No matter whether it was Duke Ward who did it or not, we must inform His Majesty the King.
Gilberto pondered in the room for a while before getting up and walking in the direction of the inner court of Ice Castle Palace.
"Your Majesty, this is the situation."
Sitting in King Lukar's personal study, Gilberto respectfully recounted the situation he had just learned.
This study was the true core of Ice Castle Palace and the place where His Majesty the King met with his trusted subordinates.
However, apart from Lukar and Gilberto, there was a third person present.
"Anna, what do you think?"
Lukar's expression was unchanging as he turned to look at the young man sitting quietly beside him.
Anna Sifos, the Dillon Kingdom's Minister of Internal Affairs, was also Lukar's right-hand man.
The two had grown up learning together from childhood and Anna had always been deeply trusted by Lukar.
Of course, his ability was also quite exceptional; he might look young, but he was skilled and experienced. After assuming the role of Minister of Internal Affairs, he quickly got his subordinates, those old slick ones, to fall in line and no one dared to underestimate the youngest minister in the Kingdom.
In response to Lukar's question, Anna did not answer directly but started talking about another matter.
"I have already checked the explosion at Galsa Warehouse; there were two explosions in total."
"The first occurred at the entrance of Galsa Warehouse, where four guards died."
"The second occurred inside Warehouse No. 8, with no casualties."
"The property loss was not as significant as imagined; Warehouse No. 8 did not store much."
"Was there any peculiar discovery?"
Detecting a different tone in Anna's words, Lukar asked in a deep voice.
"The second explosion occurred in Warehouse No. 8, where a large underground space was found three meters below, approximately the size of the warehouse itself. It was only discovered because of the collapse caused by the explosion."
Hearing this, Gilberto suddenly turned his head to look at Anna, his expression somewhat surprised.
A hidden space beneath Galsa Warehouse?
There really was a secret!
Good job, Kenne and Hans!
Hearing this news, surprise finally crossed King Lukar's face.
The Finance Minister had just reported suspicions about Galsa Warehouse, and now this major revelation, what was he up to?
After all, it was Galsa Warehouse!
It was not just a warehouse exclusive to the Royal Family, but it was also quite close to Ice Castle Palace.
A hidden place underground that the King himself didn't know about in an area so close to Ice Castle Palace and himself seemed unquestionably directed at the palace and himself.
"So, was it that fellow Ward who did it?"
Lukar's face turned somewhat grim, if before Stran Ward had merely offended the King's majesty, this matter, if true, posed a real threat to his life.
"What was in that space?"
Anna shook his head with some regret:
"Nothing was found, not even debris."
King Lukar was somewhat astonished by the reply, as consecutive pieces of news left him somewhat confused.
It felt like someone had gone through great effort, escaped his notice, and caused such a big stir only to tell him it was just for fun.
"Your Majesty, I think there are two possibilities."
Anna said calmly, completely unflustered.
"The first, the opponent might have just prepared that place in advance. The corresponding arrangements had not yet been implemented, so it's currently just an empty shell."
"However, I thoroughly investigated, and I believe that space was formed by some special kind of spell and has existed for over half a year, so the first possibility... is not very likely."
Lukar nodded slightly, signaling Anna to continue.
"The second possibility is as Gilberto suggested, our Duke Ward might indeed be at fault, having possibly moved everything out of the space ahead of time and then using an explosion to cover up any possible evidence."
Anna spoke evenly, his tone not reflecting the gravity of his words.
"So, you think the second possibility is more likely?"
King Lukar looked at his subordinate and good friend, trusting in Anna's wisdom.
"Actually, I think both possibilities are quite unlikely."
Anna still shook his head, leaned back on the white bear skin sofa, and rubbed his temples.
"After all, I know Duke Ward's character well, he has the mind, but he is indeed somewhat indecisive."
"He would just decisively give up the hidden asset he spent a great cost to conceal, just because of the possibility of a secret being leaked? And in such an ostentatious way? I find it hard to believe."
"If he had that kind of courage, he would have made his move long ago!"
"But besides him, I can't think of anyone else who has the ability to do such a thing."
Lukar was somewhat silent; he knew what Anna meant.
The Ward Family actually descended from a branch of the Dillon Royal Family over a hundred years ago, but like many noble families, it had fallen into decline for a long time until a clan leader who became a disciple of a Legendary Strongman appeared.
Thus, the Ward Family could also be considered to carry the bloodline of the Dillon royal family, and legally they also have a right to the Kingdom's succession.
When Lukar first succeeded the throne, his position was actually not stable, as the previous Duke Ward had passed away long ago, and Stran Ward had been in power for many years, his influence pervasive throughout the Kingdom.
However, at that time Stran made no moves, though there were offenses, Lukar endured and strived hard to regain the initiative, which was no easy feat.
"Besides Ward, could it be someone else?"
Anna thought for a moment but did not provide a definite answer.
"Your Majesty, all signs indicate that this matter is definitely related to Duke Ward, minor doubts are not important."
Anna said earnestly, a slight smile appearing on her face.
"Perhaps Duke Ward decided to be decisive this time, or someone else is secretly orchestrating, but what of it?"
"Since Duke Ward dared to do such a thing in the Galsa Warehouse, it shows that he indeed has a serious problem!"
"The best outcome we previously envisioned is likely unachievable, Duke Ward certainly isn't willing to give up his power, hence such arrangements."
Lukar's expression also darkened as he pondered Anna's opinion.
Truthfully, he didn't want to deal with so much right when preparing for war against the Feis Kingdom. If Duke Ward could just admit defeat, considering the face of that Legendary figure, letting him keep his vast territory and be a stable lord would be the best scenario.
Lukar let out a long sigh and walked over to sit down in front of Anna.
"Your Majesty, I am here."
Finance Minister Gilberto had been sitting quietly on the side, not taking matters into his own hands.
"I will have someone accompany you back and directly arrest that Finance Assistant, Philip, for interrogation."
A cold light flashed in Lukar's eyes as he declared decisively.
Gilberto did not hesitate and immediately responded.
Originally, the King intended to take things slowly, gradually removing Duke Ward's influence.
But now, it was clear the King could no longer sit idly by, as the conflict had come too unexpectedly.
Beside him, Anna thought about saying something but eventually gave up.
"You're telling me that last night's explosion took place at the Galsa Warehouse!"
Duke Ward received certain news early in the morning and stood up to pace back and forth in the room.
"How could it be there!"
Duke Ward felt it was troublesome.
Initially, the Galsa Warehouse had nothing to do with him, but feeling the malice from the Dillon King, he began to prepare some contingencies for himself.
Coincidentally at that time, the Demon Envoy, Shaz Wood, came to seek cooperation with him.
Although Duke Ward was hesitant about whether to really trade with this Fallen, to open the "Demon's Gate," he first complied with his request and prepared five special spots in Ice Peak City.
One large and four small "Demon Gate" activation points!
And the space underneath Warehouse No. 8 in Galsa was one of those four branch Teleportation Gates.
"How could this happen?"
Duke Ward felt overwhelmed, having sensed something was off last night, but he did not expect such a big surprise to come so soon.
Although Lis had not confirmed the cooperation with that Demon Envoy, and there was nothing in that space now, Lukar's side must surely suspect him.
"Damn it, who did this!"
Duke Ward felt like nothing had gone smoothly recently.
At that moment, a sultry voice rang in his ear,
"Oh dear Ward, why so angry? Do you need a drink of Nether River Water to clear your head?"