On the way back to Peace Haven, Simon sighs, “Lord Jansen really is wise. Without him, how could the Phoenix family have come this far?”

  Henwell remains silent for a long moment before suddenly speaking, “You and Chick coordinate with each other. The Lord Iron Guards and the Military Intelligence Office each assign a team inside and outside my uncle’s castle. These two teams don’t interfere with anything else; they answer only to you and Chick. If anyone tries to harm my uncle, you have permission to strike first and report ter.”

  Simon can’t believe it. “Sir, you’re worried someone would dare move against Lord Jansen? Do they really have that kind of nerve?”

  Henwell sighs, “Sigh~! My uncle was too firm yesterday, showing no room for compromise. Anyone who wants to use the Phoenix family against me faces my uncle as an insurmountable obstacle. Sometimes greed and malice go beyond reason. My uncle has put himself in a dangerous position. Whether for Peace Haven’s interests or out of respect for my uncle, I must protect him fully.”

  Back in Peace Haven, Henwell gifts Jansen a full Blood Hill armor set, along with a rge shipment of extraordinary supplies.

  Jansen understands the message, it’s a reminder to watch his personal safety.

  Looking at the blood-gold armor, Jansen sighs deeply, “Sigh~! Why isn’t Henwell my son?”

  Duchess Grace chuckles softly, “Heh… then you’d have all the good fortune in the world, wouldn’t you?”

  Jansen smiles wryly at her teasing, “Grace, how much longer do you think I can keep them all under control? How far can Henwell really go with the Phoenix family?”

  Grace gently links her arm through his, “You have to trust Henwell. You’re rushing too much this time. He’s a smart kid; he’ll handle everything. The family’s mood is a bit restless now, but that’s only temporary. Henwell keeps growing stronger, and so does Peace Haven. When they reach a certain strength, those unrealistic ideas will fade away.”

  Jansen nods in understanding, “But ambition keeps growing too! When desire fills the heart, it blinds the eyes and pushes people to take foolish risks.”

  Grace leans on his shoulder, “That’s why Henwell works so hard. His growth must outpace the rise of ambition!”

  Jansen gently wraps his arm around her shoulders, “Not just Henwell, me too! Didn’t you see how Henwell reminded me? That brat’s growing too fast! He’s already starting to think I’m holding him back. Looks like I need to hurry and push for Grand Knight myself.”

  At the Blood Hill estate, Chick reports to Henwell about suspicious individuals who have been approaching Kaku.

  There are quite a few of them, and their backgrounds are complicated.

  Behind these people, there’s not only the shadow of King Amir but also connections to several grand dukes—and even forces from other countries.

  In a low voice, Chick says, “Sir, give me at most five days, and I’ll find out exactly who’s behind all this.”

  Henwell waves his hand dismissively. “Forget it. I can pretty much guess already. What’s the point of confirming?”

  Chick asks, “Sir, so what do we do with these people?”

  Henwell replies calmly, “It doesn’t matter whose people they are, what they want to do, or who’s leading them. Kill them all. If there’s fault, correct it; if not, take it as a lesson. Let them all know where I stand. And send them my formal notice.”

  This “formal notice” isn’t a traditional greeting card, nor is it delivered in any ordinary way.

  The way and pce it appears will make these people understand clearly.

  If they don’t py by the rules and only treat this like a game on a chessboard, Henwell can crush them without hesitation.

  Soon, all the factions receive Henwell’s warning, including his own father-in-w.

  Furious, Duke Marcus smashes several precious porcein pieces and curses Henwell for being too soft.

  But after venting, Duke Marcus issues orders to no longer interfere in Phoenix family affairs.

  He can’t bear to lose this son-in-w. As one of the continent’s finest young men, missing out on him would mean there’s no next chance.

  After this incident, Henwell calls over the mute ranger Kleios.

  “How’s life treating you here? Getting used to it?”

  Kleios bows deeply to Henwell. “Thank you, sir, for taking me in. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  After spending the past two weeks observing, Kleios finally realizes how foolish he was to attempt to assassinate Henwell in the first pce.

  His journey and experiences teach him one clear truth:

  Besides its abundance of extraordinary elements, the Western Federation holds no real advantage over other nations.

  Many people in the Western Federation, especially those in the lower and middle ranks, have a narrow view of the world.

  They’ve never accessed intelligence beyond the Federation’s borders. All information about the Eastern countries comes from Federation-approved books.

  Even when some Easterners visit, they praise the Western Federation and speak disparagingly about the Eastern nations.

  In Henwell’s words, this is nothing but zealotry born of blind faith.

  Gradually, most in the Western Federation believe the Eastern countries are small, sparsely poputed, and backward.

  But in reality, without counting high-level extraordinary powers, the Western Federation can’t even defeat the weakest Lumir Duchy.

  As for someone like Henwell, Kleios finds him utterly powerful.

  From what Kleios knows, aside from the Holy Spirit Church and the Groias Empire, no city-state in the Western Federation can stand up to his powers.

  And yet this remarkable figure started life as a sve gdiator.

  In just ten years, Henwell has built an empire of impressive scale.

  It’s simply incredible.

  The Western Federation’s understanding of the Eastern countries is limited to major events and royal families.

  Their intelligence on the East is outdated and incomplete.

  That’s not to say the Federation’s top intelligence leaders are behind. They know much about the continent but keep it from the public.

  Kleios can hardly imagine that this young man in his twenties commands a lordship with a force of 100,000 elite troops.

  At first, he thought Henwell’s Peace Haven was small, since Henwell is only a knight lord.

  But he never expected Henwell’s domain to be equivalent to a city-state in the Western Regions.

  Moreover, neighboring countries clearly fear Henwell’s power.

  Only now does Kleios seriously consider whether he should truly follow Henwell.

  This isn’t some impoverished minor lord. He’s a future leader with ambition and exceptional military and political skills!