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

Chapter 323 The Real Enemy

……

“There was some close contact between my father and the Duke of Flowers.”

Dora said seriously, "But there was no formal oath of allegiance."

Rhodes was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Count Tulip was still observing.

"why?"

Rhodes asked directly, "Isn't the condition offered by the Duke of Flowers enough?"

The Count of Tulips was more concerned with profit, which was the reason Rhodes could think of.

“I don’t know the specifics either; my grandfather just mentioned it to me briefly.”

Dora thought for a moment and continued, "The Duke of Flowers entrusted a remote town in the southwest to my father."

"The land in that town is fairly fertile, but it's quite far from Tulip Territory."

"It will take a full three weeks to get there."

Dora paused, then continued:

"Moreover, the area had previously experienced war, and everything was destroyed. It is said that ghosts still roam there."

"That's really going too far."

Rhodes nodded in agreement.

"Are there any other conditions?" Rhodes pressed.

"The rest are all so-called 'His Majesty Aegon's promises'."

Dora shook her head helplessly. "I don't know the specifics."

"Perhaps things are not as bad as they seem on the surface."

Rod said thoughtfully.

Negotiations between the two sides are likely still ongoing, as the real war has not yet begun and they are currently in the stage of courting allies.

Although the Tulip family is quite powerful, the Duke of Flowers must have many nobles to appease.

The Earl of Tulip was given a small town, which is considered a pretty good treatment.

It's quite possible that Earl Tulip was already considering taking sides, but Rhodes's actions in the North have caused such a stir that the Tulip family's value has more than doubled.

That's why Dora was sent here to say that sentence just now.

"Actually, there are other rumors as well."

Dora glanced at Vivian, who was wearing a mask next to Rhodes, and hesitated before speaking.

"It's alright, Vivian is my personal bodyguard, the person I trust most."

Rod picked up his cup, took a sip of hot tea, and casually said, "She can hear all the secrets."

"It's not exactly a secret."

"It's just a little embarrassing."

Dora lowered her voice, "Vincent's fiancée, Ola, is pregnant."

"You have a child?"

"How is this shameful? Just have a normal wedding."

Rod gulped down the hot tea in the cup.

What was scalding hot water for others was just right for Rhodes.

He handed the cup to Vivian, gesturing for her to have another, when he suddenly stopped.
"You mean,"

A glint flashed in Rod's eyes as he stared at Dora and asked, "The child isn't Vincent's?"

Dora nodded silently and forcefully.

"This is truly shameful."

Rhodes sighed.

In this era of looser social norms, promiscuity is not uncommon; many noblewomen have lovers.

In some cases, both husband and wife have other partners outside the marriage.

However, this should absolutely not be done before marriage or before having children, especially for the wife of a family heir.

The bloodline of offspring must be pure; this is an ironclad rule.

Vincent's fiancée's actions are a slap in the face to the Tulip family.

It concerns the honor of the entire family, and this is something that cannot be tolerated.

"So what do we do now?"

Rod asked curiously.

Under the old imperial system, the Tulip family might have been able to swallow this bitter pill.

After Euler gives birth, they secretly send the child away, and then proceed with the wedding.

But things are different now.

The empire is on the verge of collapse, and the Earl of Tulips, who is being courted by both sides, should not tolerate such humiliation.

"I don't know exactly how it will be handled."

Dora shook her head slightly, her voice becoming even softer.

"Perhaps...we should get a more suitable daughter?"

"For example, a certain illegitimate daughter?"

Dora said cautiously.

The duke's wife had been unable to have children for a long time, but the duke himself had many illegitimate daughters.

Replacing her with an illegitimate daughter can be considered a form of compensation.

"No matter what, this is a disgrace to the family."

Rhodes nodded slightly. The Duke of Flowers would have to give up land and property to resolve everything.

This may be the real reason why Count Tulip has been reluctant to pledge allegiance.

He was waiting for the Duke of Flowers to offer compensation.

The two were chatting animatedly when a guard knocked on the door and entered, reporting:

"My lord, Lusen and Linda from the Dawn Society have arrived."

……

Three days later.

In the courtyard of the Border Town Manor.

"It's great here; they don't treat us like outsiders at all."

Linda's gaze swept over the heavily armored Winter Guards not far away.

Lucien chuckled and said, "Weren't the soldiers of the Imperial Army very respectful to you before?"

"Different."

Linda shook her head.

"Only those soldiers who have worked with us will truly respect us."

She turned to look at the guards patrolling in the distance.

"As for the others, they either fear us or loathe us."

"Unlike the soldiers here, they don't pay much attention to us even when we're standing in the courtyard of the lord's manor."

"This is normal."

Lusen looked at the Winter Guards and said, "They are used to the existence of superhuman power because they see fire-breathing dragons every day."

"So when they see us spellcasters again, they won't find it strange at all."

"Actually, you don't need to worry. The others in the future empire will get used to our presence."

Luxem said meaningfully.

Agnar's death made all the nobles realize the importance of spellcasters, and the goodwill of the Imperial Family and the Duke of Flowers proved everything.

Linda glanced at Luxem.

She understood the deeper meaning behind the other person's words, but she didn't respond. Instead, she silently looked away.

The feeling one gets is different from that one gets from habitual behavior versus being forced to use something.

At this moment, the guard Severus strode over and announced, "The lord has granted your request to see him; you may enter."

Joseph gestured for him to proceed.
"plz follow me."

After saying that, Cerf led the two into the main building of the manor.

Compared to his formal and serious demeanor when he met with the envoys before, Rhodes was much more relaxed now.

Standing at the table, holding a cup in one hand, I looked at the map of the northern provinces.

The places the army plundered were not marked on the map, but they were all in Rhodes's mind.

The population of the entire northern province was around 230,000, which was very small compared to other provinces.

After conquering the lower-ranking lords of the Frostblade families, and adding the people he had plundered, Rhodes's numbers reached approximately 70,000.

With its vast lands in the northern provinces, coupled with the effects of the Crop Lord trait, Rhodes doesn't need to worry about supporting so many people.

On the contrary, Rhodes felt that these people were far from enough—they hadn't even met the basic requirements for the [Path to Kingship] entry.

We must continue to plunder, using war to sustain war.

"My lord, Mr. Luxem and Miss Linda have arrived."

The guard bowed respectfully and reported, then quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.

Luxembourg and Linda bowed simultaneously, their expressions respectful.

"Good day, Your Excellency the Duke."

“I have not accepted any title from any emperor.” Rhodes turned around and said with a smile, “It’s a pleasure to see you again, my friends.”

A hint of surprise flashed in Luxem's eyes.

He clearly hadn't expected that Rod would still treat him and Linda with such an intimate term as "friend."

After all, the two sides are now in completely different positions.

Linda's reaction was much more casual.

Linda, on the other hand, was more casual, walking to the table and picking up an apple by herself.
"It should be edible, Your Grace, right?"

"of course."

Rod smiled and nodded.

Linda didn't stand on ceremony and took a bite of the apple.

While chewing on an apple, he glanced at the map of the northern provinces spread out on the table.

"Even if those two self-proclaimed emperors don't bestow upon you the title of Grand Duke, it won't stop your progress."

Linda said without any hesitation,
"Marquis Frostblade can't stop you, Earl Storm can't stop you either, and Earl Frostsong is even less likely to stop you."

"Those lands will become your territory sooner or later."

Linda wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Even without any official title, you will be the uncrowned king of the North.”

In the Western Alliance, a duke is generally the king of a principality, so it wouldn't be wrong for Linda to describe him as a king.

Linda spoke bluntly, but it was an undeniable fact.

Luxen nodded in agreement. "You possess dragons and many unfathomable supernatural powers. No other noble is your match."

Rhodes remained calm upon hearing these words, smiling without offering any rebuttal.

"Alright, you two never used to talk so much nonsense to me."

Changing the subject, Rhodes asked, "Tell me, since Deep Winter has come all this way to come here in person, what do you two want?"

"us……"

Just as Luxen was about to speak, Linda beat him to it.
"I'd like to ask who you support. Dawn doesn't want to be your enemy."

Linda placed the leftover fruit pits on the table, wiped her mouth, and said, "The wise man believes you have decided the fate of the empire."

After hearing this, Lu Sen sighed deeply, shook his head, and sat down to the side, not wanting to say anything more.

Because Linda threw out all her attitudes and bargaining chips at once, completely disregarding Rod's status as an outsider.

Rod did not answer, but sat down next to Lusen thoughtfully.

Rhodes didn't expect Dawn to value his opinion so much.

In reality, Rhodes was also unwilling to clash with Dawn.

Rhodes may look down on the entire Shattered Rock Empire, but he would never look down on these spellcasters of the Dawn Order.

As long as there is hostility, winning or losing is a loss.

If civilians die, they can be replaced by looting from the neighboring area.

Soldiers can be trained in three months if they are killed in action.

If the spellcaster dies, even if there is a talented and suitable person, it will take a year or two to train them.

But Rod couldn't be like Linda, spilling all his secrets.

After a long silence, Rhodes sighed softly.

"Actually, what I think is completely different from what you think."

Rhodes said with a serious expression, "Who is our enemy? Who is the enemy of the Empire?"

Lusen and Linda immediately looked up, their eyes fixed on Rhodes.

Rhodes continued,

"You come and ask me which emperor I support."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "The question itself is flawed."

"The Empire's true enemy is not any faction within itself, but the undead of the Western Alliance."

Rod turned around, his gaze sweeping over Linda and Lucien's faces.

“You know better than anyone how Agnar died.”

Only the one who avenges the deceased Agnar is qualified to ascend the throne.

This is the banner of justice for the successor.

However, Rhodes didn't say the last part.

"Yes, you are right."

Lucien said in a deep voice, "There are also traces of the church guys' involvement in this."

"The Church's influence is still in the Eastern Continent, so the Dawn Society and I shouldn't be considering other issues."

Rhodes solemnly emphasized, "More importantly, the Western Alliance is eyeing the Empire covetously. Rather than vying for the throne, it would be better to expand our territory."

"Don't forget that the Western Alliance still has large tracts of land that do not belong to the Empire."

Both Luxembourg and Linda nodded in unison.

Rhodes's words hit the nail on the head.

The Dawn Society should not be concerned with who the emperor of the empire is; the Dawn Society should be concerned with who its true enemy is.

"Thank you for your explanation, Lord Rhodes. I will pass on your words to the wise man."

Lucien's expression was grave. "But those two emperors probably didn't have your wisdom; they were blinded by power."

"They will wake up."

Seeing the attitude of the Princess and the Duke of Flowers towards him, Rhodes was confident that he could change everything.

but not now.

Rhodes' army was still too small, making it rather inadequate for a large-scale war.

What Rhodes needs most now is time to accumulate and recruit more troops—at least 20,000 is needed to have the confidence to fight back.

It just so happens that it is winter now, which is not suitable for large-scale military expeditions.

Only after holding off those two envoys and conquering the entire northern territory could Rhodes truly be considered a duke.

By then, every word you say will carry weight.

"This matter is not urgent, and neither of you needs to leave in a hurry."

Rod smiled, his words carrying an unquestionable tone, "Let's spend the winter here. I happen to need you, Luxen, to help me with something."

"This one……"

Before Lucien could finish speaking, Rod reached out and interrupted him.
"Twenty drops of dragon blood."

"It just so happens that I like to see snow."

Upon hearing the word "dragon blood," Lucian sat up straight without hesitation and asked, "What is it?"

“My people will search the territory for talented spellcasters, and I hope you can help me to enlighten them.”

Rhodes now has over 70,000 people in its territory. With the addition of vocabulary entries, both the selection and enlightenment processes are enormous undertakings.

The wizarding apprentices of Frostleaf Town have more confidential matters to attend to, and it would be more appropriate to leave this kind of hard labor to Lucien.

Moreover, Rhodes wanted to flex his muscles and show the Dawn Society just how rich the talent pool of spellcasters in the North was.

Lusen, naturally unaware of the keywords controlled by Rhodes and not believing there would be many people involved, readily agreed without any bargaining.

"No problem, I'm very good at mentoring newcomers."

"What can I do to help you?"

Linda took the initiative to ask.

"You can go to Frostleaf Town and visit your old friends."

"Old friend?"

Linda asked, somewhat puzzled, "Miss Avril?"

Linda and Avril are quite familiar with each other, but they can't be called old friends.

"No, it's Zhuoya."

Rhodes made no attempt to hide anything.

As Linda's best friend, Rod hopes to rely on Zoya to keep Linda with him.

Linda may not be a strong researcher, but on the battlefield, she's a human flamethrower.

Moreover, he has a straightforward personality and doesn't have any ulterior motives.