Chapter 131: The King's Reforms

"Deliver this letter to His Majesty."

The butler, dressed in a tailcoat, received the envelope with both hands. He then bowed to the three counts, shoulders hunched in respect, and retreated from the room.

The nobleman seated on the left watched the door close. A sudden thought occurred to him, prompting him to push away the woman leaning against him.

His gaze swept across the three women present. "You may leave," he said.

The other two noblemen cast questioning glances his way, while the three women looked toward the nobleman at the head of the table—the lord of the manor—for confirmation. They were his concubines, kept primarily to entertain guests, and the lord’s commands took precedence over those of these noble visitors.

The lord waved a hand. "Go on, leave."

"As you command."

The three women left the room one after another. The door closed softly, leaving only the three men inside. The other two looked at the nobleman on the left with confusion; clearly, he had something of great importance to discuss if he had dismissed the concubines.

The nobleman on the left pulled out a bead and placed it on the table. A glass-like light emanated from it, casting a small, transparent dome that enclosed the three of them.

Only then did he speak: "Gentlemen, this thing can only hold for about ten minutes. We don't have much time for games, so let's speak plainly."

In this world, there are many ways to monitor others. They themselves employed various methods to keep tabs on their subordinates, most commonly through thieves and assassins. By the same token, they could never be certain if they were being watched by others, so many things had to be kept to oneself.

"Given the marching speed of the Grand Duke of the East, by the time the King reacts, the Eastern Territory will have already been consolidated. We must take action now."

The lord asked in confusion, "What kind of action? We can't defeat him, and we certainly aren't his match in strategy. Have you forgotten what happened in the Royal Capital?"

"The more you deal with the Grand Duke of the East, the easier it is to be manipulated by him. Even if he no longer has the King and the Hunter’s Guild helping him, there is no guarantee he won't concoct some other vicious scheme. I have no desire to experience being used as a pawn again."

Back in the Royal Capital, the Grand Duke of the East had used a cult to manipulate them, playing them like dogs. The most infuriating part was that everyone knew it, yet they had no choice but to obey, terrified he would turn around and pin the blame for conspiring with the cult on them.

Once that stain was applied, even jumping into the ocean wouldn't wash it away. That experience had left him with psychological scars; if he could help it, he never wanted to have anything to do with that black-hearted Grand Duke again.

Yet, his own territory was very close to the East. While he wasn't as unlucky as the lords of Dana, Lev, or Barrit, he was not far off. Especially since the fall of the Lev territory, they were now effectively neighbors.

Their situations were much the same: their lands bordered the East, and they were terrified the Grand Duke would come for them. That was why they were so anxious about what was happening within the Eastern Territory. If he took a whim to attack, what could they possibly use to stop him?

And if things went even worse, what if he spent a few days shattering their defenses and then casually slaughtered them, just as he had Count Lev?

"I have a 'Hidden Decree' from the Assassin's Guild."

The pupils of the other two men constricted, and they stared at him in stunned silence.

"How did you get your hands on that?"

The Hidden Decree was something that circulated among the transcendent, particularly among the low-level ones in taverns who loved to brag about such things. According to tavern rumors, the appearance of such an item was always accompanied by bloodshed; those targeted by a Hidden Decree had no hope of survival.

But anyone with a bit of knowledge knew it was merely a blank bounty order from the Assassin's Guild, used to place a contract on someone. The bounty was actually bidirectional, similar to a commission from the Hunter's Guild; whether anyone took the job depended entirely on the price. It wasn't as mystical as the rumors suggested.

The only reason it existed was that the Assassin's Guild handled the dirty work, and assassinations could not be posted openly like tasks at the Hunter's Guild.

The Assassin's Guild was not much different from the Hunter's Guild—both were organizations that did things for money, one illegal and one legal. The Hidden Decree was akin to a pass to an exclusive club. Most people couldn't get one; even for great nobles like them, obtaining one required a massive amount of effort, with no guarantee of success.

The Hunter's Guild was like a common courtesan who would take anyone’s money but kept certain moral lines. The Assassin's Guild was like a high-end escort—they did everything, had every trick in the book, and the only downside was that they were expensive.

"I cannot say, but I can guarantee the Hidden Decree is genuine," the nobleman on the left replied, refusing to answer. "I cannot afford the reward required to assassinate a Grand Duke on my own, so I need both of you to cover a portion of the cost."

"This..." The other two exchanged glances, clearly hesitant.

"I still don't think this is right. Hiring assassins is a major taboo," the lord said, shaking his head.

Assassination was essentially similar to the Grand Duke of the East killing nobles, but the nature of it was far more malicious. Killing someone through war and killing them through assassination were two different things; the former broke unwritten rules, while the latter shattered the rules entirely.

However, in practice, most people used assassination because it was the simplest, crudest, and most effective method, far surpassing any scheme. True noble struggles were actually about how to kill the other party; those who actually played by strategy, like the Grand Duke of the East, were rare.

"He was the one who broke the rules first; we cannot be blamed," the nobleman on the left said, his face dark. "Count Lev is dead, and the next one is likely to be us. Don't forget, the Grand Duke of the East is the fiancé of that woman, Olina. Both of them are complete lunatics. We must not let them grow stronger."

Everyone knew exactly what the King had in mind when he ennobled the Grand Duke. The Eastern Territory was the dowry, and his suppression of them was the wedding gift. The kings of the past had always loved playing the game of checks and balances. The only surprise was that he was too impatient, acting while the King was still alive.

Reminded of this, the other two recalled Olina's coronation oath.

"A Hidden Decree is generally impossible to trace. Besides, I will be the one to issue it; you only need to provide the funds."

In the end, they were persuaded. Gritting their teeth, they agreed.

"Very well."

...

Three days later, in the royal palace of the Dawn Kingdom.

The aged King sat upon his throne, listening intently to the report from Mark, the commander of the Royal Knights.

"According to your orders, servants from the palace have been dispatched to manage the towns near the capital. We have taken unified control of all serfs. We have implemented a system similar to military merit, rewarding those who perform well and allowing them to manage the other serfs."

While the war in the East had captured everyone's attention, the capital was also rife with undercurrents. At this moment, with the capital as the center, the surrounding vast regions had already been transformed.

The King's Shadow Guard, in coordination with the Royal Knights, had rounded up all the nobles near the capital. Such actions, if taken in the Xuan-Lv, would not be reform—they would be an incitement to rebellion, accelerating the kingdom's demise.

Nobles were not to be trifled with; if the King dared to do this, he would surely face a desperate counterattack from all of them. Yet, in this world possessing transcendent power, the vast majority of nobles had no ability to resist the King of Dawn.

The only thing constraining him was the stability of the kingdom. Without the support of the nobles, how could the King manage such vast territories? Although the Dawn Kingdom had declined and lost its former glory, with large swathes of territory annexed by other nations, it was still far too large for one man to govern alone.

However, no one expected that the King had found a way—a path that could succeed.

"The palace servants lacked management experience, which caused some confusion. However, the orders issued from the capital were executed very well; they were essentially eighty percent complete."

"Good! Good! It seems this path is viable," the King of Dawn exclaimed, clapping his hands.

In the past, when he issued orders, he was lucky if the nobles paid them any heed at all, let alone completed them. The further from the capital, the less effective his commands became, with the great nobles treating them as mere formalities. Even in towns near the capital, they would barely complete thirty percent of his orders. To reach eighty percent without the Royal Knights holding blades to the nobles' throats was previously impossible.

He fell into thought. "It seems I must have them taught noble studies."

Noble studies, as the name implied, were things only nobles were meant to learn; in reality, it was simply how to manage a territory. This was not something that should be taught to commoners—they were unworthy of such knowledge.

"How are the laborers working?"

"Their efficiency has increased significantly. There is almost no sign of slacking, as if someone is driving them with a sword," Mark said, his expression somewhat strange.

He had seen much during this time, but this was his first time witnessing those lazy serfs working so diligently. In the past, if no one was watching, they would certainly have slacked off.

"And Your Majesty, what about those nobles? We are currently short on manpower. Should we strip them of their titles and let them manage? After all, they have plenty of experience in managing territories."

Without the nobles to manage the lands, the most obvious problem—aside from the speed of order execution—was a lack of personnel. People with management experience were few and far between. Currently, it was only the few territories near the capital, but if they expanded any further, they would be unable to manage them.

"Them?" The King of Dawn gently stroked the Sword of Dawn on his knees, his voice turning cold. "Kill them all."

"Kill them all?" Mark froze, wondering if he had misheard. After all, they did have management experience, and they were short on hands; killing them all seemed like a waste.

The King of Dawn looked at Mark with an indifferent expression. "Mark, why did I round them up?"

"To reclaim power and let the commoners manage the commoners," Mark replied.

"Exactly. Since the commoners can indeed manage the commoners and can execute my orders quite well—even better than the nobles—what use do I have for them?"

"But isn't that a bit of a waste? You could strip them of their titles and make them commoners..."

Mark was interrupted before he could finish.

"Mark, do you really think they would become commoners? Do you think they would truly see themselves as commoners?"

"This..." That was hard to say.

"Mark, I need a brand-new kingdom." The King of Dawn slowly rose from his throne, his withered frame erupting with incomparable presence. A faint golden light permeated the entire palace—the brilliance of the Sword of Dawn.

"By the oath of my two unfilial daughters, this country needs only one voice. This country does not need nobles!"

"Having passed through life and death once, I have realized many things. Sometimes, one must destroy in order to build. This country is rotten—rotten to the very core!"

"I do not have much time left. I do not want to die like this—to die as a foolish and incompetent king!"