Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 458 The Invisible Hand
A classical philosopher once said that in a decadent age, it is impossible to reverse the decline of an entire nation through democratic means.

Since we have entered a period of decline, everyone has their own country, their own interests, and their own pursuits.

Relying on negotiation and alliances to act ultimately leads to mutual friction and hindering each other.

Even if a "superstar" finds the right path, when everyone has their own ideas and opinions, the result is often a wasted effort. In such an era, if you really want to do something, it is often illegal or even dictatorial in the conventional sense.

Fortunately, while the monarchy may have lost its authority in the current Kingdom of Aetherine, its style of conduct is still widely accepted.

These seemingly convoluted words reflect the reality of our time: only when the majority of people accept the kingdom and the royal family can there be a possibility of forcefully enforcing reforms.

If everyone is allowed to indulge in various internal struggles and so-called public opinion-based reforms, and if dictatorship (centralized power) is regarded as a backward ideology, then reform will basically be nothing more than empty talk.

"They have a lot of opinions about us."

Dania has been receiving a lot of complaints every day lately, mostly from ordinary people, and a few from various noble classes.

These complaints are mostly directed at her officials, intelligence personnel, and knights. Attacking Dania herself is unrealistic, but clipping her wings and agents would be the biggest blow to her operations.

Especially the several reforms she recently implemented
"The purge of aristocratic children was the most criticized aspect; those scoundrels who drew salaries and occupied positions without working were the most criticized."

Reforming the military system, especially the knighthood system, was the area facing the greatest resistance.

Dania was favored by the knightly class, but the knightly class was also divided into noble sons and commoner knights. The main content of her reform was the "military merit reward system", which regarded underground exploration work as a kind of "war merit".

Her attempt to use the titles of low-ranking knights and barons to attract adventurers and encourage more powerful individuals who aspire to become nobles to join the war against the beasts also harmed the interests of the knightly class.

However, there is a solution to this problem. More hardworking and courageous knights will receive further noble titles and rewards, but those incompetent knights who just coast along and rely on their family's legacy will become increasingly insignificant as their low-ranking titles depreciate and new elites of the same rank continue to emerge.

However, this was unacceptable to many noble families. Titles like "Commander of the City Guard at XX City Gate," which were nominal but held real power, were usually given to the second or third son of a noble family.

They themselves are not important, often holding low titles and positions, but they are the foundation and backbone of the kingdom.

In the past, nobles spread their influence throughout the city and even the whole country. Coupled with intermarriages and friendly relations among nobles, this was tantamount to indirectly controlling the country.

These are the eyes and ears, as well as the tentacles. The most prominent characteristic of powerful ministers in history is that they often have countless "students" and "disciples".

Each of them wields power, becoming the so-called "public opinion" with the most influence in this era.

"Those short-sighted bastards"

“They may not be short-sighted. They also know that those you promoted have been bought off. When the new nobles rise in the future, they will definitely be grateful for your kindness. If you really save this city or even the kingdom, then you will consolidate royal power, and they will lose most of their privileges.” Rean smiled and spoke cruel words.

"Since you intend to rebuild royal authority, you are their enemy. Aside from those who pledge allegiance to you, don't expect them to back down. You should be prepared for them to hinder your further exploration."

Rean saw it clearly, but he wouldn't have said it so clearly in the past. It seemed that Wu's possession had made him more aggressive.

The nobles also hoped for victory, after all, they wanted to protect their assets.

However, they do not expect Princess Dania to establish authority in this process. The process of development and reform is basically a process of struggle and cooperation moving forward at the same time.

"Plant spies among your people, bribe our rising stars, and smear our leaders." Rean felt that they would use all these methods, and there were definitely more tricks he couldn't guess.

Rean had seen through them; those guys were good for nothing but causing trouble and holding others back.

"Those I can trust most, those most capable ones, are probably the heirs of the Heroic Spirits. I understand, I will make good use of them."

Even without Rean's reminder, Dania could tell that she would definitely make good use of those alumni who had unlimited potential.

"No, I'm not reminding you to give them too many opportunities. On the contrary, I'm reminding you not to be too biased. There are many talented people in other places, and quantity is the most important thing in this regard."

Combat and administration are two different things. Stronger abilities do not necessarily mean stability. If you really want to fight for power with those troublesome nobles, you should make good use of the local factions you have allied with.

A large number of "ordinary staff" is the only way to extend authority. What Rean really wants to advise Dania is to make good use of the newly promoted "labyrinth nobles" and allow or even encourage them to fight with the local nobles.

Ideally, we should support a few benchmark companies.
"Let them fight with those bastards. You'd better step back and take the position of mediator. My personal suggestion is that you promote some traditional nobles recently to create the illusion of compromise with them and also to avoid the loss of resources here."

Rean saw it clearly: the final victor is never the "winner in the struggle," but the "referee who never leaves the field from the beginning."

Rean hoped that Dania wouldn't become so sharp and wouldn't actively stand in opposition to the traditional aristocracy.
"I...I'll think about it."

Dania realized what was happening and looked at Rean with mixed feelings.

You mean yourself?

"I am indeed a suitable candidate for a fighter; from the very beginning, I could not compromise with them."

Rean knew his place. He held the territory, the church, and a knightly order in his hands, and had become a mortal enemy in the eyes of some people.

"But I would recommend it even more to those who are the heirs of the spirits of the alumni reunion."
.
Those heirs are capable, confident, and have potential; setting them up as targets is quite useful.

They were under pressure and were hostile to the local nobles, which naturally brought them closer to Dania. This was one of the reasons why Rean advised Dania to "withdraw herself from the battlefield." As the holder of the royal power, she could gain more support by placing herself in the middle.

"I will find those heirs for you."

And Rean, as the "referee," will naturally guide the choices of those heirs.

When Rean plays the good cop, Dania plays the bad cop, and they can switch roles depending on the person they're dealing with, thus avoiding making too many enemies.

"The successor to the heroic spirits this time?"

"I expect it to be Talia's decision, and I can't interfere."

In fact, Rean has been training Talia for the past two days to help her quickly master the basics of a martial monk.

Putting aside the candidate who appears to be an ordinary person, the other Blue Dragon Monk is the frontrunner for the succession, but Rean really doesn't want him to become the successor.

It wasn't for the power, but rather because if he became the president of a "branch" in the alumni reunion, he would definitely cause trouble.

"Burying him is one thing, but giving him a voice and allowing him to directly interfere with the succession of other branches is quite another."

"Talia, is she capable?"

"I'll give it a try." Rean sighed; all he could do was try his best.

Rean's yard has been renovated several times and has increased in size by at least four times.

It's rare to find a house with a yard bigger than its house, but considering that this yard is actually a training ground for several advanced professionals, it's actually a bit small.

"boom!"

Once again, the assassin's attack was thwarted by a powerful punch.

The shadow's movements were swift, but not fast enough. The assassin's high speed was too pure, and couldn't compare to the monk's free and easy pace.

"boom!"

Once again, Talia was knocked away.

It seems that the big sister who Rean once relied on for his combat strength is no longer his match.

"Again."

(End of this chapter)