Chapter 249: The Chess Piece at the End of the Road

Deep in the bustling streets of Black Wind Castle, an inconspicuous warehouse was brightly lit, the wooden door was locked, and the heavy curtains kept out all prying eyes from the outside world. The air was filled with the smell of incense, covering the smell of decaying wood. Account books and notes were casually placed on the long table, as well as wine glasses that no one had touched. A dozen representatives of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance sat around the table, and everyone had varying degrees of anxiety on their faces.

Grok stood at the end of the long table, his hands resting on the surface. The shadow behind him was cast on the wall by the flickering candlelight, making his short figure look unusually tall.

"Everyone, our situation is more dangerous than ever before."

His voice was low and oppressive, and it sounded unusually heavy in this dim room. His eyes slowly swept across the faces of the businessmen present, capturing the anxiety and hesitation in their eyes.

"I know that some of you still have illusions, thinking that you can stay safe and sound under the rule of the Demon Lord and continue to make money, just like before." He paused, his eyes as sharp as a knife, "However, the situation has changed. Black Wind Castle is about to usher in a huge change. If we don't take the lead in making a choice, we will be completely left behind by the wheel of the times... You all know what I mean."

The warehouse was completely silent.

Of course, the people sitting here know what he is talking about.

If a month ago, most businessmen were still confused about what happened in Black Wind Castle and Demon City, now even the drunkards in the tavern have heard about the conflict between the Dragun family and the Demon King of Thunder County.

This is actually nothing surprising.

After all, whether it was the maze of Thunder County or the territory of Black Wind Castle, strictly speaking, they were once the territories of the Dragun family, but now they are in the hands of the human named Luo Yan.

A fat goblin merchant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and broke the silence at the conference table after hesitating for a moment.

"Mr. Grok, the Demon King is the lord of this city after all. If we are too radical, will it bring disaster upon ourselves?"

The businessmen around the conference table were whispering.

This is what they are most worried about.

No matter how much wealth they possess, the demons will never support them in rebelling against their overlords.

Grok sneered, his tone disdainful.

"Are you scared?"

"I... am not afraid," the fat goblin rolled his eyes and said, "It's just... we have to think about the future."

"What I want to talk about is what will happen in the future," Grok stared at him and continued slowly, "He is the Demon King of Thunder County. His roots are in the Great Cemetery, his gloomy and terrifying territory! As for Black Wind Castle, it is just his subsidiary industry, a marginal area! In other words, he doesn't know anything about this place. Although His Majesty the Demon God will not support us in rebelling against our lord, He will not allow His people to be plundered at will. And I am not asking you to rebel, I just need you to cooperate with me at the critical moment."

Several businessmen exchanged glances and frowned. They had some doubts about this statement, but they couldn't find too many faults.

Grok's meaning was very clear. The Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce would be the first to take action, and they did not need to take too much risk.

As for why he wanted to do such a dangerous thing, they could actually guess it.

It’s nothing more than that this guy has a new backer, and this backer is most likely the Dragun family.

In fact, it was the Dragun family who were sitting here to negotiate with them.

Some goblin merchants showed uneasy expressions on their faces, while others were lost in thought.

Finally, someone coughed lightly, raising the questions that were piled up in everyone's mind.

"...Mr. Grok, even if the Demon King's focus is not here, we can't take it lightly. Although he is weak, he is the official lord of Hell after all." Another elderly goblin merchant stroked his beard and spoke cautiously, "Maybe he is indeed isolated and helpless, but if we openly oppose him, won't we put ourselves in danger?"

Groc smiled with confidence, he had been waiting for this sentence.

"Everyone, where is the Dragun family? Have you forgotten their existence?"

The room was silent.

The Dragun family is the former owner of Black Wind Castle, a deep-rooted aristocratic family! Even though they were temporarily defeated by the Demon King, their influence still lingered in the Demon City, and they were by no means an ordinary family.

Grok's eyes were burning as he continued, "We can't win this battle alone, but with the help of the Dragun family, it's hard to say. They won't allow themselves to lose Black Wind Castle, they will definitely take back what belongs to them! And what about us? Should we continue to pin our hopes on a demon king with an unstable foundation and no help, or stand with the real dignitaries?"

After that, he looked around at everyone and said with a firm gaze.

"Although the Demon King once made the youngest son of the Dragun family fall in the duel, this time is different. This time it is the entire Dragun family that is taking action! Although the Demon King of Thunder County is a title conferred by His Majesty the Demon God himself, he is not a true noble after all. He is just a human who grew up in the temple..."

"Let me be frank. He has no chance of winning! He may win one or two rounds by chance, but as long as this game is not over, the Dragun family can keep playing against him! What we have to do is to stand on the side that is about to win!"

The silence lasted for a moment, and the hesitation on the faces of several businessmen had been shaken.

Several goblins nodded slightly, obviously considering this possibility.

However, a Hell Dwarf merchant raised a question: "But the Demon King is an officially recognized lord after all. If our Chamber of Commerce Alliance stands too obviously, what if he wins..."

"Won?" Grok sneered, his tone full of bitter sarcasm, "Just relying on that arrogant guy?"

He snorted coldly and swept his sharp eyes over the people present.

"I once put forward three suggestions for the Chamber of Commerce Alliance at the Lords' Meeting. How did he respond to us?"

He paused, waiting for their response, but no one spoke.

After all, that kind of proposal...

Even if they were lords, they would not agree to this. No matter how you look at it, this guy is dragging everyone to play with fire.

But Grok was not entirely wrong.

The devil really doesn't care about them.

This is something they can clearly feel.

So they chose to remain silent.

Or acquiescence.

Grok's mouth curled up into a sneer and he continued.

"He doesn't trust us at all! In his eyes, we are nothing but a bunch of greedy parasites, a bunch of wild dogs that need to be disciplined! He won't give us real power, he will only use the taxes we earn to feed his crazy servants!"

The atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense, with unfathomable expressions flickering across every face. It was obvious that Grok was not the only one who was dissatisfied with the lord; the degree of dissatisfaction was different.

"Everyone." Grok's voice was low and somewhat bewitching, and he continued while the iron was hot, "Are you really willing to be told what to do by a guy who crawled out of the bottom of hell? Are you really willing to be exploited by a tyrant who doesn't even have noble blood? I don't mind working for a noble, but he must make me feel it's worthwhile and can really help our business instead of causing trouble for us."

His eyes swept across the angry businessmen, and finally, a victorious smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"We should choose a more stable future! In the future, Black Wind Castle should not be ruled by a demon king from the countryside. It should return to the Demon City and become a city controlled by reason and order!"

"This is also what the Dragun family, who truly care about Black Wind Castle, is promoting... This land should be directly governed by the Demon City and managed by the governor appointed by His Majesty the Demon God. This is in the interests of Hell as a whole!"

His voice echoed in the warehouse, and the Chamber of Commerce representatives present had gone from being hesitant to being moved.

really--

This is the choice that truly conforms to the interests of Hell, and it is also the situation that best suits their interests! Desire ignited in their eyes, some nodded frequently, some whispered to each other, and some even clenched their fists in excitement.

Grok watched the scene with satisfaction.

He knew that he had succeeded.

However, what he didn't know was that in the Goblin community a few streets away, another, even bigger storm had already been ignited.

Those cannon fodders he considered insignificant were not defeated by the plague, nor did they run around like headless flies as he expected and turn their spearheads against their nominal masters. Instead, under the deliberate guidance of the devil's minions, they united, turned fear into anger, turned anger into strength, and turned their spearheads against the Chamber of Commerce Alliance that stayed out of the matter...

As consensus was reached, the atmosphere in the entire conference room gradually became relaxed.

Grok then announced what they were going to do next, including taking advantage of the spreading plague to win people's hearts, inciting the goblin laborers to direct the conflict toward the Lord's Mansion, and pretending to cooperate with the Lord's Mansion in disaster relief while creating even greater trouble... and all of this was to cooperate with the Dragun family to initiate another hearing through the parliament to hold the Demon King accountable, question the Demon King's governance capabilities, and take back the Barony of Black Wind Castle from the latter.

The whole plan can be said to be foolproof.

With a confident smile on his face, Grok picked up the wine glass that no one had touched since the beginning of the meeting, watching the clear wine sway slightly in the candlelight, and the determined faces reflected in the wine glass.

"Everyone, thank you for standing by my side. I will never forget your contribution today, and the Dragun family will never forget—"

"Let us toast to the future of Black Wind Castle!"

After saying that, he drank the red wine in the glass.

However, just as he was about to put down the wine glass, he heard hurried footsteps outside.

With a loud bang, the door of the warehouse was suddenly pushed open, and the sound of the impact caused the liquid in the bottle to shake violently.

A goblin, sweating profusely, staggered in and almost fell to the ground. His face was as pale as paper and he couldn't even speak clearly.

"Master! Something happened!"

Grok frowned, put down his glass unhappily, and stared coldly at the short goblin.

"What are you panicking about?" His voice was filled with a hint of impatience. "Can't you see we are discussing something important?"

The goblin servant almost knelt on the ground and spoke in a trembling voice.

"The goblins are crazy! They're gathering in the streets and rushing towards us!"

The air in the room suddenly froze and everyone's expression changed.

"What?!"

Grok's face turned ugly in an instant and he stood up with a bang.

Looking at the livid face of Guild Master Grok, the goblin instinctively shrank back and shuddered, then continued with a trembling voice.

"It's true, sir! They gathered on the street like crazy, shouting that they wanted to settle accounts with the Chamber of Commerce Alliance! What's worse is that the guards of Black Wind Castle didn't react at all. They were like blind and let those guys smash and destroy things on the street... Now only the guards of the various chambers of commerce are trying to stop them, but there are too many of them, and some despicable and cunning guys took off their clothes to join them! You, you'd better go out and avoid the limelight first... I saw an unlucky guy hung on a street lamp."

The air seemed to be squeezed by an invisible hand, making it suffocating.

After a moment's silence, the conference room suddenly exploded.

"This is impossible! How dare those guys?!"

"We are the economic lifeline of Black Wind Castle! Are they crazy?"

"The guards didn't take action?! What on earth were they thinking?!"

The representatives of the Chamber of Commerce looked pale, and the sounds of chairs falling to the ground and rapid breathing were mixed together.

Everyone thought of a possibility -

This might be exactly what the Demon King meant! Black Wind Castle was too close to the Demon City, and even the lord couldn't do anything reckless in his own territory, especially when there were people watching him closely. But it would be different if he mobilized the lower-level goblins.

The ridiculous Grok was still planning to win people's hearts through the plague and cooperate with the Dragun family to put pressure on Luo Yan at the new hearing, but he didn't realize that the thing he was going to do next had already been done by a guy who had just returned from Thunder County more than a month ago.

They always seem to be one step behind each other——

Even if they were the first to strike!

After realizing this, the guys who had been calm and composed started to panic and jumped off their chairs.

"Hurry! We have to go home and pack our things!"

A hellish dwarf merchant stood up suddenly, pushed his chair away, and ran out. Others followed suit, rushing to the door, scrambling to escape from the warehouse that was about to be surrounded by angry goblins.

Grok stood there in a daze, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead and his head buzzing.

riot?

How is that possible!

He never expected that those weak goblins would actually jump out to resist, let alone that they would point their spearheads directly at him.

etc--

Where's the evidence? The Dragun family did mobilize their forces to poison the water source of the Goblin community. He knew this clearly... but how did those guys know it? !

But now is not the time to think, he must leave here immediately!

If he gets caught by those guys, then even if it wasn't him who did it, it would be considered as his doing!

He pushed the servant aside and ran as fast as he could, heading straight for the headquarters of the Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce along the narrow alley.

This three-story building is located in the core business district of Black Wind Castle. It is as solid as a towering fortress. However, facing the surging waves, the fortress is like a small boat sailing in a storm, floating in an uneasy atmosphere.

Groc ran all the way, pushed open the door of the Chamber of Commerce breathlessly, and hit the marble floor with a "bang". He rolled and crawled up, looking in a mess!

The staff in the hall were startled by his movements. They stopped what they were doing and looked terrified.

Grok had no time to pay attention to them. He held on to the wall to steady himself, his eyes went straight to the third floor, and he ran up with all his strength.

At the same time, on the third floor of the Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce, in front of the window of the president's office.

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Ye Ge, wearing a tuxedo, quietly gazed at the street outside the window.

The scene there was beyond his expectations.

On the dark street, densely packed goblins were holding crude weapons and roaring as they rushed towards the Chamber of Commerce. Their eyes were burning with anger, like an uncontrolled torrent, swallowing up everything that stood in their way.

Although the guards of the Chamber of Commerce were well-trained, they were completely unable to resist a riot of such scale, and their defense line was already shaky.

There were at least 50,000 goblins attacking them.

The goblins of Black Wind Castle have never been so united!

Ye Ge frowned, his eyes flashing with thought, and he muttered to himself in a low voice.

"This is not quite as planned."

The rebellion of Black Storm was part of the plan, but it should be the last step. The flames burned too fast, so fast that they were even beyond their expectations, so fast that he was caught off guard.

Before the mercenaries who were stationed in the goblin community to fan the flames could take action, the fire started on its own.

Not only that, the fire that was supposed to explode in disorder did not burn towards the Lord's Mansion as they expected, but instead swept straight towards the Chamber of Commerce Alliance.

Why? Ye Ge couldn't figure it out.

It is true that the people who poisoned were arranged by the Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce, but these irrational thugs should not know anything. How did they find this place?

The Dragun family had imagined many possibilities, including Luo Yan directly sending guards to suppress the rebellion, Luo Yan asking the Padrich family for more support, etc., but they never thought that the guy would take the lead in inciting rebellion in his own territory and control this force.

Just then, a terrified scream broke his thoughts and made him turn his head.

The president of the Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce, Grok, rushed in with sweat all over his forehead and despair in his eyes.

"Mr. Ye Ge... where are your people? We can't let them wait any longer. Now is the time to take action! Didn't you say you had planted some pawns in Black Wind Castle? How long are you going to wait?"

Looking at Grok who was wailing like a dead dog, Ye Ge's indifferent eyes contained a hint of scrutiny.

"We did plant some pawns in Black Wind Castle, but they were used to incite this chaos, and now this chaos is clearly beyond our control."

Grok was stunned on the spot, staring at him blankly, with his mouth open and unable to utter a word for a long time.

"Then...then what should we do?"

"Well, what should I do?"

Ye Ge repeated the question thoughtfully, then his eyes fell on Grok.

For a moment, Grok felt as if the blood in his body was frozen. His hands and feet trembled uncontrollably and felt vaguely cold.

He suddenly realized a possibility, and looking at Ye Ge standing by the window, panic flashed in his eyes.

"Wait, wait a minute...I...I'll think of another way. I still have a way!"

Looking at Grok who was struggling to death, Ye Ge sighed softly and spoke slowly under the horrified gaze.

"Mr. Grok, I'm very disappointed in you. We originally wanted you to be the true master of Black Wind Castle, but it seems you messed it up."

"No! Wait, it's not over yet! We can still think of other ways!" Grok fell to his knees and begged.

"It's too late."

Ye Ge extended his index finger expressionlessly, and casually pointed a red light, shooting towards Grok's head.

This chaos has gotten out of control, and the Chamber of Commerce Alliance may be uprooted by those angry goblins. The Demon King who condoned all this will definitely take this opportunity to completely eliminate the influence of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance in Black Wind Castle.

Now we can only pray that the chaos is big enough to affect the supply to the front line.

As for now——

Grok is the only one who has seen him and knows his identity, and any traces of the Dragun family's activities must be erased.

Then, just as the lightning-like red light was about to hit Grok's head, a huge axe blade suddenly hit the flashing red light head-on.

Ye Ge was slightly startled and took half a step to the side, but saw a huge air wave passing by and directly tearing half of the wall behind him.

The whistling dust dissipated, and a burly, muscular orc stood in front of him, grinning at him.

Looking at the seemingly familiar face, Ye Ge frowned and his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Glak... Blood Blade Demon General, I remember your name."

Grok, who was sitting on the ground, was so scared that he pissed himself. He looked at the guy whose name was only one syllable different from his own.

That terrifying pressure was not inferior to the platinum-level demon! This guy is also a platinum-level strongman! Grak spat, grinned, put the battle axe on his shoulder, and looked at the gargoyle in front of him provocatively.

"Heh, it's an honor that the servants of the Dragun family actually remember a small character like me."

"You are Reggie's old subordinate," Ye Ge raised his chin slightly and sneered, "Do you know who you are against?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Grak suddenly raised his head and laughed, looking straight into Ye Ge's eyes.

"It would be better if you didn't mention this. Do you know what kind of life I lived when I was under Reggie's command?"

Ye Ge smiled coldly.

"So you were bought like this? Where is the honor of the Blood Axe Clan—"

"Is a thief worthy of the word glory?" A cold and dark voice suddenly came from the side, which made Ye Ge, who was in good shape, feel cold in his heart.

A dagger was silently placed on his neck, and behind him was a pair of red eyes flashing ominously.

Thanos! The Shadow of Thundershire Labyrinth!

Ye Ge was suddenly startled, and all the magic power in his body was released to the surroundings like a tsunami.

The scorching flames swept through the entire office, tearing all the furniture into pieces with great force, and even blew off half of the roof.

Ye Ge exerted force with his legs and jumped into the air, spreading his wings behind him, ready to escape from this dangerous place.

However, just when he was about to succeed, black thorns suddenly wrapped around his ankles and pulled him to the ground.

The violent collision raised a huge cloud of dust on the street. Ye Ge rolled into the alley nearby in a panic, with a fierce light flashing in his burning pupils.

At this moment, a strange laugh came from the side, striking at his tense heartstrings.

“Hehehe…Is this the strength of the Dragun family? I feel like it’s just that good.”

Ye Ge quickly looked to one side of the alley and saw an enchanting figure standing there.

She had a charming face and pale skin. She wore a thin dark purple magic robe and held a shaped thorn in her hand, which looked like a magic wand and a whip. A bloodthirsty grin appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Black bat wings stretched out behind her, they were the wings of the pain demon!

“Blancia, the Thorn Demon General…”

After wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Ye Ge stood up from the ground and said in a cold voice.

"The Demon King of Thunder County is really good at tricks... When did you guys become so obedient?"

"That depends on who we work for and what kind of work we do." Blancia said slowly, with a charming smile on her face. "It's not easy to come to the Magic City. The respected lord is willing to invite us to come and play, so how could I refuse? Besides, we can also teach the people of the Dragun family a lesson."

Ye Ge's pupils contracted slightly.

Three platinum-level warriors, and each of them was as strong as him... This was completely beyond his expectations! It was even more beyond Elder Zakro's expectations!

That demon king was even crazier than he had imagined.

They planned to overturn the table, but they didn't expect that the other party was planning to blow up the house from the beginning.

A drop of cold sweat ran across his forehead. It was the first time in more than ten years that he felt death so close.

"Give up. You are no match for us, and the Dragun family behind you is even less likely to be our opponent. The moment you chose to take action in Black Wind Castle, you had already lost. The Demon King has long been eyeing every chess piece deployed here. Why don't you guess why we haven't taken any action?"

Thanos appeared on the other side of the alley, playing with the dagger in his hand, looking at Ye Ge who was already trapped in a jar, and spoke slowly.

"The Demon King is a magnanimous man. He has no interest in uprooting the Dragun family. On the contrary, he will liberate you from the hands of Kamu and that old stubborn man... I think this is also a good thing for you. Don't you feel disgusted to spend hundreds of years serving an old man who is getting crazier and crazier?"

As the most guilty guy among the four demon generals, he is also the most hardworking among all the demon generals.

After all, the reason why Luo Yan landed in Leiming City at that time was because of the teleportation array he drew.

However, the Demon King did not hold him accountable and allowed him to continue occupying the eighteenth floor of the maze as his own fiefdom.

He had never felt such great grace from Reggie Dragon.

Listening to Thanos' words, Ye Ge's bloodshot lips curled up into a sinister smile.

"Are you telling me to surrender?"

"Why not?" Thanos said expressionlessly, "Gargoyle meat doesn't taste good."

“Hehe…hahahaha!”

Ye Ge suddenly raised his head and laughed. His expression became ferocious in an instant. His swollen muscles tore his clothes apart, and his huge body like a griffin stretched out completely.

The surrounding buildings were crushed into pieces, and bean-sized stones flew out like cannonballs, falling on the street not far away without causing any waves.

"The only person I am loyal to is Elder Zakro!"

"Let me surrender——"

"dream!"

(End of this chapter)