Chapter 1235 - 1160: Submission from Within?
Beneath the tall mosaic stained-glass window, inside a royal palace on the outskirts of Changge City, Duke Omes sat impatiently on the throne.
His right hand was clenched under his chin, while his left hand, with bulging veins, gripped the wolf-head armrest tightly.
Before him were two rows of courtiers dressed in silk garments and thick black robes, pointing fingers at each other and arguing loudly.
However, upon closer inspection, the noise revealed two distinct factions.
"Cardinal Nard," said Colin, the Alchemy Minister, smiling insincerely at the elderly priest across from him, "Didn’t you guarantee that using the Red Dragon’s Breath would certainly destroy the Saint Union’s engine laboratory, and they wouldn’t be able to build new machines within ten days?"
Now look! The Red Dragon’s Breath we spent such a fortune to steal was just wasted by those Falan!"
The criticized elder, about seventy years old, sported a neatly trimmed waterfall-beard.
Reaching this status, only a few have truly explosive tempers.
Cardinal Nard merely smiled slightly after hearing this: "The plan itself was not flawed; it was the Falan’s execution that was the problem. Wasn’t the Saint Union initially put on the defensive?"
"And later?" Colin was furious, as if the treasury were his own parents. "Do you know how much we risked to steal this Red Dragon’s Breath?"
"Ha!" A new courtier joined the fray, spat angrily at Colin, "Acting like having the Red Dragon’s Breath would let you research it yourself."
"I am quite capable of researching the Red Dragon’s Breath!"
"But the Red Dragon’s Breath needs red dragon blood; do you have red dragon blood? Do you have anything at all?"
Veins visibly bulged on Colin’s bald head: "The Saint Union says that, and you truly believe it?
I’ll be frank; the Saint Union also says the Holy Favor seeds are extracted from the Saint’s Grandson’s excrement—why don’t you go eat it then?"
"Foul language, disturbing the court—have you not seen His Highness is still present? Isn’t this dirtying His Highness’s ears?"
Duke Omes, listening to the quarrel beneath him, did not intervene.
Arguments are the norm in Leia; such expressions are always made before official discussions, essentially about separating and assigning blame.
If the courtiers united as one, he would rather be suspicious.
Yet, listening to the cliché arguments, Duke Omes unconsciously drifted in thought.
Compared to the chaotic and noisy Changge City filled with old noble powers, he preferred the wilderness and nature.
After seizing the King’s power, Duke Omes spent most of his reign in this palace.
Admittedly, the climate of River Island was far superior to Thorn Garden—not that he was praising River Island.
Warm and humid, spring-like all year round, lush green grass, and seas of flowers.
Compared to the dry cold filled with berries and thorns at Thorn Garden, staying here significantly lifted Duke Omes’s spirits.
However, such joy often doesn’t last long before unexpected news disrupts it.
Looking at the newspaper detailing the Holy Union’s spring machine stories, he felt a throbbing in his head.
Signing the humiliating unequal treaty, the Treaty of Wolf Bridge, ceding five counties to the Holy Union, was already disgraceful enough.
Luckily, it was before his term, easy to shift blame onto the Lanfeng Dynasty.
But the subsequent Sixth Great Duke Conference was something he couldn’t evade.
The Dawn Island War further deepened his disappointment, sparking both curiosity and fear of the Holy Union’s existence.
He knew how vulnerable the League of Five Cities at Dawn Island was.
Upon hearing their uprising, he once felt he had been hit by a stroke of luck shortly after assuming office.
But who would have thought that the supposed good luck would turn against him?
Just like the Thousand River Valley War, the League of Five Cities grew stronger and more outrageous the longer they fought.
In the end, his son, currently Leia’s top general, was defeated by Dawn Island.
Now, half of Dawn Island, just ahead of River Island, fell outside Leia’s jurisdiction.
A "saying," considered more of a doggerel than a proverb, circulated within Changge City:
"Before Duke Omes came, Leia Kingdom wasn’t a match for the Holy Union. After Duke Omes arrived, Leia Kingdom still isn’t a match for the Holy Union.
Duke Omes never defeated the Holy Union before becoming regent, and hasn’t won against the Holy Union since."
Despite the lack of explicit condemnation, Duke Omes was still provoked.
Among the many esteemed and alcoholic-ridden nobles of Leia, Duke Omes had a relatively mild temperament.
But this "proverb" touched a sore spot, prompting him to search the entire city to find the disseminator.
Further, he declared this saying a forbidden phrase; utter it and off comes your head!
This matter wasn’t resolved, and yet, more troublesome issues emerged.
The immediate issue was the dispute between the Reformists and Conservatives within the Leia Court.
Colin and Cardinal Nard, though not the masterminds behind the factions, were indeed their spearheads.
After the Holy Union’s Alchemy Revolution, alchemists, once hunted, gradually rose to prominence.
Especially since Falan had introduced the Rune Artisans, Norn unveiled the Shooting Army, and the Sixth Great Duke Conference totally emancipated the alchemists.
However, compared to the open atmosphere and recognized status in the Holy Union, alchemists currently exist as "the Regent’s protégés" within the kingdom.
The meaning is clear.
In the Holy Union, even if the Saint’s Grandson passes away, regardless of their successor, the identity of alchemists and Miracle Priests and Technological Priests remains unchanged.
Because the Holy Sect provides assurance, defining magic and alchemy as miracles and theological technology.
In the Holy Sect’s doctrine, all regular natural phenomena are seen as ultimate truths leading to Holy Father.
Obviously, alchemy and magic are regular natural phenomena.
Compared to ordinary chanting monks, such Miracle Monks are considered closer to Holy Father.
Within the Leia Court, alchemists aren’t seen as closer to Holy Father but closer to tools or artisans.
The Falan views them slightly better, merely as engineers.
Clearly, Colin represents the alchemists, whereas Cardinal Nard leans conservatively.
Nonetheless, Cardinal Nard, despite his conservatism, isn’t too extreme.
He recognizes the necessity of alchemists—just believes they shouldn’t be given too high status or power, risking sacrilegious implications.
Amidst the current circumstance, with the Holy Union and Falan threatening, the immense pressures for reform had long vanished.
Moreover, King Jiji’s operations laid a vital foundation for numerous reforms—his most valuable intangible legacy.
The timing seemed right; an agreement had generally been reached. Duke Omes finally spoke: "Alright, let’s proceed with these resolutions. I’m not here today for these matters."
Once Omes spoke, the courtiers naturally fell silent.
The Regent cleared his throat: "The Holy Union’s exhibition is smoothly underway, and we’ve missed the opportunity.
Besides, rather than avenging the Holy Union, we have more critical issues to address."
No need for further explanation; the courtiers knew what he was referring to.
"The problem with the Border Knight Order."
Compared to the earlier noise akin to a market, the court was now silent as a library.
Following the downfall of the Lanfeng Dynasty and the fall of Holy Seat City, the Border Knight Order lost significant legitimacy.
Coupled with several military defeats, the Border Knight Order had been nearing collapse.
Thus, to prevent internal collapse, the new Grand Master of the Border Knight Order made a decision against their ancestors’ wishes.
He felt they should abandon independence, becoming subservient to Leia.
Coincidently, Duke Omes both understood their capabilities and needed to introduce external soldiers to balance power internally.
Their agreement was swift, and the Border Knight Order successfully integrated.
Yet, barely had their days improved before new issues emerged.
Essentially, post several defeats—including the Dawn Island defeat—the Border Knight Order’s strength internally waned significantly.
With Fat Cow Castle’s Alexei Shooting Army appearing, western pressure mounted significantly on the Border Knight Order.
Previously, relying on Leia’s support, they barely managed to stand; then, past the New Year, the Royal Court initiated an attack against the Border Knight Order.
Facing enemies from two sides, even a battle-hardened knight order couldn’t endure.
This time, they chose true integration—complete relocation to Leia.
This request, Duke Omes wanted to agree to, only regrettably, in this matter, the previously bifurcated factional interests were unified.
"Absolutely not!"