PS: This chapter is 4700 words. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Mu Xilon had been recovered. After nightfall, the entire city was now under the control of the human army. The patrolling army was exploring the entire city, searching for possible enemies. At the same time, many soldiers were still thinking about the collapsed houses and the wealth in some old houses. They rummaged everywhere, looking for a windfall that might have been forgotten.
Indeed, there were a few lucky people who found a little wealth. This matter was reported to Baron Deven Hex. Hex thought carefully and felt that there was no need to stop it. He just turned a blind eye to it.
The city of Mu Xilon was just too big. In fact, after entering the city, even an army of more than 20,000 people would not be able to search every corner of the city. Especially in the shack area and the lost area, there were many hidden paths, cellars, and secret basements. The army spent a lot of time searching but could not find them all. At this time, some soldiers were willing to take the initiative to search door to door. Perhaps it was good news.
After the great enfeoffment, Laing and the others stayed in the middle of the river in Landuin Street. Laing chose a three-story noble house for himself to live in. After the things inside were cleaned up, it was very simple. It was temporarily Laing's residence here.
Today, Laing was here to invite General Dietrich of the Empire of Empire Nur, his deputy general Boris Von Zhukov, Laing's subordinate Baron Lucian of the Steeple Palace, and his good friend Alfred Frey.
Due to the reduction of food reserves and the many things waiting to be done in Mu Xilon, Laing's treat was very simple. He did not strictly follow the order of the dishes. Laing prepared a total of four main dishes for this banquet.
The first dish was a casserole filled with potatoes, corn, pork, chicken, mutton, and bacon. Various spices were added into a large crispy casserole.
The second dish was Brittany's famous stewed veal in white sauce. The reason why it was called stewed veal in white sauce was because the sauce on the dish was white. The ingredients of this dish were the breast or shoulder of a calf, boiled together with carrots, celery, and onions. The stewed veal in white sauce and Beaujolais sparkling wine were a perfect match.
The third dish was Lyonnesse fish soup. This dish was made up of fish soup, bread dipped in garlic, and potatoes. This coastal delicacy, if paired with the red wine from the Bordeaux Valley vineyard, would be a great treat.
The last dish was Mu Xilon's famous frog dish. Mu Xilon did not have anything else, but they did have a lot of snails and frogs. These amphibians were placed on the Brittany's dining table a thousand years ago. To this day, they were the main source of meat for many people in Mu Xilon. The tender frog meat was enjoyed with garlic butter and celery. After eating it, one could feel the exquisite texture and longevity. It was said that Mu Xilon's people ate a million frogs every year. Laing did not know how to calculate this number, but since he was in Mu Xilon, he had to do as the Romans do and try the famous frog dish.
On Laing's side, his female courtier, Teresa, sat with him. Due to the hot weather in July and the fact that she had used up a lot of her magic from freezing the underground river, Teresa's condition was at rock bottom. She just happened to accompany Laing and treat it as a vacation.
On the dining table, the sound of silver plates clinking against knives and forks could be heard. The two Empire generals sat opposite Laing. They were a little reserved when they ate.
The person in front of them was now a Duke. He had the same status as the Duchess of Nur, Emmanuelle, whom they were loyal to.
More importantly, they had witnessed Laing's bravery in the battle to reclaim Mu Xilon.
The two Empire generals compared the strongest warrior in Nur, Theodore Bruckner, the Nur Champion and Nur Head Judge, to Laing. They sighed in their hearts because they were far inferior. Theodore Bruckner's strength was even weaker than Kalad's, let alone Laing who had defeated Marhubbard in front of everyone in Nur.
The strong would be respected no matter where they were. Dietrich and Boris' dissatisfaction with Laing also disappeared after witnessing Laing's strength with their own eyes. Especially Boris Von Zhukov, they thought that Duchess Emmanuelle's interest in Laing was not without reason.
And in a few years' time, he would become the King of this country.
But because of this, the two of them were a little embarrassed. After all, they had complained about Laing in front of Duke Lauen. They did not know if Laing had heard these rumors. Naturally, the two of them could not straighten their backs in front of Laing.
"Mr. Dietrich, Mr. Boris, it must have been hard for you to come all the way here. You have also suffered great losses in this battle. You don't have to rush back. Take some time to rest." Laing knew why Dietrich and Boris were silent, but he did not expose them. Duke Mu Xilon had a faint smile on his face. "You shouldn't be in a hurry to return to Nur, right?"
Dietrich cursed in his heart. Mu Xilon had a lot of things to do. Wouldn't we be working for him for nothing if we stayed here? The general of the Empire pretended to think for a moment before saying in a muffled voice, "It's better to go back as soon as possible. Now that Mu Xilon has been reclaimed, there's no point in us staying here. Also, we have suffered great losses this time. We have also lost more than half of our siege weapons. When we return to Nur, Duchess Emmanuelle will definitely blame us."
Duchess was the title given to Emmanuelle by the Empire as she held three major noble titles. Otherwise, Emmanuelle who held three top-tier titles (Duchess of Nur, Elector of Brescia, and Duchess of Wyson) would have to give a long introduction every time she appeared. It was inevitably a little too complicated for the commoners. Therefore, the citizens of Nur gradually used the title of "Duchess" to refer to Emmanuelle. This title quickly became popular among the upper-class nobles.
Laing smiled meaningfully. He could tell that Dietrich and Boris respected Emmanuelle, who was also known as Emilia, very much. He did not know what the little maid did to make the people of Nur obedient. Speaking of the losses caused, the two Empire generals were a little afraid.
Teresa, who was sitting beside Laing, suddenly became a little dazed.
The sorceress was wearing a sleeveless dress with stars and pearls on it, revealing her snow-white shoulders. Paired with her cold temperament and beautiful appearance, it accentuated her arrogant temperament and unapproachable personality. Unlike Veronica, Teresa never wore low-cut clothes. The length of the dress was also slightly above her knees and did not reveal her thighs. Her slender and beautiful legs stretched out from under the dress. She did not wear stockings or high heels, but simply a pair of wood elven style flat sandals. Her toenails were painted blue. She sat quietly beside Laing and thought of the past.
Emilia was Emmanuelle! She did not expect that the mercenary from back then would become one of the most powerful people in the Empire. The sorceress felt that the world was really unpredictable. Back then, she and Laing both felt that the mercenary was a little unusual, but no one would have thought that she was …
Teresa suddenly shifted her gaze to Laing.
That's right. Who would have thought that the White Wolf Knight who went on an adventure with her ten years ago would become Duke Muxilon, the future King of Brittany?
"Emmanuelle … If Emmanuelle mentions this, tell her that I'm the one who should apologize. In order to reclaim Muxilon, the Empire's army also put in a lot of effort in this war. As long as you tell her that, she won't blame you," Laing said with a smile.
"Thank you very much!" Dietrich and Boris were waiting for this. The two generals of the Empire immediately expressed their gratitude.
"The Empire's army has a lot to learn from us. I learned a lot in this war." At this moment, the new Baron of the Steeple Palace, Lucian, spoke. He placed a grilled sausage on his plate and said, "Mr. Dietrich, Mr. Boris, when you return to Nur, can you mail me a set of military training materials? I can pay for the postage and books. "
"That's not difficult." Dietrich nodded. The veteran general in his fifties said, "Leave it to us, Lord Lucian. But you'll have to leave us a mailing address and contact information. Muxilon doesn't have a postal system, so we can only send it to the capital of Winford Duchy, Helenhilde, or Jean Town of His Excellency Laing."
"Then please send it to Jean Town." Lucian immediately left an address for them.
Laing was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly said to Lucian, "Lucian, is there a problem on your side? Do you need me to send someone to help you? "
"Of course, my Duke." Lucian paused for a moment. The young Baron of the Steeple Palace immediately reacted. "Thank you very much!"
Laing had enfeoffed the young knight of Winford Duchy with the Steeple Palace and its surrounding area. However, Lucian's land was probably the worst out of all the enfeoffment he received.
He wasn't referring to the worst quality of land, as the swamps near the Steeple Palace were known for being fertile. He was referring to the town. During the series of battles, the entire Steeple Palace had been melted down. In other words, Lucian was given a piece of empty land without any proper military installations. With Muxilon's current unsafe environment, it was doubtful that the knight could protect his subjects.
This made the new Baron of the Steeple Palace very distressed. Even if the other Barons were given castles that had been attacked before, at least they had ready-made castles that could be used again after some repairs. However, when it came to Lucien, it was a real piece of empty land. Lucien knew that he was the most junior. It was already good enough that he was conferred the title of Baron, so he had nothing to say about it.
500 crowns were enough to repair an old castle, but if he wanted to build a new one, the 1,000 crowns Laing gave him wouldn't even be enough. At least, it wasn't enough for Lucian.
A pure-blooded elven warhorse was already worth 1,000 crowns, and there was no market for it.
"Hmm, go back to Glamorgan later and look for Katzenberg. He will help you, but my help is secondary. The main thing is still up to you." You'll have to depend on yourself, "Laing instructed," If possible, get the merchants and the churches to join in as well. Don't forget that the floating bridge near the Steeple Palace is one of the few important transportation hubs that can cross Grismori River! "
"Understood!" Lucian gave it some thought and immediately understood what Laing meant.
"The most important thing is still the population, Laing." Theresa poured herself a bowl full of stewed beef soup. The sorceress suggested, "Mu Xilon can accommodate at least a million people, but we only have a population of 120,000. Even if you can move some people over from Glamorgan, the gap is still too big."
"Lyonnasser will send another 20 thousand refugees over." Laing nodded. Teresa's words made sense.
"It's not enough. Only 20 thousand. Even 200 thousand isn't enough." The sorceress did not mince her words. She spoke in front of the two imperial generals and Lucien. "We need enough people, or we won't be able to restore the glory of Mu Xilon."
"Indeed, Lady Trovic is right, my lord. We need people." Lucian agreed with Teresa's point. "How are we going to revive this place without enough people? The current situation is that we don't even have enough people to farm. "
"Alright …" Laing pursed his lips and nodded in agreement. Indeed, Mu Xilon needed people.
"This time, we'll have to rely on our brothers from the Empire." Laing thought about it and looked at Dietrich and Boris. "Nur and Wesson have a large population, right?"
“？？？” Dietrich was shocked. The Empire general hurriedly said, "This … Sir Laing, Nur and Wesson do have a large population, but there aren't many extra people. Are you planning to move people from here to Mu Xilon? Uh … We can help you make an announcement, but … "
"No, I'm not planning to bring people from Nur." Laing shook his head and said calmly, "Even if I were to bring people in, I'd bring in people from Nur."
"Then … how do you plan to solve the population problem, Sir Laing?" Boris asked in confusion.
"Aren't there other big cities in the Empire other than Nur? Especially your lower reaches. There are people there, and a lot of them. " Laing's tone was calm. "The population there is not only no help to the city, but it's also a heavy burden. Even so, aren't people from the entire Empire going there like crazy?"
"You mean … the capital, Brunswick?!" Dietrich immediately thought of something. The Empire general thought about it for a while and suddenly felt that this matter could be done.
Brunswick, the capital of the Empire, had always been a city plagued by congestion and congestion. Its walls had reached their limit after several expansions, and the city could accommodate about two hundred to three hundred thousand people.
But in reality?
Brunswick's population was around a million all year round. Every year, when there was a shortage of people, refugees, adventurers, and refugees from all over the Empire would come to the capital in waves, trying to find any job they could find in Brunswick.
Because of that, the city was forever flooded with people, stinking stench, and noise. At this time, population was no longer a resource, but a heavy burden.
Dietrich was sure that if Laing was willing to accept part of Brunswick's population, Emperor Karl-franz would definitely be willing to sit at the table and negotiate with Laing.
"That's right, Brunswick." Laing nodded. "I noticed this problem when I went to Brunswick last time. I'm sure Emperor Karl-franz would be willing to release part of his population to me. I can get the resources I urgently need, and he can also reduce the population pressure of the city. But I'm sure I won't let him keep all the good people and let me take over the old, the sick, and the disabled. We'll have to talk about this slowly."
"Also, I'll be heading to Brunswick next year, and then to Nur." Laing took out a gilded envelope with a skull, laurel crown, and iron cross on it. "This is a letter from Emperor Karl-franz himself."
"Our Imperial Majesty invites you to Brunswick?" asked Boris von Zhukov.
"He invited me to attend the ceremony. Emmanuelle must have received an invitation as well." The corners of Clayon's mouth curled up as he said with a faint smile, "Because there will be a major personnel change next year."
"Next year, the eight great magic academies of the Empire's Royal Academy will gather in Brunswick for a competition."
"This competition will select the new chief wizard of the royal family and the new dean of the Royal Academy!"
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