novelhk Page 28
Page 28
Chapter 54 The Importance of Titles, Xi Du's Advice
These words not only shocked Rhodes, but even the two princesses who were talking nearby were startled!
Jaina had thought that King Terenas would only give Rhodes some verbal praise or bestow some royal treasures, but she did not expect that the old king would directly offer the title of baron.
The title bestowed by the King of Lordaeron, though only a baronship, still entitles one to a territory.
Rhodes looked at King Terenas, somewhat bewildered. A baron had come up right off the bat; that was quite a grand gesture.
"I intend to grant you Stratholme as your fief. Some people will be relocated there for the future reconstruction of Stratholme. You can govern it for me and guard it," said King Terenas.
Rhodes was speechless. Becoming the lord of Stratholme? Was he kidding?
Do you want me to be Rivendare? Forget it!
Rhodes really didn't want to go to Stratholme, but he did want a baronial title.
"Rhodes, hurry up and agree." The female mage standing beside Rhodes also stood up and came to his side.
As a princess of Kul Tiras, she knew all too well how important a noble status was. There were some things that commoners could never do, even if you were a Titan emissary, but a noble could.
Rhodes nodded to the female mage, then smiled and replied to King Terenas.
“I am deeply humbled, Great King Terenas. I have only performed some insignificant service, and your generous reward is overwhelming. However, I cannot accept the fiefdom of Stratholme,” Rhodes said.
I want the aristocratic status. In Western society, lineage and status are extremely important. You, as a commoner, will be looked down upon and despised wherever you go!
But a nobleman, even if the kingdom that bestowed your title has already fallen, can still play a significant role.
Otherwise, the Black Dragon father and daughter wouldn't need to impersonate human nobles of the Kingdom of Alterac. As a baron, even if Rhode traveled to other human kingdoms, he would be treated with respect.
This noble status, combined with his identity as a Titan's Messenger, will be very useful in some future endeavors.
But I don't want Stratholme as territory; I need to change that.
"Rhodes, are you sure you don't want Stratholme?"
"Although that place has been destroyed, I promise you that I can send some immigrants there, and it will be rebuilt, regaining its former glory in the future," said King Terenas.
Stratholme is the largest city in northern Lordaeron! He had originally hoped that Rhodes could use his magical artifacts to help restore that cursed land!
“King Terenas, if you insist on granting fiefdoms, then I have a suggestion.” Rhodes had his own ideas.
Even if I go to Kalimdor, I can't follow Jaina. A true man shouldn't be subservient to someone else for long!
Rhodes wanted to become the lord and manage the territory himself.
I need to be on top, and the sorceress Jaina needs to be below me.
This baronial title would allow him to rightfully rule over the immigrants of Lordaeron.
"Speak, child!"
"Not long ago, I met a prophet who could turn into a raven, and he told me that I should go west to Kalimdor."
"That fellow is nothing but a fraud! He once came to the Royal Palace of Lordaeron and even asked me to take all my people to Kalimdor," King Terenas said, waving his hand dismissively.
"It is indeed absurd to move the entire population, but Your Majesty, it is possible to move only a portion of them."
"I've heard some rumors that a batch of ships from the kingdom were stolen not long ago," Rhodes asked.
“Yes, the despicable orcs have escaped from the concentration camps and seized a large number of the kingdom’s warships,” King Terenas said.
“Your Majesty King Terenas, I spoke with that prophet, and he told me that he had also approached Thrall, the Warchief of the Orcish Horde, and that Thrall had agreed to travel to the western continent of Kalimdor!”
"Just think about it, if the orcs establish themselves in Kalimdor in the west and gain a foothold there, while our Alliance has no influence there, wouldn't that be very bad?" Rhodes said.
Sometimes you have to try a different approach to persuade someone.
Upon hearing this, King Terenas's expression changed. If what Rhodes said was true, and those orcs had crossed westward to the continent of Kalimdor, that would not be a good thing!
Orcs reproduce very quickly; in less than twenty years, these green monsters could easily raise an army of hundreds of thousands and launch another counterattack on the human kingdom.
"Rhodes, do you mean I should send a fleet to pursue the orcs?"
"No! Your Majesty, the entire kingdom is currently dealing with the Scourge of the Undead, and Lordaeron does not have enough troops."
Many fields in this land have been abandoned due to the plague of the dead, and many people have been displaced. I think it would be perfectly feasible to gather these homeless refugees together.
"I will lead them to the continent of Kalimdor to establish an overseas colony for the Kingdom of Lordaeron," Rhodes said.
“I roughly understand what you mean, child! You are willing to accept the title of noble baron of our Kingdom of Lordaeron, but you want to go overseas and carve out a piece of land for yourself, is that right?” King Terenas asked.
“You are truly wise, Your Majesty. We are establishing our power in Kalimdor.”
"It can also effectively curb the development of the orcs, and after the Scourge is eliminated in the future, we can deal with those greenskins then," Rhodes said.
"But we don't have enough fleets to relocate people right now. The orcs seized some of our warships, and Arthas brought a large number of warships to Northrend."
"If we wait for Kul Tiras to send their fleet, it will take at least two months. Should we wait until Arthas returns before discussing this?" King Terenas said.
“King Terenas, it is actually the Titan Guardians’ intention to go west, and if you lack warships, the Titan Guardians are willing to help,” Rhodes said.
Cemetery City does have a building called the Shipyard!
It takes 1000 gold coins and 10 wood units to build a ship. How many people can a ship carry in Heroes of Might and Magic?
All the troops led by a hero can be transported away. This is a space magic ship, which in theory can carry tens of thousands of people.
Moreover, as long as there is a sufficient amount of wood, it is possible to forge a ship by consuming 1000 units of gold.
Needless to say, Rhodes has been busy traveling for the past two weeks, having already established the Congress, which now generates 4000 units of gold per day.
As for wood, there's at least a little bit every day. Rhodes has accumulated enough wood to build a ship, and he can build another one every 10 days.
Chapter 55 Your Majesty, the Titan Guardians want gems, mercury, sulfur, and crystal.
"Rhodes, you mean the Titan Guardians are sending you to the west and are even willing to provide you with warships, right?" King Terenas's expression changed instantly.
If it were just an unknown prophet coming to warn him, he naturally wouldn't believe it. But the words of a Titan guardian who guided the chief paladin of the human kingdom to the Silver Hand Warhammer and possessed all sorts of magical artifacts carried a completely different meaning.
Rhodes nodded firmly at King Terenas. "We can't wait for Arthas to return before we leave. Once he comes back, this kingdom will be destroyed, and then we won't be able to leave!"
"King Terenas, the prophet did indeed meet with me and Rhodes in Stratholme, and he told us some things about Kalimdor."
I even plan to go back to Dalaran and persuade my mentor Antonidas, as well as my father, Admiral Daelin, King of Kul Tiras.
"Have him gather a fleet from Kul Tiras to escort the civilians to Kalimdor," Jaina said.
In fact, she herself believed in that prophet very much, and now that the Titan guardian behind Rhodes had also said so, she was even more certain of her idea of crossing the sea to the west!
“Yes, Your Majesty Terenas, the Titan Guardians can provide a very special space magic ship, but it needs to be forged, and the Kingdom of Lordaeron needs to provide some resources,” Rhodes said.
“Oh! Direct forging? Won’t that take too long?” King Terenas said.
"No, Your Majesty, you must not underestimate Titan's technology. As long as there are enough materials, a ship can be built and delivered to the port in a single day."
"This is a very magical ship, equipped with spatial magic devices. One ship can carry tens of thousands of people," Rhodes said.
If you underestimate some of the bugged magical items in Heroes of Might and Magic III, I'll be in a lot of trouble.
"I see. So what materials does this Titan Guardian need to quickly forge a magical ship?" King Terenas asked.
He trusted Rhodes's words completely, after all, Uther had told him about the magical medical tent and the magic scroll that could summon fire elementals once obtained.
According to Uther, this magic scroll, once imbued with the power of Holy Light, can summon Holy Light elements; it is truly a gift of the Holy Light.
“Your Majesty, I need a large quantity of gemstones, as well as mercury, sulfur, red crystal, ores, and wood,” Rhodes said.
Actually, all you need to build a ship is wood and gold, but could you please give me some high-level resources too?
Otherwise, exchanging at the market would be at a 10:1 or even 100:1 ratio, which is a total rip-off. Let's take advantage of the old king's money first.
After hearing the information presented by Rhodes, King Terenas pondered for a moment, then seemed to have made up his mind and nodded.
Mercury and sulfur were relatively easy to obtain, but gemstones and red crystals were much more precious. However, he was, after all, a king, so he was able to acquire some of them.
"Approximately how much of these precious resources are needed?"
“The more the better, Your Majesty Terenas. I can try to persuade the Titan Guardian to send over a magical ship for His Majesty to see first,” Rhodes said.
Anyway, it only requires 1000 units of gold and ten points of wood, which Rhodes can afford.
"Then I'll trouble you, Rhodes. I'd also like to see the finished product. How about this?"
Gems and crystals are quite precious. I will have someone prepare sulfur and mercury. As for wood and minerals, I can get them out now.
"I'll prepare the wood and ore first, then we'll go to the port to see how the magical ship is doing," Terenas said.
“Then, Your Majesty, we will depart for the port in five days. I will have the Titan Guardians bring the ships over for you to see,” Rhodes said.
"Then it's settled, Baron Rhodes. I'll expedite the preparation of timber and ore over the next five days, and I'll have people start procuring the other materials immediately."
"If this magical ship is truly as wondrous as you describe, then I will dispatch a contingent of civilians and soldiers to accompany you to Kalimdor," said King Terenas.
After careful consideration, Terenas decided to adopt Rhodes's suggestion and relocate some of the people to Kalimdor, which could be considered as expanding the territory of the Kingdom of Lordaeron.
“A wise decision, Your Majesty!” Rhodes said with a smile.
It's finally all settled. Having obtained the title of Baron of the Kingdom, Rhodes led the Kingdom of Nordanron to immigrate to the continent of Kalimdor, and now he has a legitimate right to rule.
The banquet that followed was very pleasant. King Terenas intended for Princess Calia to toast Rhodes more often, but then he said he had other matters to attend to and took Uther away with him.
This made Rhodes a little uncomfortable. Should he leave now? After all, only he, Jaina, and Princess Calia remained at the banquet.
Rhodes immediately realized what King Terenas was up to. Seriously?! This princess has a child?
Luo De shook his head. "I don't want to be Prime Minister Cao!"
For a moment, the atmosphere at the banquet became slightly awkward. Rhodes didn't know what to say, so he could only chat with Jaina in a slightly awkward manner.
As for Princess Calia, she was completely ignored.
Unfortunately, Rhodes didn't have the courage to flirt with a young widow; flirting with this princess would mean taking responsibility.
"Baron Rhodes, I'm not feeling well and would like to go back and rest first," Princess Calia finally said, putting down her wine glass.
“Sister Jialiya, if you’re not feeling well, I can keep you company and chat tonight,” Jaina quickly said.
"No need, Gina. I'll just go back and rest by myself. Excuse me, Baron Rhodes." Princess Calia said, bowing slightly to Rhodes and the female mage before leaving.
With the princess gone, Rhodes and Jaina naturally couldn't stay any longer, so they also got up to say goodbye and left the palace to rest at the post station under the escort of the guards.
"Rhodes, how were you feeling tonight?" Jaina suddenly asked as soon as they returned to the inn.
"Very good. His Majesty the King is very hospitable, and the Princess is very beautiful."