The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

Tracy took a deep breath, and her expression was no longer as gentle as before.

"I see, I'll remember that."

"Then, Lord Marvin, please continue to test my sword."

Marvin glanced at the pile of longswords on the ground, casually rummaged through them a few times, and then kicked them away like trash.

"No need to try."

"These weapons are all defective. Not a single one is usable."

Tracy said with a very surprised expression.

"Eh?!"

"So many, are they all substandard?"

Marvin plopped down in a chair and lit a cigarette for himself.

He took a puff and nodded.

"Yes."

"Then... if soldiers take these weapons to the front lines, won't they just become targets for slaughter by the duchy's soldiers?"

Marvin pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"That's it..."

"Lord Marvin, according to your logic, shouldn't all workshops that forge such weapons be shut down? And shouldn't the artisans who own these workshops be subjected to severe punishments?"

“Of course,” Marvin replied immediately. “The Empire is renowned throughout the four kingdoms for its superior smelting technology and outstanding forging skills.”

“Under normal circumstances, the weapons forged by the Empire can completely overwhelm the Duchy in terms of quality. Even the most ordinary soldiers, with enough skill, should be able to cut through the Duchy’s standard longsword without expending too much effort.”

Marvin glanced at the worthless longswords on the ground out of the corner of his eye, and snorted in dissatisfaction.

"If the Duchy of Ferrante surpasses the Empire in forging techniques, then the Empire will have no advantage over the Duchy. I think it won't be long before General Linton of the Duchy leads his black-armored cavalry to wipe out the entire Empire."

Tracy's expression turned serious. After looking around, she asked the others.

"Do any of the other city lords have anything to say?"

The remaining five city lords all remained silent.

This can be seen as an admission of Marvin's words.

Tracy sighed deeply and lowered her eyes.

She was heartbroken.

One reason is that all the weapons on the ground were defective.

This means that the resources wasted exceeded her expectations.

On the other hand, Marvin knew this principle, but he still knowingly violated it.

Not only him, but the other city lords were the same.

Is it due to their own policies, or something else...?

However, now is not the time to reflect on these things.

She still has the most important thing to do.

"Lord Marvin."

"Since you have made your judgment, and the other lords have no objections."

"So......"

Tracy looked gently at Marvin and the assembled lords.

"Lord Marvin."

"Your staple food ration has been cancelled."

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Marvin remained in the position of holding a pipe, with wisps of white smoke drifting out of it.

The wine glass in his hand was suspended in mid-air.

The silence lasted for almost a minute before Marvin came to his senses.

He slammed the wine glass to the ground, and a few drops of strong liquor splashed into the campfire, sparking a burst of sparks.

The atmosphere in the entire council hall was extremely tense.

Just like the sparks that flew up.

"Lord Tracy."

"what do you mean?"

"Just because I didn't cut this standard-issue longsword in half, you're going to take away my food ration?!"

"Isn't your decision a bit too hasty and arbitrary?"

"Besides, what kind of junk are you carrying!"

"If you don't want to give it, just say so!"

Tracy slowly stood up, picked up the chipped longsword from the sword rack, and gently stroked the blade.

"Lord Marvin, don't you understand?"

After saying that, he pointed his sword at the longswords on the ground.

"These weapons were all purchased from the territories of the various lords."

"I'm sorry, Lord Marvin."

"Nearly half of them come from your territory."

Marvin was speechless for a moment.

At the same time, he suddenly realized.

It turns out that the sword test was a trap set by Tracy from the very beginning!

I've been tricked!

Chapter 231 Winning Hearts and Minds

Looking at the broken metal on the ground, and then at Tracy, who still had a faint smile on his face, he looked at her in front of him.

I always felt that this gentle smile was somewhat eerie.

"Lord Marvin."

Didn't you just say that yourself?

"The workshops and artisans who forged these weapons have no value whatsoever other than wasting the empire's resources."

"I was just following your advice."

"So, I don't understand why you're angry."

Tracy casually picked up a broken sword and tossed it to Marvin.

"Or perhaps, Lord Marvin, you wish to personally verify the origin of this longsword?"

Marvin looked at the broken sword in his hand, and a surge of extreme shame and anger welled up in his heart.

Marvin slammed the broken sword to the ground and glared fiercely at Tracy.

"Lord Tracy."

"Indeed, as you say, the quality of weapons and steel produced in my town is relatively poor."

"But that's also your problem."

"When you established this system, you didn't specify the quality of weapons and steel. I just don't want my town to fall into famine!"

"Therefore, according to the rules you set, I will still be number one in production capacity. This one-third of the staple food quota must be mine!"

At this moment, Marvin no longer regarded Tracy as someone he should serve, but rather as a frail woman.

Even a junior who can be reprimanded at will.

There was not a trace of respect in his words.

However, when Tracy left the academy, left Ryan's side, returned to the Empire, and sat in that chair, she was no longer the so-called frail woman.

He was a descendant of the Thiel family and the lord of Irkutsk.

She did not back down in the face of Marvin's provocation.

"Lord Marvin."

“You’re right. When I created this system, I didn’t specify any quality requirements.”

"Therefore, according to regulations, that one-third of the staple food quota naturally belongs to you."

"However, you have engaged in a great deal of waste of resources in the process of forging weapons and refining steel. This behavior has directly harmed the interests of the main city of Irkutsk, and has also damaged the combat capabilities of the soldiers in all the areas under your jurisdiction."

“If other members of the Thiel family choose to attack Irkutsk at this time, our soldiers will have to fight the enemy with these scrap metal pieces. The result is predictable.”

"Therefore, in accordance with Lord Marvin's previous suggestion, all workshops within your territory should be abolished. At the same time, you, as the lord, and the artisans under your command should also be exiled."

"However, considering that this is your first offense, and that Irkutsk needs a secure internal environment, I have rescinded your sentence and also deprived you of your one-third of your staple food ration."

Tracy looked directly at Marvin: "Lord Marvin, is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Ma Wen was so angry that his teeth itched and his whole body was trembling.

His fists were clenched, and his right hand reached towards the short axe at his waist, seemingly unintentionally.

He had never been publicly humiliated like this before.

Anger, resentment, and intense hostility drove his thoughts toward a very dangerous direction.

Tracy also noticed his subtle movements, while observing the reactions of the other lords around him.

The bald, burly man was only slightly surprised, while the young man frowned.