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“Honorable guardian of the North Territory, Count Angler, on behalf of Duke St. Prowse, ruler of the eastern border, I offer you our sincerest apologies for the actions of Marquis Vincent! I hope you can remember the centuries-long friendship between the eastern border and the North Territory, and forgive Marquis Vincent for his lack of vigilance and mistakes made in the heat of the moment.”

The envoy from the eastern border was a young man with a fair complexion. His short beard was obviously well-groomed. There was a faint trace of reserved pride in his brow, and his noble ceremonial dress indicated he was a viscount.

“Viscount Fein, you’ve just rushed over from Alfalfa City, correct?” Colin asked with a broad smile.

“Yes.”

Colin’s smile grew wider.

Previously, Marquis Vincent had told him that this Viscount Fein, who was in charge of Alfalfa City, was actually a supporter of Count Evan, Duke St. Prowse’s second son.

Well, this was interesting.

Duke St. Prowse had actually sent a supporter of his second son to negotiate with Colin in Silver Moon City for the release of his eldest son, Marquis Vincent.

Is Duke St. Prowse sending a nobleman of his second son’s faction out of fear that Colin would take advantage of an envoy, or does he no longer want his eldest son and is intentionally giving his second son a chance to sabotage the ransom negotiations?

Colin stopped the tapping of his finger and asked, “I heard there was a massive melee in Alfalfa City. How are things there now?”

Viscount Fein respectfully replied: “You can rest assured, Count. Alfalfa City has now regained its stability. Sir Ron is an excellent city lord and has altogether taken control of the city’s situation.”

Colin knew for a fact that this was a bunch of nonsense. He knew exactly how frustrated Ron, the city lord, must feel. The control of Alfalfa City would not fall to Ron.

The true “master” of Alfalfa City now was actually that former thief leader, Orlando.

To be honest, although Colin had secretly provided Orlando with quite a bit of help and even given him the real Bonds to use as chips, he was still a bit surprised that Orlando had actually passed the eastern border’s test and had become the president of the Alfalfa City Brotherhood.

You should know that what the eastern border had previously set up in Alfalfa City was an ostensibly fifth-order, but actually a sixth-order warrior, Capen.

This showed how much importance the Eastern Border placed on Alfalfa City.

But now, they had actually put a former thief leader like Orlando at the helm of the Alfalfa City Brotherhood.

Even if Orlando had indeed “made great contributions” during the chaos in Alfalfa City, it still surprised Colin.

Of course, this was definitely a pleasant surprise for Colin, he just couldn’t help but wonder how Orlando managed to gain the trust of the eastern border.

Or is it that this Viscount Fein was easy to fool?

Seeing Colin fall silent, Viscount Fein slightly lifted his head and saw a smile filled with profound meaning on Colin’s face.

Before he could figure out the meaning behind this smile, he heard Colin speak again:

“Viscount Fein, the Duke should have received the personally written letter Marquis Vincent sent back to the eastern border, right?”

“Yes.”

“What does the Duke think of the redemption terms mentioned in the letter?”

“The Duke believes that the terms you presented for redemption show no sincerity!”

Viscount Fein’s somewhat rude blunt statement caught Colin off guard, but he didn’t get angry. Instead, he gave a faint smile and said: “What? Is Duke St. Prowse not willing to give up a few ships to redeem his son?”

“Count, what you’re asking for is far more than a few ships.” Viscount Fein bluntly replied, “That’s the cream of the Pegasus Navy! If we truly give it all to you, wouldn’t the Angry River become a bathing pool for the Northern army?”

Colin gave a faint smile, shifted his position on the throne, and asked patiently, “So, how does the East plan to exchange for Marquis Vincent?”

However, Viscount Fein didn’t answer this, instead he looked directly into Colin’s eyes, and seriously said, “Count, should you be letting me see Marquis Vincent before we discuss the conditions for ransom?”

The smile on Colin’s face abruptly faded, he frowned and said, “You can rest assured, Marquis Vincent and I are old friends, he isn’t my prisoner for the first time. Although I’m angry at his actions, I won’t ill-treat him.”

But, Viscount Fein insisted, “Sorry, Count, but it’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s Duke St. Prowse who is worried about his eldest son. He insisted that I see Marquis Vincent with my own eyes, and confirm his safety before we start discussing terms for the ransom.”

Colin looked at the determined Viscount Fein, and suddenly asked with a significant tone, “Viscount Fein, have you been hearing some baseless rumors?”

Viscount Fein smiled and said, “Count, I have indeed heard some rumors. But rest assured, I am not the kind of person who can be swayed by baseless rumors.

I only believe in what my own eyes see!”

Colin stared at Viscount Fein’s eyes, and Fein did not dodge his gaze either.

After a while, Colin laughed, “Since you are so eager to see Marquis Vincent, then, so be it.”

As he spoke, Colin clapped his hands and ordered the guards in the hall, “Go and fetch Marquis Vincent.”

“Yes!” The guard immediately took the command and left.

Seeing this, a trace of doubt flashed in Viscount Fein’s eyes, but it vanished quickly.

Colin leaned back onto his chair without saying a word, and continued to rhythmically drum his fingers on the armrest of the throne.

The gentle drumming echoed in the spacious hall, every beat seemed to strike directly at the heart.

Viscount Fein bowed his head, thinking about the intelligence he had received from a half-elf merchant before coming here, his originally abundant confidence seemed to diminish slowly.

Eventually, after what seemed like an endless wait, the guard returned.

But he remained alone.

“Count, Marquis Vincent says he does not wish to see the envoy from the East.”

“Is that so…” Colin stopped the tapping, spread his hands and said regretfully, “Viscount Fein, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Viscount Fein bowed his head, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, as if he had finally seen through Colin, and his lost confidence was restored.

He raised his head, his face full of confusion and grievance, and asked the guard, “Did the Marquis say why he doesn’t want to see me?”

The guard glanced at Colin and shook his head. “No.”

“Perhaps Marquis Vincent is ashamed of his actions and does not wish to face you.” Colin explained.

Viscount Fein nodded as if he accepted this explanation, but he still insisted, “But Count, it’s essential I see Marquis Vincent. This is what Duke St. Prowse personally instructed me to do…”

“Why don’t we agree on the terms of ransom first, and then we can arrange your meeting?” Colin waved his hand to interrupt Viscount Fein and said in a rather domineering tone, “If we can’t agree on the terms of ransom, then I believe there’s no point in you seeing Marquis Vincent.”

Viscount Fein’s face changed slightly, seemingly intimidated by Colin’s strong demeanor. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded.

“Well, Count, let’s first discuss the conditions for ransom.”