The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Before Claire could react, a nobleman from the old party jumped up and said, "Your Majesty, our family's territory is closer to the northern border. For the peace of the kingdom and for the warriors on the border, I am willing to offer up the population of my territory!"

Marcel immediately looked at the nobleman who had jumped out with a shocked expression, his eyes seemingly accusing him of acting without authorization. But in the face of huge profits, none of that mattered anymore. Marcel even jumped out himself and said, "Your Majesty, my family's territory has a large population, and I believe they can shoulder this great responsibility."

Marcel was originally a conservative in the Old Party, believing that maintaining good relations with the North to fight the Daedric. This trade certificate was not only a huge benefit for Marcel, but it also allowed him to establish a direct relationship with the Governor of the North, which was the most important thing. He had to get it no matter what!

At this moment, even Monroe jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, our Eastern Territory is also very close to the Northern Territory, and I heard that the Northern Territory's main loss this time was the population in the valley. Our Eastern Territory can send people there directly."

Monroe was also tempted; making money isn't shameful.

After considering it for a moment, Scott said, "Your Majesty, I think Sir Marcel was right. These are the weapons our southwestern border needs, and they should be supplied by our southwestern border. Although the journey is long, I will certainly live up to your trust!"

The people don't necessarily have to come from the West. Let's get the trade documents first. There's a lot of room for maneuver with these trade documents. Scott can get the trade documents and share some of the profits with the Central nobles, letting them provide the people. After all, the Governor of the North said that it doesn't matter where the people come from.

Marcel gave Scott a disdainful look, but Scott remained unfazed, his eyes even seeming to reproach Judith for not consulting him about such an important matter first.

"Your Majesty! The population of my territory can also be contributed."

"Your Majesty, my territory is closer to the northern border!"

"His Majesty..."

"His Majesty!"

The meeting room turned into a chaotic marketplace. Nora tried desperately to maintain order, but the nobles remained unmoved. More and more nobles realized how outrageous the profits this trade certificate could bring. For this reason, these nobles were even willing to sacrifice their image and take risks, climbing onto the table just so that Lilith could hear them speak.

Lilith, seated on her throne, watched the disgraceful nobles, her lips curling up as if a dragon king had returned.

This is just the foreplay; the brother hasn't even used a whole bunch of trump cards yet.

Claire, watching the situation spiral out of control, broke out in a cold sweat. What exactly happened during Lilith's trip to the North?

At this moment, a member of the Augustinian family gently patted Claire on the back.

"Your Highness, the area surrounding the capital is theoretically also our fiefdom. Could we perhaps relocate some people there...?"

For a moment, Claire felt the veins on her forehead throbbing, but after calming down, she said, "I will ask His Majesty for help, so there is no need to worry."

Hearing Claire say this, the Augustins were all relieved.

After almost everyone in the meeting had expressed their opinion, Lilith tapped the ground with her scepter with satisfaction, and the meeting room immediately fell silent.

Looking at these nobles, Lilith said, "I believe that you are all pillars of this country and are all thinking of the kingdom. However, your willingness to dedicate yourselves makes it difficult for me to make a choice. I believe that with all of you here, the kingdom will soon be great again."

In any case, the praise was first bestowed upon these nobles, and sure enough, when Her Majesty praised them, all the nobles, whether from the new party or the old party, showed a somewhat smug expression.

"Therefore, I have decided that we will only issue a portion of these places for the time being, and give the remaining places to those who are truly willing to think about the kingdom."

Lilith then called out the names of several nobles, who all showed expressions of ecstasy and said that they would immediately arrange the relocation of the population after leaving the palace, and would certainly live up to Her Majesty's expectations.

Marcel looked at these nobles and understood Lilith's thoughts. Although there were both new and old factions among these nobles, they all had one thing in common: they were relatively close to the North. At least they were not nobles who were eager to take back the North or use other forces to maintain a balance with the North.

Because of this, the Old Party actually had more seats than the New Party, since the conservatives of the Old Party originally hoped to fight against the demons together with the North.

Her Majesty's future administrative policy is now very clear: it is unlikely that the North will be substantially recovered, but more cooperation with the North is possible.

The remaining spots were meant to encourage nobles to strive in that direction. With this in mind, Marcel felt relieved. He was sure he would get the spot sooner or later. After all, he was the leader of the Old Party and a conservative. Although he hadn't been particularly prominent before, that was because Marcel needed to balance the power within the Old Party, but he didn't need to now.

Marcel glanced at the surrounding nobles, and sure enough, the conservative nobles were all beaming with joy and exchanging knowing glances.

Claire, on the other hand, stared at the treaty in Nora's hand with a hint of resentment.

Putting everything else aside, this one thing Nora has is enough to help Lilith control most of the nobles.

After all, regardless of whether it's the new party or the old party, most nobles are still driven by self-interest, and Lilith currently has enough self-interest in her hands.

There's no need for balance anymore; as long as Lilith holds these interests in her hands, she can control most of the nobles.

Most nobles have little loyalty and are only greedy for profit, which has now become Lilith's advantage.

Even now, Claire could somewhat understand the governor's thinking. Replenishing the population and opening up trade were all normal practices; it was just that the governor had chosen a method that was more in line with Her Majesty the Queen's.

It doesn't matter. This policy only targets nobles, and even more nobles. It will not only fail to improve the capital's economy, but will also cause more people to migrate to the north.

This only barely solved the problems in the southwest, and was far from achieving the desired effect of the policy of spreading rumors. The capital and Her Majesty the Queen were still very poor.

Claire guessed that Lilith would definitely use a black glove to make money through trade documents, but with only one black glove, how could she possibly out-earn the nobles? For the bottomless pit of reform in the capital, this amount of income was still not enough, let alone the restoration of the capital's glory. In the long run, it might even cause some nobles to become too wealthy and powerful, causing the situation in the capital to become unbalanced.

This could even lead those nobles to side with the North, which may be the true intention of the governor of the North.

Claire kept reassuring herself. After adjusting her mindset, Claire looked at Prime Minister Nora, who was turning the page of the treaty and preparing to read the next page.

Could this Governor of the North possibly go any further?