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

Chapter 308 Let's start with the old neighbor.
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Deep in the Icefield Mountains.

The biting cold wind howled across the mountain peaks.

Rhodes wrapped himself tightly in a heavy fur cloak, his eyebrows and the hair on his forehead covered with fine frost.

Avril and Vivian, their cloaks even thicker, followed beside Rhodes.

"Is this right here?"

Rhodes stopped and pointed ahead at the crack covered by a thick layer of ice.

The white wolf's gaze swept across the surroundings, and he couldn't help but frown.
"The mountains and rivers here are covered in snow and look almost the same... but the direction is right."

"That should be fine."

Rhodes looked at the dark fissure and said, "Frost has searched the surrounding area, and this is the only fissure cave."

"I'll go in and take a look first."

The white wolf nimbly leaped to the edge of the crevice, using the protrusions to jump inside, and disappeared into the darkness.

Soon his head reappeared in the darkness, shouting from below the crevice.

"right here."

"it is good."

Rhodes tied the thick hemp rope to Frost's claws, threw the other end below the crevice, and then slid down the rope.

Rhode could jump down like the White Wolf without the rope, but it would be dangerous for Avril.

After Rod landed, Avril and Vivian slid down one after the other.

Avril then silently chanted a few incantations, and a ball of light appeared in the air, illuminating the space within the rift.

As it turns out, the White Wolf's previous description was not comprehensive.

This place not only features stone platforms engraved with runes, but also dilapidated stone pillars and statues, and domes encased in thick ice, among other things.

This is clearly a temple.

Of course, besides these, in a corner of the temple was Rhodes's target for this trip—a makeshift tomb made of rubble and ice.

Rhodes wasted no time and immediately ordered, "Avril, go and study that magic circle. Vivian, search everywhere."

"Ok."

The two nodded and immediately began working.

Rod waved to the white wolf and ran towards the tomb, prying apart the broken stones and ice pieces one by one.

Aura's body gradually came into view.

It is generally well preserved and looks to be about thirty years old. The facial features are still clear, with high brow bones and a straight nose.

Pale due to the freezing cold, with an unnatural bluish tinge, yet one could still vaguely discern that he was once a handsome nobleman.

However, his clothes were tattered, his shirt had large bloodstains on the chest, and he had no accessories.

His size is similar to Rod's.

"Your life is rather simple."

Rod sighed, then asked, "Is there anything else on you that you want to keep as a souvenir?"

The white wolf leaped onto his body, ripped open his sleeve, and pulled out a gold shield badge, which he then gave to Rhodes.

“This is the symbol of the Shattered Rock family, the most important evidence proving my identity,” White Wolf explained.

Rhodes looked at the cracked shield emblem and nodded slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it safe."

After saying that, the badge disappeared from Rhodes's hand and was put into his storage space.

Rod quickly tidied up Aura's remains, tied her up with hemp rope, and carried her to the bottom of the rift's exit.

Then he turned and walked over to Avril, squatted down beside her.
"How's the research going?" Rhodes asked.

Avril's only purpose in coming along was to see what this runic array was.

Avril frowned slightly and shook her head. "It's too huge. I can't tell what it is."

"Only a few runes are visible, and they are related to bloodline and soul."

Avril looked somewhat disappointed. "It will take more time to understand, but I'm not sure."

"Never mind that for now, it's not going to run away."

Rod grabbed Avril's arm and pulled her up. "We have more important things to do."

It's not just about refining Aura's corpse; there's also the need to quickly produce more of the various potions used by the knights.

Since there are wizard apprentices in Blackpine Ridge, Rhodes will use their strength in the war; otherwise, he would have been supporting them for nothing.

Avril understood that the most important thing now was to deal with the war, and nodded in agreement.

As the two were talking, Vivian walked over and handed Rhodes a blue-white crystal.

"Frost Transcendent Gem?"

Rhodes looked at Vivian with some surprise, "Where did you find it?"

Vivian pointed to the dilapidated statue, "An ornament inlaid on the hand, unfortunately only one was found."

"It would be nice to have it."

Rod played with the gem, which was slightly larger than a fingernail, and said with interest, "It seems that this is also a ruin. If we dig it all out, we might find other treasures."

However, Rhodes doesn't have that much energy right now; ordinary people who want to work here have to rely on frost resistance potions to keep going.

"Let's go, we need to hurry back."

Rhode put away the Frost Transcendent Gem, tied Aura's body to a rope, and shouted outside.

"Frost, pull him up!"

"Ow."

Frost responded with a low growl, then flapped its wings and took off, pulling the corpse up the rift.

Then, using the same method, Frost pulled Rod, Avril, and the others up.

Then, with Frost dragging the corpse, Rhodes and Avril rode the other two dragons back to Frostleaf Town.

As for the white wolf, he'll have to run back on his own.

There was no way around it; the white wolf was too heavy, and no one could carry the three-headed dragon.

……

……

After returning to Frostleaf Town from the Icefield Mountains, the Winter Guards carried Aura's body and followed Avril into the cellar.

Musen and his wizard apprentices had already set up the magic array in the cellar, and Avril would now personally oversee the refining process.

Rhodes then began to busy himself with military preparations.

Currently, the battlefield at Black Pine Ridge is in the northern border, where food and warmth are of utmost importance.

Winter warfare, even while wearing cotton-padded coats, is a very painful experience. Fortunately, thanks to the bonus effect of the Tide-Born Physique, the soldiers loyal to Rhodes have some resistance to the cold.

The military rations had abandoned black bread and replaced it with minced meat and hard biscuits.

Add water, minced meat, and a small amount of salt to flour, knead into an extremely stiff dough, and then bake until dry and hard—so hard that it needs to be crushed with a stone or soaked in water to soften before it can be eaten.

If conditions permit, these minced meat biscuits can be cooked into a paste or broth.

Although not as good as compressed biscuits, it can still be stored for several months and provide a lot of energy.

All the enchanted plate armor from the blacksmith's shop was distributed, and Rhodes' Winter Knights were all dressed in brand-new armor, while the old equipment was distributed to the Winter Iron Guards in turn.

The blacksmith's shop has been continuously forging chainmail, and with Rhodes's ongoing acquisitions and the support of Count Red Griffin, the chainmail of the first to seventh battalions of the Dragon's Breath Legion is complete.

The soldiers of the other three battalions were also wearing breastplates.

As for the remaining missing parts, the blacksmith shop is working hard to forge them.

At a time of heightened preparations for war in Frostleaf Town, Rhodes received a new message from Earl Red Griffin.

In the meeting hall.

Rhodes looked at the letter Durant had sent, which detailed the developments in the southwest of the empire.

The Western Alliance withdrew its troops voluntarily, and the noble coalition split into four factions due to differing support for the successor—along with those who remained neutral. Meanwhile, Leon, the commander of the Imperial army, chose to support the eldest princess.

It is said that Leon's son had a close relationship with the eldest princess, which was also the reason he chose her.

However, the Imperial army was not a monolithic entity. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Legions, under the roar of the Great Bear, numbered over eight thousand men and had already declared their support for Prince Golden Hammer.

Therefore, although troops are still stationed on the southwestern border, their military strength has been greatly reduced.

"How decisive."

After reading the letter, Rhodes narrowed his eyes slightly. "This is an attempt to throw the empire into complete chaos."

If the Western Conference continues its offensive at this point, the border troops will most likely not choose to take sides.

Meanwhile, the eldest princess, the Duke of Flowers, and the Prince of Golden Hammer are likely to unite in order to preserve the empire.

But now that the Western Alliance has withdrawn its troops, the already unstable noble alliance has parted ways due to conflicting interests.

What followed was the civil war within the Shattered Rock Empire.

When the three successors are all severely weakened and the empire's military strength is low, the Western Alliance can then send troops to attack and reap the benefits.

This was essentially an open conspiracy, and Rhodes believed that the other three successors had also thought of it.

Unfortunately, no one will back down because of this.

Once an empire enters a stable state, it must have only one ruler.

"My lord, shall we now spread the word about Count Aura?"

After Durant finished speaking, he also offered his own advice.

"I think we should forget about it."

"You're right, Durant, that's what I was thinking too."

Rhodes nodded slightly in agreement, "We received the news too late; the situation in the Empire has already been settled."

“Count Aura himself does not have much prestige. If the news spreads, it will not only fail to attract nobles to join him, but will also attract attention.”

Rod smiled slightly: "Let's learn from the Western Conference and wait for them to fight it out first."

But this doesn't mean doing nothing. Without the imperial ban, Rhodes' army can wage war at will and secretly build up its strength.

This is why we need to prepare for war.

“However, Aura wrote down the names of five families for me, all of whom were his best friends.”

Rhodes handed a note to Durant and instructed, "If they haven't chosen a monarch to serve and remain neutral, you can send someone to try to make contact."

"Understood, my lord."

Durant took the note with both hands and put it away. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Which one does Earl Red Griffin choose to support?"

“The Count of Red Griffin remains neutral, even though the envoys from all three parties are at Red Griffin Castle.”

Holding the letter in his hand, Rhodes said, "Count Red Griffin said this is the safest option, but he will support us if we are interested."

Upon hearing Rhodes' words, Durant couldn't help but exclaim, "The Red Griffin Earl is truly... likable."

Rhodes' smile widened, and after nodding slightly, he said, "In my reply to Earl Red Griffin, I told him to remain neutral for the time being, but to prepare the army."

There's no point in telling Count Aura the Red Griffin right now; it's unlikely to incite him to start a war.

Rhodes will wait for the right time to have Aura gather the nobles, and then Count Red Griffin will lead the response to the call.

"And your father, Earl Tulip..." Durant cautiously pressed.

"There's no news yet, but they'll likely support the Duke of Flowers."

Rod guessed in a deep voice.

Because of the war, Rhodes's brother Vincent was only engaged to Baron Euler, and they did not have a formal wedding yet.

But this does not affect the relationship between the two families.

If the Count of Tulips is ambitious, this is a very likely choice.

Rhodes is still unsure; perhaps Count Tulip has other information and connections, and might choose someone else or remain neutral.

"Although we belong to the same family, if we are on different sides, we don't need to be too careful on the battlefield. This is also a way of respecting them."

Rhodes sighed softly, "We can only show some respect outside the battlefield."

Rhodes could not change his stance because of anyone else, not even the Earl of Tulip.

They didn't waste their energy on the Tulip Family's affairs.

Rod changed the subject abruptly and immediately instructed Durant,

"Send a message to Baron Bronn to sound out Baron Edmund and Baron Camille, and see what the Woodland and Moonlake families think."

"In addition, once the vanguard is ready, depart for White Rock Canyon immediately."

Rhodes commanded, "We'll start with our old neighbor."

"Shouldn't we wait for Count Aura to regain his true appearance?"

Durant asked.

"We don't need him for the time being."

Rhodes said without hesitation, "Count Aura is more of a figurehead for persuading people to surrender."

"Understood, I'll go relay the order right away!"

Durant nodded vigorously, then quickly turned and walked away.

……

……

A winter night in the North.

Snowflakes the size of rice grains drifted down, making the streets of Shilu Town in Xiongyingling seem as if they were covered with a layer of wheat flour.

The icy wind swept across the street like a knife, making a sharp whistling sound.

The four-meter-high stone wall on the outskirts of the town was covered with a layer of frost, which glittered in the moonlight.

The smooth ice made the stone walls even more difficult to climb, making the guards' job easier.

Outside the watchtower in the town, near the main gate.

A bonfire was burning brightly, dispelling the chill of the night.

Two guards leaned against the fire; one veteran was curled up and dozing with his eyes closed, while the other, a tall recruit, rubbed his hands together to warm them in front of the fire.

They were all wearing cloaks, but they were still shivering from the cold.

"Damn this weather!"

The new recruit guard kept breathing out warm air, "The temperature suddenly dropped, it's freezing!"

"You can't hold on now? The days when people freeze to death are yet to come!"

The veteran, without opening his eyes, calmly untied the water bag from his waist and tossed it to the new recruit.

"Let's grill something to eat and have a couple of drinks."

The old soldier said lazily, "That'll warm you up."

As soon as he finished speaking, the night fell into complete silence.

The recruit didn't speak; only the crackling sound of burning firewood answered him.

The veteran realized something was wrong and suddenly opened his eyes.

—The recruit's figure had already fallen to the ground, his neck slashed!
"Enemy... gurgle..."

Just as the veteran was about to shout, his throat was slit open by a sharp blade, leaving him only with a few weak moans!
The figure of Lynxman Wright suddenly leaped out from behind, ignoring the dead veteran, and rushed towards the gate!

Without hesitation, he swung his dagger and slashed at the iron chain!
"nail!"

With a sharp crack, the iron chain locking the door snapped, and Wright ripped it off, then began to pull at the thick crossbeam on the door!

At that moment, another Lynxman rushed out of the shadows and, together with Wright, lifted the beam and threw it aside!
With a loud bang, the heavy beam was thrown to the ground, and Wright and his companions pulled hard on the thick wooden door covered with iron sheets.

"Squeak—"

A harsh groaning sound rang out as the gates of Stone Road Town slowly opened.

Immediately afterwards, Wright let out a few bird calls into the darkness outside the door, and countless dark shadows quickly surged toward Stone Road Town!
Just then, five patrolling soldiers carrying torches came from the other side of the street and immediately saw the two men standing at the gate.

"Enemy attack!"

A terrified scream rang out, instantly shattering the tranquility of Shilu Town!
(End of this chapter)