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

Chapter 336 Conspiracy
……

……

late at night.

Three miles outside of Boulder City, at the Silver Thorn Legion's camp.

The torches swayed slightly in the night wind, casting flickering shadows.

Dressed in a red robe, Falfolk held a wand inlaid with a purple extraordinary gem and toured around with two wizard apprentices.

The three moved very quietly, stopping every few steps to carefully examine their surroundings with their wands, lest the church madmen launch an attack under the cover of darkness.

Having learned from the mistakes made in the Princess's army, the same errors must not be repeated in the Duke of Flowers' army.

As Falfolk inspected the east side of the camp, a young wizard apprentice in a grey robe strode over.

"Your Excellency Fafnir."

The wizard apprentice stopped in front of him, slightly out of breath. "His Highness the Regent requests that you come to his tent to discuss important matters."

Falfolk's brow furrowed slightly.

It's so late, what's so important?

A surprise attack on Stone City?
Falfolk didn't think much of it and nodded, "Okay."

After saying this, Falfolk handed his wand to the new wizard apprentice and instructed, "Investigate carefully and don't miss any corner."

The wand possesses the Eye of Truth spell, which can detect invisible creatures within a 20-meter radius, but it needs to be activated continuously.

"Yes, Your Excellency Falfolk."

The wizard apprentice carefully took the wand and began the search.

Falfolk then turned and strode quickly toward the commander's tent in the center of the camp.

When the soldiers along the way saw Falfolk, they all bowed and made way for him, their eyes filled with awe.

After a long war, the extraordinary eeriness and horror had already spread throughout the military camps.

The soldiers in the commander's tent also bowed respectfully and took the initiative to lift the curtain.

Falfolk nodded slightly and stepped inside.

The inside of the tents was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside.

Thick animal hide carpets covered the floor, and a huge battle map table was placed in the center.

The Duke of Flowers stood beside the map table, looking down at something.

On the other side of the tent stood a person dressed in a black robe.

The person had their back to Falfolk, so their face was obscured.

"Your Highness the Regent."

Falfolk nodded slightly in greeting and asked, "What brings you to see me so late?"

Falfolk's wording was polite enough, but his tone did not treat the Duke as a superior.

The Duke of Flowers was used to it and didn't mind. He turned around with a smile.
Let me introduce you to a new friend.

Upon hearing the Duke of Flowers' voice, the man in black robes slowly turned around and removed the hood that covered most of his face.

Falfolk's gaze fell on the other person, and he couldn't help but frown.

The black-robed man in front of him was about the same age as Falfolk, and more importantly, he had faint magical fluctuations on his body, mixed with the aura of other energies.

The man in black robes also looked at Falfolk and gave a slight bow.

"May the light of the Lord of Dawn shine upon you."

The man in the black robe spoke calmly and gently.

Falfolk's gaze turned icy. "The Church of Dawn."

Falfolk's body tensed, his wary gaze fixed on the man in black robes, his fingers trembling slightly as he prepared to cast a spell.

"Don't be nervous, Falfolk."

Sensing the atmosphere in the tent, the Duke of Flowers spoke up, saying, "Bishop Salido is our friend and may become our ally."

"The Dawn Society will never associate with the madmen of the church."

Falfolk said coldly, still ready to launch an attack at any time.

“The people in the church are all liars; be careful they don’t sell you out,” Falfolk warned the Duke of Flowers.

"Please lower your guard, Your Excellency Falfolk,"

Salido raised his hand in a reassuring gesture, his voice sincere.
“This time, we are really here to seek cooperation.”

"cooperate?"

Falfolk sneered, "When has the church ever cooperated with spellcasters?"

"starting today."

Salido didn't waste any words and picked up an exquisite wooden box from the table.

Slowly opening the wooden box, Salido lifted it into the air and presented it to Falfolk.

Inside, two rows of extraordinary gems were neatly arranged.

The first row consists of blue magic gems, and the second row consists of purple spirit gems, for a total of ten.

“This is our sincerity,” Salido said with a smile.

Falfolk ignored the extraordinary gem and continued to watch Bishop Salido warily.

I understand your concerns.

Salido put down the box, paused, and continued, "But I can assure you that in the future, the Church of Dawn will withdraw from the Shattered Rock Empire, and we will never appear here again."

"We will also help the Dawn Society deal with those churches in the Western Alliance and wipe out all the enemies."

"The Church of Dawn and the Dawn Society will be allies forever."

Salido said firmly, "I swear to my Lord, everything I have said is true."

Falfolk was slightly taken aback.

A vow made by the gods is no joke.

The oath taken by clergy to God is an extremely solemn vow.

It is not simply a "swearing oath" or "making a vow," but a sacred covenant with the gods.

Once a vow is made, it is engraved on the soul and connected with Salido's faith.

Simply put, if Salido breaks his oath, the best outcome will be that he will be consumed by his faith and lose everything.

The worst-case scenario is that Salido's soul is torn apart and his spirit is scattered.

"What exactly does your Church of Dawn want to do?" Falfolk asked coldly.

Salido glanced at the Duke of Flowers beside him, then turned back to look at Falfolk.
“We want to help His Majesty Aegon become the true ruler of the Empire, and make the Duke of Flowers the true regent.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on the Duke of Flowers' face grew even wider.

Falfolk remained silent, waiting for Salido to continue.

"And to accomplish all of this."

Salido said with a smile, "Rhodes must be killed."

"That won't work."

Falfolk refused without hesitation, retorting, "Don't you know that Rhodes has joined the Dawn Order? He's one of our comrades!"

“We know that’s why I’m here.”

Salido solemnly stated, "Rhodes is the greatest threat; he will threaten the entire existing order."

"He possesses four dragons and is no longer loyal to the First Princess or His Majesty Aegon."

"There is no doubt that he may not pledge allegiance to anyone."

"Therefore, if you still stand with His Highness the Regent, then Rhodes is the greatest enemy."

Upon hearing this, Falfolk fell into deep thought.

Rhodes is indeed a significant threat.

He knew perfectly well that Rhodes' power was expanding at an alarming rate.

The war in the North brought Rhodes a great deal of land and wealth, in addition to the four dragons.

Falfolk knew very well that Salido was right.

"What do you want me to do?" Falfolk asked coldly.

"I hope you can transfer Lusen and Linda, who are by Rhodes' side, away. No one in the Dawn Society should help them."

“As long as Rhodes doesn’t have a powerful spellcaster protecting him, we are fully confident that we can complete this task.”

Salido paused for a moment, his voice laced with seduction.

"Rest assured, after Rhodes' death, the Church of Dawn will immediately take action against those four dragons."

Salido said enticingly, "Furthermore, we will give two of the dragon corpses to the Dawn Society."

Falfolk took a deep breath, looked at the Duke of Flowers, and nodded slightly.

……

……

The next day, in the morning.

The sun is shining brightly.

Falfolk sat in his tent, propping his forehead up with one hand, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Although he had agreed to the proposal from the Duke of Flowers and Bishop Salido last night, after a night of reflection, Falfolk began to hesitate again.

Killing Rhodes would bring him power and status, and the Duke of Flowers would fully support him in the future.

With the Church of Dawn withdrawing from the Shattered Rock Empire, no one here can threaten their position anymore.

With the support of the Duke of Flowers, the Dawn Society will also flourish and will be able to obtain two dragon corpses for research.

But Falfolk felt that something was wrong with his thinking—Would it really be good for Dawn if Rhodes died?

Falfolk frowned, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the small wooden table.

"Your Excellency Falfolk, you have a new letter."

The voices of attendants could be heard outside the tent.

As a cleric, Falfolk had the right to enjoy the services of other wizarding apprentices, just like Rhodes.

Of course, this also depends on the willingness of other wizard apprentices.

“Come in.” Falfolk looked up, his voice slightly hoarse from the long silence.

The curtain was lifted, and the young wizard apprentice's attendant strode in.
"It's a letter from a wise man; it must be something very important."

The attendant carefully took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Falfolk with both hands.

In addition to the Dawn Society's wax seal, the envelope also bore traces of a magical restriction.

The attendant, who had been with Falfolk for over a decade, noticed the marks of the restriction and realized it was an important letter.

Falfolk took the letter, placed his hand on the sealing wax, and murmured a few syllables.

With a "click," the sealing wax cracked.

Falfolk opened the envelope, unfolded the letter inside, and stared intently at the words, examining them carefully.

As his gaze swept across the letters, Falfolk's expression grew increasingly grave.

After reading the last word, Falfolk folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

Then a flame appeared in his hand and set the entire envelope ablaze.

Gazing at the burning letter, Falfolk fell into a deeper silence.

The entire camp was deathly silent, except for the unusually loud sounds of soldiers drilling outside.

The attendant was a little nervous, swallowed hard, but dared not speak to disturb him.

Falfolk sat there thinking for a long time before raising his head and staring intently at his attendant.

"Please, please don't look at me like that..."

The attendant stammered, "Did I do something wrong?"

Falfolk did not answer, but waved his hand to summon his attendant to his side, and lowered his voice.

"Go and do something for me."

"What are your orders?" The attendant lowered his voice as well.

"No one can know about this, understand?"

Falfolk solemnly repeated: "Anyone."

His gaze met that of his attendant with utmost seriousness.

The attendant nodded vigorously, assuring him, "Don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone."

Falfolk looked at his entourage and paused for a moment.

Finally, he made up his mind, leaned close to his attendant's ear, and began to whisper something.

……

……

The city of Giant Stone, in the woods eighty miles away.

"Stone City surrendered so easily."

Rhodes looked at the message Gala had sent back, somewhat puzzled, and handed it to Count Red Griffin beside him.

The nobles of the entire eastern province have submitted, and Count Red Griffin has joined forces with Rhodes with his army.

However, the war was not over yet. The Shattered Rock Empire still had two provinces to conquer, and Chris and Garrick were in the rear organizing their troops.

After reading the battle report, Earl Red Griffin smiled and said, "It also mentions that Prince Golden Hammer is missing. Perhaps Earl Blue Lake knows there is no hope."

"Actually, when you, the eldest princess, and the Duke of Flowers joined forces, Prince Golden Hammer already had no chance."

Count Red Griffin shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, Count Blue Lake is not surrendering to you."

Count Red Griffin looked at Rhodes, feeling somewhat displeased on Rhodes's behalf.

After all, the entire eastern province was conquered by Rhodes' army.

The Duke of Flowers' army remained near Boulder City, only managing to capture a few nearby towns to establish supplies.

The remaining territory is still unconquered, which is a complete waste of time and a way to maintain military strength.

Now the Duke of Flowers has gained the city of Boulder without any losses, and his troop strength has increased by at least eight thousand.

This doesn't even include the new recruits temporarily conscripted to guard the city.

Rhodes was unmoved by the matter and said with a smile, "The Earl of Blue Lake will not surrender to me; otherwise, he would lose his family's lands."

“My dear son,”

Count Red Griffin suddenly leaned in and put his arm around Rhodes' shoulder. "Your actions in the Eastern Provinces seem to indicate that you are not content to be just a duke."

When Rhodes heard the Red Griffin Earl address him, he couldn't help but shudder.

This was the first time he had ever heard such a title.

Generally, a father-in-law only refers to his son-in-law in this way after his daughter has been married and living with him for a long time.

The Red Griffin Earl's sudden shout surprised Rhodes.

However, Rhodes could also sense the Red Griffin Earl's intimacy with him.

Rhodes hesitated for a moment before saying, "In the Imperial Council, there can be countless voices."

"But at the end of the Imperial Council, there can only be one voice."

"That's the emperor's voice."

Rhodes shook his head slightly. "In the past, the Shattered Rock Empire was so noisy that many people could no longer hear the emperor's voice."

Count Red Griffin naturally understood what Rhodes meant and said, "You're right. Although I am also a nobleman, many lords neglect or even ignore the orders of the Empire."

"But the empire is so vast,"

Earl Red Griffin hesitated and asked, "How can we govern without nobles?"

"The family will still exist, but it won't have as much power."

Rod smiled and said, "You don't need to worry, I'll take care of it."

The reduction of the power of regional military governors is a complex matter, especially in a world without local officials, and it will certainly bring certain risks and consequences in the early stages.

However, with the Seed of Nature, Rhodes is strong enough, making things relatively simpler for him.

If local families rebel, they should also think carefully about the breath of the four dragons.

This is what makes the extraordinary world different.

As long as Rhodes maintains the strength of the royal family, he can deter those who would try to harm him.

"I believe you can do it, son!"

Count Red Griffin patted Rhodes on the shoulder, his face full of satisfaction.

Vivian couldn't help but turn her head away.

"Actually, there's something I need to tell you."

Rhodes glanced at Vivian and lowered his voice, "Actually, the person next to me isn't Avril..."

Rod quickly gave a brief description of Vivian's identity.

Living together in the future, it's impossible to deceive Earl Red Griffin forever.

Extraordinary abilities are no longer a rarity in this world, and Ivy's witch identity no longer needs to be hidden.

"We're sorry, we didn't mean to lie to you."

Rod explained somewhat helplessly, "I was just afraid of scaring you."

"So it was Vivian who helped you kill Susanna back then?" Count Red Griffin asked in a deep voice.

Rhodes nodded slightly. "Yes."

"Great! I have two daughters!"

Count Red Griffin strode over to Vivian and gave her a sudden hug.
"I'm sorry, child, I always thought of you as your older sister..."

Count Red Griffin scrutinized Vivian closely. "But you really do look exactly like your sister!"

Rhodes was somewhat surprised.

Count Red Griffin felt no anger at being deceived; instead, he felt somewhat guilty for not recognizing the two sisters.

In Count Red Griffin's opinion, Avril and Vivian are twins.

Rhodes thought to himself.

Count Red Griffin whirled around. "So I haven't seen Avril yet?"

"Yes."

Rhodes nodded, then immediately changed the subject, "But she'll be here soon, once the situation here has stabilized."

"That child is so frail, alas."

Count Red Griffin patted his forehead, his face almost overflowing with longing for Avril.

Suddenly, he realized something and grabbed Rod's shoulder, "You little brat, you... you got my two daughters!"

Rod paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "This issue is open to discussion."

Before the two could discuss the matter further, Gala came running over.

"Your Majesty, we have received the latest news from the front."

Gala bowed and presented the letter to Rhodes with both hands, "It's about the Duke of Flowers."

"Open it and read it; there are no outsiders here," Rhodes instructed.

"Yes, Holy Lord."

Gala roughly tore open the envelope, took out the letter, and read it aloud.

After looting some valuables in Boulder City, the Silver Thorn Legion of the Duke of Flowers has begun its retreat.

They abandoned Stonehenge outright.

"Moving so fast?"

Rhodes, somewhat puzzled, pressed further, "How many prisoners did they take with them?"

"They took half of it."

Gala reported, "They seem to be short of food."

"It seems that the dragon's deterrent power is greater than we imagined."

Count Red Griffin sighed and speculated, "Duke of Flowers is probably trying to maintain his military strength and then join forces with the eldest princess to deal with you."

“Yes, very likely.” Rhodes nodded in agreement.

As the two were talking, Lucien and Linda hurried over from a distance.

(End of this chapter)