Magic Industrial Age

Oser, built against the mountain, rises in layers, with many architectural marvels.

For example, the White Castle, which forever stands on the mountain peak, seems to proclaim that the glory of the Norman family will never fade.

And then there's the Noble Elder Council!

Nobility, in fact, is a very complex system.

They have a long history, a lineage that can be traced back to ancient times, and have gone through countless generations of intermarriage.

The complexity of their network is such that even the most skilled scholars would find it difficult to fully understand.

If it were to be recorded in books, even several large volumes would not be enough to explain it clearly.

And this is just the noble genealogy of one duchy.

Going further, to an empire, or even the entire Old Continent, it becomes utterly chaotic and impossible to trace.

Loy's childhood, the original body's biggest headache was this noble genealogy class. Old Barry spent the most time on it, and he studied diligently,

but the result was just so-so!

Being able to recognize families based on different emblems and knowing the basic information about these families was already considered good learning.

Although, the current Loy thinks this is the most useless knowledge!

Getting back to the point, given the complex relationships of the nobility, how to handle conflicts, how to mediate, and how to maneuver becomes a problem.

Initially, higher-ranking nobles would naturally mediate, but over time, they also found it troublesome.

Thus, the Noble Elder Council came into being.

Their purpose is to handle the complex relationships of the nobility. Internally, there are hundreds of seats, almost all held by highly respected individuals from each family.

They must carry out the will of their families and strive for their rights, and they themselves can also gain considerable benefits.

Over time, the power of the Noble Elder Council continued to expand, even becoming a battlefield for the games of the great nobles.

Such a place naturally had to be built magnificently.

It stands at the highest point below the White Castle, with twelve massive pillars supporting a magnificent dome.

Stained glass shimmers in the sunlight, and the twin spires on either side resemble guards.

More interestingly, after the Habsburg Empire began installing timing devices on a large scale, namely mechanical clocks, the city of Oser followed suit.

Moreover, they installed two!

Right on the spires, facing east and west, these mechanical clocks can be seen from almost any corner of the city simply by looking up.

You have to admit, with them, city residents can grasp the time more easily.

Stepping into the Elder Council, one sees a bright floor, so smooth that it reflects people's images.

There are corridors on both the left and right sides. Following the corridors forward, turning a corner, one can enter the largest conference hall in the entire building.

It is a huge venue capable of accommodating hundreds of people simultaneously, with seats arranged in a circle, rising layer upon layer.

Even a very small sound can create an echo, which can be heard clearly throughout the venue.

On the top floor, there are private rooms, which are the most prestigious seats, only those who are the most esteemed in the Norman Duchy are qualified to enter.

But on this day, they all came, neatly.

At the front of the venue is the platform, where the leaders of the Noble Council sit.

One speaker and five deputy speakers, a total of six seats.

Basically, the six most prominent families in the Norman Duchy take turns sending people to fill these roles, and they are also responsible for managing daily affairs.

Of course, if there are disagreements, they vote to decide. The speaker's vote counts as two, for a total of seven votes, and the majority wins.

Previously, the noble meeting, which was postponed by half a month, was decided by a vote.

It may not necessarily be correct, but it truly represents the interests of most nobles.

Of course, if major events occur, especially those that determine noble territories, family glory, or wars between two families, a Noble Assembly must be convened.

That is, all nobles are notified, and then, depending on the situation, a vote is held according to the Noble Code.

This matter is complex, with various games taking place here.

Therefore, there is a podium in the center of the venue, but red lines are drawn around it.

You can't assume that these nobles are all decent people who don't argue or quarrel during meetings.

In fact, when their own interests are involved, not to mention arguing, direct verbal abuse, tearing faces, and even physical fights are all too common.

Therefore, there are rules.

The red line is the dividing line, and within this boundary, physical attacks, throwing things, especially boots and certain nasty objects, and using battle qi to remotely injure enemies are not allowed.

Does this regulation seem outrageous?

But the reason why regulations exist is that behind every regulation, there are even more outrageous things that have happened.

Today, the Noble Elder Council has a larger number of people than imaginable.

The parking lot outside the Elder Council is so full of carriages that there is no more room to park, but you can't drive a group of nobles away, so they can only be parked along the streets.

Oser is a mountain city, and the streets are naturally not very wide. With carriages parked there, traffic becomes even more difficult, requiring extreme skill from the coachmen.

This morning alone, several traffic accidents have already occurred. Some can talk things out peacefully, while others burst into curses.

Inside the Elder Council, the well-known members, of course, arrived early, and almost all the seats were taken.

Those nobles who are eligible to attend as observers arrive in a continuous stream. After the seats are filled, they can only stand on the side.

Then, more and more, more and more, until the number of people is completely full.

On this day, the focus of everyone's attention is naturally on those who have already been designated as heirs.

They are all wearing the most appropriate and luxurious clothes, some even wearing a set of golden armor, looking like valiant knights.

Most people are very excited, such as Quentin Foster, Keller Carlson, and Egyptus Lewis,

with smiles on their faces, constantly waving their arms, like stars being held by the moon.

Others, such as Yore Raymond and Daisy Wick, are more sophisticated and composed.

When facing familiar nobles, they nod slightly, which is considered a greeting.

But if you look closely, their arms are trembling, just trying to suppress it.

Then there are those like Jian Santos, who, although wearing a suit of knight armor, looks heroic, but he is very frustrated.

He made a fool of himself in front of Loy. He dropped his glove and picked it up himself. These days, he has been ridiculed a lot.

Some people have even mocked him to his face. Although he dropped his gloves a few more times and won a few duels, he regained some face.

However, this cannot recover the support of those nobles behind him.

In the latest map of spoils, the territory he can harvest is pitifully small.

However, looking to the side, he is much calmer.

Next to him are three people, Reagan Durant, Alan Wells, and Vincent Ackerman, all of whom came from the Raymond Earl Territory.

To say that there is some blood relationship, there is still some, and they have been serving under the Raymond family for many years and are the most orthodox vassals.

However, in this city of Oser, they have no connections or relationships.

They are also the most neglected group of people, their faces extremely ugly.

Seeing that the number of people is increasing, the entire Elder Council is noisy, almost lifting the roof.

The speaker on the high platform couldn't help it!

Bang bang bang bang!

The sound of the gavel echoed throughout the venue, almost being smashed, finally quieting the crowd.

The speaker is an old man with a white beard. Looking at the layers of wrinkles, you know he is not young.

But his eyes are clear, his breathing is long, and his movements of hammering the gavel are vigorous and powerful, showing no signs of illness.

In front of him, there is also a thick book, with the four words "Noble Code" exceptionally eye-catching.

His voice is even more loud. Seeing that the noise has subsided a bit, he said, "Everyone, keep quiet! Quiet!"

"There are too many people today, and everyone who should come has come, so let's start directly."

"The direct bloodline of the Raymond family unfortunately suffered misfortune, but the banner of the Lion King must always be inherited by someone.

Therefore, today, we need to elect a new Lion King, a new heir."

"According to the 'Noble Code', these nine are the most suitable heirs.

They have enough courage and fearlessness and are willing to take on the glory of the Lion."

"According to custom, the nine of them will take the stage to give speeches, elaborating their understanding of the Lion King.

Then, the Elders will vote to elect a suitable Lion King."

Although that's what he says, when the nine people take the stage, it is destined that a new Lion King will not be born.

After multiple rounds of fruitless voting, they will choose to dismember the Earl Territory, divide it into countless pieces, and then have the nine of them inherit them separately.

In fact, a complete Earl Territory does not conform to the interests of the great nobles, because that means that even without Loy, there will be others who will become their opponents.

Therefore, splitting the territory is almost inevitable.

At this point, he paused and said, "As for those who didn't come, that means they don't value this matter.

So, let's just forget about it…"

He didn't name names, but everyone present knew who he was talking about.

Even causing an uproar of laughter!

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Loy walked in with a gloomy face, looked around under the public gaze, his fierce eyes like magical beasts, as if to devour people, and every noble.

He had to admit that he was late today, and then, he was in a very bad mood.

With Deep Blue around, the thing of oversleeping, naturally would not happen.

However, he also miscalculated the congestion on the road today.

The carriages occupied the road, leaving so little space that it was not to mention running, but advancing was as slow as a turtle.

Loy really didn't expect that he would be delayed by 'traffic jam' one day even after arriving in another world.

Their original plan was actually to watch the show from the highest and most luxurious private room.

When this 'show' reached its climax, he would appear and slap them in the face!

However, due to this delay, they were unable to arrive in time and had to get out of the car and walk in a hurry.

Of course, Loy's bad mood was not only due to this, but also due to the news brought by Hoover the butler.

There was not much news, and it was not comprehensive, but more of it was his experiences after arriving at Flower Territory.

Then, Loy knew that the territory he was about to take over was three points worse than he had imagined, and his anger could not be suppressed.

At this moment, he really had no intention of playing any noble games, and was ready to directly overturn the stage!

Second update, presented, this should actually be connected to the third update, I originally wanted to post them together, but I still split them into two chapters!