In his mansion in Rock Ridge, Earl George Nery finally received the letter from the Western Region. He unsealed the letter and glanced over it, his face clouding over.

"What did it say?" Asked a restless Baron. On his chest, there was a kamon of G.o.d of River, indicating that he was from the Levitan family, whose domain was located at the intersection of river courses and was regarded as a fairly famous family in the local area.

There were over twenty n.o.bles like him in the study room.

Nearly half of the feudal n.o.bles around the Redwater City had gathered here.

Instead of answering him immediately, George glanced at him coldly and handed the letter to Guye Yurianne, the Earl of Tririver. After the latter read through the letter, George began to speak slowly, "Roland Wimbledon has taken away all the power of the Willow Town lord and occupied his domain as well."

"The new king... really did it?"

"h.e.l.l. So what does he want to do? To deprive us of our t.i.tles just as the news we received has suggested?"

"How can he do that? That t.i.tle is pa.s.sed down from my grandfather!"

Someone suddenly said, "Willow Town is too close to the Stronghold and it's very small. It doesn't mean that he'll do the same to Redwater City, does it?"

"I guess He didn't seize the entire king's city before is because he doesn't have the capacity. Maybe we should wait."

Hearing that, George could not help sneering in anger. He said," To the Western Region, is Redwater City farther than the City of Evernight? Are your domains larger than the whole Northern Region? Are you blind or stupid? It's not news that Roland Wimbledon wants to take away the power of all n.o.bles. You see what happened in the Northern Region. The businessmen have hinted it repeatedly, and now the Willow Town provides the best example. And now you're wondering whether you will be the next?"

"Please mind your language, Your Excellency."

His mean and rude remarks made the n.o.bles frown.

"Let me explain," said Guye, waving his hand toward the Earl of Rock, "In fact, I believe everyone is aware that our new king is definitely not an ordinary person. Since he went to Border Town, everything he has done is beyond imagination. So it's meaningless to judge his actions by the old standards and your past experience. I have sent my men to the Western Region. Roland Wimbledon doesn't conceal his real thoughts. He plans to abolish the n.o.ble's feudal power and just reserve their t.i.tles... This has basically become his mission of his ruling, and the slogan has been openly put up in the city square."

His calming voice eased the mood of the n.o.bles. He continued to say, "You may say that Redwater City isn't his domain. But the Longsong Stronghold wasn't his either, let alone the Northern Region. Roland Wimbledon will be the King of Graycastle sooner or later. When that day comes, even if he claims that the whole kingdom is his domain, what else can we do other than accept it? And that will definitely happen." After a short pause, Guye said, "If we lose our domain and subjects, what else do we own?"

"But what can we do?" Huth, another Baron, interrupted impatiently, "King Timothy was defeated, so was the church. Who else can stop him? Last time when the Western Region army came to Redwater City, we saw how they fought. Within 60 meters, the snow powder weapon is irresistible, and even heavy-armored knights can't approach. How can we resist such power?"

Hearing that, the crowd chimed in.

"Of course there's a solution," George said in a cold voice. "Although the snow powder weapon is powerful, it has some flaws. It can only be used in an open s.p.a.ce. The bigger s.p.a.ce, the more powerful. But when in a confined environment, its power is limited."

"A confined... environment?"

"The Lord's castle, for example," he said word by word while glancing at the n.o.bles who were present, "When Roland Wimbledon arrives at Redwater City, he'll definitely live in the castle. Only a few guards can live there, so as long as we can arrange more men there, we'll be in an advantageous position."

"Did Lord Delta agree to cooperate with you?"Levitan asked in surprise.

"You know his personality. It's impossible for him to do such a thing. Even if he was pointed by a sword to his neck, he would not resist." said George, shaking his head dismissively, "But he really did me a lot of favor. In the castle, there're lots of secret paths which lead to the outer city area. As long as we send our people in the castle ahead, they won't be found."

"How did you... know it?"

"Thanks to Earl Delta, he likes to dig here and there in the city, and I bribed the masons for the information. As the saying goes, a crafty person has more than one hideout. I don't know whether he's cautious or timid," George sneered and said, "I originally planned to kill him in this way, but I think it'll work just as well on Prince Roland."

"But this is treason..." Huth muttered, "And if Roland Wimbledon were killed, his army would likewise flatten us!"

"Who said we're going to kill him?" replied George, knocking on the table with displeasure. "As long as we seize Roland, we can have the situation under control. Since the new king is alive, his army won't dare to put his life at risk. Maybe we can even force his army to retreat. Once the news spreads, those n.o.bles will definitely side with us. Don't forget, the Western Region is the only domain he's truly had his hands on. When that day comes, it's hard to say whether the Duke of the Northern Region will still support him."

"But after all, he is..."

"He hasn't been a real king yet, Baron Huth." Guye Yurianne interrupted him, "He hasn't held the coronation, nor did he proclaim himself as a king. We can select another Wimbledon, who believes in aristocracies and follows the traditions, as the king. We'll find such a man in the king's city as long as we try."

"By that time, maybe someone will stand out before we look for him." George lowered his voice, "And we should know how much we'll benefit from this. Losing everything or glorifying your family, what are you hesitating about?"

His words immediately caused a stir among the n.o.bles. Obviously, they already knew what they should choose.

George Nery was not surprised by the result. The n.o.bles he summoned had been in favor of Timothy before. Even if Timothy was dead, they would not choose Prince Roland with whom they had a conflict of interests. Further, the prospective benefits were enough to tempt this group of cowards to take a bold action.

However, their ability was limited. If no one led them, they were nothing but a rabble. He was the only qualified person to a.s.sume the post of the lord of Redwater City and run the Central Region.

After a moment, Levitan and his party seemed to have made their decisions. They asked, "What're we going to do next?"

"Put some of your reliable knights under my command... Then, just wait," George said with confidence.