Throne of the North.

Chapter 145: Agate Wine, Dragon-Slaying City
The majestic Flying Wing Canyon is not just a canyon two or three hundred meters wide.

This is the most powerful fortress of the Empire's defense in the north and east. Walking on the wide streets of the fortress, Ryan didn't know how to imagine that this fortress would be breached.

Perhaps, only the power of gods can do this.

The fortress of Wing Canyon is very large. Dense magic patterns and various means that Ryan cannot understand are all over the surface and interior of the fortress. The army and extraordinary legions stationed in it make Ryan and the surrounding soldiers amazed.

"That's the Empire's Violent Elephant Corps."

Ryan looked into the distance at the five-meter-tall violent elephant covered with weapons, and couldn't help but envy it.

Creatures like elephants are usually mild-tempered, but violent elephants are an exception. They spend three or four months a year thinking about destroying things. In war, the terror of these guys is no less than the despair brought by dragons.

Of course, Ryan did not see the dragon cavalry in the Winged Canyon. That was the most powerful supernatural legion in this fortress. The dragon cavalry's mounts were all subspecies of dragons, monsters called pterosaurs. Each of their adults could kill the frost python monster discovered in Ryan's territory.

It is said that this mount was bred within the empire using dragons and some flying monsters, involving many unknown supernatural means, even divinity.

As a team with the presence of nobles, Wing Canyon did not dare to exploit the good things in Ryan's team, especially the fine wine brewed by the people of Exnel, which made them a little envious.

After leaving the Flying Wing Canyon and passing through the long canyon passage, the endless sky and earth, the vast fields, and the noticeably warm weather before his eyes made Ryan truly feel the gap between the North Wind Province and the imperial land.

"No wonder, the Empire has always been indifferent to the territory of Beifeng Province."

"With such land, what does the Northern Wind Province mean?"

Ryan looked ahead and saw some wastelands on both sides of the wide road. These lands could be reclaimed and used as farmland.

But it seems that the troops stationed in the Winged Canyon or the nobles nearby do not think that this place is very fertile.

They have better land.

"We have already entered the territory of Danube Province. It is said that agate is abundant here and is sold throughout the empire and the south. The reason why those chambers of commerce appeared in North Wind Province in the past was largely because they came to Danube Province to purchase agate and went to North Wind Province by the way."

"But this still doesn't count as the southern part of the empire. The empire has more than 20 provinces, and the Danube Province is not despised because of the existence of agate."

"The nobles here are still very wealthy."

Ryan had no intention of visiting the nobles here, but when he passed by the Count Pascal family in this province, he couldn't help but stop.

The Count Pascal family, an ancient family that ranks among the top in the empire, has an unimaginable background, as they have an extraordinary legion that is famous throughout the south.

"The Stone Winged Beast Corps, also known as the Gargoyle Corps, is naturally immune to the existence of magic factors. When the Church still had authority in the empire, the Count Pascal family was the closest to the Church because the Church believed that the Count family accepted the will of the Lord of Dawn and controlled the gargoyles."

"That is the incarnation of an angel on earth."

The Pascal family was once a dazzling existence, of course, and it has not declined even now because of the gargoyle army.

Ryan made his intentions known to the Earl's family as a noble. The two sides did not have too many encounters and exchanges. In short, Ryan was able to pass through this not-so-large Earldom smoothly.

Ryan didn’t know what resources the Gargoyle Army needed, but at least... they shouldn’t need to eat so much food.

After passing through the Danube Province, Ryan arrived at the southern land of the empire. The difference between here and the Borean Province was even greater. Even in winter, there were still many crops growing on the earth.

Ryan knew why this was the case. The reason why the empire had the courage and confidence to break with the Church and start the struggle between theocracy and royal power, and succeeded, was that the most important part was that the great nobles of the empire joined forces with those extraordinary people to create wheat seeds that could grow even in winter.

By providing its people with more food, the Empire will certainly be able to make them give up their faith in the Church.

No one knows how many people died in the struggle between theocracy and monarchy, but the empire succeeded and became one of the two options for all nobles in the south. This province, called Volga, was one of the three provinces in the empire that had a large number of qualifications for brewing alcoholic beverages. Since it was not easy to transport grain, it was better to turn the grain consumed on the road into fine wine.

After passing through the Volga Province and two more provinces, Ryan finally arrived at the heart of the empire, the Calais Province.

The Calais Province has the most vast and extensive mountain range in the empire, the Calais Mountains. At the same time, the Clayton family is located in this province.

Two provinces west of Calais is the imperial capital, and one province further west is the most prosperous west coast of the empire.

If we go two or three provinces to the north, we can also face the northern border directly.

The Earl of Clayton's family owns a large tract of land here, and the castle where the Clayton family lives is literally a city and a fortress.

This is a city that can accommodate 100,000 people. It is also a fortress. The original Clayton ancestor relied on this fortress to kill a fire dragon. The Clayton family is also known as the Dragon Slayer Family.

But all this glory that can be boasted has nothing to do with Ryan, because now he is also a baron. He represents Ryan Clayton and is Baron Ryan, the lord of the frozen land.

The glory of the Clayton family does not belong to the Ryan family. He needs to create everything by himself, so Ryan was still very surprised when he got the Dragon Heart before.

He is a nobleman, and Clayton is also a nobleman. The only difference between the two is the title, but there is no absolute relationship of superiority or inferiority.

This is the difference that should have appeared, but it is obvious that the Clayton family is too powerful. In the eyes of this earl's family, even if the children of the family are separated and become nobles, they cannot be said to be qualified to be on equal footing with Clayton.

At least that was the fact. Ryan himself didn't think there was anything inappropriate. If he really had to sit with his father, the legendary knight, he would be a little nervous.

The aura that Kaz unconsciously exuded before was like that, so how terrifying must the legendary knight be.

When Ryan arrived at the Fire Dragon Castle, Clayton did not welcome him with great fanfare. Only some descendants of the Clayton family appeared, looking at the Clayton family bloodline that was thrown to the edge of the North Wind Province with curiosity or mockery.

"Lian, my child, you are finally back."

"It's bitterly cold in the Boreal Province. You must have suffered a lot."

A gorgeous woman held Ryan's hand worriedly, looking here and there.

"Mother."

Ryan performed the noble etiquette respectfully. The woman in front of him, Ellie Fleming, was not his biological mother.

The Fire Dragon bloodline of the Clayton family is very powerful. It is for this reason that the earls of the Clayton family will have two or even three wives, and each of them is a recognized wife, not a lover or the like.

After all, it is difficult for a woman to withstand the power of the Clayton family, and this is a rule recognized by the empire and even by the former Holy See and exclusive to the Clayton family.

In other words, it was the conditions that both sides set in order to win the support of a dragon slayer.

Of course, only Earl Clayton can do this. Those nobles who separated from the Clayton family, such as Ryan, cannot do this.

Their illegitimate children other than those born to their wives were not recognized. Similarly, Earl Clayton's children other than those born to his two wives who were now recognized were not recognized.

As for whether there is... Ryan thinks there shouldn't be.

There were many nobles in the empire who wanted to ask his father to marry a third wife, but no one agreed. Doesn't this mean that the Earl himself is not a stud?
Although...the two ladies of the Earl's family are either giving birth or on the way to giving birth.

(End of this chapter)