Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 101 A Day in the Life of Frederick IV

Imperial Capital - Holy Mayara

Also known as King's Landing, it is located in the middle of the central province of Fort. The great river that runs through the central province, the Dakar, provides convenient water transportation for the capital. Thousands of ships of all sizes travel on the Dakar River every day, providing abundant supplies to the capital from the emperor down to the common people. The wooden planks soaked in river water creak and groan as the dockworkers walk back and forth.

"Kov, you pig, why did you take so long this time? Where did you go?"

On the dock, a medium-sized cargo ship had just come to a stop when the dock manager shouted to the burly man in the captain's cabin.

"Hahahaha~ Garcia, you old donkey, it's only noon, how come you're already drunk?"

A burly man with a bulbous nose walked to the side of the boat, jumped off, and shook two golden dried fish in his hands toward the man.

"Here you go, some dried fish I brought back from Hairatl Province. Try it; it tastes absolutely delicious with alcohol."

Upon hearing this, Garcia, the dock manager, immediately perked up and swaggered over with a bottle of liquor in his hand.

"This is good, mmm~ smells good! But why did you run so far? Didn't you go to Sai Shui City before?"

Kov had just finished shouting orders to the crew and was extremely thirsty. He reached out and snatched the bottle from Garcia's hand, then gulped it down. Garcia, realizing that his drink was about to be drunk up by this damned Kov, quickly reached out to grab it back.

"Damn it, you damned bastard! This is some good wine from the Saint's Tavern that I bought for a silver coin. I was planning to drink it all day, and you just let me drink it like this?"

Kov, who had been drinking a bit too fast, choked a little and coughed violently a few times. After hearing what the old miser said, he couldn't help but smack his lips twice. Indeed, the remaining liquid in his mouth was different from the usual inferior liquor.

However, facing Garcia's curses, Kov did not back down. Instead, he retorted with a series of seemingly reasonable arguments:

"You bastard, you disgusting miser! I brought you a gift from far and wide, what's wrong with me drinking some of your wine?"

The old drunkard Garcia ignored the ramblings of his longtime cronies, put the cork back in his pocket, and then looked up at the latter again.

"You son of a bitch, you still have the nerve to say that? You've been gone for so long, and I'm the one who paid your management fee this month. Pay me back, pay me back now."

"Damn it, you bastard, I was just feeling touched, thinking you were my brother for years, but before I could even shed a tear, you old bastard had already revealed your true colors."

"My cousin, who works as a cook at the palace, told me that Princess Arya was craving seafood paella from Hyratar. I went to great lengths to get a freezing device. Once I deliver it to the palace and get paid, I'll treat you to a couple of drinks, and then we'll go to the Nightingale Tavern for some fun."

Garcia was dumbfounded by what Kov said. He never expected that this guy who spent his days as a scoundrel would actually have a brain fart. Delivering things to the palace, even a small reward would be enough for him to earn several months' wages.

"Damn it, when did you get such a cousin? Why didn't you tell me sooner? You must have introduced me to him sometime."

Platinum Palace
"Dear Powell, I understand what you're saying. The Empire has long had clear legal provisions regarding the development of new territories. If you want to change the land allocation ratio just because your southwest region suffered heavy casualties in the counterattack against the Black Swamp, that would be unfair to other regions."

You're like the North; they're lucky if they don't expand, let alone have their defenses breached by the orcs that keep invading from the south year after year. Even in the eastern province of Mihiraya, successfully repelling the sea creatures' annual invasions is a feat in itself; they don't even have the potential to expand.

Marquis Bauer of the southwestern province of High Rock, sitting opposite Frederick IV, saw a flicker of disappointment in his eyes when the emperor rejected his request, but it quickly disappeared. Adjusting the proportion of land to be developed wasn't his primary objective for this audience, so being rejected wasn't anything to be disappointed about. Composing himself, Bauer quickly explained what he truly wanted to be granted permission for.

“Your Majesty, I understand this perfectly. As Your Majesty said, the system of enfeoffment is an ironclad rule that has existed since the founding of the empire and cannot be easily changed, as this would shake the foundation of the empire. However, the economic development of my province, Gaoyan, is poor, and we have no way to build a high-quality army to resist the invasion of those lizardmen.”

Therefore, Your Majesty requests that Your Majesty increase resource support for the Southwest region, so that we, the people of the Southwest, may also feel the brilliance of Your Majesty's wisdom.

"And with Your Majesty's support, my soldiers in the Southwest will surely fight bravely to expand the Empire's territory and relieve Your Majesty's worries..."

Frederick IV watched quietly as the Marquis of Powell spoke eloquently. After a while, the Marquis of the Southwest finished explaining the opinions and ideas he represented from the Southwest Province.

For a moment, the entire study fell silent. Frederick IV's fingers tapped lightly on the gold armrest of his chair. Marquis Powell, sitting below, looked at His Majesty and couldn't help but feel uneasy. After all, this was no longer the Sleeping King of the past; his shrewdness and methods were far more formidable.

"Honey Powell~"

"Your subordinate is pleased."

Upon suddenly hearing His Majesty call his name, Earl Powell abruptly stood up.

Seeing that Powell seemed a little nervous, Frederick IV waved his hand, signaling the latter to sit down and not to get too excited.

"Powell, relax. I'm aware of your thoughts. Regarding the resource support for the Southwest Province, I will discuss it with the ministers in Parliament and make specific adjustments."

Upon hearing that Frederick IV had so readily agreed to his request, Powell was overjoyed. He knew that he had made similar requests before, but each time Frederick IV had dismissed them by arguing that the north needed support more. Although he wasn't quite sure why His Majesty had relented this time, Powell, who was about to receive more resources, didn't care about anything else and quickly stood up to bow to Frederick.

"That's wonderful! On behalf of the people of the Southwest Province, I express my sincerest and deepest gratitude to Your Majesty. May the great Frederick..."

After listening quietly to Powell's compliments, Frederick, seated in the main seat, asked:
"Powell, is there anything else you need?"

Powell had prepared several things for today, thinking that if the request for resource allocation failed, he would bring up a few other things, and His Majesty would surely agree to one or two of them. He did not expect it to go so smoothly this time.

Having successfully achieved his main objective and understood Frederick IV's meaning, Powell naturally wouldn't bother Frederick with any more trivial words. After all, His Majesty had a rather bad temper, and if he angered him and caused him to cancel his previous decision, it would be a loss.

"That's all, Your Majesty. I'll take my leave now."

"Okay, Mr. Powell, the issue of preferential support for the Southwest Provinces will be discussed at the House of Lords meeting in five days."

"Yes, Your Majesty, the glory of England shines upon you."

After Powell finished his greetings and left, Frederick IV, feeling somewhat tired, rubbed his temples. Just then, he heard footsteps and slowly opened his eyes.

"Pogart, you've arrived? How did things go?" The chief minister, Lord Pogart, respectfully performed a standard noble greeting before the master of the vast empire.

"Your Majesty, I have reviewed all the information compiled by the Sixth Military Intelligence Bureau. As you predicted, there have indeed been several unusual decrees in the past three months, including those concerning troop deployments and rotations, personnel appointments, and the issuance of a general decree."

Seeing Frederick IV's outstretched hand, Bogart quickly handed over the materials he had prepared beforehand. Frederick IV, sitting on his golden chair, casually glanced at them a few times before tossing the papers onto the table.

Rubbing his increasingly aching head, he waved behind him, and the next moment, a well-dressed blond old man appeared beside Frederick, handing Frederick IV a bottle of potion radiating a strong life force.

As soon as the medicine entered his mouth, Frederick IV's complexion improved instantly, and the headache that had been bothering him gradually disappeared.

"It seems that after more than a decade, those worms in the corners have regained their strength and are now jumping out again to do the same old thing. They really know how to pick their timing. A bunch of dishonest guys."

Seeing that Frederick IV had returned to normal, Pogard boldly asked:
"Your Majesty, should we start investigating and bringing them to justice now?"

Nourished by the essence of life, Frederick IV, feeling lighter, picked up the documents on the table again and began to read them. After a long while, he said in a deep voice:

"No, just investigate and give me regular reports. Right now, those who are showing their faces are just small fry. I don't have time to waste on them. When they can't hold back anymore and jump out, I'll crush them completely in one go."

Sensing the domineering aura emanating from Frederick IV, Bogard, who was standing to the side with his back slightly bent, became even more humble and submissive.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will make the arrangements immediately."

"That's right~"

Pogard, who was about to leave, quickly stopped and waited for Frederick IV to speak.

"I just agreed to allocate more resources to the Southwest Province. Go and talk to those guys in the council. The support can be increased, but my bottom line is that it cannot exceed 15% of the original resources. It would be best to keep it at 10%."

Upon hearing Frederick IV's words, Bogart hesitated for a moment before replying:
"Your Majesty, the national treasury's budget for this year has already been fully allocated. If we were to allocate an additional budget to the Southwest Province, we would not be able to afford the resources required for that."

"Do as I say. Save some of the resources from the North and allocate them to the Southwest. Otherwise, the lords in the Southwest will soon be unable to resist the temptations of the Church."

"Your Majesty, if we do this, won't it cause resentment in the North? They've only just escaped a conspiracy against the North, and their troubles aren't over yet. Wouldn't what we're doing...?"

“Just do as I say. I have already drafted the plan to promote Kevin Hylan to marquis. This will buy us some time, and we can make up for it as soon as possible during this period.”

“Your Majesty, if Earl Hailan is promoted to Marquis, there will be two Marquises in the Northern Territory, which contradicts our long-standing policy, and moreover…”

"Alright, that's all for now. Just do as I say. Our opponents won't give us much room to hesitate."

Upon hearing this, Pogart stopped trying to persuade him, bowed, and left the study.

After a long silence, Frederick IV was the only one in the large study. This monarch, who had experienced too much, seemed to have become accustomed to the various trivial matters and intrigues that appeared every day.

"Joan~"

The blond old man who had suddenly appeared earlier reappeared upon hearing Frederick IV's summons, and stood respectfully to the side awaiting instructions.

"Tell the ministers and nobles waiting to be received that I am tired today and will not continue to receive them. Let them reschedule with the Minister of State Affairs."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Is there anything else today?

Frederick IV, who was unusually tired today, just wanted to stroll in the gardens of the Platinum Palace. Perhaps he should also take a look at the new gadgets recently presented by the Royal Mage Corps, which were said to allow people to experience the feeling of their soul leaving the ground and becoming incredibly relaxed.

"Your Majesty, Lady Alpha of the Astrologers' Guild has arrived and is waiting for you in the Boning Hall. Would you like to see her now, or should I have the Minister of State arrange a time later?"

Frederick IV rubbed his temples, stood up from his chair, and walked to the window to look down at the servants who were scurrying about like ants.

"No need, I'll go now. As a legend, we cannot neglect Lord Alpha."

A few hours later~
Boning Hall

"Then Your Majesty Frederick, I shall take my leave now. I will leave these matters to you. This is not just a matter for England, but for the entire continent."

"Lord Alpha, I will carefully consider your suggestion. If possible, I would still like to invite you to establish an astrologer branch in the capital, so that we can cooperate more closely."

Alpha, dressed in a robe of starlight, nodded. Ignoring the magic-blocking array inside the palace, a portal emitting blue-purple light appeared behind Alpha.

"Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now. I will return in a while."

Additionally, I suggest you don't rely too much on the essence of life; everything has two sides.

As the portal disappeared, Frederick IV was left alone in the vast Bonning Hall. The setting sun streamed in through the windows, casting long shadows on the chairs, and everything in the room seemed to freeze in time.

"Father, Father, are you unhappy?"

"Ah~ it's Aria~ my dear daughter. Father is not unhappy."

(End of this chapter)