Prince Nolan was still far away in Night City, his gaze cool as he watched Liancastle drown in blood and shifting power. Of course, Liancastle would never just sit on its hands. After barely suppressing the chaos Nolan left behind, they immediately tried to strike back—only then did it hit them: Where was the Nine Provinces Token? Without the Token, how could they possibly command those hidden forces lurking in the shadows? The realization stung, echoing through the hall.
Nolan had wiped out Lance Quinn’s existence, but he hadn’t surrendered the Nine Provinces Token. Without that Token, what did Jason Lan truly have?
After Princess Royal handed Liancastle to Jason Lan, she withdrew to Moonvault Palace. The old Liancastle elders could only turn to Jason. Jason froze for a split second, then brushed it off with a careless sneer: “It’s just a token. From today, the Nine Provinces Token means nothing—it no longer stands for the Lan imperial house.”
The elders stared at Jason Lan in blank disbelief. This was the ancestral credential, passed down through millennia—could it really be rendered worthless just because he said so? The sense of loss was almost physical.
Some elders tried to object, but Jason Lan crushed their dissent, forcibly declaring the Nine Provinces Token abolished. The old ones pleaded, but Jason wouldn’t hear a word.
“Master, without the Nine Provinces Token, the people hidden in the shadows won’t obey—they recognize the Token, not the man.” The elders’ voices trembled, tears streaking down their faces. Jason Lan’s face darkened: the Token was in Prince Nolan’s grip. If Nolan wouldn’t give it up, could Jason really snatch it away? The thought gnawed at him.
“The Token died with Lance Quinn. Are you asking me to wave a fake? If anyone here thinks the Nine Provinces Token is so vital, go fetch it for me—I’ll record it as a great achievement.” His aunt had already explained its importance, and he understood it well. But now, without the Token, what could he possibly do?
Silence fell. The elders exchanged anxious glances, but none dared answer or take up the impossible task. So, for now, the matter was set aside—left to fester in the background.
To prove the Nine Provinces Token was truly obsolete—and to cement his own authority—Jason Lan pondered long and hard before finally choosing to strike back. His first move: cut off Prince Nolan’s left arm—Mystic Healer Valley.
Mystic Healer Valley was not just any legacy of the Former Dynasty—it was the most fiercely loyal, and had earned countless battlefield honors for Prince Nolan. In his early years, nearly all of Nolan’s private fortune came from medicines crafted by the Valley Master.