Perro took a sip of black tea, leaned back in the plush Lord chair, and let out a long sigh.
More than two months have passed since he took over the Changge Fortress, and he has found himself growing increasingly fond of this hall. The stepped structure, which ascends in tiers, allows him to overlook the officials and attendants standing below from his vantage point in the main seat. This sense of wielding great power brings him profound satisfaction.
During the initial month, some minor nobles would still emerge to openly challenge him or secretly plot uprisings—though the masterminds behind these provocations were almost certainly from the prominent families of Milu and Benlang. Following his father's advice, Pei Luo had all the unruly commoners and underground rats, who held no titles, executed by hanging. The minor nobles with titles were imprisoned and expelled from the western borderlands after their families paid the ransom.
The swift implementation of these(thunderous measures) quickly stabilized the situation. After all, apart from the Jinyinhua family, the Knights of the other major families had been taken to Border Town, leaving them no option to openly resist Perro's policies. Later, he allocated a portion of the fortress's profits to compensate the major families for their losses during the arrests, temporarily forming a relatively stable interest group among all the Nobles.
Currently, the fortress's revenue is allocated as follows: 30% is remitted to Border Town, while the remaining 70% is distributed as follows: 30% funds the city's operations, 20% is used to appease the other major Nobles, and the final 20% goes to the Helmon Territory.
The portrait now displayed behind the Lord's throne has been replaced by the Fourth Prince Roland Wimbledon, who hopes to have his own portrait—Pero Helmon's—hung there someday.
If one could fully possess the Changge Fortress, their own earldom would merge with it, forming a genuine ducal domain. This would allow them to save half of the taxes and tributes, redirecting the remainder to the fortress's trade operations for greater returns.
Of course, provided that Roland can ascend the throne and become the ruler of all Graycastle.
"Sir," a guard entered the Lord's Hall and presented a letter, "it's from Border Town." The mere mention of Border Town sent Perro's body stiffening instantly.
He took the envelope, smoothed out the thin papyrus, and the poor quality of the paper made it clear the letter was from his spy planted in the serf corps.
The outcome of the battle over two months ago was utterly bizarre. Though Perro never went there himself, he heard a strange tale from his father. To uncover the reason for the Duke's defeat, he had his men in the small town arrange for many trusted confidants. These men disguised themselves as craftsmen, herders, or serfs, relaying every piece of intelligence they gathered back to the fortress.
He believes other families will do the same.
Yet to this day, apart from the two individuals disguised as serfs who continue to provide monthly updates, the craftsmen and herders have vanished without a trace.
Did they betray themselves, or were they all eliminated after Prince discovered them?
He shook his head and focused on the secret letter.
The letter was written in charcoal, its strokes uneven and some sections showing water stains, clearly scribbled in secret while working.
The first paragraph describes the construction of an iron tower with unspecified purpose along the Chishui River. Three massive iron tanks are stacked atop the towers, each nearly as tall as the fortress walls. The blacksmiths appear to have completed the towers in the town, transporting them as a single unit to the riverbank. The First Army soldiers will then erect barriers around the towers, which will miraculously rise the next day.
"Construction"... The same word again, Perro mused. The previous secret letter had echoed this sentiment. Intelligence suggested Prince was relentlessly building out the town—last time roads and bridges, now iron towers. Was His Highness determined to spend every last gold dragon plundered from the castle before he'd rest? And the iron tower's purpose remained unclear... After all, the spies hidden among the serfs weren't actual serfs but seasoned guards. Had it been a watchtower or an arrow tower, he'd have spotted it instantly.
The tower might still be unfinished, so it's hard to say for sure, Pei Luo said, shaking his head. Maybe we'll get more details next month.
He shifted his gaze to the next paragraph.
The letter stated that a large merchant fleet, after a week-long stay at the town's dock, departed eastward with unconfirmed affiliation. During the port call, massive quantities of ore ingots and saltpeter were unloaded from the ships.
Acquiring saltpeter is straightforward. As summer progresses into the second month, temperatures soar, and Castle's cooling system demands substantial saltpeter. It also cools wine and fruit juices. As a Noble, one would never want to sweat profusely all day, looking as pitiful as a farmer in the fields.
Yet the purchase of ore bars took Perro by surprise. Border Town was always known as a mining hub. He recalled how, during his previous visit as an envoy to the town under the Dark Moon, Roland Prince had exaggeratedly promised to double the ore exports. Now, not only were they not exporting ore, but they were even importing ore bars?
As he recalled the iron tower in the previous paragraph, standing as tall as the fortress walls, he found himself growing increasingly confused about what Your Royal Highness intended to do.
But when Pei Luo read the final paragraph of the secret letter, he froze in shock.
Border Town has staged several open-air theater performances in the square over the past two weeks.
The theater offered free admission, with plays whose titles were completely unknown, and even encouraged serfs to attend. What astonished him most was that the performers included Miss May, the Star of the Western Frontier, who had recently vanished without a trace!
What is this situation?
The disappearance of Mei has become a major news story at the recent theater. Several plays that were supposed to feature her as the lead actress had their female roles changed, prompting the Noble troupe to leave midway in protest. The theater was forced to issue an announcement stating that Mei had left without informing anyone and was currently untraceable. The news sent shockwaves through the Noble troupe, who are passionate about theater in the Western Region.
So she ended up in Border Town? No theaters there! And they were performing for commoners and serfs... Perro found it hard to imagine such a scene. In his mind, Miss May was never known for being approachable.
After much deliberation, he resolved to write a formal letter to RolandYour Highness to inquire about the matter. As a devoted theater enthusiast, he had not only missed the spectacular performances at West Star for an extended period but also had fewer chances to invite Sheryl. Since the plays were publicly staged in the town square, it was only natural that they might be noticed by the traveling merchant. Coincidentally, this merchant hailed from Long Song Fortress, which is how the news reached him. By this logic, the hidden personal guard within the serfs should not have been exposed.
As Perro was about to have his squire draft the letter, a Knight strode into the hall and cried, "Sir, the watchmen at the East Gate Tower have spotted a Knight unit approaching the fortress!" "A Knight? Can you tell where they're coming from?" He abruptly stood up.
"The other side is waving a flag with a tall tower and two guns, sir," Knight replied. "If they're not impersonating, they must be the new king's troops."