Exiled to the Northlands
Chen Changhe woke up in a carriage heading Northlands.
This time, he regained his memory relatively early.
The original owner of this body, Wang Zizhen, was so frightened that he died after learning that he had been exiled to the Northlands.
This led to Chen Changhe regaining his memory prematurely.
"The Northlands..."
Chen Changhe looked at the order from Lion Count in his hand:
"The eldest son, Wang Zizhen, has always been uneducated and incompetent, disrespectful to his father and mother, and has often bullied his brothers. Therefore, his right to inherit the Earl is hereby revoked."
However, out of consideration for their father-son relationship, Wang Zizhen is granted the title of Baron of the Northlands, Blackwater Fief. He is to depart immediately for Blackwater Fief to assume his post as lord, without any delay!
The thin piece of paper had sharp, bloody lettering.
It's not that our Earl is being overly concerned about the bond between father and son.
What kind of father-son relationship exists within aristocratic families? These days, it's not uncommon for fathers to kill their sons and sons to turn against their fathers.
The former Lion Count also ascended to the throne of the family by stepping on the blood of his own father.
If he dares to harm his only father, why should he care about his son, who has become a burden to him?
Even after killing Reindeer Viscount Zhang Qin and Baron Zhang Qicai, there were still many people in the territory who valued Wang Zizhen.
After a series of compromises and deals, he chose to exile Wang Zizhen.
Don't assume that Wang Zizhen will survive just because he went to the Northlands.
The Northlands were once the granary of the Imperium.
With a strong army, abundant horses, and countless treasures.
But all of this changed one night decades ago.
The Beastfolk, Elves, and Goblins tribes united to invade the Dragon Empire from the Northlands.
The entire Northlands were in grave danger and had no choice but to seek help from the Imperium.
However, a black fog enveloped the entire Northlands, originating from a deity who called herself the "Corruption Goddess."
All living beings in the Northlands perished in the Corruption Mists, and after death transformed into Corrupted Creatures.
Today, the Northlands is known as the infamous Cursed Land.
Aside from the God's Chosen who are immune to the Corruption Mists, ordinary humans need to wear a gem called the "Corruption Godstone" to live within Corruption Mists.
These Corruption Godstone are a commodity exclusively sold by the merchant guild controlled by Her Majesty the Queen.
It can absorb the Corruption Mists and prevent humans from being corrupted by it.
This sacred stone was ground into powder and dissolved in water to irrigate the decaying land.
It can help the land recover from decay in a short period of time.
If at this time a lord enters the territory and uses the God's Chosen as a medium to summon the power of other gods.
That would allow the corrupt territory to return to normal.
In the disaster decades ago, no nobles in the entire Northlands region, from top to bottom, survived.
All the territories in the Northlands became unclaimed land.
Even so, according to the laws of the Dragon Empire, these lands cannot be occupied at will.
Succession must be carried out in accordance with the Imperium tradition of noble Bloodline Inheritance Law.
The Blackwater Fief Baron's noble lineage originated from a branch of the Lion Count's lineage.
With the extinction of the Blackwater Fief Baron's branch, ownership of the territory returned to the House of the Lion Earl.
The Lion Count, of course, wouldn't even consider such a worthless enclave a threat.
But now, in order to get rid of his troublesome son, Wang Zizhen...
He chose to hand over this territory to Wang Zizhen, who is now Chen Changhe.
"They're trying to use the Corruption Mists to kill me..."
Chen Changhe glanced at a money pouch on the side of the carriage.
There were fewer than seven hundred gold coins in the money bag.
This was the start-up capital the Lion Count gave him.
"This amount of money isn't even enough for that Wang Zizhen to squander in a week."
"We want to use this money to maintain the expansion of a territory within the Northlands region."
"That's simply a fantasy!"
Wang Zizhen had many friends in the Earl's territory before.
Before leaving the castle, he made a point of visiting these friends, hoping to get some help from them.
But to my surprise, I was turned away repeatedly.
I can't even see my old cronies anymore.
Even worse, some servants went so far as to send someone to push him to the ground and tell him to get lost.
"When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down..."
"They did this to impress Lion Count."
Chen Changhe expressed his understanding.
A disgraced playboy who has fallen from grace.
There is indeed no value in continuing to invest.
You really can't blame those people for being snobbish.
As for those subjects in the territory who were benevolent towards Wang Zizhen...
Since Lion Count spared Wang Zizhen's life and even granted him a fiefdom...
That would be giving them an explanation.
They couldn't possibly step in to offer Wang Zizhen any further assistance at this time.
After all, they only protected Wang Zizhen because of his deceased biological mother.
Their feelings towards Wang Zizhen stemmed from his behavior over the years, making it impossible for them to like this spoiled brat.
On the surface... it was all the work of Wang Zizhen's stepmother.
"But she couldn't have done it without the Lion Count's tacit approval."
Having absorbed Wang Zizhen's memories, Chen Changhe went through his experiences over the years from beginning to end.
He was astonished to discover that the defeat years ago was actually a conspiracy.
The conspiracy aims to kill Wang Zizhen's biological mother, the sixth-order God's Chosen.
In the battles against the Elves, the Lion Family actually held the advantage throughout.
However, at the crucial moment, a very basic command error by Lion Count led to the complete defeat, and Wang Zizhen's mother was killed in battle.
All the captured warriors were killed, but Lion Count not only survived, but also married and had children.
After returning to his territory, Lion Count has been gradually reducing the military power of his family's vassals who are close to Wang Zizhen's mother.
Before killing Reindeer Viscount Zhang Qin and Baron Zhang Qicai, the Earl had just managed to send men to serve as their military supervisors, thus gaining initial control of the army.
Only after ensuring there are no worries about the future will they take the plunge into murder.
"That's strange..."
Why?
The bond between the world's lords and the God's Chosen is deeper than one might imagine.
The lord suffers horrific damage upon the death of the God's Chosen.
They could even die on the spot.
Why did the Lion Count plot to kill his own wife, his God's Chosen?
Why lead a war that will severely weaken your family?
What kind of deal did he make with the Elves?
Chen Changhe then thought of something else.
After Wang Zizhen's mother died, Lion Count never chose another God's Chosen.
His stated reason was to commemorate the mother of Wang Zizhen, who died in battle.
"That's obviously utter nonsense!"
You're the one who killed everyone.
Then what are you commemorating?
So...
"This old thing already has God's Chosen?"
The lords of this world can sign contracts with the God's Chosen.
However, only one contract can be made.
If the Lion Count already has God's Chosen.
Then he would be unable to renew his covenant with other God's Chosen.
But if there really is such a God's Chosen...
And who is that?
The image of Wang Zizhen's beautiful stepmother immediately flashed into Chen Changhe's mind.
Could it be her?