Chapter 358: Princess of Dragon Crystal Island

Lei En had not responded for a long time.

It's not just a single mithril mine; the mine is in Kangjiatuo, and we can't send people to seize it directly—it would be seen as an invasion by the Kangjiatuo Kingdom, sparking a war that would sweep the entire subcontinent.

A realm that is a quarter of the Empire, even if its harsh climate leaves only a few tens of millions of people, its power and resources are far beyond what we could easily oppose.

Yet fifty thousand pounds of source crystal ore each year is hard to resist.

He didn't refuse outright, and asked, "What's the situation with that mithril mine, and on what basis do you claim it originally belongs to your enterprise?"

Ai Mi Li Si showed a pleased expression.

She did not hesitate and said seriously, "Lord, you should have guessed my identity by now, shouldn't you?"

Lei En gave a faint smile, "I knew it the day I hired the Dragon Stone Mercenary Corps."

Ai Mi Li Si was slightly stunned; she had thought Lei En had gradually guessed during later contacts, and never expected to be seen through on the first day—very unexpected, and while shocked she also felt alarmed by Lei En's keen insight, making her more cautious about what she was about to say.

She stood up and, with solemn bearing, introduced herself: "Lord, I am the last dragon‑blood of the Kangjiatuo Zhuogengbao family; the overthrown King Xi Rui Ya was my father, and my full name is Ai Mi Li Si Zhuogengbao. At three years old my father crowned me Princess of Dragon Crystal Island."

After the introduction, Ai Mi Li Si performed a dignified and ancient ceremony toward Lei En.

A noble aura radiated from her.

Lei En did not act dismissively; he rose and replied, "So it is Her Princess Highness in person," and, following noble etiquette, bowed and placed a light kiss on the back of her hand.

Ai Mi Li Si's ears flushed slightly red.

Her demeanor was a bit downcast, and she shook her head, "It's just an empty title; I have never ruled Dragon Crystal Island. I fled Kangjiatuo at five and have never returned."

Lei En could understand her situation.

A fallen princess, whether on Earth or in the Ai Lun E Si world, is a story that repeats often, even to some delight.

He smiled, but offered no comment.

Ai Mi Li Si regained her spirits, sat down, and returned to the point: "Lord, the mithril mine I mentioned is called the Politosi Mine; it lies within our Zhuogengbao family lands, discovered less than a hundred years ago, but its reserves are huge. I estimate it now can produce one hundred fifty thousand pounds of mithril each year."

"That much production?" Lei En was somewhat surprised.

Mithril has low density, its texture is tougher than steel yet very light, and it possesses extremely high energy conductivity, making it the most widely used magical metal.

Just the common mithril alloys exceed twenty varieties.

One hundred fifty thousand pounds of mithril may not sound like much, but it is a very considerable figure, more than enough to supply Weizelan's floating city with surplus.

At current mithril prices, the Politosi Mine's annual output value exceeds three million Gold Shields, and with the accompanying abundant source crystal ore, it can reach about five million Gold Shields.

Of course, after deducting extraction costs, the net profit should be only around one million Gold Shields.

Yet that is enough to move hearts.

Lei En did not let profit cloud his mind; after deliberating, he said, "Ai Mi Li Si, to be frank I would love to have this mithril mine, but with my ability I fear I cannot seize it, let alone restore your dynasty."

Ai Mi Li Si's eyes flickered.

She seemed to have anticipated Lei En's reaction; there was no disappointment on her face, and she said pointedly, "Lord, I am not asking you to send troops to conquer Kangjiatuo for me—that's unrealistic—but you could wield your influence…"

Ai Mi Li Si looked up at the bedroom ceiling, but her gaze stretched farther, toward the direction of Weizelan's floating city.

Lei En understood.

What she truly wanted was to enlist the floating city's power, even to involve the Empire.

He is a member of the Weizelan Six‑person Council, a student of the Holy Soul Wizard, and also an Empire senator; these combined roles could indeed persuade the floating city to act, perhaps even the Empire to dispatch forces.

Yet it is only a possibility; the chance of success is low.

If the Empire sent troops to attack the Kangjiatuo Kingdom, it would become a war between two nations. Although Ai Mi Li Si provides a pretext and legal justification, remember that large‑scale wars in Ai Lun E Si are never merely mortal conflicts; divine influence is inevitably involved.

The Kangjiatuo people's faith is fragmented, centered on seven deities collectively called the Seven Gods.

Among the Seven Gods, the strongest is the Beast‑and‑Power God "Ge Luo Shi", whose main followers are beasts and many barbarian races, yet in Kangjiatuo he has many worshippers.

The current Kangjiatuo king, Ma Er Ke * Lao Bo Di Er, is a devotee of Ge Luo Shi; his entire family and the duchy lands revere Ge Luo Shi as orthodoxy.

There are also the Winter and North‑Wind God "You Li Er", the Guardian God "Hai Mu", the Hunt God "Wu Lei Er Si", and so on. The seven great families of the Kangjiatuo Kingdom each have their own duchy lands and a patron deity.

The Zhuogengbao dynasty's fall only damaged the worship of the good‑dragon god Ba Ha Mu Te.

In just a few decades, Ba Ha Mu Te's followers in Kangjiatuo have sharply declined.

However, this dragon god does not meddle in mortal affairs, especially human wars; he cares little for Kangjiatuo's human worshippers, valuing only the dragon followers, so he did not strongly oppose the Zhuogengbao dynasty's downfall.

If the floating city mobilizes, or the Empire sends troops, it means the God of Magic has set its eyes on Kangjiatuo's tens of millions of mortals, and the gods will certainly intervene.

A war involving deities is beyond what either she or I can control.

Lei En sighed inwardly; this woman's wish‑fulfilling scheme is loud, but she's playing with fire—one misstep could lead to an irrecoverable catastrophe, possibly dragging me in as well.

He slowly shook his head, "The risk is too great, the difficulty too high; I advise you to abandon it."

"Lord!"

Ai Mi Li Si did not waver; she puffed her chest and said, "I understand your concerns; in truth it isn't as severe as you imagine. I only wish to reclaim my rightful rights, restore the Zhuogengbao dynasty's rule, limit the war's scope to revenge against the Lao Bo Di Er family, and not alter the kingdom's people's faith in the Seven Gods."

She means not to disturb the gods' interests.

A deity's foundation lies in the number of worshippers and their belief; without touching those, the gods generally won't interfere in mortal disputes—a tacit rule in Ai Lun E Si.

After all, divine intervention also consumes divine power.

Mortals revere the gods' strength, and the gods themselves are hesitant to act rashly; if an accident occurs or they fall into an opposing deity's trap, the loss outweighs the gain.

Ai Lun E Si's history records many deities' downfalls, all triggered by mortal spark plugs.

Therefore, deities also try to stay out of it.

Mortal matters are left for mortals to resolve themselves.

Lei En disagreed, "Once the war machine starts, it's no longer under your control. You say you won't touch the gods' interests, but will others believe that? The Empire's legions have already landed in the Kangjiatuo Kingdom, and the floating city has descended from the sky, surely provoking the Seven Gods' hostility."

"Lord, you misunderstand."

Ai Mi Li Si explained, "I don't want the Empire's legions, nor the floating city; Kangjiatuo cannot withstand such terrifying attacks. The main force of the war will be my half‑centaur army, but I lack high‑level casting power, so I wish to invite the Weizelan Wizards, preferably one or two councilors to lead, joining the fight in a private capacity."

"Of course, if the Lord is willing to dispatch the Spearwing Knight Corps and the Extreme Battle Corps, that would be even better," she added.

Lei En nodded; that was indeed a good idea.

Weizelan Wizards participated in the war in a private capacity, along with their own Transcendent Army, and even a few Imperial lords' private forces, all without issue.

That undoubtedly narrowed the war's scope, and indeed would not arouse the gods' vigilance.

But the difficulty of achieving victory grew.

"You've been considering it for a long time, haven't you?" Lei En asked.

"Yes, my lord." AiMiLiSi calmly admitted, "I've been trying to leverage a certain Imperial faction, but I have no connections and dare not reveal my intentions lightly, until I met the lord…"

The Soul Eye saw that she was telling the truth.

Lei En asked again, "What is the origin of the centaur army under your command? How many are there?"

"They are centaurs of the Zhuo Ken tribe; I've been in contact with them for years and have earned the tribe's trust, and can field up to five thousand," AiMiLiSi said without reservation, "Additionally, my mercenary corps includes over five hundred Transcendent mercenaries, many of whom are former retainers from Kangjiatuo who remain loyal to the family, scattered across the Empire and the Old Continent. With a single command, I could gather them within two months."

Lei En's eyes widened in surprise; AiMiLiSi's forces exceeded his expectations.

Five thousand centaur warriors plus over five hundred mercenaries amount to roughly half an Empire's regular army, a considerable strength.

For an exiled princess to assemble such a large Transcendent army is especially difficult.

Of course, this cannot be her effort alone; the Zhuo Gengbao family has ruled Kangjiatuo for over three thousand years, and there must be lingering forces covertly offering assistance, not necessarily out of loyalty to the Zhuo Gengbao family or nostalgia for the former dynasty's remnants—among them are surely ambitious individuals.

If these people coordinate internally and externally, and with the Wizard Corps joining the fight, it might truly succeed in restoring the old order.

According to Lei En, Kangjiatuo's Transcendent system is unique, unlike the Empire's; it stems from a beastfolk bloodline cultivation method, similar to warlocks yet not adept at spellcasting.

This results in the fact that, aside from the Zhuo Gengbao family's dragon‑born apostles, other Transcendent professions in Kangjiatuo can hardly reach Level 20 or attain Saint Rank.

Currently, Kangjiatuo has no Transcendent who has reached Saint Rank.

The pinnacle of combat power is the Legendary High‑rank, of which only a handful exist; the Weizelan chairman is a Wizard, and one or two such individuals can hold off, even defeat, the enemy.

Lei En thought for a long time, and finally was persuaded.

He looked at AiMiLiSi and asked softly, "Then, what is the price?"

There are three watches today.

(End of chapter)