Chapter 346: Fenir

"What did you say?"

Catherine nearly thought she'd misheard; a flush immediately spread across her delicate face.

"I said, if you don't mind, then give me a kiss!"

Any inexperienced novice would have backed down right now.

But Gervas, having lived two lives, knew that the bolder the man, the richer the land.

He had just helped Catherine; even if she were truly angry, she couldn't possibly do anything to him.

So now was the perfect opportunity.

What if she agreed?

And indeed, boldness, caution, and thick skin could tame even the coldest goddess.

Catherine's sapphire eyes in the darkness flickered for a long while before she gritted her teeth: "Then… then close your eyes!"

Damn! Gervas silently exclaimed.

She actually agreed?

Gervas didn't dare delay—he instantly shut his eyes.

Of course, he only closed them for an instant; the next moment, he half-lidded them.

Because he had just said: the bolder the man, the richer the land…

Seeing Gervas close his eyes, Catherine cautiously glanced around, confirming that the servants and subordinates nearby were all discreet, daring not to look this way.

Finally, she gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and leaned toward his cheek.

During this, Catherine could even hear her own heartbeat pounding—after all, this was the first kiss of her life.

But just as Catherine prepared to lightly brush her lips against Gervas's cheek—

Gervas suddenly turned his face toward her.

And because the distance was only a few centimeters, Catherine had no time to react.

Then, Gervas's mouth—

Catherine's eyes widened in shock; she froze completely.

(Due to the overwhelming power of the Harmony Deity, several hundred words have been omitted here—experienced readers may fill in the blanks themselves.)

"Ugh! You—!" One minute later, Catherine shoved Gervas away, furious and flustered.

This bastard had deliberately turned his face at the start, catching her off guard, then raised his arms to pull her close.

That was already outrageous enough!

And finally, he had the audacity to go even further.

Fortunately, she had only just now regained her senses.

"That… that, Catherine, I didn't mean to! It was completely instinctive!" Gervas protested, hurt.

Catherine gritted her teeth, yet found she wasn't as angry as she'd imagined.

"Hmph!"

Of course, not being angry didn't mean she couldn't be angry.

With a cold sniff, Catherine turned and walked straight back into the inner keep.

Only then did Gervas wear an expression of regret: "Too bad—I shouldn't have been so eager!"

…

"So, this matchmaking was ruined by that petty noble from Stormhold?"

"Yes, Uncle Fenir. No one expected that fellow, merely a viscount, could produce so many valuable items."

Several days later, at the Duke of Hernand's castle, Daur was recounting his southern journey to Fenir.

Learning that Gervas, the noble who had previously defied the Hernand family, had once again sabotaged their plans, Fenir frowned.

"Uncle Fenir, should I tell Grandfather? Let him deal with that petty noble and stop Cousin Catherine from being with him!" Daur pressed on.

Fenir immediately shook his head. "Your grandfather is not at the castle, and such a trivial matter shouldn't disturb him!"

"Then are we just going to let that fellow be with Cousin Catherine? Uncle Fenir, that mere viscount can't possibly be worthy of the Hernand bloodline!"

"Of course we won't let that petty noble gain any advantage. If we Hernands truly wished to crush him, it would be easier than squashing an ant. We're only holding back because of Catherine, this bloodline descendant!"

"I have a better plan—one that will separate them permanently, even if Catherine tries to stop it."

"Uncle Fenir, really? What's the plan?" Daur didn't believe it and pressed immediately.

"Daur, you probably don't know that a few days ago, the Beastfolk mobilized tens of thousands of troops and invaded the kingdom's northern border."

"The Beastfolk invaded the northern border? This…" Daur's face turned pale.

Compared to other border wars, the Beastfolk's invasion was undoubtedly the most dangerous.

Sometimes, it could even threaten the kingdom's survival.

Seeing his expression, Fenir smiled: "Your grandfather received the news a few days ago and was urgently summoned to the capital to discuss a response."

"But the response is already obvious—the kingdom's conscription order will be issued again soon."

"And this time, it will summon noble forces from across the entire realm to the north."

"Uncle Fenir, I understand—you mean to make that kid join the conscription!"

Daur's eyes lit up.

At this point, it was clear what Fenir meant.

And the plan was highly feasible.

After all, among all the kingdom's enemies, the Beastfolk army was the most formidable.

Fighting them carried an extremely high casualty rate.

And this casualty rate wasn't limited to common soldiers—it applied to nobles as well.

Suddenly, Daur remembered something: "But Uncle Fenir, didn't that fellow just participate in the kingdom's last war? Isn't he exempt from this conscription?"

"So what if he did? For a petty noble like him, getting him conscripted again is just a word from us!"

"Besides, we don't even need to act ourselves—just hint to someone in the south. That man is even more eager to see this done!"

"Uncle Fenir, who?"

"The cabinet official of Eagle City… Willard!"

…

【Ding! Daily intelligence has been refreshed…】

【Intelligence One: The adventurer Columbus, after receiving your hundred gold coins as funding, used half to purchase supplies and equipment.】

【The other half went toward settling his crew.】

【Two days ago, Columbus, fully prepared, finally opened the note and headed straight for Stormhold.】

【This morning, Columbus and his crew will arrive at Wheatfield Town.】

【Intelligence Two: You marked the Hell Baron with a summoning sigil a week ago. After days of gathering, the sigil will complete its formation this afternoon.】

【However, the dragon scripture didn't mention that if you infuse additional power into the sigil at its final moment,】

【your summoning range for the Hell Baron will triple under the same magical expenditure.】

【The method to infuse power is to rapidly replenish the Hell Baron with massive energy, allowing the sigil to absorb more.】

【Intelligence Three: At the southeastern edge of Stormhold, where the coast meets the Death Mountains,】

【though not a birthplace of Stone Giants, lies a gray-rock hillspan covering two to three li.】

【Due to prolonged exposure to the potent magic of the Death Mountains and the vast ocean, a Gray Stone Heart has formed within these rocks.】

【Any gray rock within this area will henceforth contain magic.】

【Using this magic-infused gray rock to construct buildings brings countless benefits.】

【For example, a magic tower built with it increases magical concentration by at least double.】

【Even alchemy and wizard laboratories built with it gain a noticeable boost in magical concentration!】

【Moreover, it is the finest 'food' for Stone Giants.】