CHAPTER 291: Mansion And Territory

Brettel City was located in the east of the Lancelot Empire, bordered by seven warring duchies. These duchies weren't as powerful as the Lancelot Empire and were plagued by conflict almost all year round.

However, whenever the Lancelot Empire tried to invade these seven duchies, they would put aside their internal conflicts and unite to resist the Lancelot Empire's invasion.

One duchy alone couldn't compete with the Lancelot Empire, but seven of them together were more powerful than the Lancelot Empire. Fortunately, these seven duchies would never be united forever, or else the Lancelot Empire would be truly helpless to withstand their attack.

Brettel City was a city of the Lancelot Empire that bordered the seven duchies. The size of the city was huge, but unfortunately its location was inconvenient. The city suffered from the effects of the chaotic wars between the seven duchies, so it was the place where crooks mixed with honest people.

"Bryan, normally a count like you would not be able to control such a large territory. Brettel City is almost the size of Valen City, only someone with the title of Marquis is qualified to oversee such a city. Hehehe, Brettel is indeed chaotic, but it's just right for a spirited young man like you.

"It would be good for your future career if you manage Brettel City well. It will be up to you to make the most of your opportunities if you wish to attain the title of Marquis or Duke." In the secret chamber of the Dark Mantle, Candide looked at Han Shuo and explained in a low tone.

Sitting directly opposite Candide, Han Shuo read the information about Brettel City. He nodded at Candide's words and put the documents aside, lifting his head to say, "Brettel is a barren land, the soil cannot produce any kind of crops. It can only produce a few specialised iron and silver ores. The city has long been caught in the middle of the wars between the seven duchies, while bandits and thieves run rampant. Even some of the duchies' official armies have disguised themselves as bandits to invade and loot the city. This is a chaotic place where the townspeople are tough. It's actually a very interesting area!"

"How so? Do you have any ideas yet?" Han Shuo wasn't a count, and he had proved his power the last time in the Garden House by killing Leah Cain. Even Candide no longer had the attitude of a boss talking to a subordinate when he talked to Han Shuo. He saw Han Shuo as an equal on the same level.

"No ideas for now. I want to go to Brettel City and see the situation for myself first!" Han Shuo replied indifferently.

"Alright then. Take these documents, they are proof of your identity as the Brettel City Lord. The former city lord was removed due to his incompetence. The castle of Brettel City now belongs to you, you can present these documents to officially take possession of it."

"Hm, besides, there are currently three thousand guards in Brettel City, all under your command. Perhaps you don't know much about leading an army to war. But I think Lawrence can help you with that. All you have to do is protect Brettel City from invasion by the duchies and bandits, and maintain order. That should be enough." Candide said.

"Well then, I'll leave now. I'll contact you through the magic mirror in the Dark Mantle's stronghold in Brettel City if anything comes up!" Han Shuo nodded and said to Candide before leaving the Dark Mantle headquarters.

Han Shuo walked into a mansion at the northern end of the city. A steward was already waiting at the gate. When he saw Han Shuo, he immediately said respectfully, "Respected Sir Count, you've finally come. My name is Kallas, I am your steward."

"Hello Kallas, what can you tell me about this mansion?" Han Shuo asked with a faint smile.

Kallas was a grey-haired old man who wore clean and simple clothes. His speech was refined and his manner polite. He must have been in his position for many years. Kallas immediately replied respectfully to Han Shuo's question, "Your Lordship, this mansion has been yours since the moment you defeated Leah Cain. Everything is functioning normally. In the past few days, a total of thirty nobles from Ossen City have come to visit you. We received a total of seventy-three kinds of gifts, all of which are being properly stored..."

Han Shuo remembered every detail as Kallas quietly summarised the situation inside the mansion. From Kallas, Han Shuo knew that many nobles didn't have a territory in Ossen City. Instead, they had a mansion here where they stayed when they came to meet His Majesty the King.

Of course, there were also nobles whose territories weren't busy enough for their tastes. Since they didn't enjoy life in their own territories, many nobles always stayed in Ossen City. This was fine, as long as they returned to their territories regularly, took care of a few things, and made sure there were no problems there.

There were maids, servants, stewards, and all the necessary resources within the mansion. Han Shuo had the right to dismiss them or pay them a certain salary each month to keep the mansion running normally. Kallas described some of the various things very carefully.

"All right, Mr Kallas, I've understood everything. Mm, take me to the living room. Invite Lawrence and young Miss Phoebe, I want to see them. If any other people ask for me, just tell them that I'm not here. Han Shuo discovered through the surveillance of the three Yin Demons that many people had come to visit him. These people had been placed in different rooms so that they didn't know each other's movements.

One of the Yin Demons had been injured during the last battle with Leah Cain. It had recovered after being nourished by the blood essence in the Cemetery. . Even though Han Shuo had used a few drops of his essence blood, it was good that the Yin Demon was fine.

"Yes, Your Lordship!" Kallas replied. He led Han Shuo into a large living room before respectfully withdrawing.

This living room was the size of a basketball court. Seven large, bright lamps hung above it. A soft rug covered the floor. Many comfortable chairs were placed around the room. The room was bright and spacious.

Lawrence and Phoebe entered together after a while. Lawrence laughed heartily and said to Han Shuo as soon as he arrived, "Congratulations Bryan, I heard the King bestowed a title onto you today. I thought you would come back to your mansion, so I brought Phoebe with me."

Phoebe's face lit up, a beautiful, bright smile blooming on her lips after winning an enormous amount of gold coins. Her eyes blazed as she looked at Han Shuo and said, "Bryan, Cameron is finished this time. His merchant alliance has suffered a heavy loss thanks to him, so his allies no longer trust him. The crisis of our Boozt Guild has been resolved.

Looking at the two happy people, Han Shuo nodded with a smile and said, "I intend to go to Brettel City. This city is full of chaos, it's very interesting. If this Brettel City can develop well in my hands, it can be very beneficial to you, Lawrence."

"I knew that you were going to take over Brettel City. This city is indeed chaotic, the civilians there are much tougher than in Ossen City. The bandit armies of several grand duchies are constantly raiding the surrounding villages. In recent years, the city lords of Brettel City have all been incompetent. This has caused all the businessmen to leave, and the nobles and civilians to lose confidence in Brettel City. It might not be easy if you want to take control of the situation quickly! Lawrence said with a frown. He was quite worried when he heard Han Shuo mention Brettel City.

The Lancelot Empire had repeatedly sent out its armies and tried to invade the seven grand duchies through Brettel City. However, the empire was forced to retreat each time, and eventually abandoned the idea. Whenever the main forces retreated, the few tens of thousands of remaining Brettel City guards were not enough to defend against an invasion from any of the duchies. The duchies took the opportunity to loot and pillage, as was their custom.

But even though the seven grand duchies had the power to take over Brettel City, they didn't dare because they still mistrusted each other and were afraid that they would really anger the Lancelot Empire. As a result, they only plundered from time to time and never really occupied the city.

As a result, the former lords of Brettel City were very hurt and frustrated. The city was much weaker than any of the Grand Duchies. In addition, the land was barren, so despite the vastness of the area, there wasn't much to be gained from it. The king wasn't willing to waste an enormous amount of manpower and resources stationing an army in the city to defend against the seven grand duchies.

Since then, Brettel City had become a kind of useless and meaningless existence. It would be a shame to give up, but not giving up wouldn't bring any benefits either. The situation was very unpleasant.

"Rest assured, I know what kind of place Brettel City is. I already have a plan. His Majesty has spoken. Brettel City is completely under my responsibility, I'll take good care of it!" Han Shuo let out a strange cackle and replied in a mysterious manner.

"What are you going to do?" Lawrence asked dumbfounded.

"You'll know when the time comes. I will make Brettel City even more chaotic!" Han Shuo said with an evil laugh.