20demayo Chapter 1017 - 1017 1014 Coercion and Bribery
Chapter 1017 - 1017 1014 Coercion and Bribery
Chapter 1017: Chapter 1014: Coercion and Bribery Chapter 1017: Chapter 1014: Coercion and Bribery The wilderness camp had already been taken over by Li Si Te (Liszt) with a firm hand.
At this moment, he was staring at Piero as he interrogated, “Duke Pierrot, I believe you owe me an explanation. I came here at your invitation to oversee the distribution of the Aluminum Dragon, only to find myself the target of a long-planned assassination. If I weren’t well-prepared, I might not have been able to leave here alive today.”
“Your Majesty, I beg you to believe me, the assassination has nothing to do with me, the Grey Iron Family, or the Grey Iron Duchy. I truly wanted to invite Your Majesty to oversee the Dragon Riding distribution… All of this must be the work of Pilaf colluding with assassins, it must be, and the Eagle Royal Family is certainly fanning the flames behind the scenes!”
The more Piero spoke, the more nervous he became, “It must be so, the Eagle Royal Family is behind Pilaf, and all of this, including the Aluminum Dragon, is a conspiracy of the Eagle Royal Family. Adonis Moonlight Silver is indeed cunning, taking advantage of my eagerness to revive the Grey Iron Family and thus luring Your Majesty here!”
Piero knew nothing about the Kushan Imperial, so he was unaware that the assassins were from the Kushan Imperial—the Archmage and the assassin were now unable to speak, and both Pilaf father and son were unconscious, leaving no one to tell Piero the truth.
Therefore, after Piero had filled in the blanks with his imagination, he was increasingly convinced that all this was backed by the Eagle Royal Family: “Your Majesty, Adonis must have used me, please believe me, I, Piero, have never thought of betraying Your Majesty!”
Liszt was noncommittal.
With a clench of his teeth, Piero said, “The assassination attempt has failed, and the Eagle Royal Family will surely react soon. When that time comes, not only will the Aluminum Dragon be out of reach, but the Grey Iron Duchy will also have reached its end… Your Majesty, please take in the Grey Iron Family, the Grey Iron Family is willing to follow you to develop in the Flame Kingdom!”
This was clearly the so-called reward of the Smoke Mission, after being scared by the facts concocted in his own mind, Piero decisively decided to amputate a limb to survive.
Giving up the Grey Iron Duchy and fleeing to the Flame Kingdom for refuge.
“I will not leave the Aluminum Dragon for the Eagle Kingdom,” Liszt followed Piero’s self-created narrative, announcing his sovereignty over the Aluminum Dragon, “I will ride away the Aluminum Dragon, making the Eagle Kingdom lose both its lady and its soldiers… As for the Grey Iron Family, I am willing to believe you, Piero, did not play a role in the conspiracy.”
“Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty,” Piero breathed a sigh of relief.
Liszt added, “But are you sure the Grey Iron Family will unite with you to give up the Grey Iron Duchy and go to the Flame Kingdom?”
Piero was taken aback for a moment, then gave a bitter smile, “Your Majesty’s concern is indeed valid, my credibility within the family has greatly diminished, and traveling such a long distance to develop in a new kingdom would frighten many knights.”
However, his tone changed and Piero’s expression gradually became serious, “But staying would mean being swallowed up by Adonis sooner or later, I understand this King of the Eagle Kingdom. The future of the Grey Iron Family is already cut off in the Eagle Kingdom, only by following Your Majesty will the Grey Iron Family be able to revive in the Flame Kingdom.”
“If you really intend to develop in the Flame Kingdom, I welcome the Grey Iron Family to prosper there, as long as you can take away a large number of the Knight Class and join the Flame Kingdom, even your title of Duke can be hereditary.”
“The title of Duke can be retained?”
“A Duke without a duchy.”
Normally, the title of a duke without a duchy is usually granted to the offspring of the royal family of a kingdom, or marquises with outstanding military achievements. Only Dragon Knights can found a nation and receive the title of Grand Duke, and if offspring fail at Dragon Riding, they can inherit the title of Duke and continue to manage the duchy.
Although the status of a duke without a duchy is somewhat lower, it is still much wider in territory than that of a marquis, and they can enjoy more resources.
Together with the original foundation of the Grey Iron Family, even though they are no longer in the Dragon Rearing Family sequence, they can still enjoy the treatment of top-tier Nobles.
This was a better damage control plan than any, and Piero was thrilled, “I will try to persuade more of the Knight Class to go to the Flame Kingdom… But as Your Majesty is concerned, the Grey Iron Duchy is too far away from the Flame Kingdom; the long journey there would scare off most knights. And if the Eagle Royal Family discovers this, they might chase us along the way.”
“I can draw a map for you, setting you on another safer route, to the coastal border south of the Eagle Kingdom and the Yellowstone Kingdom. There, I have established a new Teleportation Array, directly connected to the Flame Kingdom.”
…
Recruiting the Grey Iron Family and the knights of the Grey Iron Duchy was just a side story.
Liszt restrained the assassin, the Archmage, Pilaf, and his son. His next step was to conquer the Aluminum Dragon. If time permitted, he could peacefully use silver coins to conquer the Aluminum Dragon. However, it was hard to say that the Eagle Kingdom hadn’t been involved in this assassination plot.
To avoid prolonged complications, he decided to take violent measures.
He signaled Duke Pierrot to return to the Grey Iron Duchy, preparing for the family’s relocation, and then he began