Warhammer Divine Throne

Angeron nodded, and the two brothers walked a long distance along the Xinong River.

Then, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

”Hahaha~ How could father really let Magnus have the chance to talk to you alone... Hahaha~” Angeron laughed aloud, slapping his knee vigorously: ”Magnus is just... Doesn’t he know that even if he sits on the Golden Throne, the Star Torch is powered by father’s energy?”

”Sigh...” Laine also laughed and shook his head: ”Honestly, it’s not the first time Magnus has been so self-smart.”

”To be honest, I don’t think Magnus’s proposal is completely without merit.” After laughing, Angeron seemed to remember something and just sneered: ”However, Magnus is doomed not to succeed. It’s said that Kiliman spent several days pondering, scrutinizing all feasibility and risks, and made a very cautious decision to discuss establishing the Second Empire with Zhuangsen and Saint Gile.”

”Magnus, overly ambitious but lacking talent; whether it’s his close combat, command, or internal affairs capabilities, he’s not outstanding among the Primarchs. His Spiritual Power might compare to yours, but Laine, you’re fundamentally different from him. You’re unafraid of corruption, so you can use your spiritual energy freely, but Magnus can’t.” Angeron shook his head: ”If Kiliman can’t do it, then none of us Primarchs can.”

Laine nodded silently.

In fact, after hearing Magnus’s plan, both Laine and Angeron were somewhat tempted. Considering what a Primarch is, when Kiliman could persuade Zhuangsen and Saint Gile, Magnus could certainly persuade Laine and Angeron.

But both Laine and Angeron had clear minds; if Kiliman were the leader, there might be room for discussion, but if it’s Magnus, then it’s destined to fail.

After parting with Angeron, Laine headed back to his count’s castle alone.

Even though it was still February, Laine’s territory was very lively, with peasants seen everywhere on the roads and streets. It was not yet spring, still late winter, with many children playing at their doorsteps and adults sewing clothes, enjoying the leisure time of farming offseason.

The Golden Trade Route, Boldro-Glamorgan-Helunhilde, was formed through the efforts of Laine and the Dukes Bodric and Francois. Thanks to Laine’s efforts, the three parties signed a fair trade agreement, unified tariffs, and offered investment incentives. The wine from Winford and goods from wood elves were selling well in the Old World.

Laine even saw merchants from Kislev and Nord, as well as merchants from the Southern Realm of Tiriel, on the streets.

In Laine’s rise, undeniably, Oliver benefited the most. This Imperial Merchant once almost went bankrupt; without Laine’s guidance in Marinburg, Oliver might have become one of the countless bankrupt army each year in Marinburg.

But now, with Laine’s exclusive trade permits and wood elf trade exclusives, Oliver has become one of the top merchants in Marinburg. Though he lacks the foundation compared to many established merchants, with the guidance from Laine, Grand Duke Van der Gubben-Schultz has relatively favored Oliver’s business.

Oliver, of course, knew whom to thank for all of this. This big merchant not only handed over the majority of his trade income but also moved his entire family here. His only son, Ginter, was sent to Laine’s court for higher education and also as a hostage.

As for Hadrian, this big merchant from the Southern Realm relied on Laine’s relationships to establish a branch here. His relationship with Laine was slightly lacking, only considered as trade partners.

Returning to his castle, Laine was greeted by attendants all along the way, and he politely responded.

After numerous repairs, expansions, and reconstructions, Laine’s castle is now quite expansive. The Outer Castle occupies several hectares, garrisoned with soldiers and knights and many knight’s squires who long for the recognition of the Lake Fairy’s Chosen Champion, hoping to earn their spurs and qualify as Ranger Knights from Laine.

Laine did not linger in the Outer Castle and went directly to the Inner Castle, his personal living area where his family and servants resided.

Upon entering the Inner Castle, Ollica and Amelia, dressed in black-and-white maid uniforms, approached him: ”Master, you’re back?”

”Yes, I’m back.” Laine nodded, accepting their service to remove his power armor.

The Count returned to his territory a few days ago with his father-in-law, brother-in-law, and others. The news they brought caused turmoil within the kingdom—Casvan was captured, two thousand knights detained, and the Empire stated they would treat the prisoners well but awaited ransom, with Casvan’s ransom high at two thousand Gold Crowns. King’s Knights and Ranger Knights’ ransoms ranged from three hundred to twenty Gold Crowns. The Empire would release them once the money arrived.

This incident caused an uproar in Brittania’s royal court; the hot-tempered Duchess of Casvan exploded. She leveraged her maternal family’s influence and Casvan-friendly forces to rush to the court, directly questioning Knight King Richard, demanding money and effort to redeem her husband.

At first, Laine thought this Duchess could not stir much trouble, but after hearing her maneuver, he realized the scale of chaos she raised. Duke Hagen of Jisoleox, including several Holy Grail Knights and Lake God Prophets, accompanied her to Crona, ready to roll up their sleeves and demand justice from Knight King Richard.

Francois hypothesized that before Casvan dispatched troops, he must have consulted Richard, who neither publicly supported nor opposed but tacitly consented.

Now, the Duchess of Casvan seized this as an excuse. She furiously considered her husband’s defeat and capture as Richard’s fault, taking people to Richard for trouble, demanding the king pay the ransom and compensate for the losses.

Richard naturally wouldn’t sit idly by. He gathered Duke Leonais, Duke of Montfort, and Duke of Connet to counter the Duchess of Casvan, claiming that all of this was Casvan’s personal action, and the royal court not only wouldn’t pay but also wanted to hold Casvan accountable for his failure. After all, Brittania and the Empire were allies, and internal strife was undoubtedly dishonorable.

Thus, since yesterday, the inquiries and meetings in Brittania’s capital Crona came one after another, with the parties trapped in endless quarrels.

No one wanted to take responsibility for the defeat.

Therefore, Laine’s fiancée Surya specially sent him a message; he accepted the lady knight’s suggestion to shut himself off recently, publicly stating he needed to stay closed in for training and prayers.

This greatly disappointed both Knight King Richard and Duchess of Casvan, who sought to win over the Lake Fairy’s Chosen Champion. The Lake Fairy gave no Oracle, Mogiana was gravely wounded and missing, and Laine, now the embodiment of the Lake Fairy’s will in the mortal world, chose to shut himself off and refused to meet guests. Was this also the intention of the Lake Fairy?

Did the Lady initially disapprove of this war, or did her silence represent a rebuke to the Knight King?

Both parties felt justified and couldn’t force Laine to come out and answer, so they continued their disputes.

Laine changed into a count’s formal attire and thought it best to discuss the matter with Mogiana: ”Where is Her Highness Mogiana?”

”Her Highness Mogiana is at the Lady of the Lake’s Tower.” Ollica responded softly.

”Hmm... Then I’ll head over now.” Laine nodded: ”Look, if I haven’t returned by evening, you don’t need to prepare my dinner.”

”Yes.”