That's right—Prince Terrence Valen has rebelled!
William Wang Jinling nodded slowly, the smile on his face unchanged, but his eyes—usually warm—were now deep and heavy with concern.
Prince Terrence Valen led fewer than three hundred thousand men to seize the mountains and declare himself king, openly confronting the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities without a trace of fear.
Originally, the Westlyn Emperor was supposed to step in and clean up the mess, and Ninth Royal Uncle had planned to use the opportunity to force the Emperor to return the silver stolen from the Lu clan. But no one expected Prince Terrence Valen to suddenly rebel.
With Prince Terrence's rebellion, Westlyn pushed all the blame for attacking Liancastle onto him. Now, if Eastlyn, Northlyn, and Southlyn want trouble, they can go after Prince Terrence Valen—not Westlyn.
Prince Terrence Valen has already severed ties with Westlyn. No matter how unreasonable you get, you can't expect Westlyn to clean up his mess—Westlyn isn't so easily bullied.
"What does Eastlyn plan to do? Not fight?" Now that Prince Terrence Valen has rebelled and the Westlyn Emperor has washed his hands of it, surely the other three kingdoms can't just ignore it too.
Prince Terrence's move has completely embarrassed all three kingdoms.
William shook his head. "There's no decision yet. Some want to fight, some don't. The Emperor called a council yesterday—maybe we'll get an answer today. But honestly, this war is looking tough."
Serena trusted William's judgment, but asked, "Can the Emperor really swallow this humiliation?"
Prince Terrence Valen has shamelessly slapped all three kingdoms in the face. If Eastlyn, Northlyn, and Southlyn just accept this, how will they ever stand tall in the Nine Provinces Realm? Outsiders will think they're afraid of him.
"Of course the Emperor can't swallow it, but if Eastlyn does go to war, the losses will be devastating. The land Prince Terrence seized is nothing but wild jungle."
No one lives there—it's thick with miasma, and there's a swamp in the middle that no one even knows the name of. Nine out of ten who enter never make it out alive.
It's a natural barrier—none of the kingdoms ever cared about that land, and no one claimed it as their own. Now that Prince Terrence has taken it, even if the three kingdoms want to attack, they have to ask themselves: is it worth it?
The barefoot aren't afraid of the shod—right now, Prince Terrence is the barefoot one. He's cut ties with Westlyn, so even if Eastlyn fights and wins, there's nothing to gain. Westlyn won't pay for the war, and Terrence doesn't have the silver to cover Eastlyn's losses.
Wars are fought for land or silver, but attacking Prince Terrence offers neither. Even if the emperors want war, their ministers won't agree.
Soldiers' lives matter too—they can't just be sacrificed for nothing.
"Prince Terrence really is something. At the critical moment, he had the guts to cut off everything and rebel outright. I'm honestly curious—how did he convince his troops to follow him?" Serena's eyes glinted with a cold smile.
Whatever happens, Prince Terrence is finished. Whether he can even feed those three hundred thousand men is a problem—and even if he can, that number won't be enough to shake the world.
Unless Prince Terrence spends his whole life hiding in the wilderness, the moment he shows his face, Northlyn, Southlyn, and Eastlyn will be out to crush him.
Fortune favors the bold. In this world, plenty of people will risk their lives for wealth and power. Prince Terrence was Crown Prince of Westlyn for years—of course he has die-hard loyalists. Their fates are tied to his; if he dies, they're doomed too. So instead of waiting to be executed, why not gamble everything for a chance to live?
For these people, as long as there's even a sliver of hope, they'll risk everything—after all, they're already on a dead-end road.
"So, the Westlyn Emperor is secretly supporting him?" Serena didn't get all these twists and turns, but William's explanation made it clear.
William nodded approvingly. "Without secret backing, how could Prince Terrence rebel so smoothly? Feeding three hundred thousand troops is no small feat. Without Westlyn's covert support, how could he sustain his army in that godforsaken place?"
William paused, then continued, "Of course, the Westlyn Emperor's motives aren't just political. After all, Terrence is his own son. Facing the wrath of three kingdoms, he had to sacrifice Terrence to save himself, but in his heart, he can't accept it—and he can't bear it either. By letting Terrence rebel, Westlyn washes its hands of everything, saves his son's life, and dumps the whole mess on Eastlyn and the others. Why wouldn't he do it?"
"So cunning—but honestly, it's a brilliant move." Watching this drama unfold, Serena couldn't help admiring the masterminds behind the scenes.
Just one word, one idea, can change the whole situation. No wonder so many people want to be emperor—the feeling of controlling everything must be incredible.
"It really is. That's why Eastlyn, Northlyn, and Southlyn are all in a bind. To fight or not to fight? If they do, how? If they don't, how do they save face? Every emperor loves his son, too. Earlier, Westlyn threw Terrence under the bus and paid some reparations, so the three kingdoms kept their dignity—even if there was no war, their pride wasn't hurt, just their profits. But now, they're stuck."
Even if they defeat Prince Terrence, all they'll get is a bit of satisfaction—there's no real gain.
War is no small matter. Starting one for personal pride is unrealistic. If there's no profit in it, no one will want to fight—after all, every war brings casualties that hit the country hard.
But if they don't fight, they'll be condemned by the whole realm. Not long ago, the three kingdoms rallied under the banner of justice to punish Westlyn—if they back down now, what will the world think of Eastlyn, Northlyn, and Southlyn?
Imagining the three emperors caught in this bind, William couldn't help but laugh. Serena and William were of one mind, grinning wickedly: "Let the Emperor worry about it. Either way, we lose nothing. The place Prince Terrence seized is so harsh, those soldiers might not even survive."
Serena had encountered miasma before, in her past life. Miasma plus swamps—places like that are dangerous even for professional soldiers. As a doctor, she only got out alive because someone carried her out, and after that, she never went near miasma again.
William thought for a moment, then said, "Don't underestimate Prince Terrence. If he's willing to take his men there, it's not just desperation—he must have a plan. He's not reckless; he wouldn't risk his last bargaining chip."
Those three hundred thousand men are all Prince Terrence has left. Without them, he's finished. If the miasma wipes them out, his luck has truly run out.
"I've never underestimated Prince Terrence. He's a worthy opponent—always fighting, even after defeat. But his luck is terrible; he loses every time. Whether he can turn things around this time depends on fate. Miasma isn't something you can control. No matter how well he prepares, if the heavens don't favor him, he's doomed."
Serena was satisfied with the current situation. Prince Terrence had been driven to the brink—his death was only a matter of time. Aside from Westlyn, no one at the top of the Nine Provinces Realm would ever tolerate him again...