Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 76 The Same Enemy

Su Mu walked into the antique-style corridor, where Maggie greeted him in this century-old study.

There were no other nobles around, and even the maids left the room after serving tea, so it seemed that the marquis's heir had something to discuss in private.

Maggie asked him to sit down, took a few sips of tea, and then slowly said, "The investiture ceremony was supposed to take you to the capital to be awarded by the king himself, but the war has made everything easier. I hope you don't mind."

baron."

Su Mu smiled and replied, "It doesn't matter where a baron is granted; with the war raging now, let's keep things simple."

Regarding the fiefdom, I thank Miss Maggie for her understanding.

The request for fiefdoms is naturally proposed by the lords and then decided by the council. As for where you are granted fiefdoms, it is generally not up to the lords to decide.

Maggie was able to give him Cangmu Town, a resource-rich area, for two reasons: first, Su Mu had already cultivated deep connections there, and changing locations wouldn't be ideal in the current situation; second, his established relationships played a role, as those who could influence the decision-makers were crucial at this time.

Maggie nodded: "There are many people in the castle who are dissatisfied with you, and the matter of the fiefdom is facing great resistance, but I will not treat my meritorious servants unfairly."

Su Mu immediately thanked her, but he wasn't fooled by Maggie. If it weren't for his siege of White Stone City to rescue Langlit Castle, it would be questionable whether Maggie could even return now.

"The Battle of White Rock was fought very well. I know you have a deep friendship with the Argyll family, and you should maintain it. After all, you are brothers in the kingdom, and you should work together in this difficult time."

Hearing this, Su Mu was somewhat surprised. Just when he thought Miss Maggie was as magnanimous as reality, there was another twist.

"I heard that the situation in the North is not good. Isildur sent a part of his legion through the ancient snow mountain road to harass the withered grass and snowfields. The escaped young Salman organized his legion to meet them, but they were ambushed and lost several resource sites. This angered Duke Salman so much that he fell ill and his health deteriorated day by day. Even the priests of light were powerless to help him. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left in this world."

Once Grand Duke Salman dies, the North will descend into complete chaos.

It's unbelievable that Salman's illustrious reputation was ruined by his son; he won't rest in peace even in his grave.

However, Maggie said all this mainly to remind him that the Angry Bear Clan was located near the Northern Border. If chaos broke out in the Dry Grass Snowfield, they would be too preoccupied to help themselves, and Sumu might lose support. To secure continued support, he needed to stay close to Longlit Castle.

Su Mu seemed oblivious to the unspoken message, only emphasizing that he relied on his brothers in battle and his friends when he was away, and that he probably wouldn't get involved in many wars in the future.

Maggie wasn't in a hurry and continued sipping her tea. Suddenly, she mentioned, "Your personal guards seized the Griffinson family's assets a few days ago. They took it to the council, wanting to punish the perpetrators according to the law."

Su Mu did not retort angrily, but simply looked at Maggie and asked, "What does Miss plan to do?"

Maggie paused for a moment, then said, "Those who are loyal to the Marquis will naturally receive a fair trial!"

Su Mu smiled and said, "The people of the Marquisate are naturally loyal to Longlitburg. Besides, the facts and evidence are very clear. What right does Griffinson have to make such a fuss?"

Maggie pointedly said, "Real estate is the foundation of the aristocracy. If you interfere arbitrarily, there will be a lot of opposition. Everyone is used to maintaining stability, and even if it is not entirely compliant or appropriate, they want to keep it as it is."

"Don't even mention you, even if I were to step in, I would encounter significant resistance."

Looking into Maggie's eyes, Su Mu instantly understood that she had already interfered with the allocation of aristocratic real estate.

With Kyle having breached the city walls and purged the local strongmen, coupled with the decline of the original noble families, this was indeed the best time to establish a new order.

During Rex's reign, in order to consolidate his position, he relinquished a considerable amount of the castle's assets. Take the main commercial street, for example; it should have been the castle's property, bestowed upon those who had rendered meritorious service by the Marquis, but it has all been distributed. Even if Maggie were to take power, aside from some gold coins and treasures that the family had kept for many years, she would have little else to distribute.

Therefore, she had to implement reforms and reclaim some of the castle's assets for herself.

The military, administrative power, real estate, and wealth—these are all deep waters, and the nobles who have already grasped them won't obediently submit. Maggie's meaning is clear: she hopes Su Mu will fully support her, just like Eugen and the others.

Support is fine, but this is clearly because they value his martial prowess and want to use him as a tool.

But why?

Historically, such characters never have a good ending. They may be able to show off their power at the beginning, but after offending all the nobles, they can only rely on their masters and in the end, they will inevitably be pushed out to take the blame.

Before Maggie could state her conditions, Su Mu interrupted her directly: "I'd be happy to take down Griffinson, and I fully support that. As for anything else, I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."

Maggie was very unhappy with this firm refusal, but she quickly suppressed her dissatisfaction.

Griffinson is currently her biggest enemy. After returning to the castle, he has been desperately expanding his griffin army by relying on the resources and connections he has accumulated, and he has also gathered a group of people in the council who oppose him.

Everyone's smart enough to know that Maggie wants to regain power, and there have already been several clashes beneath the surface. Currently, Maggie has successfully taken control of the Magic Guild, the Swordsman Camp, and the Trade Market, but many mid-level nobles who control the Watchtower, Archer Tower, and Griffin Cliff are still watching and waiting to see if this marquis heir has the ability to take control of the situation.

The situation is very bad. After the last siege, many properties were left vacant. The nobles seized real estate and buildings in the city and dominated the new rules. They were ostensibly acting on the orders of Longlet Castle, but in secret they colluded with each other and made private deals in the council.

Although Griffinson had lost all his reputation, he had no other choice but to stand up and fight against Maggie.

People didn't want to break ties, but when it came to matters of interest, they were still willing to form an alliance with Griffinson, which ironically gave him political support.

If this leader isn't taken down, Maggie's policies will become a joke.

After thinking for a moment, Maggie smiled and said, "No problem, you just need to keep Griffin in check, I'll handle the rest!"

Tomorrow the Knight Commander will leave the castle and return to the capital. At that time, I will arrange a fair duel so that you and Griffinson can resolve the conflict between the shops!
"Each of your two families will send three warriors. It will be a best-of-three series, with the winner taking all the spoils. We will no longer concern ourselves with the land deed."

"A fair duel?" Su Mu smiled. "No problem!"

"After dealing with Griffinson, I want Griffin Cliff, and enough boundary stones for expansion."

Hearing Su Mu's request, Maggie was a little angry: "You're asking for too much. There are only three Griffin Cliffs in total, both in the city and in the wild."

Su Mu shook his finger: "You'll only get three if you take down Griffinson. If you don't, you won't get any. I'm just asking for what I deserve."

After a moment's hesitation, Maggie said, "Fine, Griffin Cliff, near the easternmost point, is yours. Boundary Stone Castle doesn't have enough storage either, so I'll apply to the kingdom for a batch, and you'll be given priority allocation."

Afterwards, the two probed each other again. However, Su Mu was not very interested in getting involved in Langlit Castle. There was too much resistance there. A group of nobles who were more trouble than they were worth gathered there. Whoever came would be dragged down. It would be better to develop his Cangmu Town.

They quickly finalized the deal and divided up the Griffinson family's assets.

The duel was scheduled for five days later, and all the nobles in the city would witness it.

Upon returning to his residence, Su Mu immediately ordered Mead to ride back to Cangmu Town to deliver a message, mobilizing a large army to Langlit Fort.

He will participate in the duel, and he will win fair and square.

Miss Maggie seems a little unaccustomed to the struggle. You're letting your mortal enemy, who's jumping up and singing against you, develop peacefully and win people's hearts?

With a large army at our disposal, and having accumulated a wave of shield infantry, earthbowmen, and wilderness griffins, shouldn't we strike while the iron is hot? Or should we wait for Griffinson's future revenge?
"Miss Maggie is still too gentle!"

(End of this chapter)