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

Chapter 306 The Golden Hammer Prince
……

……

In the early morning, it was just dawn.

In the storage room next to the palace kitchen, the air was filled with the fresh scent of vegetables and fruits.

The dim candlelight illuminated the room, where a middle-aged man dressed in coarse cloth was arranging the fresh fruits and vegetables that had just been moved in.

The man was Brandon, the merchant responsible for supplying fruits and vegetables to the palace. Every day, he had to prepare the necessary ingredients before cooking in the kitchen.

"Is all the fruit here today?"

The queen's maidservant cautiously entered the storeroom.

She wore a simple gray linen dress and carried a wicker basket on her arm.

“It’s all here, Miss Elsa.”

Brandon pointed to several wooden crates, a smile plastered on his face.

"They're all the freshest; the apples and pears were picked by the slaves in the orchards to the north last night."

The maid walked to the wooden box and began to select one. She picked up a red apple and examined it carefully.

“Looks good. The Queen is in a bad mood and needs these sweet apples to improve her mood.”

She put the apples into the basket and began to carefully select them.

Upon hearing this, Brandon put down his work, casually walked out the door, and looked around.

The palace patrol had just gone far away when the servant fetching water from the kitchen next door yawned, half asleep.

Brandon quickly turned and went into the room, casually approaching the maid.

"what happens?"

Brandon asked in a low voice.

The maid's words just now were a coded signal that something big was happening in the palace.

The maid casually turned around to look behind her and said in a voice so low it was almost inaudible,
"His Majesty the Emperor... is dead."

These words struck like a bolt from the blue; Brandon dropped the carrot from his hand with a thud.

"What? What did you say?"

Brandon stared wide-eyed, unable to believe his ears.

The maid immediately made a shushing gesture.

"Keep your voice down! Don't let anyone hear!"

"Tell me quickly, what happened?" the merchant urged impatiently.

Brandon briefly described what had just happened, and his expression grew increasingly grim as he listened.

"The eldest princess and her allies have blocked all news, intending to seize more power before others can react."

The maid solemnly instructed, "You must get the message out as quickly as possible."

Brandon nodded, ignoring the baskets on the ground, and quickly walked out, pushed the wooden cart, and left the palace.

The news of the emperor's death also traveled out of the palace and into the city of Rift Rock along with the wheels of the carriage.

It was not only passed on to Brandon's master, but also sold for an astronomical price on the black market.

……

……

Five days later, in the morning.

Forest on the outskirts of Giant Stone City in the Southern Province.

In a dilapidated and abandoned courtyard, a tall, strong farmer bent over, carefully placing cabbage seeds into the furrows.

Bishop Salido, draped in a grey robe, slowly walked into the courtyard, watching the working farmers with a smile on his face.
“You seem to be enjoying life here.”

"After that death at sea, I felt that everything in life became interesting."

The farmer slowly stood up, revealing a slightly haggard middle-aged face.

His disheveled hair resembled withered grass scattered in the autumn wind, his beard was thick and messy, and his face was covered in dust.

But bright eyes, like a bonfire burning brightly in the night, are something an ordinary farmer could never possess.

Furthermore, upon closer inspection, one can see a slight resemblance between the farmer's appearance and that of the emperor of the empire.

The farmer dusted himself off and looked at Salido.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Bishop Salido, but…”

The farmer smiled and asked, "You've probably come here for more than just to catch up, haven't you?"

"of course."

Salido's smile widened.

"The holy light of our Lord has illuminated your path, Prince Golden Hammer."

"Your nephew, Agnar, has passed away."

Upon hearing this, the farmer, who was also Prince Golden Hammer, suddenly became serious.

He remained silent for a long time, then let out a long sigh, shook his head slightly, and lamented.
"Unfortunately, he didn't die by my hand."

Prince Golden Hammer looked up at the sky, his face filled with sorrow, as if he had recalled something sad.

"Your Highness, please control your emotions."

Salido reminded him, "I understand your grief, but Agnar has passed away. Please don't forget our promise."

"Don't worry, I won't forget."

Prince Golden Hammer came to his senses and said, "Agnar wanted to leave me at sea to pave the way for his youngest son. If it weren't for your Church of Dawn, I would be a skeleton in the sea now, just like my child."

Prince Golden Hammer spoke casually, as if he were talking about something trivial like what he ate the night before.

But in reality, Salido could see the madness in his eyes.

“Tell me, how did he die?” Prince Golden Hammer asked in a deep voice.

"You don't need to worry about these details for now; they will only keep you immersed in grief. You should focus on the outcome now."

Salido advised, "The Shattered Rock Empire has lost its leader. Compared to that eldest princess, you are more qualified to ascend the throne."

"I know, you don't need to remind me of that."

Prince Golden Hammer nodded, looking at Salido, "I know that once I become emperor, the Church of Dawn will be able to build temples anywhere within the empire."

"No longer subject to any restrictions or obstacles."

"Thank you for keeping your promise and for being willing to join the Lord of Dawn."

Salido smiled with satisfaction.

“If you wish, I can arrange your baptism now so that you may receive the blessing of our Lord.”

“There’s no rush with the baptism, Bishop Salido.”

Prince Golden Hammer casually waved his hand in refusal, saying, "I must first gather the army and recruit those noble lords."

“If any of them don’t like the Church of Dawn, they’ll likely side with the eldest princess.”

"What do you think, Bishop Salido?"

Prince Golden Hammer's words made Salido frown.

After a moment of silence, Salido finally nodded.
“You’re right. If you directly declare your faith in the Lord of Dawn, it will indeed offend some people.”

“You are wise, Bishop Salido.”

Prince Golden Hammer said softly, "Don't worry, Bishop Salido, we are now in the same boat."

"I will absolutely not break my promise."

Prince Golden Hammer patted Salido on the shoulder, threw down his hoe, and strode outside.
“Come, Bishop Salido, come with me to gather my knights.”

……

……

On the northern wasteland, the wind howled and the sky was gray.

Snowflakes drifted down from the gloomy clouds and landed on the already frozen grass.

In the training grounds of Frostleaf Town, thirty newly promoted knights stood in a square formation, wearing full sets of plate armor, and continuously swung their longswords at the wooden stakes in front of them.

Durant stood on the edge opposite them, gripping his sword with his armored left hand, his gaze sweeping over each of the newly recruited knights.

Since mastering the skull prosthetic, Durant has always liked to hold the sword with his left hand, intentionally or unintentionally showing off his gauntlet to others.

When asked about it, Durant just smiled and refused to explain further, only saying that it was a reward from the lord.

Of course, Durant didn't just patrol; he would occasionally launch surprise attacks on the practicing Cavaliers with his sword.

This is why Durant holds the sword with his left hand.

"Stand firm! Stay focused! The north wind won't wait for you to be ready!"

After defeating a rookie, Durant loudly warned the others.

"If any of you do not wish to retain this honor, I may request the lord to strip you of your privileges!"

As soon as Durant finished speaking, everyone immediately perked up and worked even harder.

There is no discrimination based on bloodline or social status, as long as one's own conditions are sufficient.

This would allow one to rise from commoner to knight, or even from slave to knight—an opportunity no one had ever imagined.

Everyone cherishes it.

Rhodes, wearing a fur coat, slowly walked into the training ground and inspected the training of the new knights.

Upon seeing this, Durant quickly walked over and respectfully bowed.

"My lord, what are your orders?"

"Come and see how my knights' training is going?" Rhodes said casually.

"I'm sorry, sir, these veterans' swordsmanship is not as good as that of the Winter Iron Guards; they need more training."

Durant explained with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

Rhodes' original fifty Winter Guards have all become Winter Knights.

But Rhodes didn't want to waste the Seed of Nature.
—By spreading hundreds of Seeds of Nature, Rhode can now replenish the scorching energy his body has consumed in just two days.

If we do some more nighttime activities with Avril and Vivian, then we can make up for it in a day and a half.

It would be a waste not to use this intense heat.

Therefore, Rhodes instructed Durant to continue selecting from the new Winter's Iron Guard, resulting in the current group of thirty newly recruited knights. Rhodes's current legion hierarchy is very straightforward, and many people are aware of it.

Militia, Reserves, Regular Army, Winter's Iron Guard, Winter's Knights.

The selection process, which involves selecting and filling vacancies layer by layer, avoids chaos.

However, while these individuals possess the physical attributes required and can rely on Knight's Roar Potion and Seed of Nature for training, their sword skills cannot improve rapidly in an instant.

Rod understood, so he didn't say much and asked, "Where did Chris go? Why are you here personally giving instructions?"

Durant has a lot on his plate right now, and he rarely gets involved in things like personally instructing swordsmen anymore.

Moreover, Chris's swordsmanship is no worse than Durant's, making him more than capable of guiding newcomers.

“Knight Chris is about to break through to the advanced knight level, and he spends more time cultivating in his courtyard.”

Durant explained with a laugh, "So I temporarily filled in for him."

"Is such that,"

Rhodes said casually, "Count Red Griffin sent us a batch of warhorses, thirty in total."

"so much?"

Durant looked at Rhodes with delight, "Count Red Griffin is so kind to you!"

"Hahaha, yes."

Rod smiled and nodded, deeply moved.

The Red Griffin Earl truly provided both gold coins and material support, showing his wholehearted devotion to me.

When Rhodes was with Avril, he never expected this extra gift.

Of course, Rod didn't skimp on the amount either.

He specially commissioned the potion workshop to create a top-of-the-line version of the Knight's Roar potion as a return gift, to be given to Count Red Griffin when he comes to tread the snow in the depths of winter.

It's worth noting that the birthday gift Rhodes gave to Count Tulip was nothing more than a complete set of armor and a longsword, along with a whole bearskin and some exquisite glasses.

It wasn't that Rhodes was stingy or that he felt bad about the Knight's Roar potion.

But after all, the Tulip family consists of more than just Earl Tulip and Rhodes, and Earl Tulip would not only consider Rhodes' interests.

Therefore, Rhodes does not want to reveal some of his unusual and extraordinary items for the time being.

Rhodes snapped out of his reverie and instructed, "With the warhorses we've trained at our stables, the knights are fully equipped."

"So you'll need to put in some effort to train their riding skills."

Rhodes looked at the training ground. "As for these swordsmanship training exercises, you can leave them to others."

"Okay, my lord."

Durant thought for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "Sir, I would like to request a knight from you."

"A knight? Who?" Rhodes asked curiously.

"The Brotherhood's Dis".

Durant offered a reminder: "He's still mining at Blackstone, and Jayce is monitoring him, saying he's been doing well."

He didn't stop practicing the Knight's Breathing Technique either.

"what……"

Rod thought for a moment and immediately remembered.

"If you think he's suitable, bring him back and try him out, observe him for a while."

"Yes, my lord."

Durant nodded. "Don't worry, I will examine him carefully."

"Okay, I have other things to take care of."

After saying that, Rod turned to leave.

"Oh, sir, there's one more thing."

Durant quickly ran to Rhodes and asked, "The regular army has reached a thousand men; it's time to establish a formal legion..."

"We need you to give us a name."

"Ah."

Rhodes thought for a moment and then said directly, "Let's call it Dragon's Breath."

Rhodes originally wanted to name it the Winter's Wrath Legion, but it felt too similar to the Winter's Iron Guard.

The breath of the dragon is indeed related to Blackpine Ridge, after all, Rhodes now possesses three half-blood dragons.

"Yes, my lord."

Durant looked at Rhodes solemnly, "The breath of the dragon will surely destroy all your enemies."

……

……

Without lingering at the training ground, Rhodes turned and returned to the manor.

Winter Manor has changed dramatically.

Rod's original house has been replaced by a brand-new red brick main building.

Due to time constraints, the expansion of the outer perimeter wall has only just begun and is only a little over two meters high.

Therefore, the nearly three-story main building is particularly eye-catching, and when viewed from afar in the desolate, snowy landscape, it looks like a burning flame.

The exterior walls are thick and heavy, with the bottom wall being more than a meter wide.

The main gate is fitted with a thick wooden door made of iron, with rough stone bases on both sides—the future gate is to be used to hang flags or to carve family crests, but for now it is still somewhat cold and rough.

Upon seeing Rhodes return, the Winter Guard proactively pushed open the iron gate.

A wave of heat, mixed with the smell of wood and charcoal, hit me.

The walls of the hall were made of red bricks, and decorative swords and shields were hung on the smooth walls.

The fire in the fireplace burned brightly, crackling and extinguishing the chill of winter in the wilderness.

A long table lay across the center, its thick wooden planks polished to a very smooth finish, coated with a layer of grease that gave it a warm luster in the firelight.

A dark linen tablecloth was laid on the long table, and two transparent glass plates were placed on it, one containing fruit and the other containing various nuts.

Two rows of elegant benches were placed next to the long table, and Lia and her maid were carefully wiping them.

At the far end of the hall was a high platform made of three tiers of stone steps, upon which sat a throne-like high-backed chair covered with a complete bearskin—this was Rhodes's lord's seat.

On the wall behind the main seat hangs the head of a two-legged dragon, fierce and menacing, exuding a rugged majesty.

Sejuani also suggested using the white dragon's head, but it was too ostentatious and too valuable, so Rhodes rejected it.

This is the new Lord's Hall of the manor, used for Lord's trials, important territory meetings, banquets, and so on.

Next to the Lord's Hall is a small council chamber, which is used to receive guests and handle daily affairs.

The four rooms on the second floor are all private spaces for Rod and Avril, mainly a study and a personal studio.

The third floor houses the lord's bedroom and a storage room for some important items.

The fourth floor is not yet completed; half a brick wall stands in the cold wind, and the wooden planks are temporarily used to seal the top.

The kitchen, storeroom, hall, and servants' quarters had not yet been built; they were all just the old wooden huts.

Rhodes is now planning the entire project according to the specifications of a castle, which is a very large project that cannot be completed in six months.

The construction team also managed to complete the main building where Rod lived and worked before the frost.

Rhodes did not linger and walked through the hall straight to the adjacent council chamber.

"Lord Lord."

The alluring yet elegant fox woman gave a slight bow, her gaze following Rhodes as he entered the council hall, and reported:

"The potion workshop just sent someone to report that the bloodline potion for the Snow Rabbit people is complete, but you need to decide on the test subjects."

"The blacksmith shop now has sixty-five sets of enchanted armor and seventeen sets of sea-patterned magic steel enchanted plate armor."

"Master Sainda said that the monster blood is almost used up and needs to be replenished in time. In addition, he also needs to apply for five bottles of dragon blood."

……

The fox-woman assistant, Fischl, reported the details to Rhodes, who was sitting on a chair, in a soft voice.

These are all extraordinary matters concerning the territory and some major decisions; the minor details are none of Rhodes' concern at this time.

"Have Sherry come over later and personally select the person to take the bloodline potion," Rhodes instructed.

"Yes, sir." The fox woman quickly wrote it down in the booklet.

"As for the dragon blood, I'll have to come myself. There's no one else who can touch those three..."

No sooner had Rod finished speaking than Gala rushed in.

Rod frowned slightly and asked, "What's wrong?"

It is worth mentioning that after the main building was completed, such hurried audiences were no longer permitted.

Everyone except Durant had to be announced by a guard.

Otherwise, no one should disturb the lord in the council chamber without permission, especially when the doors are closed.

Unless something exceptionally urgent happens.

"The Count of the Red Griffin has sent a message, a top-priority, first-class message!"

Gala was breathing heavily as she handed the letter to Rod.

Unlike the usual wooden tubes, this is an envelope about half the size of a palm, with the Red Griffin family crest wax seal on it.

Clearly, this is the original document that was sent along the way.

"The messenger said that verbal communication is forbidden; you must receive this message by letter!"

Knowing the urgency of the situation, Vivian took the letter without hesitation, unfolded it, and quickly placed it in Rhodes's hand.

Upon seeing the text above, Rod abruptly stood up, his expression extremely serious.
"Notify Durant, Gunner, Sejuani, Ryan..."

Rhodes quickly read out the names of the core combat forces of the territory.
"Get here for a meeting as soon as possible!"

　My child was sick and I took him to the hospital, so I didn't finish writing. Sorry, I've finished posting.

　　Actually, the word count is enough, but this chapter isn't finished, so I'll just write a little more.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)