The one who had ordered the Dong Family to steal the rails was, unexpectedly, a rather peculiar figure: the Victorious Duke of Donghua Kingdom.
The slave laborer bound up at the Dong Family knew some information, but he knew only that it had happened, not why.
Yet the Victorious Duke's Estate's reason for demanding the theft of rails was equally baffling: he needed a large quantity of iron to forge weapons.
Though the duke bore the title "Victorious," he kept a low profile within the kingdom. From that title alone, one could imagine the suspicion and pressure he had endured.
Someone from the Dong Family held office in Dragon City and later came into contact with the Victorious Duke's Estate. Five years earlier, the duke's estate had asked the Dong Family to prepare a batch of weapons. They did not say what they were for, but clearly, the Dong Family had no power to refuse.
In Donghua Kingdom, iron and steel were state monopolies. Combined with Donghua's rather backward ironworking techniques, the Dong Family could only secretly forge a very limited number of weapons and suits of armor.
The Victorious Duke's Estate was somewhat dissatisfied with the Dong Family's efficiency. They had originally intended to have them secretly acquire some Black Iron from Zhao Family Fort, but Zhao Family Fort had foolishly provoked Pacify Arms Mountain and was wiped out by Feng Jun.
Recently, the Dong Family had been worrying about where to obtain another batch of steel for forging weapons. Then Pacify Arms Mountain began laying railway tracks.
That was simply too tempting. Before the Dong Family had even decided whether to make a move, someone from the Victorious Duke's Estate arrived and said, "Weren't you always complaining about having no steel? There's plenty right outside your door."
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