"The King of Lothern is gravely ill and bedridden."
Gorton's voice was transmitted clearly into the depths of the Red-Iron Dragon's consciousness through the bond of the Bloodline Connection.
"The atmosphere within the court is mysterious. Those princes who usually appear submissive and humble, those princes and grand dukes, are now like vipers lurking in the shadows, ready to strike, holding their breath, anxiously awaiting the final moment that will determine the fate of the kingdom."
As the towering pillar collapses, it teeters on the brink.
Within the entire Lothern Federation, the pre-existing fissures and contradictions have further widened.
Beneath the calm surface of the lake lies a turbulent and dangerous whirlpool.
The current King of Lothern, already Advanced in age and with his energy far from what it once was, should have been laying down his burdens to enjoy his twilight years. Instead, crushed by the mountain of heavy administrative tasks brought on by the escalating crisis of division within the Federation and the heavy psychological burden enough to crush a giant, he became exhausted, finally collapsing completely, and falling gravely ill.
His physical and mental state is now like a candle in the wind.
Hearing the secret report from the Iron Dragon Gorton regarding the King's critical illness.
The Red-Iron Dragon's heart skipped a beat.
After thinking rapidly for a few seconds, he said: "Gravely ill... A figure who sits upon the resources of the entire Kingdom of Lothern, capable of mobilizing countless top physicians and rare magical artifacts... what kind of terrifying disease could drive him into a desperate situation with no cure?"
The Iron Dragon Gorton responded: "I don't know the specific cause, but I suspect it is because of his Soul."
The Kingdom of Lothern has a martial culture.
Moreover, as the direct Bloodline descendants of the Legendary powerhouse who founded the nation, all members flowing with royal blood have received rigorous training and unlimited resource allocation since birth; they are by no means comparable to ordinary people in the mundane sense.
However.
One key fact cannot be avoided.
The current King's Aptitude among the monarchs of Lothern can only be considered mediocre. Coupled with a personality that lacks diligence—one might even say lazy... this meant that while he reached level 20 during the Peak of his prime, he gradually went downhill as he aged.
Throughout his life.
He never managed to successfully step into the Legendary Domain, which symbolizes a qualitative change in power and life.
That he has lived to this age, far exceeding the limits of ordinary humans, is largely due to relying on the longevity treasures hidden by the royal family and the accumulation of massive resources, forcibly breaking through the limits of his own life potential.
It was fine before.
However, the intensifying internal division and chaos within the Federation acted like a continuous hammer, repeatedly striking his already fragile spirit and body, finally triggering a chain collapse.
His state is like a snow block suddenly collapsing from the Peak of a snowy mountain, sliding rapidly and uncontrollably.
To the point where it eventually led to the exhaustion of his Soul Origin, inevitably falling ill and collapsing... To Garros, this was a logical and unsurprising thing.
Garros, after a moment of contemplation, threw another key question to the Iron Dragon.
"Gorton, when was the news that the King of Lothern was confirmed to be gravely ill and bedridden confirmed and spread within the Lothern Royal Court?"
The Iron Dragon Gorton, on the other end of the mental connection, thought carefully before answering: "Probably seven days ago."
"The Chief Imperial Physician and several Archmages jointly confirmed that the King's condition had deteriorated to the point of no return. He is now relying almost entirely on a Legendary-grade life-sustaining artifact from the royal treasury to forcibly hang on to his last breath."
"Even if this last breath can be sustained, or even if he recovers somewhat, he will be severely affected. I fear he doesn't have many years left to live, and he will likely spend most of his time in a weakened state."
Deep within the Burning Steel Fortress.
The Red-Iron Dragon suddenly opened his eyes, a thoughtful light flickering intensely within them.
The point in time when the King of Lothern was confirmed to be critically ill—seven days ago.
This date was not long after another event that shook the Federation—it was the critical day when the Duchy of Abel first tore off the mask of civility and brazenly declared war on the Duchy of Haltai, followed immediately by the Duchy of Haltai responding with an unhesitating declaration of war.
Just as the King fell into critical condition and the Royal Court fell into chaos and suspicion.
The two Duchies, which had originally been in a tense standoff on the border, engaging in long and arduous tug-of-war negotiations on the diplomatic level, attempting to seek compromise or at least maintain a superficial peace... so abruptly threw out the declaration of war that represented a fight to the death.
Coincidence?
Perhaps... this really is just a low-probability temporal coincidence.
However, the word "coincidence" is never easily believed in Garros's dictionary.
He is more inclined to believe that behind this seemingly accidental coincidence, a deeper, inevitable cause is hidden.
The Red-Iron Dragon closed his eyes again, immersing his mind in the Bloodline Connection.
He asked calmly: "Gorton, is the news of the King's critical illness known to many people outside the Royal Court?"
The Iron Dragon Gorton responded immediately: "Because this concerns the succession to the throne and the stability of the Federation, it belongs to the highest level of secrecy. The news is strictly locked and spread only within the most core circle of the Royal Court. Only those princes, important ministers, and a very small number of core court mages who truly hold heavy power and the highest status know the inside story! As for me—"
Gorton's voice carried a hint of smugness:
"—I only found out when Elena, worried, confided in me privately about her father's condition."
If that's the case, only two possibilities remain before us.
The first: The Duchy of Abel and the Duchy of Haltai declaring war when the King of Lothern was critically ill is really just a pure coincidence.
The second possibility is darker: Within the core circle of the Lothern Royal Court, there exists—aside from Gorton... another or even multiple deeply hidden moles, and this person's status is definitely not low. They must be a top-level figure who can access the core secret of the King's critical illness at the first opportunity.
Garros's habitual thinking caused him to almost instantly rule out the first, naive option; he did not believe it was just a coincidence.
He defaulted to the second possibility, which was full of the scent of conspiracy.
"Gorton."
Garros said: "Nowadays, the situation in Lothern and even the entire Federation is turbulent. All parties are like a taut bowstring, and the atmosphere is becoming more tense and dangerous by the day."
He emphasized:
"Incompetent, gluttonous, lazy... These disguises you have carefully cultivated in the Lothern Royal Court are very good, very effective."
"You must continue to maintain them; you cannot slack off even in the slightest."
"Only in this way can you let those true conspirators and ambitious people completely ignore your existence, regarding you as a harmless, or even ridiculous, pet, and only then can you... play an unexpected role at the most critical moment."
Garros understands me best!
Those unbearable displays were all just disguises carefully woven by me, Gorton! They were my protective coloration while I endured humiliation and bore the burden in the dragon's den of the Royal Court to paralyze the enemy! Every sacrifice I made... was a foreshadowing laid for the future grand cause of the Dragon Clan!
The Iron Dragon Gorton felt that every word of the Red-Iron Dragon struck the depths of his Soul, accurately stating his true thoughts and ambitions!
"Remember!"
Garros's voice sounded again, calm and composed.
"Do not be too impatient. Do not be confused by the chaos before you and act rashly. We possess long lives counted in hundreds or thousands of years; we have plenty of time to wait."