Taking Southern Lyn is only a matter of time, especially with that madman Damien selling out the entire kingdom.
With Damien’s intelligence, Eastlyn can seize Southern Lyn at minimal cost. Even the plague didn’t faze Prince Nolan—until now.
If the plague was just caused by improper disposal of corpses, it wouldn’t be hard to contain. But this epidemic is man-made.
In other words, no matter how clean Eastlyn keeps the battlefield, nothing can stop the plague from spreading. One moment a city is fine, the next—once Eastlyn breaches its walls, the epidemic explodes.
If this goes on, morale will collapse. Not only Southern Lyn’s civilians, but Eastlyn’s own soldiers will start doubting the campaign—thinking Heaven itself disapproves of Eastlyn attacking Southern Lyn.
"Southern Lyn’s tactics are vicious." William Wang had long given up hope for their royal house.
The Wang Clan may struggle for power, but they have a bottom line. They would never stoop to something so ruthless and principleless.
"Lord Fuller, verify Damien’s intelligence and investigate every name on the list. Find out who’s manufacturing the plague for Southern Lyn, and do it fast." Prince Nolan ignored the Southern Lyn royals themselves—his focus now was on reshaping the strategy.
"Lord Ewen, send word to Victor Phoenixfield—order him to stop the siege immediately."
"Lord Wang, I want Southern Lyn cut off from all medicinal herbs. Not a single root sold to them."
"Lord Shang, the Imperial Medical Directorate..."
...
Eighteen orders in a row—Prince Nolan rattled them off in one breath, then waved his hand: "Go."
Everyone withdrew, except William Wang, who lingered and bowed to Prince Nolan: "Your Majesty, even without a formal enthronement, you should start calling yourself Emperor."
"Mm." Prince Nolan acknowledged, indicating he understood.
After William Wang left, Prince Nolan issued a secret decree and summoned his shadow guards: "Deliver this to the frontier immediately—to Young Marshal Colin Si." It was time for Colin to move.
Southern Lyn’s attention had been fixed on fending off Victor Phoenixfield’s invasion. Meanwhile, Colin Si and his heavy forces held the other border, yet hadn’t fought a single battle with Southern Lyn.
Southern Lyn assumed Prince Nolan was deliberately bleeding Victor Phoenixfield dry—exhausting the Phoenixfield troops. They never fully trusted that Prince Nolan would actually favor Victor.
But they were destined for disappointment—and would pay dearly for their miscalculation.
Once the letter was finished, Prince Nolan spread out the Southern Lyn map, cross-checking every grain depot Damien mentioned, marking each depot city in red.
Pointing to several red-marked sites, Prince Nolan brought out a detailed map, plotted optimal routes, and sent another letter to Prince Titus of Lyndaria.
Prince Titus had already, per Prince Nolan’s instructions, deployed troops to Reed City and Peace City. Before anyone could attack Eastlyn, he’d pinned them down, preventing chaos on Eastlyn’s front.
This move made Prince Nolan trust Titus a little more.
No wonder Prince Nolan was so cautious—Storm Cloud Bu’s betrayal had left him shocked and furious. He refused to let it happen again.
Ordinarily, Prince Nolan would have sent orders straight to the Black Riders, letting them act per his plan. But this time, he didn’t.
Instead, Prince Nolan revealed the locations of Southern Lyn’s grain depots to Titus and let him design and command the Black Riders’ entire operation. As for how Titus would handle it, Nolan kept out of it completely.
This was both a test and a declaration of trust. Prince Nolan was essentially handing the entire Black Riders unit to Titus; if Titus harbored any treachery, the Black Riders would be doomed.
You had to admit—Prince Nolan was bold, and a gambler at heart, just like he’d been at Destiny Cliff.
When Titus received Prince Nolan’s message, he was stunned; he never expected Nolan would entrust him with full command of the Black Riders. For a moment, he actually felt honored and overwhelmed.
To be honest, Titus’s life wasn’t easy. His mother only used him, his father treated him decently but was mostly indifferent.
In the end, even his parents only noticed him out of caution and suspicion—never truly trusted him. Yet Prince Nolan did. If it were him, he wasn’t sure he could do the same.
Being trusted like this by Prince Nolan filled Titus with both joy and bitterness. He swore to himself he would never let Nolan down.
Titus carefully studied Southern Lyn’s terrain, marked the key sites Nolan had mentioned, then quietly called in Master Ian Reed. The two of them spent hours devising the best possible plan.
After triple-checking the plan to ensure that even if things went wrong, the Black Riders wouldn’t be sacrificed for nothing, Titus secretly summoned them, relayed Nolan’s instructions, and laid out his own strategy.
The Black Riders were fierce in battle, but not planners—they excelled at following orders. As long as Prince Nolan gave the command, they’d see it through, even if it meant total annihilation.
Now that Nolan had ordered them to obey Titus, they’d carry out Titus’s instructions to the letter.
A thousand men moving in and out of the territory might escape notice from most, but Holden Cui would never miss it.
When the Black Riders first appeared, Holden Cui thought they were Titus’s own private army. He was secretly thrilled, believing Titus was a hidden mastermind with vision and ambition.
But soon he realized the Black Riders obeyed Titus, yet didn’t recognize him as their true master. This formidable force was just on loan.
In that instant, Holden Cui couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He’d even considered backing Titus with the full strength of the Cui Clan, helping him seize the throne and unite Lyndaria—or even all Nine Provinces.
But after several tests, Holden Cui realized Titus had no such ambition, so he gave up. He ordered every Cui branch to rein in their influence and keep out of this chaos.
Just like before, the Cui Clan chose to step aside. They missed their chance to rise, but on the flip side, they also dodged total destruction.
They wouldn’t reach the heights of the Wang Clan, but at least they wouldn’t vanish like the Hsieh Clan—swept away by history.
Holden Cui’s decision sparked discontent within the clan. He didn’t bother to explain, just said: "We backed the wrong horse, and we have to own it. The situation is clear—Lyndaria has no future. If we keep pushing, it’s suicide. As clan head, I order you to pull back. Anyone who objects can speak up, but I’ll expel them from the Cui Clan."
To save the Cui Clan, Holden Cui showed his true colors, expelling every restless member from the family.
Holden Cui’s actions made waves—not just in Lyndaria, but even Eastlyn heard the news.
When William Wang found out, he grinned like a fox: Holden Cui was finally facing reality.
Both Prince Nolan and William Wang understood the Cui Clan’s ambitions. Holden Cui’s high-profile retreat was a clear signal to Prince Nolan: the Cui Clan was backing down and wouldn’t try anything reckless.
Now that they’d made their position clear, Prince Nolan wouldn’t go after the Cui Clan—not like he did with the Hsieh Clan, wiping them out to the last.