A chill wind swept into the council hall, but what made the nobles tremble more than the cold were the words Louis had just laid before them.
Every sentence felt like ice water poured over their hearts.
"Civil war in the Imperial Capital... grain supplies cut off... no buyers for ore... forced taxation..."
These terms had once seemed distant, appearing only in political gossip from the Imperial Capital. Now they had suddenly become nooses around their necks.
The Northern Frontier was a bitterly cold land that had barely avoided freezing to death for centuries thanks to grain from the South. What would happen if the Empire forgot it?
It would be no different from an elderly person abandoned in a snow pit.
The council hall instantly erupted into chaos. The clamor grew louder and more confused, as though the Empire's collapse had already reached the gates of Frost Glaive City.
Louis simply watched in silence. Only when the noise threatened to lift the roof did he slowly raise his hand and tap the table twice.
The crisp taps instantly silenced the room.
Louis rose and planted both hands on the long table, his bearing as steady as a monument. "Lords who have joined the Red Tide system need not fear. Your dividends will continue. We will face the difficulties ahead together."
As his words fell, the nobles in the Red Tide camp all breathed sighs of relief.
Some even flushed, like drowning men dragged ashore.
After all, the dividends from Red Tide were staggering. Even a third of their current share would still be manna from heaven to them.
"A smaller share is fine. These are exceptional times, exceptional circumstances... we all understand."
"Just being able to keep receiving dividends is an enormous blessing."
"We will never forget Lord Louis's