Chapter 122: Chapter 117: The Game and the Pawn
The night was deep, and the boisterous banquet had long since ended.
Velin sat alone in his office, the room lit only by the flickering candlelight.
Dragon Knight Edmond had already departed, but his crushing, mountain-like presence had not yet fully dissipated.
A letter lay silently on the desk.
Velin unfolded the letter. The handwriting was strong and forceful, just like his uncle, Leman Klein.
"Velin, I was delighted to hear the news of you pioneering your territory. I had prepared some wine for you, but it’s a shame you are too far away in the marsh to enjoy it. However, you can consider the promotion edict my congratulatory gift. No need to thank me. The glory of the Klein Family is my glory."
Velin scoffed.
’A congratulatory gift. How nicely put.’
’This was clearly a bill, a price tag labeled "favor," just waiting for the day I would have to pay up.’
’To disguise it as an uncle’s care for his nephew... it was perfectly hypocritical.’
"Next time you need something, write to me directly. Don’t go through Lilia again. She’s a good girl and shouldn’t be troubled by these things. It’s more efficient if we discuss matters between men directly."
Velin’s finger lingered on the word "efficiency" for a moment.
’He was being told: You have a seat at the table now, but don’t forget who pulled out the chair for you.’
At the end of the letter, Leman’s tone shifted.
"You might be wondering why the council was so generous. The reason lies in your status as one of the ’last group of Pioneer Knights directly under the Duchy.’ There are several others in your group, scattered across the Duchy’s other borders. They will all receive varying degrees of support from the council."
"Remember your status. From the moment you stepped into the Gray Sea Marsh, eyes have been on you. Watch your step."
After reading the letter, Velin walked to the window, looking down upon the Grey Marsh Territory he had built with his own hands.
Under the moonlight, the small town was shrouded in a tranquil, peaceful glow.
Becoming a Pioneer Knight had been a choice he made after careful consideration.
But now it seemed that choice had led him right into a game someone else had already set up.
His uncle Leman might not have predicted he would choose the path of a Pioneer Knight, but he had undoubtedly recognized the value of this status immediately, seizing the opportunity to play along and turn the situation to his advantage.
The aggression of Marquis Minas Hill;
The timely arrival of the Sub-Dragon Knight;
The noble council bypassing the Marquis to grant his title directly;
All the clues, when strung together, pointed to a single answer.
This was a silent power struggle between the local nobility of the Duchy and the Empire’s officials.
And he, Velin Klein, an up-and-coming Pioneer Knight, had, by a twist of fate, become a pawn for the council to play against the Empire’s sphere of influence.
Just a few hours ago, he had been the player, manipulating the Marquis Envoy, Banaby, in the palm of his hand, enjoying the pathetic sight of the man breaking down in fear.
In the blink of an eye, he discovered he was nothing more than a chip on a much grander table.
How ironic.
Looking back at the events of the past few days, it seemed he was merely a pawn that had been pushed one step forward.
The feeling of powerlessness was fleeting, quickly replaced by more rational thoughts.
Velin turned and picked up the letter.
He didn’t rush to burn it. Instead, he folded it carefully and held it over the candle flame.
As he watched the flame lick the edges of the paper, the light in his eyes intensified.
"Treat me as a pawn?" he muttered to himself, a hint of a smile in his voice. "Interesting. But you all had better be careful... Pawns can be promoted, too!"
’Since I’m already in the game, I might as well maximize this pawn’s value.’
His mind flashed back to the document about the "Eleven Copper Leaves Tax" he had seen in Leman’s study. Velin didn’t know its contents, but it now seemed necessary to find out.
Velin returned to his desk and unrolled a fresh sheet of parchment.
The quill danced across the paper, leaving behind neat lines of script.
It was a letter to his sister, Lilia.
In the letter, he first thanked his sister for her help with the territory application documents, then he made a new request.
He hoped Lilia could find a way to gather all news, decrees, and even political rumors concerning the upper echelons of the Empire and the Duchy for him.
Information was Velin’s most important weapon for understanding, and eventually controlling, the situation.
After sealing the letter with wax, Velin leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and began to plot his next move.
’First, I must consolidate the surrounding weaker lords as quickly as possible.’
’Using the cheap grain from Newly Town as bait, I’ll bind them to my cause, form a stable regional alliance, and completely cut off any possibility of infiltration by the other great nobles of Sword Tooth Province.’
’Second, I must concentrate all resources on fully developing that aether-rich area.’
’It’s not only the core of the "Strong-Base Plan," but it must also become self-sustaining.’
At this thought, Velin stood up and walked out of his office.
He needed to check on the research institute.
Inside Nameless Mountain, the converted research institute was brightly lit.
Velin pushed open the door to a laboratory, breaking the silence within.
The old alchemist, Valerius, was facing a blackboard, scribbling and muttering to himself.
Beside him, a thin young man was absorbed in a pile of books, searching intently for something, completely unaware of Velin’s arrival.
"Ryo."
Velin called out.
The thin figure flinched, nearly dropping the scroll in his hands.
"My Lord!"
The two of them finally noticed Velin. Before he could ask anything, Valerius had already wiped the chalk dust from his hands and walked over, his expression grave.
"Velin," the old Mage said, troubled. "There’s a problem with the ’Strong-Base Plan.’ Xiaolan’s mental state is very unstable. And she’s too young—only sixteen. Her body is still developing. I’m worried something will go wrong if we perform such a risky bloodline purification experiment on her."
Velin was silent for a moment. "Then we’ll proceed with the backup plan using Sarah."
Valerius nodded, turned, and began to search through a new stack of parchment.
"Ryo, come here."
Ryo put down a test tube and followed Velin to a secluded corner, his head lowered.
"Have you had any results with that plant I asked you to find?"
Hearing this, Ryo subconsciously glanced toward a corner of the lab and stammered his reply.
"I think... I think we’ve found it, My Lord. Its effects... are being tested."
"So far, it does seem to have the effect you described."
He followed Ryo’s gaze and saw a cage where several rabbits were lying limp and motionless in a corner.
A glint flashed in Velin’s eyes as he saw this.
’Good. As long as we’ve found it.’
’If that stuff can be mass-produced, I won’t have to worry about Golden Sun for a while.’
"Excellent," Velin said, patting Ryo’s shoulder lightly. "Collect more live specimens of this plant. I have a use for them."
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