Chapter 311: Chapter 232: Turning the Tables_1
"The current situation is that our growth has frightened the Ascension Sect. They’re afraid we’ll disrupt their plans, so they want to bring in an enemy to hinder our development and tie up our energy."
Lance pondered this for a moment, then slowly said, "There is a way to deal with this."
"What does My Lord suggest?"
"Write a letter telling your father that you’ve been duped by an evil cult from the Ascension Sect, and ask him to send people to fetch you." Lance looked at the fat man and emphasized, "Remember, this place is called Ovando."
Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression turned somewhat peculiar. They all knew this place was called Hamlet, so why change it to Ovando? However, they knew the Lord surely had a plan behind this, and none of them intended to correct him.
"Ovando?" the fat man exclaimed. "Damn it! My territory is called Hamlet; I’ve come to the wrong place!"
The fat man now understood why there was a Lord here; he had taken the wrong road.
"No, there’s no territory around here called Hamlet. You’ve been deceived." Lance glanced at the man, who, despite facing imminent death, was still concerned about his own domain.
After sending the fat man off to write a letter for help, Dismas eagerly asked, "My Lord, why change it to Ovando?"
"Because he’s going to die no matter what, and hostility from his father is inevitable. They want chaos, don’t they? We just need to ensure their target isn’t Hamlet."
Lance couldn’t afford to waste troops on him. Since the old ancestor had made a move, he would seize the opportunity and redirect the conflict elsewhere. Given his current strength, capturing Ovando City would be difficult for Lance and would likely attract unwanted outside attention. But if he could use the fat man’s father’s power to create chaos, retaking it later would be much easier. Not to mention, he could also seize this opportunity to weaken the Ascension Cultists lurking in Ovando City. The old ancestor wanted to make Hamlet the target, but Lance would instead make Ovando the target for them, while he himself stayed hidden.
"But, My Lord, exposing the evil cult directly might bring the Church’s scrutiny," Reynard said with some concern. "If there were no evil cult, it would just be an internal struggle among the Imperial Nobles. But by bringing it up now, the Church might also take notice and get involved."
And traditionally, that could lead to a bloodbath, which was indeed a cause for concern. Yet Lance just laughed heartily.
"HAHAHA! That’s exactly the effect I’m aiming for."
Lance then explained to the bewildered group, "If the Ascension Sect can bring in Imperial Nobles to strike at us, why can’t we bring in the Church to tie them down? When the Church steps in, who do you think will be more anxious than us?"
The old ancestor assumed Lance wouldn’t want to jeopardize Hamlet’s foundation and would inevitably help conceal traces of the evil cult. However, Lance’s move was a clear warning to the old fool. Trying to play petty tricks on me? I’m telling you, either we play this out slowly on our own terms, or we all go down together! Without such audacity, he wouldn’t be standing here today; he would have turned back on that old path long ago.
Considered this way, it made sense. Everyone understood their Lord’s strategic thinking, though it was somewhat risky.
Lance could sense their apprehension and offered some reassurance, "Don’t worry. Cities are different from towns. Even the Church can’t easily wage war on a city of 30,000 people; the interests involved are too significant. Besides, the incident at the club revealed how severely Ovando City has been corrupted by the evil cult. Many bureaucrats are their people. These individuals will undoubtedly do their utmost to conceal this matter. I predict that in the end, they’ll likely just find a few scapegoats, and the matter will be swept under the rug. For us, however, this is good news. The Church’s involvement will tie up their resources, preventing them from focusing on us and buying us more time to develop."
The others also understood the situation and couldn’t help but admire their Lord’s astute strategic thinking—his ability to detect hidden conspiracies and react swiftly.
Lance’s attention, however, was clearly elsewhere; there was still one thing he hadn’t voiced.
Truthfully, he was hoping for a war. The ensuing turmoil would cause a massive exodus from the city, allowing him to drain Ovando’s resources to develop Hamlet, just as Ovando City itself had once risen. But these thoughts contradicted his established persona and had to remain unspoken...
With his own life on the line, the fat man quickly finished writing the letter, meticulously following instructions and preparing three copies.
After a brief glance, Lance had to admit the man’s noble upbringing was evident; simply being literate set him above most commoners.
"Do you have any token or item that would prove your identity to your father?" Lance scrutinized the fat man. He couldn’t very well send a severed finger or an ear, could he?
"Yes, yes, yes!" The fat man hurriedly removed a ring from his hand. "This is our family’s sigil; Father will surely recognize it."
Lance took the item. It wasn’t a piece of Extraordinary Equipment. He then handed it over with the letter.
"Dismas," Lance instructed, "I can’t trust anyone else with this. Ride my horse and deliver this letter. They’ll undoubtedly be watching you on the road. Don’t make any unnecessary stops. Deliver it personally and return immediately."
"Understood." Dismas took the items without hesitation and turned to leave, knowing that every second counted.
However, as soon as things quieted down slightly, the fat man reverted to his old ways, chuckling awkwardly as he looked for a chance to flee.