A Lively Noble Council

The entire oval-shaped tiered hall was clearly divided into four sections, with just over 200 independent seats for the nobility.

Count Black did not attend the meeting in person, but sent a representative. Most of the nobles from the Eastern Region also sent representatives, who all sat upright and remained silent.

Most of the independent nobles from the western and Southern Region attended in person, especially the Count Sibeth and the Count Lloyd.

At this point, the two were surrounded by their respective underlings, who were trying to get the contents of the meeting out of their leader.

The nobles from the Central Region were also present, but they appeared rather disheveled, heads bowed and whispering among themselves to their companions, all sighing and empathizing with each other's plight.

Just as the murmurs in the hall grew louder, a court official walked to the center of the hall and announced loudly, "Silence! His Majesty the Grand Duke is about to arrive."

The entire venue fell silent instantly, and everyone returned to their seats.

Soon, a series of orderly footsteps came from the corridor behind the stage in the middle of the venue.

A troop of imperial guards, carrying banners, filed out of the corridor, their footsteps rhythmic, each soldier clad in armor as gleaming as mirrors.

The imperial guards stood in a circle around the platform, their flagpoles hitting the ground with a resounding "thud," displaying an impressive aura.

Most of the nobles were stunned when they saw such a scene for the first time.

However, some well-informed nobles knew that this setup was copied from the Upper Council of the East Sea Alliance, and they were not impressed.

These guards are all show; their armor is just silver-plated iron plates that look nice but offer no protection whatsoever.

However, seeing it for the first time was still quite shocking for most nobles.

Soon, Grand Duke Mora entered, carrying a scepter, dressed in formal attire and wearing a fur-trimmed cloak, followed closely by Count Lagos and Viscount Borey.

Mora sat on the platform, exuding an air of authority, with Count Lagos and Viscount Borey standing on either side of him, one a scholar and the other a warrior.

The ceremonial guards on the podium certainly exuded an aura, causing all the nobles present to lower their heads and become more submissive.

Count Sibeth and Count Lloyd also unconsciously straightened their bodies slightly.

Mora was very satisfied with the bowed heads of the nobles in front of him; the opening arranged by the Count Lagos was indeed very effective.

He gestured for the Count Lagos to speak, since the prepared speech was too long for him to read, and he preferred to hand it over to his Prime Minister.

Then it was Count Lagos's turn to perform. Count Lagos was indeed very skilled. In his speech, he praised Grand Duke Mora as an unparalleled wise ruler, under whose leadership the Grand Duchy of Vera had made great strides forward and its national strength had grown stronger day by day.

"... Under the leadership of Grand Duke Mora, the independent nobles of the country are united and working hard to write a new chapter for the Grand Duchy of Vera."

However, there is a small group of people, insatiable and harboring ulterior motives, who actually intend to destroy this harmonious and happy country. How can we, as nobles with conscience, history, and a sense of honor, allow this?!

Everyone was starting to doze off from Count Lagos's speech when suddenly Count Lagos raised his voice eight octaves.

The entire hall seemed to tremble, and all the nobles and representatives present were jolted awake by those last words.

They instantly perked up; it seemed the drama of this meeting was about to unfold. Everyone was curious about who had done what to prompt Grand Duke Mora to convene the Noble Council.

Mora was also awakened by Count Lagos. He asked Count Lagos, whose face had turned purple from lack of oxygen, "Are we on the last part yet?"

Count Lagos nodded listlessly.

Grand Duke Mora straightened his bow tie, stood up, and began to speak, "The Northern Frontier nobles, led by the Colt Iron Birch Family, are plotting to overthrow the country and attempting a rebellion. This has now been discovered by the Duchy, and the Duchy will soon send troops to punish them. At that time, all independent nobles in the country must participate. Those who hesitate or refuse will be considered accomplices in the rebellion. I hope everyone can see the true face of the Rebellion and join me in protecting the peaceful and harmonious Grand Duchy of Vera."

After speaking, Grand Duke Mora sat down with a smug look on his face, seemingly very pleased with his remarks.

The entire venue immediately became lively, with the other three factions of nobles, apart from the representatives of the eastern nobles, starting to whisper among themselves.

"Bang Bang Bang!"

Council Speaker of the council, Viscount Lance Ironthorn, struck the gavel in front of him with such force that his white hair rippled.

"Quiet! Now, please let the Prime Minister Lagos present the evidence of the treason committed by the Northern Frontier nobles that he possesses."

This Speaker Lance is from a branch of the Silver Maple Ducal House. He has been the gavel-beater in Parliament for many years and is known as "the one who extorts and demands bribes."

If someone invites you, eat it; if they offer, take it; if they don't, refuse; if they don't have it, take it.

As long as he's around, you can't get the issue to the meeting without giving him a bribe beforehand. Every noble promotion requires him to pay a sum in addition to the fees paid to the Heraldry.

However, all the nobles knew who was behind him—a spy planted in the council by the Grand Duke Silver Maple. Even the money he received had a share from the Grand Duke.

Fortunately, this Council Speaker still has some professional ethics. As long as the benefits are right, he won't even give the Grand Duke face. It is also thanks to this Noble Council that the Grand Duke can be tripped up on some issues.

However, this time, the Count Lagos had already fed the Council Speaker well before the start of the Noble Council, and he would fully cooperate.

Soon the Count Lagos began to announce some evidence, some true and some false, while the noble representatives of the Northern Three Commanderies kept booing, and then were driven out by Speaker Lance with his gavel.

The Count Lagos also announced a list of nobles who had been courted by Count Colt. These nobles were then escorted out of the hall one by one by the guards, and soon a quarter of the seats in the hall were empty.

The remaining nobles also fell silent in fear, and Mora was very satisfied with the effect of making an example of them.

He gave Count Lagos a wink.

Count Lagos understood Mora's meaning; there was still one important nobleman to deal with.

"There was also a nobleman who was highly respected in front of everyone, but he also secretly colluded with Colt, that traitor, which was really disappointing."

The entire venue became lively again, with everyone discussing who this highly respected nobleman was.

"Now, let us invite an important witness, who upholds the loyalty of the nobility, to expose this important traitorous ally."

Soon, a middle-aged man in his thirties was led to the platform by guards. Many nobles did not recognize him, but the southern noble group suddenly erupted in excitement.

"Is it him?"

"It's him!"

"Bolton Ironvine? Count Lloyd's nephew."

"Could the person the Prime Minister was referring to be him?"

Count Lloyd, sitting in the front row of the southern nobles, stared at the figures on the platform with a livid expression.