"The Lothern King is gravely ill." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Gordon’s voice, transmitted through the bond of kinship, reached the depths of the Red Iron Dragon’s consciousness with crystal clarity.

"The atmosphere within the court is eerily mysterious, those princes who seem respectful and humble on ordinary days, those dukes and grand dukes, now they all resemble venomous snakes lurking in the shadows, poised to strike, breath held, anxiously awaiting the climax that will ultimately decide the kingdom’s fate."

As the mighty pillars suddenly collapse and teeter on the brink.

Within the entire Lothern Federation, existing cracks and contradictions further expanded.

Beneath the calm surface of the lake lies a dangerously swirling vortex.

The elderly and weary Lothern King of this era, at a time when he should be laying down burdens and enjoying his twilight years, has found himself overwhelmed by the mounting crisis of division within the Federation, dealing with heavy affairs of state and mental stress that could crush even a Giant, finally collapsing and unable to rise due to the burden.

His physical and mental condition is akin to a candle in the wind.

Upon hearing the urgent report from Iron Dragon Gordon regarding the King’s severe illness,

the Red Iron Dragon’s heart tightened.

After swiftly pondering for several seconds, he said, "Gravely ill... someone with access to the resources of the entire Lothern Kingdom, the ability to summon numerous top physicians and rare magical items... what kind of terrible illness could leave him utterly without cure?"

Iron Dragon Gordon replied, "I am not sure of the exact cause, but I suspect it has to do with the soul."

The people of the Lothern Kingdom are martial by nature.

Furthermore, as direct descendants of the founding legendary powerhouses, all those bearing royal blood undergo rigorous training and extraordinary resource allocations from birth, unlike ordinary people.

However.

A crucial fact cannot be ignored.

The reigning king’s innate talent, compared to previous Lothern monarchs, can only be considered average, coupled with a personal character marked by a strand of laziness—perhaps even indolence—resulting in him reaching level 20 at his peak in maturity, but later declining as he aged.

His entire life.

Never succeeding in stepping into the Legendary Domain which symbolizes a transformation in power and life.

Living to an age far exceeding ordinary human limits has largely depended on royal treasures that extend life, along with vast resources forcibly stretching the limits of his own life potential.

It was manageable before.

But now, the ever-escalating internal turmoil within the Federation, akin to relentless heavy blows, kept striking his already fragile spirit and body, eventually triggering a chain collapse.

His condition resembles the sudden fall of snow from atop a snow-capped mountain, uncontrollably and rapidly descending.

Ultimately leading to the depletion of his soul’s essence, inevitably succumbing to grave illness... to Galos, this seems a logical occurrence, nothing out of the ordinary.

After pondering briefly, Galos posed a critical question to Iron Dragon.

"Gordon, when was the news of the Lothern King’s confirmed grave illness verified and spread within the Royal Court?"

On the other end of the Mind Link, Iron Dragon Gordon thought carefully before answering, "About seven days ago."

"The Chief Imperial Physician, along with several Grand Mages, jointly confirmed the King’s condition had deteriorated beyond recovery; he is nearly entirely reliant on the legendary-level life-sustaining artifacts from the royal treasury to forcibly keep him breathing."

"Even if this breath can be sustained, and there is some recovery, he’ll be severely impacted, with not many years left, and most of the time likely spent in a state of weakness."

Deep within the Burning Steel Castle.

The Red Iron Dragon abruptly opened his eyes, a thoughtful gleam flashing intensely within them.

The timing of the Lothern King’s confirmed critical illness—seven days ago.

This date closely coincided with another event that shook the Federation—when the Abel Duchy first tore apart the facade and boldly declared war on the Haltai Duchy, followed promptly by the Haltai Duchy responding with a declaration of war in strong retaliation.

Just as the King fell into critical illness, and the Royal Court descended into chaos and suspicion.

The two Duchies, previously engaged in tense border standoffs and long, arduous diplomatic negotiations aiming for compromise or at least maintaining surface peace... suddenly threw out war declarations signifying a fight to the end.

Coincidence?

Perhaps... it’s simply a matter of coincident timing.

Yet, in Galos’s dictionary, the word coincidence is not easily believed.

He tends to suspect deeper underlying causes behind what appears to be coincidence.

The Red Iron Dragon closed his eyelids again, immersing his mind within the blood kinship link.

Calmly, he inquired, "Gordon, outside of the Royal Court, are many people aware of the King’s critical illness?"

Iron Dragon Gordon responded promptly, "Due to the implications concerning the royal succession and the stability of the Federation, the news is an extremely high-level secret, tightly sealed within the core circles of the Royal Court, known only to those truly in positions of power—the highest-ranked princes, ministers, and a select few core Mages understand the inner workings! As for me—"

Gordon’s voice carried a hint of pride:

"—I learned only when Alina, troubled and anxious, confided privately to me about her father’s condition."

Given that, only two possibilities remain.

The first: Abel and Haltai Duchies’ war declarations coinciding with the Lothern King’s critical illness were purely coincidental.

The second is darker: within the core circle of the Lothern Royal Court, aside from Gordon, there is... another, or even multiple deeply infiltrated spies, whose status is unquestionably high enough, and who can access the critical secret of the King’s illness immediately.

Galos’s instinct quickly dismissed the naive first option, disbelieving it to be mere coincidence.

He accepted the second, conspiratorial possibility.

"Gordon."

Galos said, "Presently, Lothern and the entire Federation are in a state of unrest, with various forces like tightly drawn bowstrings, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense and dangerous."

He emphasized:

"The ineptitude, gluttony, laziness... the camouflage you’ve carefully crafted within the Lothern Royal Court is excellent, very effective."

"You must continue to uphold it, without the slightest relaxation."

"Only by doing so can the true schemers, the ambitious ones, thoroughly ignore your existence, regarding you as harmless or even a ridiculous pet, allowing you to play an unexpected role at the most critical moment."

Ah, Galos understands me best!

All those disgraceful displays are merely my carefully woven disguise! My protective color in the treacherous depths of the Royal Court! All the sacrifices I’ve made... lay the groundwork for the Dragon Race’s future grand ambitions!

Iron Dragon Gordon felt that each word from the Red Iron Dragon penetrated the deepest parts of his soul, accurately capturing his genuine thoughts and aspirations!

"Remember!"

Galos’s voice rang out again, calm and steady.

"Do not act rashly, do not be deceived by the current chaotic situation into making hasty moves; we possess lifetimes measured in centuries and millennia; we have ample time to wait."