Chapter 156: The Three Counts

The members of the royal family do not wish to see a new kingdom born within the Sea Serpent Kingdom. Therefore, my mission in coming here is to contact the nobles across various regions and rally them under the banner of the royal family to strengthen its power.

Staining Ze said.

You state the true intentions of the royal family so casually; aren't you afraid I will leak this information?

Li Ju asked.

You are a clever person; you wouldn't do something that harms others without benefiting yourself. That is why I am sharing the royal family's purpose with you.

Staining Ze leaned forward toward Li Ju.

Then, what is the attitude of the other Grand Dukes toward the Grand Duke of Bedrock?

Li Ju took another deep puff from the wooden stick.

They are happy to see it happen.

Staining Ze replied.

...What kind of treatment can the royal family offer our Iron Gold family?

Li Ju asked after a brief silence.

No special treatment to speak of, merely two million sea serpent gold coins to patch up the financial holes in your family's coffers.

Of course, that was the treatment the royal family decided to grant your Iron Gold family before you came to power. After you take charge, I believe the treatment your Iron Gold family enjoys should be much more than that.

However, even if I were to report back to the royal family and request improved treatment for your Iron Gold family, they would not agree easily. Therefore, you must stir up some trouble.

Staining Ze leaned back to his original position.

I think those three Earls are quite suitable.

Are any of those three Earls people of the royal family?

Li Ju asked.

The Earl of Rhinoceros secretly defected to the Grand Duke of Bedrock long ago and is a nobleman utterly loyal to him. As for the remaining two, the Earl of Whirlwind Eagle and the Earl of Crystal, their attitude toward the Grand Duke of Bedrock remains ambiguous, maintaining a certain distance.

I originally intended to contact those two Earls after meeting with your Iron Gold family, but now it seems...

The two of them can die.

Staining Ze smiled.

Three days. Within three days, I will give you a result.

Li Ju extinguished the wooden stick, stood up, and walked out of the conference hall.

I shall look forward to it.

Staining Ze said to Li Ju's retreating figure.

After Li Ju's figure vanished beyond the large doors, Staining Ze's form also disappeared from where he stood.

It seems that among the court nobles ennobled by the royal family, quite a few powerful figures are hidden as well.

Li Ju returned to his room and looked up at the starlight outside the window.

Originally, the hereditary nobles of the Sea Serpent Kingdom held court nobles in deep contempt, believing them to be nothing more than a group of good-for-nothings incapable of securing a lair for themselves.

But now it appeared that the court nobles ennobled by the royal family were far from simple. Take Staining Ze, for instance; he was also a court noble, yet given his strength, acquiring an Earl-tier lair and becoming an Earl-tier noble would be an effortless task for him.

Although Staining Ze did not display even a shred of his power in front of Li Ju, Li Ju could faintly sense that Staining Ze's strength was perhaps no less than his own at the height of his power.

Not the version of him currently bound by this weak mortal vessel, but the version of him in the prime world who possessed a formidable physical body.

Aside from that single royal-tier lair, the other forces commanded by the royal family must not be underestimated either.

Li Ju sighed mentally.

The Sea Serpent Kingdom might very well be an even more powerful nation than the ancient Kingdom of Posa.

The bright sun hung high in the sky.

Clack, clack, clack...

A troop of heavy cavalry, mounted on fine horses, surged forward like a torrent.

Thud, thud, thud.

Behind the cavalry marched a group of massive rhinoceroses with faint azure skin, stepping forward with heavy, earth-shaking strides.

At the very center of the rhinoceros herd stood the most towering beast of all, upon whose back stood an armored elder. One of the elder's eyes was blind, and a quiver holding several arrows was slung across his back.

In the elder's hands was a curved bow two meters long. His arms were thick and robust, and the heavy muscles caused the armor around his forearms to bulge outward.

The Earl of Rhinoceros, master of the Level 43 lair creature Water Demon Rhinoceros, and a veteran Earl-tier noble of the Sea Serpent Kingdom.

The army marched onward until they entered a valley, at which point the Earl of Rhinoceros ordered his troops to rest in place.

Thud, thud, thud.

Not long after the army of the Earl of Rhinoceros settled down to rest, two other military forces arrived in the valley.

Screech!

A massive eagle swept across the sky. It was a giant bird with pure white, storm-like feathers, measuring two meters in length with a wingspan close to eight meters. It circled freely in mid-air, a human figure seemingly standing upon its back.

The Earl of Whirlwind Eagle, master of the Level 40 lair creature Whirlwind Eagle, and a newly-promoted Earl-tier noble of the Sea Serpent Kingdom.

Crack... crack...

The ground froze over as a group of circular spiritual entities exuding freezing mist arrived from another direction.

Atop the numerous mist-emitting spirits rested a vast sheet of thick ice supported by four elemental spirits. Upon the ice sat a luxurious seat constructed entirely of frost.

Seated upon this throne was a figure with hair and beard as white as snow, a copper-and-iron mask covering their face, and dressed entirely in black.

The Earl of Ice Spirit, master of the Level 45 lair creature Ice Crystal Spirit, and a veteran Earl-tier noble of the Sea Serpent Kingdom.

The three Earls held a meeting before the troops they commanded.

This time, we may carve up the territory of the Earl of Iron Gold and plunder the family's wealth and lair, but we must not destroy the Iron Gold family entirely. Such is the will of the Grand Duke.

After the three Earls met, the Earl of Rhinoceros, subordinate to the Grand Duke of Bedrock, spoke first.

Trenor, the Earl of Iron Gold, murdered my daughter and slaughtered my grandson. I will have his life.

The voice of the Earl of Ice Spirit carried no emotion, only boundless chill.

I want the head of Rex, the previous Earl of Iron Gold.

The Earl of Whirlwind Eagle was a middle-aged man with a hooked nose, a sinister expression, and prominent cheekbones.

Do as you please, so long as you do not completely annihilate the Iron Gold family.

The Earl of Rhinoceros said indifferently. Unlike the other two, he held no personal grudge against the Iron Gold family; his deployment this time was solely due to the orders of the Grand Duke of Bedrock.

Once the Iron Gold family lost their Armored Golden Dragon lair, they became like a tiger without teeth. Even if we do not destroy them, the day they are struck from the ranks of nobility will come sooner rather than later.

The Earl of Whirlwind Eagle sneered.

Before the Grand Duke of Bedrock intervened in the war, the territory of the Earl of Whirlwind Eagle had indeed suffered heavy casualties under the armies of the Iron Gold family, with countless of his clansmen perishing in battle. Consequently, the Earl of Whirlwind Eagle harbored a blood feud against the Iron Gold family.

What you say makes some sense. Perhaps the day will indeed come when our Iron Gold family is erased from the nobility.

Suddenly, a sigh echoed beside them.

Who is it?!

The three Earls immediately assumed battle stances, looking around with extreme vigilance.

To be able to approach them without a sound—such strength...

It is a pity that the three of you will likely not live to see that day...

High above in the sky, a man with pure white, blazing flames erupting from his back cast his gaze downward.