A Small Boat, Southern Nobles from Afar

Ryan naturally sent people to steal the shipbuilding techniques from the craftsmen of the Melendez Family.

"How could you not learn it?"

Ryan was puzzled that the men he sent had returned empty-handed.

"They even asked us to help them chop wood, but after that, we couldn't observe their work anymore; they kept their skills very secret."

Faced with this inherited skill, the fear that Ryan had previously instilled in the craftsmen was useless; those shipbuilders valued their skills more than their own lives.

Many crucial things, no, even from the very beginning of piecing together the ship, were completely lost on the people Ryan sent.

If there is even a slight pressure, the efficiency and progress of shipbuilding will decrease.

The roar of Dragons echoed in the sky, Ryan knew that the war between Surtr and the Dragons had reached a critical moment; he had no more time.

He couldn't kill these craftsmen, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain it to the Melendez Family. In fact, Ryan sent Brandt to protect them.

To expedite the process, Ryan had no choice but to have the craftsmen build the ship first.

"If you can't learn it, you can't learn it. What that guy said isn't wrong. The Frozen Earth Territory doesn't need ships."

Compared to boats, sleds were of higher priority.

The weather has improved recently, Ryan has sent many teams into the Northlands, where the sleds have performed exceptionally well.

However, Ryan discovered that the ships these people had built were far more crude than he had imagined.

Standing on the shore, Ryan looked at the distant raging waves, felt the chaotic Magic Power energy in the sky, and finally his gaze fell on the large awning floating on the beach.

"Is this what you built?"

What can this thing do?

There wasn't even a sail. No wonder they were able to build it in just a few days. Ryan thought it was some kind of efficiency and method unique to the extraordinary world, but he never expected that this would be the thing they produced for him.

"Is this the kind of garbage I want? I want ships that can sail this ocean!"

Ryan yelled at the craftsmen, refusing to believe that the Viscount Melendez Family used such ships to transport goods to the prosperous West Coast.

After his initial outburst, Lord Ryan calmed down and obtained the answer through questioning.

Due to limitations in tools, these craftsmen, with the materials they currently possess, can only produce these kinds of things.

As for the massive ships that Ryan was thinking of, they would require a lot of large-scale machinery, similar to... the idea that the Melendez Family owns a shipyard.

Large ships can only be produced in specialized places, not by hand.

"The level of technology in this world doesn't seem as low as I imagined."

Ryan suddenly realized that this world, which seemed to be stuck in the era of slavery and agriculture, was not without certain means, but rather that all of those things were in the hands of a very, very small number of people.

There is absolutely no possibility of leakage.

Viscount Melendez heard that Ryan wanted a ship, but he didn't realize how big the ship Ryan needed was. When the craftsmen arrived, they found that this was the limit of what they could build.

"How can a ship like that go out to sea?"

Far out at sea, amidst towering waves, Isabella and Surtr were locked in a tug-of-war with the entire world at large; the ship would shatter within an hour of entering the ocean.

But Ryan needs to go to the ocean.

The Dragons's carcass, and the remains that had fallen from Surtr, which Ryan had longed for, were also mentioned. Arryris told him that those things also emitted a terrifying light and heat in the deep sea.

Everything related to the Deities is precious, especially since this is part of Surtr.

"What should we do then?"

Ryan looked at the craftsmen, wondering if he could force them to produce more.

But in the end he didn't do that. He still needed to maintain a good relationship with his father-in-law; Lord Ryan hadn't reached the point of resorting to any means necessary.

"Bring Mr. Roth over here and use his alchemy to help these craftsmen build the ship."

Looking up, the sky seems increasingly unbalanced lately; I wonder if it's because the forces of Great Being are vying for power.

The ship issue cannot be delayed, but what Ryan is most anxious about right now is not the ship.

Instead, it's in the South.

He had no direct connection with the South, but the outbreak of war affected every noble in the empire.

Indeed, war is no child's play, but after months of deliberation, His Majesty Emperor Flor made up his mind. More than 300,000 troops who had fought against the Northern Orcs silently gathered in the Thousand Lakes Province in the south. Not to mention the Church, even many nobles within the empire were shocked by this, as they had no idea about it at all.

Emperor Flor, in the Grand Cathedral of Light, issued a declaration of war, declaring that he would represent the great and immortal God of Light in a campaign against the corrupt Church of Dawn.

He listed a full thousand pieces of evidence of the Church of Dawn's corruption, and every single one of them... was true.

Yes, it was these thousand pieces of evidence that shocked the entire Norris Continent. Previously, nobles could only sense three or five of them, but no one had ever imagined that a thousand pieces of evidence pointing directly to the crimes of the Church would be irrefutable.

It is said that the Pope went mad and stirred up towering waves on the ocean. The holy light of Dawn melted countless waves, and even the seabed became clearly visible.

The thousand points listed by the Florian Empire had a great impact on the Church of Dawn.

Ryan was thus affected.

"A group of people have arrived in Zero Crossing City. They are trying to contact the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild, with the ultimate goal of purchasing a large quantity of weapons from you."

The Bard Sven stood before Ryan, speaking of some recent, subtle changes in Zero Crossing City.

Beside Sven stood the short, blood-soaked Apia, the leader of the Catfolk assassins. Behind him, Pield, barely suppressing his fear, clutched several withered, grotesque heads.

The head belonged to an assassin, Black Swan unique to the Church of Dawn.

They appeared in the Frozen Earth Territory and launched seventeen terrible assassination attempts against Ryan during the night. The Catfolk assassins suffered more than 30% casualties, Apia suffered a broken arm. The killings in the night only ended when Dawn broke.

"They are just cannon fodder, not powerful. The Church knows you well, so if they wanted to kill you, they wouldn't send a weaker force than last time."

"They... they killed that Marquis even under the protection of Legendary."

Apia kept his head down, hoping Ryan would be on guard, but the castle still had very few knights, which made him uneasy.

He no longer wanted to leave the Frozen Earth Territory and become a wanderer. In the world of Orcs, Catfolk were slaves and food, and they didn't receive better treatment in the human world either. Only in the Frozen Earth Territory did Catfolk receive unprecedented respect.

Last night, he managed to keep those assassins from disturbing Ryan, but at that time... Ryan was watching the ship in Otherworld.

Avril was the only person in the castle who was frightened. The Mages's powerful spiritual energy allowed her to sense the assassination attempt, and she spent the entire night in fear.

And so Ryan stood there indifferently, watching the three of them.

Pield knelt on the ground, clutching his head. This was a form of punishment, and the assassin Pield trembled all over.

"My lord, Pield is damned. It was my fault for not guarding the castle properly, allowing these damned assassins to infiltrate."

Pield trembled and kept kowtowing, while Ryan sat in the chair without saying a word. After a long while, he looked at Sven.

"Who are those people?"

"We don't know yet, but they're definitely not from the Empire. Imperial Noble don't need to hide their purchases of weapons, and they're not nobles from the two eastern kingdoms either. If they were buying weapons from you, you wouldn't be able to hide it from them."

"So, they're from the South?"

Ryan said this, his eyes narrowing slightly before he spoke.

"Find an opportunity for them to see me, but it can't be formal. Let them see me by chance. I'll be going to Zero Crossing City in a few days."

Sven glanced at the Catfolk assassin beside him, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered his head.

"As you wish."

Ryan then looked at Pield.

"Go and check on the lady's mood, do what you're supposed to do, and leave the castle's nighttime defenses to Apia from now on."

"Thank you, sir."

Pield was moved to tears, feeling even more guilty, and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Alright, go ahead, this has nothing to do with you."

Ryan chased away Pield and then looked at Apia last.

"These assassins are meaningless. I will write to the nobles and ask if they have also been targeted by assassins."

"The empire is waging war, but I'm not sure if the Pope on that Holy Mountain really has the guts and the courage to make an enemy of the whole world."

"As for these days, you don't need to leave. Guard Rhino Horn Mountain well. I don't want anything to happen to Madam."

Ryan didn't mention himself; these Black Swan Assassin would die even faster if they encountered him.

"Also, I need more Catfolk assassins. The Orcs invaded the empire, and your tribe must have taken in quite a few Catfolk. Do they obey you?"

Apia bowed his head respectfully and said:

"They have no choice. Many of them are unruly, but they will soon become your warriors."

Apia put on his hood and disappeared into the study. Ryan sat in his chair for a long time without moving until the Sun began to set and Twilight arrived, at which point Ryan finally picked up his pen.

The letter quickly received responses from all sides. His guess was correct: all the viscounts, the two earls, the Marquis of Northwind of Northwind Province, and he, Baron Ryan, had all been assassinated by the Black Swan.

No nobleman died as a result; most were injured and lived in fear.

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the news.

"It seems that Pope of Dawn has not gone completely mad and is determined to be an enemy of the entire world."

The assassination of a nobleman, no matter who did it, is an extremely terrible event. The assassination of Marquis of Northwind directly led to the intensification of the Southern War. Although Ryan is too far away from Thousand Lakes Province, he has still heard of the meat grinder-like battlefield there.

Moreover, the killing of the Marquis of Northwind by the Church increased the support of the imperial nobles for the war.

Ryan couldn't imagine the consequences if it happened again.

Even the nobility of the entire world would wage war against the Church. They could accept the deaths of many nobles in the war between the Empire and the Church, but they would never allow the dignity of the nobility to be challenged.

Lord of Dawn, God of Light —whatever His name may be, He has been asleep for far too long, and humanity's reverence for the Deities is being eroded little by little.

Ryan still did not recall the Stag Legion from Nidhogg.

Three days later, Ryan went to Zero Crossing City.

The Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild has grown faster than anyone imagined. In addition, the Orcs problem in the nobles' territories has been quite serious recently. The nobles have gradually realized the situation and have arranged for their knights to kill Orcs and bring Orcs heads to the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild to demand money.

Ryan accepted it without hesitation; one Gold Coin for each Orcs, he simply gave it to them.

If you want money, the first thing you need to do is register as an adventurer with the Northern Kingdom's Braveheart Guild.

Ryan wasn't afraid of them coming to him for money; he was afraid they wouldn't take that step.

Once you become an adventurer, why worry about these knights not being coerced?

"They only realized what happened last year this year; these people are missing a screw in their heads."

The outcome was good, so Lord Ryan stopped worrying about it.

After witnessing the adventurous players' high-energy performances in the arena, Ryan found himself alone, just as planned.

A dark-haired, blue-eyed man blocked Ryan's path at a corner. Perhaps realizing that such behavior was indecent, the man performed a noble gesture.

It's a very ancient ritual.

"One of the Twelve Knights of Fire-Worship, the longsword gleaming beneath the stars proclaims an ancient oath. Ignazio, whose blood roars illuminate the sky, pays homage to you, Baron of the Northlands."

"Ignazio?"

Ryan searched his memory, but he had never received the education of a noble heir, so... he didn't know him.

The young man was somewhat annoyed, but still smiled and said:

"Ignazio forgives your mistake, just as we did not know in the first few days after we arrived that you were the most powerful nobleman in this land."

"Brendan Ignazio sends you his sincerest greetings."

"South nobles?"

Ryan asked, invited the other person into the carriage, and then slowly made his way toward the mansion.

"Ignazio is one of the twelve oldest and most noble bloodlines on the Norris Continent. Our first ancestor was one of the first believers of the Great Lord and one of the twelve knights under the Dawn's light."

"Our ancestors followed the first Pope of Dawn, the incarnation of the great Lord, and were the first nobles of this world."

"The original noble bloodline."

Ryan looked astonished, then said to Brendan:

"Forgive my previous rudeness, Ignazio blood."

Ryan's apology convinced the young man. In this world, the more ancient the noble family, the more arrogant their descendants become, and he no longer had the same attitude towards Ryan as before.

"Baron Ryan's experience is also astonishing; you actually killed one of the six Orcs Monarch with your own hands."

After exchanging compliments, the carriage arrived at the mansion, where Ryan questioned Brendan.

"I'm curious to know your purpose in coming here, and who you represent. I remember you mentioned 'you all' before."

"We come representing many noble bloodlines."

Brendan said this, looking at Ryan, but said nothing more.

"But Baron Ryan, we are not here to speak to you as nobles. We only want to buy powerful weapons from you. I have heard that your territory is rich in weapons that are more powerful than those in other places."

"But Mr. Brendan, the weapons of the Frozen Earth Territory cannot be in the hands of strangers, because I cannot guarantee that those weapons will not end up on the battlefield with the Empire."

Ryan said this, his expression displeased.

The Empire's sudden declaration of war against the Church caught Ryan off guard.

Keep in mind that during this period, and even throughout this year, Ryan only wants to do two things.

Farming, growing food in the Swamp, and Nidhogg, conquering that Otherworld Plane, further advancing the Spirituality Panel.

Having resolved these two matters, Ryan naturally came to rule the Northwind Province, establishing his unified rule as Baron Ryan in the Northlands.

But by now, so much has changed.

Ryan felt he was losing control of the situation, and his expression wasn't an act; he genuinely wanted to minimize trouble.

This Brendan in front of us is clearly one of the troubles that are about to come.

"We will not be involved in the war with the Empire, Baron Ryan can rest assured."

Ryan raised an eyebrow.