Wha—at?
George blinked, momentarily doubting his ears.
He looked towards the Earl of Three Rivers beside him, and found the other man equally bewildered—for a brief moment, the expressions on all the nobles resembled that of Guy. A piece of news that should have been explosive was met with silence in the hall.
This… wasn't part of the plan!
Could it be that Earl Delta had already been persuaded by Roland Wimbledon in advance?
He shifted his gaze to the lord of Clearwater City, but the answer he received was negative—the Earl's reaction wasn't any more composed than theirs. His eyes were equally wide, staring at the new king in disbelief. Clearly, he hadn't known the new king would make such a move when he arranged this banquet and invited everyone over.
For Delta, the Lakeside Manor trip was just a routine banquet.
And the others, likewise, had attended the banquet as usual.
This was merely a unilateral action by Roland!
Has he… gone mad?
"I believe many of you already know that the feudal system severely hinders the flow and differentiation of personnel, thereby restricting the development of productivity. Considering that Graycastle… and even all of humanity will be plunged into a great crisis, I have to make a difficult decision, which is to reclaim all land and power so that the people of Graycastle can act with a unified will."
Personnel differentiation? Productivity? Great crisis? George swallowed hard. What on earth is this guy talking about? Who would even know about these things!
However, the new king didn't seem to care about their thoughts, and continued as if no one else was there. "Currently, it seems that this decision is correct, and it is necessary. The Western and Northern Regions of Graycastle are both successful examples. The disappearance of feudal nobles has not caused the local area to lose order, but has become even more organized. Unified policies, planning, and allocation have transformed productivity from family-inherited workshops to large-scale factory production, and have also created a large amount of wealth. Those who actively participate in it have benefited greatly. This is an undeniable fact, and I believe you have all seen the results."
"What I'm saying is not to completely eradicate the noble class, but to tell you that losing fiefs and titles does not mean losing everything. Under the new system, you can actually get more opportunities—think of a cake. If it's only the size of a palm, even if you swallow it whole, it's only enough to stave off hunger. But if you can turn it into the size of a table, even if you only eat a corner, you can be content. Since the change is beneficial to both sides, then a full-scale promotion is not an incomprehensible thing… Many of you actually already know about this, right?"
Indeed, many nobles are aware of your intentions, but I didn't expect you to be so impatient, George thought, his mind racing. After the initial surprise, he gradually calmed down and unexpectedly found that this unplanned change wasn't a bad thing, but rather very beneficial to him!
With so many nobles present, it would be almost impossible to reach a consensus, which would only trigger the conflict ahead of time. This would save him the effort of creating momentum after taking the castle. After all, trying to persuade the lord of Clearwater City and then acting would be too direct, and might even push those who would originally lean towards Earl Delta to his side.
Sure enough, after the nobles came to their senses, someone had already spoken up. "Your Majesty… I don't know much about the specific situation in the Northwest Regions. Could you allow me a few days to consider before giving you an answer?"
"Yes, this matter is too important. I have several relatives to consult with, and I can't make a decision alone."
"Your Majesty, can you guarantee that each of us will get more wealth?"
"What if the change fails? If we don't have fiefs, doesn't that mean we've lost even the original cake?"
"Your policies are absolutely brilliant, but… I'm not a business person, Your Majesty!"
That's right, that's it, George thought to himself, secretly pleased. The more people who questioned it, the more his foresight would be highlighted, and if the new king couldn't make a decisive decision, he would only fall into a dilemma!
Roland maintained his initial expression, waited for everyone to talk at once, and then raised his hand to suppress the noisy discussions. "You seem to have misunderstood something. What I said are not suggestions, but the king's orders—do you treat them as goods on a shelf,
and bargain here?" The peaceful tone in his voice faded slightly, replaced by a hint of coldness. "I don't even need your promises. I know exactly who will stand on the chariot of the times and move forward with me, and who will become stubborn stones blocking the wheels, to be crushed into powder."
"How… how do you know that?" Earl Delta asked in surprise.
The smile on Roland's face grew even wider. "Because I can see through people's hearts."
"You… what did you say?"
"It's normal to be suspicious when faced with things beyond your understanding," Roland turned to gesture to Edith. "In that case, I'll demonstrate it for you."
The Pearl of the Northern Lands nodded and smiled at the nobles. "His Majesty's ability is easy to prove. As long as you repeat what I say next, you will immediately understand that there is no lie that can hide under the Heart-Seeing Art—the reason why the Wimbledon family can become the rulers of Graycastle is precisely because they have mastered such an ability. But I have to say something first, if you don't repeat it, then you can only be regarded as stones to be crushed."
A farce, this is simply a farce! George. Narui sneered in his heart. What Heart-Seeing Art? It would be more credible if a witch said that. However, he still wore a God's Stone of Retaliation, and was not afraid of being bewitched by evil forces at all.
Although he really wanted to call on everyone to resist this farce, he found that few nobles expressed opposition. Judging from the expressions of the crowd, it wasn't that many people believed this statement, but rather that they were waiting for Edith to speak with a try-it-and-see attitude. He didn't know if they wanted to see the new king make a fool of himself, or if they were unwilling to completely offend him here.
Edith raised the corners of her mouth. "Please listen carefully, everyone. The first sentence is—I fully agree with His Majesty Roland's new policies, and I am willing to actively cooperate with the officials dispatched by Neverwinter City."
The nobles repeated it without thinking, and a few couldn't help but chuckle, obviously finding this move quite comical.
"No one is telling the truth," Roland quickly gave the answer. "Although it's a bit of a pity, it's also normal. If it were me, I probably wouldn't be so easily convinced by a king who has been staying in the border areas of Graycastle for many years. Please continue."
Wait… something's not right, George frowned. Would a king really accept this so calmly? He himself was the lord of Panshi Ridge, and even if he knew that not every one of his subjects obeyed him from the bottom of their hearts, he still wouldn't want to hear them say so. Shouldn't he feel embarrassed and angry at this time? Why is Roland Wimbledon so calm?
"The second sentence—Although I don't understand what His Majesty wants to do, the right to enfeoff is not something that must be had. As long as the opportunities to expand wealth do exist, I am willing to give it a try." Edith tapped her lips, her eyes sparkling. "Come on, everyone, please be sure to say it clearly, word by word!"