I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 367 Rebuilding Imperial Glory
……

……

Rock City.

The central square in front of the palace was already packed with people.

The dawn sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the clean and tidy stone path.

People flocked in from all directions, and the noise woke up the entire city.

They crowded both sides of the square, and some even climbed onto the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.

Those standing at the very front were all from the northern wastelands.

The original inhabitants of Frostleaf Town include former slaves, savages, and other ethnic groups such as the Snow Rabbit People and Yak People.

They are the foundation of Rhodes, and they will bring the knowledge and technology of Frostleaf Town here.

They were also the biggest supporters of Rhodes.

These people stared intently at the city wall in front of the square.

At this moment, the city walls were filled with fully armed soldiers, holding heavy halberds, standing like statues.

Behind them, dozens of wizard apprentices in robes stood silently.

"Woo!"

A sharp bugle call suddenly rang out, and the sound of orderly footsteps came from afar.

The crowd immediately fell silent, holding their breath and staring at the south side of the long street.

Two squads of soldiers, clad in full silver armor, marched in orderly formation toward the square in front of the palace.

The soldier pierced through the crowd like a silver blade, and the people involuntarily retreated to both sides.

The two groups of soldiers gradually separated, carving out a five-meter-wide main road in the center of the city gate.

"Boom boom boom——"

Thunderous footsteps echoed from afar, shaking the earth.

Nine legion formations marched in succession from the end of the road.

The soldiers in each formation were fully armored, with gleaming steel covering every inch of their bodies.

Sunlight shone on the brand-new armor, reflecting a dazzling metallic luster, making the soldiers look like ruthless killing machines, ferocious and terrifying.

They carried huge shields and halberds, and their every step was perfectly synchronized.

The sounds of heavy armor scraping against each other rose and fell, like the breathing of a steel behemoth, sending shivers down one's spine.

The soldier at the front was over two meters tall, like a giant bear, and held aloft a flag embroidered with a dragon claw on one arm.

The formations behind also carried flags embroidered with giant bears, eagles, flames, and all sorts of other designs.

Nine enormous legion banners were raised high at the front of the formation, fluttering in the wind.

The torrent of steel slowly advanced, stretching out in a line along the city wall in front of the palace, enveloping the high platform of the wall.

"Roar!"

Just as the legion's formation was complete, a deafening dragon roar echoed through the sky!

A terrifying pressure followed, and everyone couldn't help but shiver. The timid ones involuntarily shrank their necks.

Huge figures burst forth from the clouds one after another!
Black flames, rocky ridges, frost, thunder!
Dragon roars rang out one after another, and their enormous wings blocked out the sun, casting patches of shadow across the square!

The people stared wide-eyed at the sky, their mouths agape, but dared not utter a sound.

Four giant dragons landed on the city wall one after another, and the howling wind made the surrounding flags flutter.

Rhodes jumped off Blackflame's back.

At this moment, Rhodes was wearing a deep red coronation robe, with exquisite golden dragon patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs.

The chest is embroidered with golden dragons on both sides, and a ball of flame at the top center.

A wide gold belt was tied around his waist, with a dragon head buckle and rubies inlaid in its eyes.

A pure white cloak draped down from her shoulders, its edges embroidered with soaring dragon patterns, each stitch meticulously crafted.

In an instant, the square fell silent.

All eyes were on Rhodes.

Atreya was already standing on the platform, waiting.

She was dressed in a magnificent robe and wore a crown.

Behind her stood the nobles of the empire.

Beside him, the Marquis of Greyrock held a velvet tray with a golden crown and seal on it.

The golden crown features a dragon head as its main element, with the dragon's head positioned directly in front and its eyes inlaid with two blood-red gemstones.

The dragon horns extend upwards, merging with the spikes of the crown to create a sharp and magnificent design.

On each side of the crown are a pair of outstretched dragon wings, the tips of which are inlaid with tiny diamonds that sparkle with dazzling light.

The seal is also golden yellow, with a coiled dragon carved at the top.

These are the new Crown of the Fiery Dragon and the Seal of the Fiery Dragon.

Rhodes walked slowly to Queen Atelier and nodded slightly.

Then, everyone turned to face the crowd.

"The upright, wise, and kind man beside me is Rod Tulip Flame Dragon."

Artemis's voice spread throughout the square through magic, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"He defeated the rebellious army and ended the chaos in the empire."

"He banished the evil church and ushered in the dawn of the empire."

"He thwarted the Church's plot, avenged Emperor Agnarr, and appeased the soul of the late emperor."

"He stood up during the darkest hour of the empire."

"Wisdom and courage pulled the empire back from the brink of disaster."

Atrei turned and took the crown from the tray in the Marquis of Greyrock's hands.

"This empire needs a true leader."

"A person who can lead it into the future."

Queen Atreus raises her crown.

“And you, Rod Tulip Flame Dragon, only you are worthy of this crown.”

"Only you can lead the empire to glory."

Atrei turned to Rhodes and slowly presented the crown, "I, Atrei Rockbreaker, in the name of the Empress of the Empire."

"I beg you, accept this crown and lead the empire to glory."

“I, Rod Tulip Flame Dragon, accept this honor.”

Rhodes’ voice was calm and loud as he slowly lowered his head, allowing Atreus to place the crown on his head.

The Crown of the Fiery Dragon shone with golden light under the sun, burning like a raging flame.

Rhodes turned around to face the legions and the people in the square.

In an instant, the sound of heavy armor scraping against each other rang out, and all nine legion soldiers knelt down on one knee!
The magnificent aura was awe-inspiring, and the people knelt down in unison!
"Long live His Majesty Rhodes!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

The soldiers roared in unison, their voices echoing like waves across the square.

Immediately following this, the shouts of the crowd erupted, this time even more deafening.

Rhodes raised his right hand, and a melodious horn sounded, immediately silencing the square.

"Citizens of the Empire."

Rhodes's voice resounded throughout the entire square.
“I know what you’ve been through.”

"War, famine, fear."

“Some of you have lost your families and your homes.”

Rod paused for a moment, then said, "But all of that is in the past now."

"The old era is over."

"From this day forward, a new empire will be born."

Rhodes's voice was serious and firm, booming like thunder with the aura of a dragon slayer.
"I declare this in the name of the Emperor."

"From this day forward, this empire will have a new name."

"The Flame Dragon Empire!"

The square fell silent.

The people were completely surprised that the empire would suddenly change its name.

Rod paused for a moment and continued,
“I promise you.”

"In the Flame Dragon Empire, no one will go hungry anymore."

"No one will be displaced anymore."

"No more evil churches will ravage our land."

Rhodes's gaze sharpened, and his voice, carrying the aura of a dragon slayer, surged across the plaza.

"I will rebuild the glory of the empire!"

"Long live the Flame Dragon Empire!"

"Long live the Flame Dragon Empire!"

The soldiers' voices rose again, like waves crashing one after another.

The crowd realized what was happening and joined in the chant.

The sound grew louder and louder, until the entire city was engulfed by the roar of the Flame Dragon Empire. Just then, the wizard apprentices on the city walls began to chant silently, magical light gathering in their hands.

Fire, frost, lightning, and various other magical forces erupted in dazzling light, blooming in the air like fireworks.
The four dragons opened their massive jaws simultaneously, their deafening roars mingling with the radiance of magic.

……

……

For Rhodes, the coronation was just an interlude.

Rhodes knew these were necessary procedures to make everyone aware that the empire had changed hands.

But Rhodes did not change because of this.

They were busy before the coronation, and they were still busy after the coronation.

He still devoted all his energy to the development of the empire.

The southern provinces have a much greater advantage in climate compared to the northern border.

Being able to work in all four seasons doesn't just refer to farming.

The water-powered forging hammer alone is something the North can't compare to.

Here, even in winter, the water never freezes, allowing it to continuously churn the waterwheel.

The forging hammer can keep operating indefinitely.

With the addition of rolling mills and stamping presses, armor continued to flow out of the forging plant.

Of course, the southern provinces also have their share of headaches.

There are many mosquitoes, snakes, and ants in the forest, and they are exceptionally large.

Some of them are even highly poisonous, so soldiers need to be extra careful when hunting.

Rhodes summoned a large number of apothecaries to mass-produce various insect repellents and antidotes.

Meanwhile, the new paper mill and glass manufacturing plant are also expanding.

These were the cornerstones of the empire's development, especially the new paper, which was inexpensive to produce and greatly influenced the dissemination of knowledge.

Rhodes did not expect to significantly improve the public's literacy level for the time being, but at least he wanted them to be able to read.

Of course, Lawrence and his team were responsible for these kinds of things.

Rhodes, however, was more interested in the realm of the extraordinary.

Rhodes always believed that by standing on the shoulders of giants, using imagination, and relying on magic, the world's civilization could take off the fastest.

Rhodes's earlier words sparked many ideas in Falfolk.

He now leads three wizard apprentices, specializing in researching magical tools that can improve efficiency, and occasionally comes to Rhodes to discuss them.

But Rhodes wanted more.

His attention was focused on the spirit of magic.

In Rhodes's view, this magical spirit was somewhat similar to the processor from his previous life.

Combining magic and mechanics could very well lead to the creation of automated machines.

The spirit of magic never tires.

They can keep working as long as they are given energy and instructions.

Therefore, even the simplest magical spirit can help wizards save some work and reduce repetitive operations.

The closest thing to the spirit of magic that Rhodes currently possesses is the soul of the Stonebreaker Dragon.

His soul has been mostly purified; the remaining necromantic energy needs to be purified by holy light.

However, Melos's theory is ultimately just that—the theory—and its effectiveness still needs to be tested in practice.

But Rod didn't want to risk using the Stone Dragon's soul.

After all, his existence is irreplaceable.

Just as Rhodes was in a dilemma, Zoya delivered another Soul-Binding Pearl.

This contains an evil spirit that Zhuoya created using the soul fire of hundreds of skeleton monsters.

This evil spirit has also been purified.

In just over half a month, its necromantic energy was almost gone.

But as Melos said before, if you want to completely purify it, you need to give it a stable energy supply.

This evil spirit is the perfect test subject.

Even if it gets damaged, it doesn't matter; you can just find a mass grave and collect materials for the next evil spirit.

Imperial palace, study.

Rhodes sat in a high-backed chair at his desk, holding the Soul-Binding Orb containing the evil spirit in his hand.

With a slight thought, the restriction on the precious pearl was lifted.

A cloud of black mist immediately shot out from inside—it was the evil spirit imprisoned within.

Despite being very weak, the newly released evil spirit still lunged at Rhodes.

Without Rhodes having to make a move, the Stone Dragon immediately rushed out from the Soul-Binding Orb beside it to meet the evil spirit.

The Stone-Shattering Dragon's soul was several times stronger than its own, and it could grab the stone with a single claw.

"Little brat, do you still dare to be so insolent with me here?"

The Stone Dragon snorted and delivered it to Rhodes.

Rhodes looked at the evil spirit on the table and said, "I know you can understand."

"Now I'll give you a chance."

Rhodes said calmly, “Become my servant and serve me.”

"I can give you a new way of being."

The evil spirit completely ignored Rhodes, emitting a sharp hiss that made him frown.

"Shut up, you filthy evil spirit!" Little Stone Dragon shouted sternly.

At the same time, it tears at the evil spirit's body with its other claw.

As both are spirits, the Stone Dragon inflicts the most direct damage on it.

"Okay, he won't behave if you do that."

Rhodes waved his hand to stop the Stone Dragon, "Someone will make it submit."

Evil spirits are filled with madness and hatred, and ordinary conversations are ineffective in communicating with them.

Rhodes had actually anticipated this.

Holding the Soul-Binding Orb, Rhodes put the evil spirit away again.

As the black mist dissipated, Rhodes looked at Vivian beside him and said, "Have Cerf invite the people over."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Vivian nodded in understanding and quickly walked out of the study to convey the order to the guards.

A short while later, the witch with the power of holy light, Salia, followed the guard into the study.

"Your Majesty the Great Flame Dragon."

Salia knelt respectfully on both knees, head bowed, her voice soft, "May you be well."

"Get up, Salia."

Rhodes smiled and waved his hand, saying softly, "Now that you are a spellcaster, you don't need to kneel like a commoner. Just do what a noble would do."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Salia stood up and bent over forcefully.

"How is your mother? How is your life at the academy?" Rhodes asked casually.

Although Salia was a witch, she was illiterate, just like many common children.

Therefore, Salia not only needs to learn extraordinary knowledge, but also basic culture.

To save time, a dormitory was specially prepared for her outside the palace so that she could study more quickly and conveniently.

Salia's mother also lived with her, keeping her company.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Mother is well, and so am I."

Salia quickly bowed again, "Thank you for giving us a new life and keeping us from starving."

"I'm glad you like it. Just remember to report any needs you may have."

Rhodes nodded slightly, then changed the subject, saying, "I asked you to come here so that you can do something for me."

Salia nodded quickly and said respectfully:
“Salia is at your service.”

"Come, come to me."

Rhodes beckoned and placed the Soul-Binding Orb on the table.

"There is a disobedient evil spirit inside. You need to use holy light energy to let it feel the warmth of love."

Rhodes said, "Just a little bit of your holy light power will do."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Salia looked a little confused, but still nodded obediently.

Salia now knows that her Holy Light is the bane of evil spirits and will utterly destroy them.

They cannot feel the warmth of love like humans do; they only experience pain.

But since His Majesty has spoken, Salia must comply.

She gripped the Soul-Attaching Pearl tightly.
Golden light gradually flickered in her hand, then quickly spread to the Soul-Attaching Orb.

In an instant, a soul-shaking scream emanated from the Soul-Binding Pearl.

(End of this chapter)