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

Chapter 85 Sigh
He squinted at the thick piece of paper.

His eyes used to be sharp and could terrify people, but now his eyesight is so bad that he can hardly tell whether a bird is a crow or a black eagle from ten meters away; he can only see a blurry shadow.

In the lower left corner of the letter, there is a rough but remarkably lifelike sketch of a wheat field.

As stated in the letter.

That wheat field was more productive than the most fertile land in the world.

The wheat ears stood shoulder to shoulder, each grain plump and full, while the dense stalks stretched into the boundless distance…

No painter could ever depict this scene without witnessing it firsthand.

He threw the parchment into the fire, where a suckling pig was roasting and the royal chef was preparing lunch for him. The parchment twisted and deformed on the burning firewood and then burst into flames.

The flames grew stronger, and wisps of black smoke rose from the parchment, drifting upwards, turning the writing and sketches to ashes.

He closed his eyes to rest for a moment, but soon had to open them again.

“Sir,” the visitor said, “please forgive me for disturbing your rest.”

"Scholar Iher, would you like some suckling pig?"

In the bright sunshine of midsummer, the temperature is not high, but very mild. The garden is beautiful and exquisite, with grape trellises providing shade, winding courtyard paths, lush forests stretching into the distance, clear lakes, and distant, towering city walls.

These scenes filled the afternoon with tranquility and peace.

"We'll talk about it later, sir. I have something to report to you."

Scholar Iher was a gaunt man. In his youth, his hair and eyes were black, but his nose was high and straight, giving him a classical appearance. Now, however, he bore the marks of time.

Learned scholars deserve respect, and Ikh is undoubtedly among the most respectable.

Scholar Iher's words were grave. "The witch has caused quite a stir in the north. The Holy See has sent wave after wave of demon hunters, issuing mobilization orders one after another, but the ones they're dealing with are no ordinary people..."

Why are you telling me this?

"...You need to know about this."

"I understand now, so what do you want me to do!" he said, somewhat annoyed.

What can he do?
In his prime, the desire to conquer the entire land burned like wildfire in his chest.

Time is water, and years are sand. Before the ocean and the desert, a rootless flame cannot last long.

He was born at the wrong time; he drew his sword and looked around, feeling lost and bewildered.

He personally conquered and suppressed the original town of Sige.

But what he wanted wasn't a small victory, but a resounding and decisive one!

He didn't care who the enemy was; his arrogant ambition was to fight to the ends of the earth and become the second conqueror.

He longed for war and victory, and traveled far and wide in search of a witch.

Then the witch told him that the human race's situation could not be left to him to mess around. The former court witch had promised that day would come, but it certainly wouldn't be now.

He hated his era and vented his frustrations through binge eating and indulging in material desires, completely disregarding the gradual decline of his martial arts skills.

Now that the opportunity has come, the witch has been driven to a dead end and is finally willing to take action.

But he was very old, obese, slow to react, and his blood was no longer hot. How could he cooperate with them?
His eyesight is getting worse and worse. When he was young, he could shoot through rocks 300 meters away. Now his body is like a mountain of flesh, weighing 500 pounds. He can't even stand up, let alone draw a bowstring.

Scholar Iher remained silent, then turned his gaze to the remains on the campfire and asked in surprise, "This letter?"

There were not many people who could deliver letters to his lord, and he knew who they were when they came to him. They were either the kings of the land and other dukes, or the big merchants of the free city-states.

However, these letters are usually kept.

“Roman’s letter, written by Seth.” He calmed down.

“Oh, I remember now, Seth went on a long trip with Roman. No wonder I haven’t seen him teaching etiquette classes these days.”

“I asked him to write a letter, but he did nothing, so I secretly instructed Seth to tell me everything. Seth is very loyal, and Roman is a traitor!”

Ikh rarely saw him so concerned about anything; he didn't even care about important state affairs. So he could only say, "It's normal for him to have some complaints after you banished him to the wilderness."

Upon hearing this, he emphasized, "It was his own choice; he is the most outstanding child of the Liejia family."

"My lord, I beg you! I beg you not to say this to others, especially Lord Gael, who is your eldest son and the first child born to your wife." Scholar Iher was trembling with fear and trepidation. Only when he saw that the royal chef was far enough away that he could not hear what was being said could he feel at ease.

"I'm not dead yet."

But you will have to abdicate one day. Maester Iher thought to himself, sometimes feeling a pang of sadness for his successor.

But given Lord Gael's perspective, he shouldn't think that a bastard could pose any threat.

Lord Gael is the legitimate ruler, and at some point in the future, all people with the surname Liejia will have to serve him, or they will lose the legitimacy that their surname brings.

“I have to tell you, I know what Gale is thinking, but I have no idea what that kid is thinking. I noticed him when he was already ten years old. His mother died after giving birth to him, and I ignored him for ten years. I don’t even know how he grew up.”

“You shouldn’t compare him to Lord Gael,” Ihe reminded him again.

“He is him, and Gale is Gale. If he had any ambition, he wouldn’t have gone far away. Instead, he would have fawned over me and shown off, and maybe then I would have agreed to include him as an heir—giving him a large land. But he didn’t, because he looked down on me and on my position.”

Among his many children, that child was a prodigy, a rare find in the world. He could quickly understand and master anything he learned, and he was the only one who dared to stand in front of him and say those words that shocked others and made him feel somewhat sad.

The lion should be released from its cage. Let me leave. I will bring you a new era—if you live to see that time, you should be able to see it… It doesn’t matter where he goes.

He just wanted to escape from those confines.

In the Rift Armor Territory, those who are subject to too many constraints and are protected by rules and order will have to serve those rules and order in the future, or they will suffer the backlash.

So he preferred to become a wandering knight and start from scratch.

As for the methods, there are too many to list. One can become an outlaw, a mercenary, or participate in a martial arts tournament to rise from the bottom up. In less than two years, one can train a group of capable soldiers who are willing to obey one's commands.

In this era, having soldiers meant having everything. They could be hired, fight in various places, and when the time was right, they could seize power and establish a firm foothold.

People with courage and wisdom have a much higher chance of survival than ordinary people.

Some people who are both intelligent and brave are born kings.

He specially bestowed upon him that geographically excellent valley, a matter that was originally a secret.

Scholar Iher was unaware of these matters. Roman kept a low profile in the Grand Duchy. He had too many illegitimate children, and some of these illegitimate children, after having offspring, would be sent here for education.

He could only say, "You're overthinking it."

He assured him, "No one can ignore your position, and no child will despise his parents."

“I love them, I love my children, I spoil them, regardless of gender, they are the continuation of my bloodline. What I couldn’t do before, I have to entrust to them. This is the expectation for future generations, and also the expectation of my ancestors for me, because the family motto of the Liejia family is... to overcome all obstacles.”

He sighed suddenly as he finished speaking.

He was an incompetent Grand Duke, lacking both the ability and the qualifications to overcome all obstacles.

If it were him when he was young, if it were him when he was young...

He felt inexplicably sad and irritable, and looking at his fat hands, he would feel waves of despair.

He hoped he would be Roman, energetic and vibrant, just as Seth wrote in his letter, doing everything himself.

But in reality, he was Gale, living in the shadow of his time. The first half of his life was full of glory and honor, while the second half was bleak and a failure.

His heart was always weary, and he habitually avoided everything, becoming more negative than ever before.

"My lord, I have more to tell you than just news from Wan Dong. There's also news from the Highlands and Iceland. The King of the Highlands has requested aid for the third time, saying that barbarian troops are at the city gates; and the latest news from the King of Iceland is that the pirates are preparing to hold a pirate tournament this year; some merchants who are on good terms with you have reported that there are more and more bandits on the road recently..."

"Why are you telling me all this! Let them do whatever they want—loot! smash! burn! kill! Let them do it. What's the point of talking about these trivial matters? I couldn't do anything when I was young, so what do you want me to do now?"

His aged voice was filled with anger and weakness, as if someone who had been lying down for too long could no longer stand up.

Scholar Iher hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He's always like this; he throws inexplicable tantrums whenever you talk to him about serious matters, whether it's about matters between vassals or matters at the kingdom level.

These topics are like fuses, connecting to a powder keg; they'll explode at the slightest touch.

If they don't make an appointment, what are these strategists supposed to do?

Scholar Iher suddenly felt a pang of envy for Seth; following a young lord must have been much better.

"Then I have nothing more to say."

The wise scholar bowed and took his leave.

He knew the consequences of overstepping his bounds, and the Moya family is still reaping the bitter fruit of that.

……

This is the most magnificent and fortified castle in the Rift Armor Territory.

Named after the bravery of its ancestors, Red Dragon Castle has stood for over a hundred years.

It is tall and intact, and has never been ravaged by war since its construction.

The banner of the Greatbow of the Cracked Armor has been planted on this castle for the same years.

The ancestors of the Cracked Armor could draw the great bow used to slay dragons with their bare hands, and together with that conqueror, they conquered this land.

He subdued the chaotic nations, quelled the barbarian invasion, and fought his way to the edge of the icy sea—a truly legendary figure.

Grand Duke Liejia watched as Scholar Iher's figure disappeared into the corridor beneath the ivy.

His eyes dimmed as he stared blankly at the suckling pig. Its delicious, fatty, and sweet skin made him want to devour it, but after eating it, he felt nauseous.

These things must have corrupted his will and body.

He felt pain, a pain that came from both body and mind. He hated everything, but what he hated most was the limitation of being human.

He strained to look up.

Perhaps because he had been staring at the campfire for too long, his red and cloudy eyes were also stained with the embers of the campfire.

Through the gaps in the emerald green grape leaves, he vaguely saw the fluttering, cracked banner in his blurred vision; the banner embroidered with a crimson bow seemed to be scorched by the embers in his eyes as well…

A heavy sigh echoed through the tranquil courtyard, lingering for a long time.

"Overcoming all obstacles...sigh..."

(End of this chapter)