Chapter 562: Chapter 534: Change and Waiting

Two years wasn’t a long time for the Orland Continent as a whole, but for Ronin’s territory, it brought immense change.

The railway for transporting coal from Swamp Town to Wubei City was complete. Moreover, through continuous optimization and adjustment, the current steam trains had seen significant improvements in all aspects.

It was worth noting that few of the nobles who had been stunned by the steam trains actually placed orders. Compared to the massive expenditure, most of them were more concerned with how much money they had in their pockets and how many Gold Coins they earned each year.

Duke Valgis, on the other hand, was interested. After all, the Gistana Duchy had abundant mineral resources, and a railway like that would undoubtedly increase his income significantly.

However, the Gistana Duchy was at war with Ferrensburg and the Balaton Duchy, so it had neither the energy nor the budget to invest in such a project.

With very few external orders, Ronin could only turn his focus to his own territory and the Wushan Territory.

He had now assembled a railroad construction team. After completing the railway in Wubei Territory, they began building a line connecting to Wushan Castle, as well as routes to transport mineral resources out of several locations within Moonlight Valley.

During this time, the steel ships overseen by Simon had also been launched.

Karda’s current steel fleet consisted of one ironclad warship accompanied by several other battleships.

When they had landed on the East Coast of the Villa Duchy, the ironclad had taken little damage even when attacked by a Fourth-level Magic Energy Cannon.

Now, this fleet had landed south of the Tricia Kingdom and was preparing to travel up the great inland river to occupy the cities along its banks.

Besides the changes in heavy industry, other sectors had also seen considerable development.

For instance, the scale of Wubei City had expanded several times over. Although the settled population hadn’t yet reached five hundred thousand, it wasn’t far off.

For another example, due to the reform and popularization of looms, coupled with Wubei City’s massive intake of foreign raw materials, the city was now home to many weavers and small workshops—even factories—that had sprung up around cloth processing.

In addition, industries like porcelain, papermaking, and food processing gradually became famous and expanded. Internally, they provided many jobs; externally, they attracted numerous merchants by land and sea.

With wars still raging across the land, economies were stagnating.

However, once peace was restored, Wubei Territory would undoubtedly become a focus of attention.

"Father..."

Seeing Ronin return, Roland opened his arms and toddled over. "Uppy~"

"Haha, have you been a good boy at home?"

Ronin laughed, scooping up the little one and teasing him in his arms for a moment.

"Where is the Duchess?"

Bella, now the head maid, whose main duties were to care for the child and attend to Blanche, quickly and respectfully replied:

"A few merchants have come from the Royal Capital. They say they need to order a large batch of porcelain, so Lady Dianey invited the Duchess to take a look."

The Royal Capital, also known as Golden Feather City.

Ever since Bruno died and Garrett was imprisoned, many of the Kingdom’s affairs had been managed by the Six Ministries.

It had worked well at first, but when many realized Ronin’s main focus wasn’t there, they began to make their own little moves.

For example, they started appointing their own people to posts and fabricating reasons to allocate funds. The Oduin Kingdom’s monetary reserves were likely all but spent.

The Ministry of Works was particularly egregious.

Minister Koben had used his position and privileges to funnel an unknown quantity of supplies to Double Peaks Ridge.

Due to the special status of Ibn, the Count of Double Peaks Ridge, Ronin turned a blind eye and didn’t interfere too much.

He figured the man was plundering and hoarding wealth with the goal of establishing his own duchy.

"The merchants from the Royal Capital are certainly wealthy."

Ronin remarked, then said, "Go have someone tell Tom to come see me."

The plan he had arranged with Ridder needed to be relayed. They would attack Giant Dragon City by early April of next year at the latest, and Macken would need to be present.

As for the Eastern Front, it was time for that to end as well.

"Yes, my lord!" Bella trotted off.

Ronin, meanwhile, took Roland back to the study.

Although the little one was only two, he was already learning to recognize words from pictures.

In his future lessons, Ronin planned to pass on his own insights and ideas, training Roland to be a competent ruler.

Under normal circumstances, Ronin could live for over five hundred years.

He couldn’t possibly manage state affairs for that long. After a certain number of years, he could hand things over to his successors.

It was crucial to raise a qualified heir who could carry on his ideology.

「Giant Dragon City.」

This gradually besieged city had long since lost its life and vitality. Everyone living inside knew that the Tricia Kingdom was on the verge of collapse.

But before the end, Giant Dragon City was experiencing its bleakest days.

Law and order had devolved into chaos, the exploitation and oppression were endless, and grain prices were higher than gold.

Many people in the city were even hoping—praying—that the Duke of Conqueror’s army would break through the gates soon and overthrow this collapsing monarchy.

Tiricia VI, His Majesty Tyrone, was now disheveled and spent his days lost in banquets of song and dance, completely devoid of his former spirited demeanor.

He couldn’t leave the Royal Palace anyway, and many of the nobles outside his control no longer listened to his orders. Rather than struggle uselessly, he might as well seize the chance to indulge himself.

"Your Majesty!"

A Knight in Light Armor entered the lively ballroom and said in a low voice, "Bacchus City has fallen. It was the force led by the Legendary expert, Ridder."

Tyrone’s expression twisted for a moment before he smashed the wine cup in his hand. "Sir Du Sang, how many times have I told you? From now on, report these matters directly to Flame Wings! Don’t come to me!"

A year ago, Tyrone’s confidant had died on the front lines, and Du Sang had stepped into his place.

Despite only being Silver Level, having a Silver Knight by his side was already quite good for Tyrone now.

After all, Flame Wings had taken all the high-level ones for himself.

The truth, however, was that the real Du Sang was already dead. The current Du Sang was an impersonator named Harmon, who bore a striking resemblance to him.

To have infiltrated so deep as to be right beside the enemy leader... that was truly something else.

Now, if Harmon wished, he could assassinate Tyrone without any issue.

But killing Tyrone would have a negligible impact on the overall situation.

Facing Tyrone’s rage, Du Sang offered an apologetic smile. "Lord Flame Wings has entered seclusion. I cannot see him."

"Seclusion, always seclusion!"

Tyrone leaned back, pulling a half-naked beauty in front of him closer. "His talent for Cultivation is even worse than mine. Does he think relying on the Flaming Emblem will let him cross a major realm in one or two years like Ronin?"

"Your Majesty, be careful what you say!" Du Sang warned.

Tyrone laughed coldly. "Nothing good has happened since I met them!"

He glared at Du Sang. "Get out, get out, get out! Don’t get in the way of my drinking!"

"Very well~"

Du Sang retreated helplessly. Once outside the main hall, he let out a frustrated breath and thought, ’This ordeal is finally almost over.’

He glanced back, and the sounds of laughter and music from within started up again.

If Tyrone were still a normal human, he might have had the option to surrender.

But as a Flame Seal Knight, he had no other choice.

WHOOSH~

A fierce gust of wind swept past. Du Sang’s heart skipped a beat as he looked over and saw a tall, powerful man in golden Battle Armor appear before him.

He hurriedly bowed. "Du Sang pays his respects, my lord!"

Flame Wings grunted in acknowledgment. "News from the front?"

"Bacchus City has fallen. Based on Commander-in-Chief Ridder’s style, I predict he will rest and reorganize in Bacchus City for a while. The attack on Giant Dragon City should be around February or March of next year."

Flame Wings nodded, but the sounds from the hall greatly displeased him.

He threw a punch, and the surging Fighting Qi completely obliterated the hall, from which terrified screams erupted.

When everything settled, only the Meteor Level Tyrone walked out from the wreckage unharmed.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

Flame Wings snorted coldly. "The final battle is imminent. Even if you’re going to die, you’ll die on the battlefield for me. If I see this kind of thing again, I won’t just kill these women—I’ll kill you too!"

Although he couldn’t control Tyrone’s words or actions, Tyrone had been converted by the Flaming Emblem. Through the power of the emblem, he could at least cause him immense psychological distress.

Tyrone shuddered, his mind clearing considerably. Looking at Flame Wings now, he could seemingly feel a pressure originating from his very bloodline.

But the displeasure in his heart hadn’t faded. "What else can I do?"

"There’s still plenty we can do!"

Flame Wings snorted again. "I’m already a late-stage Legend. With the boost from the Flaming Emblem, my power is approaching the very peak of that stage! What’s more, we still have the Array that Serdil left behind. If we use it properly, it’s not impossible for us to turn the tables!"

Du Sang silently committed this to memory, deciding to secretly relay it to Ridder when he returned.

As he spoke, Flame Wings turned to look at Du Sang.

After Serdil’s death, Tyrone had gradually lost his sanity. Du Sang was now one of the few competent subordinates he had left.

"How many high-level Flame Seal Knights do we have in reserve?"

Du Sang maintained his bowing posture. "My lord, we currently have two Proud Sun Knights, five Silver Moon Knights, and thirteen Meteor Knights, including His Majesty. In addition, there are over twenty Golden Knights!"

"This is our foundation!" Flame Wings declared.

As long as they activated their Flame Seals, their strength would surge. Golden Level would become Meteor Level, and Meteor Level would become Silver Moon Level.

Although a Proud Sun was still no match for a Legend, they could hold one or two off for a while.

At that point, as long as they could lure Ronin into the Array alone, he was confident he could deal with him.

"As long as we kill Ronin, the Orland Continent will still be ours!"

Flame Wings stared at Tyrone. "Unless you want to end up a helpless cripple like Garrett, then you’d better show the spirit of the Tricia Royal Family!"

Tyrone’s eyes flickered. Although he knew things wouldn’t be as simple as the other man claimed, this was his only remaining hope.

Unfortunately, while both sides were waiting, there was a world of difference in what they were waiting for.

Flame Wings and his men were waiting for Ronin to walk into their trap, while Ronin was waiting for the time when he would become a Sage.

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