Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 156 The Master of the Lamp
In the blizzard-swept North, this colossal castle stands defiantly against the wind and frost.

Below, a caravan that had traveled a long way called out to the soldiers guarding the city.

"Open the city gate!"

"Before the Duke left, he ordered that Winterfall be temporarily closed off, and no one is allowed to enter or leave!"

“I am Rod Suliman! You can ask Marquis Carson to come and identify me!”

Among the caravan, a nobleman lifted his hood, revealing his identity. If he were an ordinary nobleman, the city guards would certainly not have allowed him passage, but Rhodes was the first in line to the Duke's throne and a key member of the family that effectively controlled Winterfell, so there was no way around it.

The city guards immediately went to find Marquis Carson, the commander of the Flood Swordsmen, because the magical world has many disguise techniques, and ordinary soldiers really cannot confirm the information. Only heroes can identify them.

Carson received Rhodes' letter ahead of schedule, but Rhodes arrived even earlier than agreed, which was somewhat unexpected.

"It's Lord Rhodes! Let them through immediately!"

Rhodes led his caravan into Winterfell, but instead of going directly to the inner fortress, he went to the Marquis’s mansion first. The merchants behind him followed closely behind Rhodes, but showed no intention of trading.

Carson took a closer look at the merchants and noticed that they were walking on the snow without leaving any footprints. Most of them were floating, indicating that they were definitely powerful superhuman soldiers with a deep understanding of magical power.

He leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Rhodes, who are these people?"

Rhodes didn't go into details in the letter, only instructing Carson to keep the Flood Swordsmen under control. Now that he had entered the city, there was no need to hide anything, but the prerequisite was to persuade Carson.

"My father is dead. Gabu is going back to Winter City to seize power. You must use the Flood Swordsmen to help me control Winter City and the Duchy. I want to inherit the title of Duke!"

Carson couldn't believe it: "Just a few days ago, news came from Norton City that His Excellency the Duke had led the charge and thwarted Isildur's attack. He was only preparing to return to the Duchy to recuperate for a few days due to a recurrence of his injury, how could this be..."

Rod looked Carson straight in the eye, his expression resolute: "Father is dead! You know me, if this news were inaccurate, why would I have rushed back so anxiously?"

Carson stood frozen, staring at Rhodes, who was dressed entirely in white. He began to believe it. If the Duke hadn't died, Rhodes would never have dared to bring outsiders into the Duchy. Even if he briefly controlled Winterfell, once the Duke returned, no one would listen to him.

The prestige of the Wolf King of the North was no joke; old Salman was a god in the hearts of the nobles.

Even if Duke Salim dies, he will surely leave a will declaring the succession to the title. Rhodes's forced occupation of Winterfell is illegitimate and will likely displease the other nobles, potentially leading to a division in the North.

This is especially dangerous now that it is a time of war.

Rod knew what Carson was thinking, so he advised, "If I were by my father's side, I would surely have been able to inherit the title smoothly. But until my father died, Gabmi remained silent. The nobles all know what he was thinking."

I must take control of Winterfell and inherit the title before he returns. I won't kill my brother then; I'll find a safe city for him to live in peace.

Compared to Gabe's recklessness and temper, Rhodes was indeed relatively mild-mannered. He may not have much talent for war, but he had a knack for winning over nobles.

Seeing that Carson was starting to soften his stance, Rhodes pressed on: "When I become a duke, your daughter will be the Duchess of Saliman, and the Carson family will share the honor with Saliman!"

Upon hearing this, Carson no longer hesitated: "There are still 1000 Hongbo swordsmen in the city, the strongest fighting force. The rest of the priesthood and cavalry were taken away by the Duke, leaving a total of more than 300 people. As long as you can persuade Earl Campbell and his cavalry, the rest are not a threat."

The duchy has a parliament, and therefore has high-class temples and equestrian training grounds. However, the priests of light usually do not participate in secular disputes; they only obey the command of the cult (the high-class temples built under the cult's direction). The real trouble comes from the cavalry, even if there are only a hundred of them, they are still the most elite fighting force.

"Campbell is stubborn and only listens to my father. I'll try to persuade him, and if that doesn't work, I'll handle it!"
"The remaining low-ranking troops and their commander are all in the hands of Marquis Carson!" Rhodes patted Carson on the shoulder, indicating his trust. But Carson sensed a bloodthirsty glint in his voice. What if Campbell disobeyed? Should he take control of this decorated earl?
But those are cavalry! A level 6 human unit is incredibly valuable. Besides, castle soldiers would definitely not allow it if their own kind were to fight amongst themselves.

Thinking of this, Carson suddenly glanced at the caravan behind Rhodes and noticed that their robes were fluttering in the wind, with specks of blue divine light floating around them. He immediately understood the source of Rhodes' confidence.

At this point, there's nothing more to say; the victor is king, the loser is villain!
Carson quickly left to gather his troops, while a witch in an orange robe stepped out from beside Rhodes.

"Sometimes I really admire your stealth skills; you even managed to deceive a veteran hero like Marquis Carson."

"This is the power of the void; it is everywhere, yet it is also elusive."

Rhodes waved his hand and got down to business: "I will summon Campbell to my mansion. He probably won't bring many men with him. Then you and your men will have to deal with him."

Don't make things too awkward, just tie him up; after all, he's a decorated figure from the North.

"No problem, I'll take care of it."

The orange-robed witch glanced at the monstrous lord behind her, brimming with confidence.

【Master of the Lamp (Tertiary 2 Unit of Tower Level 5, Baptism of Air Element): Attack 16, Defense 16, Damage 15-18, Health 55, Speed ​​12, Medium Size.

Element: Air element; Flying creature.

Divine Prayer: Can cast a buff spell on friendly units, with random effects (level 1-5 spell, equivalent to advanced).

Blazing Nemesis: A mortal enemy of fire spirits, +50% damage.

Genie Lamp: Make a wish during battle. After every 3 attacks, gather your spiritual energy into the genie lamp. There is a 30% chance to eliminate half of the enemy's same race (only works on level 7, tier 1 and below units, and the initial number of wishing monsters must be greater than or equal to (enemies/3). If it fails, gather energy again).

Medea is not afraid of cavalry, not even if the champion knights come.

The Genie is a unit that relies on luck, but luck is often on her side.

Once Rhodes saw that the arrangements were almost complete, he sent for Campbell to come to the mansion.

Upon hearing that the Duke's son had returned to Winterfell and summoned him for a meeting, Campbell hesitated.

I heard that Gabe and the Duke have already set off back to Winterfell, and there's a letter sealed by the Frozen Heart, asking Campbell to protect Winterfell. It's very strange that Rhodes returned ahead of time and summoned him, so Campbell took several dozen cavalrymen with him, just in case.

"It's best to avoid any problems."

To be on the safe side, he still delivered the Duke's letter to the various nobles.

He didn't want to take sides; frankly, neither of the two heirs was very capable, and Campbell only obeyed the Duke's orders.

If Rhodes truly harbors ambitions, then he has no choice but to suppress him by force!
Campbell thought about Rhodes, the Duke's eldest son, carefully and realized that he was overthinking it. With the Duke still alive, Rhodes couldn't cause any trouble.

(End of this chapter)