In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

On the black-and-white chessboard, Lothar's black side has been defeated many times.

The system's beep has also rang in Lothar's ears many times.

You have been promoted to Kingdom Baron and received Extraordinary Retinue Lottery Ticket 1. Using this lottery ticket, you will gain the allegiance of any four-star retinue.

You have obtained "Yegelsburg" as a fiefdom. Please go to the fiefdom as soon as possible to activate all functions of the "Yesterday's Giant Ship" system.

"Baron, you seem a little distracted."

Baldwin IV was somewhat dissatisfied with Lothar's "release".

Lothar nodded and admitted: "There are indeed some. After all, I am only the second son of the family. My previous lifelong goal was just to find a fief as a place to live."

"I understand. I hope your chess skills will improve next time we play."

Baldwin IV signaled Lothar to leave.

Before leaving, Baldwin IV spoke again: "Losa, don't put too much effort into that territory. Jerusalem is your real stage."

To be far away from Jerusalem was to be far away from the center of power of the kingdom.

Just like the city of Kemont that Lothar passed through when he returned.

It was obviously a relatively wealthy city fief, but its lord didn't want to live there at all. Instead, he went to work in the city of Jerusalem.

"I understand, Your Majesty."

Baldwin IV nodded slightly, waved his hand and said:

"When the situation calms down a bit, I will make another appointment for you or take charge of an army. You should be mentally prepared."

"Go, Lothar, don't forget to find my heraldry officer. I will ask him to make your personal seal and enter it into the kingdom's noble genealogy."

"May the Father bless you, my Lord."

"And may the Father bless you, my faithful knight and baron."

Lothar said goodbye to Baldwin IV, holding a "Fief Grant" written by Baldwin IV himself, and strode down the narrow corridor.

This is his identity certificate, which stipulates a series of powers he has over the fiefdom, the appointment and dismissal of officials, the collection of taxes, and the ownership of all land.

At the same time, it also stated the "feudal obligations" that need to be fulfilled as a noble of the kingdom.

Lothar went to the heraldry officer, showed his fiefdom certificate, generously paid a gold coin for the craftsmanship and material fees, and left.

He does not need to design his own personal coat of arms; he only has to wait for a period of time for the heraldry officer to deliver his seal and heraldic flag.

In this era, personal coats of arms are closely related to territory and titles, and cannot be changed at will.

Before leaving, Lothar couldn't help but look back at the majestic palace.

A scholar dies for a confidant.

Although he would not die for Baldwin IV, how could he not be grateful for being held in such high regard?

…

Leave the palace.

After a long absence, Lothar mounted the Nissaan war horse she had brought from Argau and went straight to Baron Godfrey's manor.

He handed the reins to the servant.

Without waiting for notification, he broke into the manor.

"Balarian, Kevin Knight."

At this time, Balian was fully armed, wearing heavy chain mail and a barrel helmet, sparring with the Cavalier, making a crisp metal collision sound.

Seeing Lothar's arrival, the two also stopped training.

Both of them had a look of joy on their faces: "Knight Lothar, you are finally back!"

"You should change your name to Baron Lothar."

Baron Godfrey, wearing a silk uniform, stood up and walked towards Lothar.

Obviously, he had already been angry with Baldwin IV.

"His Majesty has already summoned you, right?"

"Um."

"You two continue. Lothar, come with me. I have to talk to you about something."

Lothar nodded to Balian and Knight Kevin, and then followed Baron Godfrey into the inner courtyard of the manor.

Balian looked at Lothar's back.

His expression was a bit complicated, with both envy and admiration: "Knight Lothar is really highly regarded by His Majesty, and he was promoted to Baron so quickly."

Knight Kevin sighed softly: "Baron Lothar, he is an outstanding person, and he has outstanding talents like Hans under his command. I am not surprised that he can be promoted to Baron."

"It's you, my little master. It's time for us to continue practicing."

Kevin Knight also felt a little sour in his heart.

He has served the Ibelin family for so many years, but he has never been able to obtain a real title. Why not feel regretful?

Outside the house, the sound of metal colliding sounded again.

inside the room.

Baron Godfrey's expression was a little complicated. Lothar had just finished telling him the whereabouts of the Kurdish cavalry.

"Is this Abdullah's decision?"

He let out a long sigh: "Actually, when I learned that King Nureddin still had his heirs alive, I already realized that such a day would come."

"If only they could really disrupt Saladin's rule over Antioch and Edessa, it would be a good thing for us too."

Lothar said in a deep voice: "Lord Godfrey, I don't understand why the situation in the city has changed so much after I have only been gone for half a month?"

"Oh, that's how politics is, ever-changing."

Baron Godfrey sighed: "Ever since the palace meeting decided to form the Pilgrim Crusade, the spearhead of the struggle between the three factions has been laid."

"Everyone wants to strive for more wealth and more army quotas, and I happened to be appointed by His Majesty as the head of the Royal Knights of Jerusalem."

Lothar frowned slightly.

He knew that the Royal Knights had thirty knights and two hundred armored cavalry.

The strength of this knighthood is not weaker than the Knights of Jerusalem controlled by Regent Raymond.

Now, all the major legions are expanding their forces, and the Royal Knights are naturally doing the same, which involves the distribution of military expenses and positions.

"Raymond (Prince Regent) wants me to side with him. He said that he will do his best to veto the legality of this duel; Leonard wants to force me to resign as the leader of the Royal Knights. He I will guarantee that Guy will not hurt Balian even a hair in this duel."

Lothar said thoughtfully: "No wonder His Majesty asked me to attend this duel on behalf of Balian. This duel is actually related to the survival of the royal party."

Godfrey smiled bitterly and said: "Guy is a very powerful knight. He once achieved the prestigious title of champion knight in Provence. You may not be his opponent."

"I have rejected your Majesty's proposal."

Lothar said solemnly: "Belian has been a blacksmith for a long time, but that does not mean that he is not proud in his heart. He will not agree to let others replace him to complete this sacred duel."

Lothar solemnly said: "If you do this, Balian's pride will be completely crushed, and the blow to him will undoubtedly be devastating."

Godfrey was silent for a moment and nodded: "This child does have such a character, so I often feel that he is not suitable for the power field of the kingdom."

Lothar's mood was also a little heavy.

Baron Godfrey is the well-deserved leader of the royal party. Although he has been promoted to baron, his status, influence, and strength are far inferior to Baron Godfrey.

If Baron Godfrey falls, the royal party will basically be declared dead.

It is simply impossible for him to carry the banner of the royal party on his own.

"You don't have to worry too much, there may be a way out."

Baron Godfrey's expression suddenly became a little strange.

Lothar was a little confused, but thinking about this old fox who had been fighting in the power arena in Jerusalem for many years, the tension in his heart finally eased a little.

He asked: "Where is the duel place?"

"The parade ground in the west of the city."

Lothar nodded and said: "I will bring my private soldiers to watch the battle. My army is now pretty decent, and they are all armored sergeants. I hope Guy can use the enemy when he takes action."

Baron Godfrey smiled: "Go ahead and see you then."

After finishing training.

Balian washed his body and walked into his room.

He suddenly stopped and looked surprised.

On the table, I saw a crystal bottle containing azure blue liquid. Under the sunlight, it reflected colorful brilliance like a rainbow.

Beside the window, a woman wearing a black wizard's robe stared at him coldly: "If you want to defeat Guy and marry Princess Sibylla, drink the blood of this dragon."

Balian was surprised: "Eve, why are you here in Jerusalem?"

The voice of the woman wrapped in the wizard's robe was as cold as ice: "Of course it is to repay the favor and settle the grudge between us. You once saved my life, and I can't just watch you die under Guy's sword. "

Balian looked a little sad.

If he were not a devout believer, he would not be able to accept being with a witch.

He would definitely choose Eve.

"The dragon's blood is a potion refined by my teacher. It is extracted from the blood of the spinyback dragon in the snow-capped mountains of Scandinavia. It can greatly improve your physical fitness."

"Isn't this potion very precious?"

"No, it's nothing, nothing to me."

"You lied to me."

Balian picked up the crystal bottle and said in a deep voice: "If this potion was really nothing, Emperor Henry would have relied on this potion to arm his knights."

Eve said "heh": "It's none of your business, I'm leaving. Just continue to dream of your king."

boom--

She turned into a black crow, full of ominous aura, passing through the window and soaring into the sky.