Chapter 107 - 103: The Lord’s Tactic
Chapter 107: Chapter 103: The Lord’s Tactic
Newly Town, the Lord’s Mansion.
The reception room had been temporarily converted into Caroline’s office. A mountain of documents was piled on her desk. The tip of her quill pen hung in mid-air, a bead of ink gathering, about to fall.
But Caroline’s eyes weren’t on the documents. Her gaze drifted uncontrollably, again and again, to the small badge at the corner of her desk.
It was a badge cast from black iron, engraved with a name in cursive script—Velin.
It represented the highest authority in Newly Town.
On the night before he departed, Velin had found her and placed the badge, still warm with his body heat, into her palm.
"Miss Channing, the crocodile swarms in the Gray Sea Marsh... their movements are unpredictable. This is just a precaution... In case—and I mean, just in case—the crocodiles reach Newly Town before my team does, you must use this to lead the garrison and mount a defense..."
Just in case.
Such a simple phrase, yet so heavy.
He hadn’t even offered much of an explanation, as if he were just arranging a perfectly ordinary matter.
But now, that badge was searing her heart, its weight so heavy it almost left her breathless.
’How dare he? How dare he so casually place his entire fortune and life, along with the future of this town, into her hands?’
Although the wealth she possessed could have bought countless towns like this one, this level of trust... was something she had rarely experienced.
This trust was so heavy it was suffocating, yet it also carried a scorching heat she found impossible to resist.
By now, Caroline’s worries were no longer about some damn crocodiles...
KNOCK. KNOCK.
Freeman, a senior deacon of the commerce association, stood at the door, holding a new batch of documents and applications that needed approval, his eyes filled with confusion.
He had been observing the Vice President for a long time. This was his queen, a woman known for her decisive, lightning-fast efficiency.
Today, she had been staring blankly at the corner of her desk for over half an hour.
Freeman didn’t dare disturb her. He retreated quietly, gently pulling the door shut.
As he turned, he saw Sea Wolf leaning against the hallway wall, slowly cleaning his nails with a small knife.
"Hey!" Freeman lowered his voice and sidled over like a thief. "What’s going on in there? The Vice President looks like she’s not feeling herself."
Sea Wolf stopped what he was doing, put away his knife, and a strange smile appeared on his weathered face.
"Freeman, I promise you, this is far more serious than just not feeling well."
Freeman’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued. He leaned in closer.
"Quick, tell me, what happened?"
Sea Wolf glanced around to make sure no one was listening before speaking in a tone of both envy and wistfulness, "Before he left, Lord Velin gave the lord’s badge to the Vice President."
Freeman’s eyes shot wide open. His shrewd merchant’s brain began to spin, and he sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh, by the Holy Spirit... this... this is entrusting his entire domain to a woman! At a time like this, when his life is on the line! That absolute trust, that undisguised reliance... it’s more fatal than any flowery words or expensive gifts."
Freeman glanced at the closed door, his eyes filled with admiration.
"This Lord Velin... his methods are truly brilliant."
"What’s even more deadly," Sea Wolf added with a sigh, "is that Her Majesty the Queen’s castle is on the verge of being conquered."
Just then, frantic footsteps echoed from the stairs, and a guard came stumbling and scrambling over, his face drained of all color.
"Bad news! Movement from the marsh... from the marsh! There’s a huge cloud of dust! It looks like... like a massive swarm of Gray Swamp Giant Crocodiles is charging this way!"
BOOM!
The news exploded in the hallway like a thunderclap. The color drained from Freeman and Sea Wolf’s faces.
The office door was thrown open, and Caroline rushed out. She was clutching the Black Iron Badge so tightly her knuckles had turned white. The color had fled her face, but a determined fire burned in her emerald eyes.
"Gather everyone! Prepare—"
Before she could finish, another, faster figure—a Scout from the town garrison—burst in from outside, his voice warped with excitement and wild joy.
"It’s the Lord... it’s the Lord’s party! They’re back!" He paused, as if searching for the right words to describe the sight, then finally roared, his face flushed red, "They... they brought a massive Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile back with them!"
...
All of Newly Town was in an uproar. Caroline stood at the town gate with a group of people.
She had changed into a brand-new, silver-white gown. Its intricate lace trim fluttered gently in the morning breeze. Her silver hair was impeccably styled, and the sapphire earrings on her ears glittered with a cool light.
She had resumed the demeanor befitting the queen of the Golden Sail Commerce Association—proud and untouchable.
But when the exhausted and battered party appeared on the horizon, the defensive walls Caroline had so carefully constructed collapsed in an instant.
Velin looked disheveled. His alchemist’s work clothes were covered in scratches and stains, and his face was bruised, though it was unclear if it was from injury or potion residue. Only his wine-red eyes remained as calm as a deep pool.
Caroline moved. To everyone’s astonishment, she lifted her skirt and, for the first time in front of a crowd, began to run, casting her decorum aside.
Muddy water splashed onto the hem of her magnificent gown, but she was long past caring.
She ran right up to Velin and stopped, her chest heaving violently. She said nothing, simply extending her hand and opening her palm—the Black Iron Badge lay there quietly, warmed by her body heat.
Caroline looked up, her reddened eyes, filled with endless lingering fear and a sense of being wronged, fixed on Velin.
Everyone held their breath. Freeman and Sea Wolf exchanged a look that said, ’See? Just as we thought.’
In that moment, silence spoke louder than words. She was returning his world to him, but her gaze was a question, an accusation, an expression of all the emotion she had suppressed for days and nights.
However, Velin just stared at his pristine badge for a moment, then took it with a somewhat apologetic expression.
"Ah... thank you, Miss Channing. I’m glad you didn’t have to use it," he said, pausing before adding in a very serious, explanatory tone, "I thought about it later, and there’s a flaw in this contingency plan."
"Giving it only to you... what if you were busy with association matters, or not in the Lord’s Mansion? There would be a delay in relaying commands."
"Next time, I’ll make a few more and give them to Master Valerius or someone in the garrison. That will ensure that in any emergency, there’s always an authorized person who can organize a defense or evacuation immediately. Yes... multiple backups, a redundant design. That’s much more rigorous."
The air instantly froze. Every emotion on Caroline’s face—the sense of being wronged, the lingering fear, the joy, the anticipation—all froze in place.
’She felt like a colossal joke. She had treated that badge as if it were her life, losing sleep over it, tossing and turning, thinking it was a unique entrustment!’
’But in Velin’s eyes, this thing was just an authorization tool that needed a few more backups! He was planning to hand them out to everyone?!’
An immense, indescribable wave of humiliation and fury surged through Caroline.
"Velin Klein!"
The silver-haired sorceress’s exasperated shriek echoed through the skies above all of Newly Town.