Malbert was sent back to Long River Town by the people of Owl Knight Order. This movie star performed the stomachache with great proficiency.
However, the lord did not choose to run away after all.
Although it is indeed very risky to go on the road with Lion Knight, at least Li Ang knows that Lion Knight Order will definitely not kill him on the road.
The reason is simple - killing yourself secretly does no one any good.
If someone wants his life, no matter who it is, it will definitely be to get his wealth, unless there is some blood feud.
But the lord has thought about it carefully and feels that there should be no grudge against King Ulrich and Lion Knight Order at present.
And the thing in my hand that people will care about is not direct assets such as land or cash, but Wheat Fragrance Group, a company.
A company is made up of people.
If he dies in an unknown way, the people who make up the company are not fools. They will either seek refuge with the major shareholder Godric, or they will run away directly, and the person who killed him will get nothing.
Moreover, even if the king wants to kill himself, he will definitely go through the process.
Even if you have to trick yourself, find a way to give yourself a rebellious name and sentence yourself to death, you must at least execute him publicly in Noble Council Square.
So there is no need to worry for the time being, and we will talk about Lion City later - the lord still has confidence in the ability of his company's employees. It is difficult to say the combat effectiveness of Long River Express, but in terms of movement speed, this professional transportation team will definitely be higher than Lion Knight Order.
Li Ang has ordered Amy to ask Lesley to gather the elite of the team to Lion City. Lesley will definitely lead the team personally. With Lesley's execution efficiency, it is estimated that he will arrive long before Lion Knight.
Although Li Ang doesn't know how Ulrich will treat him, as long as there are enough subordinates there, the lord will have the confidence to turn over.
After all, he is no longer alone. There is a difference in courage between having subordinates and not having subordinates.
But the price for not running away is to be shackled.
Of course, Lion Knights only tied his hands in front of him, probably to prevent him from using weapons to hurt others, and did not restrict his movements.
Probably out of respect, they did not gag Li Ang, and still let him ride the horse by himself, without even searching for anything on his body.
This suspect has not yet been convicted, and the Lion Knights still remain relatively polite, but since it involves treason and the king ordered his arrest, the use of shackles is justified.
It's just that all Lion Knight didn't have any conversation with Li Ang.
This is probably the aftermath of the previous rescue of Amy with Lion Knight - these Lion Knight may not want to give the lord any chance to deceive and cause trouble.
No matter what Li Ang said, these Lion Knight just listened and did not respond at all.
So the lord stopped thinking too much about his words and started thinking about what to do next.
The lord was thinking about things all the way, didn't say much, and didn't try to escape. He looked very honest.
Without receiving any instructions, Risadiran did not act rashly and just stayed behind Lion Knight Order.
This Noldo Elves's ability to use the environment is superb. The trees, hills and fog along the way are all tools for him to hide his figure.
Except for Li Ang who already knew he was behind him, no one noticed him.
Three days later, Li Ang was brought to Seven Forks Fortress.
Speaking of which, Lord Lord actually had a pretty easy time these three days.
Lion Knight Order's journey was not too fast, and although Li Ang was arrested, he was a nobleman after all. Lion Retainers took care of Li Ang along the way, so he didn't have to worry about anything about food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Li Ang also has a new understanding of the quality of life of these Lion Knight.
When the lord was in his own territory, he did many things by himself. There were no servants at White Deer Fortress's time. Amy's family didn't even have a housekeeper - Amy himself didn't bring a maid.
The lords of the eastern border counties are indeed relatively simple compared to the nobles in the hinterland of the kingdom. Even Godric only has few attendants.
The lord felt a little emotional. He had been in Pendor for more than a year, and he had become a noble, but he had not enjoyed the corruption that a noble should have. It was really outrageous...
On the contrary, after he was arrested, he didn't need to do anything by himself, and he was fed by others.
It felt more like a vacation except that no one talked to him.
But this beautiful life ended soon. After Lion Knight Order brought Li Ang into Seven Forks Fortress, he politely removed his shackles and invited him into the cell.
This is not a dark and damp prison located in the basement, but a small stone house next to the city wall. It is probably an independent prison specially used to detain nobles.
The lighting in this prison is quite good, the living facilities inside are complete, and it is quite clean.
It seems that preparations have been made here.
Although this kind of detention is normal, the lord still expressed his dissatisfaction. "Hey, hey, did you just leave me here? Aren't you going to Lion City right away?"
Lion Knight no one answered, but directly closed the iron door.
Li Ang curled his lips, looking at this, the trouble he was about to face might be a bit tricky!
But in line with the purpose of facing the best condition in any situation, Li Ang closed his eyes and thought for a while, then began to eat and drink enough, and forced himself to sleep.
I slept until about midnight, and then Li Ang was awakened by the sound of the key unlocking the door.
He turned over and sat up, and then he saw the iron door opened, and Sir Rayman walked in holding a food box in one hand and a torch in the other.
There seemed to be a few people standing outside the door.
After lighting the lights in the cell with a torch, Ryman inserted the torch into the iron ring on the wall at the door, and then placed the food on the table one by one with his back to Li Ang, moving extremely slowly.
There is wine and meat, and the dishes are quite sumptuous.
But the lord just stood up and did not take any action.
Ryman sighed and turned around, frowned and took off the sword from his waist, put it on the table, and then sat down.
"Lord Li Ang... Do you know that if you enter Lion City, you probably won't be able to get out..."
Ryman's voice was very soft, and he gestured to the sword on the table with his eyes.
Li Ang shook his head and looked at the people at the door.
"They can't stop you... With your skills, it's normal for you to run away from those people."
Ryman's voice is softer.
"No, I can't run, I'm not treason..." Li Ang still shook his head. "What's going on?"
"It doesn't matter whether you are guilty or not... His Majesty the King originally asked me to catch you Lion City, and he said that if you resisted, you would be shot to death. I didn't dare to agree, so I found an excuse to shirk..."
Ryman lowered his voice, poured a glass of wine and held it himself, but did not give the glass to Li Ang.
"Shoot to kill? It seems that you have made plans to kill me? But if it is to take my life directly, then why take me to Lion City?"
Such an order does mean that the situation is serious. It seems that Ryman, like Malbert, feels that Li Ang may not escape death.
But Li Ang doesn't understand why the king has such a plan?
"Many people already know about the letter Bacchus Empire's emperor wrote to you. You should have seen it too..."
Ryman took a sip of wine, with a trace of regret in his eyes.
"I might be the last one to see it... but the king can't convict me just based on a letter from the empire, can he?"
Li Ang spread his hands. "It's such an obvious plan to alienate you, it's not like that!"
"Lord Li Ang, the main problem is not that letter, but Three Prophets--you know, I brought Three Prophets back to Lion City. The king did not deal with Three Prophets, but released them, which you should be able to imagine. But since then, His Majesty the King has been paying attention to your news, and as soon as the letter appeared, he immediately issued an order to arrest you. He seems to have been looking for something to do with you."
Speaking of this, Ryman shook his head and seemed a little confused. "I don't know why, but Three Prophets must have said something to King Ulrich. You have defeated them, and they must hate you to the core, so..."
Ryman looked at the sword again, then turned to glance at the still open door. "You can run away now, I will lead people to hunt you down, but I know you will definitely be able to run away..."
"Is Three Prophets still in Lion City?"
Li Ang is indeed a little nervous. Logically speaking, Ulrich should not let Three Prophets stay in the city.
"That's not true. They are in a swamp near Cliff Bay. I personally led a team to escort them there. Although the king did not kill them, he did not allow them to have an army anymore. They are being watched closely and they will not be able to get out for a while."
Ryman shook his head and replied.
It seems that Ulrich is not stupid enough, but it also means that he did make a deal with Three Prophets.
"So, Three Prophets is harming me... But Ryman, why are you telling me this? If I run away, you will take the responsibility..."
Li Ang is indeed a little curious, Ryman is actually helping himself. "Why?"
"People like you shouldn't die for such an unreasonable thing... I failed in your hands once. That was the only time I failed in the arena. I haven't been able to win it back with my own hands!"
Ryman frowned tightly. "Besides, I know the relationship between Godric and you, and I don't want to see civil strife in the kingdom."
Li Ang nodded. "Thank you, but I can't escape... I'm not a traitor, and I can't bear the charge of rebellion."
Ryman sighed again, said nothing more, picked up the sword and left.
The next day, Li Ang was brought to Lion City.
The person who took him away was Royal City Guard.
The Lord did not encounter any public trial - because no one publicly accused Li Ang.
That letter was only a unilateral letter from a hostile country. Although it was written by the emperor, it was not considered valid evidence.
In this case, the king can doubt Li Ang and ask Li Ang to defend himself. There is no problem, but there will be no trial process.
In any country in the Pande Continent, it is illegal to try nobles based solely on suspicion.
Unless there are remarks that can be used as testimony during the self-defense process, or someone makes accusations with valid evidence, there may be a trial.
But King Ulrich didn't even use the self-defense process. Li Ang was directly taken into the secret room of the palace.
Li Ang was brought in blindfolded. This is a common practice. Since the establishment of the Lionheart Kingdom, foreign ministers must wear blindfolds when entering the palace except the throne room.
Probably Lion King has no sense of security in all previous generations.
After the blindfold was removed, Li Ang turned around and took a look.
He was in a basically completely sealed room, with no door in sight, only a window with iron bars, but the window did not face the outside, but faced another room.
But in the room opposite is not King Ulrich, but Igor sitting in a bachelor's uniform.
The lord is in a luxurious prison.
This is probably the secret room where King Ulrich once imprisoned Lord Andrew. It is probably also the place where he secretly talked to others.
"Baron Li Ang, long time no see... You should know why His Majesty invited you here..."
Igor spoke through the bars. He didn't look very good and his words were a bit weak.
"Grand Bachelor, if handcuffing me with Lion Knight Order is considered a request, then I really don't understand the reason..."
The lord didn't give a good look. After all, this was a case where the king was doubting a lord's loyalty and moral character. In this case, not being angry would be tantamount to kneeling down, and there would be no good consequences.
"Marius, the false emperor, gave you the title of 'General Long River Town'! Are you not going to explain this?"
Igor smiled softly, and dipped the pen in his hand into ink to prepare for recording.
It seems that this can be regarded as Ulrich giving Li Ang a chance to defend himself. This kind of conversation record made by the palace bachelor is legal, but this one-on-one secret room communication is not fair to Li Ang.
"How to explain...Bacchus Empire also said that I can eat five children in one meal... this is just to harm me."
Li Ang spread his hands. "Grand Scholar Igor, how about I also give Emperor Marius the title of 'Wheat Fragrance Territory Knight', what do you think?"
Yes, this kind of unilateral reward has a certain purpose. Even Malbert can see that it is a divorce plan.
Igor shook his head and laughed, "Li Ang, after all, he is the emperor of a country. Why didn't he harm Godric or Brennus? Why did he specifically harm you? You have to give me a reason... Someone told me that you went to Bax a few days ago. What were you doing?"
"Go buy food. Lion Knight must have told you that I grew a lot of food in my territory..."
This is indeed the truth, Li Ang answered without any hesitation.
"That means admitting that we are negotiating a deal with the Bacchus Empire..."
Igor, who was recording, said something, and then started writing furiously.
"Grand Scholar Igor, I am buying food, not selling it! Buying food from other countries shouldn't be a crime, right?"
Li Ang shook his head helplessly.
"Who knows what you bought it for..." Igor smiled meaningfully.
"Okay, this is my fault. I shouldn't have farmed the land, fed the people, and stored military rations... let alone contributed to the country..."
The lord is starting to mess up. Anyway, no one else is here now. The charges imposed are not convincing, and such small charges will not kill anyone.
"Okay, okay, I won't record it anymore..."
Igor sighed, put the pen aside, and stood up.
"Li Ang, I might as well tell you straight, your Majesty doesn't care why Marius is targeting you. In fact, no one cares whether you will treason, but your Majesty needs your Wheat Fragrance Company."
The lord's eyes widened in surprise. He could imagine that the king wanted to blackmail him, but he really didn't expect that the king would directly ask for his company.
"That's the company, Grand Scholar Igor! That's not cash, I can't give it to anyone I want!"
Li Ang suddenly realized that King Ulrich and this Grand Scholar Igor probably did not understand the nature of a joint-stock company.
They probably thought that it was property, just like those workshop-like industries under the names of ordinary nobles...
However, Wheat Fragrance Company is a joint industry of shareholders. Although Li Ang is the largest shareholder with absolute control, he cannot transfer his shares at will.
Moreover, all the company's businesses are interrelated, and Li Ang has invested a large amount of funds into Long River Express, which has not yet made a profit. Currently, each branch company is continuously undergoing internal capital turnover, and no one except Li Ang can do this.
Those investors and businessmen who become agents will now only believe in Li Ang and Godric, who have always talked about credibility. If the company changes ownership, it will probably encounter withdrawals and margin runs in minutes, and it is normal for it to collapse within a few days...
"It seems you are unwilling? Li Ang, dinars are not as important as life..."
Igor looked unhappy, he thought Li Ang was unhappy.
"This is not a matter of willingness. I can give His Majesty the King and you some shares - if His Majesty the King is willing to protect the company. But I really can't give the company to anyone. You probably don't know that Wheat Fragrance Company's current actual assets are negative..."
Li Ang smiled bitterly.
Wheat Fragrance International's current actual assets are indeed negative, because the expenses have been a bit high recently, Long River Express has been operating at a loss, and territory construction has also been consuming funds.
Although I have a lot of silver coins in my hands, these silver coins cannot be moved for the time being. They are the deposits paid by the businessmen who opened chain stores everywhere, and they are also the principal of the first batch of investors.
Of course, with the rate at which those 'entertainment venues' make money, it will take less than a few months for them to turn a profit.
But Igor doesn't believe it...
Judging from the business foundation of the Lionheart Kingdom, this bachelor obviously did not understand how Wheat Fragrance Group of Li Ang operates.
"Huh... Since you don't want to, then just stay here..."
The bachelor who attempted blackmail left directly after saying this, with a very bad look on his face.
When the door on the other side closed, the whole room fell into silence and darkness.
The company really can't give it away, and if it does, it will be considered as an empty shell to deceive others. Moreover, if it really handed over the property, it would probably be dead - the king would not leave himself a powerful enemy.
The lord took out a fire sickle from his body, scratched the iron window a few times, looked at the environment with sparks, and then went to rest without any worries.
There is food and drink here, and the bars on the iron window are just ordinary cast iron as thick as a little finger, not a modern high-tech product.
If you really want to escape, this secret room cannot stop Li Ang who has gunpowder on him.
Besides, there will definitely be people coming. Since we know that Ulrich is trying to make money, he will not kill himself before he achieves his goal.
It's just that the lord is very unhappy - he has always been the one kidnapping and extorting others, but now he is being kidnapped and extorted. It's really retribution...