Work Prophet

The intelligence revealed by Ivan had everyone in the hall excited—if they could take Rock Snow City without shedding blood, it would be more than ideal.

Although they had secured a great victory in the previous battle, they also lost several thousand men, and now, they barely had twenty thousand soldiers at their disposal.

Without the help of the White Dragon, it would be somewhat difficult to take Rock Snow City with just these few men.

While everyone was discussing hotly, the former head of intelligence raised his voice slightly and spoke again.

"Conquering Rock Snow City is easy, but have any of you considered to whom it should be handed over?"

As Ivan finished speaking, the hall became quiet once again.

The former head of intelligence scanned the crowd and continued in an unhurried manner, "The Figrola family has been dishonorable, and besides, Clovis has already accepted the Wing Clan's demand to change fiefs, voluntarily giving up their lands in the West. Many nobles were present at that time and can testify to this.

"Therefore, strictly speaking, Rock Snow City now has no master."

"Then it can continue to remain masterless," someone suggested.

However, Ivan shook his head and said, "Rock Snow City is home to more than a hundred thousand people. Currently, order is maintained by the Figrola family, but once they are driven out and if there's no new ruler, the city will soon descend into chaos. Also…"

"Also what?"

"If you wish to reclaim the West, you don't necessarily need to rely solely on military force. As far as I know, most of the lords in the West sided with the Wing Clan not only because they feared the Wing Clan's army and dragons, but also because they lacked a true leader.

"Clovis should have been that person, but regrettably, he has already led the Figrola family in pledging loyalty to Solomon early on, further increasing the lords' fear…"

Ivan stopped speaking abruptly there.

The former head of intelligence knew the principle of not going too far, his purpose having already been fulfilled, he punctured the veil in front of everyone—the rest was no longer his concern.

Sure enough, shortly after he stepped back, someone stood up and said, "Who says we don't have a real leader? Sir Irelia is a true leader.

"She is a Dragon Slayer Hero personally knighted by Edward II, and had saved the West more than once before. Now, she has led us to defeat the Wing Clan's army, proving she has sufficient capability and courage to defend this land.

"If she can replace Clovis as the new ruler of the West, then I believe those lords who were momentarily misguided will come back to their senses."

"Exactly, I can't think of anyone other than Sir Irelia who is qualified to be the new ruler of the West," echoed another promptly.

With someone taking the lead, the nobles in the hall began to speak one after another, with most in favor of Irelia replacing Clovis as the master of the West.

Even if a few had other ideas, at most they remained silent.

This made Miss Rabbit somewhat astonished—as not long ago, many were still fiercely debating over the ownership of Rock Snow City, but now they unanimously wanted to hand the city over to her.

The Lady glanced at Ivan, who had retreated to a corner. Had this man perceived something?

Seeing the young woman looking towards him, Ivan bowed slightly—a gesture of respect. As the former head of intelligence, Ivan indeed had an insight into the human heart that surpassed that of ordinary people.

In fact, in Ivan's view, after the Resistance Army had defeated the army of Trista and those three hundred Wing Clan Warriors, there wasn't much suspense as to who the new ruler of the West would be.

It was just that Miss Rabbit had not yet made a statement, causing others to continue "waiting", unclear whether she had any other arrangements or concerns.

It wasn't until someone broached the topic that people began voicing their opinions.

Just as a noble named Geoffrey had previously stated, with Irelia's contributions and prestige in the West, only if she became the new ruler of this land could the nobles who had once followed Solomon possibly reconsider their stance.

As for other candidates, they were obviously not comparable to the Lady.

As the voices hoping she would become the ruler of the Western dominion grew louder, Miss Rabbit couldn't help but be heartily tempted.

Although she had always felt that Green Field was quite nice, it did not mean she lacked ambition completely. Even if it were merely from the perspective of making money, owning a large tract of land obviously brought in more than having just a small plot.

Becoming the new ruler of the West would also help Li Yu, allowing the Double Rest Sect to further develop and grow, completely replacing the Silver Moon Church as the largest, or even the only, sect in these lands.

Therefore, when everyone's gaze focused on her, the young girl only hesitated briefly before decisively saying,

"All right, since everyone trusts me this much, I will shoulder this responsibility. I will defend the land left by our ancestors and drive out all invaders from here."

No sooner had her voice fallen than there was another voice, "Lady Ireya, have you not forgotten something?"

The Lady looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Lord Wild with grey mane.

She first paused, then realized, "Lord Wild, you are not from the Western lands, but since you have joined our alliance, I certainly have not forgotten the oath we made. Once the battles here are over, I will immediately lead people to help you reclaim Greenhorn Corner."

Wild was satisfied upon hearing this.

"I am reassured by your promise."

At that moment, someone else asked, "Lady Ireya, what do you plan to do with those Lords who wish to come back to our side?

"I mean, it would be great to regain the West with as little fighting as possible, especially since many people have already perished from each household, but compared to those among us who surrendered to Solomon, they, despite being cowardly and afraid of death, have preserved their families and lands.

"By comparison, our losses are greater and our casualties are higher."

"I understand what you want to say, Lord Lavole," the young girl pondered, "If we confiscate the lands of those who wavered before, they surely will not be content, and we will probably end up fighting anyway.

"So, I plan to have them cede a portion of their land and pay a sum in reparations. We can discuss the exact amount later. We can also accept them back if they agree to these terms.

"Afterwards, these lands and reparations will be distributed according to military achievements to compensate everyone for their losses."

"But as far as I know, many are now out of money. Solomon had those who surrendered offer up all their wealth," Fabrice chimed in.

"They can write an IOU first and repay it gradually," Kamzi shrugged.

Though not entirely satisfied with the outcome, after much consideration, it seemed there were no better alternatives.

Just then, the Lady suddenly said, "If anyone is truly short on money, you can apply for a reconstruction fund with me."

"What is a reconstruction fund?" someone curiously inquired.

"Prophet Merlin and I plan to each lend out a hundred thousand Gold Lions for people to borrow at very low interest, roughly lending ten gold coins, and by next year only one extra silver coin will be owed in return."

Many were tempted by these words, for the interest rate was indeed low. According to the usual loan interest rates on the Bratis Continent, borrowing ten gold coins would typically require the repayment of three additional gold coins the following year.

Rounded up, borrowing from the Lady was nearly the same as receiving free money.

Consequently, many started cheering, and Miss Rabbit hastily added, "Well, let me clarify that this money can only be used for the reconstruction of territories. I will appoint inspectors to check the accounts later, and the loans will not be without a time limit."

Her main worry was that seeing the deal as an opportunity, everyone would come to her for a loan, depleting the funds before those Lords who truly needed money could borrow any.

Yet even so, it didn't prevent the excitement from growing. With morale high, they discussed how to intimidate Vierstein, so he would willingly give up Rock Snow City and finally set a date for the army to march once again.

As other people gradually left the hall and the captives who had been brought out for questioning were escorted back to their cells, Ivan was the last to be taken away, his expression slightly downcast.

However, by the next afternoon, the dungeon guard woke him up again, informing him that Ireya wanted to see him once more.