Chapter 392: Revisiting the old place and initial discovery of the burning land (5000!!)

Winter of the 334th year of the Holy Calendar.

early morning.

Rand arrived at Frostmoon Royal City.

This was Rand's second time arriving at the capital of the Frost Moon Kingdom.

The cold royal city stood silently in the morning light like a giant beast.

The mist in the sky had not yet dissipated, and the faint morning light fell on the city walls like cold steel. The tall stone walls surrounding the royal city rose into the sky.

The guards in front of the city gate stood in the cold morning with spears in hand, their armor reflecting the faint light, making them look like cold statues.

Rand and his loyal guards arrived outside the royal city.

Entry into the city is subject to routine inspection.

Rand got off the carriage, and the horses of the Royal Guards also stopped.

The Royal Guards had already established a great reputation following Rand, and even the gate guards of the royal city had heard some of their stories.

Even their stillness brings a silent sense of oppression that makes the guards feel intimidated.

The guards at the city gate naturally knew Rand's family crest.

The last time Rand came to the royal city and wanted to enter the city, he was briefly checked by the guards as a token of his appreciation.

This time, all the guards within Rand's sight saluted him.

Seeing that the guards did not check, Rand did not comment and led his guards into the city.

The avenues in the city are wide and straight, paved with blue-grey stone slabs, with rows of tall and solemn stone pillars on both sides, standing like the backbone of the kingdom.

Ahead is the Triumphal Pillar.

Going further in, you will see the majestic royal palace.

The huge tower pierces the sky like a sharp blade, and the outline of the building is looming in the morning mist.

The marble walls were finely polished and had a cool sheen, while the reliefs carved on the walls—knights, crowns, and chariots—all spoke of the glory and authority of the kingdom.

The wind blew through the marble columns, bringing a subtle chill.

This is the core of the Frost Moon Kingdom, where power and ambition are intertwined. Any negligence and weakness will be ruthlessly torn apart by these silent stone walls.

Of course, this is not the case with Rand.

The changes in the situation brought about by the king's death affected other nobles in the country.

Rand came here to maintain the situation.

If we use a metaphor, Rand is neither a chess player nor a chess piece, but rather a chessboard? Rand soon met the Lord of Thorns.

Lord Thorn came to visit Rand personally at his residence in the royal city.

Rand personally pulled a chair for Lord Thorn, then frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

"It was the Second Prince who did it." Duke Thorn gave the answer.

"Ah?" Rand was a little incredulous.

"I know it's hard for you to understand, but this is the fact I found out."

"Your Excellency the Second Prince's reputation has plummeted since the Battle of the Defense Line..." Grand Duke Thorn began to explain the reason.

Rand knew this because he personally arranged for someone to "escort" the second prince back to the royal city.

But then again, if Rand didn't do this, not only would Rand himself be in trouble, but the Second Prince would also be likely to be caught by the Snow Fox Countess, and would surely be even more disgraced by then.

You may even die in a foreign country, or be imprisoned, living in a foreign country for a long time.

In a sense, Rand is actually the second prince's benefactor! Unfortunately, the second prince doesn't think so.

Later, when the king realized that the second prince was a waste, he wanted him to see if he could win the heart of a princess when the White King asked the royal families of all the northern countries to send direct descendants to the front line.

One solution is for the next generation to be smarter.

The second prince was successful, but it was not his own success. A small country in the Northern Alliance felt that it should cling to someone powerful in the current volatile situation, and then it hit it off with the King of the Frost Moon Kingdom.

Then the second prince got engaged.

But none of this matters.

The problem is that after the engagement, the second prince was completely regarded as a tool for reproduction and lost all opportunities to show his talents and realize his personal value.

He has become a marginal figure who can only enjoy fine clothes, food, and travel.

And the prince was probably very, very unhappy about that.

But he was not completely hopeless.

If his half brother, the current eldest prince of the Frost Moon Kingdom, succeeds to the throne, his future status will not be too low, and he will have a good chance of becoming a royal minister in the future.

Close enough after all.

But if the third prince succeeds to the throne, then there will be no chance.

And the current king of the Frost Moon Kingdom has yet to decide on his successor.

"The second prince killed his father? He can't be that stupid, right?" Rand was puzzled. He couldn't be that crazy. Even a fool like a pig could realize what would happen to the Frost Moon Kingdom if its king died...

"This is the result of my current investigation." The Duke of Thorn was obviously helpless.

Duke Thorn spread his hands again: "I was the first person to try to control the situation. I only shared the current result with you. The eldest prince and the third prince are unaware of it. What are you going to do?"

Rand rolled his eyes: "Your Excellency the Grand Duke, please make your own decision. I will follow you."

Rand had no preference for which king would succeed to the throne, because he was not familiar with the eldest prince and the third prince, and both of them seemed to be quite capable, at least for now.

As long as the second prince doesn't take the throne, it doesn't matter to Rand.

The same is true for the Duke of Thorns.

In a sense, the interests of the most powerful and most promising nobles in the Frost Moon Kingdom are largely consistent.

Seeing that Rand didn't want to make a decision, the Duke of Thorn said helplessly: "You have to choose one. If you delay it, something bad will happen."

Rand rolled his eyes again and looked into the dark green eyes of Lord Thorn.

When people reach Lord Thorn's age, their eyes are usually a little cloudy, but Lord Thorn is an exception.

Clear and sharp, these eyes were as beautiful as his aunt and his daughter's, which seemed to be the influence of the royal bloodline of the Frost Moon Kingdom.

The royal family of the Frost Moon Kingdom and the Thorn Family have been intermarried for generations.

In a sense, the Duke of Thorn himself can be considered the king's brother.

He also has the right to inherit the Frost Moon Kingdom, but it is just very late.

Because of these reasons, Rand actually had some doubts about what Lord Thorn said.

Was it really the second prince who assassinated the king, or was it the eldest prince's instigation, or was it the conspiracy of the third prince, or was it the plan of the Duke of Thorn himself?

"Then you choose." Rand didn't intend to speak, "I will agree with you."

However, Rand still planned to align with the Duke of Thorn first.

Now in the Frost Moon Kingdom, the forces that openly support the eldest prince and the third prince are of similar strength.

As long as Rand and Lord Thorn lean towards one side, that side can gain a great advantage.

It can be said that as long as Rand and Grand Duke Thorn do not take sides, and as long as Grand Duke Thorn himself does not want to ascend the throne, the king of the Frost Moon Kingdom will be decided by the two of them.

"Then the eldest prince?" Lord Thorn certainly knew that Rand was suspicious of what role he played in the king's death.

So seeing that Rand didn't make a decision, he stopped being hesitant and spoke.

"Then it's the eldest prince." Rand nodded.

Then the next thing to do is very simple. Suppress the information about the second prince's assassination of the king, announce to the public that the king died suddenly from overwork, and then ensure that the eldest prince inherits the throne normally according to the inheritance law.

As for whether the second prince would stir up any trouble after the eldest prince succeeded to the throne? Rand's evaluation was that the second prince really didn't deserve to appear in his vision now. After the eldest prince succeeded to the throne, the second prince would be completely under house arrest, or even imprisoned, regardless of whether the death of the king this time was caused by the second prince as the Duke of Thorns said.

The Duke of Thorn and Rand, possibly together with the Earl of the Stag and the future Marquis of Black and Brown, will become the most powerful political force in the country, far stronger than the king's political power.

…

The royal city was undercurrent for several days.

These days, Rand and Grand Duke of Thorn have been working together.

Rand is responsible for maintaining the apparent stability of the royal city.

Whether it's day or night.

Rand banned all nobles in the royal city from holding banquets or gatherings.

And maintain the public order of the royal city to avoid any covert actions.

As for why Rand was able to do this.

That is naturally because Rand’s influence in the royal city is actually quite strong.

Rand was able to borrow almost all of the power of the Black and Brown Marquis family in the royal city, as well as part of the power of the Earl of the Stag.

And Rand also has Crow Cola, Elsa, Olenna, and a terrifying number and elite guard.

However, private collusion among the nobles in the royal city was unavoidable.

Just try to maintain the stability of the royal city.

And then there was just one other thing.

Ensure the interests of the three princes.

After all, Rand and Lord Thorn are not the previous king himself.

If you want to support the eldest prince to ascend to the throne, you must ensure that the third prince and the forces supporting him will not be suppressed too harshly.

The previous king, now dead, can slowly weaken the other faction after making his choice of successor.

But Rand and Lord Thorn can't do that.

For example, if we support the eldest prince now and forcefully suppress the other faction, the nobles of the other faction are likely to rebel even if they cannot defeat them.

Just like Rand.

If the Frost Moon Kingdom suppresses Rand, Rand can completely surrender to the Rensa Kingdom.

In fact, it is not a bad idea to join the Kingdom of Bolen, even if Rand killed Prince Alex.

If we crack down ruthlessly now, some other nobles of the Frost Moon Kingdom who support the third prince may also rebel and defect to other countries.

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The northern countries signed an alliance, prohibiting them from attacking each other.

However, territorial changes caused by noble rebellion are not included.

Moreover, this prohibition of attacking each other only means that an all-out war cannot be launched.

In the past, when the orcs were still pressed outside the northern defense line, the pirates of the Ice Sea Kingdom would sometimes harass the coastal countries of the Northern Alliance.

Unfortunately, the Ice Sea Kingdom has not yet recovered their royal city.

With Olenna's help, Rand got dressed.

Elsa and Olenna's tolerance for shame is not as good as Ellie's.

Elsa rarely stayed nearby when Rand and Olenna were getting close, and even if she was in the room, she rarely watched.

When Rand and Elsa were close, Olenna often was too.

So today Elsa was patrolling outside the house.

After Rand got dressed and went out, Elsa and Olenna followed behind him.

At the beginning, when Rand was still commanding an infantry regiment under the command of the Marquis of Black and Brown, he even required his beautiful subordinates to put on makeup and make themselves look ugly to avoid trouble.

But now, when Rand walked in the royal city, no one dared to look up at the two beauties following him.

Rand didn't need to disarm or anything to enter the palace.

In the palace, Duke Thorn had already arrived.

After Rand entered the palace and stood behind him, Lord Thorn spoke up, "I mean the same thing as Earl Rand."

Rand also nodded and said, "We hope you can be more tolerant towards the Third Prince and those who support him."

In fact, the behavior of Rand and Lord Thorn is somewhat offensive.

It is equivalent to a threat, saying: If you don’t agree, we won’t support you. If we don’t support you, you won’t be able to get the throne.

There is absolutely no meaning of the relationship between ruler and subject.

But whether the eldest prince felt aggrieved about this was not a priority for Grand Duke of Thorn and Rand right now.

Stability is everything now.

If a war breaks out, the vitality that the Frost Moon Kingdom has recovered after nearly five years of continuous development may be reversed.

Rand was actually not very willing to see the Frost Moon Kingdom's domestic economy decline.

That's all money! If a war breaks out, the nobles will use the money to buy weapons and armor.

But if they didn't fight, maybe they would come to the resort to spend money? Or sell Rand some slaves? The wealth that each noble leaked from their fingers, and when gathered together, it was quite important to Rand.

As for Grand Duke Thorn, as long as there is no civil war, the Thorn Family will always be the only Grand Duke family in the Frost Moon Kingdom. At most, there will be one more Grand Duke of the Moon Phase, and there will be nothing else.

But if there is a civil war, there will be risks.

So even if they ignored the Crown Prince's mood, Rand and Grand Duke Thorn still "forced the Crown Prince to abdicate" here.

Although what Rand and Grand Duke Thorn essentially have to do is to help the eldest prince ascend to the throne.

"Earl Rand, Grand Duke of Thorn, I understand your opinions." The eldest prince had a warm expression and seemed to agree with the opinions of Rand and Grand Duke of Thorn.

Rand and Lord Thorn were a little worried, but they had done everything they could.

The next step is to let the messenger tell the third prince that he should keep calm. Although this may offend the third prince, Rand and Grand Duke Thorn still have to inform the third prince of the current situation and promise to protect his interests.

The Duke of Thorn and Rand are indeed a bit of a mixed bag.

The responsibility on the shoulders of Grand Duke Thorn and Rand is borne by the entire Frost Moon Kingdom, and there is nothing they can do about it, as they suffer some resentment.

Although the ones who suffered were the eldest prince and the third prince.

Rand and Lord Thorn walked on the streets of the royal city.

Rand held a skewer of grilled meat in his hand. He sprinkled some seasoning on the meat and gave some to Olenna and Elsa. Then he dragged the last few pieces of meat from the skewer into his mouth.

Lord Thorn had long known that Rand was "good at having fun", and was not surprised that he brought two beautiful guards with him, because Lord Thorn also brought two beautiful guards with him.

Originally, Duke Thorn was planning to make a few jokes, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that they were a bit meaningless.

The situation has now stabilized.

His tense nerves also relaxed a little.

This made Duke Thorn very unhappy.

He and the king were childhood friends.

But now, his good friend was killed by his son.

This made Lord Thorn at a loss as to how to vent his anger.

Kill the second prince? This would be too detrimental to the development of the Thorn Family.

Rand didn't know why Lord Thorn's expression suddenly became a little gloomy. He had been thinking about the reason for the current situation.

At present, it seems that Grand Duke Thorn definitely has no intention of sitting on the throne of the Frostmoon Kingdom. Now Rand is willing to initially trust Grand Duke Thorn.

However, the information about the second prince that Grand Duke Thorn obtained was obtained through investigation, not interrogation.

Rand wanted to try to interrogate the second prince.

"If I want to interrogate the Second Prince, is there any way?" Rand asked the Duke of Thorn.

Duke of Thorn said calmly, "At this moment, I personally suggest not to make things complicated. If you insist on doing it, I suggest you do it secretly. I can lend you a few good hands."

…

In the Burning Land, adventurers set foot in a dangerous area.

This is where things really burn.

They bought some fire-resistant materials from the Torch Church in the holiday resort and built special fire-resistant equipment.

And requested a one-time fire resistance blessing.

The old bishop who had been in the church that day was not there, and the one who blessed them was a blind nun who was suspected to be a detective at the resort.

At first they were worried that the blind nun, who looked like a temporary part-time worker, was very young and had nothing good to offer except her beautiful looks, was not very reliable.

But it seems okay now.

They just felt a little hot as they ventured into this place where flames would occasionally burst out from nowhere.

However, the main danger here is not the fire, but the insects and beasts here.

The poisonous insects, monsters and magical beasts that can withstand high temperatures here pose a great threat.

The porous rocky terrain makes the adventure difficult.

Fortunately, the returns here are really good.

After killing the monster, you can drag it back and sell it for a good price, and if you are lucky, you can find the dragon blood stone in the open air.

as well as……

"What is this?" An adventurer held up a piece of black, soft mineral through heat-resistant gloves.

The color looks a bit like charcoal and the texture is like soil, but it is a little harder than common soil.

An adventurer dressed as a scholar came over from the back, took the soft mineral, squeezed it, and said, "As expected, this is coal."

The adventurers who discovered the mineral were somewhat disappointed.

The adventurer dressed as a scholar was a little excited: "If the yield is large, Lord Rand will definitely reward us."

Rand does reward them if the production is high.

In this era, coal is somewhat inferior to charcoal.

Because it is a bit troublesome to deal with the sulfur in coal in this era.

If you want to use coal to make steel, you need to distill it into coke before you can use it.

Charcoal does not have this problem.

However, it’s different if the quantity is large.

(End of this chapter)