...
Horford Quinn stood in front of the French window in his study with a glass of wine in his hand, gazing at the city shrouded in darkness.
This was the center of the Kingdom of Dawn, also known as the city that never sleeps. With the Rising Sun Avenue as the center, the lights extended to both sides like a luxuriant Tree of Light. At the top of the tree was the most famous shopping mall in the kingdom. Every day, countless treasures flowed here from all over the world. For merchants, the night was the beginning of their lives.
In order to maintain this dazzling brilliance, the king's city consumed an astonishing number of candles, firewood, and lamp oil every day. Fish fat from the eastern harbor and firewood from the northern hills were continuously transported into the city by ships. This industry alone was conservatively estimated to support nearly 10,000 people and more than 100 merchants.
And this was just a small part of the commercial trade in the king's city.
Usually, one of Horford's greatest joys was to enjoy the night view of the City of Glow. Under the joint governance of the Moya royal family and the three major families, the city had turned from a wasteland into a famous and prosperous place today. This was due to the continuous efforts of his ancestors.
But today, he felt inexplicably tired.
The night view of the City of Glow looked the same as usual, still gorgeous and moving, but beyond the illumination of the tree of light, the faint surging undercurrent could no longer be ignored.
Even in the face of such a brightly lit territory, he felt a strong sense of uneasiness.
"Maybe I'm really old..." Horford took a sip of wine, and the bitterness in his mouth seemed to be stronger than the sweetness.
"Father." The door of the study was pushed open, and a young man came in. "Baron Alphonse of Beifeng City wants to see you."
"No," Horford said without turning his head. "Just say I'm sick."
"But..." He hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand at the old butler beside him.
The latter immediately nodded knowingly, turned around, and walked out of the study.
Seeing that only the two of them were left in the room, the man said worriedly, "Father, this is the twelfth noble you've refused. Even I know that there's something wrong with the one in the palace. The purpose of these foreign nobles entering the city is obvious. If you do this, I'm afraid they will mistakenly think... "
"Mistakenly think what?"
"I mistakenly thought..." He bit his lip. "You were still on His Majesty Appen Moya's side."
"Horn …" Earl Quinn turned around and frowned at the heir of the Quinn Family. "Do you think it's a mistake for the three families of the Glow Light to stand on the side of the King of Dawn?"
"But now His Majesty doesn't need us anymore," Horn said bravely. "Ever since the army suffered a crushing defeat in Hermes, he has never consulted you about political affairs! As the Prime Minister, you can't even step into the palace, and even the patrols outside the city have been replaced with mercenaries. Look at the kind of people the King summons into his castle every day. All he needs now are clowns, performers, and courtesans! "
The Count did not answer, but looked at his glass in silence.
Horn was only 18 years old. Even he could see the meaning behind the "nobles from all over the country flocking to the capital", so it was impossible for the other local nobles not to notice any changes. In fact, when he received the news of the army's defeat, he had already expected this day to come — an army of more than ten thousand people, with most of the city's lords participating, hoping to scrape a piece of meat from the giant that was about to fall. However, in the end, not only did they not get any property, but they also lost their lives.
If that was all, it would not have been a big deal. The key was that the King of Dawn came back alive, but his Knight Legion was completely destroyed. When Appen returned to the capital in a sorry state, the news spread like wildfire. This was equivalent to satisfying two conditions at the same time: someone needed to be responsible for the failure and the unfulfilled promises; and Appen's power could no longer dispel the other nobles.
These nobles who quietly entered the city and visited under the cover of the night was an obvious signal. They undoubtedly wanted to see the reaction of the three families before deciding whether to rely on them or ally with them. However, there was no way that they would maintain the status quo.
Horford could guess what the group of people were thinking with his eyes closed. Since they had lost so much in Hermes, they naturally had to find other places to make up for it.
"Father," seeing that he did not speak, Horn became a little anxious. "Things are not like ten years ago. Appen Moya is no longer the King Moya. Look at the Luoxi family! Otto Luoxi is still locked up in the palace! You are the Prime Minister and have a very high prestige among the people. As long as you stand up and bring the other two families with you, the nobles will definitely see you as their leader! "
"Stand up?" Earl Quinn's eyes narrowed, and there was a hint of danger in his tone.
"Uh..." Horn suddenly choked. He lowered his head in fear and murmured as if to answer or defend himself, "You don't have to stand on Appen's side, do you? Otherwise, why would you say that you are sick and unable to see anyone? If it were the old king, you would have personally persuaded the nobles to give priority to the stability of the kingdom. "
Horford sighed softly. After all, he was still a little too young. "Even if that's the case, so what? Do you think Appen Moya can't see this?"
"What?" Horn was startled.
"I bet there are several pairs of eyes watching us outside the mansion now, including who I've met and where I've gone. Appen must know." The earl returned to the desk and sat down. "What do you think he will do to me if I see those nobles? Don't forget, even if he loses the entire Knight Regiment, his control over the king's city will not be weak. From the day Appen ascended the throne, he began to change the guards and castle guards! Openly rebelling under his nose? Do you think those lords will rise up to save me when he puts a noose around my neck? " Speaking of indignation, he could not help but slap the table. "Why until today, it's always the foreign nobles who come to me, not the Luoxi Family or the Tokat Family. Do you understand now?"
Horn gasped. "Then why don't you go back to your territory first? At least there are your Knight Regiment and mercenaries there, plus the serfs you've recruited. Even if he wants to harm you... "
The earl shook his head. "The Quinn Family has been rooted here for too long. Branches, distant relatives, industries, forces... Even if I can sneak out of the city, I can't take everyone out. As long as there are any signs of trouble, they will not end well. I can't make such a rash move. In fact, my staying in the City of Glow is a guarantee in itself. Saying that I am sick is the limit of what I can do. There is nothing else I can do. "
Being closely connected to the king's city, which used to be the pride of his family, had now become his fatal weakness. It was ironic.
"Is that so... But I don't think so." At this moment, a strange voice suddenly sounded outside the door.
Horford's face suddenly changed. The speaker was obviously not a servant or a guard in the mansion. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to make such an offensive move. Moreover, the housekeeper should be guarding outside the door. Why was there no response from outside when this person spoke?
"Who is it?" Horn was also shocked. He turned around in a panic, trying to find a weapon to defend himself, but in the end, he could only pick up a candlestick.
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