"It's good for the empire, but not good for us." The old duke turned slowly.
“Where do you think our power comes from? Land, population, force.”
"As the workshops slowly build up, they will take these away, causing us to gradually decline."
"Those things are very dynamic and powerful, but this power makes me uneasy. It will no longer be under our control."
"You know, I'm even a little afraid of that day. I can't imagine what kind of roles and existence we nobles in the Western Mountains will become in such an era."
"At least they will no longer be important characters, and may even become marginal figures."
"It's very disturbing..." He seemed to sigh, feeling that he was old and unable to embrace this new world.
"but!"
After expressing his feelings, the old Griffin Duke suddenly turned around and looked at Jelann with fanatical eyes.
"We still have a chance. That is to firmly grasp this future chariot in our own hands and become its master, and even everything in it!"
"Jerlane, do you realize that our family is now at a fork in history?"
"If we continue to sit back and watch everything unfold, we'll end up like those necromancers of the Mercury Dynasty. In the end, they did nothing and watched the Magic Sequence grow stronger. At first, they thought it was a good thing, a new force within the Dynasty. It wasn't until later, when they were no longer able to do anything, that they realized everything was over."
"The decline of the Undead Order led to a significant decline in their voice within the dynasty, while the newly emerging Magic Order Transcendents began to occupy positions of power, which ultimately led to the separation and disintegration of the dynasty."
“When people rise, even if you don’t fall back, you will gradually become weaker.”
"The new emperor is not the friend and wise ruler that the nobles think they are. Instead, he is the gravedigger for all the nobles."
"Do you understand what I mean, Jaelan? If we continue to sit idly by, everything from the Griffin family's past will become like the giant beast's head gathering dust in the storage room, becoming a forgotten and obsolete item."
"So, should we follow the example of the new emperor, implement reforms in the western territory ourselves, and take control of various lifelines in advance?" Jelann said hesitantly.
"No, you should understand in your heart that this is not a long-term solution." The old Griffin Duke was dissatisfied with his son's refusal to face reality.
Jelann also knew that the western territory was mountainous and had a much smaller population than the central region, so it would definitely not be able to develop as well as the territory directly under the emperor.
"But, this..."
"No buts, child. This may be the best opportunity. Besides, you have also seen the 'revelation', right?" The old Griffin Duke's voice was low and full of temptation.
He sat down in front of the wide chair again, and at this time a girl in a white dress slowly appeared in the room. She had snow-white hair and eyebrows, and her eyes were slightly closed. She slowly lowered herself and wrapped her arms around the old Griffin Duke's neck.
"Yes, now is the best opportunity, and the ravens in the north will also support us." The girl's voice was childish and ethereal.
Under the power of the witch, the aging duke was covered with a faint white light, and his originally wrinkled skin began to become smooth, like polished marble, making him seem to have returned to his youth and strength.
Looking at his father who was receiving the witch's blessing, Jelan could only suppress the turbulent waves in his heart and slowly lowered his head.
"Imitating Her Highness Huasilin."
Blessed by the Holy White Stone, the white griffin banner unfurled once more, carrying its command throughout the western regions. Teams of fully armed knights emerged from the mountain castle, and lines of griffins flew across the rolling hills, their flapping wings making a ceaseless roar.
The army of the Griffin Kingdom began to gather, and this time, they would once again show how proud and powerful these mountain people, whose ancestors had the courage to hunt giant beasts, were.
The Third Age, 1710, the season of autumn winds.
War broke out again within the empire, and this time the leaders were no longer the lower-class civilians, but a powerful alliance of nobles.
The Salus family, which maintained its full strength during the Great Crusade and enjoyed a high reputation in the West, declared the new emperor illegal in the name of the Duke of Griffin.
"The boy sitting on the throne is nothing but an imposter pretending to be of royal blood. The loyal Griffin family will support the legitimate royal bloodline to ascend the throne and purge the treacherous ministers and corrupt officials around the king."
"The sacred traditions and glory of the Empire must not be shaken. We must not allow them to fall into the hands of greedy and dishonest merchants, who are the evil insects that destroy the Empire."
In the name of restoring order, the Duke of Griffin summoned the army of the West, contacted the remnants of the former Aimank brothers, and many aristocratic forces who were dissatisfied with the current new policies, and began to conquer the center of the empire.
The continuous griffin flags covered the sky, and nearly 1.2 million troops began to gather, and this was only the force of the Western Territory. The Treyi family, the Duke of Raven guarding the north, also participated in it rarely this time. Nearly 600,000 gray crow flags began to gather in the wind and snow.
Although many people in the North were puzzled and even confused by such orders, they still began to prepare for war under the command of the Duke of Raven and prepared to seize the grain-producing areas in the South as soon as possible.
Faced with the Griffin Duke who started the war and denied the legitimacy of his rule, the new Emperor Elio responded quickly. He immediately announced that the central provinces were on a state of war preparation, and began to recruit a large number of soldiers and produce guns and artillery. As a result, the original contradictions between the nobles and the Chamber of Commerce were quickly resolved.
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