The Lord Of Blood Hill

Chapter 633: Interests Above Feelings

Once he has escorted Henwell back to the residence, Obilian looks at him. "I saved your life today, yet you still will not choose to stand with me, will you?"Henwell corrects him. "First, you did not save my life. If you do not believe me, ask the royal guardian beside you."

"It may hurt your pride, but you are not a top-level extraordinary professional. This is a field you cannot understand."

"The guardians beside you can certainly sense it."

"When you arrived, my aura alone was suppressing the two men opposite me."

"If it had turned into a fight to the death, I would not necessarily have won a great victory. But if I wanted to leave, the two of them could not stop me."

Hearing Henwell say this, Obilian looks at the guardian beside him, and the latter nods slightly, confirming Henwell's words.

Then Henwell continues, "Whether I stand with you does not depend on me. It depends on you."

"If you are willing to stand with me, I can guarantee that you and your family will still have enough benefits."

"I can also guarantee that the troubles you face now will no longer be problems."

"The ones who should worry will be Ika and Ogiro. Even the Western Federation will have to be wary."

Obilian sighs. "But standing with you means Peace Haven swallowing Lumir."

Henwell shrugs. "And if I submit to you, is that not Peace Haven being swallowed by you?"

"In essence, neither side is willing to submit."

"If you want me to submit, you need capital worth showing."

"But judging by the current situation, you do not seem to have many cards in hand, while Peace Haven is still steadily growing stronger."

"I can guarantee that if Lumir and Peace Haven merge, I will be able to swallow Ogiro five years later."

"And Your Majesty, what can you guarantee me?"

"Five years later, you still will not dare raise your voice when facing Ika."

Obilian lets the topic drop. Instead, he asks, "After making such a disturbance today, it looks like you intend to break away from the Western Federation completely."

"I think we can conduct some limited cooperation here. For example, how to restrain the Western Federation's external influence."

"Blocking the Western Federation benefits Lumir and Ika. It is also a great help to you, now that you have fallen out with the Western Regions."

Henwell laughs. "Hehe. Obilian."

"If you truly think that, then it seems you are still not qualified as a king."

"I have not fallen out with the Western Federation. I have only fallen out with Leopold, lord of Lake Wheat City."

"He is only a city lord of the Western Federation. Even if he is the leader of a core city-state, he is not enough to represent every interest within the Western Federation."

"Leaving aside the north controlled by the Church, even in the south controlled by the Empire, he is only the number four figure."

"Do you believe this?"

"Even if I killed him today, the Western Federation would endure it and continue choosing to cooperate with me."

At this point, Henwell grins wickedly. "Hehe. Let us make a bet."

"Before your coronation ceremony, they will come to talk to me again."

"Because my role cannot be replaced."

"Whether it is my personal force and influence, Peace Haven's productivity, or the elite troops under me, all of them are things the Western Federation needs."

"Within the continental situation, they will never find another candidate like me."

"So before I touch their core interests, their tolerance for me is far higher than you imagine."

Obilian stays silent for a moment. "In other words, you are determined to support the splinter force under my elder brother."

Henwell shakes his head. "I am not supporting him. I am only supporting profit."

"I am the lord of Peace Haven. Everything is for Peace Haven's benefit."

"Support is not the right word. I am only doing business and earning money."

"I can sell weapons to him, and I can sell them to you as well. It is the same in other areas."

"The one thing I can guarantee is that I absolutely will not use force to interfere in your struggle."

Obilian adds, "Only in the short term. Before you digest this harvest, you will not act again."

Henwell does not deny it. "You can say that. So you had better develop Lumir properly. You must make Lumir strong."

"Otherwise, the next time I need to expand, if Lumir is still this weak, I can only apologize to you."

Obilian sighs. "I know that one day, Peace Haven will certainly become a threat to Lumir."

"But I truly did not expect that day to arrive so quickly. I will do everything I can to protect Lumir."

Henwell raises his head and looks at the night sky. "Obilian, we are both leaders."

"The lives of millions, even tens of millions, will be affected by our decisions."

"The interests of the powers under us will always stand above our personal relationship."

"A king has no friends. In truth, a king also has no freedom."

"Neither of us wants to become enemies, but the interests of our powers force us toward opposition."

Obilian says nothing more. "Then let us begin. Victory is not yet in your pocket."

Henwell nods lightly. "Now that you have taken your seat at the table, I look forward to your performance."

Once Obilian leaves, Henwell looks at Wizet beside him. "Ask. You look as if all this feels unbelievable."

Wizet asks, "My lord, will we truly continue cooperating with the Western Federation, as you said?"

Henwell nods. "Of course. If the Western Federation wants to support Dilio, the eldest prince, in establishing western Lumir, then they must have enough resources."

"Take weapons and equipment alone. Neither the Ika Kingdom nor Lumir will provide them to Dilio."

"If they are shipped from the Western Federation, leaving aside how high the cost will be, the transport time alone is something the Western Federation cannot accept."

"So they will definitely need to come to me for talks."

"The reason they were so arrogant today was to try to suppress me. If I could not withstand the pressure, or if I had not acted firmly enough, then we would have remained passive throughout the following negotiations."

"After this disturbance, the Western Federation will understand that I already know my own value."

"If they want to fool me, it will not be so easy."

"If they want to negotiate cooperation, they need to bring out something that can move me."

Wizet understands. "The Western Federation must provide extraordinary materials as bargaining chips for cooperation with us."

"Correct. Once western Lumir gains a firm foothold, it means the Western Federation has fully extended its reach."

"At that time, our value in the Western Federation's eyes will become limited."

"In order to make us submit to them, the Western Federation will certainly choke off our purchasing channels for extraordinary materials."

"So during this period, we must seize the opportunity to obtain as many extraordinary materials as possible."

Wizet frowns. "But now, if we need to transport weapons and equipment over, and Lumir and Ika will not allow us to pass through their territory, what should we do?"