Subtitle: The Final Triumph, at the Price of Victory
A few days ago,
In the castle of King Daymond, ten people were seated in the hall. They were having a meeting, and among them there was a kid. After Robert gave out all the plans for leading the fleet, everything seemed fine—but one thing was missing. What if the opponent's king joined the battle? This was their territory; King Daymond could not leave his land.
If Daymond left his territory, other kingdoms might target his realm. So he could not leave; he had to keep his eyes here. Every wife of Daymond tried to find a solution one after another, but none could find a better plan that wouldn't blow Daymond's cover.
And because the spy was watching the castle and the king, they knew Daymond could not leave. Robert could not handle the strongest duke in Ashbourne and King Lucien at the same time. So they needed Daymond there.
Finally, Daymond turned to Ray, the child whose mind had already sparked several useful ideas. Ray, with a small chuckle that hinted at mischief, proposed, "It might sound funny... even embarrassing, but what if we put the king inside a chest and take him with us in the hot air balloon? They'll think we're carrying weapons, or formation disks, or talismans."
The room fell silent. Then Queen Elizabeth's voice cut through, cautious and sharp. "But they must confirm the king remains within the kingdom. How will they do that?"
Ray only replied with two words, "Illusion formation."
Everyone looked at Ray in surprise and nodded—they could create a formation that was an illusion and show people outside that the king was with them. Then no one would know the king had left. They would think he was there.
The king nodded, a smile breaking his usually stoic face. "Ray, from now on, you are our guest strategist. Whenever we find no answer, you will be called upon. You will be rewarded handsomely for every good idea."
Presently,
Daymond chuckled quietly to himself, offering no further explanation. Such a tactic could be a deadly secret weapon, and he would guard it closely.
Lucien, meanwhile, surveyed the devastation before him—the bodies of thousands of his fallen soldiers strewn across the shattered remains of their homes. Despite their preparations, they were caught off guard. No news had come; Daymond had blocked every route. Like a ghost from the skies, Daymond had arrived swiftly, his forces cloaked by a concealment formation. Ashbourne's soldiers had barely raised their weapons before they were overwhelmed.
Every move the Ashbourne army made was anticipated and countered with ruthless precision. Lucien's forces were outplayed at every turn.
In a final desperate gambit, Lucien believed victory was within reach—his strategist's plan seemed to work. But even then, the tide turned against him, all undone by a child, that same seven-year-old Ray, who had saved the enemy's fleet. Lucien himself was saved from near death by his loyal beast, seriously injured but unyielding.
Lucien's voice was heavy with sorrow and grudging respect. "Daymond, you have won this round. But don't think this is the end. Our core people still breathe. You've taken many lives, but you cannot crush our kingdom with this alone. Give us a way out, or we will fight to the bitter end."
His eyes darkened, steeling himself against the consequences. "If you press further, we will unleash our beasts in a suicide attack upon your undefended lands. We will burn what you hold dear. I'm willing to pay a price to stop this bloodshed."
Daymond smiled, recalling the child's words during that meeting. "The result is either they fight to the end, or they pay a price. So ask for a handsome payment in return."
Daymond chuckled and thought, I am lucky the kid is on our side, or else something like this could kill all of us without us knowing who killed us. Now I know what the library caretaker said that day: I would bring disaster six out of ten times if I made an enemy out of Ray.
Now Daymond knew how Ray could almost destroy a nation. With calm authority, Daymond addressed Lucien, "We knew you might make these kinds of moves, so I want you to sign a contract."
From his storage ring, Daymond produced a scroll and, with a flick, sent it soaring through the air toward Lucien. The Ashbourne king caught it, his face tightening as he read. Daymond's demands were quite high and could lead to huge losses, but for his people and his men and the losses he had suffered, he had to sign it, or much worse could come.
There were many clauses, such as
1. They cannot wage war from now on. No one can sneak attack from Ashbourne's side. If they do, they will face a disaster of lightning from heaven.
[A/N: Like swearing by the heaven—if they attack, then they will face a disaster from heaven.]
2. Twenty-five percent of their land ceded to Richard's kingdom.
3. Ten thousand peak-grade crystal stones, one million high-grade crystal stones, ten million medium-grade crystal stones, and one hundred million low-grade crystal stones.
4. Ten golden-stage treasures, one hundred silver-stage treasures, one thousand bronze-stage treasures, ten thousand iron-stage treasures, and one hundred thousand qi-stage treasures.
5. The traitor Daniel Spencer is to be handed over.
6. There are...
There were many clauses written there that were not to Lucien's liking, but he accepted everything except the Daniel part. Daymond also fought back, but they had to remove the Daniel part. Instead, they changed the clause so Daniel had to swear that he could not take revenge. In the end they made some changes here and there where Lucien fought. Daymond allowed some and didn't allow some. After that, Lucien signed the contract paper after swearing along with Daniel.
Daymond and his men departed, laden with spoils. Robert's disappointment was palpable—he had wanted to finish the fight. Diana's frustration simmered; she had expected an easy victory. But the retreat was inevitable.
The battle will be written down in history, but they will never know that the strategy was given by a seven-year-old child named Ray.