Unrest and No Rest From Thieves Even at Noon

Ghost Hall’s movements are so blatant that no one can ignore them. Take Lyndaria and Southlyn, for example—both have ramped up their defenses in direct response to Ghost Hall’s activity.

Southlyn and Lyndaria don’t actually believe that Ghost Hall’s ragtag bunch could destroy their kingdoms. What worries them is Ghost Hall’s madmen going berserk, stirring up chaos with their ‘kill eight hundred, lose a thousand’ tactics.

“Prince Damien of Southlyn’s death benefited Ghost Hall most. There’s no reason for Ghost Hall to keep hounding Southlyn—unless…” William Wang Jinling, having received news of Ghost Hall’s restlessness, summoned Felix Fuller for another round of analysis.

“Unless what?” Felix pressed. William didn’t hedge, answering directly: “Unless Prince Damien isn’t actually dead.” William had doubted Damien’s death from the start—someone like him shouldn’t die so easily.

“How could that be?” Felix blurted out in disbelief. “With so many eyes watching, how could Prince Damien possibly fake his death and escape?”

“Nothing is impossible.” William was steady as a mountain. “You’re only seeing the trouble Damien’s death brought Southlyn—you’re missing the benefits Southlyn gained.”

“Benefits? You mean the Former Dynasty Imperial Hoard?” Felix caught on instantly. “Damien used the hoard as leverage to make the Southlyn King spare him, so that’s why he was supposedly poisoned? But… why would the Southlyn King cooperate with Damien? Wasn’t he a traitor?”

William nodded lightly, calm as ever. “There’s nothing strange about it. If the Southlyn King could cooperate with you, he could cooperate with Damien—especially if Damien had something he wanted.”

“Affairs between royal fathers and sons are truly beyond the understanding of us common folk.” Felix shook his head and sighed. “No wonder Su Wan and the Summers clan have been so quiet lately. I thought they’d lost all support and were ready to give up, but now it looks like they’ve just gone to ground.”

The Summers clan isn’t panicking at all—they must know Damien is still alive. Felix hadn’t thought deeply about it, assuming Damien couldn’t possibly escape or fake his death under everyone’s nose. But the more impossible it seemed, the more Damien made it happen.

William nodded slightly—all the details pointed to Damien still being alive: “Damien knows where Ghost Hall’s bases are. Ghost Hall would use him, but they’d also put restrictions on him. Whether he’s really dead or just faking, Ghost Hall knows best.”

It actually makes more sense for Damien to be alive. A man who’s escaped Prince Nolan’s grasp multiple times wouldn’t die so quietly—it’s just not his style.

“So Ghost Hall’s mobilizing to hunt Damien?” If Damien really faked his death, it’s only natural for Ghost Hall to track him down—after all, he knows their secrets. If Ghost Hall can’t use him anymore, they’ll kill him to keep him silent.

William’s brows drew together, and he shook his head lightly. “Hard to say. You should know about the feud between Ghost Hall and the Former Dynasty Lan clan. Ghost Hall kept agents in Liancastle until Jason Lan died—only then did they pull out. This time, I suspect they’re after the Former Dynasty’s descendants.”

“You mean… their real target is the Grand Empress Dowager?” Felix was stunned, recalling how the Cui clan once collaborated with Ghost Hall—allegedly trading their Lan-blooded kin for help. Ghost Hall’s obsession with Lan descendants is so bizarre, they might really go to war over a single Lady Min.

“I’m about sixty percent sure.” William nodded slowly, his tone heavy.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Ghost Hall’s operation was no ordinary move—maybe it’s aimed straight at Eastlyn, possibly with help from the other three kingdoms. After all, Eastlyn is the dominant power now; the other three would love to weaken it or stir up trouble.

“The Taishang Emperor seems unusually busy lately. Any idea what he’s up to?” William glanced at Felix, waiting for his answer.

He’s not Prince Nolan—when it comes to royal family matters, he can’t use ruthless tactics. If he did, Prince Nolan would thank him now, but if the Wang clan ever crossed the line, it’d mean total destruction.

That topic weighed heavily on Felix too. He looked troubled, sighing deeply: “The Taishang Emperor has been making all kinds of moves lately. I have no idea what he’s really doing. He seems suspicious of me, keeps me out of the loop. I suspect he still has a private force somewhere—I’ve tried digging for clues, but haven’t found a thing.”

“Let’s hope the Taishang Emperor hasn’t teamed up with Ghost Hall. If he has…” William managed a bitter smile. “We’re in real trouble.”

With Prince Nolan absent, plenty of people are itching to exploit the gap—some would love nothing more than to seize Eastlyn for themselves. The Taishang Emperor acting out is no surprise at all.

Prince Nolan is set to ascend the throne as soon as he returns from the Imperial Mausoleum—the Taishang Emperor can’t possibly be unaware. No matter how much he claims to care about the realm, he’s bound to have misgivings about Nolan’s coronation. If he didn’t make a move, William would find it strange.

“When is Prince Nolan coming back?” Felix obviously understood the logic—if the Taishang Emperor makes a comeback, there’s no way they could keep him in check.

“No idea. Not a word from the mausoleum.” That only made William more uneasy.

It’s been three months already. Eastlyn’s nearly taken two Southlyn cities, but Prince Nolan is still missing—no word, no sign. No one knows what he’s up to, or why he hasn’t sent any message to reassure them.

“Isn’t he worried we’ll steal the state?” Felix grumbled. Prince Nolan keeps dropping everything as if they have no ambition or backbone.

“You’re overthinking it—even if we did, we couldn’t hold the throne. All the top generals with real power are Prince Nolan’s people. If he came back and gave the order, he’d march north and reclaim everything in a heartbeat. With that kind of strength, betrayal isn’t even a concern.”

“The Taishang Emperor… sigh…” Felix let out a heavy breath. Such simple logic—why can’t the old emperor see it?

“He’s a royal; he’s not like you.” William smiled slyly, digging a pit for Felix to fall into. Sure enough, Felix jumped in: “What do you mean, ‘not like me’? I’m nothing like the Taishang Emperor—I’m not scheming to be emperor.”

“Really? Didn’t you just say you wanted to steal the state?” William raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it.

“What do you mean I want to steal the state? I said ‘we’—the two of us. You’re not getting off that easy, Grand Heir!” Felix’s grin was all teeth, but William just looked indulgent, like he was humoring a child. “Lord Felix, I never said any such thing, and I certainly didn’t admit it. That’s all you.”

“You—you sinister, crafty little villain.” Felix couldn’t help cursing, but William was unfazed: “Even if you tell people, no one will believe you.”

A gentleman’s reputation isn’t earned for nothing…