Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 531: Ivan's Hesitation, Robbie's Decision
Ivan had not yet received news about the situation at the Iksa Family; after all, it had just happened, and the people there had not spread the information, so Ivan could not know.
After Zhao Hai returned to Casa City, he went straight to the Lord's Mansion. Ivan truly did not expect Zhao Hai to come back so quickly, but he knew that there were many secrets surrounding Zhao Hai, so he did not inquire further and immediately invited Zhao Hai into his room.
Once they sat down, Zhao Hai informed Ivan about the situation at the Iksa Family. Ivan was quite shocked; after all, the Iksa Family, although not known as a duke, was nearly as powerful as the Versailles Principality. Now their family was almost wiped out from the continent, and this time the Church of Light was indeed ruthless.
After speaking, Zhao Hai did not immediately let Ivan spread the news. He observed Ivan's expression, knowing that Ivan was reluctant to give up the interests of the Versailles Principality. His purpose in bringing up this matter was to let Ivan know that if he could not learn to make sacrifices, he might follow in the footsteps of the Iksa Family.
Zhao Hai had not given up on the idea of bringing the Versailles Family into the Budah Family. The Budah Family desperately needed talent now; as they expanded their operations, the demand for skilled individuals grew.
Currently, the Magedel Family members were managing Golden Island, alongside their original businesses, so they could not spare too many people to assist the Budah Family.
The Budah Family itself had few members. Although the Iksa Family had joined them, it should not be forgotten that they would soon have one hundred thousand orc slaves joining them. Additionally, Zhao Hai had ordered one hundred thousand slaves and two hundred thousand uneducated slaves from the slave market in Karsen City. How many people would be needed to manage that? Relying solely on those newly literate slaves who had just become commoners would not suffice; they also needed talented managers. If the Versailles Family could join, it would provide a significant influx of talent.
However, the situation with the Versailles Family was even more complicated than that of the Iksa Family. The Versailles Family had already been infiltrated by the Church of Light, so although Zhao Hai wanted to bring them under his wing, he had to be very cautious.
Earlier, when Ivan mentioned that there were staunch supporters of the Church of Light within the Versailles Family, he did not discuss how to deal with those people. Clearly, he was not prepared to handle them; perhaps Ivan wanted to keep a fallback plan for himself. If things became dire, he might be ready to seek refuge with the Church of Light, using those individuals as a guide.
Zhao Hai believed that informing Ivan about the situation with the Iksa Family was to make him aware that what happened there could very well occur with the Versailles Family, urging them not to harbor any fantasies about the Church of Light.
After hearing Zhao Hai's words, Ivan's expression changed several times. He had not anticipated that the Church of Light would be so ruthless this time. If they treated him the same way, what would the Versailles Family do?
Zhao Hai remained silent, calmly watching Ivan. He wanted to see how Ivan would respond; the situation had become quite clear. There would eventually be a confrontation between the Budah Family and the Church of Light, and it all depended on how the Versailles Family would choose.
Ivan was silent for a while, grappling with a difficult decision. He understood very well that if he sided with the Budah Family, it meant giving up everything related to the Versailles Principality. The Versailles Family would only become a vassal race of the Budah Family, which he could not accept.
However, if he sided with the Church of Light, he feared they might turn against him later, leaving him in a disadvantageous position.