Chapter 352 - 350: Red Earth
The war between the Silent Shore and the Fire Source Territory finally came to an end with Viscount Ugo’s admission of defeat.
The war had begun without any warning, catching many of the Nobility and other powers by surprise.
It also ended rather quickly, lasting just over half a month, giving ambitious schemers who wanted to escalate the conflict no time to make further arrangements.
For various reasons, even King Eric abandoned his plan to let the two sides get bogged down in a prolonged, chaotic war.
The war was over, but the negotiations had just begun.
As the defeated party, the Calvin Clan had to bear all the losses. They would also face judgment under the Kingdom’s laws—assassinating the direct blood relative of a noble is a grave crime, and with their defeat, accountability was inevitable.
Duane had Kaelon represent him in the negotiations alongside Count Kais, while he himself recuperated from his injuries in Red Earth City.
In his battle with Severus, severing his own arm was the most grievous wound. He had also sustained numerous other injuries, some so severe that even the scales of his Scale Armor Defense had been torn off.
Thanks to the Special Healing Potion provided by Baron Uriel, combined with his own powerful constitution, all his external injuries aside from the severed arm had more or less healed.
Logically, he could use Molting now to regenerate, but after much hesitation, he decided to wait until he returned to Black Forest Island.
He did this mainly to feign weakness, hoping the Holy Radiance Court would lower its guard against him.
A twenty-year-old at the Silver Moon Level might be grudgingly acceptable, but a twenty-year-old at the Scorching Sun Level would be considered utterly absurd.
If such a person also possessed a near-regenerative ability, others would see him as a monster and elevate his threat level to the maximum.
The King had many other matters to attend to at present. Although Duane was powerful individually, his territory was underdeveloped. Coupled with the loss of an arm, his threat level was significantly reduced, lowering his priority as a target.
After all, the one the Royal Family was most wary of was Marquis Sean to the north.
However, if Severus caused trouble on Black Forest Island like Orisien and Thomsen had, then he would have no choice but to reveal that he could regrow his arm sooner than planned.
"My Lord!"
Outside the room in Red Earth Castle where the prisoners were held, a soldier saluted Duane solemnly, his eyes filled with adoration.
Anyone who had witnessed the battle between Duane and Severus that day now regarded Duane as a god of war in their hearts, their reverence completely unaffected by his severed arm.
Duane nodded in acknowledgment. "Open the door. I want to see Baron Theodore."
"Yes, sir!" The soldier quickly removed the chains and pushed the door open.
As the Lord and Baron of Red Earth City, Theodore wasn’t kept in a dungeon. Instead, he was confined to a clean and tidy room where he was treated to good food and wine daily—a courtesy befitting a noble’s status.
Theodore looked unwell. His dark circles were deep, a clear sign he hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days.
He was startled when Duane entered. Then, he saw the empty sleeve of Duane’s left arm. He said nothing, but a sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
"Why would the mighty Earl of the Star of the Sky have time to visit a captive like me?"
Duane didn’t answer immediately. He walked over to a nearby chair, sat down, and studied the downtrodden Baron for a moment.
After a long moment, he finally spoke. "The negotiations aren’t over, but you should know what the consequences will be for you. As a participant, it’s highly likely you’ll be stripped of your territory and title."
"Count, there is something you should get straight. The assassination of Natalia was Knight Liam Roberts’s idea. I was not involved."
Theodore said emphatically, "As for my war with Count Kais, I was answering Viscount Ugo’s call to arms. Even in defeat, as long as Viscount Ugo can pay the fines and remains a Kingdom Viscount, my title and territory will not be affected."
Duane didn’t dispute his point.
In fact, based on the rounds of negotiations held so far, the Royal Family’s side, represented by Minister of Supervision Hela and Saint Hall Grand Commander Mitchell, was leaning in favor of Viscount Ugo.
According to Count Kais’s speculation, His Majesty would likely use this incident to allow the Holy Radiance Court to establish a branch in the Fire Source Territory. This was probably the promise Viscount Ugo made when he requested aid.
Therefore, Theodore’s title and territory were, in all likelihood, safe.
"You didn’t come all this way today just to remind me of that, did you?"
Theodore was extremely curious. He secretly guessed that the most likely reason for the visit was to interrogate him for information about the assassination and the war.
But he had already told them everything about that, so there was nothing more to say.
Duane continued, "If you are still the Lord of Red Earth City after this war is over, I’d like to do some business with you."
Huh??
Theodore looked baffled and astonished. "Business?"
He instinctively thought the other man was joking. "Are you certain you’re not joking?"
Duane decided to be blunt. "While recovering these past two days, I’ve toured your territory a couple of times. The Red Earth here is valuable to me."
If there was one thing Red Earth City had in abundance, it was Red Earth. That was Duane’s immediate impression.
At the mention of Red Earth, Theodore began to take Duane’s business proposal more seriously. He perked up a little. "Do you need pottery? To be honest, and I’m not just boasting, the Pottery Jars from Red Earth City are of Upper Level quality!"
For him, the Red Earth was difficult for growing mainstream crops, so its greatest value lay in pottery-making, which was one of Red Earth City’s main sources of income.
"I’m not interested in pottery."
Duane said, "My Hot Spring Mountain Tea plants would grow much better with your Red Earth as fertilizer."
In truth, that was only one of the reasons he wanted the Red Earth.
Red Earth, which was really just red soil, was suitable for growing tea, making pottery, firing red bricks, and cultivating fast-growing trees for charcoal forests.
Beyond that, it was also used to grow fruit trees like olives and grapes, and these fruits were perfectly suited for planting in the Silver Jade Territory.
Therefore, Duane needed a massive amount of Red Earth, and what Yanger had discovered was nowhere near enough.
And this Red Earth City was an excellent source for it.
"Are you sure you want to do business with me?" Theodore still found it hard to believe.
Duane shrugged. "Even if you don’t lose your territory and title, you’ll still have to pay a hefty fine. You need money, and I need materials. Why can’t we do business?"
He added, "And don’t expect Viscount Ugo to lend you any money. He might not even be able to scrape together enough for his own fines."
According to the King’s arrangements, the Fire Source Territory was bound to become a place with two competing powers: the Calvin Family and the Holy Radiance Court. They might even clash with the Silent Shore. If Duane had a business partnership with Theodore, he might be able to obtain some intelligence in the future. In any case, there was no downside to it.
Baron Theodore began to seriously consider Duane’s proposal. He knew the predicament he and his family were in, and he knew he likely couldn’t count on Viscount Ugo to shoulder much of his burden in the future.
Under these circumstances, he naturally didn’t want to pass up any opportunity to make money.
"How much Red Earth do you need?" he asked.
A slight smile played on Duane’s lips. Clearly, Theodore was tempted.
"A lot!"
Duane said, "My Hot Spring Mountain Tea is already on the market. You must have heard about its vast market potential."
Theodore nodded.
Since the end of last year, the Silent Shore had launched two products: Hot Spring Mountain Tea and Warm Sun Soup.
The market potential for both products was enormous.
Duane continued, "By my estimate, the Hot Spring Mountain Tea Garden on Black Forest Island could expand to tens of thousands of acres. A garden that large needs fertilizing every year, and it needs Red Earth every year. Do the math, and you’ll realize just how immense the demand is!"
Theodore was inwardly astonished. ’At this rate, I’ll have no trouble selling my Red Earth.’
’This is a huge deal!’
But he hesitated. "You know that even with the war over, the Fire Source Territory and Black Forest Island will remain hostile. As a follower of Viscount Ugo, for me to do business with you... that’s..."
Duane cut him off. "Conflict and cooperation are not mutually exclusive. You know this deep down."
He paused, knowing some things were better left unsaid. "Of course, if you truly have reservations, you could always use a middleman."
With that, he stood up and started walking toward the door. "There are no permanent friends, nor permanent enemies. You can take the next few days to think it over. I’ll be waiting for your answer."
Watching the door close again, hearing the clatter of chains and the sound of the lock turning, Theodore sat in his chair, lost in thought for a long time.