Count of Wright County

With the dust settled, the farewell banquet was exceptionally lively. Crown Prince Caesar personally attended the Blood Moon Castle to bid farewell to the kingdom's nobles.

It's clear that Caesar III went to great lengths to pave the way for his son.

As is customary, a victory banquet should be held in the royal palace after a major battle, but this time it was moved directly to the border.

Ostensibly, it was to commemorate the fallen soldiers. But everyone knew in reality that it was simply to give Crown Prince Caesar more media exposure.

Feelings are always built through communication. The more you interact, the more likely you are to meet like-minded friends.

As the Crown Prince, if he wanted to win people's hearts, he wouldn't have to worry about not having people flocking to him.

Frankly speaking, Crown Prince Caesar's performance was actually not bad. Apart from suffering a great loss during the last expedition to the Moxi Duchy, he didn't do anything that would anger both heaven and man.

Even if one harbors resentment towards someone, one will still greet them with a warm smile. The ability to effectively "hide" one's true thoughts is an essential quality for a ruler.

Watching Crown Prince Caesar weave through the crowd, Hudson tacitly stepped aside, giving up the stage and discreetly allowing him to perform.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere quickly changed with the arrival of the five dukes of the New North. Hudson, who was supposed to step in to smooth things over, had already disappeared from the hall.

The kingdom's nobles, eager for a good show, seemed to be waiting for a conflict to break out between the two sides.

The nobles close to the royal family could only stand by and watch anxiously. This was a test unique to Crown Prince Caesar; any help from others would only make things worse.

"Thorsten, Rodriguez, Anhel, Pedro, Xilo, long time no see! How have you all been?"

Whether intentional or coincidental, Crown Prince Caesar deliberately rearranged the order in which the five dukes of the North appeared when addressing them.

Even within the same political group, there is a hierarchy. Who has more or less influence can be discerned simply from the order in which they appear.

However, this tacit understanding was left by the previous generation. Now that the older generation of leaders has passed away, the new generation has clearly not yet adapted to the original rules of the game.

After all, the Five Great Families in the North are evenly matched. Their internal rankings are never fixed; basically, the more capable and prestigious the leader of a family is, the more influence they have within the alliance.

The seemingly insignificant title of Crown Prince Caesar is actually full of divisive meaning. The only problem is that the method is too naive, making the purpose obvious at a glance.

"Thank you for your concern, Crown Prince Highness. We have been having a very difficult time lately!"

Duke Xilo responded irritably.

To be completely honest, those guys have really been having a tough time lately.

The sudden passing of the older generation meant that internal affairs were not properly arranged, and these successors were forced into their positions.

They couldn't win over the people internally, and their fathers left behind a whole host of problems for them to deal with; the external troubles were even greater, with the hostility of the kingdom's nobles keeping the five of them up at night.

This complex situation had never occurred before in the history of the Northern Nobles.

In the past, even when power changed hands, it was never the case that five families would do so at the same time.

Even if something goes wrong, it will only affect one party, and the situation can be stabilized with the help of allies.

All of these events have come at once, and the allies who huddled together for warmth are now preoccupied with their own survival.

Not only did the five leading families encounter trouble, but most of the smaller noble families that depended on them also experienced changes in their successors.

After all, the boss was ruined because of reselling military supplies, so how could the underlings who followed him not be able to escape unscathed?

It's lucky they weren't caught by the investigation team; once they're found out, they'd better slit their own throats!

The entire power group experienced severe internal turmoil, which is the core reason why the Northern Nobles did not jump out to seize the spoils of war.

Choosing to make a public appearance after everything has settled is both an attempt to curry favor with everyone and a way to elicit sympathy.

People are always inclined to sympathize with the weak. As fellow members of the aristocracy, the more pitiful and helpless the Northern Nobles appear, the more sympathy they evoke in others.

Such compassion is worthless in the face of self-interest, but when it doesn't involve one's own interests, it's a different story.

In order to make the image of "pitiful and helpless" more deeply rooted in people's hearts, they are now going so far as to emulate Crown Prince Caesar and deliberately create a persona of a pitiful nobleman who is suppressed by the royal family.

"Is that so? That's terrible! But my brother Xilo, I'm sure this little trouble won't be a problem for you!"

Crown Prince Caesar said with a sincere expression.

Clearly, he had also discovered the Northern Nobles' scheme. So he simply played along, practically declaring to everyone that they were brothers.

Both sides were drama queens; the exciting meeting made Hudson roll his eyes.

It must be admitted that the nobles were truly precocious. They were only in their teens or twenties, yet they possessed the mentality of a cunning old fox in his fifties or sixties.

If they continue to grow up like this, I reckon in twenty years, these guys will be old foxes in politics again.

As for now, they've gone too far with their acting, and the old guard has already seen through them. They're probably only fooling some of the younger generation who aren't politically astute.

These are minor issues. As long as the Northern Nobles stay in their own fiefdoms and don't cause trouble, no one can do anything to them.

No matter how turbulent the internal situation, their formidable military strength remains. No sane person would be interested in such a tough nut to crack; the only consequence is a temporary loss of political influence.

After today, Hudson's tenure as head coach will end. Without the title of head coach, he's just an ordinary earl of the kingdom.

As a newly emerging noble family, it's essential to keep a low profile in this situation. Being too outgoing will only make you vulnerable to social backlash.

Fortunately, the kingdom's pie has been expanded this time, and his rise only impacted the Dalton Family's status without affecting the interests of other noble families in the kingdom. Otherwise, Hudson's life would definitely not be so comfortable.

"Today, we have all witnessed the unity of the kingdom. In the days to come, we will join hands and work together to create a great Alpha Kingdom!"

Now, Your Highness Crown Prince Caesar, please read aloud the list of those who made contributions in this war, as well as the changes in titles and fiefdoms..."

As the grand spectacle drew to a close, Hudson appeared at the center of the banquet. All the rewards and honors for the victory had been decided long ago, and even the notices had been sent to everyone.

This whole thing is purely Hudson's way of building momentum for Crown Prince Caesar, or rather, returning the favor to the King.

Under the intense gazes of the crowd, Crown Prince Caesar slowly walked to the center of the hall and loudly proclaimed. "Through everyone's joint efforts and overcoming countless hardships, we have finally driven out the evil Beastfolk."

To demonstrate the kingdom's fairness and impartiality, and to ensure clear rewards and punishments, the great Caesar III decided to reward those who had rendered meritorious service.

As everyone unanimously agreed, the greatest contributor to this war was none other than the commander-in-chief of the army— Count Hudson.

He led an expedition to the Moxi Duchy to rescue his allies from dire straits; he was appointed to a critical mission to quell a rebellion and save the southern provinces; and he led a northern expedition to provide relief and turn the tide...

The Count Hudson is now granted the title of Earl of Laite County, with the fiefdoms of Dadir City, Snow Moon City, Years Town, and Terrenkos Town ..."

"Every political move that is incomprehensible has a price tag attached behind the scenes."

—Hudson Quotes

The fifty-six fiefdoms were Hudson's reward. Although they were all small and scattered, they were all located in the fertile Southeast Province.

Simply calculating the territory area, the total area of the fifty-six fiefdoms combined is only a little over seven thousand square kilometers, making it a relatively small territory among the kingdom's many earls.

But when it comes to natural resources, they are by no means inferior.

Judging from the envious looks in the eyes of the nobles, Hudson's gains were undoubtedly substantial. It's estimated that, aside from the royal family, his profits this time would rank among the top three.

As for why it wasn't the most, that involves the essence of spoils distribution. Besides the obvious battle achievements, another important factor must be considered—strength.

Powerful noble families, as long as they don't perform too poorly, can get a large share of the pie; this is the norm.

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The relatively harmonious distribution of spoils this time was mainly due to the exclusion of the Northern Nobles.

Otherwise, according to past practice, the Northern Nobles alone would have taken more than a third of the pie, and everyone would have fought tooth and nail for the rest.

Looking at the final results, Hudson realized that there were ruthless figures among the kingdom's nobles. The two families who profited more than him had, from beginning to end, kept a low profile and quietly made a fortune.

This time, Viscount Oran was rewarded as he wished and successfully became a fiefdom earl, but the price he paid behind the scenes was quite high.

As far as Hudson knew, the Hollisir Family had relinquished a considerable amount of land in the Southeast Province in exchange for this investiture. The money and favors spent during the lobbying process were even greater.

There's no other way; if we don't put in the effort now, we won't have the opportunity to do so in the future, even if we want to.

Every middle-class noble who crossed the threshold paid a price. The rise of Hudson, as the sole exception, is entirely irrelevant as a precedent.

The most conventional approach is to take things one step at a time, accumulate knowledge and experience over generations, and then seize the opportunity to unleash a powerful burst of energy.

For every success, there is a failure. Not being able to go any further is not so bad; the worst thing is watching your family decline.

Don't be fooled by the fact that everyone can still sit together eating, drinking, and chatting now. These families, which were severely weakened in the war, will face a bleak future if they don't recover in the next few years.

The bonds of affection are always time-limited. The greater the interests involved, the weaker these bonds become.

With a wide network of connections and good interpersonal skills, coupled with occasional help from relatives and friends, the decline will be slower.

If you have terrible interpersonal relationships and enemies all over the world, you will soon disappear from this world.

Even after the banquet ended, Hudson was still unable to relax. As the victors of this great battle, the Coslo Family was undoubtedly one of the biggest winners.

Besides the Hudson family head, who became a duke, many other members of the branch families also distinguished themselves.

However, they were not able to stay in the heart of the kingdom and enjoy peace as they had hoped, and were instead forced to go north to start their own businesses.

It wasn't that Hudson was unwilling to help; it was simply that he was constrained by the rules of the political game and couldn't take all the benefits.

Other prominent families' children went to Northern Frontier to start businesses, and the Coslo Family was no exception.

At this time, the benefits of having a large family became apparent. More than twenty of Hudson's sons who had fought alongside him and earned merit in battle received titles.

The only regret is that their rank is not high, so they have little say in the Northern Frontier. Fortunately, they can stick together and support each other, so they won't be bullied.

Looking at these most outstanding members of the family, Hudson felt an overwhelming sadness. The talents he had painstakingly nurtured were now all going out to start their own businesses.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to do anything to hinder his clan's future. Starting a business outside was tough, but it offered endless possibilities.

Staying within the family is indeed comfortable and secure, but it also limits one's prospects for advancement.

When the descendants of a family indulge in comfort and pleasure, it is time for them to decline. Only by constantly forging ahead and making progress can they achieve a more glorious future.

"Everyone, please sit down!"

"You are all elites of my Coslo Family. The fact that you were able to stand out from the crowd is enough to prove your abilities."

You have all received the investiture documents. From this day forward, you are the kingdom's newly emerging nobility, and you must learn the ways of the noble.

You've all received training on the specifics. But I want to tell you this: if you want to establish yourself in the North, the family training alone is far from enough!

Strength, strength, strength!

In this world, what truly allows us to live a secure and stable life is always strength.

Rules are important, but they are also made by the strong. While you abide by and utilize the rules, you must always remember: there are no unchanging rules in this world.

Tomorrow I will be leaving with the team. Whether you can establish yourselves in the north depends solely on yourselves.

The family's foundation is too weak, and the help I can offer you is very limited. As the head of the family, I can only personally sponsor each of you with three thousand gold coins, and provide weapons and equipment for one hundred people.

How much assistance other branches can provide depends entirely on you to ask your elders for it yourselves; I will not interfere.

Hudson said earnestly.

It's quite tragic to think that the Coslo Family's public accounts are empty. The businesses are all owned by individual branches, and the family's collective assets are practically zero.

As the newly appointed head of the family, Hudson has no time to develop the family business, so he has to pay for it himself.

Fortunately, he made a fortune during this war; otherwise, this tragic patriarch wouldn't have been able to afford to sponsor his clan's entrepreneurial endeavors.

"Master, please rest assured! We will not let you down!"

No sooner had Evola finished speaking than Hudson was speechless. "Relax?" he thought. He'd be a fool to believe it.

He could let go of the others, but he had absolutely no trust in his own brother, Evola.

Hudson originally wanted to keep him in the family, but the young people were full of ambition and almost had "self-importance" written on their foreheads.

In order to get out, Baron Redman even wrote letters personally to persuade Evola to be given a chance to develop.

Fathers tend to have high expectations for their children, especially after Hudson emerged. Baron Redman raised his expectations for his sons considerably.

Perhaps in his eyes as a father, they were all born of the same parents, so there shouldn't be much difference.

Anyway, with so many sons, they can withstand any turmoil. Internal power struggles within the kingdom rarely result in death. And if things go wrong, Hudson, as the younger brother, will be there to clean up the mess.

To minimize future trouble, Hudson specifically chose a secluded fief for them. The only drawback was its slightly remote location.

Since it's just training, it's not a big deal. It's just a baronial territory anyway, and there's always a chance to move there in the future.

Seeing his enthusiastic older Evola, Hudson couldn't help but smile. He wondered if he'd still be as happy as his younger brother when he received his attention.

"Very good, you must maintain this fighting spirit!"