The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 1028 The Person Who Secretly Followed Us
The soil, which had just been compacted by the dragon's power, was swept up by the rushing river, and the turbid yellow water poured into the pit created by the Great Forbidden Curse, gradually forming a lake several miles in circumference.

"I've easily cleared away those elemental turbulences for you, but I won't take care of the rest! You'll have to deal with it yourself!" King Chewu of the Turbulent Waves said helplessly, his dragon face dark.

"Thank you, senior!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo seized the opportunity and flattered him without any hesitation!

"What are you standing there for? Go prepare some roasted whole lamb! Are you just going to let your senior sit here like this?" Okrian Ryukin kicked Count Lemon, who was still slumped on the ground.

"Dragon... Dragon!" Count Lemon looked around in terror, as if he were a drowning man grasping at a straw.

"Don't call it a dragon! This is not some evil dragon! This is the king of the powerful water dragon clan! The guardian dragon of our kingdom!" Archduke Oakrian Yaso pointed out.

"Hmm?" King Chewu of the Tidal Waves initially listened to the praise from the junior with an arrogant expression, but just as he was enjoying it and wanted to hear more, the next sentence made King Chewu of the Tidal Waves feel uneasy. When did he become the guardian dragon of Lagrang?

"Ahem! That's roughly the idea!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso mumbled, and before Count Lemon could speak, he gave Oakrian Ryukin a wink. Oakrian Ryukin understood and grabbed Count Lemon to leave.

"Tsk tsk tsk! You little rascal, you're not being honest!" King Chewu of the Surging Waves, who was squatting on the table pretending to be asleep, opened his eyes slightly, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

“No way…” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso scratched his head sheepishly.

"Heh! Your Eastern Gale Clan is quite interesting! You do have some of the shamelessness of your ancestor!" King Chewu of the Surging Waves Dragon Clan snorted.

"Uh... this... this isn't appropriate, is it?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso never expected that his ancestor would be dragged out and rubbed into the dead again. Now, Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso really doubted what kind of reputation the Eastern Kingdom Grand Duke family had back then. Could it be that a Dragon King would keep talking about it so much?

"What? Do you think I've insulted your ancestors?" A hint of a smile flashed in the eyes of the Giant Dragon King Chewu.

“This junior dares not…” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso said in a low voice.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Your courage is not even as good as your ancestor's! Show some of the spirit your ancestor had when he was fighting for territory in the Imperial Council! Aren't you ashamed! Cowardly and timid!" King Chewu of the Turbulent Waves said disdainfully.

"Huh?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso felt as if he was about to discover some incredible secret.

"You nobles, apart from your so-called Imperial Twin Fists, are all descendants of these three families formed through marriage, you know that, right?" As if sensing Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso's confusion, the Dragon King Chewu of the Tidal Waves wore a wicked smile.

“I know!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso nodded knowingly. After all, the massive House of Nobles was gradually formed through the marriage alliances of the three original shareholders and the newly promoted military nobles! It can be said that all the nobles in the House of Nobles are related by blood, and ultimately, they all trace their lineage back to the Lagrange family and the Empire’s two fists!
"Then guess how your family obtained the title of Grand Duke of the Eastern Territory?" King Chewu of the Surging Waves asked with a playful smile.

"How did it come about?" A sense of foreboding welled up in Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's heart. Could his ancestor have done something shameful?
"Back then, your ancestor was originally a pioneering nobleman, um... a prince whom the royal family didn't like, yes! Don't look at me like that, he was the kind of person that pigs and dogs didn't want. He should have stayed in the palace and been eating and waiting to die, but he ran out to explore and expand, carving up land in the eastern territory that was not yet part of your country at the time... and proclaimed himself the Grand Duke of the Eastern Court... um, I remember that he even held a grand family division ceremony back then, separating the Jiliu family from the Lagrang family..." King Chewu of the Turbulent Waves teased.

"Slap!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso slapped himself across the face. "Who knows about this?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso was too embarrassed to speak.

"Hmm? There's no record in your family history of how your Gale Grand Duke rose to power? Shouldn't this be something that all the ancient nobles of Lagrange know? Your family was the first Grand Duke family in the Lagrange Empire, and you didn't know that?" King Chewu of the Tide Dragon asked in confusion.

“I know… but the family records don’t mention it…” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso’s face turned red. The Eastern Gale family had always been proud of being the first Grand Duke family in the empire, but he never expected this title to have come about in this way…

"Is it really self-proclaimed?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso asked skeptically.

"Why would I lie to you? Isn't your king from the Romanian royal family? Go back and ask him! It was because of this incident with your family that your empire enacted the Expansion Act, which stipulated many details of expansion... We're just afraid that your family might directly become a Grand Duke again..." King Chewu of the Turbulent Waves flicked his tail and chuckled.

"..." Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso rolled his eyes. This was ruined! The family's honor! He had always thought that the family had risen to the position of Grand Duke through glory and military achievements, but it turned out that they had actually claimed the title by simply carving out their own territories...

"They even acknowledge the Empire?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso scratched his head, completely disillusioned with the Empire...

"That was not long after your empire was first established, and it hasn't happened since..." King Chewu of the Turbulent Dragon Kingdom shook his head with a smile.

"So learn from your ancestors. If you want benefits, you have to be shameless. What can you do by being so timid and hesitant? You humans are like that, wanting to do one thing and do another! If you want to leverage something, be open and honest. Stop with all that hiding and concealing..." King Chewu of the Turbulent Waves instructed.

"..." Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo's lips twitched and he gave a helpless smile.

……

"The underworld is finished. How did you end up here?" Roland looked at the person in front of him and smiled desperately.

Indeed, the person standing before Roland was none other than his finance minister, Marquis Al Tegrand Franz. The marquis, holding a magic book and carrying a staff, stood before him with a humble expression and gave an awkward smile.

“Well, as Your Majesty’s close attendant, I should be by your side at all times to serve you…” Marquis Al-Tegran Franz said subconsciously. As a close royal advisor of the Lagran Empire, Marquis Al-Tegran Franz, the head of the Franz family, said subconsciously.

"No? Aren't you the Minister of Finance? Shouldn't you be in Swiftstream City handling government affairs with Yunfeng?" Roland smiled seemingly relieved, but in reality, he was at his wit's end.

“It’s all taken care of. Adding a tax collection point at the city gate won’t require many people. Just find some literate and clever citizens. The kingdom doesn’t have any thriving commercial activities right now, so I don’t have much to do. I’ll catch up as soon as I’m done!” Marquis Al-Tegran Franz stood at attention with a proud expression, waiting for Roland’s praise.

"By the Dragon God...you..." Roland scratched his head, not knowing where to begin.