Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 369: The Mantis
When Zhao Hai arrived at the restaurant, Smith was already waiting for him. As soon as he saw Zhao Hai, Smith warmly invited him to sit down.
Once Zhao Hai was seated, immediately a servant came to set the tableware. Smith said to Zhao Hai during this time, "Things are settled now. As long as we get everything ready here, we can move on Duke Ryan right away."
Zhao Hai nodded and asked, "That's good. Is there anything you need me to do?"
Smith smiled and replied, "No need for that. As long as we're prepared, Duke Ryan won't be able to escape. The Shelley family has already established a connection with the royal family. As long as the royal family doesn't oppose us, everything will be easy to handle."
Zhao Hai nodded again, "That's good, but will the royal family of the Roson Empire agree? After all, he is a duke."
Smith smiled slightly and said, "So what if he is a duke? Can’t we deal with a duke? As long as there's money involved, it's not just one duke we're talking about; even ten dukes can be sold out by the Roson Empire. Moreover, Duke Ryan's recent actions have been too excessive, and the royal family has long been displeased with him. Even if the Shelley family didn't take action, the royal family would eventually deal with Duke Ryan. Now that someone is willing to fund the operation, all they need is a word from them, and of course, they will agree."
Zhao Hai was intentionally asking these questions. He had already overheard the conversation between Smith and Wanhao, but he didn't want Smith to know that he had heard it.
However, Zhao Hai still furrowed his brows and said, "After all, Duke Ryan is a noble with his own principality. If he runs back to his principality and organizes an army, things could get troublesome."
Smith smiled slightly and said, "The money from the Shelley family wasn't wasted. As long as someone appears to accuse Duke Ryan, then the king and the council will strip him of all his titles. He will no longer be a duke, and it will be much easier to deal with him."
Zhao Hai suddenly understood Smith's approach. This method was indeed ruthless. Having the Roson Empire strip Duke Ryan of his titles would prevent him from mobilizing the soldiers within his territory. At that point, they could do whatever they wanted with him.
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "But the family of Duke Ryan is also a large family. Their strength isn't weak. Even if the empire doesn't allow them to mobilize the troops from the principality, they still have private soldiers, and those private soldiers are also quite capable."
Smith smiled slightly and said, "Little Hai, you haven't forgotten what we do, have you? We are dark mages. To compare numbers with us is to underestimate us."
Zhao Hai smiled slightly and said, "I truly forgot, but that’s even better. If there’s anything you need me to do, be sure to let me know."
Smith nodded. He really didn't plan for Zhao Hai to take action this time; he wanted Zhao Hai to see the strength of the Karlqi family.
In the following days, the Roson Empire was very calm. However, it was heard that Duke Ryan had returned to his principality to handle matters. This was within Zhao Hai's expectations. Duke Ryan was not a fool. He realized that his attempt to deal with Meigen had failed and guessed that the Karlqi family would definitely find out it was him. Now, just as Zhao Hai had said, he was preparing to return to his territory for a final stand.
What Zhao Hai didn't know was that Ryan had no choice in the matter. After discovering that his kidnapping of Meigen had failed, he immediately sought the Roson Empire's king, hoping the king would mediate with the Karlqi family. He was willing to pay a price to smooth things over.
However, Ryan didn't expect that the king of the Roson Empire would refuse him and be very cold in his attitude. This made Ryan realize something was wrong. He knew the king might be ready to abandon him, so he hurriedly left Karsen City and returned to his fief.