Black sail

Chapter 706 LXXXVI. Real Name
The Lords Act

One of them is...

The lord enjoys sovereignty over his territory, excluding taxation and the stationing of troops. Furthermore, the lord's private land cannot be bought, sold, or transferred; it can only be leased to local businesses or individuals under the supervision of the royal court.

This can be roughly understood as keeping the vassal kings under control, preserving their nominal influence, and also providing them with enough money to prevent the possibility of rebellion and land annexation.

Planning, execution, and implementation are three completely different things.

However, in a zero-sum game, even if land annexation is forcibly stopped, land will always be annexed in other forms, such as capital, means of production, armed forces, and "personal reputation".

Strong policies are often accompanied by strong risks.

The emperor was born in a turbulent era, and faced with the choice between periodic confrontations with large-scale reactionaries and continuous confrontations with small-scale reactionaries, he chose the latter.

Therefore, this seemingly strong policy is also a prudent strategy.

This resulted in anti-imperialist elements always being active within Aran. They couldn't cause any major disturbances, but they were constantly causing small ones. With the military government's absolute execution power, they could always react quickly and strike precisely.

However, the local nobles also understood that if they didn't act rashly when the "Lords' Act" was first drafted, it would be even more difficult to turn the tables once it was actually implemented.

Therefore, when the law was first introduced, it was used to suppress nobles who did not submit to the king's rule.

An outrageous thing happened as a result.

That is……

A duel that transcends national borders.

If one defeats the emperor in a duel, and the emperor is also dead, then the victor becomes king and immediately abdicates the throne to pass on the kingdom.

The emperor personally took action, killing countless duelists sent by nobles from all over the country. Blood splattered on the imperial palace, and none of them could withstand a single blow.

Today it is today.

This tradition still exists.

But the rules have changed. Not just any insignificant character can come and duel for fun. You have to get past Lockhart, the champion of one of the Continental Martial Arts Tournaments and the current captain of the Imperial Guard, before you can even discuss a duel.

However, with the rise of Aran's power, no one has mentioned it for several years, and Lockhart has been idle for a few years.

Until the year 2690, on September 9th, the Star Gazing Festival, the Continental Martial Arts Tournament took place.

The champion's wish is...

The nation will fight to the death.

When Gerdley finished speaking, it was loud enough to drop a pin.

Phoenix forgot everything he wanted to say, and his breath caught in his throat.

The people in the military government seats stood frozen in a row, their blood running cold, their eyes forgetting to blink.

Everyone felt their scalp tingling, their brains exploding into white noise, even the wind sounded harsh, and their senses suddenly became frighteningly sharp. Even though they could clearly hear sounds, the deathly silence of the entire venue felt like being separated by a thick layer of glass.

The commotion lasted for several seconds, almost ten seconds, and the entire audience erupted in cheers. People with different expressions appeared on their faces, and the foreign dignitaries were filled with excitement. The audience erupted in a frenzy of cheers.

Ge Delei made the 16th Continental Martial Arts Tournament the most legendary one without a doubt.

Augustus, who hadn't been swayed in the slightest by Zote just now, knew that Cicero could handle it, but now his eyelids twitched. He really dared to say those four words. His monstrous eyes were bloodshot.

Phoenix, who was supposed to be building momentum tonight, now seemed completely lost and disoriented, having lost all composure.

All sixteen finalists, including Xiaolong Salert, stayed away from Gedley, as the job was a bit too ruthless, and they were afraid of getting blood splattered on themselves.

Kaden didn't want to do anything tonight, so he obediently retreated and stayed away from Gedley. He was too damn scary, and he absolutely couldn't afford to offend the royal court at this time.

Gerdrey's eyes were like abysses, his back straight as a blade, his shoulders taut as iron, his shadow trembling. His gaze swept across the room and stared straight at Phoenix.

The ceremonial band came to an abrupt halt, and the equipment controlling the shower of flowers and gold leaf in the air also stopped working. The only thing left on the scene was a chilling murderous intent and a gloomy, manic atmosphere as if the sky were about to collapse.

King Bema was defeated and committed suicide. Philip VI had also come here to negotiate with the Emperor, but was lured and killed.

And Godley didn’t care about these important figures who had died for their country.

He simply couldn't stand Alan's military police and secret agents running rampant in Bema, nothing more.

The reverse hatred split into countless versions of himself holding knives in his mind.

On the river of the past, in the cracks of time, countless hands yearn to carve out that moment of cowardice. It is...

It's this very moment.

Didn't you hear me?

Gerdre pulled off the cavalry cloak from his shoulder, pointed at the head of the second prince of Alan, and demanded a reply, "Summon your father. I demand a duel between the kingdoms."

Worried that Alan and his ilk might have misheard and relayed the message, Gerdley repeated it again.

Cicero was also somewhat stunned. This was a rule established by the emperor himself, and as the treasurer, he could not interfere.

The only option was to turn their attention to Lockhart, who was right there on the field.

Having saved several duelists for the Emperor in previous years, he knew what to do.

Lockhart was also somewhat at a loss.

The reason the emperor entrusted him with this important responsibility was to weed out some low-class individuals; not just anyone could come and duel.

However, the champion of the mainland martial arts tournament is fully qualified to initiate a duel and bypass him.

Using this rule to pressure people at this time will not convince them; it will only lead to wild speculation that the emperor is seriously ill or unable to appear for other reasons.

This is a major event that has shaken the foundations of Aran's military and political system.

There were two options at the moment: the group could simply go up and chop Gerdley to pieces, but that wouldn't work, so Lockhart had to find another excuse.

"Even if you demand a duel, it doesn't mean you can be disrespectful to the royal family."

Lockhart drew his sword, his gaze arrogant, determined to force Gerdley to stay there and die by his hand.

Gerdrey dropped all pretense and looked down on Lockhart.

"Your decision to exempt the Duchy of Mubrani from three years of taxes may seem like a righteous act, but it has mired the entire nation's ideology in the quagmire of Aran rule, preventing it from ever escaping for a century. How dare a dog that serves its master speak to me?"

Gedley has gathered all his strength for this moment.

He wanted the world, the royal court, to have nothing to say.

He drew the sword from the side where Kiande was wearing, but Kiande, not caring about the bigger picture, did not stop him at all.

He slashed directly at Lockhart.

He seemed to be born with unparalleled dominance, his strength comparable to that of a mountain giant.

Lockhart was even wearing armor constructed from magic runes. Although the internal circuits were not activated, they enhanced some of his physical functions. With a single blow, he was still knocked back and forced to take a step back by Gerdley.

Kiande's eyes gleamed. Could tonight... really be a turning point in history?
Lockhart was truly enraged. Since it was a duel, armor was not allowed. He pressed a mechanism on his shoulder armor, and the silver-white armor fell off in an instant, revealing a plain white outfit.

A scene I never dared to imagine: the champion of the 16th Continental Martial Arts Tournament versus the champion of the 9th Continental Martial Arts Tournament.

Gerdrey didn't give Lockhart a chance at all; making him suffer was enough. The oppressive tone in his voice showed no mercy to the Aran royal court.

"I am no nobody; I am the champion of the 16th Continental Martial Arts Tournament, and I am qualified to initiate a duel. I am currently at my peak condition, so don't make any excuses to back out. I'm saying this one last time..."

Gerdrey pointed his sword at the royal seat and paused for a moment.

No one dares to presume to use the emperor's real name, for fear of being harmed by the mysterious forces of fate.

"Igfius Tartarus, come and meet your death!"

Gedley recited his full name, and this was where he would meet his end!
Different emotions spread rapidly among the crowd, creating a collective agitation. Whispers rolled like thunder, discussions exploded like buzzing bees, and gasps of breath formed a continuous stream.

He is challenging the truly... strongest person in the world.

This is the end.

The situation spiraled out of control, leaving no room for redemption, and surged all the way to its peak, reaching the highest point of explosion.

And in the distance...

The sound of a dragon flapping its wings and soaring through the sky could also be heard.

(End of this chapter)