The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 780 It's really just an empty shell!

It has to be said that the efficiency of the Swift Hand family is quite high. Just now, the entire Vladivostok family took over all the trivial matters of the imperial city, from the soldiers' garrison to their daily needs, instantly freeing Adolf Heinrich. Adolf Heinrich almost shed tears of emotion, thinking of Yunfeng, who was also a servant in Swift Hand City.

The cooks of the Vladivostok family were true chefs, inheriting the highest culinary skills of the entire empire. They were perfectly capable of being royal chefs, as evidenced by the way everyone ate.

……

“Duke Joelsteria, I won’t lie to you, the kingdom’s administrative system is in a state of chaos right now. I hope you can take up the current position of regent. As for the position of prime minister, it is not suitable for you at the moment.” Roland spoke face to face with Duke Joelsteria by candlelight.

"The position of prime minister is filled? Someone from the Northern Hand family?" Joelster was somewhat surprised. After all, how could Roland, a kingdom with no family, possibly find a suitable prime minister? Apart from the Baigal family of the Northern Hand, it seemed that no other family could fill the role. As for the royal family? The kingdom currently doesn't have that level of authority.

“No, he is a sixth-order sage—Lord Yunfeng!” Roland shook his head and continued.

“He raised the banner of the kingdom during its most difficult time and took charge of all its affairs. I owe him this position as prime minister!” Roland shook his head and said.

“No problem, the Vladivostok family is willing to serve the country with loyalty!” Joelsteria expressed his understanding and agreed to Roland’s appointment. After all, Yunfeng had rendered meritorious service in supporting the founding of the dynasty, and with the upbringing and foundation of the Swift Hand family, Joelsteria would not do anything to seize the position of prime minister.

"May I ask which families currently exist in the kingdom?" Joelster suddenly thought of something and looked up at Roland. This question was important and concerned the reputation of the Swift Hands family. As the "Imperial Twin Fists" family, the weightlifting kings of the empire, they were all masters of balancing power. No one knew better than them how to balance the power of various families. If they were to lose their balance, it would inevitably affect the reputation of the Swift Hands family.

"..." Roland's face darkened, then he calmed down and summarized.

“There are only two true families! The Lion Clan of the former King’s Landing! The Lion Territory, located in the Misty Mountains, whose current patriarch is Apophis Breo! The Mordland Clan, formerly a border baron family of the Empire, now a hereditary earl family of the Empire!” Roland said in a low voice.

“My wife, from the Nyx family.” Roland then shut his mouth.

"And then?" Joelster raised his eyelids, waiting for Roland to continue.

"That's all!" Roland shrugged and said dismissively.

"Aww! There's also the centaur race, the barbarian goblin race, and the grassland elf race." Roland thought for a moment; counting non-humans, there were three more families. "..." Joelster stared at Roland with a livid face. So this guy wasn't being modest when he said the administration was in chaos; he meant it literally! This isn't just a chaotic system; it's a complete lack of system! No wonder you said you owed them a prime minister... With your ridiculously incompetent way of using them, you might as well just give them the position... Although the Imperial Royal Family treats the Imperial Twins like cattle, how many people are in those two families?

"So... the kingdom's administrative system is completely blank except for Prime Minister Yunfeng?" Joelsteria's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

"How could that be!" Roland quickly shook his head. How could he be such a beast as to exploit Yun Feng like that?

"My wife, Lord Apophis Breo, and Lord Yu Modran will all assist him!" Before Joelster could even breathe a sigh of relief and feel that the kingdom still had some foundation, Roland's words made Joelster crawl under the table.

……

Joelster left, wiping cold sweat from his brow, utterly exhausted. It wasn't that the scale of the event was too much for the Vladivostok family to handle; rather, it was the very fact that they could handle it that made Duke Joelster's legs tremble. If things really escalated like this, aside from the Cloud Maple Core Modran family holding a significant number of officials in the kingdom, the rest would be controlled by the Swift Hand family! Joelster turned his head and saw that this wasn't just a case of merit overshadowing the ruler! This was blatant usurpation of the king's power!

Joerstea dared not even think about the deeper meaning behind it. Right now, she just wanted to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich. You should know that the royal family has always been willing to delegate power to the "Imperial Twins" not just because of trust, but because the Twins themselves know how to balance things. The "Imperial Twins" have always been so good at balancing things that even the Emperor could not find fault with them. Otherwise, do you really think the royal family would be happy to let them be "Generals of the Northern Expedition"?
Duke Joelstia could only hope that the king was truly as kind and peaceful as he appeared, and not a smiling tiger. Duke Joelstia was genuinely afraid that his generation, having devoted themselves to the empire, would be the ones devoting their loyalty to the king. He had served the country with the strength of a swift current, not been forced into it!
……

Roland, of course, had no idea what Duke Joelster was thinking. Even if he did, he would only say, "You're overthinking it." He still trusted the system; if even the system betrayed him, what was the point of playing?
At this moment, Roland was paying attention to his system, where he had unknowingly gained 5 more honor points. Roland checked the records and found that they were the reward for returning to Lagrange City. He had accumulated 15 honor points in total. If he saved up a little more, Roland could exchange them for a Swift Legion.

"Three more to go!" Roland silently calculated his system rewards. One draw yielded one of the Twin Fists, and another a legendary Dragon Knight, albeit a partially crippled one, but still with the potential to return to his peak! In short, it was a huge windfall! Therefore, Roland was incredibly excited for the next three draws. However, considering the kingdom was now basically back on track, and with Lagrange City facing imminent war, Roland hesitated about continuing to open packs. Given the system's usual pattern, opening packs at this time would likely yield items from war profiteers, and the things Roland wanted for national development would be unlikely to appear. However, opening packs during peacetime would likely yield items Roland currently needed. Overall, the system's rewards were somewhat humane; it would always give you what you currently required. This left Roland in a dilemma: opening packs might result in three Dragon Knights, but not opening them felt like missing out on a fortune. (Yes, essentially, the Vladivostok family was also a product of war profiteers; this family was designed to better serve the nation's war efforts, allowing the Empire's Twin Fists to mobilize the nation's war potential to the maximum extent.)
……

"Your Majesty, look! His Highness has sent another message from Lagrange City!" Yunfeng waved the magical envelope in her hand to Nyx.

"Haven't we already notified them? Could it be that the Eastern Barbarians have attacked?" Nyx asked, somewhat puzzled.

“I’m afraid it’s even more abstract than that!” Yun Feng said somewhat seriously.

"Let me see?" Nyx casually picked it up and glanced at it, only to be completely restrained.

"The Hand of Swift Current? The Vladivostok family is back?" Nyx's eyelids twitched wildly. She recognized each word, but why did they seem so unfamiliar when put together?
"It seems the internal power structure of the kingdom is about to be reshuffled again!" After reading the letter, Nyx had no reaction to the appearance of the Dragon Knight Commander, but she had to take the Swift Hand seriously.