253: Chapter 253 Caroline is seriously injured! Intelligence! Nyss's complicated feelings!

Cangyuan Territory, the night was as dark as ink.

A figure was traveling rapidly through the wilderness.

Garuvi clutched the shocking wound on her left waist, where a layer of eerie blue magic residue was eroding her flesh, preventing it from healing.

She was severely injured.

After leaving Golden Flame Castle, she began investigating Duke Witton's schemes in the North alone.

But the more she investigated, the more alarmed she became.

Based on the various clues she had gathered, she realized that the fall of Cangyuan Territory was merely one link in the vast plan of Duke Weiduns Estate.

As for the wizard Harrison whom she had killed in Cedar Town earlier, he was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Therefore, in order to obtain more detailed information about the plan, she risked returning to Cangyuan City, the place she was most familiar with, to investigate.

She had originally thought that with her strength as an Earth Knight, even if discovered, she would be able to retreat unscathed.

But she never expected that there would actually be a Seventh-Ring Wizard in Cangyuan City now!

She didn't even see the other person's figure clearly; just by roughly sensing that vast magical fluctuation, she knew she was definitely not an opponent.

She turned and ran, but the opponent's long-range attack had already arrived.

A beam of eerie blue light, as if traversing the distance of space, struck her precisely.

If it weren't for the fact that she had broken through to become an Earth Knight and possessed this core protective domain, which neutralized most of the power, that single strike could have cost her her life.

But she was still severely injured.

She dragged her severely injured body, fleeing rapidly all the way south towards the direction of Golden Flame Territory.

She had to bring this news to Rowan.

Tell him—

"Run!"

"Duke Witton has completely lost his mind!"

Combining the news Rowan had previously told her about the revival of the Red Moon, she had basically determined the general plan of Duke Weiduns Estate—

Duke Weiduns Estate was connecting these nodes—Aksai City, Cangyuan City, Yabu City... and a secret location within the Mess Mountains—to set up an ultra-large Red Moon ritual!

They intended to use this ritual to blood sacrifice the population on most of the land in Will Province!

And in this process, a wizard organization was fully assisting him in planning this matter.

That organization had at least one Seventh-Ring Wizard presiding over it, the same one she had encountered in Cangyuan City.

Within the blood sacrifice range formed by connecting these nodes, Gino County was also included!

The night wind whistled past Garuvi's ears, blowing her hair into a messy state.

Her vision began to blur slightly, but she dared not stop. She bit the tip of her tongue, using the pain to stimulate herself to stay awake, and the speed under her feet increased a little more.

The border of Golden Flame Territory was right ahead.

She had to hold on, see Rowan, and tell him everything.

...

Cangyuan City, on the city walls.

Dawn Knight Mason stood in the shadows of the city tower.

After sensing the magical fluctuations gradually subside, he looked at the wizard standing with his hands behind his back beside him.

"Lord Hurley, your sudden attack just now... did something happen?"

Wizard Hurley heard this and smiled, saying:

"Your Highness need not worry. It was just a little bug that didn't know whether to live or die, sneaking into the city and attempting to pry into things it shouldn't see."

"I had intended to wait for her to get closer before dealing with her, but that little bug seemed very familiar with this city. I don't know what means she used to sense my presence, but she started running away in advance."

"I had no choice but to strike early and give her a hit."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of faint regret: "Unfortunately, the opponent was an Earth Knight. I only severely injured her and failed to take her life."

"However, with the injuries she sustained, she won't be able to stir up any trouble."

Mason's gaze flickered slightly upon hearing this.

He glanced at the somewhat pale-faced Marquis Lance, Richter, beside him, lost in thought, but did not ask further. Instead, he changed the subject:

"Lord Hurley, now that it has been confirmed that there is also a main blood source vein in Gino County to the south, should we take down Gino County as soon as possible to avoid any other mishaps?"

Wizard Hurley pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then slowly shook his head:

"That won't be necessary."

"I have heard that the young lord of Gino City is doing quite well and has gathered quite a lot of population."

"This is good news for our ritual."

"The denser the population, the more abundant the harvest when the ritual is completed. There is no need to startle the snake now; just let him continue to manage his territory."

"When the time comes, we can just crush them directly, saving time and effort."

"Is that so... very well."

Mason nodded and said nothing more.

...

Aksai City.

Duke Weiduns Estate, study.

Duke Witton sat behind a large desk.

A detailed map of Will Province was spread out before him, with several circles and connecting lines drawn on it.

Aksai City, Cangyuan City, Yabu City... and a location deep within the Mess Mountains.

Several points were connected into an irregular polygon, encompassing most of the land of Will Province.

He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, his voice low: "Liam and Ethan... how are they?"

The aide standing in front of the desk bowed slightly:

"Reporting to you, my Lord, both young masters have already set sail from Weixino City on the fleet of the Vilantia United Bank."

"The main supplies they carried include: two spatial rings, Vilantia United Bank drafts, a copy of the Black Prison Thunder Dragon Breathing Technique, several precious magical artifacts... and a batch of historical documents and classics collected by the family through the generations."

He paused and added:

"It is expected that in another week, the fleet will arrive at Dawn Port on the east coast of the New World. By then, the people meeting them there will arrange everything."

"Hmm." Duke Witton nodded slowly, his gaze falling back onto the map, and asked again:

"How is the plan on Mason and Wizard Hurley's side being executed?"

The aide replied upon hearing this:

"Reporting to you, my Lord, everything is going smoothly."

"Cangyuan City has completed deployment, and the ritual foundation in the Mess Mountains has also been built."

"Wizard Hurley stated that we only need to wait for the scheduled time to arrive, and the ritual can be activated."

"Everything is going smoothly, is it." Duke Witton was silent for a moment, then said softly: "I hope so..."

...

Meanwhile, in the east wing of the Duke Weiduns Estate, in a luxurious women's bedroom.

The room was filled with light incense.

Two young women were sitting opposite each other.

On the low table in the middle were a pot of fruit wine and two crystal goblets.

Delia leaned against the soft goose-down cushion, looking at Nisse opposite her with a smile that wasn't quite a smile:

"Nisse, both of your brothers have run away, and neither of them took you with them, haha..."

Nisse's expression did not change upon hearing this.

She picked up the fruit wine, took a light sip, and then sighed:

"Even if they run, where can they go?"

"Either become a pathetic landless noble, living under someone else's roof in a foreign land."

"Or become an adventurer with no security, who could lose their life at any moment."

"What meaning is there in such a life?"

She paused and continued:

"I am staying. As the daughter of the Duke of Black Rock, if I cannot be a Duchess, I will be a Duchess Consort."

Delia was somewhat surprised upon hearing this:

"Are you so unoptimistic about the success of your father, Duke Witton, and your fiancé, the Dawn Knight?"

"If they succeed, a legendary powerhouse, combined with the joint strength of the Blood Barbarian Tribe within the Calunda Tribal Alliance, should theoretically have some bargaining power."

"At the very least, preserving the inheritance of the Duchy, if only changing faith, shouldn't be much of a problem."

Nisse remained silent and did not answer.

She just picked up the wine glass and took another sip.

Seeing this, Delia understood in her heart and did not pursue the question, but instead changed the subject with a smile:

"I have already found out the things you asked me to inquire about for you."

"Currently, the main forces in the Night Federation interested in Will Province are these few—"

"Grand Duke Russo of the Dark Night Elf race. He is the commander of the Shadow Mage Corps, holds a high status in the Night Federation, and controls an elite mage troop."

"Duke Cromwell of the Vampire race. He is a direct blood descendant of Prince Brujah and controls the Scarlet Occultist Committee in the Eternal Night Council, wielding great power."

"Duke Harvey of the Abyss Goblin race. He is the chief of the Shadow Web Spy Corps, and his subordinates, spies, and assassins are spread everywhere, possessing extremely strong intelligence capabilities."

"And Duke Conway of the Thunder Titan race. He is the commander of the Extermination Legion, controls a heavy armed force, has extremely powerful combat capability, and is one of the top powerhouses at the Sky Rank."

...

Nisse frowned deeply as she listened and couldn't help but interrupt:

"Are there no human forces?"

Delia thought for a moment upon hearing this and said:

"There are, actually."

"As far as I know, there is a big human figure in the Federation who is also interested in the North."

"But his target seems to be the Ember Plains Province in the central North, not Will Province."

She shrugged and continued:

"And, Nisse, you can't just become a Duchess Consort just because you want to."

"Grand Duke Russo of the Dark Night Elves and Duke Cromwell of the Vampires already have mistresses in their homes."

"If you want to marry into their families, you can at most be a mistress."

Speaking of this, a teasing smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "As for Duke Harvey of the Abyss Goblins and Duke Conway of the Thunder Titans. These two do not have mistresses in their estates."

"But, hehe..."

She didn't continue, just looked at Nisse's figure up and down with a meaningful gaze.

Seeing this, Nisse bit her teeth tightly, her chest heaving a few times, clearly trying hard to suppress her emotions.

She certainly knew what Delia was talking about.

The Goblin race is known for being ugly and greedy, and they love to give birth to little goblins. Any race that marries them ends up giving birth to a bunch of little goblins.

And the Titan race is known for their huge size and roughness. Even the smallest is three or four meters tall...

Marrying a Duke of these two races, just thinking about that scene made her feel a chill.

If these two races were to end up taking Will Province, she would rather die!

She took a few deep breaths to suppress the surging emotions, then lowered her voice and asked:

"If we convert to the Dark Night Church in advance, can the Church intervene in advance?"

Delia thought for a moment upon hearing this, then shook her head gently.

She picked up her wine glass, took another sip, and then said in an inexplicable tone:

"Nisse, you must know that converting is not a simple matter."

"Without experiencing the deepest despair, how can one harvest the purest faith? How can the lambs understand the preciousness of faith..."

Nisse listened and was silent for a long time.

She picked up her wine glass, drank the remaining fruit wine in one gulp, put down the glass, and looked at the deep night sky outside the window, not knowing what she was thinking.