Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 470 A Cake That Anyone Can Pick

Li Wei turned around and calmly glanced at the group of nobles who had survived in the palace and were now crowding behind Kalis.

Most of them were dressed in rags, their faces still showing lingering fear and awe of themselves, but the leading elders, despite their haggard appearance, had a renewed sense of authority and a hint of barely perceptible greed in their eyes.

The one who spoke just now was one of the elderly men, with white hair and beard, wearing a family crest.

"Do you have any objections to my proposal?" Li Wei's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold, sharp knife, adding a chill to the silent ruins. A cold smile played on his lips, but his gaze was sharp as a knife, piercing directly at the old nobleman who had spoken. "Your Excellency... um?"

“Of course!” This almost blatant contempt made the old nobleman’s face stiffen slightly, but he still straightened his back: “Your Excellency Li Wei, I am Augustine Rodanres, the finance minister of Debe.”

The men of the Gaoyabao brigade silently and skillfully surrounded the group.

The centaur warriors paced rhythmically, as if beating a war drum.

The orc barbarians leaned lazily to one side, their eyes slanted, looking only at their necks.

The gnoll scout took out some water and fed it to his mount in small sips, then poured the remaining half-full pot over himself, which effectively lowered the dire wolf's body temperature during strenuous activity.

Gus looked up at the sky, squinting, his hand unconsciously stroking the Zheqin bow. Hogg combed his dire wolf's mane again and again with a cow comb, making it smoother and shinier.

A silent, chilling atmosphere permeated the dilapidated square. The barbarians from Gaoyabao had such calm and cold eyes, as if they were looking at a group of meat on a chopping board.

The priests and nobles of the Holy Light Church around them were shocked. The five or six remaining court knights had no way to express their suffering and could only nervously grip the hilts of their swords at their waists. They dared not draw their swords directly, for fear of causing a bloody conflict.

Carlisle wanted to speak, but after glancing at Fatil standing next to Levi, and seeing that the Saint was nowhere to be found, she ultimately chose to remain silent.

Tanis was pacing anxiously, but Mill stopped her and shook his head.

Even if he went up there, he would still get kicked by his brother-in-law.

"Is Your Excellency Augustine trying to remind me why we didn't strike while the iron was hot and wipe out all the undead in Gonda, making this place safe? Besides, we at High Cliff Fortress are just reinforcements and have no authority to deploy defenses in Gonda. The defense of Gonda can only be arranged by you ministers?" Li Wei stared at the gray-haired finance minister, his tone undisguisedly sarcastic, his eyes filled with a sharp and cold glint.

"Your Excellency Li Wei, you misunderstand. I just wanted to say that compared to city defense, it is obviously safer to wipe out the remaining undead first." Meeting Li Wei's piercing gaze, the old nobleman unconsciously lost much of his momentum and spoke very tactfully.

Li Wei took a step forward. "Lord Augustine, you seem to be unaware of the situation. His Majesty Harland has already appointed Ashelu as the new queen, and as her fiancé, I will temporarily issue any orders here."

"Also, this is the last time I'll repeat it. I don't want to see any more casualties in Debe."

Li Wei certainly knew what the other party wanted. You see, the dead are not living people. Gold and silver treasures are not even worth dirt to them. In other words, all the property in Gonda has now become ownerless and is left in the city of Gonda for anyone to take.

Such a huge sum of money is enough to make any cowardly person as greedy as a dragon.

So his first instinct was to order people to take charge of the city's defenses to prevent the "gold diggers" outside from rushing in as soon as they saw that Gonda was safe.

"This..." The old nobleman wanted to say something more.

“Augustine, His Majesty Livi is absolutely right. His Majesty has appointed Princess Aishilu as the new queen, so His Majesty Livi naturally has the right to manage everything in Gonda,” the old prime minister quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

Li Wei snapped his fingers, and the warriors of Gaoyabao immediately retreated in an orderly manner to set up the city's defenses.

Seeing these barbarians, who were practically bandits, leave, the nobles present finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"The new king of Debei has not yet taken office, so we will have to trouble you all to stay in Debei for a while. After all, Debei cannot afford to lose your meritorious ministers." Then the lord chuckled and waved his hand, and more than a dozen orc barbarians rushed over. "For safety reasons, these barbarians will temporarily act as your guards and protect your safety."

Those present were all intelligent people, and naturally knew what this meant, which made the group of nobles extremely anxious.

But jumping up and down won't help; if Li Wei paid them any attention, he wouldn't be Li Wei.

Several nobles turned their attention to the Holy Light Church, hoping they could help dissuade the lord. However, the priests and paladins who had witnessed the lord's battle firsthand already regarded him as a saint incarnate and the future Pope, so why would they pay any attention to these nobles?

……

The leader and high-ranking undead of Gonda have fallen, so the rest are no longer a threat.

The lord was extremely busy after that. First, he made a magical communication call to Tina to let her know he was safe. Then he told her and that old codger Tang Jin to quickly arrange for all the people who could come from High Cliff Fortress to come to Gonda.

They didn't even spare the rabbit-men who acted as ceremonial soldiers.

Because Gonda has so much wealth!
The accumulation of hundreds of years of a powerful kingdom, the legacy left behind after all the living people in a capital city instantly turned into ghosts, is so vast and diverse that it would drive even the most honest and virtuous monks crazy.

This is not just a mountain of gold coins—although gold coins are indeed the most basic and dazzling component.

The warriors of Gaoyabao, these barbarians accustomed to the poverty of the wilderness and the dangers of life, became the first to witness this astonishing wealth while carrying out their city defense duties.

They kicked open the heavy doors of the noble garden, lifted the dusty curtains, and lit the cold braziers in the warehouse.

When the massive mithril lock was smashed open by brute force, what flowed out was not water, but a golden torrent.

Piles of gold coins casually placed, gold bars privately minted by nobles bearing their family crests, gold nuggets from distant lands... all converged into a breathtaking golden ocean under the firelight.

The corrosive scent unique to gold coins wafted over, almost filling the entire space.

Not only the treasury, but also the warehouses of the Noble Garden contained mountains of silver coins and high-quality gemstone ore.

Meanwhile, the cellars, hidden compartments, and secret rooms of the noble mansions that were the focus of the High Cliff Fort warriors were searched one by one.

Exquisite jewelry shimmered anew amidst the dust, and the silk brocades from the ancient Blood Elf era, though covered in dust, could not conceal their magnificence. Masterfully hand-painted oil paintings, enamelware inlaid with gemstones, and ancient yet still sharp heirloom weapons... each piece tells a story of past luxury and power.

Some things are so valuable that even the most uncouth orcs can sense their worth—for example, a golden goblet inlaid with a pigeon's blood ruby ​​was carefully placed back into a box by a barbarian. Although they knew it was valuable, they didn't think much of it, only that if such a beautiful thing were broken, they would definitely get a beating from the electric cannon.

However, it was the magical items that truly caught Levi's eye. Gonda, as the capital, was not only the center of secular power but also a hub for Debe's magical research.

Although the palace mage tower next to the royal palace was long gone, the remaining protective arrays and restrictions remained stubborn, giving the gnoll scouts who tried to break in a bit of trouble.

When the lord personally intervened and forcefully broke through the barrier, the items sealed inside the tower were revealed: a magic wand shimmering with elemental light, scrolls engraved with various powerful spells, experimental instruments crafted from mithril and astral crystal, and a strange object emanating dangerous energy, sealed in a specially made crystal box...

Inside an unassuming wooden box lay several storage rings that emitted spatial fluctuations.

One of the barbarians tried to pick up a ring to examine it, but was pricked by the faint spiritual imprint left on the ring, causing it to grimace in pain, which drew laughter from its companions.

It wasn't just these nobles.

In the capital's markets, among merchants, and even in the homes of ordinary people, vast amounts of wealth were accumulated.

The undead plague spread too quickly; all these people were transformed, and they didn't take any of their wealth with them.

Goods piled up in warehouses, money locked in counters, savings hidden in homes... all these became ownerless.

On the contrary, the royal warehouse, which the lord had been most looking forward to, left everyone stunned when he led a group of barbarians in and kicked open the door made of fine gold.

A gentle breeze swept by, alerting a few mice lurking in the corner to the uninvited guests. They immediately squeaked and fled in panic.

There was no mountain of wealth before them, only a few lonely empty boxes.

So the group slunk away again. Halfway there, the lord felt uneasy and turned back, throwing down a gold coin. The coin bounced repeatedly on the smooth floor, producing a clear and melodious sound.

Li Wei couldn't understand it at all. Logically speaking, the richest palace was so poor that it was practically filthy, while the noble gardens and residences of the nobles in Gonda were overflowing with wealth.

Wealth is plentiful, but it is also accompanied by chaos.

The news spread like wildfire beyond Gonda.

Outside Gonda City, adventurers and mercenary groups who had heard the news came to investigate.

Even the guards of the neighboring nobles stared longingly at the mountain of gold that had just been snatched back from the dead, the air thick with an atmosphere of greed and anxiety.

Looking at the cold-eyed, well-equipped warriors of High Cliff Fortress on the city wall, at the gleaming weapons in their hands, and then at the High Cliff Fortress lord whom even the Holy Light Church revered as a god, and his sharp, ruthless gaze and merciless methods, most of them could only suppress their restless hearts and linger outside the city to watch.

Even the most clueless among them could vaguely sense what had happened in Gundari. They had come here to find out what was going on, and if circumstances allowed, even a little soup would be enough to feed them.

The lord stood on the dilapidated high platform of the royal palace, overlooking the city under his control.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the mountains of spoils piled up in the square, reflecting a dazzling light.

Gold coins, antiques, magical items... these are all cold numbers and objects.

But what Li Wei saw was the resources that could develop a rural village into a mighty city, the capital to arm an elite army, and even more so, the sword hanging over the heads of all those with ill intentions.

Wealth is only true wealth when it is in the hands of the powerful.

Otherwise, it's a deadly poison.

No wonder the nobles locked in the hall were so angry every day; I heard that some of the old nobles were so angry they vomited blood.

Even the lord was awestruck by the sight of so much wealth. In fact, if he hadn't been there to watch over it, Sersney might have even considered pulling off a heist and running away.

"This is blatant imprisonment, an insult to all the nobles of the Kingdom of Debe. The wealth of Gonda belongs to the Debe royal family, not to the private property of High Cliff Fortress. His Holiness Li Wei has no right to imprison us. By the Holy Light, will the Papacy stand idly by and watch this atrocity?"

In the room where the nobleman was under house arrest, the barbarians outside the door were tired of hearing such things.

Fortunately, the lord had given instructions that these guys were still somewhat useful, otherwise the barbarians would have already rushed in and given them a good beating.

Just as these nobles were eagerly awaiting an army truly loyal to Debe to rescue them, Flinna's army arrived in Gonda first.

The other side originally came south to Gongda with the Gaoyabao Brigade, but because the team was large and the supplies were a burden, they arrived several days later than the Gaoyabao Brigade.

The massive army of over 100,000 men, like a silent torrent of steel, finally arrived at the gates of Gonda.

They were not marching hastily, but advancing with a steady, heavy, and overwhelming momentum.

At the very front stood the Flina family's proud heavy cavalry phalanx, the knights standing like a steel forest, their lances like a forest, their riding guns gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

The knights, clad in fine scale and plate armor, with eyes as sharp as eagles, gripped the reins, poised to charge at any moment, their heavy hooves seeming to coalesce into a heart-stirring war drum.

The chilling atmosphere, like a tangible tide, surged and crashed against the dilapidated walls of Gonda, suffocating all those watching from outside the city.

Following the heavy cavalry were neatly arranged heavy infantry squares, followed by archers with full quivers.

A massive supply train and auxiliary troops followed closely behind, stretching as far as the eye could see.

This is neither a disorganized adventure group nor a guard hastily assembled by a nobleman.

This is a well-organized, well-equipped, and absolutely loyal kingdom-level regular army that has been battle-hardened.

The greed and anxiety on the faces of the adventurers, mercenaries, and noble private soldiers who were lingering outside the city were instantly replaced by horror.

They stirred and retreated uneasily.

(End of this chapter)