Throne of the North.

Chapter 57: The Changing Ryan

"This, this, this..."

Yazhe's breathing became heavy. He looked at Ryan in disbelief, almost thinking that the other party was joking with him.

Nobles, if Exnel had not been covered by winter, the population had not dropped drastically, and their territory was still there, then even if they came to another world, no one would be able to question their identity.

But under the bitter winter, everything was gone. Their ancestors had made great achievements and became nobles, but their generation fell into decline. After arriving in the Frozen Territory, many of these old friends were depressed all day long. If there had been no wine here, they would have been drunk to death.

They are ashamed to face their ancestors because they have lost their noble status, but now they have the hope of regaining their noble status again?

Wouldn't I then be able to stand on equal footing with my ancestors?
In this short minute, Ryan saw their expressions change from fear and despair to suspicion, shock, disbelief, and finally, to fanaticism and passion.

Don't control your expression too quickly.

……

"Becoming a lord means entering the circle of nobility. Every lord can own his own manor, the kind that can build fences, as well as his own soldiers, retainers, and followers. These are the rights that a noble should have."

"Lord is a title, it is because of merit, what is merit, opening up territory, or people with merit."

"So, every lord should be an authoritative and powerful noble in the territory, second only to the lord."

"The lord only needs to be responsible to the lord and obey the lord's orders. Apart from that, he is a true noble in his own territory and elsewhere. Even when meeting other barons, viscounts, or even earls and dukes, he can express himself as a noble."

"That is to say, if any of you become a lord, the difference between you and me is that there is not much difference except that you don't have your own fortress and territory."

Every word Ryan said made the former nobles present breathe heavily. Only after they became commoners did they realize how noble their former noble status and identity were. If they could do it all over again, these people would never give up everything just to stay alive.

The honor and status of aristocrats are more precious than life.

For a moment, the looks of these people became different.

Compared with those slaves and civilians with confused eyes, the nobles were so outstanding that when Ryan saw these eyes, he couldn't help but have hope for them.

"So, some of the promises I made to you need to be changed. If you cannot become a lord, then you will have to pay more taxes on your land in the future. At the same time, you will no longer be manor owners, but farmers or ranchers, true civilians."

"Only if you become a lord can you own your own manor. At least in name, your residence will be called a manor, and you will be a lord and noble of the Frozen Territory."

Ryan looked at these people meaningfully.

"Theoretically, every citizen in my territory has the potential to become a lord, but I personally think that you guys have the highest chance of becoming a lord."

"After all, the gap between the nobles and those peasants is still huge."

"Do you think so?"

Ryan's description had already made these nobles who had lost everything unable to walk. Someone asked nervously:

"Lord Ryan, I wonder how many people can become lords in your territory?"

"In addition to Beard serving as my steward as a lord, I only plan to confer two lords for the time being. After all, the territory is not that big now, right? There is no point in having too many nobles." "Two..."

At this moment, the eight people looked at each other, their eyes full of vigilance. From now on, they were competitors.

Ryan smiled in his heart when he saw this scene. With competition, there is motivation. With motivation, you guys have to develop territory for me.

I, as the lord, have been working hard outside for the development of my territory, but you have become the masters in the territory. Not only do you not work all day, but you also plan to unite and squeeze the few copper coins out of my people's pockets?

I have been overseeing this territory for such a long time, and I have even been reluctant to reap the benefits, and now it's your turn?
The frozen land area hasn't even taken shape yet, so it would be short-sighted to start harvesting leeks.

When he saw the old butler again, Ryan saw light in the other's vicissitudes of life eyes.

Fortunately, the old butler did not become arrogant because of this.

"We need to speed up the road construction and the reclamation of barren mountains. Every day that the soldiers from Viscount Landa stay in my territory, they will consume a lot of my food and money."

"And those orcs, keep an eye on them. The Tundra Territory already belongs to the North. Don't let them escape and lead the orc army to attack me."

"We will relocate some of the trees dug up for road construction and assign some people to be forest rangers to protect those trees. They will get their wages."

"As for the extra stones that have been mined, have the craftsmen beat them into standard stones. Don't just pile them up on the ground, which would look like ruins."

In Ryan's Baron's Castle, due to the surplus of orc slaves, he was finally able to mobilize serfs to repair his own fortress.

Because of this, Rhino Horn Mountain has become bustling with activity. A majestic castle on the architectural drawing will appear on the top of the mountain, overlooking all directions.

Even some saplings were planted on Rhino Horn Mountain so that the mountain would not appear to be bare except for a castle.

The general direction of arranging various matters was left to the old butler and the hard work, while Ryan himself lived safely in the barracks during the time of repairing the fortress.

"boom!"

"Come again!"

Holding a cork stick, Ryan's eyes were firm. Even though there was blood at the corner of his mouth, he stared at Brand in front of him.

His purpose was of course to enjoy himself, to stay in his own castle, tease the maids, and scratch the catwoman's tail, but before that, he needed to have a foothold.

His status as a noble solved 90% of his panic, but the last 10% could be fatal.

The Empire has given up on the North Wind Province. This province, which was ravaged by orcs, will probably not be peaceful for long. Once the lord system is established, the nobles in the North Wind Province will be completely determined. At that time, the disputes will arise between the various territories.

The North Wind Province is already chaotic enough, and without the Empire's control, it will be even more chaotic.

Who knows, the assassin who tried to kill him and the nobles behind him might appear before him again one day. The reputation of the Clayton family couldn't protect him the first time, so it wouldn't be able to protect him the second time.

(End of this chapter)