Power and Obligations

In Falling Leaf Town, facing a mountain of Lizard Beast corpses, Baron Cayo showed no disgust and began dissecting them with several assistants.

Handling magical materials is an essential skill for any magician. Having dedicated many years to the study of magic, Kayo is already accustomed to dealing with all sorts of strange and unusual materials.

Although it had been treated along the way, the Lizard Beast's carcass still showed signs of partial decomposition. The monster, which already emitted a foul stench, now smelled even worse.

He held on for a while, but ultimately couldn't hold on any longer. After handing over the task of disposing of the body to his assistant, Baron Cayo silently withdrew from the backyard.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these assistants are just Magic Apprentice; their professional skills are actually quite high, and their handling of magical materials is very sophisticated.

They were all carefully selected and trained by the Dalton Family. Each of them had considerable magical talent, but none of them were able to become magicians, mainly because of their low social status.

Although magicians possess great power, their cultivation relies on abundant resources.

While some people cultivate, they hold Magic Crystal Stone in one hand and a potion to aid their cultivation in the other; others can only bury themselves in arduous training.

If that were all, then with persistent effort, one could eventually find a direction. Unfortunately, all magical knowledge is not taught free of charge.

Every magic spell, every magic lesson, every time you ask your teacher for guidance... everything is priced.

Let alone ordinary people, many minor nobles dare not touch magic, that money-devouring behemoth. Just like the Hudson brothers, they had never even undergone a magical talent test.

Not testing is the best option; if it turns out that you have good magical talent, it will actually be a problem.

Redman might be able to afford the initial expenses if he gritted his teeth, but as time went on, the amount of money required to invest also increased.

If you only have one son, it's fine to spend a lot of money raising him. But what if you have many siblings? You can't just abandon your other children to raise one son, can you?

Almost every year on the Aslant Continent, there are nobles who become addicted to studying magic and end up bankrupting themselves.

If one has good talent and becomes a powerful figure like Magister, then the initial investment can be recouped.

But if you lack talent and end up not even becoming Archmage, then it's a complete waste.

Baron Cayo was undoubtedly a failed magician. Perhaps if he continued to invest resources, he might one day become Archmage, but it would mean nothing to the Dalton Family.

Unless, while becoming a mage, they also unlock other talents, such as being skilled in Alchemy, inscribing Magic Array, or preparing magical potions...

The awkward thing is that these professions also require a significant investment of resources in the early stages. Apart from a few geniuses, most people have to go through countless failures before they can see any returns.

The enormous investment required is also a major reason for the scarcity of these professionals. If it weren't for these individuals, whose occasional achievements could astound the continent, countries wouldn't be willing to invest so heavily in supporting them.

These subsidies have nothing to do with Baron Cayo. To receive subsidies from the kingdom, one must meet at least one of the following conditions: possess the strength of Archmage, or produce valuable research results.

The former joined the Kingdom Mage Corps, while the latter remained at the magic association to continue his relentless pursuit of the true essence of magic, the mysteries of alchemy, and the birth of gods...

He had a whole bunch of strange and unusual topics, all of which were once Baron Cayo's favorites, but unfortunately those old guys were blind and none of them took a liking to him.

Of course, the most important factor was his Dalton Family background. This prevented people from hiring him as cheap labor and misusing him. If he achieved nothing after ten or twenty years, it would be considered making an enemy of the Dalton Family.

Magicians are human too, with the same emotions and desires. They have large families to care for and cannot escape the complexities of human relationships.

After washing off the stench and changing his clothes, Baron Cayo opened the secret letter and said with a smile, "Recently, the number of weapon orders from the Mountain Territory has suddenly increased."

That's really interesting!

I originally thought that Hudson's pile of junk could only fool some ignorant country nobles, but I never expected that it would become a hot commodity.

The buyers are mostly not local elites, so there must be something more to it than meets the eye.

Uncle Fu, have the family keep an eye on these buyers. They've bought so many weapons; they need to find a place to go.

"Also, arrange for someone to sell those magical materials in the backyard to make up for the territory's financial deficit."

"Yes, young master."

The old butler replied with a broad smile.

It's clear he's very satisfied with Baron Cayo's transformation. In the past, with so many magical materials, he would most likely have squandered them all.

The fact that they can now choose to resell magical materials due to territorial economic issues is undoubtedly a major transformation.

After a pause, the old butler added, "Young master, our plans in Whitton County are almost complete. Now it's time to consider how to close the net."

This matter concerns the struggle for the governorship, and there is no room for complacency. If it were just Baron Cayo himself, the outcome would be irrelevant, but now he represents the Dalton Family.

Losing the position of prefect in one's own territory is a huge embarrassment.

"The planning was too rushed. If we had more time, we wouldn't be in such a passive position."

If we fail to lure those guys into the trap this time, it won't be so easy to set them up again! There's likely to be more trouble in Whitton County in the future.

However, at this juncture, there's no time to worry about such things. The appointment of the prefect must be finalized as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications.

No matter how unlucky they are, they're still better off Laite County. With a power struggle in place, even if the kingdom appoints a prefect, the other side won't let it go easily.

Both sides have their own advantages, and neither can gain the upper hand for a long time to come. It seems we won't be lonely in the days to come.

Baron Cayo said with schadenfreude.

Happiness is relative. He himself was simply unable to completely control Whitton County, but his good neighbor next door was directly divided into two camps.

The local aristocracy was deeply entrenched, with many relatives and friends nearby, giving them an absolute advantage in public opinion.

The Northern Aristocrats possess formidable military strength, powerful backers, and greater political influence.

It won't be a matter of a day or two for these two groups to fight each other and for a winner to be decided.

In Dadir City, Baron Ciss has been in a bad mood ever since Hudson gathered his cronies for an alliance.

What was once thought to be an enemy that could be easily dealt with has now grown into a major threat.

The opportunity to resolve the issue by force has been permanently lost. Judging by the strength on paper, his seven hundred or so soldiers are no match for the two infantry regiments of the Mountain Territory.

Even though Baron Ciss had a hundred cavalrymen, the opposing side still had a terrifying Divine Archer!

He can hit every arrow without fail from 300 paces away, and he can even shoot five arrows at once. It's simply unreasonable.

In a real battle, Baron Ciss's biggest worry was not that the enemy was too accurate, but that the enemy had poor eyesight.

At such a distance, if we aim at the wrong target, we might end up taking him with us.

It's fair to say that Divine Archer were the nightmare of ordinary knights. Faced with such monstrous archers, knights and ordinary soldiers alike were treated equally.

They couldn't win in a one-on-one fight, and the chances of winning in a group battle were slim as well. Although the local nobles didn't have many capable troops, they had a large number of serf soldiers.

A large number of ants may not necessarily kill an elephant, but a large number of serf soldiers will certainly achieve results. Even if they are just randomly stabbing each other with six- or seven-meter-long spears, they will still get some results.

A war that results in mutual destruction would make any rational nobleman think twice before acting.

Having developed the situation to this point, Baron Ciss didn't believe he could still command a large following. At the very least, he was unlikely to be able to control Baron Kairait, whom he disliked the most.

It's all about self-interest; Maple Leaf Territory just happens to be right at the entrance to Mountain Territory. No matter how much you talk about team interests, they still have to prioritize their own safety.

Just like the local nobles near Dadir City, who dared not join Hudson's team, it was all determined by geopolitics.

"Send someone to ask what those guys are up to, why they're placing orders with the Mountain Territory."

There are so many weapons merchants in the Alpha Kingdom; they can buy them anywhere. Knowing full well that I don't get along with Hudson, they still went to the Mountain Territory to buy them—it's clearly..."

Baron Ciss erupted in fury and cursed.

If it were a noble from another region placing an order with the Mountain Territory, he might be unhappy, but he wouldn't say much. How they choose their goods is their own business.

This time was different. Although the order was split and multiple accounts were used to place the order, the strong Northern Frontier accent quickly attracted the attention of those who were interested.

While others might have to put in some effort to investigate the origins of these guys, Baron Ciss, who also hailed from the Northern Frontier, quickly identified them.

A bunch of slave traders dared to come and cause him trouble. Did they really think that he, the illegitimate son of the duke, was easy to bully?

When he was in the Northern Frontier, Ciss was a little Little Tyrant among the second-generation rich kids. When he got angry, he dared to beat up anyone.

Although his awkward status prevented him from integrating into the top-tier circles, he was still a big shot in the second-tier circles.

"Young master, it's not wise to cause any trouble now. Those slave traders are quite powerful, and we've already left the North, so we can't reach them anymore."

"We can't possibly trouble you, sir, with such a trivial matter, by intervening personally, can we?"

Butler Feren hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

The status of illegitimate children has no uniform standard; it depends entirely on the father's attitude. Grand Duke Cavadia values them, naturally no one dares to underestimate the Ciss.

Times change.

When Ciss was in the North, he could complain to his father at any time. Under the pressure of the Grand Duke Cavadia, these slave traders naturally dared not offend a second-generation heir like Ciss.

Now that the mountains are high and the roads are long, it's not easy to file a complaint. Especially with the distance, the bond between father and son inevitably weakens over time, so Baron Ciss naturally doesn't dare to squander it easily.

"Snort!"

"Let them remember this debt. So much weaponry flowing into Northern Frontier can't all be for their own use, can it?"

Of all the junk Hudson produces, only Beastfolk might be interested. These guys might actually be trying to smuggle weapons into the Orc Empire for huge profits.

"Have someone leak this to me, and let those nasty smugglers in the kingdom's anti-smuggling bureau go after them!"

Baron Ciss said coldly.

There was a tacit understanding among the Northern Aristocrats that no matter what happened, no one was allowed to provide any assistance to the kingdom's smuggling inspectors, let alone tip them off.

In the past, Baron Ciss would at most use his own power to retaliate, but he would never go after the responsible inspectors.

But things are different now. From the moment he left the North, he was no longer Northern Nobles. The original rules of the game no longer apply.

Hudson, who had made a killing in the Mountain Territory, was waiting at the gate with a beaming smile. Only Baron Redman could command such respect.

Hudson was taken aback when he saw a group of more than twenty people galloping towards him on horseback. Most of them were teenagers, including his two adopted younger brothers.

The only thing that put his mind at ease was that the annoying guy, Laisul, wasn't inside. It seemed that Baron Redman didn't want to make things difficult for him and hadn't brought that eyesore along.

"Father, what is this?"

Hudson asked, puzzled.

Judging from their clothing and accessories, these people were all from noble families. Although the Mountain Territory lacked talent, it didn't mean he had to babysit other people's children.

Especially these guys, most of them aren't even knights, so they're completely useless in the short term.

Recruiting these people is simply unrealistic if you can't offer them a future. Making empty promises might fool serfs, but don't even dream about fooling the sons of nobles.

If you can fool the young, can you fool the old? Surely the whole family isn't a bunch of idiots?

Hudson didn't want to spend a lot of money and effort to train people, only to have them all run off to other noble families.

"These lads are all from other branches of the family. Settle them down first, and I'll explain things to you separately later."

These other men were escorting them. They are all your distant uncles and aunts: Knight Sean, Knight Paul, Knight Fide ..."

Baron Redman introduced himself calmly.

With several more relatives added, Hudson greeted them with his signature smile. However, a large family isn't always a good thing; remembering everyone takes a considerable amount of time.

"Butler, take these children to the guest rooms to rest. Father, uncles, this is not the place to talk; let's go to the main hall to chat!"

After saying that, Hudson led the way, guiding everyone into the rather shabby reception room where they sat down.

"Hudson, you should know the rules of my Coslo Family: apart from the eldest son who stays to inherit the family business, the other sons must make their own way in the world."

Although the kingdom is generally peaceful, unexpected events are still inevitable. Apart from your two younger brothers, the rest of the people are descendants of family members who died in accidents while traveling outside the kingdom.

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Not all descendants are able to leave behind a legacy; most of those who venture out into the world end up barely making ends meet in Hukou.

If they die prematurely, their children's livelihood becomes a problem. According to family tradition, the expenses for raising these descendants are shared by the various branches of the family business according to their respective economic circumstances.

It was fine when they were young, but as they grew older and it came time to awaken the Life Seed, problems arose.

The Coslo Family is large and prosperous, with many descendants in each branch. Just solving the problem of providing cultivation resources for these descendants is a major headache for everyone.

Taking care of all the clan members is even more difficult. Therefore, in each generation, many clan members lose the opportunity to become knights due to a lack of Life Essence.

In the past, there was no other way. The kingdom controlled the Life Essence very strictly, and it was difficult to buy even if you had the money.

The situation is different now. Many families in the two counties have declined, and many impoverished nobles have reached a point where they can hardly survive.

In order to maintain the expenses of their territory, some people will secretly give away their quota of exchanging for Life Essence.

Whether it's a cash transaction or having the family provide them with several years of security protection, it's all negotiable...

After hearing Baron Redman's explanation, Hudson gradually understood. The reason they were targeting him was simply because he had enough influence among the local nobles.

It's estimated that initially, everyone just wanted to spend money to buy some Life Essence. However, the Mountain Territory rose too quickly, and Hudson suddenly became the representative of the interests of the local nobles of Laite County.

With increased strength comes greater confidence and assertiveness. Providing security protection for a certain period has also become an optional condition.

As members of the Coslo Family, having enjoyed the benefits brought by the family, they naturally need to bear the corresponding responsibilities.

"Father, I'm afraid we can't do this! If we propose exchanging the Life Essence now, many impoverished nobles will agree, but we'll never be able to shake off the accusation of taking advantage of someone's misfortune."

It would be best to find a way to get around this from the side. You don't need to worry about the specifics; I'll arrange for someone to take care of it.

However, it's hard to say how much Life Essence one can get in exchange. After all, there are quite a few people eyeing this stuff right now.

Hudson was at a loss, having to be mindful of his table manners while also securing the Life Essence. But the responsibility had fallen on his shoulders, and there was no reason for him to shirk it.

Rather than letting his family elders make a mess of things, Hudson felt it was more secure to take charge himself.

"Let's do our best. These are just family members living in the Southeast Province. There are probably no fewer than a hundred family members in the kingdom who need the Life Essence."

It's simply impossible to collect them all. Don't put too much pressure on yourself; just take whatever you can get.

The most important thing now is the struggle for the position of prefect. If you can win the position of prefect of Laite County, it will be far more strategically significant than adding a dozen knights to your family.

Baron Redman said with great delight.

Although he knew Hudson was no ordinary person, he still thought it would take him at least ten or twenty years of accumulation to get to where he was now.

But in the blink of an eye, before he even understood what was happening, the Mountain Territory had become the tyrant of Laite County.