Edge of the Apocalypse
Chapter 709: The Lion Said

[The next day, Ante stands in the open plaza of the castle. The broken-armed female statues on both sides silently looked at him. The little knight trembled slightly in the cold wind, and every breath he exhaled was white. However, he still insisted on standing here. When he saw a group of carriages and horses leave the castle on Lake Bay Avenue, he waved goodbye in the direction of the convoy. The distance was too far, and Ante's vision was not as sharp as that of an expert. He could only see the outline of the caravan. As for the knights on horseback, or the infantry following behind them, they were nothing more than black dots in the eyes of the little knight.

But he knew that Edward would definitely be able to see it. As for him, he wanted to convey his goodwill.

Until the caravan landed, Ante walked back to the castle. The temperature in the castle was relatively high. He took off his fur cloak, and his legs almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, the butler was supporting him. The new butler was a middle-aged man in his forties. Previously, he had been working under the old butler and was very familiar with the affairs of the castle. After the old butler died, Ante promoted him, which indirectly improved the quality of life of a family.

So the new butler was very attentive to Ont and immediately asked, "My lord, are you alright?"

"It's nothing. I'm still that Ante. Although I desperately want to be like my father, it's probably impossible for such a weak me to do so, right?" Ante lowered his head so that no one could see the sparks in his eyes.

The butler muttered, "That's what my father said. He said I don't have to be like him." As long as I live my life in my own way and feel happy, it will be a successful life. My father is a carpenter, but I have no interest in the wood since I was young. As you can see, I am not a carpenter today, but your butler. And I think it's a good life. "

Ante raised his head, as if he understood something.

The butler smiled and said, "Lord Daniel is indeed a respectable lord, but most of the respect for him comes from his martial power." So I think it's more accurate to be afraid than to be respectful. Lord Ante doesn't have the martial power of your father, but during this period of time, I can feel that Lord Ante is a gentle-hearted person. Perhaps you won't be as powerful a warrior as Lord Daniel, but you can also earn the respect of the citizens by bringing them a rich life. "

"It's a true tribute."

Ante blinked his eyes. "Really? But if I'm not strong enough, the territory will be bullied. That's what father always said."

"Your Excellency, not all animals in the forest are so powerful. They are very fragile like deer. But they know how to rely on each other. They are each other's ears, eyes, and horns. And you can see that even if there are many ferocious beasts in the forest for thousands of years, have those deer-like and docile creatures ever disappeared?" The housekeeper smiled and said, "No matter what kind of animals they are, they have their own way of survival. And the way of survival does not necessarily depend on powerful force."

'"In other words, there is a way to survive without using powerful force" Ante smiled. "Thank you. I feel much better now."

"It's nothing. It's my responsibility to assist you." The butler bowed.

In the carriage, Edward looked at Lance and was in a good mood.

After the Sacred Grimoire, Gills, who felt that his position was under threat, began to put aside all his worries. Using Lanza as a bridge, he turned to Earl Rackard for help. Edward, who was keeping a close eye on both Ark Harbor and Dornhill City, couldn't have missed this point. Gills and Rackett could be said to be in sync with each other. The former's reputation was in complete disgrace, and they had already rebelled against each other in Ark Harbor to the point where it was difficult for them to move forward. If Edward was him, he would only be able to break through the encirclement if he took the pawn of Rackett.

As for whether it was to appease the people or to suppress them with violence, that was what would happen after they retained their power.

For Rackett, he had coveted the wealth of Ark Harbor more than once in his life. Dornhill City was no smaller than Ark Harbor, but due to the geographical constraints, trade was inconvenient. Rackett had the name of Earl, but he didn't have the financial resources to match it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to peek at Ark Harbor by supporting Daniel.

The deaths of Daniel and Oban were good news for Rackett. He was able to control the unicorn territory and infiltrate Ark Harbor through various means. The Count's ultimate goal was naturally to take these two territories into his own possession. At that time, his wealth would increase exponentially.

Unfortunately, between these two territories, an Allen was stuck in. His eyes and ears in Dornhill conveyed to Edward more than once how much he hated and had a headache for their tough bones. Because of this, many of Lackard's plans have failed so far.

This time was no exception.

His calculations were not bad. He tried to win over Ante and seize military power. In turn, he would support Gills. As a result, Count Rackett's strength was extremely small. Even if something unexpected happened, the only one who would suffer heavy losses would be the Unicorn Leader. Lance thought the same thing yesterday, but now he was so depressed that he didn't even have the strength to speak.

Who would have thought that Edward would get the information in advance and make arrangements to wait for them to arrive. As a result, Glenn's army was completely annihilated, and even he became the captive of the other party. Even if Rackett eventually redeemed them, Lance was ready to become a joke in Dornhill.

"Mr. Lance, may I know how deep your relationship with Earl Rackard is?" Edward smiled and said, "Don't get me wrong. I don't like to pry into your privacy. I just want to get you a ransom that's worth it."

"The count is willing to pay me at least a hundred thousand gold coins," Lance snorted. "If it's any more, I don't know. With Glenn, I think one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins should be enough."

Edward laughed and said, "I see. Captain Glenn and the prisoners will be treated as gifts. But for Mr. Lance's sake, I think Earl Rackett should pay a million ransom to show his sincerity."

Lance opened his mouth wide and said after a while, "Are you crazy? It's impossible for the count to pay so much ransom for me."

"Normally, perhaps not. But in this situation, I think he will pay. Because if he doesn't take out the money, the people of Dornhill City will know the next day how the Blood Wolf Knights and the Blue Wolf Infantry, which they are proud of, were lost in a small rural area. I don't think the Count can afford to lose this man, right?"

Lance fell silent. He knew his uncle's temperament very well. As Edward said, Rackett was a very respectful person. The Blood Wolf Knights and the Blue Wolf Infantry were the Count's living signs, and between smashing the sign and a million gold coins, Rackett could really choose the latter.

Seeing that Lance didn't answer, Edward was even more certain that Rackett would take out the money. After all, Lance knew the count better than he did. Now that the count's plan was half bankrupt, and Ante had handed Lance over, it was as if he was on their side, and there was no turning point. In the foreseeable future, the Unicorn Leader should be a gentle neighbor. This was a threat to the development of Allen's territory.

In fact, in Edward's opinion, he would rather Ante didn't hand Lance over. Then he had enough reason to occupy this territory. In fact, while arranging for a hundred troops from Broy to head to the border post. Another army of several hundred men, led by Woody, lay dormant on the border of the Emerald Mountains. As long as Edward was willing, the unicorn castle would change owners within a day.

Of course, since Ante had made the right choice, he was unwilling to destroy this hard-won friendship. As for now, it was time to deal with Gills, who had been cut off. Edward smiled and looked out the window, thinking that the Iron-backed Vulture that had been released in the morning should be able to bring the news to Vera in the afternoon, right?

At that time, Vera naturally knew what to do.

Vera received the news earlier than Edward had expected. Before receiving the news, she had just met one of the directors of the Chamber of Commerce of the Emerald Pearl. Now that the Church had taken root in Ark Harbor and had more than ten thousand followers, Father Miro planned to build another church. At the same time, three other churches were built in Dawn Castle and Bauhinia Territory. The Church undertook major civil engineering projects, and as more priests, nuns, and other clerics were absorbed, especially the Crusaders, who had recently expanded their capacity. With so many people added together, their daily necessities, food, clothing, shelter, even armor, weapons, and so on, were all enormous. To this end, the Church has signed a long contract with the Emerald Merchant Guild. The church was built in Ark Harbor and several other territories. The Jadeite Merchant Guild was responsible for the construction and staffing of the church.

Of course, in order to accept such a large and ten-year contract, the Jadeite Merchant Guild also made great concessions. In the end, they only benefited from the two clans. Through the development of faith, commerce, martial arts and other aspects, the Church has become inseparable from the lives of the people in this territory.

It was precisely because of this that the influence of the Church, Vera, Miro, and the others grew. Thus, when the Church took a stand on Jorah's side, the effect was enormous. Today, with the exception of a small number of people who remain neutral, the vast majority of people are on the Church's side. Especially the Emerald Merchant Guild that Ou Ban had painstakingly run. They had broken completely with Gills without hesitation. Several of the Chamber's directors and its current chairman have made it clear that they support Jorah. Now, the situation is very bad for Gills.

The girl smiled sweetly when a Crusader sent the information from the Iron-backed Vulture to Vera. Now that Edward had eliminated the foreign invasion, it was time to settle the internal problems.

She raised her head and said to her guard, "Go and fetch Miss Jorah."