"I see, so that's what happened. I understand," Prince Dannark said smoothly after hearing his subordinate's report. The person promptly melded into the shadows and disappeared. He then quietly contemplated what was said.
"It looks like everything has gone according to your predictions," someone commented.
"You could say that, but you predicted this outcome too, didn't you?"
The prince glanced at the person in front of him with a knowing gaze. This man was slouched over in a very relaxed manner and showed neither fear nor respect in front of Prince Dannark. His face was crooked and sinister, resembling a criminal, which was made worse by his detestable smirk. He did not look like someone who had the slightest hint of elegance. Furthermore, his words were also bold and straightforward, unbecoming of someone who was beneath the prince in status or power. Nevertheless, Prince Dannark was not upset, but found it normal instead. The number of people that could do this could be counted on one hand. This man was his older brother, Prince Ranir!
"You can drop the act now," Prince Dannark said exasperatedly.
"What?"
"There's no one here except for us."
Prince Ranir took a quick glance around and like his younger brother said, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Though this might be his personal estate outside the capital, he could never be too cautious. The walls have ears was a saying for good reason. Who knows who might be listening in? However, there was a fine line between caution and paranoia. His brother was exceptional, and so were his subordinates. Since his brother said it was fine, then it meant that he made certain that it was. There should be no need for concern. That being the case, Prince Ranir promptly corrected his posture and attitude, completely losing the vile villainous look he had before, and adopted a more regal bearing. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a scoundrel into a prince. This was the true face of Prince Ranir Etuvel Reindel!
"As usual, sorry for the trouble," Prince Ranir respectfully said. His attitude was a full reversal from moments prior. The transformation was shocking!
"If I hadn't grown up with you, I would've fallen for your act too." A hint of admiration crept from his brother's voice.
"You jest. I heard that handling the aftermath of the Battle of Liguang has been quite chaotic."
Prince Dannark nodded. "Since we're so close to the end of the inheritance race, the death of our heir apparent has created many complications. As we predicted, the Grand Nobility Households are beginning to make their moves. After all, any household that can successfully bet on the winning faction will have great influence in the new monarch's era."
"The Ovarr and the Dewshard Household might rise to prominence, but I can't imagine that the Daemon or the Highguard Households would stand by and watch them. There are also a few other households that we can't underestimate. To be honest, I'm interested to see how everything plays out."
"You say that, but a shift in the Grand Nobility's power structure could ruin the delicate balance that the Royal Assembly has been maintaining. If we're not careful here, then it might lead to a rebellion, or maybe even a civil war. Our plans in the Xingyuu Empire have already stalled, so any internal issues would be awful for us."
"It would be quite ironic if after the Alzar Kingdom invades the Xingyuu Empire, who were already in a civil war, then also falls to civil war itself, but there shouldn't be any need for any real concern. With our mother's latest actions, I believe she has already prepared for this outcome."
"You could say that."
"Tell me, brother, and be honest with me. Why did mother send Elizabeth to the frontlines? As we've seen, her political skills might be nil, but her connections are more than enough to compensate. Her friends are connected to both Sword King Sin Quelldown and Protector Avin Arcellius. They could be key trump cards for the Alzar Kingdom, especially now that unknown entities like the Featherwind Sect have made their appearance. If it were up to me, I would have immediately sent her back. After the Lannisail explosion, our mother changed her attitude, but I don't understand. What happened?"
"To be honest with you…"
"You don't know either?"
Prince Ranir was inwardly shocked. Compared to him, his brother had unrestrained access to all the kingdom's most critical and deeply guarded secrets. Furthermore, he was also their mother's favourite child, Second-In-Command of the Quinvoren Army, and the former heir apparent until he abdicated. He should know everything there is to know, at least in theory. The fact that his brother did not know hinted at one possibility: it must be something that only their mother knows about.
"It must be serious to warrant such action from our mother," Prince Dannark remarked with a dark face.
"This would mean that Elizabeth's inherent value is still lower than her connections," Prince Ranir pondered. "Either way, I suppose there's no point in thinking this any further. Let the dead lie peacefully… if she really died in the Battle of Liguang."
"You don't think she's dead?"
"You don't believe it either, do you?" he laughed. "If she could miraculously survive the Lannisail explosion, then maybe she'll pull out another miracle. I'm looking forward to it." Contrary to his flippant attitude, Prince Dannark was lost in thought. Prince Ranir decided to change topics and said with a serious tone, "Let me bring you the latest reports. I discovered something that I needed to consult with you about."
He then walked over to a drawer, revealed a hidden compartment inside, and spent a long time unlocking the various mechanisms. Prince Dannark looked on with interest. The location of this hidden compartment was ingeniously placed, such that one could easily miss it, even if they knew it was there. In theory, the drawer should lack the space to accommodate the large hidden compartment, but it was custom-made in just the right places. It was easily the work of a master! Furthermore, should one discover the compartment, whether through luck or skill, then they would be faced with the numerous mechanisms within. Despite knowing his way around, Prince Ranir spent more than ten minutes disengaging everything, which spoke volumes about how a theft would struggle. It might be easier to kidnap and force Prince Ranir to undo everything himself, but he was a prince. It would be suicidal to try anything with the Royal Guard nearby. Suffice to say, whatever was kept inside the compartment must be worth all the trouble. However, rather than gold or diamonds, he pulled an entire stack of documents out and handed them over to his brother.
Prince Dannark accepted them and began reading. They detailed everything that happened in the criminal underworld for the last several months such as drug smuggling, slave trafficking, assassination requests, and blackmail information. There were even sections about militia movements and national espionage, things that very, very few people could get their hands on. It was also well-organized and neatly written, which hinted at the incredible time and effort required. Prince Ranir had succinctly summarized everything in an excellent manner! As for how he managed it, he had constructed his public façade specifically to attract these types of people. They would be convinced by his wastrel personality and confide in him because of the great power and influence that he wielded as a prince. They never would have imagined that it was all an act to extract information from them. Prince Ranir had managed it perfectly!
"Information on the Whispering Shadow remnants… How did you manage to get this? This is something that evades even our own kingdom's intelligence network," Prince Dannark said with surprise.
"It was very tricky to get any information about them, and it might not be reliable either, so you'll have to verify their accuracy yourselves."
"Well noted. Either way, this has been a great help. Since we raided the Whispering Shadow's top leaders, most of their subordinates have scurried away and laid low. This might be the final noose around their neck that we need."
"The problem is this…"
Prince Ranir pointed to a specific sheet of paper. Although the contents were sparse, the details drew Prince Dannark's eyes. It was about the mysterious patron of the Whispering Shadow. Although the late patriarch of the Lannisail Household did support the Whispering Shadow tremendously, it should not be enough to impact the kingdom's entire criminal underworld to this extent. Remember that they had nearly dominated the market! They were such a massive organization that even the kingdom felt content to let them be. For them to wield this much power hinted that there was another, stronger supporter behind the scenes, one above the Lannisail Household! Naturally, Prince Dannark and the others knew about this, but they were prepared to turn a blind eye for the sake of the bigger picture. If they shuffled the top players too much, things could quickly fall to chaos. Prince Dannark knew that his brother understood this, so he was a bit confused about why his brother would bring this up now.