Chapter 157: Give My Regards to Duke Rosen (23)

Aaron.

Lion Fortress.

The king's administrative study's door was tightly shut.

Two people at the door.

One of them was naturally Dan Ge, the other was a female mage.

The female mage had thick chestnut‑brown long hair, a pair of deep golden, uncanny eyes, milk‑white skin, wore a white vest and breeches underneath, a gold‑trimmed white military coat on top, and held a diplomatic staff carved from white jade and gold.

Her temperament was both charming and dashing.

Beyond that, one could clearly sense a faint, burgeoning strange power within her.

She simply stood there, and the once dim study suddenly felt bright and cheerful.

"Ms. Ailin, I have summoned you this time to discuss the dispute between our two nations over the Giant Fortress."

Dan Ge said so.

The woman called Ailin deftly twirled the staff in her hand, somewhat nonchalantly.

"Your Majesty, I think until the battlefield situation becomes clear, there is little for us to discuss."

Her tone was somewhat rude; if she were an envoy from another kingdom, Dan Ge would surely be furious, but not with this person.

She hails from the Radiant Empire, is herself an Arcane Master of Four-ring Peak, and also a royal family member—cousin to Empress Zhuo Ya.

She has the standing to speak that way.

Dan Ge tapped a scroll on the table and said, "Ms. Ailin, perhaps you should take a look at the contents of this document."

Ailin tapped the scroll, examined it closely, then smiled thinly, "Technical data on the Rotating‑Leaf Aircraft. Heh heh~ Your Majesty, this gift is no light matter."

The so‑called Rotating‑Leaf Aircraft was originally inspired by falling leaves.

A mage discovered that certain shaped leaves naturally spin as they fall, and their trajectories are especially stable.

Thus, a mage tried to make the leaves spin in reverse, and some shapes managed to follow their falling path and fly back upward into the sky.

And the path remained very stable.

Based on this, a brand‑new concept for a flying device was formed.

Long‑duration flight in the sky like birds is a key breakthrough project for all nations.

Because any sane battlefield commander knows the huge impact of airborne troops.

Reconnaissance, supply transport, rapid thrusts and decapitations, etc., are practically a universal force.

In the field of Rotating‑Leaf Aircraft, Aaron has deep research; though not necessarily ahead of the Radiant Empire, leveraging strengths and shoring up weaknesses would greatly accelerate the empire's progress.

Of course, the scroll only records a technical overview; to obtain the real thing, one must meet King Aaron's conditions.

"Your Majesty, what do you intend to exchange this information for?"

Dan Ge replied, "In exchange for a year of peace at the Giant Fortress."

"Your Majesty, your appetite is indeed huge; this little thing is not enough,"

Dan Ge gave a faint smile.

"The Holy Elves Empire also exerts considerable pressure on Her Majesty the Empress; the Elves Empire is thriving and will surely advance eastward again,"

"If Her Majesty the Empress now accepts my terms, someday in the future, should you need it, I Aaron can lend you aid from behind rather than stabbing you with a dagger,"

His words instantly made Ailin drop her nonchalant expression: "Lord Dan Ge, you certainly know a lot."

She was about to speak when the study was knocked, three loud knocks followed by a light one, indicating a very urgent situation.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and Weilan's telepathic messenger mage hurried in, glanced at Ms. Ailin, and immediately showed a hint of hesitation.

Ailin promptly said, "Then I will withdraw for now."

Dan Ge thought for a moment, felt he should show his sincerity, and said, "No need, Ms. Ailin, you surely know this matter as well."

"Sarant, speak directly."

Since that was so, Ms. Ailin paced to the wall and became a silent observer.

Telepathic messenger Sarant immediately reported, "Your Majesty, Weilan has an emergency."

Dan Ge furrowed his brow and said, "Speak."

"In Olan County, situated at Hope Cape and renowned for cotton, the army fell into turmoil. A massive number of lower‑rank soldiers rushed into Earl Riyate's castle, slaughtered the entire earl's family, even the infants still in swaddling!"

Dan Ge's hand twitched violently as he heard, "A rebellion this quickly?!"

Chaos is the collapse of social order, naturally spawning various illegal local militias; the emergence of rebels is inevitable.

But the speed is too rapid, isn't it? Only seven days have passed since Prince Kao entered Dawn City!

"What exactly is happening?"

"Because the Baron of White Sturgeon Island issued a document titled 'Weilan Civilian Debt Transfer Announcement.'"

"The announcement states that, in view of Duke Laide's gross negligence of Dawn Bank and his voluntary flight from Dawn Castle, completely abandoning the duties of Duke of Dawn, he is deemed to have automatically forfeited his ducal title."

Upon hearing this, Dan Ge again entertained the thought of dragging Laide out of Red Fortress and mincing him.

"The announcement also says that the Southern County Earl disregarded the lawful interests of Weilan citizens, long‑term fenced off and oppressed them, wholly failing his duty to protect his subjects, and is therefore deemed an illegal lord."

"The announcement condemns the Southern Earl as guilty; anyone may execute the earl. It also declares his assets confiscated, to become communal property of all Weilan citizens."

Dan Ge's eyes twitched as he heard, "If the baron says so, do those people really obey him?"

How can an island baron judge an earl?!

Even if he married the Dawn Princess, he remains a baron, and his domain is still just a tiny White Sturgeon Island!

The messenger sighed.

"The final clause of the announcement states that all Dawn Bank certificates held by Weilan citizens are recognized as valid, including the Levinde Royal Family's forged fake notes."

"The Baron of White Sturgeon Island pledged to establish the 'Weilan Citizens Bank,' which will replace Dawn Bank in providing certificate exchange services for Weilan citizens. At the same time, the bank will, on behalf of Weilan citizens, pursue debts from the Levinde Royal Family."

Dan Ge's hands trembled a little as he listened, his face full of disbelief: 'This sum of money is at least thirty million Ogres—how can a mere baron possibly exchange it?'

'On what grounds can a single notice confiscate a count's property? On what grounds does he dare to demand debt repayment from the Levinde Royal Family?'

Ms. Ailin beside him also wore a look of curiosity.

She knew Weilan had been in turmoil lately, with a rash little baron, but she never imagined he would go this far—daring to wipe out a count's family.

This doesn't seem like ordinary chaos, and this little baron doesn't seem like an ordinary person either.

The messenger mage whispered: 'Probably because the baron of White Sturgeon Island demonstrated a terrifying new weapon!'

Before the king could ask, he began describing the new weapon.

'It is an extremely fast and also enormously large flying magical device.'

'It is clearly made of metal, yet it slices across the sky like lightning. Compared to it, the swiftest warhorse is as slow as a snail.' 'This flying magical device set out from White Sturgeon Island and flew a full circle around Weilan Giant Island.'

'The counts wanted to attack the device, but it flies very high, its defense is astonishing, and its attack power is also extremely terrifying.'

'It carries an extremely powerful mind‑magic device; in a single dive, the thousands of soldiers guarding the count's castle either all faint or run about like frightened sheep.'

Snap~~

Dan Ge's pen slipped from his hand and fell straight onto the desk.

'Such a powerful flying magical device?'

He turned to Ms. Ailin: 'Lady, you couldn't have been supporting this, could you?'

As it turned out, she looked just as shocked.

Ailin was truly shocked; although they did have flying magical devices domestically, they were nowhere near as powerful as the messenger mage described.

They lacked such speed, had nothing capable of countering a mind‑magic device that could affect thousands of soldiers, and certainly had no long‑range ability to circle Weilan Giant Island.

That's a journey of at least two thousand kilometers!

Hearing this, she suddenly felt the baron was a bit frightening! The messenger mage, unaware of the king's thoughts, whispered softly: 'In short, the baron of White Sturgeon Island is now universally acknowledged in southern Weilan as the absolute authority, regarded as the lord of Weilan!'

Dan Ge shuddered again: 'Lord of Weilan? Shouldn't the lord of Weilan be the Dawn Princess?'

The messenger mage gave a wry smile: 'Your Majesty, the common folk's recognition of the baron is clearly greater than that of the Dawn Princess. Evidently, this is building momentum for the baron's ascension.'

Dan Ge felt his heart tighten; he carefully pondered the rumors he had heard about the White Sturgeon Island baron, and gradually a clear picture of the baron's course of action emerged in his mind.

He finally understood: 'Starting from the pearl ornaments four months ago, he has been scheming to seize Weilan!'

From that time on, he must have calculated everything that followed, advancing step by step, while Lai De, that good‑for‑nothing, is his prey.

That good‑for‑nothing is like a snail without eyes or ears, stumbling bit by bit into the trap he set; even his every reaction was anticipated, and the optimal counter‑strategy was executed.

'Debt transfer announcement~~~haha~~~taking the count's money to plug the hole in Dawn Bank, haha~~what a clever scheme!'

The southern counts' money actually belongs to Aaron—using Aaron's funds to play the benefactor! With a final safety net in place, everything beforehand naturally faced no obstruction.

That is to say, Aolan County was the first count killed, but certainly not the last.

It seems all the baron‑lords of southern Weilan are bound to be slain!

These lords were Aaron's carefully trained hounds, now wiped out—a real pity; Dan Ge wants to go rescue them.

Whether people can be rescued is another matter, but the money must be saved! Yet the 200‑kilometer strait has become a natural barrier.

The opponent moves far too quickly; by the time Aaron's army rushes over, it will likely be too late for anything.

But no matter what, he must send troops to rescue.

Save as many as can be saved.

But his thoughts were still turning when new news from Weilan arrived—this time a new mind‑message mage.

Because of Weilan's complex situation, as many as five mind‑message lines have been opened.

The mind‑message mage said: 'Your Majesty, in the south, fifteen commanderies, the lords of fourteen of them, and thirty‑two ancient great nobles—all are gone.'

Dan Ge nearly jumped up: 'What?!'

This is happening way too fast!

Ms. Ailin likewise gasped, straightening her waist and back, her deep‑gold eyes widening to perfect circles.

Dan Ge even choked on his own saliva, coughing embarrassedly: 'Mage, you'd better not have gotten the message wrong!'

The newly arrived messenger mage sighed: 'Your Majesty, after triple verification, the message is correct—not a single count survived; all were slain, even the youngest child.'

'The thirty‑two great nobles are the same; the largest among them is the Shahelamu family of Dawn City.'

'The Shahelamu family? The ones who host the victory chess tournament? They're finished too?'

'Yes, finished—the whole clan is utterly destroyed.'

'The corpse of Master Shahelamu was hung on a lamppost beside the Plaza of Honor—stripped of clothing, covered in wounds, even his toys were cut, and before death he suffered the utmost humiliation.'

Dan Ge's hand trembled a little; though he was overwhelmed with shock, he somehow felt a pang of envy.

'What a ruthless baron~What a decisive move!'

He had long wanted to do that, but dared not, for if he acted, his corpse would be hung on a lamppost the next day just like Shahelamu's.

After envy came fear.

'Weilan has completely spiraled out of control; there is no chance to take it back unless the baron dies.'

Dan Ge considered sending an assassination squad, but then immediately abandoned the idea.

It wasn't out of fear of Levin the Sage's blessing, but fear of the baron himself.

Anyone who could anticipate everything, ultimately launch like thunder and lightning, and finally succeed in seizing Weilan, would certainly also be guarding against his assassination.

An assassination attempt would likely fail, instead driving relations between the two sides into a dead end.

As for that terrifying flying magical device, it too must be thoroughly investigated and a counter‑strategy devised.

Otherwise, even sleeping would be uneasy.

After a silence of a full three minutes, Dan Ge called out to his chief of internal affairs: 'Alai!'

Alai entered, saying: 'I, your esteemed lion king.'

Go call Master Schmidt over.

He turned his head again to Ms. Erin and said, "Ma'am, I'm sure you have a lot of news to send back home, right?"

Ms. Erin nodded: "Exactly."

She turned and left.

Soon, Master Schmidt arrived.

Dange issued a secret order.

Go to the Red Fortress, bind Ryder, personally take him to White Sturgeon Island, deliver him into Baron Luosen's hands, and say it's my apology gift to him.

Master Schmidt blinked: "Ryder? Do you mean Duke Ryder of Dawn?"

Yes.

But why apologize to the baron, Your Majesty?

To apologize for having once coveted his wife.

Your Majesty?!

Schmidt doubted he had misheard.

The tall, sturdy Dange braced his hands on the desk, like a defeated lion.

Go do it, Schmidt, convey my regards to Baron Luosen—no, I should say, convey my regards to Duke Luosen.

(End of chapter)