Chapter 880: Act 57 – Preparations of the Embassy III
Brendel arranged for Prince Rainwright’s accommodation to be located to the east of Valhalla, within a palace formed from hollowed tree trunks. This was one of Valhalla’s capabilities, enabling the creation of an unlimited number of empty chambers inside the tree fortress simply by paying a fee at the town hall. Of course, transforming these hollows into rooms required decoration and furnishings. Brendel had Antinna and Odum work together to design the palace, modeled after the design of Cedar Fortress, to serve as guest rooms in Valhalla. Now this luxurious guest room was exclusively occupied by the Crown Prince of Cruz, with the sword-breaking knights of Cruz standing guard in shifts outside the room, day and night.
Most of these sword-breaking knights knew Brendel. After announcing his arrival and receiving Rainwright’s approval, they respectfully guided him inside. The entrance to the palace was cleverly arranged; it was situated on a balcony connected by a path formed by vines. The other end of this path linked to the second level of the tree top square above. The entrance was quite secluded, guarded by treespirit archers. Right in front of the balcony was the main trunk of the giant tree extending upward, a direction where the treespirit archer post and some tree houses were stationed, but through the lush tree cover on either side of the trunks, one could still gaze upon the misty mountains in the east. It could be said that this design ensured safety while not hindering the owner of this place from enjoying the magnificent scenery, making it an excellent design overall.
At the entrance, there were vines covered in bright green leaves hanging down from the tree walls, forming what looked like a curtain. Behind it was the main hall of the palace, which was also semi-open air. Above the hall was a massive crystal that filtered light from outside, allowing sunlight or moonlight to spill onto the magical fountain at the center of the hall, making the sparkling spring water trickle gently over the pebbles. As Brendel and Antinna entered the hall, they happened to see Cruz’s Crown Prince standing by the fountain, looking down at the sparkling golden waters, seemingly lost in thought.
“Your Highness Rainwright, are you satisfied with your residence?” Brendel approached and stopped a short distance away to greet him.
Rainwright turned to look at them, nodded slightly but didn’t respond, instead waiting for them to speak.
This guy is still as taciturn as ever, Brendel thought. He took the initiative to speak, “Your Highness Rainwright, the Wind Spirits have already initiated hostilities in the Four Boundary Wilderness. The Gold-maned Lionmen are also gathering their forces; the Holy War can be said to have already begun. I wonder if Your Highness has any thoughts on this?”
With the start of the Holy War, the Silver Queen would inevitably rely on the military nobles within the Empire, and most of these nobles supported the Crown Prince. Rainwright listened, silently nodding, and then asked, “By tradition, the Temple of Fire should summon ambassadors from all nations to Rustra. I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you, Sir Earl, on being appointed as the head of the embassy.”
“Your Highness Rainwright has also been in Toniger for a while. Surely you’re not unwilling to return to the Empire, right?”
The Crown Prince of Cruz lifted his head, looking at him with shallow blue eyes. His indifferent gaze seemed to say, ‘Do you little Earl of Toniger really think you can meddle in the Empire’s succession dispute?’
Brendel shrugged and replied with a slight smile, “Your Highness, it’s not that I want to seek profit from the flames; it’s simply that I’m forced into it. I have no intention of interfering in Cruz’s internal affairs, especially in the troublesome succession dispute. However, given the circumstances, I have to think of some ways to ensure my own safety—this matter has both pros and cons for you and for me; thus, I hope to receive some advice from you.”
“What kind of advice?” Rainwright asked.
“First, I would like to know, in the Empire, who would spare no effort in supporting you?”
Rainwright slightly frowned, seemingly considering the value of this meeting. After a moment, he made a gesture to Brendel—an indication to say, ‘Let’s talk inside,’ and then turned to walk toward the study. Brendel had apparently anticipated this and followed along with Antinna. They arrived at the study, where several Light Spirits were waiting for the Crown Prince’s instructions. Rainwright directed them to prepare the room, laying out black tea and snacks—although these Light Spirits also listened to Brendel’s commands, he kindly waited for the Crown Prince of Cruz to exercise his authority, albeit his power was limited to this palace.
After a moment, once a few Light Spirits fluttered out of the room, the Crown Prince of Cruz replied seriously, “Earl, the Oktavere family is the family of my wife; Duke Ludwig will spare no effort to support me.”
Brendel had not expected this young prince to already have a wife, but such political marriages in Vaunte were equivalent to picking a side. The Oktavere family would rise or fall together with Rainwright, making Duke Ludwig a person Cruz’s Crown Prince could fully trust.
“And what else?” he continued to ask.
“The Nonar family is my ally.”
“How did that happen?” Brendel inquired.
“Old Duke Inohen openly opposed the late king’s bequeathal to the queen mother, creating enmity with my mother. This hatred will not be resolved with the passage of time, and those most eager to see my mother abdicate are the Nonar family. I have a secret agreement with the Nonar family, where the Inohen Marquis promised to cede part of the mineral shares of Inohen to me and support me unreservedly in seizing the throne,” Rainwright answered calmly.
Brendel understood; no wonder Mangolov had rushed from the Empire to Toniger so urgently. The Empire’s legions split into four with the current Inohen Marquis Mangolov leading the Black Legion; besides, the Green Legion was controlled by the Erichik family behind Veronika, who had a blood relationship with the royal family, while the Nigel family controlled the White Legion on the Hazel border and the Red Legion on the border opposite Saint Ausoor. These three families are quintessential representatives of the northern military nobles, whose attitudes generally leaned toward the Crown Prince’s succession—but that only represented a stance. According to Rainwright, only the Nonar family was truly willing to exert effort.
Brendel noted this and continued to ask, “Anyone else?”
“The old Chancellor Nidwen.”
“Nidwen the Chancellor?” Brendel was taken aback, almost unsure if he had heard correctly. The old Chancellor of Cruz, Nidwen, was no ordinary person. He should now be over one hundred fifty years old, a stalwart of the Empire through three reigns. A century ago, it was with his help that the then Cruz Emperor regained power from the Temple. If there was any legend left among the Cruz people in this era, it should be this chancellor.
And with his status and wisdom, or perhaps to speak plainly, such an old fox wouldn’t easily choose sides.
Brendel looked at the Crown Prince of Cruz with suspicion, while Rainwright slowly replied, “My mother favors the Parut family, in fact, to utilize the power of local nobles to suppress other forces in court. The northern military nobles seldom interfere in politics, so her intentions are well known—to align with the chancellor and the temple. The chancellor understands that my mother has no goodwill toward him, hence he would naturally not stand on that side.”
“But he may not necessarily stand on your side,” Brendel thought. The Empire had many princes and princesses; losing one Crown Prince wouldn’t lead to extinction; however, at least one point the Crown Prince wasn’t wrong—no matter which prince or princess succeeds the throne, the old chancellor would never side with the Silver Queen.
That was enough.
He silently estimated the three forces Rainwright mentioned, which came from the royal family’s distant kin, military nobles, and common nobles, where the most unwavering support should be from Duke Ludwig of the Oktavere family, followed by the Nonar family, while the old chancellor Nidwen could merely be considered a potential ally or, rather, not an enemy. Brendel also recalled that he had offended the daughter of the current chancellor, the treasured granddaughter of this old chancellor, quite a lot, so it would be best not to provoke her.
The Cruz Empire on the surface had several forces: the royal family, military nobles, local nobles, and the temple—
These four forces basically control most of the Empire’s lands, population, and resources, as well as its army. The Empire’s land, population, and resources weren’t much of significance to Brendel; what mattered most for his plans were the army. Among the Empire’s military, the four traditional legions were held by military nobles, while the royal family controlled two of them through marriage. Meanwhile, the regional patrol cavalry and local garrison forces had traditionally been the stronghold of local nobles, including the newly emerging navy. However, local nobles were also split into two factions—the influence of the royal family and the temple each occupied one. The royal family was primarily closer to the autonomous dukedoms in the north, while the temple mainly influenced the smaller lords in the south; and lastly, the temple itself had a considerable military power, which included the finest part of Cruz’s army, such as the bishopry and the Knights of Fire.
After thinking for a moment, Brendel suddenly realized he had overlooked something, “What about Veronika? Shouldn’t she also support this Crown Prince?”
He raised his head and curiously posed this question to Rainwright.
The Crown Prince of Cruz glanced at him and shook his head, “Earl, my teacher supports me out of a sense of honor and justice as a soldier, but the Erichik family behind her may not stand on my side.”
Upon hearing this, Brendel understood the matter at hand and couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect. The names that Rainwright had previously mentioned, even including the northern military nobles, could at most be deemed capable politicians. However, that lady commander was a real soldier and a knight of the Empire.
He tapped his knuckles, beginning to analyze while responding to Rainwright, “I think I get it, Your Highness; let’s determine our goals.”
In Brendel’s mind, what he most hoped to see was for this Crown Prince to return directly to the Empire, rallying his supporters to stand against that esteemed queen. The mildest result would be a coup, but the more likely outcome would be a civil war; of course, this was just a thought, as the Crown Prince wasn’t a fool, and his supporters had yet to be affected by an idiot halo.
The final goal of a plan depends on the forces they currently have at hand. A beggar wouldn’t rashly dream of becoming a king; a farmer’s vision would often be to add a few more acres of land rather than becoming a wealthy merchant ruling the seas. Therefore, the goal Brendel set for Rainwright was self-preservation.
“Self-preservation?” the Crown Prince of Cruz slowly chewed on the term, “To protect myself and ensure that my supporters in the Empire are not eliminated by my mother; is that what you mean?”
Damn, this guy is really something, Brendel couldn’t help but mutter to himself inwardly. Although he had long heard of the Crown Prince’s remarkable wisdom throughout history, sitting face-to-face still made him feel as if his intelligence had been utterly crushed several levels down. This plan had been discussed with Antinna and Carglis multiple times before finalizing the details, yet the Crown Prince grasped their intent simply from the title.
The Silver Queen had set the grand goal of unifying Vaunte; her first task would be to consolidate the army. It was easy to imagine she would first target the Nonar family, and her previous suppression of the northern nobles was preparing for this day—military nobles weren’t fools; they naturally understood that one rises with the other and falls with the other. The only means the queen could use to deal with them would be to reduce the army during peacetime, cutting down the power these nobles held. However, the advance of the Holy War forced the Silver Queen to loosen her restraints on the northern nobles, knowing full well that she had many opponents within the Empire. If she were to fail in the Holy War, those hidden opponents would emerge en masse to pressure her to abdicate.
She had been in power for forty years; according to earlier agreements, she should have abdicated long ago. To continue ruling this vast Empire, she needed to enhance her prestige, giving herself a legitimate reason to cling to power.
The best reason would be leading the Cruz people to victory.
And that was the opportunity for Brendel and the Crown Prince. However, at this moment, they cannot stand up to oppose that supreme figure; instead, they must keep their heads down, trying to avoid giving her the chance to catch them making mistakes. The army that Rainwright could visibly command appeared to be solely the Black Legion, along with the local noble powers that Duke Deweig could influence, but in fact, the Silver Queen could also command not many troops—just the Red and White Legions.
But compared to this Crown Prince, she had more potential enemies. She was at odds with the Kirk family, the temple, and the chancellor, while the Erichik family was reportedly closely linked with the Flower Leaf region, likely not wholeheartedly supporting the Silver Queen. Conversely, while they were not staunch allies of the Crown Prince, opportunities for turning enemies into friends were not lacking—because at least they had a common enemy.
Brendel’s proposal to Rainwright was to discreetly connect his forces within the Empire in his name, mutually aiding each other, and then deeply conceal themselves in the shadows; that was the method of self-preservation. Self-preservation, in itself, was a form of defense, yet defense was also for counterattack. This Holy War was an indescribable whirlpool for the Cruz Empire; the temple wanted to win, the Silver Queen wanted to win, but the temple was unwilling to be the Silver Queen’s wedding garment, and undoubtedly that esteemed Emperor shared the same thought.
As for the local nobles, they harbored their own agendas, some were staunch supporters of the queen, and others supported the temple. When both sides wrestled for power, the forces controlled by the Crown Prince would become a vital strength; if he chose to remain silent, the Silver Queen’s plan to consolidate the Empire’s forces and achieve military victory in the Holy War would fail halfway.
In this circumstance, it was expected that the old Chancellor Nidwen would watch coldly from the sidelines, while the attitudes of local nobles would differ as time passed.
For a very simple reason.
A newly ascended emperor is entirely different in stature and influence compared to a blood-soaked queen who has ruled the Empire for forty years. No local noble would favor an excessively powerful emperor; this was a universally recognized principle in Vaunte; thus, who they eventually leaned toward was self-evident. As the queen’s prestige waned amid the deepening quagmire of war, the voice urging her abdication would one day reach a consensus among all the nobles.
At that time, Rainwright could return to the Empire with legitimacy, embraced by the nobles.
This would be the final counterattack.
Of course, the current situation of self-preservation was also beneficial for Brendel, as he needed to return to the Empire to reclaim the Azure Gun and Xi. He could imagine that his enemies would include the Silver Queen and the Temple of Fire. Therefore, the last thing he wanted to see was a completely unified Empire, no matter whether it was under the name of the Silver Queen or the Temple, and what he needed to do was maintain the state of disarray in the Empire, seeking opportunities amid the conflict. At the same time, Rainwright’s allies in the north could also provide him with necessary protection, such as arranging a safe route for him to escape the Empire.
In this respect, he and the Crown Prince of Cruz shared common interests.
Rainwright listened carefully to Antinna’s analysis and nodded silently. He finally looked at Brendel, and his gaze was no longer so cold. He pondered for a moment before replying, “Earl, thank you for your candid proposal. I believe I can fully trust you; if one day I ascend to the throne, then our friendship today will serve as a precious testament.”
Brendel smiled slightly, feeling a sigh of relief in his heart, “Then it’s a pleasure to cooperate, Your Highness.”
Rainwright nodded to him slightly, acknowledging it, but his stern face showed no sign of softening. After considering for a moment, he suddenly said, “As a friend, I have some personal advice to share with you, Sir Earl.”
Brendel was taken aback and asked, “What advice?”
“I am well aware of my mother’s character and dispositions, and if your subordinate is under her, she will certainly use you and Erluin to force her to submit. I think, Sir Earl, if your subordinate’s inner world isn’t incredibly resilient, you had better take some action to give her confidence,” the Crown Prince replied calmly.
This Crown Prince truly seemed to know the real reason for Brendel’s visit, he thought. However, he immediately realized that the information provided by Prince Rainwright came with a significant caveat; he considered that the character of that esteemed queen, who wouldn’t stop until her goal was achieved, would likely follow through with such actions. Upon realizing this, he suddenly felt that his trip here wasn’t in vain. He nodded to this Crown Prince of Cruz, “I understand what I should do now; thank you very much.”
……
(PS:) A correction: yesterday’s Act 55 should have been Act 56. Today I will first publish Chapter 1 of Act 57, and there will be another update shortly. I hope everyone enjoys the read and continues to support.
