Throne of the North.

Chapter 47: The Unexpected Lord Hatton

The term "noble" is used to describe the five ranks of nobles, namely duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron, who have made outstanding contributions in the establishment and development of the empire.

In other words, whether it is a grand duke or a baron, they can be called nobles, and their descendants are born superior to others.

Moreover, the nobles are often themselves members of the extraordinary class, or they control most of the paths to the extraordinary class, which leads to this strict hierarchy that has never changed.

The lord mentioned in the empire is a title below the baron and above the commoners and knights.

Lord is not a title, but because it is completely superior to commoners, it is also a part of the nobility. Even if it is only the lowest level of nobility, it is still a nobility.

The lord had no territory of his own, no people of his own, and even had to pay taxes to the empire.

This is the biggest gap between a lord and a fifth-class noble. You have to know that even in a barony that cannot be any worse, everything there belongs to the baron lord.

So why create such a title of lord?

The reason given by the empire was that, in the name of the Lord of the Dawn, it hoped that the nobles of the continent would have the courage to expand the territory and establish meritorious deeds like their ancestors.

The reasons are remarkable, even completely reasonable, and they stand on the moral high ground.

But to Ryan, that's bullshit.

It would be fine if this was only within the empire, but the lordship system was to be implemented among all the nobles on the entire continent.

With this relationship, Ryan gleaned the flavor of political struggle from those high-sounding words.

Ultimately, it all starts with the war between gods in different planes.

Today, the human race is hiding in the southern one-third of the land in the Norris continent.

The war between gods ended, but the disaster continued.

Any normal person knows that when a disaster strikes, what kind of people have a higher chance of survival?
Those who possess strength and power are at the pinnacle of survival. Even the disaster of winter cannot freeze them to death.

Therefore, in this one-third of the land, many nobles moved south. There were empires, kingdoms, scattered duchies, and territories of nobles of all sizes.

The disaster was able to take away 30% of the nobles on the Norris continent, but the remaining 70% were squeezed into a land that was only one-third of its original size.

After years of development, too many nobles have gathered on this one-third of the land.

Everyone knows that the number of nobles cannot remain unchanged. Even after the disaster, when no one wants to go to war, the number of nobles is increasing.

But there is a fatal problem.

The increase in the number of nobles requires territory.

A baron needs at least a village-level territory. Regardless of the size of the territory, the territory must exist.

But nowadays the area that humans can occupy is only one-third of what it was in the past, so it cannot be said to be sparsely populated.

Even under the threat of orcs, territory is lost every year.

Why did Grand Duke Meyers go on an expedition to the North Wind Province? Why did the nobles of the North Wind Province, who had been passed down for many years, still leave their homes?
There was only one reason, they were all involved in the territorial struggle in the South, and their territories were getting smaller and smaller, leading to less and less wealth.

The emergence of a new North Wind Province at least alleviated the disputes and killings caused by the emergence of a considerable number of noble quotas.

For example, Ryan, if Ryan's barony is in the south, where can it be given to him? It can only be from someone else's bowl.

Then because of this kind of thing, Ryan, who had shared other people's interests, inevitably had his own enemies. This problem was not the first time it had occurred. The empire strictly prohibited any form of killing between nobles. It should be known that any ban had a reason.

Many nobles had died in the conflicts that had broken out before, but nobles were all related to each other, and if they were not careful, a war would break out between the two countries.

If Ryan died in the frozen land, would the Earl Clayton family turn a blind eye? That would involve more than just the death of a baron.

In short, there was not enough territory to be distributed among the new nobles.

However, among the nobles, especially the great nobles, their demand for noble places is necessary.

After all, a great nobleman can only have one title that can be inherited. If it cannot be opened up, some bloody struggle stories will always occur. No great nobleman wants to see his descendants killing each other.

then what should we do?

Now the solution has come out, which is to give noble titles but not land.

What should we give to nobles? Baron? Viscount? That's definitely not an option, so we can only create a new title.

Lord, was born.

Hearing Ryan's question, Hutton sat up a little straighter and raised his hand quite seriously. Ryan finally saw that there was an emerald ring on Hutton's finger. The ring was inlaid with a ruby, and inside the ruby, there was a war horse with its front hooves raised carved on it.

"Baron Ryan, please call me Baron Shenma. From now on, my territory will be called Shenma Territory."

Hatton raised his chin and looked at Ryan, then suddenly laughed.

"Ryan, to be honest, you should have a baron badge of your own."

"You know, once the Lordship system is implemented, every noble will have the right to be granted the Lordship. That means even barons like us will be elevated to a higher level in status."

"What's the most important thing? From now on, it will be a hundred times more difficult for others to become a baron than before."

"Our position will be unshakable."

"The most important thing is, you still remember Walter, right? That guy's son has appeared, but the Lordship system has emerged. It is difficult for that Walter kid to have a chance to become a baron like us."

"From now on, at the dance parties in Lingdu City, we barons can also be at the top."

As Hatton spoke, he burst into laughter, while Ryan looked at this Baron Shenma with some surprise.

Although Hutton didn't seem to have accomplished anything, Ryan was surprised by his political acumen. He thought Hutton couldn't see through the truth behind the matter, and thus more nobles appeared in anger.

Looking at Ryan's expression, Hatton thought that the boy hadn't reacted, and couldn't help but say:
"Ryan, you have to understand that this is a good thing for us nobles who already have noble titles and territories. In the future, there may only be fewer barons, not more."

“With fewer people, our status, power and wealth will be greater.”

"The Lords emerged thanks to us, the fifth-class nobles. We have the right to confer titles on them. After we fall, those Lords will also lose their titles. Do you think that in this situation, the Lords who depend on us will do everything they can to protect our family?"

"And the most important thing is, Ryan, you have to understand that this system was formulated by the imperial family, the great nobles, and the great nobles in the south."

"Our interests coincide with theirs in major matters. Do you think the rules they make will harm themselves?"

"Since that is impossible, then the nobility they established must be beneficial to them. Since it is beneficial to them, it must be beneficial to us as well."

(End of this chapter)