A Watertight Blade

"What? The Red Dragon has entered into a contract with Count Hudson?"

Morrison asked incredulously.

They all went into the Ula Mountains together to capture the dragon, and Hudson returned only half a day earlier than them. In that short time, the Red Dragon became someone else's mount.

If he had known earlier that this dragon was so easy to tame, he would have insisted on representing the royal family to compete for it.

Morrison is getting old and doesn't have many years left to live, so he's definitely not needed by me. But the royal family needs him!

Crown Prince Caesar has such a bad reputation; if he could subdue a Giant Dragon, he could rebuild his prestige and recover his lost reputation.

It's too late to say anything now; the contract has already been signed, and there's no going back.

"Yes, Mr. Morrison. Red Dragon was sent back to the camp and chained up, and Red Dragon awoke shortly afterward."

Count Hudson went to investigate, and the Red Dragon voluntarily formed a pact with him, becoming his own dragon. Therefore, the Earl ordered the Red Dragon released to recuperate.

The noble officer's words were clearly a message that Hudson deliberately released to the outside world.

This is his command camp. Without his approval as the commander-in-chief, the face of a mere retainer is not enough to make the noble officers under his command say whatever they want.

Unsurprisingly, Morrison was completely speechless. The legendary scene had actually happened before his eyes; the psychological gap was unbearable for any normal person.

Although he didn't want to believe it, the facts were undeniable, leaving him no choice but to accept them.

Considering the classic story of Hudson finding a bear on the road, it seems plausible that he would also find a Giant Dragon.

He wouldn't believe that such unstoppable luck wasn't divine intervention.

"Understood. Inform that little rascal, Effie, and have him come and handle it!"

Morrison said wearily.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. As an old member of the royal family, he is over 170 years old. No matter how well he takes care of himself, he won't live much longer.

If you keep worrying about these things, your death will only be a hair's breadth away. Sky Knight aren't like cabbages; the royal family needs them to maintain order!

As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Ancestor, I already know. But this matter is not easy to handle. The addition of a Giant Dragon will indeed enhance the kingdom's strength."

But this Red Dragon previously attacked the military camp and set fire to a large number of supply warehouses. The Alliance investigation team will definitely suspect that this is a staged event!

"Duke Affierro said with a sullen expression."

It's a good thing that the kingdom's strength is increasing, but he'd rather not have this kind of increase.

Hudson's reputation in the country was already soaring rapidly, making him virtually unbeatable among his peers. It was impossible to find someone to support him as a rival.

The Coslo Family is currently weak and can be suppressed, but what about in thirty to fifty years?

By then, Hudson will still be at his peak, and most of the older generation in the kingdom will have retired. He will be a chosen "potential minister".

What's even more unbelievable is that this aspiring official was incredibly lucky. While I've never heard of him finding gold coins on the street, he certainly found Warcraft monsters!

First the Earth Bear, and now the Giant Dragon. If he had nothing better to do, he could easily wander into the Monster Mountain Range every few days and who knows how much he would gain.

As for the trouble with the Alliance investigation team, that's just an excuse. They came here to cause trouble anyway, so they'll eventually find a way in.

Unless all the nobles of the Alpha Kingdom are willing to give up the Orc Great Plains and stop extending their reach here, trouble is inevitable.

"Alright, Effie! These are minor issues for you to worry about yourself, don't drag me into it."

Anyway, the dragon has been captured, so the Venerable Council's mission is complete. The rest is up to you.

After saying that, Morrison turned and left.

He was too traumatized today; he needs to go back and calm down. That's the downside of getting old—you can't handle stress.

Upon seeing this, Duke Affierro gave a wry smile. If he had a better solution, he wouldn't be so worried.

When dealing with a special case like the Hudson, the royal family has to both give him important responsibilities and restrict and suppress him; it's all about striking a balance.

The degree to which this is balanced is the most difficult to control. A slight misstep can lead to disaster.

Inside the command tent, Hudson and Duke Affierro sat facing each other, leisurely drinking tea like close friends.

"Congratulations Count Hudson, on becoming the fourth Dragon Knight on the continent! This is an honor for the entire Alpha Kingdom, and His Majesty will be very pleased to know."

Upon hearing Duke Affierro's words, Hudson secretly rolled his eyes; there was no way Caesar III could be happy about that.

He was already a threat because he rose to prominence so quickly, and now with this latest incident, the danger level is definitely going to rise sharply.

"Ha ha..."

"It's all luck! Perhaps the previous battle damaged the Red Dragon's brain. As soon as I went to check on it, it started crying and begging to make a contract with me."

It would have been better if he hadn't explained; the explanation only made Duke Affierro more frustrated.

If the Red Dragon really does get brain damage and develops the habit of making contracts with everyone he meets, the royal family will really suffer a huge loss.

However, this is just wishful thinking. Although the Dragon Race has many bizarre histories, there has never been a case of a dragon whose brain was damaged and then voluntarily pulling someone into signing a contract.

"The Earl's charm is truly remarkable. If someone else had gone there, the outcome might have been quite different."

However, now that the Red Dragon has become our dragon, things might not go smoothly for the Alliance investigation team. They've come with ill intentions this time, so Your Excellency should be prepared.

Duke Affierro changed the subject.

While seemingly reminding Hudson to be prepared, it was actually telling him that since he had made the Red Dragon his mount, he had to clean up the mess the Red Dragon had caused.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, the Alliance investigation team is here mainly to investigate the resale of military supplies. The previous case of the fire dragon burning the warehouse is just a small case sandwiched in between."

The logistics Logistics Department has investigated all of these cases. However, since they involve the kingdom's reputation, I haven't yet decided how to proceed.

We now have two choices:

Either confirm the fire at the warehouse, admit the garrison's negligence, and erase the act of reselling military supplies, with the kingdom compensating the alliance for its losses, and ultimately the nobles who resold the military supplies paying the price.

Alternatively, the Logistics Department could hand over the evidence it possessed directly to the Alliance investigation team. This evidence included both the resale of military supplies and evidence of someone funding the Red Dragon to burn down empty warehouses.

Your Excellency, you are also a witness. Judging from the scene that day, there wasn't a single grain of food, not a single remnant of weaponry, in the ruins of the destroyed warehouse... there wasn't even a speck of dust on the ground!

Hudson didn't hold back and resorted to the tactic of shifting blame.

It's impossible for them to be taken advantage of; the Alliance investigation team's target is the Alpha Kingdom, not the Red Dragon.

Once the supply trafficking case is resolved, the Alliance has no reason to hold the Red Dragon hostage. Rules are meant to restrain people, not Giant Dragon.

Once the evidence was out there, the Alliance investigation team had no time to waste on the Red Dragon.

After all, the Dragon Race still holds some sway on the Aslant Continent.

Unless they are truly driven to desperation, no nobleman would be willing to risk retaliation by slaying a dragon.

Hudson's previous claims about the Red Dragon were pure nonsense.

People might dare to secretly slay a dragon, but if they openly kill a Giant Dragon, everyone would worry about being retaliated against by the Dragon Race.

The Human Alliance's tiger skin is just for bragging. The Giant Dragon's power isn't just in their individual combat strength; their high mobility is what's truly formidable.

Dozens of Giant Dragon teamed up and unleashed a barrage of attacks on a single faction. By the time reinforcements from the Human Alliance arrived, they were already struggling to collect the corpses.

Unless they go too far and merely retaliate against the forces involved, the divided human race will find it difficult to muster the courage to wage a full-scale war against the Dragon Race.

The ball was in his court, Duke Affierro's smile vanished instantly. He had long heard of Hudson's tenacity, but he hadn't expected him to be so meticulous in his work.

It seems like two choices have been presented, but in reality, it's like digging two pits, one in front and one behind, meaning you have to jump into the pit no matter what.

They managed to save face by handling it internally. Human Alliance certainly won't back down. They'll most likely have to force the Alpha Kingdom to make significant concessions before they'll be let off the hook.

Handing over evidence of military supply smuggling directly to the Alliance investigation team would undoubtedly be a rule-breaking move.

Not only will the kingdom's reputation be trampled on, but it will also provoke strong dissatisfaction among the country's nobles.

"May I ask, Count Hudson, just how much military supplies have those fellows in the North smuggled?"

"Duke Affierro asked with concern."

Having problems isn't scary; what's scary is not being able to solve them. If the hole is small, everyone can work together to fill it.

"Your Excellency, only they themselves probably know how much military supplies they have resold."

However, I have a partial list of the military supplies they've been reselling. Even these incomplete lists, based on current market prices, would be worth no less than ten million gold coins.

Hudson deliberately shifted the subject, saying.

As a black market dealer, while it's not possible to know 100% exactly who is reselling the goods and how much they are, the statistics are generally accurate.

Ten million gold coins sounds terrifying, but that's because the current market price was artificially inflated by the investigation team.

If we rephrase it, the profit from reselling military supplies drops to between 1.5 million and 1.8 million gold coins.

If the money is divided among the Five Great Families, each family would only receive a little over 300,000 gold coins. To amass so much wealth in just a few months is truly outrageous.

But this money wasn't pocketed by any one duke alone. His underlings also shared in the profits.

Even the most ruthless Northern Nobles have such a large appetite. Overall, the nobles of the Alpha Kingdom still have some integrity.

Everyone did reach out for logistical supplies from the coalition forces, but they still held firm to the bare minimum.

Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to cut our losses and fill the gap in time after receiving news of the investigation team's arrival.

The Northern Nobles took a risk because, on the one hand, the front lines did not have enough supplies to help everyone fill the gaps; on the other hand, their deficits were too large, and they simply could not afford to pay that much money, so they had no choice but to give up.

Duke Affierro, bewildered by the figure of ten million gold coins and not paying attention to the details, pondered for a moment before slowly saying:

"Count Hudson, this is a matter of great importance, and I cannot make a decision in a short time. How about we convene Logistics Department meeting first, so that everyone can discuss and decide together?"

The matter should have been reported to the King, but Duke Affierro, being a good minister, clearly did not want to pass this hot potato to Caesar III and put him in a difficult position.

It's best if Hudson, the commander, takes the blame for something that's destined to offend the Northern Nobles.

Thinking about this, he suddenly realized that Hudson getting the Red Dragon mount wasn't so bad after all.

If it weren't for this Giant Dragon, the young commander in front of him would probably have continued to play dumb and would never have directly turned against the Northern Nobles.

However, it must be admitted that Hudson's current move is a precise grasp of the timing, location, and circumstances.

If it were earlier, when everyone had a lot of problems, whoever came out to expose the resale of military supplies would be everyone's enemy.

The situation is clearly different now. Apart from those guys in the North, the other nobles in the kingdom have almost filled their own holes.

This is precisely the time when everyone dislikes the Northern Nobles the most. Why should they all have to cut their losses to make up for their deficits, while the Northern Nobles are exempt?

It's one thing to act shamelessly, but at least one should use some clever methods. Since you've been caught red-handed, you have to take responsibility.

Install the latest version.

Ultimately, the cause of this disaster lies with the Northern Nobles. Even though Geoff has disappeared, it doesn't change the fact that he comes from the Locknerd Family.

Most importantly, the Northern Nobles have already offended many people within the kingdom in their daily struggle to seize resources, and a large group of nobles want to take advantage of their misfortune.

Unfortunately, their most formidable enemy was King Caesar III.

"Your Excellency, rest assured, the Logistics Department has already made a decision on this matter. At the last logistics meeting, we established the tone: anything that can be handled internally should be handled internally."

All the evidence related to the Northern Nobles reselling military supplies and bribing the Red Dragon to set fire to empty warehouses is in this box.

In addition, some time ago, several dukes from the North had secret contact with people from the Church. What they discussed is unknown, but soon after, an assassination attempt on the Royal Capital broke out in the capital.

Of course, these are just speculations and should not be taken as evidence. Your Highness, please don't take them to heart.

Hudson didn't hold back when he said "eye drops."

He could only talk about handing over the evidence to the Human Alliance investigation team. Even if the Logistics Department meeting approved it, he couldn't actually do it.

Every circle has its own rules. Hudson is a nobleman of the Alpha Kingdom, not a nobleman of the Human Alliance. When it comes to matters of principle, he has to be on the right side.

To avoid being taken advantage of, he set the tone early on for handling the situation as best he could internally. Perhaps it was this very tone that prompted the Northern Nobles to take such a risk.

After all, the resale of military supplies is a thing of the past. The ledgers and warehouses were burned, and the extent of the loss of supplies is entirely up to them.

Unless their own people come forward to report it, it will be extremely difficult for the investigation team to find evidence.

It's worth noting that after the burning of the warehouse, they specifically sent someone to inform Red Dragon to go overseas to avoid the limelight.

Unfortunately, Maxim was a treacherous dragon; he verbally agreed but in reality, he didn't take their warnings to heart at all.

In Red Dragon's view, even if he couldn't beat them, could he outrun them?

One wrong move and the whole game is lost.

Unwilling to pay for it himself, Hudson could only unleash a barrage of attacks on the Northern Nobles. He couldn't afford to worry about offending anyone anymore.

In a direct armed conflict, he is the commander-in-chief. Northern Nobles dare to take action, it would be considered a rebellion, and they would surely bring about their own destruction.

He has the Earth Bear and the Giant Dragon as bodyguards; I doubt any assassin organization would take on such a deadly job.

"Very well, Count Hudson. I will report this matter truthfully to the King. If the Alliance investigation team comes to inquire, I'll trouble you to find a way to stall for time!"

"I can't help it," said Duke Affierro.

Having encountered a flawless opponent, Hudson's plan to draw hatred alone was thwarted before it even began.

After this incident, it's hard to believe that this operation against the Northern Nobles wasn't a conspiracy between Hudson and the King.

Once the war was over, he led his troops directly back to his fiefdom, so even if the Northern Nobles wanted to retaliate, they couldn't reach that far.

This debt will most likely be attributed to the King, since after recovering several provinces in the Northern Frontier, the royal domain has almost surrounded the fiefdoms of the Five Great Families in the north.

In terms of area, one is larger than five. Once it develops, the power of the royal family will surely reach a new height.

They could have broken this passive situation by expanding northward.

However, the resale of military supplies provided the King with a ready handle to use against them. It would be a miracle if Lord of Dawn Caesar III didn't severely punish them. They were dreaming if they wanted to gain new fiefdoms!

Making a scene is useless; aside from themselves, all the nobles in the kingdom want one less person to share the spoils. On this issue, everyone will stand with the King.

If they sit idly by and wait to die, becoming sandwiched in the Five Great Families, one can only imagine how miserable their future will be.

If they hadn't been truly forced into it, the Northern Nobles wouldn't have played such a disgraceful role in the previous assassination attempt on the emperor.

They were simply too wary of Caesar III and wanted to replace him with a more easily fooled King.

"Your Excellency, please rest assured, I will try my best to stall for time. However, the investigation team represents the Human Alliance after all, and I cannot withstand the pressure if they want to intervene in the investigation."

"You'd better urge them on things back in the Royal Capital. Otherwise, if the investigation team finds something, it'll be a huge problem!"

Hudson complained about the trouble, but deep down he thought something completely different. Trouble was a good thing; the absence of trouble would have been a bigger problem.

If you've acquired a Giant Dragon, how can you quell everyone's jealousy without a big news story to divert attention and stir up hatred?

Just because you can't proactively report to the Alliance investigation team doesn't mean you can't secretly guide the investigation team to investigate the case.

No matter how clean the bulk commodity transactions are conducted, loopholes are inevitable.

With so many people involved in the transaction, such as those responsible for escorting the goods and witnesses along the route, who can guarantee that no one will let something slip?

If the shortage of supplies can be replenished in time, then these people's claims are just empty talk and cannot be believed.

If the loophole can't be plugged, these people are the key to breaking through the case of reselling military supplies. Once the loophole is opened, the rest will be easier to investigate.

Empty warehouses that have been destroyed, ledgers that have no protection or backups – these are all vulnerabilities.

As long as they delve into the military camps of the Northern Nobles, they won't have trouble finding evidence. Even if the investigation team isn't very effective, they'll still receive video footage of the warehouse before and after it burned down.

The moment the contract with the Red Dragon was signed, Hudson released some evidence regarding the Northern Nobles' resale of military supplies.

With so many nobles, all sorts of people can be found.

It is quite reasonable that a noble officer might occasionally keep a diary to record important events of the day; or that a nobleman might like to use Projection Stone to record significant events around him.

Some things, if you don't do them, you don't do them at all; but if you do do them, you have to go all the way.

The Northern Nobles are deeply entrenched and possess the power to overturn the kingdom. It is unlikely that the kingdom's internal forces alone can do anything to them.

To truly inflict serious damage on them, external forces are needed. If the Human Alliance wants to kick the Alpha Kingdom off its table, it must solidify the case of the military supply smuggling scheme.

The Human Alliance stepped forward and wouldn't let go; if several Northern Nobles didn't die, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves.

For this, Hudson was willing to sacrifice the title of Marshal of the Kingdom that he had not yet obtained.