The nobles signed.
It only took a minute for the last trace of influence of the southern noble system on this land to vanish.
Gwen sat at the head of the long table in a solemn manner. The thirty-one lords who survived the Southern Border sat on both sides of the long table. The heirs of the noble and ancient family names bowed their heads and silently signed their names on the documents in front of them. In the corner of the hall, an old man in a scholar's robe was directing his apprentice to turn a slightly cumbersome magical device in the direction of the long table.
It was actually a magic network communicator. Although it was so cumbersome that it required a young and strong man to lift it, it had already represented Cecil's most superb technology.
When the scene at the long table was reflected in the camera crystal of the magic network communicator, Godwin Orlando immediately pressed the button. Without hesitation, Orlando pressed a button on the device.
In another room not far away, the projection crystal above an arcane printing machine lit up. The holographic projection showed the scene in the conference hall. Along with a series of mechanical noises, the arcane transfer cylinder of the machine glowed with the radiance of magical energy and quickly printed the transmitted image on the paper that had been prepared in advance.
Heti took the paper from the side of the printing machine, carefully rolled it up and sealed it in a cylinder. She handed it to an assistant who had been waiting by the side. "Send it to the newspaper office. Tell them to use the full page."
The assistant took the 'bottom plate' away as if it was a treasure. Heti looked at the holographic projection above the machine in front of her and could not help but sigh softly. "It's hard to imagine …"
Kamel floated aside. After hearing Heti's words, he asked, "Are you talking about what happened in the conference hall or this device?"
"Both." Heti turned her head and said solemnly, "The scene of the old nobles signing the contract will be recorded in this way and spread throughout the Southern Border at an astonishing speed. It is far better than any notice, any propaganda, any rumor. The irrefutable evidence will spread all over this land in an unstoppable way. I always thought that the cannons that can split mountains are the most powerful weapons, but now I finally understand … why the ancestors said that the printing machine is equally powerful as a weapon."
She then lowered her head and looked at Rebecca who was squatting behind the arcane printing machine, opening the cover of the machine to check the internal operation. "… And this child actually thought of the combination of the magic network communicator and the arcane printing machine so quickly. This also surprised me."
"I have long said that Rebecca is a genius. She has lived up to the glory of the Cecil family." Gwen's voice came from the direction of the door and intervened in the conversation between Heti and Kamel. "And as for what you said before … I'm glad that you finally realized the power of the printing machine and the 'media' combined."
Rebecca, who was studying the machine under the printing machine, heard Gwen's voice. She immediately shouted happily and got up. "Ah! Ancestor, you are here! You were so … "
* Clang! *
Rebecca's head hit a metal rail under the machine with a loud bang that could be heard throughout the room. Gwen saw that the entire machine was shaking. Then, he saw Rebecca holding her head and crying in pain as she crawled out. "Ouch … Ouch … Ouch … Ouch …"
Heti was shocked by the movement of the silly roe deer. For a moment, she even forgot to scold her niece. She quickly squatted down to check her niece's head. Gwen was also shocked. He quickly came to his great-granddaughter on the n + 1 floor. "Are you okay?"
Rebecca held her head and wobbled as she got up. She looked up at Gwen with tears on her face. "I'm okay …"
Gwen was relieved. He quickly ordered the mechanical scholar next to him. "Then check the machine …"
No one felt that there was anything wrong with Gwen's words.
Heti glared at Rebecca helplessly. But she remembered that she was praising the girl just a moment ago. So, she held back her scolding words and changed the topic to Gwen. "Ancestor, you left the nobles behind?"
"The meeting was over after they signed," Gwen said indifferently. "I have already explained all the follow-up arrangements to them. It won't take long. Of course, in order to celebrate their freedom and becoming a part of Cecil, I've arranged a small banquet for them … But I don't care what kind of mood they'll have when they attend. "
After that, Gwen waved his hand. "Let's put this aside first. Have the 'photos' been printed? How's the effect? "
"Ah, I'm sorry, ancestor. I've asked someone to send it away," Heidi exclaimed in a low voice and then reported, "The effect is very good. After the illusion magic is printed on the paper, the effect is very different from the traditional 'shorthand' spell, but it's more realistic."
"That's good. As long as you have reviewed it." Gwen nodded with satisfaction. He then glanced at Rebecca, who was still wiping her tears and sniffling. "Silly girl, does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt," Rebecca said with a red face. But then she shook her head. "It's just that my head is still buzzing …"
Looking at the girl's forced calm look, Gwen could only sigh, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Sigh … You'd better protect your head. It will be a great loss if such a good brain gets damaged."
Heti also did not know whether to laugh or cry. She sighed softly and turned to Gwen. "Ancestor, do you think those nobles who signed will settle down?"
"To be honest, I never trusted them, whether before or after they signed," Gwen said very straightforwardly. There were no outsiders here. "But I don't need them to support me or oppose me from the bottom of their hearts. It doesn't make sense. We have to maintain vigilance against them and maintain monitoring of them, at least until they and their first generation of descendants are all dead. And even if these two generations are all dead, we have to continue to be vigilant against their descendants. It's just that the monitoring will be gentler. "
Gwen raised his head and looked in the direction of the conference hall. His gaze seemed to penetrate the walls and doors, and could directly see the nobles of the Southern Territory who were leaving the hall.
"Remember, the nobles who signed here today and their first generation of descendants are not allowed to participate in politics. They are not allowed to participate in any positions in the government office, nor are they allowed to enter the education system and the media system. Even the most junior clerks, substitute teachers, and assistant editors are not allowed. If there are really capable and reliable people among them, they can do business and be investors. I even allow them to set up factories. As long as they have brains, they can live a much more comfortable and prosperous life than the previous land nobles. But in the government office, schools, and newspapers … there is no place for them."
"Yes." Heti nodded solemnly. But she was still a little worried. "But in this way … maybe we will miss out on some talents. The descendants of the nobles are currently the best intellectuals in this land. Most of them may be unstable factors, but there are still some who can be won over and educated … "
Gwen sighed. Of course, he understood Heti's words. "I allow them to do business and set up factories after passing the assessment. This is already to avoid as much waste as possible. And there are already a lot of hidden dangers in this. Considering the risks and expected benefits, this line can't be changed. In addition, I didn't completely restrict — the second and third generation of the old nobles, and the collateral descendants who are not of the main line, these people can enjoy the same rights as ordinary citizens after passing the assessment and observation. "
At this point, he paused and continued, "Of course, this will still miss out on some talents, and it's unfair to them. But this is a necessary price. It's easy for us to destroy the army of the old nobles on the battlefield, but if they become members of Cecil's system, it will be a huge problem to eliminate them."
Heti lowered her head deeply. "Yes, I understand."
Gwen pondered for a moment and added, "Let's do it this way. If you really find a talent that you think highly of among the nobles of the Southern Territory and their descendants, you can report to me. I'll personally organize the assessment and consider it at my discretion."
Then he exhaled. "Next, let's go and see our real guests."
In an area not far from the meeting area, in a small but tidy and comfortable reception room. Leslie and Penny Lo? Galen was quietly waiting for the duke's arrival.
"This day came quickly, didn't it?" Viscount Andrew raised the black tea in his hand and smiled at the countess next to him. "It seems like it was only yesterday. Last year, Cecil was still a dying family name. Today, they have already ruled the Southern Territory."
Penny Lo? Galen smiled without much warmth. "I've been waiting for more than a year or two, Mr. Viscount."
"… You're an admirable lady. You have faith and your will is firmer than mine," Viscount Andrew said after a moment of silence. His attitude was sincere, and then a little self-deprecating. "Unlike me, I was just investing in a business at first."
"Investment?" Luo Peini looked at the pale man with some curiosity. It was said that his body was weak because of excessive consumption of magic potions. She did not know much about his past. "What kind of investment?"
"An investment in Duke Cecil," Andrew Leslie said. Leslie looked forward and said softly, "That's really the boldest business I've done in my life …"
"Now Gwen is our monarch," Luo Peini Galen said. She looked at Viscount Andrew quietly. "Do you think this investment is a profit?"
"A profit or a loss …" Andrew Leslie murmured. Leslie muttered in a low voice. In his mind, he thought of the territory that had rapidly developed in the past year. That territory had already become Cecil's source of raw materials. In his mind, he thought of the shocking amount of wealth he had earned in the past year. Every single gold and silver coin had Cecil's mark on it. He was already considered the most outstanding, most benevolent, and most enlightened lord in the history of the Leslie Family. His people praised him, praising him for unwaveringly following Cecil's laws … …
He was going to become the governor of Tanzania City. As a proof of his merit, the Leslie family would always have a seat in the Tanzania City government office.
He believed that as long as the Leslie family did not do anything disobedient in the future, as long as they were not overly stupid, then his descendants would always enjoy great wealth. This wealth was unimaginable compared to when he was the lord of the land in the past.
But they would also forever lose the power to control life and death in the territory, and even … they had to obey the management of the government office.
Was this investment a profit or a loss?
"Of course it's a profit," Andrew Leslie said with a smile. There was no hesitation in his tone. "Of course I've made a profit, and I can only make a profit."
The voice of the waiter sounded outside the door. "Gwen? Duke Cecil has arrived — "
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