...
Huoferde. Kuiyin, holding a wine glass, stood in front of the room's French window, gazing at the city shrouded in the night.
This was the heart of Dawn, also known as the City That Never Sleeps. Lights extended from Asahi Avenue as the center, stretching out to both sides like a lush tree of light. And at the tree's apex was the kingdom's most famous department store, where countless treasures flowed in from all over, and for merchants, the night was when their lives began.
To maintain this dazzling brilliance, the capital consumed an astonishing amount of candles, firewood, and lamp oil every day, with fish oil from the eastern seaports and firewood from the northern hills being transported into the city by ships. This industry alone conservatively supported nearly ten thousand people and over a hundred merchants.
And this was just a corner of the capital's commercial trade.
Normally, Huoferde's greatest pleasure was admiring the night view of Radiant City – this city, under the joint governance of the Moa royal family and the three great families, had transformed from a desolate land into the now-famous prosperous place, and his ancestors had contributed to it.
But today, he felt inexplicably weary.
The night view of Radiant City looked as it always did, still dazzling and moving, but outside the range that the tree of light could illuminate, the undercurrents could no longer be ignored.
Even facing such brightly lit territory, he felt a strong sense of unease.
Perhaps I'm really getting old... Huoferde took a small sip of wine, the bitterness in his mouth seeming to outweigh the sweetness.
"Father," the door was pushed open, and a young man walked in, "Baron Alphonse of Northwind City wants to visit you."
"No," Huoferde said without turning his head, "Tell him I'm sick."
"But..." He hesitated for a moment, then waved to the old butler beside him.
The latter immediately nodded understandingly and turned to leave the room.
Seeing that only the two of them were left in the room, the man said with some concern, "Father, this is the twelfth noble you've refused. Even I know that something's wrong with the one in the palace. The purpose of these out-of-town nobles entering the city is already clear. If you do this, I'm afraid they'll misunderstand..."
"Misunderstand what?"
"Misunderstand..." He bit his lip, "That you're still on Anpeiyin. Moa's side."
"Huoen..." Count Kuiyin turned around, frowning as he looked at the designated heir of the Kuiyin family, "Do you think it's wrong for the three great families of Radiant City to stand on the side of the Lord of Dawn!"
"But now His Majesty no longer needs us," Huoen said courageously, "He hasn't consulted you on political affairs since the army suffered a crushing defeat at Hermes! As the Chief Minister, you can't even step into the palace, and even the outer city patrol has been replaced by mercenaries. Look at the kind of people the King summons to the castle every day – he only needs clowns, actors, and singers now!"
The Earl did not answer, but looked at his wine glass in silence.
Huoen was only ten years old, and even he could see what the influx of nobles to the capital meant, and other local nobles couldn't possibly have noticed no changes. In fact, when he learned of the defeat of the army, he anticipated this day's arrival – an army of over ten thousand people, with lords from most towns participating, hoping to scrape off a piece of meat from the soon-to-fall giant. However, the end result was that not only did everyone not get any wealth, but they also lost their fortunes and lives.
If that were all, it would be fine, but the key was that the Lord of Dawn had returned alive, while his Knights had been almost entirely wiped out. When Anpeiyin returned to the capital in a disheveled state, the news spread like wildfire. This was equal to simultaneously fulfilling two conditions – someone needed to be held responsible for this failure and the unfulfilled promises; and the power that Anpeiyin possessed was no longer enough to dispel the restless thoughts of other nobles.
These nobles who quietly entered the city and then visited at night were a clear signal. They undoubtedly wanted to see the reaction of the three great families before deciding whether to attach themselves or unite – but there was definitely no answer among them that would be to maintain the status quo.
Huoferde could guess what those people were thinking with his eyes closed. Since they had lost so much at Hermes, they naturally had to find other places to make up for it.
"Father," seeing that he wasn't speaking, Huoen became anxious, "It's not ten years ago, and Anpeiyin. Moa is no longer that Moa Emperor. Look at the Losi family! Otto. Losi is still locked up in the palace! You are the Chief Minister and have extremely high prestige among the people. As long as you stand up and bring the other two great families together, those nobles will definitely follow you!"
"Stand up?" Count Kuiyin's eyes narrowed, his tone carrying a hint of danger.
"Uh..." Huoen was immediately choked. He lowered his head in fear, muttering as if answering and defending himself, "You don't really have to stand on Anpeiyin's side, do you? Otherwise, why would you call yourself sick and unable to see anyone? If it were the old king, you would personally persuade those nobles to prioritize the stability of the kingdom."
Huoferde sighed lightly at these words. He was still too young, after all, "Even so, do you think Anpeiyin. Moa can't see this?"
"What?" Huoen was stunned.
"I bet there are several pairs of eyes staring at us outside the mansion right now, including who I meet and where I go, Anpeiyin must know it all." The Earl returned to the table and sat down, "Guess what he would do to me if I met those nobles? Don't forget that even if he lost the entire Knights, his control over the capital wouldn't weaken much. From the day Anpeiyin ascended the throne, he began to replace the guards and castle guards! Openly rebel under the other's nose? Do you think those lords would raise an army to save me when he puts the noose around my neck?" He couldn't help but slam the table in indignation, "Why is it that to this day, it's always the nobles from out of town who come to me, and not the Losi and Tokat families, do you understand now!"
Huoen gasped, "Then why don't you go back to the territory first? At least there are your knights and mercenaries, plus the conscripted serfs. Even if he wants to harm you..."
The Earl shook his head, "The Kuiyin family has been rooted here for too long. Branches, distant relatives, industries, forces... Even if I can leave the city quietly, I can't take everyone with me. As long as there's any trouble, they won't have a good end. I can't make such a rash move. In fact, my staying in Radiant City is a guarantee in itself. Claiming illness and refusing to see people is the limit I can express. Other than that, there's nothing more I can do."
Being closely connected to the capital, which was once the family's pride, had now become his fatal weakness, which was undeniably ironic.
"Is that so... But I don't think so." At this moment, a strange voice suddenly rang out outside the door.
Huoferde's expression changed drastically. The speaker was obviously not a servant or guard of the mansion, otherwise they wouldn't have made such an offensive move, and the butler should have been guarding outside the door. Why was there no reaction outside when this person spoke?
"Who is it!" Huoen was equally shocked. He turned around in panic, trying to find a weapon to defend himself, but in the end he could only pick up a candlestick.
"It's me," the door opened in response, and what appeared before Huoferde. Kuiyin was a blond woman who was both strange and familiar, "Do you remember me? Earl."
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