No Way Back

"These cubs are of poor quality and have limited growth potential. You'd better wait!"

Upon hearing Hudson's words, Redman, who was practically drooling, immediately realized his lapse in composure.

For Redman, owning a Magical Beast Mount was Redman lifelong pursuit.

But life is unpredictable. The Magical Beast Mount he once envied are now within his reach, and he even has the right to be picky.

Leaving aside high-level magical beasts, those are extremely rare and hard to come by. Even if one were delivered to his doorstep, Redman didn't think he could handle it.

However, as the father of an earl, it's still something to look forward to having a decent mid-tier magical beast as a mount.

Of course, this pickiness only applies to the Mountain Territory. Outside the region, even a single animal is hard to find.

With Redman's strength, he could risk challenging low-level magical beasts, but trying to tame a wild mid-level magical beast was pure fantasy.

Every year, countless Golden Warriors and silver warriors die in the Monster Mountain Range. Even Earth Knight and Sky Knight can only be fed to monsters if they are unlucky. How much more so for Great Knight like him who was built up by resources.

"Good!"

In other times, you could brag about having a low-level magical beast as a mount for years, but things are different now.

Judging from the amount of investment that major powers are making in breeding bases, it's only a matter of time before monsters become standard equipment for knights.

At that time, low-level magical beasts will not be enough; to be presentable, you will need at least mid-level magical beasts.

Although Redman had always been among the lesser nobility, it did not prevent him from setting his own standards against the greater nobility.

After hesitating for a moment, Redman asked with concern, "Hudson, if we just distribute the cubs like this, can they afford to raise them?"

Raising magical beasts is an expensive business. Feeding them meat every meal is a minor issue; the real problem is the cost of growth-enhancing potions!

The cheapest monster-growing potion on the market costs dozens of gold coins, which isn't even enough for a month's supply. At this rate, all expenses combined would likely amount to thousands of gold coins a year.

As for the cost of the medicine, it's less than one-tenth. Usually, the medicine is diluted after being refined and then sold.

While it may seem like they're giving everyone a chance, it's actually a way to weaken the wealth of minor nobles. If someone recklessly jumps in, their fortunes will definitely suffer.

Clearly, this is another tacit understanding among the higher nobility. Once a lesser noble embarks on this path, all their future wealth is invested in them.

Especially for small noble families like the Coslo Family, which have a large and prosperous population, the education of their children alone has exhausted the entire financial resources of their territory, leaving no room for further military development.

With a slight manipulation of public opinion, this model can become mainstream, and the future aristocracy will turn into a group of reckless brutes who only know how to charge into battle.

Leading troops into battle is out of the question. Whether a minor lord even has a private army is unknown, let alone developing his command skills.

Future wars will increasingly have little to do with ordinary people, ultimately becoming battles between knightly legions. The status of high-ranking nobles will remain unchanged, but lower-ranking nobles will be transformed from officers into soldiers.

Even more tragically, many people can't even become soldiers. As the nature of warfare changes drastically, monopolies will intensify, making it impossible to buy medicine even with money.

Raised barriers will become the strongest moat for everyone, keeping all competitors out and allowing them to continue their power and wealth.

Even if we see all of this clearly, we can't change anything. The emergence of this new system of rule is not driven by any one person or organization, but rather stems from the self-preservation instinct of the ruling group.

"Of course we can't afford to keep them! With everyone's current salaries, there are only a handful of people in the territory who can afford to keep magical beasts."

Even without using potions, the cost of feeding the young monsters alone is not something many people can afford.

However, once they join the army and are permanently conscripted, the territory will cover the cost of raising their magical beasts.

Hudson went to great lengths to retain talent. The allure of Magical Beast Mount was just one aspect; many more complementary measures followed.

The age limit is specifically set because, in addition to considering development potential, the most important reason is that young people are easier to fool.

Once you succumb to temptation and take in Lord Hudson's monster cub, unless you have an extraordinary stroke of luck that allows you to grow to the point of breaking the rules, you'll be stuck following Lord Hudson for the rest of your life.

In fact, of those who have exchanged for monster cubs, only two have enough contribution points; the rest are in debt.

While it may appear that the ownership of the monster cubs has been transferred by distributing them to subordinates, they are essentially still armed forces within the territory.

Because the Warcraft cubs are personal, everyone will take extra care of them. After all, they'll be going into battle together. Not maximizing your Magical Beast Mount's affinity is irresponsible.

"Well, it's good that you have your own plans. I have no experience in these matters that I can offer you. Perhaps some large families have records of such things; you can look them up in books when you have free time."

Redman said dejectedly.

He was middle-aged, far from the age of retirement. But due to his limited abilities and vision, he had to retire early.

He was forced into this situation by reality. Given his status, as long as he went out to work, his position was destined to be high. If he continued to be active in the outside world, he would easily be taken advantage of.

Just as he was about to offer some words of comfort, a guard rushed in and interrupted the father and son's conversation.

"Count, something terrible has happened!"

The Communication Magic Array in Beda City has just been activated; an urgent message has arrived from the Royal Capital: His Majesty... His Majesty has passed away!

Upon hearing this news, Hudson was completely stunned. Although he knew that Caesar III was in poor health, he had been able to preside over meetings just four months ago, and now he was suddenly gone.

After regaining his senses, Hudson immediately realized the gravity of the situation. He didn't believe anyone would dare joke about something that concerned the safety of the kingdom.

It's ridiculous to think about it; the Communication Magic Array set up in each province never activated. The first time Hudson saw them used was to notify the King.

However, it must be admitted that this is the most efficient means of communication. From now on, it is estimated that almost all the major powers on the entire Aslant Continent have received this message.

Unlike the previous death of Chris IX, the Moxi Duchy is now at a critical juncture of life and death, and there is no time to worry about etiquette.

Now is a time of peace, and the deceased Caesar III was the kingdom's most outstanding monarch, so a grand funeral is a must.

Judging from the commotion, it's clear that not only are these kingdom nobles going to attend the funeral, but it's estimated that various countries on the continent will also send people over, and there might even be representatives from foreign races.

"Issue the order: effective immediately, all banquets are prohibited within the territory, and all weddings of noble sons are to be postponed!"

Hudson said seriously.

Regardless of how the situation develops, the rules must be followed. Legally speaking, Caesar III was his lord. How can a subordinate party celebrate wildly when its leader dies?

Deep down, Hudson had already begun to secretly consider the aftermath of Caesar III's death.

Upon receiving news of Caesar III's death in the North, the five dukes immediately gathered together. Even their underlings came to join in the commotion.

There is no sadness. The boulder that weighed on them has finally been removed. Without the leadership of a great ruler like Caesar III, the pressure they face from all sides will likely ease.

"Don't be too happy yet. Although His Majesty went to see the Lord of Dawn, our reputation in noble circles is still very bad."

If they make a big move, they might temporarily set aside their differences and deal with us first!

Duke Rodriguez's cold water poured down on everyone's enthusiasm.

Unlike other countries, the main conflicts among the nobles of the Alpha Kingdom are not as acute.

Based on past struggles, if one were to divide the country into factions, they would be the Northern Nobles and the Southern Aristocrats.

The definition of "Southern Aristocrats" is somewhat broad, encompassing all nobles other than those from the Northern Nobles.

There's no way around it; their ancestors were just that powerful. In the process of rising to power, they offended almost every force in the kingdom, the only difference being the severity of the offense.

In the past, people needed them to guard the gate. Minor disputes over interests were overlooked. Now that they have lost their right to guard the gate, it's time to pay the price.

In addition to this main conflict, a new aristocratic group has emerged, facing the common hostility of the established nobles. However, this is merely the instinct of vested interest groups to protect their interests, far from reaching a life-or-death situation.

Even the Dalton Family and Coslo Family, who were both located in the Southeast Province, only played their games within the rules and did not openly break off relations.

At the very least, if the Coslo Family were to choose an enemy, their primary target would still be their long-time nemesis Locknerd Family, rather than the Dalton Family, with whom they have a conflict of interest.

If no one stirs up trouble, the "Southern Aristocrats" will fall into infighting over their own interests. But if they become too active, the situation will be quite different.

"Rodriguez, things aren't that serious. Don't forget the situation is different now; we've made contact with His Highness the Crown Prince, or rather, the future Caesar IV."

Without the royal family's leadership, those Southern Aristocrats would be a disorganized mess. Moreover, now that the new monarch has ascended the throne, stability is what he needs most; whoever starts the conflict will become the royal family's enemy.

In the past, they mocked us for our poor table manners. Now it's their turn, and I reckon their table manners aren't much better!

I don't believe all the Southern Aristocrats are gentlemen. They're just letting this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for expansion slip by!

"Duke Xilo said sarcastically."

Currently, the Five Great Families in the North have no room for expansion; their original territories have long been devoured by them. Even if it's not their own territory, it's still the territory of their underlings.

If they want to pursue further conquests, they'll have to extend their reach outwards. They can either target the kingdom's central provinces or set their sights on the seven newly reclaimed provinces.

Without a doubt, neither of these is a good choice.

The nobles in the central region of the kingdom are not to be trifled with either; if they dare to make a move, they will be cut off. Unless a large-scale civil war breaks out, there is no hope.

The kingdom has recently recovered seven provinces, and while the nobles there are indeed easy targets, the forces behind them are not.

Besides them, all the major powers in the kingdom got a share of the profits.

The only good news was that, with the suppression of Caesar III gone, everyone was eager to expand. Apart from the newly emerging nobles who were busy digesting their gains and had no energy to participate, the old nobles were all sharpening their knives.

"The situation is indeed different now, but there is one problem we must consider: once large-scale mergers and acquisitions begin in full swing, it will be difficult to stop them."

There was only one Caesar III. Without a strong monarch to restrain him, the power of the local nobles would only grow stronger.

Their strength continues to grow, while we remain stagnant. In the future, the gap in strength between us will only narrow.

In fact, we started going downhill as soon as the war ended. Things became even more difficult for our families after we lost the kingdom's financial subsidies.

I'm not familiar with your situation, but the Locknerd Family had a serious financial deficit last year, and this situation will continue this year.

In order to cut spending, we had to reduce military expenditures and drastically reduce the size of the Standing Army.

If this continues, our military advantage will disappear within ten years; within twenty years, we will fall to the middle and lower ranks of the great aristocracy.

If the Locknerd Family is in this situation, I reckon your families aren't much better off. More than a change of Royal Authority, we need to address our financial problems.

Duke Thorsten posed a more serious question, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.

Currently, they are relying on their past achievements, and they are still in a league of their own among the kingdom's nobles. However, this advantage is being gradually eroded over time.

Financial deficits are their biggest weakness right now. They can no longer continue down the path of militarism, and honestly farming is not enough to support their families.

How to raise money has become a pressing issue. In the past, they could make up for their financial deficit by smuggling to the Orc Empire and capturing slaves.

Now there's no point in even hoping for it. The Orc Empire has been forced into a desolate and impoverished place, with human kingdoms blocking their way. Even if they wanted to resume their old ways, they wouldn't have the means.

Not only can conventional methods not solve their financial problems, but even if they thoroughly study the criminal law of the Alpha Kingdom, they still cannot find a way to make money.

"Torsten, stop dreaming. The Northern Frontier is not as wealthy as the south. Trying to compete with them in terms of wealth is just asking for humiliation."

Our advantage lies in the fact that we have been under the threat of war for many years, and the people of the North have always been fierce, making our army even more powerful.

But the kingdom has already started building a Warcraft army, and the future mode of warfare is developing in a direction we least want to see.

If we don't do something now while we have the ability, we won't be able to do it in the future, even if we want to!

Families rise and fall, that's not surprising. But our situation is different. Our ancestors left us too many enemies, and once we fall into decline, it will be our end.

Rather than sitting idly by and watching the family be wiped out decades later, it's better to take a gamble, seize the opportunity to overturn the chessboard, and start afresh!

Duke Xilo said viciously.

That predatory gaze seemed to want to devour the entire world. In an instant, the room fell silent, everyone lost in thought.

"Xilo, the initiative is no longer in our hands. Although Caesar III is gone, he left the royal family with plenty of backup plans."

Overturning this chessboard is no easy task; at the very least, I can't find a suitable entry point.

"Duke Rodriguez said with concern."

Clearly, he is also very dissatisfied with the current situation. He wants to find an opportunity to break the existing political order and seek a way out for his own family.

"Rodriguez, you're being too cautious. If there's no opportunity, then create one!"

As they were talking, Duke Xilo gave a signal, and all his underlings who were attending the meeting left, leaving only the five dukes inside to continue their discussion.