Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 440 Prelude to War

Duke Ralph's voice immediately brought everyone back to their senses, and the key to the issue returned to meeting His Majesty in person.

Seeing the overwhelming crowd's excitement, the Archbishop curled his lips impatiently and said, "If you absolutely must see His Majesty, then follow me... Once you see him, you'll understand my intentions."

After saying this, he turned around and walked towards the inner courtyard of the royal court without looking back. A group of confidential ministers immediately followed him in a hurry, with Duke Ralph walking in the front.

Everyone went straight to His Majesty's bedroom. When several guards knights outside the door saw that the people coming were important figures, they knelt on one knee and saluted. They only opened the door of the bedroom after obtaining permission from the bishop.

Ralph immediately spotted Grand Duke Saint Valen lying on the luxurious bed, his face pale and his eyes closed. He rushed over and asked in shock, "Your Majesty, what happened to him? Why is he unconscious?"

The ministers also gathered around, "How could this be? Your Majesty... Why was Your Majesty injured? Why did you keep it secret for so long?"

The Archbishop sighed deeply, looking at the startled Duke Ralph with a meaningful gaze. "Your Excellency, do you think you were the only one assassinated by the spellcaster?"

Everyone gasped when they heard this.

His Majesty was also assassinated by the spellcaster, and it seems that he was not as lucky as Duke Ralph. Although he did not die on the spot, he was seriously injured and unconscious... It seems that there is no sign of recovery at all.

The young high-ranking priest said arrogantly, "If it weren't for the Archbishop and several high priests from the Holy City who took turns casting high-level divine spells to prolong His Majesty's life every seven days, I'm afraid His Majesty wouldn't have been able to hold on this long, and you wouldn't have been able to see him."

Duke Ralph narrowed his eyes in panic and said slowly, "The Federation... and that Mage Lord Harvey, are they planning to completely wipe out all the nobles and royals in Saint Valen?"

Had the spellcaster's hostility towards the nobles reached this point? Even His Majesty, the Grand Duke, was not immune to the assassination attempt. All the dignitaries present broke out in cold sweats.

The Archbishop then spoke slowly, "Everyone, are you still unwilling to cooperate with us to fight against these evil spellcasters who have betrayed secular authority and faith in the gods?"

After the wizard lord captured the nobles' territory, he not only hanged the clergy of the church, but also the nobles who refused to submit to him.

……

A street-facing apartment in Jinhui City, the capital of Saint Valen.

Ever since Harvey launched a surprise attack on Fengyuan City and successfully occupied Duke Ralph's fiefdom, the status of the chief intelligence officer of the royal capital, "Codename 007", has risen rapidly. He was naturally promoted to the chief intelligence officer of Saint Valen. Even other colleagues in charge of Fengyuan City praised him highly, and the intelligence network he painstakingly built in Jinhui City was truly stabilized.

Apart from the core intelligence personnel originally from Spark City, 007's operations over the past year have allowed him to secretly extend his reach to all levels of society in the capital. Under the title of trade director of the Faros Royal Chamber of Commerce, he moves among the upper-class aristocratic and wealthy circles in the capital, and is extremely sensitive to all kinds of gossip coming from the royal court.

At the same time, he also used coercion and inducement to actually control a medium-powered black street gang in the downtown area. He had spies among the thugs, beggars, prostitutes and pickpockets - he could get money just by inquiring and passing on information, and these untouchables living at the bottom of the society didn't care who they worked for.

"The Grand Duke was assassinated and seriously injured, and the Church is claiming among the powerful that it was us?" 007 slammed his water glass on the table and sneered. "Ever since the outbreak of the Corruption, their methods of frame-up and slander have remained the same." Anvil, a direct victim of the Corruption, clenched his fists and angrily shouted, "These despicable and shameless charlatans!"

He suppressed his anger and continued to report the intelligence he had obtained from Duke Ralph's nephew. "The Church has temporarily united the nobles of Jinhui City, and they are eager to fight against the city lord's army coming from Fengyuan City. Duke Ralph has volunteered to lead a royal guard of several hundred men to block the Alva River... They plan to use dragon flame powder to blow up the already narrow and rocky river mouth, completely blocking our route to the capital by water."

007 tapped the table lightly. "Has the information been repeatedly confirmed?"

"According to the intelligence verification process, three confirmations..." Tiezhen said seriously, "I heard this from the children of the nobles..."

Another intelligence officer, codenamed "Groundhog", learned the same news from a soldier of the Royal City Guard whom he had befriended. That guard was one of the candidates chosen for this job.

In addition, a female intelligence officer codenamed "Spider" also heard the same rumor from the gossip of family members at the home of a powerful person involved in the case.

007 hummed in satisfaction, "Tell the gang rats at the docks to keep a close eye on these guys and report to me immediately if they make a move."

Blocking the river was not good news for the intelligence personnel of Jinhui City. The city lord's army naturally did not mind attacking the capital from the water, but if the river was severely damaged, a large number of merchant ships transporting goods from the western border to the north would stop in Jinhui City, and it would be difficult to supply the border areas with the corresponding lack of commodity resources to the north.

Moreover, it would be quite troublesome to reopen the river and resume shipping at a later stage. If I could not try to stop the other party's insane behavior, I, as the chief of intelligence, would probably have to bear certain dereliction of duty responsibilities.

After finishing the most important business, Tiezhen pursed his lips and said bitterly, "They're forcibly conscripting civilians everywhere around the capital and sending them to the border continuously. They've been at war with Daeus for over half a year, and we only see people leaving... and never returning."

This kind of common knowledge is not considered valuable intelligence.

007 was stunned. To ensure their identities weren't exposed by traitors, intelligence officers didn't know each other's personal information. "You have relatives in the countryside? Were they also forcibly conscripted?"

Anvil's eyes reddened, and he smiled bitterly, "My lord, they are all dead... They didn't survive the plague while fleeing to the north."

His boss didn't know what to say to comfort him and was feeling awkward... when he suddenly heard a barely audible dripping sound coming from the bedroom.

007 immediately stood up and slipped into the bedroom, and dragged out the magic brain communication device from under the bed with ease. It was a direct order from Spark City!
He only took a quick glance and his heart skipped a beat!
When he opened the bedroom door again and walked out, an irrepressible smile was already on his face. Anvil quickly approached and asked, "Sir, do you have any new mission instructions?"

"Hahaha!" 007 couldn't help but burst out laughing, his tone filled with indescribable joy and excitement. "No need to worry about them blowing up the river."

Anvil perked up. "Will reinforcements arrive to help us stop them?"

"No, no, no!" 007 shook his head and said bluntly, "The city lord's army has already set out from Fengyuan City and is sailing downstream on ironclad ships. The nobles may not have enough time to block the river, and will have to watch the city lord's army approach the city!"

(End of this chapter)