Throne of the North.

Chapter 810 Poets and Painters

The emergence of the Northern Knights Academy was still too high-end for the lower classes of the Northern Lands.

Those knights riding tall warhorses were figures they could only look up to, and many people had little news of the emergence of the Knight Academy.

But this did not dampen their enthusiasm, for there were many bards in this cold land.

They brought with them stories from afar, a knowledge base clearly superior to that of ordinary people, and most importantly, the medals from Rhinoceros Horn Mountain, which made them incredibly safe.

The bards became the most renowned group on the land. Everyone loved to hear their fantastical tales, of dragons roaring from afar, of noble lords in ancient castles fondling maids' breasts.

The people of this land are so simple and honest. When the wandering poets arrived at a place with their own stories, wine would appear before them.

Even the Kingdom of Kolan gradually adopted this art style. With each passing day, the world seemed to change, even slaves and commoners could see that it was becoming different.

Because when they stepped out of their homes, they were no longer treading on muddy dirt roads overgrown with weeds. Even though they weren't paved with stone slabs like in the city, they were still on complete roads, and something called order covered them neatly.

"A letter has arrived! A letter has arrived!!!"

Young men cheered, holding up cloth bags in their hands. The Kingdom of Coran was much richer than its northern neighbors, and the coarse linen could be used elsewhere.

"A letter has arrived from the Baron's town!"

The young man, carrying a cloth bag, hesitated before a crude little church in the village, then shouted:

"Mr. Bennett!"

"Mr. Scott!"

He called out, and a languid-looking man emerged from the church, looking at the young man and asking:

"Healy, is something the matter?"

“Mr. Bennett, news has come from the Baron’s castle that they will be building a road from the city to the town starting next month, and that road will definitely pass through our village.”

The man said with surprise and joy:

“That’s wonderful, Healy. With roads, you can travel to faraway places.”

“That’s still difficult, Mr. Bennet. If we want to leave, we’ll need the Baron’s permission, and he’ll definitely ask for an exorbitant price.”

“Isn’t this a dream, Healy?”

Bennett began by saying:
"Moreover, perhaps your baron will change his mind and charge you a little less, so that you can afford it."

"Huh? Is this true?"

"Of course."

"A bard never lies."

"And we are also on our way to visit that Baron."

The young man nodded. These two were travelers from afar, and their status was much higher than his.

Thinking about this, he remembered that there was another person here.

"Where is Mr. Scott?"

"He's painting this village."

As soon as the two finished speaking, the sound of horses neighing came from afar. A bearded man rode a horse, holding the reins of another horse in his hand, which was carrying some supplies.

Holding a scroll in his hand, he saw golden wheat fields and houses dotting the landscape. A winding road, its golden hue particularly deep, separated the scene from the distant mountains.

"Haha, it's finally done, we can go now, Bennett."

"It's so beautiful! Is this our village?"

Healy looked at the vibrant colors on the scroll with great delight, reaching out to touch it but stopping his hand in mid-air. He then looked with great envy at Scott and the cloth bag on the back of another horse behind him, which contained dozens of scrolls.

"Mr. Scott, is it true that there are thousands upon thousands of butterflies in Huan Sen Town, the easternmost part of the Kingdom of Coran?"

"Of course it's true. If you can go there, you can see butterflies hovering at the edge of the woodland any day. It's also rich in nectar, which tastes very sweet, and many forest bears often come out to steal it."

"And in the northern plains, herds of buffalo chase and run wildly every rainy season. During that season, they gain the sole dominance of the entire plains, and even lions avoid them."

"If you can go further, you can go to Gerald and see the clusters of knightly castles there. They are not fortresses, because they are too small, but surrounding the knights' castles, you can see enclosed manors."

"And further west, if you go a bit further, you can see the icy and snowy landscape of the North. Of course, if you don't see it every day, it's still very beautiful."

The young man's eyes were filled with longing. This season was one of the few times when children his age still had free time. Earlier, they helped their families plant crops and collect supplies, and later, they would be responsible for the busy preparations for the harvest.

Only in this season when countless fireflies can be seen on night can we dream of a bright future.

“They’re going to build a road that goes straight to the town from the village. Mr. Bennet said the Baron will reduce the amount of copper coins he charges us. Is that true?”

As he spoke, the young man handed the cloth bag to Scott, who took it and opened the letters inside.

The villagers are illiterate, and the cheers of the young man had drawn a crowd to the area, where people were curiously looking at the envelope in Scott's hand.

"Yes, it does say that His Majesty the King of the Kingdom of Coran and the joint signature of the Frozen Territory will build six roads, including one that passes through your Firefly Town, all the way from Austin City to Viscount Kenan's territory."

"However, there is no note added by the Baron on it. But if you wish to travel far away and seek the beauty described by the bards, I can speak to the Baron on your behalf."

"Really? Thank you so much."

"Healy said with delight," Scott said, handing the envelope back to him and nodding in affirmation.

"My painting still needs a little polishing. We'll be leaving in an hour."

"That's such a shame."

Scott dismounted and entered the church. The church had been renovated since the arrival of the two outsiders. The church used to be dark, but now many places had been opened up to allow air circulation and light to shine in.

“The Dawn Cult won’t send anyone here, which actually makes things easier for us.”

"Isn't this a good thing? The faith of the Dawn believers is pure, and they are happy that the Lord's mercy can take care of visitors from afar and give travelers a place to stay."

Scott chuckled and said:

“You bards really do take the Confucian priests as your spiritual support.”

"No, Mr. Sven is doing something else. We admire his work, but the goal of every bard is to create his own story."

"We are grateful to him for helping us find our direction."

"You guys are all talk."

“Bards never lie, unless they can turn a lie into the truth in the future.” Bennett laughed, looking at Scott, who was very uncomfortable with the laugh.

"So that's why you lied to that kid and said the baron wouldn't take their money? And that he'd let them leave the territory?"

"What are you going to do?"

"This requires your help, Mr. Scott."

"I can not help you."

"You can definitely do it. You are the castle painter of the Frozen Territory, and the only one. Moreover, the Baroness recently wrote to you, asking you to return to Rhinoceros Horn Mountain as soon as you complete the mission. When Lord Ryan's child is born, a peaceful painting is needed."

"No one can underestimate your artist, sir."

"Let me interrupt for a moment. I am a philosopher, not an artist. Being an artist is just a hobby and a way for me to express philosophical ideas."

“That would be perfect, Mr. Scott, you are quite the talker.”

After the exchange ended, Bennett looked at the painting in the other person's hand.

"What else do you want to add to it? There's nothing left in this village, not even fireflies, you've already drawn them on."

After saying that, he frowned.

"Lord Ryan has no need for a fake painting."

"Of course it won't be wildly imaginative."

"The Baron asked me to draw every noble territory in the Kingdom of Coran, but he didn't say I couldn't add the faith of the Lord of Dawn."

As he spoke, Scott picked up his brush, and the colors flowed gracefully, placing the sculpture of the Lord of Dawn above the distant mountains, making it a sun that had not existed in the painting before.

"So the sun hasn't been painted yet."

"It's more than that."

Soon, a group of people appeared in the golden wheat field. Most of them were eagerly waiting, and their eyes were focused on an older man who was holding up an ear of wheat as if he were saying something.

Everyone was listening to what he had to say.

"What surprised me was that the power of mortals was very prominent in this village, while the faith in the Lord of Dawn became a spiritual sustenance, without any real substance."

"Do you know what this means, bard?"

Scott looked at his companion, who had been with him for several months, and asked, "What's wrong?" The latter, not entirely ignorant of politics, replied:
"You mean, the villagers in this village are not fanatical followers of the Lord of Dawn?"

“It’s not just about not being fanatical; even being an ordinary believer is an identity that can be discarded at any time.”

Scott laughed and continued:
Do you know what area of ​​philosophy I studied back in the capital?

"It is a combination of religious belief and human monarchy."

"After seeing this village, I really admire that refined priest. He managed to combine the authority of divine faith with human monarchy all by himself."

"He made the authority of the gods, that is, the faith of the Lord of Dawn, unattainable and even greater, but this greatness also distanced the majesty of the Lord of Dawn from mortals."

"The sun's radiance is getting further and further away from humankind, so in this distance, another authority is needed to take its place."

"This gap in the middle is the monarchy of mankind."

"The king of a territory, that is, the noble lords, became the kingship above the heads of mortals under the divine authority."

“In the past, this was very difficult to separate. I don’t know if Bennett knows what the continent of Norris was like more than a hundred years ago. I have found it in many books.”

"At that time, noble lords had to listen to the church priests, because the priests represented the Lord of Dawn, the Church of Dawn."

"But now, the priests are no longer in charge of managing commoners and slaves; this power has been completely handed over to the nobles."

“Here, a clear division of power emerges between divine right and royal power.”

"This……"

Bennett interrupted the other person.

"Keep these things for Lord Ryan. I am just a bard."

“How boring, Bennett, I have no one else to talk to.”

"The Baron asked me to draw out every noble territory in the Kingdom of Coran. Do you think he needs a painting?"

"The divine right and royal power I'm referring to are precisely what our esteemed Baron Ryan has been trying to obtain."

"I'm so damn stupid. Back in the capital, when he invited me to become a painter in the Frozen Territory, I was so naive to think that he just wanted a painter. I never imagined that he valued my research in philosophy."

"This baron is indeed as ambitious as the legends say."

Scott's eyes lit up with keen interest.

"By the way, why the sudden road construction?"

"It's probably the road system of the Kingdom of Coran that needs to be connected with the Kingdom of Andara and the Kingdom of Sera. I met Mr. Sven when I was in the royal city before. He said that before long, many roads will appear on this land, connecting the territories of every noble."

"It belongs to the three kingdoms and the Gerald nobles."

Scott marveled.

"That's true, it really makes it easier for the army's warhorses to gallop."

Before long, the two mounted their horses, turned them around, and rode away into the distance amidst the expectant gazes of many. They were leaving the village and heading towards the baron's town.

The bard's task was to persuade the baron to grant his people convenience, while the painter's job was to depict the baron's territory and ultimately place it on Rhinoceros Horn Mountain.

On their journey, they first encountered a pair of cavalrymen whose chest badges were different. Upon inquiry, they learned that they came from the Northern Knights Academy.

"We've been assigned by the academy to survey and inspect the safety of the road ahead. Bards and painters, would you like to come with us?"

One of them spoke up, very excited, because he was the baron's son, and this time he had brought several of his close classmates, who were of noble blood.

It's worth noting that even his father couldn't establish 'relationships' with the knights behind these people.

This was his network and resources, and he believed his father would be overjoyed when he saw it.

Thank you Northern Knights Academy, and thank you Lord Ryan.

Returning home in glory, accompanied by travelers from afar, the procession entered the Baron's territory amidst laughter and merriment.

(End of this chapter)