Chapter 369 The Treason of Duchess Mesu

When Charlot was with Annie, his only ambition was to marry a rich, beautiful woman and achieve the pinnacle of life.

As the son of a merchant, Charlot Mecklenburg knew little about the nobles of the empire. And as a transmigrator, he neither retained memories of the past nor had any interest in exploring such seemingly trivial matters.

It wasn’t until much later that Charlot realized the immense power of the Bretagne family.

Previously, Charlot had felt smug, believing he had hitched himself to an influential and elegant partner. But it wasn’t until the Black Dragon’s warning that he awakened to the truth: the Bretagne family was overwhelmingly powerful.

Annie could casually uncover an assortment of extraordinary artifacts, even high-tier ones, from the count’s study.

And that was just a study, not the treasury of the Bretagne family!

When Charlot considered that any malicious intent directed at him might originate from Emperor Julius VI of Fars, he felt disheartened. He said, “If your guess is correct, doesn’t that mean we can’t do anything?”

“Could we even make the emperor apologize?”

The Black Dragon smiled faintly and replied, “The emperor will not always be the emperor.”

Charlot was stunned. Staring at the Black Dragon, he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. As a transmigrator, he hadn’t even entertained the idea of rebellion, yet this old lizard seemed to have been considering it all along.

Seeing Charlot’s reaction, the Black Dragon lowered his voice and said, “Your contributions have already been immense, but do you think you’ll ever receive a title, even as small as a baron?”

Charlot thought for a moment and shook his head. “Absolutely not! I’m only a twenty-fourth-rank first-class civil servant. A baron’s position is the seventh rank. Besides, the war has progressed to the point where my accomplishments have nearly peaked. Earning greater merit will be exceedingly difficult, and advancing further requires even more contributions.”

In both the Fars Empire and other nations of the Old Continent, those who could ascend to high positions were almost exclusively from the noble class. Commoners, regardless of their achievements, faced a rigid ceiling. Charlot was already an anomaly in the history of the Fars Empire, breaking through the barrier of class purely through merit. Such instances could be counted on one hand throughout the empire’s centuries-long history.

However, in the Lionheart Empire or Ingrima, he could achieve higher positions with little effort, as long as he pleased the emperor.

The Black Dragon said calmly, “But as the son-in-law of Her Majesty of the Bretagne family, your future might very well be that of Grand Duke Mecklenburg.”

Charlot couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. He had never considered such a prospect. However, his expression soon grew solemn as he said, “Black Dragon, let this matter remain between us. From now on, do not bring it up again.”

The Black Dragon nodded, saying, “As you command.”

After a long moment of contemplation, Charlot said, “Then we shall wait patiently... to see how Strasbourg intends to ‘handle’ me.”

After discussing matters further with the Black Dragon, Charlot decided not only to continue sending orcs to Cappadocia but also to attract a group of human migrants from there. To bridge the gap between humans and orcs, population movement and mixed communities were necessary. Allowing isolated orc tribes to form settlements would only exacerbate divisions.

Currently, Charlot controlled the Red Dragon Strait, the sole waterway connecting the Old Continent. It was also the most prosperous trade route. Utilizing the Red Dragon Strait could save at least several thousand kilometers of travel compared to bypassing either the northern or southern continents.

Cappadocia also possessed a fleet of several hundred merchant ships for maritime trade. Re-establishing the Red Dragon Strait’s trade routes and attracting other fleets to navigate it was imperative.

Charlot entrusted this task to the Black Dragon, who had proposed the idea.

Charlot didn’t have to wait long...

A messenger from Strasbourg arrived in Red Cliff City a month later.

For a moment, Charlot almost thought Emperor Julius VI had silently acknowledged his semi-autonomous control over the northern shore of the Red Dragon Strait.

The messenger brought new appointments. Charlot was promoted from a twenty-fourth-rank first-class civil servant to a twenty-third-rank second-class civil servant. His administrative duties expanded as well, naming him Administrator of the Eleven Cities of the Red Dragon Strait and Commander of the Red Dragon Sea Theater.

The promotion was decent enough. Charlot was neither dissatisfied nor particularly excited. Yet, he sensed an increasing coldness from the emperor.

Charlot vividly remembered his first promotion: documents came from three sources—the Central Government Office, His Majesty the Emperor, and Her Majesty the Empress. This time, however, all appointments came solely from the Central Government Office. The emperor and empress no longer issued any decrees or rewards.

Sighing, Charlot resolved that he couldn’t afford to alienate the Bretagne family for the sake of an emperor he had never even met. That would be sheer folly.

With his new position and duties in hand, Charlot immediately expanded the West Wind Knight Order, incorporating all orc warriors. This transformation elevated the knight order, initially composed of city patrol guards, to the largest force on the Old Continent.

Its size now surpassed even the royal knight orders of the five major empires. In a world dominated by extraordinary combat, royal knight orders prioritized the quality and number of their transcendents. None had ever maintained such an enormous standing force.

The West Wind Knight Order was now the premier knight order of the Old Continent!

After reorganizing the West Wind Knight Order, Charlot intended to focus on cultivation to improve his strength. He hoped to enhance his chances of survival when facing the evil god in the near future.

However, before long, another messenger arrived from the empire with shocking news.

Even Charlot, with his transmigrator's perspective, thought it sounded like something out of a poorly conceived novel.

A monumental event had shaken the Fars Empire to its core!

Duchess Mesu had committed treason!

The duchess, along with her entire family and the Northern Fleet, had defected to Byron. Rumor had it she had even gained the favor of a Blood Ancestor and transformed into a vampire!

When Charlot received the documents, he nearly asked aloud, “Does the empire’s messenger moonlight as a writer submitting draft manuscripts?”

“Which fledgling author came up with such an absurd plotline?”

But cold, hard reality proved it true. Shortly after, the Imperial Rose Fleet under Menielman confirmed the same news. Duchess Mesu had indeed betrayed the empire, defecting to Byron. The Northern Fleet, once a trusted ally, was now a formidable enemy at sea.

Charlot was left in shock for three or four days, unable to fully process the startling development.

Duchess Mesu’s defection nullified the fruits of two recent naval victories. The hard-won naval superiority of the empire was now completely offset, pushing the war with Byron into an even harsher and bloodier phase.

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