Chapter 371: Discussion Requirements
Chapter 371: Discussion Requirements
Commander Swaro of the noble coalition convened a private meeting.
"I’ve already sent people to inspect the situation in Bull Territory. Around seventy percent of the bodies belonged to the undead, while the rest were rebels. There are no signs of any of our own forces nearby, which means one thing is certain. Those corpses are genuine. The Ross family truly fought a battle against the rebels."
"That said, there are no traces of the Ross family’s army in the surrounding area. I believe they’ve already withdrawn to Nightfall Domain to rest and recover."
Swaro began the meeting by revealing the results of his investigation.
"I still haven’t recovered from what I saw. That mountain of corpses was absolutely staggering."
"They actually killed that many rebels. The Ross family must have deployed a massive army."
"I never expected the Ross family to regain its former ferocity. No, calling it ferocity isn’t enough. It was downright ruthless."
The room immediately erupted into discussion.
"Why overthink it? Their leader is just some young brat, and he never admitted they did it. We’ll simply pretend we know nothing. When it’s time to divide the military merits, we’ll leave him out completely."
An elderly baron sitting in the corner spoke with obvious resentment. His wrinkled face was filled with bitterness. He had never enjoyed glory in his youth, and seeing someone as young as Phield made him green with envy.
"Heh..."
The surrounding nobles immediately looked at him with mocking smiles.
No wonder you’re still sitting in the corner at your age.
An idea that foolish would offend more people than you could count.
The Ross family hadn’t achieved such results through luck.
They simply possessed real strength and chose not to reveal all of it.
Swaro burst into laughter.
"You’re truly not afraid of dying, are you? A force capable of annihilating a combined army of tens of thousands of undead and rebels could wipe your little barony off the map without breaking a sweat. Would you really dare ignore them? I certainly wouldn’t."
"Sir Swaro is right. The Ross family may have lost its sixth tier Divine Chosen, but it remains one of the Empire’s great noble houses. As long as they still have a fifth tier Divine Chosen, they retain tremendous influence within the Empire."
"They achieved something extraordinary, yet deliberately kept quiet about it. They clearly understand the position they’re in."
"My guess is that they intend to exchange those military achievements for tangible benefits."
"It seems old Count Ross may be advanced in years, but he’s still perfectly clear headed."
"When the time comes to divide the rewards, invite Phield as well. I have no intention of getting stabbed in the back while hunting."
The surrounding nobles all voiced their agreement.
"In that case, I’ll handle the negotiations personally."
Swaro swept his gaze across the room. Seeing nothing but nodding heads and avoiding eyes instead of objections, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Don’t worry. No one understands how to distribute benefits better than I do."
Late that same night, Phield leisurely rode into the coalition’s camp with a cavalry escort and a large crate of cargo.
Even during an active military campaign, the nobles’ luxurious lifestyle remained completely unaffected.
Wyverns soared rapidly through the night sky, delivering exclusive supplies for the noble camp, including ice, fine wine, premium beast meat, and fresh fruit.
"Good evening, the handsome Sir Phield."
The moment he entered the camp, a gentle and elegant female Divine Chosen approached him with a bright smile. Dressed in a graceful evening gown, she swayed her curvaceous hips as she walked toward him.
"This evening’s banquet wouldn’t be complete without you. However, Sir Swaro has already been waiting for your arrival. He’s eager to hear your story. Would you mind speaking with him privately first?"
The attitude was completely different.
Unlike during the first rebellion campaign, Phield suddenly felt countless pairs of eyes fixed upon him.
He thought to himself that strength truly changed everything.
As long as one’s strength was undeniable, people had no choice but to take notice.
"Of course. That’s exactly why I’m here."
"Please, follow me."
Before long, Phield stood before Swaro, commander of the noble coalition.
It appeared the Empire had learned from the disastrous lessons of the previous rebellion.
This time, the Governor commanded the Imperial Army, while the noble coalition was placed under the command of the great nobles.
"We meet again."
Swaro sat authoritatively at the head of the room, dressed in a magnificent cloak.
He gave Phield a calm nod before gesturing toward the graceful woman seated beside him.
"This is Lady Luxi, our family’s fourth tier Divine Chosen. She is just as loyal to the Empire as I am, and she is also my daughter-in-law."
Quite an impressive display.
Still, Phield couldn’t help wondering whether bringing his daughter-in-law everywhere was really appropriate.
Completely unfazed, Phield casually raised both hands to show he meant no harm before taking a seat with remarkable composure.
"Our army eliminated two rebel executives, Jamie and Sistina. Their bodies are available for your inspection."
"In addition, we killed three third tier Corrupted Divine Chosen. You can verify those as well, although it may take a little more work. Two of them were blown into little more than fragments."
Phield delivered the news as casually as if he were discussing an ordinary matter.
To Swaro and Luxi, however, it struck like a bolt from a clear sky.
They both drew a sharp breath.
The instant those words left his mouth, even Swaro instinctively straightened in his chair.
Luxi’s pupils instantly contracted as she stumbled back a step in shock.
"Jamie... that cunning bastard... is actually dead."
Five third tier Divine Chosen.
Even the total number of Divine Chosen killed throughout the entire first rebellion campaign hadn’t reached that figure.
After all, defeating a Divine Chosen and killing one were two completely different things.
With the escape abilities granted by Disintegration Divine Artifacts, it was remarkably easy for a Divine Chosen to flee.
Yet the young man before them had spoken of such terrifying accomplishments with nothing more than a relaxed expression.
Had the Ross family been hiding its true strength all this time?
"My nephew Phield, your father and I have always gotten along quite well."
Swaro immediately changed his tone, speaking with heartfelt indignation.
"My boy, I never imagined your family would launch such a large scale assault against the rebels. Why didn’t you inform us? Had we attacked from both inside and outside, not a single rebel would have escaped."
Right, as if I hadn’t tried to send word.
Phield resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"However, you know our family. We’ve been occupied with fighting the elves and have little interest in the Empire’s internal affairs. That’s why I’d like to exchange this honor for something more practical."
"Please don’t joke about something like that, Sir Phield. This isn’t amusing."
The achievement was simply too enormous.
Five Divine Chosen and an army numbering in the tens of thousands.
Swaro leaned forward as his heart pounded uncontrollably.
Who wouldn’t want to become famous throughout the Empire and gain greater wealth, prestige, and influence?
"I’m completely serious."
The achievement was simply too great for Phield to claim alone.
"My child, what do you wish to exchange it for?"
Seeing that Swaro could barely restrain himself, Luxi thoughtfully asked the question on his behalf.
After a brief pause, Phield took out three legal deeds.
"I’ve obtained the legal titles to the three border territories of Rick Province."
"I’m sorry, my boy."
Swaro barely glanced at the documents before answering without the slightest hesitation.
"The moment they rebelled, every one of those deeds became nothing more than worthless paper. Everything has to be redistributed."
"Imperial territory isn’t determined by a sheet of paper. Otherwise, thieves would become the Empire’s greatest nobles simply by stealing documents."
"Then never mind."
Phield casually put the deeds away, unsurprised by the answer, as though the subject had never been raised.
"I want Bull Territory."
Phield’s expression turned completely serious.