Chapter 809: Return

The Kingdom of Seer.

Within the palace, the current ruler of the kingdom, the king of all the blue-blooded nobles, and the sovereign of Windfire Plains, Storm Cape, the Highlands, Emerald Port, and the City of Universities, the heir to the great Conqueror King—His Majesty King Lanbo, blessed by the gods—was discussing the future of the entire kingdom with his advisors and ministers.

The enfeoffment of Columbus has already been issued. It’s unimaginable that beyond our continent, there exists such a vast and incredible land…

King Lanbo, dressed in splendid attire and wearing a golden crown, spoke slowly.

Having long known the vastness of the world from Wu Ming, as soon as he received some of the sea charts presented by Columbus, Lanbo cherished them as treasures.

He generously enfeoffed Columbus as a viscount, granted him a large fief, and encouraged him to strive further to discover a regular sea route to the east and west.

As a result, poor Viscount G仑布 had barely begun to enjoy the glory of nobility before being forced to embark on another journey.

“Of course, exchanges with the civilizations to the east and west are inevitable, but what we should focus on most now is our own domestic affairs!”

Beside him, the elderly Prime Minister with white hair spoke directly.

Lanbo looked at him, feeling a bit displeased, but considering that he had only recently inherited the throne and could not treat the elder so harshly, he restrained himself.

Inwardly noting this, he said, “What domestic matters need attention?”

“Primarily matters concerning the City of Universities and Emerald Port!”

The old Prime Minister replied with a serious expression, his voice more confident than when Wu Ming was present: “The emergence of the foreign world has had the most noticeable impact on Emerald Port. Even in the inland heartlands of our kingdom, many nobles are eyeing the location and scheming to relocate their fiefs. Fortunately, the news has so far only spread among the upper echelons. However, it is foreseeable that in the future, large-scale population movements, especially among mercenaries and adventurers, will be almost unavoidable!”

“As for the City of Universities, our scholars have indicated that due to our arrival in a new world, celestial phenomena and certain constants need to be remeasured and redefined, which might impact the calendar our kingdom plans to issue…”

“Additionally, two districts in Windfire Plains have suffered from natural disasters, resulting in complete crop failure. They have sent representatives, requesting the great King to reduce or exempt their taxes for this year…”

…

There were many complicated matters, one after another. Even the sharpest mind would soon develop a massive headache and inevitably lose weight after dealing with them daily.

Yet Lanbo somewhat enjoyed it.

To hold the supreme power of the kingdom, where every word and action could determine the survival of hundreds of thousands—wasn’t this exactly what he pursued?

After finishing the day’s official duties, he waved his hand, dismissing the Prime Minister and senior ministers, leaving only a few trusted confidants in the study.

“What about my brothers and uncles recently?”

When Lanbo asked this, his expression changed from previous laziness to one of utmost seriousness.

After all, the kingdom’s disasters were minor matters compared to the real threat posed by his uncles, who represented the greatest problem for the new regime.

“Your Majesty, please rest assured!”

Among those remaining, these were all Lanbo’s most trusted individuals. The newly appointed leader of the Watchers immediately stepped forward and bowed: “According to the laws established by the late King, none of your uncles have obtained substantial enfeoffments. They have no fiefs, no income, and no soldiers loyal to them. They cannot do much!”

“That’s true…”

Lanbo nodded slightly in agreement.

As the legitimate grandson of the Conqueror King, he initially found it hard to understand the late King’s policies.

Even the several princes had only received ceremonial court noble titles before being sent away with one or several knightly estates. Some were even worse off, receiving only a single manor, barely enough to cover their accommodation and expenses in the capital.

Even Lanbo himself, who was relatively favored as a royal grandson, had only received a barony as his fief.

But now, having become king and viewing things from a different perspective, he suddenly realized the wisdom behind these policies.

“Strengthening the center while weakening the branches is a very simple principle. If the branches of a tree are too numerous, they become a burden to the trunk!”

Lanbo mused silently: “For royal authority, the nobility throughout the kingdom are inherently a constraint. However, under the current cultural conditions, cooperation with the nobility is necessary to extend governance, a necessity we must accept…”

“The nobility is like this, and the royal family is even more so, perhaps even more dangerous than the nobility because of their bloodline, believing themselves inherently entitled to the throne.”

“But now, without sufficient strength to back them up, they cannot accomplish anything significant. This was the late King’s foresight…”

Thinking of this, Lanbo involuntarily shivered, as if seeing the wise and slightly mocking eyes of the late King.

Undeniably, the shadow the late King left over the Kingdom of Seer would continue to loom over everyone’s hearts.

“You’re absolutely right, my Watcher!”

Lanbo spoke in a gentle tone: “After all, the late King is still alive, so my uncles wouldn’t be so foolish, even if they received support from outsiders!”

Unlike those kings who ascended the throne in childhood, Lanbo was already an adult with a mature mind.

Most importantly, the Conqueror King William, the Blue Dragon, the Immortal, had not yet passed away!

Under his formidable reputation, no ambitious individuals across the continent dared to take any real action.

“From what I know, those uncles of mine are not so obedient!”

Another leader of the Night Watch stepped forward, opposing the Watcher somewhat competitively, hinting at rivalry for favor: “According to my intelligence, Tom and Hulk had secret meetings all night with agents from various factions. Of course, they wouldn’t dare to plot rebellion, but they might try to create a stir, forcing Your Majesty to make concessions on certain interests, such as opening the ports so that all nobles can share the profits, and enfeoffing them as princes with sufficiently large and prosperous fiefs…”

“Princes? Haha… Do those uncles of mine intend for me to share the crown with them?”

Lanbo chuckled in disbelief.

An entire duchy would be equivalent to cutting a piece of flesh from the kingdom. To truly grant a principality would practically require splitting the country.

“Intensify surveillance on them… Once sufficient evidence is gathered, hand it all over to the late King…”

Lanbo pondered for a moment before secretly instructing, his eyes flashing with a cunning light: “In fact, in these matters, you can even actively assist them a bit, spreading the word that this king is already showing weakness and wavering in the face of noble criticism…”

“Heaven wishes to destroy someone, first it makes them mad!”

Although Lanbo might not have heard this proverb, the meaning was similar.

He was now preparing to dig a big pit to properly entertain these relatives, without wanting to dirty his own hands.

Undoubtedly, the abdicated late King was the most suitable candidate for this.

Once he handled his sons and grandsons, no one in the entire kingdom could utter a word of protest.

“Your Majesty is wise!”

The subordinates, delighted, flattered him enthusiastically.

Yet an incongruous voice suddenly interrupted:

“Is that so? Are you trying to make me personally execute my own sons and grandsons?”

Although the voice was calm, even carrying a hint of mockery, cold sweat immediately broke out on Lanbo’s forehead.

Because he was far too familiar with this voice—it was even the source of his nightmares.

“This is… the late King!”

Several confidants, whether from the Watchers or the Night Watch, all knelt down immediately upon seeing the young man slowly entering from outside.

The Conqueror King’s influence on this continent was too immense for them to consider any resistance.

“Grandfather!”

Even Lanbo could only rise to pay his respects now, his face showing a trace of embarrassment.

“Oh, Lanbo, I was just away for a short trip, and upon returning, I seem to have overheard something quite serious!”

Wu Ming waved his hand, staring at Lanbo with an expression that was half-smiling, half-serious.

Meanwhile, King Lanbo II trembled all over. He understood that his foundation was shallow, and the reason he had successfully ascended the throne was solely due to his grandfather’s support.

Now he had said those words in front of his grandfather, angering him might result in his immediate deposition.

After all, having only recently ascended the throne, he hadn’t fully infiltrated the military yet. With his grandfather’s fearsome reputation and prestige, there was no doubt about where the subordinates would stand.

Even if the entire kingdom opposed him, with his extraordinary power alone, he could still suppress everything.

For the first time, Lanbo felt that in this world, supernatural power being too strong was not necessarily a good thing.

This was the natural aversion of a system controller toward an extraordinary individual who does not follow the rules.

But at this moment, he could only humbly bow his head: “Grandfather, I was wrong!”

“Wrong? I don’t think so!”

However, Wu Ming’s following words surprised him greatly.

“Royal authority needs to be unified. In this regard, both the old nobility and the royal family are obstacles. A king with ideals and ambitions who does not think about how to reclaim power from below is the real fool and waste!”

Lanbo suddenly felt an overwhelming joy filling his heart, his voice even trembling slightly as he cautiously asked: “So your meaning is…”

“My meaning doesn’t matter much!”

Wu Ming waved his hand, his expression turning slightly serious: “What matters is that our kingdom needs to change, immediately! In this extraordinary period, we need to integrate all our forces so that the entire kingdom has only one voice, one will!”

“Why?”

Faced with this vision, Lanbo did not feel particularly delighted but instead somewhat fearful.

“Naturally because during this continental journey, I have seen too many things and heard too many secrets…”

Wu Ming shook his head without revealing the full truth: “Lanbo! Let the entire kingdom’s machinery start moving immediately. A great disaster is about to come!”