Ember Dragon

"That's how it is, Mr. Hermit. My father's term is coming to an end."

At this election meeting for the Duke of Victoria, these traitors will surely join forces to vote and rightfully seize control of Victoria Harbour.

Helovitz frowned, bit her lip, and her clear, emerald-green eyes were filled with anger.

Although Victoria Harbour is not an independent country, it has a nominal head of state, namely the so-called "Grand Duke".

More than two hundred years ago, the Grand Dukeship was inherited by the Henderson family, descendants of Queen Victoria. However, Victoria II’s autocratic rule and rampant wealth accumulation aroused dissatisfaction among the city’s big merchants and nobles.

They joined forces to launch a riot, overthrowing the original Duke of Victoria and electing a new Duke from among the nobles, which gradually became a tradition in Victoria Harbour.

Every twenty years, the nobles and wealthy merchants of Victoria Harbour would hold an election conference to elect a trustworthy leader who could lead them to make more money.

The Duke of Victoria wielded immense power, capable of mobilizing the city's armed forces and controlling the entire inner city.

The previous Grand Duke of Victoria was Helvetius's father and the current head of the Plantagenet family—Eden Silver.

However, the one with the most momentum to seize the Grand Dukeship is Enrico Henderson, the patriarch of the Henderson family, who is said to be the seventeenth direct descendant of Queen Victoria.

This is definitely not a good thing for Helovitz.

But just then, Helovitz noticed the hermit's smiling face, seemingly without the slightest surprise.

"You... you already knew?"

The hermit chuckled softly: "I not only know these things, I also know that Enrico Henderson has become a minions' servant and has put more than a dozen worms into his brain."

"How can this be?"

Helovitz gasped: "Even if they're incredibly stupid, they won't dig their own graves. If the Mind Flayer gains power, his family will surely perish!"

"Not necessarily. Once they've tasted the sweetness of power, it's hard to resist the temptation. Enrico probably doesn't even consider himself human anymore."

"We absolutely cannot allow a half-human, half-mind-devouring monster to obtain the position of Grand Duke of Victoria!" Helovitz's tone was somewhat urgent.

The hermit remained calm and composed: "Tsk, the head of the O'Connor family is a fanatical follower of the god of murder, and the head of the Henderson family is a puppet of the mind flayer. This place is truly a place of simple and honest people. No wonder it is a city left behind by Victoria."

Helovitz's eyes widened, disbelief shining in her emerald pupils, as she stammered, "They—they've all betrayed Victoria Harbour? I thought this was just a family feud."

“They were loyal to their family, Miss Helvetz.”

"Power doesn't come from nothing. Haven't you noticed? Since you came to power, the Severus family's influence has grown steadily, while the other two major families are visibly declining rapidly. For them, the evil god and the mind flayers are rare lifelines."

"That's still an outrageous thing to do!"

Helovitz's voice was as chilling as a cold wind, as if it would blow away the thick black clouds gathered over Victoria Harbour at any moment.

"However, the election conference is also a good opportunity."

The hermit turned to look at the tall buildings in the inner city and said, "The patriarchs and elders of the O'Connor and Henderson families will be attending this election meeting. We can take advantage of their unpreparedness and wipe out these traitors in one fell swoop."

He stretched out his hand, palm open, and images of hundreds of adventurers renowned throughout Victoria Harbour and even the entire Free Trade Confederation appeared in the magical imagery. These were players controlled by the Hermit through issuing quests; almost every one of them was a level ten or higher professional, possessing high authority within the Tower of the Coast.

“These are all personnel that the Coast Tower can mobilize. I will issue orders to them to gather in Victoria Harbour and assist the Sever family in controlling the entire city.”

"Yes, Master Hermit, I will go and prepare now."

Helovitz sneered, "I've seen plenty of these two families' underhanded tricks over the years, not to mention their utterly shameless betrayal of this city. It's time for them to pay the price."

Looking at the clenched fists of the eldest daughter of the Severn family, who was trembling with anger, the hermit patted her on the shoulder: "Don't let anger control your heart, Helovitz."

He said calmly and unhurriedly, “We have only one goal—to protect Victoria Harbour. They are not the only ones eyeing this place. Just seven days ago, my men spotted wyverns in the eastern sky. They are not wild monsters; they have fully armed soldiers on their backs.”

"Could that be the legendary one?"

“That’s right. If my guess is correct, then it is the scouts of the Burning Empire, the messengers of destruction and death—the Crimson Scale Conquerors.”

Helovitz's pupils suddenly dilated. She had long heard about the war in the central part of the Fianso continent. The Burning Empire was invading like fire, and its power was growing stronger. It had already destroyed the two great kingdoms of Thrace and Seleucia.

Their army was invincible and undefeated, known as the Dragonblood Legion, and even the divine descendants of Falden could not match them.

With the power of Victoria Harbour, it simply cannot compete with it.

Fortunately, the eastern part of Silvermoon Bay is blocked by towering mountains, and the pass is blocked by the Iron Mountain City, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even the Burning Empire cannot easily cross it.

Helovitz frowned slightly and hugged his arms tightly: "How did they get here?"

“Taliro”.

The hermit replied, “They came from the Seleucid Kingdom, crossing the Taliro Desert.”

"How could that be?"

The Taliro Desert is known as a "no-man's land," stretching for thousands of miles. Even experienced adventurers can perish there, making large-scale military marches there a pipe dream.

The hermit sighed and gazed into the distance with a worried look.

“Anything is possible. I just want you to know that we can’t lie low and wait any longer. Victoria Harbour is in turmoil, and we must take control of the situation and the entire city as soon as possible.”

"Yes, Mr. Hermit."

Helovitz turned and left.

The hermit looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds grew thicker and thicker, as if a terrifying beast was hovering in the sky, ready to crush this bustling and crowded city into pieces.

He sensed an extremely evil divine power, strange psychic energy fluctuations, and countless hidden gazes coming from the shadows.

He shook his head with a wry smile: "My true form, please awaken quickly." (End of Chapter)