Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 431: Technically Going Easy

In the Royal Capital of the Locke Kingdom, atop a tall building that reached thousands of meters high and covered hundreds of mu, resembling a pillar supporting the heavens—Duke Will, Duke Kaidel, and Duke Juniper, the three great Dukes of the kingdom and rulers of provinces, were standing on the top floor of this building, waiting somewhat anxiously.

This was the highest-level Five-Star Mage Tower in the Locke Kingdom, and simultaneously the highest-level observatory in the kingdom. At this moment, these three Dukes had been summoned here by His Majesty the King solely to prove one matter.

That was the rationality of His Majesty the King wanting to expand the provinces.

The three of them had once been His Majesty the King's intimate partners and powerful teammates. They had all once fought shoulder-to-shoulder over a thousand years ago and created this great enterprise of the Locke Kingdom. But as time passed, it seemed even their former friendship had been corroded by the years.

Over the past few years, His Majesty the King had frequently taken action, continuously tossing about, wanting to establish new provinces. But how could this matter be so easy? One always had to pay something. The ecology of the kingdom had originally trended toward stability; as long as they didn't toss about, there wouldn't be any problems.

As a result, look at it now: after tossing about for several years, not only had it attracted the attention of a massive number of Neanderthal Barbarians, but even the Reincarnator Organizations had caught the scent of blood and wanted to come Stir Up Trouble.

For all of this, there always had to be a reason given, right?!

You are the King, you are a great Six-Star Lord, but you are also the boss of our team.

After a long time, the Magic Shield of the observatory opened. A white-robed female Mage, appearing to be in her twenties, incomparably gorgeous yet bearing a partial aura of holiness, walked out. This was the fifth member of their team, and also one of the five magnates of the kingdom: His Majesty the King's wife, the beautiful Queen.

"This is the result you wanted. His Majesty's actions are not fatuousness, but to Prepare for Rain Before It Falls. An even larger Ancient Magical Continent Fragment—with a total area exceeding thirty million square kilometers—has appeared, simultaneously carrying trillions of small Magical Continent Fragments. It will descend in a hundred years.""Currently, this is still a secret, but soon it won't be. The news will spread throughout the entire alliance, and even the Myriad Worlds. You and I both understand that the Comprehensive Strength of our Locke Kingdom can only rank fifty-fourth within the Alliance of Heavenly Lords. Looking at the entirety of the Myriad Worlds, that is even more completely inadequate."

"In the past, if His Majesty the King wanted to upgrade to a Seven-Star Lord and elevate his core Territory to seven stars, it would be extremely difficult. Including your Five-Star Territories, you could only maintain the status quo. Yet now, facing this exceptionally excellent opportunity, missing it means missing it for a lifetime. Your remaining Lifespan is not much, right? If you don't seize this opportunity, what else are you waiting for?"

"Let me put it this way: His Majesty's meaning is very clear. Within a hundred years, the kingdom must expand the number of provinces to seven! But of the four newly added provinces, he will only directly govern one. As for the other three provinces, you can decide for yourselves. Duke Will, you can scheme for Thorns Province."

"Duke Kaidel, you can scheme for Windbreath Province."

"Duke Juniper, you can scheme for Flying Eagle Province."

"However, you must remember: the establishment of new provinces will absolutely severely stimulate the Neanderthal Barbarians. This war will be exceptionally intense. Do not be stingy and petty; do not only think of your own little family fortunes. What does it matter if you distribute some benefits to your subordinates? Once the new Magic Continent appears a hundred years from now, that will be the truly massive boon."

"My words end here; everything that should be said has been said. If you are unwilling and only wish to guard your Personal Turf, that is fine as well. But if your subordinates wish to advance a step further, please do not obstruct them or drag them down."

Hearing this, Duke Will, Duke Kaidel, and Duke Juniper looked at each other, and ultimately all nodded silently. With the situation as it was, even if they didn't want to toss about, there was no other way. Furthermore, in recent years, the Mana within the provinces had decreased, Resources had been exhausted, and Territory development had fallen into a bottleneck. It had indeed reached a moment where change was imperative.

——

The Magic Power Mine within Gale Fortress was right in the center of the fortress, situated in a state of being strictly protected. Twenty-four hours a day, there were two Holy Gale Knights patrolling and guarding it. Aside from this, Old Tom would also stand guard outside the Magic Power Mine. Yet as a result, he had still fallen victim to a plot.

These Samsara Travelers were a bit too vastly capable and magical.

At this moment, Li Wei supported the weakened Old Tom, walking over somewhat slowly. It looked like both parties were friendly, resembling teammates, but in reality, he had constantly been hesitating in his heart, because he suspected Old Tom had fallen victim to a plot.

Previously, Li Wei had always been Unable To See Through what methods the Samsara Travelers relied upon to infiltrate heavily guarded fortresses and then destroy a Two-Star Mage Tower.

Therefore, after Xuanxuan was killed, Li Wei specifically gathered several months of intelligence. This time, he had even personally come to this Wind-Rest Territory to execute a mission, precisely in order to figure this matter out.

Now, he could roughly guess what was going on.

First of all, this was not an isolated incident.

The pushing, pulling, and wrestling between the King and the Dukes had long since become an open hand. Previously at Thorns Pass, subordinate to Will Province, the Special Envoys of the King had appeared wave after wave. First they were working on some Thorns Province, then working on some Frost Province. As a result, they ultimately failed, and now they were doing it in Kaidel Province.

Perhaps it was because Kaidel Province's Comprehensive Strength was inferior to Will Province's. In any case, a massive hole had been poked into the situation. In just a short year, a key mountain pass had fallen, and five Four-Star Viscount Territories had either fallen or been dragged into a state of war.

Then, and only then, was it the turn of the Samsara Travelers to be hired over by the Neanderthals.

That is to say, the appearance of Samsara Travelers had nothing to do with the overall situation. They were probably more akin to All-Heavens special forces—indeed very strong, but they were not the source of all the events taking place.

The source lay in His Majesty the King wanting to newly establish provinces, while the veteran Dukes wouldn't allow it. The pushing and pulling between both sides was what led to all this.

For example, Li Wei was very curious: where did that Grand Commander Teren take the twenty-four Holy Gale Knights and thirty heavy cavalrymen a few days ago?

Who gave them the order?

With them leaving like this, did they not know Gale Fortress would be left empty?

With them here, even if a few more Samsara Travelers came, they wouldn't be able to stir up much of a storm.

"As the saying goes, 'Troubled times produce evildoers.' It's not that having evildoers creates troubled times, but rather because the times are troubled, evildoers appear!"

Li Wei sighed in his heart, also restraining the urge to snap Old Tom's neck. Old Tom had most likely met with an accident.

Moreover, the accident didn't happen last night, but had already happened a few days ago. The Mother-Child Item Card he gave yesterday was exactly the medium for Targeted Marking.

Yes, Li Wei knew every single person up and down Gale Fortress like the back of his hand. Even the slightest changes in their words, deeds, auras, and appearances couldn't escape his sensing.

Only Old Tom—this old fellow was quite dedicated to his work, frequently spending nights in the Mountain Forest, his silhouette not seen for days at a time. Once ambushed by Samsara Travelers, he would definitely suffer disaster.

However, Li Wei thought it over left and right, and ultimately still chose to pretend not to know.

Because the root of this matter didn't lie in the infiltration of Samsara Travelers. The King and the Dukes were competing and battling each other with magic; what did it count for a tiny Viscount like him to jump in?

How could one know who hired these Samsara Travelers? Were they truly hired by the Neanderthals?

What if they were hired by a certain Duke?

This was all possible.

Therefore, don't Stir Up Trouble. Just act like you don't know, then find the right opportunity to flee far away, activate the Mission Settlement Card, and evacuate quickly.

This muddy water was better left unwaded!

"You two, what has happened?!"

When Li Wei walked over supporting the weakened Old Tom, it immediately alarmed the two Holy Gale Knights. Following closely behind, that Second-Tier Caster also hurried over, though she was shielded behind one of the Holy Gale Knights. Twelve Enchanted Heavy Crossbows from all directions also aimed at Li Wei and Tom.

"Tom and I were both attacked last night. He believes enemies seem to have infiltrated our fortress."

Li Wei said in a deep voice. At a time like this, one couldn't cover things up; ensuring smooth information flow was the most important thing. Mhm, he couldn't let this Samsara Traveler beside him grow suspicious. Therefore, he not only had to engage in Technical Feigned Ignorance, but he also had to do it with high standards and strict requirements.

"Archie, don't be agitated. Have the guards stand down. Additionally, notify Lord Ryder; he needs to know about this matter."

That Second-Tier Caster suddenly spoke. The Archie she spoke of was that highly alert Holy Gale Knight blocking in front of her.

"Tom, George, please follow me, you two."

Li Wei supported Old Tom and entered the room where the Spellcaster resided. She didn't have a Mage Tower yet, but even if there was a Mage Tower, those Samsara Travelers seemed to have a way to infiltrate and detonate it anyway.

At this time, that Spellcaster first examined Old Tom's state, her expression instantly becoming solemn.

"That's right. Tom has indeed been attacked by a powerful Mental Magic. This Mental Magic is at least Sequence Three, perhaps even Sequence Four, so I am powerless to do anything. However, as long as he holds on for three days, it should be alleviated after three days."

"Your Excellency Spellcaster, what Tom and I are worried about is that the enemy will launch an attack within these three days. And the first target they aim for next might be you. If a fortress doesn't have a Spellcaster controlling the Magic Power Mine, then its defense will be reduced by at least half."

Li Wei hurriedly said.

"George, you may call me Agatha. Can I trust you?"

That Spellcaster asked. She was a grey-haired woman of around sixty-plus years old. At the same time, she was also an indigenous Freeman of this world, rather than a Player. Of course, with the Windbreath Territory having developed to this day, this Spellcaster naturally understood the difference between indigenous Freemen and Player Class-holders long ago.

Li Wei's gaze was gentle as he cast a few more looks at this Spellcaster, then solemnly declared his stance.

"That is natural. Brother Tom and I are both trustworthy. Because we are Mercenaries, at most we would have disagreements with our employer over Mercenary fees, but we will absolutely never Betray our employer. The enemy isn't vastly capable enough to bribe us. Unless they can kill us and step over our corpses."

Hearing these words, the Spellcaster Agatha revealed a smile. "George, hearing you say this moves me very much. The situation is currently urgent. Therefore, Your Excellency George, could I please ask you to act as my close-quarters bodyguard next? As you said, finding that infiltrated enemy right now is certainly important, but the Magic Power Mine and I are even more important. This concerns the survival of Gale Fortress."

"As you wish, Lord Agatha. As long as I am here, unless the enemy treads over my corpse, otherwise I will ensure your safety."

Li Wei nodded solemnly. This was exactly what he was thinking: this Second-Tier Caster absolutely could not meet with an accident.

As a Tier-2 Ranger and a somewhat qualified Scout, it was impossible for him to be Unable To See Through even this point. Otherwise, that truly would be flooding everything with water, completely unable to stand up to scrutiny.

(End of Chapter)