VBNWDW - Chapter 80
Chapter 80
After the commotion, there was no time to dwell on the matter of the city wall. The enemy army was still waiting outside. How to arrange and settle the newly arrived Roy army, the current situation in Nia City—a pile of matters lay before them, making one's head spin.
It wasn't until night fell that Metis could relax a little, only to hear that the Duke of the Maple Family had come to visit alone. The heart that had just begun to ease tensed up again.
The little black dragon, who had just been about to cause some mischief, flicked its tail and lay down discontentedly on Metis's lap.
The next moment, footsteps approached.
"Your Majesty," the Duke of the Maple Family said, raising a hand in salute before sitting to one side. He got straight to the point: "Do you remember the gold mine I mentioned at the Council meeting?"
Metis's hand, which had been resting casually on the table, flinched. She didn't answer immediately, instead studying him for a moment before replying, "And?"
She knew perfectly well that he had seen today's victory and felt his previous pledge of allegiance lacked sincerity, so he was rushing to prove himself now.
The Duke of the Maple Family then laid everything bare. It was much as Metis had guessed: the Ander Family, guarding the border, had found a gold mine and sent word to the capital, but the message was intercepted by the Council families, who then began mining it secretly.
However, in his telling, the Duke deliberately embellished his own family's role, claiming they had been unwilling at first but were forced into it by the other families.
Metis nodded, feigning anger and muttering a few curses before asking, "Lord Duke, why have you suddenly come to me with this now?"
The Duke of the Maple Family smiled faintly. "Now that we are here, we must naturally reclaim the gold mine that belongs to the Roy Kingdom."
Metis raised an eyebrow, finally understanding what he was plotting.
Seeing that he had been abandoned by the other families and left to defend Nia City, he planned to use Metis's hand to destroy their little treasury. In the future, how much the mine produced and how much was transported to the capital would be entirely up to him, wouldn't it?
The Duke thought she was tempted and continued to persuade her, citing all sorts of benefits.
Metis waited a moment before saying hesitantly, "What if they find out…"
The Duke of the Maple Family sneered. "So what if they find out? Do they dare stand up and claim the gold mine is theirs?"
Metis continued to look worried. "But you said there are guards at the mine, with at least one Great Mage and soldiers constantly patrolling the tunnels."
"If Your Majesty trusts us, the Maple Family is willing to resolve this trouble for you," he said quickly, as if afraid she would change her mind.
The black dragon rolled over, burying its head in Metis's lap to stifle a laugh.
This man's schemes were practically written all over his face.
Metis casually patted the dragon, using her arm to shield it. Her expression remained unchanged as she said, "Lord Duke, you've worked hard. However, the mine is located on the border between our two nations, and the Atl army is currently camped outside the city… Perhaps we should make plans for this later?"
The Duke grew anxious. "It's best to do it in the next few days. They'll think we're still tied up with the Atl Kingdom and will surely let their guard down."
He lowered his voice again. "Besides, these next two days are when the gold is refined at the mine. Any later and it will be shipped away!"
So that was why he was in such a hurry.
Metis looked somewhat tempted but still didn't relent. "But the Atl army is still…"
"When the time comes, Your Majesty can lead the troops to hold them off while we sneak out and launch a surprise attack on the mine," the Duke said, the look of exasperation on his face practically screaming his frustration.
"No. The Atl army now has a Great Mage with them. If you suddenly leave, what happens if he makes a move?"
The Duke blurted out, "But don't you have…"
Metis's expression turned cold. "There is a price to pay for asking the Dragon Lord to act. If the Duke insists, then this batch of gold can be given to it first."
The Duke immediately gave an awkward laugh. After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth and said, "Then when we march out, our family will take the lead. We'll force that Great Mage to act first and exhaust his strength. Then we'll feign a retreat and circle around to attack the mine."
This was exactly what Metis had been thinking. She paused for a moment before saying she needed a night to consider it. The Duke offered a few more words of persuasion before leaving.
The door closed, and the lamplight dimmed. Metis stroked the black dragon in her arms as she pondered.
No wonder she had found it strange. This situation wasn't as critical as the last, yet all sides had dispatched several times the number of troops, and even the Temple had sent a hundred knights. It seemed they had heard about the mine last time but pretended not to care, investigating secretly on their own.
The little black dragon in her arms rolled over, its four paws in the air, revealing its belly. It asked lazily, "Metis, are you going to agree?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Metis retorted. She casually picked up a slice of watermelon from the fruit platter and held it to the dragon's mouth. "He's insisting on walking to his death. How could I possibly stop him?"
The little black dragon was currently no bigger than her palm. The slice of watermelon made its cheeks bulge, moving up and down as it chewed, making it look like a squirrel.
Finding it amusing, Metis reached out to poke it.
The dragon refused, immediately shifting to the other side. Metis followed, changing direction as well, teasing it endlessly like a game of whack-a-mole.
Thus, when the Duke of Ander and the young knight reached the door, they heard the little black dragon cry out in exasperation, "Metis!"
The other person replied with a low, breathy sound full of amusement, "Hm?"
"It's all your fault! It's all wet everywhere!"
"How is that my fault? If you hadn't been wriggling around, how could it have spilled out?"
"It's because you kept poking me!"
The voices squeezed through the crack in the door. The two people standing side by side exchanged inexplicable looks, then tacitly took a step back.
The black dragon was angry, kicking at Metis's forearm with its paws. It said huffily, "Hurry up and help me wipe it clean!"
It complained again, "Watermelon juice is so sticky."
The person inside laughed. She must have coaxed it, because the little black dragon stopped complaining, only letting out a few soft whimpers now and then.
Mo Wen and Talia silently took a step forward again.
A knock sounded on the door. The voices inside fell silent, and then someone said, "Enter."
Mo Wen and Talia pushed the door open and walked in. As they saluted, they saw a small black dragon sulking on the table, hiding at the very edge as if it were angry.
The two of them lowered their heads to hide their expressions and sat down on opposite sides.
Metis's expression was normal, but when she reached out to grab a certain dragon, the little creature, still fuming, kicked her hand away. It rolled over and tried to crawl away, but the Queen simply grabbed its tail and dragged it halfway back toward her.
Mo Wen and Talia: …
Talia silently averted her gaze and got down to business. She was still the one in charge of Nia City, and all matters concerning the arrangement and management of the army fell to her.
The military system of the Roy Kingdom was simple enough. The kingdom conscripted soldiers from various regions. If a region met its annual quota, its taxes would be reduced, which counted as a political achievement. Discharged soldiers also received generous subsidies, so the army's reserves were quite decent.
And on the surface, the army was entirely controlled by the royal family, taking orders only from them. However, the royal family's power had since been weakened, and this was now just a facade. In reality, the various families had planted their own people and seized control of their respective factions.
But these were not private soldiers raised by the families from scratch, so their loyalties were prone to waver. For instance, after the two recent victories, many had begun to secretly support the Queen.
What Talia needed to do was to separate them from the minor leaders sent by the Council families and then secretly have people spread other news to hasten their change of heart.
Metis had instructed her to do this during the day, wanting to firmly grasp these hundred thousand-plus men in her hands.
"Regarding the rewards for military merit…" She paused, looking at Metis with some uncertainty.
Metis pulled the little black dragon into her arms and said, "Don't worry. Someone is coming to deliver the money."
Talia's brow furrowed, her confusion deepening.
The Roy Kingdom had its own system of rewards and punishments for this. When a soldier killed an enemy on the battlefield and cut off their right ear, it served as proof of one kill, earning them one point of military merit. If the situation was too urgent to cut off the ear, they could also have their nearby comrades bear witness.
There was no need to worry about falsification. After every battle, a special team would be sent to clear the battlefield. Each side would collect and count the bodies before cremating them and sending the ashes back to their hometowns. Anyone caught fabricating claims would face extremely severe punishment.
Accumulated military merit could be exchanged for rewards or promotions. This was usually handled after the war ended and they returned to the capital, but Metis had told Talia to prepare in advance, stating that the accounting and arrangements would be done right here in Nia City, with double the rewards. Naturally, Talia was a little worried.
Metis had no intention of hiding it from her. She recounted what had happened earlier and added, "When the Maple Family rushes over, the people from the Temple might follow them. You take a team and wait until they've worn each other down before you go."
Her tone shifted. "You still have your scrolls, right?"
Talia immediately replied, "I gave half to the Gael Family. The rest haven't been used."
As soon as she had sent the letter, the Gael Family had decisively chosen to pledge allegiance to Metis. This news had already been relayed to Metis by the family's guards.
Hearing this, she nodded slightly and picked up another piece of melon to stuff into the dragon's mouth. The boisterous creature instantly quieted down.
Mo Wen pursed her lips, showing her disdain for a six-hundred-year-old dragon that still needed to be coddled.
The dragon caught her expression, immediately kicked its legs, and held up the half-eaten piece of melon in its claw, shouting, "Metis, I don't want this! I want grapes!"
Without a second thought, Metis took a bite of the remaining melon herself and then gave it a grape.
Mo Wen thought of infants who needed to be held and coaxed by their mothers, and her expression grew even more complicated.
The other two didn't have time for such thoughts. After hearing the plan, a strange light flashed in Talia's eyes.
To put it bluntly, the Ander and Gael families were the predecessors of the Maple Family—they too had been voted out and exiled to this borderland.
From prosperous families numbering in the tens of thousands to the mere dozens of members they had left now, how could they not hate those people?
What Metis was saying now meant that she was not accepting the Maple Family's allegiance and intended to use this opportunity to eliminate their core strength.
Talia couldn't help but show a hint of excitement. "I will not fail to live up to Your Majesty's expectations," she said at once.
Metis said a few more things but didn't mention her further plans. Her gaze swept to the side, and seeing that Mo Wen showed no change in expression, she nodded silently to herself.
Previously, she had only seen Mo Wen standing guard by her side, never taking the initiative to kill anyone. She had worried that Mo Wen might be too young and had been overly sheltered by her family, making her too merciful. But now it seemed she wasn't incapable of facing it; she was simply upholding her duty as an attendant knight.
Few people could resist the allure of military merit at a time like this and remain so devoted to their duty. Metis's estimation of this person rose several notches, and she began to consider letting her lead troops a few times in the future to gain some experience.
With the capital held firmly in the grip of the Council and the Temple, she could hardly shake their position no matter how hard she tried. She might as well turn her attention outward.
It had always been the Atl Kingdom that took the offensive. This time, why not turn the tables and pursue them instead…
And this surprise attack by the Atl army was truly suspicious. Perhaps it was related to the Council families…
A pile of matters churned in Metis's mind. She rubbed her temples and said, "You two may return and rest for now. We will discuss when to launch another offensive tomorrow."
The two naturally agreed. Just as their feet crossed the threshold, they heard the dragon's wheedling voice from behind them again, though they couldn't tell what it was begging for this time. They quickened their pace.
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