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Hobert was slightly stunned when he heard Fors' words.
Although he hadn't actively contacted Dorian, why did he always feel like he had stolen something from The Fool?
After a brief thought, Hobert said, "You can invite Dorian to Longtail Island as a guest.
I will meet with him at the Governor's Mansion."
Fors nodded, "I will send out the invitation."
Since Fors had just advanced and needed to stabilize her state, Hobert chatted with her for a while before returning to Angel.
Early the next morning, Hobert got up early and began to put on the attire of a Loen Kingdom duke.
Today, he was to meet the Local Lord and the generals, and hold a grand banquet, so he needed to be as proper as possible in terms of etiquette.
Within the Duchy of South Balam, there were a total of two Local Lords, or rather, local nobles supported by the Loen Empire, and two generals.
However, there were more than a dozen people who came to see the Duke because, for the sake of balance, the Loen Kingdom also supported some smaller nobles and warlords.
This could effectively prevent any single noble or warlord from completely controlling a region, and it was also a warning to the agents: I can replace you at any time.
They were all very excited about this audience, after all, this was the Duke of the most powerful country in the world, a person with great influence in that country.
Before this, only two or three of them had met a Loen noble, and they had always yearned for Loen's high-ranking nobles.
In addition, the place Hobert chose to establish his capital also made them breathe a sigh of relief.
Because the Saint-Sern Basin had fertile land, the Loen Kingdom did not support any nobles or warlords there, but chose to immigrate people to this area.
Choosing to establish the capital in this inland region would not harm the interests of the nobles and warlords.
Some even thought that this Duke might not have great ambitions, but such thoughts only dared to be secretly entertained in their hearts.
At ten o'clock in the morning, the ceremony officially began, with music and officials responsible for etiquette.
The only thing that might not quite match such a high-level ceremony was the place of audience, which was the courtyard of the former command post, not very large.
However, the Local Lord and the generals had already found an excuse for the Duke: This must be Duke Hobert showing his martial side! That's why he wanted to summon us in the military camp.
Subsequently, the majesty and demeanor displayed by Hobert convinced the Local Lord and the generals.
They all knelt on one knee, scrambling to pledge allegiance to the new master of this land.
Hobert, however, smiled and said, "We can talk about allegiance later.
Please rise, everyone, let's just chat for a while."
Since this was a colony of the Loen Kingdom, the official language here was rune language, and these local nobles and generals spoke rune language very fluently.
In the subsequent casual conversation, they were all somewhat flattered, because this Duke actually knew some situations in their territories, such as the approximate scale of cultivated land, the types of minerals being developed, and so on.
This was a capability that previous Loen military officers and governors did not possess.
This psychological state was like a very insecure person suddenly realizing that they were being paid attention to.
They all showed the greatest enthusiasm in discussing the topics initiated by the Duke.
Soon the banquet began, and everyone sat down in Order of their strength, then all looked at the head of the table.
According to the etiquette of the banquet, Hobert stood up and gave a speech: "Today we had a very friendly meeting, and I can feel everyone's enthusiasm.
I believe that with our joint efforts, the Duchy of South Balam will definitely have better development!"
Everyone applauded enthusiastically.
Originally, they thought that the Duke would say a few pleasantries and the speech would be over.
Up until this point, the atmosphere of the audience was very good, and many nobles and warlords were preparing to return to their territories and lavishly praise Duke Hobert's calm demeanor and broad mind.
But Hobert's next words were the key: "But I did not come to the Southern Continent to chat with everyone, but with a mission from the Loen Royal Family!
"I know that there are no places here that sell newspapers from the Loen Kingdom, so I will personally announce to everyone: The Duchy of South Balam declared war on the Feysac Empire today!
"Starting this afternoon, the soldiers stationed in Angel will launch an offensive to the west, attacking the colonies of the Feysac Empire!"
Everyone was stunned.
Through their respective intelligence, they had successively learned that war had broken out on the Northern Continent, but they always felt that the war was very far away from them.
Of course, they also knew that as agents of the Loen Kingdom's colony, it was impossible for them to be completely uninvolved in the war between the two great powers, but they always felt that the Loen Kingdom would at most increase their taxes.
They never expected to also attack the colonies of the Feysac Empire.
After all, they were very clear about the combat effectiveness of their troops; they were simply no match for the Feysac Empire's colonial army.
In previous Loen colonial army attacks on the Feysac Empire's colonies, their troops had participated as auxiliary forces, responsible for logistical support and some cover missions.
The result was that even such tasks were messed up in various ways.
Some hoarded supplies, some deserted in battle, and some even mistook the enemy and fought alongside the Feysac Empire against the Loen army.
A long time ago, the Loen colonial army reached a consensus: it was perfectly fine for them to maintain Order in the rear, there was no need to participate in the war.
But the necessary statements still had to be made.
Several warlords immediately expressed their willingness to hand over most of their troops to Hobert's command.
For them, it was just a loss of some guns and uniforms, and they could just recruit another batch.
Hobert smiled and said, "You misunderstood my meaning.
I hope you will provide some support in other areas."
Everyone was slightly stunned, and instantly understood that it was still about money and food.
Everyone in the room gave it very readily.
For them, this money and food used to go to the Governor's Mansion, but now it was just going to the Duchy of South Balam.
Hobert seemed quite satisfied with everyone's cooperation: "I'm relieved that everyone is so proactive.
"In addition, there are two more things to announce to everyone.
First, I plan to establish an Outer Cabinet, which can participate in the Duchy's decision-making discussions, and propose some suggestions to the Duchy government.
The government's policies will also consult everyone's opinions."
Hobert's words were very misleading, making people feel that this Outer Cabinet was like a simplified version of a parliament.
However, Hobert did not grant the most important legislative power, and the legitimacy of this organization was entirely bestowed by Hobert.
If he wanted to dissolve the Outer Cabinet, this organization would immediately become illegal.
The local nobles and warlords all thought that this was the Duke binding their interests with the political interests of the Duchy, and they were, of course, very willing to participate in the top-level structure of the Duchy.
So when Hobert asked who was willing to join the Outer Cabinet, everyone eagerly expressed their willingness to join.
Hobert continued with a kind smile, "Now for the second matter!
"In Order to better integrate the Duchy's forces and strike at the Feysac Empire, all land, natural resources, and population within the Duchy will be nationalized!
"All of you are now members of the Outer Cabinet, and of course, you must support this national policy of the Duchy.
"Oh, by the way, members of the Outer Cabinet must always perform their duties in Angel, and no one can leave this city, otherwise it will be considered treason."
Everyone was stunned.
After seven or eight seconds, a local nobleman finally asked, "Your Grace, does all land include our private estates?"
Hobert smiled and said, "According to the new policy, everyone in the Duchy can only own one to five mu of cultivated land, depending on the situation, and even I am no exception.
"You can calculate the amount of land you can own in the future by multiplying the number of people in your family by 5, and any excess will still be nationalized."
The nobles all understood that this was also a move against their private property, and their faces immediately turned very ugly.
A warlord then asked, "Your Grace, if we have no land and no population, how can we feed our soldiers?
How can we maintain effective rule over our territories and stably supply you with gold and grain?"
"You don't need to worry about that; I will send people to manage all the territories of the Duchy," Hobert said.
"Once you become members of the Outer Cabinet, you will no longer need to pay me gold and grain."
The implication was: I can take it myself.
He then added, "Also, your families must also move to Angel City to supplement the city's population."
Everyone's hearts sank again; this was preparing to pull out the roots!
Another warlord said, "Duke Hobert, you might not be very clear about the situation in our Balana State.
Previously, soldiers and governors of the Loen Kingdom also wanted to directly control it.
"But they encountered problems such as language barriers and different customs, and often clashed with the local people.
"It's precisely because of this…"
Hobert interrupted him, "I said, you don't need to worry about this."
As he spoke, he released a portion of his demigod pressure, instantly making everyone present afraid to breathe.
Most of these local nobles and warlords were also Beyonders, some even Sequence 5, and they certainly knew what the pressure Hobert had just displayed represented.
After all, before this, there was also a demigod governor in southern East Balam.
Hobert withdrew his pressure on everyone and then asked with a smile, "Regarding the Duchy's new policy, who is in favor?
Who is against it?"
Some were terrified, some had not yet accepted the fact, and some were already considering how to resist.
So Hobert asked again, "Are you all mute?"
Only then did everyone seem to come back to their senses and say, "I agree, I agree!"
"This good national policy must certainly be supported."
"…"
Hobert nodded in satisfaction: "After lunch, have your trusted subordinates go back and report.
Before your families move in, you can all stay in this command post.
I will arrange your food and lodging."
As he spoke, Hobert clapped his hands, and the dishes began to be served.
This meal was very rich, with beef, lamb, seafood, and vegetables that could only be eaten on the Northern Continent.
Hobert found the lunch very delicious.
However, everyone else's mood was very suppressed.
They ate quietly, and sometimes, even after chewing the food in their mouths for a long time, they couldn't taste what they were eating.
Hobert finished first.
He drained the red wine in his glass and placed the napkin on the table: "What a pleasant lunch.
"Well, gentlemen, I wish you all an enjoyable meal."
After speaking, Hobert stood up and left.
The people at the table looked at each other, and at this moment, their thoughts were surprisingly consistent: they couldn't let this Arrogance Duke succeed!
…
With the affairs of the Duchy of South Balam temporarily concluded, Hobert gave Conrad and Donna a few more instructions regarding work, then temporarily returned to Backlund.
Next, he planned to raid the valley where the Tamara Family was hiding, as well as several of their main strongholds, to see if he could find Erebus there.
The reason he waited more than half a month after Orseya's death to attack was because Hobert had previously believed that this attack might require another Beyonder war.
After all, the strength of this Beyonder family was evident: two Angels, at least one Sequence 3, and Hobert guessed there should be two to five Sequence 4s.
Although their strength was not comparable to the Demoness Sect, they still needed to be dealt with carefully.
However, inspired by the airstrike on Saint Millon, Hobert suddenly had a good idea.
As for whether Tamara Family members would flee their habitat after realizing Orseya had been killed? Hobert had considered this point and believed the probability of these family members escaping was small.
After all, they had two Angels and currently a demigod's clone; they should be quite hopeful that Hobert would bring people to their hidden valley, as there was a high probability that Erebus would take the opportunity to corrupt a large number of Beyonders.
The Tamara Family would also Use their home-field advantage to strike at The Creator's Beyonder power.
Moreover, they had no way of confirming whether Orseya had betrayed the family after her death.
Hobert believed that now was the best time for a sneak attack.
In the early morning, Hobert glanced at the mist outside the window and used Travel to arrive at a wilderness in the northern part of Backlund.
Then he prayed to himself, sitting on the Iron Throne, holding the Black Emperor card and the Sun Scepter in his hands; while possessing a position similar to that of a King of Angels, his entire body was covered in golden-yellow armor, and a handsome golden-yellow cloak appeared on his back.
Hobert used his stars to step into the real world.
With a slight lift of the scepter in his hand, he infused spirituality into it, and two magnificent horses bathed in golden light appeared, standing docilely beside Hobert.
Behind them was the sun god chariot, made of gold; the chariot was not large, with a Guard reaching his abdomen in front, and two wheels burning with golden-yellow flames.
At this moment, the entire wilderness became extremely bright, as if a sun had fallen to the ground.
Hobert leaped onto the chariot and quickly ascended into the clouds, the two majestic horses galloping vigorously.
His new idea was: to drive the chariot to beat Tamara.
Even if he couldn't win, he could certainly escape.
The scenery on the ground was rapidly receding, and people along the way were somewhat puzzled, wondering if they had just experienced a hallucination? It wasn't even sunrise yet, but it felt like a sun had just sped overhead.
Hobert circled the Minsk Mountains several times, which made the Beyonders of the God of Combat Church and the Church of the Everight Goddess, who were confronting each other at the mouth of the Minsk Mountains and Amantha Mountains, notice the anomaly.
However, they all thought it might be the opponent's conspiracy or some trap, so they only noticed that the power of the sun over there was a bit off, but did not send anyone to investigate.
Hobert searched for more than twenty minutes, and his spirituality finally found the large black tree that Orseya had mentioned.
From the air, the black tree was only the size of a normal tree, and only its trunk was black; its leaves were not entirely black, making it inconspicuous in a vast forest.
Fortunately, it seemed to have some connection with the Order Wood, which allowed Hobert's spirituality to discover it once he was close enough.
Under True Sight, Hobert saw a dense mist pervading the valley not far from the large tree, and his spirituality told him that it should be where the Tamara Family was hiding.
He realized that by using the power of the Nation of Disorder and the Sun Scepter, he should also be able to forcibly dispel these mists, so he decided that to give the Tamara Family a greater shock, he would simply and forcibly disperse the mist in the valley completely.
Hobert first used the image of The Creator to send a signal to Lawrence, then came above the black tree, raising the Sun Scepter high.
The sun that had just risen on the horizon suddenly became extremely bright, and all the dazzling sunlight gathered on the Sun Scepter!
It was Hobert's first time controlling such surging power, and he felt somewhat overwhelmed.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his mind, and guided the bright sunlight to its target.
From the sun in the sky, a very thick beam of light shot down.
Whoosh~
When this beam of light fell on the dense fog in front of Hobert, it even rubbed against the air, emitting a 'whoosh' sound.
At this moment, Hobert was also shocked by the power he had summoned; it was a beam of light like a 'light wall', covering the entire valley.
Its high temperature caused clouds of mist to swirl around it, making it look very ethereal!
Crack~
The black tree under Hobert's feet split open in the middle and immediately burst into flames!
...
The Theosophy Council led by Lawrence and the forces of the Balk Family arrived; their mission was to clear the battlefield and encircle and kill the escaping Tamara Family members.
But when they had just arrived, either by using corresponding sealed artifacts or with the assistance of Jonathan and others, they were completely stunned by the scene before them.
The enormous pillar of light deeply shocked their hearts, and some lower-Sequence members even had the urge to kneel and praise the Sun God.
When the huge pillar of light disappeared, they immediately discovered the source of this surging power: The Creator standing on the chariot emitting golden-yellow light!
Although this was different from The Creator's usual appearance, they immediately recognized that it was The Creator!
Lawrence and others successively drew corresponding symbols on their chests, praising The Creator's great power!
After being greatly shocked, Jonathan and others exchanged glances, lamenting that the Theosophy Council had found a powerful backer!
Then Jonathan sighed, regretting deeply that when he negotiated with Hobert back then, he had not fully pledged allegiance to The Creator.
This meant that they could currently only receive some protection from The Creator and occasionally participate in some less important operations.
In fact, they also very much hoped to participate in the development of the South Balam Duchy, which meant they would have the opportunity to become official Beyonder administrators of the Duchy.
That was not just as simple as having Helen's Beyonder team being Beyonders, but being able to participate in the Duchy's Beyonder decision-making!
Jonathan sighed, currently only able to place his hopes on Vienna, who had been sacrificed to The Creator, hoping she could move The Creator to fully incorporate the Theosophy Council.
Otherwise, they would only be able to follow the path of Hobert's two wives, having more members join the Witch Research association and the Traveler Research Association.
While Jonathan was lost in thought, The Creator in the sky drove the chariot forward, beginning a new round of offensive.
...
Hobert, on the sun god chariot, took several deep breaths, feeling a huge consumption of his spirituality.
Since becoming a demigod, it was the first time he felt that his spirituality seemed somewhat insufficient.
Hobert then realized that even if the Sun Scepter only possessed a slight essence of uniqueness, it was not something that Beyonders below the Angel level could control.
Fortunately, he also held the Black Emperor card; if it weren't for this Card of Blasphemy raising his position, that huge pillar of light just now might have broken free from his control.
Steadying his mind, Hobert drove the chariot forward.
The black tree had been dried and burned, and the mist in the valley was completely dispelled; not only that, but the pillar of light just now had scorched many plants, and many people who hadn't had time to hide were also dried into jerky, with their Beyonder Characteristics falling beside them.
Although the entire valley looked lifeless, Hobert was very clear that many Beyonders were still hiding in the valley.
After all, that layer of mist had consumed most of the light pillar's power, and only a little 'afterglow' had shone in here.
The scene here was similar to the psychical results Hobert had seen from Tamara Family members long ago: many villas with Fourth Epoch architectural styles were scattered throughout the valley, and on the mountainside, there was a magnificent temple.
The only difference was that the scene Hobert had seen before was filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, while now the flowers and plants had turned into withered grass and trees, and the birds flying in the sky had turned into roasted bird meat, fallen to the ground.
Hobert drove the chariot unhurriedly towards the temple, and the Beyonders inside the temple also realized the danger; they injected spirituality into the magic array in the temple, and a dense mist was released from the temple's windows and doors, heading straight for Hobert.
Hobert smiled slightly, strengthened his connection with the Nation of Disorder, and directly absorbed the mist around the chariot.
The mist, illuminated by the light emanating from the chariot, swirled and enveloped Hobert, making him appear extremely sacred.
The Beyonders in the temple were all stunned; it was said that these mists contained extremely powerful corruption, which even deities dared not face directly.
How could this being in the sky not only be unafraid but also easily gain control of these mists?
In fact, Tamara had once instructed them not to Use these mists if The Creator attacked, because they would be useless.
Hobert's attack here today, driving the sun god chariot, had completely bewildered them, and they had not connected him with The Creator at all.
Hobert in mid-air raised his scepter, and dozens of huge, pure spheres of light formed around him, falling towards the ground.
Four of these light spheres exploded over the temple, releasing dazzling light that seemed to eliminate all the filth and gloom inside; the Beyonders inside had their bodies ignited and screamed as they ran out of the temple.
Many people even disintegrated directly under the strong light, leaving only a pile of dust.
The ground not far from the temple suddenly cracked open, and a male in his thirties with a sallow, somewhat sickly complexion rushed out; it was Pedi Tamara.
At this moment, he was the only Angel in the valley, and he had to temporarily resist the being in the sky for a while to create an opportunity for the surviving family members to escape.
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