While browsing Rene’s report, Sean was not surprised, as he had already sensed it when he entered the so-called Doming City.
When the Empire’s tracks rolled into the city, there was neither a warm welcome nor a fierce resistance, but a kind of numb indifference to the bone, as if the people here had been ravaged by countless wars, leaving the entire city devoid of the ability to feel sadness, anger, or even fear.
Even when Myron entered the city, many craftsmen were still unaware of what had happened, numbly continuing to build the castle for Doming.
This castle was exceptionally grand, and according to Rosalind, even if it was an unfinished product under construction, it was still far more magnificent than Cartiel’s old castle.
To be honest, given the level of Doming country, Sean really could not understand why they dared to keep provoking Rosalind. After all, there were not many people involved in agriculture in all of Doming-Castile, as most craftsmen over the age of 30 had been brought in by Doming to construct this wondrous castle, not to mention the slaves taken for forced labor.
The entire Doming-Castile agricultural sector was completely stagnant, yet Doming declared war on Rosalind under such circumstances. It could be said that the declaration of war was a distraction from internal conflicts, but even after the war declaration, the construction of the castle had not stopped.
It was too strange; Sean could not understand how, under such exploitation of agricultural productivity, even in the erstwhile Cape, the system should have collapsed long ago. Yet this country was still operational.
It was said that there was support from other Castile regions, but most of that so-called assistance was provided for Doming and Alonso to live luxurious lives, leaving less than one-tenth for actual help.
Compared to Doming, even if Doug only collected taxes three times, it felt like a benevolent ruler descending from above.
However, when Sean saw those nobles and knights kneeling before him and Rosalind, he somewhat understood that it was these nobles and knights who truly controlled the land and agriculture. As long as they did not collapse, they could continuously supply Doming.
As for why these nobles and knights had not collapsed, it was because they had no professional soldiers underneath them; apart from personal guards, those militia could change sides at any time to continue exploitation. Coupled with the ceaseless slave trade and the bloody suppression of professionals, this patchwork structure managed to sustain itself.
Currently, all the nobles and knights below Doming had been gathered by Sean, and these nobles and knights were prostrating on the ground, their foreheads drenched in cold sweat.
The war exceeded everyone’s expectations because its speed was simply too fast. Before Doming even realized it, people had already reached the street lamp, and even the supremacy magic Doming had prepared was not used.
The violent methods exhibited by the Empire struck fear into everyone, and coupled with the silence of the Avar, all countries and subjects fell silent like winter cicadas.
Those restless little lords quieted down overnight, and the once boiling pressure cooker seemed to have deflated in that moment, making not a sound.
For these nobles, Sean chose to kill some and spare others, keeping those who were less abstract among the nobles and knights, especially promoting those of lower birth.
The titles granted by Sean even carried more weight than all the so-called titles given by kings across the entire continent. After all, while there were numerous messily conferred titles and nobles throughout the continent, these were titles conferred by the Empire, which were far stronger in rank than the mongrel titles bought from who knows where. Even if those titles could not be inherited, that did not hinder the nobles and knights from flaunting their newly acquired titles.
Amid the endless gratitude from the surviving nobles and knights, Sean gifted each of them a copy of Imperial law, allowing them to study it well.
The situation quickly stabilized, and there were no further rebellions around Valunia Port. The policies Rosalind implemented also finally began to take effect, and those territories began to steadily restore agriculture.
“Will they rebel again?”
The Gray Robe looked somewhat worried at the direction in which the nobles and knights were leaving. In the Gray Robe’s view, these nobles and knights were the least reliable. Would they really organize agriculture and gather the population according to the requirements after being set free?
“No, they won’t rebel again, because they are no longer the subjects of Castile, but of the Empire. The subjects in their territories will also be citizens of the Empire.”
Sean was instilling a sense of identity in these countries and people with weak national awareness. As long as these people recognized their identity as citizens of the Empire, they would absolutely not betray again.
However, just saying this was still not guaranteed; those nobles in key positions had all been killed by Sean, even to the root, done thoroughly. Sean was not as easy to deal with on the surface as he appeared.
Replacing those in key positions were the young noble offspring from the Empire brought over by the ship. These positions formed a large net on the map, tightly locking down the other nobles so that even if those nobles wanted to rebel again, they would find themselves utterly unable to move.
Sean was still being too conservative. With the violent power displayed by Myron leading the army, as long as they did not encounter supremacy magic, they could almost sweep across the Solun Continent. Especially in those magic-deficient environments affected by supremacy magic, the Empire would not even need to intervene; just training those farmers slightly could bring them down.
After hearing Sean say that those nobles would then become citizens of the Empire, Rosalind’s expression became distinctly complex. Although there was no concept of sovereignty in this era, as power was revered, and the Empire had promised to retain the name Castile in the future, Rosalind still felt a little dazed.
“Alright, it’s time to prepare for the next battle.”
Sean’s words brought Rosalind back to her senses.
“Shouldn’t we take a break?”
In Rosalind’s view, they should first stabilize the territory before making plans.
“The Empire’s reputation must be built upon victories. As long as we continue to win, those vassal nobles will become more stable.”
Sean explained to Rosalind and continued, “Moreover, although the Empire’s next supplies will soon arrive, we also need to find ways to strengthen ourselves.”
Sean looked at the other countries on the map and asked the Gray Robe and Rosalind, “Where are there magic stone mines in the surrounding areas?”
Although the terminology varied, the residents who had stayed on M Continent still understood what magic stones were.
Rosalind immediately grasped the idea, looked around the map, and regretfully said, “There are none nearby. Even if there were, they must have been mined out during the battles with the Avars.”
There was indeed a demand for magic stones on the Solun Continent, even though the Solun people’s development in magic stones was very low.
Gray Robe knew more about this aspect and said, “Behind Princess Alto’s country, the Albar Rock Area has a stable production of magic stones, but the situation there is quite complicated.”
“Explain in detail.”
“Theoretically, Albar does not belong to any faction because no side can completely occupy Albar in the long-term tug-of-war. Coupled with the devastation of war and the outdated agricultural tools in Albar, the mining efficiency has become lower and lower. Thus, it has completely turned into a lawless land belonging to gold diggers, with only agents from the major factions conducting magic stone trade in Albar.”
After hearing what Gray Robe said, Sean raised his brows in surprise.
“Then let’s attack Alto Castile first, and take control of the Albar Rock Area through that place. As for how to mine, don’t worry. Just point out where the magic stones are, and the Empire will figure out the rest.”
Yes, it is well-known that magic stone veins will nourish the Ror Empire’s military.
