Starting as the Baron of the Lonely Island

With the conclusion of the fifth round of negotiations, the specific terms of the reparations were essentially finalized.

First, Fire Source Territory must pay Silent Shore four hundred and fifty thousand Gold Coins in reparations. This included compensation for the assassination attempt on Natalia, the death of Mateiro, war pensions, and the cost of consumed materials, among other things.

Second, the Royal Family would initiate a trial regarding "Viscount Ugo dispatching men to assassinate Natalia." Although the trial process had not yet begun, the verdict had already been decided:

One, the Royal Family would reclaim ownership of nearly one-fifth of Fire Source Territory, including Silver Scale Port, Green Shade Manor, Iron Hammer City, Peaceful Bay, and Mountain Forest Town. Of these, the area around Green Shade Manor and Silver Scale Port would be handed over to Silent Shore for management;

Two, the Calvin Clan must pay a fine of two hundred thousand Gold Coins to the Royal Family to seek a lighter sentence for the matter of assassinating a member of the Nobility;

Three, under the supervision of the Royal Guard, Viscount Ugo would be placed under house arrest within Fire Source Castle for one year;

Four, Knight Liam would be stripped of his title, and his entire family would be demoted to Slaves, to be dealt with by Silent Shore;

Five, Viscount Ugo was ordered to personally write letters of apology and send them to all the Nobility of the Pruck Kingdom.

In Red Earth Castle, Count Kais was discussing the final negotiation results with Duane.

"The area around Green Shade Manor and Silver Scale Port isn’t particularly fertile land, but it’s near the Great Michaelson River, so its geographical location isn’t bad."

Count Kais shook his head, showing little interest in this land. "If you need it, I can let you manage this area."

He then added a reminder, "But this area is likely to be chaotic in the future. After all, Fire Source Territory has managed it for many years."

Chaos was inevitable.

The only reason Minister Hela had offered these two parcels for Count Kais to manage was to plant a fuse, waiting for the right time to light it.

Duane shook his head. "Don’t bite off more than you can chew. My Silver Jade Territory isn’t even fully developed yet, so I have no interest in getting involved with more land for now. I think it would be better for you to choose one of the Knights from this campaign to manage the area."

The Count nodded. He knew Duane probably didn’t need this land, as it was only for temporary management, not a permanent grant.

"This war has taken too great a toll on you!"

Count Kais’s expression darkened as he looked at the empty sleeve where Duane’s left arm should have been.

’He would rather sacrifice more of his own men than see Duane so grievously injured.’

"I plan to give you half of the four hundred and fifty thousand Gold Coins in reparations from Fire Source Territory. In addition, I’ll give you thirty percent of the plundered food, iron ore, weapons, and equipment."

Duane was moved. At least his future father-in-law didn’t look down on him for losing an arm.

"You don’t need to worry about my missing arm."

Duane said, "With my abilities, I can regenerate a lost limb at any time."

He didn’t have to say anything, but the Count was family, and he didn’t want him to concede too much just because of his arm.

Count Kais froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up with joyful surprise. "You mean..."

"That’s right!"

Duane smiled. "For now, I just want to feign weakness to my enemies."

The Count’s mood lightened instantly. The weight that had been pressing on his heart for the past few days finally vanished, and even his breathing felt easier.

"You little rascal, why didn’t you tell me sooner? You had me worrying for days about how I was going to explain this to Natalia!"

Duane laughed loudly before saying, "So you don’t need to concede so much to me. My soldiers and I arrived late to this war and missed the early battles."

He thought for a moment and said, "Just give me one hundred thousand Gold Coins, and then a share of the weapons, equipment, and farm tools. That will be enough."

"Done!"

Count Kais didn’t stand on ceremony and agreed on the spot.

"The Calvin Clan won’t be recovering from this!"

The Count lamented, "The six hundred and fifty thousand Gold Coins in reparations paid to me and the Royal Family are enough to drain their entire fortune. They’ll even have to give up all future revenue from their Fire Source Beast Bone Soup for many years."

A single lost war was enough to bankrupt the most powerful viscount in the Kingdom.

Count Kais couldn’t help but think of himself. ’If Silent Shore were to lose a war in the future, we probably couldn’t withstand the consequences either.’

"Then we’ll do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen."

Duane said, "Count, I want to purchase warships from you. Or perhaps you could sell me your shipbuilding technology."

"Also, I have some rather novel ideas that might be useful for ship navigation. Perhaps I could speak with Lady Delilah about them."

The Count smiled faintly. "Delilah has long since approved of you as a son-in-law. You can go see her anytime."

"As for shipbuilding technology, I’ve heard your Territory has oak trees, which are excellent materials for making ships. Find a suitable location on your island, and I’ll arrange for men to build a shipyard for you and teach you the craft."

A joyous smile immediately spread across Duane’s face. "In that case, thank you so much!"

Count Kais laughed. "You don’t need to be so formal with us. In truth, helping you is helping myself."

He put his smile away. "My contact with the King over the past few years has made me understand something. Our King intends to consolidate all the powers in the Kingdom to strengthen his rule. Even though Silent Shore has no Secret Realm and I have few Celestial Tier Warriors under my command, he still sees me as a threat."

Dissatisfaction flickered in his eyes. "And after these negotiations, I see reality even more clearly. They will definitely establish the Holy Radiance Court in Fire Source Territory and then nurture the Calvin Clan, helping it grow strong again. When the time is right, they’ll have Viscount Ugo find some pretext to ignite the flames of war."

Duane completely agreed. He had already suspected as much.

"I discussed a business deal with Baron Theodore. He hasn’t agreed yet, but I’m confident it will succeed."

Count Kais was taken aback, then his eyes lit up in admiration. "I didn’t expect you to be a step ahead of me, already making preparations."

"It’s always best to prepare for a rainy day. I feel the drums of war are drawing near for the Pruck Kingdom," Duane said.

The Count, however, had a different opinion.

"There should still be some time, and we probably won’t be the initial target," he said. "The Smith Clan has always been the King’s number one thorn in his side. And I heard Marquis Sean took this opportunity to reinforce Pigeon Tail Town."

He sneered, "Kurudo still had the nerve to meddle here. I bet he won’t be running around so recklessly after he gets back."

Duane also smiled. "He’ll need to lie in bed for a good six months first."

Kurudo’s heart was pierced through. Even though Severus and Mitchell saved him, it will take more than a month or two for him to recover his fighting strength.

"In any case, we—especially you—need to use this time to develop quickly!"

The Count said, "There are at least ten thousand captives from this war. I’ll send them all to your Territory. Among them are craftsmen who built Silver Scale Port, as well as shipwrights. If you put them to good use, you’ll achieve twice the results with half the effort."

Duane added, "After you return to Sea Cliff Castle, please summon all the Earth Tier Peak Warriors like Heinrich, Bertrand, and Trent. I will cast a Blessing Spell and see if I can help them achieve a breakthrough."

The Count already knew about Allen’s breakthrough. Moreover, before the final battle, Duane had also used a Blessing Spell for Jick and Dorian, and both were fortunate enough to break through to the Celestial Tier.

In the blink of an eye, Count Kais now had six Celestial Tier experts under his command. This was something he had never imagined before.

"Very well."

The Count said, "However, even though they are my subordinates, I must remind you: don’t offer this for free. When it’s time to collect benefits, you must collect them!"

What is free is often seen as cheap. Only by charging a fee, a high one at that, can you demonstrate its value.

As the two were talking, Kaelon knocked on the door. "My Lord, Miss Natalia has arrived."

Duane was startled. He turned his head and saw Natalia already standing in the doorway.

Her red, swollen eyes and tear-streaked face were heartbreaking to see.

"Duane..."

She walked in, staring dazedly at Duane’s empty left sleeve before throwing herself into his arms and beginning to sob quietly.

Count Kais stroked his beard, then rose with a slight smile and left the room.

’As for the matter of Duane’s arm growing back... he could explain that himself.’

The Count closed the door behind him, leaving the young couple their time alone.

"Let’s go, Kaelon. Don’t disturb your Lord and his fiancée while they’re having a private conversation."

"Ah, oh, right..."

Kaelon quickly gave an order, leading the surrounding Guards away.