Chapter 003: Initial Alliance

“I’m actually worth an entire province? Not bad, not bad—so I’m quite valuable, huh?” Du Fan’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this news, but he quickly returned to his usual state, speaking casually and jokingly.
In truth, Du Fan was utterly shocked—of course, he believed Leoport wouldn’t joke about such a matter, as he still needed Du Fan’s help. And even if Duke Wade and the Lionheart Family hated Du Fan, they would never use an entire province as a bargaining chip. Someone must be manipulating Duke Wade behind the scenes, and Du Fan could easily guess who it was.
“If we cooperate, I can ensure you won’t be killed,” Leoport said calmly, still staring at his glass, as if discussing something trivial.
“If I kill Quested, I’ll die anyway. Why go to the trouble? I don’t want to die in such a pointless way,” Du Fan replied nonchalantly, as if talking about someone else’s affairs.
Frowning slightly, Leoport had no idea what Du Fan was thinking. He had intended to use this information to persuade Du Fan to kill Quested, but Du Fan seemed completely uninterested. “What exactly do you want?”
With no other choice, Leoport asked directly. Time was running out—tomorrow was the day to receive the gold coins and return to the Lanii Empire. He could no longer afford to delay.
Du Fan smiled without saying anything. He imitated Leoport’s earlier action, placing his glass in front of him and studying the dazzling light within it.
“An entire province—more than that, I can’t afford.” Leoport spoke these words as if expressing his frustration, then sighed in relief and leaned back in his chair.
From Leoport’s reaction, Du Fan knew this was his bottom line, and nothing more could be offered. After thinking for a moment, Du Fan said, “All the loot taken by the Lanii Empire’s troops from other provinces in the south must also be placed in Province Siluo.”
“Don’t be so extreme,” Leoport snapped, truly angered now. He had already given everything he had, yet Du Fan still wanted more supplies. After all, some of those troops belonged directly to the First Prince. Forcing them to hand over those supplies would expose Leoport’s collusion with the Gavin Empire.
“Many people call me despicable, but I’ve never admitted it—because I am indeed despicable.” With a laugh, Du Fan watched Leoport, whose face was filled with anger.

Furious, Leopold threw down his glass and paced back and forth in the private room, trying to vent his anger. Du Fan watched Leopold’s performance patiently, his eyes filled with mockery. He knew he had won this battle without bloodshed against the fifth prince of the Lani Empire. At this point, he was even eager to see this seemingly serious but actually naive fifth prince ascend to the throne of the Lani Empire—this way, he would be much easier to deal with than the first prince, whom he had never met.

“I can give you at most half; I can’t get the other half. That’s my limit,” Leopold said, panting after pacing around for a while before sitting down.

“Half? Oh heavens! The losses for our Gavin Empire will be enormous.” Du Fan pretended to be sad, shaking his head repeatedly.

Huh!

Upon hearing Du Fan’s words, Leopold felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. His eyes burned as he glared at Du Fan and roared, “Our Lani Empire has lost food, soldiers, gold coins—everything good has gone to you! And you still say the Gavin Empire suffers the greater loss? You…”

“Don’t get angry! I’m only sad for our empire, but I’m quite satisfied with myself,” Du Fan said jokingly, interrupting Leopold’s outburst and signaling him to calm down.

“Satisfied?” Leopold glared at Du Fan angrily. If possible, he would never work with him again. In his eyes, Du Fan was nothing but a devil—a ruthless one.

Still, Leopold was a prince, one who had grown up in scheming. Though enraged, he could still understand the meaning of Du Fan’s last words. Realizing Du Fan had agreed, his heart felt slightly better.

Thud!

Leopold took out a token-like object from his space ring and threw it angrily on the table. “This belongs to my inspection team. With this token, you can pass through the southern part of the Gavin Empire that we’ve occupied without being inspected. Remember, kill Quested in your Siluo Province—or all the terms will be void. When I bring my troops back, I’ll plunder your Siluo Province completely, leaving not a single one of your people alive.”

Leopold truly hated Du Fan now.

Smiling, Du Fan put the token back into his space ring and asked, “What about my province?”

Glancing at Du Fan with resentment, Leopold took out another parchment scroll from his space ring, laid it on the table, and pointed at a province near the east, saying, “This is the only province I can give you without raising suspicion.” Du Fan followed Leopold’s finger and saw that the province was located beneath the Dusk Mountains and was even smaller than the Siluo Province. Yet Du Fan said nothing more—having a province was already quite good, and such a terrain was exactly what he wanted. Leopold looked at Du Fan strangely, then at the His Province he had pointed to. He couldn’t believe that someone as cunning as Du Fan remained unimpressed by this map, rendering all the explanations he had prepared days earlier useless. Du Fan once again reclined comfortably in his chair and said, “I’m afraid you might die of anger before Quested dies. Hehe, I’ll spare you this time, but you won’t be so lucky next time.” Du Fan also noticed Leopold’s suspicion and sighed. He had no other choice but to explain this way—he truly didn’t understand why he had to hide his intentions whenever he wanted something. It was at this moment that Du Fan felt exhausted from living; he really wished to return to his own territory, where he wouldn’t have to worry about everything. Leopold breathed a sigh of relief. At this point, he no longer cared about Du Fan’s motives—as long as Du Fan was satisfied, he was happy. “Our army will gather in the Val Province and then retreat to the Lani Empire, which may take a week. Quested, who is responsible for transporting the gold coins, will stop nowhere and head straight to the Lani Empire. You just need to kill him before our army returns.” Calming himself down, Leopold calmly outlined the plan he had devised. “I am the southern envoy. I will go to the Val Province with you.” “Then who will kill Quested?” Leopold’s temporarily calm mood was disrupted again by Du Fan. He didn’t understand why this man always acted unpredictably. If he really went back to the Val Province with him, Quested would have already returned to the Lani Empire by then. “I will do what I promise. You don’t need to worry about that,” Du Fan replied coldly before turning and leaving the private room. The streets of the capital were bustling with people, untouched by the wars in the south. Du Fan walked alone on the streets, looking back at the place where he had grown up with nostalgia.

“Duke Du Fan?” Just as Du Fan unconsciously walked toward the chapel, a voice sounded behind him. Turning around, he immediately saw the person calling his name. “Hello, Archbishop Anthony,” Du Fan said respectfully, bowing slightly. “Why do you have time to come to the chapel today, Duke Du Fan? Shouldn’t you be preparing to take up your post in the Siluo Province?” Archbishop Anthony radiated a holy glow as he looked at Du Fan kindly. Du Fan wasn’t surprised to hear that Anthony knew his whereabouts—after all, the Church’s followers were everywhere, as Du Fan well understood. “Archbishop, perhaps I’ve developed feelings for the chapel, that’s why I found myself here without realizing it.” Lying wasn’t difficult for Du Fan, not even when facing Anthony. With a chuckle, Archbishop Anthony said, “I’m afraid it’s because Prince Fisher wants to kill you—that’s what’s troubling you.” Huh! Du Fan was stunned. He had just learned this news himself, and Prince Fisher had carried out this plan in complete secrecy. If Archbishop Anthony could learn of it so quickly, then his source of information must be extremely powerful. At this moment, Du Fan had to reassess the Church’s influence. “Duke Du Fan, don’t be afraid. This was reported by a believer in the palace. I only learned of it just now. But their attempt to assassinate you is utterly unacceptable. So I came out immediately to arrange something to help you.” “Thank you, Archbishop Anthony. Du Fan thanks the Light God for His grace.” Damn it, Du Fan had once again acted like a swindler, and that too in front of the greatest swindler of all. “Well, there are still some matters to handle in the Church. Don’t worry. The Church will always help those who believe in it.” Archbishop Anthony smiled mysteriously before turning and entering the chapel. With Archbishop Anthony’s promise, Du Fan’s mood improved greatly. He knew that if the Church decided to protect someone, no one would dare to offend them, not even Prince Fisher. … … “Mother, I’ll be taking up my post in my province tomorrow. Unless summoned by Prince Fisher, I’m not allowed to return to the capital on my own. Please take good care of yourself and don’t worry about me.” Back at the duke’s residence, Du Fan first went to his wife’s room. He truly wished the best for his adoptive mother, who loved him dearly.

“Hmm! You are alone out there, and as the lord of a province, you must be careful in everything. But I believe you will bring a happy life to your people.” The duchess gently stroked Du Fan’s head sitting beside her and gave him earnest instructions.