Throne of the North.

Chapter 549: Compromise and Exchange of Nobles, History and Relations of the Kingdom of Carlos
Otis Brooks, once of noble blood, is now a wandering noble of the empire.

A few years ago, Otis followed the order of the Emperor of the Empire and led the army of Wing Canyon to the Kingdom of Andara to support the Kingdom of Andara in resisting the invasion of the Rhinoceros Orcs in the north.

This was an opportunity for the Brooks bloodline, and Otis did not disappoint. The empire saw his ability. For several years, the Andara Kingdom did not face the panic brought by the Rhinoceros-Man.

Not long ago, after the Rhinoceros was defeated, Otis Brooks led the army and Lauren Columbus, the commander of the Dragon Legion, to fight against the invasion of the Serra Kingdom on the southern battlefield of the Andara Kingdom.

The war ended because Ryan defeated the Crusaders, the Kingdom of Serra withdrew its troops, and the wandering noble returned to the empire with a triumphant victory. If nothing unexpected happens, the emperor will fulfill his promise to Otis Brooks.

But just like Ryan has not received the emperor's reward yet, there have been no rumors about Otis Brooks.

It was not until Count Pascal told Ryan that Ryan was surprised to find that the emperor actually used this thing here.

"No wonder... they say Emperor Chosen Volvo is the one who looks most like the emperor."

“Good at compromise and struggle for political balance.”

According to Ryan's father, Earl Clayton, this emperor has greater political talent than any previous emperor of the empire.

Ryan waited, and as expected, two days later the nobles went to the palace again. This time there were more nobles, and Ryan was also invited.

In fact, there is no need for a baron to participate in the decision-making of such major imperial affairs, but Baron Ryan is a baron who killed the werewolf king.

Emperor Flor did not give Ryan a higher title, but just like in the kingdom, the nobles would not slack off on Ryan's status.

This is not to flatter Ryan, but for their own sake, so that when they have made military achievements in the future, they will not be able to publicize them, and other nobles will not laugh at them by holding the head of the Silver Moon Werewolf King.

More importantly, Baron Ryan is the only noble from the North Wind Province who has come to the Imperial Capital. He represents the voice of the nobles of that land, so he is inevitably involved in the political decisions of the empire.

Finally... In fact, if Ryan himself didn't want to participate, no one would care. The empire's rules on the nobles were relaxed to an unimaginable degree.

Unless what they want to discuss is closely related to Ryan.

So Ryan was invited.

The palace was very big. This was not the palace where Ryan met the emperor before, but a palace that could accommodate all five ranks of nobles in the empire. Every noble had his own chair and table. The magnificent walls around were carved with majestic lions and flowers of heaven with their roots surrounding the entire palace.

Flowers. Most of the first nobles of the Flor Empire used flowers as their emblems, which even today proves the antiquity and history of their bloodline.

The royal flower of paradise blooms forever, representing the eternal prosperity of the Flor Empire.

The nobles were not quiet. After all, they were the kings in their own territories, and the emperor had no power to scold them for speaking.

Ryan's arrival attracted the attention of some people, but most of the nobles didn't actually know him. They only looked puzzled when they saw the baron's clothes, and then they reacted.

Gradually, the smell of food appeared in the palace. It was impossible to expect these nobles who had not even had breakfast to quarrel on an empty stomach. In this regard, Ryan suddenly felt that these nobles were a little barbaric.

The nobles ate and expressed their opinions until the arrival of Columbus III, when their voices became quieter.

There is no way. There is an essential difference between the king and the nobles. They are loyal to the king and naturally have to respect him.

Columbus III had a large belly, but the robe hid all the excess fat, and Ryan suspected that the robe that dragged on the ground for several meters was heavier than the emperor himself.

"It's the same today. How much support do you intend to provide for the war in the South?"

After Columbus III finished speaking, the nobles thought he would remain silent like last time, but they didn't expect the emperor to speak again the next moment.

"But before that, there are a few things to decide."

"The first thing was the war in the north. Under the will of the empire, Baron Ryan and Count Pascal, two distinguished nobles of the empire, helped the Andara Kingdom resist the evil invasion of the Dawn Church and annihilated the Crusaders in the north."

"There are also the nobles of Gerald, the descendants of the royal family of the ancient kingdom. They have also become believers of light and loyal allies of the empire."

"I plan to promote Ryan to the title of baron. What do you think?"

Only Ryan was mentioned, and Count Pascal was not mentioned, but everyone knew what happened, because the gargoyle Count caused heavy losses to the Dragon Legion, so his credit was wiped out at this moment.

Just like the Empire had done many times before.

Ryan was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the emperor would take the initiative to mention the matter of promotion. But the next moment, seeing several great nobles in front of him frowning, Ryan realized something.

The emperor didn't really want to give Ryan a promotion, but wanted others to say it out loud.

Sure enough, Grand Duke Fleming sighed. He was very old, so when he spoke, the nobles kept silent so as not to miss his not-so-loud words.

"Your Majesty, Baron Ryan's merits are enough to be promoted to earl, but his frozen land is at the border of the empire, and the land of the North Wind Province can no longer accommodate a fourth great nobleman."

The emperor didn't want to do that, so Grand Duke Fleming had to be the villain because Baron Lane was a member of his political faction.

The reason was simple, just as Ryan thought.

There was no land left for him.

In the process of upgrading the title, changing the title of Baron Ryan to Earl Ryan is actually the simplest thing, and land is the key.

If you tell others that you don't have enough land to match your title, people will laugh at you.

The emperor looked at Baron Ryan, as if telling him, it’s not that I don’t want to promote you, but you have heard what the Grand Duke said, there is no larger territory for you, so you cannot be promoted.

"Then... what does Grand Duke Fleming think we should do?"

The emperor naturally threw the question to Grand Duke Fleming. In the emperor's view, no, in the view of all the nobles, the nobles' intention to obtain more land and higher titles was unique, and it represented the glory and honor of the surname.

So no matter what, Grand Duke Fleming had offended Baron Ryan, and of course no noble felt that this offense would have any consequences.

The four grand dukes of the empire, the royal family and the grand duke empire are no joke.

The emperor didn't want to be a bad guy, he wanted to be a perfect emperor.

But Ryan didn't care. He had guessed it long ago and didn't even have the slightest hope of luck.

In fact, Grand Duke Fleming was also surprised that Baron Lane didn't care about promotion and land?

Ryan told him this himself when he visited him.

"Baron Ryan has made great contributions, but his frozen territory is deep in the North. Facing the threat of orcs, I think he needs a sturdy fortress to fight against the small fortresses invading his territory from the North."

This sentence was also said by Ryan and Grand Duke Fleming.

What Ryan wanted was not promotion, but the empire's help in building a fortress in the northern border of the Frozen Territory.

He and Archduke Fleming had reached a consensus during several previous visits.

The Grand Duke actually thought this was ridiculous, but he had no real way to get Ryan promoted to a noble, so he had no choice but to agree.

"Build a fortress?"

When the emperor heard this, he frowned, and the nobles looked at Grand Duke Fleming in surprise.

Because this is not a trivial matter. A fortress is not a city. The only function of a fortress is to be used in war and fighting. Therefore, a fortress does not have any benefits and cannot gather wealth like a city.

Then there is the reason why the emperor hesitated.

The resources required to build a fortress are not a small number.

Millions of gold coins? Although the nobles would definitely choose the latter without hesitation, the actual implementation still made the emperor feel distressed.

"Baron Ryan, what do you think?"

To be honest, Ryan's contribution is greater than that of his father, Earl Clayton, who led the extraordinary army deep into the north to slaughter orcs.

The emperor could no longer suppress his anger at the nobles' discussion of the Silvermoon Werewolf King, and this victory over the Church of Dawn in the north was also urgently needed by the empire.

Ryan stood up and respectfully expressed his loyalty to the emperor with a noble etiquette, then said:
"What Grand Duke Fleming said is true. My territory is invaded by orcs almost every month. It would be great if I could have a fortress." "But..."

Ryan hesitated and said with gritted teeth:
"But building a fortress is no small matter. It will consume a large number of the empire's population. The empire is currently at war in the south. Ryan doesn't want the fortress to affect the balance of the war in the south."

"So, if the Empire is willing to provide materials for building a fortress, I can invite the nobles of the Northern Wind Province to help the Frozen Territory build a fortress so as not to waste the Empire's support for the war in the south."

Just provide materials instead of helping with construction? This is a lot less stressful.

Grand Duke Fleming said:
"The Empire has no shortage of building materials. Over the years..."

This was a compromise and deal between Ryan and Grand Duke Fleming.

Ryan took the initiative to find Grand Duke Fleming and said that he could give up the promotion of the title, but in exchange, he must obtain the materials for building the fortress.

The reason why he only needed raw materials was Ryan’s own consideration.

What he wanted to build was not a small or medium-sized fortress like the Xiangshan Plain, but a Great Wall that stretched across the northern border. Dean Rose gave him a desperate figure of 100 million gold coins. Let the empire pay for it? Not to mention the emperor, none of the nobles around him would treat him as a normal person.

But what if you exchange 100 million gold coins for a large amount of stone, wood, and metal?

Of course, even this could not offset the 100 million yuan account, but it at least relieved Ryan's considerable pressure and allowed him to truly see the possibility of building the Great Wall.

Grand Duke Fleming spoke eloquently. As a grand duke, he knew every tree and blade of grass on the imperial land.

"so be it."

The emperor agreed, originally just to refuse to promote Ryan in exchange for a reward, as long as he was not asking for his territory or title.

"But there is one more thing. Baron Ryan was not involved last time, but you mentioned the war in the south."

"I plan to have the School of Magic join the war. Does Baron Ryan have any suggestions?"

"The Magic Academy has a vacant Mage Tower. The former owner of that Mage Tower, Archmage McKen, is now enshrined in your territory. According to the rules of the Magic Academy, Baron Ryan, you can give suggestions on the candidates for the Mage Tower on behalf of Archmage McKen."

This power is what Ryan calls his power of decision.

If the merits on the battlefield are similar, Ryan can decide which of the great wizards is qualified to become the master of the wizard tower.

For example, if Master Lehman has a competitor, Ryan's choice can directly allow Master Lehman to get the only vacant seat among the 36 seats in the magic academy.

"I think the Leman Sanctuary Mage can be of great help in the war in the south."

Ryan said it directly, and also brought out the thread of magic and war.

He had nothing to do after that. Some great nobles also stated the candidates they wanted to recommend, and the four grand dukes each had one. Of course, Grand Duke Fleming also recommended Master Leman.

In fact, the nobles were not so concerned about this seat originally, but Grand Duke Rodrigo made all the nobles see the huge benefits that magicians bring, so now the nobles began to compete for the magic academy.

"The war in the south has won a great victory. If more magicians can participate in the war with the Church, I think those fallen servants of the Dawn will have no chance of defeating the Flor Empire under the faith of light."

"The flower of Flor's heaven will surely bloom on the holy mountain of the morning sun."

Archduke Rodrigo, Ryan looked at the archduke who was speaking. The four archdukes were almost the same age, but in comparison with each other, this archduke was full of energy and looked like a middle-aged man.

A legendary magician?

Ryan didn't know the title of Grand Duke Rodrigo, and no one knew it either, because as one of the four grand dukes of the empire, he had no time to take action.

The reason why he spoke at this time was very simple. He wanted to promote the establishment of the Magicians Association.

Ryan just started it, and soon the nobles returned to their last quarrel. For their own interests, the nobles talked about the pros and cons of war.

Ryan looked at Emperor Columbus III. This time, the emperor obviously wanted an answer.

He couldn't remember how many times he had heard the emperor's anger, so he was definitely not as calm as he appeared to be at the moment. This Emperor Flor... was probably so furious that he was almost ready to lead the army in person.

His desire for war surpassed that of all the nobles present.

Therefore, he would definitely not accept the same results as today and last time.

He will come up with something that will be the final word.

"All right!"

The emperor roared loudly, his voice was resonant, and all the nobles heard the suppressed anger in it. The nobles looked at the emperor, there was no fear in their eyes, and these people were also waiting for the emperor to give them a compromise and exchange of interests.

There is nothing wrong with going to war, but the question is, as the emperor, what kind of guarantees can you give us?

This was the general idea among the nobles.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, the emperor no longer concealed himself.

"The territory of Count Castro was destroyed by the followers of the Dawn and has become a ruin. In the Thousand Lakes Province, there are even more noble territories that have suffered destruction. The Empire will never allow such a thing to happen."

"The war will not stop, but it must not continue to break out on the land of Qianhu Province. That is the territory of the empire, and it is a shame for all of us."

The emperor spoke loudly and passionately, and many nobles also became excited and shouted "Long live the emperor", and then there was no movement.

"I will give the order for Klado to attack and let the war break out on the land of the Kingdom of Kalos."

Ryan felt that the name was familiar, and after thinking for a moment he remembered that the legendary knight Krado, whose title was [Rock], was the former commander of the Winged Canyon and the old leader of Commander Farrell. The reason why Farrell was able to lead the Violent Elephant Legion to participate in the war of the Andara Kingdom was because of the advice of this legendary knight to the emperor.

So... Farrell is considered a student of Crado.

"My goal is no longer just to expel the Vatican's army. I will occupy the land of the Carlos Kingdom and exile the Carlos royal family!"

The emperor's words shocked all the nobles, and some of them immediately stood up to stop him, regardless of their image.

"Your Majesty, as a noble emperor, you must respect the territory of every noble and their absolute power in the territory."

"Even outside the empire, the royal family of the Kingdom of Carlos."

The emperor glanced at the nobleman and did not blame him. Instead, he continued:

"I certainly won't forget my identity and my responsibilities."

"But I will never let the Carlos royal family go, because their royal family is a shameless thief, they are not the owner of that land!"

"The Church of the Dawn has fallen into depravity. For the sake of their own interests, they have forgotten their devout faith in the Lord of the Dawn. They shamelessly drove away the original noble families of that land and pushed the current royal family onto the throne of the king."

Ryan didn't know much about the southern land, but he suddenly remembered that the Kingdom of Carlos seemed to have become the eighth kingdom of mankind under the North because of the Dawn Church.

They were not recognized by other noble territories until the Holy See took a strong stand because it needed the Kingdom of Carlos to be an outpost between them and the Empire, thus helping the Kingdom of Carlos to gain a foothold.

The time point at that time was just after the split between the Empire and the Church.

The Kingdom of Carlos is in the same situation as the former Kingdom of Serra, but it seems to be much better than the Kingdom of Serra.

Ryan was thinking this, when he suddenly heard his name again.

"Baron Ryan, I heard that you participated in the founding war of the Sera Kingdom. I wonder what you know about the four great nobles of the Sera Kingdom and the Carlos bloodline?"

The Emperor asked, and Ryan finally responded.

The royal family of the Kingdom of Serra, McReynolds' opponent in the founding war, is the four Carlos bloodlines that are fighting for power in the south.

He personally led the army and trampled on them one by one, forcing the four great nobles to surrender before McReynolds.

Carlos...Carlos, they are all Carlos, what is the relationship between them?
(End of this chapter)