industrial lord

Chapter 725 An unexpected gift

It was midday again, and the same sunlight was scorching the stone slabs of Guankang, but the air was filled with a completely different smell than yesterday.

Wei Senjun cleaned the port overnight and sprayed it with floral water, filling the surroundings with a faint floral fragrance.

The dense crowd stretched from the dock into the depths of the streets and alleys, so large that it was impossible to move and the line seemed to go on forever.

The soldiers maintaining order stood tall and proud, all dressed in dress uniforms, wearing every medal they could find, their boots polished to a shine that reflected their faces.

The residents of Guankang stood shoulder to shoulder, craning their necks, their weathered faces radiating a pure and fervent light, almost like a pilgrimage, dispelling the gloom of yesterday.

On every towering mast and atop every spire of the tower, the red flag with a gold double-headed eagle of the Duchy of Wessen fluttered in the wind like a wildfire, its imposing presence almost obscuring the sky.

King Rudolf stood on the edge of the cold stone terrace high in the castle, the rough stone railing digging into his hands, which were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

A legendary sailless fast ship—the Flying Tulip—like a proud silver swan, joined the Flying Cornflower and other steamships to form a fleet, nimbly and swiftly cutting through the waves and docking at the Stork Harbor.

With its bow held high, the massive red sail with a gold double-headed eagle reflected a dazzling light under the midday sun, like burning gold leaf.

On the bow deck, a slender and upright figure stood alone against the wind—Countess Maria von Elthal, inspecting Stork Harbor as the Grand Duke of Wessen's plenipotentiary envoy, Minister of Culture of the Duchy of Wessen, and Grand Duke Wessen's fiancée.

The Archduke of Mainz felt that Maria already held power in the Duchy of Wessen, so the lack of a title was not a big deal. Not long ago, he orchestrated a series of events to make her a count, with her estate right next to hers.

Today, Maria was not wearing an elaborate court dress, but rather a riding outfit with an extremely clean cut and exquisite material, as blue as the night sky. Her long, charcoal-black hair was tied into a simple and powerful braid at the back of her head, without any jewelry, except for a small gold double-headed eagle brooch on her collar.

Most importantly, she was wearing Frederick's purple cloak, the symbol of the Grand Duke of Wessen's plenipotentiary envoy, as if Frederick himself were present.

The sunlight seemed to favor her, outlining a halo of almost holy light around her, making her look like a pearl presented by the sea god.

The ship's hull had just scraped against the dock piles when the pent-up power erupted like a volcano!

"Long live Weisen!"

"Long live the Duke of Wessen!"

The people's cries are no longer the empty echoes of yesterday, but a heartfelt, deafening torrent!

Countless arms waved wildly, and tattered hats and headscarves flew into the air like a flock of startled birds.

Baron Laken, who yesterday humbled himself before the king as if he were dust, almost burying his head in the cracks of the stone slabs, was now crowding at the front of the dock like a fanatical young man.

His face flushed red with excitement, and he raised his hands above his head, shouting wildly towards Mary without regard for decorum, spittle flying everywhere.

At the very peak of this thunderous roar, Maria stepped onto the pier and came before Laken.

She didn't rush to speak, but gracefully raised her hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

It wasn't a command, but it carried an aura of authority that compelled people to submit involuntarily.

The clamor subsided miraculously, leaving only the sound of waves lapping against the dock and the heavy breathing of the crowd. All eyes were on her.

Maria's voice was clear and steady, penetrating the wind with its distinct clarity: "Families of Stork Harbor! Do you remember how the flames of 'Iron Claw' devoured half the city, how many homes were reduced to ashes, and how many loved ones were forever separated by tombstones!"

No one, including Larken, expected her to bring this up.

That year was the year the Kingdom of Danma was defeated in the Battle of the Elbe River, and Stork Port was short of troops, and Lauding had just been released.

The pirate nicknamed "Iron Claw" secretly purchased a batch of weapons from a nobleman through the Rhine Alliance, and his first act was to attack Stork Harbor.

The city wailed and crumbled in the flames, and traces of the battles fought there still remain on the city walls.

Had Ironclaw not been forced to retreat after being struck in the head by Lauding's crossbow bolt during the attack on the castle, the Larken family might have been history, and Storkport would have changed hands. Old Baron Larken died in despair, and Larken could only lament his lack of power to exact revenge.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Maria took a tray covered with deep red velvet from her attendant and walked slowly toward Baron Larken, who was trembling with emotion as he recalled the past.

A breeze swept by, gently lifting the velvet.

In the center of the tray was a meticulously polished bowl with a pale, bone-like sheen, its rim inlaid with a ring of cold, black iron.

Right next to that black iron ring was a concave hole with smoothed edges but still clearly defined shape.

Baron Adigen took Frederick's words, "I will use your skull as a bowl," to heart. The pirate leaders, big and small, whom he had wiped out were all turned into skull bowls and continuously sent to Wessenburg.

Larken's expression froze instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

The hole made him and the locals around him realize who the skull belonged to.

The bone bowl was like a cold key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of memories that had been sealed away for many years!
The fire is soaring!

Screams echoed!

The pirate captain, wearing a helmet with menacing iron claws and wielding a scimitar like a demon, was struck on the head by a crossbow bolt fired from the lookout hole just as he was about to rush into the gate tower. The bolt was infused with all the strength and despair of the old knight Lauding.

The helmet was pierced, and the arrow was stuck in his skull. He pulled out the crossbow bolt, removed the helmet, revealing blood-stained hair and a gruesome hole in his scalp.

Iron Claw let out a beastly howl, but eventually collapsed unconscious, bringing the attack to an abrupt halt. The pirates calmly retreated with their spoils.

"Lauding! Lauding!" Larken turned his head sharply and called out hoarsely, his voice distorted by extreme shock and excitement.

The old knight was appointed acting city defense officer of Stork Harbor. Today he wore a blue-black double-breasted military uniform from the Wesson Army, but some of his badges had not yet been delivered, making the uniform look somewhat empty.

Lauding, who was standing nearby, immediately strode over.

His weathered face was etched with determination, and his sharp gaze instantly locked onto the bone bowl on the tray.

Without saying a word, he stretched out his calloused fingers and touched the circular indentation with utmost care, his fingertips tracing the curve of the edge as if reading a piece of frozen history.

After a moment, he raised his head, his eyes burning with the flames of revenge and a chilling sense of certainty, his voice hoarse yet resolute: "My lord, it's true!"

"The location of the wound, and the shape of the arrowhead—this is the mark I left on that beast ten years ago with my arrow!!"

"This is 'Iron Claw's' skull!!!"

Lauding's confirmation struck like a thunderbolt, deeply affecting Laken's heart and shaking every resident of Angkor who knew about that tragic history!
The incredible gift, the thrill of revenge, and the deep-seated awe of Weisenjun overwhelmed Larken like a cold tide.

He trembled as he reached out his hands, with utmost devotion yet also a hint of barely suppressed fear, and accepted the tray that held the gift of revenge.

When his fingertips touched the cold, hard edge of the bone, especially the arrow hole that symbolized the darkest moment in his territory and the only glory of resistance, he shuddered violently, a frenzy of surrender and liberation erupting within him.
He raised the tray high, tears streaming down his face, and cried out, "The grace and power of Duke Wessen! We will never forget it! Wessen lives on! This blood feud... has been washed away!"

The entire port of Guankou was in complete jubilation!
The exhilaration of revenge, the absolute worship of a powerful protector, and the awe-inspiring power of this gift of blood intertwined, creating a frenzied torrent that seemed to tear the sky apart.

"Long live the Grand Duke of Wessen!"

"Long live Count Eltal!"

Maria smiled serenely and waved to the cheering crowd.

(End of this chapter)