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

Chapter 372 You don't want your people to become ghouls, do you?

……

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Cuilin Town.

This place is located in a remote valley on the border of the Flame Dragon Empire, the Redwood Kingdom, and the Golden Lion Kingdom.

This is not the territory of any noble family; it's a melting pot of all sorts of people.

Criminals, robbers, wandering knights, and all sorts of spellcasters.

But precisely because of this, a lot of information is frequently transmitted here, allowing some people to profit from it.

The town had no high walls for defense, only a row of simple wooden fences, making it look more like a bandit stronghold.

The Redwood King stood in front of the town, accompanied by three carriages and a guard.

The king, of course, wouldn't make a grand appearance; for now, he was merely a caravan manager.

"Your Majesty, we can enter the town now."

The captain of the guards, Lillard, came over and reported, "They charged a silver coin as an entrance fee."

"Perhaps they don't care about the town entrance fee, but are more concerned about the goods on our wagon."

The Redwood King smiled nonchalantly. "Let's go, let's go into town first."

"Yes, my lord."

Lillard respectfully responded, then stepped forward to convey the order and led his team into the town.

It was quite noisy in Cuilin Town.

Vendors selling various mountain products were set up along the roadside, and burly men were sitting together drinking.

But there was no fighting, and no litter or excrement everywhere.

"Sir, the Emerald Leaf Tavern is ahead. Let's go there."

Lillard lowered his voice and reported, "That's the center of town. Our intelligence says that's where information is concentrated, so we might be able to find out the wizard's whereabouts."

The Redwood King nodded, looked around at the crowd, and casually said, "I rarely come out, so I'll leave this to you to arrange."

Despite disguising himself as a caravan, the Redwood King was prepared for the worst.

He has already arranged everything in the country.

Even if we die here, the Redwood Kingdom will continue.

The caravan soon arrived at the tavern entrance.

As soon as Lillard and the Redwood King dismounted, attendants came forward, bowed, and offered to lead their horses.

The two looked at each other, both a little surprised.

I never expected that such a remote town would offer this kind of service.

The carriage behind them was handed over to the guards, and the two turned and stepped into the tavern.

The imagined mess was not there; the house was spotless.

The tavern was very quiet.

There were only four tables of guests in the room at the moment, all sitting in a corner, quietly drinking with their heads down.

"It seems to be a trap."

A smile appeared on the Redwood King's face; this didn't seem like a tavern in a small town at all.

Even the taverns in the royal city aren't this clean.

Lillard immediately placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but was stopped by the Red King.

"fine"

The Redwood King shook his head. "They probably don't have any malicious intent, otherwise they wouldn't be so obvious."

“If they wanted to kill me, they could have done it back in the palace.”

"So let's see what they're really up to," the Redwood King said calmly.

Lillard nodded silently and released his grip.

Without making a sound, Lillard went straight to the bar.

“We need four rooms,” Lillard said in a harsh tone.

"Your room is ready."

The bartender respectfully replied, "It's in the first room on the left on the second floor in the backyard."

"If you and the distinguished gentleman behind you go over there, someone will lead you there."

"The person you are looking for is already inside waiting for you."

The bartender had a kind face and elegant movements.

Lillard was taken aback; the bartender's frankness was surprising.

There was indeed nothing to hide.

The Redwood King smiled.
"Let's go."

The Redwood King strolled calmly through the tavern, pushed open the door, and stepped into the backyard.

Before they had taken two steps, the wizard Felson, who had been there before, stepped forward.

Lillard placed his hand on the hilt of his sword again, but Felson remained calm and ignored him.

"Welcome here."

Felson gave a slight bow and looked at the Redwood King.

"I apologize for inviting you here in this way."

Felson looked at the Redwood King, "But you must believe us, we mean no harm."

"All of this is a good thing for all of us today."

Felson smiled and explained, "And I wasn't lying, you can only get rid of the necromantic energy in your body by coming here."

"Are you from the Flame Dragon Empire?" King Redwood asked without any pretense.

Felson suddenly realized what was happening, raised his hand and waved it lightly in front of him, creating a ripple effect.

Felson's face instantly changed to another one.

"Reintroduce yourself."

He bowed slightly, placing his right hand on his chest.

"I am Lu Sen, the chief executive wizard of the royal family appointed by His Majesty Yanlong."

Luxem laughed, a self-deprecating expression on his face.

"Actually, there are many people who are more suitable for this position than me, but everyone is too busy to deal with trivial matters."

"So I'm the only one who can take on this role."

He extended his hand in an inviting gesture.

"Let's go, Your Majesty."

"Your path to a new life lies within."

"it is good."

The Redwood King didn't ask any more questions and strode into the house.

Lillard, the captain of the guards behind him, wanted to follow, but was stopped by the guards at the top of the stairs.

"Only the Redwood King is allowed to enter."

The guard's voice was calm and firm.

Luxem also said, "There are no outsiders above, only those who can heal His Majesty the King."

Lillard didn't stop; his gaze remained sharp and cold as he stared at the two people blocking his path.

The Redwood King turned around and shook his head slightly.

"Lillard, you'll stay here for now."

Lillard only stopped moving after hearing the king's order.

He lowered his hands, but his eyes remained warily fixed on the gatekeeper.

The Redwood King walked upstairs alone, pushed open the door, and saw a handsome young man sitting at the table, quietly reading a book.

A little girl, around ten years old, was also with her, holding a book.

Hearing the noise at the door, the young man closed the book and calmly looked at the king as he entered.

"Welcome, King of Redwoods."

The man had a kind face and said with a smile, "I am the monarch of the Flame Dragon Empire, the Dragon Rider, Rod Tulip Flame Dragon."

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emperor Rhodes,”

King Sequoia nodded slightly and introduced himself: "I am the twenty-seventh king of the Sequoia Kingdom, Orlanda Sequoia."

"It's great to have you here."

Rhodes slightly raised his hand, gesturing for the Redwood King to sit down.

The Redwood King sat down without any hesitation and said with a smile, "I don't think I have any other choice."

As he spoke, he carefully examined Rod in front of him.
"I've long heard that Emperor Rhodes is a young, intelligent, and powerful dragon tamer."

"Today I saw her real face."

The Redwood King paused, his gaze becoming complex. "Your youth still surprises me."

Then, the king's gaze fell on the little girl beside Rhodes.

"I imagine the little girl beside you isn't an ordinary person either, is she?"

"Yes, only with her around can the necromantic energy on you be completely removed," Rhodes said casually.

The little girl next to her is Salia, who possesses the power of holy light.

"you sure?"

The Redwood King looked at the little girl suspiciously. "She's just a child."

"Sometimes, talent is more important than age when it comes to extraordinary power."

Rhodes looked firmly at the Redwood King, "Without her, no one can cure you."

Sensing the seriousness in Rhodes' words, the Redwood King looked at Salia again.

The little girl leaned closer to Rhodes with some fear.

"Okay, I believe you."

The Redwood King paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "So, what's the price?"

"Emperor Rhodes, you wouldn't waste so much time without asking for anything in return, would you?"

"I will send troops to help you defend against the ghouls and do everything in my power to completely eliminate them."

Rod said expressionlessly, "And the price is that the Redwood Kingdom becomes our vassal state."

Although vassal states were nominally independent, they were actually required to pay tribute and pledge allegiance to the suzerain state, and some of their laws and regulations had to be obeyed by the suzerain state.

In times of war, a call to arms must be answered, and the throne is often bestowed by the suzerain state, making the ruler a vassal of the state.

"The terms you offered are better than I expected."

The Redwood King said with a smile, "I originally thought you would directly conquer the Redwood Kingdom."

"That would be a waste of time and would also consume more troops."

Rhodes said frankly, "There are more and more ghouls in the west. Rather than humans killing each other, we should save our strength to deal with those undead."

Although the Western Province of the Yanlong Empire was a peaceful seizure of power, it still bred many wars.

The Redwood King's resistance will be even more intense.

Rhodes now wants not only land, but also a stable king.

A land in ruins is not only bad for the present, but also for the future.

After all, the shadow of the Abyss Slab still lingers.

"So those monsters were called ghouls, a very fitting name."

The Redwood King nodded. "I'd like to know, what if the Redwood Kingdom refuses?"

"It's okay, I know this is hard to accept,"

Rhodes remained calm. "If the Redwood Kingdom refuses, I will establish a defensive line on its borders. I will deal with the ghouls after they have destroyed your kingdom."

Rhodes continued, "The current king of the Golden Lion Kingdom has agreed to my terms; he will not become your ally."

These words caused the Redwood King's pupils to contract sharply.
"Everything that happens in the Golden Lion Kingdom is related to you!"

The Redwood King suddenly remembered the recent changes in that kingdom.

Combining what Rhodes said, everything becomes clear.

"Actually, it doesn't matter much. I just didn't help."

Rhodes shook his head slightly.

“The Golden Lion King is different from you; his necromantic energy is already embedded in his heart.”

"The purification will completely destroy his body."

"He and his children can only become ghouls."

Rod paused for a moment, then said, "And the fourth prince was willing to cooperate with us, so I helped him."

Actually, Rhodes should also thank the people of the Church of Magic and Death for this.

They massacred those members of the Church of Dawn, which gave Rod the opportunity.

Otherwise, the Holy Light of the Church of Dawn is also the antidote.

Rhodes's narration was calm, but it sent a chill down the spine of the Redwood King.

Because this is entirely a change of the throne of a country!

"Don't worry, your Prince Will hasn't drunk the Essence of Life, so he shouldn't submit to me,"

Rhodes smiled and comforted the Redwood King, then changed the subject, "But you wouldn't want all your people to become ghouls, would you?"

The Redwood King's face turned ugly, and he couldn't help but lower his head.

After hesitating for a long time, the Redwood King finally looked up again.
"I can grant your request..."

Rod waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Don't make any other requests yet, I need to heal you first."

Rhodes was not exaggerating.

He was still unsure whether the necromantic energy on the Redwood King could be removed.

The fourth prince of the Golden Lion Kingdom was not yet at the point of decay, so he could be saved.

However, the situation of the king before us can only be judged based on the actual circumstances.

The Redwood King was startled, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Okay, so how should we begin?"

……

……

"Ahhh!"

Screams came from behind the heavy wooden door of the second-floor room and echoed in the stairwell.

Lillard, the captain of the guards who was sitting outside the door on the first floor, suddenly stood up and rushed to the second floor without hesitation.

The guards at the gate remained unmoved and simply blocked his way.

"Step aside!"

Lillard yelled and drew his sword!

"Calm down, Commander."

Luxen immediately stood up. "If anything were to happen to the Redwood King, he would never let out a scream."

"Do you remember the treatment we received at the palace?"

"That process was also incredibly painful."

Luxembourg patiently persuaded him, "You must have heard it outside the door."

"But it wasn't this intense before!" Lillard said anxiously.

"This time it's an eradication."

Lu Sen said seriously, "Besides, rushing in now will only affect the Redwood King's treatment."

Lillard gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his arm trembling slightly.

He took a deep breath, finally sheathed his sword, and turned back to the table.

"It's all because of those damned necromancers!"

Lillard slammed his fist on the table and said through gritted teeth, "It's all their fault!"

"The Church of the Dead is our eternal enemy,"

Luxen nodded and added, "We must eliminate those ghouls first."

"Then what?"

Lillard turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Then the Flame Dragon Empire will annex our Redwood Kingdom, right?"

He said without hesitation, "After all, the Western Conference no longer exists."

The smile on Luxen's face disappeared. "You'll find later that there are many things that are far more important than a king or a kingdom."

Luxem's expression turned serious, his eyes carrying a hint of meaning.

Lillard sneered, "I'm just a captain of the guards, I can't think that far ahead."

"You'll start thinking about it."

Lucien didn't say anything more, shifting his gaze to the second floor, "Everyone has to think about this."

……

……

At this moment, King Redwood was lying in bed.

His face was contorted in pain, and he was as pale as a dead man.

His face was covered in sweat, as if he had been drenched in rain.

The Redwood King gripped the sheets tightly, panting heavily, as if he had just survived a fierce battle.

Rod stood by the bed, frowning.

"what happened?"

The Redwood King, panting, asked with difficulty, "Why did you stop?"

“The pain has reached your limit, King Redwood,” Rhodes said.

Such a king would not scream unless absolutely necessary.

"Don't worry about me, let's go again!" King Redwood urged.

Rhodes shook his head slightly. "This kind of pain is abnormal."

"Unfortunately, the necromantic energy did not fully enter your heart and brain."

Rhodes paused for a moment, his voice becoming heavy: "But it has already invaded most of your organs."

"So?" King Redwood pressed.

"If you directly purify the necromantic energy in your body, all your organs will be severely damaged."

Rhodes sighed softly, "You're unlikely to survive."

The Redwood King froze, then a bleak smile appeared on his face.

"So, I'll end up like the Golden Lion King, eventually becoming a ghoul, is that right?"

Rod remained silent for a moment, without saying a word.

Because one has to admit that what the Redwood King said might be true.

Rod changed the subject, saying, "I'll bring Lusen up here and see if they have any other ideas."

"no need."

The Redwood King calmly stated, "I am not afraid of death."

"Just tell me how much longer I have to live."

He struggled to sit up and leaned against the headboard.

"I will end my own life before I become a ghoul."

The Redwood King could accept death, but he couldn't accept becoming that disgusting monster.

King Redwood looked at Rhodes.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty Rhodes."

The Redwood King changed his title and solemnly said, "I will make my son a vassal state of the Flame Dragon Empire."

"The Redwood Kingdom will provide the Empire with food, money, slaves, minerals, and even troops."

He paused for a moment, his voice becoming hoarse.

"But please help me fend off those ghouls and save my people."

The Redwood King's words carried a hint of pleading.

This is not a humiliation.

This is a king's compromise with his people.

Rhodes looked at the Redwood King in silence, somewhat moved.

Whether it's the development of the empire or the future of this world.

Rhodes needs someone like that; he doesn't want the Redwood King to die like this.

"Perhaps I have another way to help you."

Rhodes suddenly said, "We can't completely purify that necromantic energy, but we should be able to stop it from spreading further."

The Redwood King's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly, "Are you sure?"

“I’m not sure,”

Rhodes shook his head.

"but,"

As Rod spoke, he raised his hand, and a bright green seed appeared in his palm.

"If you're willing to try."

Rhodes looked into the eyes of the Redwood King. "Perhaps there is still hope."

……

……

After a long time.

The door to the second-floor room was pushed open, and Rhodes came out first, followed slowly by the Redwood King.

The Redwood King's face remained pale, and his steps were slow, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Upon seeing this, Lillard rushed forward and helped his king up.

"Are you alright, Your Majesty?"

Lillard asked with a concerned look on his face.

"very good."

The Redwood King waved his hand slightly and turned to look at Rhodes.
“Your Majesty, I will return and order my people to retreat and abandon those unimportant towns.”

Lillard's eyes widened at the way the Redwood King addressed Rhodes, but he knew the occasion didn't ask any further questions.

"Yes, humans are the source of ghouls, we can't give them a chance."

Rhodes nodded and ordered, "Burn all those corpses, and clean up everything that needs to be cleaned up."

"My army will be setting off soon. You need to arrange for the Redwood Kingdom's army to cooperate."

Rhodes looked at the Redwood King and said solemnly, "While ensuring proper defenses, we must also rescue and take away the people from the surrounding duchies."

　I took the morning off to go to the hospital, so I didn't get a chance to finish updating. Sorry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)