The moment the Grand Archmage appeared, quite a few people realized they had been deceived.
Most of them belonged to the Ennoblement Faction. Perhaps, in their minds, they had rebelled because the kingdom was in decline and they could not bear to see its people suffer, and they planned to establish a new country.
But the moment the Grand Archmage appeared, it meant they had become traitors to their country for their own selfish gain.
They had gone from being would-be saviors who could still comfort themselves to actual traitors. Many of them looked grim, especially the Level 9 experts who had only defected in recent years.
After all, the history of the Yulan Continent could be traced back tens of thousands of years, which meant they might well be nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of the Anlan Kingdom.
But now that things had come to this, if they refused to stand together, these Level 9 experts might well eliminate those who would not go along with them, to protect their reputations or their family honor.
As long as they were all in the same boat, the exposure of their plot would be bad for everyone present. That meant there was still a chance to keep it under wraps.
In particular, being in the same boat meant that everyone present would share in the benefits to come.
"Duke Hill, how do you plan to fulfill the promises you made?"
A late-stage Level 9 expert spoke first. He was a veteran powerhouse who had lived for more than four hundred years. When he heard the Golden Grand Duke promise a Saint Realm technique, he had betrayed his country without the slightest hesitation.
That was because a Saint Realm technique would not only give him a chance to advance further, but also represent his family's legacy.
Most of the Level 9 experts present who wanted a Saint Realm technique felt the same way. They ranged in age from just over two hundred to those nearing the end of their natural lives. To ordinary people on the Yulan Continent, anyone who could be here was a peerless genius. But to those present, only the great figures who had truly entered the Saint Realm counted as geniuses.
After years of making no progress in their cultivation, they could see the chance to become Saint Realm experts and gain eternal life right in front of them, yet could only watch as the chasm barred them from it. Given enough time, that could drive anyone mad.
"Rest assured, the promises I made earlier still stand. I came here today for all of you." As he spoke, Hill Bolin's lips curled slightly.
As the royal family of the Fenlai Kingdom, the Bolin Family had done this sort of thing more than once or twice. After all, the Holy Alliance's territory was only so large. Whether for the family's power or the Church's faith, the Bolin Family had to purge the Holy Alliance's forces from time to time.
This included kingdoms that bore the name of a kingdom but had no Saint Realm expert to guard them, as well as those that relied on the Holy Alliance for stability but paid no heed to the faith in the Light.
In short, whenever a state met the family's criteria for purging, the Bolin Family would make a move in secret. The Anlan Kingdom was no exception.
After all, though the Holy Alliance's territory was vast, every time someone in the Radiant Church advanced to the Saint Realm, part of that territory would be divided off to become their own domain. These Saint Realm experts from the Radiant Church were the Holy Alliance's core members. As for those in the Holy Alliance who had been fortunate enough to enter the Saint Realm, the Radiant Church would not openly oppose them, but neither would it grant them any special treatment.
Ultimately, Saint Realm experts lived far too long, and on the Yulan Continent they rarely died. Most chose to leave the Material Plane. Those who remained either considered themselves too weak to cross the threshold into godhood, or believed they were strong enough to become God Level experts in the Material Plane.
Whichever the case, the Holy Alliance needed a single voice. That was the underlying reason the Fenlai Kingdom gradually purged the other kingdoms. Saint Realm experts could know the truth, since it did not harm their interests, but those below the Saint Realm could not be allowed to understand it too clearly. After all, the Holy Alliance was ultimately an alliance formed by multiple kingdoms and principalities under the witness of the Radiant Church.
An alliance could not be a one-man show like an empire. And since the Holy Alliance's many kingdoms and principalities followed the Fenlai Kingdom's lead, the Fenlai Kingdom naturally needed more allies close to it.
With the promise of this Level 9 Great Mage from the Bolin Family, the many Level 9 experts had little reason to doubt that it would be honored.
And so it proved. In only three days, Lin Taros and Colin Taros had obtained what they wanted.
In the eyes of the Bolin Family's Great Mage, the Saint Realm techniques he had promised were converted into merit. Those who contributed more naturally earned more merit, and only those who earned enough could receive a Saint Realm technique. As for the few Level 9 experts who had merely tried to profit from the situation, they had to settle for the next best thing.
Through the Great Mage's arrangements, four late-stage Level 9 experts earned Saint Realm techniques in those three days. The four Level 9 Warriors chose techniques of four different attributes: wind, fire, lightning, and light. Perhaps they also hoped they could share what they learned with one another.
In truth, all four experts had one thing in common: they had killed powerful opponents of the same rank on the battlefield. Only powerhouses who had truly risked their lives in battle were worthy of Saint Realm techniques.
Though some people were dissatisfied with this system of exchanging merit for promises, believing they had simply never had the chance to kill an equally ranked opponent, a missed opportunity was still a missed opportunity. The rest either exchanged their merit for useful treasures or for things that could benefit their families.
Carl's son and grandson exchanged their merit for nothing more than a chance to be granted a marquis title.
Being granted the title of marquis was something like receiving a noble title, but not quite. A Level 7 Warrior could be made a baron, and a Level 8 Warrior could be granted the title of viscount by a kingdom and receive a decent fief. A Level 9 Warrior in the early stage could be made an earl, and above that came duke.
The title of marquis, however, was meant for a family.
When a Level 9 expert made a contribution to the kingdom and was rewarded with a marquis title, their family became a Marquis Clan. This placed them above ordinary nobles. The kingdom would also remember their contribution, and the title was often hereditary in perpetuity. If the family continued to grow, it could eventually establish a principality legitimately.
That was the principle behind kings, dukes, and nobles.
At Carl's instruction, the two men combined their merit and exchanged it for the Taros Family to become a Marquis Clan. Only with this status could Carl establish a county of his own within the Holy Alliance.
A county would let Carl easily carve out a territory with tens of millions of people. This was also preparation for what lay ahead.
After all, in the eyes of the world, even when a Saint Realm expert established a kingdom, it was often ultimately for the sake of their family. Carl needed his territory to support him, not become a constraint once people saw through him.
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