Chapter 128. Rapid Developnt Cannot Be Rushed
The negotiations with the foreign race delegations dragged on for a full week, with the core dispute always centered on the ownership of three deposits of rare minerals.
The ministers of the Kroll Kingdom refused to yield an inch, and the foreign race envoys argued their case just as forcefully.
Only at the very end did the ministers make a token concession.
Once they agreed to a slight adjustnt in the mineral shares, the delegations finally sent the news back to their respective kingdoms. After obtaining their kings’ approval, they reluctantly nodded and finalized the agreent.
After the news spread, the marriage escort processions from the three foreign kingdoms set out one after another and headed for the Kroll Royal Capital.
Having learned from the destruction of the previous two delegations, this ti, each kingdom openly sent a Domain-Level Powerhouse with the princess’s escort as a show of force. Their aura was not concealed in the slightest, as if they were flaunting their strength, or guarding against an ambush along the way.
During this period, William’s horizons were truly broadened.
The “princesses” sent by the various races ca in all shapes and forms.
There was a fish-woman covered from head to toe in fine scales, whose voice always carried a bubbling undertone when she spoke.
There was an Orc woman nearly three ters tall, her muscles knotted, with the skull of a giant beast hanging around her neck.
There was even a treefolk princess wrapped all over in vines, with moss sprouting beneath her feet whenever she moved.
As the “princesses” being sent grew stranger and stranger, William finally reached the limit of his patience and stord straight into Kroll II’s Study.
“Father King, you have to send word to those three foreign kingdoms.”
His voice was full of helplessness.
“Even for a Marriage Alliance, they ought to match human standards of beauty, should they not? What exactly are they sending over? They all look so bizarre that I simply cannot stomach it...”
Kroll II was taken aback for a mont. Then he recalled the rumors that had been circulating through the palace lately, and he could not help frowning as well.
Out of curiosity, he had previously gone to a side hall to see that treefolk princess for himself. When she extended a vine to “pay her respects,” a few withered leaves even fell off. At the ti, he had only felt as though his eyes had been thoroughly assaulted.
“Ahem, it is indeed a little... excessive.”
Kroll II cleared his throat.
“I will have soone negotiate with the foreign race envoys and tell them to choose according to human standards. Even for a Marriage Alliance, it cannot be too outrageous.”
Only then did William let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Father King.”
After sending William away, Kroll II imdiately summoned the minister responsible for liaising with the foreign races, his tone stern.
“Go and make it clear to those three kingdoms. The princesses they send may have foreign racial traits, but at the very least, they must be pleasing to the human eye.”
“If they send any more bizarre specins, I will demand double the resources from them.”
The minister accepted the order and withdrew, though inwardly he muttered to himself that the foreign races’ understanding of what was “pleasing to the eye” was probably not quite the sa as that of humans.
A few days later, the foreign kingdoms really did respond, and the princesses they sent were finally sowhat more “normal.”
The Orc princess was a fox-woman. Aside from her ears and tail, her face and figure were no different from those of a human woman, and she was very beautiful.
The Dwarf princess was a little short, but her features were delicate and handso, with a spirited air about her.
The Barbarian princess had healthy honey-colored skin and striking, well-defined features, though there was still a wildness in her eyes.
As William looked at the three graceful princesses before him, it was hard to hide the satisfaction in his eyes.
Compared with those earlier “candidates,” whose bizarre forms had left him both speechless and exasperated, these three were practically beauties stepped out of a painting.
The fox-woman princess had eyes like silk, and her fluffy tail swayed gently with each breath, giving her an innate, seductive charm.
Though the Dwarf princess was petite, her features were exquisitely delicate. When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, as though starlight were hidden within them.
The Barbarian princess was lithe and strong. Beneath her honey-colored skin ran smooth lines of muscle, and her bright, wild gaze gave her a different kind of vibrant beauty.
“Keep them all. Keep them all.”
William waved a hand, his tone carrying a decisiveness that allowed no argunt.
The dowry convoys of the three princesses also entered the kingdom in grand procession, and all kinds of resources poured into the Kroll Kingdom like a flood.
The forces being nurtured within the Kroll Kingdom’s Secret Realms also began to develop at high speed.
Yet beneath the calm surface, undercurrents had already begun to surge.
A secret eting of the other four kingdoms was held in a luxurious hall, candlelight reflecting on the gloomy faces of the four kings.
“Kroll is on the rise.”
The king of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom tapped the table, his tone grave.
“With so many resources in hand, if we let it continue developing, sooner or later we will be swallowed whole.”
The king of the Reinhardt Kingdom let out a cold snort.
“Then we strike first while its foundation is still unstable. I have already been preparing in secret. I can respond at any ti.”
Everyone’s eyes fell on the kings of the Dragon Kingdom and the Kadiya Kingdom.
The king of the Dragon Kingdom stroked his beard, looking troubled.
“My lords, it is not that I am trying to shirk this, but my daughter has only just been married over there. If war begins now, then her position in Kroll...”
“Exactly,” the king of the Kadiya Kingdom echoed. “That boy William is also about to co of age. Why not wait a little longer?”
Both n were calculating the sa thing in their hearts. If their princesses could first bear William’s children, and those children inherited his talent, then...
The western king slamd his palm against the table in anger.
“Short-sighted fools. Once the Kroll Kingdom has secured its footing, what future will there be left to talk about?”
The argunt only grew louder, and the candle flas trembled so violently under the currents of air that they looked ready to go out at any mont.
In the end, the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom and the Reinhardt Kingdom could no longer hold themselves back.
With no princesses tying them down, the two kings quickly reached a private agreent.
Since the Dragon Kingdom and the Kadiya Kingdom were still hesitating, they would make the first move themselves. Two against one, they still held the advantage in troop numbers.
Three months later, the wind from the border carried the sll of gunpowder into the Royal Capital.
The armies of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom and the Reinhardt Kingdom suddenly appeared at Kroll’s border, using a pretext so absurd it was laughable.
“Several soldiers of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom disappeared while on patrol. It is suspected that they mistakenly entered your kingdom’s territory, and we must be allowed to enter and search.”
The Legion Commander of the border fortress rejected that unreasonable demand on the spot.
The two sides confronted each other inside and outside the fortress. Amid the tense standoff, no one knew who loosed the first arrow, but in an instant, the fuse was lit.
The siege had officially begun, and the battle report was transmitted to the Royal Capital that very day through a Communication Crystal.
Kroll II sat upon the throne, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the carved patterns on the armrest. His expression was grave, yet his composure remained unshaken.
He lifted his eyes toward William and asked in a deep voice, “What do you think?”
“They are obviously picking a fight. If that is the case, then we should strike back and let them know that Kroll is not so easy to bully.”
A sharp glint flashed through William’s eyes, and his tone carried the decisiveness of youth.
But Kroll II fell silent. In the great hall, only the soft crackle of the candle flas remained.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice carrying unquestionable authority.
“For now, there is only one word for it—stall.”
“Father King?” William froze, looking at him in confusion.
“We will not et them head-on.”
Kroll II waved a hand, his gaze sweeping over the map inside the hall.
“The Silver Oakleaf Kingdom and the Reinhardt Kingdom are clearly trying to throw off our rhythm and force us to halt our developnt.”
“They hold the advantage in Domain-Level Powerhouses. If we engage them now, then even if we win, we will still suffer grievous losses. It would not be worth it.”
He paused, and his tone grew heavier.
“Send the order down. The border fortress is to hold fast and not sortie. Use the defensive magic arrays to wear them down.”
“Dispatch the Royal Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Legions, under the command of three Legendary Archmages, to reinforce the border fortress.”
The attendant accepted the order and withdrew.
“But...” William still wanted to argue, only to be interrupted by Kroll II.
“William, I know you want to start a war. With the strength of the Gold Legion, we truly could break into the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom and seize a great deal of wealth and resources.”
Kroll II’s gaze was as deep as a still pool.
“But for Kroll, developnt is the foremost priority right now.”
“As long as those royal family mbers and slaves with high aptitude continue to grow, then forget two kingdoms—even if all four co at once, we will be able to slap them down in a single blow.”
“So for now, we cannot rush this. Do you understand?”
William fell silent for a mont, then nodded.
“Yes, Father King. I was too impatient.”
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