Chapter 183: Third Prince, treason?

"Master Roko, this—" Silas's voice changed pitch; he wanted to say something but found his throat dry.

"Don't rush, there's more." Roko's tone was very flat, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

He pointed to the envelope sealed with golden silk thread on the table.

Silas picked up the letter with trembling hands.

When he saw the three-headed dragon emblem, his fat body stiffened violently, and he stood there as if he had been hit by a freezing spell.

Third Prince!

He had only seen this emblem in the top noble circles of the kingdom!

A bone-chilling coldness rushed from the soles of his feet to his crown.

He felt as if he had touched a shocking secret sufficient to crush him, and even the entire Commercial Alliance, into powder.

He didn't dare to look anymore.

He wanted to put the letter down and tell Roko that he hadn't seen anything.

But Roko's calm gaze didn't allow him to make any moves.

He knew that from the moment he walked into this secret room, he had no way back.

Silas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision.

He opened his eyes abruptly and tore open the letter with trembling hands.

Every word on the letter was like a heavy hammer striking his heart.

Colluding with foreign enemies!

Inviting a wolf into the house!

Intending to betray the country!

When he saw words like "Castilla Principality," "50,000 elite troops," and "coordinate from inside and outside," he only felt darkness before his eyes and almost fell off the stone stool.

Crazy!

Everyone is crazy!

The Third Prince is crazy! Archibald is also crazy!

They are trying to overthrow the entire Black Kingdom!

"Gulp."

Silas swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty; he felt his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

He finally understood why Roko called him here.

And finally understood what the "huge business" in Roko's mouth really was.

He raised his head slowly, looking at Roko, his eyes filled with complex emotions—fear, shock, but more than that, a kind of fanaticism when a merchant smells a huge business opportunity.

"Master Roko—what—what do you want to do?" Silas asked hoarsely.

He knew that Roko showing him such important things definitely wasn't just wanting him to be a witness.

"Very simple." A cold arc curled at the corner of Roko's mouth.

"Archibald is a traitor. As nobles of the kingdom, we have an obligation to clear out such scum, right?"

"Right—right! You are absolutely right!" Silas nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

"However," Roko changed the subject, "I am just a tiny Baron from the New Wind Province, with little influence. Even if I make these pieces of evidence public, I'm afraid no one will believe me, and I might even be bitten back by Archibald, saying I forged evidence to frame him."

Silas heard this, his heart stirred, and he immediately understood Roko's meaning.

"Master Roko, you mean—"

"These pieces of evidence are most suitable to be exposed by your Commercial Alliance." Roko said lightly.

"The Commercial Alliance is all over the kingdom, with smooth information channels and an excellent reputation. It is most appropriate for you to come forward and submit Archibald's criminal evidence to the Royal Capital, to the other two Governors in the west, and to all the nobles who oppose the Third Prince."

"By then, Archibald will have no defense and will surely die."

Silas's breathing instantly became rapid.

He immediately thought through the pros and cons.

Coming forward by the Commercial Alliance is not just as simple as exposing a traitor!

This is taking a stand!

It is representing the entire Commercial Alliance to stand firmly on the side of the First Prince and the Raymond Family in this civil war that is about to sweep the kingdom!

The risk in this is unimaginable.

Once the Third Prince ultimately wins, the entire Commercial Alliance will face a disaster.

But!

Behind the risk is equally huge profit!

Once the First Prince wins, the Commercial Alliance, as the great hero who exposed the traitor and stabilized the western situation, what kind of generous return will it get?

Moreover, Silas looked at this calm and somewhat terrifying young man in front of him.

He had a strong premonition that this man named Roko would absolutely not be a thing in a pool.

He could take Sunset City without a fight today; tomorrow, he might be able to influence the war situation of the entire kingdom!

Investing in him now is absolutely the most correct decision the Commercial Alliance has ever made!

"Master Roko, I understand!" Silas's eyes flashed with shrewd light, and the greed and decisiveness belonging to a merchant completely overwhelmed his fear.

"I'll make the call on this! The Commercial Alliance will definitely cooperate with you fully!"

"Very good." Roko nodded with satisfaction.

Talking to smart people is just effortless.

"However," Roko changed the subject, a playful smile appearing on his face, "toppling an Archibald can't be counted as a huge business."

Silas was stunned: "Then you mean—"

Roko stood up, walked to Silas's side, patted his thick shoulder, and said word by word in a voice full of temptation:

"An Archibald has fallen, so there must be a new Governor to take his place."

"What do you think if I sit in this position?"

"Boom!"

Silas only felt something explode in his brain.

He raised his head abruptly, looking at Roko in disbelief, his mouth open wide enough to stuff an egg.

He—he wants to be the Governor of the Sunset Province?!

A Baron wants to be a provincial Governor?!

This—this is simply Arabian Nights!

"This—this is not according to the rules," Silas said subconsciously.

"Rules?" Roko sneered, "In this world, whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules."

"After Archibald falls, the Sunset Province will inevitably fall into a power vacuum. Instead of letting those guys in the Royal Capital send someone we are not familiar with to pick the peaches, or letting other nobles fight for this position and make the entire province a mess."

"Why can't it be me?"

Roko's voice was full of unquestionable dominance.

"If I become the Governor, you Commercial Alliance will be the greatest hero."

"In the future, I can give you the green light for all trade in the entire Sunset Province, and even—give you exclusive operating rights."

"Think about it, how big a cake is this?"

Silas's breathing stopped completely.

He felt all the blood in his body boiling at this moment.

Exclusive operating rights!

Exclusive operating rights for the entire Sunset Province!

My god!

This is no longer a cake; this is a gold mountain! A gold mountain sufficient to make the wealth of the Commercial Alliance multiply several times!

"Done!"

Silas slapped his thigh abruptly, his fat shaking, and a fanatical light erupted in his eyes.

"Master Roko! No! Governor! This business, our Commercial Alliance—takes it!"

Sunset City, Commercial Alliance branch.

This building, which was usually full of people and filled with the sound of gold coins colliding and merchants bargaining, was now filled with a murderous aura.

In the secret meeting room on the top floor, more than a dozen of the most powerful stewards and shareholders of the Commercial Alliance in the Sunset Province sat upright, their expressions uglier than if their own fathers had died.

Their gazes were focused on Silas, the fat man sitting in the main seat, sweating profusely but with eyes shining with light.

Half an hour ago, Silas summoned them and held an emergency meeting.

Then, he threw out two heavy bombs that could blow everyone present to pieces.

First, the provincial Governor, Marquis Archibald, is a traitor, colluding with the Third Prince and the Castilla Principality, intending to overthrow the kingdom.

Second, that Vanguard Valley Lord Roko Raymond, who had just slaughtered his way to the city gate and forced the Marquis to kneel and kowtow, wants the Commercial Alliance to help him,

sit on the throne of the Sunset Province Governor!

In the meeting room, there was deathly silence.

Only heavy breathing sounds rose and fell.

"Silas, are—are you crazy?"

Finally, an old man with gray hair, who looked like he had a high status, spoke tremblingly.

He was an old man of the Commercial Alliance, having operated in the Sunset Province for more than thirty years, having seen all kinds of big storms. But today's matter had already exceeded his cognitive range.

"Support a Baron to be a provincial Governor? And help him expose Archibald's treason? Do you know what this means?"

The old man stood up excitedly, pointing at Silas's nose and cursing: "This means our Commercial Alliance is going to be completely involved in the vortex of the kingdom's civil war! To confront the Third Prince, the Poison Scorpion Society, and even the Castilla Principality head-on!"

"You are taking all of our lives, taking the foundation of the Commercial Alliance of hundreds of years, to conduct a huge gamble!"

"That's right! This is too risky!" Another steward immediately echoed, "Archibald is deeply rooted in the Sunset Province; even if he is a traitor, he is not so easy to topple. If we fail, we will all have to be buried with him!"

"That Roko is just a reckless man with some strength and luck! Why should he be Governor? What qualifications does he have? Can the Royal Capital agree? Can the other two Governors in the west agree?"

"Silas, did that kid pour some kind of ecstasy soup for you, making you so loyal to him?"

For a time, the meeting room exploded.

Questions and objections rose and fell.

Almost everyone thought Silas was crazy.

This is not business at all; this is playing with fire! This is seeking one's own death!

Facing everyone's accusations, Silas didn'

He just listened quietly, and only after everyone had said about enough did he slowly stand up.

The smile on his face had disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented gravity and sharpness.

"Everyone, quiet down and listen to me."

Silas's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable power, causing the originally noisy conference room to instantly quiet down.

"What you all said is correct."

Silas looked around at everyone and slowly began: "This is indeed a high-stakes gamble, a gamble where if we lose, we will be doomed forever."

"But!"

His tone shifted, and his voice suddenly rose a few notches: "Have you ever thought about whether we have any other choice right now?"

"What do you mean?" Everyone was stunned.

Silas sneered: "Do you think we can still stay out of this? Don't be naive!"

"From the moment I represented the Commercial Alliance and went out of the city to be a lobbyist for Roko, in everyone's eyes, our Commercial Alliance was already tied to the same boat as Roko Raymond!"

"If Archibald can turn the tables, who is the first person he will settle scores with? It's us!"

"Do you think he will let us 'intermediaries' who 'witnessed' him kneeling and kowtowing go?"

These words were like a basin of cold water poured over everyone's heads.

The excitement and anger on their faces were gradually replaced by terror and lingering fear.

That's right, how could they have forgotten this point.

With Archibald's vindictive personality, if he could survive this hurdle, he would definitely deal with the Commercial Alliance to death.

"But, but Roko might not necessarily win either!" someone said unwillingly.

"Not necessarily?" Silas laughed, laughing somewhat contemptuously.

"Do you really understand that Roko Raymond?"

He paused and said word by word: "I tell you, I saw him with my own eyes today crush Archibald's magic lock with just one hand. That was a magic lock with a Golden-ranked curse attached!"

"The murderous aura on every one of the three hundred knights he brought is heavier than that of the elites of the Royal Capital's Obsidian Legion!"

"He alone, with one sword, dared to kill his way to the foot of Sunset City, forcing a provincial governor to kneel and beg for mercy!"

"You tell me, does a person like this look like someone who would lose?"

Silas's voice was full of seductive power.

"Everyone, the times have changed! The old order is collapsing, and a new order is about to be established! In this wave of change, if we still hold onto the idea of playing both sides and offending no one, we will eventually be smashed to pieces by the tide!"

"We must make a choice! Either drown with Archibald on this sinking wreck of a ship, or board Roko Raymond's warship, which looks a bit crazy but is unstoppable, to create a new era that belongs to us!"

"He has already promised me that as long as we help him, the exclusive trading rights for the entire Sunset Province in the future will be ours!"

"Exclusive trading rights!"

These five words exploded in the conference room like a bomb.

Everyone's breathing became heavy.

In their eyes, a flame called "greed" flickered.

If they were still hesitating because of the risk before, then now, this huge benefit was enough to make them abandon all concerns.

"Think about it, everyone!" Silas struck while the iron was hot, "The entire Sunset Province! What a huge cake this is! With it, the strength of our Commercial Alliance will multiply several times over within ten years! We could even stand on equal footing with those great nobles in the Royal Capital who have been passed down for thousands of years!"

"This is an opportunity! A once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity that can change the fate of all of us!"

"Wealth is sought in danger! Whether to do it or not, you choose for yourselves!"

After finishing, Silas sat down, picked up his teacup, blew on it gently, and didn't say another word.

He knew the timing was right.

The conference room fell into a deathly silence again.

But this time, the atmosphere was completely different.

Everyone's face was filled with struggle and fanaticism.