Darkstone Code

Chapter 1255 - 1254: Very Clean

"Burned?"

When Duke Phoenix first heard this news, his immediate reaction was that both the young Count and Lynch were incredibly bold.

This was no longer the Middle Ages, where noble disputes were often settled through war. He had thought that both sides would only engage in small skirmishes for a while.

Unexpectedly, their first move was so terrifying.

He took off his glasses and looked out at the sky, feeling a bit dazed.

He remembered... it should have only been right after dinner, so why was the sky so dark and oppressive?

He took out a pocket watch encrusted with many gemstones and handmade by a famous watchmaker to check the time; it was already close to nine o’clock.

For Duke Phoenix, he might have just lowered his head to deal with one issue, or perhaps hadn’t dealt with any at all.

When he looked up again, it was already nine o’clock.

While lamenting how fast time flew, he leaned back against the chair and asked somewhat tiredly, "Did the fire department go?"

"They did!"

The butler truthfully answered his question.

The Duke’s Excellency then asked, "How many people died?"

His tone carried some undisguisable sarcasm. In his view, there surely were casualties, and quite a few.

If not handled well, this could become an international laughingstock and expose some fundamental aspects of Gafura that they most wanted to keep hidden from the world.

Of course, this was also the reason Duke Phoenix could cease his mediation, for as long as one side went too far, he had reason to forcibly end this "war."

He could even use the pressure of international opinion to outright eliminate one side!

It’s unjust for all the Gafura people to suffer from the malicious speculations of the international community due to the actions of a few.

This was a good opportunity. As long as there were casualties, the Secretariat would have the appropriate evidence to order the judiciary to investigate, arrest, and judge the case.

The butler’s lips moved slightly, "Sir, no one died."

"Before burning it down, they drove everyone out; they only burned an empty house and the valuable things inside."

Duke Phoenix was a bit surprised but felt that this fit the behavior pattern of nobles.

"And Kipling’s group, did they just watch their property burn?"

The butler’s face held a restrained smile; you could tell he was smiling, but if you ignored his eyes, you’d find that his facial expression didn’t actually have a smile in it.

A pair of eyes full of wisdom that spoke volumes!

"Of course, they wouldn’t do that. The young Count and Lynch arranged another group that blocked them in their homes."

"Sir, there are other matters I feel I should inform you about."

Duke Phoenix nodded, "I’m listening."

"When the young Count’s men made their move, they raised their banners..."

This time Duke Phoenix was genuinely stunned by this news!

"Raised banners?"

He asked again, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, many people saw it!"

Banners are not something to be used at just any time; the noble banner represents the core of a family, usually appearing alongside the patriarch or key family members.

And most frequently during external warfare!

Internally, they rarely do so; there’s no need to make their own subjects tremble under the knife in their hands!

Where there are banners, there is inevitably war.

Duke Phoenix drew in a sharp breath, scratching his scalp; the tingling sensation didn’t make him feel any more comfortable, "This is troublesome now."

The room fell silent again after this sentence.

This was a true declaration of war. In past times, the Middle Ages or even ancient times, this would signify that war between two noble houses had commenced.

They would gather their forces and fight fiercely on the lands between their territories until one side was captured or surrendered.

Then they would pay ransom or reparations to end the war and start gathering strength for the next one.

Actually, for an elder like Duke Phoenix, seeing young nobles still full of blood and courage was quite a good thing, only they erupted at a very inopportune time.

After a while, he shook his head, "Forget it, let them handle it how they want."

"Pass on a message for me; tell them not to drag the innocent into it or cause any terrible casualties. Whoever turns this into a scandal will be the first to be ousted!"

As the butler went to deliver the message, Kipling and the old nobles finally broke through the black-clad men blocking them and arrived at the leather shop.

What used to be the pride of the old nobility, upon looking at it now, the old nobleman for the first time understood what it meant to want to cry from the pain inside, yet have no tears.

His eyes were bloodshot, likely due to high blood pressure; the blood vessels in the whites of his eyes were more engorged than ever before.

The fire had mostly burned out, with a dozen fire engines continuously pouring water into it, and finally, the fire was under control.

The smell of charred remains, the strange odor of burnt leather, and the residual heat from the ground.

Just approaching the fire scene, you could feel that the temperature here was significantly higher than elsewhere. Every time cold water was poured into the fire, a wave of heat would rush out from within.

Those standing closer had to take a few steps back!

Undoubtedly, there’s nothing left inside!

The old noble clenched his fists tightly, turned his head to glance at the expressionless Kipling, and gritted his teeth.

"This is a war, and now, the war has begun!"

Initially, he didn’t intend to say this; he wanted to curse Kipling, but he quickly realized that doing so was meaningless and might create a rift between him and Kipling.

What he needed to do now was to unite all forces and retaliate!

The events of this night had spread across the entire Main Island before ten o’clock, and even the Emperor was aware of the events and their outcome.

He immediately gathered some royalist nobles into the Imperial Palace, as Lynch had already begun a war with the Noble Group, so he also had to make an effort.

His emotions were still somewhat agitated at this moment.

He hadn’t felt this way for years since he ascended the throne; he had rarely experienced overly excited emotions.

But at this moment, he felt it again, that kind of feeling of not knowing the outcome, an uneasy restlessness coupled with a vigorous and determined struggle.

It made his heart tremble but also look forward to it.

It was like... like the night before his father, the former Emperor, completely abandoned him and intended to announce who would inherit the throne!

His blood boiled!

"This is our last chance!"

In the vast Ruler’s Hall, there were only just over thirty nobles, not even occupying a third of the seats.

The Emperor was not disheartened by this; he looked at the distant dark sky through the open main door, with a stunning brilliance in his eyes.

"I’ve had many enemies throughout my life, and I’ve defeated them every time, and this will be no exception."

"Try to cooperate with Lynch and dismantle the Noble Group. As long as they cannot unite, we will surely not lose."

"This is a crucial battle; we don’t need to win, as long as we don’t lose, it is a victory for us!"

"As for the Police Station... I need you to be like the blind, deaf, and dumb."

"For the struggles between nobles during this time, pretend not to see them. Of course, don’t neglect ordinary cases; the public order of the Imperial Capital should not deteriorate too much..."

"Get your men ready, give them easily identifiable uniforms, and wait for new instructions..."

Command after command issued from the Emperor’s mouth, and the royalist nobles were uplifted; they were in darkness but had already seen the dawn before the arrival of daybreak!

The Noble Group, the capitalists...

This night destined countless people to be unable to sleep peacefully. The sudden action of the young Count made everyone realize that the false peace within the Secretariat had finally been broken.

After returning home, the old noble immediately began mobilizing his own forces; he would not let the opponent get away so easily.

The wars of the nobles in the Middle Ages burned money, and their wars were no different now. Whoever couldn’t endure first would be the loser!

Apart from making his own preparations, the old noble actively contacted some of his friends; he saw flags belonging to different families. This was no longer a one-on-one war; it had become a war between two noble factions!

A night of unrest, a sleepless Imperial Capital.

The next morning, Lynch woke up early.

Perhaps because of a good mood.

"You can sleep a bit longer..."

Sunlight poured in from the window, giving Jenia a perfect silhouette. Her smooth skin had an exquisite texture under the sunlight.

She maintained her figure and skin very well. As an actress, besides acting skills and a pretty face, her figure was the most important.

All the world’s most outstanding and effective cutting-edge technologies were for the wealthy, and this principle was also applicable in Gafura.

It’s said to be some kind of Royal Secret Soup, a bathwater made with herbs and various other things that keeps the skin tight.

The most crucial part, however, was self-discipline.

Lynch lay on his side on the bed, propping his head with his hand, "Today might be very lively, and if you don’t get up early, you’ll miss a lot of the excitement."

Jenia seemed to realize something, "Are you going to the Secretariat?"

Lynch got up, "Why not?"

He walked bare into the bathroom, and the moment hot water splashed on his body, he felt the urge to urinate.

He wouldn’t tell others that he urinated in the shower, though most people have this reaction.

"We will all go; we were the victors in yesterday’s battle, and we should appear before the people as victors."

"Rather than hiding in the shadows to celebrate, that’s not our style!"