The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Cassius was striding hurriedly into the Anjou palace.

When the palace guards saw that it was Cassius, they all stopped trying to stop him.

Just then, Alberto had finished discussing the frontline battle report with a nobleman in the hall when Cassius rushed in.

Alberto waved his hand, signaling the other nobles to step aside.

The nobles in the hall were quite dissatisfied. How could His Majesty favor a mere actor and court jester, neglecting the kingdom's veteran ministers?

However, the nobles knew that Cassius was essentially Alberto's close advisor, and that his haste meant he must have something urgent to report. In addition, the recent campaign against Capet had been going smoothly, so no one dared to say anything and they all obediently withdrew.

Anjou is not without internal strife, but compared to the current chaotic situation in Capetian capital, Anjou's internal struggles are merely mutual barking and glaring, with no actual fighting breaking out.

"His Majesty!"

Cassius handed over a thick stack of battle reports with both hands.

"The war in the northern border of the Kingdom of Capet is over, and the results are in."

Upon hearing the news, Alberto immediately took the battle report, but instead of opening it right away, he stood up and paced around the hall.

"Who's winning?"

Alberto asked Cassius somewhat nervously.

"Linde Rolle".

Upon hearing this answer, Alberto sighed deeply, but quickly regained his composure.

This was not good news for the Kingdom of Anjou, but it did not stop Alberto's ambition.

Judging from the previous actions of this governor of the North, he is not a peaceful ruler. He only hoped that the capital would be stable because he needed to unify the North. But that may not be the case now. Alberto needs to reassess the attitude of this Capet governor of the North.

But when Alberto opened the envelope containing the battle report and began to read it carefully, cold sweat kept pouring down his forehead.

Alberto had previously received news that the demons could create those monsters to defeat the Gray Collars, but after that, the Gray Collars' counterattack became increasingly fantastical, with various advanced weapons no longer concealed and being openly deployed in the war.

Moreover, because gray-collar workers have been almost fully engaged in this battle and have no energy left for information control, the true nature of some gray-collar workers has begun to be revealed to the world.

Massive quantities of ray guns, melting and cutting weapons, and magical cannons capable of firing day and night—just looking at the reports, Alberto could sense the absurdity of these weapons.

In particular, that so-called ancestral potion has reached a level that can be described as magical. When combined with the advanced potions produced by the gray-collar workers, it can minimize casualties.

"What exactly is this so-called ancestral medicine?"

Alberto quickly calmed down and noticed a blind spot in the battle report: why would the Northern Governor's ancestral potion be able to counteract the demon monsters? Could it really be some kind of advanced technology from the old empire?

"The old empire did not have similar technology."

Cassius's answer was concise, indicating that he didn't know what it was either and that further observation was needed.

This is not Cassius's fault. Given the distance, obtaining a detailed battle report already required the use of many trump cards and informants. Cassius even received the report earlier than Capet's capital.

Since Cassius didn't know either, Alberto stopped worrying about it. There were so many unknown technologies among the gray and white-collar workers, so it was within Alberto's expectations to have one or two blind spots.

Moreover, the demons who could withstand these weapons and hold their own in the war against the gray-collar workers are also worth paying attention to. At least, the destructive power of those monsters may be even greater than Alberto originally predicted.

In the end, it was the governor, who was in the gray-collar class, who personally stepped in as bait and boosted morale, and finally won by using that so-called ancestral potion.

The only good news is that the Gray Collars and the Demon Clan suffered heavy losses in this battle, and the situation was extremely fierce. Neither side should be able to launch another large-scale war in the short term.

Adding to this, the previous governor of Capet, Doug, made the foolish decision to concentrate the population and offer it to the Daedric. The once rich and prosperous Northern Valleys are now depopulated. No matter how advanced the weapons are, the Capet North now needs to recuperate.

Alberto also realized that his war strategy might need to be re-planned. Capet's northern territory could no longer be considered a vassal state of Capet. Anjou should now treat Capet's northern territory as a separate country.

Will they sell those weapons from the northern Cape region?

After reading the battle report, Alberto put it down and looked out at the distant sky through the palace window.

It's as if this question is directed at Cassius, and also at himself.

"After this war, it's not impossible for the Cape North to sell weapons. The Cape North has a history of selling its obsolete weapons to others, even its rivals, in order to obtain more funds to develop new weapons."

Upon hearing this answer, Alberto nodded. It was in line with his prediction, but the most important thing was not the weapons of Cape North, but the technology behind them.

"Get the alchemists and rune craftsmen ready. We need the technology to replicate the weapons of the Cape North. Also, prepare a letter for me to write to the new master of the Cape North."

After speaking, Alberto pondered for a moment and continued, "We also need to write a letter to the demons, and summon the monks of the Church of the God of War and the Church of the Goddess to discuss what those monsters of the demon race really are."

"Aren't those other scholars clamoring for government funding to explore the ruins of the old empire? Tell the parliament to prepare and approve it."

Alberto has acknowledged Linde's lineage as a descendant of the old empire and has begun preparations for an official intervention to explore the ruins of the old empire.

As orders were issued, Alberto gradually regained his confidence, transforming back into the Anjou king who had fought bloody battles in the power struggle and looked down on everyone.

Gray and white-collar workers are also human beings. Since gray and white-collar workers can create those weapons, there's no reason why the Kingdom of Anjou can't.

Alberto immediately contacted various nobles and began to formulate a new long-term strategy based on the situation in Capet's northern border.

Although the Grey Collars won the war in the North, Alberto's decisions were not significantly affected. The high-pressure policy and attacks on the southwestern border of the Kingdom of Capet continued. Alberto did not think that the relationship between the Queen of Capet and the Governor of the North was particularly close.

Just as the Governor of the North had previously replied to Alberto, the warning was only because Alberto had overstepped his bounds and was attempting to disrupt the situation in the North through the Capetian capital.

Surely it couldn't really be because he saw someone harassing his younger sister, Hongwen? At least Alberto felt that the new Lord of the North wasn't someone who would take his so-called adopted sister seriously; it was just a title to balance and stabilize the situation in the capital, something that could be discarded at any time.

Now, Alberto plans to write to the governor of the North and ask where his reach should extend, suggesting that Anjou and the Cape North might be able to develop a friendly relationship.

Once the boundaries are defined and the benefits are distributed, even if Alberto were to forcibly marry the Queen of Capet, the Governor of the North would have no objection.

At least for now, Alberto's judgment is quite reasonable and not wrong.