Pirate Kingship-Chapter 682 - 466: Probability Dice, Golden Deer Enters the Game (6000)_4

"Once these treasures are lost, with the balance of power shifting, let's see how she can continue to bribe supporters to compete with you for the throne."

The biggest problem in Castilia at the moment is the issue of the Crown Prince. A faction led by Puppet King Louis supports the King's only daughter, Juana, while another faction unites around their half-sister, the 21-year-old Princess Isabella. These are the two largest political forces in Castilia. If mishandled, they could start a war over the throne, just like Hightins. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The capable and shrewd Princess Isabella has not only gathered a large number of supporters but also has a powerful cousin and fiancé, King Fernando II of Aragon, by her side. Her strength is certainly not to be underestimated. Once they marry and each take control of their respective thrones, they could unite the entire Pyrenean Peninsula and push the Leading Maritime Power to new heights.

This might be good for the nation, but for King Enrique IV and Puppet King Louis, it's a terrible prospect. They absolutely cannot allow Princess Isabella to succeed.

At this point, the Puppet King finally made up his mind.

"Since Plan One has failed, I'll have to bring in the pirates I've chosen. I can sense that the two threads of fate I've bound in advance are not far from each other, conveniently both in the First Circulation Zone. Let's start with an unexpected encounter between the pirates and the Treasure Fleet."

Gently, he plucked the Puppet Thread in his hand, producing a resonant twang. Then, gritting his teeth, he took out a thirty-sided die made of what appeared to be brass.

This was the Puppet King's most powerful treasure—the Cursed Object known as the "Probability Dice." By rolling the die and obtaining a number, one could manipulate probabilities, guiding events in a chosen direction at critical moments. The degree to which the direction was altered depended on the number rolled, from 1 to 30, with larger numbers wielding greater influence. Its effects were consistent with the scale of hidden influence: a roll in the (0-10] range could impact from one person to a village or town; a roll in the (10-20] range could affect from a city or locality to an entire region; a roll in the (20-30] range could influence from one region to an entire nation. A result greater than 30 would begin to affect a Continent, and potentially the entire world.

In theory, one could roll as many times as desired. However, the magnitude of influence generated by a roll would bring an equal measure of misfortune upon the user. If the user's own power wasn't sufficient, they might succumb to the backlash before achieving their goal. Moreover, the more times one rolled in a short period, the more severe the misfortune would become.

Usually, the Puppet King dared to roll only once a day, ensuring the influence remained below 20 points, so that he, a Fifth-order Legend, would not become too unlucky.

CLATTER...

The thirty-sided Probability Dice rolled twice on the ground, its top face finally settling on the number 6. An invisible fluctuation was then superconducted away along the Puppet Thread. An influence of less than 10 could only be considered a minor test.

Meanwhile, Byron and Catherine, having recovered from last night's "Horsequake"—or rather, their session of adjusting their Spirituality—promptly caught up with The Golden Deer, which had departed earlier. Not wanting to endure a long journey on horseback anymore, they both settled into their respective captain's quarters.

Byron woke up refreshed early in the morning and began to train seriously with his officers on deck. Catherine, however, was still resting in her room, somewhat fatigued from getting a bit too carried away with their new activities.

Byron, having defeated everyone, could not help but boast, "The main conflict between my wife and me has now become the one between my ever-increasing strength and my two sisters' lagging endurance. It's better you both advance to Fourth Order Mythical Creatures soon; otherwise, in the future, even if two of you come at me together, it would be in vain. Huh?"

At that moment, he turned his head and noticed that the Puppet Thread, which had not moved since it landed on the keel of The Golden Deer, trembled slightly. Then he heard Gus shouting from the mainmast's crow's nest, "Captain, there's a large fleet ahead flying Castilia's flag!"