Now that the ruling figures of the Lumir Duchy have stepped forward, Henwell finds it much harder to strike any under-the-table deals with members of the Trade Alliance.

  Still, Henwell isn’t worried. He’s already connected with the Rich Trading Group, and plenty of opportunities lie ahead.

  Henwell remains deeply interested in the family of the Ika Kingdom’s eldest princess’s maternal uncle.

  The atmosphere of the banquet shifts quickly. With Count Lierul present, soon all the city’s elite gather in Kriye.

  Some come to support Lierul, while others are genuinely curious about the legendary Lord Henwell.

  Every noble who meets Henwell can’t help but be amazed, he’s even younger than they imagined.

  It’s hard to believe a man in his twenties is already a Grand Knight and someone who commands respect at the highest tables.

  Not to mention the others present, even the princes of Lumir Duchy don’t wield Henwell’s kind of influence.

  After speaking with him, they also realize Henwell has impeccable manners and sharp wit.

  Though young, only the seasoned old foxes can hold a meaningful conversation with Henwell.

  The younger generation simply cks the standing or skill to engage with him.

  Facing such a prodigy, the nobles of Lumir Duchy are filled with anxiety.

  Everyone knows Henwell’s greedy expansion won’t stop here.

  He’s already taken chunks out of the Ika Kingdom, Vorry Kingdom, and Ogiro Kingdom.

  As Henwell’s neighbor, Lumir Duchy remains the only one untouched.

  Henwell’s next move won’t provoke the other three kingdoms again.

  There’s only one target left: Lumir Duchy.

  Lumir isn’t a militaristic nation; its army is far from strong.

  Against Henwell’s fierce forces, no one in Lumir can confidently say they’ll hold the line.

  Previously, Peace Haven didn’t border Lumir.

  But after the st war, Henwell swallowed part of Ika’s territory, officially bordering Lumir.

  Once the two share a border, Henwell has plenty of ways to unch attacks on Lumir.

  As for reasons, those are easy to come by.

  Henwell does have pns for Lumir, but definitely not yet.

  His pn is to find a way to carve out a piece of Lumir’s nd five years from now.

  Henwell currently commands nearly 100,000 elite troops, and over the next five years, he pns to form two more regur legions.

  By then, he’ll be able to mobilize 200,000 soldiers to invade the Lumir Duchy.

  If the Ika Kingdom chooses to sit on the sidelines, Henwell is confident he can swallow the entire duchy.

  But obviously, that’s wishful thinking.

  The Vorry Kingdom is still recovering and won’t intervene recklessly before its peace period ends.

  Besides, since Peace Haven remains part of Vorry Kingdom, Vorry has no intention of interfering with Henwell’s territorial expansions.

  King Amir even hopes Henwell stirs up more trouble to ease Vorry’s own burdens.

  As for the Ogiro Kingdom, they certainly won’t stand idly by, but who they choose to fight is a strategic decision.

  Ogiro holds grudges against both sides and wants to strike either, but due to limited strength, they can only pick one.

  The choice is clear: Peace Haven is a tough nut to crack, so naturally, they’ll go after the softer target.

  However, if Henwell loses the war, there’s no guarantee Ogiro won’t turn and attack Peace Haven afterward.

  Henwell already has contingency pns for this, if Ogiro jumps in, it will ease much of his pressure.

  The only real wildcard then is the Ika Kingdom.

  Henwell must reserve enough forces to defend against Ika.

  The Phoenix family and the Iron Wall Legion’s containment efforts will significantly reduce Ika’s ability to send reinforcements.

  Henwell will also stir things up in Ika’s Western Regions grassnds to keep their attention diverted.

  Even so, Henwell realistically can only deploy about 50,000 troops.

  How much nd he can seize with that force depends on his strategic moves over the next five years.

  Sometimes the situation is just frustrating.

  Everyone in Lumir knows that the giant beast called Peace Haven won’t stay dormant forever.

  Once this greedy monster awakens and demands to feed again, it will inevitably turn on them.

  But knowing this outcome doesn’t mean they can stop the threat.

  Especially now that Henwell has the Holy Spirit Church as his protective shield.

  Until Henwell makes the first move, no force dares to attack Peace Haven recklessly.

  All they can do is watch helplessly as Peace Haven grows stronger, until it opens its bloodthirsty jaws and targets them once more.

  Henwell feels trapped in this situation. Invading the Lumir Duchy isn’t actually the best option.

  He’s made enemies on all sides—truly surrounded by foes.

  Besides, Peace Haven’s booming economy rgely depends on its commercial trade network.

  Lumir has countless merchant caravans constantly transporting Peace Haven’s industrial goods across the continent.

  Attacking Lumir would inevitably damage Peace Haven’s trade as well.

  Though merchants chase profit, most of Lumir’s trade guilds are deeply intertwined with the nobility.

  Harming Lumir’s interests essentially means hurting the guilds’ interests too.

  It’s clear that if Henwell invades Lumir, Peace Haven’s trade will suffer significantly for a long time.

  That’s why Henwell is already setting up preliminary manufacturing zones elsewhere, ying groundwork and binding interests to keep Peace Haven’s trade stable as much as possible.

  In truth, the best move would be to carve out more territory from the Vorry Kingdom.

  But right now, neither Henwell’s personal power nor his forces are strong enough to go head-to-head with the Holy Spirit Church.

  Besides, Henwell still needs the Church’s protection, so he can’t risk conflict with Vorry.

  His only option is to slowly and subtly expand his foothold within Vorry’s nds.

  As for Ogiro and Ika kingdoms, Henwell can’t afford to provoke them anytime soon.

  Yet once industrial development begins, it’s impossible to stop.

  It requires ample resources, most importantly, popution and nd.

  Henwell estimates Peace Haven’s popution will reach four million in five years.

  Managing over 4 million people across more than 30,000 square kilometers, while sustaining a vast and complex handicraft industry, will be extremely challenging.

  To maintain this rapid growth, Henwell must expand outward.

  That leaves the Lumir Duchy as the only viable choice.