Chapter 29: Family Unity Is Strength, My Lord Duke

Night.

The upper guest rooms on the third floor of the Blue Whale Mansion.

Selena and Lady Agneth sat face to face on the living‑room chairs, while Luosen insisted on standing behind Selena.

It was out of respect, and also because he had been sitting on the roof all night, his bottom was numb.

"With Sage Levin's protection, Aaron's people won't trouble you for now."

Lady Agneth said so.

Her spirit was still a bit dazed, her thoughts still immersed in the previously united, soaring greatness.

Selena gave a slight nod, but also worried: "Anna, do you think Dange will deal with Sage Levin?"

Lady Agneth shook her head.

"He certainly has that thought, but I doubt he has the courage."

"After all, a sage is uninterested in money, women, or even power; he is a pure mage."

"Such a sage is the most terrifying, because he has no restraints; once angered, he can do anything."

Selena felt reassured and full of emotion: "Sage Levin is a hero. I respect him, thank him, and am very glad that Weilan can have such a hero."

Lady Agneth strongly agreed: "Well said."

The two senior female mages sighed for a while, then finally turned their attention to Luosen.

"Selena, now you are free, so why still insist on marrying my disciple?"

Selena's face was shy, and she grabbed Luosen's hand.

"Because we promised to develop White Sturgeon Island together."

Lady Agneth was quite surprised: "Alright, it seems you really like Luosen; that's normal, after all my disciple is indeed rather good looking."

"But Luosen, are you hiding something from me?"

Luosen had known since early morning that the mentor was in the Harbor District, and also knew they would meet again, so he had naturally prepared an excuse long ago.

At this moment, with an "awkward" expression, he said: "Mentor, actually two years ago I already mastered all the knowledge a formal mage should possess."

"The reason I delayed two years is that your Magic Method Laboratory is fully equipped, the library has abundant books, and it offers apprentices a 40% discount."

"I was short of money and wanted to acquire more knowledge, so I concealed my progress."

"I apologize to you and am willing to compensate your loss."

Lady Agneth blinked, not seeming very angry; after all she wasn't short of money, and she was very pleased with Luosen's performance tonight.

But as a mentor, she must point out the apprentice's flaws, lest the apprentice become arrogant, even if the apprentice has already graduated.

So she seriously remarked: "Since you are willing to risk your life to protect Selena, I won't hold the concealment against you."

"But even so, you still took eight years to graduate; that's still a very mediocre result."

As soon as the words fell, Selena's suppressed giggle was suddenly heard.

"What are you laughing at?"

Selena cleared her throat lightly to stop laughing: "In other aspects I may be mediocre, but in Victory Chess I'm definitely a top genius."

Lady Agneth's cheeks reddened at a visible speed, but she quickly adjusted: "Although I'm not good at Victory Chess, I am the mentor of the Victory Chess King, aren't I?"

"Alright, Anna, you're absolutely right."

After saying that, Selena's expression suddenly grew solemn.

"Anna, I am completely disappointed in Lai De."

"He has become a cold‑blooded, ruthless Duke, whose heart holds only scheming, and everyone else, including me, are merely pieces he manipulates."

"I despise such people most; even if he is a blood relative, I must stay far away from him!"

"Therefore, I must go to White Sturgeon Island."

Lady Agneth understood, rose to Selena's side, and gently took her other hand: "I'll write to my brother right now and have him find a way to support you."

Hearing this, Luosen thought inwardly: "The mentor still has a good heart, always underestimating the world's darkness."

As he thought that, Selena let out a wry laugh: "Anna, I can't trouble you any more, because I've seen Lai De clearly now."

"He isn't very capable, but his desire to control is terrifyingly strong, and Luosen and I have greatly challenged his authority; he's surely now hating us to the core, even hating Sage Levin."

"Just watch, he'll soon issue a decree to block Weilan's Twenty‑Five Counties' trade with White Sturgeon Island, completely isolating us."

This made Lady Agneth somewhat surprised, but upon careful thought, she felt it wasn't impossible.

She was suddenly at a loss for words.

Beside them, Luosen looked at Selena with new respect: "Hey~ my princess beloved wife may react a bit slowly and get hot‑blooded, but she's still very clear—she hasn't misjudged the Duke at all."

He was now very satisfied with Selena's performance.

Selena didn't know Luosen's thoughts; instead she comforted Lady Agneth.

"Anna, don't worry about me; White Sturgeon Island is sizable, with plenty of trouble, enough for Luosen and me to tangle with for a long time."

"You know, I've always been a restless, trouble‑loving person."

Lady Agneth's mood improved slightly: "Anyway, be sure to write to me often; whenever I have time, I'll come to visit you."

"I will never forget, Anna; after all you're my only good friend—if I don't write to you, I wouldn't know who else to share my thoughts with."

Watching the two women chatter endlessly, Luosen still had some matters unfinished.

He suggested: "Madam, mentor, it's getting late; why not retreat to the bedroom for a girls' night, just like the past two days?"

The two women indeed felt excited.

Lady Agneth smiled and asked: "Luosen, what about you?"

"I can sleep next door, or even in the living room, just like the past two days."

Selena's cheeks flushed slightly; although she had half‑haphazardly become Luosen's wife and resolved to spend her life with him, she wasn't yet ready.

Regarding what was about to happen, she felt a bit uneasy; since her close friends had all experienced it, she thought of asking quietly.

Now Luosen's idea is indeed good.

She said, "Luosen, you should go rest in the next room, so as not to let gossip spread and damage Anna's reputation. After all, we aren't short of money now."

"As you wish, madam."

Selena then pulled Lady Agneth toward the bedroom: "Come, Anna, I have many whispers to tell you."

When the two women entered the bedroom, Luosen also turned and left the room.

With the help of several Black-Iron Guard stationed at the doorway, he quickly fell asleep in the bedroom of the next room.

After closing his eyes, without cultivating, he whispered in his mind, "Laifu, has Number One reached the designated position?"

He received a response quickly.

"Number One is already in place."

"Very good, stay ready at all times, prepared to execute orders at any moment."

The so-called Number One is actually the wandering Sage Levin.

Its true identity is a combat puppet that Luosen spent enormous effort to create.

Over the past ten years, he sequentially received the four supreme abilities trained by Laifu.

The first, Rosen's Meditations, granted him a deep reservoir of magical power.

Followed by the Transformation Technique, which gave him near‑perfect disguise ability and a unique alchemy.

The third, Puppet Art, gave him an external surrogate, greatly enhancing his ability to collect training data.

The final, Heart of the War God, endowed him with force to safeguard his own life, most of its combat data obtained via Puppet Art.

These four supreme abilities complement each other, and when combined form the ultimate masterpiece: Sage Levin.

Of course, there is no perfect spell in the world.

Although Levin's abilities are extremely strong, they also have many limitations.

For example, the maximum remote control distance cannot exceed 50 kilometers; at full power it consumes nearly a quarter of Laifu's computing capacity, and requires periodic recharging and maintenance.

In short, it is very troublesome to use.

Returning to the main topic.

Seeing Number One in position, Luosen issued another command to Laifu: "Activate Number One Detect Guard."

A faint light appeared before him, revealing a massive screen displaying the current state of the Duke's study. In the study, the Duke sat behind the desk as before, and in front of him stood a black‑robed mage, none other than Black‑Iron Guard leader Mage Ande.

The black‑robed mage described the events in the garden plaza in detail and objectively.

At a glance, he seemed like an emotionless robot, yet his subconsciously clenched fists revealed his nervous inner state.

The Duke listened attentively.

A storm gathered on his face.

After Mage Ande finished detailing all the incident, he said in a deep voice, "So, Selena would rather die than give up that little Baron?"

"Based on the Princess's behavior, that's how it appears."

*Click! *

The Duke crushed the enamel cup in his hand; sharp powder mixed with crimson blood seeped out from between his fingers.

Ande tried to step forward to stop the bleeding, but was ordered to stop.

He let the blood flow, his face flashing with lightning.

"I wondered why she suddenly agreed to marry that Baron, only to find she had long coveted him!"

"The unfathomable wandering Sage, the poor and ugly Bird‑Droppings Baron, the obedient little sister from childhood, actually teamed up against me!"

"These people have no idea how powerful Aaron is! They have no idea how difficult it is for me to maintain the current situation!"

"Selena, since you enjoy stirring in the mud, you shall stay in it forever!"

Saying that, the Duke barked at Ande, "Draft an announcement for me."

"Yes, Duke."

After Ande prepared paper and pen, the Duke read aloud in a deep voice.

"Selena Adrian, disregarding the interests of her family and duchy, acting willfully, is unfit to remain Dawn Princess of Weilan, nor fit to become Luosen, Saxon Baron's wife."

"Selena shall continue to be exiled to White Sturgeon Island, never allowed to set foot beyond a single step from White Sturgeon Island, and her marriage contract with the Baron shall be annulled."

"This shall be overseen and executed personally by the Baron."

"Furthermore, the Baron may choose any woman he favors to marry, except Selena. Should there be defiance, Selena will be imprisoned, and the Baron will be stripped of his title."

"Finally, all trade between Weilan's twenty‑fifth county and White Sturgeon Island is strictly prohibited, even the trade of bird droppings is forbidden!"

Saying this, a cold smile appeared on the Duke's face.

"Alright, deliver this announcement to the Cabinet Council now, have them pass it overnight. It must be posted on every bulletin board in Dawn City before sunrise tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Ande's expression remained unchanged, for he had become accustomed to all this.

Upon seeing this, Luosen thought silently, "The Duke truly is beyond angry."

What to do? Of course, do it now.

Luosen thought, "Laifu, have Number One execute the contingency plan, give our Grand Duke a surprise!"

"Executing the contingency plan."

Luosen immediately checked the Duke's study footage.

In the footage, the Duke grinned wickedly, seeming pleased with his devious idea, and Mage Ande was about to turn to issue the announcement.

Suddenly, a burst of intense light flashed outside the study window, indicating the castle's defensive formation being forcibly shattered.

Almost simultaneously, exquisite carved glass shattered with a "bang", and a black silhouette sped toward the Duke behind the desk.

The incident unfolded so quickly that the Duke had no time to react, and was struck squarely by the black silhouette!

Buzz~

His body surface was flooded with rune light and shadow, yet it triggered the crystal‑grid magical artifact 'Misfortune Barrier', its strength reaching the peak of the fourth ring.

Weilan's magical circles couldn't produce something like this; it must have been bought at great expense from the White Continent.

Pfft~

The black shadow was blocked, bounced back, and landed on the carpet—it was a dark‑silver metal sphere.

Only then did the Duke belatedly realize, jumping up like a rabbit, he darted to the wall corner and crouched, letting out a terrified roar.

"What's going on?! Why didn't the castle's defensive barrier work? Who did this?!"

Just like a frightened little girl.

Ande the mage also immediately crouched behind the wall, waited a moment, seeing no further movement, he carefully used Mage Hand to pick up the metal sphere on the floor.

He glanced at it and immediately said, "Duke, there's writing on the sphere."

"What writing?"

"It says, 'Family unity brings strength, Duke—respectfully presented by the wanderer Levin.'"

The Duke stared, then asked, "Did Levin do this? Why didn't the warning magic tower react?"

Ande turned and carefully examined the breach in the window, quickly reaching a conclusion.

"Duke, Levin must have been stationed far away, using fifth‑ring mana to launch a projectile‑type spell, forcibly throwing this over."

"How far is 'extremely far'?"

"Possibly about a kilometer, maybe even farther."

After a pause, Ande whispered, "Master, the Sage once clearly said he would protect the Princess, so just now it should have been a warning."

The Duke's forehead broke out in a cold sweat: "Starting tomorrow, we'll set up guard posts within one—no, two kilometers around the castle, and add multiple layers of defensive formations outside the study, increasing the strength by two—no, three times over the current level."

"Also, I want to replace the study, and all its guards must be changed out completely."

"Yes, Duke."

"Also, revise the announcement just made."

After pondering for a few seconds, the Duke said in a tone of great unwillingness:

"Selena remains the Dawn Princess; I agree to her marrying the Baron, but she is strictly forbidden from leaving White Sturgeon Island, and White Sturgeon Island is strictly forbidden from conducting commercial trade with any prefecture."

"She may be willful, but I must give an explanation to King Dange."

"Yes, Duke."

The Duke fell silent for a few seconds, then asked again: "Is there a way to kill this Levin?"

This time, Ande the mage remained silent for a full ten seconds before answering.

"Unless Levin is stupid enough to insist on fighting the army head‑on, there is no method that can guarantee his death."

"And if we act but fail to kill him, then—"

The latter half went unsaid, but the Duke certainly understood: henceforth he would have to constantly guard against an assassination by a Sage.

Those days would be miserable.

"How long do you think he can still live?"

Since we can't provoke him, we can only endure, seeing who lasts longer.

"A Sage's aging slows considerably; Levin is about just over sixty, so barring accidents he should live past 120."

"Moreover, he is likely to eventually reach the sixth ring and become a Law Saint, making living to 200 no problem. And if he masters life‑magic, then—well, it's even less certain; he could even live past 500."

The Duke's mind was greatly unbalanced: "Just based on him, still a Law Saint?!"

If he truly becomes a Law Saint, not only could he suppress the Duke for life, but even after the Duke dies of old age, that fellow could continue to suppress his son, grandson, and even great‑grandson.

What point would there be for Duke Weilan then? The Duke felt extremely displeased, even intensely jealous.

Ande the mage let out a light sigh: "My lord Duke, Levin is an exceptionally pure mage; such people are most likely to ascend to the holy realm."

"Damned wanderer! I curse you to hell!"

The young, vigorous Duke cursed in a low voice.

At the same time, Luosen grinned: "Can't scare you to death, hehe."

Amidst the joy, yet he also softly sighed: "Mortal strength ultimately has its limits~"

Because of the unknown, royal authority fears powerful cultivators.

Because of knowledge, powerful cultivators also dread royal authority.

"Therefore, cultivators who hold royal authority are the most gratified."

(End of chapter)