Roland gazed at Pei Luo with fascination, then chuckled. "You're the first to ask me this," he said, sipping his drink and adopting a more relaxed tone. "The Long Song Fortress undoubtedly belongs to me, even if I'm not here. But I do need someone—or a family—to manage it for me. So your question isn't about ransom, but' agency fees. '" The term' agency' was familiar to Pei Luo. Keen-eyed merchants often targeted Nobles with substantial resources but little time or inclination to trade, selling their goods on their behalf. To secure this right, they had to pay a deposit as security.
"How many golden dragons would you like?" He took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"This is a long-term commitment, so there's no need for a lump-sum payment," Roland paused. "You'll pay thirty percent of the fortress's monthly taxes and a thousand units of supplies, with the remainder going to you." It wasn't unreasonable, Pei Luo thought. If he could fully occupy the Long Song Fortress, the price could even be considered fair. The other party wasn't joking—he confirmed this. Your Royal Highness truly intended to proceed.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Pei Luo thought to himself. He and Prince were not enemies—the Duke had already been utterly defeated, and his children would be stripped of their inheritance rights. If the alliance of the six noble houses couldn't defeat Prince, who could stop him from actually controlling the Western Territory? Allowing powerful factions to join was Noble's fundamental rule. If he could secure Your Royal Highness's approval before the other four noble houses, the Golden Flower House would become the largest noble family in the Western Territory.
"Your Highness, why aren't you staying here? This castle is far more substantial than most in Border Town." "You're actually asking why I didn't personally oversee the fortress," Roland said with a smile at Perro's slightly embarrassed expression. "There are many reasons. For instance, the political dynamics here are too complex to untangle, and it would take me too long to sort out the relationships—let alone profit from it. Supporting a local noble would likely make him more capable of governing this place than I am, creating a win-win situation. There are many other reasons you can ponder." Prince played with his silver cup. "By the way, if you were chosen as acting governor, you wouldn't possibly seek revenge for the Duke, would you?" "Of course not, Your Highness!" Perro replied immediately, though the last question came somewhat abruptly.
With the Duke gone, the Five Families' first instinct was to carve up his territories. Who even cared about revenge?
Yet Perro knew the reasons Your Highness cited were not the real ones. The power dynamics were too intricate to untangle. With overwhelming force, he could eradicate the opposition forces at their roots. In just one or two years, all Nobles would forget the defeated Laine, as Laine had done before. But two years was far from enough to transform Border Town into a metropolis like the Fortress of Changge.
RolandYour Highness must have deeper intentions.
"Very well, then this city..." "I shall represent you, Your Highness!" Perrot blurted out, though his Godly sentiment soon faltered. "But the King—no, I mean your brother—may not approve of this outcome. If he appoints a new Duke to the Westerlands, I cannot oppose the capital." "You need not oppose," Roland tossed the two letters before him. "Consider this, and the documents I found in Duke Llane's study." Perrot skimmed through the letters, gasping involuntarily.
The first letter appears to be a secret message. Did the new king Tefiko engage in battle with the Queen of Azure Waters in Eagle City and suffer a crushing defeat? The second letter is even more chilling. The document is only half-written, yet it reveals Duke Laine's ambition to annex the North and declare independence. With no conclusion, the recipient of this letter remains unknown.
He instantly grasped Your Royal Highness's meaning—there was no need to resist, for the new king was already preoccupied with his own affairs. Otherwise, the Duke would never have sought to declare independence. His elite Knights could conquer the western territories, yet they still fell far short of the royal Knights' prowess.
The letter might be forged, but this document was unmistakably Osmun Lane's handwriting—unless Prince had found a Witch capable of mimicking another's writing... After a moment's thought, he dismissed the possibility.
There's no need for the other party to go to such lengths to deceive you. The proxy for the Long Song Fortress isn't a one-sided deal. If you can't establish yourself there, Your Royal Highness won't benefit either. Moreover, the Duke appointed by Tifeiko will inevitably be the Fourth Prince's enemy.
For honeysuckle to surpass the Four Great Houses, it must rely on Prince's backing. Conversely, to prevent the treaty from being nullified, Prince must ensure the Helmon family maintains a firm grip on this position.
With this thought, Perro rose slowly and bowed to Roland. "The Helmon family is ready to serve you." "Very well," Roland nodded. "But you cannot be appointed yet. Let me ask you a few questions." "Your Highness." "How will you deal with the opposition?" "What is your estimate of monthly taxes? How will you secure supplies worth a thousand units?" "If I were to urge you to expand trade, what measures would you take?" "..." Perro had assumed Your Highness would merely gather intelligence on the nobles of the Western Frontier, but the questions were so unconventional they seemed to test his administrative skills and trade acumen.
As Pei Luo racked his brains to answer the barrage of questions, Your Highness's God-like presence grew increasingly pleased. Finally, he clapped his hands and declared, "Very well, that's all for today. Once you've finalized the ransom amount of three thousand, you may come to redeem the Count. Rest assured, I'll treat him well these days." "Your Highness, as for the power of attorney..." "That will be revealed on the day." Roland gestured for Knight to see you off.
Pero walked out of the hall with mixed feelings, then saw Carter return the God's Stone he had taken earlier—still that same crystal-clear blue one worth fifty Golden Dragons.
...
"How's it going?" Roland asked, glancing at the nightingale that had emerged from its hiding spot nearby.
"Well, they're mostly telling the truth," she shrugged. "Much more candid than the previous candidates. But is it really right for you to say the same thing to everyone? And those letters—did they contain classified information?" "Not everyone," Prince flipped through the list. "They're all from the five major noble families. Only these high-ranking nobles would be suitable to manage the fortress on my behalf. Those with insufficient capability, even if appointed, couldn't keep the fortress running and would only plunge the factions into endless infighting. As for the news of Tefiko's defeat at Wimberton in Eagle City, it's not classified. This matter will eventually spread throughout Graycastle. My job is to speed up its dissemination." He thought the timing of these two pieces of news was perfect. If Prince II hadn't suffered such a crushing defeat, recruiting agents himself would have required considerable effort—if coercion had been used, the outcome might not have been so favorable.
"So... you chose him?" "Unless something unexpected happens," Roland said with a smile. "He was the first to approach me about this. Initiative is always the most crucial quality for employees. And I never expected even the Big Five to have such administrative and trade experts—I thought they'd just be riding around killing people." He found Perro Helmon's name on the list and lightly circled it with a quill pen.