Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 278 The war rages on
Ikunak, the southernmost city of the Arcane Empire, is a thriving commercial hub where merchants from all directions come to trade.

Because of its proximity to the Kingdom of Eldon, it easily obtains crystal and log resources from the North, making it a major resource trading center. However, with Eldon now under invasion, business in Ikunak is not as good as before, the market is quite sluggish, the exchange rate for resources is constantly increasing, and the prices are becoming unbearable for many traders.

Even so, if there is a genuine need for logs, people will still come here to try their luck.

A merchant shrouded in a black robe walked down the main street, looked around, turned into an alley, and then entered a secluded tavern.

There was only one thin man sitting at the very back, waiting quietly.

"Your Grace, you must consider this quickly, time is running out."

The Arcane Empire is merely using you as a puppet; once they conquer the North, you will never be able to return to their control.

Only by cooperating with us and thwarting their plans can your value be demonstrated.

The man before me was none other than Lord Salman, the former Duke of the North, who was currently being housed in Ikunak and preparing to march south with the army.

The original plan was for Rhodes to take over Frostholdt, but due to Conrad's strong opposition and Speaker Elton's discussion, the Arcane Empire now needs to send troops to attack Winterhold and then put it under Rhodes's control after the city is occupied.

If the Arcane Empire were to actually launch an attack and turn against Isildur, the risks would be far greater. Rhodes, the Duke of the North, would essentially be a figurehead, serving only as a cover.

Recently, the Empire's attitude towards him has gradually cooled down, treating him merely as a dispensable tool, and even the number of people monitoring him has decreased.

After all, Rhodes has no other option but the Arcane Empire, and his value is rapidly diminishing.

So Karl sent someone to contact the down-on-his-luck duke, hoping he could provide some help in overthrowing the regime in the North.

For Karl, it didn't matter who occupied the territory, but it was best if there was no stable regime; the more chaotic the better.

Many people don't know that although Rhodes is down on his luck, he is still the former Duke of the North and has loyal followers. Moreover, he is very familiar with the Elton garrison commanders, especially some mid-level heroes who have returned from the vicinity of Norton.

Rhodes tapped the table for a long time before saying, "Brody, he's currently stationed at Frostholdt. He used to be one of my father's men and is very loyal. He greatly admires Conrad and has received favors from him. It's impossible for him to rebel, but with a little encouragement, he might do something he thinks is righteous but is actually irrational."

While Rhodes may not be good at fighting, he does have some experience in intrigue and control.

Conrad is very unhappy that Congress sold off the North and will definitely discuss it with his subordinates. But diplomatic agreements are made by the highest levels of both sides, and ordinary people naturally cannot help him resolve his problems.

In this situation, Brody would certainly feel resentful and disgusted with the Arcane Empire's forces. He would naturally not betray the kingdom and Conrad, but he could do things that would both vent the Knight Commander's anger and be harmless.

If Hell wants to bewitch, it can start from this aspect.

The black-robed merchant's face lit up with joy, and he said, "Since he values ​​loyalty and righteousness, could His Excellency the Duke grant us some tokens so that we can get closer to him?"

Rhodes took out a badge engraved with a knight's shield: "He just listens to my father. All the nobles in the North are like that. They look down on me. Otherwise, how could I have ended up in this situation?"
"Take this badge; it's a keepsake Conrad left to my father a long time ago. Using the knight's item to find him will surely make things much easier."

This shows great sincerity, indicating that Rhodes still wants to reclaim the North deep down.

The heretic accepted the token and promised, "Rest assured, Lord Karl has already infiltrated the Arcane Empire and will create some chaos to delay the Arcane Empire's southward advance."

"The resources and treasures you requested will be delivered in a few days. I hope our cooperation will be even smoother in the future." Upon hearing this, Rhodes was overjoyed and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

The heretic took the items and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something: "I've heard that spirits have been appearing in Ikunak recently, and the cemetery is very unsettled. Are you aware of this?"

Rhodes looked worried: "Undead, could they be the ancient ruins in the northeast of the plains? How could they have gotten to such a far place? We mustn't let them interfere with our plans, or it would be terrible if the Arcane Empire refused to send troops!"

The heretic sneered, "Don't worry, a few skeleton soldiers won't cause any major trouble."

"The mighty Arcane Empire, with the genie sealed away for thousands of years about to return, would we fear them? You're overthinking it."

After saying that, he walked out of the wooden door with a smug smile on his face.

That Rhodes is a complete idiot and a coward. No wonder his vast fortune was squandered; with his cowardly and timid nature, he's just a puppet wherever he goes. Luckily, his ancestors were wealthy and he has a duke's title, otherwise nobody would pay him any attention.

The heretics spent several days in the city and learned that Rhodes' current situation was quite dire.

Several tower mages summoned him to the magic tower, publicly humiliated him, and forced him to return to the North and transport resources to Ikunak. Even the Void Cult no longer paid him any attention, treating him as a dispensable tool, stripping him of his previous privileged treatment, and relegating him to a remote tower.

This was actually a deliberate pressure from the Arcane Empire. The reason was that Rhodes had been ordered to return to the North as a duke, and he actually believed he could wield real power, offering some suggestions. As a result, the Void Cult made him face reality, showing him all the council's disparaging remarks about him, and informing him of the cost of sending troops, demanding that he pay with resources.

The trade agreement was completely unequal; based on the Arcane Empire's exchange rate, the Northern Territory would likely have to pay back for decades.

The cult even sent sorceresses to forcibly seduce Rhodes into having relations with them, with the aim of producing a descendant of the Salimian family. If he disobeyed, someone else would naturally take his place.

Such a violent warning instantly terrified Rhodes, making him meek and submissive, even willing to be bred, as if he had resigned himself to his fate.

Is he truly willing to accept this? Of course not. That's why we met today.

The heretics, however, secretly chuckled. Their belief in Rhodes's stupidity stemmed not only from his past actions. Daring to deal with the devil, and then revealing his trump card after a mere intimidation—if he wasn't a puppet, who would be?
Lord Karl only wants to create chaos, the more chaotic the North the better, he doesn't really want to help Rhodes, this man is incredibly naive.

However, a person about to drown will grasp at even the smallest straw, and Rod had no other choice.

The Arcane Empire knew this about him, which is why they dared to deal with him so recklessly.

Poor crawler!

After the heretics left, a ray of sunlight shone on the tavern window, but could not penetrate into the room.

Rhodes' entire figure was shrouded in darkness. He took out a huge box from behind him, took a large amount of gold coins, and headed towards the outskirts.

Few people know that Rhodes, who seems like a useless person, actually possesses a skill specializing in gold coins.

After a life of wandering and losing the honor of Salman, he felt that gold coins were everything.

One day, he will take his revenge on everyone!

(End of this chapter)