Chapter 106: Muddy Waters

Chapter 106: Muddy Waters

Early the next morning, the quiet of Blackstone City was broken by noise. The soldiers guarding the gate frowned unhappily as they watched the swaggering members of the Delegation.

Delegation leader Wood stood outside the city gate, also frowning. The gazes of several Knights on the city wall looking down on him made him very uncomfortable; he did not like others being in a superior position.

Wood felt great disdain for the Green Kingdom. As an ally of the Anya Kingdom, it hid behind them but had never been willing to fulfill the promises made when they first formed their alliance. It was time to lay the cards on the table. Wood felt confident and ambitious. He imagined the scene after forcing this small, insignificant country to become a vassal, a place to take from as they pleased. He was full of confidence right now because he had a powerful nation behind him, a nation much stronger than the Green Kingdom.

Wood’s deputy, Tirui, was also sizing up these Knights. Although they looked tall and imposing, in his eyes they were just for show. He scanned the area, trying to find any sign of the Dragon Riders, but only saw two or three Wyverns circling in the sky. Back in the day, the Green Kingdom withstood external pressure with the help of the Dragon Riders, but times had changed. What was the Green Kingdom, without the support of the Dragon Riders, really worth?

…

The Dragon Riders in the city paid no attention to the swaggering Delegation; they chose to watch coldly from the sidelines. What happened to this country had little to do with them. What they wanted, this country could no longer provide.

Watching the people flaunting their power, the Dragon Riders took the opportunity to carefully assess the gap between the two sides. What concerned them most was the Anya Kingdom’s top-tier force—the Hell Knights. The Knights who came with the Delegation this time were all very young. These handsome youths’ faces were full of youthful vigor; it was hard to connect them with the grim word ‘Hell’.

A group of powerful young people, just lacking experience and tempering.

The Dragon Riders had already guessed the Delegation’s purpose. Because they were young, they were impulsive and prone to causing various accidents and possibilities, especially when possessing great power. These were guys deliberately let loose to cause trouble. So, who would be the one to clean up the mess afterwards? The Dragon Riders began observing even more carefully.

The Dragon Riders watched the commotion with ease because the Northlanders were about to come out, so they didn’t need to step up right now. After the two sides clashed and were bloodied, that would be the Dragon Riders’ opportunity. They only needed to wait patiently. Since the Anya Kingdom was reaching its hand here, the Northlands and the Dragon Riders were troubles that inevitably needed to be dealt with. They chose to step back, so the Northlands naturally became exposed. From the Dragon Riders’ understanding of the Northlands, those savages simply didn’t understand retreat.

Now, they could just sit back and watch the show. A truly good show!

While the Dragon Riders were making their clever calculations, King Warren was also feeling relaxed. Faced with the aggressive Anya Kingdom, he was also prepared to watch a good show. The Northlands and the Dragon Riders, one in the north, one hiding on the East Coast, wanted to carve up everything he had. Dream on! Now he had directly opened the gates. Whoever wanted something? Go take it, go grab it.

As long as these three sides couldn’t settle the score, he, the nominal King, had value in existing. Moreover, he simply didn’t believe these three sides would fight with their full strength. The Anya Kingdom, having tasted some bitterness, would withdraw. The Dragon Riders and the Northlands would also have to weigh the external threat of Anya. Then, they would need him, the legitimate Royal Family, to stand on the stage.

Then, he would try to establish closer ties with the Northlands, tightly binding the Royal Family and the Northlands together. Warren felt the Light was just ahead; he only needed to endure this difficult period. He believed all of this would pass very soon.

…

Deep down, Bran felt a sense of urgency. An invisible voice reminded him to quicken his pace. He sat there, repeatedly checking himself. That instant yesterday, he knew something was wrong with him. He self-deceptively hoped this was just a temporary disturbance during his growth. Since he was the one with the problem, should he still trust everything his intuition told him?

Bran sighed. Everything was in chaos. Under the gaze of the people around him, he stood up and gave Danny a firm hug, softly encouraging himself: “Everything will be fine. This is only temporary.”

He turned and looked towards the bridgehead. Earl and the others were already standing there before dawn. He said to Mary: “Bring them over.”

Bran originally planned to continue applying pressure, thoroughly destabilizing the Remnant People here, so he could easily gain more. He had also thought about first reorganizing and rebuilding the city before entering. But with the arrival of the Dragon Riders and the people from the Royal Capital, he had to speed up. Who knew what other troubles might come later? He couldn’t push these Remnant People too hard right now; at the very least, he needed to ensure stability so he had the energy to handle various possible troubles.

Most importantly was the sense of crisis that rose today. Although he thought it was just a mental hallucination caused by his physical condition. But what if it wasn’t?

Standing before Bran again, Earl humbly presented the materials in his hands. Noticing that Bran first flipped to the map of Northland City, Earl took a step forward and explained: “Northland City was initially built to garrison a large army, so the city’s area is quite extensive. The walls are also thick and sturdy.”

Then he noticed Bran’s gaze settle on the building at the city’s center, so he continued explaining: “This is the command tower, the tallest building in the city. It has four floors in total: one underground, three above ground. It has a spacious front courtyard, surrounded by thick defensive walls wide enough for several people to walk abreast, with watchtowers at the four corners.”

Bran asked: “Who uses this place now?”

Earl replied: “It has been unused all along.”

Seeing Bran frown slightly, Earl continued explaining: “When we first took refuge here, our elders established Rules forbidding occupying this place. As we gradually recovered and became capable of maintaining this city, someone has been maintaining it, but only maintenance. We have always remembered our status and dared not harbor greedy or occupying thoughts.”

Bran couldn’t help but look up at Earl. Not bad, a retreat to advance. Positioning themselves as stewards, so when the master returned, there would at least be a good buffer. What was even more remarkable was that after several generations, they could still persist, not blinded by greed. It seemed they might truly have a decent heritage. They were capable of persistently adhering to certain Rules and were accustomed to respecting hierarchy.

Bran said: “Zack, take a few people over to check it out. If possible, you go over and garrison it first.”

With these words, he saw Earl and the others visibly relax.

Bran then asked: “What about this city’s security? Who is responsible for it?”

Earl answered: “We are all fairly good Knights. When needed, we will step forward.”

“Step forward?”

This rhetorical question made the people in front blush slightly. Someone explained: “Faced with the master of the Northlands, no one could muster the courage to resist.”

Since the primary goal now was to maintain stability, there was no need to make an example of anyone. Creating widespread panic now would be disadvantageous for both sides. Moreover, judging by the reactions of these few, the intimidation was about enough; they probably wouldn’t dare to harbor overly excessive ambitions in the short term.

As the conversation ended, the few people who came out from the Camp noticed something was off. This Wizard had relaxed his pressure on them. Although they still hadn’t received a clear answer, the Northlanders chose to enter the city.

They understood that safety was only temporary. If they truly wanted to settle down, gain recognition from this Great Wizard, and be accepted into the Northlands, they would inevitably have to give more.

After Earl and the others left, Bran absentmindedly flipped through the materials in his hand. These people were good. Everything was planned in an orderly manner, and they had even expanded their sphere of influence to Twofold Mountain, logging and mining there. To grow to their current scale, he himself probably couldn’t have achieved this.

…

Sophie’s visit interrupted Bran’s work. This young girl did something very unseemly; she actually personally brought the wooden box containing the head to Bran. Seeming to want to see Bran lose his composure, after placing the box in front of him, she suddenly opened the lid.

Facing Bran’s lack of reaction, Sophie asked curiously: “You don’t seem surprised?”

“Hmm.”

“You already knew what was in here?”

“Hmm.”

“How did you guess?”

Bran looked up, carefully examining Sophie from head to toe. “Wizards never rely on guessing. Barriers cannot block our sight.”

Then Sophie realized something, desperately suppressing the urge to flee, said goodbye, and hastily left.

Watching the other party’s rapidly retreating figure, Bran sneered inwardly, hoping this conversation would buy him a few days of peace.