Chapter 91: Chips and Interests
Lily was so busy that her head felt dizzy.
Ever since Akar brought back new intelligence this morning, she had barely had a moment's rest, constantly occupied with handling various administrative affairs.
Especially after Giggs arrived with reinforcements in the afternoon, Lily had become even busier.
She had to find a way to make it through the next two days, Giggs brought news that a caravan escorting grain from the Red River Territory had already set out, with Sherry in charge of the accounting. As for her father and brothers, no one mentioned them, but everyone knew what their fate would be.
Aside from the caravan returning with Sherry, the Gem Territory had also agreed to sell part of their grain to the White Mountain Territory.
Baron Hess would wait until this caravan merged with the others before setting out together.
However, how much of the grain would remain by then was uncertain, this was, in fact, a sort of shady deal among nobles. Under relatively normal circumstances, about seventy percent of the grain would typically remain, which was already considered the more conscientious type.
But given the greed of Baron Hess Billy, the lord of the Gem Territory, the grain that finally reached Lily’s hands would probably only be half of what was on the inventory.
She had even mentally prepared herself for only forty percent to arrive.
What troubled her now was how to settle the bill for this batch of grain sent by Baron Hess.
The White Mountain Territory was not a wealthy domain.
“Pa—”
While rapidly writing something, Lily's right hand suddenly tilted, snapping the quill in her hand.
The ink soaked into the feather spilled out, completely ruining the content on the paper.
Lily was momentarily stunned, slightly dazed.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
“Sister Lily, it’s me.” Akar’s voice came from outside the room.
Lily tiredly rubbed her temples, then spoke, “Come in.”
Her voice was a bit hoarse, and even stung slightly when she spoke.
Only then did she realize she hadn’t had water for quite some time.
Looking at Akar’s slightly darkened expression, Lily couldn’t help but ask, “What happened?”
“Around midnight, Giggs and I wanted to depart, but that Bloodline Knight of the Kasein Family disagreed. He insisted that marching at night would be a waste of energy and stamina, and demanded we wait until tomorrow to set out.” Akar spoke with a grim face. “Giggs was furious and had an argument with him, but none of the soldiers agreed to depart now either.”
Lily glanced at the night outside the window, then let out a soft sigh.
“The soldiers Monica lent us aren’t from our own territory, so it’s normal for them to have such thoughts.”
“Besides, even if we set out now, we wouldn't have the necessary military supplies. We must wait for Sherry to return before the resources are complete.” Lily shook her head slightly. “All we can do now is wait.”
As she said this, Lily looked completely helpless.
“Sister Lily, are you okay?” Akar looked at the visibly fatigued Lily, then glanced at her abdomen. “Why don’t you rest for a while? It’s already quite late anyway.”
Lily initially wanted to refuse.
But upon seeing the ink-stained letter paper, she finally gave a slight nod. “Alright.”
Soon, a maid swiftly entered the room to help support Lily, and someone hurried off to the kitchen to instruct the cook to start preparing food immediately.
The entire manor quickly became busy.
…
Atork slowly led the troops to the Marquis’s Estate in Red River City.
The one receiving them was Monica.
As Monica gradually began overseeing various affairs of the Kasein Family, she had finally acquired her own private study within the Marquis’s Estate.
Marquis Visen clearly tacitly approved of Monica building and nurturing her own team.
Thus, Monica summoned Atork in this modest study of hers.
“Try this, Red Eagle Tea.” Monica held a cup of red tea, gently blew on it, then took a sip. “It’s an improved recipe based on Red Eagle Earl’s Tea. It has a decent stimulating effect on Bloodline Users below the Fourth-Tier and some positive effects even for the Fourth-Tier.”
Atork had never tasted Red Eagle Earl’s Tea.
But he had seen it recorded in the family’s clan history.
That was a premium tea variety developed during the Bourbon Family's rule over the Red Eagle Territory. At the time, the Bourbon Family held the rank of count, so this tea was named Red Eagle Earl’s Tea. Each year, aside from a portion offered in tribute to the Southern Duke's family and limited provisions to the household knights within the territory, the remaining share would flow into the market for sale. It was one of the most renowned tea varieties among the bloodline class of the Tyrella Kingdom.
Ever since the Bourbon Family was destroyed, this tea had completely vanished.
Now that the Kasein Family had reintroduced this tea, its significance was self-evident: this was once a trade commodity that could bring in hundreds of thousands of Tyrella Gold Coins annually for the Bourbon Family.
Atork had only taken a small sip before feeling a surge of heat flow through his body. Even the power of his bloodline stirred faintly.
He knew very well that if he trained at this moment, the stimulation effect on his bloodline would be nearly three or even four times greater than usual.
“It truly is very good.” Atork sincerely praised it.
“I’ll have someone send ten pounds to Viscount Bayor.” Monica said softly, then quickly shifted the topic: “What do you think about the war in White Mountain Territory?”
“The war surely won’t last long.” Atork seemed to understand what Monica was about to ask. He answered directly without any detours.
“However, we still haven’t made contact with the Baron of White Mountain Territory. I fear the baron has already…”
At that point, Atork didn’t continue speaking, but his calm expression and tone revealed his true sentiment.
“Sigh, once the Baron of White Mountain Territory dies, things will get very troublesome there.” Monica was also calm. She even picked up a crisp biscuit and took a bite. “Giggs Bole doesn’t seem like an heir capable of restoring the White Mountain Territory.”
“Sigh.” Atork showed a timely trace of sorrow. “The White Mountain Territory will likely go through a rather difficult period. Without a wise lord to lead them forward, that would be unacceptable.”
“So, what are your thoughts?”
“I think Miss Lily Bole is quite suitable.” Atork agreed earnestly. “And her husband is Yam Soderbell. By the way, Lord Giggs’ wife isn’t pregnant, is she?”
“No.” Monica shook her head slightly.
“Looks like the Bole Family’s bloodline ends here.”
Monica glanced at Atork, then quickly looked away.
“Speaking of which, how do you plan to deal with Baron Hess?”
“Someone will have a talk with him.”
If she hadn’t known Yam’s true identity, perhaps she wouldn’t have thought much at this point.
But since receiving her grandfather’s warning and learning the truth about Yam, she now clearly understood Atork’s intentions.
The Senels Family might not particularly care who takes the seat of White Mountain Territory after Baron Ster’s death, but Atork, with his personal ambitions, clearly had his own plans.
So he used the opportunity of acting under the support of the Senels Family on this mission to eliminate Giggs Bole and push Lily Bole into the position of lord of the White Mountain Territory.
In this way, on the surface, the lordship of the White Mountain Territory would remain within the Bole Family, but in reality, it would have transferred to the Soderbell Family.
Because Lily Bole’s husband was Yam Soderbell, and back then, Lily wasn’t marrying into the family; rather, she had married out to Yam.
So strictly speaking, she should be called Lily Soderbell. Not to mention, she was already pregnant with Yam’s child.
The child to be born would naturally carry the Soderbell name and automatically possess the first right of inheritance to the White Mountain Territory.
This strategy aligned perfectly with the principle her grandfather had once taught her: “leveraging power for personal gain.” Every action plan ultimately served the goal of interest.
For the sake of interest, the Kasein Family and the Antares Family had temporarily reconciled, even to the extent of sacrificing Baron Ster, in exchange for Count Shuvaric Antares’ long-term non-aggression toward the Red Eagle Territory and the Kasein Family.
The Kasein Family had just unified the entire Red Eagle Territory but hadn’t yet fully integrated it. They needed a large amount of time to digest these newly acquired lands and fully assimilate them.
This was the most vulnerable period for the Kasein Family.
So, sacrificing a repeatedly treacherous lord of the White Mountain Territory would mean nothing to Marquis Visen.
Likewise, the Senels Family clearly had their own strategic plans. Thus, they cooperated with Count Shuvaric from another angle in targeting the White Mountain Territory.
However, Atork Senels also played another role in all this: he intended to place Yam Soderbell into the lordship of the White Mountain Territory.
At this moment, the two individuals sitting in the room were essentially exchanging chips: Atork wanted Monica to ensure that the lordship of the White Mountain Territory would not fall into the hands of anyone else; in return, he would help Monica use the Senels Family's channels to resolve another of her problems.
…
“Young Master Shuke, everything has been packed. We will depart early tomorrow morning to return to the city. For now, please rest early tonight.”
“Got it, got it.” A blond young man said excitedly. “We actually caught so many trophies during this hunt, hahahaha! As expected, after my brother died, my luck really turned around!”
“Young Master Shuke!” The butler who had spoken earlier sighed and tried to dissuade him.
“Please mind your words. Young Master Andre was just buried, and the baron is still grieving. Your cheerfulness at this moment is truly unbecoming of a future lord.”
Shuke Billy, the second son of Baron Hess Billy, the lord of the Gem Territory, suddenly looked dejected.
His previously cheerful mood from a bountiful hunt vanished without a trace.
“Ah—”
But soon, a shrill scream suddenly rang out.
“What’s going on!” Panic appeared on Shuke’s face.
“Wolves! A lot of wolves!”
“They're magical beasts!”
“The wolf pack has gone berserk!”
“Run!”
Immediately after, a series of screams and beastly roars erupted throughout the camp.
Some soldiers attempted to form a defensive line, but as the Wolf King let out another long howl, the surrounding wolf pack went mad and launched a deadly assault on the camp.
The butler’s expression changed. He rushed toward a pile of magical beast corpses stacked high with wolf carcasses. After a brief inspection, his face turned completely pale. “She-wolves! They’re all pregnant she-wolves!… Young Master Shuke! What have you done!”
…
Giggs stormed back into his room, furious.
He rubbed his temples with a headache, feeling utterly exhausted.
He didn’t see anything wrong with leading the army to march through the night.
After all, his father, Yam’s father, and Yam himself were all in danger. Arriving half a day earlier to set up positions could mean starting the rescue earlier. Especially since every lord in the Red Eagle Territory was already moving, Giggs really couldn’t understand why night marching was such a problem now.
Still, he understood that although this unit was nominally borrowed under his name, they wouldn’t truly obey his orders.
For them, delaying a day to face the threat of death was naturally more appealing. After all, the ones needing rescue weren’t their own fathers, so they had no reason to risk their lives.
Giggs could understand this, but the anger in his heart still wouldn’t subside.
He walked over to the long table in his room and poured himself a glass of water.
But he found there was only half a glass left in the porcelain pot.
Helpless, he drank that half glass, then turned to fetch more.
Clang—
A sudden wave of weakness surged through his limbs, causing him to collapse to the ground. Even the porcelain pot slipped from his hands and shattered.
The tearing pain from every organ made breathing difficult.
He opened his mouth, seemingly trying to call for help.
But in the end, he only spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling black blood.
Then, his vision quickly blurred.
Darkness completely consumed his consciousness.