Throne of the North.

Chapter 320: Kingdom Trip

Boom! ! !
In the mountains, dust rose up and a huge cliff collapsed with a roar that reached the sky, causing countless beasts and insects to flee. Then hundreds of gargoyles flapped their wings and took off into the air, dispersing the dust in the sky and stabilizing the ground beneath their feet.

Tap tap tap~
The sound of horse hooves came from far away and was clearly transmitted in this quiet mountain forest. Tall figures could be vaguely seen approaching in the thick fog of the early morning. The war horses were breathing heavily, and they seemed not to be used to this environment where the horses had just fallen and the air was filled with dust.

"Ah, luckily those legends have already cleared out the monsters, otherwise with such a big commotion, the monsters would have launched an attack long ago."

Ryan's voice came out like a light that dispelled the fog, and then the whole person was exposed on the broken earth. Beside him, Mr. Rose was also riding on a warhorse, looking at the towering mountains on both sides.

"Before the power of Mr. Rose, even a thousand-meter mountain will collapse. From now on, the Griffin Mountains will be divided into two parts, north and south."

Ryan smiled and said that Rose's arrival was aimed at those monsters that worshipped dusk but remained immortal. He seemed very interested in capturing the mysterious laws he needed from them.

But it also helped Ryan speed up the construction of the road.

Rose smiled at Ryan's compliment, not knowing how to respond, so she could only say something else.

"If the descending god from the Andara Kingdom hadn't died, it would have been very difficult to deal with him. I have captured a trace of his divinity. Dusk does not enter heaven, nor does it step into the abyss. He is on the edge of the cliff, illuminating the darkness of the abyss with flames and dispelling the light of the sun."

“Even the gods cannot easily escape the watchful eye of the dusk, and the great being will return in the form of fire from the embers of ashes.”

Rose said this, and Ryan understood roughly what she meant.

"So, the Andara Kingdom is not home to only the Grand Duke and the King."

The alchemist Mr. Rose followed Ryan, and then more than two hundred knight attendants rushed forward, and at this time a gargoyle fell.

"My Lord Baron, we cannot enter the territory of the Andara Kingdom. The Empire's Gargoyle Corps will not approach the territories of other kingdoms in the form of visits."

The tall gargoyle said this. Ryan couldn't tell the difference between the appearances of these gargoyles, but he was still a little unwilling because the gargoyles were very useful.

"We are only heading to the territory of Grand Duke McReynolds."

"That is also the kingdom's land. The Earl will not allow us to start a war."

Count Pascal was very embarrassed in the struggle between royal power and divine power, and tried his best to avoid any topic that might be disadvantageous to him.

"Well, go back and say hello to the Earl for me."

That was all Ryan could say; the gargoyles did not belong to his supernatural army after all.

……

The huge roar coming from the western forest had already alarmed Fragoso's slaves. They were terrified and thought that it was the king's army attacking, so they ran towards the castle in the territory.

A moment later, Viscount Fragoso came out with a dozen soldiers. He certainly didn't think the same as the slaves.

"Is Baron Ryan so powerful? He can actually create such a huge commotion. Is it the power of a magician?"

Viscount Fragoso was eagerly waiting, and finally he saw tall figures in the increasingly clear mountain forest. When hundreds of war horses appeared in Viscount Fragoso's eyes, the Viscount's pupils could not help but shrink sharply.

What did he see?
He saw the wealth, the huge wealth represented by hundreds of war horses, and also saw the strength of Baron Ryan. The pen pal who only existed in letters suddenly appeared in the world, and shocked him in a way that came out of nowhere.

Ryan saw Mihaly, the Viscount's daughter, so he also understood the identity of the middle-aged man standing next to her.

"Viscount Fragoso, Ryan sends his greetings to you. Although it is not morning, I still hope that the morning light will shine upon you."

Ryan greeted with a smile and noble etiquette, while Viscount Fragoso was paying attention to the morning light.

"Nobles of the Empire, would you also like to greet us with the morning light? Respected Baron Ryan."

He said dryly that the relationship between the Empire and the Church was not good.

"The morning light illuminates the darkness, and the people are bathed in its light. It does not belong only to the Church, but to every one of us devout people."

Ryan said this, and the politeness between the two nobles came to an end.

"Ryan, you came to the kingdom at this time. Is the Empire planning to send reinforcements?"

Viscount Fragoso said this as he led Ryan into his territory.

"No, the Empire has not yet issued an order to come to the North Wind Province. Perhaps the situation here will not reach the ears of the Emperor for a while."

"That's it."

Viscount Fragoso felt a little regretful. He was in a panic and urgently hoped to have more power to help his side fight against the king's army, otherwise the Viscount Fragoso's family would probably become history.

He was wavering between excitement and panic, like a man standing on the edge of a cliff, leaving Ryan speechless. If he had known this would happen, why would he have done it?

No one knew what benefits Grand Duke McReynolds had promised him.

Walking in Viscount Fragoso's territory, slaves and civilians looked at him, and he also looked at his pale and skinny subjects. In this respect, the bottom of the kingdom and the bottom of the empire are the same, perhaps because it can't get any lower.

There were not many men visible to the naked eye. The few men that could be seen were all old guys or disabled. Even the half-grown boys were forced to do farm work.

The war is still going on, and production in the territory can only rely on the elderly, the weak, women and children. The nobles here are different from those in the North Wind Province. They don't have mines to rely on to become mine masters. The source of wealth in Viscount Fragoso's territory is from the crops grown on the land. Occasionally, they may hunt in the Griffin Mountains. Every time, it is a big move that can cause a sensation in the territory, like a festival.

So strictly speaking, Viscount Fragoso's income in the territory is probably not as much as the Baron of the Nordic Province's income from the mines on average each year.

All the wealth in this vast land is concentrated in the hands of the grand duke.

"The war is not going well. Our army is losing ground on the front lines. Baron Talbot's territory has been caught in the flames of war. The king's army has overwhelmed his land. If the Grand Duke hadn't sent the griffin to rescue him, I'm afraid the baron's head would be on the king's desk now."

"I don't know how long the Grand Duke can hold on. The Griffin Legion has never launched an attack on those extraordinary legions. In this case, perhaps victory will not belong to us."

"The king shouldn't do this. We are all nobles of the kingdom. He shouldn't sell out the interests of the nobles. The four territories in the south have been defeated. They can't occupy the Griffin Mountains anymore. Why doesn't the king pardon us?"

Fragoso kept talking to Ryan, and he also needed this way to relieve his inner tension and panic.

After listening for half an hour, Ryan finally ran out of information, so he changed the subject and said:

"I heard that His Highness Hernan did not die at the hands of the Holy See? Where did he go?"

"No one knows. Someone saw him go to the North. Maybe he died there."

"Reverend Soto killed the descending god. Although it was only a glimpse of his presence, the Church brought a huge morale boost to the king's army."

Viscount Fragoso was not only worried about the king's army, but also about the presence of clergy from the Holy See in the king's army.

Ryan stayed in the Viscount's territory until the next morning, and then continued to lead his soldiers to the territory of Grand Duke McReynolds.

He was also very curious about what kind of person the legendary Grand Duke known as the Wind Emperor was.

In this era and environment, the Grand Duke dared to openly oppose the king, and he can almost be said to be a rare national treasure.

But halfway through, Ryan stopped because of a village.

The village has a population of only one or two hundred people and is extremely deserted. It seems that there is no noble ruling here. They rely on the Griffin Mountains to survive. Perhaps every once in a while, knights and monks will come to collect taxes and take away their accumulated wealth.

The reason Ryan stopped was that his spiritual panel responded.

[Divinity: Dusk]

“Here, there is the belief in that god.”

Ryan said this, and Rose beside him narrowed her eyes. The next moment, the soil under her feet came alive and turned into a tall knight who rushed into the village. Soon, with a wailing sound, dozens of villagers were brought out along with a huge stone.

"Is this the thing?"

Rose looked at Ryan, who nodded. This stone contained about one percent of Taisu's dusk divinity. "Did Hernan leave it?"

He was curious, so he came to the villagers, pointed at the stone and asked:

"When did you start worshipping this stone?!"

Ryan's voice was not loud, but the inherent dignity of the nobility and the deep-seated fear of the villagers towards the master made them tremble and dare not hide anything.

"A week ago, the noble lord sent knights to our place and took away most of the food and farm tools, saying that they were this month's taxes. We are almost unable to survive..."

The villagers began to cry, and Ryan understood that they probably could not survive, so they placed their hope on the illusory gods, hoping that the gods could give them food.

...It is just such a simple hope.

"Can't the territory of Grand Duke McReynolds even sustain the food for this war?"

Ryan was a little surprised. As far as he knew, this was the place with the richest grain in the kingdom, which could supply the Griffin Legion's consumption.

There was even surplus grain to sell to him, the imperial baron.

Ryan took away the divinity on the stone, told the villagers that the ancient tree in the distance was the object of the gods' gaze, and then continued to move south.

Finally, on the third day, he arrived at the Grand Duke's territory. The tension here was visibly high. In every village, everyone's face was filled with panic and anxiety. The entire Grand Duke's territory was working hard for the war on the front line. They almost reacted to Ryan's arrival by thinking that it was the king's army attacking.

The king's hereditary majesty has an absolute advantage in such a war. As the subjects of the traitor, the common people in the Grand Duke's territory are all terrified.

"Ryan, you're finally here."

Roland appeared in front and excitedly greeted Ryan, taking him to a city in the distance near the Griffin Mountains, where the Grand Duke's mansion was located. This city was the castle of the McReynolds family for generations.

"Your Excellency the Grand Duke."

Ryan's aristocratic etiquette was impeccable, and he was neither humble nor arrogant in front of the legendary Grand Duke. He was surprised that the war was so intense, and the Grand Duke was still in his mansion.

"Baron Ryan, you are indeed not an ordinary baron."

Grand Duke McReynolds looked at Ryan. He could tell that the baron in front of him was very different from the barons he had met before. His spirit and confidence were far beyond the status of a baron. With his knowledge, he would not think that this was the gap between an empire and a kingdom.

The biggest gap is between people.

"I heard from Roland that you are the most talented military commander in the empire. If this war is handed over to you to command, can you help me win?"

McReynolds asked, and took out a map, but Ryan refused without even looking at it:

"Your Excellency, I am a noble of the Empire. If I command the troops here without the Emperor's order, I am afraid the Emperor will regard it as a betrayal of him."

Ryan declined, and the Grand Duke was only slightly dissatisfied and did not ask any more questions.

"Then I wonder why Baron Ryan came to the kingdom?"

Ryan said seriously:

"The Kingdom of Andara has land that is envied by others. A large amount of food can be grown on this land, which can still fill the stomachs of the kingdom's citizens even under the threat of the northern border."

"In the middle of the kingdom, there is an inland lake closest to the west coast. It is one of the six largest inland lakes in the southern lands. Its tributaries and fisheries feed the surrounding noble territories."

"Not only that, a large number of cattle and goats are raised on this land. They are the daily food of the nobles and are indispensable."

Ryan listed some of the rich specialties in the kingdom, and finally said:
"These things are all what I lack. My frozen land territory is deep in the north, shrouded in wind and snow. It is covered with snow for more than six months a year. My territory lacks a lot of output."

"So I have to come here, because compared to the southern part of the empire, my territory is actually closer to here."

"North Wind Avenue has been completed. I think I can quickly transport fresh food to my territory. Of course, I have to buy it."

The Grand Duke also agreed with this reason, so after a brief exchange, he asked Roland to receive Ryan.

The Archduke is different from Viscount Fragoso. He certainly won't reveal too much information. The same goes for Roland. This guy is very shrewd.

"The Griffin Mountains have many specialties, such as this curved-horn ram, which is the favorite food of the griffins. Its meat, especially the legs, is really delicate and fragrant. It doesn't need more seasonings to increase people's appetite."

"This is a sweet fruit, very fresh and sweet. It is sold well in every noble territory in the kingdom every year."

Roland introduced the local specialties, which made Ryan jealous. The specialties of the Grand Duke's territory were simple, but the Grand Duke McReynolds family, backed by the Griffin Mountains, had countless good things that were not available anywhere else.

If it were him, he would never give up the Griffin Mountains just because of the king's order.

At this moment, he finally understood the civil war in the kingdom. The Griffin Mountains possessed unimaginable wealth that was inexhaustible. As long as they occupied this place, the McReynolds family would not decline.

The wild beasts and magical beasts inside are only a small part of the wealth. What is really important are the various plants and special extraordinary crops.

A large part of these things have never been known to the outside world because they have never left the territory of the McReynolds family.

"I believe, McReynolds, that you will defeat the coalition of nobles."

Ryan said this and headed south. If it weren't for the war, he would have seen countless serfs working in the vast fields.

He appears in the kingdom in his current identity and will not have too much or too deep communication with the nobles here. He is not here to participate in the war. The Grand Duke does not care what Ryan wants to do, because this is his territory. No matter what Ryan wants to do, he cannot avoid the Grand Duke's decision.

Finally arrived at the Unicorn Fortress, which was Ryan’s first destination after entering the Andara Kingdom.

However, he was standing hundreds of meters away, looking at the tall city wall in front of him that looked like a mountain, his eyes were a little dazed.

"How...how was this fortress breached?"

He looked at the Unicorn Fortress in shock. This fortress was the most magnificent and powerful city he had ever seen. Its walls that were hundreds of meters long meant that it could not have been built by humans. Even without any magical inscriptions, this fortress could resist most legendary forces.

The moment they saw it, no one would have imagined its failure, so Carlos dared to leave only 10,000 half-time soldiers garrisoned here.

Therefore, no one could understand how powerful Grand Duke McReynolds was, as he captured the Unicorn Fortress in just one day.

The Wind Emperor was not facing a city or a unicorn fortress, he was facing a legend, and then he killed the legend within one day.

"This kind of fortress, this kind of fortress... can actually be breached."

Ryan was still shocked. Is the supernatural world so unreasonable? The power of Emperor Feng has exceeded his understanding of the supernatural way.

Unicorn Fortress, this place now belongs to the Violent Elephant Legion.

"Baron Ryan, why are you here?"

Legion Commander Farrell looked at Ryan curiously, and Ryan spoke to him directly.

"I'm here to make a deal with the four Kalos bloodlines in the south."

"Them? You made a deal with them?"

Ryan laughed.

"Of course, Commander Farrell, don't you want to see what kind of wealth you can earn after the North Wind Avenue is completed?"

"For the nobles in Carlos to have independent sovereignty is not something that can be achieved simply by saying that they don't want to establish a kingdom."

"The four noble territories all have unique resources, especially the Carlos family. The wealth they control attracts elves to come from far away to trade."

(End of this chapter)