Chapter 494: The impregnable castle collapsed at dawn

The air before dawn still carried the chill of the night, and colder than the dawn were the increasingly icy corpses of the Campbell people on both sides of the city wall.

The slope on the west side of Gladstone Castle, a messy dirt slope like a tablecloth scorched by gunpowder and iron filings, could no longer see the traces of field ridges.

Smoothbore cannons were arranged as neatly as the tea set on the Prince's table, and the scent of damp earth and gunpowder permeated between the artillery positions.

In that cold and damp silence, Sir Wei Sili, with the scent of earth on him, stood with his favorite artillery team.

This was another masterpiece he contributed to Grand Duke Edward besides the "oblique tactics"—"concentrating superior firepower."

In past battles, Campbell's artillery was only cover for the frontal troops, or a supplement to frontline firepower. And to prevent their own artillery from being wiped out by the enemy's transcendents, traditional commanders often wouldn't place artillery and mage groups, these strategic corps, too close together.

But he was different.

Sir Wei Sili developed a set of tactics centered on artillery, first establishing artillery positions, then letting elite mobile forces protect the artillery.

All his tactics revolved around one core—that was to concentrate firepower superiority and completely crush the enemy's organizational core!

To this end, he deployed all artillery on the west side of the castle and prepared seven days' worth of ammunition on the front line, ready to fire it all in one battle.

In a sense, this set of tactics of his even walked ahead of the Imperial Army; after all, the Empire mainly relied on the power of mage groups and Griffin Knight groups, and both of these branches required long training times. As for the Empire's artillery, whether it could play a major role depended on whether the ship's guns could cover it.

"Calibrate your cannons!"

Sir Wei Sili's voice was calm, almost without tension, just as it was when he drilled this unit in peacetime.

"I need you to fire at the same time, don't give our enemies any chance to catch their breath, don't let them have any delusions that they can hold out—I don't want to see any stray shots! I don't want to see that ugly flag see tomorrow's sun!"

The order was passed down layer by layer.

The centurion commanding the artillery team faced a formidable enemy, running around under Sir Wei Sili's gaze, directing his adjutants to adjust the orientation.

Campbell's gunners loaded black iron shells into the long smoothbore cannon barrels one by one, the harsh sound of the ramrod rubbing against metal being the first to pierce the silence of the morning mist.

In the distance, the towering west wall of Gladstone Castle loomed in the morning mist, like a giant beast slowly waking up.

The Campbell people on the city wall held their breath.

The Campbell people waiting for the horn of attack were the same.

Seeing the tense and certain look from his adjutant, Wei Sili cast his gaze toward the distant castle, the military saber in his hand falling abruptly.

"Fire!"

Hundreds of cannons roared at the same instant!

The fire of the explosion tore through the air, the earth groaned in trembling, and groaning with it was the city wall teetering in the wind and rain!

Shells hit the city wall wave after wave, like giant waves hitting a reef!

Every explosion made the shadow of the fortress tremble once in the daylight, and also made the mages maintaining the protective barrier feel despair from the bottom of their hearts.

The shells were too dense!

If they were dispersed to the four city walls, stopping them wouldn't be a problem.

But when all the shells were concentrated on one wall and attacked continuously, perhaps only a demigod like a god could block the torrent of steel gathered by the will of the crowd...

Campbell Principality's mages weren't many to begin with, and those loyal to the northern vassals were even rarer; this was the land of knights, after all, not the Empire's academic state.

Unlike the young Sir Wei Sili, the adjutant standing beside him was a veteran over forty. He had followed the Campbell family for more than a decade, had witnessed countless tragic battles, and had never frowned.

However, the scene before him made him feel empty in his chest for the first time, feeling as if something had hollowed out his body.

The North Creek Valley Earl's territory was the northernmost Earl's territory of the Campbell Principality, and this Gladstone Castle, which stood opposite the Rushing River Pass, was also proudly called the "Northern Barrier" by countless Campbell people.

They had several times blocked bandit troubles in the north for the Principality, as well as the chaotic forces that flowed through the Brass Pass to the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng.

The Earl of Gladstone was therefore also called the "Shield of the Principality," and this honorary title was passed down from generation to generation just like their title.

But now—

That impregnable castle was gradually revealing cracks in the smoke of the shelling.

The mage group's chanting could no longer keep up with the roaring artillery, and before the Grand Duke's cannon barrels were burned red, the towering city wall began to reveal cracks like spider webs!

Noon.

Everyone's palms were full of hot sweat.

Some people had already sensed the end of the torment, while others waited in a long state of confusion, until a loud bang came.

The middle section of the west wall collapsed abruptly, the sound of giant stones cracking mixed with the echo of artillery fire, pouring down like a waterfall in the gray smoke.

The adjutant closed his eyes subconsciously, not wanting to see this scene come.

The shield of the north, the glory of Campbell...

Actually destroyed by their own hands.

The still-continuing artillery fire took away his sentimentality, only the vibration of his chest responding to the hesitation in his heart, until the city wall completely collapsed.

The mages behind the city wall were carried away by the monks in the castle, receiving treatment from priests and nuns in the church.

Cheers came from the siege side's artillery position.

Young soldiers waved their raised military caps, shouting excitedly.

After several days and nights of preparation, they finally tore apart the enemy's castle without paying a heavy casualty price for it.

Sir Wei Sili and his adjutant looked at the ruins with complex feelings, just as he also acknowledged that it was the shield of the north.

It was just that unlike the adjutant, he didn't think it was Campbell's glory... it was just the glory of the nobles.

Not to mention that this "Shield of the Principality" had already betrayed its motherland, and at this moment it was being held in the hands of their enemies!

"Leave the sentimentality for after the war."

He turned his head and said slowly to the adjutant.

"If we don't send those rebels to the graveyard, our children will have to grow up in the graveyard."

His words had no anger.

Just as he had no unresolved hatred with the enemy, they just chose different paths and bet everything, even faith, on it.

A moment later, Wei Sili drew the command saber at his waist again.

The straight blade reflected cold light in the morning mist, reflecting the burning smoke and fire, as well as his cold and firm face.

"Pass my order—the first and second thousand-man teams advance!"

"Occupy the gap in the west wall!"

The messenger immediately rode out, the neighing of the military horn followed, and what followed was the military drum sound of the troops moving forward.

Campbell's young men lined up in neat square formations, marching forward to the drumbeat of the military musicians, the flintlock rifles in their hands already loaded.

Marching with them were the "Hunter" corps mixed into the thousand-man teams.

They were composed of "mountain people," all large-sized grenadiers who could throw grenades over a hundred meters, winning time for their own infantry units to fire at close range.

The sound of the horn echoed on the plain.

The defenders gathered under the city wall also lined up in dense square formations, shoulders rubbing against shoulders, armor colliding with each other.

Some were trembling, some praying in low voices, but more were just standing silently, waiting for dusk to end this torment.

On the horizon in the distance, figures had already emerged, and soldiers began to load the flintlock rifles in their hands under the orders of their officers.

Coming...

The square formation in the distance was like an iron wave pushed by the wind, flags fluttering in the gray sky, familiar local accents shaking the air.

And those familiar slogans.

"Use the iron and fire in your hands to tell the traitors blocking the front! Either hand over your heads, or hand over the castle!"

"For Grand Duke Edward!"

"For Campbell!"

"Kill—!"

The tragic siege battle began.

After the bloody battle of the castle defenders, the first thousand-man team retreated after leaving behind hundreds of corpses, and ultimately failed to take the castle in one fell swoop.

But it didn't matter.

Although they failed to force the enemy to surrender, the secondary goal of weakening the defenders had been achieved, and behind them, the second thousand-man team was pressing up.

Following the rhythm of the military drums, the 【Hell Paratroopers】 felt their hearts about to jump out of their chests, excited expressions carved on their not-so-smart faces.

Although the "Gray Wind Artificial Humans" could already basically resemble real people, they still couldn't perfectly replicate complex facial nerves.

This was also why the Campbell people thought this group of "mountain people" were like fools.

However, this didn't matter.

On the battlefield, even fools could scare the opposite side with brute force and a ruthless spirit of not fearing death.

Not to mention these people weren't really fools.

In the field of vision of the 【Hell Paratroopers】, the scarlet characters of 【Epic Quest: Capture Gladstone Castle】 were jumping slightly in the upper left corner!

'Either hand over the castle, or hand over your heads!'

This sense of substitution was simply full!

He felt the hot blood in his chest ignited!

It wasn't just the 【Hell Paratroopers】 whose hot blood was ignited, but also other players marching forward side by side with him.

The sound of marching footsteps suppressed excited shouting, especially when fireballs and cannonballs landed not far away, pushing the atmosphere to a climax.

"Charge, brothers! Grab the first kill!"

"The castle is mine!"

"Damn! This blood!"

"Damn, this explosion! My graphics card is burning!"

"You have a fart of a graphics card, are you playing on a PC?"

"Hey! My VR glasses are really connected to a PC!"

"Oooo! Doesn't matter, I just wanted to say this line!"

The noisy sound diluted the blood color of the battlefield, and for the sadness behind the smoke, it could be considered a little comfort.

Although they also drew a tragic script from the hands of the gods, these optimistic and brave little players were singing and rushing to death.

After all, they were just "tourists" in this world, at most replacing a small handful of snowflakes destined to fall.

Unlike the noisy players, those regular infantry of the Principality marching forward with the "Hunter" corps were solemn-faced at this moment.

Their eyes were bloodshot, as if they hadn't slept well for many days, their dark hands gripping the gun barrels tightly, like charred firewood.

The horn of charge sounded again.

The 【Hell Paratroopers】 and his comrades responded to the call first, roaring and rushing out.

They climbed onto the hot rubble pile first, not waiting for the NPC commander's order, dozens of players like they had taken stimulants, throwing grenades into the gap.

In the roar of the explosive shells, the defender square formation attempting to organize defense behind the ruins was instantly blown upside down.

Although the defenders in the castle filled in very stubbornly, they were soon knocked down by a volley of uneven fire coming from the front.

Campbell's "Hunters" were different from Campbell's regular infantry.

They weren't good at lining up to shoot, and no one had the patience to practice that stuff seriously, but this didn't prevent them from not fearing death and being able to fight.

As soon as the gunfire stopped, the 【Hell Paratroopers】 roared, holding the bayonet-mounted rifle, and crashed into the defender formation together with his comrades, erupting with a second round of shouting.

"Kill—!"

The battle was extremely bloody!

His bayonet stabbed into the enemy's abdomen without mercy, watching the blood and internal organs gush out together, and the bloody right hand grabbing his gun barrel.

The defenders didn't show mercy either, and several players fell beside him soon.

Some were shot to death, some were smashed to death by stones falling from the city tower, or were stabbed through the chest by bayonets like the enemy in front of him.

The chaotic battlefield further limited the exertion of transcendent power, everywhere was dense and pungent gunpowder smoke, grenades exploded in the narrow space of the gap, and severed limbs and arms mixed with gravel flew everywhere.

Among them were the shouting of players.

"Damn! This NPC damage is too high!"

"You're just too bad!"

"I'm Steel-tier—"

"Cut! You Steel-tier are too weak! Not even as good as adventurers!"

"Roll your mother's, if you have the ability, come to the labyrinth!"

"Where's the healer? Healer, save me!"

"This injury of yours probably can't be saved by a healer, let the dark priest come."

The players killed with excitement, soon breaking through the crumbling defense line, preparing to rush into the castle main building in one go, finding the final BOSS of this main plot, "Earl Derrick."

In the "Under the Crown" quest chain, Earl Derrick was the chief culprit of this rebellion, and behind Earl Derrick, it was suspected that the King of the Kingdom of Lei En stood.

Perhaps after killing Earl Derrick, they could unlock more main plot clues!

The BOSS of "Disaster OL" were all terrifyingly strong, but not the kind that couldn't be defeated.

Any advantage could be filled with quantity, and the quest rewards were also shared by those who saw them, as long as damage was dealt, rewards could be obtained after the quest was completed.

However, just as they were high-spirited, preparing to rush to the boss battle, a dramatic turn suddenly occurred.

Only to see the towering main building of Gladstone Castle, a white bed sheet that didn't know where it was torn from, suddenly hung on the high tower tip.

"Doo—do-doo—"

The harsh military horn sounded, which was the order to stop the attack.

Before the players could react, they heard the roar of the centurion coming from behind, and then it was translated in their field of vision.

"The enemy has raised a white flag, stop the attack! We won!"

The players who were killing with excitement froze collectively.

"???"

"They surrendered just like that? Damn! I haven't started having fun yet!"

"Where's the BOSS? Where's Earl Derrick? And that fake king Jieluoke? Why don't they come out and fight? At least play a CG!"

"Grass, the dog planner stopped again!"

Watching the enemies who threw away their weapons and surrendered, the 【Hell-Paratrooper】 angrily slammed his blood-stained rifle onto the ground and spat toward the direction of the white flag.

The rules of "Disaster OL" were too strict compared to other MMORPGs, only freedom within the rules, no freedom outside the rules.

If you want to kill to your heart's content, you can go to the dungeon of Ka'er Planet through the portal.

That is a world swallowed by Ka'ermandesi, except for slaughter and death, there is nothing, you can kill until the end of the earth.

Watching the white flag finally raised, those soldiers who were just resisting desperately at the gap seemed to be drained of all strength instantly, throwing away the things in their hands with a clatter.

Many people sat paralyzed in the pool of blood, ignoring the corpses all over the ground and the enemies in front of them, only gasping for breath.

The war is over.

Facing the war that stopped abruptly, except for the loyal hunters who were cursing, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The battlefield that was shouting and killing minutes ago instantly fell into dead silence, leaving only the painful wailing or exhausted gasping of the wounded on both sides.

The Principality's priests began to enter, chanting holy spells together with the priests in the castle, treating the wounded who could still be saved.

Including rebel soldiers.

Those poor children were also Saint Xisi's people, also Campbell people...

Watching their own priests casting spells for the enemy's wounded, 【Hell Paratroopers】, who was standing on the side with his arms crossed, couldn't help but be a little puzzled.

"Why are you still adding blood to the hostile camp?"

Although the realism of this game is worth praising, the dog planner really should polish the details again.

And besides him, there were also players with different thoughts.

Watching the corpses all over the ground and those victors who were silent with the losers, a hunter standing on the ruins couldn't help but sigh.

"This game is too realistic..."

The morning light crossed the birch trees outside the window, shining into the study of the Andes Manor. It was as quiet as a transcription room in a monastery, only the rustling sound of a quill pen across the cloth pulp paper.

Today is the second morning of the 1054th year of the Aus Era, "Thunder City Daily" reported that the Principality's soldiers had planted the flag on the city head of Gladstone Castle, announcing that the "Winter Moon Coup" that attempted to subvert the Campbell Principality had come to an end.

People who cared about the fate of the Principality breathed a sigh of relief, the curfew in Thunder City could finally end, and this war did not affect the prosperity that had finally begun.

However, for the Grand Duke of the Campbell Principality, his war was far from over, and everything had just begun.

Sitting behind the desk, Edward lowered his head and flipped through the pile of documents, the heavy eye bags like sponges soaked in water.

From night to dawn, he even forgot when he had closed his eyes.

The Golden-tier transcendent power seemed to have been completely used by him to stay up late, he only rejoiced that he had not neglected the training of knightly skills before the age of thirty, so that he, at thirty-six, had the capital to struggle.

Just as he yawned, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in." He didn't raise his head, but still subconsciously restrained his slack expression, his face recovering the majesty of the Grand Duke.

After getting permission, Sir Yang Andes walked in silently, placing a battle report gently on the desk.

"Sir Wei Sili succeeded." Andes's voice carried exhaustion, as well as his usual humility, "The west wall of Gladstone Castle was breached in the artillery fire. Earl Derrick and the northern vassals knew that resistance was hopeless and have surrendered."

Edward's hand didn't stop, the nib was still sliding on the paper, only responding lightly: "Hmm."

How to deal with Earl Derrick and other chaotic parties, he had already concluded in his heart, this civil war that was destined to break out was just making everything that was destined to happen happen in advance.

He had prepared for this day long ago—

The Principality would take back the titles of the Earls, the Earl's territory would become the direct territory of the Principality, directly managed by the Grand Duke and appointed officials!

After a moment of silence, Andes looked at the Grand Duke with a normal face and added a sentence in a very light voice behind him.

"Also... Jieluoke. He didn't resist and surrendered in front of the castle main building. He declared to everyone that this rebellion was planned and provoked by him alone, and all other nobles as well as the nobles' retainers, serfs... were all coerced by him."

The nib stopped.

Edward's hand hovered over the paper, where a patch of deep black gradually bled out, just like dried blood. His eyelids trembled slightly, then slowly closed, and his twitching mouth squeezed out a silent curse.

This idiot...

A complete idiot!

Do you really think I dare not kill you?

Edward almost watched Jieluoke grow up, and almost instantly saw through his younger brother's thoughts—

This knight with an unclear brain was probably falling into his stupid delusion of "sacrificing himself to preserve the Principality" again!

He just wanted to keep those so-called noble bloodlines, sacrificing himself to preserve the fire of transcendent power for the Campbell Principality.

However, this guy didn't know at all what these so-called noble bloodlines had brought to his Principality!

What he was desperately trying to keep was just a pool of pus that had already stunk!

A scab that had long since rotted!

The silence continued for a long time again, until a hoarse voice came from behind the desk.

"... Andes, do you believe what he said?"

Hearing Edward's voice, Andes froze for a moment, deliberating for a long time on the wording, before speaking cautiously.

"Your Majesty... I dare not comment on the royal family, but from my understanding of the knightly spirit, a noble knight would never betray his lord. But sometimes loyalty can also become a poison, utilized by worldly desires, taken wrongly by good people. What we can do, I'm afraid, is only respect and fulfill."

He said it very implicitly, but he believed that with Edward's intelligence, he must be able to understand.

And the fact was indeed so, Edward could not only understand what he said, but also clearly understand the part he didn't say.

Jieluoke's original intention was not to rebel, this civil war must have been instigated and utilized by that group of old foxes like Derrick!

And now, they even used his younger brother as their last retreat.

Andes noticed that Edward's index finger holding the quill pen was trembling slightly, and also knew that this was not an easy decision for His Majesty.

He sighed in his heart and handed the choice to His Majesty, and next he had to report another matter.

"The King of the Kingdom of Lei En, and the Bishop of the Kingdom, both sent us strongly worded letters, expressing concern about the situation."

Andes took out two other letters from his arms and placed them gently on the table.

"They used the name of 'guarding against chaotic corrosion taking advantage of the situation' to demand that we 'forgive' those rebellious lords. They declared that this is a 'royal civil war' and should not shake the sacred and ancient contract. Your Majesty... they seem to have guessed what we are going to do next."

The subtext of the two letters was already self-evident—

You can kill, just take your own younger brother's head, but as for everyone else, you are not allowed to touch a single one!

If you touch them, the Lionheart Knight Group currently stationed in the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng will cross the Rushing River Pass in the name of defending the rule of law to eliminate the "tyrant" and win back their castles and manors for the nobles who lost their fiefs and titles.

The current Campbell Principality is like a strong warrior, facing a whole group of surrounding hungry wolves alone. He can deal with one of them, but cannot fight against the whole wolf pack.

The King of Lei En, the Church, and the old nobles intertwined within the Principality... they were all using their power to force him to make concessions.

And if he retreated, the blood of tens of thousands of Campbell people would have been shed in vain, and he would also lose the loyalty of many supporters.

Edward stood up silently and walked slowly to the window. His gaze crossed the birch trees that were withering day by day and fell on the still green lawn in the backyard of the manor.

How to deal with these rebels had become a problem harder to solve than winning the war.

"I want to hear your suggestion."

Andes thought for a moment and spoke softly.

"Someone once told me such a sentence, when you encounter a trap in a labyrinth that you can't solve, besides betting everything on God's will, you can also bypass it from its side. Since we cannot strip the nobles of their titles for the time being, then hollow them out."

"For example, we can throw the traitors into the dungeon, put their families under house arrest in the castle, and forbid all Campbell people from contacting them... except for those we can't afford to offend for the time being."

Those who can't afford to offend for the time being are naturally the Kingdom and the Church.

Or to be precise, the alliance formed when the King and the Bishop joined forces to demand the Principality to retreat in the name of the rule of law.

When they need to confirm that those traitors are still alive, just let them go to the castle to take a look.

Even if the Church of the Holy City makes the ruling, no one will stop the lord from punishing the vassals who betrayed him, which would only damage the ancient traditions they want to maintain at all costs.

Edward's gaze flickered slightly, and he saw Andes's true intention at a glance.

"Then we can send appointed officials to the Earls' territories, gradually replacing their influence in their own fiefs!"

The Campbell Principality is different from the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng, Thunder City has a group of excellent administrative officials capable of serving as village heads and town heads, and bringing Thunder City's management and tax system to those places where upper-level power is in a vacuum due to the civil war.

A hint of appropriate surprise appeared in Andes's eyes, and then the surprised expression turned into heartfelt admiration.

"As expected of Your Majesty, your wise decision makes me admire you endlessly."

Edward didn't take this polite flattery to heart.

Having dealt with Andes for so long, he knew very well that this guy wasn't a simple character either.

But this guy had one good point, he would stand from the perspective of the Andes family and tell the truth that conformed to his own interests.

Instead of pretending to stand from the perspective of the Grand Duke or the Principality, telling himself those nice but useless lies, thereby cheating away the share that didn't belong to him.

"Stop flattering me, Andes, I know that's what you wanted to say."

Andes bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty, I don't mean to flatter, the plan you mentioned is exactly the most stable solution at the moment. At least the King cannot use the excuse of defending the rule of law to send his Lionheart Knight Group to us, taking those nobles who still hold claims to his court. And we can continue what we are doing, and what we are going to do..."

"The arrangements in the plan might not be enough, what we are going to do probably has to add one more thing."

Edward smiled faintly, returned to the desk and sat down again, looking at Andes standing in front of the desk and continuing.

"I intend to establish a 'Post-War Compensation Committee' to evaluate the economic losses of this civil war, confiscate the rebels' woodlands, mineral resources, farmland, and ports, and then make compensation to all Campbell people who suffered losses in the civil war. Especially those wives who lost their husbands, orphans who lost their fathers... including those families coerced by the rebels."

"At the same time, we will also reward the warriors who defended order, and they who are demobilized will get more than just a severance pay and a useless medal."

When standing by the window just now, he thought for a long time, order without interest maintenance is ultimately just a flower in the mirror.

If the civilians he sent to the Earls' lands had no interests of their own locally, they would probably be like the "Baron Governors" of the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng, having neither the motivation nor the ability to fight against local feudal forces.

It is a tempting choice for the royal family to swallow all the spoils of war alone, and this is also a matter of course in the war between lords and lords.

But Edward also thought that if he didn't share the glory of victory with those who supported him and tie them to his chariot, the final result would definitely be a group of guys as ambitious as him, taking those who had nothing to fight another battle.

The dead souls would eventually return to this land.

Only when they come next time, perhaps it will be a look that neither he nor Andes can recognize.

Although he didn't study in the academic state, seeing the current situation of the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng, he, as a monarch of the mortal world, also understood some mysteries about the void—

What brings the Eternal Hunger Claw is not desire itself, but "uncontrolled desire."

Perhaps, Ailin is right.

Although she might not have thought so much, it was just out of pity in her heart.

Unlike the appropriate surprise before, this time Andes clearly wasn't prepared, so much so that he froze for a long time.

After coming back to his senses, he said with reverence.

"Your decision... will be Campbell's glory."

He believed this from the bottom of his heart, and not because the Andes family was a firm supporter of the Campbell family, perhaps able to get the biggest piece of this cake.

Although his understanding of the Principality's interests might not be as thorough as His Majesty the Grand Duke, he had realized one thing a long time ago—

Never has a ragged beggar been willing to sacrifice his life to defend the rich man's vault.

If they can't let the Campbell civilians stand tall, their descendants will have to be slaves with those who have nothing, and be slaves to the new nobles again.

By then, they will either take their accumulated wealth and shame and leave their beloved homeland forever. Or be a fat sheep that can be slaughtered and enjoyed at will, flattering and obedient to please the master behind them.

There are many ways to reach the end, but only the result after the choice has no "compromise" to bargain.

The upstarts who sit and talk in Dawn's Embrace Hotel with the Andes family can admit defeat and leave, or find a Baron or even an Earl to rely on, but the Andes family has nowhere to go except to go to hell with Edward.

Not to mention he doesn't want to leave either.

Both the Campbell Principality and the Andes family carry too many of his obsessions and dreams.

Edward smiled noncommittally, his majestic posture the same as usual, not taking this worldly flattery to heart.

The atmosphere in the room eased a little.

Although the matter of Jieluoke was still a stone in Edward's heart, Andes could clearly feel that His Majesty the Grand Duke's mood was much better.

It was also at this time that his Grand Duke suddenly thought of something and said in a chatty tone.

"By the way, that proverb about the labyrinth, why haven't I heard of it? Is it again told to you by Prince Kelin?"

Andes didn't hide it and nodded respectfully.

"A long time ago, Prince Kelin told me."

Edward nodded.

He had always felt that Prince Kelin's arrival in this land was God's will in the dark. That Imperial Prince passed through the lands of so many kings and dukes, yet only stopped by his side.

Few people can be so selfless to strangers.

Perhaps just as he had thought countless times in his heart, the Campbell people really have gods watching over them...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 495 =====