Chapter 535: Zog and the Bankers in Cahoots

Chapter 535 -334: Zog and the Bankers in Cahoots

“What is there to worry about?” the old King said slowly, his voice weak and feeble. “He’s a businessman. What’s wrong with him contacting a bank?”

The development of the banking industry had indeed spurred commercial prosperity. It gave people with creativity or skills but no capital more opportunities to start their own businesses.

A bank loan was much easier to repay than a favor owed to a nobleman.

But this was the first time the Zog Group had ever approached a bank.

The Royal Family had no precise information on what he was planning.

That didn’t stop the Prince from assuming the worst about the Zog Group.

He held no personal enmity toward Zog himself. If—no, not if, but *when*—he became King, the Zog Group would remain Sutton’s most important commercial organization.

But their positions were different now. Zog was supporting that lowly woman in the Northern Domain, and there was no telling what kind of deal they had struck.

In the Prince’s eyes, there was no right or wrong, only sides.

“He might be trying to mobilize more resources to support my sister. Father, you must know that Figxin is building an army in the Northern Domain—a large and elite one.”

The Prince’s spies had investigated the New Northern Army.

Based on their findings, the entire army was incomprehensible from top to bottom. It wasn’t centered around Transcendents, it had numerous and strict regulations, and it even spoke of serving the common folk.

Everything about it was bizarre.

Soldiers from noble families serving commoners? It was absurd.

More detailed information about their equipment and other specifics was beyond the spies’ capabilities. As a result, there was no way of knowing just how strong the army’s combat effectiveness was.

The spy’s report had said, “I’ve never seen such a disciplined army. It’s like a machine.”

That was the spy’s final message. Afterward, he was devoured by that “machine.”

“Sutton’s laws permit a Lord to maintain an army,” the old King replied, his expression unchanging. “She has one, and so do you. Our border defenses are strong. Is that not a good thing?”

The Prince could detect his father’s displeasure in the rhetorical question.

‘But who is she building an army to defend against, all the way up in the Northern Domain? Who would attack from a godforsaken place like that?’

‘The climate is harsh, the terrain rugged.’

Once people have a belief they want to hold, they will unconsciously find ways to justify it.

It is very difficult to admit you are wrong.

The Prince was now convinced that all of Figxin’s preparations were aimed at him.

‘She must be planning to raise the banner of rebellion right after I inherit the throne, before I can take full command of the military.’

Therefore, he had to become the King of Sutton before she was fully prepared and eliminate this threat as quickly as possible.

Every piece of news from the Northern Domain left him on pins and needles.

“I understand, Father. But… according to rumors, Zog is also gathering the Dragon Race.”

“A rumor, or reliable intelligence?”

“Reliable intelligence.”

“A Dragon is gathering the Dragon Race. So what?”

The Prince looked astonished. “Father, that’s the Dragon Race! A large-scale gathering would be a catastrophe! They might even… even try to re-establish the legendary Dragon Race’s Country, and they would be doing it on Sutton’s soil!”

“Foolish! COUGH, COUGH—”

The King’s angry outburst expended more energy than his body could handle, and he broke into a violent coughing fit.

Time destroys all things.

In the Extraordinary World, every king was an outstanding Transcendent. He himself had once been a powerful Ranger Beast Tamer, but now he could only waste away in his sickbed.

‘My sons are all cut from the same cloth.’

‘Not clever enough, and not powerful enough.’

‘What disappointed me more was that the original Crown Prince became obsessed with the Spirit World and theological research.’

‘In contrast, my youngest daughter, once the most rebellious, now seems to have some real ability.’

‘But she’s full of hostility toward me.’

‘Sigh… the Royal Family…’

He coughed a dozen times, each hack sounding as if it would tear his fragile lungs from his chest.

After catching his breath, he spoke again. “The Zog Group just happens to be in Sutton; it is not dependent on Sutton. He can expand his business in any country. We need him. Unless he actually declares the founding of his own nation, he will always be our friend.”

“I understand.”

“Leave me. I’m tired.”

The old King waved a dismissive hand, lay back down, and closed his eyes to rest.

The emotionally charged conversation had exhausted his strength.

The Prince bowed his head and left the room, hiding his face, which was trembling with fury.

‘More bad news. The old bastard’s speech has become clearer. Maybe he’ll actually recover.’

‘If he recovers, the throne will very likely no longer be mine. And if that happens, my entire life up to this point will have been meaningless.’

For as long as he could remember, he had been raised as the Crown Prince. Everyone around him told him that he would be the future King of Sutton, destined to lead this great nation to a more glorious future. And he had believed it.

But now, everything he had so firmly believed was about to be shattered.

‘This is unacceptable.’

The chasm between having something and then losing it is often more painful than never having had it at all.

‘I have to do something.’

He returned to his own residence and stared out the window at the gloomy sky. Beneath his calm expression, a firestorm of rage churned in his chest.

‘If Figxin takes the throne, she’ll never spare me. Who would ever spare someone who tried to have them assassinated?’

‘This isn’t just about the throne anymore. It’s about survival.’

‘If I want Figxin to lose power, I have to make the Zog Group stop supporting her.’

‘Or… here’s a better idea. I’ll make the Zog Group into the Royal Family’s own commercial arm. What Sutton can’t do without is their technology, not that Dragon, Zog.’