Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 225 Count Kuraki
Raven stayed in Kuraki Castle for a few more days before preparing to return to the capital.

In the past, I might have made a trip to Langlitburg, but now Kuraki is the de facto political center of the plains, so there's no need to go.

Raven and Sumu discussed the war in the North for a whole day. Although Rhodes' incompetence was far beyond their expectations, Raven still hoped that Sumu could provide support at a crucial moment. As fellow nobles of Elton, if they could save Rhodes, perhaps the North could still survive.

Right now, things are tough everywhere, so we have to be patient for the sake of the country.

Su Mu understood Raven's feelings, but felt somewhat powerless. Even if Ouling cooperated with the Judgment Priest to put pressure on Isildur, the enemy would definitely continue to attack Winterfell.

The saying goes, "To forge iron, one must be strong oneself." The Salman family did indeed have fewer troops, but even with fewer troops, there are ways to fight. A country like Rhodes, which couldn't even hold a single city and didn't try to delay or block the attack, only hoping to rely on external forces for assistance, was basically doomed.

Su Mu was unsure what the other nobles in the North thought; if he were to work under Rhodes, he would probably have already berated his superior.

Salman, utterly devoid of courage, is utterly pathetic.

The old marshal cared deeply for the kingdom, but some things cannot be influenced by just one or two people. Culture and rules are formed gradually and require the efforts of generations.

Just as Raven was about to leave, the official in charge of bestowing titles from the kingdom arrived.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tate Quentin, arrived in Kuraki Castle with the Heavenly Feather Sword, bestowed by the King, to confer a title upon the illustrious Viscount Thorn.

Tate was one of the most important figures in the kingdom, second only to the King's Hand, the Minister of Finance, and the Grand Marshal. In terms of influence among the lower and middle classes, Tate was even more powerful.

The Quentin family of Highgarden, the witchers, have the blood of extraordinary witchers flowing through their veins. Since the birth of Tianyu, they have held a key position in the kingdom and have stood firm for thousands of years through turbulent times, truly an evergreen tree of the kingdom.

"Marshal Raven, I never expected to meet you in Kuraki City."

"Duke Quentin, I never expected that you would be the one to bestow the title upon Su Mu!"

The two greeted each other; both were important figures in the capital, so they were naturally quite familiar with each other.

Quentin patted Raven on the shoulder and said regretfully, "I have spoken with the King many times and believe that the Eastern Front needs to be held, and you are the most suitable candidate. However, the Minotaur and Lizard tribes of the Emerald Lands are dissatisfied, so Karen was sent to replace you."

Raven remained calm: "It's all for the sake of the country. Karen is also an excellent coach and will definitely be able to defeat Isidore."

Quentin's expression was serious: "That's right, all for the kingdom!"

After the two finished catching up, Quentin finally looked at Su Mu: "This must be Viscount Thorn. I've heard of your reputation for a long time, but it's always been a rare opportunity to meet you."

"I took the initiative to report to the King and came here specifically to bestow the title, just to see the Empire's rising star. Indeed, he is exceptionally brave and valiant. With a tiger general like you, Elton, what worries do we have about our defenses?"

To receive such high praise from the Speaker was quite remarkable. Su Mu warmly led the kingdom's troops into the city and treated the generals with great hospitality.

A few days later, everything was ready and the investiture ceremony began.

The familiar process of bestowing a title still applies. Su Mu needs to guard the longsword and the crown of flowers, and on the morning of the second day, he will receive the blessing of the Speaker of the National Assembly.

"Lord Sumu of the Plains has rendered meritorious service in defending the territory of Bearhold, resisting Esidor in the north and repelling the undead in the east. He has repeatedly provided support to the northern border and delayed the army of the Frost Treemen. Therefore, he is hereby granted the title of Earl of Cangmu."

From now on, the name Kuraki can only be used by you and your descendants; it will no longer be used as a title!

Quentin formed a hand seal, and nameless flames ignited around him, enveloping Su Mu before coalescing into a halo that descended upon the flower crown. The Speaker raised the Heavenly Feather Sword and placed it on Su Mu's shoulder.

"The ancient trees, verdant and verdant, shelter you from the wind and rain; their swaying shadows bring reason and clarity. In the face of barbarity and chaos, may the ancient trees take root in the plains and erect a sturdy barrier for the kingdom."

May Elton's nation prosper!

May our nation prosper!

With his hands clasped together, Su Mu accepted the title of nobility in the presence of Raven and tens of thousands of people.

Forrest led the fearless swordsmen, arcane prayers, and griffon army remaining in the city to conduct a military review and salute on the city's main street. The orderly and imposing army, with the aura of having fought its way through piles of corpses, filled the entire city of Kuraki with a chilling atmosphere.

Even such a powerful army felt genuine admiration and respect for Count Kuraki. They raised their swords, cast spells, and expressed their loyalty, shaking even the city walls. "Loyalty!"

A deafening roar erupted from within the city, expressing joy for the lord and Kuraki.

Similar to the honorary titles of the Divine Religion, this Earl title is extraordinary, belonging to the honorary titles of war. It grants access to the Boundary Stone Spirit, allowing Su Mu to obtain greater benefits.

Such titles were extremely rare, and many county towns did not have the authority to grant them, or their descendants were not entitled to inherit the relevant rights upon the death of the previous generation. Therefore, even the lords of Longlet Castle and Bear Castle were not given the opportunity to expand their estates.

[Count Kuraki: A royal war honorary title that increases affinity with castle soldiers, making it easier to recruit castle faction troops, and grants the right to construct the special building, Griffin Castle. It also increases council legitimacy and grants spatial traversal permissions equivalent to those of a city.]

Griffin Castle: Increases the base production of griffins in this city by 3.

Resource consumption: 1000 gold coins, 5 logs

Since the widespread use of boundary markers, the kingdom has firmly controlled many rights to use and construct within its territory.

In reality, any city can build a council as long as enough boundary stones are collected, but boundary stones usually come from the capital, and it is rare for someone like Su Mu to collect them on his own.

Moreover, nominally, it requires the kingdom's approval to have the effect of interconnecting the council. This is the transmission magic of the spell channel, which is controlled by the earth spirit.

Su Mu had originally planned to build the council building first during the war. Now that he had received the kingdom's formal promise, it was naturally the best outcome.

After the investiture ceremony, Su Mu, Quentin, and Raven entered the banquet hall together. The speaker's status was already significant enough, and with the addition of Raven, a former marshal, the ceremony reached its peak in terms of excitement.

Not only did nobles from the plains arrive, but also nobles from the valleys and the heartland sent representatives. Even prominent families like the Duke of Stag had people come to offer their congratulations.

The nobles from the capital who came with Quentin were surprised to witness such a grand scene in Kuraki City, and they all changed their previous stereotypes.

"Kuraki City has quite a large population, at least four or five hundred thousand."

"I think it's more than that. The overwhelming cheers are probably no less than those in the county town. The key is Earl Kuraki's influence. Not only did nobles near the plains come to participate, but even the Stag family from the valley came to congratulate them. I really didn't expect that."

“I remember last year a duke held an inheritance ceremony in the capital, and the Amirka family didn’t send anyone. I didn’t expect them to come and support Kuraki.”

"For powerful ducal families like Amirka's, they look down on families that only have titles. I heard that Kuraki City has a good relationship with the River Valley, and it seems that's true."

Maggie was in charge of entertaining these visiting nobles. The Marquis had grown up in Longlet Castle and was extremely familiar with the etiquette and procedures of banquets, so she arranged everything perfectly.

When she put on a red gown and paired it with long golden hair, she was simply the most dazzling jewel in the hall.

Maggie chatted and laughed with the guests, enjoying the praise of the nobles. But she did not steal the spotlight from Su Mu; she respected Earl Kuraki above all else, even taking Su Mu's hand and letting him sit in the head seat, without considering the influence of their different ranks.

Seeing this situation, everyone basically understood who was the true controller of the Xilin Plain.

The nobles looked at the young count, who was not yet twenty, with a mixture of admiration and awe.

It's remarkable how promising the younger generation is; given this trend, Elton might indeed produce a young duke.

What is awe-inspiring is that Su Mu's extraordinary guards are invincible and have become the overlords of the Xilin Plain.

Envy, jealousy, slander, and ridicule—no matter what the nobles said, it couldn't change the fact that Count Kuraki had become a powerful figure.

Su Mu sat in the main seat and toasted the guests. The nobles raised their glasses together to congratulate the new Earl of War.

His gaze passed through the auditorium, looked down at Kuraki, and even crossed the mountains to look directly at the plains.

He shouldered both honor and disgrace.

He can't control other places, but the Xilin Plain is now his territory. No matter who the enemy is, they can forget about setting foot on the plain.

(End of this chapter)