Chapter 292: Act 59 – The King of the Underground (10) (First Update)
Brendel smiled, “You can’t escape now, but perhaps in the future. The elder’s blade isn’t dull; once you recover, no ordinary person will be able to stop you.” He left unsaid a few things, as it was impossible for Brendel to leave two Gold Powers exclusively to guard one person in the mining area.
The newly acquired territory was about to pass through its most difficult period, and at this moment, the four Gold Powers, including himself, were his most important support. Brendel understood that relying on his knowledge of this world, he may not have to worry about talent among his subordinates in the future, but now was definitely not the time to waste resources.
Kuran placed a hand on his sword but then released it. The elder vaguely sensed that this young man was tempted by his proposal, otherwise, he wouldn’t have talked so much with him.
He asked nonchalantly, “In that case, what do you think should be done?”
Brendel pondered for a moment and asked, “What is the name of the secretary in the mining area?”
Kuran was taken aback, unable to follow this leap in logic. He didn’t understand why the topic had shifted to that noble secretary but still answered, “Aukins.”
“Aukins from the Sickoville family?”
“Do you know him?” Kuran squinted, instinctively discerning the other person’s status—this must be a young noble, after all, most people wouldn’t be so well-informed about noble lineages.
Just like how well-informed people in the capital might know the names of the nobles above them, outside Corvado, they might not know about the nobles in other provinces.
However, Aukins was a nephew of Count Rendener’s wife and belonged to the Grudin class in the Rendener province, so Brendel certainly knew of him. Moreover, although he was not very famous in this era, once the old nobles gradually aged and passed away, players would have to deal with these young nobles.
Brendel recalled that this fellow later became the lord of the Silman region, but he didn’t expect that he was currently serving as secretary at the Schafflund mines. He quickly realized that the silver mine was indeed one of Count Rendener’s key areas, and perhaps he was starting to gain the count’s trust from here.
He inwardly scoffed, thinking this kid’s bright future might just be spoiled by his own actions. However, adhering to the principle of ‘if the wayfarer dies, the monk should not,’ he could only inwardly say ‘sorry.’
“I’ve heard he’s a rather typical fellow,” Brendel asked indirectly.
“That’s a nice way to put it,” Kuran raised an eyebrow. “It would be better to say he’s timid and mediocre.” He unabashedly mocked, as Aukins’ actions had cost him a team of subordinates, which still lingered painfully in the elder’s heart: “You nobles just love to speak pretty words.”
After saying that, he provocatively looked at Brendel.
Brendel wasn’t concerned about the elder’s probe; he simply mused that based on Kuran’s evaluation of Aukins and his own understanding of the latter, that young secretary, aiming for his own future, would likely take all sorts of measures to suppress the unrest in the mines and would certainly not send anyone to notify Sir Parsons.
This way, they would have ample time to find a way to the surface. Whether or not to have this aged swordmaster lead the way didn’t really affect his plan.
But he glanced at Kuran and had another idea. He certainly didn’t want a Gold Power to return to Count Rendener, but how to keep the other party here was a dilemma.
Kuran’s performance didn’t strictly indicate that he had completely given up on Count Rendener; otherwise, he wouldn’t be negotiating terms here with them. However, it was evident that the elder still had a sense of knightly demeanor, and it would likely not be easy to make him capitulate, especially given his own lack of strength.
But after thinking it over, Brendel felt he had a plan.
He replied, “Then I must trouble you, elder, to come with us back to Firburh for a while. Once this period passes, whether it’s a month or half a year, I will naturally let you return.”
In Firburh, he certainly wouldn’t mind allocating one or two Gold Powers to guard this swordmaster.
“Half a year?” Kuran squinted his eyes. “If I don’t appear in the mining area for an extended period, it will raise suspicion. Are you not worried about information leaking?”
Brendel thought this old man was rather cunning, but fortunately, he had already considered this point: “It’s okay, you were seriously injured in the earthquake, right? Naturally, you will need time to recover. I think Aukins will understand—”
He deliberately emphasized the phrase ‘Aukins will understand.’
Kuran snorted derisively; he naturally knew why that secretary would understand. If he didn’t, this young man would surely make him understand through threats—he could imagine that as long as Brendel applied a little pressure, that soft-spined secretary would probably weep and act as their spokesperson.
The elder fell silent.
“It seems you are determined. But how can I be assured that I can leave after a month or half a year?” he asked again.
“Why should I guarantee that to you?” Brendel retorted.
Kuran was momentarily speechless, raising his silver-gray eyebrows as he looked at the other party in indignation.
“However, since I’ve invited you to Firburh, as long as you don’t act rashly, at least I won’t take any other seemingly unnecessary actions.” Brendel replied, “There’s no need for futile sacrifices. You are a veteran of the November War, right? Life is precious, and the winners in war are those who ultimately survive—”
The elder huffed, “You seem quite aware; do you have elders among you who survived that war?”
Brendel said nothing, just gazed at him.
The elder’s eyes scanned Brendel’s ring, fell silent for a moment, and then asked, “Based on what you’ve done, it seems you intend to stay here for the long haul. But let me remind you, Count Rendener will not tolerate a territory splitting from his control, even if it’s the most impoverished Duke Toniger. Are you ready to face the wrath of a ‘king’?”
Aside from the Corvado province, Erluin was actually controlled by thirteen ‘lords,’ including six dukes, two marquesses, and five privileged earls, whose power was comparable to that of the royal family, thus nicknamed ‘the kings beneath the throne.’
Among these ‘kings,’ besides the three strongest dukes—Anlek, Vieiro, and Siphai—the strengths of the others were mostly on a par, and while Count Rendener couldn’t be considered the strongest in the group, he wasn’t the weakest either.
To contend directly against such a force, Kuran believed Brendel and the others were like little ants challenging a giant, easily crushed at any moment.
Yet after hearing that, Brendel smiled and shook his head, “You’ve got two things wrong. First, I’ve known how Count Rendener would act from the very beginning; second, Duke Toniger is, in fact, not the most impoverished.”
Kuran stared deeply at him, “Confidence is good, but arrogance might not be, young man.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Brendel replied.
“Well then, no matter how you think,” the elder, seeing his persuasion was ineffective, shook his head and no longer mentioned it. His hand once again rested on his sword: “I still need a guarantee that at least after six months, you will allow me to leave.”
“Can you guarantee not to return to Count Rendener’s side?”
“Sorry, I cannot guarantee that,” Kuran replied firmly.
Brendel looked at him appreciatively, but this time he didn’t refuse; instead, he smiled and said, “Alright, I guarantee it. No need for six months; just three months.”
The elder was slightly taken aback, raising his head in surprise to look at him.
Brendel smiled without providing an explanation.
After reaching an agreement, Medisa also finished resting. She felt her soul’s fire begin to stir once more, so the group continued on their way.
At this moment, Brendel glanced back at the miner. In fact, after learning that Brendel and Xi were not members of the mining area’s guard but rather traitors opposing Count Rendener, this poor fellow was scared out of his wits and nearly wanted to run away.
However, he quickly calmed down, because compared to considering future matters, the monsters lurking in these tunnels would immediately take his life. In the end, this man still chose to follow.
But he encountered Xi, and after the red-haired girl feigned an intimidating threat, the miner could only agree with a frowning face to drag his family along to Firburh.
During their conversation, Brendel learned that aside from being a miner, the man had also learned some silversmithing skills, so he offered him an apprenticeship as a blacksmith. Comparatively, this job was much safer than being a miner and yielded greater rewards. In the end, the man was still anxious but couldn’t help feeling a bit of anticipation.
With such mixed feelings, he noticed that the group ahead had stopped again.
This time it wasn’t because they encountered any monsters or people; rather, the path had ended—more precisely, everyone saw a large, dark door appear not far ahead in the mine tunnel.
The tightly closed door blocked off the entire tunnel.
Medisa and Xi stopped and looked at Kuran, who had claimed this path could lead to the lift. But they saw the aged swordmaster’s face was one of disbelief:
“What is this?” The elder was slightly taken aback.
“Shouldn’t that be something you’re asking?” Xi frowned, her voice weak yet full of suspicion.
“No, no, what is going on?” Kuran couldn’t help but knit his brows deeply; he said to Medisa beside him, “Little girl, can you help me over to take a look.”
Medisa looked questioningly at Brendel, who gave a nod. He had passed here before and knew this elder wasn’t lying; there definitely shouldn’t be such a door here.
He had a suspicion, but needed confirmation.
The Silver Elf Princess followed his instructions and supported the aged swordmaster over. The latter touched the cold, heavy giant door with his hand, murmuring, “How is this possible, how is this possible…” (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in for more chapters and support the author for genuine reading!)
