The Grief of Passing
"We finally succeeded!"
Hudson, looking disheveled, couldn't help but sigh.
After countless failures, he finally completed the modification of the Bear Brand feed pellets and created pills suitable for all animals.
Looking at the final result, Hudson was filled with emotion and was speechless. The growth-promoting pills that I thought were profound and mysterious were actually presented in the simplest way.
Any complex processes are superfluous. The pills themselves have a negligible effect on promoting the growth of magical beasts; what truly promotes their growth is the energy extracted from the Magic Core and crystals by the Mysterious Compass.
The pills exist to hold this energy, allowing it to be released slowly after entering the monster's body, preventing it from rushing in and causing indigestion.
Hudson is unable to draw conclusions about the specific effects at this time due to the scarcity of experimental samples.
However, the pills with reduced dosages have shown remarkable effects when used to feed pigs and sheep, which grow at a visible rate every day and are estimated to be ready for market in three or four months.
If cost is not a factor, this is definitely the most suitable feed for animal husbandry.
All-natural, additive-free, it even promotes the evolution of pigs and sheep. If you're lucky, you might even achieve a return to ancestral lineage.
The large tusks that grew on the experimental pigs are the best evidence. Their meat is of better quality than that of domestic pigs, and their physical fitness is in no way inferior to that of wild boars, especially their superb ability to jump over obstacles.
Stepping out of the laboratory, a refreshed Hudson immediately instructed his guards, "Pass down the order that we will begin selecting monster cubs on the 3rd of next month."
Family members aged thirteen to thirty and military officers of the rank of centurion or above are eligible to participate.
There are two rules: you must gain the approval of the monster cubs; and you must make sufficient contributions to the territory.
Those who contribute insufficiently will be allowed to make up the shortfall initially, which will be deducted from their future contributions. Specific standards and details will be announced later.
Recently, the female beasts have been busy giving birth and laying eggs, resulting in a rapid increase in the number of monster cubs in their territory.
In addition to fulfilling the promise of sending out the cubs, the number of remaining monster cubs in the territory has also exceeded thirty.
Based on past experience, the younger a monster is when it is raised, the more likely it is to become dependent on its owner, and the closer its cooperation will be in battle.
Just like Hudson's relationship with Beldens, which was closer than his relationship with Maxim. The former had been with him since he was a baby, and his limited life was basically spent by his side.
In addition to the normal contractual relationship, Hudson also took on the role of a stay-at-home dad, constantly caring for the bear cubs.
Maxim is different. Although his lineage is flawed and he is easily fooled, he is still a three-hundred-year-old adult dragon. His contact with Hudson was merely a blink of an eye in his dragon life.
Hudson's choice for the Warcraft army was very simple. For the air force, he would use the Griffon Dragon, a descendant of griffons and Giant Dragon, and for the ground cavalry, he would use the Ground Dragon, a descendant of lizards and Giant Dragon.
There's no other reason than that these two types of monster cubs are the most numerous, making them suitable for forming organized legions.
In fact, Hudson preferred to use the offspring of Wyvern and Giant Dragon as air force units, and the offspring of Armored Dragon.
The newborn cubs showed extraordinary qualities from the start, and according to the people in the Mage Association, these little guys have the potential to be raised into high-level magical beasts.
Unfortunately, there are very few females of these two types of magical beasts. Wyvern, but only one Armored Dragon. Not only are the females scarce, but their production is also unreliable.
Even before the cubs were born, the powerful forces that provided these magical beasts sent people to Hudson to discuss compensation.
The insufficient number of mother animals means it's impossible to reach the required percentage for profit sharing. According to the previous agreement, either one cub will be kept, or financial compensation will be provided.
These cubs have the potential to grow into high-level magical beasts (levels 7, 8, and 9), and they also have certain strategic significance for major powers. No one will give them up easily, so the only option is to pay them.
Similar incidents have occurred more than once. Whenever a female beast reaches the mid-level (levels four, five, or six), the offspring it gives birth to are all taken away by others.
As for high-level female beasts, Hudson hadn't seen any at all. He figured everyone knew these intelligent magical beasts weren't easily fooled, and getting them to be breeding stock was out of the question.
Furthermore, the higher the level of a monster, the stronger its bloodline, and the less easily it is assimilated by Giant Dragon genes. Hybrids born from crossbreeding often exhibit polarized traits.
Due to the bloodline conflict, the cubs either successfully mutate and further enhance their talents, or fail to mutate and become useless.
Mutation is ultimately a low-probability event; the latter is significantly more likely. Perhaps driven by the instinct to reproduce and perpetuate their species, high-level magical beasts generally reject interspecies relationships.
Of course, scumbag dragons are an exception. Giant Dragon in heat only care about their own comfort, and the issue of offspring is not even a consideration.
Hudson was easygoing. It didn't matter that everyone kept the cubs of low-level magical beasts, since they were all for his subordinates to use, not his own mounts. There was no need to set such high standards; as long as there were enough of them, that was enough.
These monster cubs possess Giant Dragon blood, and if nurtured properly, they also have the potential to advance through the ranks.
According to the Arcanist, if Sub-Dragon Beast wants to break through the limitations of its racial talent and advance to a higher level, it needs to purify its Giant Dragon bloodline.
Of course, this is limited to theoretical research.
In real life, some wild-caught Sub-Dragon Beast are indeed lucky enough to break through the limitations of their racial talents; but it's already quite good if artificially bred Sub-Dragon Beast don't lose their rank.
Perhaps once a bloodline purification potion is successfully developed, this situation will change. However, these are all things of the future; at present, Hudson has not heard of anyone having created such a potion.
In the Royal Capital, after a period of adjustment, Crown Prince Caesar gradually became familiar with court affairs and finally developed some of the qualities of a monarch.
However, with the King's prolonged absence, undercurrents began to stir. Not only were the domestic nobles restless, but even powerful foreign forces were also eager to make their move.
In a short period of time, the major forces of the Northern Continent temporarily banded together because of the monster legion plan, and were not afraid of the slight storms from the outside world.
However, such alliances are ultimately time-limited. The Giant Dragon's mating season cannot last forever, and once the mating is complete, the shared interests cease to exist.
The original plan to work together to develop growth-promoting agents has now become a joke.
Driven by self-interest, the various factions involved in the research and development all had their own agendas, and even the daily exchange of results was largely unreserved.
As a result, the joint research and development progressed at a snail's pace, while the individual research and development work by each team progressed quite well. All teams have made improvements to the original formulas; however, the specific effects will only be known after use.
"They're all a bunch of bastards!"
Crown Prince Caesar cursed angrily.
International disputes are one thing, but everyone is still in the probing stage, and the storm won't affect the Alpha Kingdom for the time being.
The situation is different domestically. News coming from all over the country all point to the restlessness of the local nobles.
From the moment the "repayment tax" was established, the burden on the lesser nobles has been steadily increasing. With each tier adding to the burden, many of the already struggling lesser nobles are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.
This is only the first year, and the set repayment tax amount is not large; it can only be considered a small appetizer to test the waters.
The real crisis will only begin next year when this number expands further.
What appears to be an ever-expanding tax burden is actually a tactic employed by the powerful nobles to constantly test the limits of the lesser nobles, a game of slowly boiling the frog.
Knowing this is one thing, but the kingdom is powerless to stop it. Once the repayment tax is halted, the kingdom's finances simply cannot bear the enormous debt.
The real solution now is to reduce a portion of the debt principal each year and continuously lower interest expenses.
The only problem is that the process is too painful. During the debt repayment period, the domestic elites have no good days.
"A tax crisis has erupted in the Southeast Province, with minor nobles on the verge of bankruptcy besieging the Governor's Mansion and demanding tax reductions from the kingdom. What are your thoughts?"
Crown Prince Caesar, barely suppressing his anger, asked.
What was clearly an action targeting the Dalton Family has turned into a collective tax resistance by minor nobles; there must be something fishy going on behind the scenes.
"Your Highness, the kingdom should not intervene directly in this matter. Send a letter directly to Governor Pierce and let him find a solution himself."
As long as we remain silent, we can stay out of it no matter what happens next and ultimately appear as arbitrators. But if we get involved, things will be very different.
Despite the current turmoil in the Southeast Province, the Kingdom's real crisis has never been Southeast Province. No matter how much trouble the Dalton Family causes, the Count Hudson has the headaches to deal with.
Before the two powers clash and a victor emerges, the threat to us is negligible. Perhaps the current chaos is Count Hudson's counterattack.
A large group of minor nobles ran to the Governor's Mansion to plead poverty and beg for mercy; this wouldn't be so easy to resolve. Governor Pierce might end up spending a fortune this time.
The Prime Minister Grand Duke Newfoundland calmly analyzed the situation.
Whether the minor nobles were resisting taxes or protesting, this hot potato was in the hands of the Dalton Family. If the problem wasn't handled well, it would be a sign of Governor Pierce's incompetence.
In the past, it didn't matter; all we had to do was make an example of someone, and at worst, we'd just get a few scoldings.
But the situation is different now. Our competitors are watching from the sidelines, so these extreme measures are simply not feasible.
If a few nobles were to die right now, Count Pierce might actually be in danger of being impeached and removed from office.
Once this crucial position is lost, the Dalton Family's political advantage will not be as pronounced in subsequent competition.
"Prime Minister, if we let this continue, won't it encourage further..."
Before he could finish speaking, the palace bells rang. A sense of foreboding arose in Crown Prince Caesar's heart.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! His Majesty... His Majesty..."
From the sobs of the newcomers, everyone guessed the outcome— Caesar III was doomed, or had already died.
Counting the days, although it was a few days earlier than Archbishop Tyron's estimate, things in life and death are never under our control.
Without even saying goodbye to the others, Crown Prince Caesar ran out of the main hall and headed straight for the inner palace, presumably to see his father off on his final journey.
The courtiers followed suit. The current troubles are merely the prelude to the storm; the real tempest will come when Caesar III dies.
They ran all the way to the King's residence, and hearing the palace servants crying, everyone's tears fell in torrents.
There's no doubt about it; it must be the death of Caesar III. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a grand spectacle.
Crown Prince Caesar, who was running ahead, pushed open the door and saw the corpse on the sickbed. He burst into a heart-wrenching cry that no one could console him about.
He was truly heartbroken. His closest loved one had left him, and from now on, there would be no one to shelter him from the storm.
Recalling the happy times they spent together in their childhood, Crown Prince Caesar cried even more bitterly.
"Alright, Little Caesar. Now is not the time for grief. Now that His Majesty has passed away, you must take up his burdens and shoulder the royal mission!"
Archbishop Tyron said with a sorrowful expression.
The most outstanding monarch of the Alpha Kingdom passed away just like that, without even having time to leave a last word before he died in a coma.
"Your Highness, prepare for the funeral! Now that His Majesty has passed away, we must ensure he departs with dignity."
As he spoke, tears streamed down the Duke Newfoundland's face, revealing none of his usual composure.
The courtiers behind him also spoke up in twos and threes, constantly trying to persuade the Crown Prince Caesar, who was crying uncontrollably.
Perhaps he had cried enough, or perhaps the advice of the crowd had worked, but Crown Prince Caesar, who was weeping uncontrollably, slowly nodded. However, he couldn't utter a single word.