I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 300 The Royal Family's Disdain

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"From the perspective of purpose, the possibility is very high."

"At least I agree with Lord Rhodes's opinion."

Zhuo Ya tilted her head, her brows furrowed slightly, and said hesitantly, "But it's not an easy thing to turn so many knights into undead servants."

"The corpse of the knight was definitely not an ordinary rotting corpse."

Zhuo Ya shrugged slightly. "Although I don't know the specific methods, it will at least require a large number of corpses to support it, and there may be even more other resources."

"Well, that makes sense."

After a moment's thought, Luxen pressed on, "Then why did the Western Alliance go to such great lengths to seize and steal the knight's corpse?"

"As nourishment?"

Zhuoya sat down in the chair and continued, "The knights' flesh and blood have abundant vitality, and even if they die, they can still provide nourishment for the magic circle."

"I think a novice knight can train at least three skeleton monsters."

"Of course, to become a powerful silver skeleton monster, other methods are needed."

As she spoke, Zhuo Ya smiled, her tone somewhat casual.
"Actually, we don't need to speculate. Wouldn't it be enough to have Commander Leon send someone to investigate carefully?"

"Commander Leon has already sent three teams to investigate, and our comrades have also stepped in to help."

"But we've gained nothing, we can't find any trace of them," Lu Sen said with a hint of helplessness.

"Although Commander Leon also found this matter very strange, the battlefield is now tense and the traces of the undead have disappeared."

Luxen walked to the table and sighed softly, "They don't want to waste too much manpower on this for now."

The Imperial army and the noble alliance have now advanced to the southwestern border of the Empire, but have not found any trace of the undead or the corpses of knights.

Lu Sen knew that this meant the other party had likely hidden somewhere in the Western Conference.

In that case, it would be difficult for Leon's men to search for it.

“I originally intended to report the situation here to the wise man, but Commander Leon gave me a tip.”

Lu Sen frowned and said, "They said someone would handle this."

"Who? The royal family?"

Zhuo Ya was slightly taken aback, her face full of confusion, and asked, "Shouldn't these kinds of things be left to us?"

The Empire is now cooperating with the Dawn Order, which is usually the dominant force in such extraordinary affairs.

As the daughter of a nobleman, Zoya was delighted to see this—the old empire finally realizing the importance of spellcasters.

That's why Zoya stayed in Bloodraven Keep, researching various undead information.

Lusen looked at Zhuoya and slowly said, "Leon's information is that they may come from the Holy Council of the Land of Gods."

"what?"

Zhuo Ya suddenly stood up. "Doesn't the Empire know about our relationship with the Holy Council?"

“I know, but Leon said the Empire cannot afford to antagonize the Holy Council over this and refuse their goodwill.”

Luxem explained, "And the Empire will mediate our relationship with the Holy Council."

"A bunch of liars! A bunch of outdated, rusty-headed idiots!"

Zhuo Ya stood there, her bright eyes blazing with anger.

"The royal family has always been lukewarm towards us! I've had enough!"

"The promises made to us have never been fulfilled!"

Zhuoya grew angrier the more she thought about it, her already developed breasts heaving violently.

"Now they want balance! They want the Holy Council to restrict us!"

"They just think we're still unstable evil spellcasters!"

Zhuoya's anger contained not only resentment, but also disappointment in the empire's lack of progress.

Zhuo Ya, who was part of the Dawn Society, knew very well that the Dawn Society was developing better and better, and the spellcasters were becoming more and more powerful.

The wise man was over two hundred years old and had embarked on a truly extraordinary path.

In Zhuoya's eyes, the wise man's strength must have surpassed that of the legendary knight.

However, the royal family still did not pay attention and still viewed everything with outdated ideas, regarding bloodline fiefdoms and military power as everything.

Now they've even started playing political games, wantonly manipulating and playing with the Dawn Society.

"Quit!"

Enraged, Zhuo Ya slapped the skull on the table onto the floor!
"Since the empire looks down on us so much, what are we still doing here?"

Zhuo Ya sneered.
"Whether the Shattered Rock Empire exists or not, and who the emperor is, what does it matter to us? What does it matter to us that those fools have been turned into undead?"

"You disgusting people, die!"

As Zhuoya spoke, she quickly tidied up the things on the table.

Clearly, this wasn't just a casual remark to vent anger; he was genuinely leaving.

Zhuoya was young and quite favored in her family, and had never suffered such grievances before.

The key point is that, as someone who sees everything clearly, she cannot accept such foolish behavior.

"Calm down, Zhuoya!"

Lu Sen stepped forward to stop him, advising, "The truth of the matter is still unclear; perhaps things are not as we imagine!"

Lucien restrained himself from saying it aloud: if the royal family really accepted the Holy Council's help, the Dawn Society would have no other choice.

If they voluntarily sever ties with the royal family, they are likely to find themselves in an even more passive position.

Dawn would prefer to study ancient ruins and explore knowledge rather than fight.

At this moment, Luxem couldn't help but think of Rhodes of Black Pine Ridge.

If only the royal family treated spellcasters like Baron Rhodes did.

"Then I'll continue my research once everything is clear!"

Zhuo Ya casually tossed the things in her hand onto the table. "I haven't had a rest in a long time, so I'm going upstairs to sleep."

"Wait a minute."

Lu Sen called out to Zhuo Ya with a smile, "Zhuo Ya, are you going to see your father?"

"Father?"

Zhuo Ya's eyes lit up, and the anger on her face was instantly replaced by surprise.

Where is he? Has he arrived yet?

Lusen nodded and said, "This time, Baron Harlen is in charge of transporting the grain. He is currently stationed in the town outside Bloodraven Castle. If you want to see him, I can take you there."

"Of course!"

Without any hesitation, Zhuoya headed straight for the main gate.

"I wonder if the old man has gotten any older now!"

……

……

In the town center square outside Bloodraven Keep.

The soldiers busily loaded bags of grain onto the wagons.

"Be careful, everyone. Don't let your guard down just because we're behind the battlefield!"

Baron Harlan's gaze swept across the square, and he shouted, "If you don't want to die, then you'd better be alert. I don't want to go back with the hilts of your broken swords."

In this era, soldiers didn't have military tags. Broken sword blades, knife hilts, spearheads, or money bags with names on them were all symbols of the fallen soldiers.

"Yes, my lord!"

The soldiers responded in unison, instantly becoming alert.

Zhuo Ya followed Lu Sen and slowly walked forward.

"Oh ho ho, where did this handsome middle-aged baron come from?"

Zhuoya crossed her arms in front of her chest, tilted her head and looked at Harun with a sly look in her eyes.

"Ok?"

Harlan turned her head, her fatigue instantly vanishing with surprise.

"Who do we have here? It's my little witch!"

Harun quickly stepped forward and hugged his daughter, Zoya, tightly.

Zhuoya hugged Harun back, burying her head unconsciously in her father's arms.

“I am a wizarding apprentice, not a witch. Please don’t get me wrong.”

"It's all the same, it's all the same!"

Harun released Zhuoya and nodded to Lusen beside him.

Harun's eyes immediately fell on Zoya, carefully examining his daughter, a loving smile unconsciously spreading across his face.
"She's grown taller and prettier."

"Looks like the bread from the Dawn Society is quite nourishing!" Harlan said with a smile.

"The bread wasn't good, but the seafood was excellent, especially the abalone."

Zhuo Ya said earnestly, "Next time I'll bring you something fresh, my dear father."

"Fresh?"

Harlan chuckled and asked, "Hawkeye Manor is so far away from you, all you can give me is poison."

"Don't worry, I definitely won't poison you."

Zhuo Ya didn't say much. She took out a scroll from her sleeve and said in a low voice, "This is a magic scroll I made. It protects against swords and blades. Please keep it safe."

"You can cast spell scrolls now?"

Harlan stared at his daughter in disbelief, his grin almost reaching his ears. "As expected of my daughter, she's truly astonishing!"

"of course!"

Zhuo Ya puffed out her chest with pride, then a smile appeared on her face. "Just kidding, I failed many times and wasted a lot of the teacher's materials."

"That's still impressive. Don't forget you're still two years away from adulthood."

Harlan couldn't help but stroke his daughter's hair and take her hand. "Let's go, it's too chaotic outside. Let's go inside and talk."

"Uh-huh!"

Zhuoya followed Harun and they walked together toward the wooden house.

However, neither Harun nor Zoya noticed a pair of eyes silently watching everything from the corner. Once the two entered the house, the eyes, observing their movements, quickly turned and left.

……

……

The Shattered Rock Empire, located in a valley several hundred miles from the southwestern border.

The encampment of the noble alliance.

Baron, the chief knight of the Falcon family, hurried into Baron Zane's tent.

Baron knew the late Earl of Falcon's last wishes, and was therefore the first knight to pledge allegiance to Baron Zane, following him into battle.

"What happened, Knight Baron?"

Zane looked at Baron's serious expression, waved for him to sit down, poured Baron a glass of mead, and casually asked,

"Is there some important news?"

"News has come from Bloodraven Keep."

Baron stepped forward and reported in a low voice, "Harlan's eldest daughter, Zoya, is a member of the Dawn Society."

Zane's hand holding the cup suddenly stopped, and he looked up at Baron.

"you sure?"

"determine."

Baron nodded vigorously. "I spent some silver coins in the town outside Bloodraven Keep to have them keep an eye on things there for me."

“Those people saw with their own eyes two members of the Dawn Society go to Harlan, and there was a little girl among them who called Harlan’s father.”

"I think it's that daughter of Harlan, Zhuoya, who suddenly disappeared without a trace."

"Baron, this news is terrible."

Zain frowned, picked up the glass, drank the mead in one gulp, and spoke again.
"The Dawn Society now has a very close relationship with the Empire, and Lord Leon, the commander of the Imperial Army, trusts Lusen of the Dawn Society immensely."

"If Harlan's daughter gets the Dawn Society's help, then the Empire might very well side with Harlan!"

"We must stop this from happening," Zain said worriedly.

"I'm sorry, sir, I can't think of any solution." Baron shook his head with a heavy expression.

"I don't have a good way to deal with it either, but I've heard some information."

Zane lowered his voice, "The Holy Council will send people here; this may be our opportunity."

……

……

Frosty Leaf Town.

A month has passed quietly, and the autumn harvest is coming to an end.

The waves of wheat in the fields have long since disappeared, replaced by stacks of wheat piled high like mountains.

The town's granaries were already full, and many slave dormitories had been demolished and turned into temporary food storage areas.

Some of the slaves moved out of town, while some of the people who helped harvest wheat at Blade's Edge Stronghold stayed there temporarily.

Inside the Lord's Hall.

Lawrence sat upright in the chair next to Rhodes, holding a thick stack of records in his hand.

His round face was flushed with excitement, and his eyes were full of anticipation.

Unlike last year's harvest conference, this was a separate presentation.

"This year alone, the grain yield from Heisongling is 10.35 million jin!"

Lawrence didn't look at the records on the table, and quickly said,

"There are 9.45 million catties of rye alone!"

"The grain yield in the other three places hasn't been tallied yet, but our people say that apart from the desolate Frozen Bone Wasteland, the others are also experiencing bumper harvests!"

"Preliminary estimates suggest the total amount will exceed three million jin!"

Lawrence puffed out his chest as he announced the number.
"Sir, with the grain we have now, we can afford to feed another eight thousand people!"

Lawrence was no longer the dejected man he had been; instead, he exuded a generous and magnanimous air.

But Rhodes had already noticed his ulterior motives.

In fact, according to the food data reported by Lawrence, there would be more than enough to feed another 12,000 people.

Lawrence's suggestion of "supporting another eight thousand people" may seem generous, but it was actually a veiled way of reserving reserves for the territory.

This reminded Rod of hamsters that like to hoard food in their cheek pouches.

However, because Lawrence has such a thoughtful backup plan, Rod never has to worry about running out of food.

Therefore, Rhodes did not expose Lawrence, but simply smiled and nodded.
"So, can I let Durant continue recruiting and training the reserves?"

"Ok, Ok!"

Lawrence nodded repeatedly, chuckled twice, and then moved closer to Rhodes.

"But what's the point of maintaining so many troops? We've already surpassed the surrounding earls..."

Lawrence paused for a moment, then continued muttering to himself.

"Those soldiers just eat rations all day without earning any money."

In Lawrence's business mindset, every investment must have a corresponding return.

It's normal for lords to raise troops to strengthen their territories, but right now there seems to be neither war nor any obvious threat.

In Lawrence's view, maintaining a thousand soldiers was a huge waste.

Upon hearing this question, Rhodes wore a mysterious smile.

He didn't answer immediately, but waved to Vivian instead.

Vivian understood, picked up an exquisite wooden box from the chair next to her, and placed it in front of Lawrence.

"Open it and take a look, Lawrence."

"Okay sir."

Lawrence nodded and carefully lifted the lid, holding the edge of the wooden box.

The moment the box was opened, Lawrence's eyes widened.

In the middle of the box filled with hay, there was a pair of crystal clear glass cups, next to a dozen colorful glass beads, and several polished glass pieces that looked like gemstones.

Lawrence's breathing became rapid.

As a businessman, he knew all too well the value of these things.

Although glass products are not as precious as crystal and gemstones, they were still highly sought after by many nobles and merchants!

Some ordinary people also like to buy small glass ornaments, but due to the control of the Holy Council, the price of glass products has always been high!
Rhodes observed Lawrence's expression and asked,
"How much do you think the contents of this wooden box are worth?"

Lawrence's eyes gleamed, and after a moment's thought, he said, "To get out of the North, at least three hundred silver coins, sir!"

“What if I sell it for two hundred silver coins?” Rhodes countered.

"The nobles will appreciate your generosity, but the church will hate you."

Lawrence glanced at the contents of the box and said solemnly, "But before that, I will do everything in my power to stop you."

"Hahaha!"

Rhodes couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to gently pat Lawrence's chubby face.

“Our workshop can now mass-produce this kind of thing,”

Rhodes's voice was casual, "You can have as much as you want in the future."

"Sir, you can't joke like that!"

Lawrence swallowed hard, clutched his chest, and looked at the contents of the wooden box. "My heart can't take this kind of news."

Lawrence knew about the glass workshop in the territory and had seen the glass bottles produced there.

But in Lawrence's mind, glass was very precious, and since Rhodes hadn't fully handed it over to him, he didn't dare to ask any more questions.

I never expected to hear such shocking news.

"Then you'd better get your mindset in order."

Rhodes said seriously, "Because what I said is true, and you will soon be taking over the affairs of the Glass Workshop."

Previously, the glass workshop had just been established, and Rhodes needed to provide guidance in many areas, so Rhodes didn't let Lawrence worry too much.

Now the craftsmen are gradually mastering the techniques, their blowing skills are becoming more and more proficient, and the quality of glass products is constantly improving. Rhodes can no longer provide much guidance.

To make glass art in the future, the artisans will need to work hard on their own.

"You'll find out soon, Lawrence. The formula and ingredients for glass are very simple."

"My God, I knew it!"

Lawrence clenched his fist, his voice filled with regret and excitement.
"I knew you wouldn't be so foolish as to recruit so many soldiers and waste our food!"

"So it was to protect such a precious commodity as glass!"

Lawrence slapped his forehead. "I should have known!"

"It's normal that you wouldn't expect this,"

Seeing Lawrence's suddenly enlightened expression, Rhodes couldn't help but tease him.
"After all, your Sands caravan even saves money on guards."

puff!
Vivian, who was standing next to him, burst out laughing when she heard this, and Lawrence blushed.

Rhodes smiled and continued,

"Next, you need to help me build two more caravans and sell these glass products quickly."

“These things are just ordinary commodities to us. Having more of them is useless. Exchanging them for food and slaves is what matters most.”

"No problem, sir!"

Upon hearing this arrangement, Lawrence quickly nodded in agreement.

At the same time, he kept his head down, looking as if he had already started making plans in his mind.

"Also, you need to be prepared to expand the blacksmith shop and the archery workshop."

Rhodes instructed, "Next, I will send people to Razorfen Downs to establish mines and convert resources into our strength..."

With food supplies, Rod felt more at ease.

This winter, Rhodes will use gold coins to speed up everything in Blackpine Ridge.

"Lord Rhodes! Lord Rhodes!"

Just as Rhodes was focused on assigning tasks to Lawrence, Sainda's loud voice came from outside the hall.
"Hahaha! I've done what you asked for!"

(End of this chapter)