In the north of Tedanor, within the territory of Norn Principality, one of the four Northland kingdoms, and within the territory of the Hill Viscount.
The high-hanging full moon sprinkles the white moonlight on the earth, and the moonlight shines on the towering castle built of huge stones. In this world that lacks entertainment, except for special days, both common people and nobles are used to going to bed early. It was also pitch black, and the only room on the third floor was lit with weak yellow candlelight, and the only room that was still lit with candlelight was the study of Cook Eugene, Viscount of the Hill.
The Duchy of Norn, as the lowest duchy among the imperial dukes, has a limited territory and does not have too many nobles. Apart from the royal family, there are only two earl families and eight viscount families. .
As the absolute high-ranking officer of the Principality, Viscount Cook Eugene has always had a good reputation. In the eyes of the nobles of the Principality, he is an elegant and easy-going scholar. In the eyes of the common people, he is a benevolent and wise nobleman.
As in the past, Cook Eugene was reading by candle light in the study of his own castle. His saliva-stained fingertips picked up a page of yellowed parchment and turned the pages. He was immersed in the knowledge recorded in the book. among.
Jingle jingle~!
Suddenly, the bell on the wall of the study rang, because someone pulled the rope linking the bell.
Cook Eugene frowned slightly, and the servants in the castle usually used a bell to remind him to eat, but at this time, it was definitely not a meal.
"Strange, are there mice in the castle? It seems that the butler has to sell a cat," muttering to himself as he continued to read.
However, after a while, the bell rang again.
After being interrupted twice in a row, Cook Eugene frowned even deeper: "Butler! Butler! Go and see what's going on with the dinner bell!"
However, the viscount's call was not answered, and the surrounding was quiet, not even the sound of insects. He felt something was wrong, so he got up and picked up the candlestick on the table.
crunch~.
The study door was opened, and he walked out of the study to the corridor of the castle, stepped on the carpet and went downstairs to the dining room, where the other end of the bell was tied.
In the dark castle, the middle-aged nobleman walked cautiously with a candle in his hand. The candle reflected his shadow on the castle wall. The shadow was huge and grotesque, like a distorted devil.
Step by step, he walked cautiously towards the restaurant. In this eerily quiet environment, this no longer familiar environment also made him faintly uneasy.
Suddenly, he saw a figure sitting on the bench at the end of the long mahogany dining table purchased with a lot of money, and was startled.
"Who?! Who's there?! Guards! Guards!"
"Stop calling, Your Excellency, Viscount Eugene Cook." Unexpectedly, the voice was clear and melodious. It was obvious that the owner of the voice was a woman. Judging from the voice alone, the owner of the voice must be quite handsome.
"Now, except for the two of us, everyone else in this castle is asleep."
Holding the candle high in one hand and resting on the saber that he carried with him with the other, Cook Eugene stared at the person sitting on the chair solemnly. The uninvited guest was covered in a hood, only the long red hair was exposed .
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the urge to draw his sword. The black-robed man was able to invade the hill castle silently and eliminate all the guards in the castle without his noticing. His strength must not be something he can compete with.
"Who are you? What is the purpose of visiting late at night?"
"It doesn't matter who I am," the figure with long red hair was still sitting on the chair, without any intention of getting up.
She continued: "What matters is my purpose."
After a pause, the mysterious red-haired woman continued to speak: "Viscount Cook Eugene of the hill collar, a benevolent and wise noble scholar, who would have thought that you, who are elegant and easy-going on the surface, are secretly the biggest smuggler in the Norn Principality and slave traders."
When the mysterious black-robed woman told her biggest secret, Cook and Eugene's face suddenly changed, and he almost drew his sword and slashed.
But after all, he is a person who has seen big wind and waves. He calmed down quickly, stared at the man in black and said coldly: "Tell me, friend, what is your purpose? I think you worked hard to investigate my background, and you deliberately If you come to me at this time, it will definitely not be as simple as chatting with me, I can give you whatever you want."
"money?"
"No, no, you may have misunderstood. I'm not looking for you for money."
The mysterious black-robed woman went on to say: "I just want to ask you for a favor. Something will happen in Norn Principality in the near future. At that time, you only need to make the right choice. It will be good for you and me. This How about a proposal?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No, in fact, apart from death, you have only one option to cooperate with us, otherwise, the consequences will be more serious than you imagined, not only you, but also your family..., hehehe."
After laughing a few times, the black-robed man disappeared on the chair. Cook and Eugene's pupils shrank. With his high-ranking fighter strength, he couldn't see clearly how the black-robed man left.
"By the way, I took your badge," the voice rang precisely in Cook Eugene's ears without knowing the source of the voice. His expression changed, and he touched his chest. Did not touch.
The man in black unexpectedly took the badge hanging on his chest unknowingly. He could take the badge without the owner noticing, and he could easily kill someone. There was fine cold sweat seeping from his back.
Under the double threat of the handle and the strength of the mysterious person, he dared not have the slightest deviation.
At this time, above the hill castle, the harpies—Luna Bloodfeather stared at the dead castle below, and took out a pen and a piece of paper from the dimension bag, on which was also a list of some nobles of the Norn Principality.
The mage's hand took a pen and drew a tick behind the name of Viscount Cook Eugene, Luna Bloodfeather heaved a sigh of relief.
"The hill collar is done, um, let me see below, the blue vine collar..."
"Arms dealers, slave traders, smugglers, spies from other countries... this Norn Duchy is really bad," muttering to herself, the harpies flapped their wings and flew across the night sky.
After years of planning, the Norn Principality has already been infiltrated by [Red Dagger], and has mastered a large number of nobles, and a considerable number of people have already worked for [Red Dagger]. Of course, most of them do not know who they are. Who to work for.
Under the will of the Red Dragon, the gears of the [Red Dagger] organization turned rapidly, launching the layout accumulated over the years.
Not surprisingly, an undercurrent swept the entire Norn Principality, and things developed according to the Red Dragon's will.
Because of an "accident", the crown prince of Norn—the eldest prince and another strong contender for the throne—the six princes had a conflict. The principality was in a state of flux.
The situation was beyond everyone's expectations, including Red Dragon, the old king of Norn Duchy fell ill in bed due to the fighting spirit of his sons, the "filial sons" stopped fighting on the surface, and fought more fiercely secretly.
Gradually, the old king's illness became more and more serious. The eldest prince and the sixth prince each formed a faction to win over the brothers and entangle their party members to attack the throne.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the fate of Norn Principality has come to a crossroads. No one can say for sure whether the crown prince, the eldest prince, succeeds smoothly, or whether the sixth prince wins the victory over his elder brother.
Assassinations, infernal affairs, etc. were staged on the land of the Norn Principality one after another, and the situation in the Norn Principality became more and more turbulent.
At the same time, secretly, the second prince supported by the red dragon took advantage of the time when the brothers were overwhelmed, and launched a long-awaited arrangement to "win over" the nobles of the principality, and their power grew rapidly.
Although there are some small deviations in things, they are generally similar to what Red Dragon designed.
In the increasingly fierce conflict, the eldest prince died in an assassination, and the power of the six princes was severely injured in the counterattack of the remaining forces of the eldest prince. The princes who could not see the throne had a different heart.
The dissent among the princes erupted after the old king died of illness. In the end, the second prince, who had won the support of half of the nobles in the country, won the crown with lightning speed and became the new king of Norn Principality.
…………………………
In the Red Castle, Jose sits high on the throne, with [Prime Minister of the Kingdom] - Ergo, [Red Dagger] leader - Van Cleef, and Harpy Familiars - Luna Bloodfeather standing below.
"Your Majesty, according to your plan, Belden has successfully become the new king of the Principality of Norn."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! There are no more obstacles to the trade route plan! The rise of the Forsyth Kingdom will be unstoppable!"
"..."
The three family members were full of compliments, no wonder they were delighted, everyone never expected that things would go so smoothly.
The old Norn king fell ill with such cooperation and died of illness. Otherwise, according to the original plan, it would take at least a year to support the second prince.
"Everyone! Don't be careless!"
Contrary to the family members of the message, Jose didn't feel much about it: "You have to remember that the victory of the Norn Principality is nothing. Our opponent has never been the small Norn Principality, but the people behind the four northern kingdoms. The Witch Council, the challenge has just begun."
"We have done a very good job this time, but it is hard to guarantee that some clues will be left behind. When the Witch Council responds, we will face a real challenge."
Seeing the serious and tense expressions of all the family members, Jose was satisfied. The arrogant army must be defeated. The Kingdom of Fosse is not afraid of the challenge of the Witch Council, provided that the family members will not be arrogant and self-confident.
"Although we have achieved success in the Principality of Norn, we must not be careless. The Council of Witches of the Northland has controlled the Northland for many years, and the four kingdoms of the Northland are their foundation. For this matter, those women will definitely react fiercely. We must do a good job in the war. preparation."
As soon as the words changed, he said, "However, according to my inference, there will be no direct conflict between us and the Witch Council. After all, there is the threat of Dragon Worship."
"Once the trade routes are opened up, ironware and food will continue to flow into the markets of the four countries. At that time, no matter how unwilling the Northland Witch Council is, they will only be able to eat hard currency during the war. This is not something that can be determined by their personal preferences, but out of practical need."
"Of course, fighting in the dark is indispensable."
Having achieved such a victory, Red Dragon naturally wouldn't say anything depressing. He encouraged: "Everyone has done a very good job in this Norn Principality operation. I am very satisfied. You deserve praise."
"..."
After rewarding the three dependents, Jose signaled the three to retreat.
However, Luna Blood Feather stayed. She stood in the hall, looking at the red dragon on the throne with confusion.
Jose looked at the harpies below. Among the mages in the Forsy Kingdom, apart from Red Dragon and Nego, Luna Bloodfeather was the strongest. The Banshee progressed faster than Ergou. If it wasn't for the fact that the double master was too perverted, it might not be clear who was stronger or weaker between Luna and Ergou.
For such a pillar of the kingdom and a legendary seed player, Red Dragon naturally attaches great importance to it.
"Luna, what else do you want?"
After a pause, Luna Xueyu said, "Master, Anna came to visit me a few days ago."
"Well, that's it." Hearing the familiar name, Jose couldn't help flashing nostalgia in his eyes.
Anna was a member of the four-member team that searched for the elves, and was the elf's druid mentor. Later, the four-member team fell into the hands of the red dragon and was forced to sign a family contract, and was later taken back by the dark forest.
It is worth mentioning that Luna Bloodfeather forged a deep friendship with Elf Druid Anna during the time she lived in the Molten Core.
On the one hand, both are women, and their strengths are not much different, and they have common topics. On the other hand, Luna Bloodfeather has always wanted to become an elf, and has a good impression of the elves. Anna, an outsider, also needs a harpy The care of the demon clan.
Therefore, the interracial friendship between Luna Bloodfeather and the elf druid is logical.
After a while, Jose withdrew from the nostalgic state, and said, "Is she here to heal the deep dark area?"
"Yes, Anna is now a master druid. She was chosen by the moon elf princess to lead the druids of Mirkwood to heal the Blighted Soil."
Jose nodded. According to the agreement, the Druids of the Fersai Kingdom are the main force to heal the withered soil, and the major forces provide legendary strongmen to protect the safety. Of course, if there are Druids who are willing to help, no one will disagree. Too many helpers.
"Then what does she want with you?"
"Hehe, Your Majesty, it's like this, Anna invited me to go to the deep dark area to be her companion."
Is it a woman...
Jose didn't even think about it: "I agree, you can enjoy your vacation with peace of mind."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Luna Bloodfeather flew away happily.
Without paying attention to this episode, Jose continued to deal with his own affairs, picking up the memorial on the table.
After many monsters joined in the Red Nest Crypt, the population of the Fossey Kingdom suddenly exceeded tens of millions, and the government affairs also increased. Although the government affairs can be handled by the family members, the Red Dragon does not mind handling them in person in his spare time. .
It is also a pleasure to develop and operate.
(end of this chapter)