Warlord: King of All Clans

Products similar to the Northern Black Truffle include the magic honey produced in Pegasus Plateau, the psychedelic mushrooms produced in the Great Falls Tribe, and the tranquilizing grass produced in the Troll City-State, etc.

They all belong to the category of primary magical medicinal materials, and are specialties not found in the Southern Territory.

Most of the specialties were difficult to preserve and could only be sold to nearby towns. If they were to be sent to the Earl’s capital, hundreds of miles away, the price would double.

In previous years, such goods could only successfully reach the imperial capital in the southern border by relying on large caravans formed by the earl's power and paying heavy tariffs.

Their selling price in the imperial capital depended on the severity of the war that year. When they were at their scarcest, only princes and nobles could enjoy them.

This is also the reason why Earl MacDonald and Earl Brutus became increasingly wealthy after occupying the north-south border.

Not only did they own the fertile land in the south, producing food and cash crops, they also monopolized the trade between the two territories.

In order to maintain his monopoly, Count Brutus also built the most powerful naval fleet in the empire, and cooperated with Kuroloff's world-famous pirate group to control the East China Sea route.

Treated in the same way as the specialties of the North are the more abundant goods of the South.

Whether it is Master Freeman, the Imperial Royal Family, or even Noreen’s father, Earl Leopold, they all have very large family businesses in the imperial capital.

As soon as we contacted the team from the River Bay Lord's Mansion, mountains of goods were delivered in a blink of an eye to complete the list provided by River Bay.

But the list of river bends is updated every day!

While Leo and his allies were quietly making a fortune, the nobles in the southern border were still quarreling.

After a period of frequent conspiracies and secret negotiations, the nobles in the southern border finally reached a unified voice, that is, the electoral system is a chaotic government, and the people in the north have ulterior motives and are trying to split the country!

To re-impose military taxes on the feudal nobles and restore the empire's standing army would be even more tyrannical and would only lead to rebellion by the people!

Opening borders and promoting trade will attract the covetousness of barbarians and lead to military invasion.

When such remarks were published in the newspaper, even the worldly-wise people in the capital found them fresh.

The faces of the nobles can change so easily!

We can choose the emperor, but others can’t. This is political chaos!

We can expand our military, but the royal family cannot. This is tyranny!

We can have monopolies, but we cannot trade freely. This is a hidden danger!

The imperial capital is not like the backward countryside where the people only guard their own small piece of land and are oblivious to what is happening outside.

Most of the free population here are engaged in the secondary and tertiary industries, and industry and commerce are extremely developed.

Therefore, they are very urgent to reduce tariffs, promote commodity circulation, ensure the stability of trade routes, etc., and are also extremely sensitive to policy changes.

The power of the emerging bourgeoisie has grown and its influence cannot be ignored.

The neutral and conservative factions, who had originally been indifferent to the matter, began to speak in a direction that favored the royal family, which had always been pretending to be pitiful.

The imperial family has stood for a thousand years and has long been the foundation of the Orlantis Empire. Even the most radical reactionaries have never said that they would directly abolish the royal rule, but have only studied how to undermine the imperial power.

Now that the imperial power has really come to be at the mercy of others, a large group of people have immediately become conscious of respecting the emperor.

Various forces are fighting each other, and each has split into different factions. Marches and protests have begun to appear.

In a mansion in the aristocratic district, several powerful nobles gathered secretly.

In addition to Count MacDonald, Governor of the Carolingian Province, Count Brutus, Governor of the Dom Reims Province, there are also Bishop Hausmann of Holy Light, and Father Frank, the messenger from the City of Holy Light.

In the empire's territory map, the southern border is divided into four major provinces. Now the ruling forces of the three provinces have reached a consensus.

According to the original plan, once the electoral system was passed, the southern border would be divided among them.

After the Southern Border Cardinal Antonisse went north to the snowfields, the Imperial City Church was taken over by Bishop Hausman. He was not only a high-level Holy Light priest, but also came from the oldest bishop family in the Imperial City. In terms of background alone, even Saint Antonisse was inferior to him.

Holding a glass of red wine, Bishop Hausman could not help but complain, "How come these damn northerners suddenly came to the imperial capital? The good situation collapsed in an instant!"

As he said this, he angrily said to Count Brutus beside him: "Tullius, where is your blood mage? The people from the northern border are so rampant, why don't you teach them a lesson?"

Count Brutus had a blank expression on his face, and explained calmly, "The Imperial Capital is now under the command of Sword Saint Algernon. Unlike before, we must be careful and cautious in everything we do, and not give the other side a chance to draw their swords."

What he didn't say was that after the Kurolov family was defeated, the Blood Moon Cult also lost contact. He didn't have many blood mages, and every time he used one, it would be one less.

Count Brutus is not only the largest feudal lord in the South, but also the president of the South Maritime Trade Association and the financial backer of the Imperial Capital Chamber of Commerce. The emerging bourgeoisie in the South follows his lead, and his influence in recent years is unmatched.

But Leo suddenly appeared and knocked him out with a set of turtle punches. Now many fans have turned to wait and see and question. Among the major forces, he is the most nervous.

This Leo Mundo is really a disaster. Not only did he stir up trouble in the North, but he has only been in the imperial capital for a few days and the entire city has become a mess!

Bishop Hausman clenched the wine glass in his hand, changed his kind face in front of others, and said in a vicious voice: "Algernon, Algernon, what's so great about the Holy Order? Don't they have weaknesses? Isn't their earldom just to the south of you?"

Brutus felt contempt in his heart, thinking that this bishop of the imperial capital seemed to have hardly ever looked at a map.

The Earldom of Aosta was indeed to the south of the imperial capital, but it was also to the east of the imperial capital. Together with the province of Oranteri in the southwest, it formed the heart of the imperial capital and the lifeline of its million-strong population.

Seventy percent of the basic supplies in the imperial capital are transported from these two places.

If Brutus dared to take action against the Earldom of Aosta, not only would he provoke the Sword Master Algernon to take action, but millions of residents of the imperial capital would also stand against him.

But Count Brutus showed no expression on his face, and continued to explain patiently, "Count Osta is not only the brother of Sword Saint Algernon, but also has an entire East Sea Sword Field behind him, with no less than ten high-level swordsmen, and he is a peaceful person, so no one can find a reason to take action."

Bishop Hausmann thought for a moment and asked, "Has Count Aosta paid his tithe this year?"

The servant beside him quickly said, "Hand it over."

"Then hand it in again."

"yes."

After the decline of the imperial royal family, it was no longer possible to collect taxes from the great nobles on the border. However, the rule of the Church of Holy Light remained strong, and all secular forces in the southern border had to pay a tithe!

One tenth of the output of all Holy Light believers belongs to the Lord of Holy Light!

The holy tax for non-Holy Light believers will be doubled!

The Earldom of Osta suffered an unexpected disaster because of a single angry outburst by the Bishop of Holy Light. If this happened in the North, there would be a rebellion in a matter of minutes.

But in the southern border, it is not an uncommon thing. The Church of Holy Light has supreme authority and can just come up with a name, and small forces will have to pay obediently.

After his mood improved a little, Bishop Hausman said again: "My spies have found Leo Mondo's whereabouts. Another portal has opened in the palace square, and it is even bigger than the last one. It seems that the elves have taken action again."

"Why are these weird things running out to make trouble instead of sleeping in the mountains?"