Salomon admitted briskly and then changed his tone: "So this is just an opening letter. The real invitation is yet to come afterward."
After finishing his statement, he extracted a second larger map from the leather tube he carried.
This time, the parchment spread out, occupying half the table.
A red line set off from the Southeast coast, heading north, encircling the Golden Wheat Plains, then turning west, incorporating the inland river port of Oakheaven Province.
The lamp on the table flickered across the parchment, as if the red line was truly expanding outward.
Salomon's finger gently pressed at the end of that line: "If the plan succeeds, His Highness plans to support a guardian so that the eastern order will not collapse along."
He spoke calmly, yet each sentence hit at the Duke's heart: "This encircled area will form a new political entity.
