Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 488 The Coffman Family

Harvey half-tentatively and half-verifyingly sought intelligence information about Border Duke Barclay from the "Earth-Favoured Ones" in the forum. He thought he would receive a polite refusal or a relatively perfunctory answer, but he didn't expect the answer to surprise him for a moment.

[Earth-Choosed: Mr. Kel'Thuzad, regarding the Border Duke... I don't actually need to tell you. I'm sure you have various ways to find out... Carlo Kofman, the Border Duke canonized by the Baroque royal family, shares my surname. If we trace back, he should even call me his great-uncle.]

Harvey raised his eyebrows in surprise. A border duke who was over fifty years old actually needed to call Mr. "Favoured by the Earth" his great-uncle?

This high-level spellcaster who has always been gentle and low-key in the forum is probably quite old... Could it be that he is also a wizard over a hundred years old like Mr. Scorching Lord?
But he clearly showed no signs of reaching the Legendary rank. If we were to use the lifespan of an average high-level spellcaster as an example, wouldn't he already be nearing the end of his life? Why hadn't he ever mentioned on the forums seeking ways to prolong his life?

The spellcaster of the Kofman family has a secret method to delay aging and increase lifespan!

As soon as the doubts emerged in my mind, the other party immediately gave the answer frankly.

[Earth-loving One: Haha, are you wondering... as Carlo Kofman's grandfather, my true age must be over a hundred years old. Why didn't I lose my magic power due to excessive aging and directly drop in rank?]

[Kel'Thuzad: If this is a secret within your family, out of courtesy and rules... I shouldn't pry into it. This is a bit too offensive.]

[Earth-loved: It's alright. These things might be a huge secret to the royal family and nobles, but they're commonplace among spellcasters, and some are even known to everyone... The Kofman family inherited part of the bloodline of the ancient High Elves. Although the bloodline has gradually become diluted after hundreds of years, the advantage of longevity has been barely preserved.]

Harvey suddenly understood. No wonder Mr. Earthbender chose to become a spellcaster despite being born into a royal family. With the innate advantage of longevity, he indeed had more time than ordinary spellcasters to seek a leap in the level of life. Even if he still could not reach the legendary level in the end, he could still maintain stronger strength than ordinary wizards in old age, without having to worry about a significant decline in strength due to the exhaustion of magic power.

[Kel'Thuzad: Everyone in the Kofman family has the longevity gene? What about Duke Carlo himself?]

[Earth-Favoured One: If I'm not mistaken, you intend to attack the Barclay Border nobles commanded by Carlo? To exact revenge for their unprovoked months of harassment on the Saint Valen border?]

As expected of one of the forum's founding members, he has been playing both sides of the various factions in the Spellcaster Forum for so long that he can see through Harvey's intentions and ideas at a glance.

Harvey naturally had no fear or hesitation, and admitted it directly and frankly.

Kel'Thuzad: Yes, this is the price Duke Carlo must pay. The chaos they rashly unleashed has resulted in countless civilian casualties, and vast swaths of farmland and villages have been completely destroyed. Even in the early autumn, just as the harvest is about to begin, the entire southern part of the principality is experiencing a surge of famine refugees!

The Magic Brain's crystal screen remained silent for a long time. It looked as if Mr. Earthbender was at a loss for words, but Harvey remained unfazed. After all, he was simply conveying his stance; there was no need to be overly aggressive. [Earthbender: Carlo, while of royal blood, is a minor branch... I have no close personal connection to him. When the forum voted to expel and curb the Church's influence, I used my influence to cooperate in the capital. However, when the royal order reached his border fiefdom, it received no due response or respect. He remained steadfast on the Church's side.]

The meaning is very clear... If you want to fight, then fight. It has nothing to do with me anyway. For a grand duke who doesn't even take his own royal family seriously, it's actually a good thing to have an outsider to give him a beating.

Harvey was naturally satisfied with this response. The other party obviously gave him enough respect and face because of his identity as an "agent" of the forum. Otherwise, with the strength of the Principality of Barclay, it would not be without the capital to fight against Saint Valen.

Of course, the premise is that the other party is unaware of the power of the magic weapons in his possession. After all, the war that took place in Saint Valen, after the news was passed to other neighboring countries, most of them only disclosed the results, and the specific details of the battle were not known.

The Earth-Follower then told Harvey in detail about the rise of Border Duke Carlo Kofman, the situation of the vassal noble forces in the territory, and the number of troops of the most acclaimed Baroque Border Knights. He told Harvey everything in detail and in a frank manner.

Having received a satisfactory answer, Harvey was planning to exchange a few pleasantries and end this pleasant online communication, but the other party suddenly asked him a question out of nowhere.

[Earth-Choosed One: Mr. Kel'Thuzad, I'd like to ask... Now that you have completely taken control of the Principality of Saint Valen, do you plan to officially ascend the throne and become the new Grand Duke of Saint Valen?]

It seemed as if he really couldn't hold it in any longer, so he asked at the end - in the nearly thousand-year history of the southern countries, it was indeed rare for people to ascend the secular throne as spellcasters. If you really want to trace it back... there was only the founder of the Federation, the mysterious first chief of the Federation, who was rumored to have been the first heir to the Orland royal family. At that time, Orland was not the leader of the current Seven Wizarding Kingdoms, but a powerful secular country that controlled the western part of the continent.

The origin and past background of the mysterious chief who gave up his right to inherit the throne seemed to have been deliberately erased from the long history. No matter how later generations tried to dig and explore, they could never find out his true identity. However, a large number of true and false rumors have continued to exist.

In any case, organizations like the Federation and the High Wizards Council, as well as noble spellcasters like the Earthbenders, are still very concerned about Harvey's next actions. Once he chooses to replace the former Grand Duke's family canonized by the Church and brazenly ascends the throne of Saint Valen, the political situation in the southern continent will inevitably undergo violent shocks. Not only will the Church react strongly... the royal families of other secular kingdoms will also be on pins and needles.

With the precedent set by Harvey, who knows if there will be other spellcasters with huge power who will follow his example and directly seize secular royal power?

You must know that when the Federation and the Church formed an alliance to fight against the demons, the covenant clearly stipulated that spellcasting forces should not arbitrarily interfere with the succession of royal power in secular countries. Every king of secular countries who ascended the throne... was personally crowned by the then Pope, which was equivalent to paying a token of allegiance to seek asylum in order to sit firmly on the throne.

However, Harvey's response was so unexpected that the Earth-loving Ones were a little confused.

Kel'Thuzad: I personally don't really care about these false reputations... But if the situation becomes tense and requires the unification of all forces that can be united, I will choose to stand up without hesitation, so... please wait and see!

(End of this chapter)