bookpower Chapter 474 - 447: Funeral and Investiture
Chapter 474 - 447: Funeral and Investiture
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was the last day of September.
Even the normally magnificent Golden Feather Palace was tinged with a somber air today.
The Guards on duty, the Knights patrolling on their warhorses, and the noble carriages passing by were all adorned with black silk ribbons—a funeral tradition.
At the Royal Mausoleum, members of the Royal Family led by Bruno, along with nobles of all ranks, gathered for the funeral of Jesus and his family.
Come to think of it, the last ceremony of this scale had been for the death of Klinsmann IV, over a decade ago.
’As far as Ronin knew, Klinsmann IV’s death hadn’t been very dignified. Apparently, after his wife passed away in his middle age, he’d become obsessed with carnal pleasures and ultimately died in a woman’s bed.’
"The woman beside Blanche is His Majesty’s eldest daughter, Princess Sharon."
Lurans stood with Ronin, introducing him to the unfamiliar faces.
Princess Sharon looked like a poised and elegant noblewoman, making Blanche seem rather young and inexperienced by comparison.
"I’ve heard Blanche mention her. I know she’s married to the Kingdom’s First War General, Ibn Toransi. I’m just surprised he didn’t return for a Royal Family gathering like this."
’Ronin had been quite eager to meet the Count of Double Peaks. Like Garrett, he was said to possess incredible aptitude.’
’Moreover, since he had made a name for himself early on and was older, rumor had it that his strength had reached the peak of the Silver Moon Level many years ago. That was why His Majesty the King had bestowed upon him the title of "Kingdom’s First War General."’
"The Tricia Kingdom may be in the midst of civil war, but the situation is unclear. Not only have the enemy forces at Mist City not retreated, their numbers have actually grown. In a situation like this, the front lines naturally need a powerful figure to hold the fort."
Since Ronin was preparing to earn distinction on the battlefield, he had spent the last few days gathering intelligence on the enemy kingdom.
’Apparently, after the first six months of turmoil, the situation in the Tricia Kingdom had stabilized.’
’Ronin was surprised they could actually stand against the Alien Race organization from the Crescent Continent.’
’After all, Mephisto was at the Ninth Level, so the other two Divine Envoys should be of comparable strength.’
’They might not have the same tricky, hard-to-counter abilities as the Witch Soul Race, but they would still be far from easy to deal with.’
’This showed that the Royal Family still had considerable hidden reserves. To reign supreme through personal strength alone, being at the Proud Sun Level clearly wasn’t enough.’
The funeral service was rather long-winded, lasting a full three hours before the crowd began to disperse.
When everyone returned to Oduin Hall, a grand enfeoffment ceremony officially commenced.
His Majesty the King proclaimed Ronin "An Unprecedented Genius, the Kingdom’s First Proud Sun Knight, Defender of Oduin’s Honor, Bane of the Vile Alien Race, and Conqueror of the Legendary Giant Dragon." With these words, he bestowed upon Ronin the title of Kingdom Guardian Knight, enfeoffed him as a Kingdom Marquis, and granted him Moonlight Valley as his fiefdom.
When the King’s longsword rested upon Ronin’s shoulders during the formal enfeoffment ceremony, and after the medal and scepter symbolizing his status as Marquis of Moonlight Valley were placed in his hands, familiar words finally materialized before his eyes:
"Achievement [Famous Throughout the World] completed. +1500 Attribute Points, +3000 Energy Essence."
Simultaneously, the multiplier on his daily check-in screen quadrupled. He would now gain 4 Attribute Points per day, and on every seventh day, he would also receive bonuses of 80, 100, 120, and 160 Attribute Points, as well as Energy Essence.
After the enfeoffment ceremony concluded, Bruno also announced that Ronin and Blanche’s wedding would be held in three months, expressing his hope that the nobles would attend.
With this double blessing of good fortune, every noble of the court knew that Ronin was the new rising star of the Oduin Kingdom.
Aside from the perfunctory congratulations from Ference and a few other high-ranking nobles, many of the kingdom’s Barons, Viscounts, and Counts came forward to offer their greetings and well-wishes. Many of them also requested permission to visit Moonlight Castle.
These nobles were primarily from the territories surrounding Moonlight Valley, and most of them relied on the valley for its metal ores and grain.
In the past, they had all worked with Jesus. Although he was gone and Moonlight Valley now had a new master, they still wished to continue their arrangements, which naturally meant they needed to build a good relationship with Ronin.
Although Ronin wasn’t familiar with some of them, having Lurans by his side made socializing effortless.
After the banquet at the Royal Palace concluded, Ronin and Lurans stayed to discuss wedding arrangements with Bruno. By the time they headed back, it was already the middle of the night.
"Ronin, how do you plan to manage Moonlight Valley?"
Aboard the carriage, Lurans sounded concerned about the territory’s development.
"Mephisto utterly destroyed Moonlight Valley. To develop this fief properly, the current population is far from sufficient."
Ronin gave a wry smile. "If I had known the entire Moonlight Valley was going to become my fief, I wouldn’t have let Joffrey take over twenty thousand people away."
Initially, they had all assumed the King would reclaim the land, never expecting him to grant it to Ronin instead.
"Things don’t always go according to plan,"
Lurans said. "Unfortunately, I can’t spare any more people for you."
He had already sent nearly a hundred thousand people to the Wubei Territory in waves. If he were to transfer more on a large scale, it would significantly disrupt the operations of the dozens of towns under his jurisdiction.
"You’ve helped more than enough. I’ll figure out the rest."
Ronin said thoughtfully, "His Majesty just mentioned that the hundred thousand people he’s prepared to relocate for me have been confirmed and can be transferred in stages. I plan to send forty percent to Wubei City and the remaining sixty percent to Moonlight Valley. That should be enough to start recultivating the land and resume operations at a few of the mines."
Moonlight Valley had vast tracts of uncultivated land and rows of vacant houses. As long as he could provide food, he could perfectly handle the population influx.
The reason he was still sending forty percent to Wubei City was to make it easier to develop it into another city with a population of one hundred thousand.
Once Wubei City, Moonlight City, and Purple Thunder City all became cities with populations of one hundred thousand, he would complete the next tier of the [Siege and Conquest] achievement.
"Aside from the hundred thousand people from His Majesty, I also plan to invite the subjects of other lords to work for me in Moonlight Valley by offering relatively higher wages."
’Getting other Lords to sell their people to him was unrealistic. After all, most of them weren’t peasant slaves or actual slaves; they still had some rights.’
’However, attracting migrant laborers with high wages and allowing them to take their earnings home was entirely feasible.’
’This was because the process would also boost the economies of those Lords’ territories.’
’Besides, didn’t all the nobles around Moonlight Valley want to work with him to get enough iron and copper ore? In such a trade relationship, value didn’t have to be measured solely in Gold Coins. They could also send laborers to him, obtaining a certain amount of ore resources through that form of cooperation.’
’In short, all that land in Moonlight Valley needed to be put back into cultivation as soon as possible. The less that went to waste, the better.’
"That’s a good idea."
Lurans nodded in agreement. "If you’re short on manpower, just let me know. I can still send you some officials. Also, those three Knight Orders under Ridder and Sophia can go with you to Moonlight City."
Although Shore City was no longer a threat, these Knight Orders had been established with the support of Wushan Castle. Loaning them to Ronin free of charge was Lurans’s way of showing support.
"Thank you, Grandfather!"
"Why be so polite with me?"
Lurans chuckled. "I’m counting on you to become a Duke one day—or even to establish a kingdom for the Wushan Clan on this continent!"
Ronin’s eyes grew resolute. "Don’t worry. I will!"