Throne of the North.

Chapter 799 The Initial Establishment of the Knight Academy (Part Two)
The looting of Mikragard had reached its final stage, and looking at the towering raven ship, Lion had no choice but to dismantle it.

There was nothing that could be done about it. He also wanted to obtain the Raven Ship, but the portal to the dimensional gate was too small to accommodate the Raven Ship's passage.

This is not Nidhogg either; with the authority of the Dragon Emperor's Crown, Ryan can tear open the passage for dragons.

Only at this moment can one truly appreciate the rarity of spatial magic.

The only solution is to dismantle the Raven Ship and reassemble it in the Frozen Territory, but it's unknown how much damage this process will cause.

Ryan delegated the task to the people of Mikragard and the Alchemy Institute.

"This river is also large enough to accommodate raven boats."

On Rhinoceros Horn Mountain, Ryan looked at the turbulent river below. Surtur's power melted the glacier, adding a unique touch to the Frozen Territory. This was a glacier thawed by divine essence, and the cold of the North could hardly make it freeze again.

Not long after, Ryan, who was heading to the Knight Academy, boarded a small boat. It was quite a novel experience to be able to patrol his territory by boat for the first time.

"These crystal-shelled squid actually survived."

Ryan was also surprised, and could only say that extraordinary life forms possess extraordinary power.

As Rhinoceros Horn Mountain receded into the distance, the Griffin Mountain Range gradually came into view. When the ship reached its destination, Ryan also saw the Knight Academy, which was faintly visible in the mountains and forests.

This academy is no ordinary institution, requiring considerable manpower and resources, especially considering the many extraordinary masterpieces it contains. Ryan doesn't regard knights as knights; they can lift hundreds or thousands of kilograms, so wouldn't that be an overwhelming advantage in construction?

"How many noble bloodlines does the Knight Academy currently have?"

When Ryan inquired, Brand, who was always by his side, seemed quite familiar with the matter.

"The Knight Academy currently has a total of 370 students, of whom 290 are from noble families, and there are still about 200 noble bloodlines who have not yet arrived."

"So many nobles?"

Ryan was somewhat surprised; by this calculation, the number of nobles in this land was close to five hundred.

There are many nobles in the empire. The Kingdom of Sera and the Kingdom of Andara were originally one, but after they separated, the number of nobles was also divided. Currently, there are still many conflicts between the two sides. After a series of upheavals, the number of nobles in the Kingdom of Kolan has decreased significantly. It is surprising that there are still so many nobles.

"That's not all. A small number of nobles died in the war, and their families suffered heavy losses. Currently, only their children are inheriting their titles."

"They cannot come to the Knight Academy. They can only select someone three years later to be given a family name and represent the nobility."

These are the nobles of this land. If it weren't for the war, the pressure of the land would probably be enough to make everyone breathless.

Every nobleman has his own fiefdom, which can be as large as the land itself, or as small as the land itself, and usually includes one or two villages or towns.

There's not enough land to go around.

In other words, the ongoing wars in the North have made the land issue less prominent.

Ryan felt a sense of helplessness that the emperor of the empire could not bear.

This is true of this land, and it is even more evident in the more glorious Flor Empire, which can be said to have begun a century ago.

Therefore, the status of royal family members will be greatly reduced, the system of nobility will emerge, and the empire will have those colossal cities that rise from the ground and do not belong to the fiefdoms of nobles.

The influx of people and nobles from another world, along with the shrinking territory of the Norris continent, will exacerbate this problem.

Ryan could see that even the lordship system was only a temporary solution; the problems between population and land would only intensify.

By looking at the details, we can see the whole picture. The problems we face at the moment, when magnified, become problems for the entire human civilization.

However, Ryan doesn't need to worry about these things yet, as his offspring haven't been born yet.

All he needed to know was that the Knight Academy would continuously bring him prestige and unimaginable benefits.

The river dock is only partially visible from the buildings. But once you walk along the stone path through the mountains, you can clearly see a wide plaza standing at the junction of two mountain peaks.

This place is even large enough to accommodate the charge of warhorses, and in fact, it is. The knights' mounts are arranged on the edge of this square, and the stables are better than those of many commoners in Zero Crossing City.

The instructors at the Knight Academy are stag squires from the Frozen Territory. The war also brought trauma to the knights, and those squires who were wounded and left the battlefield were arranged by Ryan to come here and become instructors at the academy.

Don't underestimate these attendants. They have received various spiritual blessings from Ryan, and even those with disabilities have more vitality than many bronze knights. Their skills have been honed into absolute killing techniques. With the blessing of the spirit of the horse, they are all masters in their skills. Teaching a group of guys who are just starting out on the path of knighthood is a piece of cake.

In addition, they would teach wartime experience, something they were well-versed in as elites who had fought their way up with Ryan.

When Ryan arrived, the Knight Academy was already bustling with activity. Many noble members were gathered around Castor Winter, the future Earl, who was naturally the highest-ranking student in the academy. Moreover, given the current climate, their fathers needed them to cultivate a good relationship with Castor Winter through the Knight Academy, as he might become an asset in the future.

This was also one of the reasons why Ryan initially impressed Earl Winter. His generation was no longer able to maintain Earl Winter's prestige among the nobles, so if his successor could not inherit the position, he would have to acquire it himself.

Castor knew his purpose in coming here; his knightly skills were secondary, the key was the person.

For centuries he was helpless, as the students around him did not have high status in the noble families, but he always maintained a smile and treated everyone with a gentle and approachable manner.

This earned him the favor of all the students in just one or two days.

"Lord Ryan has arrived."

Someone shouted, and all eyes turned to Ryan's direction. The crowd became excited. On the continent of Norris, Baron Ryan's reputation had spread far and wide, and in the land of the North, Ryan Clayton had long been a legend.

Every nobleman knows what Ryan has been doing all these years.

Most importantly, under the rule of hereditary authority, Ryan's age added countless advantages to his position.

Are these knight cadets in front of me really that much younger than Ryan?
A significant portion of the time, however, are not necessarily so. Take Castor Winter, for example. He and Lane were not much different in age, but their achievements were vastly different. In the North, no one had not heard the legend of Lane Clayton commanding tens of thousands of troops, and nobles willingly entrusted hundreds of thousands to such a young baron.

As the saying goes, only those within the circle of nobles can truly feel the absolute power and authority of a noble lord. Because of this, these noble members know better than anyone else that it is simply impossible to achieve what Baron Ryan did.

He made all the noble lords who held absolute authority within the territory bow their heads.

Therefore, after Ryan arrived, Castor suddenly became less important.

They preferred to gain the special attention of the legendary baron rather than to show their faces before the future baron.

"So you all feel that the academy's training intensity is not enough?"

An instructor with a grim face stepped forward and stopped these people from approaching Ryan. He was powerful, comparable to a Gold Knight, and didn't care about the titles these people held, so the trainees dared not challenge his authority.

Ryan raised his hand, glanced at Castor, and then loudly addressed everyone:

"As the first batch of students at the Northern Knights Academy, I can tell you that you are lucky. The batch of students three years from now will not have the same benefits as you, who will gain the physique of a trainee knight upon entering the academy."

"But that's precisely why, as the first batch of trainees, you must perform even better."

"What do the nobles hope for in the academy? At most, they just want ordinary people to go to the knight academy, and after graduation, ignite the flame of life and advance to the extraordinary path of knighthood."

"But this is not difficult for you who have already become apprentice knights and obtained the knight's breathing technique as soon as you arrive. As long as you work hard and persevere, you will definitely ignite the flame of life and become extraordinary."

"This is not a request I make of you. I bestow power upon you in the hope that three years from now, a Golden Knight will appear at the Knight Academy."

"Only in this way can I, Ryan, show all the nobles that this is the right place."

“I am disappointed that there are many noble members in your family who are of higher status than you, but I am also happy that you have come. I have a wish that in three years, your achievements will surpass those of all those who were of higher status in the territory.”

Ryan's words made the students gasp for breath. What Ryan said was not absolute. There were indeed a group of people in the Knight Academy who held a prestigious position in the territory, but they were only a minority. Just like Castor looked down on the classmates who had come up to him, most of the people who came here were originally idle in the territories of nobles and were not assigned any responsibilities by the territory.

Sometimes, giving you something to do is a way of showing you respect; on the contrary, those who have nothing to do are the marginal figures in the territory.

Because the things arranged by the nobility are, to some extent, a matter of power.

The power of the future.

They certainly understood what Ryan meant, and even dreamed of the day when they would be on the battlefield, adorned with glory and conviction, bestowed with countless riches and fertile lands, and swearing allegiance to their king under the watchful eyes of countless people.

That was a qualification, a separate lineage in the family tree, a qualification to establish a new noble family.

However, ideals are ideals and reality is reality. Just like how dreaming doesn't stop people from getting up early the next morning, still sleepy, and working hard just for their daily sustenance.

Also, is it really possible to become a Gold Knight in three years?

Knighthood, this ancient and legendary path to transcendence, requires the least talent, but it also requires the most time.

Many people know that as long as you persevere and train day after day, you can become a powerful knight. But how many people can actually do it?

Because most people cannot see the results of yesterday's training today, nor the results of today's training tomorrow, they cannot persevere.

Even though they were members of the nobility, they did not lack food supplies and did not need to expend their physical strength on the farm.

Ryan knew this well, but he also needed to make the Knight Academy famous, so he planned to give these people a little 'cheat code'.

Make your efforts and rewards visible.

He even believed that if the data were presented as a progress bar, many people who were giving up would persevere because of the progress bar's advancement.

“You don’t need to worry about whether you can become a Gold Knight in three years, and neither do I. There are quite a few people like that among my followers.”

"The Knight Academy will cover all your resource consumption here."

Ryan even pointed to the one-armed instructor next to him and said, "The Frozen Territory has been established for so many years, how many more years can the knights and squires who follow him last?"
"You only need to worry about whether you have that kind of perseverance."

As he spoke, Ryan had the soldiers behind him carry out some items.

The burlap was torn off, revealing a six-meter-tall crystal cylinder. Brand, standing beside him, gently pressed a finger against the crystal, which emitted a white light, then instantly turned green, then blue, and finally settled on purple.

The number above the crystal pillar gradually changed from zero to 3000.

"This strike carries the force of three thousand jin."

Brand began to speak, and the students in front of him began to breathe rapidly.

Amidst the instructor's loud roar, a trainee unleashed a powerful attack on the crystal pillar. Even with his face flushed red, the pillar only emitted a white light, and the number remained at 251, refusing to advance further.

"The academy's resources are not unlimited. Only outstanding students can obtain more resource support, including potions, equipment, certain qualifications, and money."

"Anyone who excels in any field is an outstanding knight of the Knight Academy. This world has never been stingy with its rewards for the strong."

Ryan also brought with him an extraordinary list of knight training categories, ranking these apprentice knights, which is the easiest way to impress them.

Even for running, Ryan had alchemists create a crystal curtain, and the fastest student in the Knight Academy would receive a generous reward.

Just like any trade, it was unprofitable at the beginning. Ryan didn't put up a lot of resources so that these apprentice knights could save him money.

The Knight Academy in the capital city has already won people's hearts. If he wants to overtake it by taking a shortcut, he will have to pay a much higher price.

(End of this chapter)