Chapter 185 184 The punishment that ended before it even started
Chapter 185 184. Punishment that ends before it begins
Marshal Loren did not intend to stay in the foggy city for too long. After receiving the king's appointment and permission for war, the marshal must hurry up and head to Dover.
That's where the regiment of the Old Praetorian Guard was stationed.
The reason why it is called "Old Guards" is to distinguish it from the Twist Guards formed after the establishment of the Plantagenet Kingdom. The Old Guards are all veterans who defended the king during the Kingdom of Zealand. They are the most powerful in the country.
Combat power, the most honorable and loyal army.
They only obeyed the will of the king himself and were equivalent to King Louis's "private soldiers".
Marshal Loren's military career began here.
He was the pride of the Old Guard.
King Louis's use of the Old Guard also means that he does not want this war to be suppressed by Parliament. This also means that if the Tower of Rings cannot give an answer that satisfies the king, then the psionic master's political allies will not be able to do so.
There is a chance to prevent the war from starting.
This was King Louis' response to the rebellion!
Determined, decisive, cruel to the point of being cold-blooded, he even skipped the step of sending envoys to inquire. Either bow his head and surrender, or accept destruction!
It is obviously impossible for a report to achieve such an obvious effect.
This is enough to prove that for a long time in the past, Louis IX had some hidden dissatisfaction with the Ring Tower, and now he just seized the opportunity to vent this pent-up dissatisfaction.
Marshal Loren did not want to consider this.
He did not intend to be a watchful politician, but before he took a short rest at his official residence in the capital and prepared to set off, he welcomed a "guest".
"I never like to be disturbed while eating, but you are an exception."
In the restaurant of the Marshal's official residence, Marshal Loren, who was eating his dinner as a soldier should, said to the people who walked into the restaurant without raising his head:
"I still have something to ask you. Regarding the destruction of Cadman City, I thought it was just a bloody revenge between compatriots, but now I find that there seem to be some factors hidden in it that cannot be ignored.
Edward!
You have to tell me, what role does the Wolfsbane clan play in this?
And is the subspace rift that opened underground in Cadman City the work of you?
The most important thing is, are you taking advantage of my Majesty and me?"
"boom"
The knife in the marshal's hand was placed on the edge of the plate.
He raised his head and looked at old Edward, who was dressed like the most standard old gentleman in the foggy city. Loren reached out and took the handkerchief handed by the dwarf attendant beside him, wiped his mouth, and loaded the dwarf with gryphon carvings on the chamber.
The musket was placed in the marshal's hand.
And a silver dwarf earth priest with an ancient tattoo on his face and an earthy yellow hood covering his body also appeared quietly at the entrance of the restaurant.
He made no secret of his close connection with the spiritual energy of the earth, and with every step he took, the entire marshal's mansion seemed to vibrate, and the dust scattered on the roof told everyone present that this was not an illusion.
This is a gold-level earth priest!
Several dwarf assassins hiding in the shadows on the second floor of the restaurant also drew their guns and aimed downwards. The scene became tense for a moment, and it was almost like the BGM of ambush from all sides.
Facing this situation where he was almost certain to die once a war started, Edward Spencer Gangaro, Grand Duke of the Wolfsbane Clan, showed no fear, and there was no obvious change in his expression on his always gloomy face.
He leaned on the fine-quality cane in his hand and pulled out the chair opposite the dining table in the midst of danger. He took off his fine-quality black and gray tall hat and handed it to the dwarf attendant next to him along with the cane.
This old gentleman-like guy reached out and took off the decorative monocle on his left eye. He put it in his hand and took out a handkerchief to wipe it. He whispered:
"I knew in advance what Salokdar was doing in the Blood Vulture Corridor, but that was not because I set up this trap. Your Excellency, Marshal, I can only tell you that I learned all this because of a man who was related to Sarokdar.
Women in intimate relationships were driven crazy by that cold-blooded old bastard.
She threw herself into the arms of Wolfsbane, praying only for revenge.
So, I generously fulfilled the poor lady's wish, and at the same time, I added another stroke to the century-old grudge between my clan and the Blood Vulture.
In Plan D, my people were only responsible for closing the city barrier and making a small fortune by providing psychic positioning for the Ring Tower. Apart from that, we did not participate in any other dangerous plans.
I personally come here to explain this to you, and I hope you and His Majesty Louis will not misunderstand us, the sons of midnight, who have dedicated their loyalty."
"Oh, your dog's nose is really sharp."
Marshal Loren sneered:
"Did you hear something? You actually came here to explain all this so proactively. But being reasonable is definitely not the style of the Wolfsbane clan, but you came here to reason with me, you're scared!"
"I do not deny this. The majesty of King Louis envelopes this country like the sun, and as we all know, we vampires living in the shadows are most afraid of the sun. Who can not be afraid?"
Old Edward shrugged.
He touched his stomach, and it seemed that he was in too much of a hurry to have a good dinner. The marshal made a signal, and a simple but sumptuous dinner was immediately brought out from the kitchen and placed in front of Grand Duke Wolfsbane.
He politely thanked the dwarf chef, then tied his napkin, picked up a knife and fork to cut open the pork chop on the plate, and put a small piece of meat smeared with tomato sauce like blood into his mouth. This kind of meat that dwarves like best
The food you like is cooked quite well, even for a vampire.
As the "King of the Underground" in charge of the foggy city and even the dark areas of Green Island, Old Edward has supreme authority in the sewer areas where the sun cannot shine.
Since being betrayed by the Blood Vulture Clan in 1040 AD, which led to the "Wolf Disaster" incident that led to the Old Religion and the Tower of Rings joining forces to strangle and lose all the territories on the mainland, the Wolfsbane Clan was so embarrassed that it was almost wiped out. Under the leadership of Edward, the Wolfsbane Clan migrated to
Greene Island.
In order to survive and continue the clan inheritance, Old Edward completely abandoned the ancient and conservative vampire rules.
He and his servants began to recruit criminals and thugs that no one looked down on on a large scale. After 70 years of development and expansion, at least four out of every ten crimes that occurred on the island were related to wolfsbane.
They are the masters of Greene's dark night, the most ruthless and cruel strand in this country's huge shadow, and this dark power is held in the hands of old Edward.
It is worth mentioning that the year 1040 of the Era was also a memorable day for Marshal Loren, as he was born in the winter moon of that year.
In short, under this background, the Wolfsbane Clan's ability to detect information on Greene Island is absolutely top-notch. His Majesty the King gave the order in the afternoon, and at night, old Edward came in the dust.
Of course he was afraid that the King's ill will toward the Ring Tower would involve the Wolfsbane Clan.
A shadow is always a shadow.
No matter how huge the shadow is, it only takes a ray of sunlight to disappear.
Old Edward never underestimated the power of human beings, especially the reforms promoted by King Louis across the country, which made him fear from the bottom of his heart. He knew that after the steam technology of the halflings was learned and mastered by humans, these extraordinary races would rule the continent.
The era may be about to usher in an era of great reform.
That’s the wheel rolling forward!
The situation has come to an end, and old Edward is no longer the mantis to be crushed.
"Well, thank you for your hospitality. Rich food is always soothing."
After Wolfsbane finished the pork chop, he skillfully picked up the bread, dipped it in the soup and put it into his mouth. He said with a smile to Marshal Loren who was staring at him:
"If you need it, my servants are willing to serve as the vanguard of counter-rebellion. As you said before, ancient hatred must have an honorable end."
"It's not that I have needs! It's that you have to be loyal to His Majesty."
Marshal Loren does not believe that the Wolfsbane clan is pure and innocent in the Cadman City incident, but the biggest suspect at the moment is obviously the Ring Tower, and it is His Majesty's strategy to weaken Wolfsbane's power on Greene Island, so the half-dwarf
The marshal did not reject this offer of assistance.
He said to old Edward:
"You'd better not be involved in this matter. Your Majesty hates traitors, and so do I."
"Well, actually I am the same. No normal person would like a traitor unless he himself is one of the traitors."
Old Edward smiled, raised the wine glass in his hand to the dwarf marshal, and said:
"Then I wish you smooth sailing in your war, if it really starts."
"Um?"
This sentence made the marshal blink his eyes, and he asked:
"Have you heard anything?"
"Oh, old dogs always have smarter ears, so they can survive better. I also heard some interesting stories from the distant White Cliff and I plan to share them with you."
Lord Wolfsbane waved his hand, like old men sharing secrets.
While chewing the bread soaked in tomato juice, he said mysteriously:
"As far as I know, just a few days ago, a psychic hunter under the Ring Tower was mobilized."
"They're already dead."
Marshal Loren said expressionlessly:
"Your compatriots, the last remnants of the Blood Vultures, killed them in a crisp midnight assault. A total of 600 heads were piled on the border of Transia, with the declaration of war of 'blood debt must be paid with blood' written on them."
"Um?"
Old Edward's expression changed slightly.
According to his estimation, the Blood Vulture clan, which had been severely damaged and was only one step away from being exterminated, should not have the ability to do such a thing. However, Grand Duke Wolfsbane acted calmly and waved his hands and said:
"That's how we vampires do things. We always wait for revenge when we have the ability. It seems that the Blood Vulture Clan has a real leader again, which is really regrettable."
Marshal Loren stared at Old Edward's pretended calm expression. He was silent for a few seconds and then suddenly said:
"I have definite information that Lady Shani, the Grand Duchess of Thorns, and her entourage also participated in that massacre."
"Snapped"
The wine glass in Old Edward's hand was crushed instantly, and his expression darkened.
The remnants of the Blood Vultures lingering on the edge of destruction don't matter anymore.
But living in the Nordtov Kingdom, the powerful Thorns Clan was also involved, and this was not a good thing. The Wolfsbane Clan and the Thorns Clan had never been friends, which made him immediately smell a wave of opposition directed at him.
Come with bad intentions.
A thousand years of racial infighting has long made ancient people like Old Edward feel bored and tired, but the worst thing is that it is like a cursed game that never ends.
Betrayal, alliance, betrayal and strangulation are the eternal melody among vampire clans.
It’s so annoying!
Ah, merciful Midnight Mother, why don't you send down a bolt of lightning to kill all those annoying bastard compatriots, leaving us, the Wolfsbane clan, to walk in the night to promote your majesty?
"Let's get down to business."
Old Edward took out his handkerchief and wiped the wine on his fingers.
He no longer smiled, but told his news without interest. He lost interest in pretending and said straightforwardly:
"The deployment of the psychic hunter force was not an order from the top of the Ring Tower. It was the private decision of the Evocation Master. Well, maybe we should call him 'former Evocation Master', because it was the day after they set off.
, the Ring Tower sealed off the Baiya territory.
I have received word that there appears to be a civil war among the psionicists.
I don't know the specific situation of the battle.
But I guess that His Majesty King Louis will soon receive an apology that will make him happy, and the Evocation Tower faction, one of the three towers of the Ring Tower, is expected to welcome a new Evocation Master, as well as a
A cold cleansing that is enough to make even vampires like us feel terrified.
Those psionicists seemed united.
But their internal struggles are more naked, biting each other like a group of beasts with power, always accompanied by large-scale executions. They always kill their own people more viciously than they kill others, and they will
It's called the 'necessary price' of pursuing truth.
So, who is the bad guy?"
Having said this, Lord Wolfsbane stood up.
He sent the angry marshal good news that was enough to appease him, but he got bad bad news as a "return gift". This made old Edward no longer in the mood to stay here and continue playing charades with Marshal Loren.
Lord Wolfsbane said goodbye politely:
"Anyway, I'm here to advise you not to let the warriors of the Old Guard work too much. Maybe you will soon return to the battlefield you cherish. After all, such a big thing as the Black Disaster requires an outstanding commander like you to be responsible.
resistance.
I will send the elites of my family to participate in the Black Disaster. The Gray Claw faction, which is ambitious and eager to show its power, has set off as a vanguard to Transia.
Hope you can use them properly.
certainly!
It's okay to be cannon fodder.
I don't like that overly ambitious heir. He worships power but despises wisdom. He has no dignity at all of the Midnight Nobles!
Oh, what an idiot, he looks so much like me when I was young. I thought he looked like me, so I trained him, but the problem is, he looks too much like me."
After saying that, Old Edward took over his tall hat and cane, put on his monocle, said goodbye to Marshal Loren, left the mansion, got on the black carriage and disappeared into the night.
Marshal Loren got the news about the Ring Tower. He didn't think it was Old Edward's fraud. The cunning Lord Wolfsbane knew when to tell the truth. In other words, the punishment for the Ring Tower had not even begun yet.
It has ended.
"Fu"
Marshal Loren lit his pipe and blew out smoke rings.
Under the gloomy evening light outside the window, he thought:
"That's fine, the kingdom needs to be united, and the head of a master of plasticity is enough to soothe the anger of a dwarf after being exploited."
With this in mind, the marshal summoned the silver dwarf priest to serve him. Under his instructions, an ultra-long-distance psychic communication was sent to the pioneer fortress in ten minutes. Fraser was still loyal to his duties.
The major answered the call.
"You make arrangements."
The marshal said to the psychic projection maintained by two earth priests in front of him:
"I want to talk to the lord of Transia, tomorrow."
"Yes, General, no, Your Excellency, Marshal!"
Major Fraser gave a military salute.
As for why he, thousands of miles away, could learn about Marshal Loren's promotion so quickly, it's actually not surprising.
The Capet family is one of the three ancient nobles of the Kingdom of Zealand. They have great authority in the Kingdom of Plantagenet. As the young heir of a staunch royalist family, when Major Fraser was born, His Majesty King Louis even hugged him.
Woolen cloth.
"After you finish this, you can go back for vacation."
Marshal Loren blew out a smoke ring and said to the young man in front of him who he valued very much:
"There are less than six months until the arrival of the Black Disaster. I will give you two months of vacation. After completing the major events in your life, you can report to the fortress. Major Fraser, I guess your family has paved the way for you.
So, if you can survive the black disaster alive and make some achievements, I should probably call you Mr. 'Brigadier General'. Do you need me to prepare a wedding gift to send to the Cape family?"
"Please be sure not to make such a joke, Marshal."
Major Fraser shook his head and said:
"The country is in a critical moment, and a black disaster will threaten the entire continent. In the face of such a major event, my personal honor and disgrace and major life events are no longer important.
I have sent a letter to my father.
As long as the black disaster continues, I will not be able to have a family. This is the oath I have made for the country and Your Majesty, and I believe my father will understand me."
"But young people always have to taste the taste of love."
Marshal Loren still wanted to persuade, but Major Fraser over there was a little anxious. He didn't seem to want to talk about this issue, so he answered unhesitatingly:
"I regard you as my idol, Marshal. You are not in a hurry for major events in life. Why should I be in a hurry?"
"Um?"
The half-dwarf almost choked on the smoke.
He gave Major Fraser a hard look and scolded:
"Go do your work! Stop asking about adults' affairs!"
After saying that, the long-distance psychic communication was cut off, and a few minutes later, the old silver dwarf priest who had been guarding Marshal Loren just pulled up his hood and whispered to Marshal Loren:
"You must go back to Silver Castle. Little Loren, the Supreme Lord and your cousin Lifruosa are waiting for you."
"Based on the lifespan of a dwarf, my cousin is still underage! Gaia is the best."
Marshal Loren covered his eyes in pain.
He retorted feebly, but the old priest rolled his eyes and took out a dwarf pipe, put it in his mouth, and said in a long voice:
"But by human standards, your cousin is already an old girl. You can't keep her waiting for too long! What's more, you both have a crush on each other and you're not a coward."
"Stop pressing me, okay? Think of it like I'm begging you."
The marshal rubbed his sore eyebrows and sighed:
"I have a responsibility to my country and monarch, so at least I will wait until the black disaster is over."
"But that's what you said before the Ten Years' War began!"
"This time it will be sure! This time it will be sure, I promise!"
