: He's slipped away.

After resting for a few hours, Ye Weian loaded the last batch of supplies, along with the spoils from this operation, onto the trucks, and the convoy quickly left the castle, heading towards Firefall Town.

"My lord, a report from Firefall Ferry: our fleet is in position." Kane rode closer and whispered a reminder, "The Warden of the East's spies have already shown themselves ten miles away. In two hours at most, Wafred's army will arrive at Firefall."

"Two hours is plenty of time." Ye Wei'an sat on horseback, taking one last look at the fortress that was gradually becoming blurred in the twilight.

Lady Serena wrapped her silk shawl tighter around herself and stood on the city wall looking down.

On the distant horizon, the convoy of heavily laden carriages was slowly disappearing from her sight.

She originally harbored deep fear and even disgust towards this illegitimate son, believing that he would be the biggest obstacle to Lucas's succession to the title.

But now, watching that departing figure, she felt an unusually complex mix of emotions.

Firefall Fortress has never been this "lively" in the past two weeks.

Every morning, Kane or Volodya would lead a group, escorting strings of bound bandit prisoners and cartloads of spoils back to Firefall Keep.

Ye Wei'an neither fooled her nor slacked off. Like a tireless broom, he uprooted the malignant tumors that clung to the Firefall Territory one by one with great efficiency.

Just an hour ago, the village chief of Haiwen Village came to thank her, saying that the bandits who had been watching the village had been wiped out.

It can be said that the thoroughness of the cleanup around Firefall Territory has reached its peak in fifty years.

Ye Wei'an did indeed take away a large number of soldiers and valuables, but he also truly kept his promise—leaving his younger brother Lucas a territory without any worries.

This older brother truly kept his word.

"Let's go, let's all go..." Lady Serena stroked the cold stone wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

She had even started mentally calculating her next move.

Ye Wei'an did indeed empty the territory's armory and granaries, but now that the border pressure has completely disappeared and Ye Wei'an has taken away so many troops, the expense that was originally used to maintain the huge army can be saved.

As long as he maintains the smuggling business within his territory, relying on the monthly commission, the windfall he's accumulated from smuggling over the past few years, and the regular territory taxes...

Within five years, she was confident that she could restore Firefall Territory to its former glory.

Thinking of this, her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and she even felt a long-lost sense of anticipation for the future of her territory.

However, this good mood didn't last even an hour.

"Madam! The messenger of the Eastern Guardian has arrived!" The servant's panicked shout interrupted her thoughts.

Serena was slightly taken aback, a question lingering in her mind: Hadn't Wafred only led his troops away for a little over half a month? Why had he sent someone back so quickly? Was there something he hadn't explained? It couldn't be that he missed his nephew Lucas, could it?

She tidied her disheveled hair, adopted the demeanor of a noblewoman, and summoned the weary messenger in the hall.

"What message does Lord Wafred have for me?" Serena asked, picking up her teacup with an elegant gesture.

The messenger's face was extremely grim. He disregarded etiquette, strode forward, and whispered a few words rapidly in Serena's ear.

With a "clatter," the exquisite bone china teacup shattered on the ground, and the scalding tea splashed onto Serena's elegant skirt, but she seemed to have lost consciousness.

"What...what did you say?" Serena's voice trembled. "Isn't that a bandit's den?"

The messenger wiped away his sweat, his voice trembling even more: "Madam, that bastard didn't wipe out any roving bandits at all. It was a secret branch of the Zantalin Society, which is... which is the smuggling route we've been working with all along!"

She had no idea that the "wicked" bandit dens Ye Wei'an spoke of were actually the lifeblood of her secret efforts to maintain the territory's finances.

In her mind, the Zantalin Society was just a group of smugglers, how could they possibly transform into bandits?

It can only be said that, having lived a secluded life for so long, she was completely unaware of smuggling and criminal organizations.

The messenger's voice trembled even more violently: "Not only that, that bastard deliberately let a few people escape during the purge. They're now spreading rumors like madmen, claiming that the heir to Firefall Territory is 'acting on behalf of Heaven.' The Zantalin Society thinks Lord Wafred is trying to double-cross us, so they instructed Yevian to do this. Now, the Zantalin Society has cut off all smuggling in the East. Lord Wafred is now not only dealing with the wrath of those lunatics, but his annual income has also been completely cut off..."

Serena was so angry that she trembled all over.

Did Ye Wei'an kill robbers?

No, he killed her people!

He not only took away the territory's cash, but also dismantled the territory's lifeline!

This tactic of "using someone else's knife to kill" is simply unparalleled:

He used the spoils of killing his own people to win the admiration of the common people, and in the end, he pinned the blame on Wafred and her.

"Ye Wei'an—!! You tricked me again!"

She slumped into a chair, her chest aching with anger as she recalled Ye Wei'an's "good brother" demeanor before he left, showing concern for his younger brother and doing his utmost to clear the border.

She always prided herself on being exceptionally shrewd, maneuvering among various factions over the years, treating Baron Harandil, who only knew how to brandish weapons, as a roughneck and manipulating him at will.

She often complained privately that if she were a man, she could definitely achieve something no less than her brother.

In front of Ye Wei'an, she was as naive as a green recruit, and was tricked twice in less than a month.

The first time, he caught her red-handed, not only stealing her savings but also humiliating her.

The second time, under the guise of "leaving a safe environment for his brother," he cut off all her and Wafred's escape routes.

"Where is Ye Wei'an?" the messenger pressed.

Serena let out a mocking laugh, even with a hint of absurdity born of excessive anger: "After doing these two things, he got fame, money, and favors, and then he just turned around and ran away."

"Lord Wafred's cavalry is already twenty miles away. Can they catch up?"

"Wait for my brother to arrive?" Serena looked towards the ferry crossing, her voice low and somber. "That bastard left in such a hurry today; he's probably already on a cargo ship bound for Firefall Town. By the time my brother's army reaches Firefall Town, we'll only be able to watch that kid's ship drift downstream."

Only at this moment did Serena truly see through Ye Wei'an's scheme.

He left very strategically; as long as he was out of the jurisdiction of the Warden of the East, no matter how much Wafred hated him, he couldn't do anything about it.

They couldn't even use their family's influence in the capital, Susar, to cause him trouble.

Smuggling is an unspoken rule among border lords, but it's not something that can be considered legitimate.

In Cormier, the Dragon Throne firmly controls the Purple Dragon Legion (army), the Blue Dragon Legion (naval), and the Battle Mage Corps.

Even as Warden of the East, Wafred himself had very limited opportunities to privately recruit his troops.

If his orders were for defending against foreign enemies and protecting the country, the soldiers would obey without hesitation; but if they were to betray the kingdom and fight for the private interests of the Amaresk family, that would be a complete fantasy.

It can be said that the royal family has absolute control over most of the kingdom.

Once the smuggling scandal is exposed, Vafred will most likely lose his position as Warden of the East, and even his father, the powerful Duke of Amareske, will probably have no choice but to admit his mistake and accept punishment.

-----------------

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away on the Chenhe River, a dozen or so cargo ships were sailing upstream.

On the terrace of one of the passenger ships in the fleet, Ye Wei'an was explaining his plans to two maids.

Watching the silhouette of Firefall Territory recede into the distance, Lina nodded thoughtfully: "Lord Yevian's plan is indeed meticulous. Judging by the time, Lord Wafred's cavalry can probably only vent their anger at the empty castle now. As for that Lady Serena... she must be furious right now, and might even be hiding in the castle cursing you."

"I'm happy when they're angry! It's all that woman's fault for always trying to disrespect her master." Eileen listened, her face beaming. "So, the first thing we'll do when we get back to Susar is to take this evidence straight to the War Mage Order or the Royal Court and report them for smuggling, right?"

To her surprise, Ye Wei'an shook his head: "No, we can't report it."

Eileen tilted her head in confusion: "Why? This is a great opportunity to completely crush them."

"In the game of politics, such a trump card is always most intimidating when it is hidden in its sheath," Ye Wei'an said calmly, looking at the pitch-black river. "Once it is released, it will only make the Amareske family determined to fight us to the death at all costs. I don't need their despair, I need their fear."

Lina understood and explained to the half-elf maid, "Elean, you must understand, Amaresk is one of the most prestigious noble families in Cormier, deeply entrenched in Susar. While smuggling can certainly cause Vafred a great deal of trouble, it's impossible for them to eradicate the entire Amaresk family. We haven't officially expanded our territory yet, and our power is still limited. If we push them into a corner now, Amaresk could easily cause us significant trouble before we've even established a firm foothold."

Eileen nodded, but judging from her confused expression, she clearly didn't understand.

Ye Wei'an put it more bluntly: "All the smuggled goods they've accumulated over the past few months are now in our hands. Eileen, think about it, if we actually report them, should we hand over these unsold smuggled goods or not?"

Eileen hesitated for a moment: "Hand it over?"

"That's worth tens of thousands of gold coins—" Ye Wei'an deliberately dragged out his words, "Once it's reported to the authorities, these things will become evidence in court, and in the end, they'll all go into the national treasury."

Upon hearing "tens of thousands of gold coins," Eileen, who had been indignant, immediately changed her expression: "No way! Absolutely not! We can't hand it over! I'll fight anyone who dares to touch our money!"

Seeing Ellen's possessive behavior towards her food, Lina couldn't help but laugh.

Ye Wei'an said earnestly, "Therefore, our goal now is to develop our own power. Only when you become strong can you do whatever you want. But before that, hoping to deal with enemies through power struggles and intrigues is a foolish and ill-advised strategy."

"Gold coins, food, an army, and our own strength—these are the real key factors." Ye Wei'an looked at the surging waters of the Chen River in the distance and finally said, "Once we have established a firm foothold in the Pioneer Territory and possess power that even the Dragon Throne cannot ignore, the Amaresk family will be nothing to us."