Magic Industrial Age

Oser City, White Castle.

Head Maid Eva hurried through the deep corridor, ignoring the maids who bowed to her, and quickly arrived in front of a study, stopping.

She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Grand Duchess Afra's voice came from inside, and Eva immediately pushed open the door and entered.

In the luxurious room, the Grand Duchess was reviewing various documents, her desk piled high with files.

Being a noble is a profession with a very high ceiling, but an even lower floor.

If you want to live happily, you can ignore everything and spend your days in a drunken stupor, enjoying life.

But if you want to protect your ancestors' legacy, revitalize your family, or even go further, you have to scheme and work tirelessly, and life won't be easy.

Grand Duchess Afra was the latter, with too many things to keep her busy every day.

However, having reached her position, many things were a matter of moving forward or falling behind, leaving her with no room to do as she pleased.

She ignored Eva's arrival, continuing to revise the documents in her hand.

However, Eva 'rudely' stepped forward and placed a parchment scroll in front of Grand Duchess Afra.

"Madam, you need to look at this first!"

The Grand Duchess didn't take it, but stared blankly for several breaths before looking up at Eva.

She asked, "Good news or bad news?"

Eva was stunned for a moment, unsure how to answer, and after a long while, squeezed out, "It's good news, but also bad news!"

The Grand Duchess glared at Eva and said, "Do you know what I'm asking about?"

Eva giggled and became serious, "Don't worry, Madam, Young Master Loye won, not just won, but won beautifully!"

"The Carlisle family suffered a crushing defeat, with at least half of their knights and militia captured or killed.

But..."

"But what?"

"Marquis Carlisle is dead, died on the battlefield, his head was chopped off!"

*Clatter!*

The pen in Grand Duchess Afra's hand fell to the table, and she suddenly looked up at Eva, her eyes full of disbelief.

Seeing that Eva didn't avoid her gaze, she immediately opened the parchment scroll and quickly scanned it.

Then, a second time, a third time...

For several minutes, she threw the parchment scroll away, leaned back, her back against the chair, her head held high, staring fixedly at the ceiling.

"Winning is a good thing. After this battle, no one in the Flower Territory should dare to disobey, and those nobles in the duchy should put away some of their petty thoughts.

But the death of Marquis Carlisle is a problem! A huge problem!"

Eva said, "Are you worried about the internal strife of the Carlisle family?

From what I know, there are only three or four people with the right to inherit the Marquisate, it shouldn't cause too much trouble, right?"

"Those are just minor squabbles. I'm afraid of the Carlisle family's main line.

If the Bonaparte Empire feels that the balance of power within Norman has been broken, then that Duke of the Carlisle family might personally intervene.

If that happens, countless twists and turns will appear out of thin air, and the future will be hard to predict."

"What should we do?"

Grand Duchess Afra thought for a moment before saying, "Marquis Carlisle is dead, so the inheritance of the Carlisle family is a problem. Suppress the most promising one, and support the ones behind.

Let them fight each other first, to delay things!"

"Also, Earl Wick, that old man has been shrinking for so long, this is such a good opportunity, shouldn't he come out and move around?

Make some arrangements to make him bolder."

"Also, notify the Council of Elders, in their name, issue a 'mediation' announcement, so that the subsequent matters can all return to the negotiating table."

Saying this, Grand Duchess Afra looked at Eva again, and said, "I'll leave these things to you, don't make any mistakes, understand?"

"Yes!"

Eva responded, but then said, "Mediation is a matter for both sides, what if Young Master Loye doesn't agree?"

"I'll write him a letter. Ask for more ransom, and more good things, but don't occupy any territory.

Don't worry, I'll persuade him!"

Eva also said, "What about that Earth-type Fourth-Order Oath Knight, should the news be sent over at the same time?"

This time, Grand Duchess Afra paused for a moment again, but still said, "Tell them, I think Loye should have a lot of guesses."

With the matters explained, Eva hurried off to get busy, taking away a large pile of already reviewed documents before she left.

When only Grand Duchess Afra was left in the study, she played with the parchment scroll in her hand and suddenly smiled.

"Although there are some troubles, this battle was won beautifully!"

...

Overall, Grand Duchess Afra was still very happy.

The death of Marquis Carlisle would bring endless troubles, but that was a matter for the future. For now, the most direct result was to strike a blow to the arrogance of the old noble alliance.

However, while the Grand Duchess was happy, someone was very apprehensive.

Somewhere, in a secret place,

Marquis Sain Castro and Marquis Ricardo McKinley gathered together again.

"Lost? Lost? That bastard Nolan actually lost?

He was so confident, I thought he was really so powerful, but he lost his life!"

Marquis Sain Castro paced back and forth in the room, his whole person in a state of anxiety and fear.

"I thought before that Carl Raymond's death was a good thing, but I didn't expect another rule-breaker to come!"

"Marquis, that's a Marquis, and he killed him without batting an eye?"

"This deal is a big loss! A big loss!"

Marquis Ricardo McKinley was dizzy from his pacing, couldn't help but close his eyes, rubbed his eyebrows, and said, "Alright, alright, stop pacing around, it's not helping at all!

We're gathering here to discuss countermeasures!"

"Countermeasures? What countermeasures can there be?"

Marquis Castro retorted, "Now, Nolan is dead, the Carlisle family can't be counted on, not counting those little guys, the old noble alliance is only you and me left."

"I'll say it first, the Castro family can pay, but don't look for me to go to the battlefield.

Nolan was beheaded, I don't want to face the Lion King's [Lion King Title].

You should know what kind of power that is, a knight's battle, there's no way to win."

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid that woman Afra will get angry. If she wants to start a civil war, to completely eliminate us.

We'll be, we'll be..."

The words weren't finished, but the meaning was already obvious, and it's no wonder he thought so.

Before, when the three families joined forces and had the upper hand, they were extremely sarcastic, took a lot of advantages, and didn't give any face at all.

However, compared to his panic, 'Silver Fox' Ricardo was much calmer.

He sat on the sofa, his silver-white hair neatly combed, and his eyes, full of years, radiated wisdom!

After listening to Marquis Castro's words, he shook his head and said, "No, Afra will never choose the path you said!"

"Why?"

"Because she's the Norman Grand Duchess, she wants stability, not to completely favor one side.

So, she should use gentle means to stop this war and let all conflicts be resolved at the negotiating table."

He was right in his prediction!

But the next second, he said again, "It's just that Nolan's death has also buried all our advantages.

From now on, our days will probably be really difficult!

Especially this time, the Raymond family has produced such a powerful figure."

"Lion King, Lion King!"

The Silver Fox's words contained unknown amounts of emotion.

And the McKinley family is actually known for its network of relationships between nobles. If they were to take a step back, the benefits they would give up would be many, many!

This is not a good thing.

"Then we can only endure it like this?"

"Endure, we must endure, at worst, we'll just lose some money. However, to say that we definitely have no chance is not necessarily true?"

"Ricardo, can you explain what you mean?

Don't say a sentence in three parts, and still cover it up, it's really annoying, you know?"

"Moreover, in the end, you and I are already grasshoppers on the same rope, what can't be said?"

Old Marquis McKinley lost his temper from being rebuffed. If Nolan was here, he could still suppress him, but now, he could only shake his head and say:

"What I mean is, we naturally can't engage in direct conflict, we would suffer a great loss.

But, the Raymond family's enemies are not us, why do we have to act as cannon fodder?"

"What do you mean?"

"I remember your family's business also has some market in the Bonaparte Empire, and you should have a lot of connections with that Duke.

You can reveal the news to him, after all, it's the relationship between the main family and the branch family. I don't believe they wouldn't pay attention, or even take action, when such a Marquis dies!"

Marquis Castro nodded repeatedly, but in the blink of an eye, he raised a question, "But I remember your McKinley family has more marriages with the Carlisle family. In terms of relatives and networks, it's much more than my family's business.

Why aren't you going, why do you have to send me?"

Marquis McKinley enumerated, "Of course I also have things to do. Those families that participated in the destruction of the Lion Ancient Castle are all my responsibility to send messages to.

The Norman Diocese of the Church of the Sun God, the Northwest Theater of the Bonaparte Empire, the Eastern Theater of the Sardinian Dynasty, I have much more to be responsible for than you think!"

Marquis Castro nodded and said, "Since that's the case, I'll contact those you mentioned.

As for that Duke of the Carlisle family, I'll leave it to you."

"You..."

"What, do you have an opinion? I knew you old guy had a very bad mind!"

"What I mean is, I agree!"

Marquis Castro was stunned, and then greatly surprised, "Not good, I fell for your trick, damn it!"

...

Another place, a mountaintop castle!

Old Floyd of the Floyd family focused on a very different point.

He looked at the secret report in his hand and roared at a group of young family descendants in front of him, "Look at other people? Look at other people?"

"At the age of less than twenty, with extraordinary strength, they even dare to fight against natural disasters across ranks, and they won!

Look at you, one by one, your bodies are weak, your battle qi is insufficient, your magic is lacking, as weak as little chicks.

When you go out, don't say you are descendants of the Floyd family, I can't afford to lose that person!"

Among the crowd, a voice muttered, "Speaking of which, you weren't much stronger than us when you were twenty years old, were you?"

"Who? Who's whispering below, I'll let him come up and say it?"

Old Floyd's roar grew louder, and the result was that everyone below lowered their heads in unison, no one spoke.

After a long while, he could only say, "Extra training, everyone give me extra training!"

So, a group of people ran off to train, grunting, and Old Floyd watched for a while, and seeing that no one was slacking off, he turned to leave.

But at the moment of turning around, his face had completely darkened.

Marquis Carlisle is dead, that disgusting fat bastard is dead, should it be a good thing?

But in reality, it doesn't conform to the interests of the Floyd family at all.

...

Noble War,

The Wick family was defeated, Marquis Carlisle died in battle, and the new Lion King led his knights, invincible on the battlefield.

As this news gradually spread, it was like a storm, setting off a great uproar in the Norman Duchy!