Chapter 1883 - 518: The Flames of Conflict in the Backyard Are Not Limited to the Backyard

Campbell Castle, the Duke's study.

Although the afternoon sun was bright, it still found it difficult to penetrate the heaviness piled up in the study.

On the wall hung a brand-new map of the duchy, with conspicuous red lines marking the advancing railway network.

Each bright red line appeared like newly grown blood vessels, connecting the duchy's heart and linking to Duke Edward sitting behind the walnut wood desk.

Rubbing his somewhat swollen brows, Edward put down the feather pen in his hand.

Ever since that Steel Giant Beast roared on the plains for the first time, he felt as if he too was bound to those rapidly spinning wheels, unable to stop for a moment.

"Hidini, if it's about the Ryan Kingdom's military movements, just get to the point."

As he spoke, Edward cast his slightly fatigued gaze towards the middle-aged man standing before the desk, his posture firm.

This man was once a Scout of the Trident Knights and after retiring was rehired by Edward, becoming the intelligence chief of the newly established "Royal Military Intelligence Department."

Since Jelock was attacked, Edward had been contemplating forming an intelligence unit to consolidate those Affairs Officers who were doing his dirty and tiring work into a formal army for proper management.

Although in his hands was already an intelligence unit called "Demon Hunters," led by Knight Commander Charles, the unit formed to combat Chaos Corrosion seemed inadequate when facing threats from within the human world.

He needed a force to counter the Ryan Kingdom's "Tomb Guardians" organization, thus "Campbell Royal Military Intelligence Bureau" was born.

This department gathered talents from various fields, including knights who once served the nobles and former adventurers retired from the adventurer guild.

While their Extraordinary Power was not outstanding, they had the confidence to push mortal strength to its limits and a determination to be absolutely loyal to the Campbell family.

Mr. Hidini, for example, was such a talent.

However, at this moment, facing the Duke's inquiring gaze, this scout known for his precision and rigor displayed some hesitation on his face.

"... Your Majesty, the Ryan Kingdom has been quiet lately, with Theoden preparing for the 'Third Level Conference,' leaving him no time to bother with us. The only intelligence we could acquire was that their finances seem tight and a Campbell merchant has been invited in as a third Level member."

"Oh?" Edward showed an expression of interest, "Can you get in touch with this capable Campbell person?"

"We've been watching him and can contact him at any time. But the conference is yet to be held, and he currently lacks motive to rely on us. I think it's not the time to alarm the snake, we can wait and see, anyway his business model is bound to encounter problems sooner or later..."

At this point, Hidini hesitated, then somewhat awkwardly pulled out a report from his bosom.

"This urgent intelligence... is about Thunder City."

"Thunder City?"

Edward's nerves instantly tensed.

Thunder City is now the heart of the duchy, the vault, and the arsenal; any disturbance could trigger a chain reaction.

"What's going on there?!"

"No, it's not that Thunder City has a problem; it's about Prince Colin himself... a personal matter."

Seeing His Majesty Edward abruptly sit up, Hidini quickly presented the report and recounted the details in as objective a tone as possible.

"A few days ago, a passenger ship from Wulan Port arrived at Thunder City's port. An unidentified lady disembarked with rare pink long hair, her appearance... according to witnesses, can only be described as captivating."

"This lady caused quite a stir on the ship, and according to rumors from the port area, she publicly declared to a suitor that she was here to find her beloved... and the beloved she referred to was Prince Colin."

The study fell silent for a few seconds.

Edward stared dumbfoundedly at the embarrassed Hidini, his hands unconsciously moved back to hold the arms of his chair.

"Could it... just be a rumor?"

He swallowed hard, trying to find a reasonable excuse for Mr. Colin, "I've seen many decent ladies use a dignified gentleman as a shield to decline persistent suitors."

"Your Majesty, we can't rule out that possibility."

Hidini smiled bitterly, but continued pessimistically, "However, based on our interviews, the lady quickly boarded a carriage after disembarking and headed straight for Colin Manor in the suburbs of Thunder City."

At this point, he paused and added a convincing note.

"We found that coachman... strictly speaking, we didn't even find him, he just came forward himself. He hasn't worked these days, instead, he's been bragging at the taverns in the New Industrial Zone, embellishing the story to everyone who talked to him."

"Where is he?"

Hidini paused for a moment before responding.

"He's still operating his carriage... he bought the carriage. Of course, my people warned him, and he should be behaving now."

The study fell into a deathly silence.

Edward leaned against the chair back, his fingers gently tapping the desk, his once-relaxed brows now tightly knitted.

This sounded like a trivial gossip, yet it happened to Colin, making it hard for Edward not to overthink.