On the stone slab, the iron hooves of the war horse made a crisp sound with it. The strong horse legs accurately stepped on every clean open space, carrying Ryan with its back facing the direction of the wind. Behind him, the Ash filled the sky was flying for a long time, unwilling to fall.
This is not Ash made from burned straw, but the fly ash after burned corpses on the battlefield. This world has no environmental awareness, and it seems to be a tradition to allow these Ash to fly in the sky.
The war is over, but it doesn't seem to be completely over. A large number of Werewolves died and a large number of Werewolves fled. Northwind Province's army had not had time to erect the wall and clear the country, nor did it have the ability.
Piling up these messy corpses on the battlefield and lighting them with flames had consumed the last strength of the soldiers.
Ash filled the air, Ryan was walking on the earth, and the figures coming and going around had restored their original identities, farmers, slaves, and craftsmen, except that they did not look like soldiers. They were originally warriors who chased ducks and became warriors.
Everyone looked at him in awe, but now Lord Ryan was no longer complacent about it. He was much more mature. He walked past the humans who were cleaning up the wreckage of the battlefield with an expressionless face and came to the count's castle.
"It's a pity that Legendary was not born in this war."
In this war, it is possible for Legendary to be born, but the right time, right place, and right people are missing the last item. There is no one in the war who is leading to Legendary's Saint Realm peak transcendence.
Legendary Boon naturally does not appear because of anyone, which makes the war less colorful, but there is no doubt that this war is still a piece of history for Northwind Province Legendary.
"Baron Ryan is here."
I don't know who said something, and the surrounding area became quiet. Ryan dismounted quietly, walked calmly through the crowd of nobles, and came to the depths of the castle.
There was no laughter outside, no joy over the victory in the war, and the nobles all seemed silent and heavy.
It was not until the end of the war that the nobles had the time and energy to count the losses in the war.
And this answer is destined to be difficult for them to accept.
"Congratulations to everyone, you have entered a new chapter in history. The future of this land will be written by us."
Ryan was the first to break the silence, causing Count Winter to respond with some sarcasm.
"Is this Baron Ryan your new history?"
"This land belongs to everyone, not me. One person's power is limited. If you want to reach a higher mountain, you can only work together."
The war did end with the death of Silvermoon Royal Court Monarch, but the politics of human aristocracy only began with the end of the war.
Preliminary estimates show that Northwind Province lost nearly 20% of the population in this Orcs war.
The two percent of the population refers not only to those who have died, but also to those who are still alive, but have lost their ownership of certain lands and certain interests due to serious injuries, disabilities, and the fall of nobles.
These lands are vacant and no one can occupy them. They belong to a certain family. Even if that noble family dies cleanly, it still needs the crowning of the emperor for a new noble to inherit, or there may be remote relatives who obtain inheritance rights because of their blood.
But before the arrival of the new nobles, or even after their arrival, the resources on those lands were now something that these nobles could covet.
It's very simple. That land has lost its owner, and it has also lost most of the population living there, including Ryan. In the following time, they will frantically plunder the population to replenish the lost population in their territory.
And now Northwind Province every noble has suffered heavy losses. Population is the first element of development. Whether they are conservative or radical nobles, they have to rely on population to restore the prosperity of their territories.
The aristocratic collar without the nobles is just a mouthful of fat. The greed of the nobles will not ignore the immediate interests and take a bite.
War makes people sad, so they must turn into hungry wolves even more quickly.
However, this kind of thing also worries the nobles. They need face, face and dignity.
Therefore, unbridled plunder will turn into a friendly negotiation. What is the negotiation?
Negotiate how to restore the ecology of the Northwind Province territory, what are the necessities for human survival, and what kind of "help" can the nobles provide to those who have lost everything.
The first thing the nobles thought of was a shelter from the wind and rain. They could provide houses, food, and even land for farming for the poor people.
Secondly, the nobles also thought that if the land was not taken care of, weeds would grow and become wasteland.
Adhering to the principle of nobles helping each other, how could they see other nobles being deserted because they lost the care of the population, and even the castles were growing weeds? Naturally, they would send people to manage the new nobles before they arrived.
Northwind Province nobles all have Iron Ore fields. Perhaps this is the most critical point.
However, the purpose of the negotiation was for a charter, a charter that only the surviving nobles could participate in.
This seems difficult to handle. The nobles will not give up any of the interests in their hands. They cannot suffer losses. The small nobles are preoccupied with everything. The big nobles in front of them will also not give up the benefits of even a tree.
War can be decided quickly and decisively, but this kind of political carving up of interests is extremely anxious and slow. It has been several days since the Ash burned by the corpses outside has filled the entire sky, but the nobles here have not even decided on a word.
"According to what Your Excellency Rosalind said, the emperor may not crown new nobles to Northwind Province in the future."
Ryan's words made everyone look at him.
Count Winter's eyes are terribly bright.
"Really?"
He reacted quickly and knew what it meant.
"At least not in the short term. Our Your Majesty and Mayers Family have reached some kind of deal. The management of Northwind Province for the next thirty years will fall on Grand Duke Mayers."
"Those lands that have lost their nobles, if nothing else happens, will be inherited by people related to the Mayers Family."
Count Winter looked at Ryan, narrowed his eyes slightly, and then said:
"But we all know that not many nobles of Northwind Province are married to nobles of South, especially those land nobles close to Northlands. They only took refuge in the Empire thirty years ago."
"There are few people around the Mayers Family who are qualified to inherit the land with noble honor and glory, and the Grand Duke cannot force Mayers Family's bloodline to inherit those names."
"It's like this. Currently, most of the nobles of Northwind Province still have many blood relationships in this land."
Ryan nodded and said, in fact, he was at a disadvantage in this matter. Everyone knew that Baron Ryan had only been in Northlands for a few years, and the complicated marriages between nobles had nothing to do with him.
But he would not lose his share because of this.
"We can decide who owns most of the land, and leave the rest to Meyers."
"Also, it's obvious that I can't find any 'relatives' of the dead nobles around me. I just need some manor-sized places, about a dozen places, to grow food."
Ryan waved his hand and said.
"Then it's Northern Territory Merchant Guild's share. You have to compensate me for some share."
Ryan's territory is in Frozen Earth Territory. For him, it is too troublesome to extend his tentacles to these lands. It is better to centralize power from other places.
The brief exchange would not yield any answers. Ryan left the count's castle and once again returned to a world full of Ash.
Another two days have passed, and the Ash in the sky has become much clearer. It is time for Ryan to lead the army back to Zero Crossing Prefecture.
The war is over, but the chaos between humans and Orcs has not ended. Werewolves has allowed millions of Orcs to pass through Fragrant Mountain Plains. In addition to those Werewolves that escaped, the number of Orcs left behind in Northwind Province is still very large.
Moreover, among those nobles, battles between Orcs and humans broke out from time to time. These Orcs arrived a little late, and it was impossible for them to leave without grabbing some things.
The army led by Ryan has most of the young men of Zero Crossing Prefecture. Their disappearance for one day will be frightening for a family, let alone for such a long time.
The battle with Orcs requires them, and the family's income also depends on them. If they don't go back, Zero Crossing Prefecture will be in chaos.
When the army passed by, Orcs naturally did not dare to make any mistakes. Ryan finally returned to Zero Crossing Prefecture after helping some nobles to briefly solve Orcs's troubles.
"Can we eliminate Orcs from here?"
Baron Enzo asked, frowning as he looked at the uninhabited land, thinking that the power of this army might be able to make Zero Crossing Prefecture's Orcs disappear.
"It can't be purged."
"You drove away the Orcs of Zero Crossing Prefecture. Guess where they will appear? By then, the other counties will not be able to bear the pressure, and the war will break out again. Then it will no longer be a problem that can be solved by purging."
"It's actually pretty good now. When Orcs wasn't organized, it was still in disarray."
"As long as a balance can be achieved, these Orcs can allow us to spend the next few years comfortably."
"How many years?"
Baron Enzo was surprised and confused, Ryan nodded helplessly.
"Our neighbor, Andara Kingdom, sent three letters asking for help to the Empire one after another. One of them was sent to me, and the other two were sent to Imperial Capital. Our Your Majesty must be having a headache. What kind of troops should be sent to support Andara Kingdom."
"I guess he wanted to send Northwind Province's army, but Orcs didn't leave, so Northwind Province's army couldn't leave, and our losses were heavy."
"These Orcs are the reasons why we face the emperor."
"Where is Winged Gorge?"
"Northwind Province is occupied by Werewolves. It is impossible for the Extraordinary Legion of Winged Gorge to be dispatched. How can it be possible to send Andara to rescue Andara."
"Then..."
"Don't worry, Andara Kingdom is one of the nine Great King countries after all. It's not that fragile. And if we are really in a hurry, Sera Kingdom will also support us."
"After all, Andara Kingdom is Sera Kingdom's line of defense against Orcs."
The direct connection between Orcs and Sera Kingdom is Griffin Mountains, but such geographical terrain is obviously not suitable for the outbreak of war, and Orcs does not understand the difference between human kingdoms. For them, it is enough to be human.
"Orcs has fully invaded, and everyone can only do their own thing. This kind of thing should give the Imperial Capital district a headache. After all, Andara Kingdom has just taken refuge in the Empire. Empire wants to set an example on the land of South. Now is the time to test."
Baron Enzo felt a little weird. Northwind Province and Empire felt the same as in Ryan's words, but he didn't feel too wrong.
Dragoon Family only joined Empire thirty years ago. The involvement with the Empire is not that deep, and there is no such absolute sense of identity.
Enzo·Dragon Baron grew up in such an environment, and his loyalty to the Empire is not too high. Originally, his descendants should have high loyalty, but Now Northwind Province was handed over to the Mayers Family by the emperor. If Mayers Family is served, the next generation of nobles and the next generation may recognize Mayers Family more.
If you don't take it seriously, your loyalty will blossom in all directions and grow randomly.
The nobles here care more about the interests of the land than their loyalty to Empire Emperor.
"How do you think the mines, the Forest, farmland, and rivers on those lands will eventually be divided?"
Baron Enzo is more concerned about this matter. In comparison, his losses are not bad, but losses are losses, and he needs to make up for it from other places.
In the previous arguments with the nobles, he could not reach the limit of only harvesting part of the profits from a mine.
He wants more.
"After Divine Grace Festival, I plan to join Winged Gorge and serve as Baron officer, becoming Rampaging Elephant Legion's deputy Legion Commander."
Baron Enzo said his goal, which is Legendary.
In the face of this goal, he needs to prepare a large amount of resources to provide Legendary with promotion.
Therefore, the interests he strives for at this time are very important to him.
"It's nothing more than dividing the land into pieces, leaving little scraps for the nobles who inherit the land. In the end, everyone can only harvest a few crooked melons and cracked dates."
Ryan laughed, making Baron Enzo next to him a little embarrassed.
Baron Ryan despises that thing because what is given to him can never be shared with others.
Having said that, Ryan is actually not willing to accept such a carve-up.
"Northwind Province In South's impression, poverty and coldness are a stereotype, but what I can't understand the most is that everyone has a mine, how can they be associated with poverty."
"The only problem is the direction."
"Maybe we should open source it instead of fighting for it on the basis of what we have."
Baron Enzo was thoughtful. Although he received education from nobles and many versions of knowledge from leading commoners, he still found it difficult to understand what Ryan said.
"Among the many provinces of the Empire, Northwind Province's territory can be said to be in the top five. There are too many places on this land that can be cultivated."
"It's just that these places are scattered all over the place and are in the hands of the nobles."
"Do you know of any way to connect these lands?"
"Road?"
"The road is for people to walk."
Ryan said with a smile, giving Baron Enzo a hint. After all, the noble Zero Crossing Prefecture has a better relationship with him Ryan.
"It's the Chamber of Commerce."
"Only the Chamber of Commerce can connect resources into money."
The war is over, where will Northwind Province go?
From the emperor's point of view, it was not important as long as it did not affect his prestige and reputation.
From Meyers's point of view, thirty years later this land Northwind Province will become an important part of one of their plans, and there will be no thirty-first year at all.
From the perspective of the nobles of Northwind Province... they cannot see that even great nobles like Count Winter would find it difficult to take the initiative to dominate the future because they are deeply involved in it.
They live in the past and go to great lengths to maintain hereditary authority.
Ryan doesn't live in the future either. He can't see what the future of an extraordinary world will look like. The only thing he can do is to use different cognitions and insights to base himself on the present and pursue what he needs now.
It is not a good thing for the future to appear in a period of time and space that does not belong to it.
Ryan can't do it either, he's not even Legendary.
However, Ryan feels that he is qualified to lead many things that will happen next in this land.
What Count Winter said was not actually a mockery, but that after the war, the great nobles of Northwind Province were extremely weak in many aspects.
Count Weiss is gone, and the Marquis of Northwind that replaced it is nothing. Count Winter and Count Soron's Extraordinary Legion suffered heavy losses, and the territory suffered epic destruction.
Northwind Province is still strong enough, which is the increasingly mysterious Frozen Earth Territory. Everyone is getting weaker, but Baron Ryan is not getting weaker by much. This is a kind of enhancement.
As he becomes weaker, he also becomes stronger.
Count Winter's words represent hostility towards Ryan. This hostility does not come from subjective will, but because of the instinctive vigilance after authority is threatened.
However, the change of power has not yet begun, and the spread of divine power has indeed intensified.
As the army entered Zero Crossing Prefecture, the number of soldiers around Ryan became smaller and smaller. As they left, the joy of the war did not appear. After all, they had no benefits from winning the war, and after they returned, they still faced the threat of Orcs. The war was over for the nobles, but it still continued for the noble territories.
In a sense, these people are still under the haze of war.
And in such gloom, what is needed is hope.
Miracle, which was previously God of Light, became one of the few things they could hope for.
The nobles are too close, and ordinary people dare not ask for them. Deities is so lofty, but it can make them believe from the bottom of their hearts that one day...
If Deities's faith also has a progress bar, I'm afraid Northwind Province's light faith has become Empire's top list.
The closer to Zero Crossing City, the more nervous the remaining army soldiers around Ryan became.
Because reaching here is the end of the journey, and there is no place for them here.