Reforged Chapter 61: Duke of the Sea (Continued)

King Llane raised an eyebrow, "What does he want to do?"

Llane wasn't well-versed in maritime affairs, but he knew that even the renowned Menethil Harbor only had wooden piers. Only the Kul Tiran Kingdom, with its large navy and heavy-tonnage ships entering and leaving daily, had abandoned wooden piers in favor of sturdier stone ones.

"Your Majesty, at first I shared your concerns. But he has proven his loyalty in another way."

"Oh?"

"He proposed offering a gift to you, by fully funding the formation of a Stormwind navy comprised of sixteen medium-sized sailing ships. He would only provide the funds; the ships could be ordered from Kul Tiras, the cannons purchased from Ironforge, and the personnel would all come from here. He even offered to cover the costs of training the personnel." Anduin tried to explain the proposal with a neutral tone, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his voice.

To the west of Stormwind City was the sea. Stormwind had a long coastline, which had been underutilized for quite some time. Establishing a navy to protect the coastline was one of Anduin's aspirations as well.

Llane was no fool; everything seemed too easy, too dreamlike, and he couldn't help but feel a little skeptical.

If Duke Markus had tried to create an armed fleet capable of overpowering Stormwind's navy, Llane would have never agreed and would have thwarted the plan in its infancy. However, the Duke had cleverly silenced Llane and the nobles' objections.

Admittedly, Duke's use of crossbow launchers was a bit of a violation, but he provided cannons instead, which eased their concerns.

Azeroth's gunpowder weapons had not yet become widespread. Though cannons were powerful, most were slow-loading muzzleloaders. However, even these seemingly outdated cannons were more than a match for crossbow launchers in naval battles, both in range and power. The only advantage the crossbow launchers might have was a slightly faster loading speed.

After some consideration, King Llane cautiously asked, "What does the young Duke want in return?"

"A hundred-year exclusive rights to a soon-to-be-launched perfume called 'Chanel'," Anduin recalled the message conveyed by Duke's envoy, Windsor, "He also said that, Your Majesty, you'll soon learn the magical power of this perfume."

Llane didn't respond directly, "What else?"

Anduin tapped the table lightly with his finger, "He wants to make enough money to build a mage tower comparable to Karazhan."

Upon hearing this, King Llane smiled, and most of his doubts dissipated.

He had heard of Duke's arrogance. To become greater than the great, surpassing Medivh, the world's guardian. Llane knew that the cost of constructing a top-tier mage tower was astronomical, a sum that might even empty Stormwind's treasury.

Now, Duke possessed talent, not only in magic but also in business. If this was his goal, it wouldn't be surprising at all.

Llane laughed, "It shouldn't be a problem. I'll think about it tonight and give you an answer tomorrow."

"Alright," Anduin left.

Llane looked at the beautiful red coral tree, then turned and entered his study to review official documents. As night deepened and the palace grew quiet, Llane grew tired. Returning to his bedroom, he suddenly caught a whiff of a delicate, refreshing, and non-irritating scent.

Sweet, enticing, yet not overpowering.

Following the scent, Llane discovered that its source was his beloved queen. She was wearing a nightgown and lying on their bed.

"Oh—my queen, you are... truly special tonight." Llane couldn't help but pounce on her, embracing her slender waist and taking a deep whiff of the scent. Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation beginning to burn in his lower abdomen.

.

"This is a new perfume I just got. Do you like it?" the queen asked with a sweet smile.

"Oh, damn, no, it's too good," Llane immediately understood what Anduin meant when he said, 'You'll soon know the power of this perfume' at dinner. That cunning Duke actually knew how to win over the queen?! Llane felt a bit jealous, "This thing could turn all men into beasts."

"Well then, come and devour me," the queen giggled.

At that moment, Llane made a decision.

That night, the great King Llane had a delightful evening.

The next morning, when Anduin saw the king wearing a high-collared shirt, not suitable for the season, he immediately realized that His Majesty was trying to conceal the passionate marks on his neck.

"Damn! For the first time, I hate how clever you are," the king said, torn between laughter and tears.

"Well, Your Great Majesty, have you made your decision?"

"I agree, but with one additional condition—as protection for his business, I need him to contribute extra funds to help repair the walls of Stormwind."

"My King, your wisdom illuminates the entire kingdom," Anduin didn't forget to flatter.

"Who's the one asking me for money to repair the walls every few days?!" Llane pretended to be angry.

"Hahaha!" The king and his adviser laughed heartily in the palace.

When the king's counterproposal reached Duke, not only Marco but also Windsor showed displeasure.

"His Majesty is really making an exorbitant demand this time. You are just a small wealthy man, yet he expects you to bear so much," Windsor spat.

Duke replied calmly, "Reggie, run an errand for me and say I agree."

"Hmm, I'll help you refuse... wait, you said you agree?" Even Windsor, a loyal subject of Stormwind, was surprised with his mouth wide open.

"I have countless ways to make money, but some things, once missed, can't be made up for," Duke didn't explain further, gazing at the distant Stormwind architecture through the window of the small house Anduin had given him.

Duke's mysterious nature wasn't new. Both Marco and Windsor, who had little contact with mages, thought all mages were like this.

Duke didn't want to explain, because even if he did, no one would believe him.

Stormwind was destroyed during the first orc invasion, and Duke had always felt regretful. This led to many tragedies, not only the massacre this time but also future tragedies like nobles refusing to contribute to rebuilding Stormwind.

He didn't know if what he was doing now could change Stormwind's fate.

But to make up for the regrets in his heart, he was doing his best, not seeking success but just trying.

That's why Duke was willing to be 'extorted' by Llane because he wasn't sure if Medivh would, like in 'history,' feel pressed for time. Duke believed he needed to have some power and influence before the Dark Portal event.

Without noble status, the only way to truly integrate into the aristocratic world of corrupt Stormwind was to marry a noblewoman of high status. But Duke didn't have time to play political games, and any political promise was unreliable.

In that case, to gain the power of a chess player in the shortest time, he had to find another way.

Now, it seemed Duke had succeeded.

As soon as the news came out, Duke quickly gained a new nickname—Duke of the Seas!