Chapter 164: Enemies and Friends

Lei En sat back in the car, and Ao Xi Li Ya followed silently.

The car's windshield was shot through by a gunman, but the body was unharmed, the driver was uninjured, only a bit startled, and quickly returned to normal.

The silver-armored knights rode alongside the car, majestically returning the same way, while the watching Mo Du citizens jeered, as if they had won a victory against an external enemy.

"That was a good opportunity just now."

Ao Xi Li Ya suddenly spoke, saying, "Luo Sa*Luo Ge Si's strength is not weak, but I can deal with him; there's no need to retreat so much, it will make Mo Du nobles doubt your resolve."

Lei En sensed the dissatisfaction in her words.

Master Anxi sent himself to Mo Du in order to attract the attention of Mo Du nobles, to make the matter as chaotic as possible, ideally turning Mo Du upside down, so that the enemy would reveal some problems.

If we had engaged Luo Sa*Luo Ge Si just now, the goal would have been initially achieved.

Lei En glanced sideways at the invisible rainbow dragon; her expression grew colder than before, clearly she had been frightened earlier.

"I have my own considerations," he said, without elaborating.

Ao Xi Li Ya did not press further.

Lei En could perceive that this Holy Soul Wizard's student had underestimated himself.

He did not mind.

As a pawn, he was self-aware, never thinking of leaving the board, yet unwilling to be a puppet, blindly charging forward under others' control.

Doing so might please Master Anxi, but it also placed him in great danger, ending with loss of both life and wealth.

Lei En also had his own ambitions; Glamorgan was an excellent fief, both in location and economic value, one of the few in the entire Empire.

He wanted more than to be a pawn; he wanted to truly hold that fief in his hands.

Therefore, he must not act recklessly.

The great mentor taught us who our enemies are and who our friends are; this is the primary issue of struggle.

The seven major local lords of Mo Du were clearly not a monolith; they could not be simply treated as a single whole, their positions had to be clarified.

The most complex thing in the world is the human heart; discerning others' stances is extremely difficult, but with his Soul Eye he could easily judge the other's attitude toward him; failing to use it would be foolish.

After clarifying their interests, he would win over some, strike some, and divide some.

The attitude of that Luo Sa just now was worth pondering.

Lei En thought to himself, "Find a chance to approach Luo Sa; perhaps Viscount Si Tuo Yin De could be a target to win over."

The car soon returned near the dock, where a bridge spanned the Yeluo River; after crossing the bridge lay the Earl of Glamorgan's fief.

Before Lei En arrived, the fief had been without a lord for over sixty years.

According to Empire law, when a lord dies, the title and lands pass to a direct blood descendant; if the direct line is extinct but there are collateral branches, the lord's fealty target, such as a Duke, selects an heir from the collateral line.

If there is no fealty target, the fief would be reclaimed by the Empire, becoming a directly governed region, never to become a new noble's domain again.

In Empire history, most titled nobles disappeared this way.

The Mo Du region originally had over a dozen lords; now only seven families remain. The lands of those fallen or vanished nobles are, in theory, under direct Empire control.

However, the Mo Du aristocracy is too powerful; a strong dragon cannot suppress the local snakes.

The Consul's dispatched airborne Empire officials could not contend with the nobles; they were essentially sidelined, the fief being effectively controlled by surrounding nobles, annexed in another manner.

Glamorgan was much the same.

Currently, the overseer managing the fief is nominally appointed by the Duke of Silver Star, but in reality this overseer was chosen by local Mo Du nobles.

If one wishes to receive the fief, one must wrest the governing authority from this overseer.

Lei En examined the methods of previous Earls of Glamorgan; the first step was to produce the Duke of Silver Star's investiture document, demanding the overseer step down and hand over the fief.

This is supported by Empire law, but the overseer would not readily concede, using various excuses to delay, even denying the document's authenticity and outright refusing.

The overseer himself generally lacks much power, but is protected by many guards, including legendary superhumans; forcing him to relinquish the seat is exceedingly difficult.

The first seven Earls of Glamorgan appointed by the Duke of Silver Star were all helpless.

Only the previous Earl, that legendary Wizard, seized the chance to kill the overseer outright, thus successfully reclaiming the fief's sovereignty.

This is only the first step; after becoming a lord, one must govern, collect taxes, maintain security, and handle administration—tasks requiring personnel. Even the legendary Wizard, despite absolute power, would be overwhelmed alone.

At the same time, one must face the Mo Du nobles' backlash.

With overt spears and covert arrows, never letting guard down, the legendary Wizard, though extremely cautious, was still gravely wounded by assassins, forced to leave the fief, his earlier achievements wasted.

Lei En looked at the silver-armored knights outside the car, plus Meng De Ba and the Secret Fire Guard, totaling only twenty-six people.

Such a small number could never govern the fief.

It was obvious without thinking that the Duke of Silver Star did not expect that she might actually receive the Glamorgan fief; she was merely cooperating with Master Anxi's plan.

Otherwise, at least hundreds of silver-armored knights and a large contingent of civil officials would have to be dispatched.

Of course this is merely speculation; the Holy Soul Wizard's thoughts are not fathomable by ordinary people, and perhaps the Duke of Silver Star will provide further support later.

Lei En pondered for a long time, as the buildings outside the car window gradually became lower and less dense.

They were now approaching the city outskirts.

He opened the map, glanced at it, and suddenly shouted, "Wait, we'll go via Jade Water Street."

The voice reached the two knights leading the way; these two could navigate, but upon hearing Lei En's order they hesitated, looking toward Pan Xi Er.

Jade Water Street is the seat of the Glamorgan lord; there stands a massive castle built on the only hill in the fief, rising above the surroundings, encircled at its base by a jade-green stream, thus called Jade Water High Castle. All successive Earls of Glamorgan resided there, serving as the administrative center, now the overseer's office.

Lei En, upon arriving in Mo Du, rushed straight for Jade Water High Castle; if he acted on impulse and tried to storm it directly, he might suffer total annihilation.

Ao Xi Li Ya's voice rang out, "I do not support you doing that."

Pan Xi Er moved to the car window, whispering, "Lord Earl?"

"I just want to pass by and look," Lei En said with a smile.

Pan Xi Er saw he did not seem impulsive, and relaxed; the silver-armored knights, seeing her slight nod, continued forward, and the car and the convoy changed direction toward Jade Water Street.

(End of Chapter)