I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 450 Setting up the Stage
The nights on Taiwan never truly sleep.

But that night, there seemed to be more shadows moving between the narrow alleyways, the luxurious mansions, and the damp dock area, and the air was thick with a sense of unease, as if a storm was brewing.

In the basement of a secluded hunting villa in a noble district.

The flickering candlelight cast an inconspicuous glow on the faces of the people sitting around the rough wooden table.

The air was filled with the scents of aged wine, cigar smoke, and a mixture of suppressed excitement and fear.

"Nekhali has confirmed that he wants to send people in to contribute to the plan."

A marquis with a meticulously trimmed short beard spoke in a low voice, his feet unconsciously stomping on the ground, making a soft tapping sound due to inexplicable tension.

"The time is the night after tomorrow. The king will receive the news of the royal guards' successful annihilation of the snake people in the royal side hall. There will be a gap in the guards' shifts there."

"The deputy commander of the palace guard is my man, and he assured me..."

Another obese count wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief.

"...When needed, his men will react slowly for a few minutes, enough time for our men to finish their work and evacuate."

"A few minutes? Are you sure that's enough?" a young viscount couldn't help but question, his voice slightly high-pitched with tension.

"What if we fail..."

"We won't fail!"

The Marquis interrupted him, his eyes sharp and cold.

“Apart from Baron Nehari’s men, the assassins we selected were the most loyal and desperate of all, their families’ futures resting on this mission, not to mention…”

He paused, lowering his voice even further, almost to the point of whispering.

"...Afterwards, amidst the chaos, we will immediately seize control of the palace communications channels, announce that the king has been assassinated by a Bagnian spy, and simultaneously mobilize our troops outside the city to quell the unrest and maintain stability. The overall situation will be settled in an instant!"

Several pairs of eyes exchanged glances in the candlelight, a mixture of greed, ambition, and fear.

They are leveraging the power of destiny; success or failure hinges on this moment.

The King's Castle, the secret chamber of the grey shadows.

There were no windows, only cold stone walls and a table piled high with files; the air smelled of ink and dust.

Gray Shadow listened expressionlessly to the report from a subordinate who was as elusive as a shadow.

"...There were visitors at Baron Nehari's residence at night, traveling in an unmarked carriage of unknown origin, but the carriage had deep ruts, suggesting it was carrying heavy loads."

“...A trusted priest of High Priest Gor has been frequently visiting the dock area recently and has had contact with several seemingly ordinary fishermen and warehouse managers.”

"...The captain of the third squad of the Imperial Guard complained privately about the arrears in military pay at the Mermaid Tavern tonight, and talked for a long time with a stranger who looked like a businessman. When the latter left, the captain's mood seemed to have improved significantly."

The information was fragmented and complex, like shattered glass. The gray-shadowed figure's fingers moved slowly across the table, as if piecing together the fragments.

Gray Shadow's eyes remained calm and composed, but his brain was working at lightning speed, filtering out every possible anomaly.

"Focus on monitoring Nehari, the priest's confidant, and all suspicious individuals who have had unusual contact with mid-level military officers."

He finally spoke, his voice dry and hoarse like sandpaper.

"Any unusual activity should be reported immediately without further consultation."

The study of Gore, the high priest of the Church of Neptune.

This place is completely different from the secret chamber of the Grey Shadows. It is filled with a faint scent of incense, and the walls are decorated with mysterious underwater scenes and trident totems.

High Priest Gor knelt alone before a small shrine containing a statue of Poseidon standing on a rock, holding a trident aloft.

He was praying and thinking about it.

His priests and followers, like countless outstretched tentacles, are drawing the voices of the city to him.

The church's intelligence network penetrated the city more deeply than the king's, so the high priest actually knew more about the situation than Charles did, but...

Gore's withered face was expressionless, but the corners of his mouth twitched down very subtly. The current situation was actually quite good; chaos was a stepping stone, especially for faith.

Regardless of who wins, the Church of the Sea God must stand on the side of the victor, and Tagor will be the weight that determines the balance.

An abandoned warehouse on the edge of a slum.

The little boss looked at the five people in front of him, some standing and some sitting.

Including him, there were six people in total. This was the action team he had carefully selected.

"You understand the mission details?"

The kid in charge lowered his voice.

"Tomorrow morning, we have to go to the palace to serve as guards, and then the mission officially begins the day after tomorrow night. Harry will provide us with our identities and routes. The intelligence agency's objective for us is to injure Charles but not kill him, and then frame that unfortunate nobleman on the list, but well..."

He looked around and smiled.

"We'll see how things go, brothers."

Under the same night sky.

An unassuming carriage pulled into the back gate of Baron Nehari's mansion. The coachman alighted and carried a new small wooden box out of the carriage, which looked no different from the box that had previously held the gifts.

Nehari personally took the box at the entrance to the secret chamber and waved for his trusted servants to leave.

He opened the box, and inside were not porcelain or silk, but a fine set of court guard armor and weapons in the style of the Miniese court, but aged and blurred, along with a detailed map of the palace side halls, patrol routes, and a… private letter that he needed to “accidentally leave behind at the scene at the appropriate time,” pointing to another core member of the conspiracy.

Nehari stroked the cold armor leaf, a complicated smile on his face. He had already planned his escape route. He only needed to wait until the night after tomorrow. After the incident, regardless of who won or lost, he would no longer be on the island.

A storm is brewing, and everyone is playing their part, pushing the situation toward an unknown, inevitably bloody and fiery end.

On this enormous stage of Taiwan, all the actors are in place, waiting only for the curtain to rise.

……

Chris learned of the impending storm that was about to hit Taiwan at a speed unimaginable to outsiders.

His first reaction wasn't joy, but rather, "Stop it, I'm annoyed enough."

Because of the events in the Suvano region, the Kingdom of Bagnia is encroaching on the border between the two countries, pushing the border line northward and eastward.

The process is neither fast nor slow, and occasionally there are frog jumps, which are irregular... How do you frog jump?

For example, in the order of things, after place A came under the control of the Kingdom of Bagnia, place B should have been next. However, due to some unexpected events, such as the locals in place C being more enthusiastic and C surrendering faster, B ended up in an awkward position, caught between the two.

The speed at which these places become part of the Kingdom of Bagnia depends largely on the number of civil servants in the kingdom. Civil service exams are now held every month, and in emergencies, the exam halls are opened even every week.

Such emergency exams don't really check the candidates' identities much; after all, it's useless for people who aren't good at Chinese to take the exam—they won't pass anyway.

People who are good at Chinese, whether they are Bagnians or newly arrived Minieses, have shown that they are all people who are inclined to follow the king's rule since they are seriously learning Chinese.

Why would Chris reject people like that?
Of course, such an indiscriminate vetting process may give foreign forces an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, but this is not a fatal problem. As long as strict vetting is carried out during the promotion of civil servants, some harmful elements will naturally be screened out.

If a foreign spy were to be given the opportunity to rise to a high position, it would mean the Kingdom of Bagnia was doomed. And by then, Chris would most likely be gone, so there's no need to worry about it too much.

In short, Chris is having a bit of a headache. The Kingdom of Minicia can be in chaos, or even should just perish and disintegrate on its own, but at least get through this winter and let the Holy Expeditionary Army deal with the Serpent Swamp.

Unfortunately, Chris couldn't really control this matter much. Charles's actions were really excessive, and he offended the very foundation of his rule.

From the common people at the bottom of society to the nobles at the top, and even the army, everyone was angered from the inside out.

Chris didn't know what to say for a moment.

How to do?
Continue to observe the situation and see how it develops, try to keep your own pace as steady as possible, and prepare for any unexpected events.

Bagnia's defense forces also rushed to the border at this moment, disregarding the possibility that this might provoke the Minisians.

(End of this chapter)