Arrival at Northwind City

Arrival at Northwind City

Haton and Ryan saw different things behind this matter, yet their final conclusions were surprisingly identical.

The emergence of the Baronet System would indeed create more nobles, but at the same time, it would elevate the status and influence of nobles holding the five ranks of nobility.

As for wealth, that was harder to say.

The letter had made it very clear.

Every noble possessed the right to confer baronetcies. Though there were limits on the number, even a Baron could freely make up to five people Baronets of the Empire according to his own wishes.

Baronets existed because of nobles like them. Naturally, if the nobles who had conferred those titles fell, those Baronets would no longer be recognized.

However, since they had become nobles, Baronets also possessed certain rights. They were no longer subjects and property of the five-rank nobles, but supporters. They could even oppose the nobles who had conferred their titles and possess territories of their own—if... they could obtain them.

Thus, the Imperial letter's hope that nobles living on one-third of the land would strive to pioneer was not false information.

The primary reason for the appearance of Baronets was that there were too many nobles and too little land, and everyone thought their territory was too small.

But the secondary reason truly was to encourage expansion.

Still... expectations were wonderful, but the fact that no one was willing to come even to a miserable place like Frozen Earth Territory showed how impossible it was to make them venture into the eternal winter of the Northlands, slaughter orcs and even more terrifying alien races, and seize land from them.

In the end, political struggle would probably come full circle and return to political struggle.

Their trip to Northwind City was, in fact, part of it.

After so long, the Empire seemed to have finally remembered that Northwind Province had many Pioneer Nobles and Pioneer Knights. A member of the Imperial royal family would be arriving. This should originally have been The Church's responsibility, but in recent years, imperial authority had been replacing divine authority rather quickly.

At this thought, Ryan suddenly remembered something.

"If that's the case, then doesn't that mean... the Pioneer Orders Grand Duke Mayers held back then have become worthless paper?"

His expression turned strange, and Haton's expression beside him became incomparably vivid in an instant.

Grand Duke Mayers had conquered all of Northwind Province for the Empire back then, relieving a great deal of pressure. What tremendous merit that had been. Yet all that merit had been replaced by a basketful of Pioneer Orders, and now, even this fig leaf seemed about to become useless?

Didn't that mean Grand Duke Mayers had gone through all that effort to conquer Northwind Province, only to gain nothing from it?

There was not even a single descendant of the Mayers Family in Northwind Province.

"Hiss~ I can't keep thinking about this."

Northwind City.

By the time Ryan and Haton arrived at this provincial governor's city, most of Northwind Province's nobles had already gathered there.

Divine Steed Territory and Frozen Earth Territory were simply too far away.

On the streets, those coming and going were either soldiers or slaves. As more and more nobles arrived in Northwind City, the commoners here no longer dared to casually walk the streets.

Especially since these commoners had gradually learned some secrets openly known in the South from merchant guilds heading north.

Ryan and Haton stayed at the residence of a Baron, and before long, someone from Viscount Miles came looking for them.

"Before the council meeting three days from now, Zero Crossing Prefecture must first reach an agreement. Everything must put Zero Crossing Prefecture's interests first."

When they arrived at Viscount Miles's residence, the elderly Viscount was full of vigor. Who would have thought that Zero Crossing Prefecture, once the weakest, now faintly possessed one of the top three voices?

In comparison, Viscount Dragoon beside him did not look nearly as pleased.

He stared at Viscount Miles's old face. Hadn't this fellow supposedly been on the verge of death after using the Magic Scroll? Why was he not dead yet?

How had he survived the winter?

Ryan noticed this as well. He could only guess that the Miles Family's long-established foundation truly contained some good things.

Of course, compared to that, Ryan cared more about how the Empire intended to handle Northwind Province.

He glanced at Baron Hatton. The latter coughed twice, then said with some vigor as well, "Viscount Miles, is the Empire truly going to abandon Northwind Province?"

At those words, quite a few people grew tense. While whispering among themselves, they did not forget to watch Viscount Miles's expression.

In that instant, Viscount Miles seemed to have aged several years.

Yet he merely said regretfully, "The Empire has decided to cancel its annual subsidy of one million Gold Coins to Northwind Province. This news came from the Council of Elders, though it will not be officially announced until three days from now."

"It's only the cancellation of one million Gold Coins. Shouldn't Governor Winter and those two Earldoms suffer the greatest losses?" Haton asked in confusion. He was sensitive to politics, but only in certain respects.

"Haton, have you stuffed your entire brain into that body full of fat?"

A gorgeously dressed nobleman beside him sneered mockingly. "For thirty years now, the Empire has held Northwind Province in contempt. If not for the annual expenditure of one million making those great nobles of the Empire remember Northwind Province, this place would have been forgotten long ago."

"Now that the one million is gone, there will no longer be a single matter concerning Northwind Province in the annual reports of political achievements. Surely you don't think our governor will pay to repair the fortresses of the Fragrant Mountain Plains himself?"

That was impossible. The tens of millions of Gold Coins previously provided by the Empire had all been divided up completely. Expect them to spend their own money repairing the fortresses?

Absolutely impossible.

"In short, without that one million Gold Coins, it means the Empire no longer expects to gain anything more from Northwind Province."

"On the contrary, they will probably start collecting taxes."

The Empire had exempted Northwind Province from many taxes. Moreover, because Northwind Province had caused endless political struggles within the Empire over the years, even when these nobles failed to submit those taxes and simply pocketed them, the Empire said nothing.

But now that the Empire would no longer spend money on Northwind Province and had effectively half-abandoned the place, it would naturally seek to recover, with interest, the thirty million Gold Coins spent over the past thirty-three years.

"Pay money?" Haton immediately shouted.

"There's no way we're paying money. How could Divine Steed Territory possibly have any money?"

Haton continued to lament, saying his territory had suffered an orc raid and even its castle had been breached.

"Haton, we're all neighbors. Do you think we don't know whether your castle was breached?"

"And Divine Steed Territory? What a terrible name."

The noble called Baron Roach finally could not help voicing his disdain.

"You think your Crow Territory sounds any better?"

Watching the meeting gradually dissolve into endless bickering, Ryan knew this gathering would not produce any results.