"My lady, we see that Spire Palace is an octagonal castle. Its ruler, Count Olsson, is a human noble rather than a vampire, so unlike many undead lords, Count Olsson does not like to stay in the castle for long periods," Ryan carefully organized the existing information and continued, "As a subordinate of the undead, Count Olsson serves Mousilon, but he treats the local people well because the swamps here are very fertile. Count Olsson often patrols the villages around Spire Palace and hunts. Therefore, I plan to seize the opportunity to eliminate him and his main forces when he leaves the castle."
"What if Count Olsson refuses to engage you head-on?" The Lady of the Lake placed the golden holy grail on the table, also focusing on the map. "As soon as he sees you, Count Olsson will surely retreat to Spire Palace to defend it and seek reinforcements from Mousilon."
"Don't forget, Ryan, my champion, the Serpent of Mousilon has unearthed the corpses of the former Duke of Artois's family. His forces are no fewer than yours," the Lady of the Lake seriously analyzed the war situation. "If your army moves in large numbers and crosses the river, Count Olsson will undoubtedly defend Spire Palace and request reinforcements. If your forces are too few, it might make Count Olsson lower his guard, but you won't be able to capture Spire Palace quickly, and reinforcements will arrive, putting your army across the river in danger."
"Exactly," Ryan nodded. "That's why we need Lady Aurora and Morgiana's help..."
(Whispering)
After hearing Ryan's plan, the Lady of the Lake didn't say much more. "I'm not a goddess of war, my champion. As long as you are well-prepared."
"My lady, the key issue isn't capturing Spire Palace. Even in open battle, I am confident I can defeat Masuyabard and his undead army," Ryan's concern lay elsewhere. "The main issue is how to deal with Mousilon's corruption. This rotten land is full of swamps, corruption, and plague."
"Mousilon wasn't always like this," the Lady of the Lake sighed, raising the holy grail again. "This duchy was once the most beautiful and powerful in Britannia. The original Holy Grail Knight, Lantduin, was even stronger than the first Knight King Arthur. Lantduin was a gentleman by nature—elegant, generous, devout, and courteous. But because of this, he was also more fragile inside."
"Sensitive people are like that," Ryan had to pause and listen to the Lady of the Lake recount the origin of all this.
"Lantduin suffered three major blows in his life. The first was during the founding's twelve battles when he returned to Mousilon to find his homeland destroyed by necromancers. The second was when Arthur was wounded fighting remnants of the greenskins near Athel Loren and died of illness after that war. The third was when, after Arthur's death, Lantduin dueled the first Duke of Lyonesse, Sylruf, over territorial disputes."
"After defeating Sylruf and leaving a hideous scar on his former Holy Grail companion's face, Lantduin was utterly broken by sorrow. He wallowed in grief day and night, and Mousilon's land responded to his sorrow, gradually becoming corrupted and fallen. This is the source of Mousilon's decline, known as 'The Great Depression.'"
"Then came the 'Mad Duke' Merovingian, who fell and became a vampire, killing the king, and the Dol Tower incident. The then-Duke of Mousilon, claiming the title of Duke of Connaught, imprisoned the Lake Witch, claiming to marry me and demanding to be king. If not for Taylor's rescue, he might have succeeded."
"After these three events, Mousilon became what it is today," the Lady of the Lake said to Ryan. "So, the root of all problems is still Lantduin. His sorrow is the source of Mousilon's decline. We must find his tomb and bring peace to his sorrow."
"I heard that the souls of all Holy Grail Knights return to your divine realm," Ryan said, puzzled.
"Lantduin's soul returned to my divine realm, but his sorrow did not. You must find his tomb, and I will use you as a conduit for divine power to awaken Lantduin's spirit," the Lady of the Lake nodded. "Only then can we address Mousilon's corruption at its source."
"Why hasn't this been done before..." Ryan began to speak but understood immediately, "Ah, I get it. Without me as a conduit for divine power, the corrupted and fallen environment of Mousilon would greatly weaken your power and perception range."
The Lady of the Lake's emerald eyes were filled with tenderness and joy. She reached out to touch Ryan's face. "So you are the best gift the Warp has given me, my champion."
Ryan thought to himself, Haven't I heard this from someone else before?
"As long as we can solve Mousilon's corruption problem," Ryan joked casually, "I thought after conquering Mousilon, I'd have to install a golden toilet in the castle by the river and use my power to suppress the land's corruption, never leaving it."
"Golden toilet?" The Lady of the Lake was puzzled, her tone curious. "Indeed, some gods use their power to suppress dreadful entities or purify lands, but why a golden toilet? Do you need gold as a medium for your power?"
Gold is a precious metal for humans and a high-quality magical conductor for elves and magic toads. The idea of a golden toilet wasn't entirely absurd to the Lady of the Lake.
"No, it was just a casual remark," Ryan shrugged. "Just consider it a joke."
"It's about time. It's already 2 AM. You should go back," the Lady of the Lake realized they had been talking for a long time. "Sulia is still waiting for you."
"Won't you come back with me?" Ryan reached out to hold the Lady of the Lake's hand. "My lady, you've also expended a lot of divine power to help me recently. We can spend Winterfest together."
"Is that an invitation, a casual remark, or a scheme?" The Lady of the Lake seemed tempted, standing still, holding the holy grail, waiting to see what Ryan would say next.
"This is a formal invitation," Ryan knew she was being playful. He smiled, then knelt on one knee and formally invited the Lady of the Lake, "May I have the honor of inviting you?"
Ryan knew this was exactly what she wanted.
Women...
Before he could kneel, the Lady of the Lake stopped him, her face blossoming into a smile. "Alright, I accept."
Walking out of the lake, the midnight lily island was silent. The Lady of the Lake and Ryan walked side by side from the heart of the lake. The goddess was clearly pleased with Ryan's attitude. She loved seeing him kneel before her.
"Are you really going to have that witch and sorceress make golems?" The Lady of the Lake continued the previous topic, "The high elves tried building golems, but the engineering and energy supply were always issues."
"The Empire's engineering has solved the golem engineering issues. A fire golem from the Blaze Academy once smashed a greenskin warlord's head with one punch," Ryan wasn't too hopeful about golems. "Currently, golem production technology is only good for defense. Offensive use is unlikely. Veronica's golem wouldn't make it to Mousilon. Her magic would be exhausted near the Sharon Forest."
"If golems aren't useful for attacking Mousilon, why have your two female courtiers work on it?" The Lady of the Lake habitually interfered with Ryan's affairs, "And that magic crystal cannon."
"It's for future preparation," Ryan shrugged. "It'll be useful one day."
"As long as you have a plan," the Lady of the Lake stopped arguing over minor matters with Ryan, knowing it was pointless.
Ryan mounted his pureblood elf warhorse, and the Lady of the Lake summoned a pure white unicorn. They prepared to leave the Sharon Forest and return to Ryan's territory.
The Lady of the Lake would spend Winterfest with Ryan and Sulia. Celebrating together had become a tradition.
"My lady..." Ryan hesitated before speaking, "I plan to issue some decrees, like banning tributes..."
"You're touching the tithe?!" As expected, the Lady of the Lake's tone changed immediately. She glared at Ryan, "You better think carefully, my champion. Who is your biggest supporter?"
"No, no, I won't touch the tithe," Ryan quickly added. He pulled the reins and continued, "I just hope you can issue an oracle forbidding the Lake Prophets and Holy Maidens from arbitrarily demanding tributes and other things from serfs."
"Oh, I see," the Lady of the Lake's expression softened. After thinking, she realized Ryan wouldn't touch the tithe. The most powerful force supporting him was the church of the Lady of the Lake. He wouldn't harm his own base. If Ryan dared touch this earthly law, someone would immediately stand up and question him.
Champion of the Lady, are you rebelling?
Moreover, the tithes collected by the Lady of the Lake are mainly used to support the Lake Prophets and Holy Grail Knights. The importance of Holy Grail Knights to the country is undeniable. In every land, church tithes are normal.
Ryan's father's empire also collects tithes.
Ryan was referring to the recent behavior of some Lake Prophets and Holy Maidens.
Since Ryan's territory became prosperous, many Lake Prophets and Holy Maidens enjoyed visiting. Wherever they went, they demanded enough food and
money from local nobles and serfs. Some even had chaotic private lives, staying in freemen's homes and having young boys serve them for "baptism." The next day, after eating and drinking their fill, they left satisfied, knocking on the next door.
This wasn't a rumor. Ryan's investigation confirmed it. Many boys had been "baptized," often showing shy expressions during questioning.
Lake Prophets and Holy Maidens have special status in Britannia and aren't subject to the knight kingdom's laws. Ryan had to personally discuss this with the Lady of the Lake.
"I understand," the Lady of the Lake's expression improved after hearing Ryan's account. "I'll inform Morgiana to issue my oracle to stop arbitrary tributes. I'll also encourage Lake Prophets to find steady partners. But you must understand, I can't manage their private lives. Divine matters are divine, and mortal matters are mortal. If some Lake Prophets like changing bed partners often, that's their freedom. I won't interfere."
"That's enough," Ryan smiled. "As long as you understand, my lady."
"This isn't a big deal," the Lady of the Lake waved her hand dismissively. "You can always talk to me about anything."
The goddess rode her unicorn closer and gently kissed Ryan's face. "I like your honesty."
...I'm the divider who loves young roosters...
Winterfest brought not only festive cheer but also two pieces of joyful news for Ryan.
The first was that another group of Angrund clan dwarves had moved into Blackstone Stronghold and Ork Mountain. Belgar and his clan were beginning to see glimpses of their former glory. Over 15,000 dwarves now resided in Britannia, bringing advanced manufacturing, metallurgy, and mining techniques that greatly boosted productivity.
Belgar was focused on restoring production and stockpiling supplies for the Eight Peaks Mountain expedition. Dwarf firearms, cannons, and other heavy weapons were being produced at full capacity. Ryan estimated that by spring, the number of cannons would give the vampire forces, lacking long-range weapons, a tough time.
The second piece of good news made the entire County of Glamorgan ecstatic.
Ryan's wife, Marquise of Winford and Countess of Glamorgan, Sulia, was pregnant.
The news of the knightess's pregnancy spread like wildfire through the knight kingdom. The dukes were either pleased, surprised, or frowning, but they all sent congratulations and gifts. In his joy, Ryan announced that all serfs could collect a fine baked fruit pie and a glass of wine, and all registered knights were invited to a banquet at his winery.
François was overjoyed upon hearing the news. The father-in-law personally brought all the champion knights of the Quenelles Champion Knights Brotherhood to visit his pregnant daughter.
At the banquet, the Lady of the Lake herself descended to the world, joyfully announcing that Ryan and Sulia's child would receive her blessing and never suffer from illness.
The goddess also declared at the banquet that she had chosen a name for the child. The knightess's unborn child was named Devonshire by the goddess. His full name would be Devonshire-Mercado.
Ryan: "???"
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