Free Web NovelGreyrock Castle Upper City, Balcony Garden.
The late spring air was fresh, and the flowers and trees were in full bloom. A neatly trimmed rose wall was covered with pale pink buds, and a fountain between the lawns gently misted.
Birdsong and the sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance, and the entire Upper City was like a tranquil painting.
Duke Spencer Remont stood in the center of the garden.
His dark blue and gold-trimmed ceremonial suit was spotless, the gold threads shimmering in the sunlight, and his collar was dazzlingly white.
He stood ramrod straight, smiling with gentle moderation, as if no impolite action could exist in his presence.
Today, Greyrock Castle was holding a charity ceremony.
Noblewomen, guild representatives, and maids gathered around him. Long tables were set up in the courtyard, laden with bread and warm soup.
Remont raised a silver cup and said gently to the crowd, "Let them remember that Greyrock not only possesses powerful military might but also warmth."
Applause followed.
Children from the orphanage were led into the garden, holding flowers and handmade cloth dolls.
The smallest girl ran too fast, almost falling, but he gently steadied her.
At this moment, everyone around held their breath. His movements were natural, as if he genuinely pitied these children.
He took the bouquet of white roses and said softly, "This is the best gift."
He then placed the flowers in a vase by the table and turned to smile at the noble representatives.
A more enthusiastic round of applause erupted from the crowd, and a lady tearfully said, "Your Excellency is the most benevolent noble in the Empire."
Remont nodded slightly and ordered the crates from the storage warehouse to be opened.
Inside the crates, neatly stacked sacks of flour, medicine chests, and small leather boots glowed softly in the sunlight.
Attendants distributed the items according to a list, and he patiently inquired about each orphanage director's needs, even personally signing the relief agreement for the next quarter.
Nobles and merchants whispered to each other, and even the maids quietly praised his nobility.
When the last child had presented their flowers, musicians began to play, and a lively melody floated through the air.
Remont stood at the highest point of the garden, overlooking everyone, perfect as an icon, bright and flawless, making people afraid to look directly at him.
Just then, a knight quickly entered, whispering a few words in his ear.
Remont, with a smile on his face, put down his silver cup and said, "My apologies, everyone, please excuse me. The food for the poor is ready, and I wish you peace."
He politely and perfectly ended the conversation, turned and left with the knight, his footsteps echoing softly on the stone floor of the long corridor.
The sunlight chased him until the noble figure disappeared into the shadows... The heavy study door closed, and the light instantly dimmed.
Remont untied his gloves, sat by the fireplace, and took the envelope presented by the knight.
He unfolded the letter, read it carefully, and finally his gaze lingered on those few lines.
"Frost Dragon Territory conference ended. Sixth Prince Aasta perished. Louis is overseeing the reconstruction of the North."
He looked for a long time, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, a complex emotion he couldn't hide in his smile.
"This Red Tide Lord... is indeed more ruthless than I thought."
The knight whispered, "My subordinates' intelligence also confirms this. Barbarians attacked Frost Dragon Territory, and the Red Tide Army counterattacked with lightning speed.
It is said that Louis, outnumbered, slaughtered the barbarian chiefs in one battle, and the old nobles knelt down. After the meeting, he used an oath ceremony to make the Northern lords sign an alliance, and now the Red Tide banner is planted throughout the North."
Remont was silent for a long time.
The firelight from the fireplace reflected in his eyes, as if he saw a rising figure in the distance.
"He used blood to make the North submit... even his enemies have to call him a savior." His tone was low, "But that's not salvation, that's control."
The knight hesitated for a moment and whispered, "My subordinates heard that Louis works almost tirelessly on government affairs. He rebuilt the military system, reorganized the merchant guilds, and even the Northern refugees call him the Sun."
Remont chuckled, his tone slow: "The Sun? Heh... He is a monarch performing for everyone."
The knight continued to report: "My subordinates have obtained more detailed intelligence. A barbarian attack broke out during the Northern conference, Sixth Prince Aasta died on the spot, and the old nobles were almost completely purged.
Louis used the Northern Reconstruction Order to re-weave the Northern system, rebuilding military defenses, food authority, and trade routes. Now the hearts of the Northern people have completely gone to Red Tide."
Remont lowered his eyes in thought: "A barbarian attack? Ridiculously coincidental. Aasta died too cleanly, like a perfectly arranged play.
He is putting on a show, letting everyone see him save the North. Such a person... is truly someone the Empire should be wary of."
Remont was not angry, but his eyes revealed a coldness.
"Clever, cruel, greedy, dangerous. Like a wolf in human skin."
This young count was no longer just an ambitious man; he also possessed the strength to match his ambition.
Louis now almost completely controlled the North. With the military strength and allies left by Duke Edmund, backed by the prestige of the Calvin Family, he could rank among the top twenty powers in the entire Empire, and that was a conservative estimate. free𝑤ebnovel.com
Such a position was enough to make any great noble uneasy.
What was even more astonishing was that he was only in his early twenties.
A young man rising on the Empire's frontier could already shift the entire Empire's power structure.
Remont admitted inwardly: This is truly a terrifying young man.
He turned to the knight, his tone low and cold: "From today, Greyrock's intelligence budget will be increased by one-third, diverted to the North, to watch this man, watch him closely."
"Yes." The knight acknowledged the order and withdrew.
The study fell silent again. Remont leaned by the window, looking at the gloomy sky, and whispered, "A hero, a terrifying young new Wolf King."
Remont pondered for a moment, and an entire map of the Empire appeared in his mind.
If the North completely fell into Louis's hands, Greyrock's trade routes and mining lines would all be controlled by him.
"He cannot be allowed to expand too quickly. First, let him be confident, then let him lose balance."
Remont quickly outlined a framework in his mind: use trade and alliances to restrain Red Tide, and once Northern resources flowed to Greyrock, then tighten financial supplies in the name of the Imperial Capital.
If the Red Tide Lord truly continued to expand, Greyrock would secretly support a righteous correction to make this young man recognize reality.
Remont gently exhaled and turned to pick up his coat.
"Go tell the Old Butler," he said indifferently, "I won't be returning to the charity banquet. Just say I have official business."
A response came from outside the door, the Old Butler's voice steady and respectful: "Yes, my lord. I will arrange the banquet as usual."
"That's good." Remont nodded, adjusted his cuffs, and his gaze once again returned to that aristocratic composure.
He stood up, put on a black cloak, and tightened his gloves.
Two trusted knights accompanied him, passing through the fortress's spiral passage, descending all the way.
The air gradually became damp, mixed with the smell of rust and blood.
The lowest level hall was as bright as the ground floor, illuminated by neatly arranged Alchemist oil lamps.
Rows of cages stretched along the walls, their iron bars blackened.
Children curled up in the cages, some trembling, some no longer moving, and some roaring in pain. Thin metal tubes were inserted into their backs, and medicinal liquid flowed through the tubes.
Broken pieces of paper and discarded copper needles were scattered on the floor.
Several Alchemists silently walked between the rows, adjusting valves, recording data, their expressions focused, as if tending to a group of modified test subjects.
That sense of ordered eeriness was more chilling than chaos.
Behind the central curved iron grate was the heart of the entire hall: a giant dragon skeleton submerged in a strange blood pool.
The dragon's body was so huge it almost filled half the room, its fangs curved like scythes, half-embedded in the stone floor, its hyoid bone broken, and bubbles still slowly emerged from its remaining throat cavity.
The blood pool was nearly twenty meters in diameter, the liquid dark red, shimmering with a dull silver luster under the Alchemist lamps.
The dragon's spine was like a ripped-open mountain ridge, its broken bone wings suspended by dozens of chains, sinking into the blood and being pulled out, creating waves of viscous liquid.
Its chest cavity was open, filled with Alchemist tubes and rune arrays, and silver liquid surged along the bone lines.
Several unconscious children also lay by the blood pool, their bodies fixed, their chests gently rising and falling.
Alchemists monitored the drug flow beside them. One Alchemist turned one of the children over and injected new liquid.
The child's fingertips twitched, a low, hoarse groan escaped their throat, then they fell silent again.
Pumps continuously operated beneath the dragon's chest, extracting luminous bone marrow. The pumping sound was heavy and rhythmic, as if breathing for the dead monster.
The entire hall trembled slightly with it, and ripples of dark red spread across the blood pool, as if the dead dragon was being reawakened.
The origin of this laboratory could be traced back more than forty years.
At that time, Greyrock Castle was not yet complete. Spencer's father, Duke Audric Remont, discovered this legendary ancient dragon skeleton while constructing defensive lines.
Yes, it was a giant dragon that existed in legends but had never been seen by anyone.
For military experimental purposes, he and his Alchemist advisory team extracted a potion that could temporarily enhance battle qi on the battlefield, named Dragon Marrow Extract.
This potion allowed knights to unleash battle qi in life-threatening situations, maintaining peak combat power for three minutes.
But the side effects were terrifying—intense pain, exhaustion, and even death. Using it more than three times was fatal.
Old Remont regarded it as a last-resort battlefield secret, strictly forbidding mass production, leaving only a warning: "This is not a power humans can control."
However, when Remont inherited the title, what he saw was not risk, but opportunity.
The Imperial Capital was then in turmoil, with the Emperor missing and various factions vying for power. He keenly sensed an unprecedented vacuum.
An opportunity that could elevate him to the core of imperial power, and even to rule the entire continent.
He knew that this chaos would create a new order, and a new order would inevitably require power.
Greyrock possessed the secret of the Dragon Marrow, and he would never let this bargaining chip slip through his fingers.
For him, morals, prohibitions, and bottom lines were all disposable toilet paper.
As long as it allowed him to climb one step higher, even if his feet were in a sea of blood, he would walk through it smiling.
So he burned his father's warning, leaving only the formula and experimental records, and ordered the advisory team to restart research, codenamed "Greyrock Blood Refining Project."
He was not satisfied with a tactical potion but wanted to establish a strategic factory capable of mass-producing power.
Using Dragon Marrow Extract to modify it into a stable catalyst, reshaping human flesh and nerves, allowing ordinary people to permanently possess battle qi circuits.
All adults died in the experiments; only adolescents aged ten to fourteen could survive for a short time.
Thus, the "Greyrock Benevolent Garden" on the surface, nominally an orphanage, became the material library for this laboratory.
Children were recorded, numbered, and then sent underground to become new materials.
Alchemist Master Mirar stepped forward and bowed: "My lord, the second-generation samples have completed injection. Thirteen successfully adapted, and four of them exceeded expectations in battle qi awakening. They are expected to be ready for combat testing in three days."
Remont asked indifferently: "Side effects?"
"Still present. Average lifespan may be less than half a year."
"Half a year is enough." Remont nodded gently.
He turned to look at the rows of numbered children in the cages, his gaze as calm as if inspecting weapons.
"The power still seems insufficient. The dosage can be increased further; there's no need to concern ourselves with the side effects."
Mirar lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly: "As you command, my lord."
Remont added in a cold, hard tone: "Remember, it must not be exposed."
Then he left the underground hall without looking back at the children in the cages.
When he returned to the surface, the sun was already shining obliquely into Greyrock Plaza.
Children's songs of praise drifted from afar, the air was fresh, and golden light fell on his neat attire.
Remont smiled as he stepped out of the shadows, raised a hand to nod to the populace, still the "Benevolent Duke."
No one knew that hundreds of meters beneath his feet, the hearts of those children were still beating in unison, elevating his Empire to the next level... The morning light of late spring streamed through the carriage window, filling the interior with a warm glow.
The fire in the hearth crackled softly in the corner, and the air carried a faint scent of pine wood.
Louis awoke from a light sleep, first hearing the rhythmic sound of carriage wheels against the ground.
The gentle swaying motion made him open his eyes, and the firelight reflected a faint golden hue in his eyes.
Louis first raised a hand to rub his temples, exhaling a long breath, the air carrying the warm scent of charcoal.
He stretched his shoulders, leaned back in his seat, his gaze lingering for a moment on the faded map before him, finally resting on the marker for Frost Dragon Territory.
This was the third day since leaving Frost Dragon Territory.
The Northern reconstruction conference had just ended, and he had left almost immediately after the meeting.
There was nothing there to keep him, nor any need for socializing. In this reconstruction conference, he had acquired all ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the leverage he could get.
Sixth Prince Aasta's ill-advised actions had, in fact, helped him, allowing him to gather more than half of the Northern nobles.
The Red Tide system had aimed to attract a quarter of the Northern nobles, but now over half had joined, which was a far better outcome than he had anticipated.
To be honest, even if all Northern territories nominally submitted, it would be a problem, as he did not have the resources to immediately support so many territories.
The wisest path was to first stabilize the nobles within his system, then gradually squeeze out those who had not joined from the Northern power circle. Once they weakened and perished, he would then naturally annex their territories and people.
"The door is open," Louis murmured to himself, "but that's just polite talk. What's missed is missed forever."
Then Louis raised his hand to summon the Daily Intelligence System. A pale blue light screen flickered in the air, and lines of information appeared, reflected in his eyes.
【Daily Intelligence Update Complete】
