Global Lord in the Apocalypse: I Begin with a Greenhouse

Chapter 29 - The Attack Plan Begins

“You do realize you've interrupted my morning, don't you? Arthur, you'd better not disappoint me.”

“I would never do that, my lord.”

The white-haired man bowed before presenting the holographic screen in his hands to Kaelen.

“My lord, look! Of the ninety-nine shelters, only eighteen remain! That means the number of people opposing you has decreased significantly!”

“Excellent!”

A broad smile spread across Kaelen's face before he burst into laughter.

As a lord, he could actually open his own screen and see what was happening for himself. But, of course, he was too lazy to do so.

“With so many lords surrendering to me, wouldn't it be more appropriate to consider me a king rather than a mere lord?”

That was what he thought.

“Besides, why should I bother checking everything myself? That's their job! As my subordinates, they're the ones who should take care of it for me!”

All he had to do was relax and enjoy himself while others handled everything. Just as they were doing for him that morning.

“Summon all the lords to the hall! There's something I need to tell them!”

“Yes, my lord.”

A short while later...

Kaelen's palace truly resembled a king's palace. It had large, luxurious rooms, and the main hall was no less magnificent.

Seated on a massive chair resembling a throne, with dozens of lords standing before him, Kaelen certainly had reason to call himself a king. At least, in his own eyes.

“My lord, shouldn't we celebrate this victory? Only eighteen shelters remain out there, and not a single one can compare to yours! It won't be long before you officially become the ruler of Region 9!”

One of the lords spoke proudly before Kaelen, doing his best to offer the highest praise he could.

“What did you say?”

Kaelen's expression darkened instead. The smile and laughter that had adorned his face moments earlier vanished instantly.

“Are you saying I'm not worthy of being called a king yet? Is that what you mean?”

Kaelen's furious shout echoed throughout the hall, frightening the lord who had spoken.

“Please forgive my insolence, my lord! I didn't mean to …”

Before he could finish his sentence, he threw himself onto the floor and prostrated himself before Kaelen.

He realized that his words had been terribly wrong. He had made a grave mistake.

“Get out! Now!”

Kaelen gave him no second chance.

Two soldiers immediately dragged the lord out of the hall and threw him into the courtyard.

“Does anyone here doubt that I am the ruler of Region 9? That I am your king? Anyone who objects can leave this hall right now!”

The lords could only lower their heads.

“Has he lost his mind?”

One lord whispered to the man beside him.

“Since when does having the strongest shelter in the entire region make someone a king?”

“Be quiet. Don't say anything,” his companion whispered back. “If someone hears us, we'll be in trouble. For now, just do what he wants. Pretend you agree with everything he says.”

Judging by their bowed heads, the other lords seemed to share the sentiment expressed in that final remark.

To stay alive, none of them dared question anything Kaelen wanted.

“My lord, I have never doubted your status from the very beginning.”

Duchman, the general whose ideas Kaelen admired, stepped forward.

“But rather than agreeing with their lowly suggestion of holding a celebration, I have a better idea.”

As he spoke, he swept his hand across everyone present, deliberately making a gesture that insulted them all.

“Speak. What do you have in mind?”

Although Kaelen still wore an irritated expression, he nevertheless gave Duchman an opportunity to explain his idea.

“We know that Evernight has destroyed more than three-quarters of all the shelters in this region. But we've overlooked one thing: aside from this shelter, those who managed to survive must have suffered heavy losses during last night's attack.”

Although they were not as powerful as Kaelen's shelter, there were several other Gold-tier shelters in the region. Facing Evernight, their owners must have exhausted a great deal of resources just to survive the onslaught.

“My lord, why don't we prepare an attack? They must be in a terrible state right now. If we strike them at this moment, we'll leave them with only two choices: surrender and become your subordinates, or be wiped out. There is no other option.”

As a general in the old world, Duchman had always been a strategic thinker. While other lords could see only one step ahead, he could think three steps ahead of them.

“You always come up with brilliant ideas, Duchman!”

Rising from his chair, Kaelen approached the general and patted him on the shoulder.

“Starting today, you'll be my right-hand man! Very well! I agree with your idea! Assemble the troops and attack every remaining shelter! Today, I want everyone to see who the true king of this region is!”

“Thank you, my lord!”

Duchman bowed respectfully.

His mission had succeeded.

He had managed to defeat Arthur.

Like the major, he had actually been coveting this position for a long time. As Kaelen's right-hand man, there was no doubt that he would become the most influential person in the entire territory after the shelter's owner himself.

“Oh, one more thing. What news do you have about Adrian? You haven't let him die as easily as you promised me, have you?”

Kaelen might treat many important matters as trivial, but Adrian was an exception. He would never forget that bastard until he saw him tortured to death right before his eyes.

“About that...”

Still keeping his head lowered, Duchman felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead. He had indeed promised to keep watch over Adrian's shelter throughout Evernight to ensure that the man wouldn't die too easily.

But he had forgotten about his duty.

If Adrian had actually died, Duchman had no idea what he would tell Kaelen.

“My lord, you don't need to worry! That man is still alive!”

At that moment, Arthur approached Kaelen and pointed to the dot numbered ninety-nine on his map, the marker indicating the location of Adrian's shelter.

“But this time, please let me handle him! Please allow me to drag that man before you myself!”