Chapter 98
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Chapter 98: Real Trouble!
On the other end of Vera Plain, near the Loess Plateau and the south side of the new Western Front, in the once prosperous Lauren Duchy, Lolth sat in her dog cart, unaware that she had once again become entangled in a conspiracy.
She would have been surprised to know that the group she had let go had headed straight to Hillenbrand Town.
Now, she was storing information about her long-prepared “Holy Alliance” attack plan in the space magic bag within her backpack.
Doyle Candice would definitely go to Shelldor, and she planned to have Shelldor help deliver the information to Doyle again. Of course, if she stayed long enough and happened to meet Doyle herself, she would simply hand it over to him directly.
With these thoughts in mind, the Happy Number dog cart gradually approached Palgauro City!
Though not the residence of the Duke of Lauren, what the Seychelles people called “Palgauro City” remained the largest city in Lauren Duchy and its de facto capital.
Interestingly, despite being situated on vast plains, Palgauro City lacked tall city walls. Only on its outskirts were there outposts, fences, and nets built to defend against magical beasts, mostly located in the wilderness far from the main part of the city.
The unique style of Palgauro City in Vera Plain had a reason—it was one of the five major meeting places in the Republic of Seychelles, home to the Lauren Institute!
The Lauren Institute was the only meeting place not located on the mainland of the Republic of Seychelles, but within its affiliated duchy.
In a republic where parliament served as the highest governing body, meeting places held similar significance to palaces in empires and kingdoms.
The Lauren Institute was no exception—its main function had been hosting important foreign dignitaries and signing agreements.
This explained Palgauro City’s lack of walls.
It demonstrated to ambassadors from various countries that this place was completely safe and neutral, while displaying the power of the Republic of Seychelles, which had once dominated nearly half the continent during its heyday.
“No walls here to show friendship. If you dare anger the Republic of Seychelles, feel free to invade.”
Of course, today, the former colonies throughout the vast lands of the Republic of Seychelles were no longer what they used to be… Especially after the rift between Lauren Duchy and Seychelles’ parliament, the Lauren Institute had become more symbolic than practical.
However, for Isabella, no matter how run-down this city had become, its special meaning remained unchanged.
It was here that Isabella’s father, Grand Duke Schwarzwald, had signed the “Fifty-Year Ceasefire Treaty” with the council of Seychelles.
This marked the turning point when Lauren Duchy began seeking alliances with other countries.
Seeing the city where her father, the great hero of the victorious Northman Knight Order, had signed a treaty with the council of Seychelles, and remembering his glory as the feared “Ryman Tiger General,” Isabella couldn’t help but reflect on the stark contrast with the present situation…
Both the city and she herself had fallen into the hands of the demon race, having lost their former glory.
Captured by a succubus, with her old rival Shelldor now the new master of Palgauro City where she was taken, Isabella couldn’t help but feel a strange connection.
It seemed as if she and Palgauro City were destined to be intertwined in some special way…
Perhaps both she and the city had been abandoned by the Holy Alliance and their own forces.
Such negative thoughts made Isabella sigh.
Lolth noticed the knight beside her rarely showing such sadness and depression.
However… the awkwardness between them made Lolth hesitate to ask what was wrong, so she pretended not to notice and focused on other matters.
Except for Isabella, the other three maintained an excited feeling as if they were on a trip.
The previous cities of the Zima Kingdom hadn’t possessed any special style.
But Palgauro City, with its Lauren Institute, was considered a city rich in history and famous landmarks!
The unique city layout, extending outward from the main road due to the absence of walls, was enough to fascinate Old Harper and Kanor, who hadn’t seen much of the world.
Despite being occupied by the Demon Army, the city remained bustling and prosperous!
Beyond Palgauro City’s inherent advantages, Shelldor’s notably more logical thinking compared to other legionnaire leaders proved crucial!
Along the way, Lolth was pleased to see that under Shelldor’s command, the demon dragons, wyverns, and half-dragon beings hadn’t made a mess of this place. There were no holes dug for piling up heavy metals, no rivers dug up for sleeping places!
The entire Second Legion seemed to maintain the city’s order. The demon dragons transformed into human form and moved their tower to the city center. The Dragon race lived in natural caves outside the city, and the half-dragon beings peacefully coexisted with city residents, creating a harmonious living pattern.
“Shelldor, you truly move me.”
Compared to Zakavido and Achilles, this Red Dragon Grand Monarch, Miss “Blaze,” who had initially seemed less intelligent, proved remarkably clever and reliable.
Lolth now fully understood why the Demon Lord had moved the Second Legion from the western front to have Shelldor take command in the central front.
Simply put, none of the Abyssal Sovereigns on the western front had a functioning brain… Small skirmishes were manageable—send the legion charging in, and that was it. But having those individuals lead and organize a large-scale assault…
Well, having no victories on the western front in over two years spoke volumes.
However, despite Palgauro City’s wealth and prosperity, it was ultimately more complex than Port of Vancouver and Cassilda.
This place lay very close to both Seychelles mainland and the new western front, with its own intricate power dynamics.
As they approached the outskirts of Palgauro City along the main road, they saw Shelldor standing in casual clothes, as if having waited for them for a long time.
Lolth immediately realized that side missions awaited them in Palgauro City too.
And most likely, Shelldor wasn’t the source of the trouble.
There seemed to be a tricky problem lurking beneath Palgauro City’s peaceful appearance, one that even the reliable Red Dragon Grand Monarch found challenging.
“Looks like we have more to do…”
Lolth sighed.
They had thought they were coming for shopping and a vacation, but it seemed their timing was a bit off.
Every time they arrived somewhere, a side mission got triggered!