Throne of the North.

Chapter 771 The Noble Knights of Zero Crossing City

The soldiers gradually relaxed, abandoning their weapons. Along with those who had already put away their weapons, they didn't even glance at the Imperial Army. Their eyes held no curiosity, only a 'desire' to get back to work.

They didn't want to be seen slacking off and then be dragged over for competitive training with guys whose arms were thicker than their thighs.

Looking at the armored bears and Bogurds who were now completely relaxed and approaching, Aatrox in the army was a little puzzled. He seemed to remember that Kaz had said that there was a small but very powerful armored bear legion in Ryan's territory.

But how did that army end up in the Kingdom of Kolan?

As Bogeld approached, others also noticed something amiss: an army shouldn't have two supreme commanders unless they weren't subordinate to the same system.

Then they saw the Rhinoceros Horn Mountain emblem on the armored bear's forehead.

The Frozen Territory, this mark, has gained considerable fame within the Empire in recent years, and this Imperial Army has no members other than nobles.

"You are... Baron Ryan's army?"

Freud asked with some doubt. He sensed a faint threat from the armored bear, and he was also quite familiar with Ryan.

Upon hearing Freud's words, Bogeld's yawn was interrupted. Just as Bogeld was about to get angry, he suddenly smacked Volibear on the head, and the two of them quickly ran back to where they had come from.

"It's all your fault, you bastard. I had already changed into a different suit of armor."

"Roar!"

"What are you complaining about? Can't you see the badge on your body?"

"Roar?"

"You can't see it? How could you not see it? Anyway, don't drag me into this when you get beaten up."

The man and the bear ran off into the distance, and Floyd and the others, who were left unattended, didn't pay any attention to it because of their sudden confusion.

Their main goal is still to return to the empire.

"The Kingdom of Kolan seems to have changed quite a bit."

Many knights in the noble army had already relaxed. After all, they were young noblemen, and they couldn't stay on edge the whole time. The dull environment was too oppressive.

At this moment, they looked at the surrounding road and saw that many commoners and even slaves of the Kingdom of Kolan were swaggering and kneeling on the ground, even though they had been walking on the road.

However, based on the nobles' understanding of the Kingdom of Kolan, the noble territories here should be strictly prohibiting population movement.

"By the way, that woman from before must have been one of Baron Ryan's men, since her mount had the insignia of the Frozen Territory."

"It might be armor made in the Frozen Territory. You know that the Frozen Territory is rich in iron ore, and their equipment has always been excellent. After all, this is the Kingdom of Coran."

"That's true, but it's strange that the Kingdom of Coran has a superhuman legion."

Walking along the road, it wasn't just the noble knights behind me who felt that the Kingdom of Kolan was different.

"The roads here have been widened, and the construction shouldn't be too far off."

Brutus looked at the ground beneath his feet. Even within the empire, there weren't many roads that allowed such a large army to march smoothly. They seemed to have underestimated the Kingdom of Coran.

That night, they didn't even receive an invitation from the King of Kolan, whether it was because they were imperial soldiers and the Kolan Kingdom's faith belonged to the Dawn or some other reason.

Along the way, the nobles kept their distance from them, and they actually... passed through the Kingdom of Coran without any problems.

"This road actually extends all the way to the Kingdom of Andara? What happened between the Kingdom of Kolan and the Kingdom of Andara?"

The road forks before us, one leading to Gerald and the other into the Kingdom of Andara, both equally smooth and easy.

Upon entering the Kingdom of Andara, the nobles there were much more welcoming, and the noble knights accepted them. After all, the Kingdom of Andara was the empire's first sycophantic ally.

The king of the Andara Kingdom was very young and invited them to stay overnight in the capital. This one night greatly improved the nobles' impression of the Andara Kingdom.

"It doesn't look like the war has just ended. It's said that Baron Ryan, on behalf of the Empire, helped clean up the orc war here, and Farrell, commander of the Elephant Legion in Winged Canyon, has also stayed here for several months."

The atmosphere in the Kingdom of Andara is very high, with vehicles and personnel transporting resources visible everywhere.

We stayed in the royal city for a few extra hours because the two legendary mages in our group, Brutus and Stuart, exchanged some magical knowledge with Ivy Evan, who was in the royal city.

Finally, the two legendary magicians said that they would tell the emperor to let Evan return to the empire, since everyone knew that the Cathedral of Light no longer had an owner.

Evan said that such things are casual.

In the end, this triumphant noble army that returned to the empire finally returned to the gates of the empire.

As for the supplies that might be wasted along the way? Ridiculous. In this army, apart from noble young masters and high-ranking magistrates, they would never lack even a single bit of supplies. Even if they took off their helmets, they could still eat exquisitely all the way just by looking at their faces and their bloodlines.

Even the emperor couldn't criticize Freud for his extravagance.

North Wind Avenue has been reinforced several times. At the end of the road is Lingdu City.

The border of the empire is still quite far away. Ryan personally led a group of nobles to welcome the gentlemen from afar on the North Wind Avenue at the border.

"Commander Freud, on behalf of the Empire, I welcome your triumphant return."

"Zero Crossing City has prepared the drinks."

Behind him, the nobles smiled broadly after Ryan finished speaking.

Inside Lingdu City, it was already bustling with activity, with tens of thousands of citizens gathered at the gate, eagerly awaiting the return of the victorious imperial army.

"Big brother."

Ryan nodded to Aatrox, and then naturally followed the nobles who were leading the army.

Chryseth and he didn't get along, so naturally, Ryan went to the other side.

"Ah."

Freud, in the middle, couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Ryan, is that armored bear army from the Kingdom of Coran yours?" "Oh? Commander Floyd, you saw them? Is there a war going on there?"

"Not yet, but it really does belong to you."

Those present were somewhat surprised.

Ryan didn't deny it. If they hadn't seen it or asked, that would have been fine. But since they had seen it and asked, there was no point in hiding it. He had already prepared a plan.

"I sent them there. The Kingdom of Coran said that an invasion by the Abyss Faith has occurred in the noble territories in the south. After all, everyone has a responsibility in this matter."

"However, the Dawn Church did not respond, and I was initially unwilling. Later, the Kingdom of Coran agreed to let my merchant guild enter, and the nobles there were willing to participate in the competition for the Northern Warriors Guild. Commander Freud, you should be able to understand that the Northern Warriors Guild will bring enormous wealth."

"Moreover, this is also a way for the Kingdom of Coran to enter the Empire and observe the Empire's glory. We can win over the Kingdom of Coran to get closer to the Empire, show the Empire's magnanimity, and also block the questioning of the Kingdom of Coran by the Dawn Church."

"Using the Northern Warriors Guild to enter the Empire under the guise of being orcs is a pretty good idea."

To be honest, Freud was very jealous. No one would have thought that the Northern Heroes Guild would bring such considerable wealth. It was only recently, on his way back, that the nobles who supported him sent word that Duke Russell was also working on establishing one in the Hot Springs Province. After carefully gathering intelligence, the nobles discovered that this thing had actually brought in very impressive profits.

No wonder, no wonder my father praised Volvo's achievements in the Northern Warriors Guild when he was still alive.

Columbus III saw the potential benefits in this.

However, the market is now saturated. With the end of the Orc Wars, apart from a few provinces in the North, no other place is qualified to lead the emergence of the Northern Warriors Guild. Without leadership, the benefits gained would be minimal. Moreover, given the current uncertain situation, nobles must also consider the intertwined interests with other nobles.

As the leader and member of all the Northern Warriors Guilds, Ryan naturally made a fortune, so it seems reasonable for him to expand towards the Kingdom of Coran now.

They just didn't expect Ryan to succeed, after all, the Kingdom of Kolan was the soil of the Dawn Faith.

“Previously, a civil war broke out between nobles and clergy in the Kingdom of Coran. Although it did not completely end the conflict between the two sides, it did create a rift. It was by taking advantage of this opportunity that I gained the trust of the nobles.”

Ryan said this, and the nobles around him agreed. They had no doubt about the abilities of Baron Ryan, who had developed the barony into what it was in such a short time.

Within the empire, countless noble lords, when berating their children, would target Ryan. He was young, about the same age as their children, but their abilities were worlds apart.

Putting aside everything else, countless members of the noble knights behind him went south, spurred on by Ryan's example.

“I really envy Earl Clayton. Your bloodline now has three legends, not to mention a dragon.”

The nobles have expressed their envy of the Clayton family countless times. In the past, they envied their prolific prolificity, believing that it was impossible for the family line to end. Later, they envied those below the earl, whose children were all legendary.

In other words, the nobles in this world have enough prestige in the eyes of their offspring; otherwise, when a father scolds his son, the son might jump up and retort that the father is a dragon knight.

Lingdu City.

Flowers bloom in profusion, a riot of colors, and the children who have left home finally feel the empire's longing for them. In addition, the prosperity here means there are more than just a few entertainment options.

These nobles stayed here for several more days.

Now that they've returned to the empire, they can shed their military titles and are simply noblemen.

Ryan had received the news early on. On their way back, many servants from the southern noble territories arrived in Zero Crossing City with carriages. These noble knights would not suffer any hardship on their journey back to the capital.

Seeing the brief period of liveliness in Zero Crossing City, Ryan suddenly realized that these guys weren't so troublesome after all.

Their arrival and departure will surely spread the story of Lingdu City, perhaps attracting even more people to come here.

"So, how about we organize some activities?"

Even without Ryan's covert manipulation, numerous 'activities' have already emerged in Zero Crossing City.

Compared to these noble young masters and knights, most people in Zero Crossing City are still from the lower class. They also hope that the noble lords can see their shining points. This time, with so many noble lords (young masters) appearing, there are many hard-working people. Even the roadside vendors no longer cheat on the weight and use up all the spices from the Fragrant Mountain Plain.

Seeing everyone striking poses, Ryan decided to ignore them.

However, what he did not expect was that the most important thing for these noble young knights in Zero Crossing City was to purchase knight longswords produced in the Frozen Territory.

"Damn it, my family's blacksmith is a complete fraud. He almost got me killed in the battle with that second son of the Hassen family. I'll make sure he gets away with this when I get back."

"Who isn't? The Southern Kingdom, because it's close to the Dwarven Forge Kingdom, their smelting technology is surprisingly good. My longsword is broken, I need to buy a good one. Next time I encounter those guys, I'll be able to kill them!"

"That guy Lilo only survived on the battlefield because he had a 'Snow Dragon's Roar'. You guys don't know I was right next to him that time. The cardinal's divine magic covered the entire area. If Lilo hadn't used his sword to block the head from being cut off, we would both be dead. Those Holy Knights, damn it, how come they have so many blessings on them?"

"He said his father had already written to tell him that he would receive a manor as a reward when he returned. I'm so envious. It's so nice to have an earl as a father."

Having experienced the baptism of war and shared life and death experiences, the noble knights spoke without the formality they once did, saying whatever came to mind without regard for their status.

As a result, many people began to send requests to Ryan. During the days that Lord Ryan spent in Zero Crossing City receiving the triumphant knights, the thing he dealt with most was transferring weapons and armor from the Frozen Territory.

"Are the smelting techniques in the South really that good?"

Brand also appeared and bombarded the noble knights with questions. The noble knights were extremely eager to learn about this blacksmith who had forged legendary weapons, and they all chimed in with the spoils of war they had captured in the south.

“Master Brok, look, this is what I seized from that Marco family member. If I hadn’t had more than twenty bottles of potions on me, I might be dead.”

"So, I only managed to cut a few nicks in his sword. I was planning to go back and have my blacksmith see if he could fix it."

"I heard from that guy in the south that this isn't a replica, but genuine dwarven craftsmanship. Those dwarven goblins are the best at forging this kind of thing."

The Empire’s richest iron mines are in the Northwind Province, but the richest metal mines on the continent of Norris, including iron mines, are in the dwarven kingdom of the forge.

"You're giving me this sword?"

Brock looked serious. The noble knight felt a pang of sympathy, but still gritted his teeth and said:

"Master Brock, if you want it, then it's yours."

Of course, a longsword from the Frozen Territory Knights was given as a return gift.

Even days after these noble knights left Zero Crossing City, the people of the city still recalled their extravagant spending.

(End of this chapter)