No nobleman could question Ryan's power. Ryan had made the greatest contribution to the victory in the war. If before, someone could still bring up his Noble Title and the emperor's orders.
But with Ryan's sword killing the Werewolf Monarch, everything was beyond doubt.
The Werewolves king's head is Ryan's bargaining chip; in theory, this head should be enough for Ryan to be Noble Title.
Ryan also wrote to the Imperial Capital and presented the emperor with the corpse of Hati, the Silvermoon Werewolf King, as a collectible gift.
However, the Imperial Capital has not responded to him yet.
This made Ryan realize one thing: the current system of noble Noble Title was so powerful that even the Imperial Capital could not easily challenge it.
There is only one reason for this, and that is what Viscount Hogg said.
There are too many nobles, but too little land.
The Norris Continent is vast, but two-thirds of this enormous world is known as the Northlands, and the once fertile and prosperous lands have been buried by snow and ice.
However, many nobles survived the disaster and, in a third of the South lands, they cried out for the glory of their bloodline, wanting to regain land and revive their family's honor.
The still powerful nobles also wanted to expand their lands and make their descendants lords, thereby increasing their family's influence and power.
Nobles who have lost their land want more land, and nobles who already own land want even more land, but the land will not expand in the face of the Northlands.
One troublesome aspect of being promoted in Noble Title is that it's not something that can be changed simply by changing your Noble Title.
In this process, there must be something to match it, such as the emperor having to grant Ryan more land and wealth, as well as more people.
Land is the most important thing, but what can be done? The emperor can't give Ryan more, nor can he tell him to go and take it himself. If he wants to grant Ryan Viscount's Territory, he must send the army of Winged Gorge north, plant the imperial flag in a more distant place, and then give the land there to Ryan.
But now the emperor doesn't even want the Northwind Province anymore; the empire is severing ties with the Northwind Province within thirty years.
Therefore, we can only pretend we didn't see Ryan's letter.
Ryan had nothing to be disappointed about. The emperor had crowned him Baron and given him the Frozen Earth Territory, but what about now? Was the Frozen Earth Territory so small? Ryan felt that his territory was no less than that of the two earls.
Of course, another reason for this indifference is that it is an old tradition of the empire.
Grand Duke Mayers conquered the Northwind Province, only to receive a basketful of useless Pioneer Order. Count Clayton traversed three thousand miles of the Northlands to plunder the Mammoth-folk Tribe, and the only benefit he gained was making one of his sons Baron.
Great achievement, no reward, that's the old tradition.
This is why it is said that the empire is a shared empire of the Imperial House and the great nobles. The emperor can no longer bestow more upon the great nobles, and what the great nobles want, they can only obtain through their own efforts.
Ryan is the same; he can't rely on others to give him what he wants, he has to get it himself.
For example, the power that Viscount Hogg wants right now is in Ryan's hands.
"You want me to help you acquire a piece of land and half a mine?"
Ryan frowned, Viscount Hogg said somewhat anxiously:
"My merits are sufficient. My army fought alongside you on the battlefield and fought the most difficult battles. The nobles cannot question my achievements."
Indeed, in terms of merit, Ryan is first, the Marquis of Northwind is second, the two earls are third, and Viscount Hogg is fourth.
Why is Ryan ranked first? Because he killed the Werewolf Monarch. Why is Marquis of Northwind second? Because the infant in his arms had a terrifying background. The two earls ranked third because of the fighting power of the Extraordinary Legion. Viscount Hogg fourth because of the fighting power of his thousand cavalrymen, which was very strong. They also participated in the most crucial war, in which only these few nobles participated.
Further down the hierarchy, the nobles would start arguing about who was fifth or sixth.
"If you had contacted me sooner, I would have told you along with me, but now it's a real problem."
Ryan waved his hand and said:
"I can't very well bypass His Prince Volvo and just tell those nobles which piece of land you want, can I?"
"No, no, no, that won't do. We need His Prince Volvo's approval first. I have a plan."
Viscount Hogg explained why he had come to see Ryan in the middle of the night, which made Ryan raise an eyebrow.
Good heavens, one of the Eight Knights is actually from the Viscount Hogg family.
Zero Crossing City is bustling. Ever since the Northwind Avenue was built, it has always been lively, but in the past few days, the city's prosperity has reached its peak.
" The Eight Knights are back!!!"
People shouted at the door, workers stopped what they were doing, and the unemployed crowding around blocked the road.
"Have you heard? Many nobles have come to our Zero Crossing City, just to find out which of the Eight Knights will win."
"How is this possible? Even noble lords are paying attention?"
"Why not? I've heard that some of the Eight Knights are even noble lords, and they came here for these individuals."
"How could this be? I heard that a great figure from the South came to Zero Crossing City, and that's why the nobles came."
"How do you know that important figure didn't come for the Eight Knights?"
The crowd argued incessantly, only quieting down after shouts came from the direction of the city gate.
"Sir Valentin is back!!!"
People shouted and stared in that direction. A figure wearing an animal skin cloak walked through the city gate, looking travel-worn. Wherever he went, everyone around him retreated three or five meters, because behind him were bloody heads strung together by vines, with flies buzzing around them. The rotting Orcs heads still showed the stiff fear of their lives.
The Bard following behind the knight also took off his windproof cloak and shouted loudly.
"In the Honeymoon Forest, Valentin Valentine single-handedly defeated fifteen Orcs, felled six great trees, and shattered one hundred and twenty bushes. He fought from sunrise to sunset, and the light witnessed his power. The Orcs will fear the bravery of Valentin Valentine."
"At Icefish Lake, Valentin Valentine..."
The Bard shouted loudly, and before any tense or exciting battle could be heard, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Upon seeing this, Valentin smiled beneath his armor, tearing open his cloak to reveal a suit of armor covered in wounds.
" Orcs can never defeat humans!"
Valentin roared out, and tens of thousands of people in Zero Crossing City cheered along with him!
" Valentin! Valentin! Valentin!"
The Bard's voice also came to an end.
" Valentin Valentine has killed a total of one hundred and twenty Orcs. According to the rules of the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild, and under the watchful eye of the esteemed Baron Ryan, Valentin Valentine will be awarded one hundred and twenty Gold Coin!"
Not far away was the high platform where the battle had taken place, and the ten thousand Gold Coin still lay there. Members of the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild picked up one hundred and twenty Gold Coin from them and put them in their money bags. The heavy sound attracted countless eyes. Finally, the coins streaked across the sky and landed in Valentin's arms.
"What about the others? Am I the ultimate victor?"
Valentin was confident because he found out how difficult it was to kill the Orcs once he went out. He used every means possible, even his old horse belonging to Viscount Miles died, to obtain such a large number of heads.
Someone responded that the other knights had not yet returned, but this was immediately interrupted by cheers from afar.
" Hunter is back!"
Along the way, the Bard ' shouts once again stirred up the crowd, and Valentin's heart tightened as he listened to the enemy's combat skills.
The Bard also recounted Hunter Hunter's exploits at the end.
"One hundred and forty-five Orcs were killed, but Hunter said that a strong knight would not keep the heads of weak Orcs, as they were not worthy of being his collection. So, after deducting the number of twenty-three Ratfolk, Gnolls, and Catfolk orcs, Hunter killed one hundred and twenty-two Orcs."
Valentin's eyes widened in fury upon hearing this answer; he wished he could rush out of Zero Crossing City right now and kill a few more Orcs.
He lost, he actually lost.
Valentin's body trembled as much as when he lost to Hunter this time, even though he had beaten Hunter six times before.
Outside the city, the third knight also returned. This time, the entire Zero Crossing City cheered, because the Ashen Knight was the knight they knew best.
" The Ashen Knight has killed a total of 156 Orcs!"
The Bard's final hymn of victory brought a roar of cheers to Zero Crossing City.
Riding his warhorse, he galloped to the distance, where the nobles stood in a viewing platform. Lynn knelt on one knee before Baron Hatton, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Father, Lynn has not disgraced the Hatton Family's honor."
Haton chuckled and patted Lynn on the shoulder, then looked at the other nobles without saying a word, but his eyes were filled with profanity.
This is my son.
"Can it really work?"
Ryan's eyes spoke volumes as he looked at Viscount Hogg.
The latter nodded to him. What a joke! He had prepared the best mount, the best weapons, the best armor, the best Magic Potion, and even invited a warlock to scout. The amount of Gold Coin spent was no less than five hundred.
" Uma! Uma! Uma!"
Suddenly, countless cheers erupted in the city, drowning out the voices of the Bard.
Many were surprised, because they could see without the Bard's voice that there were more Orcs heads behind the Uma Knight than before.
"Is that Uma? I remember him. He killed a Werewolf Clan leader during the previous war."
" The Bronze Knight killed Werewolves comparable to the Golden Knight; he was indeed capable of killing so many Werewolves."
A nobleman spoke up in surprise, while Ryan smiled, not expecting that Viscount Hogg had a shill.
Viscount Hogg spoke.
" Uma is my nephew. He inherited the excellent bloodline of the Hogg Family, and I believe he has the ability to become a nobleman who protects his people against the Orcs."
"Leaving Anto Town to him is the best choice; it's too close to those Black Goat Orcs."
Ryan also said at this moment:
"Does Viscount Hogg really have such plans? Killing three hundred and fifteen Orcs, including more than sixty Werewolves, this Uma certainly has the qualifications to guard a town."
"But becoming a nobleman isn't that easy. Anto Town... I remember that was Baron Ellis's land, right? I saved him twice before, and Anto Town was destroyed twice. Now it's probably not as good as Lordship territory."
Viscount Hogg looked at Ryan and said with some anger:
" Baron Ryan, you should not question the origins of nobles. Uma's mother is the sister of Baron Ellis's aunt, and he has the blood of the Ellis Family in him."
The name " Baron Ellis's aunt's sister" sounds strange, but her full name is actually the sister of Baron Ellis's aunt's husband— Baron Ellis's uncle.
Viscount Hogg omitted a title.
Ryan feigned surprise, then nodded and stopped questioning.
"I see. I apologize to that member of the Ellis Family."
Ryan stopped there and fell silent, while Viscount Hogg snorted and turned away.
This was all a show. The nobles looked at Ryan and Viscount Hogg, pondering the location of Anto Town, a place where only two nobles had been vying for the mining rights recently.
One is Viscount Hogg, and the other is Baronet Norton.
Well, it has nothing to do with them anymore. And Ryan was right, Anto Town was really devastated. The mines there have completely collapsed. He saved Baron Ellis twice, but he couldn't save him a third time.
In Zero Crossing City, the people were still eagerly awaiting the return of the other four knights, but instead, four Bard emerged from the crowd.
Valentin Valentine wasn't the first to return; the other four were.
" Knight Meli unfortunately died on the battlefield of the Werewolves. He fought hard and killed three Werewolves, but was overwhelmed by more Werewolves."
"Along the way, Knight Meli saved thirty-five humans. He is a true hero of the Northlands, upholding the dignity and honor of a knight."
" The Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild does not encourage death, but to Knight Meli, he is the hero of those thirty-five humans."
"He will be remembered, his name will be engraved in the Sunset Hall of the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild! The Radiance of his past will always shine upon him, and his death will be glorious."
"..."
The remaining three Bard also recounted the fall of the three knights, making the atmosphere in Zero Crossing City somewhat chilly, but it quickly turned into even more fervent cheers.
They felt the tragedy described by the Bard, but they did not cheer for the dead heroes; they only supported the living Legendary.
" Uma! Uma! Uma!"
The tall Northern Warhorse, its reins handed to the Uma Knight, began to be passed around in the crowd as rumors spread that the Uma Knight would become a noble. Thus, the leader of the Eight Knights became the subject of discussion among the nobles, making Zero Crossing City even more excited.
"Eight knights, and more than three hundred Orcs died at their hands."
Ryan stood beside Volvo and said this. The data he mentioned was not the number that the citizens of Zero Crossing City saw. Whether it was Valentin, Lynn, Hunter, Uma, or the four knights who died, their actual battle records were not that frightening.
Most of this data is attributed to someone else's help. Of course, this is a secret only acknowledged by the first Ryan. Otherwise, Lynn Baron heir like Ryan would have had a hard time surviving this Hero event.
However, the fact that eight knights actually killed more than three hundred Orcs still surprised Volvo.
"I cannot accept Your Highness's previous invitation, but I would like to invite Your Highness to make a continuous fortune together. I wonder if Your Highness would be interested?"
Ryan said this, his voice audible only to the two of them.
"Oh?"
Volvo looked at the Gold Coin scattered all over the arena and asked with some interest.
Ryan looked down at the revered knights and adventurers below.
"They kill Orcs for Gold Coin, warhorses, armor, and weapons, but paying them enough is a huge burden for me personally."
"If Your Highness is willing to share a portion, I think... the adventurers' profits in the Northlands will also be happy to share a portion with Your Highness."
"By killing the Orcs, Your Highness is also among them, helping the Empire fight against the evil Orcs in the Northlands."
Volvo thought for a moment. Although he didn't quite understand the benefits of making money that Ryan was talking about, he still asked:
"How much does Baron Ryan want me to take responsibility for?"
Ryan held up one finger.
"Ten thousand?"
One million.
Volvo brought one million Gold Coin, which the emperor had allocated to him, to purchase Iron Ore at a low price in the Northwind Province.
Volvo nearly dropped his hot tea, turning to stare intently at Ryan as if to say, "Why don't you just steal it?"
"Not much, in fact, if it weren't for your status, it wouldn't be enough."
Ryan's statement shocked Volvo.
"Can you bring me a fortune of over one million Gold Coin?"
"It's far more than that, Your Highness."
"100,000 is my bottom line."
Volvo took a deep breath. He chose to trust Ryan, but 100,000 was the bottom line. If Ryan hadn't become increasingly important to him, he would have considered it for three months even at 10,000.
"One hundred thousand? If you won't regret it, then it's a deal."
What Ryan wanted wasn't the Gold Coin, but the status of the Volvo Elector and his influence within the Empire.
If the West Coast Fleet is rebuilt, Volvo will have even more power on the West Coast, and then... who says the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild won't be the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild on the West Coast?
The arrival of these nobles now signifies the expansion of the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild.