The dark and damp dungeon he imagined did not appear. Instead, Basil found himself under house arrest in a well-decorated room.
Even if he knew that Lancaster wouldn't go overboard since he was still an envoy of the Valla Empire, Basil knew very well that there was no lack of bizarre lunatics or fools with a screw loose in their heads in this world.
Most of the time, the admonitions of sycophants, unfounded messages, or even a sudden bizarre thought could have a leader get rid of envoys they didn't like.
This was why the actions of a successful emissary group would always become a legend and be passed down in all kinds of stories.
This was because there were too few successful emissary groups in history.
In this world, there was no such thing as not killing envoys in a war, and there were few envoys who could return in one piece after a declaration of war between two factions.
Basil pondered, stroking his beard.
Although his trip to Lancaster wasn't as extreme as a declaration of war, he certainly didn't have any good intentions — the leaders of Lancaster would definitely know that, and there was a high chance that the mayor didn't see eye to eye with him either.
If that was the case, he was actually in a very dangerous situation.
"Damn it, it's all because of those soldiers of the royal army!" Basil's hand couldn't help shaking at the thought that his head could roll on the ground at any moment, and he plucked a strand of his beard, grimacing in pain. "They've been boasting so much about themselves, and yet a random clown from Lancaster cut them all down! Useless, all useless! I'm going to report the royal army to His Majesty when I get back! "
If the royal army hadn't been taken down, Basil's attitude would have been a little tougher when he was brought into the mayor's residence by the city watch, and he wouldn't have been imprisoned so easily.
Despite his anger, Basil really had no choice but to wait and see.
At the very least, they didn't throw him directly into the dungeon, which meant that the conflict between them and the imperial capital wasn't so serious that they had to go all out.
That way, he still had a chance …
Just as Basil was wallowing in his room, there was a knock on his door.
"Who is it?" Basil asked warily.
"I'm a servant of the mansion. If you don't mind, the City Lord would like to invite you to the reception room," the person at the door replied. "I'll show you the way."
Basil hesitated for a moment, then opened the door.
He did not choose to ignore or resist the city lord's order.
Originally, he was not very passionate about his faith. Even when he attended the church's regular services every Saturday, he was one of those mainstream people who believed that since there were so many people in the church, the blessings of God would never reach him.
Therefore, it was impossible for him to have a strong body blessed by the gods. If they really fought, the enemy could probably kill him with a single punch. He really did not dare to take this risk.
At the door was an ordinary-looking male servant.
When the other party saw Basil, he bowed to him and made a 'please' gesture before turning around and leaving.
Basil hesitated for a moment, then realized that the other party had no intention of waiting for him, so he hurriedly followed.
Not long after, he arrived at the reception room of the City Lord Mansion.
The mayor of Lancaster, Corinth Atherton, was already waiting for him there.
To Basil's surprise, there was another person in the room apart from Corinth.
The other party was a young man who looked like an old nobleman. He was about 14 or 15 years old, and he wore decent clothes. He seemed to have been chatting with the city lord before Basil arrived.
"It's been a while since we last met, Basil." Corinth greeted Basil with a cordial smile when he saw him enter the reception room. "The last time we met was at the King's Banquet several years ago, wasn't it?"
If it had been a younger lesser noble, he would have developed a good impression and lowered his guard after being greeted in such a manner.
Even so, Basil naturally knew that the other party was no friendly senior, but a veteran of two dynasties in the truest sense. That cordial expression was probably a 'business expression' used for subordinates and juniors, which was why Basil naturally wouldn't foolishly stand there and be moved.
"Yes, you're as elegant as ever."
Moreover, Basil felt a mysterious pressure when he saw the other party's cordial smile, and could only lower his head and flatter him.
"May I know why you've come to Lancaster on His Imperial Majesty's orders, Basil?"
Corinth continued with a smile. "Don't worry, you can ask for my help if you run into any trouble. My word still holds some weight here in Lancaster."
Basil thought to himself, 'Open your warehouse and let me check your supplies, weapons and armor if you have the guts.'
Be that as it may, Basil would have to walk out sideways.
Corinth's boldness was getting stronger, and Basil couldn't help breaking out in cold sweat since he couldn't come up with any good excuse. He realized that the other party had completely grasped the flow of the conversation, and that he was being toyed with in the palm of his hand.
As such, he simply steeled himself and pretended not to understand Corinth's words, changing the topic at once and turning to the calm youth. "May I know who this young prodigy is …"
Corinth gave Basil a long look that left the latter's heart twitching. But just as he thought he was about to die, the mayor flashed a cordial smile once again.
"That's right. Look at my bad memory. Well, let me formally introduce you. "Corinth spread his hand at the youth." This is Angora Faust of Tunaya. "
"Tunaya? Not your nephew … "Basil couldn't react at once. He had assumed that the youth was a descendant of a side branch of the Atherton family, and that Corinth had brought him out to broaden his horizons.
After all, Corinth's son had passed away and there were no direct males in their branch. Moreover, the mayor's peasant daughter, Gwendolyn, was still young, and the position of mayor would most likely be passed to another relative. Still, Basil's eyes widened as he realized something. "Faust?!"
Wasn't Tunaya where the Silver Eagle Castle was?! Wasn't the Silver Eagle Duke called Horan Faust?!
The cold sweat on Basil's forehead abruptly increased.
Was Lancaster working with the Silver Eagle Duchy already? If that was the case, the imperial family would be the biggest loser!
"Don't mind it. I'm here to discuss a joint Twin City Cup with Mayor Atherton." The youth smiled at old Basil's reaction and rose to his feet. "As a guest from afar, you should attend the ceremony as well … by the way, your subordinates could join the Twin City Cup too. Still, it's a little difficult, so you should prepare them mentally. "
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Chapter 282:
The Empire Would Become the Biggest Loser
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