Work Prophet

"What do you plan to do with us?" Vanessa asked again.

The young girl seemed to be pondering this question as she lightly tapped her finger on the tabletop.

Vanessa seemed to have thought of something and took a step forward, but was quickly stopped by the guard beside her.

She hurriedly took out a note from her bosom, "Blanco previously claimed that his pursuit of the inheritance of the Green Field was a last resort. This note can serve as evidence."

"I initially wanted someone to secretly deliver it to you, but that person has already been bribed by Hirodod. If it weren't for Ilkand's intervention, I might have already been dead."

The Lady took the note from the guard's hand and gave it a brief glance.

"I was wondering how you ended up getting involved with the Blood Moon Association."

"Hirodod sent people to capture us. He even forced me to write a letter to the Welch family's head, Pepp, to borrow money. Later, he simply lured Pepp out under my name and kidnapped him."

"What happened to Pepp now?"

Miss Rabbit thought of the lord who had been missing for a long time. She had previously advised Pepp not to meddle in these affairs, but he wanted to establish ties with her and took it upon himself to try to get rid of the troublesome pair, Vanessa and Blanco, for her.

"He's dead," Vanessa said. "Hirodod extorted a lot of money from the Welch family using him, and when they refused to pay any more ransom, Hirodod deemed him useless and killed him."

"If it weren't for Blanco being somewhat useful, we probably would have ended up like Lord Pepp." Speaking of Hirodod, Vanessa couldn't help but shiver.

It was the darkest period for her and Blanco.

"I know it might be too late to say this now, but I have realized the errors of my past judgments," Vanessa said sincerely.

"Blanco is still young. It was my idea to gather forces to seize Teacup Castle before you returned, and also my idea to hire those Honey Bear people to kidnap you.

"None of this has anything to do with Blanco. If you want to punish someone, punish me.

"Whether you lock me up or kill me, it doesn't matter, but I hope you will spare your brother, Blanco, for the sake of having the same father."

By the end, Vanessa was nearly pleading.

The Lady waved her hand, "I said I wouldn't kill you. You can return to the Green Field and live in Teacup Castle. In the future, I will most likely spend most of my time in Rock Snow City. My great-grandmother and aunt will also be there to help me."

"Green Field is the territory Father left to the Arias family, so it's best to leave a few Arias family members there."

Upon hearing this, a hint of delight appeared on Vanessa's face, but before she could speak, the young girl continued.

"The condition is that you must accept my terms."

"What terms?"

"I have entrusted the management of the new city to my Guardian Knight, Alfred. His age makes him unsuitable to accompany me on further campaigns, so I left him in Green Field, and you all must listen to him."

"Of course," Vanessa agreed at once.

"Furthermore, you and your son must join the Double Rest Sect with me and follow its doctrines."

"Even if you hadn't mentioned it, we would have done it. People living on this land have already witnessed the might of Saturday, and only under Saturday's protection can we feel secure."

"And, most importantly, you and Blanco must separate."

Hearing the last sentence, Vanessa was a bit stunned. "But Blanco has never been away from me since he was little."

Blanco cried out, "I want my mom! I want my mom! I never want to be away from my mom."

"No, you have to!" the Lady interrupted him directly.

Frightened, Blanco quieted down, shrinking back behind Vanessa.

Ireya ignored him and said to Vanessa, "Continuing to stay with him will only ruin him. Otherwise, people might think that all Arias family men are useless."

Vanessa forced an awkward smile, "But he's still young..."

"He's not that young, already over ten. Father was already riding and fighting when he was fourteen and had killed robbers. My Squire Knight is thirteen this year and took part in the decisive battle not long ago. Meanwhile, Blanco only hides behind your skirt crying for his mom."

Vanessa couldn't find words to respond.

"I will find him a teacher to educate him well," Ireya said. "But if you stay by his side, he'll never grow up."

Vanessa sighed, "I understand. You are right. Let it be as you say."

Blanco, though a bit reluctant, dared not say anything more, seeing that his greatest support had vanished, only wearing a woeful expression.

However, hearing they could return to Green Field, he quickly cheered up again with excitement.

"Mom, we're going home!"

Hearing this, Vanessa nearly shed tears. How long had it been since she thought she'd never again return to that familiar land?

The Lady ordered Abus to escort the two outside and then find someone to send them back to Green Field.

To Miss Rabbit, this matter was just a minor episode.

The gap between the two sides was now too large, and she no longer had to worry about any threat from Blanco.

All she hoped was that the two would live well after returning to Green Field and not harbor any more ill intentions.

After all, the Arias family wasn't particularly populous to begin with, and Ireya didn't want to act against her blood relatives lightly.

......

With Ilkand's death, the five thousand men under his command were either killed or surrendered, and the last obstacle to the young girl's reclaiming of the Western Territory vanished.

The Lady opened the map of the Western Territory; now, this vast land belonged to her.

The area wasn't small. The Western and Northern Territories were the two largest regions of the Empire, and unlike the extensive icebound Northern Territory, the Westerner Territory, though somewhat barren, had a large population, exceeding a million.

However, because of continuous wars recently, many people died, and many farms and towns were burned, so restoring it to its former state would require some time.

But with Merlin and the assistance of the Double Rest Sect, the Lady wasn't worried about internal affairs.

She planned to implement agricultural reforms throughout the Western Territory, adopting new farming tools and methods to increase food production, first ensuring everyone was fed, and then leading people to create wealth together.

In fact, she had already issued a series of orders and would personally oversee their execution once she returned to Rock Snow City.

But before that, she had unfinished business. The Lady had promised Wild earlier to help him reclaim his territory.

Now that the Western battle had concluded, it was time for Ireya to fulfill that promise.