204: Chapter 204 The New Marquis of Lance! Duke Witton's Response!

Cangyuan Castle, in ruins.

Burning embers flickered in the night wind.

The shadows of broken walls stretched and shrank, cast upon the rubble and ash covering the ground.

The air was thick with the smell of burning and blood.

The once-towering main building of the castle was now nothing more than a tilted wreck.

"Ptui, ptui, ptui..." A calloused hand suddenly thrust out from a pile of rubble.

Immediately after, a burly figure crawled out from the ruins, cursing and swearing.

The Shadow-Splitting Knight was covered in dust and stone fragments, blood oozing from a fresh scratch on his bald head. As he brushed the dust off his body, he cursed loudly:

"That old geezer wanted to take someone down with him even in death! He almost buried me underneath!"

"Damn it, if I'd known, I should've slashed him a few more times!"

Before the words left his mouth, another pile of rubble not far from him exploded, sending stones flying everywhere.

Knight Karen appeared from the dust and smoke, holding Richter Lance by the collar.

His gray robe was covered in dust, but his demeanor remained calm, as if he hadn't been the one buried just moments ago.

Just then—a Blood Barbarian warrior with blood-colored markings on his body hurried over, knelt on one knee, and reported with his head bowed:

"My lord... we failed to stop that woman. She broke through the southern gate's defense line and escaped to the south."

Upon hearing this, the Shadow-Splitting Knight exploded: "What?! She escaped?!"

"With so many of you, you couldn't even stop one heavily injured woman?! A bunch of trash!!"

He raised his foot to kick him, and the Blood Barbarian warrior shrank his neck but dared not dodge.

"That's enough, Shadow-Splitting." Knight Karen spoke indifferently, stopping the Shadow-Splitting Knight's rage.

His gaze fell upon the pitch-black night sky to the south, and he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully: "The south... that is the direction of Gino County."

He was silent for a moment, then withdrew his gaze, temporarily setting the matter aside.

Then, he turned around and looked at the young man beside him, who was staring blankly at the ruins, looking utterly dejected.

He reached out, steadied him, and straightened his dust-covered collar, saying with a smile: "Lord Richter, congratulations. From now on, you are the new Marquis Lance."

Richter Lance suddenly looked up at Karen's insincere face, then slowly turned his head to gaze at the charred ruins of the castle site.

His lips trembled a few times, and he let out a murmur that sounded like a mix of crying and laughing: "That's right... I am Marquis Lance now..."

Then, he fell silent. He stood there, staring at the ruins, and said nothing more.

Knight Karen glanced at him but said nothing more, turning instead to the Shadow-Splitting Knight, his tone returning to his usual calm and composure: "Shadow-Splitting, the revelry in the city should be coming to an end. Tell your men to restrain themselves."

"Next, we still need our new Marquis to handle the aftermath."

Upon hearing this, the Shadow-Splitting Knight glanced at the distracted young man by the ruins and chuckled: "No problem! It's about time anyway." He paused, a hint of greed appearing in his smile, "Don't forget what you promised."

Knight Karen swept an indifferent gaze over him, then looked at Richter Lance's back, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable weight: "Rest assured. After this battle, the border cities will gradually open up, trade and peace talks will proceed, and there will be no more resistance."

"That's good!" The Shadow-Splitting Knight grinned and strode towards the brightest firelight in the city. His rough laughter gradually faded into the night wind.

Several hours later. Will Province, Aksai City. Duke Weiduns Estate, study.

Duke Witton sat behind his desk, watching Knight Karen, who stood before him, with a calm gaze.

Knight Karen had changed into a clean hunting outfit. He reported the entire course of the battle at Cangyuan City from beginning to end, in detail.

After listening, Duke Witton was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, his voice devoid of much emotion: "So, although that Blood Rose Knight managed to break through to an Earth Knight and escaped, the problem with the Lance Family has finally been solved."

He reached out, his fingertips slowly moving across the map of the Northern Territory spread out on the desk... sliding all the way south from the location of Cangyuan City, finally stopping on an area marked Gino County.

His gaze fell on that area for a few breaths, then he looked up at a staff member who had been standing quietly beside him and asked casually: "What about that idle pawn I placed half a year ago?"

The staff member bowed slightly upon hearing this and replied: "Reporting to my lord, the results seem even better than expected. That idle pawn now seems to be serving as the captain of the guard at Golden Flame Castle."

Duke Witton raised an eyebrow slightly, a flash of surprise in his eyes. This was indeed somewhat unexpected.

However, he did not dwell on this question, simply nodding and instructing in a flat tone: "Since that's the case, it's about time to activate him."

The staff member bowed and replied: "Yes, my lord. I will arrange it as soon as possible."

The group had a brief discussion about some aftermath matters, then dispersed.

After that night, a piece of explosive news began to spread rapidly throughout the Northern Territory of the Empire—

In the border territory of Cangyuan, the Lance Family's second young lady, the Blood Rose Knight Garuvi Lance, committed treason, leading the Blood Barbarian Tribe into the city, causing the fall of Cangyuan City and the death of the old Marquis!

Fortunately, the Marquis's eldest son, Richter Lance, discovered his sister's conspiracy in time, urgently contacted the Duke Weiduns Estate to send troops, turned the tide, and recaptured Cangyuan City.

However, Cangyuan City suffered heavy losses and was severely weakened by this battle. The Blood Rose Knight fled in fear of punishment after her failure, and her current whereabouts are unknown.

The Governor's Office of Will Province has officially issued a wanted warrant, offering a reward for the capture of the traitor, the Blood Rose Knight Garuvi Lance. Dead or alive!

As the news spread, the Northern Territory was shaken. Some sighed in regret, some gloated, some were skeptical, and others secretly sensed something unusual.

Those who truly understood the situation in the Northern Territory remained silent after hearing the news, saying nothing.

But regardless, this piece of news, like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, stirred up layers of ripples in the already turbulent situation of the Northern Territory, spreading further and further away.