206: Carl's scheme

Inside Karl's study in Rage Bear Fortress.

"Father, are you alright?"

Seeing Karl's pale face, Belmont hurriedly stood up to support him.

"No need, I haven't reached that point yet. Sit down, I have something to tell you!"

Karl brushed off Belmont's supporting hands and sat down directly.

"This time, although the clash with Heisenberg, that Illegitimate Son Duke, seemed like a draw, I am old after all, and he consistently held the upper hand."

"My body can no longer withstand the power of Lord Volrigard, and I can no longer mobilize the power of thunder as easily as before."

"From now on, every time I use the grizzly bear battle silhouette, I will have one less use left, and my strength will grow weaker each time. The heavy burden of the territory may have to be handed over to you earlier than expected."

Belmont's heart trembled as he hurriedly said, "Father, don't say that. Your body is still robust; you'll be fine."

"I know my own body; you don't need to say more."

Karl interrupted Belmont and continued, "This time, I reached an agreement with Heisenberg. The Magic Stone Mine in that Sub-plane will be mined by the Stag Territory. We can send people to supervise, and finally, the profits will be split thirty-seventy—they take seventy, and we take thirty."

Karl stated the conditions agreed upon with Heisenberg for the withdrawal of troops. Belmont felt unwilling after hearing this, but there was nothing he could do.

"The Stag Territory is stronger than us, so these conditions are already decent. However, if the day comes when I am gone, that Illegitimate Son Heisenberg will certainly not continue to abide by this agreement. At that time, you will have to fight him yourself."

"But you don't need to worry. By then, you will surely have gained Lord Volrigard's recognition to become the new Son of Thunder, and you won't fear him."

"Let's leave the matter of the Stag Territory for now. I'm going to tell you about a family matter; listen closely."

Karl set aside the matter of the Stag Territory and instead told Belmont the story of Alistair's background from beginning to end.

"Father, are you saying that Alistair is my sister?"

Belmont looked at his father in shock.

"Yes. Because of those special reasons, it was hidden until today, but now you must know. You are the future head of the Raging Bear Family; you are entitled to know these things."

"Currently, Alistair is in the Red River Territory. I intend to promote Reyn to Earl and, at the same time, marry Alistair to him."

"Promote Reyn? Marry Alistair to him?"

"You've heard of the name White Wolf Reyn, haven't you? This time, the kid captured Torrens alive. After this incident, the kid's strength and the merit he's earned both meet the criteria for an Earl. There's no problem with the promotion."

"The key is the kid's talent and ability. Whether it's personal strength or the ability to govern a territory, he's a top-tier genius, far better than Derrick was back then."

"By marrying Alistair to him, he will become your most powerful external support. The Derrick Family's loyalty has also stood the test and is trustworthy."

"If the Red River Territory becomes strong, it can guard the northern border for you. If one day there is movement in the Black Mountain Range and the Red River Territory suffers an impact, with that kid Reyn's skills, he will be fine."

"Even if he loses his territory, he can return to Rage Bear Fortress to help you. With Reyn's strength and ability, he will definitely be a great help."

"So as long as we tie him to the Raging Bear Family's chariot, regardless of whether the Red River Territory is strong or not, he himself will be of immense use."

As he spoke, Karl waved his hand, and a map of the Rage Bear Territory appeared on the study wall. As Karl's power drove it, a section of the northern border of the Rage Bear Territory on the map turned red.

"That Red River Valley area is decent, but its location is poor. However, if we add the territory of Viscount Black Stone, it will be much better, and his territory will have the potential for development."

Karl pointed again, and a red area emerged on a horizontal line along the Black Mountain Range outside the Red River Valley.

"These corridors near the Black Mountain Range have always been a vacuum zone that no one wanted. Give them all to that kid. This way, although his Earldom lacks resources, the land area will be far larger than a normal Earldom, which counts as compensation for him."

"Furthermore, it also gives him the obligation to guard this border line. This kid Reyn likes fighting and training troops; I believe the Alien Tribes will be suppressed by him if this border line is handed over to him, and these territories in the southern region can be more stable in the future."

Karl had thought of everything for the family, and Belmont had no objections to his father's arrangements.

"Father, I've heard the story of Reyn capturing Earl Torrens alive. Do you know exactly how strong Reyn's strength is?"

Karl thought about Belmont's question for a moment.

"Judging by Reyn's battle qi fluctuations, the kid should have reached Middle Gold rank. Combined with a Gold-level Demon Wolf mount, his combat power has already reached High Gold Rank."

"Given his current age and talent, if no accidents occur, he will definitely reach Gold Peak in the future!"

Karl only mentioned Gold Peak; as for breaking through to the Legendary Realm, he didn't believe Reyn had the ability to do so.

"I understand, Father!"

"It's best if you can understand my painstaking efforts. Over the next two days, you can communicate with Reyn to build a rapport while I prepare some dowry for your sister."

"Originally, a grand wedding should have been held for her, but because of the special prophecy on her, this wedding can only be called off. It's enough that we, father and son, along with Reyn and Alistair, know about it."

"Although the wedding cannot be held, I won't give Alistair a single bit less of the dowry she deserves. I owed her and her mother too much back then, and now it's time to compensate her."

"Father, is that so-called prophecy really that magical?"

Belmont didn't fully believe in the so-called prophecy.

Karl recalled some past events with a complex expression.

"I didn't believe it once either, until Alistair's mother appeared and helped me solve many difficult problems by relying on prophecies. Her mother also deserves credit for the establishment of the Rage Bear Territory."

"Moreover, this prophecy wasn't even foretold by her mother, but by a powerful Legendary Witch. That Legendary Witch's strength was incredibly immense; even Lord Volrigard was very respectful toward her."

"Do you think I could still disbelieve that lady?"

"But you don't need to worry about these things. Alistair will live in the Red River Territory in the future, so any problems won't affect you or the family."

Karl had already considered everything.

"Yes, Father!"

Over the following days, Belmont frequently sought out Reyn to build a relationship according to Karl's wishes. Facing the enthusiasm of the heir to the Rage Bear Territory, Reyn felt it was sudden but did not refuse.

He happened to need Belmont's status to accomplish some things.

The Red River Territory had formed a merchant caravan to sell local specialties.

The cargo ships were built by the Red River Territory itself. Although they couldn't compare to the large magic cargo ships of the Salak Merchant Guild, they were sufficient and much larger than the small fishing boats the Red River Territory used before.

The goods being sold were Stone Crystal Salt. Many items produced in the Red River Territory were of high value, such as weapons, equipment, and magic potions, but Reyn didn't even have enough of these for himself and wouldn't put them up for sale.

Only the Stone Crystal Salt, after extensive mining, was sufficient for the territory's use, with a significant surplus available for external sale.

They had already tried selling it before, but because they lacked the right channels, the price was suppressed, resulting in very low profits. This time, leveraging the convenience of Belmont's status, Reyn managed to organize the Red River Territory's trade channels.

Belmont was extremely cooperative and could even be said to have gone out of his way to help Reyn, allowing the newly formed Red River Territory merchant caravan to establish a foothold in Rage Bear Fortress.

Reyn was very grateful for Belmont's help, and the two quickly became well-acquainted because of this matter.

After staying in Rage Bear Fortress for five or six days, arranging the caravan's affairs, and handling some matters regarding the development of the Shadow Guards within Rage Bear Fortress, Reyn found he had nothing left to do.

Just as he was feeling like returning to the Red River Territory, Belmont informed him to gather at the Thunder Hall the next day for a meeting.

"It's finally coming. The efficiency really isn't high!"