You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 428 The Beginning

It was dark and deep all around.

He felt as if he were falling, experiencing intense heat, billowing black smoke, and raging flames, accompanied by countless cries.

He smelled a strong sulfur odor...

The raging flames roared in!

……

"Your Highness?" Shasta whispered in his ear.

Roman suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "What time is it now?"

"The sun is high in the sky, are you feeling unwell?" Shasta asked with some concern.

The warrior knight is immune to heat and cold and has no common diseases; it's probably because the dream has afflicted him again.

Roman said, "I'm fine."

He went through the events of last night in his mind and knew what he needed to do today.

Roman didn't eat at the castle. He hurriedly grabbed two slices of bread, sandwiched some bacon between them, and rode his horse, eating as he went.

We rushed as fast as we could.

Finally, we met the Oak Elite soldiers, fully equipped and ready to go, at the support camp.

“Sir Enya, thank you for your selfless help. Please also give my regards to Grand Duke Ryan.” Roman nodded slightly to the Son of Oak.

Enya's eyes were like emeralds, shimmering with a warm luster.

He had a very handsome smile and said, "I will, Your Highness Roman."

He had to go back to report to his duke father what had happened there.

But reporting to Princess Tashina is not easy... Enya thought to herself, a hint of distress appearing on her pretty face.

"I'll see you off," Roman said, gesturing for you to leave.

Tashina's aid to him was not without reward; she gained the Lion Territory as a base...

Although it was a transaction.

The Oak Son truly offered selfless assistance.

Dozens of Oakwood soldiers died here—they could have been enjoying life in Oakwood Territory.

The name Enya means emerald in Elvish. Roman spent more than a year with him and thought he was of excellent character, gentle and brave.

Roman had nothing to give back.

He observed that these oak trees liked to eat rice, and given the warm southern climate, he concluded that the oak grove was suitable for rice cultivation. Therefore, he sent them some high-quality rice seeds and cultivation methods.

However, without Gervier, the superior traits of the rice variety will likely fade away quickly.

"Lord Roman, where is your army headed?" they asked as they walked.

Roman said casually, "Let me deal with the Papacy and the pirates first; they are the first enemies."

If someone else had said this, Enya would have thought the person was arrogant, but Roman's words were quite fitting; the beast had been unleashed.

He even felt that even without reinforcements, Roman could defend his territory, and no one could cross the line.

"Will you go to the south?" Enya asked without hesitation.

"Oakland is peaceful now; I'm going to the war-torn lands."

Enya sighed, "I'm afraid most people won't welcome you."

Roman pondered for a moment and said, "If we want peace, we must prepare for war. Whoever prepares for war, I will give them war."

Enya was quite taken aback. He said bitterly, "I don't know whether I should welcome you."

Roman's smile vanished, and he said softly but firmly, "Little Gem, the tide cannot be turned. Know that destiny is approaching."

……

He stopped and watched the oak soldiers depart.

"Are the aid supplies for Lion Territory ready?"

“Alright, Your Highness.” Shasta nodded.

"Let's head to Lion Territory."

He woke up late, and today's schedule would be very busy. He led the reins back to the Castle of Abundance, only to find an old man with a white beard standing at the castle gate.

Roman frowned: "Garin, you're quite rare."

This person is a defector from the Vatican, who has lived in the deep mountains for a long time, and has had similar experiences to Jet and others.

After Garin helped Gweil complete her magical enlightenment, he quietly disappeared from his sight, afraid of attracting his attention. Later, when the witches arrived, Roman even left him in a corner, because Garin never sincerely served him.

If they're contacting you now, they probably have something on their mind.

"Go ahead."

Garin's face was grave: "I am an astrologer!"

Roman nodded and said, "You said that, so what?"

"Astrologers peer into the stars, observe the trajectories of celestial bodies, and gain revelation through the astrological realm... And yesterday, I saw a star stray from its orbit, a crimson comet streaking across the night sky. Do you know what this means?"

Roman stared intently at the dirty old man—his beard was thick and bushy, his face was wrinkled, but his eyes were bright, clear, and extremely spirited.

"I have many things to do, so I advise you to keep it brief."

"The celestial bodies have returned to their proper places! This is a terrible omen! The earth will undergo drastic changes!"

Roman said coldly, "It has changed! There is war everywhere on the ground now, and the biggest war is right in front of you! Old man, you are blind!"

Garin said in a heavy tone, "I'm talking about calamity! Darkness will sweep back! The dragons are among them, but not all. Now the time has come, the stars are in their places, and they will all reappear, re-emerging from ancient history, from folk tales, from lost ages!" "Why are you telling me this?"

Garin gazed at Roman: "You must fight it. It is the responsibility of all human kings to protect their people."

Roman frowned, pursed his lips, and remained silent.

To this day, he still doesn't believe those horrifying legends, even though Tasina has mentioned the Dark Ages many times, and even though he has dreamt about them repeatedly...

"Time and place!"

"Uh……"

Roman turned and walked towards the castle: "You know nothing, what can I do?"

Galin relentlessly followed behind Roman.

He gave many vague answers: "The far north? The north? No, perhaps in the south? Yes, right in the south! Time, midsummer? Or maybe late summer, when midsummer ends and winter arrives..."

“Turn right, and all you’ll see is south,” Roman said sarcastically.

He walked swiftly towards the bedroom, unbuckled his belt, and took off his coat.

Garin stayed behind him the whole time.

He said, "I'm reminding you to take this seriously; I'm not exaggerating!"

The old priest was learned and skilled in magic; he was no ordinary man.

Roman also felt that he didn't seem senile, so he glanced at him and said, "Then I should remind you that I need to change my clothes."

After Garin left, Shasta brought a cloak and draped it over Roman, asking softly, "Your Highness, do you really believe it?"

"I don't believe anyone's empty words..." Roman looked at himself in the mirror.

"But it's better to be prepared!" He had brown hair, red eyes, and a calm expression.

……

Stone Fortress.

When Hena learned that Macol had returned from the campaign, she went to greet him, personally removing his cloak with gentle and elegant manners.

Hena has brown hair and red eyes, and comes from a noble family.

She is the legal wife of the eldest son of the Raging Tide, and also the female lord of the Azure Moon Red Tree Fortress. Now she has moved to the Stone Fortress and will become the future mistress of this castle.

She said, "Macol, your father is waiting for you."

Markel had no time to catch up with his wife and left in a hurry.

He knew that his father had not been idle during his two years as regent in Blackburg. He consulted all the books in the Conqueror's court, searching for traces of the Guardians of Ulster, and finally found some clues.

Duke of Rage Tide's hall is a spacious circular room with walls made of black stone. The hall has four tall, narrow windows facing the four cardinal directions, and a stone table is placed inside.

The location here is extremely high, and the strong winds blow like endless ocean tides.

The regent of Black Iron, Duke of Rage Tide, sat among them, his face as weathered and eroded as a coastal reef. He asked, "How do you feel?"

After a moment of silence, Markel, who had just entered, said, "Roman's military discipline is strict!"

“Strict discipline ensures victory in nine out of ten battles,” the Duke said. “That’s a new regime… no need to focus on the valley.”

"why?"

"When they unite, they are incredibly powerful; no one can destroy them—not the Holy See, not you. We need to disperse their forces... His invincibility in the valley doesn't mean he's invincible across the entire Black Iron Lands. If he can't govern the vast lands, the more territory he conquers, the more dispersed his power becomes, the more weaknesses he'll have, and ultimately, he'll fall into disarray and collapse..."

“Father, what if Roman’s regime hadn’t collapsed?” Macol recalled the rumors he had heard during the withdrawal and the actions of the Valley Army, and suddenly felt an unknown fear.

Roman is engaging in an insatiable act of aggression!

It was not a typical aggression by nobles against nobles, nobles against the king, or nobles against the Papacy.

It is a ruthless invasion of one order by another!

In the past, no one knew what kind of order Roman had established.

People only know that the valley is indescribable, where armor and equipment for a legion of ten thousand men can be produced, and all the soldiers are fearless and valiant. Roman is an anomaly among the nobles.

All they knew was that the King of the Valley was hiding in that dark corner, practicing some kind of witchcraft.

Today, witchcraft has taken shape.

By the time they tried to stop it, it was too late.

The ferocious beasts of the valley have fully revealed their hideous claws!

The war between nobles has transformed into a war of ideologies!

A war in which a higher order overthrows a lower order!

A war of crushing and annihilation!

A war of life and death!

Macol, a traditional military aristocrat, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine!

He knew that once Roman won, no one would escape the fate of being slaughtered.

Now, Roman is bound to expand his influence on a large scale.

But will this really cause him to overeat and die?

He was ruthless; he would rather give food to starving people!
Payne said in a hoarse voice, “The die is cast, the die is cast… The moment Roman chose to cross the valley’s border, he became our sworn enemy. Go, Markel, and face the fate of our people.”

Duke Fury Tide rose and looked north.

Shibao is located inland, far from the ocean.

He knew that even though the bloodline of the raging tides had been lost, the ocean still called upon all the deep-sea people...

(End of this chapter)