Ascension To Divine Throne

Chapter 49: The Complex Situation of the Kingdom

"Do you need me for something?"

Judging from William's serious expression, it seemed to be a matter of importance. Jason nodded and stood up.

"Shall we go to my room?"

"Alright."

William put his raincoat aside and followed Jason directly to his room.

Though Nichole and the others were curious, they had no intention of eavesdropping. If William wanted to talk to them, he wouldn't have gone into the room.

Jason's room was on the east side of the villa's first floor. Besides simple bedding and a wardrobe, there were many different styles of longswords and armor neatly arranged on shelves.

Seeing William glance at those weapons and armor, Jason said, "It's just a little hobby of mine. I like collecting these. Some were forged by dwarven masters, while others I purchased from other countries through intermediaries."

William nodded. He had appraised the collection; it was an expensive hobby. Finally, he realized that Jason had a bit of the demeanor of a scion of wealth.

"But enough about that. What's the matter you wanted to discuss? Why so serious?"

Jason changed the subject, pulling out two chairs for them to sit.

"You know, I rarely socialize with other nobles. If there's something I want to ask, I have to come to you."

William spoke slowly, realizing that Jason was the person he had in mind to ask.

As a scion of the top noble family, the Duke Harold, Jason naturally had some understanding of the top-level situation in the kingdom.

As a teammate in the adventuring party, William felt that the future commander of the Golden Lion Knights, Jason, was someone trustworthy.

"What do you want to know?"

Jason was curious. Was there something that couldn't be learned through other channels, prompting William to ask a noble?

"It's like this: Do you know among the current nobles of the kingdom, who, in case of... hypothetically, would want to provoke a war with other countries?"

William carefully chose his words, slowly addressing Jason.

Jason was greatly surprised at this statement. Even the usually composed son of the duke almost lost his composure.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

William remained unfazed, meeting Jason's gaze seriously. "I'm quite certain of what I'm saying. Can you tell me?"

Jason rubbed his temples with his right hand, feeling a headache coming on. He hadn't expected William to ask such a sensitive question.

To be honest, based on recent interactions and understanding, he felt William was someone worth befriending. Most of the rumors he had heard about Count Kane before were likely unrealistic and fabricated.

He was a low-key, steady genius!

If William needed help, he was certainly willing to offer assistance to the best of his ability. That was a tradition of the Harold family.

Make fewer enemies, make more friends.

But this wasn't the way to help!

Casually mentioning such things could bring serious trouble to the Harold family.

But William didn't seem like such a reckless person.

Jason raised his head, looked into William's determined eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "Can I know why you're asking?"

William nodded and directly delivered the premeditated explanation: "To be frank, I've received information from elsewhere suggesting that there might be individuals interested in inciting a war between our kingdom and others. Hence, I want to know who in the kingdom might have such inclinations." {A/n: With my bean sized brain, I can think of only this cliche reason. I am very sorry for my incompetence}

"Is such a thing possible?"

It wasn't that Jason didn't believe William, it's just that this continent had been peaceful for a long time. Under the mediation of the Church of the Gods, any conflicts or disputes between kingdoms were resolved beforehand. There hadn't been a large-scale aggressive war for a long time.

The most recent minor conflict was a few years back, a clash involving thousands of troops between the borders of the Kingdom of Fis and the Kingdom of Norton to the west.

However, William knew that over the years, despite the mediation of the Church, accumulated conflicts and the desires of various kingdoms for development were like a continuously expanding powder keg, just waiting for that final spark to ignite it.

As for Jason, he knew of some nobles' dissatisfaction, feeling that their own development had stagnated for many years and urgently needed a new window of opportunity.

Previously, Jason didn't take some rumors seriously, as complaints from noble lords were commonplace, ranging from the lack of novelty in recent operas to their own children not being as excellent as they expected.

But when William mentioned the possibility of war today, it was something Jason hadn't considered, forcing him to evaluate the probability of an actual war breaking out.

William spoke with a firm tone, "This is the reality. The intelligence I've received is reliable, but I can't disclose the source. You understand the specifics."

Jason nodded. This could be related to the kane family's heritage and resources, so naturally, he couldn't disclose everything to William.

Thinking about this, Jason couldn't sit still. He stood up and paced around the room, his mind racing.

After a while, William thought Jason still hadn't made up his mind and decided to add fuel to the fire.

Just then, Jason stopped in his tracks, standing in front of the window with his back to William, seemingly admiring the sight of the July thunderstorm outside.

Facing the window, Jason seemed to be speaking to himself, but his voice clearly reached William's ears.

"Duke Ram of the eastern frontier has always claimed that the kingdom should have its own seaport and shouldn't let those Bertritch people profit from the kingdom's wealth."

"Finance Minister Brailfog Git claims that tax revenue growth has not kept pace with the kingdom's expenditures and that new sources of revenue must be found."

"The number of court nobles in the kingdom is increasing, and the burden on the royal family is getting heavier. At the same time, the desires and demands of court nobles for land ownership are becoming stronger."

Wow, Jason knew quite a bit.

William listened and kept it in mind. There might be hidden hands among these people.

Jason turned around and said seriously to William, "You must keep this information to yourself. Spreading it would cause considerable trouble, as you should know."

William was well aware that speaking carelessly before understanding the situation would only bring trouble to his family and alert the hidden hands.

"I understand. Thank you, Jason."

After some thought, Jason carefully said, "You need to handle this matter with care. If there are any other updates, you can come to me."

In Jason's view, as someone on the fringes of the noble circle, William being able to obtain such critical information meant that his hidden power was not simple, and he was worth getting closer to.

And just now, Jason realized that these pieces of information he previously overlooked seemed to connect, and the shadow of war seemed to be looming over the entire Kingdom of Fis and even the entire continent.

It seemed he needed to pay a visit back home and discuss this matter with his father.

After all, as the king's confidant, his father should know more than he did.

William nodded. Jason's words were like a promise to him, offering limited help in this matter, which was already a pleasant surprise.

After all, Jason wasn't a transmigrator like himself, unable to be as certain as he was that war would inevitably break out.

"I'll keep an eye on the things you've mentioned recently. I'll notify you if there's any new information."

"Alright, then I'll head back for now!"

William put on his raincoat, bid farewell to Nichole and the others, then stepped out into the rain curtain.