炒股配资

The banquet’s two protagonists were naturally the Crown Princes of Hedrat Kingdom, Harold and Hattar, surrounded by the crowd. Their presence added an air of drawn swords and ready crossbows to the already lively event.

Yet on the throne, the monarch of Hedrat Kingdom, Basel, seemed to be left out, but it appeared that he paid no mind to the slights of the nobility, indifferently watching the dispute between the two princes as if he were observing a dull play.

Just as the banquet was reaching its climax, the grand doors of the hall were suddenly thrown open.

Like a repulsive maggot unexpectedly found in a delicious meal, the rude sound of the doors opening caused all the nobles present to turn their heads in unison toward the entrance, curious as to who would be so bold.

The intruder was a middle-aged man with disheveled hair and a filthy appearance, his fine clothes covered with dust and mud stains, starkly contrasting with everyone else in the banquet hall.

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The guards stationed at the entrance were struggling to drag him out…

“Earl Joyce, what has happened to you?” Prince Harold quickly stepped forward and asked with an unchanged expression.

Earl Joyce was one of his supporters, absent from the banquet and now bursting in disheveled at a crucial moment, devoid of any noble demeanor, which was causing Harold to lose face.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince, the miners… those damn miners have gone mad!” Joyce, with his hands covered in dirt, desperately clung to Harold’s sleeves, tears streaming down as he accused the accursed miners of suddenly invading his territory, looting and killing, until they seized his castle and manor.

Listening to Joyce’s account, the other nobles nearly burst out laughing.

Initially, they thought the woefully disheveled Earl Joyce suggested the involvement of those atrociously wicked believers of the Evil God stirring trouble again, but it turned out to be merely a miners’ riot?

Of course, it’s not to say such incidents are unusual.

In fact, quite the opposite, miners’ revolts are common in the Hedrat Kingdom.

These lowly peasants, once they have had their fill, gaining strength, become dissatisfied with their lot. You must remember, every one of those miners was purchased with money—it’s their duty to mine the ore.

However, no matter how numerous these miners were, they were just a disorganized mob. Usually, it only took about a hundred guards armed with crossbow arrows firing in volleys to scatter them, as laughable as swarms of rats foolishly provoking a fire lion.

“This time… this time it’s different!” Joyce said urgently.

“How different, Earl Joyce? Could those miners perhaps fly into the sky and shoot arrows at you?” Hattar asked mockingly.

“They’ve not only taken my castle, but they’ve also destroyed the church and smashed the statue of the goddess…” Joyce’s voice trembled as he spoke.

The banquet hall, which was previously filled with laughter and merry voices, became deathly quiet in an instant, you could hear a pin drop. While it wasn’t unheard of for some spineless nobles to be killed by rioting miners due to poor command, this was the first time a church and statue of the goddess had been attacked.

“How dare they!” “Madmen, complete madmen!”

“These damned blasphemers!” The Archbishop, upon hearing the news, nearly fainted on the spot. How dare these despicable mine slaves blaspheme the gods!

“Are you sure they were just a group of miners?”

A chilling voice suddenly broke in, belonging to none other than Cardinal Archbishop Anluoke.

The nobles surrounding Joyce immediately dispersed. Dressed in red and gold robes, the towering figure of Anluoke walked through the parted crowd. He stood there like an imposing mountain, making everyone present feel a tremendous sense of oppression.

Each Earl’s domain is guarded by at least one Bishop and several Priests, as well as thousands of soldiers to protect the castle. A mere group of rebellious miners would not be sufficient to breach it, and certainly, destroying the statue of the goddess is not something miners would do.

“I’m not certain, my lord Anluoke, but all I saw were those miners,” Joyce responded hesitantly.

He had received word that a group of rioting miners had occupied a barony under his command and even killed Baron York. Joyce could not tolerate this and thus rallied a thousand-strong guard, taking matters into his own hands to quell the rebellion!

But those damn miners had no honor in combat. They moved like the wind, elusive as ghosts, employing poison, digging traps, and subverting insiders. They left no opportunity for a fair fight.

His guards were led into a trap by these miners and perished beneath falling rocks and pit spikes.

In the end, it was only by risking his life that Joyce managed to carve out a bloody path with the protection of his guards. But just as he was about to return to the castle to gather troops for another fight, he discovered that those utterly shameless miners had executed a feint; they had occupied his castle at some unknown time, nearly ambushing him again while he was en route…

Joyce arrived at the capital, flustered and seeking aid, and he also learned another piece of news.

After taking over Baron York’s domain, Ryder, the leader of the miners, distributed all of York’s wealth and land to the poor of the region, and even occupied the local church, killing the Priest there.

As for how things were faring in the Earl’s domain, Joyce was still in the dark, but he assumed the situation wasn’t good…

After Joyce had exaggerated his tale, a surge of rage and a hint of fear simultaneously arose in the hearts of the assembled nobles. Duke Rickman bellowed that an army should be immediately dispatched to kill these vile miners; he owned several large mines in his territory and naturally would not allow such events to occur.

“These blasphemers will be punished and cast into eternal damnation!” Anluoke said gravely. He then turned his gaze toward King Basel, who sat at the head table and had not spoken a word until now.

“Your Majesty Basel, I have heard that you have recently been indecisive about appointing a Crown Prince. The current miners’ uprising affecting the southeastern part of the kingdom is the perfect opportunity for the two Princes to demonstrate their capabilities and determine who will be the next Crown Prince, don’t you think?”

Anluoke’s words immediately won the approval of the gathered nobles, who echoed their agreement loudly.

King Basel watched as the clamor from the nobles and Priests rose and fell, and after a long pause, he finally responded. “Agreed!”