Chapter 527: Conspiracy by the River
TL: Rui88
The moon hung high in the sky. A man, completely wrapped in a cloak, walked silently along the Weiss River. He watched the quietly flowing river as he went, occasionally glancing back in the opposite direction from which he walked. The not-yet-extinguished lights of Lakeheart Town were receding in the distance.
He gradually walked to a shallow shoal where a huge rock came into view. This boulder was embedded at the junction of the land and the river, half on land and half in the water.
A man sat on the boulder, holding a fishing rod, waiting intently for a fish to bite. It was indeed a good place for fishing.
The cloaked man moved closer to the boulder. Although the rock was large, it was not high. He stepped on the smaller, scattered rocks beside it and got onto the boulder, sitting down next to the man who was fishing.
The cloaked man asked, “How many fish have you caught today?”
The fisherman waved his hand and sighed deeply, “Heh, don’t mention it. Not a single bite. I did catch a turtle, but I threw it back.”
Afterwards, the two fell into silence. The fisherman continued to wait for a fish to bite, while the cloaked man stared blankly at the moon’s reflection in the water.
After an unknown amount of time, the cloaked man finally spoke, “Is everything finalised on your end?”
The fisherman nodded. “It’s finalised.”“Then I’ll go back and inform the old men. By the way, can you tell me the specifics? Oh, I’m not doubting your abilities, but it’s always good to have one more person thinking it over.”
“There’s nothing to hide; we’re in the same boat now, anyway. Next month, the Lakeheart Town garrison will go to Emden for training drills. It’s also the time when the nearby militia comes to Lakeheart Town for training. We’ll use the militia to start the uprising.”
“The militia? Can’t you pull together a proper army? Make an excuse to the higher-ups and keep a detachment behind?”
“It’s not as simple as you think. The higher-ups have a very tight control over the standing army. At least, with my current status, I can’t command even a single soldier.”
The fisherman twitched his fishing rod and said with a mocking tone, “Is that so? The folks back home all think you’ve become a high official under the lord.”
The cloaked man ignored his mockery and said calmly, “The system of the Alda army is very complex, with a very clear division of powers and responsibilities internally. It can’t be explained in just a few words. Besides, the officers and soldiers of the standing army are not… not easy to fool. The militia, who are not familiar with the army’s various regulations, are easier to incite.”
“Alright!” The fisherman shrugged. “As long as you can complete your part of the task, that’s all that matters.”
“What about your side?”
“Everything is arranged.”
“I must remind you!” the cloaked man said very seriously, “You must take the advice I gave you seriously. You must seize the communication relay stations at the earliest opportunity.”
“Relax, relax! I’ll go back and pass on your reminder again!”
The fisherman made a gesture as if to say everything was fine, but it was hard to know if he had really taken it to heart.
The cloaked man said with some concern, “If you let the Count slip out of your control, he can immediately summon the armies loyal to him from all over. The small fire we’ve started here will be quickly extinguished.”
“Haha!” The fisherman let out a soft laugh. “Don’t worry, the old men have also invited powerful outside help.”
“Outside help?” The cloaked man was very astonished.
“Many people out there have been coveting the wealth Count Grayman has amassed over the years! A certain neighbouring lord…forgive me for not revealing his name right now, you’ll find out when the time comes…and some of Emden’s vassal lords, they are very interested in many of the things the Count has in his possession.”
“You… you’ve actually colluded with outsiders? Aren’t you afraid of letting in a hungry wolf?”
“A hungry wolf? Paul Grayman is the hungry wolf. Look at how he’s bled us dry. The other lords are the envoys of justice coming to save us.”
“You… sigh, alright then.”
The cloaked man sighed helplessly and lowered his head.
“Besides!” the fisherman continued to persuade him, “With the support of other lords, the matter of the heir can also proceed more smoothly. As for how to explain this matter to the Duke of the Northwest and the royal family, we’ll let that lord handle the communication.”
The cloaked man raised his head. “Speaking of the heir, who have you chosen? You should send him to Lakeheart Town in the next few days.”
The fisherman shook his head. “Although the direct line of the Grayman family is small, over these hundreds of years, the branch families have spread far and wide. Deciding which branch will inherit the domain is truly a headache.”
The cloaked man was both shocked and angry. “The uprising is about to happen, and you’re still dragging your feet on such an important issue? What are you people doing? Without an heir, even if you control every aspect of Lakeheart Town, you’ll have no official legitimacy. How can you proceed afterwards? If there’s no new lord on the throne, the lords who are on good terms with the Count will immediately suppress us as a rebellion.”
The fisherman chuckled. “It is precisely because it’s an important issue that we must choose carefully. Who will inherit the domain? Of course, whoever promises more benefits will inherit it. Don’t worry, we will definitely send the person to you before we make our move.”
He glanced at the cloaked man and nudged him lightly with his elbow. “I can hear that there’s still guilt in your words. Why?”
The cloaked man lowered his head again. Because it was night and he was wearing a hood, the fisherman could not see his expression.
“I… after all, I swore an oath to Count Grayman.”
“Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!” The fisherman was amused. “Do you really think of yourself as one of the Count’s knights?”
“The Count’s demands on us are even higher than on his knights. To be honest, if it weren’t for my family, I would be very willing to serve Count Grayman. The Count… has let me know many things I never knew before. Perhaps you, living in the countryside, don’t know just how many incredible changes have occurred in all of Alda… no, in the entire Northwest Bay, because of Count Grayman.”
“Oh, I can feel a little of it. There hasn’t been a flood back home for two years. We have to thank Grayman for building the reservoirs and dams. And during droughts, we can use the water from the reservoirs for irrigation. Hey, you know what? He even paid wages when building the reservoirs. If you ask me…”
The fisherman sneered. “He’s a fucking idiot… He’s a magnificent lord of a domain, for crying out loud.”
The cloaked man looked at the fisherman, completely speechless. For a moment, he actually felt that he had made the wrong decision.
He suddenly reached out and gripped the fisherman’s arm, squeezing it very tightly.
“Please take my words back with you. When the time comes, please don’t let Count Grayman’s passing be too painful.”
“Don’t worry!” The fisherman removed his hand with his other hand and said with a cold smile, “It’ll just be for a moment. Our lord…allow me to call him that one last time…won’t suffer for long. He will soon return to the embrace of the Lord of Light.”