Chapter 141

Crescent Castle.

The conference hall of the lord's long house.

Luosen and Selena-shaped 'puppets' sat side by side on the bench.

Why are they puppets?

Because Selena is due in a month, her pregnancy is very obvious, impossible to hide.

On their left and right were island guard warriors; further down, to the left were navy department commanders, and to the right were army department commanders.

In this naval battle, the navy was naturally the main force, but the army artillery corps also earned merit.

Further down stood a group of disheveled warriors, their faces smeared with black grime and scars.

They were the senior officers of Dawn City's Storm Fleet.

There weren't many, just over thirty. Originally there were nearly 200, but they all died at sea.

Leading them was Fleet Supreme Commander Wood Adrian Marshal, one of the three Marshals of the Storm Fleet.

On their left and right were island guard warriors; further down, to the left were navy department commanders, and to the right were army department commanders.

Further down stood a group of disheveled warriors, their faces smeared with black grime and scars.

There weren't many, just over thirty. Originally there were nearly 200, but they all died at sea.

Leading them was Fleet Supreme Commander Wood Adrian Marshal, one of the three Marshals of the Storm Fleet.

He looked about fifty, with short, frosty white hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and a pair of the Adrian family's distinctive jade-green eyes.

Of course, this eye had already become somewhat cloudy, and now it was filled with a strong sense of defeat.

Selena looked at this old man, her face icy as she demanded: 'Uncle, why have you come?!'

Te Wude took a deep breath: 'I come under the Duke's order to suppress the pearl fraudsters of White Sturgeon Island.'

Selena sneered: 'Pearl fraud? How could the pearls we sell be fake?'

Hmph~~

Now continue scanning lines for other named entities.

Selena wanted to laugh: 'What is nobility?'

'Is condemning people at random nobility? Is looting nobility? Or is being Aaron's dog nobility?!'

Te Wude felt unable to parry these sharp words.

He felt Selena had changed; she used to be much more restrained than now.

Selena chuckled lightly: 'I know Laide's thoughts; it's simply that too much gold has flowed to White Sturgeon Island through legal trade, and he's unhappy.'

But I must say, this gold does not belong to him; it belongs to the Adrian family! As Duke, he only has partial authority over the gold.

But I, Dawn Princess Selena, do not acknowledge his ducal status!

I believe he has not fulfilled the duties of the Dawn Duke, and I deem him unworthy to be the Supreme Lord guarding Weilan.

And now, Marshal Te Wude, I ask you in earnest as Dawn Princess, and I hope you answer earnestly.

Do you think Laide is competent?!

Having said that, Selena looked down at Te Wude from above.

This is a very thorny problem; Te Wude did not want to state his position publicly, he wanted to lower his gaze to avoid it, yet he heard Selena's sharp shout.

'Uncle, don't dodge me; answer my question!'

Te Wude was forced to lift his head again: 'I am merely a warrior.'

Are you still a member of the Adrian family, or do you intend to abandon that glorious Adrian surname?

Te Wude was backed into a corner with no retreat.

He gritted his teeth and blurted: 'Well, Laide has indeed done a poor job.'

He indeed harbors dissatisfaction toward Laide, especially regarding his attitude toward Aaron.

Selena nodded in satisfaction: 'He is indeed incapable; despite controlling so many resources of Weilan Giant Island, he cannot even build a decent fleet.'

If I and my husband govern Weilan, within three years our Weilan navy will sweep the oceans, invincible under heaven!

This statement is truly arrogant, but after experiencing such a glorious victory, no one has anything to say, and indeed it seems quite reasonable.

The Princess and Baron, relying only on the resources of a small island, in less than a year produced such a dreadful warship.

If the strength of Weilan's twenty-five counties were united, in a year they could build over a hundred warships; Weilan would practically be the master of the oceans! Everyone present were warriors.

Warriors' personalities are straightforward; they acknowledge whoever can fight.

Whoever can beat whom becomes the boss.

Te Wude is of course also a warrior; although he has some aristocratic habits, his military aptitude is still quite good.

He has been completely convinced.

At this moment, seeing his niece openly declare that Laide's ducal status should be stripped, the implication naturally was that he himself wanted to become Duke.

He thought it over and felt this idea was actually not bad; after all, they're all Adrian family members, so who serves as who doesn't matter. Over these years, as Marshal of Weilan's navy, he has constantly been suppressed and even restrained by Aaron's navy, leaving him with a lingering resentment.

In daily life, he also takes issue with Laide.

As Duke, his wife casually spends tens of thousands of Ogres on pearls, dressing herself in jeweled splendor.

Looking at his niece and her husband before him, they have clearly earned millions of Ogres, yet their clothing remains simple and their castle is downright shabby.

On one side, incompetence and extravagance without ambition; on the other, a simple life yet eager to progress.

The difference is truly enormous, practically two extremes.

The sense of defeat combined with the Adrian family's pride made Marshal Te Wude's blood boil, casting aside worldly concerns.

He spoke frankly: 'Your Highness, I personally believe the charges against Laide are hastily laid; I have examined that batch of pearl ornaments, and they are indeed exquisite. Selling them at this price is also just and reasonable.'

But I am merely a warrior; as long as he remains Duke, I must obey orders—this is the supreme honor of a warrior.

Subconsciously, whoever is Duke, he will serve.

The Marshal shifted his stance; what else could the other officers say?

Luosen pointed to the specially marked new route.

'Ah!'

Sir Maxim jumped up in shock, the wine in his glass sloshing violently and wetting his front clothing.

'Currently, only the knight in Levinde knows about this; isn't the knight going to make good use of this good news?'

A simple sentence made Maxim's heart pound like a drum! He certainly knew the huge value of this news.

He also knew there's no free lunch, so he immediately said: 'How should I repay the baron?'

Luosen had already thought of this; of course, he couldn't say it outright, or it would hurt Maxim's sensitive feelings.

'There's no need for repayment; this is just a small return for an old friend's generous gesture.'

Maxim was indeed pleased, unable to keep a smile from his face.

They also changed their tone, all saying they thought the orders were unreliable, but with duties on their shoulders they had to obey the orders.

Selena nodded with satisfaction: "Bring them in, detain my uncle and all the officers in the POW camp for now, and treat them well."

"The navy soldiers of the Storm Fleet, heal the wounded properly, and compile the casualty list in full."

Immediately, a guard soldier stepped forward to carry out the order.

Te Wude and the officers also cooperated fully, following the guard soldier to the POW camp.

"Uncle~ rest for now; in a few days I'll come to discuss with you in detail."

Te Wude turned and saluted Selena: "Yes, Your Highness."

Only after this batch of surrendering officers left did Luosen speak.

"In this battle, the soldiers of each division performed very well; once the combat merit tally is finished, the award ceremony will begin."

Naturally, everyone was delighted.

But the degree of joy differed between the two divisions.

The navy division was very pleased, even smug.

Having such a powerful warship, they can now traverse the oceans, and islands will inevitably rely on the navy, so they have huge development potential.

The army division, however, felt some worry.

Because even a blind man can see that the Baron places extreme importance on the navy, pouring countless gold and silver into it.

The army fears it will soon become a stepchild.

For a moment, they couldn't even smile.

Luosen observed these subtle emotions and decided to pacify the army division, not truly forgetting the army.

Because to truly conquer a land, the navy alone is far insufficient; the army is also needed.

Moreover, the navy soldiers' overconfidence is not a good thing.

He spoke again, his voice heavy as he warned.

"Island warriors, this battle is merely an insignificant small victory in our rise. Our opponent is just an incompetent Duke of the old era."

"Warriors, remember, today's battle is only the beginning!"

"In the near future, we will face more battles, both on the sea and on land."

"Our opponent is not only the Duke, but also Aaron behind the Duke!"

At the mention of Aaron, the lofty morale of the generals stalled.

These two words represent the strongest sovereign power of the Natural Alliance, symbolizing the shadow that has loomed over Weilan for centuries.

Weilan has seen countless people rise in rebellion, even several Dukes have tried to break free from Aaron's control, but all ultimately failed and met tragic ends.

Even a Duke cannot escape!

Thus, the weight of those two words is so heavy that all the warriors, even Princess Selena herself, felt a heavy burden, and the joy of victory faded by more than half.

Seeing it take effect, Luosen scanned the generals—from the army's Kao Delin Overseer to the navy's Yue Pu Overseer—and said, "Now, I ask you, when the lion roars at us, what should we do?"

Yue Pu was speechless; being from Shire County, he knows how terrifying Aaron is.

Kao Delin, after a brief pause, roared, "Fire at him!"

Luosen nodded approvingly at Kao Delin, "Warriors, remember these four words of Overseer Kao Delin."

"I ask you to remember, wielding a blade against the weak is not honor. Opening fire on the strong is true heroism!"

After those words, the navy officers' smugness vanished, turning into deeper resolve.

The lord was right; the ten‑thousand‑mile journey has only taken its first step.

Seeing his words hit the mark, Luosen gestured, "Go strive, warriors."

After the officers withdrew, Luosen still had many affairs to arrange.

The warriors just swing their blades, while the lord must handle everything.

Victory is indeed exhilarating, and the islanders continue to revel, but the lord must see the deeper issues.

Currently, White Sturgeon Island's biggest problem is a shortage of people.

Without people, abundant resources are useless.

From another angle, the combat power displayed in this battle is already nearing White Sturgeon Island's strength limit.

A tiny island essentially has no war potential.

Not to mention Aaron, even compared to Weilan, White Sturgeon Island is just a little guy playing at extreme operations.

If played well, it wins applause; if it fails, it collapses catastrophically.

We must, while holding the advantage, move to the next step immediately.

After returning to the administrative study, he immediately sought out the administrative Overseer Klub.

"Klub, draft three official documents right away."

"The first victory document: send the news of the naval victory to the Earl of North County."

"Yes, my lord."

"Second, a meeting document: arrange a time with the northern earls, convene a telegraph conference to discuss issuing a joint statement."

What joint statement? Of course, a joint petition to convene an island‑wide lord assembly, demanding a re‑election of the Duke.

According to Weilan tradition, if more than one‑third of the island's earls submit the petition, the Duke must convene an island‑wide lord assembly within a year to re‑elect the Duke.

Otherwise the dukedom is illegal.

This is both a final ultimatum to the Duke and a way to fully bring North County onto the war wagon! Once North County is fully on board, he will follow with a series of combos to integrate Weilan's north into a whole, greatly boosting war potential.

Klub hadn't thought much, but he was quite excited. He didn't expect to reach this point so quickly, and he is only 33 this year, still very young.

So far he's doing quite well; if the Princess truly becomes a Duchess, he might become a council minister of Dawn City.

He is just a common mercenary, never imagined he could reach this point.

Suppressing his excitement, he calmly nodded, "Yes, my lord."

Luosen also said: "Third, issue a high-level talent recruitment notice, recruiting various high-level talents with high remuneration from the entire Natural Alliance."

"Mages, artisans, etc., all are wanted; whether he is noble or commoner doesn't matter. Only one thing is valued: ability!"

The factory's production capacity still needs to be further increased, and the shipyard also needs to be expanded.

Especially, new weapons also need to be developed faster to maintain a generational advantage.

What to do? Of course, leverage the prestige of this great victory, leverage the money earned from selling pearls, and vigorously recruit talent from outside the island.

Yes, my lord.

Klub again loudly acknowledged the command.

After he left, Luosen again sought out the Intelligence Bureau chief, Mage Stonard.

First, gather post-war reactions from all northern and southern counties, constantly monitor troop movements in each county, constantly monitor the Duke's Dawn Legion's movements.

Finally, also pay attention to Aaron's reaction; once Aaron's troops show signs of moving north, report to me immediately.

Yes, my lord.

After a pause, Stonard asked: "My lord, how strong will Aaron's interference be?"

Luosen narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Whether it's big or not depends on how much free hand Aaron can free up."

He has already moved Kao's pawn, believing Aaron will soon feel the pressure from the old rival next door.

Luosen continued: "Second, the southern civilian propaganda plan can now begin."

There are three points of focus for the propaganda.

First, the news of the naval victory,

Second, the misdeeds of the southern county lords, and vigorously promote the island lord's generosity, benevolence, and openness.

The second point made Stonard's eyes light up: "My lord, do you not intend to retain the southern county baron?"

Luosen was not surprised by this question; the affection from growing up together gave the two a very high level of tacit understanding.

He smiled and said: "Keep them to continue bleeding? Or keep them to let Aaron turn them?"

The northern county is poor and backward, the baron's power is strong. The southern county, however, has already seen an emerging bourgeoisie and working class, while the barons are all Aaron's compradors.

The emerging bourgeoisie is at a loss, while the large working class that arose together with the bourgeoisie is suffering.

Luosen only needs to slightly guide them, and he can use their strength to uproot the southern county baron completely! Moreover, there is a deeper consideration: he wants to defy tradition and ascend to the position of Supreme Lord, not only needing to persuade the top tier to accept, but also to cultivate a completely new consensus among the populace.

And the popular consensus relies on public opinion to cultivate.

Stonard gave a hehe smile: "Then I understand how to propagate."

Luosen, however, raised his hand to signal the other not to rush, and he said in a solemn voice: "Third clause, propagate the news of the new route."

Stonard startled: "My lord, shouldn't the new route be kept hidden first?"

Luosen grinned: "What to hide? It should be openly displayed."

Not only should we not hide it, we must also vigorously promote our relationship with Levinde.

The key is to let the southern county, and even Aaron, think that we can win not because of ourselves, but entirely because of Levinde's support, even the new warship being provided by Levinde, so as to make them produce a strategic misjudgment.

Stonard startled: "Will Aaron believe this?"

Without evidence, of course he wouldn't believe it, but don't we have evidence?

Stonard's eyes lit up: "Knight Maxim!"

Seeing that he fully understood, Luosen finally reminded: "The intelligence team is growing day by day, the involved interests are also increasing enormously; ensuring the team's purity must not be neglected."

Not only must we keep the team pure, but subsequently we also need to split the Intelligence Bureau according to different primary functions, to prevent a single entity from becoming too dominant.

Mage Stonard startled, vaguely understanding Luosen's intention.

He felt a bit sad, sensing a rift with the lord, and thus found it hard to muster enthusiasm.

Luosen Ziran could naturally see that, and he spoke openly.

"Stonard, you and I grew up together; no matter what, you are my most relied-upon intelligence chief, but we are creating a entirely new kingdom; our descendants will not have our deep affection, and likely not our courage either, so we must establish a stable intelligence organization for them to emulate; do you understand?"

Stonard is extremely clever; he understood instantly, his resentment vanished: "My lord, may I still call you old master?"

Calling him "my lord" always felt strange to him, very uncomfortable.

As you wish.

Then he jerked his chin toward the door: "Kid, go scare the duke into having nightmares."

Stonard gave Luosen a military salute and marched off enthusiastically.

After he left, Luosen again called the steward: "Ah Fu, bring Knight Maxim over."

Soon, Knight Maxim arrived.

Compared to last time, his expression showed another obvious change; his handsome face now bore visible humility, and his demeanor appeared much more restrained.

Obviously, he was shocked by the new-style naval battle.

Luosen stood up, raised his hand to pour him a cup of wine, and the latter hastily received it with both hands, looking somewhat startled by the favor.

After sitting down again, Luosen smiled and said: "I heard that the knight has won the favor of the queen dowager?"

Maxim's heart gave a slight jolt; he immediately realized that the baron before him had also placed spies in Levinde.

Of course, these ears and eyes should not be deep, because his being favored by the queen dowager is not a secret.

He lightly nodded: "It is entirely thanks to the baron's steadfast marksmanship that I was able to conquer the queen dowager."

He still felt a bit strange, after all Levinde and White Sturgeon Island are separated by oceans; why would this baron pay attention to Levinde's situation? Luosen seemed to see his thought, and laughed heartily: "The knight surely wants to know why I am paying attention to Levinde, right?"

Er... yes.

Luosen gave a light smile, lifted the curtain behind the desk, revealing a sea chart, and he pointed to a line on the chart.

Because, we are actually not far apart.

It is not far, but separated by deep sea.

But I have found a way to cross the deep sea.

Luosen pointed to the newly marked route.

Ah!

Sir Maxim was so startled he nearly jumped up, the wine in his glass shaking violently and soaking his chest.

Currently, only the knight in Levinde knows this; aren't you going to make good use of this great news, Sir?

A simple sentence made Maxim's heart pound like a drum; he certainly knew the immense value of this news.

He also knew there's no free lunch, and immediately asked, "How should I repay the baron?"

Luosen had already thought it through, of course, and couldn't say it outright, as it would hurt Maxim's sensitive feelings.

"There's nothing to repay; this is just a small token of gratitude for an old friend's generosity."

Maxim was indeed delighted, unable to keep a smile from his face.

Luosen continued: "Our Northern Alliance needs preliminarily processed inferior magical materials, as well as various low-, mid-, and high-level magical equipment."

Also "術法" maybe generic; not a name.

"I'll give you a purchase list later; I guarantee we'll buy them at a price clearly higher than Levinde's market rate."

After all, the sea island's development is still short; while some aspects are outstanding, there are many shortcomings.

If we relied solely on our own development, not only would it consume vast manpower and resources, but it would also take a lot of time, causing us to miss many strategic opportunities.

Trading with Levinde would excellently compensate for this.

Levinde will surely agree, for this is a delicious new cake that anyone would gobble up.

Indeed, his words made Maxim's heart race, for he sensed a huge opportunity.

But he still had a worry: "How do we solve the problem of getting lost on the new route and dealing with deep-sea monsters?"

"We will provide a dedicated navigator."

The navigator is naturally not a siren, for the appearance of a siren would bring the Ice Envoy Laifeng to cause trouble.

Therefore, we will employ a human mage trained by sirens.

"How long does a sailing cargo ship take?"

"Sailing cargo ships aren't easy, given the unpredictable winds and unstable routes, so the timing varies—fastest eight days, slowest twelve days."

Maxim was thrilled: "This is already fast enough—more than twice as fast as the old route!"

Born into the noble Nobuton family of Levinde, he could mobilize enormous resources.

Now that he has seized this opportunity, he has countless ways to reap an extremely lucrative profit using this month's information advantage.

So he is truly deeply grateful to Luosen.

Luosen, seeing that enough had been said, threw out his core idea: "Sir, I have a wonderful idea; would you like to hear it?"

"Of course!" Maxim immediately sat up straight.

Luosen then said: "I intend to set up a shipyard on White Sturgeon Island to build civilian black stone freighters, but I currently lack both funds and manpower."

Maxim immediately understood: "I'll invest in this shipyard—I'll put in one million ogres!"

He didn't have that much money, but once he returned to Levinde and announced the new route, he could quickly raise the funds.

He also trusted Luosen's reputation and ability; this shipyard will surely make a fortune! Luosen laughed heartily, "One million is enough for me to build a big shipyard," he chuckled.

He also promised: "Within half a year, the shipyard will produce brand‑new black stone freighters; the first batch will be used exclusively on the new route."

This new shipyard is built on White Sturgeon Island, and its technology is naturally kept strictly secret.

Normally, selling cargo ships brings in big profits.

At critical moments, he can also requisition the shipyard to produce warships.

Through this shipyard, the false rumor that Levinde is the great backer behind White Sturgeon Island is made to appear true.

It's a three‑for‑one gain.

After the matter was settled, Luosen leaned back slightly in his chair, squinting at the excited Sir Maxim.

"Have you brought the queen dowager's measurements and preferences?"

"Of course."

"Oh~~ very good, I'll now customize you specifically."

"Also, regarding the new route, let's discuss it thoroughly to see how we can make it beneficial for both sides."

"Of course, of course, we need to talk it over carefully."

Maxim felt that this baron was a great benefactor in his life.

His personal happiness for the rest of his life, his own prospects, and even whether his family's honor can be maintained or enhanced, all depend on this respected, powerful, and mysterious baron.

As for Luosen.

Yet he was filled with emotion.

"The lord's affairs are truly as numerous as the hairs on an ox."

"Fortunately, fortunately there is Laifu to assist."

Otherwise, this truly wouldn't be work for a person.

(End of chapter)