Amber Sword

Chapter 1182: Chapter 297: News from the North_2

"..."

"Ha..." Ben held the paper, momentarily at a loss for words. He racked his brains but couldn’t figure out why the Holy Temple had changed its stance towards the Erune Royal Family, and didn’t expect the reason to be so simple. It was just because the Earth Temple had launched the war earlier. Ultimately, it was all because of him.

"How did this message come in?"

"It was brought by a contact I arranged in the North. The letter was delivered by the Naga. Currently, Ambeser has blocked the roads under the pretext of monsoon season, making it impossible for outside information to come in." The sun-tanned girl replied methodically.

Ben glanced at Sani’er, thinking that this letter must have been brought in by this guy.

"Is the person who got this information reliable?"

"Not reliable, just someone who works for money, but it should be enough for passing messages."

Ben nodded. The news that the Lion-men launched the war early must have been well-known in the North, but the news had not yet reached the isolated Ambeser.

The situation was now serious; the war between the Flame Temple and the Earth Temple was just a minor episode in the late history of Erune, but for the Cruz people, it was different. This holy war was as influential among players of the Cruz Empire as the Black Rose War was to Erune. It’s a religious war, the Flame Temple will go all out, and as the vanguard, so will the Erune war. The Flame Temple seems determined to maintain stability.

Even if they resort to harsh measures—

It’s great news for the Northern nobles, but for Ben and those supporting the Princess, it’s a disaster. "Lord, what do we do now?" The innkeeper’s daughter, not understanding the nuances, at least knew this wasn’t good news. She had heard about the recent changes in the Holy Temple’s attitude.

"The Princess must have been put under house arrest by now. The Flame Temple surely would not allow her to leave Ambeser; they’ll force Anlek to take a stand, and the upcoming noble and Royalist meetings are in danger." Ben thought for a moment. The Royalists must have received the news too, perhaps even earlier than him. The Royalists would have more contacts in the North, even without the Naga, they’d find ways to get information into Ambeser. But if even Anlek defects, the Princess would find herself in a desperate situation, even escaping safely would be a problem.

He suddenly turned and asked, "Where’s Roman?"

"Miss Roman went to the trade district. We have connections with several chambers of commerce in Ambeser, and she said she wanted to connect with the key figures there. With the war about to break out, the market’s bound to fluctuate, and she’s worried it might affect the livelihood of the territory." Su seemed about to talk about this.

"By herself?" Ben frowned, knowing those big merchants, glitzy on the surface, were often not good underneath.

"Qian went with her." Su looked at him and replied.

Ben nodded, knowing that after being endowed with the Dragon Blood, Qian now had strength close to the Golden Peak, and purely in terms of strength, even he was not her match. With her around, the Merchant Lady’s safety could be assured. "Have them stay put when they return, and have everyone pull out of the inn and gather here."

Su nodded, frowning slightly. Was the situation this tense already? She knew part of Ben’s plan, and gathering everyone indicated that the situation with the nobles and Royalists was beyond saving; next, there’d be military intervention. But truthfully, Tonyger’s strength was almost negligible on this grand chessboard.

"Su, do you have any questions?"

"I have no questions." Su shook her head, dismissing the slight discomfort in her heart.

Ben suddenly felt a bit silent. He suddenly realized that bringing these people into this whirlwind of political struggle was somewhat selfish. Su was the innkeeper’s daughter; Roman dreamed of becoming a great merchant; Frey wished to help the residents of Buqi. Qian only sought the approval of others wholeheartedly, as did the old veterans of the Red Copper Dragon, young people from Tonyger. Truly, the destiny of the Royalist and Princess Griffin did not much concern them; they were here solely because of his whim.