The chat became awkward for a while and could not continue. Coincidentally, at this time, the waiter delivered a letter to Griffith.
This is a letter of commendation delivered through the Reserve Army Command. In recognition of Griffith's decisiveness and activeness in suppressing the evil rituals in Odessa in the autumn, the Senate awarded him a large piece of land as a reward, including 12 large and small There are different villages, several forests, mines with unknown output and two lakes.
According to convention, war merit awards will give a range of optional awards, and Beyeland's rule of replacing territory with annuities has also been implemented for many years. However, the Senate generously exempted them from the trouble of thinking and directly granted several manors and people around the originally small Ravenel territory.
The territory Griffith originally received was only a manor with 4,000 acres of arable land and more than 500 residents. In less than three months, his territory had expanded more than ten times, almost approaching that of the ancient Ravenel family. sphere of influence. In ancient times, each village could dispatch at least one knight and his retinue, that is, two heavy cavalry, plus less than ten poorly equipped infantry.
The barony means a cavalry squad and an infantry squadron in wartime, and is a pillar that cannot be ignored in the kingdom. However, in the past one or two hundred years, the strengthening of the central and wizarding powers of Bijland and the establishment of a standing army gradually weakened the value of feudal lords and knights. Ancient Verona once had a powerful army, but now it dared not speak loudly in front of Bjelan.
Interestingly, the Beyelan Senate seems to be following its old path again. They sent out legions at the turn of spring and summer, almost dominating the situation in Verona, but by the end of the year they began to support the small local lords.
"Congratulations!" Nona looked at the commendation order for a few times and said sincerely, "Maybe we should call you Sir Ravenel!"
"This is the Senate's reward for the soldiers who fought for it. This is a land the size of a barony, with between 5,000 and 10,000 residents. However, the local situation is so corrupt that my territory may have become almost a ruin. Yes. The Senate will not engage in loss-making business." Griffith smiled, put away the letter, and directly began to draft a letter to Roland.
According to the agreement between the two, Roland will arrange personnel to assist Griffith in managing the territory, and try his best to help him resume production, train the local militia, and gradually integrate into Roland's system.
After Bayeran's army arrived, it once controlled a large area of Verona land. However, affected by the orc war in the autumn, the rebels who had been defeated many times resurrected.
Everyone knows that the rebellion in Verona has not been eliminated. The strength of the rebels is increasing every moment. Even Count Larmore and Count Chalon have a headache. Sooner or later, the Shutorals will return. Go to that battlefield.
"Nonna," Griffith asked as he wrote, "do you think the Senate really intends to release the royal family and nobles?"
Nona expressed her opinion while watching Griffith write the letter: "I think this may be the royal family promoting this work.
"The families of Berthier and Dedeus also received local territory as a reward. We should deploy there for a short time next spring to train a new army composed mainly of local people to protect the territory. However, staying there It won’t take too long, it’s mainly about getting familiar with the actual situation, and the specific work will be completed by officials appointed by each family.”
The western part of Verona is dominated by mountains and hills, with lakes and rivers crisscrossing it, and mountains running through the middle. To the north is a vast plain, and to the south is mostly mountains and river valleys.
Facing the sea to the east is the territory directly under the jurisdiction of Bayerland, where regular legions are deployed and there are the best cities, ports and manors. The big cities Old Town and Varna are both located on the west coast of the Sea of Tranquility, and are seaports and road hubs connecting the Odessa region to other parts of the world.
The area slightly to the west was the territory of Verona's main nobles. These areas suffered less damage during the rebellion and are now heavily protected.
Further west is the central plain of Verona, which was hit hard by the rebels. Many of the nobles who had lived there for generations were killed in the rebellion and suffered heavy losses. Many simply sold their territories and fled to the newly conquered province of Bayeran. Part of the idle territory was occupied by the rebels, and some of it was used by Bayeran to reward his own people. These territories are close to each other and their forces are intricate.
Griffith's territory is here, not far from the territory that Berthier and the others obtained. Nearby are also the fiefs that Earl Larmore and the Isius family just obtained.
Beyond these forces, there are others who control the population and the land. They were neither rebels nor did they obey the orders of Bjelan and Verona. These people are like mercenaries and bandits, and they have seized a large area of land in the chaos.
There are plenty of people here willing to fight, if the price is right.
The two were chatting when Griffith suddenly noticed Neferty leaning towards him. She and several exchange students from Odessa received special invitations to attend the party.
The woman hesitated a little, but still quietly moved towards Griffith little by little. Finally arriving two meters away, she took a deep breath and whispered with the greatest courage:
"Good evening, knight, I thought..."
Before Neferti could say what she wanted, a voice suddenly interrupted.
"Good evening, knight." Aaron, with blond hair and red eyes, came to Griffith in the eyes of a large group of admirers, condescendingly visiting him like a king. There were many cute girls with little stars twinkling in their eyes, looking at him all the time.
"Belia, Holov, please give us some time." The Son of Prophecy nodded to his friends and sent them away with resentful eyes.
"Good evening, Aaron, is there anything I can do for you?" Griffith greeted politely, as if the two of them had just played a few Gwent cards in the ruins of the Whispering Forest.
"Yes," Aaron leaned forward, as if a close friend was holding Griffith's shoulders, almost touching his face, "A trial is about to begin, and the participants will be me and your woman."
Aaron's appearance is more delicate and beautiful than the girl next to him. Just by standing there, he can make people intoxicated and fall in love with him. However, his words were like poisonous snakes swimming in the shadows, hissing out the words. Griffith even felt vampire fangs appearing next to his ears, filling the air with an extremely dark and dank atmosphere.
Nona and Neferti quickly stepped aside, and the laughter that filled the entire hall a few seconds ago suddenly hid behind the curtain and the couch, peeking at the two people. Everyone looked at the abnormally close Griffith and Aaron, and speculated about what they were talking about, and many people became jealous.
"So?" Griffith also held Aaron's shoulders.
"Do you know what trial this is? Griffith," Aaron whispered with impeccable nobility, "old Tiberion will soon announce what he thought was some happy memorial. But, I know, Griffith...
“The revelation from the gods has been given, and I know something.
"And you, what did you encounter in Odessa and the Sea of Chaos? The illusion hidden there will also come and fight with me. Just the aftermath will tear Miss Elf into pieces."
"Go on." Griffith said calmly.
"I can let you join in, Griffith, and give you a chance to protect her, as long as you obey my will," Aaron said, "You don't need to answer me. Soon, the time will be ripe."
After saying this, Aaron nodded to Griffith, turned and walked towards his followers, while scolding them: "Trotsky, don't say useless words there, come to me."
At the same time, the host of the banquet, Headmaster Tiberion, finally arrived.
His entourage brought a huge crystal ball and carefully placed it on the table in the middle of the banquet hall.
The principal looked at the students with his old and kind eyes:
"Good evening, gentlemen and ladies.
"I originally wanted to compose a little poem to praise life on the beautiful night before Frost Festival, but darkness enveloped us, and determination and action were more important than lyricism. Behind the retreating forces of justice, the tentacles of evil in every town and organizations emerge from hiding, ready to welcome the birth of their masters. In the near future, as the most intelligent and sensitive among us perceive, the world is about to undergo earth-shaking changes..."
Galadia and Sonia quickly came to Griffith and whispered in his ear: "What is he talking about~"
This question confused everyone present. Everyone looked at the principal, wondering what his plan was.
The white-haired elder continued:
"However, we cannot give up joy and hope because of this. Coming to us tonight are exchange students from the noble Medini College, our lovely guests. Before the party begins, my old friend, Principal Medini, The wise Lord of Magic, Lord Avignon, would like to say a few words to everyone, especially his students.”
Upon hearing the name of the principal, the exchange students in Medini became commotion. No matter how much they disliked the principal in the past, they all developed a sincere nostalgia and love for him after arriving in a foreign land.
Tiberion waved to the attendants, and the huge crystal ball lit up, reflecting the face of an elder.
Principal Medini sat behind a desk with tall bookshelves behind him. The image was very clear, as if he was sitting in front of everyone. Even the teachers and students of Homemon Watts straightened their backs subconsciously.
"Good evening, my old friend," Tiberion said kindly, "you may begin."
Principal Medini, the demigod of Odessa, watched everyone in the image reflected in the crystal ball. He didn't speak or had any expression. He just stared here with wide eyes.
"Haha, this is a common thing. The other side may not be ready," Tiberion reminded again with a smile, "Avignon, we are waiting to hear your speech. Please hurry up, I also want to Go eat your favorite pudding!"
Everyone waited with bated breath. Just when everyone could hardly sit still, they seemed to hear a snap of fingers.
The Rector of Avignon suddenly stirred.
He opened his mouth and made strange sounds of "hungry~" and "hungry~", and his body began to tremble naturally. The old but healthy skin suddenly turned pale and colorless, and then showed dark purple marks. The marks were cloudy and stripy at first, and gradually turned into patches.
Griffith's eyebrows rose, and the few Shutoral present also understood what they were seeing. His sharp eyes turned to Aaron and found that he was smiling with excitement and joy, like a wandering vulture discovering the long-desired food.
"Don't look!" Griffith shouted, raising his hand to hold Galadia and Sonia's heads. Before the two girls could react, a series of extremely miserable screams rang out in the hall.
"Ah——!" Several girls fainted, and some even vomited.
One of the most powerful wizards in the world, the spellcaster demigod of Odessa, and the principal of the Medini High School of Magic, Avignon, went down and fell on his desk. The moment it hit the table, there was a hoarse sound of bending and breaking in the air.
The demigod wizard's head flew out, bounced on the desk and rolled over. The broken neck revealed shriveled bones and rotted tissue, coagulated blood clots, and torn pieces of flesh. Maggots hung on the broken bones and fell onto the table.
The banquet hall at Homemonworth was in chaos. Several people smashed the windows and jumped into the garden screaming, while others vomited everywhere.
Even Headmaster Tiberion was stunned. He opened his mouth and stared blankly at his crystal ball, making people afraid that he would soon follow in the footsteps of Lord Avignon.
Neferti froze in shock. She slowly looked around and saw Griffith pressing the two girls' heads on his chest to prevent them from seeing the horrific scene; then, she looked back at the crystal ball as if she had lost her soul, only to see a A familiar figure came to the headmaster of Avignon and swept away the rotten remains of the headmaster like dust.
Naira appears in the screen wearing a mask. Although she couldn't see his face, Neferti was quite sure that this was her brother. He was unarmed and unarmored, only wearing a black cloak. A group of people in black robes and masks stood behind him.
"The world is corrupting...so, here I am."
His voice was melodious and distant, with a power that struck straight to the heart. On this side of the crystal ball, Aaron's radiance and blond hair were flying, as if he was responding to a call that could rival his own.
Naira in the crystal ball said:
"The hypocritical and weak Avignon has been punished by me. His associates, the ten remaining demigods of the twelve members of the Arcane Council, wait for your doom.
"Raise your heads, inhabitants of the world, gaze at me and spread my name. Standing before you is the elf of eternal denial.
"I came in the call of the times to destroy the shackles imposed on this world.
"I am the one who destroys the world and then creates the world——
"The God of the New World."
