Chapter 231 – The Decision of the Greenvine Family

“Very well, now that we’ve reached this point, everyone should hear my thoughts.”

It was Patriarch Dolan who broke the silent atmosphere in the conference chamber. He pretended to be calm as he gently sipped the tea on the table, but the trembling porcelain cup betrayed his true feelings.

Dolan simply put down the tea, he rubbed his temples with his plump fingers, then spoke his plan in an almost monotone voice:

“First, we cannot surrender to the Kamos Kingdom.” When the Green Vine Family accepted the noble title, we already swore allegiance to the Dillon Kingdom. If we surrender to another country, we cannot face the pressure from the Noble Church!”

After saying this, Dolan paused and scanned the circle of elders who remained silent with bowed heads. Seeing no one object, Dolan continued:

“But at this moment, the Green Vine Family is extremely weak. All the military, financial, and material resources invested in the ‘Glory Army’ have been completely lost. Facing the dual attacks from the Dillon Kingdom’s ‘Church Faction’ and the Kamos Kingdom, our Green Vine Family cannot be without support. Therefore… I—Dolan Greenvine, the thirty-second Patriarch of the Green Vine Family—propose surrendering to the Church of Dawn, henceforth worshiping the Lord of Dawn, and… offering the seditious heretic leader—Trelinka—to the Church of Dawn!”

“What… Patriarch, you…”

Several elders looked up in shock, and one old man even stood up in surprise. At this moment, all the elders’ eyes were filled with disbelief.

But Dolan didn’t stop explaining his plan because of this. He raised his voice to drown out the elders’ surprised whispers and faced all the elders with an unabashed, forceful gaze:

“As long as we allow the Church of Dawn’s priests to preach to our family’s descendants from childhood, as long as we offer eighty percent of the family’s property, as long as we offer both the ‘Glory Army’ and Trelinka to the Church of Dawn—according to convention, the Church of Dawn will definitely choose to accept the Green Vine Family, and the Noble Church will also choose to turn a blind eye…”

“Patriarch… wait… cough… cough cough cough!”

An elder finally couldn’t help but interrupt Dolan’s hoarse speech. Leaning on his cane, he stood up and said to Dolan while suppressing his coughs:

“Patriarch… Doing as you say might indeed gain us the Church of Dawn’s protection, but… but what about our Green Vine Family’s noble title… what about our Greenvine City territory? The Noble Church would never allow us to continue holding… cough… holding the title!”

“That’s right, what about our title? Our ancestors fought alongside the former king to earn this hereditary title…”

“And the Greenvine City territory—that’s land passed down through generations for over a hundred years… Without territory, how can we still be considered nobles? How can we maintain noble dignity…”

“Becoming the Church’s lapdogs… how would we have the face to meet our ancestors…”After hearing Patriarch Dolan’s plan, the assembled elders couldn’t help but engage in heated discussions. Having been born and raised as high-ranking nobles, they viewed even professional warriors as crude and barbaric. Those who had never been nobles could never understand their obsession with titles, territories, and so-called noble bloodlines. Many of them would rather lose their lives than relinquish their decaying glory.

Watching these noble elders arguing that they must not dishonor their ancestors even in death, Dolan felt his head throbbing as if it would split open. Suppressing the urge to overturn the table and beat some sense into these stubborn old men, he roared in a near-scream:

“Enough! What kind of spectacle is this bickering? Dying with the territory? Ancestral glory? Noble bloodlines? Will you only feel honored when the family is destroyed and everyone is slaughtered? Must your descendants be enslaved before that bloodline becomes precious? Or will you finally be able to face your ancestors when the family is annihilated?”

Under Dolan’s roar, all the elders fell silent. Rationally, they knew Dolan made valid points, but emotionally, they struggled to accept such an outcome for the Green Vine Family.

Seeing the elders rendered speechless, Dolan ceased his shouting. His voice returned to its characteristic hoarse and deep tone. This time, he no longer sought the elders’ opinions but issued decisive commands in an uncompromising tone:

“All elders must immediately summon the family’s direct bloodline after this meeting. Liquidate all family assets in Greenvine City at once. Recall all Green Vine private soldiers serving in the ‘Glory Army’ immediately. Disperse the collateral bloodlines out of Dillon Kingdom without delay. The Green Vine Family is now entering a state of emergency…”

He paused before adding, “…And… go learn from some merchants… We may need to become a commercial family in the future…”

Having spoken, Dolan slowly turned around. Walking with heavy steps toward the secret chamber’s exit, he said to the old warrior Beigean behind him:

“Grandfather Beigean, we must trouble you again. Now we need to mobilize the guard force to capture Princess Trelinka. She’s an Apprentice-Level knight, so we’ll have to trouble you to take action once more.”

“It’s nothing, just an Apprentice-Level knight. Hardly more than lifting a finger.”

Old warrior Beigean’s reply carried neither joy nor sorrow, but everyone could hear the determination and seriousness in his words.

As the heavy iron door opened, a cold wind swept into the Green Vine Family’s secret chamber, making all the elders shiver involuntarily.

Several older elders shook their heads with bitter smiles. They understood that Dolan had also been warning those unwilling to abandon their noble status and territories. The Green Vine Family stood at a critical turning point – internal discord would shatter them completely, an outcome nobody wanted to see.

Fortunately, most elders valued their lives more than territories and titles. They cast sharp glances at the few elders who couldn’t accept reality, then promptly followed Dolan out of the secret chamber.Before anyone realized it, night had once again enveloped Greenvine City. The winter storm descended upon this western frontier city in the darkness, with swirling snowflakes dancing endlessly in the bitter wind. Pedestrians hurried their steps homeward, for even in the relatively warmer Greenvine City, the approaching blizzard brought bone-chilling cold—the piercing winds were no less fierce than those in the northern reaches of Dillon Kingdom.

This year’s winter remained as protracted and frigid as ever, leaving even the most optimistic farmers deeply concerned about their provisions for the coming year.

(End of Chapter)