Chapter 470 - 443: The Miserable Duke Valgis

The Giant Dragon soared across the Screaming Sea at incredible speed, landing in the manor of Wushan Castle on the outskirts of Golden Feather City.

While the residence Lurans had purchased was far less luxurious than the one owned by the Fleming Family, it was fortunately quite spacious, with a large lawn for the Giant Dragon to land on.

Upon their arrival, Lurans first had a formal request for a meeting sent to the Golden Feather Palace for the following day. Ronin took the opportunity to have the messenger deliver a note to Blanche, suggesting they get together sometime tomorrow.

Afterward, Lady Carolina, who was stationed long-term in Golden Feather City, gave the two a detailed report on the recent public opinion in the city regarding Wushan Castle.

Just as they had previously heard, Golden Feather City was still lavishing praise on Wushan Territory’s recent operation, which had not only averted a crisis but also saved many innocent lives.

The praise for Ronin himself had swelled to an unprecedented level.

From Golden Feather City all the way to Horn City, nearly every tavern and inn was abuzz with legends about Ronin, practically deifying him as a chosen favorite of the Seven Gods.

Furthermore, the fact that this young powerhouse was soon to marry Her Highness Princess Blanche provided yet another topic for gossip.

Throughout this whole affair, the Royal Family had faced no public criticism regarding Jesus. On the contrary, with His Majesty the King gaining a son-in-law of the Proud Sun Level, everyone believed the Oduin Kingdom was destined for a glorious future.

"However, I’ve heard that since Duke Valgis arrived at the Golden Feather Palace, he has been questioning whether Wushan Territory’s actions were too unilateral and reckless. He also seems displeased that you acted without informing him."

Lurans nodded. "That’s to be expected. After all, his daughter, grandson, and granddaughter were involved."

Duke Valgis’s daughter, Dana, married Jesus and had a son and a daughter.

His granddaughter, Sally, had even clashed with Ronin previously at the Golden Feather Palace, an incident that only concluded after Bruno’s mediation.

And in this war, they were all killed.

However, unlike the Witch Soul Knights who were turned to dust, the bodies of Jesus’s family were preserved. This was because they hadn’t been on the battlefield when Mephisto was killed.

Ronin frowned slightly. "Duke Valgis won’t take his anger out on us over this and poison Wushan Territory’s diplomatic relations, will he?"

Most of the Flame Grass required for making the Support Enhancement Potion comes from the desert regions of the Gistana Duchy, which are under Duke Valgis’s control.

Fortunately, though, the Duke’s trade is with the Royal Family, and Bruno is the one who transports the goods to Swamp Town.

So even if relations sour, it shouldn’t significantly impact the production of the Enhancement Potion.

"I doubt it."

Lurans mused for a moment before saying, "Duke Valgis isn’t an ambitious man. Especially not after his eldest son, third son, eldest grandson, and second grandson all died. He’s shown even less desire to contend with the outside world since then."

"Now that his daughter, grandson, and granddaughter are also dead, he must be in immense pain. It’s only natural for him to question what happened."

’Fair enough.’ Listening to the old Duke’s tragic story, Ronin felt a pang of pity for the man.

Fortunately, the Duke still had a second son—someone like Wiggin—and a young grandson, so his line would not be extinguished.

At this, Lurans stood up. "In that case, I shall pay a visit to Duke Valgis. I imagine he and I will have some things to discuss."

"Should I go with you?" Ronin asked, rising as well.

Lurans shook his head. "There’s no need for you to get involved in the chatter of two old men."

Ronin threw up his hands. "Alright, as you wish."

With nothing else to do, Ronin decided to go out for a stroll by himself.

He hadn’t realized the extent of it until he went out, and he was shocked by what he found. The talk about him on the streets was incredibly detailed. Some people were even recounting the awesome might of Carlos with such vividness, it was as if they had seen the Giant Dragon with their own eyes.

This also suggested that news of what happened to Patridge on Rapids Island had likely gotten out, and the stories about the Giant Dragon had probably spread from Screaming Island.

After wandering around for a bit, Ronin paid a visit to Griffin Town. He had only intended to check on the Griffins he’d selected previously, but he was surprised to find Missy there.

As the Knight responsible for training these twenty Griffins for the next two years, Missy gave Ronin a detailed report on the current state of preparations.

"The twenty Griffins and their escort team are assembled, and the professional handlers are ready. Just let me know when it’s convenient for you, and I can lead the team to deliver the Griffins and personnel to your territory."

Missy looked at Ronin, her mind drifting back to how he had looked two years ago at the annual celebration in Wushan Castle.

Back then, Ronin hadn’t been very tall or powerful, but he had shown no fear when facing the Griffins. At that moment, she’d had a feeling that he might not be as terrible as the rumors claimed.

And as it turned out, she was right.

"Ronin, are you really a Proud Sun Knight now?"

Ronin nodded slightly. With the rumors spreading so widely, there was no longer any need to be secretive.

"That’s incredible!"

Missy marveled, then broke into a smile. "You probably haven’t seen Her Highness Princess yet, have you? You can’t imagine how happy she was when she heard the news!"

’What woman wouldn’t want to marry an exceptional man?’

And Blanche was no different.

"I could feel her joy."

Ronin said with a smile, "And you might not know this, but Karda is a Golden Knight now."

The sudden change in topic, especially to Karda, clearly caught Missy off guard. An unnatural expression crept onto her usually cool face, which even turned a faint shade of red.

Ronin pressed on, "After this batch of Griffins is delivered to Wubei Territory, one of them is for Karda. I was wondering, will you be going to Rapids Island to teach him how to ride it personally, or should he come to Wubei Territory?"

Missy Knight shot him a glare and let out a soft huff before turning to leave.

"Ronning Count, now that you’ve learned everything you wanted to, you may leave. Have someone inform me when you’ve decided on a time."

"Haha, will do!"

Ronin didn’t press his joke any further. He turned his horse and rode away from Griffin Town.

Listening to the fading hoofbeats, Missy couldn’t help but turn her head back.

’I’m actually looking forward to life in Wubei Territory. Things might be more relaxed there.’

Still, her father hadn’t brought up the matter of a marriage alliance much lately.

She could feel that her father’s attitude toward Karda was changing.

It wasn’t that Luther had a sudden pang of conscience and decided to stop meddling in his daughter’s marriage; rather, he now believed Karda had a very bright future.

Therefore, he was willing to wait.

As for the reason behind this change of heart...

Missy gazed at Ronin’s retreating figure. ’I know,’ she thought, ’all of this is because of him.’

Although Karda was still no nobleman, he served a Proud Sun Knight. He was clearly highly valued, having been entrusted with managing Rapids Island for Ronin.

Barring any accidents, when Ronin fully established his power in the future, Karda was certain to obtain a respectable status and position.

As the kingdom’s Minister of Finance, her father valued not only immediate benefits but long-term ones as well.

Clearly, Karda now represented a long-term investment.

It sounded incredibly pragmatic, but that was the reality for the children of most noble families. Cases like hers and Karda’s, where a couple might actually end up together, were a rarity.

’I need to work hard and become a Silver Knight soon,’ she resolved. ’I can’t let Karda get too far ahead of me.’

Missy averted her gaze.

Strong-willed and independent by nature, she wouldn’t let up just because the path ahead seemed a little smoother.