Throne of the North.

Chapter 547 The Second Spiritual Plant, the Magician's Phantom Wood Mycelium
As a noble in the north of the empire.

The first thing Ryan had to consider was his own interests, followed by the interests of his own aristocratic group in the North Wind Province, then the interests of his aristocratic allies faction headed by Grand Duke Fleming and Earl Clayton, and finally the interests of the emperor.

In the end, it is the overall interests of the empire.

This is nobility, this is nobility.

That kind of disregard for everything, like the king of Gerald's blood leading the glory and splendor of the kingdom to face the North, is an exception. Of course, it is not an aristocratic political struggle, but the noble character and dignity of the nobles.

The nobles of the empire have not yet reached the point where they need to abandon their conflicts of interest to speak for the glory of their bloodline, so the steps ahead are what they need.

The overall interests of the empire are too general to be discussed, because the nobles' own interests and the interests of the empire are often in the same direction, so there is no need to discuss it in detail.

Therefore, when Chrysostom asked Ryan about the possibility of letting the army fight a war in this way, Ryan had to deny him.

Reject Chrysostom's idea, for his own sake, for the sake of Borean Province, and for the sake of the six provinces adjacent to the North.

At this time, although they had no relationship with the other five provinces, they were on the same boat of political interests.

These are all conflicts of interest between the northern nobles and the southern land nobles.

Otherwise, do we really have to let the armies of the six northern provinces cross the entire empire to fight the army of the Holy See in the Thousand Lakes Province?

The nobles in the north would hate him to death if that happened.

The army is not a name, and the soldier is not a number. Viscount Miles and Viscount Dragun of Lingdu County in the North Wind Province have not recovered from the thousands of soldiers they lost in the land war over the years.

If an elite soldier dies, it will take several years or even more than ten years to replenish them. They don’t have the advantage like Ryan to recruit people from other worlds.

So no matter what, it doesn’t matter whether what Chrysos said is right or wrong, what Ryan has to do is to deny the other party.

In addition, as an excellent nobleman, you also need to raise the contradictory points of the problem to the other party while denying it.

So Ryan pointed out the fact that Northern soldiers were not good at fighting humans.

The meaning is very simple. The soldiers in the north cannot defeat human enemies, but the soldiers in the southern lands of the empire are better at facing human enemies.

Let the armies of the southern nobles fight against the Holy See, and naturally the northern nobles will be able to keep their own armies and maintain their military strength.

The loss has to be someone else's.

It is best not to lose out on any benefit.

Just such an informal meeting made Ryan realize the unpredictable situation in the imperial capital.

Chrysos was a little surprised. He didn't expect Ryan to not fall for it. This Northern Baron was much better than he thought.

"For the sake of the empire and to punish the Church, we must win a war."

"The armies of the six northern provinces are the most suitable. If Baron Ryan believes that they cannot win the war against the Vatican's army, they can attack together with the army in the south. We cannot accept failure, so we must do our best to succeed."

From the moment Ryan came in, the tone of the meeting changed. The nobles looked at Chrysostom and Ryan, and sat up straighter, looking forward to the confrontation between the two nobles.

These nobles who have been hanging around in the imperial capital for years have a better sense of political struggles than nobles from other places.

"That's true. When the archangel appeared on the Holy Mountain, the Empire had to use a victory to warn the southern lands."

"But Mr. Chrysus, how many troops do you think the six northern provinces should send?"

The key for nobles to protect themselves is to never take on responsibilities that they should not take when they do not have the power. If the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up. Unless you become that tall person and become the commander-in-chief of the imperial army, don't think about practical things.

Whoever is the commander-in-chief will write the report to the emperor.

So, no matter what happens, kick the ball of conflicts and problems back.

Kick this Chrysos.

The Empire's political correctness towards the Holy See made it impossible for Ryan to directly refuse to send troops to the North Wind Province, as that would be a betrayal of the Empire and the Emperor.

But how much?

"The Northern Wind Province used its own strength and the 100,000 gold coins gifted by His Majesty to resist the Silver Moon Court, one of the six royal courts of the northern orcs."

"During this process, the Xiangshan Plain Fortress was lost three times and was captured by the orcs three times. Everyone in Hanshan City County should know that there is no noble territory in that land now."

"In the last war where I personally killed the Silver Moon Werewolf King, Count Winter's territory was attacked from all sides. The land turned into mud, the mountains collapsed into ruins, countless people were killed and wounded, and the army bled like a river."

"Mr. Chrysos, how many soldiers do you think Count Winter can spare to march all the way from the North Wind Province to the Thousand Lakes Province?"

"In addition, apart from the Blazing Snow Province, the losses in several other provinces were also extremely heavy. Mr. Chrysos, as the successor of Grand Duke Meyers, I wonder if he went with us to support the Twilight Province?"

"Half of the province there has become a deserted place, and Twilight Fortress has become a ruin. I'm afraid Mr. Chrysos knows the losses of the Nightmare Knights better than I do."

"The Grand Duke's extraordinary army is like this, what about the army of Twilight Province? Mr. Chrysos, how many troops do you think Twilight Province should send out to march all the way from the ruins to Thousand Lakes Province?"

The confrontation between the two completely deviated from the theme of the meeting.

The nobles did not participate either. After all, this meeting was just a spontaneous one among the nobles and was not formal. They were happy to see the conflict between Baron Ryan and the heir of Grand Duke Meyers.

I heard... it's because of a problem in the Northern Wind Province?
Baron Lane seemed to have usurped Meyers's interest in the land.

"I am not a noble from the North. The specific number of troops still needs the order of His Majesty."

Chrysus said that he would never take up such a topic that would offend the nobles of six provinces.

This meeting was essentially held to gain more support for the great nobles, but today, with Ryan's arrival, the purpose of the meeting disappeared. Moreover, the conflicts between nobles often become desserts for other nobles after meals, adding to their fun.

Anyway, it doesn't involve them, right?

……

The empire will not decide how to fight the war in the South just because of a snowfall.

In addition to the Peacock Mage, there are thirty-four other powerful magicians in the Magic Academy.

They haven't even performed their own shows yet. Is it because the pressure from the nobles isn't enough?

The nobles thought so too, so they began to select candidates for the Mage Tower that was vacant due to the departure of Grand Mage McKen.

The status of the Mage Tower to a magician is no less than that of a territory to a noble. A magician needs huge resources in his pursuit of truth, and the Magic Academy can provide them with 90% of these resources.

Among them are precious treasures of the level of the Mage Tower.

The vacant tower in the Magic Academy belonged to Archmage McKen, but now Archmage McKen has rebuilt his own tower. Although there are many marks of his on this tower, it can still help magicians take a shortcut.

In ancient times, in the magicians' heritage, when a powerful magician died, he would leave his magic tower to his disciples as a foundation. This was not uncommon.

And what if the Mage Tower falls into the hands of another Archmage who also owns a Mage Tower? That would be even more valuable, because the other Archmage could use the Mage Tower to perfect and compare his own ideas.

The most fundamental issue in magic wars is the issue of concepts. It is very common for the magic concepts of two great wizards to form an effect of learning from each other's strengths, thereby allowing one great wizard to make further progress, or for a great wizard who originally had no hope of progress to become a sanctuary, and for the sanctuary to have the hope of receiving legendary gifts.

The wizard tower is a very private thing, but the magic academy takes it out and places it in front of all the magicians. In this case, most magicians would not mind becoming the owner of the wizard tower.

What about the other thirty-five great wizards in the Mage Tower? The empty Mage Tower is equally important to them.

When the Mage Tower is empty, they can borrow it. At the same time, there will be one less Mage to compete for and divide the annual payment of the Magic Academy. Mage McKen's research is extraordinary war horses. He uses the energy of magic to turn ordinary war horses into tall war horses that can easily carry fully armed knights. The nobles will pay no price for such good things. If someone else gets the means of breeding war horses from Mage McKen's Mage Tower, then none of the thirty-five magicians will be able to compete with him.

Moreover, these thirty-five great wizards themselves also need to form cliques and factions. They hope that their allies will enter the magic academy so that their faction can gain more benefits and go further than other magicians.

The vacant wizard tower is a huge treasure.

If the mages care, they will definitely offer enough benefits to impress the great nobles of the empire.

So, when Ryan visited Grand Duke Fleming again, several great wizards had the same idea.

Everyone knows that among the four grand dukes, Grand Duke Fleming has the closest relationship with the emperor. The magicians want to fight for the wizard tower through the power of the nobility, and this is the shortest shortcut.

"The Grand Mage Ortega, the Grand Mage Vera, and the Grand Mage Locke of the Power of Fire."

There are three magicians, two of whom are great wizards, and the leader of this small group is the wizard Locke from the Holy Land. In addition, there is a fourth wizard introduced to Ryan by the butler of Grand Duke Fleming, who does not belong to the magic academy.

"The mage Leman, known as 'Forest Rhythm', lives on the other side of the [Woodland], on the east coast of the Norris continent. It is rumored that he has a deep friendship with the elves and druids."

"A powerful Sanctuary Mage. He has reached the peak of the Sanctuary, but I don't know if he has the chance to obtain a legendary gift."

Ryan looked at the wizard Leman. Four powerful wizards were talking to Grand Duke Fleming about how their abilities could help the empire's war. Grand Duke Fleming hadn't spoken a word, which made people wonder if he had fallen asleep.

"I wonder what powerful magic Master Leman has that can help the Empire win in the south?"

Ryan asked, he said:

"His Majesty the Emperor is aware of the power of the three mages. However, if Mage Leman wants to become the owner of the vacant Mage Tower, his own power cannot be weaker than the other mages. In addition, the Mage Tower once belonged to Grand Mage McKen."

"So... I, Ryan, am still qualified to decide the final ownership of the Mage Tower."

Ryan said with a smile, and the mages looked at Ryan.

"I heard that Archmage Macken went to the North to pledge allegiance to a baron. Is that you?"

Master Locke looked at Ryan. The thirty-six wizards in the magic academy were all very familiar with each other. They were a small circle in themselves and knew the whereabouts of Master McKen. They also exchanged letters.

Ryan nodded, without taking his eyes off the wizard Lehman.

This person was a little strange. Except for his mouth and chin, his entire body was covered by the robe. The magic robes of mages usually did not have such comprehensive coverage.

"The east coast of the Woodland is filled with fog. The fog contains terrible toxins. Even magicians can only find ways to protect themselves."

Mage Lehman untied the hood on his head, revealing a pale and bloodless face. He looked very young, but his golden hair was a little sparse, and his pupils, which should have been golden, seemed to have suffered some accident and became dim.

Most importantly, he had injuries on his body, and a bright red bloodstain on his neck, which even awakened the turbid Grand Duke Fleming.

"You made a deal with the devil and reattached your head?"

Grand Duke Fleming saw the truth at a glance and said:

"It is impossible for someone like you to become the master of the magic academy tower."

Making a deal with the Abyss Demon? Ryan was surprised, but still asked:
"If you are truly capable, His Majesty will help you purify your contract with the Abyss."

Grand Duke Fleming was somewhat dissatisfied, but Ryan understood that the Emperor was probably more concerned about the war in the south than the monster in the abyss.

It was not that Ryan opposed Grand Duke Fleming's idea of ​​not wanting to start a war, but at this time, the political group headed by Grand Duke Fleming and Earl Clayton could not go against the emperor.

Otherwise, what Chrysostom said would probably become a reality. When the emperor ordered the troops of the six northern provinces to march south, no one would be qualified to resist the emperor's order alone.

What their group needs now is to safeguard the interests of the nobles in their own faction, and fundamentally speaking, the interests of Ryan and Grand Duke Fleming are different.

If Earl Clayton wants to become the fifth Grand Duke of the Empire, he must have merits that cannot be erased by the nobles and the emperor. Ryan is the other's heir, and it will only benefit and not harm for Earl Clayton to become Grand Duke Clayton.

His father, the Earl, was already on the battlefield in the south.

After hearing Ryan's words, Lehman also understood that the baron in front of him probably had great power in deciding the owner of the tower, so dark green vines as thin as hair gradually grew out of the palm of his hand that stretched out from under his robe.

They were so densely packed that they looked like tens of thousands of snakes wriggling around. Ryan's scalp felt itchy. If he had trypophobia, he would have probably fainted.

"what is this?"

He asked, always feeling that these things growing from the palms of his hands were a kind of gain.

"Phantom wood mycelium."

Master Leman replied that this was something he cultivated on the east coast of the Norris continent.

"Each strand of Phanerochaete mycelium is a separate individual. They can easily corrode a human heart, turning it into a dead tree that no longer beats, and only maintains the most basic vitality."

"They can enter the human heart through food and water flow. As long as I use magic to awaken them within a certain range, they can exert their corrosive power and kill the enemy's heart."

Ryan narrowed his eyes and asked.

"How many roots does it take to kill a knight?"

"do not know……"

Mage Lehman said that there were no knights where he was, but he still explained.

"But I once used nine hundred Phantom Wood Mycelium to kill a druid in the Four Spirits form."

The four spirit forms, that is the holy land?

In the Druid's extraordinary system, the one-spirit form, which means the transformation into a magical beast, is between the apprentice knight and the silver knight. The two-spirit form is the gold knight. The three-spirit form is comparable to the sky knight. The four-spirit form is comparable to the sanctuary knight.

"It's powerful, but it's not enough. We have to face the Holy See. I don't need to guess that the Holy See will definitely have a way to counter your method. The magic of Dawn is better than any fancy magic."

"Of course, my head was once chopped off by a priest of the Dawn Church. I was only alive because of the powerful vitality of wood magic. Later, I used my divine origin to sign a contract with the devil of the abyss and reattached my head to fully come back to life. But even so, the part above my neck is no different from a wooden stake."

No wonder he has no expression when speaking.

"Signing a contract with Shenyuan has many costs, but there are also benefits. These mycelium can pray to the abyss and allow the power of the abyss to invade."

Ryan's eyes lit up. What was the best way to fight against the Dawn Magic? It was to fight against it with an equally powerful force. The Abyss was undoubtedly a very good choice.

"These things can be used to deal with priests of the Holy See."

Ryan looked at Grand Duke Fleming. The priests of the Holy See on the southern battlefield were the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the empire. If they could deal with the priests, even for a short time, they could gain a crucial victory in the southern war.

"If you can do that, then I will recommend to His Majesty that you become the master of that tower and the 36th tower wizard of the Magic Academy."

Grand Duke Fleming also responded. Since the return of Countess Blade Rose last time, the Grand Duke was no longer so determined to stop the Emperor's war at all costs in the south.

Ryan was standing nearby, and he reached a good-natured agreement with several wizards, and even suggested that they apply to go to the southern battlefield.

He was very interested in this 'Forest Rhythm' mage Lehman, because when the ghost wood hyphae appeared, he felt a very familiar fluctuation.

That's... the feeling of a spiritual plant.

This was the first time Ryan had discovered traces of spiritual plants in the Norris Continent. Now that everything he had came from spirituality, how could Ryan not take it seriously?

(End of this chapter)