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

Chapter 351 The Flame Dragon Empire
……

……

In the open space outside the slums of Riftrock.

The crowd surged like a tide.

Hundreds of residents huddled together around a makeshift wooden platform, their faces filled with anticipation and nervousness.

A huge notice was hanging on the high platform, with rows of eye-catching red text on it.

Unfortunately, most of the poor people were illiterate and shouted, "My lord, what does it say on the paper?!"

"Yes, sir, please read it to us!"

"Could this be a recruitment drive?"

"Recruiting soldiers means you get food, but the worst thing is collecting taxes!"

……

Discussions and complaints arose one after another, and the crowd immediately descended into chaos.

"Quiet down! Quiet down!"

An apprentice in a gray robe stood on the edge of the platform, waving his arms vigorously.

His voice sounded somewhat weak amidst the noise of the crowd.

The sound didn't spread throughout the entire square until another apprentice cast a simple amplification spell.

"Everyone who wants to take the test, line up in order!"

"Everyone will undergo qualification testing!"

"All selected individuals will receive fifty catties of wheat as a reward!"

The voice just fell.

A deafening cheer erupted in the square.

The crowd instantly became excited.

"Fifty catties of wheat!"

A middle-aged man, his face flushed, grabbed a neighbor who was also dressed in tattered clothes.

"Did you hear that? Fifty jin! That's wheat!"

"It's not rye! It's not bran, it's real wheat!"

The neighbors next to them were also too excited to speak.

He just nodded frantically.

No one expected that these people living in the slums would have hope of eating wheat!
He stroked his fourteen-year-old son's head.

"Ado, you really have to live up to expectations!"

"I will try my best, Father!"

The little boy nodded vigorously, and together with his father, squeezed through the crowd to stand at the back of the line, queuing up properly.

The allure of fifty kilograms of wheat was so strong that more and more people gathered around.

Of course, many people don't follow the rules, don't know what queuing is, and just push forward.

The guards' whips and sword hilts immediately taught them how to line up.

The Dawn Society's wizard apprentices began to keep busy, and all the children whose mental strength exceeded ten points stayed behind.

The day passed quickly.

Evening, in the shadows beside the high platform.

Luxen leaned against a wooden pillar, arms crossed, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Lucen!"

A wizard apprentice, draped in a grey robe, strode over, carrying a thin booklet, his face beaming with excitement.
"Found another one!"

"Mental strength 11.5!"

"Great!"

Luxen immediately stood up straight. "This is the fifth one!"

"I never expected such a surprise here!"

Luxen took the notebook and quickly flipped through the records.

Five names were clearly written on the page, along with their age, family information, talent inclinations, and mental strength.

"If we calculate according to this ratio, we can find at least several dozen children with wizarding talent in the entire Riftrock City."

"With the surrounding villages and towns included, the number will be even greater."

Luxen's voice was filled with excitement.

The grey-robed wizard apprentice's face was also filled with excitement, "Lucen!"

"Hmm?" Lucien looked at his companion.

“It feels wonderful to search for our kind under the sun!” the grey-robed wizard apprentice exclaimed.

"Yes, this feels so good!"

Looking at the setting sun in the distance, Lusen sighed, "We have to thank Lord Rhodes for all of this..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out at the entrance to the slum on a street corner not far away.

A horse-drawn carriage slowly drove in, and the crowd automatically parted.

Luxem knew that this was the Tulip Family's carriage.

But to express their gratitude to the wise man for escorting them all the way, they have now given it back to him.

Luxem handed the booklet to his companion and hurried over to meet him.

Soon, the carriage stopped, and Wright helped Celinesa out of the carriage.

"The wise man."

Luxem bowed slightly in greeting.

"Is your investigation going well?"

Celine nodded.

Her gaze swept over the bustling scene in the square, pausing briefly.
“I have some questions for you, Luxembourg.”

"of course."

Luxen nodded and followed Celinesa to a relatively quiet corner on the street.

“About the Seed of Nature,” Celinesa asked.

Luxen paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you want to know?"

"What is it like to implant the seed of nature?"

Celine asked slowly, "Do you feel anything special?"

Do you feel any discomfort in your body?

Celine asked three questions in one go.

Although the wise man's tone remained calm, Luxembourg could sense the urgency within it.

"If you want to implant the Seed of Nature, I think you don't need to have any worries."

Lu Sen said with a smile, "The Seed of Nature has no side effects. You will only feel a warm energy nourishing every part of your body."

"Especially those parts of the body that have been damaged by the rampage of magic will be repaired little by little during meditation."

Lusen's words immediately made Celine's eyes light up slightly.

"Really?" Celinesa couldn't help but ask.

“I’ve been by your side since I was eight years old. You are like my mother. I would never lie to you.”

Lu Sen solemnly assured, "I also consulted Durant and Knight Chris, and their rapid advancement was all thanks to the nourishment of the Seed of Nature."

“It’s amazing.”

Celine couldn't help but exclaim, "Okay, I understand, thank you, Lucien."

“You’re too kind, wise man.”

Lu Sen said with a smile, "I have good news for you. Today alone, we have discovered five children with the potential to become apprentices, with the highest mental strength reaching 11.5."

"I also had a major discovery today: I can see that the world is experiencing a magical revival."

Celinesa glanced in the direction of the palace. "Everything is right."

After saying that, Celinesha smiled, boarded the carriage, and headed towards the Imperial Palace.

Luxen knew what Celinesa was going to do, and after watching her leave, he returned to the high platform.

Lucien had originally planned to stop the test in the evening, but seeing his enthusiastic companions, he felt that he could have dinner here instead.

"Lusen, you've come at the perfect time!"

As soon as Lu Sen reached the edge of the platform, shouts came from above, "Come quick!"

Luxem immediately quickened his pace and hurriedly ran up the platform.

"what happens?"

Luxen glanced nervously at his companion, while noticing a thin girl standing in front of the table.

“This girl, she’s a witch…” His companion’s voice trembled slightly.

"Good news."

Lusen smiled and said, "Welcome, child. You are our first witch today."

The girl's hair was messy and her face was a little dirty, but it couldn't hide her bright golden eyes.

"Thank you, sir," the girl replied timidly.

“Lusen, her attribute is Holy Light,” the wizard apprentice in charge of the test said, enunciating each word clearly.

"Holy Light? What kind of ability is this...?"

Lusen's voice stopped abruptly as he stared at his companion in disbelief!

The so-called holy light is the divine magic controlled by those clergy!
This power has always been associated only with the gods!
But now, it's happening to a little girl!
A sudden silence fell over the high platform.

The little girl looked at the three of them nervously, unsure of what to say for a moment.

“This matter has exceeded our understanding, and it must be reported to Lord Rhodes and the Wise Man,” Lucien said solemnly.

There are many possibilities for such a thing to happen, and in that instant, two thoughts were already in Lucien's mind.

"Locke, I'm leaving this to you."

Without hesitation, Luxen pulled Locke aside and said, "Tell the guards to keep an eye on her parents and be polite to them."

“I understand!” His companion nodded vigorously. Lucien turned to the little girl and said softly, “Don’t worry, child, you passed the test, and you have exceptional talent.”

"So now you will come with me to see Lord Rhodes."

"Can I have the wheat first?" the little girl asked timidly.

“Of course, where are your parents?” Luxen asked.

"over there."

The little girl turned and pointed to the shadows in the western corner, where a ragged woman was squatting on the ground.

"guard!"

Luxen shouted, "Give that lady fifty pounds of wheat and take her home with you!"

"Yes, Lord Luxem!"

The guard responded respectfully, picked up a 50-pound bag of wheat with one hand, and walked toward the woman in the corner.

Lucien lowered his head, smiled, and asked, "Is it alright now?"

"Yes, you can." The little girl nodded.

"Then let's go."

Luxem led the little girl toward the palace.

……

……

Imperial Palace, Council Chamber.

Marquis Miller of Grayrock, with a broad smile, respectfully presented a report to Rhodes.

"Your Grace, this is the process and attendees of the ceremony for the former Empress's abdication and your coronation. Please review it."

Miller is now a court etiquette officer, responsible for some peripheral tasks.

"These rituals aren't that important, enough is enough."

Without looking up from the parchment in his hand, Rhodes waved to Miller, "Aura, let Aura review it."

As a former member of the royal family, Aura is naturally very familiar with the coronation process and will not have any problems.

The original plan was for Aura to step down, but now that Atreus is willing to cooperate, the former empress is being more direct.

Rhodes didn't care about these things at first. If it weren't for Avril, Durant, and Olaf advocating for it, Rhodes would have just held a meeting, put on his crown, and ended it there.

The paper mill wasn't built yet, the alchemy workshop wasn't finished, and Rhodes had a bunch of ideas that hadn't been realized yet. He didn't have time to waste on these formalities.

"Yes, Your Grace."

Miller responded respectfully, then cautiously asked, "But the new name of the empire needs to be decided by you. Does it have to be related to tulips...?"

Rod suddenly raised his head, slowly put down the report in his hand, and his gaze became profound.

Avril and Count Red Griffin, who were standing nearby, also put down the documents in their hands and looked at Rhodes.

The council chamber fell silent.

"Flame Dragon".

After a long silence, Rhodes spoke up: "The Flame Dragon Empire."

"A good name, powerful, and in line with your bloodline."

Count Red Griffin spoke first, laughing as he said, "From now on, my grandson's surname will be Flame Dragon, haha!"

Avril nodded.

It's not surprising that Rhodes doesn't use names associated with tulips; it's common for sons to change their titles after being granted fiefdoms.

In imperial ceremonies, changing one's surname is not about abandoning one's original family, but rather symbolizes "the old family bloodline being integrated into the new dynasty."

Rhodes' current name is Rhodes Tulip, so his future name will be Rhodes Tulip Flame Dragon.

"Yanlong" is not an ordinary surname, but an imperial title and the name of the royal family.

The addition of "Tulip" indicates that he was born into the old aristocracy and that his lineage was authentic and traceable.

Since Rhodes himself can transform into a red dragon that breathes flames, calling him "Flame Dragon" is very fitting.

However, neither Count Red Griffin nor Avril knew that the words "Flame Dragon" were related to Rhodes's past life identity.

It could be considered as some small feelings in Rhodes' heart.

"The Flame Dragon Empire, this name will shock everyone."

Miller bowed and took his leave.

Rhodes refocused his attention, reviewing the documents again and memorizing the information about the entire empire.

I had just read two lines when there was a knock on the door.

"My lord, Lady Celinesa requests an audience," the guard reported respectfully.

"Let her in."

Rod responded without looking up.

"Yes, my lord."

The guard bowed and withdrew.

Celine quickly entered the council chamber and bowed to Rhodes.

"Alright, there are no outsiders here, you don't need to do this, my wise sir."

Rod put down the file, smiled, and asked, "How was today's investigation? Did you make any unusual discoveries?"

"Many astonishing discoveries."

Celine recounted to Rhodes the mutated beasts, moon crystal grass, deep blue spore mushrooms, and various herbs she had encountered.

"It seems that it is still up to you scholars to explore this."

After listening, Rhodes nodded seriously, "Let those ordinary herbalists explore these precious magical plants that they don't even recognize."

After saying this, Celinesa suddenly froze and stared straight at Rhodes.

Celinesa vaguely sensed another layer of meaning in Rod's words.

— Rhodes had encountered something like this before, and he had anticipated everything.

That's why Rhodes wasn't surprised by all the strange phenomena that were happening.

It really is a natural talent.

Celinesa was stunned for only a moment before quickly averting her gaze and saying, "I will gather more scholars to search for those mutated magical plants."

"Yes, at the same time, we also need to train those new people as soon as possible."

Rhodes instructed, "Meditation enlightenment is slow, but learning about magical plants can be done by learning and recognizing them at the same time, which can deepen the impression."

"it is good."

Celine nodded slightly, then changed the subject, "I would like to request that you allow me to exchange for a Seed of Nature in advance."

Rhodes didn't answer immediately, hesitating for a few seconds before nodding, "Of course."

"In fact, as a member who founded the Imperial Arcane Guild, I'll give you one for free, no need for work points," Rhodes said generously.

"Thank you. We'll proceed according to the union's regulations."

Celinesha smiled and said, "I won't shortchange the union on work points, but I should also receive the discounts I'm entitled to."

"can."

Rhodes knew that Celinesa cared more about order than work points.

"Then, when can I redeem it?" Celinesa asked.

"Now."

Rhodes turned and walked toward the lounge next door. "Come with me."

……

……

After a while.

Celinesha stared in astonishment as the emerald light vanished from her chest.

"Is it over already?"

"Yes, you were quite cooperative, so the process was quick."

Rhodes glanced at the system notification casually and responded with a smile.

Rhodes was also a little surprised.

Logically speaking, a highly intelligent high-ranking wizard apprentice like Celinesa should resist the Seed of Nature.

Rhodes was prepared to try it out all night.

But I didn't expect to get in on the first try.

Rhodes suspected that something must have happened to make Celinesa accept the Seed of Nature.

“So how do I use it next?” Celinesa asked.

"Normal meditation is fine; there's no need to focus on it."

Rod explained, "It will gradually change your aptitude and physical condition, and may also improve hidden injuries."

"That's great."

Celine's eyes lit up, and she bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you very much."

"As the closest partners, there's really no need for this."

Rhodes stood up. "You rest here. I have a lot of things to arrange."

"I'm going back too, to study this Seed of Nature properly."

Celine then got up and followed Rod out of the lounge.

As soon as I stepped into the council hall, I saw Luxen pacing back and forth, with a little girl in tattered clothes waiting beside him.

"Lord Rhodes, wise man, it's good that you two are both here!"

Luxen hurriedly reported, "This girl is a newly discovered witch!"

"Her power is holy light!"

Lusen's words left Rod and Celinesa stunned.

Both of them understood what the Holy Light meant.

Rod didn't say much, but instructed, "Lusen, let her demonstrate."

(End of this chapter)