Chapter 171 - 128: Debauchery, Forgetting Home (Part 2)

Chapter 171: Chapter 128: Debauchery, Forgetting Home (Part 2)

If Catherine hadn’t already received a letter from Lian, she likely would have been shaken by these rumors too.

But now, she believed in Lian completely. ’He’s definitely not that kind of person.’

She slammed her coffee cup onto the tabletop, and the nobles’ squabbling came to an abrupt halt.

They all looked at Catherine at once, hoping she would announce her decision.

Should they continue to curry favor with Lian Moria, or should they switch to the Simmons family?

Catherine knew the vassals before her were a self-serving, cowardly lot. Her own rule in Blue Moon Territory wasn’t stable; many of them only respected her because they feared the Moria Clan’s power.

But she was no longer a fragile-hearted girl. Even knowing their thoughts, she had to solve this problem with the mindset of a seasoned politician and placate these anxious nobles.

"I trust Lian. He won’t betray me, and there will be no problems with our alliance."

"But... but Lord Lian is a man of the Moria Clan, after all. They are notoriously promiscuous. What if he really has been bewitched by those women from Yusofa?"

The ministers asked uncertainly.

"This is just one of Mary Frank’s schemes. She wants to drive a wedge between Lian and me, but our bond is incredibly strong. We will never harbor ill feelings over mere rumors."

Catherine took out a document and tossed it to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

"This is the alliance agreement Lian signed with the Simmons family when he left Blue Moon Territory. It’s also his engagement gift to me. Do you have any other questions?"

"The Simmons family has allied with Blue Moon Territory?"

The Minister of Internal Affairs said in pleasant surprise.

The other nobles could hardly believe their eyes. But if they read the document’s contents carefully, they would see that it was a peaceful commercial agreement—or, one could say, a commercial order.

Blue Moon Territory would triple its supply of Blue Moon Ore to the Simmons family’s Aier Territory. Green Shade Territory could also provide Aier Territory with Special Anesthetic. In return, the Simmons family would pay half in gold, and the other half would be bartered for an equivalent value of Refined Iron Weapons.

This order would not only stimulate the economic recovery of Blue Moon Territory and Green Shade Territory but also help Aier Territory acquire more Magic Resources and military supplies. In turn, Blue Moon Territory would receive more high-quality weapons.

This was a deal Lian had negotiated over drinks, and it was also a move by the Simmons family to resist Mary’s expansion plans.

Although it seemed politically insignificant, it had already bound the Simmons family to their side.

Because an additional clause in the agreement stipulated that the order must be executed by Catherine and Lian.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Catherine didn’t need to sell her beauty or marry into the Simmons family. She could bind them together with mutual interest alone.

Lian had probably anticipated that the ministers would pull a move like this, trying to undermine him by encouraging Catherine to marry Val Simmons, whose political standing was temporarily higher than his own.

Simmons, an established noble, was indeed talented and handsome. He had also shown his admiration for Catherine at the engagement banquet, forcing Lian to take precautions.

As it turned out, his actions were extremely effective.

The noble ministers had no choice but to admire Lian’s foresight and everything he had done for Catherine.

With this agreement, if Mary were to forcibly start a war, the Simmons family would provide necessary war materials, such as Refined Iron Weapons, even if they didn’t join the fighting.

Catherine tossed another document to the ministers. This one was about the expansion of the Blue Moon Guard Corps.

Besides the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps she had already found, Catherine had also secretly sent her spies to locate dozens of medium-sized mercenary groups. Though these groups were young compared to the veteran Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps, they were numerous, consisting mostly of homeless vagrants and Adventurers. Catherine offered them citizenship, land, and high salaries, broke up their original groups, and incorporated them into the Blue Moon Guard Corps.

As a result, the Blue Moon Guard Corps had expanded from fewer than 3,000 members to 30,000.

Including the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps, the total number of troops that could be deployed for defense reached 50,000.

If the nobles’ Knight Orders were included, along with the newly joined Adventurer’s Guilds and militia in Blue Moon Territory, the number of people who could be committed to a war might exceed 70,000.

This was by no means a small number.

Just as Mary believed Lian was stalling the negotiations in Yusofa to lull Catherine into a false sense of security, Catherine was using Lian to do the same to Mary, secretly making many moves behind the scenes.

With this army, even if Green Shade Territory really did withdraw its troops, Catherine would still have the power to fight Mary, or at least hold out until new reinforcements arrived.

Of course, Catherine wasn’t preparing against Lian. She simply didn’t want to waste his painstaking efforts. She wanted to mature as quickly as possible and become someone who could stand on her own.

She felt that Lian had already given her more than enough. Her revenge was something she had to achieve with her own hands.

The ministers hadn’t expected that Catherine had not only remained unfazed by the rumors but had also accomplished so much in secret.

They couldn’t help but admire Catherine’s methods and her resolve once again.

"Lady Catherine, this is wonderful."

"With this army, and the order from the Simmons family, our Blue Moon Territory can finally be considered truly stable."

The Minister of Internal Affairs exclaimed.

"You should thank Lian. If not for his efforts during this time, I could not have accomplished this task right under Mary Frank’s nose."

A faint smile on her face, Catherine said to all the ministers,

"Therefore, from this day forward, I will not permit any of you to speak ill of Lian Moria in my presence. The alliance between Blue Moon Territory and Green Shade Territory will never be broken."

"As you wish."

The ministers no longer doubted Catherine’s decision. Their worries were put to rest, and they were no longer afraid.

"Lady Catherine, Lord Lorne’s condition has been growing stranger and stranger lately. He has planted many Female Slave Luo in the cathedral of the Golden Goddess."

Seeing that the new Lord had quietly resolved Blue Moon Territory’s most difficult problem, the Minister of Internal Affairs finally remembered the recent situation with the other Jackson in the territory and reported it to Catherine.

Female Slave Luo is a type of plant, but a very special one. A mature Female Slave Luo resembles a female slave. When the wind blows through its leaves, it makes a sound like a woman’s soft whisper, which is how it got its name.

This plant was considered unseemly by the nobility, but it often appeared in places like dessert shops as a decorative object.

Catherine turned and looked at Mina.

Mina had also been entrusted with great responsibility. The spies and assassins that had been brought back into the fold were all under Mina’s command. Thus, Mina was like another pair of eyes for Catherine.

"Yes, Lady Catherine. Lord Lorne has taken a liking to planting all sorts of plants recently."

Mina confirmed the Minister of Internal Affairs’s statement.

Catherine put a hand to her forehead. "Pay it no mind. As long as my brother Lorne doesn’t do anything even stranger, don’t restrict his hobby."

The Minister of Internal Affairs looked like he wanted to say more but held his tongue.

The other nobles didn’t dare to say anything either.

They believed Lorne Jackson had probably been imprisoned and tortured by Mary for too long, causing him to develop certain perverse hobbies that were now gradually revealing themselves.

But since Catherine didn’t seem to mind, they couldn’t bring themselves to say it directly.

"Is Grace still unwilling to return?"

Catherine asked.

"We’ve already sent people specifically to welcome Grace, but she’s completely uncooperative. Not only does she refuse to return, but she has also insulted us time and again. She no longer belongs to our Blue Moon Territory."

The minister said, a wronged expression on his face as he mentioned Grace.

Mina frowned, her heart heavy with frustration.

She had never imagined that her sister, Grace, would refuse to return to Blue Moon Territory. She had even written a personal letter inviting her sister back, but Grace’s reply was chilling.

Grace even urged Mina to leave Blue Moon Territory as soon as possible, believing that the Jackson family was the true culprit behind Blue Moon Territory’s disasters.

Grace had been completely brainwashed. She even harbored a deep hatred for Lorne Jackson.

Meanwhile, Lorne Jackson’s love for Grace had also changed along with the changes in his body. He was gradually starting to feel that the quiet Female Slave Luo were more in line with his aesthetic.

He wanted to serve the Golden Goddess for his entire life. He wanted the Female Slave Luo to accompany him as they completed this great mission together.