Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 212 - 206: Please Hand Over Your Leverage

Karachi was skeptical at first, but the details Raylo provided...

The Withered Hand, Sars, and two Domain Level Magical Beasts.

These weren’t things someone could just make up.

A bone-chilling cold rose from the soles of his feet, spreading rapidly through his entire body.

He collapsed to the ground, the color draining from his face. His lips trembled, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Raylo watched him calmly, letting him process the shocking news.

After a long while, Raylo spoke again, his voice like the whisper of a devil.

"Think about it, Karachi. Once your father is confirmed dead, or if he’s in a long-term coma and unable to rule, what will your brothers do? They’ll tear each other apart for the throne. And you? A Crown Prince captured by an enemy nation—what value will you have then?"

Raylo paused, giving him time to think before delivering his conclusion.

"You’ll be quickly forgotten, perhaps even declared ’killed in action.’ A new king will ascend the throne, while you will live out the rest of your miserable days here, or in some mine in the Thunder Dragon Duchy."

Every word was like a sharp dagger, stabbing precisely into Karachi’s deepest fears.

He pictured that future, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He knew Raylo was telling the truth.

In the face of absolute power, familial bonds were fragile enough to shatter at a touch.

"No... that won’t happen..."

His voice was filled with despair.

"This is your fate, Karachi," Raylo said.

"However, you should consider yourself lucky. A Crown Prince who has lost power or recognition becomes completely worthless—a situation I’d rather avoid as well. Therefore, I’ve decided to make a deal with you."

Karachi, mired in despair, snapped his head up like a drowning man grasping at a final straw. His eyes blazed with an intense will to survive.

"What deal?"

"I’ll let you go back."

Raylo held up one finger.

"Back to the high-stakes table of power. You have your status as Crown Prince and your own supporters. If you play your cards right, you might just have a chance to turn the tables."

Karachi’s breathing grew ragged.

"And in return," Raylo said.

"I require a little compensation. Five hundred trained Pegasi, ten adult Griffins, and... one hundred thousand Gold Coins. Once you return to your country and secure power, you will deliver them to me in installments within one year."

The numbers made Karachi suck in a sharp breath.

"This is blackmail!" he retorted instinctively.

"You can call it a ransom," Raylo smiled.

"A ransom that buys your freedom and the chance to fight for a Kingdom. I think it’s a very good deal."

A long silence fell over the tent.

Karachi’s expression wavered as his mind raced.

He weighed the pros and cons: on one side, a humiliating agreement and a huge price; on the other, the chance to regain his freedom and fight for the throne.

In the end, his lust for power overcame everything else.

"How can I trust you?"

Karachi looked up, a politician’s caution now in his eyes.

"And how can you trust that I’ll keep my promise after I return?"

"That will require a small guarantee," Raylo said.

"There’s no need to sign a pact or form a contract."

"I need you to give me a way to believe you’ll fulfill your end of the bargain."

A resolute glint flashed in Karachi’s eyes. He knew he had to offer something that would put Raylo’s mind at ease—or hand over a fatal piece of leverage against himself.

He gritted his teeth, as if making an incredibly difficult decision.

"In my Space Ring, there’s a black sandalwood box. Take it out."

Raylo raised an eyebrow and, as requested, retrieved the wooden box from the Ring.

Karachi took a deep breath, his voice hushed.

"Inside the box are over a dozen Memory Magic Crystals. Once you see them, you’ll understand my sincerity."

Raylo opened the box.

Over a dozen Crystals, each the size of a pigeon’s egg, lay quietly on a velvet lining.

He casually picked one up and channeled a trace of Magic Power into it.

The Crystal lit up, and a three-dimensional image materialized in the air.

The scene showed a lavishly decorated room, with Karachi himself in it.

He was furtively pouring some powder into a wine glass, then handing it to a young woman dressed in the Priest Robe of the Light Holy See’s Divine Hall.

Shortly after the woman drank the wine, her face flushed, her eyes glazed over, and she collapsed onto a sofa.

The subsequent scenes became obscene, filled with decadent sounds.

Raylo, his expression unchanged, cut off the Magic Power and picked up another Crystal.

This scene was even more explosive.

The female lead was now a young woman of ethereal beauty and sacred bearing, her clothes bearing the exclusive emblem of a Light Holy See Saintess.

In the image, she had clearly been drugged as well. Held in Karachi’s arms, she was being made to perform all sorts of sacrilegious acts in front of a statue of the Light Divine Lord.

"Iralia, a Saintess from the Light Holy See’s Holy Patrol Team."

Karachi’s voice was dry and hoarse, tinged with the madness of someone with nothing left to lose.

"She’s the favorite granddaughter of Red-robed Archbishop Andrew. If these get out, it won’t just be me; the entire Fiery Sun Kingdom will face the Holy See’s Thunderbolt Fury. So, you don’t have to worry about me defaulting on the deal. I’m more afraid of this getting out than you are."

Raylo placed the Crystals back in the box and snapped the lid shut.

He looked at the Prince before him—a man willing to hand over his greatest weakness just to survive and grasp for power—and a satisfied smile finally appeared on his face.

"Very good."

Raylo stood up, walked over to Karachi, and clapped him on the shoulder.

"It seems our collaboration will be very pleasant. Prepare yourself, His Highness Prince. Your journey home will begin shortly."

With the deal struck, the atmosphere in the tent relaxed considerably.

"Now, one last question."

Raylo’s gaze fell on Karachi once more.

"Your teacher, Radiant Blade Kade. How do I contact him?"

Karachi stiffened. He immediately understood Raylo’s intention.

He guessed Radiant Blade Kade hadn’t gone far and was still lingering nearby, looking for an opportunity.

"In my Space Ring, there are three special Magic Signal Bombs."

Karachi’s voice was a bit dry.

"Orange means it’s safe to meet. Red means my life is in danger and I need support. And blue... means the plan is canceled, retreat immediately."

Raylo nodded and signaled his Personal Guard to take Karachi away and "watch over" him well.

Only Raylo remained in the tent.

He sat in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.

A bold plan began to take shape in his mind.

’Kill two birds with one stone.’

The deal with Karachi would take time to pay off.

But the wealth on Radiant Blade Kade, that veteran Domain Knight, could serve as a down payment.