The name Sharal Autonomous Region explained many things. It wasn't a country. It was merely a "self-managed territory." In fact, for quite a long period of time, Sharal had been isolated from the diplomatic circle of the entire Northlands.
In this fantasy world that was dominated by feudalism, human domain lords and nobles were a type of status, as well as a type of bloodline responsibility. Of course, it was also a type of power.
In Aichy, which had nothing to do with peace, nobles had a series of enviable privileges. For example, as long as they surrendered in time, they would be able to keep their lives, and as long as they paid a sufficient amount of ransom, they would be able to return home with relative dignity. Of course, this was only limited to internal conflicts between humans. This was also why human nobles would fight to the death whenever they encountered a foreign war. It would be either you or I who died on the battlefield, and internal conflicts wouldn't be as intense.
Another privilege that people envied was that only nobles could become domain lords. This was an unspoken rule that made people feel helpless. However, most people took it for granted.
There were very few methods for commoners to become nobles. The most reliable method was to use brute force to develop uncultivated land. Even if one succeeded in developing a new territory, such a Knight would be viewed as inferior by others. At the very least, it would be impossible for such a knight to enter the circle of major nobles for at least three or four generations.
Such a relatively closed concept of social class existed in every country. Nobles in every country would marry each other, which deepened the "circle culture." Even if a country was destroyed, local domain lords and nobles would still exist, which greatly weakened royal authority. There would often be situations where the royal family would still fight to the death against a powerful enemy, while the nobles would surrender to the enemy because they had a better bargaining chip.
Noble heraldry only studied the history, family emblems, bloodline inheritance, benefits of nobility, and inheritance rights of nobles. It was now a specialized subject that would take several years just to study. From a certain standpoint, it was quite boring … cough, cough, it was a type of culture.
As for Sharal Autonomous Region, even though it couldn't be called an independent country, the domain lord Habel family was actually recognized by the Northlands' noble circles. This was because Kakagar Habel's bloodline originated from the Mist Kingdom, and he had once been a local noble of the Mist Kingdom.
Things like history and ancestors' honor were not worth mentioning when you met someone who didn't acknowledge you, but if you threw it into the circle of nobles who talked about ancestors' honor every day, it would be a big deal.
Unlike the relatively stable central regions of Eich, the Northlands nobles didn't have a long history. The map of the various countries kept changing, and a family with a history of three or four hundred years was already considered quite old. As for the Haber family that originated from the Mist Kingdom, they weren't recognized when the People of the Mist were in decline. But when the People of the Mist rose again in power in the Northlands, the Haber family instantly got a free ride.
That was why, even though he was just a feudal lord of an autonomous region, "Cunning Fox" Kakagalol dared to shout at the counts and marquises of various countries. With the advantage of being a landlord and his past reputation, the feudal lords of various countries really obeyed his orders and sent out their own bodyguards and mercenaries.
After all, this wasn't a civil war between human kingdoms. Once the defense line was broken, the hungry beasts wouldn't spare your life just because you had a noble bloodline. On the contrary, the tender skin and fat bodies of noble children who lived like princes were even more delicious.
"Damn it, just where did these beast waves come from? The mercenaries clearly drove away all the beast hordes on the map."
Faced with the endless beast hordes, Sharal's autonomous region had already given up on all of its outer defense lines. The outer cities were all conquered, and the villagers who didn't manage to evacuate in time had no chance of surviving.
In front of the beast hordes, the formerly famous Sharal guards and mercenaries performed quite poorly. Their organization was in chaos and they lacked manpower. The long-term lack of training meant that they didn't even have enough weapons and equipment. They lost their lives for nothing, and there were even deserters who appeared under the threat of the beasts.
Sharal's autonomous region used its own misfortune to teach all the Northlands domain lords present a lesson. Even if they were in a period of internal peace, they still couldn't hand over their own sword to others.
There were over twenty thousand professional soldiers, but less than four thousand of them could actually participate in battle. Meanwhile, the temporary mercenaries and bodyguards that were gathered here and there were easily ten thousand-strong squadrons.
This was actually quite normal. In this day and age, with the threat of beast hordes in the wild, it was quite normal for a domain lord to bring over a hundred mercenaries and bodyguards with him. Several hundred nobles easily gathered an armed force of over ten thousand people. Not only that, they were all personal guards, professional bodyguards, mage consultants, and so on. Sharal's combat strength seemed to be even stronger than the regular army.
Those who only brought one or two bodyguards and dared to wander around the entire Northlands were even better. After all, that only meant that a single powerful individual's power level was comparable to over a hundred professional warriors.
The nobler a person's status was, the stronger their ability to disguise themselves would be. Sharal's autonomous region currently had many members of the royal family and major nobles. Rather than temporarily mobilizing and organizing commoners to act as a defense line, it would be better to find these people to save their lives.
Gagar lived up to his reputation as a sly fox. He managed to find a way out of a desperate situation. His own reputation and relationship with the Mist Kingdom also made his summons effective.
Now, it was all thanks to the mercenaries and bodyguards that the domain lords brought over. With the advantage of the city walls, they managed to create a temporary defense line that successfully blocked the beast hordes.
However, nobody knew how long they could last against the endless beast hordes in the wild. The only thing they could hope for was that reinforcements would arrive as soon as possible.
"The Eagle tribe? They should be the closest reinforcements. "
The barbarian tribe that was allied with the Sharal autonomous region lived in a mountainous region not far from Sharal. They were the most likely reinforcements to arrive. However, only Gagar himself knew that he couldn't count on his trustworthy barbarian allies.
"… They've made a lot of money selling ores these past few years. Who would still want to live in the mountains and suffer from the cold? Most of their members have moved to the big cities to enjoy life. There are only a few miners left in the mountains."
From a certain standpoint, what the barbarians would do after earning money was indeed worth discussing. Perhaps some people would think that the barbarians would use their money to improve or repair their own villages. However, the barbarians of the Eagle tribe gave the most direct answer. They would take their money to the cities and become rich … Since they'd already become rich, why would they still stay in the mountains bare-chested?
"The nearby barbarian elves and beastmen tribes? They should still have enough combat strength, right? Let's pay them to help us at all costs! "
There were quite a few mixed-bloods among the residents of the Sharal autonomous region. However, those who lived in the city were mostly mixed-bloods who had accepted human culture. The mixed-blood tribes that worshipped the beastmen's totemic culture and the elves' mountain lifestyle were also scattered outside the city of the Sharal autonomous region.
The mixed-blood tribes maintained a seemingly distant relationship with the Sharal autonomous region. They often traveled down the mountains to the city to purchase daily necessities. However, they always refused to assimilate into human culture.
Their combat strength was outstanding. If it had been eight years ago, it would have been a good idea to ask for reinforcements from them since they were of the same origin. However, right now, Gagar was filled with regret. He regretted that he had acted so quickly and so viciously.
"… There are still primitive barbarian tribes in this world. Our tourism plan has opened up all of those tribes to the public as tourist attractions. All sorts of bandit strongholds and tribal streets are well received by tourists. Those barbaric mixed-blood warriors …"
"… They couldn't have all been killed? Or exiled? "
The guard leader had an astonished expression. As the leader's personal guard, he had never heard of such a thing before. Could it be that there had been a secret bloody massacre?
"Is this something from that generation? In this day and age, who would still do such a thing? Rather than fighting and killing, it would be better to get rich together. They took a large amount of compensation for their relocation. Those who wanted to live with the elves could directly go to the Kingdom of the Elves to buy houses and residences. After all, the Mist Alliance had the support of the elves, so they weren't afraid of being bullied. Those who wanted to experience real beastman life could directly take the compensation and go to the beastman plains. I just received a letter from them a few months ago. They're living like emperors. Even the mixed-blood can spend money to buy a tribe leader. Even I'm envious of their simple lives. "
From a certain standpoint, the Sharal autonomous region had also risen in power. The result of every inch of land around it being worth its weight in gold was that everyone was only interested in money. All the potential reinforcements had been "developed" and "opened up" to the outside world.
All that was left were merchants who wanted to get rich together with everyone else. Hoping for merchants to fight on the battlefield? That would be blatant murder.
Perhaps Gagar wasn't the best leader in the Northlands, but he was still a publicly acknowledged talent in the Northlands … an outstanding business genius. But now, he had an expression of helplessness and regret.
"I can only hope that the Mist Kingdom catches up. Their fleet should be able to make it in time. No, for the sake of my future gold coins, they must make it in time …"
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