After dinner, Martin suddenly got excited and called Eric and Shuang Ning, and under their guidance, he climbed to the top of the castle. Once on the roof, Martin stood firmly, slowly raised his head and looked around.
On the streets below, all kinds of people, including civilians, mercenaries, free nobles, etc., came and went in an endless stream.
Looking at this vibrant city under his governance, a feeling of heroism arises spontaneously.
Martin stood on the roof for a long time, lost in this emotion. Only when Yoder contacted him through the communication crystal did he turn around and go to the study with a sense of satisfaction.
In the study, Yoder had been waiting for a long time. When he heard the door open and saw Martin coming in, Yoder quickly stood up and bowed respectfully.
Martin waved his hand gently, indicating that he didn't need to be polite. Then he walked to the main seat and sat down. He asked, "Joad, what brings you to me so late at night?"
Yoder replied with a serious expression, "Master, the New Year is in three months. I just received an urgent notice from the capital, requiring all nobles to go to the capital a month in advance to attend the New Year's Eve dinner and pay taxes."
Martin said with a puzzled look on his face, "I understand the previous requirement, but what about the tax mentioned later? It's not even a year yet. Are we still paying the full annual amount?"
Joad seemed to have anticipated the young master's question. As soon as Martin finished speaking, he explained in an orderly manner: "Yes, young master. This is an unwritten rule that has existed since the founding of the Kingdom of Charlemagne."
"Since you now occupy two-thirds of the Western Territory, the corresponding taxes you must pay are not a small amount. I have carefully verified before coming here, and the total amount you must pay is 1,523,215 gold coins."
When Martin heard that he had to pay such a huge fee, he immediately felt reluctant, especially when he thought about the fact that his previous proposal to build a magic academy was rejected, which made him feel even more upset.
Seeing Martin's hesitation, Joad knew he was reluctant, so he continued to persuade him, "Master, whether we like it or not, we must pay this fee. This is related to whether you can successfully obtain the title of Grand Duke after the New Year."
"According to the kingdom's laws, with the size and power of your current territory, you have already reached the standards required of a duke. Now all that's missing is the official appointment in the capital."
"If we pay this tax on time, the capital will have no reason to harass you about it. I estimate that the royal decree appointing you will be issued after the New Year."
After hearing what Joad said, Martin thought about his previous communication with Duke Merlin about the dukedom, and he knew that what Joad said was true.
It seems that to solve the current financial difficulties, we have to pin our hopes on the lawless area "Shadow City".
After Joad left, Martin sat in his study, drumming his fingers on the table, thinking: It's still quicker to snatch it away.
As the night deepened, Martin slowly fell asleep under the attentive care of the maid.
The next morning, the morning light shone through the window onto the bed, and Martin woke up early.
He quickly washed up, enjoyed a hearty breakfast, picked up the communication crystal, and saw a message from the commander of the Sixth Legion, informing him that the Sixth Legion had rushed to the location marked by Martin overnight.
Seeing this, Martin immediately summoned the Dragon Knight Eric and ordered, "Take me to the Sixth Legion camp."
Eric followed the order and, along with Shuang Ning, escorted Martin through the spatial rift. Every time they crossed a spatial rift, the wondrous feeling filled Martin's heart with a new wonder. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Sixth Legion's base.
The patrolling knights were surprised to see their lord suddenly appear in the camp. However, they were well-trained and quickly reacted, saluting.
Martin nodded slightly, then asked the patrol captain to lead the way to the main tent. Along the way, every knight who saw Martin stopped what they were doing, saluted in unison, and shouted "loyalty".
Soon, everyone arrived in front of the main tent.
Mander, commander of the Sixth Legion, had already sensed Martin's arrival and was now waiting respectfully outside the main tent.
When Martin approached, Mander hurriedly took a few steps forward, gave a standard military salute, and shouted loudly: "Loyalty!" Martin nodded in response.
Martin was the first to enter the main tent. After taking his seat, he looked at Mander with a determined gaze and asked, "Mander, are you confident in the next challenge?"
Mander's expression was excited, and he responded in a loud voice: "Young Master's orders are supreme. I swear to complete the mission at my death!"
Afterwards, Martin chatted with Mand about subsequent operational deployments and other matters.
Just as the two were talking, far away in the Shadow City, all the forces in the city noticed that a supernatural army was approaching, and it was fully staffed.
It was obvious that this was another force that wanted to intervene in the situation. Faced with this situation, the various forces reacted differently.
Some forces are gloating and seem to be waiting to see the excitement; some are afraid that the world will not be in chaos and are secretly planning how to gain benefits from the chaos; and some are watching from the sidelines, quietly observing the development of the situation, and acting as if they are not involved.
However, among the many forces, there is one that cannot be restrained - the "Chaos Cult".
The predecessor of this "Chaos Cult" was originally a knight order of the Starry Holy State. Later, according to the Starry Holy State, they betrayed their faith and were expelled from the Starry Holy State.
After the expelled Knights arrived in the Shadow City, they found the chaotic and disorderly environment as comfortable as fish in water.
The former members of the Knights Templar used their own abilities to actively carry out activities, and the order developed at an astonishing speed.
They use various means to quickly recruit members while constantly brainwashing new members.
In a short period of time, the size of this group expanded rapidly to as many as 10,000 people.
As their power grew, they officially changed their name to "Chaos Cult" and began to vigorously promote the doctrine of chaos.
They claim to break all existing order in the world and attempt to build a world without any order at all, in which all rules will be subverted.
In the eyes of the Chaos Cult, this new extraordinary army is like a piece of cheese with an enticing aroma, making them salivate and eager to take a bite.
Just as Martin and Mander were discussing battle deployment and other related matters, a knight hurried into the main tent and knelt on one knee to report: "My Lord, Commander, there are forces from Shadow City who wish to visit you."
Upon hearing this, Mander subconsciously turned his gaze to Martin, waiting for his instructions.
Martin thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, "Let them in. Let's see what this force is up to."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
