Chapter 1341 - 574: I Entrust Laine to You, Lady

Chapter 1341: Chapter 574: I Entrust Laine to You, Lady

The summer breeze wafted along the roadside of Count Glamorgan’s domain. In the beautiful Lady’s Garden pavilion, Laine, Surya, and the Lake Fairy sat together having afternoon tea.

The dark elf Ollica sat beside Laine, helping him serve tea and water, while Surya’s maid and the castle’s head maid Sylvia stood behind Surya. The head maid glanced at Laine with some hostility, then shyly looked away after a moment.

"Laine, isn’t it a problem for you to leave the army and return?" Surya gently sat down. The female knight was a bit worried. They had just acquired Musillon, and Laine hurried back; there must be a reason for this. Surya felt somewhat guilty, as the best choice for Laine at this moment was to stay in Musillon to oversee the situation.

"It’s not a problem." Laine shook his head with a smile and gazed at the distant sky. "Don’t forget, it’s already their land, and they will naturally give it their all."

Since it has already been bestowed, naturally, someone will handle the subsequent matters. Laine left the army and returned to the castle. Meanwhile, many of the knightly army remained in Musillon. Among his six barons, only Baron Devon Hex returned to Count Glamorgan’s domain; the remaining five barons, including Alfred, stayed in Musillon.

Moreover, from another perspective, having followed Laine through many battles, he is rightfully deserving of adequate rewards.

"When do you plan to succeed the throne?" The Lake Fairy leaned lazily on her chair, the goddess asked with interest, "Wait until Richard passes away?"

"No, after arranging everything in Musillon, I should be able to succeed the throne." Laine frowned, feeling the summer breeze on his face, the duke sighed gently, "First, a canal connecting north and south."

"A good idea, but you need to persuade Bastogne Duchy and Boldro Duchy." The Lake Fairy ran her hand through her golden hair, which flowed like a waterfall to the ground. Dressed in champagne-colored butterfly-knot high heels, her toes clad in nude stockings delicately tapped her shoe tips back and forth. Seeing Laine willing to negotiate with Leonais did somewhat relieve the Lake Fairy.

Indeed, on the matter of land acquisition, the Lake Fairy stood by Laine’s side, but the first Duke of Leonais, Sirulf, equally dedicated his life to the Knight Kingdom. During his 350 years, he engaged in endless battles. Now, seeing Leonais Duchy falling into such hardship, the goddess could not help but feel compassion.

Sometimes, the world is as such that human decisions are influenced by emotional factors, and as emotions fluctuate, they reflect into the Subspace.

The canal is an essential matter, a decision Laine made after much reflection.

The Old World is fraught with crises, and security issues are severe.

Even the richest and most powerful Rick Territory is densely covered by Black Forests, inhabited by beastmen, greenskins, and robbers occasionally appearing. Despite the Emperor’s army consistently dispatching troops for extermination, traveling on foot and trading remain perilous.

The nobles of Rick Territory have a profound understanding of this. Starting from William III, the entire territory began a massive canal excavation project. Hundreds of original rivers and canals formed the Rick River System, connecting all major and medium towns within Rick Territory. The waterways were wide, the banks distinct, coupled with the patrol of Rick Navy, making it a relatively safer method for travel and trade.

Consequently, with large-scale clearing along the riverbanks, road building, and crop improvement, a plethora of free people and merchant class began to dominate here, leading to the emergence of the citizen class.

Laine also plans to dig a canal, linking the Grismore River and Charon River, becoming a vital communication route between north and south.

However, it can be imagined that this will inevitably bring opposition, apart from conservative forces. The canal excavation will certainly impact the estates of all nobles along its path. More importantly, the canal excavation will lead to the continued rise of the free people and merchant class.

"Boldro probably won’t oppose you, as Bodric understands what business brings to him and his duchy." The Lake Fairy held the Holy Grail and continued thoughtfully, "As for Bastogne, most of the great nobles there are Holy Grail Knights, with your current prestige, they won’t overly oppose you as long as you can show them benefits."

"Actually, the biggest resistance comes from the Kingdom’s conservative forces." Laine nodded, confident in this matter, "But now, no one can oppose me, this is the best time to get this done in one go."

Surya chuckled upon hearing this, the female knight couldn’t help but feel quite joyful.

Indeed, after a series of wars and events, the conservative nobles of the Knight Kingdom no longer had the capability to oppose Laine’s authority; conversely, they often had to seek assistance from the southern nobles.

For example, Francois, that old sly fox, had just announced lending fifteen thousand Gold Crowns to the northern duchies; this sum will be used to pay overdue compensations, town reconstruction costs, and castle renovation expenses, with an annual interest rate of approximately 10%-15%. In addition, southern nobles including Laine were opening their granaries, preparing to support the north with food aid.