Chapter 162. The Nations Begin to Ignore All Rules
Over the next month, officials of the Kroll Kingdom and the newly appointed nobles entered the territory of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom in batches. Like a finely woven net, they gradually spread across every castle and village.
Household registration, tax audits, military handovers...
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, and across the lands of Silver Oakleaf, an order belonging to Kroll slowly began to take root.
At the sa ti, Silver Oakleaf’s vast accumulated resources, from mineral veins to grain, from Magic Scrolls to ancient secret tos, were continuously transported through secret passages into several Secret Realms of the Kroll Kingdom, where they beca nourishnt for the kingdom’s growing strength.
However, that peace did not last for long.
In the end, the surrounding nations could no longer hold themselves back, and a silent act of coercion descended without warning.
Eight Domain-Level Powerhouses, their auras unfathomable, appeared above Krollvia, the royal capital of the Kroll Kingdom, like storm clouds materializing out of nowhere.
The pressure radiating from them was almost tangible. The stone slabs of the palace square trembled faintly under it, while the guards on the city walls turned pale, unable to even hold their spears steady.
Fenlilan stood at the highest point of the royal palace, his silver hair whipping wildly in the wind while the magical barrier around him flickered unsteadily.
Faced with eight Domain-Level Powerhouses glaring at him like hungry tigers, even with his own formidable strength, he had no choice but to temporarily avoid a direct clash. To face one against eight would cost too much, and the royal capital could not withstand such turmoil.
Kroll II stood behind him, staring at those figures in the sky who looked down upon the earth like gods, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles nearly cracked.
Before long, an agreent regarding the territorial division of the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom was delivered to him. Its terms were harsh, seeking to carve up nearly all of Silver Oakleaf’s most prosperous lands.
“Sign it.”
Fenlilan’s voice carried a trace of weariness, yet it remained exceptionally calm.
Kroll II stared at the ink on the agreent as though he could see the greedy faces of those nations through it.
He remained silent for a long ti, but in the end, under the gaze of those eight Domain-Level Powerhouses, he pressed down his seal.
Once the territorial division was settled, the eight Domain-Level Powerhouses withdrew like a receding tide. The oppressive pressure in the sky vanished, but the royal capital remained shrouded in a suffocating atmosphere.
Fenlilan stared in the direction they had disappeared, his expression so dark it seed ready to drip water.
Kroll II stepped forward, his voice hoarse.
“Ancestor, are we just going to let this go?”
Fenlilan slowly shook his head, his gaze turning toward the Secret Realm deep within the kingdom.
“It’s fine. What is given away is given away. Dragon Mother Daenerys is in the middle of breaking into the Domain, and with Lynn as well, it will not be long before we have more Domain-Level Powerhouses than they do.”
He paused, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
“When that ti cos, everything they owe us will be taken back little by little, with interest.”
Kroll II fell silent for a mont, then finally let out a sigh and nodded helplessly.
He knew this was not surrender. It was a period of concealnt and endurance.
The road of the Kroll Kingdom’s rise had always been covered in thorns. For now, this humiliation could only be swallowed.
When William received the secret letter sent by the Shadow Guard, he was in the temporary command headquarters of the Silver Oakleaf Royal Capital, reviewing military reports.
The paper was crumpled so tightly in his hand that it almost tore apart. Every word on it felt like a red-hot branding iron, searing his chest with pain.
Bang...
He slamd his fist down onto the heavy military conference table. The hard oak surface was actually left with a shallow dent.
The surrounding generals were startled into silence. Never before had they seen this steady prince lose control so completely.
William kept his eyes shut, his chest rising and falling violently.
Eight Domain-Level Powerhouses had descended upon the royal capital and forced Father King to sign an unequal treaty... those nations had utterly cast aside all sha.
Only after a long while did he slowly open his eyes. The fury in them had settled into a cold, rciless resolve.
“Carry out my orders.”
His voice was hoarse, yet it carried unquestionable authority.
“All legions currently stationed outside Silver Oakleaf’s Northern Frontier, Southern Frontier, and Western Frontier are to halt their advance imdiately and withdraw at once to the Royal Territory.”
The generals were taken aback. Just as they were about to ask why, William’s next words cut them off.
“Rember this. Every resource that can be taken along the way, grain, ore, magical materials, even livestock, is to be hauled away. There is no need to consider the long-term ecological consequences. We are not to leave those nations a single grain of rice or a single piece of iron.”
The order was so ruthless that it was almost as if he ant to strip the land of Silver Oakleaf bare to the bone.
But at that mont, no one dared to object. They could all feel that the rage in the prince’s heart had reached its breaking point.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The ssenger bowed and accepted the order, then turned and strode away. The sound of clashing armor rang especially clearly through the silent command headquarters.
William walked over to the wall where the map of Silver Oakleaf’s territory hung and jabbed his finger heavily at the regions that had been ceded away.
The fertile southern plains, the mineral-rich western mountain ranges, the northern forests abundant in magical herbs... all of them had now beco soone else’s prize.
“What a pack of jackals,” he cursed under his breath.
On the map, the area that still belonged to the Kroll Kingdom consisted only of the Silver Oakleaf Royal Territory and a narrow strip along the eastern border. It looked like a gnawed bone, broken and pitiful.
“Your Highness,” Tos said cautiously, “if all the legions are withdrawn, won’t the defenses of the Royal Territory beco too weak?”
“Weak or not, they still have to be withdrawn.”
William turned around, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
“If those legions remain outside, they will only beco at on soone else’s chopping block.”
He walked back to the war sand table, pulled out the flags representing the legions in the Northern Frontier, Southern Frontier, and Western Frontier one by one, and replanted them around the Silver Oakleaf Royal Territory.
The command headquarters fell silent. Tos looked at William’s tense profile, hesitated for a long ti, and finally spoke carefully.
“Your Highness, since... since those nations were able to bring in Domain-Level Powerhouses, could we ask Dragon Island to intervene?”
Hearing that, William slowly shook his head. His fingertips traced lightly along the edge of the sand table, and a trace of helplessness entered his expression.
“It’s not that simple.”
He paused, and his voice dropped lower.
“In fact, even before we attacked Silver Oakleaf, I had already thought of that. I wanted to ask the Domain Giant Dragons of Dragon Island to take action and lend us a hand.”
“But Father King rejected it at the ti. He said that the Ancient Council had rules. In territorial disputes between kingdoms like this, unless the survival of an entire race is at stake, higher existences are not allowed to interfere lightly.”
Tos froze. “The Ancient Council? What is that?”
William glanced at Tos, shook his head, and chose not to continue.
Tos opened his mouth, but in the end, he asked nothing further.
William looked at the others, and his tone turned firm once more.
“That is enough. No matter what, our Kroll Kingdom did win this war of annihilation. After you return, not one of your proper rewards will be withheld.”
Hearing this, everyone present saluted William in unison.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
William waved a hand and dismissed them all. He wanted to be alone.
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