Chapter 131
****
After some time, Henry was able to meet John,
Henry was Currently in John’s Office,
John signaled Taylor to bring in some classified documents and spoke to Henry, "I guess you won’t be liking any chit-chat so I will come straight to the main point . This is all the information that we collected when we were confronting Duke Fjord and Evan . This also has all the events which took place after Evan’s death .
Henry looked at all the documents and understood what was going on from the start to the end . He also understood and came to the conclusion that it really was Prince Hector’s conspiracy so that Duke Fjord could become a punching bag for them .
John asked him as he was reading the documents, "Do you still want to say anything? I can say you with confidence that all the information provided to you here is correct and won’t have any discrepancies . "
Henry shook his head and gave his opinion, "No, I believe you . I have a request, I would like to meet your Knight Jake . I hope you don’t mind but I would also like to get the body of my wife or to know about the whereabouts to give her a proper funeral for her sacrifice to save Lucius . I would also like to know about the whereabouts of Lucius if you have any . "
John nodded as Taylor narrated the events,
Taylor then reported, "Well, we have the body your wife, during the commotion we had 3 spies at Laguna city who were able to recover the body of your wife, they knew that you were in coma and were traveling with us, so as a form of goodwill they recovered her body in the commotion . As we were short of people, we were unable to save her . However, they were still able to help your son get out of the city . As your kid was unwilling to trust our men he ran away while they were traveling to the other city . I guess he feared them looking out for the money he took before leaving the city . Currently, we only know that he left for the north when he escaped . As for Jake, you can only meet him tomorrow, currently, he is training his team . "
Henry sighed as he heard them, "Looking at Jake and Lord John . I believe I shouldn’t give up on believing a Lord and his Knight’s loyalty towards each other . I guess I made the wrong choice when I choose to become House Fjord’s knight at a young age . Before leaving I would like to give a message to Jake, I am sorry for abandoning him in his time of need . He still saved me even after I targeted him just a few days back . I guess he recognized me long back and hence saved me back then . The girl he protected last time around is safe . "
"Meanwhile, I will be leaving in search of Lucius . Lord John, Thank you for giving me your precious time . You are an honorable Lord . Just the fact that you stood by your men last time around was big as most lords would have abandoned their knights and men in front of a crisis for short term gains . Before leaving I would also like to know the whereabouts of my Wife’s body . "
Taylor then gave him one more report as he saw that Henry was about to leave, "Before you leave, One more thing, According to our sources the guy Sebastian who testified against you is a spy of Prince Hector . They wanted to make sure that their plan was a success however you fell into the river and hence decided to frame you in . Grim, Evan’s older brother also helped Darius hoping he can gain most of the knight’s loyalty and backing . While Ralph is still mysterious and keeps most of his plans under wraps . There is one more rumor going around that one of the brothers, Grim or Ralph helped Prince Hector in assassinating Evan . Well, we are not sure about this though . As for your wife’s body, you can find it at Eastern port city’s Dock . "
Henry nodded and thanked him, "Thank you for your information, Butler Taylor . I will be leaving now for the eastern port city . "
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John then gave him his offer before leaving, "Why don’t you join us, If you don’t want to be my knight, that won’t be a problem as I have seen your actions and understand that you are someone that I can trust . We can also help you find your Boy, Lucius . I can also give you an appropriate position in our navy and a chance to fight Duke Fjord’s men . We will most likely have a war with them . What do you say?"
Henry saluted and thanked John as he left after saying, "I appreciate your good thoughts and offer very much but it will only prove that I was a traitor if I join you now and I would still like to find my son first before coming to any conclusion . "
John then handed him 2 potions and a token before Henry was leaving, "You can always contact our men if you need any help . Meanwhile, take these 2 potions with you as they will be helpful in your future endeavors . The black one is a potion which will increase the sensitiveness of your body by 100 times . so it is helpful in torture and the other blue one is one of the All healing potions that I created, this will help you in case you are injured in any way . This token will help you get your wife’s body and contact with our men for future purposes . "
Henry left after taking both the potions and the token,
Taylor sighed and spoke after Henry left, "I guess it will take some time . We could have gained such a big asset . "
John smiled and gave his thoughts, "Well no worries, Duke Fjord anyway made a big enemy just by targeting Henry’s family . You see even a weak man will go for a kill when his family is killed or he is cornered . In this case, he was someone who was bound by his oath in the past . Right now his Chains are unleashed, I wonder what sort of Mayhem will occur if he goes to Laguna City . Anyway, keep searching for his son . and yes, go and give him his sword before he leaves . "
Taylor made a bowing salute and left "Yes, Milord . "
****
Meanwhile, Lucius, as usual, was training with Josephine and his mates Azrail, Clay and Anna near the institute . Currently, they were running again as punishment in the roadside of the market because of the mischief created by Clay . Lucius was focused on his training as he didn’t bother looking at people in the market . Meanwhile, the Elf girl Anna was following behind Lucius .
At the Market,
Both Henry and Lucius walked past each other without noticing each other . Henry felt something and looked back only to see some kids doing the laps with Josephine .
Josephine roared at the kids as they seemed to have gotten slower, "Run faster, do you want to me increase your punishment? You want to learn new combat techniques, right?
Clay roared as he began running faster with Josephine, "Yes, Miss Josephine . "
Josephine roared and ordered as she hit behind Clay’s head, "Then Run faster . "
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Henry watched them for a second and left, He thought, "I guess I am hallucinating because of missing Lucius . I guess my son would be the same age as these kids . As far as I can see, this place will become quite an extraordinary domain just by looking at all these cheerful people . " He saw Clay and sighed, as he left the town with his belongings which included his sword .
Lucius meanwhile felt something after Henry left,
Anna saw that Lucius waited for a second on the road so she asked him, "What happened Lucius? Why aren’t you running? Are you tired? Should I call miss Josephine?"
Lucius looked back for a second then again started running as he heard Anna, "I guess I just got distracted because of Clay’s idiotic behavior . "
Anna nodded as she followed Lucius, "That’s true, he always drags us into trouble . We should focus more on the institute instead of his shenanigans . It will always get you trouble . "
Clay heard them as he spoke, "Don’t lie, you guys too wanted to go and watch that new drama at the theater . And Anna, don’t lie, you are joining us voluntarily nowadays, I didn’t even have to drag you this time around like previously . Don’t try to create a bad influence on Lucius . "
Azrail laughed as he heard Clay . While Josephine furrowed her brows as she heard him .
Josephine knocked Clay’s head and said, "Continue running if you have so much energy to talk, It is quite ironic when you talk about creating bad influence . "
****
Meanwhile, in one of the administrative headquarters, one of the men named Sparrow in charge of the background checks of people saw a report of Lucius as he saw that he was one of the students of Josephine and gave it to his superior who was checking other backgrounds of people and asked his opinion,
The head named Billy sighed as Sparrow approached him, "Nowadays because of the previous assassination attempt on Lord John, the workload has increased so much . Gosh, I can’t handle so much work . I need more men . Well, what is it, is there any problem?"
Mayor Sam, Jake and Taylor had created a department for checking the background of people who are near important officials after the last assassination and hence the frequent routine checks of everyone .
Sparrow asked Billy who was busy with paperwork, "Sir, the guy seems suspicious . I think we need a thorough check on him . "
Billy furrowed his brows as he glanced at the document as his work just increased, "He is just a child, aren’t we overthinking?"
Sparrow reminded him, "Sir, you didn’t forget the last assassination attempt, right? Lord Taylor would be angry if we slack when it comes to all the important officials . He has increased our funding so I guess our shortage of men would be filled as well in some time . "
The Head sighed as he decided to look at the sketch first, "Well, you are right . Hmm . . . this boy seems familiar, Hey, what is the name of this boy?"
Sparrow checked and spoke, "Its Lucius sir . He is one of the disciples of Miss Josephine . "
Billy then looked at the sketch and all the documents carefully as he confirmed his suspicions, "Omg, aren’t our men (Taylor’s men) already looking for this boy for such a long time . Hahaha, You really did a great job this time around, Sparrow . Wait here for a while . I will report it to Lord Taylor in no time . "
Chapter 132
****
Taylor read the report he received from Billy as he looked at the documents and confirmed that this boy really was Henry kid, Lucius .
Taylor sighed and spoke, "If you could have bought this to me earlier . We would have gained quite an asset . Well, he has already left, I guess this is fate as well . You guys did a good job this time around . Make thorough checks like this on everyone, I don’t want a repeat of last humiliation when those guys brazenly tried to assassinate Lord . I heard that you guys were short on men, they will be arranged immediately in a week . You can go now, you guys will be rewarded appropriately for your hard work . "
Billy enthusiastically thanked him as he left, "Thank you, Milord . "
Billy murmured as he left for his office, "I guess I need to reward Sparrow this time around . "
****
John sighed and commented as he saw Taylor’s report, "Hmm . . . It seems this boy is staying at our institute . Well, if you can contact Henry then report him about the news . Well, he would most probably be on the move after her wife’s funeral So I think it will be hard to contact him . Well, Let it go as the flow wishes to . Don’t influence the kid as it would backfire us, as he is already being groomed by Josephine so no need to worry about his safety or development . Let him train with Jake, don’t let Jake know about this news of his identity or it will influence him as he has already decided to take all those brats in to train with them . "
Taylor nodded and noted, "Okay, Milord . Jake won’t get a hint about this as only four people know about this including you and me . "
Meanwhile, Taylor murmured, "I guess I need to provide Billy his men early on since they would need to keep their mouths shut . Why is there is such a shortage of learned men . "
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****
The Pirate naval knight named Blake who was captured previously was with Eric Today at the eastern port right now . He was free without any shackles and waiting for people . He had a height of 5 feet 9 inches, he was a man with a tan and a big beard . Currently, he was wearing normal civilian clothes Today he was waiting for John as they had arranged a meeting today .
Eric smiled as told Blake, "You will be getting a surprise this time around . "
Blake mocked him "Hmph, is he catching me again with those weird weapons for raiding his Slave and soap ships?"
Eric looked as if he was disgusted with Blake and spoke in a frustrating manner, "Stop the bullshit, you have already joined Count John’s Navy, heck I wonder why you were even made the admiral when you nag so much . You are an admiral and still whining . "
Blake too angrily spoke, "You think I care about this position? I too was forced into it, I would rather raid ships in the sea with my men and my ships . Well, The thing is I too misjudged Count John previously based on the rumors, I guess I changed my opinion after hearing about the fate of Francis and looking at his city which didn’t feel like it had any slaves . Now I am convinced that he has a better plan to remove slavery at least . So I guess my goals match with this position and I made the deal . And there is one more thing, I can take my revenge by joining Lord John . "
Eric irritatingly spoke, "Then you should stop nagging when you are an admiral and know the truth about lord . "
Blake mocked Eric as he heard him, "Yeah an Admiral without a fleet and going to bars with his mates every day, right?"
Eric irritatingly explained to him for the nth time, "Well, it is to solve the problem of the fleet that Lord has decided to personally come here today and hence the meeting . "
John came from behind both of them with Ross as they were fighting on the street, "Both of you should stop fighting and get along . "
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Both Eric and Blake roared at the same time towards John, "Who said we are fighting? He is the one who is fighting"
Both of them started again fighting as soon as they blamed each other .
John sighed and spoke seriously, "Ok, ok, lets get to serious talk for now . I am here to address the shortage of ships, arms and our future planning today . Marquis Ray’s ships will arrive today . There is a total of 12 ships, I hope this is enough for your men . I have also asked the shipyards to do remodifications on all the ships . You guys will be surprised after using it . So it will be better from now on . "
Blake mocked him as he heard Jonh, "I don’t want those second-hand cheap ships . I would rather prefer my old ships rather than using them . Hmph . . and what about remodifications? Do you think beautifying it would increase its efficiency? Just because you made those ballistae can’t mean you can even improve those ships after random modifications . I know that you are smart but these ships are under development of various lords and even the royal family for a lot of years and it is very hard to improve their efficiency . "
John smiled and spoke, "Well, your ships are a wreck . If you still want them, then you can go and take a dip in the eastern sea and look for sharks . "
Eric too added, "Hahaha, That’s true, your ships are a wreck, go and cry a river over it, This lord was one who did you over when you tried to raid us after that much planning . Hmph, I would have rather Jumped on the ships designed by Count John himself rather than nagging endlessly . You don’t even know how lucky you are, so stop your nagging . "
Blake hmphed and mocked him as he heard about his 2 ships that were wrecked, "Hah, That’s why you will always remain a Pleb . As for you downing my ships . you would have been toast if not of those ballistas . "
Eric laughed and spoke, "Then you should stop nagging as you will also get more ballistas fitted onto your ships and that too in far higher numbers . And this time you would have 12 ships under your command unlike the two old ships from the ancient past . "
Blake nodded and spoke, "Hmm . . . Well, those Ballistae are good and all, but my men will also be in danger from now on as I heard that Duke Fjord has declared a war against you guys . He has also increased the funding of his Navy And recently he is seen in a lot more social events as he is rallying lords to wage a war against us . So the thing is I will practically be short of men and ships, wars can’t be fought without men . Additionally, we don’t have a harbor so strategically they can choke us anytime they want .
Blake pointed out at this port as he continued, "Just look at this port, When will we occupy this port? I don’t feel safe for my men without a port city that connects to our domain or a base in the sea . What are those weapons for? For show? Can’t you use them to invade the northlands? There is a good place for harbor over there where only Wild Dangerous beasts roam and they can be solved with these new ballistas . "
Eric was quite surprised as he heard Blake, "You traveled to the northlands? As for the port city, I too understand your concerns . In emergencies, we would be cut off from our domain and that is also one of the reasons that baron is able to extort us . Well, Anyway, first tell me about North-lands . "
Blake gravely spoke about his experience, "Yeah, I traveled there once when I was escaping the naval fleet of Duke Fjord and the Royal Navy . I mean I traveled there once as I was a bit adventurous and jolly . However as soon as we reached there, it was quite dangerous with many unknown beasts, even I had a hard time defeating them while we were short of men . So I guess it is hard surviving there . "
Blake spoke gravely and continued, "We only survived thanks to an island which was near it and it was less dangerous . However it was quite dangerous at night so I guess it was a bit of both . But with these weapons, those beasts will be toast in front of us . We can use that island as a Loading base in case of emergencies . However, I will still need men to create a full fleet . So you must be ready with all the preparations . What do you say? If you can give me permission then we make a good enough plan, this plan could be quite good and useful for us in times of need . "
Chapter 133
John smiled as he heard his plan and nodded, "Okay, I like your guts, We can start exploring the northlands as I can give you more upgraded arms . As long as you can clear that area up and set up a base then I can reward you and your men real good whether it is gold or Land . As for women you guys can only seduce them yourself or go to the brothels . I understand that your worries are not unfounded when you say that we can get choked as we experienced recently when that prince Hector increased the Tariffs on our goods and I too have been waiting for a long time to make my move . This plan of yours is feasible and we would not get choked by our enemies when nobody knows of our plans of taking the Northern wastelands from the route of the sea . So it’s decided, We will start transforming the northlands and also make that Island as our base in case we want to catch our enemies unprepared and deceiving them the whole time . We will also expand our lands from North of the eastern port with that island catching everyone unprepared . "
Blake excitedly spoke as he saw that John agreed with his plans, "Now this would be really exciting, Catching Fjord and everyone else unaware would feel real good and satisfying . The looks on their faces when they are caught unprepared would be quite amusing to watch . I wonder when we can launch a justified attack against them when they think they have the whole game in their hands . "
John made sure to remind them, "Remember, this will be a very secret project . I will send my most trusted men so that we can make an early base for the foundation of both the new towns, a lot of support will be there to construct that base . I will also send slaves who are really motivated . they will be freed as soon as this project is a success . They will get the lands there for their loyalty and chance to join the army or navy so don’t make that face Blake, They won’t be slaves for long . You guys will expand the land from the north and go down towards North-frontier City’s Northern Border escaping the eyes of other borders . It will be better this way and people won’t even get a hint on our plans early on . It will be Ross who will accompany you with all the new men . You understand, Ross?"
Ross nodded and gave his assurance, "Yes, Milord . I will make sure to choose the right men for this project . I will make this project a success as I understand that our survival and strategic options lie on this project . "
John smiled then took out a telescope and showed it to Blake, "Look at this tool and tell me, what do you think of our chances with this in our hand?"
Blake then tried to hold it in different ways but didn’t understand the use of Telescope and asked irritatingly, "What is it? Are you guys joking with me with this toy?"
Eric sighed and spoke, "Look from the hole, you idiot . And then you wonder, why do you lose to me every time in chess or Go . If I am not wrong Lord was the one who introduced this game . "
Blake didn’t wait for Eric to finish and took a look at the Telescope, "Hmm . . . wow, it is quite a good peeping tool, Eric . No wonder you like it so much . "
Eric grinned and said, "See, I told you . This is the best invention that Lord John has created till date . "
John facepalmed as soon as he heard their conversation, "For a second I thought Eric was looking sensible but now, Why do I feel I am getting dumber day by day by being with them . "
Sarah meanwhile commented in her head, "You were always dumb, you are only realizing it now . "
Ross kept his laughter in as he saw the duo, ’I see why Lord is in a bad mood today as he is usually calm headed . ’
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John then angrily roared as he heard Sarah, "Enough bullshit from both of you guys . It is a scouting tool that will be helpful for you men at the seas for scouting the enemies early and prepare in case of meeting enemies . "
Both of them answered at the same time, "Of course we know about it . However, its greatest use will still be peeping anyway . "
John sighed and spoke, "Come, lets go to the dock, we are late already . The ships might have already arrived over there, Mr . Frank might be waiting for us . I hope both of you understand the importance of that Telescope in naval wars and don’t reveal about it casually to outsiders . "
Both of them spoke again, "Of course, we both know the importance of this telescope . " From their tone, it seemed they were still the same .
Blake then asked John seriously, "Well, I understand its importance . However, Count John, Did you really make this tool?"
Meanwhile, Eric smiled as he saw Blake’s face shocked for the second time since he caught him previously at the sea .
Eric thought as he saw Blake’s shocked face, ’I guess his first shock was those ballistas doing their work and now is his second shock . ’
John then smiled and spoke, "Well, I didn’t make it, but I was the one who designed it and asked my Chief engineer to make it according to the blueprints . "
Blake touched his chin with a bit of shock and asked him, "I guess I really need to look forward to the new ships that you designed . Don’t you ever get tired of creating all these new amazing things?"
Sarah commented inside his head as she heard Blake, ’Hmph, all he does is plagiarizes all the time, Nah most of the time . ’
John almost fell down as he heard her but he still kept his composure .
John coughed a bit and answered, "I guess I am good at it . "
Sarah, "Yeah, real good at fooling these plebs . "
John cursed as soon as he heard her, "Damn it . "
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He thought and cursed, ’I wonder if the creator of that helmet transferred his soul in it, looking at her personality I don’t feel she is a mere AI . ’
Sarah answered him as she heard her, ’Of course I am a special case . Who do you think this Sarah is? A mere tool?’
John sighed and didn’t argue this time .
John headed to the docks as he ordered them irritatingly, "Anyway, lets go . "
Eric murmured as he heard John cursing, "I guess he is still angry at creating that telescope however this tool also reflects Lord’s true emotions . And he still likes to keep a dignified appearance . "
Blake nodded as he heard him, "right, right . By the way, I ain’t giving this telescope back . "
Eric nodded as he agreed with Blake and added, "Of course, add me in . "
John sighed and didn’t bother them this time as he understood that both of these perverts won’t change, He thought, ’It’s good that we reached the Dock earlier or I would have died by all three of them . ’
Sarah pouted as she spoke, ’Hey why are you including me with those idiots . ’
John mocked her as he muted her after ending his sentence, ’You are no different than them . Anyway, don’t bother me now, we have just arrived at the docks . ’
’How dare yo . . . . ’
John smiled haughtily as he muted Sarah, ’This Feels good . ’
After some while,
Mr . Frank, John and everyone else met at the Docks .
Frank greeted John and spoke after looking at Blake, "So he is your new Admiral . Quite a bold and risky choice . You really like poking your nose in hornet’s nest when it comes to the Royal family and Nobles . He is quite notorious in the eastern seas because he has raided a lot of upper nobles . Well, it is still small compared to what you did earlier with the Radiant church or Prince Hector . I heard about the incident of Priest Francis, are you really prepared for a war that you are making enemies left and right?"
Blake commented as he heard him, "Its none of your business whom Lord John chooses to be his Admiral . As for making enemies, the Lord doesn’t have to worry as this Great Lord is there to hold the seas . Ahem, Of course with those Ballistas . "
John signaled to Blake and spoke to Frank, "Well, It is always better to recognize your enemies . Someone big in the Radiant Church targeted me, I guess most of them are against me . Why not confront them directly when I have the power to confront them . They will be in quite a shock if they think they can blackmail me over their petty services or their power and connections . Many of the people in my domain are anyway denied their services because of their race so I am quite experienced in dealing with them . So because of this I always had a contingency plan in mind when my city got bigger . As for that Moron Francis, he had it coming with the arrogant tone coming from both him and the Pope . Anyway, lets get to the main point, Are the ships ready?"
Chapter 134
Frank nodded and spoke, "Well that’s true, the ships are ready but you first need to stamp and sign these papers . We can then go to the ships . Meanwhile, what did you do the ships? From my experience, we arrived quite earlier compared to the time that we predicted earlier at the time of Journey"
John showed a mysterious smile and spoke, "Well, its a secret . "
John smiled and thought . ’I redesigned every ship according to its needs and efficiency . Even if they try to imitate, they won’t be getting any results . Well, it’s good that the ships are working fine . "
Frank sighed and spoke in a grave tone, "I guess this is also one of your creations . Royal Family will be looking at you like a greedy wolf if they find out about the performance of those ships, you know this, right? You should be careful . I am sure these ships can match Fjord’s ships whether it is speed or maneuverability . Even the Head Captain agreed to it . It’s good that I only bought my trusted men since Duke Fjord is targeting us aggressively these days . "
Blake too was quite shocked after hearing Frank and understood that John wasn’t Joking earlier when it came to the performance of the redesigned ships .
Blake thought as he heard Frank, ’The seas will be exciting and stormy from now on Duke Fjord . The day would not be far when you pay for colluding to catch me last time around and killing most of my men . I will first pay him back in this war where he arrogantly claimed he would decimate Count John . I guess he doesn’t know the true fear of those ballistas . I wonder how he will react after hearing about the superiority of these Galleon Ships and the big losses if starts the war . ’
Eric meanwhile was having the same poker face as he was quite used to this scene of Count John shocking everyone .
Eric thought as he saw both of them and had a face which had a disgusted look, ’Plebs, getting shocked at every little thing . Isn’t this expected already?’
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Blake immediately understood as soon as he saw Eric’s disgusted look . However, he controlled himself as he saw that there was an important meeting going on and he couldn’t mess up .
Ross too was watching this from the sidelines as he merely smiled,
Frank laughed as he saw all of them, "Hahaha . You have a lot of interesting men, John . You are quite lucky to have men who trust you fully . Anyway, your Ships are at the Dock . They are charged high tariffs . And Yeah I forgot to remind you, 2 weeks later Lord Sapphire will come with Elves from the southern Island as they intend to meet you first before making any deal . "
John nodded and asked, "Quite a good piece of news . Thank you, Mr . Frank . I heard you are investing aggressively in the town . I guess you are going against your father as this reveals that you trust us enough that we can protect ourselves . "
Frank thought nostalgically and remarked, "I guess, over the years, I had lost my courage and this time I am doing as Joseph reminded me of one of the core principles I learned earlier when I started doing business before he left on his own . Well, this time I am quite sure you guys will be able to protect yourselves after watching those ballistas and with the fact that you guys easily gave it to the Royal family . I guess my instincts are good when it comes to judging some situations minutely . And this time I am investing my private funds so the family funds won’t be jeopardized . So no one can blame me . " Frank smiled mysteriously as he spoke the last sentence .
John smiled and understood "Well, lets go to the dock then well will talk on it later on . "
Frank nodded, "True, I too am getting late . Lets go . "
As soon as they arrived at the dock Frank bid them farewell after John signed the papers .
John smiled mysteriously and asked Blake, "So what do you say now? Do you believe in these ships after hearing it directly from Frank? and looking directly at these ships?"
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Blake nodded and agreed, "I guess, I will have to . It can’t be a coincidence that you were able to invent so many things . "
Sarah remarked inside his head, "Hmph . . . just plagiarizing . "
John coughed a bit and spoke of his plans to all of them, "From now on we will increase the volume of trade with Sapphire Duchy and other domains . You will be in charge of defending important consignments with our new naval fleet . You can raid the pirates at will and this includes anyone who dares to rob us . So how do you like this sort of freedom without any sort of restrictions? However, your men will also follow the military laws of our Government . "
Blake nodded and agreed, "Hmmm . . . . . Now, this seems like a good proposal . Ok, I will accept this project . We will create a base at the Island first and then at the Northlands . From there Our team will first connect to that new town at the northlands and then from that town with North-frontier city as this will be important for our future and connection to the sea . "
John nodded and made other suggestions, "That’s a good plan . However, you will have to provide me a full plan from the start to the end so that I can plan accordingly . "
Blake thought a bit and said, "Ok, I will do that immediately after I contact my men . Anyway, You don’t have to worry about your Tradeships from now on as these ships and ballistas are good enough to create chaos among the other pirate crews or Fjord’s own navy fleet . Just watching the current speed of these Ships . I am sure we will dominate the seas for a long time . I am just itching for my encounter with them, this includes Fjord as well as the Royal Navy . I am sure Fjord will protest a lot with the Royal family over my appointment claiming that since I am a pirate . I shouldn’t be allowed to join any of the lords . And lord doing so should be punished for my sins . Do you really think it would be Ok with my announcement? I can still become an unofficial Admiral of your navy . "
John shook his head, "Well, I have a perfect pretext over it so you don’t have to worry . Royal family won’t risk ruining their relationship with over a mere appointment and Jeopardize our deal of sharing the Ballista blueprints to them . And even if they do create some problems . They can’t do much at sea apart from lip service as they won’t risk the lives of their own personnel over a personal feud between me and Fjord . "
*****
Duke Fjord was meanwhile trying to rally the lords at one of the parties hosted by Grim frequently . Duke was also attending these parties nowadays as suggested by Grim . Grim was the one who suggested creating a social influence and rally lords while offering them various benefits . They would eventually follow their greed and join the crusade against Count John .
One of the Barons commented after watching Duke at one of the parties, "It seems that Duke is rallying knights and Lords to invade North Frontier city . It looks like even the Royal family is turning a blind eye towards this Development because they understand that Duke can use this as a pretext if Dwarves are able to penetrate their spies or even their fleet when he continues his campaign against Count John .
Another one of counts asked with enticing words, "What do you say? Will you participate in this war? From what I know, this war can make most of the lords rich enough to not worry about 20 years at least if any of us can get our hands on the new technologies developed by men at Count John’s domain . And remember this, No risks No gains . "
One of the viscounts spoke in a grave manner, "However there is also that weapon called Ballista as well . And you haven’t forgotten about that mini ballista as well, right? I don’t want to get me or my men killed over some wealth if that count is pissed over some lord leading the vanguard . "
Chapter 135
The Baron again reminded about another matter, "Quite true, additionally, did you hear about Francis? That count has even offended the Radiant church this time around . I heard he even didn’t bother about the letter written personally by Pope David . I heard from my father that because of the previous incident, the radiant church is going to fund Duke Fjord from behind the scenes . This also has the personal approval from the Pope, He has personally sanctioned it after the last fiasco, it was decided during their last meeting of the cardinals and Pope . There were no objections about any of the proposals from Pope David in the last meeting . This message is intentionally being leaked by Pope David . "
"tch . " The count expressed his annoyance as soon as heard this from the Baron . But he still didn’t stop influencing other people .
The Count continued, "However think about it guys, do you think this count only has Duke Fjord to worry about? He also has to worry about Prince Hector, Duke Black wolf and Now the Radiant Church . Do you really think he will worry about small pawns such as us? I would rather try to be a fish in these muddy waters to make some fortune, who knows what can make us rich?"
One of the other viscounts who was influenced by him expressed his opinion, "This is true, what count Mike says is true, no risks, no gains . I would rather try to change my fortunes in this campaign . And that Count isn’t such a big shot that he can fight on all the sides . Additionally, Duke has the best ships on the sea . What do we have to fear when we have those ships? This time we have less to worry about and more to gain just by supporting the Duke . "
Some people agreed while some people like the baron were still skeptical .
Grim looked at the gossips that were quite frequent in recent parties and smiled as he spoke to one of his men, Jonas, "Looks like your plan is quite good and going well, That guy Mike is quite good . It is always better to pay people to do good influencing before a war starts . We will also start our propaganda in the Domain and why we are starting the war to the masses so that people actively take part in this war, Additionally we are now getting funds from the Radiant Church so we need to use it well or they would just bite the dust in the coffers . "
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Grim’s Strategist, Jonas spoke, "Yes, I particularly selected men who are good with words in the upper class and that guy Mike is quite a good influencer when it comes to the greed of Lords . As for Propaganda, it is, of course, inevitable and Duke agrees as well, The first casualty in any war is the truth and use of propaganda . Do you really think common people will pick up weapons when they are told that we are going there to loot instead of some flowery things like revenge? Well, it is for most of the wars . "
Grim agreed and nodded, "Any news on Ralph, Jonas?"
Jonas sighed and answered, "Nah, It seems like he has ghosted himself so that people can’t track him, He was last seen going west towards the capital with a big entourage and he disappeared with his important men in the middle of his journey . It looks like he doesn’t even intend to take part in this campaign . This has also pissed your Father, Lord Fjord . We have been keeping eyes on him for a long time as we have ascertained that he was the one who conspired against Evan last time around based on the rumors . We have been remaining very careful against him from now onwards as he might do the same to us when the war starts . A lot of Evan’s loyal men have died these days in suspicious circumstances, Most of them had grudges with Ralph . All of these things point towards Ralph . "
Grim made a frustrated look as he spoke, "What is he exactly planning . It tenses me more when he isn’t behaving as he should usually and is making us guessing in the unknown . Anyway, we have rallied enough Lords and knights after all these Parties . Father will soon announce the start of the campaign . "
Duke Fjord asked one of his ministers, "Where is Ralph? Why isn’t he present at the time of such an important announcement . Does he really not care about becoming a duke anymore?"
The Minister informed him of Ralph’s latest movements, "My lord, he was last seen going west and there is no news on him since then . It looks like he has already given up on this war . "
Duke Fjord sighed and came on the stage as he had already decided to make the announcement today .
"I thank all the lords today for coming here and supporting us . Today is an important day, as this will mark the beginning of our war against that upstart . That upstart has no respect for hierarchy nor any noble etiquette, well we can still ignore it as he is an upstart . But that upstart even dared to slander a Lord’s honor i . e my son’s honor over a slave but my son still kept quiet . But this was not enough as he even brazenly assassinated my Son because he felt that this was not enough as he was stabbed and murdered in cold blood with the heinous poison of the demons . This time I will not remain quiet as this father has lost a precious son this time, he had a lot to achieve, he did not deserve to die there but on a battlefield and this time my son will be avenged until one of us survives . Previously I didn’t announce this news as this would reduce the morale of our army and I had to resort to lies . But about the previous incident in the sea where we lost 50 men, that incident is quite true . This was done by that count and his allies, he and his men had ambushed our men when we were doing regular patrols on the eastern waters . This time we will not be quiet . WE WILL TAKE OUR HONOR BACK AND PAY THAT UPSTART IN KIND . MEN, REVENGE FOR EVAN . REPEAT AFTER ME, REVENGE FOR EVAN . "
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The crowd roared in cheers as they heard Fjord’s soul-stirring speech, The crowd roared and repeated after Duke Fjord, "Revenge for Lord Evan . Revenge for Lord Evan . Hang that Count . Hang that upstart . "
Grim smiled as he too joined the crowd that bayed for revenge, He asked Jonas, "Quite a good speech, did you write it, Jonas?"
Jonas shook his head and pointed towards one direction, "Nah, it was that guy, Count Mike . All he asked was about the injustices we faced from that Upstart and here the speech was ready, all I did was deliver the letter to your father . Look at his proud face, you will understand it immediately . "
Count Mike was making a haughty and cheerful face as he joined the crowd . Grim spotted him and saw his face and immediately understood why Jonas said that . He thought and spoke, "Quite a useful man . I think he will be quite useful in future power struggles . Try to get him on our side as much as possible . "
Jonas smiled and spoke about his circumstances, "I have always been trying that from the start . So you don’t have to worry . His only problem is greed as he asks a lot when he sees an opportunity . That guy knows his value, however, he knows about his ability aswell as he is a weak man when it comes to combat or money . So he is trying to get Money as he can’t achieve the first . "
Grim smiled as he heard and spoke, "Well, greed is good . We can control him with that . I have decided, I will invest in him . "
Jonas nodded and spoke, "Okay, Lord, you don’t have to worry about it since investing in him is no problem . Anyway, It seems Lord is returning and it seems that this speech has influenced a lot of people this time around . We can expect a bigger crowd when the war starts . "
Grim shook his head and spoke, "Well, don’t expect much, we will only start targetting them actively in the seas from now on while keeping out a watch for Duke Sapphire if he makes any move . A lot of war preparations are already done, all is left is execution . "
Jonas laid out one of his hypothesis, "I think after we start, it will be a chain reaction and others will start targetting them as well . We can expect a much bigger war this time . I wonder, how the Royal family will manage this time around . "
Grim had a cold look as he looked at all the nobles present here, "This is war, so anything can happen . All we can do is act on it or wait for it to end . I guess Ralph fled with the same thinking, Hmph, Pussy, always dreaming of getting big things without any effort . In the end, he will realize the hard way that only his strength would matter even after all those conspiracies in that crazy head of his . Anyway, lets go . "
Jonas nodded and left with him .