Chapter 376
The Hesitant Naval Minister
Glass Island, White Queen District.
This was the residence of the Naval Minister, Dewitt Ramos.
As one of the founding families, the Ramos Manor was not far from Moriarty Manor.
Their ancestor was Lancelot, a hero whose bravery was no less than Lancelot’s. He fought to the death in the most intense war against the giants and died gloriously. After the Crown Lord completed his sublimation, he became one of His subordinates, a knight.
If Avalon had nobles, then the Ramos family would be considered top-tier nobles.
It was also because of their ancestor’s valor that the Ramos family had controlled the navy or the army for generations over hundreds of years. The patriarch of the family always became a commander of an army—even the previous Grand Guardian of Avalon was Dewitt Ramos’s uncle.
Old Dewitt was walking in the garden, pruning flowers with his own gardening shears.
His hair was white, his back was straight, and his stern face was full of wrinkles. Though no one had provoked him, the corners of his mouth were still turned down, making him as intimidating as an angry lion.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t hire good gardeners; he just felt that the gardens designed by those people didn’t suit his taste—although he himself couldn’t articulate specific demands, he just felt that the way they trimmed here was not good and there was not good either. In short, no matter how they changed it, he was not satisfied.
Ultimately, he had to do it himself—it was far from perfect, but at least it wasn’t awkward.
“I suddenly have a bad premonition, Sheldon.”
The old man spoke slowly.
Sheldon, the chief secretary following him, also had a strong and tall physique. He looked much younger than Old Dewitt, but he was at least forty or fifty years old, with noticeable wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes.
Sheldon pondered for a moment. “I think… you’re referring to that recent matter in the ministry?”
His words were sufficiently obscure, yet enough for Old Dewitt to understand.
“Sometimes I also wonder if doing this is right.”
The old man said slowly with his back to the secretary. “When Tommy gained power, I didn’t cooperate with him because I saw him as just a bastard orphan with impure blood, fatherless and motherless; when Charles, that fat pig, invited me to work for the Star Antimony people, I disdained to associate with him… It’s not really a reason, I just looked down on him.”
Perhaps it was because he couldn’t stand that he, who once had a tall and strong physique, had become so fat that even walking was difficult; perhaps it was because he used to dream of changing Avalon but gave up immediately when faced with difficulties…
Or perhaps it was simply because he felt that Charles Dross was found by the Star Antimony people precisely because he was the “cheapest” one. If he worked with him, it would also lower his own standing.
He was not a pedantic knight, nor could he not be a “noble.”
But that would require the Star Antimony people to personally invite him and offer a sufficiently high price—the title of Count would be nice.
Instead of showing their face, they just let Charles come to recruit him.
Who did they think he was? Charles, that fat pig’s lapdog?
Conversely, it was precisely because Charles had gotten him into trouble that he was now forced to act drastically.
When he was recruited by Charles, he considered leaving himself a way out and therefore did not report the matter.
After all, the Star Antimony people were formidable at the time, directly targeting Avalon, and the Iris people’s attitude seemed off. Meanwhile, Avalon’s royal family was continuously being cursed, appearing utterly defenseless; Alchemy had been open for so many years with huge investments but no good results; the future monarchs all seemed to lack promise, and Old Meg was nearing death.
Seeing this sinking ship, he had to prepare to jump ship.
—Who could have imagined that Charles would be captured alive in an instant!
He had even softened his stance and was willing to reveal secret information to save his life—
Could that fat pig just die already!
Old Dewitt keenly judged that the Star Antimony people’s sudden, significant improvement in diplomatic attitude and the Iris people’s almost betraying nation’s interests-level overtures must have a reason.
This was likely because the Star Antimony people’s assassination attempt had failed, and Dross was being held securely in secret.
This meant that the Star Antimony people’s entire intelligence network within Avalon could be compromised, and they had to feign goodwill to buy time for a hasty withdrawal.
Old Dewitt could not have failed to confirm this intelligence with his colleagues, but he was certain that Minister Dross had not only invited him at the time.
The Inspection Department had been arresting people during this period, and those arrested did not resist fiercely, presumably because some leverage had been found.
Old Dewitt did not know which of his colleagues Charles would betray first, but ultimately, he would betray him too, sooner or later.
Therefore, he really only had two paths to choose from.
One was to die quickly, passing the position of Lord of the Ramos family to his descendants before he was betrayed—once a person was dead, such errors, which were merely matters of attitude and allegiance, would be generously overlooked. After all, he hadn’t committed any major mistakes.
The other was to hold on to the end.
Find some leverage on the other party, or create some if none could be found, ultimately forming a balance of power—I won’t mess with you, and you don’t mess with me.
In fact, some people had chosen the first path.
Some old knights of his generation had died this winter, not because of the cold weather… but out of guilt and fear.
—This was all a chain reaction triggered by the arrest of Minister Dross.
But some still harbored a glimmer of hope.
The reason Old Dewitt hadn’t done so was simply that the Ramos family had no suitable heir at the moment. Few of his descendants were capable, and the most talented and promising successor to his position was his grandson. However, he was still too young to be the patriarch, let alone a minister.
The Naval Minister was not a haphazard position like the Minister of Affairs, which could be held with the Queen’s authorization, nor were it positions like agriculture or trade, where anyone could take up the post, even officials who lacked knowledge in those fields.
If he wanted his grandson to inherit his ministerial position, he at least had to have him promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in the Navy. This was the minimum requirement.
However, this was a period of peace, with no wars—promotions during peacetime relied solely on accumulating seniority. Furthermore, Her Majesty the Queen was encouraging “recruitment into the military outside the Path of Authority.” This meant he had to set aside some promotion slots for extraordinary individuals on the Path of Authority to ensure they occupied a certain proportion in the high ranks of the Navy Ministry.
If he couldn’t pass on his ministerial position while alive, he would have to pass it on to the generals below him according to regulations.
Although it might only be a temporary arrangement,
once it was passed on, and after he died… his descendants, who struggled to even reach the Third Tier, would have to rely on those generals to maintain it. If they could hold onto it securely, it might never be passed back.
The position of Grand Guardian had already been lost, and if the ministerial position in the military were also lost, the Ramos family would essentially cease to exist—even the Moriarty family, with their generations of business, at least retained wealth, while the Ramos family only had connections within the military.
If even that was lost, they would only have a permanent seat in the Round Table Hall.
Therefore, he had to take action.
“According to our discussion, after obtaining this information, we should choose to make a part of it public immediately—make public the part about Alistair being a Star Antimony spy. This method is to reduce Eivass Moriarty’s influence.”
Old Dewitt said slowly, “But I’m wondering… is there any other way?”
Her Majesty Sophia’s time was running out. The Arbitration Hall had instructed the ministers to be on standby at home, indicating that it would be within these few days.
Once this matter was published in the newspapers and spread throughout Avalon, it would be followed by a week-long mourning period.
During this time, Eivass could not possibly argue furiously with them in the newspapers—that would only displease the public. After all, the evidence they held was real and had been recognized by the intelligence agencies of three countries. If he wanted to present counter-evidence, the appraisal of the Inspection Department alone would not suffice.
After a week, the matter would be largely settled. People’s impressions would be formed, leaving him no room to retort.
Then they could negotiate with Eivass… have the Ministry of Affairs remain vacant, doing nothing. In this way, they would do nothing either.
“But today I’m feeling uneasy. I feel like something is going to happen… I don’t think this plan is foolproof enough.”
Old Dewitt frowned deeply. “Because in the end, this incident is nothing more than driving away Alistair and making people suspect that Minister Moriarty betrayed Avalon’s interests for love, thinking that this young minister is unreliable. But if we can’t get more leverage on him, it’s difficult to completely stop his actions; at most, it will only add public opinion resistance to his actions. If he truly doesn’t care about his reputation or the industry of the Moriarty family, it might even further enrage him.
“So, I’m thinking… is there a possibility that we directly hand this letter to Minister Moriarty? We’ll keep only a copy… and sell out those old companions who planned this together.”
The old man narrowed his eyes, his dangerous gaze flickering. “This way, the Ramos family can be preserved, and others can be made to reveal something…”
“…Sheldon, what do you think?”
