The Empire is rarely willing to share the secret of gunpowder with the Knight Kingdom, so the Knight Kingdom mostly spends a fortune to acquire outdated or discarded artillery from the Empire or Dwarves. These artillery are good for defending cities but perform poorly in field battles.

"Atuo Castle is currently under the temporary stewardship of Baron Zieg, who rarely stays here. This is not his domain; it's directly managed by the King himself," Francois took over Laine's question. "This was once the Duchy of Atuo, but after the Dor Tower incident, the Duke of Atuo also participated in the civil war."

"Did the Duke of Atuo die in the war? But surely they could find an heir?" Laine noticed that, even after more than two hundred years, many places within the castle still faintly bore the crest of the Atuo family.

Red Dragon Duke Bohemond sighed softly, "Indeed, they couldn't."

"Why?" This time it was the lady knight Surya who asked, showing interest in the matter.

"By the end of the civil war, Knight King Taylor discovered by chance that the Duke of Atuo and his family were becoming vampires, gradually turning into Midnight Nobles. In desperation, His Majesty Taylor, along with Her Highness the Lake Witch, launched the Knightly War, annihilating Duke Zilfroy and his family."

"By then, the entire Duchy of Atuo had suffered decades of harassment from Beastmen. Much of the territory was engulfed by forests, and many of the population had turned to dust. After the war ended, no suitable heir could be found for the title of Duke of Atuo, and the most qualified candidate, Count Fogel, had already died in the civil war. Thus, the Duchy of Atuo was divided among the Leonais Duchy, Le Anglong Duchy, and Connet Duchy. Obviously, because the Knight King at the time was the Duke of Leonais, the Leonais Duchy received far more territory than the other two Duchies."

"I see," Laine nodded.

Unbeknownst to them, it began to rain outside the castle.

The autumn wind gusts, the night rain drizzles; outside the castle, clouds gather and the fine autumn rain falls from the sky, adding its final stroke to the autumn's harvest. Sitting in the castle's banquet hall, the people could also smell the earthy fragrance and fresh air.

Amidst the sound of rain outside the window, everyone took their seats separately, enjoying the bountiful dinner. Laine intuitively sat at the far end of the long table, and Surya, seeing this, sat beside him.

Francois first looked at Laine, then at his daughter sitting by Laine's side, and smiled meaningfully, "Laine, do you know how much trouble you stirred during this Knightly War? Now, apart from the Duke of Paragon and Duke of Borelion, all the Dukes of the Kingdom are rushing to the capital, Crona, to discuss the rewards and penalties concerning you and your army."

"I know," Laine replied with a bitter smile. He understood that not returning to support the annihilated Marquis Angxi but instead directly heading to the Ten Thousand Demon Rock was a controversial decision, because knights were professional soldiers, and their duty was to obey orders.

Though from both the result and long-term perspective, Laine did not make a mistake.

"Yes, it's good you're aware. Let's eat first, and after dinner, we'll properly analyze this matter—let's see what we can gain from it, and what price we have to pay."

"I understand, my Duke."

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