Now that the ruling figures of the Lumir Duchy have stepped forward, Henwell finds it much harder to strike any under-the-table deals with members of the Trade Alliance.
Still, Henwell isnât worried. Heâs already connected with the Rich Trading Group, and plenty of opportunities lie ahead.
Henwell remains deeply interested in the family of the Ika Kingdomâs eldest princessâs maternal uncle.
The atmosphere of the banquet shifts quickly. With Count Lierul present, soon all the cityâs elite gather in Kriye.
Some come to support Lierul, while others are genuinely curious about the legendary Lord Henwell.
Every noble who meets Henwell canât help but be amazed, heâs even younger than they imagined.
Itâs hard to believe a man in his twenties is already a Grand Knight and someone who commands respect at the highest tables.
Not to mention the others present, even the princes of Lumir Duchy donât wield Henwellâs kind of influence.
After speaking with him, they also realize Henwell has impeccable manners and sharp wit.
Though young, only the seasoned old foxes can hold a meaningful conversation with Henwell.
The younger generation simply lacks the standing or skill to engage with him.
Facing such a prodigy, the nobles of Lumir Duchy are filled with anxiety.
Everyone knows Henwellâs greedy expansion wonât stop here.
Heâs already taken chunks out of the Ika Kingdom, Vorry Kingdom, and Ogiro Kingdom.
As Henwellâs neighbor, Lumir Duchy remains the only one untouched.
Henwellâs next move wonât provoke the other three kingdoms again.
Thereâs only one target left: Lumir Duchy.
Lumir isnât a militaristic nation; its army is far from strong.
Against Henwellâs fierce forces, no one in Lumir can confidently say theyâll hold the line.
Previously, Peace Haven didnât border Lumir.
But after the last war, Henwell swallowed part of Ikaâs territory, officially bordering Lumir.
Once the two share a border, Henwell has plenty of ways to launch attacks on Lumir.
As for reasons, those are easy to come by.
Henwell does have plans for Lumir, but definitely not yet.
His plan is to find a way to carve out a piece of Lumirâs land five years from now.
Henwell currently commands nearly 100,000 elite troops, and over the next five years, he plans to form two more regular legions.
By then, heâll be able to mobilize 200,000 soldiers to invade the Lumir Duchy.
If the Ika Kingdom chooses to sit on the sidelines, Henwell is confident he can swallow the entire duchy.
But obviously, thatâs wishful thinking.
The Vorry Kingdom is still recovering and wonât intervene recklessly before its peace period ends.
Besides, since Peace Haven remains part of Vorry Kingdom, Vorry has no intention of interfering with Henwellâs territorial expansions.
King Amir even hopes Henwell stirs up more trouble to ease Vorryâs own burdens.
As for the Ogiro Kingdom, they certainly wonât stand idly by, but who they choose to fight is a strategic decision.
Ogiro holds grudges against both sides and wants to strike either, but due to limited strength, they can only pick one.
The choice is clear: Peace Haven is a tough nut to crack, so naturally, theyâll go after the softer target.
However, if Henwell loses the war, thereâs no guarantee Ogiro wonât turn and attack Peace Haven afterward.
Henwell already has contingency plans for this, if Ogiro jumps in, it will ease much of his pressure.
The only real wildcard then is the Ika Kingdom.
Henwell must reserve enough forces to defend against Ika.
The Phoenix family and the Iron Wall Legionâs containment efforts will significantly reduce Ikaâs ability to send reinforcements.
Henwell will also stir things up in Ikaâs Western Regions grasslands to keep their attention diverted.
Even so, Henwell realistically can only deploy about 50,000 troops.
How much land he can seize with that force depends on his strategic moves over the next five years.
Sometimes the situation is just frustrating.
Everyone in Lumir knows that the giant beast called Peace Haven wonât stay dormant forever.
Once this greedy monster awakens and demands to feed again, it will inevitably turn on them.
But knowing this outcome doesnât mean they can stop the threat.
Especially now that Henwell has the Holy Spirit Church as his protective shield.
Until Henwell makes the first move, no force dares to attack Peace Haven recklessly.
All they can do is watch helplessly as Peace Haven grows stronger, until it opens its bloodthirsty jaws and targets them once more.
Henwell feels trapped in this situation. Invading the Lumir Duchy isnât actually the best option.
Heâs made enemies on all sidesâtruly surrounded by foes.
Besides, Peace Havenâs booming economy largely depends on its commercial trade network.
Lumir has countless merchant caravans constantly transporting Peace Havenâs industrial goods across the continent.
Attacking Lumir would inevitably damage Peace Havenâs trade as well.
Though merchants chase profit, most of Lumirâs trade guilds are deeply intertwined with the nobility.
Harming Lumirâs interests essentially means hurting the guildsâ interests too.
Itâs clear that if Henwell invades Lumir, Peace Havenâs trade will suffer significantly for a long time.
Thatâs why Henwell is already setting up preliminary manufacturing zones elsewhere, laying groundwork and binding interests to keep Peace Havenâs trade stable as much as possible.
In truth, the best move would be to carve out more territory from the Vorry Kingdom.
But right now, neither Henwellâs personal power nor his forces are strong enough to go head-to-head with the Holy Spirit Church.
Besides, Henwell still needs the Churchâs protection, so he canât risk conflict with Vorry.
His only option is to slowly and subtly expand his foothold within Vorryâs lands.
As for Ogiro and Ika kingdoms, Henwell canât afford to provoke them anytime soon.
Yet once industrial development begins, itâs impossible to stop.
It requires ample resources, most importantly, population and land.
Henwell estimates Peace Havenâs population will reach four million in five years.
Managing over 4 million people across more than 30,000 square kilometers, while sustaining a vast and complex handicraft industry, will be extremely challenging.
To maintain this rapid growth, Henwell must expand outward.
That leaves the Lumir Duchy as the only viable choice.