The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

A disheveled and exhausted Yvette, now dragging her weakened body, continued northward.

With the help of the shadows, Yvette moved to a very distant place in a short time. In a few more days, she would be able to cross the Rubek Fortress and enter the Auguston Empire.

Having been defeated by Ryan and whose plans had completely failed, Yvette had nowhere to go in the Duchy of Ferrante.

Years ago, I offended the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Congress, that utterly insane woman, and I can't afford to go back to her.

The Kingdom of Gmarui to the west is her best destination, but to get there, she has to cross the Desolate Mountains.

Even at her peak, Yvette wasn't entirely confident she could cross that no-man's-land, completely sealed off by ice and teeming with terrifying beasts.

Now that I'm barely alive, there's no way I can get there.

After much deliberation, the Auguston Empire was the only place she could go.

They found a grove of trees, and Yvette leaned against a tree trunk, panting heavily.

She had already used magic to treat the area where her arm was severed, and it was temporarily fine.

But she still needs water and food to meet her most basic survival needs.

"Cough cough..."

After coughing up blood a few times, Yvette found a small, somewhat murky pool of water. After hesitating for a while, she finally chose to kneel down beside the pool and drink the slightly muddy water.

The earthy smell lingered on Yvette's tongue, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

Yvette felt a little nauseous, but at least she had replenished some water, so she wouldn't die of thirst.

Through the murky water, Yvette saw her disheveled appearance and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

The stunningly beautiful face that once captivated countless men is now covered in filthy mud. Her expensive clothes are badly damaged, and her stockings have many large holes.

"Damn man... he actually wants to discipline me?"

"dream!"

"If we meet again, it will be your death day!"

Just as Yvette was preparing to hunt some animals for food, the sound of horses' hooves came from not far away.

A woman wearing a long black robe and a hood that obscured her face, and another mature woman in military uniform appeared before Yvette.

The woman in military uniform noticed Yvette and quickly dismounted, tapping the ground lightly with her cane.

His magic hadn't fully recovered, and with one arm severed, although he reacted somewhat, after struggling for a while, he was ultimately subdued by the woman in military uniform.

Several huge clay figures pressed her firmly to the ground.

The cane pressed against her neck, the woman in military uniform speaking coldly.

"who are you?"

"Why are you here?"

Yvette naturally recognized the woman's clothes; they bore the seven-pointed star of the Auguston Empire.

"That's the question I should be asking you."

"Why would the Empire's seven-pointed star appear within the territory of the Duchy of Ferrante?"

"Could it be that they're on some kind of secret mission?"

Yvette is still the same Yvette.

Even when seriously injured, even when his life was in the hands of the other party, he never forgot to use words to provoke others.

The woman in military uniform didn't intend to say anything more. She raised her scepter, ready to break Yvette's neck on the spot.

But at that moment, the hooded woman dismounted.

He moved closer to Yvette and slowly removed his hood.

------

In the tavern.

News of the great victory in Canosa had reached here, and the people cheered and shouted Princess Claire's name.

At the same time, two men dressed in heavy clothing with their faces covered by coarse cloth walked in.

One of them was robust, while the other was as withered as a dying man.

The arrival of the two men instantly cooled down the once bustling tavern.

An indescribable chill pierced through everyone's heart.

"...two bottles of fruit wine."

The burly man slammed the copper coin in his hand onto the table, and then adjusted the coarse cloth covering his face to prevent others from recognizing his features.

The boss quickly brought the wine, but just as he was handing it over, a gust of wind blew in from outside.

The wind blew away the coarse cloth covering the thin man's face, revealing his true appearance.

An intensely corrupt atmosphere permeated the tavern.

This completely terrified the tavern owner, who fell to the ground with his buttocks.

"you you!"

"What's wrong with you...?"

The burly man glanced at his companion beside him, his eyes revealing endless sorrow.

Without explaining anything to the tavern owner, he snatched the fruit wine from his hand and left the tavern.

The once sturdy and durable wooden bar counter rotted and deteriorated at a visible rate.

Finally, it collapsed with a crash.

Meanwhile, the patrons in the tavern also felt dizzy and vomited repeatedly.

Before long, the once bustling tavern was reduced to a scene of corpses.

------

"Well, Mentor Victor?"

"How does it feel to gain power?"

On the wilderness.

Victor, dressed in a long black robe, stood on the barren rock, feeling the surging magic power within him.

Pure magic flows through the four circuits.

"So this is what magic feels like."

"really not bad."

Rooney, standing to the side, observed Victor with interest, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

Chapter 161 Negotiations

With the nobles' last stand crushed, the brief period of turmoil in Ferrante finally came to an end.

The royal city of Canosa stands as it has for five hundred years.

Those nobles who participated in the rebellion during the turmoil were all purged without exception.

Countless families were exiled to the Desolate Mountains, where they would face a permanently frozen no-man's-land and terrifying, bizarre beasts.

As for the property under his name, a large portion was distributed to the people, while a small portion flowed into the treasury of the Duchy of Ferrante.

Even so, the duchy's treasury still reaped a huge sum of money equivalent to three or four years' worth of tax revenue in the past.

This also indirectly confirms just how wealthy those nobles were.

After dealing with the old aristocracy, the People's Assembly was formally established at Claire's suggestion.

At the same time, various city-states successively established local people's councils and guilds representing various classes.

As Foreign Minister, Henri had extensive experience in political affairs.

Throughout the implementation of the plan, they helped Claire refine many details and mitigate many potential risks.

For example, in addition to the original fifteen seats, two more seats were added for the military.

A week later, the main framework had been completed.

Then, problems are discovered during the implementation of the system, and improvements are made accordingly.

Another week has passed.

The first People's Assembly was held in the Golden Dome of the Royal Palace.

Around the huge round table sat seventeen representatives selected from various places.

Although the Rema family participated in the rebellion, they were not punished because they returned to Anseth City in time and repelled the invading Pennsylvania Federation army.

However, the price was that Yann was stripped of his position as head of the Rema family.

Instead, the young Maggie took over as head of the Rema family.

He served as a representative of the military in the People's Assembly.

The other is General Rick, who traveled a great distance to the capital to protect Claire.

As for the nobility, some nobles who remained neutral throughout the turbulent period were selected.

On the business side, the Gruda Chamber of Commerce, which spans four countries across the continent, sent a representative as a member of the council. The other two were well-known local wealthy businessmen.

Finally, there were the eight representatives nominated by the People's Congress.

There are learned scholars of life, experienced magicians, and even some very famous local sages.

These were the members of the first People's Assembly.

Despite Claire's strong opposition, she became the speaker of the council after much persuasion from others.

However, it's an agent.

However, in the hearts of the council members and even the people of the entire Duchy of Ferrante, Claire was still the princess of the Phoenix family and the core leader of the country.

Moreover, his position was even more secure than during Bernin's time.