaguely becoming one of the cores of this newborn alliance.

Late that night.

Deep in a remote, long-abandoned mine in Ironforge.

Huo Rong walked in alone with hurried steps.

The mine was pitch black.

Only the faint light from the torch in his hand flickered. "You've come."

A hoarse voice, as if the vocal cords had been corroded, sounded from the darkness.

Huo Rong's body shook violently.

He knelt respectfully on one knee toward the darkness.

"Master."

A figure slowly walked out of the darkness.

The person wore a pitch-black cloak and a hideous black scorpion mask on his face.

Beneath the mask, only a pair of cold eyes devoid of any emotion were revealed.

"Things have been botched."

The masked person's voice was very flat, but it made Huo Rong's body shake even more violently.

"Ma—Master, I didn't expect the people of Vanguard Valley to know about our plan—"

Huo Rong's voice was filled with fear.

"A knight named Falco, and an Earl's son named Mike—"

The masked person stepped forward.

"Roko Raymond—the frequency of this name appearing recently is a bit too high."

"It seems we underestimated him."

"Master, then what should we do now—"

"The plan remains the same."

The masked person's voice turned sharply cold.

"Dwarf tribal meeting? Just a carnival for a bunch of idiots."

"They think that by uniting, they can oppose us?"

"Too naive."

The masked person walked up to Huo Rong and extended a hand wearing a black glove, patting his shoulder lightly.

"Your mission is not over yet."

"Continue to win over those tribes dissatisfied with Bagelumu."

"Tell them that as long as they are willing to serve the great Master,"

"what they will get will not just be power."

"But also, eternal life."

The masked person took out a crystal bottle from his bosom, different from the previous one, flickering with a ghostly green light.

"As for that Roko Raymond—"

A flash of chilling killing intent crossed the masked person's eyes.

"He won't be jumping around for many more days."

"The organization's 'Grand Plan' in the Xin Feng Province is about to begin."

"By then, let alone a tiny Vanguard Valley,"

"the entire Xin Feng Province will be turned into scorched earth."

Vanguard Valley, Lord's Mansion.

On the wall of the council hall hung a huge, newly drawn map of the Xin Feng Province.

On the map, noble emblems were densely marked.

There were Viscounts, Barons, and even more knight lords who didn't even have titles and only possessed a castle and a small manor.

Roko stood in front of the map, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire territory.

His finger traced across the map from Viscount Wilson's territory near the Temple's sphere of influence, finally landing on the emblems of those wavering small nobles scattered across the vast land.

The flames of war in the Royal Capital had been ignited.

It was a huge, frantically spinning meat grinder that had attracted the vast majority of the Kingdom's attention.

The Raymond Family, the Temple of Light, the Scorpion Society—

these behemoths were all frantically investing their chips for that supreme throne.

No one had the energy to manage this barren and remote borderland of the Xin Feng Province anymore.

For Roko, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

An opportunity to completely integrate the entire Xin Feng Province.

"Martina."

Roko's voice was very calm.

"What do you think are our chances of success?"

Martina walked over from the side, holding a stack of thick documents.

In her snow-white eyes, a calm and rational light flickered.

"If it were a month ago, I could only say less than ten percent."

Her voice was cold and pleasant.

"The composition of the nobles in the Xin Feng Province is too complex."

"There are old-school families that have operated here for hundreds of years, such as Earl Adrian."

"There are also ambitious new nobles like Viscount Wilson, backed by the Temple of Light."

"More are those weak fence-sitters who just want to guard their own little plots of land and don't want to offend anyone."

"Making them obey the orders of a young Baron who has only pioneered his territory for less than a year is almost impossible."

Martina paused and handed a document to Roko.

"However, it's different now."

"The civil war in the Royal Capital has erupted, the Black Kingdom exists in name only, and the old order has collapsed."

"Self-preservation has become everyone's primary need."

Roko laughed.

He liked Martina's confidence.

"Then, let's begin."

A flame called "ambition" burned in Roko's eyes.

"In my name, Lord of Vanguard Valley, Roko Raymond,"

"issue an invitation to all nobles in the Xin Feng Province."

"Three days from now, in Vanguard Valley, we will hold the founding assembly of the 'Xin Feng Alliance'."

Letters sealed with wax were sent to every corner of the Xin Feng Province by elite scouts of the Storm Knights at the fastest speed.

The content of the invitation letter was very simple.

But it was also very domineering.

It didn't use flowery language to describe the beautiful prospects of the alliance.

It simply stated a fact.

Chaotic times have arrived; only by huddling together can we keep warm.

Either join the alliance and advance and retreat together,

or wait to be completely swallowed by the torrent of the era.

One stone stirred up a thousand waves.

The noble circle of the entire Xin Feng Province was completely boiling because of this sudden invitation letter.

West of Red Leaf Forest, inside an ancient castle.

Earl Adrian looked at the letter in his hand, a look of gratification on his aged face.

"This kid is finally going to start showing his fangs."

He said to the butler beside him.

"Reply to him that the Ramirez Family will be the first to respond to his call."

And on the other side, in Viscount Wilson's territory.

When Viscount Wilson saw this letter, he was so angry that he slammed the red wine glass in his hand onto the ground.

"Arrogant!"

"A wet-behind-the-ears kid dares to command the nobles of the entire province!"

"Who does he think he is? A Duke?"

His advisor, Borton, hurried forward.

"Viscount, calm down."

"This Roko Raymond cannot be underestimated."

"He just frontally crushed a Purification Army of the Temple and also gained the support of that old fox Adrian."

"We cannot take this lightly."

A flash of viciousness crossed Viscount Wilson's eyes.

"Of course I know."

"Go, contact all the nobles who are dissatisfied with that kid."

"At the same time, in my name, spread the news throughout the province."

"Say that Roko Raymond is a heretic Lord who colludes with other races and abandons the gods!"

"His so-called alliance is a trap!"

"A trap to drag everyone down to oppose the great Temple of Light!"

"I want to ruin his reputation!"

"I want to turn his alliance assembly into a joke!"

Thus, two days before the alliance assembly was held,

all kinds of rumors began to spread wildly in the noble circle of the Xin Feng Province.

Some said Roko had been "listed as the number one wanted criminal by the Temple's Adjudicator Office, and whoever stands with him is an enemy of the Temple"; some said Vanguard Valley had actually been controlled by dwarves, and Roko was just a puppet.

Others said Roko practiced evil arts, which was why his strength skyrocketed, and his so-called alliance was actually to turn all nobles into sacrifices for his cultivation.

For a time, everyone was in a panic.

Those small nobles who had originally been somewhat moved all backed out.

They would rather continue to wait and see than risk burning themselves by standing on the wrong side.

Three days later.

The alliance assembly was held as scheduled.

The location was the council hall of the Lord's Mansion in Vanguard Valley.

However, the huge hall appeared somewhat empty.

Very few nobles responded to the call to attend the meeting.

Except for the staunch ally Earl Adrian and the few vassal families he brought,

there were only three or five small Barons whose territories were near Vanguard Valley and who had to come to see the situation.

They were all sitting uneasily, their eyes dodging, as if there were nails under their seats.

The atmosphere in the hall was awkward and oppressive.

Earl Adrian, however, was calm and composed.

He sipped the black tea Martina had brewed for him personally, as if he hadn't noticed the predicament around him at all.

"Nephew Roko, it seems your trouble is not small."

He looked at Roko, who was sitting in the main seat with a calm face.

Roko smiled.

"Just a small storm, Earl, no need to worry."

He seemed to have anticipated the cold reception.

Just then.

A guard ran in hurriedly from outside the door.

His face carried a trace of anger. ===== CHAPTER 137 =====