Chapter 257: The Imperial Envoy Mission
Aside from the territory’s livelihood, the army also underwent significant changes. First, the 1,500-strong military colonization camp was incorporated into the main army corps, greatly enhancing Hydra’s ability to wage war.
With the addition of Charlie, Monk, and Kayla, Howard’s command and control of the army also reached a new level.
Additionally, the city defense force was significantly expanded, reaching 1,500 soldiers. Although not as numerous as the main army corps, it had the authority to mobilize conscripts to assist in patrols, as well as handle security and city defense.
It’s important to note that with the territory’s conscription system, a territory of 60,000 people could raise tens of thousands of conscripts at any time. Even though they were not professional soldiers, their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated, after all, all are equal before the barrel of a gun.
Moreover, conscription was not limited to a single wave. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the entire population could be mobilized, which would undoubtedly give any enemy a headache.
In addition to the army, the Root organization was also strengthened. Owen increased the number of Shinobi squads and also exchanged for some Anbu from the Naruto universe.
These ninjas who embraced darkness were truly elite, not just cannon fodder or background characters. Just look at who served as Anbu in the Naruto universe to understand how high their caliber was.
Another area that received reinforcement was the territory’s religious system. This was a field that Owen had proposed early on but had difficulty perfecting, even the appearance of the Dragon Mother hadn’t changed much.
Now, the Grand Cathedral of Divine Light had been completed, and branch temples had been built in various subordinate cities. With priests from the Heroes of Might and Magic world and monks from the Age of Empires universe stationed there, the propagation of faith had become quite comprehensive.
With muscular priests who could wield healing magic and fight, coupled with eloquent and scholarly monks, Owen didn’t need to worry at all.
As for military power, Owen established the Templar Knights as the armed force of the Grand Cathedral of Divine Light. All members were Templar Knights, both visually impressive and capable fighters, achieving both style and substance.
Although it consumed a significant amount of effort and resources, the object of worship in the Grand Cathedral of Divine Light was not a true god, not even a deity, because it was Owen himself clad in power armor.
Owen hadn’t even reached the Legendary realm, so naturally, he couldn’t perceive the existence of faith. Therefore, to avoid waste, each temple enshrined a piece of equipment fused with a Holy Relic to absorb and store the power of faith.
This was no easy feat. It’s important to understand that apart from Divine Artifacts, even Legendary weapons had nothing to do with faith, showcasing the extraordinary nature of Holy Relics.
Although Holy Relics originated from the low-mysticism Age of Empires, they could gather faith and create miracles. They belonged to a category of items with limited power but high rank, hence their ability to achieve this.
The Holy Equipment fused with Holy Relics weren’t just for show. Empowered by faith, they each possessed unique abilities. They also served as Owen’s faith storage devices. In times of need, with the blessings of the entire set of Holy Equipment, he dared to even challenge a Demigod.
While Owen was busy making final preparations, Ferrier Town welcomed the Imperial Envoy Mission.
There was only one official envoy, but the mission itself couldn’t consist of just one person. Besides the primary envoy, there was also a deputy envoy, an inspector, servants, guards, and a total of several hundred people.
The Emperor personally appointed Marquis Bergasos as the primary envoy, with Count Dekla and the Ninth Princess as deputy envoys. Royal mages and knights provided protection along the way, along with hundreds of servants and soldiers.
Ferrier had already learned this information. After all, she had her connections. Don’t expect those people to help with confidential or important matters, but they were happy to do her small favors, allowing Ferrier to make preparations in advance for the arrival of the envoy mission.
Marquis Bergasos, the Imperial Envoy, was an elderly man with gray hair and beard but a robust physique. He came from a traditional noble family. However, due to lacking the right of inheritance, he was sent to study in the Imperial Capital. Later, by chance, he became the attendant of the prince before he ascended the throne, forming a deep friendship. To this day, he remained a trusted confidant of the Emperor, a key figure in the pro-Emperor faction, and was bestowed the title of Marquis, ruling over a Viscounty.
Count Dekla, the deputy envoy, was a standard traditional noble, taking great pride in his family’s honor. Therefore, when facing Marquis Bergasos, who came from a traditional noble background but chose to be the Emperor’s lackey, he never concealed his disdain, considering him a clown wearing a Marquis’s cloak who only knew how to please the Emperor.
The conflict between the two wasn’t an isolated case but rather an irreconcilable contradiction between Imperial nobles and traditional nobles.
In fact, the main reason for the confrontation between the two sides was the unequal distribution of land and power, not simply because Imperial nobles were part of the pro-Emperor faction.
The Empire was only so big, with limited land and power. Traditional nobles, whose history almost paralleled that of the Empire, occupied more than half of the Empire’s land. Often, even when facing the Emperor, they were indifferent.
Wasn’t this a slap in the Emperor’s face? Therefore, the royal family had always attempted to reclaim the land and power that had been granted during the early days of the Empire.
The problem was, how could traditional nobles possibly relinquish the land and power in their hands? Bound by shared interests, they had once even united to force a certain Emperor in his prime to abdicate, who then died of a “cold” shortly after. Everyone knew the truth.
With this precedent, even the Emperor didn’t dare to act forcefully, thus the birth of titular nobles appointed in the name of the Empire.
Imperial nobles had high titles but little land, most didn’t even have actual fiefdoms. Therefore, they were naturally inferior to traditional nobles, but this also made them crave land even more. Without any urging from the Emperor, the two sides, locked in irreconcilable conflict, fought tooth and nail, while the Emperor only needed to play favorites, never having to personally intervene.
In a way, the emergence of Imperial nobles had become a stabilizing factor in the Empire’s internal struggles.
Because both the Emperor and traditional nobles understood very well that Imperial nobles could never achieve anything significant, they lacked a foundation.
Therefore, traditional nobles disliked Imperial nobles but wouldn’t take things too seriously. It was like encountering a dog barking at them, they could kill it, but it wasn’t necessary. First, beating a dog depended on its owner, and second, there were too many dogs wanting to be beaten, they couldn’t possibly kill them all.
So, the Emperor would occasionally instruct Imperial nobles to cause trouble for traditional nobles to vent his frustration, while traditional nobles, if annoyed, would kill a few Imperial nobles to show their displeasure. In reality, neither side suffered any real losses. The only ones who suffered were the Imperial nobles caught in the middle, forced to rely on the Emperor.
It could be said that Imperial nobles perfectly served as punching bags for both the Emperor and traditional nobles.
Besides these two, the Ninth Princess who came along served as an inspector. In other words, her presence represented the Emperor’s eyes and ears. She could see and hear, but not speak. Unless something extraordinary happened, she was no different from a mascot and could be ignored.
As for putting on a princess’s airs, ha! The Emperor had dozens of children. The oldest were middle-aged, while the youngest couldn’t even speak yet. It seemed the Emperor would have over a hundred children in his lifetime, so princesses and princes weren’t really worth much. Only a select few held higher status, the rest were merely tools for marriage alliances.
However, the Ninth Princess wasn’t entirely for show. At her young age, she was already a High-Ranking Knight, deserving of the title of genius at her age.
In the future, if she could break through to the Legendary realm, she might even secure a place for herself within the royal family.
