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Chapter 88 Meeting the Grand Duke (6k)

The Empress has summoned me.

Don't go.

Screw you, I just took over this huge mess, everything needs to be rebuilt, how can I have time to go to the capital to take the blame for you?
Not to mention, the capital city is always in chaos during election season, and it's easy to offend powerful figures if you're not careful.

You never think of me when there are good things to do, but you make me the first one to take the blame? Get lost!

Raine threw the Queen's letter into the trash can and then continued to review the Fahre family's accounts.

It's terrible; there's almost no money left.

Smuggling is indeed highly profitable, but the Fahre family has two terrifying expenses:
First, there are the negative effects of a large population. Many Fahre people only know how to eat, drink, and have fun, and do not engage in production or work. They rely entirely on the clan to support them. The old marquis is particularly particular about pomp and circumstance, and holds lavish banquets every few days, causing money to be spent like water. Apart from showing off, it serves no purpose.

Secondly, there is the defensive pressure brought about by the large territory. For example, Raven Castle is located deep in the upper Snake and Insect Mountains, like a nail driven into the seven-inch spot of a venomous snake, ensuring that if a large number of savages move north, they can be notified immediately to Searock City. However, transporting various supplies into the mountains is also extremely costly, and it is very normal for half of the food to be transported and half to be lost along the way.

Now that the Fahrenheit are almost completely wiped out, the cost of "raising the royal family" has been completely eliminated, preventing further damage to the already dire family finances.

However, the various castles, outposts, outposts, and supply depots deep within the Serpent Mountains still require high prices to maintain year-round operation, because this is the legal basis for the Fahel family to obtain the title of marquis—according to imperial custom, the title of marquis is only granted to military nobles responsible for defending the borders, and their status is roughly equivalent to that of a "quasi-duke."

If it weren't for their duty to protect the fertile lands, given the prestige and lineage of the Fahl family, becoming a count would be the highest they could hope for.

After careful consideration, Raine decided to rebuild the fleet of Searock City as soon as possible and entrust it to Uncle Darrian, who was still engaged in overseas trade.

Increasing trade share with the Gem Islands is now of paramount importance.

Several days later, the family knights who had received the letter arrived at Gull Castle one after another to pay their respects to the new lord, Lord Renn.

The resurrected Dolores, in front of all the family knights, frankly confessed to his crime of patricide, and then committed suicide to atone for his sins, which shocked the knights.

Only after Dolorwell firmly shouldered the blame for the extermination of his clan did Raine leisurely appear before the family knights, wearing the seal ring given to him by the old Marquis Fahl.

His expression was sorrowful and pale, and he squeezed out a few tears as he spoke with great emotion:
"It happened on the day of divine revelation. All the clansmen were gathered in the banquet hall of Gull Castle, but no one expected such a heinous crime to occur. If I hadn't returned to Salt Island that day to entertain a distinguished guest from afar, I might have also fallen victim to Dolores's cruelty."

The family knights remained silent for a moment, then began to shout indignantly:
"That villain Dolores! Even if he were the last member of the Fahl family, we would rather die fighting than serve him!"

"Killing one's own family is a grave sin, and destroying one's own family is even more intolerable to the gods! The reason the gods allowed you to survive is probably to arrange for you to personally eliminate Dolores and avenge those family members who died unjustly!"

"God protect Lord Rein! God protect the Faher family!"

Under the instigation of a few family knights who were unusually active for some reason, all the knights quickly accepted the claim that "Dolowell's murder of his own family was a heinous crime, and that Raine was spared by the gods in order to eliminate the murderer."

What followed was perfectly logical. The knights knelt on one knee, expressing their allegiance to Renn.

Ryan said with a sorrowful expression:
“My father has just returned to the embrace of the gods. How can I have the mind to take over the authority he left behind? Please don’t try to persuade me anymore. Let me calm down for a while.”

The knights were immediately alarmed: A vassal cannot be without his lord for even a day. If you don't accept this marquisate, where will we get the money to maintain our garrison?
If the mainstream aristocratic system were followed, and vassals had to manage all the costs of ruling themselves, there would be no castles in the Serpent Mountains at all, because the produce of their territories would be far from enough to cover the necessary expenses, unless the soldiers were made to spend a lot of time and energy hunting and fishing in the mountains every day like savages... they would soon become savages.

These family knights, who possessed fiefdoms, were highly dependent on the Faher family for finances, and therefore could not accept the cost of a vacant marquisate. Just as they were about to try their best to persuade him again, they saw that Renn had already covered his face and was hiding his tears, and then turned around and left in a hurry.

The young knights from Salt Island stationed at the scene quickly spread their arms to block the way, preventing these family knights from chasing and harassing Lord Renn. A fierce shouting and cursing then filled the hall.
"Fanke! I'm your uncle, how dare you stop me?"

"Get out of my way, Cresso! I was the one who taught you swordsmanship back in the day. You dare to draw your sword at me?"

Ignoring the chaos behind him, Raine returned to his study, took the warm towel that Dia handed him, and calmly wiped his face.

“Raine,” Dia asked hesitantly, “you just said you didn’t want to be the marquis anytime soon, just to avoid arousing suspicion, right?”

“The Fahel family is now almost wiped out,” Renn said slowly. “If I don’t appear grief-stricken enough and instead rush to take over the family power and the marquisate, people will only suspect that I played some dishonorable role in it. After all, the suspicion of a beneficiary is always the greatest.”

"The more important something is to you, the less you should rush into it."

“I’ve got it,” Dia said solemnly.

“It’s no use memorizing all this,” Renn said casually. “You have no chance of becoming a noble lord in the future, and even if you master these skills, you won’t have a real opportunity to use them.”

"It's hard to say," Dia said with a slight smile. "Perhaps someone will succeed in taking over in the future and dump all sorts of things on me? The seemingly dramatic plots of fate are often foreshadowed long ago."

"Why do you talk like a poet?" Renn asked, somewhat bewildered.

“Ellina said that’s called aristocratic rhetoric,” Dia said innocently. “Is there anything wrong with what I said?”

"Never mind." Raine suddenly turned to look at the door. A letter had been delivered by the cleric in charge of the ravens in Gullburg, but it was from High Rock City.

Upon opening it, it turned out to be an invitation from Duke Malorne to come over as soon as possible to receive the title of knighthood left by his father, with the same motive as the family knights.

"So, should we politely decline this one too?" Dia asked.

“No,” Renn shook his head and said, “If I don’t respond to the Grand Duke’s summons, I might be seen as too arrogant, so I still have to go.”

“But you’ve recently ignored the Queen’s summons,” Dia asked, puzzled. “Doesn’t the Queen think there’s something wrong with your attitude?”

"The main problem is that the Queen is rather foolish and easily fooled afterward. The Grand Duke of Malorne is not easily deceived... Fortunately, the family knights are all waiting in Gullburg to persuade him to ascend the throne, so going to High Rock City can be a temporary refuge."

------------

Without a large entourage, traveling light, their speed was still quite considerable.

After crossing the Fertile Lands and arriving at High Rock, Raine and her party were quickly welcomed inside by the castle guards after announcing their arrival.

Gaoyan Castle was built on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Changshui River. The castle is located on the top of a naturally formed rocky hill, so there are many high rooms in the castle with panoramic views.

Everyone sat in the reception room, awaiting the arrival of Grand Duke Malorne.

Dia stood by the window gazing at the long river, when she heard Aurora beside her say:

"The shooting window is too small. If I were designing the castle, I would extend a platform half a meter long from here, so that I could directly snipe enemy sailors trying to cross the long water."

"No, this isn't a shooting window at all," Dia retorted. "What castle would have shooting windows in its reception room?"

“That’s what I find strange,” Aurora said, frowning. “The reason humans build magnificent castles is precisely because this area lacks tall trees like in the jungle, so they need to rely on bricks and stones to create artificial terrain suitable for defense and counterattack. Why then would they include a reception room in the castle, a room that has absolutely no military purpose?”

“Because sometimes, words and pen can also be sharp swords,” Berthalia said with a smile. “War doesn’t necessarily happen on the battlefield.”

“Well said.” Grand Duke Malorne pushed open the door and entered. “War does not necessarily take place on the battlefield. A very insightful saying, worthy of the Dark Elves, who are known for their courtly wisdom.”

His authoritative gaze swept over the three elves present, then skipped over Dia, who was dressed as a maid, before finally settling on Renn.

The Grand Duke had already guessed the identities of the three elves: the high elf was the wife of Renn Fahr, the dark elf was her close friend, and the wood elf was probably the guard responsible for protecting the two of them, so they habitually viewed the surrounding terrain from a military perspective.

“I am deeply saddened by the unfortunate tragedy that has befallen your family,” Grand Duke Marorne said in a low voice to Renn, his expression growing grave. “Rafaen Fahl was a dutiful and good man, and an excellent border marquis. He should not have died at the hands of such a heinous murderer.”

“Unfortunately, the gods don’t seem to want him to stay in the mortal world for too long.” Raine said sadly, “Now that my father has returned to the embrace of the gods, all the responsibilities fall on my shoulders. I’m afraid I’m not up to the task and that his glory will be disgraced.”

“Child, you don’t need to underestimate yourself.” As an elder of the Duke of Marorne, he is certainly worthy of being called a senior in Renne. “Darian Faher’s character is not suitable for the duties of a lord. This was the judgment your grandfather and my father made back then. So now we have no choice but to take over your father’s authority and stabilize the situation within the family as soon as possible.”

"The savage tribes in the Serpent Mountains will not cease their attacks simply because the Faher family has declined. The safety of the Fertile Lands will now rest in your hands."

“I will not allow the fertile land to be threatened in the slightest,” Renn could only say solemnly.

If Grand Duke Malorne had only offered him the title of Marquis, Renn could have used the excuse that "my father has only recently died, and I have no intention of succeeding him" to decline. Unfortunately, the Grand Duke directly brought up the reason of protecting the Fertile Lands, making it impossible for him to refuse—what, you don't want to protect the Fertile Lands? Then the Faher family has no reason to exist.

“Very good.” Grand Duke Malone pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject, “I heard that you were previously the commander of the garrison in the capital and were appreciated by Her Majesty the Queen?” “Yes.” Raine replied frankly, “Her Majesty the Queen values ​​my loyalty to the royal family.”

“Ah, loyalty,” Grand Duke Malorne chuckled.

The Fahren are certainly loyal. In fact, any border marquis suppressed by the Grand Duke would be extremely loyal to the royal family, since royal support is the best solution for them to break through the glass ceiling above their heads.

Too many marquises think this way, but how many actually get what they want? In reality, the royal family's attitude towards border marquises is no different from that towards street prostitutes—they are summoned for pleasure when they want them, and then simply waved them away when they no longer need them.

"The reward for your loyalty was less than two months as the garrison commander before being dismissed in disgrace." Grand Duke Malorne had a very good impression of Renn, so he didn't mind prompting him to think more about the issues at hand. "Loyalty to the royal family is certainly necessary, but different forms of loyalty have different values. A young nobleman with no roots in the capital can at most be used as a tool by powerful figures, and that's the only place where you can be of value."

"Since Raylo Dacros stepped down, the position of commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison has been vacant until now. It must have been reserved for you by Her Majesty the Empress. Once the cleanup work within your family is finished, the Imperial Capital will face the election season with the greatest pressure on public security. At that time, you will inevitably be summoned back to the Imperial Capital and reinstated to your original position. In essence, they will continue to use you as a tool."

“This position is too easy to offend people,” Raine said with a troubled look. “But as you said, Her Majesty the Queen needs a good knife, and I have no right to refuse.”

“Margarina Dann,” Grand Duke Malorn commented, “Grand Duke Dann’s eldest daughter. She was spoiled and willful from a young age and did not receive much court education. Unfortunately, she ended up becoming the Empress of the Empire.”

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, all the policies he has implemented have been extremely radical. He wants to surpass his father and ancestors and mold the empire into his ideal shape at will, without considering that he simply does not have the prestige or skill to govern."

"A naive and easily angered emperor needs a rational and calm empress more than any other emperor in the history of the empire, to advise and stop him when he makes impulsive mistakes. Unfortunately, Margarita is even more foolish than him. Since taking the throne, the two emperors have carried out sweeping reforms of the civil service system, but they lack the means to check and balance the nobles of the capital, and they can't even control the imperial army."

"The reason we intend to give you an important position is because the two emperors probably don't have many capable people at their disposal."

Renn was stunned to hear Grand Duke Malorne openly mock the royal family. He was shocked; how could someone say such a thing to his face?

Sorry, but it really works.

In the province of River Bend, the Grand Duke of Malorne is the uncrowned king. Unless he openly rebels against the Empire, even the Emperor is powerless against him.

Moreover, his assessment was not problematic. Emperor Nilocas's problem was that he was too naive and never considered the long-term consequences of his actions. As a result, Empress Margarita was even more radical than him, as evidenced by the Amazon Society.

Renn understood, of course, that Grand Duke Marorne was warning him that the two emperors were not wise rulers worthy of his loyalty, but he still smiled wryly and said:

"The title of marquis must be conferred by the royal family, so going to the capital is inevitable. If the royal family wants to appoint me to any court position, I will have no choice but to obey."

You are a Grand Duke, you can slander the Emperor at will; I am not even a border marquis, I am still waiting for the royal family to approve my investiture, what can I do?
Seeing that he was willing to accept the admonition, the Grand Duke of Malorne said with a smile:

"Remember, different forms of loyalty have different values. As long as the pros and cons are properly weighed, even if you ultimately fail, the defeat won't be too devastating..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone suddenly burst into the drawing room—it was the Grand Duke's beloved daughter, Martha.

"Is it over?" she asked, blinking. "Father, have you made Renne a marquis?"

“Marsan,” the Grand Duke said helplessly, “when did I ever teach you to barge in without knocking?”

“Sorry, Father, I forgot.” Martha stuck out her tongue.

Faced with his daughter's direct admission of her mistake, the Grand Duke of Malorne had no good solution and could only sigh deeply.

“Actually, I came to see Bertha.” Martha waved to the dark elf, who then gracefully rose to bid farewell to the group. They then left hand in hand. “Sorry, I won’t bother you any longer.”

Watching his daughter and the dark elf leave the room, Grand Duke Malorne, filled with doubt, suddenly asked Renn:

"Raine, do you know anything about the Amazon Association that's been popping up in the capital lately?"

“I know.” Renn calmly explained the background of the Amazon Association to Grand Duke Malorne.

The Duke listened carefully and patiently, and quickly determined that Margarita was taking a roundabout approach, trying to influence the decisions and attitudes of most of the nobles in the capital by uniting the noble ladies and young women.

The nobility of the capital city is not a monolithic entity, and since the death of Prime Minister Nemorton Dacrois, no one has emerged capable of leading the nobility. Even on the same issue, there are often dozens of different opinions within the capital's nobility, making it impossible to reach a consensus.

In the short term, it may seem like a good move to cultivate relationships with noble ladies and young women, but once their husbands or fathers realize what's going on, this strategy will be completely ruined. In the long run, it's not a big deal.

With this in mind, Grand Duke Malorne began to consider how to get Martha to withdraw from the Amazon Society.

No, there's no need to back down. Doing so would only trigger her rebellious streak: the more you oppose it, the more it proves I'm right.

Margaret's methods were quite simple: she used the Amazons to create issues, and through repeated deconstruction of these issues and reinforcement of their understanding, she made these noble ladies and young women believe that "they are the descendants of the persecuted Amazons," thus uniting them to fight against the "enemies of the Amazons" designated by the queen.

It was a foolish tactic, but remarkably effective. Because noblewomen couldn't wield real power, their only purpose in the family was marriage alliances. Families often didn't provide them with elite education, and since they were well-off and didn't have to worry about survival, they were mostly easily deceived.

Seeing that Grand Duke Malorne was deep in thought, Renn did not interrupt him rashly, nor did he expect him to come up with any solution.

The Amazons are similar to the White Walkers. Those who haven't witnessed the White Walkers often underestimate their destructive power. Based on this misconception, any solutions devised will never achieve the desired effect.

In the end, I still have to rely on myself.

“It’s getting late, you can rest now,” said Grand Duke Malorne, rising to his feet. “The investiture ceremony will take place tomorrow at noon in the main hall of the castle. Prepare yourselves.”

"Let me see you off." Ryan quickly escorted him away.

So only Dia, Ellina, and Aurora remained in the room.

Both elves remained calm, after all, they were heroes who had been resurrected from the dead and had lived to a ripe old age; it was hard for anything to truly interest them.

Dia, however, was a curious child. Now that Rein wasn't around, she asked Ellina:

"Is the Amazon Association that the Duke just mentioned the same organization that Rein donated 200 gold crown coins to last time?"

“Yes,” Ellina replied. “I heard from Bersalia that the association has recently been rescuing women in the capital who are victims of domestic violence, actively recruiting them to join the association, and then offering to help them appeal to the tribunals free of charge to send their abusive husbands to jail.”

"Isn't this a good thing?" Dia asked, puzzled. "Domestic violence is wrong and should be punished."

“Clearly, the Amazon Association doesn’t really want to rescue victims of domestic violence,” Ellina said calmly. “If the goal were domestic violence itself, there would be no need to differentiate between men and women in the rescue efforts; it would be enough to distinguish between victims and perpetrators. The reason for differentiating by gender is to reinforce the stereotype that ‘we are always being persecuted’ specifically for women in the capital…”

“Just like the ancestral elven empire did,” Aurora said abruptly.

“Yes.” Elrina remained silent for a long time, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed. “Just like the ancestral elven empire did.”

As an empire that practiced slavery, witnessing the long-term inhumane and unjust treatment of slaves, it was inevitable that many voices of sympathy for other races and opposition to enslavement would emerge within the ancestral elves. Therefore, the empire would constantly collect various negative news reports about human slave rebellions and uprisings, and about humans killing innocent elves, repeatedly carrying out intensive brainwashing propaganda in order to instill the stereotype that "humans are evil and do not deserve sympathy" in the majority of the elven population.

The slave rebellion was real; the killing of innocent elves was also true. It was only through long-term selective reporting of a portion of the truth that a situation was successfully created in which the ancestral elves were generally opposed to and unable to understand or communicate with the slaves of other races—even someone as noble as Ellina was infected by this extreme ideology for a long time and willingly became an executioner who supported slavery.

Ultimately, this plunged the ancestral elven empire into an abyss of division and destruction.

"In other words, Her Majesty the Empress is actually a bad person," Dia concluded logically. "She deliberately created division and hatred among the citizens of the capital!"

"As long as Renn takes her down, everything will be fine, right?"

Ellina and Aurora stared at her in astonishment.

"Am I wrong?" Dia asked, confused.

“No, you’re right.” Ellina’s expression hardened, and she said seriously, “Rain will definitely take her down, and then… everything will be alright.”

O inherently evil necromancer, please deal with those who are even more evil than you...

Send them all to hell.

(End of this chapter)