Throne of the North.

Chapter 668 Northern Power (Part Six)

The authority Ryan wants to gain in this land must be absolute.

He didn't want any group to be outside the name of Ryan.

Fortunately, the results from the Mage Association were good.

As a 'believer,' Master Lyman would basically not oppose the 'deity' he worshipped.

However, considering the words and descriptions the other party used, such as "devouring gods," Ryan became even more wary of mages. It wasn't that he hadn't seen legends before; he had personally created the legendary knight Daryl of the Kingdom of Andara. But only mages, these noble mages, could analyze so many terrifying things from a simple blessing.

"To devour a god and gain His authority?"

Ryan thought of something... a big wild boar.

That wild boar from that otherworldly mountain forest inherited part of the divine essence of that world's great being and became a divine wild boar. If you eat it, will you receive a new spiritual blessing?
Ryan shook his head and decided against it. That lazy wild boar was doing just fine in the Frozen Territory, and when it had nothing to do, it would even lead its apprentices and grand-apprentices to till the soil.

……

With more nobles in Lingdu City, naturally, more conflicts arose.

In particular, the nobles came from different places. They may not have any personal grudges, but the glorious surnames they carried had a history of grudges between their ancestors long ago.

As the saying goes, nobles are all relatives, so naturally they do their best to step on each other's tails. The reason why Zero Crossing City is becoming more and more lively is that the attitude of these nobles makes the knights behind them dislike each other, and then they go to the arena at the slightest disagreement.

However, on the day Ryan arrived, there were far fewer fights in Zero Crossing City, and everyone's eyes were filled with eager anticipation.

Because of one incident, the auction of that legendary knight's longsword was nearing its end.

This is not an ordinary auction; the ownership cannot be decided in a single auction. It will take time for the nobles who want to acquire the legendary longsword to prepare substantial sums of money.

As the owner of the sword, Ryan, and as the sword's forger, Brock, naturally had to be present.

Ryan's arrival drew all the nobles to him, and he humbly and politely exchanged greetings with them, praising each other's surnames and congratulating each other on the revitalization of their territories.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the silver-white longsword floating in the void.

"I wonder who will ultimately win the legendary 'Snow Dragon's Roar'."

The nobles also looked at the sword with envy. Indeed, it was already full of stories even before it was born.

As the distinguished guests took their seats, the bard announced the start of the final auction.

"Fifteen days ago, the Clarkson Merchant Guild from the province of Tar offered 350,000 gold coins and a ten-year supply of one million catties of grain."

"I wonder if the noble lords and powerful extraordinary knights from all over the world will offer an even higher price today?"

"The avalanches from the North are like the roar of a dragon. That vast land has buried the history of Norris for thousands of years. Can the roar of the snow dragon awaken the glorious past that is now in turmoil?"

The bards sang, and as their voices faded, some couldn't help but burst into song.

"I am willing to give up an Elemental Will Stone in exchange for this legendary longsword, which comes from the tears left behind by a great being at the end of the eight elements."

The first to speak was a mage, and Ryan was surprised, as he had no idea that a powerful mage had arrived in Zero Crossing City.

The other party did not follow the normal channels, and judging from the appearance of the surrounding nobles, none of them recognized him.

The mage has quite a few tricks up his sleeve; Lion is envious.

Before long, a second person stated their conditions.

“I come on behalf of Earl Reis, hoping to exchange this legendary longsword for four hundred thousand gold coins and the Earl's friendship. It will have even greater glory in the hands of young Master Shirin Reis.”

Count Reis, located in the Greenland Province, is a renowned nobleman. Among the more than 30 powerful counts and nobles in the empire's more than 20 provinces, he ranks among the top five. Many people used to speculate that Count Reis might become the fifth Grand Duke, because the Greenland Province is located in the southeast of the empire, far away from the other Grand Dukes. However, Count Clayton's reputation later became too great.

A third contender also spoke up; he was also a high-ranking nobleman, and from Clayton.

"Master Knox?"

Ryan looked curiously at the legendary blacksmith master of the Clayton Earl's territory, whom he was somewhat familiar with. He had once forged a legendary weapon, but that weapon had consumed all his energy and spirit, making him unable to forge new legendary weapons. However, his status remained very high. A legendary blacksmith does not cease to be a legendary blacksmith just because he has lost the ability to forge legendary weapons.

Master Knox was very excited, and he seemed to be telling the others around him that Brock had once studied forging under him.

"The Earl of Clayton will trade this legendary longsword for fifteen suits of mithril armor forged from dragon scales. It is destined to be the weapon of a dragon knight, as is already in its name."

After Master Knox finished speaking, many nobles looked in the direction of Ryan, as the Clayton family was Ryan's bloodline.

Ryan remained calm. He understood what the nobles meant; the auction of legendary weapons was definitely not something that could be resolved with just a few gold coins.

Everyone offered their terms, and ultimately, Ryan had to decide who to trade with.

After all, in terms of value alone, unless you move a mountain of gold over, it won't make any difference.

Just like the previous winner, Clarkson Merchant Guild, with hundreds of thousands of gold coins and a ten-year food supply, the value of the gold coins is obvious, but the value of the food is hard to discern. It could be just enough to fill your stomach for about 100,000 gold coins, or it could be a life-saving meal worth millions of gold coins.

Or perhaps the condition mentioned by the magician who spoke this time, the Stone of Elemental Will, this thing originates from a great being, unique in the world, the key lies in the word "Elemental Will" itself. The will of the gods may allow you to witness unimaginable truth magic, or you may not be qualified to receive the gods' favor and get nothing at all.

Its value also varies greatly.

Count Reis's friendship, or rather, his personal connections, are invaluable. The politics of the empire can now influence the entire world's human civilization. Count Reis carries great weight within the empire, especially now that the two grand dukes are transferring power and a new era is dawning. The attitude of the great nobles is crucial.

In comparison, the Earl of Clayton's actions seemed more like a show of support.

The nobles and extraordinary individuals presented their terms, and in the end, Ryan chose one he approved to trade with. This was the process of the auction. Ryan determined the value of each item, and as long as it wasn't too outrageous, he wouldn't offend anyone.

What the nobles cared about was whether Ryan would show favoritism because of Clayton.

“On behalf of the esteemed Earl Pascal, I offer this legendary longsword for a price of one million gold coins.”

The nobles from Pascal broke the deadlock created by Earl Clayton, stating their conditions once again: the legendary weapon could bring their families great glory, heritage, and war potential.

Even many members of the royal family and the royal family itself have stated their conditions.

"His Majesty the Emperor Flor wishes to place this sword in the Cathedral of Light."

This was the final act, and the nobles fell silent. Those who had something to say had already said it; the rest were just spectators. They couldn't afford to buy anything anyway. Only the most powerful nobles were qualified to participate in this auction.

Everyone looked in Ryan's direction. They had presented their terms, and now it was Ryan's turn to choose who to trade with.

"What do you think?"

Ryan turned to Brock beside him. This bald, rough-looking man had a thick beard and was completely different from his petite sister, Aetria. Ryan always suspected the two siblings. "'Snow Dragon's Roar' was forged in the North. Its creation was to bolster humanity's unwavering faith in the North. It's not appropriate to place it in the Cathedral of Light."

“Count Reiss is in the far south, and he can’t cross the entire empire to help us fight against the North, hmm… that’s not good either.”

"As for the rest..."

Brock continued his analysis, his voice quite loud, so that many of the nobles around him could hear him clearly.

"How about we..."

Before Brock could finish speaking, someone in the audience suddenly stood up and interrupted him.

"Knight, aren't you being a bit too rude?"

The barons and nobles were startled and their expressions immediately turned sour.

The knight being questioned was tall but not burly; on the contrary, he appeared rather thin and somewhat malnourished.

His armor didn't look shiny or bright; it was somewhat damaged, and the knight seemed to be down on his luck.

The knight, somewhat nervous under questioning, replied:

"I, I also want to compete for this legendary longsword."

Ryan laughed. Anyone is qualified to compete for a legendary weapon, provided they can afford the price.

"May I ask where this gentleman knight comes from?"

“My name is Amai. I come from the Western Sea. I used to live at sea and had a ship, but now that ship has been destroyed by those damned sea monsters.”

"You have not pledged allegiance to the nobility?"

"No, there are no nobles in the Western Sea. I was born at sea."

"In that case, I wonder what kind of wealth the Knight can afford to purchase this knight's longsword? Or is the wealth of the West Coast as inexhaustible as legend suggests?"

Amai hesitated for a moment before speaking:

“I don’t have much money, but I’ve heard that Baron Ryan is recruiting top-tier Saints.”

He slowly released his power, which made the people nearby even more dissatisfied, especially the baron who was not far in front of him, who felt his breathing become rapid.

Many people were astonished to see this frail knight at the peak of the Saint Realm.

"Sir Ahma, do you mean you want to accept my offer, let me help you become a legend, and then I'll give you this legendary longsword as your weapon?"

Ryan looked at the other man with a meaningful look. These gentlemen at sea really know how to take food and drinks.

Amai is not so nervous anymore.

"I've heard that Baron Ryan is a legend?"

Ryan stretched out his hand, and frost and fire coalesced into a giant hand that reached out to grab Amai, but it did not affect anyone around him at all.

This peak Saint Realm expert was suppressed so easily.

"Isn't that obvious?"

Amai became excited and said:

“I can follow Lord Ryan.”

"So, this is the price you auctioned it for? Yourself?"

The others present also realized what was happening and looked at Amai with less anger. To be honest, the value of a peak Saint Realm cultivator might not be as high as the conditions mentioned earlier, but he was already qualified to participate in this pool.

“Yes, I can follow Baron Ryan.”

“But I don’t need followers like that. People can follow me for any reason, but not because I will give them legendary weapons.”

"You're trying to tarnish this trust with money, Mr. Knight Amai. You've misjudged me."

Ryan shook his head; he was not satisfied with the deal.

Just kidding, he's just a follower of a legendary knight. Isn't Brand by his side good enough? Not to mention Brand, even Master Brock could become a legendary blacksmith.

The hero-level units around him are far more valuable than this "Ama".

Ryan was about to refuse, but suddenly, thinking that the other person was all alone, he changed his mind.

“I, Ryan, invited nobles and extraordinary beings to auction this legendary weapon, but in the end, it was passed from left to right. This is disrespectful to the nobles and extraordinary beings. They came from afar, not to witness me, Ryan, recruiting a knight’s follower.”

"This deal won't satisfy everyone, but Mr. Amai, have you heard of the Northern Heroes Guild?"

Amai was somewhat disappointed, but still nodded.

"Of course, that's when I heard about the legendary weapons being auctioned here from them."

"But perhaps you haven't heard of another name: the Knights of the North."

"To become a knight of the North is to never marry or have children, and to dedicate one's life to the fight against the North."

"This is an opportunity I'm giving to many people who can't obtain the Knight's Breathing Technique."

“If Sir Amai, you are willing to spend the rest of your life guarding the front lines of the North and becoming a Knight of the North as the price for this auction, I think... no one here will question your qualifications.”

For nobles, the continuation of bloodlines is of paramount importance, and conversely, it can become an invaluable asset.

"But I already have children."

"It's okay, no matter what happened in the past. It's just that you and your child may see each other less often in the future."

"I am willing."

Amai gritted her teeth and agreed immediately.

(End of this chapter)