Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Hence, after hearing his subordinates report that Forcus wanted to see him regarding something about the Tower of Dusk, Bradlor immediately dropped the beloved art piece in his hands, and asked Forcus to take him there.
“Your Majesty, Grina, the prince of the Giant Shark Clan, has gotten into a conflict with the people of the Tower of Dusk. Teacher failed to persuade them, so he sent me to ask you for help, Your Majesty.” As soon as he saw King Bradlor, Forcus saluted, and told him about everything that happened in the Tower of Dusk.
What? Grina, the prince of the Giant Shark Clan, had a conflict with Felic of the Tower of Dusk?! Bradlor was flabbergasted to hear the news. Neither Grina nor Lin Li could be convinced easily. Grina was backed by the Giant Shark Clan, which was one of the seven hegemons of the Endless Ocean, while Felic had already shown his prowess to the Gilded Kingdom. Both of them were strong-headed, and now that they had gotten into a conflict, it was inevitable that Bradlor would have to offend one of them by asking them to compromise.
“Did Elder Zumar’s persuasion not work at all?” Bradlor asked with a tinge of hope. If possible, he wouldn’t be willing to get involved, and it would be best if the Illuminati could just go on his behalf. However, he knew how unrealistic his idea was because Forcus had already come looking for him, which clearly meant that Elder Zumar clearly couldn’t handle the matter.
Indeed, Forcus shook his head with a helpless expression, and eagerly said, “Your Majesty, you should know that there’s no way Teacher can convince them. He just wants both parties to stop fighting. So, Your Majesty, please think of a solution as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the situation goes out of control, they will really get into a brutal fight!”
There were Sanctuary powerhouses in both the Giant Shark Clan and the Tower of Dusk. If they really went all out and fought, the aftershocks alone would be enough to destroy a large city. Of course, the capital of the Gilded Kingdom could not be destroyed so easily. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to dominate the Endless Ocean for so many years. However, even then, there was no way the clashing parties could be given the freedom to do whatever they wanted. Otherwise, the Gilded Kingdom would be greatly embarrassed.
Hence, the Gilded Kingdom had to intervene. Otherwise, they would only be insulted again. However, King Bradlor was faced with a difficult choice again, and it was almost impossible to stay in a neutral position because that would offend both parties. Hence, he had to pick a side to stand on. He would either offend Grina of the Giant Shark Clan or Felic of the Tower of Dusk.
If it had been before the two incidents, Bradlor would have definitely chosen to stand on the Giant Shark Clan’s side. After all, the Tower of Dusk was only one of the forces in the Breezy Plains, while the Giant Shark Clan was one of the hegemons of the Endless Ocean. In comparison, the Giant Shark Clan could obviously bring more benefits to the Gilded Kingdom, and the Tower of Dusk couldn’t compare to them in that aspect. However, things were different now. After receiving Saint Edmund’s admonition, Bradlor no longer saw Lin Li as a simple person.
“Someone!” Bradlor quickly came to a decision, and when the person who had been summoned entered, he said, “Quick, go ask Prince Monterey to come here.”
Prince Monterey was Bradlor’s younger brother, who had always been known as a genius since he’d been a child. Not only was he talented in magic, he was good at handling politics too. After Bradlor ascended the throne, Monterey contributed greatly to stabilizing the country and helping the people develop.
In the royal court of the Gilded Kingdom, Monterey was on equal ground with the Third Chancellor, who helped Bradlor reach a balance with the foreign officials led by the ministers. Hence, in Bradlor’s heart, Prince Monterey had always been trustworthy and the person who made him feel at ease the most.
Previously, Prince Monterey had been patrolling the other sea areas of the Gilded Kingdom, and had only returned to the capital in the past two days. After all, as a prince, he couldn’t miss the kingdom’s founding celebration regardless of how busy he might be.
Bradlor told Monterey about the matter regarding the Tower of Dusk a long time ago, including Saint Edmund’s stand. Hence, Monterey was well aware of what attitude the Gilded Kingdom should have toward the Tower of Dusk. Monterey prioritized the interests of the royal family, while the foreign ministers who were led by the two chancellors put the interests of their respective families first. That was precisely the reason that Bradlor approached Prince Monterey, and not the two chancellors.
In front of the gates of the embassy of the Tower of Dusk in the embassy area, the members of the Tower of Dusk and the Giant Shark Clan were still on standby, ready to fight, while Elder Zumar was standing in the middle of the two sides with his Domain World still open. He seemed to be getting ready to deal with a conflict that could erupt at any time, and he looked more nervous than them.
Forcus had been away for less than 10 minutes, but Elder Zumar felt that each and every second was passing very slowly. At the same time, he didn’t feel any less worried, as he was afraid that Bradlor would send someone unreliable. He knew very well that after the previous incident regarding the royal guards, most of the ministers of the Gilded Kingdom had developed animosity towards the Tower of Dusk. If Bradlor really sent a person like that, the matter would probably get worse.
While Elder Zumar was panicking alone, the people of the Tower of Dusk and the Giant Shark Clan remained still because they didn’t care what good intentions Elder Zumar had. Anyway, neither of them would compromise. Although they didn’t do anything on the surface for Elder Zumar’s sake, they were arguing with each other, especially the Giant Shark Clan that was desperately trying to regain their pride.
Finally, when everyone was getting a little impatient, they heard the sounds of neat footsteps coming from the direction of the Gilded Kingdom’s royal palace. A team of royal guards made a turn at the end of the street, and walked over uniformly. The royal guards were composed of infantry guards and cavalrymen, each possessing strength that was above level-15. The ones tagging along at the back were the teams of Sword Sages and Legendary-mages.
After the royal guards came over, they immediately stood in between the Giant Shark Clan and the Tower of Dusk like Elder Zumar. Surrounded by the Sword Sages and Legendary-mages, Prince Monterey walked towards Elder Zumar.
“Prince Monterey, I’m relieved and at ease that His Majesty has sent you,” said Elder Zumar, who finally heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the visitor was Prince Monterey.
Prince Monterey was in his early forties, and his blond hair was combed neatly. Although he wasn’t very tall, he exuded a dignified and stern aura. Hearing Elder Zumar’s words, he smiled and nodded. “Elder Zumar, please leave the rest to me.”
Although Elder Zumar had long wanted to leave this place, he was no longer in a hurry now that Prince Monterey took over. Besides, he also wanted to see how Prince Monterey would handle the matter. If it was different from what he thought, he would have to get involved again.
Seeing that Prince Monterey had arrived, Grina restrained his arrogance a bit, and said, “Prince Monterey, this matter is between us and the Tower of Dusk, it has nothing to do with the Gilded Kingdom. However, considering that this is the capital of the Gilded Kingdom, I think we should inform you beforehand. If we cause any losses later, the Giant Shark Clan will definitely compensate you for it.”
What Grina meant was very simple. He wanted to solve the problem on the turf of the Gilded Kingdom, and wanted Prince Monterey to bear witness. Should they end up causing any damages, they would compensate them for it afterwards. He obviously didn’t think that the people of the Gilded Kingdom were there to stop him. After all, the Gilded Kingdom had suffered a lot of losses because of the Tower of Dusk, so he made a decision on their behalf without seeking Prince Monterey’s opinion.
Prince Monterey, who had just greeted Elder Zumar, turned around after hearing Grina’s words, and said, “Prince Grina, I’ve already gained an understanding of this matter. Since President Felic bought those seahorse slaves first, he has the right to do anything he wants with them. It seems a bit inappropriate for you to forcefully demand that the seahorse slaves be given to you.”
Prince Monterey’s words made all the people of the Giant Shark Clan freeze in shock, while Grina couldn’t believe his ears at all. “What? Prince Monterey, do you mean I’m at fault?”
The Giant Shark Clan felt that they were obviously superior to the Tower of Dusk. Is Prince Monterey out of his mind? How can he offend the Prince of the Giant Shark Clan for the sake of defending the Tower of Dusk? Did Prince Monterey, who has always had a good reputation, receive some benefits from the Tower of Dusk, so he’s willing to harm the interests of the Gilded Kingdom?
In fact, not to mention the Giant Shark Clan, even the royal guards who followed Prince Monterey over were also puzzled by Prince Monterey’s behavior. They initially thought that they were going to deal with the Tower of Dusk and teach them a lesson for what they had done previously together with the Giant Shark Clan. However, no one expected Prince Monterey to defend the person whom the Gilded Kingdom should be hating the most at the expense of offending the prince of the Giant Shark Clan.
On the contrary, Elder Zumar finally heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Prince Monterey’s words. If Prince Monterey tried to take this opportunity to restore the lost pride of the Gilded Kingdom like the war-supporting ministers wanted to, Elder Zumar would have no choice but to ask Saint Edmund to intervene.
The expressions of the people of the Tower of Dusk remained unchanged, as if Prince Monterey was doing what was rightfully expected of him. In their opinion, even if the Gilded Kingdom did not come forward, they wouldn’t possibly suffer big losses. In that case, Prince Monterey’s approach was quite insignificant to them.
However, Connoris, who had just been through an intense battle, immediately looked displeased. Of course, although Connoris would like to fight with the Giant Shark Clan, he wasn’t an unreasonable person, after all. Even if things didn’t go his way, he wouldn’t say much.
After all, the Tower of Dusk could be fearless facing provocation and going to war, but they wouldn’t do something so unreasonable as creating trouble out of nothing even if they were vengeful. At the end of the day, the previous two incidents arose because the Gilded Kingdom was at fault, and Lin Li merely resolved the issue based on his own wishes. Now, the Gilded Kingdom was obviously being biased towards the Tower of Dusk, and although the members of the Tower of Dusk felt that it was a little unnecessary, they wouldn’t blame them for it.
Hence, Connoris landed back on the ground, and stared at the people of the Giant Shark Clan coldly with folded arms. Despite feeling displeased, he didn’t say anything provocative anymore. Norfeller was still hidden in the space, and didn’t show up at this time or show a single trace of killing intent. Who knew if the prince of the Giant Shark Clan would let the matter rest for the sake of the Gilded Kingdom or not. They might still have a fight at the end of the day.
At this moment, Prince Monterey was glaring at Grina, who was quite angered. With a smile, the former said, “Prince Grina, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not saying that you’ve done something wrong. Everyone knows that the Giant Shark Clan has always been straightforward, and will do whatever they want spontaneously. Unlike us, you don’t beat around the bush all the time. However, this is not the Red Sea, and we have a proper code of conduct here. Since you guys are here as guests, please abide by our rules.”
Although Prince Monterey’s words were polite, and he sugarcoated the recklessness of the Giant Shark Clan as straightforwardness, he didn’t give the Giant Shark Clan any leeway. Instead, he told them straight to follow the rules of the Gilded Kingdom. The Giant Shark Clan might be very powerful among the Sea Clans, but the Gilded Kingdom was not to be controlled by others. In terms of strength, they might not be inferior to the Giant Shark Clan. Hence, Prince Monterey was not afraid of angering them.
Grina might be arrogant, but he wasn’t a fool, so he could naturally tell what Prince Monterey meant. He kept his beady eyes fixed on Prince Monterey with a cold gaze, and hostilely said, “Prince Monterey, does King Bradlor know that you’re here?”
Grina also suspected that Prince Monterey might have received some benefits from the Tower of Dusk because there was no other reason to explain his behavior. The Gilded Kingdom had suffered lots of losses because of the Tower of Dusk, and got humiliated by them thoroughly. Yet, they were holding themselves cheap by defending the Tower of Dusk.
Prince Monterey was not angered by Grina’s suspicions, and he still looked as noble as ever. He calmly said, “President Felic of the Tower of Dusk is a guest of the Gilded Kingdom. If our guests were offended, it’d be our negligence as the hosts. So, Prince Grina, please don’t make things hard for us. If you have any objections, you may complain to His Majesty, but please leave with your men for the time being.”
