Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 318 [Seven Sacred Vessels of Kingly Power] and the Baron of Stromgarde
Kingston, the capital of Hattings, Oasis Palace.

As night fell, the palace was illuminated by various alchemical lamps, making it look bright and magnificent.

It has a Georgian-style spire roof, an exquisite porch and columns carved from white marble, and absolutely symmetrical annexes on both sides.

Together they form a huge complex consisting of more than 600 halls and rooms.

With the orderly six pairs of six glass panes, it is transparent and bright, and the lines are simple and orderly.

Surrounded by the solemn "Pomp and Glory March", it looks neat, elegant, dignified and noble from every angle, full of the timeless beauty of order.

However, when time came to May, the white roses were blooming everywhere in the palace. Byron, who was invited to attend the celebration party, felt that they were extremely dazzling.

"Revisiting the old place, I find that the red rose of Lancaster and Oasis Palace are indeed a better match."

Unfortunately, he has no way to deal with the York Dynasty of the White Rose now.

In order to celebrate the fact that Hastings stood out from other countries and won the "immunity" to maintain his religious independence, it was a great honor for him, a loyal and meritorious minister, to be invited to attend the banquet.

The [Royal Orb] allowed him to have the projection of the royal palace, but apart from the senses and touch that were the same as a real person, he didn't even have the ability to summon a gust of wind to vent his anger.

Of course, he couldn't do such a meaningless and stupid thing like a fool.

"The seven sacred vessels of royal power that connect the will of the people of the entire kingdom are all concentrated here. Ganquan Palace is the most solid fortress in the entire Kingdom of Hettings.

A violent siege is definitely the worst option.

Provoking internal strife, undermining the people's morale, alienating the nobles, even directly poisoning is better than attacking the city."

Byron, dressed in a neat brigadier general's uniform, raised his head to look at the sky above Ganquan Palace while following the waiter to the banquet hall.

Only as one of the legal heirs of the [Iron Law of Kingship: Magna Carta] and a "shareholder" of the kingdom can one see the seven pillars of light rising into the sky in the entire Ganquan Palace through spiritual vision.

They weaved a dense network of laws in the sky, carrying the full text of the Magna Carta and the white rose emblem, radiating in all directions.

Those are the seven treasures that every King of Hattings needs when he is crowned.

Byron knew them like the back of his hand. No, they were his treasures:
The core of the law [Magna Carta (the original law)]; the [Orb of Power] symbolizing the divine right of kings;
The cross scepter symbolizes power and justice, and the dove scepter symbolizes fairness and mercy. The two scepters, one long and one short, are collectively called the "monarch's scepter";
The Hattings Wedding Ring, a symbol of responsibility and oath, is worn on the ring finger of the monarch's right hand by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest-ranking person in the kingdom, during the coronation, representing the "marriage" between the monarch and the country;
To be honest, Byron felt a little sympathetic to the hidden national will of the Kingdom of Hastings.

She had been married to all the kings in her entire dynastic family line, from great-grandfather to great-great-grandson.

I don’t know who came up with this weird ritual.

Fortunately, the national will is not personified, otherwise it would be a lot to watch.

In addition, there is the [Sword of Dedication], which symbolizes the monarch's dedication to governing the country; the [Crown of St. Edward], which is made of 2.23 kilograms of pure gold;
The Coronation Throne, which is composed of the Stone of Destiny and the Throne of St. Edward;
When they were young, he and his cousin Edward had secretly sat on this chair and knelt down to worship each other in a very formal manner.

When the two brothers wanted to pull Catherine over to kneel down and worship them together, they were all beaten by the leader of the children.

And it's useless to beat him.

When I went to complain to the adults, I was severely beaten by my uncle and father.

The two brothers were lucky enough not to go to the guillotine together, thanks to the fact that they were both the only sons in their families.

Each of these seven treasures is a prestigious first-class holy relic, accumulated from generation to generation over hundreds of years of history, and together they form a dragnet covering all the territories of the kingdom.

Anyone who comes here with ill intentions will feel like a thorn in the back and will not even dare to breathe.

The arch traitor Mr. Byron, however, was not affected at all. The several rays of detection light falling on him were like a spring breeze on his face. He even had the leisure to comment on these treasures one by one.

“Although these seven royal sacred artifacts are powerful, even if they are added together, they are not as powerful as the eighth.

The last treasure, although not in the royal capital, is the only zero-level holy relic among all the treasures in the entire Kingdom of Hastings.

The [Sword in the Stone], which no one has been able to pull out since the mythological era, is also called the [Sword of the King Chosen]!
If I could pull that thing out, the Royal Power would probably turn against me right then and there, and there would be no need to fight."

Thinking of this, Byron couldn't help but shake his head in his heart, throwing away all the unrealistic delusions.

[Sword of the Chosen King] is a peerless holy sword made of all the precious metals imaginable in the world.

It was inserted into a square stone by the holy lake of Langos, with an elven inscription engraved on it: "Whoever can pull this sword out from the stone platform will be the king of the whole land."

According to legend, the sword in the stone not only symbolizes royal power, but also represents one of the earliest metallurgical technologies in the Old World.

This is not entirely unfounded, considering that Hattings' Channel Islands are rich in iron ore and coal (Chapter 183).

The reason why Byron had no hope for this legendary supreme holy sword.

It's purely because although it is a level 0 relic with strict defense, every Lancaster has tried it.

No one, including Byron himself, could pull it out.

Now that the kingdom has changed hands, it is clear that the members of the York family do not have the "kingly qualities" to be so fortunate as to be recognized by the Sword of the King.

“I suspect that the holy sword is not selecting a king, but only the true king recognized by this land is qualified to pull it out.

When I become a true fifth-rank legendary pirate king, I will definitely give it another try."

While his thoughts were wandering, Byron had already followed the waiter into the luxurious banquet hall which had already started.

Even though he was the number one contributor, he did not seem to be the protagonist of the celebration banquet. When he received the news and arrived, the banquet had already entered the second half.

Seeing this scene, Byron shook his head slightly:
“When you invite someone to a banquet, three days are for the invitation, two days are for the call, and one day is for the reminder.

Although my real body is far away in the Bantaan Islands, I was not allowed to come until the banquet was halfway through. It can be seen that I still have a long way to go on the road to becoming a "major shareholder."

However, everything that happened next instantly negated his judgment.

Seeing him enter, the royalists gathered in the banquet hall suddenly cheered:

"If loyalty is not absolute, then it is absolutely disloyal!"

"With hard work, nothing is impossible!"

"Your Majesty is loyal!"

"."

This was the loyal "voice" he heard from his subconscious mind when the Star Chamber Tribunal tested him in his dream. A group of noble gentlemen were collectively paying him a salute and applauding enthusiastically as if they were welcoming a hero.

Even the current King Edward IV, who was standing among a group of nobles, opened his arms enthusiastically to Byron and laughed heartily:

"Hahaha, look, gentlemen, look who's here?

Remember what he looks like, this is our most loyal Governor of Port Royal, Commodore, Baron Byron Tudor of Stromgarde.

Let's cheer for our hero who has defended the interests of the colony."

Amid the even louder applause and cheers, Byron couldn't help but lose focus for a moment.

"The Baron of Stromgarde? What do you mean?"

With his outstanding performance, it was only natural that he should be called "Acting Governor" without the word "acting". But what did Baron of Stromgarde mean? No one informed him.

Seeing Byron's dazed look, Edward IV laughed heartily again, and a group of dignitaries of the kingdom around him also gave him kind smiles.

A handsome young man with blond hair and wearing a duke's uniform said with a smile:
"Your Majesty, our newly-promoted hereditary baron is obviously overjoyed by this unexpected surprise.

For a loyal minister, what could be more glorious and happier than this moment?
From now on, the Tudor family will be listed in the House of Lords, become a branch of the noble bloodline of Hastings, start the hereditary family line of Tudor barons, and become your true vassal. "

Byron seemed to have just woken up from a dream at this time, and hurriedly stepped forward to perform the ceremony of a king and his subject, and said with tears of gratitude:

“Your Majesty, thank you for your great grace.

The Tudor family and I will give you our hearts and yours."

Finally, I got to see Edward IV, his brother George, and Richard, three core royal members of the House of York, up close.

Byron had prepared himself mentally in advance, and he did not lose his composure even when facing his enemy with whom he had a blood feud.

Completely normal behavior for a flattered little person.

And from a fair point of view, Edward IV did a very good job as a monarch in this matter.

First, he deliberately neglected the loyal minister, and when the other party was in a nervous mood and didn't know what he had done wrong, he suddenly threw out a surprise he had prepared in advance.

As her mood fluctuates, she will inevitably become more devoted to him.

You should know that the honors of the Kingdom of Hattings can be divided into three categories:
“The first is the Royal Honor, which is conferred on the royal family or the highest nobles; the second is the Noble Honor, which is conferred on ordinary nobles and is usually a hereditary title;
The third is the Order of Merit, which is awarded to those who have made significant contributions to the kingdom, usually for life.

Byron made great contributions to the kingdom by obtaining the second "immunity". In theory, the lifetime honor should be enough to recognize his achievements.

This "hereditary baron" is obviously an extra favor.

And there are usually only two collective awarding ceremonies a year, one at New Year's Day and the other on the King's birthday.

This time, this loyal minister was given a special title.

Edward IV not only had outstanding military talent and great personal charm, but also had mastered the art of controlling his subordinates.

In fact, the land granted to Byron was the Port of Rapids that he had conquered himself, but it was changed from a company colony to an aristocratic owner's colony.

It was completely free of charge, and all the York family paid was a verbal title.

However, Edward IV did not realize that his series of political tactics not only failed to make the "great loyal minister" more loyal, but instead made him more murderous.

"Great enemy!
Unfortunately, the higher the rank of the boss, the stronger his resistance to [Heart and Soul].

The same crisis would be a calamity for a low-sequence being, but it would be just a breeze for a King. If you want to deal with him, you have to find another way. "

Byron's thoughts were in turmoil, and he was already thinking about how to kill him in advance.

Edward IV was unaware of his thoughts and, holding a ceremonial sword, he awarded the title to this loyal minister who had repeatedly proved his ability and loyalty.

He thought that at this time when the two parties are fighting each other for personnel, he had won over a capable and aggressive general.

After the ceremony, many dignitaries gathered around Byron to talk with him.

"Your Excellency Baron, I heard that your Vanguard Colonial Trading Company is thriving. Are you interested in finding one or two partners in your home country?"

"Your Excellency the Baron."

Some of them wanted to open up business routes, some wanted first-hand sources of high-quality spices, and some wanted him to buy Bantaan's special female slaves.
There are also many people who have fallen on hard times and would like to promote their daughters or sisters to him in order to become his in-laws.

The only thing missing is having the words “potential stock” written on his forehead.

As a latecomer, Hastings' interests in the colonies were far less than those of Castile.

The battle for the right to educate and protect children was a great and resounding victory that had not been seen in the past decade.

It represented the counterattack of the Hettingians against Castilian hegemony, and finally tore a hole in the Iron Curtain.

With such achievements, coupled with his words of loyalty, Byron had become a rising political star.

The image of loyalty, strength and courage has gradually gained popularity.

Moreover, nobility is not determined by the height of the title, but by the size of the territory and the number of private armies.

From today on, he can deservedly call himself a local lord.

Last but not least, obtaining a title of at least lord also allowed Byron to meet the last prerequisite of [Ritual of the Holy Grail - Blood Feast] (Chapter 187).

——【Night Demons】are all nobles.

Due to chance, it took only half a year to complete the goal that the "teacher" insect swarm said would take several years of hard work to achieve.

There was no more obstacle for Byron to start the blood sublimation ceremony.

And just when he thought it was all just a coincidence.

A secret order from Edward IV quietly increased the decryption density of [Secret: The Shadow Behind the War of Red and White Roses, Influence 31] from 68% to 78%.

(End of this chapter)