"What do you think?" Edith went back to the bed and sat down.
"The bathroom?"
"I mean the new law."
"Er..." Cole looked hesitant. "I'll write to my father tomorrow and tell him about His Majesty's conditions, but I don't think he'll agree."
"Really?" Edith could not deny it.
Seeing that she did not deny it, Cole became a little more courageous. "I've also read the booklet that His Majesty gave me. Let's not talk about whether the content in it is true or not. The most powerful noble used as an example is only the son of an earl. Now, he is equivalent to a duke without a fief. To be honest, if I were only a knight, I would definitely make the same choice. But my father is the rightful ruler of the Northern Region and the Duke of the City of Evernight. His status and power are far lower than the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family. Once he agrees to His Majesty's terms, it means that he gives up his territory. It's not an upgrade, but a real decline. "
"You're right." Edith nodded with a smile. Before her brother could cheer up, she continued, "But you've overlooked one thing."
"What?"
"That we can occupy these positions and powers."
Cole's expression froze.
"You've obviously focused on the stories at the back of the pamphlet, but I'm more concerned about the opening paragraph." Edith picked up the pamphlet and opened the cover. "If this is His Majesty's idea... I have to say it's very interesting."
"The... cause of feudalism?" Cole poked his head out. "Do you understand what it means?"
"It's just a coined word. You can think of it as our current system, or you can call it nobility."
Cole looked puzzled.
Edith shook her head to herself. The content seemed rather awkward at first, and it seemed inexplicable to be used as the opening paragraph in the brochure. It was far less vivid than the following examples. However, if one could understand its true meaning, they would find that it was the basis for Roland Wimbledon's decision to implement the new law.
It was the first time that she had seen such a novel and thorough statement.
"Have you ever thought about why we enfeoff the land to our Knight and retainers?"
"That way they'll be loyal to the Kants," Cole muttered. "And they'll be able to recruit more brave men to serve them."
"What if Father took the whole of the North?" Edith asked.
"Are you saying that all of it belongs to the family?" The younger brother thought for a while and shook his head. "Of course not. If we occupy all the territories, the Knight will leave the Northern Region. Without their property, they will definitely look for opportunities in other places. The same goes for the lesser nobles. In that case, the Kant Family will be the only noble family in several towns."
"Is it not good?"
"Of course!" Cole blinked, as if he did not understand why his sister would ask such a simple question. "The Northern Region is too vast for us to manage. If Cliffside City is attacked, it will take the guards half a week to get there from the City of Evernight, not including the time it takes to deliver the message. Besides, collecting taxes and grain is also very troublesome. We can't expect those untouchables to voluntarily hand over these things, right? "
"So, in order to keep our land, we keep expanding the number of vassals. In the final analysis, it's because of the need of war and the limited management ability. This is also the main reason why His Majesty thinks the feudal system is formed." Edith stroked the pages of the book. "But now the situation has changed. No matter how much we expand the number of troops, we can't stop His Majesty's Thunder. His army is invincible in the whole kingdom. At the same time, His Majesty firmly believes that a strong City hall can manage the affairs of the whole territory well. Naturally, there is no need to enfeoff the land to the nobles. "
"Well..." Cole opened his mouth but did not know how to answer.
"Roland Wimbledon thinks this is an inevitability of history." She pointed to the last sentence of the opening. "A fully functional centralized government will inevitably replace the enfeoffed nobles. Because a unified management plan can make better use of the resources of the whole territory, tap the potential of the people, and make the whole kingdom burst out with strong productivity. And productivity is the decisive factor that determines which power can survive."
"Nonsense," Cole said in a low voice. "What's productivity? Can it be compared to who can farm better? Ten farmers can't beat one Knight. And to manage the whole country... Where does he find so many people to take charge of the tax? Won't he entrust it to the nobles? If those people can really collect money and grain, what's the difference between using it now and using it now? The untouchables don't care who is their king. "
"I'm as curious as you are about this." Edith raised the corner of her mouth. "But the person who wrote this can't be unprepared to implement this new set of laws. What do you think?" She paused. "Let's go visit him again tomorrow. This time, I'll do it."
"So soon?" Cole was surprised. "Don't you usually wait until the other party mentions your identity before revealing it?"
"I can't wait until then." Edith shrugged. "And don't write to Father yet. Before we left, you heard him say that I'm in charge of this trip."
"Do you... want to promise His Majesty?" He gasped. "Father will kill you!"
"Hmm?"
"Uh... no, I mean he'll hate you," Cole corrected himself. "After all, the main reason he wants you to go is to protect his dukedom."
"Don't worry, I'm not that easy to convince." Edith raised her eyebrows. "Since he's already given me the conditions, he should at least let me bargain, right?"
*****
The next day, the injury test reports were sent to Roland's desk one after another.
The demons' bodies were not much stronger than those of witches. Whether it was guns or swords, they could be fatally wounded. However, probably due to the difference in their physiological structure, poisons had little effect on them.
For example, chlorine gas, nitric oxide, and carbon monoxide did not affect the Mad Demon. Even if they did, it was because the effective components of the Red Mist had been weakened.
The same was true for Dreamland Water and Pill of Madness. The former could not make them fall asleep, and the latter could not make them go berserk.
After the Red Mist was decomposed, it turned into several kinds of gas and water. After Kyle Sichi's examination, he confirmed that part of it was flammable and emitted a foul smell. Another part was nitrogen, and the rest was unknown. However, these were not necessities for the demons to survive. The main reason was the subtle magic power surging in the mist, which was why the Red Mist could not be preserved for a long time.
In addition, when the temperature rose to 300 degrees, the Red Mist would decompose faster, and when it approached 800 degrees, it would even burn.
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