Throne of the North.

Chapter 816 The Banquet in the Royal City: The King and the Southern Nobles

In the royal city of Coran, the natives watched with curiosity the throngs of people from the south.

The Kingdom of Coran did not discuss this matter with Count Jinze and others, after all, it involved tens of thousands of people. Thus, the delaying tactics led to the current situation, with everyone appearing in the royal city of Coran.

"So many people."

When the bard Bennett entered the royal city of Coran, he felt the crowds. Tens of thousands of people from the south were all crammed towards the slums. This was because the royal city of Coran had suffered many hardships and its population had become insufficient, barely enough to accommodate these tens of thousands of people from the south.

Of course, nobles could not mingle here. They were warmly received by His Majesty the King of the Kingdom of Kolan and the nobles. On their first day in the royal city, they were already soaking in the warm bath.

"The Kingdom of Kolan wouldn't be supporting tens of thousands of people, would it? I wonder what price those powerful nobles in the south will have to pay."

After Bennett finished speaking, he asked the artist Scott Alexander who was standing next to him.

“Artist, are you also going to paint this royal city? That’s a huge project.”

"I can't do that."

Scott replied directly that no matter how skilled he was at painting, he could not possibly paint such a royal city; he could not even see the entire city.

"However, I have another way."

"any solution?"

Bennett was curious. He and Scott had been thinking the same way, about completing their own story drawing. What Scott did in the Kingdom of Coran could become the story of his journey to the distant land.

He had already decided that once things were over here, he would return to the Frozen Territory and ask Baron Ryan for permission to spread Ryan's prestige in the North to the Southern World. He wanted to go much further than Mr. Sven.

Scott pondered for a moment before answering:
"The Royal City of Kolan has been burned by fire and ravaged by war. Now the kingdom is starting to build roads in all directions with the Royal City of Kolan as the center, and the first thing to be repaired is the Royal City itself."

"The newly built royal city of Kolan requires blueprints and planning. Do you know where the greatest source of wealth for the restoration of the royal city comes from?"

"It's Ryan's Vault."

"As people of the Frozen Territory, we still have ways to obtain the blueprints for the royal city through Ryan's Treasury."

"Is there such a thing?"

Bennett was somewhat surprised.

"Of course there are. If you go to the capital, you'll see that the scholars there spend all day studying things on paper."

"The knowledge and customs of the Kingdom of Kolan all came from the Empire."

"Let's go now."

The two had just finished their conversation when a troop of cavalry appeared ahead, roaring and ordering the civilians blocking the road to get out of the way, before quickly arriving in front of them.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Scott?"

“I am Scott Alexander.”

Scott stepped forward, proving that the identity of someone from the Frozen Territory was still quite safe there.

“Mr. Scott, it’s great to have finally found you. His Highness has invited you to the palace. His Majesty is receiving a high-ranking nobleman from the south, and the princess hopes that you can document the friendship between His Majesty and the southern nobleman.”

"It's my pleasure."

Scott bowed politely in response, glanced at Bennett, and then followed the cavalry away.

"May I ask which princess invited you?"

"Of course it's Princess Gwendolyn. She is His Majesty's only unmarried daughter among his children."

"That's it."

Scott felt a headache coming on. He suddenly didn't want to go anymore. The princess had invited him, probably because of his status in the Frozen Territory. It was also possible that the Baroness of the Frozen Territory had written him many letters recently, hoping that he could return to the Frozen Territory as soon as possible.

Nobles' letters are delivered through noble channels. If someone is in the Kingdom of Coran, the Coran royal family will inevitably be involved in the transmission of their letters.

I heard that this princess is going to marry Baron Ryan next year, a privilege unique to the Clayton family.

The Frozen Territory is sure to be a lively place next year, and Scott clearly doesn't want to get involved, so when he heard the answer, he already wanted to refuse.

But he couldn't refuse; he was already among the knights and couldn't just run away like that.

"I hope nothing will happen."

Scott was anxious, however, he did not get to see the princess. Logically speaking, the princess was already in the palace waiting for her wedding day next year. Logically speaking, she invited Scott just to make a name for herself in the circles of the Frozen Territory.

The capital city of Coran was still rather dilapidated, but the royal palace was magnificent. Especially after the appearance of Ryan's Treasury, the palace became even more resplendent. Everywhere you could see neatly dressed servants and noble gentlemen strolling in the gardens, talking eloquently about the world situation and the glory of the kingdom.

Suffering was irrelevant to them, which made Scott itch to paint a picture of the difference between heaven and earth, so that the whole world could see the luxurious lives of these noble lords. Fortunately, he restrained himself, as this was not a good thing, especially after hearing that many philosophers had died in the Empire.

He still needs to hide it well.

"Mr. Scott, your location is here."

As a non-nobleman, Scott arrived at a corner of the palace very early. The servants told him that he could not leave from now on, and that there were people watching him from a distance. As long as he did not wander off, he would be fine.

The wait was long. The palace servants began to bring out exquisite food, and beautiful women dressed in revealing clothes entered one after another, making Scott's mouth dry. As time passed, nobles of all ranks began to appear in the palace.

They were allowed to make a lot of noise, but to maintain the dignity and honor of their families, the nobles did not, though they quickly made the palace lively.

Scott overheard them talking about the recent changes in the Kingdom of Coran, especially the construction of roads, which made things much easier for everyone, allowing them to travel from their territory to the Kingdom of Coran in less than a day.

Another group of nobles were discussing the events in the southern noble territories of the past few days. It sounded very serious; many people had died, and many nobles had lost their honor. The nobles of the Kingdom of Koran were filled with dread, fearing they too might fall into the same trap. A very small group of nobles were discussing the power struggle between Grand Duke Gelan and His Majesty the King. The internal power struggle within the kingdom was still ongoing. His Majesty the King, who held absolute power, was beginning to gain an advantageous position, while Grand Duke Gelan was shifting the center of his power. He had decided to hand over some power to the King, but he also wanted to firmly grasp certain things.

The scattered nobles were comparing the development within their respective territories. Some wanted to withdraw more gold coins from Ryan's treasury next year, while others planned to hire people from other nobles to clear land, plant new crops, and increase the size of their territories and land revenue.

Scott also overheard some nobles talking about their children and their plans for marriage alliances. However, the marriage partners were not other nobles within the Kingdom of Coran, but rather the Gerald nobles, and more importantly, the Kingdom of Andara. As for the Empire, it was too far away, and the nobles seemed to have some reservations.

After all, their only contact with the Empire was with Baron Ryan, and since that baron would marry a princess, they didn't think much of it.

Scott gradually calmed down, closed his eyes, and imprinted the scene he 'heard' into his mind. This was his instinct as a painter. However, the scene in his mind was only the outline, lacking the key protagonists, who were obviously the nobles and His Majesty the King who were about to enter.

These people soon appeared as well. His Majesty the King, dressed in a magnificent robe, sat on the throne. Grand Duke Gaelan appeared before his chair, holding a scepter. Count Jinze from the south and other nobles of the kingdom also took their seats one after another.

Unlike the lower and middle nobility, they had worried and distressed expressions on their faces.

The banquet began quickly, and Scott, as if divinely inspired, swiftly captured this lively and harmonious scene on his scroll.

Meanwhile, the nobles were still discussing the most important matters of the day.

"The land of the Kingdom of Kolan cannot accommodate so many people."

“Even if you have brought enough food, accommodating the population requires more than just food. The royal city is changing every day. People from various noble territories of the Kingdom of Kolan are appearing in the royal city. If you occupy the land, then the development of the royal city will come to a standstill.”

“We need to replenish the population of the capital. If you are willing to let your people stay in the Kingdom of Kolan, then everything is worth considering.”

Grand Duke Gaelan said to Count Jinze and the others that, deep down, the nobles of the Kingdom of Coran had always been resistant to the arrival of Count Jinze's large entourage.

Xenophobia is certain, but His Majesty the King's attitude is ambiguous. He seems to want to gain a way to continue suppressing other nobles from these noble lords from the south.

It was clear, however, that even the king could not accommodate so many people.

Moreover, if there were really places to settle them, these tens of thousands of people wouldn't have appeared in the Royal City of Kolan. Who knows how much the nobles and commoners of the Royal City have loathed these peasants from the south these past two days? They are not only filthy, but also have a jumpy attitude. If you didn't know better, you would think they were monkeys from the mountains.

The local customs and traditions are completely different, as can be seen from the equipment worn by the knights. The people brought by Earl Jinze are definitely not compatible with the Kingdom of Coran, especially the royal city.

Even the shortest possible time wouldn't do; countless conflicts had already erupted before the banquet even began.

“We can pay sufficient rent to rent a piece of land from the Kingdom of Coran. I implore Your Majesty, the King of Coran, our land is already surrounded by the servants of the Abyss and is difficult to survive on. We will not cause any trouble for the Kingdom of Coran.”

That's not how it's said.

Grand Duke Gelan glanced at the King, then said:

“We welcome Earl Kanazawa and your arrival. Even our Emperor fully respects your surname and is willing to provide some assistance for you to reclaim your land. However, we did not expect that you would bring so many people to the Kingdom of Kolan.”

"This is not a problem that money can solve. There is no place in the Kingdom of Kolan that can accommodate so many people."

These nobles who fled from the south were certainly not on equal footing with the Kingdom of Kolan.

Count Kanazawa could only look to His Majesty King Coran. They had exchanged letters with the king before, and the king was on their side.

However, the king remained silent and did not utter a word in the face of Count Kanazawa's gaze.

"We can't go back now, at least not for now. The faith of the Abyss has eroded millions of square kilometers of land in the south. We came here seeking help, whether from the Dawn Church or the Empire. Of course, it would be even better if the Kingdom of Coran could deal with those Abyss servants."

Count Lurie was somewhat angry, so he spoke loudly.

"Resisting the invasion of the abyss is a principle that every human noble should uphold. The Kingdom of Coran may not provide us with assistance, but it has absolutely no reason to drive us back into the faith of that abyss."

Upon hearing this, the kingdom's nobles fell silent to avoid giving others cause for gossip, but it was impossible to get them to back down.

No one wants a large number of strangers to appear on their land, as this would severely damage the local culture.

Finally, it was King Coran who spoke.

"The Kingdom of Coran will not refuse the request of the southern nobles for a place, and the Kingdom of Coran will also provide you with assistance in reclaiming your territory when necessary. The kingdom's army has been undergoing effective training, and they are ready to become warriors against the Abyss Believers at any time."

"However, the Kingdom of Kolan simply cannot accommodate so many commoners and slaves."

“Count Jinze, Count Lu Rui… Gentlemen, I completely understand your feelings, but the Kingdom of Coran can only provide land for 30,000 people.”

"As for the rest..."

“I hope... that your army can return to Brady Canyon and be stationed on the high ground north of Brady Canyon, where it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even the followers of the Abyss would have to climb the steep slope to deal with you.”

"At the same time, I can also assign the tens of thousands of people who remain in the Kingdom of Kolan to work in exchange for food and clothing. Winter is coming soon, and the winter in the Kingdom of Kolan will definitely be colder than in the south."

“We are currently repairing roads. If you can arrange for slaves and commoners to help, I think the nobles will not mind your arrival.”

Upon hearing this, Earl Jinze and the others began to ponder, while Grand Duke Gelan frowned. His Majesty's words flowed too smoothly, making him suspect that this was a countermeasure His Majesty had already devised.

After a long while, Count Kanazawa and the others exchanged glances and bowed to His Majesty the King.

"We are extremely grateful to Your Majesty for the help you have provided us."

In the end, the matter was carried out according to the king's wishes. Grand Duke Gelan did not object to the outcome, since the road construction was only short of manpower. However, he objected to the process.

The nobles from the south believed that the king of the kingdom was supreme, but in reality, the power of the Kingdom of Coran was not solely in the hands of His Majesty the King.

He felt it necessary to win back these powerful southern nobles, and especially to prevent them from becoming completely dependent on the king.

After all, no one knows how long these southern nobles will stay in the Kingdom of Kolan, or how many more southern nobles will gradually appear in the Kingdom of Kolan because of their arrival.

Nobles all need to network, and many nobles still admire His Majesty the King. So what about Grand Duke Gelan?
(End of this chapter)