Chapter 186: The Curtain Falls on a Generation

"The First Prince, under the desperate protection of the Obsidian Legion, only narrowly escaped the Royal Capital. He is currently gathering troops loyal to the royal family,

preparing for a counterattack."

"The Raymond Family has publicly announced their support for the First Prince and has ordered all family members to immediately consolidate their forces and head to the main family territory to defend the King."

The scout knight paused and presented a letter sealed with the Flame Griffin Emblem.

"This is a personal letter sent via express courier by Marquis Levis."

Roko took the letter, broke the seal, and read it.

The letter was written by his father, Marquis Levis, himself. Between the lines, it was filled with anxiety and gravity.

The content of the letter was much the same as what the scout knight had said, only it explained the dire situation in the Royal Capital in greater detail.

The Third Prince had been plotting for a long time; not only did he have the support of the massive dark organization, the Poison Scorpion Society, but the shadow of the neighboring Castilla Principality also seemed to be behind him.

Of the six major legions in the Royal Capital, two had already publicly declared their support for the Third Prince.

The situation was extremely unfavorable for the First Prince and the royal family.

After finishing the letter, Roko fell silent.

The atmosphere in the hall became increasingly oppressive.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Roko's decision.

They all knew that this decision would concern the Sunset Province and the future of every one of them.

Should they follow the family's orders, abandon the province they had just obtained, and take their army into that meat grinder of a Royal Capital for a gamble with an uncertain future?

Or should they defy the family's orders, hold onto this foundation in the western border, and watch the fire from the other side of the river?

This was a difficult choice.

After a long while, Roko slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone below.

He saw the tension, worry, and anticipation in their eyes.

He suddenly smiled.

"Everyone, are you afraid?"

The crowd was stunned, not knowing how to answer.

"Afraid of what?" Roko stood up and said in a resonant voice, "If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

"Right now, I am the tallest person in the Sunset Province!"

"The Royal Capital is in chaos; for us, that is a bad thing, but—it is also a good thing!"

His words left everyone feeling confused.

"Master Governor, what do you mean by that?" Vittel couldn't help but ask.

Roko walked to the center of the hall, looking at everyone, a light of wisdom flickering in his eyes.

"The Royal Capital is in great chaos, with two factions fighting; who among them still has the energy to manage our affairs in the western border?"

"This is the best opportunity for our development!"

"In the past, whatever we did, we had to look at the Royal Capital's face. But now, in this Sunset Province, we call the shots ourselves!"

"We have fertile land, a population of hundreds of thousands, trade support from the Commercial Alliance, and a military industrial base in the Dwarf Mountains!"

"We can completely close our doors, farm our own fields, train our own soldiers, and develop our own strength!"

"When those people in the Royal Capital have fought until both sides are injured and exhausted, that is when we will emerge."

"By then, who will call the shots in the entire Bulake Kingdom remains to be seen!"

Roko's words were like a bolt of lightning, splitting the fog in everyone's hearts.

That's right!

How had they not thought of that!

The Royal Capital being in chaos meant that central power had been weakened to the extreme.

Wasn't this a heaven-sent opportunity for local forces like them to develop and grow?

As long as they held onto their base, the Sunset Province, and made their fortune in silence.

By the time the Royal Capital decided a winner, they would already possess the strength to contend with either side!

By then, no matter who won, they would have to treat this "King of the West" who held heavy troops with great respect!

Brilliant!

Truly brilliant!

Expressions of sudden realization and immense admiration appeared in everyone's eyes.

The way they looked at Roko had changed from simple awe to heartfelt worship.

This young Governor was not only powerful and highly skilled, but also possessed a strategic vision that ordinary people could not reach!

"But, Master," Vittel was still a bit worried, "Defying the family head's orders regarding the Raymond Family—that is a major taboo in noble circles."

"I will write to my father to explain it myself." Roko waved his hand, his face calm.

"I will tell him that holding the western border and preserving a final retreat for the family is far more important than throwing all our strength into that bottomless pit of a Royal Capital."

"I believe he will understand."

Hearing Roko say this, everyone felt completely at ease.

"Master Governor is wise!"

"We are willing to follow Master Governor to the death and create a great cause together!"

The mountain-shaking, sea-roaring sounds of allegiance rose once again.

Roko nodded with satisfaction.

He knew that through this incident, he had completely won over the hearts of these people.

"Alright." He raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"To repel outsiders, one must first settle internal affairs."

"Before considering the affairs of the Royal Capital, we must first clean up our own house."

His gaze instantly turned icy.

"Although Archibald has fallen, he has operated in the Sunset Province for so many years and has many cronies."

"These people are like a malignant tumor growing on the province; if we don't dig them out completely, they will sooner or later become a major threat to our hearts."

He looked at Silas.

"Master Silas, your Commercial Alliance's intelligence network should now come into play."

"I want a list."

"A list of all the nobles and officials who have colluded closely with Archibald and participated in his dirty dealings."

"I want to know the evidence of each of their crimes, their family wealth, and their military strength."

"Not a single one can be missed."

Silas felt a chill in his heart; he knew that this new Governor was about to begin a great purge.

"Yes, Master Governor!" he hurriedly replied, "Within three days, I guarantee that the most detailed list will be placed on your desk." "Very good." Roko nodded.

Then, he looked at Vittel again.

"General Vittel, from now on, the City Guard will enter the highest state of combat readiness."

"Block all main roads entering and leaving the city; without my written order, no one is allowed to leave Sunset City without authorization."

"I want to close the door and beat the dog!"

"Yes, Master Governor!"

A glimmer of excitement flashed in Vittel's eyes.

He knew that a political storm sweeping across the entire Sunset Province was about to arrive.

And he would be the sharpest blade in the Governor's hand during this storm.

A "booty-sharing meeting" aimed at liquidating old forces and redistributing power and wealth had thus begun.

The entire Sunset City was surging with undercurrents.

Countless spies began to move through every corner of the city.

Secret arrests were carried out quietly in the dead of night.

Those nobles and officials who had once attached themselves to Archibald and acted arrogantly had not yet recovered from the shock of the Governor's downfall,

when they discovered they had become turtles in a jar.

Panic began to spread among them.

However, what they did not know was that a larger net had already quietly enveloped the entire Sunset Province.

In places they could not see, the clouds of war were slowly approaching.

Just as Roko was carrying out a major purge within Sunset City.

Hundreds of miles away, on the other side of the Bulake Mist Mountains.

The border fortress of the Castilla Principality, Bloodhoof Fortress.

A messenger wearing the Three-Headed Dragon emblem was galloping wildly, charging into the fortress.

"Urgent military intelligence!"

"His Highness the Third Prince has succeeded in his uprising!"

"By order of the Duke, the 'Dragon Slaughter Plan' is to be launched ahead of schedule!"

Three days later.

Sunset Plaza.

This was the largest plaza in Sunset City, capable of holding one hundred thousand people.

But today, it was packed so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Countless citizens poured in from all directions of the city, surrounding the entire plaza and the surrounding streets three layers deep.

They were all here to watch the excitement.

To watch a once-in-a-thousand-years spectacle: the trial of the provincial Governor.

In the center of the plaza, a tall trial platform had been temporarily erected.

Directly above the trial platform hung a huge, golden Flame Griffin flag fluttering in the wind.

That was the family flag of Roko Raymond.

Under the flag, Roko sat in the position of the chief judge, wearing a black Governor's ceremonial robe, his face expressionless.

On his sides sat Vittel, Silas, and more than a dozen newly promoted nobles and generals of the Sunset Province who were loyal to him.

Below the trial platform, Archibald wore prison clothes, his hair disheveled, bound to a pillar of shame by two thick chains.

His eyes were still dead and silent.

For these three days, he had been locked in a dungeon that saw no light, where his cries to heaven and earth went unanswered.

He had thought about committing suicide, but the people Roko sent to guard him gave him no chance at all.

He knew that today, he was doomed.

And he would die in the most humiliating way.

The trial began quickly.

A scribe walked onto the trial platform and read out Archibald's crimes to the public in a resonant voice.

"First count: Colluding with the Poison Scorpion Society, assassinating nobles, and harming civilians, with conclusive evidence!"

"Second count: Indulging the Bulake Wolf Bandit Group, plundering merchants, and slaughtering villages, a heinous crime!"

"Third count: Using power for personal gain, corruption, and exploiting the people, with a massive amount involved!"

One crime after another was made public.

Every time one was read, the scribe would show the scrolls of evidence to the citizens in the plaza.

Those were things searched out from the secret chamber of the Governor's mansion.

There were letters of correspondence between him and the Poison Scorpion Society, his dirty orders, and blood-stained account books—

The citizens in the plaza went from whispering at the beginning, to shock, and finally to anger.

"Kill him! Kill this bastard!"

"He ruined my family! My son was killed by the Bulake Wolf Bandit Group!"

"So it was all him behind the scenes! This animal!"

"Hang him! Hang him!"

The crowd was incensed, their voices shaking the sky.

Countless rotten vegetable leaves, stinking eggs, and stones rained down like a storm toward Archibald under the trial platform.

Archibald did not dodge, letting those filthy things hit his body and face.

His heart was already numb.

He just raised his head and looked at the expressionless young man on the throne with those dead, silent eyes.

He knew that all of this was the work of this person.

He not only wanted to kill him, but also to destroy his heart.

He wanted to completely ruin him and let him stink for ten thousand years.

What a ruthless method.

"The final count!"

The scribe's voice rose again, drowning out all the clamor.

"Archibald, as a noble of the Bulake Kingdom, having received royal grace for generations, yet not thinking of repaying it, instead colluding with foreign enemies, secretly communicating with the Castilla Principality, intending to invite the wolf into the house and subvert the Kingdom!"

"This is the crime of treason!"

"The crime is unforgivable! It warrants the execution of the nine generations!"

"Treason?!"

This charge exploded in the crowd like a real bomb.

Everyone was stunned.

They could never have imagined that their Governor had actually done such a heartless thing.

"Evidence is here!"

The scribe held high the letter sealed with golden thread, the personal letter from the Third Prince.

The content of the letter was magnified onto a huge screen so that everyone could see it clearly.

At this point, no one doubted it anymore.

The plaza fell into a brief, dead silence.

Then, a roar a hundred times more violent than before erupted.

"Traitor! Kill him!"

"Burn him! Burn this traitor!"

The anger of the people had reached its peak.

They wished they could rush onto the trial platform and tear Archibald apart alive.

Roko looked at the angry faces below and nodded with satisfaction.

This was the effect he wanted.

The hearts of the people could be used.

He stood up and walked to the very front of the trial platform.

He did not speak, but simply raised his right hand high.

The entire plaza instantly quieted down.

Everyone's eyes were focused on him, waiting for his final verdict.

"I, Roko Raymond, in the name of the Acting Governor of the Sunset Province, hereby announce!"

His voice, amplified by magic, spread throughout the entire plaza.

"The traitor Archibald, his crimes are heinous, and heaven cannot tolerate him!"

"Sentenced to hanging!"

"Execute immediately!"

"Hang him! Hang him!"

A mountain-shaking, sea-roaring cheer erupted in the plaza.

A gallows that had been prepared long ago was pushed up.

Archibald was untied from the pillar of shame by two executioners and dragged toward the gallows.

He did not struggle, nor did he beg for mercy.

He just took one deep look at Roko on the throne the moment before the noose was put on him.

In those eyes, there was resentment, and a trace of—relief.

"Execute!"

Following Roko's order.

The wooden board under Archibald's feet was pulled away.

His body struggled violently in mid-air for a few moments, and then, it became motionless.

A generation's hero, the Governor of the Sunset Province, ended his sinful life in such an undignified way.

Watching Archibald's corpse swaying in the wind.

The citizens in the plaza erupted into cheers that lasted for a long time.

They shouted Roko's name, regarding him as the hero who saved the Sunset Province.

And those newly surrendered nobles and generals, watching this scene, no longer had any illusions in their hearts.

They knew that the iron-blooded methods of this new Governor had already been deeply branded in everyone's hearts. ===== CHAPTER 187 =====