The resurgence of the Dragonblood Warrior Legion finally drew the attention of the nobles to the Northlands.
Since there is something as precious as dragon blood there, they don't have high requirements. They just need something that is less valuable than dragon blood. There should be quite a lot of that there, right?
After playing dead all winter, Lord Ryan came out and took out a sapphire that was larger than himself, with a supernatural substance flowing inside like starlight.
It is incredibly precious; it was a gift given to Baron Ryan by Raglov, the leader of the Frost Giant, last year.
" The Northlands certainly possesses immense wealth. The Northern Territory Merchant Guild was founded not only to obtain resources from the Northwind, but also to enter the Northlands, to the land where our ancestors lived more than a hundred years ago, to excavate ancient treasures."
"It's worth more than we imagined; I didn't even know how much this gem was worth."
The powerful alchemist Rose Jackson, Baron Ryan of the Frozen Territory's most powerful follower to date, personally used alchemy to create a massive ritual object. When the sapphire was set within it, the ritual object slowly rotated, and a hazy mist emanated from around the sapphire.
The surrounding vegetation and even the soil were all blessed, nurturing a rich vitality.
This is the power of this gem, a specialty of the Frost Giant Frost Giant, whose life force originates from the cold, Dead Silence, icy lands.
They are the darlings of the snowy world, yet they also represent the existence of brilliant vitality in such Dead Silence world.
This gem is the perfect interpretation of the meaning of the Frost Giant' existence.
It took Rose an entire winter to finally figure it out.
Ryan invited many nobles to observe, and the nobles were amazed by the wealth. It would take at least ten years for the gem to completely evaporate.
That represents at least ten years of warmth on Rhino Horn Mountain.
The nobles began to ponder the value of the Northlands.
The sapphires weren't all used up; Ryan used the scraps to make eight necklaces, each a thumb-sized sapphire radiating a life-giving light.
"They will be presented to this year's Eight Knights, representing the friendship of the Frozen Earth Territory."
Ryan described it this way to the nobles, and some of the politically astute nobles finally understood.
"Is Baron Ryan using this method to counter the Mayers Family's strategy of arranged marriages?"
The nobles were surprised. They had to admit that Baron Ryan's method was good. Now, many nobles, especially those who had been close to Baron Ryan for various reasons in the past few years, were hesitant.
Nobles are driven by self-interest; they will naturally gravitate towards whichever side offers them the greatest benefit. This is true of most fence-sitters.
But it still doesn't feel right.
The reason why political means such as marriage alliances are considered the optimal solution is because the maintenance of blood ties is too strong and stable.
Because of their bloodline, the nobles who were on the fence didn't even have the right to be on the fence, so they naturally stood firmly on one side.
"What's the point of being a fence-sitter? Even Meyers doesn't want a fence-sitter like that, so what use would I be?"
Ryan said with a smile that he used dragon blood, Frost Giant gems, the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild and the Eight Knights to win over the nobles to him, but this liveliness was only an economic means to promote the prosperity of Zero Crossing City and the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild.
True political tactics, of course, involve binding people to their very core.
Take, for example, Sirin Dragon, who returned from the Northlands.
He only has one left arm left.
"I heard you were in a terrible state, found and rescued by adventurers in the Northlands. You're incredibly lucky; you slept in the snow and ice for a whole day and night and didn't freeze to death."
As Sirin lay in bed, Ryan was relieved that the man had returned alive. His relationship with Viscount Dragoon was already strained, and if Sirin had died in the Northlands, Ryan might have started a war with Dragon.
"I encountered a Blue-skinned Monster. He was very powerful. After I escaped, I was spotted by the scent of Magical Beast from the Northlands. The group of adventurers arrived just in time."
Xilin said this, telling Ryan that the blue monster was very tall, about two heads taller than the human knight. They also had limbs, were like beasts, but were more intelligent and stronger than beasts. Most importantly, they were adapted to the extreme environment of the Northlands.
"It's good that you survived. A severed arm is troublesome, but it's not impossible for it to grow back."
The extraordinary world is just like that, unreasonable, especially now that the empire is experiencing the rise of Life Magic. Before that, the Divine Art mastered by the priests of the Church of Dawn was nothing short of Miracle.
"But I don't want to waste the potential of my Seed of Life."
Xilin said that no matter what method is used to grow a lost arm, firstly, the new arm is fragile and requires a long period of training to recover gradually; secondly, limb regeneration requires the consumption of life force.
Having lost an arm, the knight's Seed of Life was already damaged. If he were to continue severing and regenerating limbs, the Seed of Life would be born when he became Formal Knight would be damaged again, which would essentially eliminate the possibility of becoming High-tier Knight, since the foundation was already severely damaged.
Xilin is not Sky Knight; his Seed of Life has not undergone a second sublimation, so his life force is simply insufficient to support this consumption.
Even dragon's blood can't fix it; this is a fundamental problem.
Ordinary people might not care, but for Sirin, a knight who dared to give up his viscount Noble Title, it was completely unacceptable.
After all, even the slightest difference could prevent him from receiving the Legendary Boon in the future.
"Then... you only have one option left."
"Go find Mr. Roth. He has the same arm and has been making rapid progress in the Knight's Path recently."
There is one one-armed being in the Frozen Earth Territory, Alchemist Rose's right arm is an alchemical arm. This has not affected the fact that this terrifyingly talented monster is now forging ahead on the third extraordinary path.
"Thank you, Lord Ryan."
Xilin said sincerely, in Ryan's view, this is what true commitment is, and it doesn't belong to those fickle nobles.
Opponents, fence-sitters, and his base—what Ryan needs to do is expand his base and win over those fence-sitters. Once he controls two-thirds of the province, he will have all the power over Northwind Province.
No one can greedily possess everything. Even the wisest and most powerful ruler will have his own opponents. He can suppress the minority's will with the will of the majority and then rule the entire land.
Moreover, the existence of an opponent is not without significance.
"His Majesty the His Majesty Emperor Flor has granted the Northwind Province a repair fund of up to 100,000 Gold Coin. We have repelled the evil Orcs and even killed their Monarch, but that does not mean the Orcs threat has disappeared."
"We still need strong, fortified fortresses."
" The Fragrant Mountain Plains needs support, and the homes of the nobles need to be rebuilt."
Ryan's words were not empty talk. With the arrival of the new year, the nobles felt that the world had returned to what it used to be, but the people within their own territories did not.
Orcs still exist. This winter reduced Orcs numbers considerably, but the remaining Orcs still invade the nobles' territories from time to time, forcing the nobles to bring knights and armies for protection whenever they go out.
Count Soron invited the nobles to witness the Dragonblood Warrior Legion ' renewed strength, and on this occasion, Ryan told the nobles about it.
His words were directed at Thundercloud Mountain. Although the Governor Marquis of Northwind was still a child, his status meant that the nobles could no longer treat him as a child.
In name only, the Marquis of Northwind is nothing special, but the Governor of Northwind is the one who holds the most power in Northwind Province.
The infant child also became Ryan's rival at this time.
He still stands on the side of the Mayers Family.
"Where's the money?"
Ryan didn't say it aloud, but his eyes didn't lie.
His Majesty the esteemed His Majesty Emperor Flor benevolence, allocated funds from his own treasury to the Northwind Province —a marginal land he neither desired nor wanted to abandon—to repair the homes of the nobles and the Fragrant Mountain Plains Fortress. But where has the money gone?
It couldn't have been a child hiding it out of ignorance, could it?
An infant may be ignorant, but the Marquis of Northwind and the Governor of Northwind cannot be ignorant.
That was the wealth used to repair the homes of nobles.
Just like Ryan, who has rivals, fence-sitters, and a firm base of supporters, Meyers also has nobles in this land who are firmly opposed to Meyers.
Even Ryan was somewhat surprised that Viscount Landa, the tragic protagonist of the Northwind Province, and Viscount Hogg of Silver Stream County would become staunch supporters of him.
Viscount Hogg has another reason to consider. After all, when it comes to marriage alliances, Viscount Hogg also has an ancient and noble bloodline, and he is currently married to a woman from the Imperial House family, so he can disregard the existing marriage alliance with the Mayers Grand Ducal Family.
Viscount Landa, the most tragic nobleman in the Northwind, had his territory and people defeated and slaughtered as many as three and a half times.
The extra half-time was the fierce battle fought during the defense of the Fragrant Mountain Plains Fortress. After all, those who protected the nobles were knights, and most of the knights came from the nobles' bloodline families, and were their relatives or something.
Logically speaking, Viscount Landa should be the one most in need of playing the victim among the South Noble Circle, as those nobles, having enjoyed years of comfortable and peaceful living conditions, are easily moved to pity.
Especially for those noble ladies, if Viscount Landa cries a few times, she might just bring back a great deal of wealth.
Unlike the nobles of the Northwind, who were not exactly poor, but whose circumstances made them extremely stingy, and considering that Viscount Landa was a victim, weren't they also victims of the same kind?
But Viscount Landa abandoned this path.
Could it be that he didn't receive the money when he complained about being poor in the South? That's unlikely.
Ryan could only blame it on the fact that Viscount Landa had changed drastically during the several failed and devastating wars, after all, he had not returned to Cold Mountain City County, nor to his shattered territory.
He was also one of the prefects of Northwind Province.
Ryan's attack on Marquis of Northwind was something Marquis of Northwind couldn't respond to; the child was still nursing on Thundercloud Mountain, and the Marquis's Mother couldn't possibly be in Dragon Mountain City.
The nobles wondered what Ryan was up to, but Ryan was simply telling them that the Marquis of Northwind couldn't do anything.
It's perfectly reasonable for those who shouldn't do anything to do nothing, but it's a problem if those who should do nothing.
Ryan didn't intend to target the orphans and widows on Thundercloud Mountain; he was just trying to sow discord among the nobles. He could do this once a year, for eighteen years.
And let's not forget that during the previous war, there were many orders issued in the name of the Marquis of Northwind, and the consequences of those orders are gradually unfolding over time.
That's how the rivalry between Meyers and the Marquis of Northwind came about.
"Among the great nobles, Marquis of Northwind is out of the question and is a destined rival. Count Winter is not yet a good candidate, but we can try to win him over. He is currently in a neutral position."
"Among the minor nobles, we've managed to win over two viscounts, Viscount Miles of Zero Crossing City is stuck there, so that's three. On Viscount Dragoon's side... that makes four. The viscounts in the other counties are a bit of a problem. We're not very familiar with them, but most of them are Natives nobles from the Northwind region. Count Soron's attitude will likely have a significant impact on them."
"The process of integrating into the empire will also change these nobles, but for the time being, it doesn't seem to pose a major problem."
" Baron and nobles are the most troublesome. They want everything, but because their Noble Title are too low, they can't be associated with Baron when it comes to punishing relatives. Their dependence is not strong, unless they are like Xilin, who have their own strong pursuits and thus stand on the same boat as me."
"But..."
Most nobles are parasites; enjoyment and extravagance are their main characteristics, as can be seen from their obese figures. Nobles like Xilin and Connie are extremely rare.
As Ryan, he saw Norton bustling around the banquet, making friends with nobles.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled.
"My dear brother, I need your help."
The Baronet System has only been around for less than two years, and it is not yet mature enough. In short, there is a lot of room for manipulation.
In the Northwind Province, the Lordship was even more immature, because many of them were simply handed over by various powerful Lordship, especially by Meyers, who had given them a whole bunch of Pioneer Order.
Of course, many died in the war, and the Lordship didn't have time to have children, which is why there aren't as many Lordship as before.
Logically, most of these Lordship should be loyal to Meyers, and in fact, while the rest of the nobles are naturally not meant to belong to Meyers.
Just like Norton, Norton Clayton, Ryan's younger brother, and most noble families, although they were brothers, their relationship was not particularly close. Because being born into a noble family meant that the older brother and the younger brother were not only brothers, but also ruler and subject. As the younger brother, he could not even change the object of his loyalty.
Lordship Norton, being Lordship from a high-ranking noble family, didn't find the marriage opportunity left by Chrysus in Meyers particularly valuable or tempting.
When they form marriage alliances, their primary consideration is the political stance of the powerful noble families behind them. If they accidentally become enemies because of the marriage alliance, it would be a huge joke.
Lordship is not free, at least not in Norton's eyes.
In the Northwind Province, unlike his Baron brother, Baron Ryan, Norton is now the head of the Ryan Family, Ryan remains a Lordship- level retainer of the Count Clayton Family.
Therefore, he represented the Count Clayton, and many things could not be done as he pleased.
When Ryan slapped him on the shoulder, Norton trembled all over. He turned around and saw Ryan giving him a charming smile.
"Was that Baron McKinley just now? I heard he has a very beautiful daughter."
"Yes, I saw her secretly before, she's very beautiful."
In this regard, the nobles were not shy at all. Norton had his eye on the other party, and Baron McKinley also wanted to get closer to the Clayton Family.
After all... the current imperial politics are still dominated by a group of nobles led by Grand Duke Fleming and Count Clayton.
"Although you are of the Clayton Family bloodline, you are still just a Lordship. From the perspective of Noble Title, Baron McKinley will definitely want to find a Baron for a marriage alliance."
"He's still hesitating, but my foolish brother, by the time he started to hesitate, you'd already been put into the fishpond as a candidate."
"There are only interests among nobles. Unless you show him the powerful benefits you bring, the outcome will be as you wish. Then you will no longer be in the fishpond, but she will be in your fishpond."
"As one of the same Lordship who came from the South, you must know quite a few Lordship, right? Don't forget that I lived in the Imperial Capital for over a decade. I know better than you those who are not qualified to inherit Noble Title but were Lordship Noble Title because of their fathers' favor."
"They must have made a complete mess of their land, right?"
Ryan's words made Norton's eyes widen; he was surprised that Ryan had hit the nail on the head.
Not to mention the other Lordship who acquired land through favoritism, even Baronet Norton, who became Lordship because the Clayton Family needed to expand, managed his territory in a complete mess.
They want to prove themselves, but having been spoiled since childhood and not received the education of an heir, they find it difficult to handle daily life.
Being a nobleman is easy, but being a good nobleman is very difficult.
Norton has been troubled by this recently. After the war ended, he received a lot of population subsidies through Ryan's connections, but the various problems brought about by the population have left him overwhelmed.
One winter, not only did many people starve to death, but Baronet Norton almost had to pawn his underwear.
"Wanting to prove himself, but unable to manage his territory."
"But sometimes, managing a territory doesn't require the nobles to do it themselves."
"What nobles manage their territories every day? Look at these nobles, aren't they all lying on the breasts of their maids all day long? When I visited them before, I saw the maids around them, and they were all sagging."
"I have a great idea, it just depends on whether you're willing to prove yourself to your father."
(End of this chapter)