The guest hall of White Dew Castle was decorated extremely luxuriously. The arched dome was made of century-old mahogany from the Radiant Moon Forest. It was pasted with gold foil, inlaid with gems, and hung with crystal candlesticks and chandeliers. The painters skillfully used these expensive decorations and the changes in light and shadow to depict the magnificent epic of the first generation of Paladins of the House of Saint Prospero.
While luxurious, it was also full of artistic aura. It was vigorous and heroic, but not vulgar.
The beautiful maids of the Duke's mansion, who had been carefully groomed by the Duke's mansion, entered the room in a single file. They presented the three guests with all kinds of fruits, pastries, and silver wine jugs. They filled each guest's wine cup with transparent wine, and an elegant, mellow, and exotic wine aroma filled the room.
Count Hall raised his glass and downed the wine in it in one gulp. Then, he glanced at the silent Count Brugan beside him, then stared at Viscount Fiin, who was sitting upright and still opposite him. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
"Viscounts Fiin, how was the trip to Silvermoon City this time?"
Viscounts Fiin came back to his senses. Just as he was about to speak, he saw a dignified figure stride into the hall.
"Your Grace!"
The three of them immediately stood up and bowed to the Duke of Saint Prospero.
The Duke of Saint Prospero sat down on the main seat of the sofa in the living room. He raised his arm and said, "Have a seat."
The three of them immediately sat down.
The Duke of Saint Prospero took a sip of his rum and said, "Viscounts Fiin, tell me about the situation in Silvermoon City first."
"Yes, Your Grace." Viscounts Fiin stood up and bowed slightly. Then, he said, "I met Count Angele on this trip to Silvermoon City and discussed the redemption of Marquis Vincent with him.
However, this person firmly disagreed with your proposal of exchanging Monolith City for Marquis Vincent. He said that he was only willing to accept warships as the price for Marquis Vincent's redemption. "
At this point, Viscounts Fiin bowed slightly again, indicating that he was done.
Count Hall blinked and turned to look at Count Brugan. He saw that the other party was also confused.
Because in their opinion, the Viscounts had missed the most important piece of information — was Marquis Vincent dead or alive?
Logically speaking, as a supporter of the Earl Of Avon, Viscounts Fiin would definitely report to the Duke of Saint Prospero as soon as he found out that Marquis Vincent had been assassinated. Then, he would persuade the other party to re-establish the heir to the title.
But now, Viscounts Fien did not mention Marquis Vincent's situation. He did not even mention the confirmed news that the other party had been assassinated in Half-Elven Palace.
Count Hall's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized that this meant that Viscounts Fiennes himself was not sure whether Marquis Vincent was alive or dead, so he did not dare to spout nonsense in front of the Duke of Saint Prospero.
Thinking of this, his eyes were suddenly filled with unconcealable joy.
But what puzzled him was that Count Brugen, who was beside him, seemed even more worried.
After listening to Viscounts Fiennes' report, the Duke of Saint Prospero nodded expressionlessly. Then, he looked at Count Hall and Count Brugen and said,
"Since the two of you are here, why don't you share your thoughts? Should we use the warship in exchange for Vincent? "
Count Brugen was the first to speak, "Your Grace, I think this matter must be considered carefully. The Nu Shui River is the most important barrier for us to resist the cavalry of the Northern Frontier, and the Pegasus Navy is the key to whether we can control the Nu Shui River.
Therefore, even if we want to use the warship in exchange for Marquis Vincent, we must carefully control the number and tonnage of the warship. We must not let the Northern Frontier take this opportunity to build a navy that can compete with us. "
The Duke of Saint Prospero put down his wine glass and looked at Count Hall, obviously wanting to hear his opinion.
The Hall family had a huge influence in the Pegasus Navy. A large number of mid-level and high-level officers were from the Hall family. Even the supreme commander of the navy was Count Hall himself. It could even be said that half of the Pegasus Navy was the private army of the Hall family.
Therefore, if they wanted to use the warship in exchange for Marquis Vincent, Count Hall's opinion was crucial.
Seeing that the Duke of Saint Prospero was looking at him, Count Hall said, "Your Grace, I agree with Count Brugen's opinion. Previously, Count Angele's conditions were too harsh. He almost wanted to destroy all the warships of our navy. We definitely can't agree to this.
In my opinion, we can give the Northern Frontier at most three heavy warships. The limit of the paddle warships can be relaxed, but it can't exceed fifty. As for the transport ships, we can give more depending on the situation.
This way, we can ensure that the Pegasus Navy still has an absolute advantage in terms of strength. Even if the Northern Frontier obtains those warships, they won't be able to build a fleet that can compete with us in a short period of time.
However, we can't let our guard down because of this. After successfully redeeming Marquis Vincent, we can find a suitable time and excuse to send the Pegasus Navy against the current and find the Northern Frontier's navy to fight a battle. We can nip the danger in the bud! "
The Duke of Saint Prospero nodded. He was very satisfied with Count Hall's suggestion and immediately said in a clear voice,
"Alright, if that's the case, Viscounts Fiennes, make another trip to Silvermoon City and renegotiate the conditions of Vincent's redemption with Count Angele. The bottom line will be according to what Count Hall said just now."
"Yes! Your Grace! "
"Count Hall." The Duke of Saint Prospero turned his head to look at Count Hall again and ordered, "Please go to Waterside Port immediately and explain the situation to the Pegasus Navy's soldiers. Calm them down and prepare for the handover."
"Yes!" Count Hall immediately replied.
"Alright, that's it. I hope that all of you will work together to successfully redeem Vincent. "After the Duke of Saint Prospero finished speaking, he got up and left the living room, as if something urgent was waiting for him.
Viscounts Fiennes seemed to be infected by the Duke of Saint Prospero's swift and decisive attitude. He immediately strode out of the living room and didn't talk to the two counts any longer.
Count Hall scratched the back of his head. He had a nagging feeling that things had gone too smoothly today, so smoothly that it made him feel a little uneasy.
He looked at Count Brugan. Seeing that the other party didn't say anything, he swallowed the words in his stomach and walked out with his head lowered.
After leaving White Dew Castle, Count Hall finally couldn't help but stop Count Brugan and ask, "Why didn't that kid Viscounts Fiennes mention the assassination of Marquis Vincent? Does this mean that he's not sure if the Marquis is alive or dead? "
Count Brugan turned back to look at Count Hall. After a moment of silence, he muttered, "Perhaps."
After saying that, he ignored Count Hall, who was still in a dilemma, and turned to get into his carriage.
In fact, the abnormality of Viscounts Fiennes today didn't eliminate Count Brugan's worries. On the contrary, it even made him feel a chill that went deep into his bones.
He knew very well that even if Viscounts Fiennes couldn't confirm whether Marquis Vincent was alive or dead, he would definitely raise his doubts in front of the Duke of Saint Prospero. Only then would he be able to influence the Duke of Saint Prospero's judgment and prevent him from making up his mind to negotiate the ransom terms with the Northern Frontier.
This was the most beneficial choice for the Earl Of Avon.
But today, Viscounts Fiennes didn't mention this matter at all.
And the Duke of Saint Prospero seemed to be determined to use the warship in exchange for Marquis Vincent.
This seemed to be a great thing for Count Brugan, but he wasn't happy at all.
Such an abnormality made him unable to help but have a terrifying thought — could it be that Marquis Vincent was really dead?
And the actions of the Duke of Saint Prospero and Viscounts Fiennes were just using the ransom as an excuse for another scheme?
The more Count Brugan thought about it, the more he felt that this was the truth of the matter, and this truth made his heart bleed.
If Marquis Vincent really died in Silvermoon City, it meant that all the efforts the family had invested in him over the years had been in vain.
In the future, when the Earl Of Avon inherited the position of Duke of the Eastern Region, would he neglect the Brugan family because of this, or even … liquidate them?
Just like that, he returned home in a daze. The butler came forward to report that an important guest had come to visit.
Count Brugan even forgot to ask who the important guest was, and followed the butler to the parlor.
"Long time no see, Count."
A familiar voice rang in Count Brugan's ears. He suddenly raised his head and saw the Earl Of Avon standing in the parlor, looking at him with a smile.
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