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

Chapter 334 Damn Church Liars!
……

……

"This, what is this?"

The soldiers on the city wall screamed in terror.
"Is it an earthquake?"

"No, that's not right!"

"It sounds like something is hitting the city wall!"

"Look down at the city wall! What's that on the ground below?!"

A soldier shouted in panic, pointing diagonally downwards to the base of the city wall!
Following the direction he pointed, the other soldiers all craned their necks to look down.

The sight before them made everyone gasp in shock!
On the hillside outside the city walls, large tracts of land rose high and kept surging!

There was something enormous below, crashing against the foundation of the city wall!

The city defense commander also heard the commotion and quickly ran over.

He bent down, peered over the battlement, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Monster! There's definitely a monster down there!"

The city's defense commander forced himself to remain calm and roared out orders.

"Archer!"

"All archers, attack that mound immediately!"

The archers sprang into action immediately upon receiving the order!
He raised his bow, lay prone between the battlements, and fired wildly at the earthen mounds!

"Shhhhhh!"

Arrows rained down like a storm!

The mound, four or five meters long, was a clear target, and not a single archer missed; all of them hit the mound accurately!

However, the mound seemed to be made of rock, and only the tip of the arrow could penetrate the soil, while the shaft could not go in at all!
They leave only shallow marks on the surface before being buried by the churning soil.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

The sounds of impact grew louder and louder, and the city wall continued to tremble!

In a short while, obvious cracks appeared on the city wall!
"Move the stones! Move all the stones over here!!"

Upon seeing this, the city defense commander roared desperately:

"And the oil drums! Bring the oil drums over here too!"

"Smash it! We must stop this monster!"

The soldiers could hear the panic in their commander's voice, but their instinct for survival kept them from hesitating.

They quickly picked up the stones and oil drums used for guarding the city and hurled them down at the earthen mound below!
"boom--!"

Just then, a series of booming sounds rang out, and the entire city wall suddenly shook violently!

The soldiers on the city wall swayed violently, unable to stand steadily, and some even almost fell off the wall!
"What, what's going on?"

The city defense commander struggled to steady himself and peered down from the battlements.

A hole appeared at the bottom of the city wall, and a body covered in dark blue rock was twisting and turning as it passed through the hole!

Because it was too large, the narrow hole could not withstand it, and the edges were mercilessly torn apart, resulting in more cracks!

As the deep blue body passed through, the stones at the edge fell like rain, completely collapsing into a huge hole large enough for three to five people to pass through side by side!

"Roar--!"

At the same time, a deafening roar came from below the city wall.

Everyone felt a piercing sound wave tearing at their eardrums and instinctively covered their ears!

Stones above the hole in the city wall fell again, stirring up countless plumes of dust!

The city wall above the hole has completely collapsed into ruins!
Before the dust had settled, a gigantic figure rose from the ground!

—A giant dragon whose entire body is covered in deep blue crystals!

Its head was larger than a millstone, and on its ferocious face, a pair of golden vertical pupils emitted a cold light!
Its body was covered in mud and pebbles, which cascaded down like a waterfall with the slight flapping of its wings, making it look even more terrifying!
The soldiers on the city wall stared wide-eyed at the rising figure, not daring to make the slightest move!

I'm terrified that this guy will turn around and bite me!
At this moment, everyone was enveloped in despair!
The incredibly sturdy city walls were nothing more than toys in the hands of the dragon!
How can this war be fought then?!

"Quickly, quickly adjust the direction of the giant crossbow!"

As fear spread, the city's defense commander's face turned red, and he roared hoarsely.
"Shoot it!"

The soldiers on the city wall were now completely panicked.

Most people stood there, completely unsure of what to do.

Only a few quick-thinking veterans obeyed the order and rushed toward the giant crossbow mounted on the city wall, turning the crossbow's base with all their might!
"Roar!"

The dragon seemed to understand their actions and opened its mouth towards the giant crossbow on the city wall!

A visible cone-shaped shockwave burst forth from its throat, instantly cleaving the giant crossbow into pieces like a sharp blade!

The soldier closest to the explosion was sent flying backward and exploded in mid-air!

Countless pieces of flesh and blood slammed against the city wall, turning the stones blood red!

But at that moment, a scream came from the watchtower.

"Heaven! Look at the sky!"

The voice was filled with despair and fear, "Dragons! There are dragons in the sky!"

Everyone instinctively looked up and saw three enormous and terrifying figures swooping down from the clouds.

That was a three-headed dragon.

One was deep red, one was blue and white, and there was also a black dragon that I had never seen before.

Like the Grim Reaper, they hurtled towards the city wall with a whooshing sound and incredible speed.

"Four heads! There are actually four-headed dragons!"

The city's defense commander looked up at the sky and cursed, "Those church liars deserve to die! They said there were only two dragons!"

With that, he resignedly threw away the sword in his hand and closed his eyes.

The next moment, a torrent of dragon breath descended from the sky, engulfing all the soldiers and giant crossbowmen on the city wall!
……

……

"Ugh——!"

At that moment, a deep horn sounded.

Outside the city, Gunle stood at the forefront of the battle formation, a ferocious smile on his face.

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he suddenly raised the battle axe in his hand.
"Vanguard Regiment! Charge with me!"

Gunle roared, his massive body charging first toward the huge gap in the city wall!
"kill!"

Hundreds of vanguard soldiers behind Gunle roared in unison and surged toward the breach in the city wall like a tidal wave!
There was no fear in their eyes, only a thirst for glory and bloodshed!
After all, not every war has dragons paving the way!
Gunle led his vanguard across the ruins and surged into Moon Wolf City. When they encountered soldiers, they didn't waste any words and started killing them!

The sharp battle axe, like the scythe of death, swiftly reaped the lives of the city's defenders!
"Stop them! Stop them!"

An officer brandished his longsword and roared orders to his soldiers, attempting to organize a defense.

However, the morale of the defenders inside the city had already collapsed under the bombardment of the dragon's breath, and they could not even hold their shields steady!
When Gunle led the vanguard regiment to charge forward, the fragile defensive line was instantly torn apart!

Seeing that they couldn't resist, most people's first reaction was to turn around and run away!

The vanguard soldiers pounced on the sheep like tigers, slaughtering the enemies in front of them with ferocity.

At the same time, Wright and his men appeared like ghosts in front of the city gate.

Before the guards could react, the sharp blade pierced their necks through the gap under their helmets, killing them instantly.

The other guards were utterly terrified and immediately threw down their weapons, kneeling on the ground in surrender.

"Stand up, all of you, open the city gates!"

Wright's lingua franca, though clumsy, is clear enough.

The guards dared not delay, quickly got up and rushed to the gate, moved the pillar blocking the gate, and pulled out the bolt.

As the gates slowly opened, Sao led his knights into Moon Wolf City, beginning their slaughter like a sharp sword!

……

……

The war ended not long after.

The soldiers had no will to resist; only a few loyal knights continued to put up a fight.

They eventually retreated to Moonwolf Keep and put up a stubborn resistance.

Rhodes admired their courage and had Wright lead the Lynx people to show them respect with their blades.

Death and bloodshed awakened people's reason, and in the end, the gates of Moonwolf Castle were opened by the Earl's bastard son.

"The esteemed Duke of the North."

The count's illegitimate son's voice trembled as he knelt beside the gate, head bowed, "I hope this final act of surrender will earn you your mercy."

Rhodes glanced at the count's illegitimate son but paid him no further attention, leading his army into the castle.

The direct line of the Moon Wolf Earl family has been completely destroyed. This illegitimate son, who doesn't even know where the treasure vault is, is just a scapegoat pushed to the forefront.

Having realized this, Rhodes immediately ordered Chris to lead men to arrest all the nobles of Moonwolf Castle and interrogate them in detail.

Unfortunately, no one knows the location of the treasure vault.

Since no one knew, Rhodes had no choice but to do it himself.

After the White Frost Prophet performed the divination, Rhodes, wand in hand, used his spiritual tentacles to explore the underground of Moonwolf Castle.

After Rhodes' mental strength exceeded 24 points, manipulating his mental tentacles became increasingly easier.

The search proceeded without pause, and they successfully located the underground treasure vault hidden in the back garden.

It is worth mentioning that ancient treasure troves and ruins generally have rune arrays that can deceive mental probes.

However, the Moon Wolf Clan's treasure vault was just an ordinary underground chamber, which could not withstand mental probing, let alone forceful opening.

Lu Sen, along with the Winter Guards, carried out all the treasure chests one by one and carefully searched every nook and cranny of the treasure vault.

After the search, Luxen reported to Rhodes.
"They're all just ordinary gold coins and silver ornaments; you probably wouldn't even look at those exquisite armors and longswords."

With that, Luxen presented two purple gems to Rhodes.

"Only these two spirit gems are what you need." "Hmm."

Rhodes accepted the Spirit Gem without the slightest disappointment.

That would be nice.

For ordinary nobles, finding extraordinary items in their treasuries would be a pleasant surprise.

Furthermore, Rhodes urgently needs to enhance his mental strength to create a magical energy network, and he spends time meditating every day.

Spirit gems, which directly enhance one's spirit, are practically a necessity.

"Lord Lord."

Chris strode forward and respectfully reported, "The entire Moon Wolf family has been captured. You may summon them at any time."

"Bring it over," Rhodes said casually.

"Yes, my lord."

He stood up, turned around, and walked towards a group of people being escorted not far away.

A moment later, a dozen young men and women were brought before Rhodes.

These people were dressed fairly decently, their clothes were neat, and they didn't seem to put up much resistance.

Faced with Rhodes, a powerful being capable of controlling four dragons, these people all lowered their heads in unison, their faces filled with terror.

The Moon Wolf family is, after all, an earl family that has ruled this land for over a hundred years, and the number of its collateral descendants is still considerable.

These people had all received some form of aristocratic education and had a certain understanding of the situation in their territories.

"My subordinates will manage this land in the future,"

Without any preamble, Rhodes stated directly, "They need a few people who know the situation here to assist with their work."

Rhodes paused, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so people in front of him, and asked in a calm tone:

"Who among you is willing to serve me?"

Even after the voice faded, the dozen or so people still didn't dare to raise their heads.

They were just glancing furtively at the people around them, seemingly waiting for someone else to speak first.

Silence spread through the crowd, and the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

"The lord is asking you questions!"

Seeing this, Chris said in a deep voice:

"I remind you, those who are unwilling to serve the lord will all be exiled to the far north of the wasteland to mine!"

"The cold there will freeze your ears to a crisp!"

Chris's words were full of threats.

The crowd immediately began to stir.

Everyone has heard of the horrors of the far north.

Winters there are long and cold, with biting winds.

Being exiled there to mine was essentially equivalent to a tortured death sentence.

"Your Excellency Rhodes, I am willing to serve you."

A thin young man with a fair complexion stepped forward.

He looked nervous, his legs were trembling slightly, but he forced himself to stand up straight.

Rhodes's gaze fell on the thin young man.

"Are you very familiar with the Moon Wolf Clan's territory?"

Rhodes asked, "What is the distribution of arable land, the location of grasslands, mineral resources, population size, and the situation of food taxation in various places?"

Rhodes' voice was calm, but every word was filled with authority.

Do you know all of this?

"I...I don't really understand..."

The thin young man answered in a trembling voice.

Faced with Rod's questioning, he unconsciously took two steps back and swallowed hard.

Clearly, they were intimidated by the aura emanating from Rhodes.

"I don't want just any useless person."

Rhodes turned his gaze back to the young people, "But if you are truly talented, I will not be stingy with gold coins."

"At the very least, I will ensure that you retain your current life of wealth and luxury."

For nobles who surrendered voluntarily, Rhodes would usually retain their family titles and a portion of their property.

But given how tenaciously the Moon Wolf family resisted, not carrying out a purge was already a sign of Rhodes's mercy.

If Rhodes treats everyone equally, then all the nobles will choose to resist first and see what happens.

It's never too late to surrender after you've been defeated.

Rhodes's second half of his sentence energized the young people.

Originally, the land and titles of the Moon Wolf family had little to do with these collateral branches.

In the family's order of succession, they were ranked low and received virtually no benefits.

Now they can not only avoid being exiled to the far north to mine, but also continue to maintain their aristocratic lifestyle.

Everyone knows how to choose.

“Lord Rhodes, there are too many villages on the Moonlit Plains for anyone to know them all.”

A petite woman stepped forward from the crowd and bowed sincerely in greeting.

“I used to help my father manage more than a dozen villages on the west side of the plain, so I know those places very well.”

The woman paused for a moment, then bowed deeply again. "If you don't mind, Philo Moon Wolf is willing to serve you."

"very good."

Rhodes nodded slightly, shifting his gaze from Philo to the others.

"Who else?"

“Lord Rhodes, I am Cassie Moonwolf. I grew up in Startown and know it very well.”

"I can provide you with the most accurate information about Silver Glow Town."

……

With someone taking the lead, others became bolder and took the initiative to step forward and demonstrate their value.

Everyone was trying their best to demonstrate their knowledge of a particular place, hoping to gain Rod's approval.

Ultimately, a total of five men and two women were selected.

The remaining few were eager to try, but seemed to know they didn't meet the requirements and didn't dare to step forward.

After all, if someone steps forward but fails to provide valuable information, they may face even more severe punishment.

"Although I don't know your true abilities yet, I'm very satisfied that you stepped forward."

Rhodes nodded slightly. "My review panel will arrive soon, and they will test your abilities then."

“If you are not lying, then I will keep my promise.”

"Yes, Lord Rhodes."

The seven men answered honestly, their faces beaming with joy.

Although we don't yet know what the review panel is, it's truly a welcome thing that we don't have to go mining in the cold northern wilderness.

"But if any of you have deceived me,"

Rhodes's attitude turned serious. "Then you will know that mining is your reward."

"Don't worry, I'm telling the truth!"

"me too!"

……

Everyone patted their chests and assured each other, their faces full of sincerity.

Rhodes didn't have time to distinguish them one by one, so he waved his hand, signaling everyone to step back.

After everyone left, Rod looked at Chris and instructed, "The remaining young men look quite good too."

"Investigate their background thoroughly."

"If they do have some talent and are truly willing to obey, then let them be handed over to Lawrence."

As I said before, this world ultimately needs someone to manage it, and the most suitable candidates are the children of noble families who have the ability and knowledge.

Whatever their motives, whether it was fear of Rhodes' power or a desire for gold and power.

As long as they can serve Rhodes, nothing else matters.

Loyalty can be cultivated over time, but ability and knowledge cannot be acquired overnight.

"understand!"

Chris nodded emphatically, "I'll go and give the order right away!"

After saying this, Chris bowed and then turned to leave.

Chris had just walked away when Gunther hurried over.

"Lord Lord!"

Gunle hurriedly saluted, grinning, and reported.
"My lord, those stubborn fellows who refuse to surrender have all gathered together. You may go and execute them yourself!"

"If you ask me, you don't need to use those foul words anymore, do you?"

Gunle scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, and suggested, "How about I chop them down for you?"

"I'll do it myself."

Rhodes took the Ashbringer from the guard. "This should be the last time."

Hopefully, this won't happen again.

(End of this chapter)