Chapter 397: The development of the situation and Ryza's technological breakthrough! (5000!!)
The Lord of Thorns sat in his seat in the Lord's Hall.
The Frost Moon Kingdom is considered a relatively large country in this land.
As the only grand ducal family in the Frost Moon Kingdom today, the Thorn Family has an extraordinary status in the human world.
The Lord's Hall of the Duke of Thorn is extravagant and luxurious.
It smells of wealth and power.
However, Duke Thorn has become accustomed to such luxury.
Originally, there were many luminous pearls in his hall for lighting and decoration.
Lord Thorn even showed off to Rand.
But Rand told him that the night-shining pearls were bad for the body, so the Duke of Thorn ordered them all to be removed.
So much so that now, his luxurious lord's hall looked a little strange.
He is not in a good mood.
It’s not because of the lord’s hall that looks a bit weird, but because of the current situation in the Frost Moon Kingdom.
Now he had to sit on the sidelines and watch.
He agreed with Rand that since the Great Prince's raid had failed, the country was inevitably going to fall into chaos.
He actually understood the eldest prince's choice. Due to the existence of the queen, even if the eldest prince succeeded to the throne, it would be very difficult for him to gain national power later.
An open and covert struggle with the third prince is almost inevitable.
And now there is another leader in the Frost Moon Kingdom, Earl Rand and Duke Thorn.
What if these two people support the third prince in the future? Will he still be able to keep his throne? Therefore, the eldest prince decided to end it once and for all.
As long as the third brother dies.
Then the power will be concentrated in him.
Unfortunately, the third prince was prepared.
The Duke of Thorn was very angry about this, but what made him even angrier was... the death of the king.
To this end, when leaving the royal city, he kidnapped the second prince.
Yes, although he advised Rand not to be impulsive, the Duke of Thorn himself was impulsive.
He didn't tell Rand about this.
The second prince was squirming on the floor of the Lord's Hall of the Thorn Family, warning Grand Duke Thorn viciously and demanding that he let him go.
Duke Thorn was very annoyed. He now felt a little regretful. He thought that he would not be able to get anything out of such a stupid creature by interrogating him.
He was curious why the second prince was so stupid.
It's really hard to imagine.
But since everyone was caught, Duke Thorn had no choice but to ask, "Did you kill your father?"
The investigation revealed that the second prince killed the king, but Duke Thorn still felt that something was fishy.
That day he personally picked some nourishing herbs for the king, but the next day he received news of the king's death.
The second prince made a “uh uh” sound.
That day he had a quarrel with the king about what would happen after his marriage.
He overturned the table in anger.
The table fell on the king and he died.
The king is not a professional, so it is possible that he will be crushed to death.
The second prince felt a little regretful, but he was unwilling to admit it.
He would rather admit that he killed the man on purpose than admit that he killed his father accidentally.
But when the second prince looked into the Duke of Thorn's dark green eyes, which were exactly the same as his own, he could not say anything.
Duke Thorn is the king's cousin. He has great influence in the Frost Moon Kingdom and his territory is very powerful.
Grand Duke of Thorn treated the king's sons well, and the second prince always thought that Grand Duke of Thorn was quite kind.
But now, he is like an eagle or a falcon, or a tiger or a leopard.
So deep that it seems to reflect the entire world.
The second prince was speechless and could not utter a word.
Duke Thorn tapped the armrest of his chair out of boredom.
"Rubbish." Duke Thorn commented.
What a waste of time!
Grand Duke of Thorn was very disappointed. He thought that the second prince might have been used, but because he was too stupid, he could not see what was going on.
It is really difficult to deal with a truly stupid person. It is hard to tell whether many things are caused by stupidity or by bad things.
Duke Thorn felt a little nauseous, sighed, and waved his hand to signal his trusted men to take the second prince away.
After sitting in the seat for a while.
The eldest son of Grand Duke Thorn, the heir of the Thorn family, came to pay his respects.
The eldest son is a serious person, very different from the shameless Duke of Thorn.
The eldest son had studied for a long time under Eleanor Thorn, so his temperament was more like his great-aunt than his father.
But he has good abilities and is a good candidate to inherit the family.
Seeing the outstanding heir, Grand Duke Thorn breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since he decided to let his aunt marry Rand, his eldest son has been at odds with him.
But fortunately, I have always remained within the realm of reason.
"Your Excellency the Duke." The son of Grand Duke Thorn spoke.
Grand Duke of Thorn was somewhat helpless when his son called him Duke.
"What's the matter?" Duke Thorn tapped the armrest with his fingers again.
"What should we do about the current situation?" asked the heir of the Thorn Family.
"Just pretend to be dead. The Torch Church is a lesson for this kind of situation. We can make a decision after we get some results." The Duke of Thorns replied.
This was a very boring question. Duke Thorn didn't think that his son couldn't figure it out, so he thought his son had something else to say.
The Duke of Thorn waited for his son's next words.
"Father, I don't think it's necessary for my great-aunt to stay in Crescent Moon Territory anymore. Our relationship with the Nicholas family doesn't need to rely on this to maintain." The eldest son said.
Seeing his son trying to rescue his great-aunt in all seriousness, Duke Thorn felt much better. His long, pale eyebrows bent down, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to fade a little. "Of course, of course. Your father happens to be quite free right now. I can help you with some family affairs. You can go to Crescent Moon Territory to find your great-aunt and your sister."
Grand Duke Thorn has been very idle, that's naturally because all family affairs have been handed over to his heir.
It is called exercising ability.
Of course, the intention here is to train the heir, but it is also an indisputable fact that Grand Duke Thorn wants to be lazy.
The eldest son of the Duke of Thorn was confused.
But seeing that his father had relented, he decided to go to Wanyueling to bring his great aunt back.
He did not hate Count Rand, on the contrary, he even admired Rand, but at the same time, he also knew that Rand had a perverted habit.
This was a rumor his sister told him in a letter.
The eldest son was worried that his great-aunt's old bones could not stand Rand's perverted gameplay, so he prepared to save his great-aunt.
The eldest son of the Duke of Thorn left the Lord's Hall.
After a while, the eldest son returned.
The eldest son of the Duke of Thorn spoke up: "Someone tried to kidnap the second prince."
Duke Thorn raised his eyebrows. What a pleasant surprise.
After arriving at the prison in the territory, Duke Thorn saw a skeleton emitting green flames.
He has been subdued by a master of the Thorn Family.
Duke Thorn raised his eyebrows again and said with a smile: "Isn't this Lord Earl Feihu? Why is he in such a miserable state now?"
The Flying Fox Count Skeleton remained silent. It was not equipped with an alchemical voice device and could not speak.
Count Feihu was once a grand duke, but he made the wrong choices time and time again, leading to his current situation.
"So you guys are still meddling in the king's affairs?" Duke Thorn asked again.
Duke Thorn knew that he would not get an answer, after all, the other party couldn't even speak.
There was an incident of Scourge Cultists in the royal city of the Frost Moon Kingdom, and later the Lady of the Crimson King came to resolve it.
The problem of the Scourge Cultists in the Frost Moon Kingdom's capital was cleared up from then on.
Her Excellency the Saint is very strong in this area of business, and there has never been a problem with Scourge Cultists in the Royal City since then.
But outside the royal city, outside the Frost Moon Kingdom, that may not be the case.
After all, not all northern united countries are willing to donate to the Torch Church.
It now seems that Count Feihu is not having a good time after leaving the Frost Moon Kingdom.
Duke Thorn looked at his son and said, "When you go to Crescent Moon Territory to look for your great-aunt, take this Earl of Flying Fox with you."
Now the Torch Church has opened a branch church in Crescent Moon Resort. Perhaps the Torch Church will have a way to pry information out of the cultists.
The eldest son of Lord Thorn nodded.
The Duke of Thorn also left.
…
At the same time, the third prince was talking to his mother, the queen of the Frost Moon Kingdom.
But now the queen should be called a widow.
When the next king ascends the throne, she will become the queen dowager.
The prerequisite is that the successor is her son, who is now the third prince of the Shimokuri Kingdom.
Or, will the queen herself succeed to the throne and become queen?
According to the tradition of the Frost Moon Kingdom, this situation may not be impossible.
"Mother, when shall we start the army?" The third prince also had a pair of dark green eyes, which were different from her mother's azure blue.
"Call me Queen." The Queen smiled and said, "After the spring planting next year, we don't have to rush. Let's see what the Duke of Thorns does, oh, and the Count of the Moon Phase."
The third prince nodded.
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The third prince, like the eldest prince, doesn't like the Duke of Thorn and the Count of Moon Phase very much.
Especially when these two told him that they planned to support the eldest prince.
The third prince may not want the throne that much, but it is very important to him that the eldest prince cannot get the throne.
The eldest prince must want to kill him.
It was just that because he was on guard in the royal city, he could finally do something now.
It now seems that Grand Duke Thorn and Count Moon Phase also know that the domestic situation has reached a turning point of destiny, and they did not take any further action.
So now it is very likely that he will obtain the throne.
The third prince was a little excited.
…
Many nobles in the Frost Moon Kingdom were much more nervous and excited than the two princes.
The results of the redistribution during the last civil war did not satisfy the domestic nobles.
And now, there is finally another chance to gain glory and fortune through sword and horse.
The noble population composition of the Shimokuri Kingdom is actually very different from that of other countries.
The reason is simple. Many old nobles died in the war along with the previous king.
Then another group of old nobles died in the civil war.
Later, the Frost Moon Kingdom also had problems with the God of Struggle Sect and the Scourge Sect, which led to the fact that the nobles in the Frost Moon Kingdom were actually relatively young.
In addition, many nobles returned from the North after studying in church schools.
Young people are always a little impulsive and unwilling to accept defeat.
These impulses become sophisticated over time.
However, the Frost Moon Kingdom ushered in changes again.
Well, we can only say that these young nobles who have taken high positions in their families at a young age have been holding power and have been waiting for change for too long.
Their desire for honor and wealth is surging in their hearts.
They are full of vigor and ambition.
…
In the church school, Vanilla is busy again.
Because we need to process admission procedures for many students from the White Country.
Rand attended a class at school after a long absence.
General knowledge courses.
"Do you know how many households of peasants it takes to support one knight?" Rand asked.
Many people shook their heads.
But some people knew, and someone answered: "8 households."
"About the same," Rand agreed. "The number of farmers needed to support one knight is between six and nine. The rich lands in the south require fewer, while the poor lands in the north require more, but overall, it's probably within this range."
In the Frost Moon Kingdom, there are about 7 to 8 farmers supporting one knight. In Rand, due to the advancement of farming technology, the number of farmers supporting one knight has reached 6.
The current population of Rand Territory is about 28,000. If all of them are farmers, and if nothing else is taken care of, and all of them are converted into supporting knights, they can support about 900 knights.
This is already a very scary number.
In reality, Rand has fewer knights, more special forces, and more regular troops.
"When a knight goes on an expedition, it requires forty farmers to farm day and night for a year, three blacksmiths to hammer day and night for a month, and a whole cart of iron ore to be consumed," Rand introduced.
"I'm not saying this to ask you to cherish the knights you may have in the future, but..." Rand said, "Logistics."
"Of course, we can plunder on the spot to meet logistics needs," Rand explained, "but this method cannot be maintained for too long. A barony only has about ten villages, and they will soon be plundered. If the war drags on for a long time, the army that is not fully prepared will inevitably fall into a situation of lack of food and armor."
"But if the war drags on for a long time, then we need to give more consideration to the issue of food and fodder. Otherwise, the knights who have been raised at such a high cost will lose their combat effectiveness before they even go to the battlefield." Rand's temporary course ended like this.
Rand actually wanted to talk about the orcs. The orc invasion war had been going on for a long time, and the food and grass looted from the Principality of Green Shadow had also run out.
Unless the orcs start farming in the Principality of Green Shadow, they will have to retreat sooner or later even if they break through the defense line.
The road from the North to the Principality of Green Shadow is already very long, and this supply line is also subject to harassment from the soldiers and knights on the defense line, and there is not much food in the North.
Rand estimated that it would take at most two years for the orcs to make a decision.
Unless they actually start farming.
Rand thought about it and decided not to talk too much about it in a class like this, and there was no sign of it yet.
After Rand left the classroom, Lord Thorn's aunt Eleanor came to teach.
Eleanor said her grandnephew would be coming to visit soon.
Rand also needs to be prepared for this.
But the most important thing recently is the dragon blood experiment.
The adaptability of cattle and horses was beyond Rand's imagination.
It seems like it will succeed.
There are already signs of success.
Rand revisits the site of his evil experiments.
Here is a group of unique cattle and horses.
Ordinary cattle and horses have the head of an ox and the body of a horse, a bit like a wildebeest, but if you look closely you can still tell it is a ox's head, with a stronger body and tougher fur.
The cow and horse possess the evil power of the Mother Goddess, which can scatter the dead and resist the flames of the Torch Church.
In short, it is a mount exclusively for evil forces.
The product of the latest experiment - the flying bull-horse - is covered with a layer of dragon scales. The bull's head has also changed, with its eyes becoming vertical pupils like a dragon, and its mouth opening to reveal sharp teeth.
The body became thinner and lighter.
The most important thing is that it grew wings.
It's just like the legendary Pegasus, except that these wings are more like dragon wings than bird wings.
"Can it fly?" Rand asked.
Karin is already waiting here. This experiment was proposed by Karin, and she has also paid close attention to it.
Even many of the theoretical aspects, such as how to extract dragon's blood and how to determine the injection dosage, had Karin's suggestions.
Karin felt that she had done so many evil things that she was already a bit like a cultist.
But fortunately, it worked.
"They can fly, but there are big differences between individuals. The strong ones have a good carrying capacity, while the thin ones are just average. But generally they can carry people, but the thin individuals cannot carry any equipment while carrying people." Karin said.
Rand knew why this happened. First of all, it was due to technical reasons. There would be errors in the purification and injection of dragon blood, and there were also individual differences among the cattle and horses themselves.
There is nothing that can be done about the individual differences among the dragon blood cattle and horses produced. They can just be bred slowly in the future.
"What if I choose to use lighter soldiers, such as ratmen, dwarves, and gnomes?" Rand pondered.
Karin shrugged. "If you can really get these species to work for you, then yes. That way the problem of weak individuals carrying weight can be solved."
Rand fell into thought. There were quite a few ratmen in the territory, so he could try to train some.
In the early stage, train some ratmen flying cavalry, and then choose human cavalry after the average carrying capacity increases.
Also, according to Lisa, there are already ideas for technological breakthroughs in the vibration communication device, and it is estimated that there will be results in the near future.
At that time, we can also let the dragon blood cattle and horses carry the communication adapter in the sky.
…
Meanwhile, Lysa wanders the streets.
Not only the vibration communication device, but also the powerful suit used to "persuade" Karin has also been developed.
It adopts fox-like mimicry design, combining practicality and aesthetics.
Coupled with the latest design of the micro-magic impact tail, it will emit a weak magic impact while vibrating, which is simply a perfect invention.
Lisa was very satisfied with this. She believed that after Karin used this prop, she would generously admit her hobby.
By then, in this territory, she, Lisa, will finally no longer be an outlier.
What a wonderful day! (End of this chapter)