Throne of the North.

Chapter 818 In the Name of Ryan, Vanguard of Faith

Ryan has always firmly believed that politics, military affairs, and economics are inseparable.

When he begins to influence all military activities in this land through the Northern Military Council, he will also influence the land's economy and politics.

When the letter from the Kingdom of Coran arrived, Ryan was in the world of Swadifar, discussing matters with Archmage McKen.

Since returning from the world of the ravens, Archmage McKen seems to have found a new direction, burying himself in the mage tower and seemingly conducting new research on the breeding of Northern warhorses.

These are not the things Ryan is concerned with.

"The horses in this world are blessed with natural advantages, but I don't believe that every wild horse is qualified to become a warhorse."

“I think we can select a group of horses that are better at endurance; they don’t necessarily have to be on the battlefield.”

When Ryan said this, Archmage McKen naturally refused stubbornly.

"This is shameless extravagance, an inhuman waste of resources! Every wild horse is incredibly precious; they should roam the grasslands and the battlefield, not be used as pack animals to pull carts for your Northern Merchant Guild!"

Archmage McKen glared angrily at Ryan, clearly displeased with his arrival.

"Not every horse can fully absorb the potion's properties. They can't become warhorses; they either stay in the wilderness or join the Frozen Territory's transport fleet."

"Then let them stay here!"

Archmage McCann remained steadfast.

"At least here, they are free."

Ryan was helpless. Archmage McKen was an old stubborn man, at least when it came to matters outside of magic, and there was little he could do about it.

However, this land is now in dire need of a large transportation workforce.

Pure manpower is the least efficient. When the roads in this northern land are completed, the demand for transportation will be enormous. Ryan must prepare in advance a workforce capable of supplying such a large volume of transportation.

Ox-carts are too slow; only horse-drawn carriages can meet the needs. If the transportation capacity is insufficient, then no matter how many roads there are, they will be overgrown with weeds again, losing the meaning of building them. Ryan has put a great deal of effort into this road system that intersects with the North Wind Avenue as its main trunk.

Most nobles do raise horses, but it's a drop in the ocean, more like livestock than a systematic operation. If Ryan wants to seize control of this road-based interest relationship, he must make a large initial investment himself.

The Northern Merchant Guild under his command has also gained many outstanding talents, and its expansion presents an excellent opportunity.

The problem lies with Archmage McCann.

"Whether it is freedom or not is not something we define, Master McCann, you have no one who respects them more than I do."

Ryan said this, but was interrupted by Archmage McCann.

“You can stop talking now, Mr. Ryan. Everyone in the Northwind Province knows that a devil is whispering in your heart, so I’m not going to listen to you.”

Archmage McCann knew Ryan quite well, having watched him grow up over the years; in his eyes, Ryan was no different from a junior.

Ryan remained silent, only able to stare at Archmage McKen without giving a word of a reply.

He turned and left, only saying softly at the end:

“Grand Master McKen, Swadifar is just like every world we have ever experienced. It has long been doomed in the North, and sooner or later, death will come.”

After Ryan finished speaking, he left the wilderness, leaving Archmage McKen standing on the grass, his long hair blowing in the cold wind.

"Ryan, you damned devil!"

Archmage McKen roared angrily, his gaze fixed on the vast snow-capped mountains to the north, looking somewhat lost and bewildered.

……

……

Ryan received news from the Kingdom of Coran that the Abyss's faith invasion was far more rampant than he had imagined.

"Looking at it this way, the Dawn Church still plays a significant role."

Ryan was not nostalgic for the days of the Dawn Church's rule; he simply saw that the land that should have had a ruler had now lost its master, and a vast expanse of royal power awaited the arrival of a new monarch.

The Kingdom of Coran's legions cannot face the Abyss's faith alone; the Northern Military Council is their only source of strength.

Ryan summoned the female officer and glanced at the military intelligence over there.

"Bogeld took the armored bear out again?"

Ryan wasn't surprised; he had guessed what was going on when he saw the several nobles appear in the Kingdom of Coran.

He wasn't angry about it. He sent Bogeld's armored bear legion there with the intention of spiritually elevating Bogeld in the war and granting her legendary blessings in the ocean of spirituality.

No one knew the cost of war better than Ryan, and his only hope was that Bogeld would return to Rhinoceros Mountain alive, no matter what.

Has any letter arrived from Priest Sven?

"Some gentlemen."

The lady-in-waiting took out the letters from the refined priest.

"He said he wanted to be your vanguard, to spread the teachings of Dawn to that land mired in suffering and darkness, and to let the light of Ryan and Dawn replace the dawn and the light, illuminating that land."

"Does faith serve as a vanguard?"

“Reply to him and I will give him an army.”

“Write to Bogeld again, and I will allow her to exercise all my authority at any time, whatever she wishes to do.”

"Also, write a letter for me to His Majesty the King of Coran. During the Northern War, we needed the Kingdom of Coran. When the Kingdom of Coran faces the threat of the Abyss in the South, the land of the North will not abandon any friend. Even in a full-scale war, Ryan will stand with Coran."

"Write another letter to Grand Duke Gelan, saying that I support his suggestion and... I will find a way to help him resolve all the disputes over the ancient history and lineage of the noble bloodline in that desolate land."

"Finally... I will write to the Earl of Kanazawa and those other great nobles in the south. For the time being, I will support them in their efforts to reclaim their territory in my personal capacity. However, if they want to gain the recognition and assistance of the other nobles in this land, they need to show them their sincerity and determination."

"Just a gentle reminder to them: the conflict between the Empire and the Papacy won't disappear anytime soon. Unless one side stabilizes internally, no one will care about the Abyss Faith in that land, as long as those Abyss Lords don't touch the domains of the two overlords."

"Write this letter for me, and remember not to misunderstand my meaning."

"okay."

The lady-in-waiting agreed, thinking to herself that it was best not to tell the master that Bogeld had abducted a countess.

Lady Avril is close to giving birth. What if, what if Lord Ryan really falls in love with that Countess?
The former viscountess thought for a moment and decided to avoid such a conflict here. Right now, the matter of Baroness Avril of the Frozen Territory was the most important. As for Lord Ryan's desires, she would tell him about the countess next year.

"Are you overthinking things again?"

Ryan turned his head to look at the man, who suddenly shook his head violently.

"Go and prepare paper and a pen for me." "Huh?"

The female official looked up; wasn't she the one who wrote it?
“I need to write a letter to Earl William, as well as Earl Pascal, and His Majesty King Serra.”

"You don't actually think that I can solve the problem for the Kingdom of Kolan just by talking, do you?"

"Is not it?"

"Am I really that powerful, sir?"

"Is not it?"

"Go get ready."

William, an ancient, noble, and sacred name.

When it comes to the glory of noble surnames, none have yet surpassed the name William. The imperial family of the empire may have the right to surpass it, but the imperial family has experienced many changes of power. The current Columbus, the past Henry, and the surnames before that, although they all share the same bloodline, do not overlap in glory.

William will always hold a place in the ancient annals of history.

Earl William of the Empire is not the only William family in this world; the bloodline of this name flows in the veins of countless nobles.

In this era, the only stain on the William surname is the vampire superhuman legion.

This is an evil and powerful race. Vampires have brought indelible weight to human history, which has also led to the decline of the political prestige of the Earl William family, who possess a vampire army, within the Empire.

However, only the Earl William family was able to control the vampire army without being scorned by the world.

This is a double-edged sword; only those with ancient and glorious bloodlines can wield it.

Whether Earl William regretted it a hundred years ago is certainly not the case, because he lived many more years than the Legion. But whether he regrets doing so today is debatable.

At least, Ryan could sense that the Earl of William wanted to return to the center of aristocratic political power.

This is an opportunity given the dramatic changes of the times.

Therefore, Earl William could even engage in some cooperation, whether light or heavy, with Baron Lane without any pressure.

When Ryan thought of a solution to the problem of the land south of the Kingdom of Coran, there was no name more suitable than William.

Similarly, this was also a signal he was sending to the count, proving that Ryan's influence and voice had already reached the distant Kingdom of Coran.

As for Count Pascal and the Sera royal family, what Ryan wants is an army.

Whether it's gargoyle soldiers or griffin riders, they are all very helpful to the Dawn Cult, helping to stabilize the missing faith power in that southern land from a spiritual perspective.

Compared to vampires, they are a positive example.

……

The Kingdom of Coran.

Once the rulers had agreed on a general direction, it was time for the executors who served them to step in.

With the end of the war and the flight, confusion and fear about the future filled their hearts, especially now that they were homeless and destitute.

Food, housing, and tomorrow are the most important things they need to consider; even just one day of uncertainty could lead to starvation.

After all, they were already hungry all day and had only eaten a full meal for one day.

What should I do?
"What should we do? Will the noble lord care about us?"

"Even noble lords here have no land. What will we eat tomorrow?"

The common people were puzzled, and the slaves were terrified. After all, compared to the common people who had relative freedom and property, whether the slaves could live or not depended entirely on the mercy of the noble lords.

The war is over. Will the noble lords still be merciful? All the grain has been burned. The noble lords have nothing to eat, right? Will they have anything left?

Amidst this profound inner unease, people witnessed the emergence of a group of pure and virtuous individuals.

They wore long, silver-white robes, their hoods removed to reveal their less-than-refined faces. Even so, everything they did seemed out of place with the muddy ground before them; the filthy earth did not match their tranquility and cleanliness.

No one dared to speak in front of such 'honorable' people until they brought out bread and eggs.

"Master, is this for us?"

“I am not a nobleman, but a believer in the Lord, spreading His faith and loving His people.”

The commoner swallowed hard, trembling as he accepted the bread and eggs, still filled with awe.

"Is it... the great Lord of Dawn?"

"Whether it is dawn or light, it is our great Lord. We are not qualified to call ourselves His servants; we are merely His merciful followers of the dawn."

"Huh? Is that... the Lord of Dawn?"

"How you interpret it is what it is."

“I, I immediately took my child and prayed.”

The Dawn Cult members stopped him, and the commoner looked at the hands that were no better than his own, and was somewhat puzzled.

"Don't rush. The Lord says that you need to be well-fed to have the strength to pray. The Lord wants you to live to see tomorrow's sun, because on that day the Lord will release the light of life, shining on your life from the dawn."

"Once you survive, go and serve my Lord with your faith."

"Okay, okay, I will definitely dedicate all my wealth, thank God."

"No, the Lord will not take any wealth from you as a reward. Just as the sun shines equally on every piece of land, you also feel the Lord's glory for free, don't you?"

"That is dawn, that is hope."

“Live on, and in the name of the Lord, I bless you.”

The Dawn Cult member took out an egg and placed it in the other person's palm; it was exceptionally warm.

A group of Dawn Cult members walked through a slum inhabited by tens of thousands of people, calmly treading on the muddy soil, and then quietly left. Everyone imprinted the image of their silver-white robes deep in their hearts.

Having faith is terrifying, because faith can be the last courage to face impending difficulties.

As the Dawn Cult members appeared in the slums, the Sven priests, as high-ranking missionaries, also appeared in the mansions of the nobles with a group of missionaries.

"May the Lord's light purify the abyss that has been watching over you."

(End of this chapter)