NOVPUBChapter 289: Chapter 274: Duke Ward is Blamed Again!_2
As for the newly acquired specialty “Provoker,” Lis thought the skill was quite bizarre.
Increase movement speed?
Was it because he feared being beaten to death after provoking others, so it allowed him to run a bit faster?
Moreover, as a loyal, reliable, and honest young man who treated people peacefully, how could I possibly be a provoker?
Lis shook his head and then pulled a mattress out of his storage ring, casually lying down on the ground.
Tonight’s maneuvers had drained all of Lis’s energy, just carefully observing all the golden strong men present, ensuring they didn’t notice his outwardly strong but inwardly dry disguise, was enough to test his spirit resilience!
...
Those were double-digit golden strong men, it was good that he had fooled them from the start!
Otherwise, if they really teamed up against him, Lis would have had to choose to flee!
Ice Peak City must be bustling now!
But that’s none of my business anymore!
Lis soon fell asleep, and the hidden refuge beneath the ice plains returned to darkness and tranquility.
—————–
Unlike the departing Lis, Ice Peak City and Ice Castle Palace were bustling at the moment.
Squads of soldiers were setting out from the barracks, quickly heading to various key locations in Ice Peak City, creating a grim and stern atmosphere.
Ice Peak City, already tense from the recent explosion at the Galsa Warehouse, suddenly entered a wartime state.
The normally sparsely populated streets at night were now completely deserted, and occasionally a pair of eyes peeked out from the windows of the houses lining the roads.
Inside Ice Castle Palace, many guards were intensifying their patrols, not overlooking any suspicious spots.
“Northern Fury” had vanished from the scene after withstanding the “Top High Energy Bomb.”
However, all the royal retainers present knew this legendary figure stationed at the palace; his appearance was no surprise.
Everyone present still felt a bit shaken, the shock that the black-robed man who called himself Moriarty left was profound.
Not to mention his unpredictable and mysterious moves, the grand blue meteor shower and the terrifyingly powerful golden pillar of light alone were enough to make them wary of the mastermind Moriarty.
The flattened central tower in the palace still showed the horror of that golden column.
“Lord Abbas, His Majesty the King summons you.”
A court servant approached the grim-faced Abbas and spoke respectfully.
“Okay.”
Abbas was momentarily stunned, then accepted, following the servant deeper into the palace.
This time, King Lukar didn’t receive him in the high study of the palace but in a location underground.
Abbas gently knocked on the solid door and, after receiving permission, pushed it open and walked in.
This was right beneath Ice Castle Palace, the core protected by a magic array, the solid walls around blocked any outsider’s prying eyes.
Abbas entered, bowing respectfully to King Lukar, who was seated in the main seat.
Meanwhile, chief kingdom ministers, including Anna, were also present.
Although underground, the room was luxuriously decorated, clearly a prepared safe location.
“Abbas has arrived, sit!”
Lukar looked up, smiling as he spoke.
Abbas nodded respectfully, carefully sitting on the sofa at the end, his armor clinking.
There was no help for it; everyone here was of higher status than him.
“Abbas, I called you here just to confirm something.”
Lukar tapped the table with his left hand, looking seriously at Abbas in his armor.
“That Moriarty, is he the one who destroyed West Castle?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Though Abbas didn’t want to recall that painful time, at the moment, he could only nod gravely.
“That was my first time seeing that person. He claimed to be Moriarty from the Death Secret Cult, always appearing in a black robe, a pale middle-aged man, but it’s uncertain if that’s his real face.”
“Death Secret Cult… Moriarty…”
Lukar muttered grimly.
The last time he received news of the destruction at West Castle, he noticed Moriarty, but back then he thought it was likely a counterstrike from the Feis Kingdom and didn’t pay it much attention.
Engaging and attacking the Feis Kingdom would surely bring a lot of losses and pain, all of which he was aware of.
But he never imagined that Moriarty would go to such an extent, brazenly attacking Ice Peak City and Ice Castle Palace, which was practically a direct declaration of war against Dillon Kingdom.
So now Lukar was somewhat undecided.
If Moriarty really was a scheme by the Feis Kingdom, they wouldn’t provoke and challenge Dillon Kingdom like this.
Currently, most of the power of the Feis Kingdom was invested in the war against Boditch Kingdom, and they couldn’t afford to open another battlefield in the north.
If the king of Feis Kingdom were still rational, even knowing that he was preparing to invade, the worst he could expect was the destruction of those two castles in Luoxue Mountain Range.
Moriarty and his so-called Death Secret Cult acted like lunatics, completely disregarding the consequences, similar to the followers of the Evil God Church who adore chaos and blood.
“Death Secret Cult… Is there such an organization?”
Not just Abbas, all the ministers present shook their heads.
Even though their families had been nobles in the kingdom for generations, they had never heard of this organization.
“From the name, it sounds like an organization that worships deities of the death god system, but the current death god system is always low-key, and I’ve never heard of any organizations related to the Death Secret Cult.”
Military Minister Amang Cardan was a strong and domineering elderly man, whose gray hair belied the confidence and power he radiated.
“I see.”
Although Lukar had some understanding of extraordinary forces, most of it was about the True God Church, and he knew quite little about other extraordinary organizations.
“Abbas, how powerful is this Moriarty?”
Lukar thought for a moment, continued to ask Abbas, and added another comment.
“Lord Whitman has already told me, the final golden pillar of light wasn’t Moriarty’s own power, but the effect of a powerful magic item.”
Relieved, Abbas let out a breath. If that terrifying golden light was also a technique of Moriarty, he truly would not have the courage to face Moriarty again.
“He must have a very strong Gold-level Mage, although his aura seems very strange.”
“But there’s no doubt about his power, and he must have some kind of bursting technique, otherwise I can’t figure out those dozens of blue meteors were his own power.”
Abbas spoke seriously, but the more he did, the more he felt that Moriarty was a peculiar man.
“Your Majesty, back when we were at West Castle, Moriarty finally told me we would meet again in Ice Peak City, I didn’t take it seriously at the time, now it seems he must have planned all this in advance.”
“Is that so?”
Lukar’s expression darkened, these facts all suggested that the Death Secret Cult was indeed directly targeting and provoking Dillon Kingdom.
Could this be a strategy of the Feis Kingdom, to tie down his resources and delay his invasion as much as possible.
Too many possibilities, this gave Lukar a headache.
This issue was very serious and could even affect the prestige of the kingdom.
“Do any of you have thoughts on this?”
Lukar looked at the others present.
Anna remained silent for a while before speaking,
“Either way, whatever Moriarty has done, the goal must be to cause chaos in Ice Peak City.”
“I don’t know if the explosion at West Warehouse a few days ago was related to them, but I think it deserves more attention.”
“Especially whether there’s any connection between the Death Secret Cult and Duke Ward.”
Duke Ward!
Suddenly, Lukar realized that this was a very real possibility!
If that was the case, then attacks on West Castle and assaults on Ice Peak City and Ice Castle Palace were all to help alleviate pressure on Duke Ward!
Damn Death Secret Cult!
Damn Duke Ward!
Unbeknownst to Duke Ward, once again a huge blame was being pinned on him.
