Chapter 211: The Possibility of an Enclave
"Ha, I’m sure you won’t be satisfied with this compensation plan."
"But there’s nothing to be done. For the good of the Kingdom, you had to be sacrificed to secure greater benefits!"
"I hope you can understand."
Reading this, Duane was already cursing Count Kais’s entire family in his head.
Still, he patiently read the rest of the letter.
He didn’t believe Count Kais would write such a letter just to mock him; that wasn’t his style.
Sure enough, the letter went on to detail the predicament of the Akutas Kingdom, explaining the possibility of a future war between the kingdoms.
It also included information about the Holy Radiance Court.
This organization was very influential in the Fidun Kingdom and could sway the decisions of the Fidun Royal Family to some extent.
In the future, an alliance between the Pruck Kingdom and the Fidun Kingdom would likely result in a pincer attack on the Akutas Kingdom.
Of course, this was merely Count Kais’s personal speculation based on the intelligence he had gathered.
’Why is he telling me about international politics?’
Duane didn’t understand. Even if a war broke out, the High Lords would be the ones on the front lines.
He was just an insignificant Baron whose words carried no weight, one who couldn’t even get proper compensation.
He turned over the first page. The second page was covered in a string of coded text.
"What’s this?"
Duane asked in surprise, "Is this a letter from Natalia?"
Simone shook his head in confusion. "Housekeeper Moer gave it to me. He said it was a letter from the Count, so it shouldn’t have anything to do with Miss Natalia, right?"
He then added, "The Time Closet is progressing very smoothly. We expect to produce our first batch of clothing in the second half of the year."
"My Lord, Miss Natalia asked me several times why you hadn’t visited. It’s clear she’s very concerned about you."
"After the meeting that day, she specifically asked me to give you a message. She said your new paintings are all beautiful and that she likes them a lot."
Kaelon snickered. "My Lord, I think you’ve got a shot! You can make this happen!"
Duane rolled his eyes. "What shot? Make what happen? Don’t talk nonsense!"
He took out the picture book Natalia had given him, *The Love Story of the Knight and the Countess*, and began deciphering the coded text while asking Simone a question.
"Did anyone from the Stewart Clan go?"
"Viscount Raul went personally. I heard he’ll be participating in the exploitation of the Secret Realm and will get a share of the profits."
Simone looked worried. "I had a small run-in with him, and he threatened to lodge a complaint against you. But he never came looking for me again before I left."
Duane smiled faintly. "He was probably just saying that in a fit of anger. He turned a blind eye to your escape back then, so it’s even less likely he’d use you to cause trouble for me now."
Despite these words, Simone was still worried he might bring trouble to Duane.
"Should we write a letter to Constance?" Duane asked.
"Will she receive it?"
"How will we know if we don’t try?"
Duane smiled. "If we can bring her over, your family will be reunited, and I’ll gain a capable Mage as an ally."
At his words, Simone’s heart swelled with excitement.
"I’ll go back and write it right away!"
Before long, Duane had deciphered the secret letter.
It was indeed Natalia’s handwriting, but the content was a message from Count Kais.
The fact that the message was encrypted clearly meant its contents were highly confidential.
Duane read it carefully. In summary, it was about one thing:
On July 15th, the sixtieth anniversary of the Kingdom’s founding, nobles of all ranks would gather in the Royal Capital for the celebration.
To better stockpile, distribute, and transport the resources extracted from Freddy’s Secret Realm...
Count Kais, along with several other Lords, would propose to His Majesty that a new city be established in Fernando Province, near the Flowing Silver Fjord.
To ensure the extracted resources weren’t embezzled or otherwise mishandled, the Lord of this new city would be a noble not involved in the exploitation of the Secret Realm.
Count Kais would propose that young nobles under the age of twenty-two compete for the title of Pioneer Lord in a tournament.
The last sentence of the letter asked if Duane was confident he could win.
The letter ended there, but Duane was no fool; he understood the implications immediately.
If he became the Lord of this "new city," he would have a detached territory on the Pruck Kingdom’s mainland.
Wasn’t this the very thing he had thought of when he reached the summit of Heavenly Mountain?
Duane took out a map.
The new territory was on the edge of the Flowing Silver Fjord, directly across from the Starfall Islands.
From such a location, if war broke out in the future, he could quickly reach the Starfall Islands.
Even without a war, it would make it easier for him to help Selena and Brison with their affairs.
’Where will Count Kais propose the new city be located?’
Duane studied the map carefully, finally placing his finger on the southern part of Fernando Province, just below the mountain range.
’This location is directly opposite the Starfall Islands, and to the east is the territory of the Ugo Calvin Clan.’
’Is Count Kais using me to check the Ugo Clan?’
Duane keenly recognized this possibility.
Given his relationship with Count Kais, outsiders would certainly assume he was in the Count’s faction.
Duane had also clashed with Elwin of the Calvin Clan, and the Kennedy Clan were rivals of the Calvin Clan.
Therefore, once Duane became the Pioneer Lord of the new city, even if he didn’t want to make an enemy of Viscount Ugo, the Viscount would proactively be on his guard against him.
’But these are all secondary matters. The key is the detached territory!’
The plan had a very high chance of success.
After all, the Royal Family and the clans of Hughes, Smith, and others were not ironclad allies; they each had their own agendas and factions.
Embezzlement could occur at any stage of the resource extraction process.
Establishing a way station to handle unified distribution to each clan’s territory seemed like a necessary measure.
As for selecting the Pioneer Lord, using a tournament instead of a direct appointment was a very suitable method.
’Baron Kais proposing an age limit of twenty-two wasn’t really about age; it was about strength.’
That’s because people in that age group could at most be Human Tier Warriors.
Duane had single-handedly killed six assassins in the Royal Capital. That combat record spoke for itself.
Therefore, Kais was a hundred percent certain that Duane could seize this detached territory.
’The compensation might have been small, but this proposal from Count Kais is invaluable!’
Excited, Duane picked up a pen and wrote a reply to Count Kais using the same cipher.
"Owington, give this letter to Heck. Have him set sail and deliver it to Sea Cliff Castle as soon as possible."
The Male Servant immediately took the letter and departed.
"Has something good happened, My Lord?" Kaelon and Simone asked, their curiosity piqued.
"Indeed, it is."
If this succeeded, it would be his first major step beyond Black Forest Island.
Duane stood up. "Let’s go. It’s time to deal with the Holy Radiance Court."
「Outside the Medical Sanctuary.」
The drawbridge had been raised. Sarah, Manny, and the others were in a defensive stance.
On the other side of the drawbridge, Jack and John stood guard with the town watch.
Though there were only about twenty of them, both sides were currently in a standoff, with no intention of making the first move.
They were all waiting for Duane’s return.
On the wall, Manny watched the town guard below and sighed for what felt like the hundredth time.
He’d originally thought his time on Black Forest Island would be peaceful, but the problems he’d encountered had only grown more and more troublesome.
If he had known, he would have forgone the Church’s favors and would have been much better off staying in the Royal Capital.
’These brainless thugs... if they keep blocking the gate like this, we can forget about proselytizing on Black Forest Island ever again!’
He could already imagine the rumors spreading across Black Forest Island these past few days about Kendrick injuring a commoner.
Combined with the town watch blockading their gate, he feared they were about to be labeled as villains.
If this continued, they might never be able to shake that reputation.
’And who knows when Baron Duane will return!’
Manny looked up at the sky, exasperated. ’If he doesn’t come back soon, we’ll run out of food. Then we might really have to fight them.’