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

Chapter 327 You Don't Understand the Basic Principles of the Extraordinary

……

……

A well-educated nobleman is usually not stupid.

At least they won't make any basic mistakes when it comes to family interests.

The Duke of Flowers was fully aware of the current situation.

Now, by cooperating with the eldest princess, we can work together to get rid of the troublesome Prince Golden Hammer and completely subdue those restless guys in the Western Alliance.

This is the most advantageous option.

The problem is that, despite both vying for the throne, the Duke of Flowers has absolutely no trust in the eldest princess.

No one knows whether she might suddenly change her mind and stab them in the back, or suddenly join forces with Prince Golden Hammer.

The Duke of Flowers did not want the other party to gain any advantage, nor did he want to become a stepping stone for the eldest princess on her path to the throne.

It was precisely because of this concern that he had to oppose the eldest princess.

This is what is known as the prisoner's dilemma.

That's why, when I saw the proposal in Rhodes' letter, I immediately understood its value.

Rhodes's letter was very concise.

There are no flowery words or lengthy preambles.

Only two things were mentioned.

The first thing Rhodes made clear was that he would not join any faction for the time being.

Whether it's the Duke of Flowers' side or the eldest princess's side.

In his letter, Rhodes wrote that in an incomplete empire, a fragmented nation, no one could be called emperor.

The second thing was to turn the sword against Prince Golden Hammer, who had ties to the Holy Council.

Rhodes mentioned that if the Duke of Flowers was willing to confront the Prince of the Golden Hammer and expel the Holy Council, then Rhodes was willing to offer his assistance.

The same applies to the attitude towards Her Highness the First Princess.

"Where has Rhodes' army advanced to?"

The Duke of Flowers suddenly asked the butler a question.

Rhodes is now the focus of the entire Northern Province, and his every move is being closely watched by various forces.

New intelligence was arriving from the north every day, so the butler answered almost without hesitation.

"The latest news that came yesterday is that the last remaining member of the Frostsong family to resist has pledged allegiance."

The butler's tone carried a hint of reverence.
"Lord Rhodes is now the true Grand Duke of the North."

"Yes, as expected."

Duke of Flowers nodded thoughtfully, “Before his dragon, our noble castles are rendered useless.”

“You need not worry too much, Your Grace.”

The butler stepped forward and said in a low voice,

"Didn't Lord Fafunk already provide you with the blueprints for giant crossbows from ancient times?"

"That's a weapon specifically designed to deal with large magical beasts like dragons."

"As long as your castle is surrounded by those giant crossbows, you don't need to be afraid even if a dragon comes," the steward reassured him.

"The bolts of the giant crossbow are very expensive to produce, and they are not used lightly."

Duke of Flowers said in a deep voice, "Our soldiers are still learning to control them. No one can guarantee that they will hit the dragon when they are fired."

"And do you know how much one of those crossbow bolts costs?" the Duke of Flowers asked.

The butler paused for a moment, then shook his head.

One hundred gold coins.

The Duke of Flowers' voice carried a hint of resentment.

"One crossbow bolt costs one hundred gold coins, enough to buy fifty soldiers and slaves."

The giant crossbows are not expensive, but the bolts that can pierce dragon scales are specially made enchanted bolts, which even the Duke of Flowers cannot afford.

“Fafok sent me new information: Rhodes has become a strategist for the Dawn Society.”

Duke of Flowers knew the power of the Arcane Councilmen in the Dawn Society and was unwilling to easily become enemies with Rhodes.

"Actually, we should have explored the power of the extraordinary as soon as possible, even if it would have cost a lot of gold coins, otherwise we wouldn't be in such a passive position now."

Even the Duke of Flowers couldn't help but sigh.

Regret is pointless; now we can only make the more advantageous choices.
Rhodes's opinions and abilities broke the prisoner's dilemma, creating a bridge of communication between him and the eldest princess.

Because if either side doesn't cooperate, it will only cause Rhodes to side with the other.

Only a fool would refuse to cooperate.

"Send a message to the eldest princess."

Duke of Flowers commanded, "If she agrees with Duke Rhodes, then I am willing to temporarily join her in attacking Prince Golden Hammer."

"Yes, Your Grace."

The butler responded respectfully.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a guard rushed past.

"Your Grace, there is a man outside the castle who claims to be a marquis requesting an audience."

The guard respectfully reported, "He said he is the current Marquis of the Coldblade family, Ofri Coldblade, and hopes to have the opportunity to serve you."

"The Marquis of Hanren from the Northern Province?"

A smile appeared on the face of the Duke of Flowers.
"His arrival is perfectly timed; we can present him as a gift to Duke Rhodes to congratulate him on unifying the North."

……

……

Frosthold.

This is a castle in the truest sense.

Compared to the lord's manor, Frosthold can be considered a completely independent small city.

The towering city walls were surrounded by towers, barracks, blacksmith shops, carpentry workshops, weaving workshops and all sorts of other facilities.

There is also a deep well in the courtyard, ensuring that Frosthold can be self-sufficient even when besieged.

If it weren't for the dragon causing morale to collapse, the only way to try and dismantle such a castle would be by assassinating the nobles.

At this moment, Rhodes walked slowly in the inner courtyard of the castle, his gaze slowly sweeping over everything around him.

Viscount Winnie was dragged to Rhodes by two soldiers.

Her hands were tied behind her back with rough hemp rope, and her face and body had many whip marks and bloodstains.

It seems that Sejuani did not treat Winnie any better just because she was a noblewoman.

Winnie raised her head and stared intently at Rhodes.

His blue eyes were filled with anger, without the slightest hint of submission.

"I know what you want."

Winnie's voice was weak and hoarse, but the provocation remained undiminished.
"But if you can't find it, nobody can."

"Oh, is it so?"

Rhodes gazed calmly at the buildings of Frostholdt.

His gaze swept from the main building to the side wing, and then from the tower to the cellar entrance.

"Can't you find anyone?"

"Nobody can be found."

Winnie twitched her lips into a sarcastic smile.

"No matter how many people you use, how many soldiers you deploy, or how many bricks you search the entire castle, you still won't find it."

"That is the culmination of over three hundred years of our family's efforts; only the true successor can know it."

Winnie chuckled softly, "I know you don't believe me, but I don't know either. Even if you torture me to death, you still won't be able to find out."

"The more you say that, the more curious I become about where it is."

Rhodes ignored Winnie and did not have her taken away.

Rhodes turned and instructed the White Frost Prophet, "Try your divination first."

"Yes, Holy Lord."

The White Frost Prophet responded respectfully.

He then ordered the soldiers to bring a brazier, took out a packet of herbs from the leather pouch at his waist, and threw it into the brazier.

Then, the White Frost Prophet spread a huge bearskin on the ground.

He sat cross-legged in the center of the bearskin and closed his eyes.

He pulled out a handful of smooth animal bone fragments from his bosom. Each fragment was different in shape and carved with strange patterns.

The White Frost Prophet began to chant softly, holding the bone fragments between his hands and shaking and rubbing them continuously.

At this moment, Luxen stared intently at the White Frost Prophet's actions—he sensed the fluctuations in energy.

The White Frost Prophet remained focused, chanting for a long time before suddenly scattering what he held onto the bearskin.

After a crisp clanging sound, the bone fragments scattered, forming a specific arrangement.

The White Frost Prophet opened his eyes and leaned closer to carefully examine the location of the bone fragments.

"Holy Lord."

The White Frost Prophet raised his head and respectfully reported, "In the northwest direction."

"The scent of treasure is strongest in the northwest, but it is mixed with evil and filth."

Rhodes nodded slightly. "Very good."

The White Frost Prophet's divination abilities are limited; he can only divine the general direction.

But it also saves Rhodes a lot of effort.

"You think you can find our family's treasure by throwing away a few bones?"

Winnie scoffed.
“I admit, Rhodes, your dragon is powerful, but this ugly, short old man, heh heh.”

Winnie shook her head. "That's ridiculous."

Rhodes remained calm and ignored Winnie.

"The Great Holy Lord".

The White Frost Prophet suddenly spoke, respectfully saying, "If my divination is correct, could you bestow this woman upon me?"

“Unless you don’t need her.” The White Frost Prophet’s words instantly stunned Winnie.

She wanted to say something, but then suddenly realized her earlier denial and ultimately held back from speaking.

"can."

Rhodes casually agreed, then took out his wand from his sleeve and slowly walked to the northwest of Frostholdt.

He then closed his eyes and slowly focused his mental energy on the wand in his hand.

After the mental energy entered the wand, it suddenly expanded, transforming into tiny mental tentacles that carried Rhodes' consciousness rapidly forward.

The spiritual tendrils penetrated the thick stone walls, crossed the dusty corridors, and entered room after room.

The storeroom was filled with clutter, the stables were filled with stables, the servants' quarters were filled with stables, the dungeon was filled with dungeons, and there were some filthy corners.

But no trace of the treasure vault was found.

Even with their spiritual tentacles extending to both sides and penetrating several meters deep into the earth, they still couldn't find any hollows or hidden architectural structures.

Rhodes withdrew his mental tentacles, his brow furrowing slightly.

"You didn't find it, did you?"

Winnie's weak voice rang out, a smug smile playing on her lips.

"I'm not lying to you, you can't find anyone."

"As long as it's in Frostholdt, there's no way we can't find it."

Rhodes remained calm, showing no signs of frustration or anxiety.

The treasure vault is right there; if necessary, Rock Ridge can search Frosthold thoroughly.

However, after saying that, Rhodes suddenly paused for a moment.

Who says the Coldblade family's treasure vault is necessarily hidden inside Frosthold?
"Call Gala over here," Rod ordered.

"Yes, Lord Lord."

The guard nodded in agreement and quickly ran to the military camp.

The Frosthold military camp is now occupied by three battalions of the Gungle Vanguard Regiment.

Soon, Gala arrived quickly with his guards.

"Holy Lord, what are your orders?" Gala bowed respectfully.

Rhodes asked, "What filthy and evil place is northwest of Frostholdt?"

"This one……"

Gala pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "There are all kinds of bones piled up on the barren slope two miles away, as well as some burial mounds. It should be a mass grave."

"I don't know if this meets your requirements."

In noble territories, there are criminals who are executed, commoners who die tragically, and slaves.

If no family or relatives handle it, it will be carelessly dumped aside, while kind-hearted people will bury it.

But they can't just be dumped anywhere, so there's a place specifically for disposing of these bodies, which eventually becomes a mass grave.

"Let's go take a look over there."

Rhodes gave the order.

"Yes, Holy Lord."

Gala respectfully responded and quickly stepped forward to lead the way.

Rhodes followed behind with the White Frost Prophet, Lusen, and others.

The soldiers lifted Winnie up and forcibly dragged her to follow the group.

……

……

The group walked along the mountain path in the northwest direction.

Before long, Rod saw the desolate hillside that Gala had described.

There were no trees, only stones and scattered weeds.

Scattered among the half-melted snow were various kinds of skull bones, eerily white, with some bones still bearing fragments of rotten cloth.

There are some obvious mounds of earth on the hillside, some with wooden signs in front of them.

Several wild dogs lingered at the edge of the ravine. When they saw humans approaching, they let out a few low growls.

The Winter Guardian raised his longbow and drew the bowstring without hesitation toward the wild dog.

Screams rang out, and the remaining wild dogs fled quickly.

Soon, the hillside became completely quiet.

Without any hesitation, Rhodes stood on the edge of the ravine.

Grip the wand tightly and once again control the mental tentacles to extend outwards.

This time, Rhodes sensed some remaining fragments of consciousness.

These consciousnesses have no purpose; they are merely remnants of ghosts born from the aura of the dead. They are invisible to the naked eye and can only be sensed by Rhodes manipulating his mental tentacles.

These remnant souls might have some value to necromancy, as they could be used to create low-level undead minions or as materials for certain dark rituals.

But now is not the time to focus on these things.

Ignoring the wandering remnant soul, Rhodes manipulated his mental tentacles to search the surroundings, sweeping over every mound and suspicious place.

The spiritual tendrils pierced through the thick layer of soil and suddenly discovered a dark passage.

Following the passage forward, my spiritual tendrils suddenly shot out from the ground, and I saw the vast snow-capped mountains once again.

"Looks like we've found it."

Rhodes looked at Winnie beside him.

"Let's go take a look together."

Winnie stared at Rhodes's smile, her eyes widening, and suddenly felt a sense of unease.

The soldiers didn't give Winnie time to think; they simply grabbed her and followed Rhodes.

Based on his memory, Rhodes quickly located the spot in the ravine where the mental tendrils were emerging from the ground.

There's no obvious difference between this place and the rest of the surrounding area.

It was also covered with a thick layer of snow, and a few withered bones were scattered around it.

"right here."

Rhodes pointed to the flat, unremarkable clearing on the hillside. "Clear this place out."

"Yes, Lord Lord."

Without any questioning, the soldiers immediately swarmed forward and began digging with their shovels.

After clearing away the snow, removing the withered grass, and digging through the hardened soil, a huge rock was revealed.

"It's so well sealed off. It seems your family doesn't usually open this treasure vault."

Rhodes said casually, glancing at Winnie beside him.

Winnie was speechless, staring blankly at the rocks that were being gradually peeled away.

His lips trembled slightly, his face was pale, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

Then, she watched as the soldiers worked together to push aside the rocks, revealing the dark, deep entrance to the cave.

The existence of such a secret passage in this desolate, chaotic burial ground speaks volumes.

Winnie's mind went blank; she completely lost the ability to think and was dragged into the secret passage by the soldiers.

When she regained consciousness, she had been dragged to a stone door embedded in a stone wall.

The stone gate, illuminated by the firelight, was carved with exquisite patterns and bore the Frostblade emblem of the Coldblade family.

The stone gate has several heavy iron rings and a row of riveted beams.

The main lock is a thick iron bar, inserted horizontally into the groove of the door latch, with both ends embedded in the wall.

Near the top of the latch, there is a finely cast black iron lock base with a conspicuous irregular keyhole.

It doesn't look like an ordinary lock; it requires a special key to insert.

"Even if you find it, you won't have the key..."

Winnie finally found her voice and couldn't help but speak.

His voice betrayed his guilty conscience.

Winnie kept reassuring herself that as long as the door remained closed, Rhodes would be unable to obtain the treasure.

Rhodes didn't waste any words, and didn't even bother to examine the keyhole closely.

He looked at Lucien and asked, "Is there magical energy fluctuation on this?"

"No."

Luxen shook his head slightly. "It's just an ordinary lock."

"very good."

Rhodes drew Ashbringer directly from the hands of the Winter Iron Guard.

The scorching energy was injected into the sword, and the Ashbringer's dark blade quickly turned crimson.

Then, Rhodes picked up Ashbringer and slashed at the door lock with his sword.

The stone door, along with the latch, was easily cut open like butter.

It didn't even make a sound.

The so-called ingenious locks are meaningless in the face of the scorching Ashbringer.

Then Rhodes recalled Ashbringer, waved his hand slightly, and the Winter's Iron Guard quickly stepped forward to push open the stone door.

"Om-"

A scraping sound rang out, and the stone door was easily pushed open.

"You probably haven't seen the family treasure before either, let's go in and take a look."

Rhodes extended his hand to Winnie in an inviting gesture.

"I I I..."

Winnie hesitated, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"Didn't you say you couldn't open it?"

Rhodes looked at Winnie's bewildered face and said with a smile:

"You don't understand the basic principles of the extraordinary at all."

(End of this chapter)