Throne of the North.

Chapter 628 Hope at Dawn

The Kingdom of Andara.

The appearance of the Black Swan assassins brought panic to the entire kingdom. The nobles, timid as they were, hid in their castles and dared not come out. Even so, quite a few noble lords were killed. The Black Swan assassins hated the nobles of the Kingdom of Andara to the core.

"I shouldn't have betrayed you in the first place."

In the Baron of Kent's castle, the baron was filled with dread as he looked at the shadows that the sunlight could not reach, fearing that a black swan might emerge from them and kill him.

He regretted it, regretted following the king and betraying the faith of Dawn. Now retribution had finally come. It wasn't just the assassination attempt by the Black Swan assassins; within the kingdom, followers of Dawn had already gathered, and they were preparing to atone for the traitors in the name of the Lord of Dawn.

The fire has not yet reached the nobles, but it has instilled a sense of panic among them.

"Perhaps... I should have gone to the Kingdom of Sera back then."

The enmity between the Kingdom of Sera and the Kingdom of Andara has a long history. It can be said that most of the nobles in the Kingdom of Sera have an inexplicable relationship with the nobles of the Kingdom of Andara.

Especially those nobles who fled from the Kingdom of Andara to the Kingdom of Sera, I heard that they have recently been frantically annexing the lands left behind by the nobles of the Carlos bloodline, and each of their territories is larger than when they were in the Kingdom of Andara.

For the kingdom's nobles, these few short years have witnessed a dramatic shift in the world.

They experienced war, slaughter, and death, but what was the result? The nobles of the Kingdom of Andara continued to suffer, while the Kingdom of Sera became stable, and the nobles of Sera fared better than them.

An unbalanced mindset leads to emotional fluctuations, and the nobles of the Andara Kingdom, because of the Black Swan assassin, naturally pointed all their anger at the king.

The king chose to betray the dawn, and as a result, they were punished by the gods.

“Damn it! I should have gone to the Kingdom of Sierra back then. His Majesty the King would never have refused me. My grandmother was even a woman from the McReynolds family.”

Baron Kent shouted angrily, then yelled outside:

"Damn Beta, where have you been? Hurry up and bring me my milk!"

The baron roared, but there was no sound outside. The silence made the baron realize something, and he staggered back, pale-faced, and fell onto his bed.

The bedroom door opened, and a Black Swan assassin, led by a maid, entered the Baron's room.

"Beta, you..."

Baron Kent pointed at the maid, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Those heretics who betrayed the dawn have all been burned at the stake!"

The maid stared at Baron Kent with fanatical eyes, her torch igniting the carpet beneath her feet, while the Black Swan assassins behind her charged directly at Baron Kent.

He was incredibly fast, and Baron Kent could only flee in panic. But after dodging the first attack, he was forced into a corner, and the Black Swan assassin raised his rapier to strike.

"Got you."

A chuckle rang out, and a masked and cloaked figure emerged from the shadows, appearing behind the Black Swan Assassin and thrusting a dagger toward the assassin's chest.

"You are far weaker than those black swans of the Empire."

As Shadow Vanguard spoke, he kicked the Black Swan Assassin's corpse away. On the ground, Baron Kent frantically wiped the blood from his face and scrambled away from the Black Swan Assassin's body.

The Shadow Vanguard glanced at the Baron, his eyes uninterested and showing no interest in exchanging words, and then walked around the room.

"I wonder if you have any other Black Swan assassins here. I need to look carefully."

After saying that, Shadow Vanguard disappeared into the shadows.

"Thorin, Thorin!!!"

Baron Kent shouted from the window, and the knights in the distance rushed over and led the baron away from the burning bedroom.

"Grab her! Grab her right now!"

Baron Kent roared in fury. The near-death experience left him feeling cold all over. He stared intently at the maid Beta. The soldiers tied the maid's hands, and the baron drew his knight's longsword and stabbed it into the maid's stomach.

"You damned thing, you're just my slave, how dare you kill your master!"

"You and your family will all be killed, and I will hang your heads in the middle of the street!"

Upon hearing that the baron intended to kill her family, the maid finally despaired, crying and struggling, begging him not to kill them. However, with each violent struggle, her life force was draining away more and more rapidly.

"Damn Thorin, what are you doing? Why would anyone dare to kill their master in my territory!"

"Find those damned bastards for me, and I'm going to kill them all, kill them all!"

Baron Kent roared like a madman, and the entire barony was about to bear the lord's wrath.

After calming down, Baron Kent was filled with lingering fear. It was the first time he had been so close to death, and he almost lost everything he had.

What can destroy a noble family is war and an army, but what can kill a noble is just a single Black Swan assassin.

Baron Kent tensed up at the thought of the Shadow Vanguard who had killed the Black Swan assassin.

"That's the assassin the king borrowed from Baron Ryan to deal with the Black Swan assassins?"

Baron Kent was thrilled; with such a protector, he would never have to fear the Black Swan assassin again.

“No, I need to ask Baron Ryan for such a guard, but he's not in the Kingdom of Andara, and I can't go to the Empire…”

After Baron Kent finished speaking, he seemed to remember something.

"Dawn City, I have to go to Dawn City."

……

Dawn City.

The history of this city can be simply divided into two parts: when it was built and when it was sold.

The two historical periods are vastly different, and before it was sold to Ryan, the city was a city of faith with a strong religious atmosphere, and the Dawn Believers of the entire Andara Kingdom regarded it as the center of their devout faith.

When it fell into Ryan's hands, it brought about a tremendous boom in the economy of the Kingdom of Andara.

It can be said that the role of Dawn City in enabling the war-ravaged Kingdom of Andara to slowly recover and heal its wounds after the war ended is undeniable.

The major merchant guilds from the Empire, after passing through the North Wind Road into the Kingdom of Andara, all ultimately head to Dawn City. This free economic city, not belonging to any kingdom's lord, has its commodity value determined by the market, and as a result, more and more people are experiencing the positive benefits brought by Dawn City.

When the economy is unrestricted, the wealth generated is terrifying. In just a few years, not only have the major merchant guilds of the empire established themselves here, but all the nobles within the kingdom have a place in Dawn City.

This city, where every inch of land is precious, has become even more dazzling since the departure of the Dawn Church.

Moreover, Dawn City is the only place in the Kingdom of Andara that can be entered and exited without any requirements, which is why it is so free.

The economic boom created wealth, which in turn ended up in the hands of the city's owners.

Money constitutes a significant portion of wealth, and since money needs to circulate, almost all of Dawn City's money is controlled by Queen Leta.

"Why are there suddenly so many silk fabrics?" After taking control of Dawn City's finances, the rather imposing Queen Leta became much more shrewd than before. Looking at the sudden increase in various demands, she sensed something was amiss.

She remembered Ryan saying that cash crops could see changes in the world, and if something big happened in the world, the economy would be the first thing to show it.

Dawn City is the economic center of the Kingdom of Andara, but the Kingdom of Andara's demand and output are roughly fixed, and the sudden influx of these things comes from the church in the royal city.

The Church of Light is gaining increasing importance in the Kingdom of Andara because, unlike the Empire, even though the Kingdom has expelled the Dawn Church, the faith of the kingdom's nobles and people will not disappear.

Faith needs a haven, and that Church of Light has become the kingdom's only place of worship.

The idea of ​​divine blessings is too vague and unrealistic, but the Church of Light would distribute eggs and bread. The boiled eggs and white bread excited everyone, and as the Dawn Priest's reputation grew, the number of eggs and bread increased.

The Kingdom of Andara suffered from war; the nobles lost their wealth, but the commoners and slaves lost their lives.

The Church of Light has saved countless lives.

These suddenly added supplies were intended for the Church of Light.

Queen Letta hesitated. She knew that the Church of Light was actually under Ryan's control because the refined missionary had visited her before and been very respectful.

"He didn't even tell me what he was going to do."

Queen Letta was somewhat angry and then summoned the relevant person in charge.

"What is the Church of Light planning to do now?"

A female servant stood with her head bowed before Queen Letta and whispered:
"Madam, there has been no news from the church, but recently there have been many more believers from the Church of Light in the city."

Queen Letta's servants are not just servants; most of them have received education in the tundra or come from the tundra. In addition to taking care of Queen Letta, they also handle various government affairs of the city.

Just as the maid finished speaking, another maid hurriedly entered from outside.

"Madam, the Confucian priest has arrived, and he has brought many people with him."

Many people, to be precise, are all the owners of the Church of Light in the Royal City of Andara.

In Dawn City, at the location of the north city gate, the missionary Sven walked into the brightly lit building. If it were just him, it would be one thing; others would at most glance at this unassuming believer in the gods.

But behind him were thousands of people, dressed in the same robes as the missionary, following him calmly and solemnly.

The scene was spectacular; no one could ignore it. Everyone made way for them, leaving the main road open.

“Dawn Priest Sven, what brings him to Dawn City? He rarely comes here before.”

Some people are curious because the people of this city are bolder and more confident than those in other parts of the kingdom.

Sven led the group to Queen Letta's residence, and then entered it alone.

"Madam, Lord Ryan asked me to give you his regards."

Why doesn't he come himself?

Queen Letta asked with displeasure.

"Lord Ryan is an Imperial Baron, so of course he cannot easily leave the Empire and enter the Kingdom."

Siwen said neither humbly nor arrogantly, noting that he had changed quite a bit and was increasingly resembling a noble servant of a deity.

He had faith in his heart.

"So he asked you to do these things too?"

Queen Letta's anger came and went quickly, and her attention fell on Sven.

"Lord Ryan said that the people of the Dawn in this world have fallen, and those servants who serve the Lord of the Dawn can no longer represent His will to lead mankind toward a bright future."

"The North has engulfed our world like darkness, and everyone is struggling in the darkness. The Church of Dawn should have dispelled the darkness and led people to welcome the dawn."

"Those Black Swan assassins should have been the Lord's minions, sharp swords clearing obstacles in the darkness."

"But they did nothing. The Pope of Dawn and his countless followers were so engrossed in the game of power that they left the people of this world forever mired in darkness."

"Lord Ryan does not wish to see the world's faithful people exploited by the Dawn Church; they should be pursuing a better future."

"The dawn has abandoned them, but Lord Ryan has made his decision to lead the struggling humans out of the darkness and into the dawn."

Queen Letta stared wide-eyed, her gaze filled with admiration. She was not a particularly outstanding politician, and as a woman, she knew very little.

"That's right."

"So what does he plan to do?"

"The believers in the gods are restless and have no peace in their hearts. Lord Ryan sent me to help those restless believers find the dawn of hope."

"I have come to Dawn City, intending to build it into a holy place in the hearts of believers who seek the dawn of hope."

"Just like its former role, this city has everything it already has and doesn't need any more changes."

“Those who seek hope and true believers will come here. They will see the hypocrisy and depravity of the Dawn Church and join us in building a new kingdom of faith.”

"The gods will watch over all our actions, and dawn will eventually become the hope in the dark world."

"Once the transformation of Dawn City is complete, I will leave here and go to a more distant world. The dawn will shine from here, illuminating the entire southern world."

"And all of this requires your help, madam."

Sven said respectfully, which surprised Queen Letta, who asked:

"what can I do?"

"Lord Ryan said that Dawn City will become a holy place in the hearts of believers, but it does not belong to believers alone. The Lord's mercy covers everyone in the world, so this city cannot belong to believers alone, nor can it be an excuse for believers to seize power."

"The followers of dawn will only become a part of this city."

"This city needs a ruler, and you, Madam, undoubtedly possess the qualifications. Lord Ryan is ready to bestow this city entirely upon you. From this day forward, the names of Ryan and you, Madam, will be the names of the masters of this city."

"so?"

Queen Letta's eyes widened, then filled with a smile; she was very happy.

"Soon, a group of governors from the Frozen Territory will arrive to assist you in governing Dawn City."

“They belong to you and Lord Ryan, so hopefully the nobles of the Kingdom of Andara will not interfere with them.”

To this, Queen Letta said quite easily:
"Don't worry, even the king cannot criticize him."

(End of this chapter)