Magic Industrial Age

Inside the living room.

Luo Yi's words caused all three to lower their heads in shame, as if unable to face him. However, one of the knights, clad in armor, suddenly looked up.

He was a burly figure with broad shoulders and large, calloused hands, possessing a powerful aura that indicated his extraordinary strength.

His appearance was not particularly handsome, but his eyes were firm. Facing Luo Yi's slightly mocking gaze, he did not flinch in the slightest.

"Lord, I know our actions were presumptuous, attempting to bear the glory of the Lion King, and that it was an overestimation of our abilities."

"However, from the outset, our intention was to continue the Raymond family's legacy and to keep the earldom intact.

We hoped that this vast territory would continue to stand proudly under the banner of the Lion King."

"If we are to be blamed, it is for our lack of ability and competence, but our loyalty is unwavering!"

His words were so impassioned that even Luo Yi almost believed him. He raised his eyes slightly and asked, "So, I should be grateful to you?"

"We wouldn't dare!"

The knight lowered his head deeply again.

Luo Yi then asked, "Are you Vincent Ackerman?"

"Yes, Grand Knight Commander of the Lion Knights, head of the Ackerman family, a third-tier extraordinary knight, the Lion King's Sword Bearer, greetings to Earl Raymond."

Deep Blue immediately searched, and a wealth of information flashed before Luo Yi's eyes.

He then realized that the Ackerman family was indeed a staunch supporter of the Raymond family, with almost every generation intermarrying.

Moreover, each generation had its strongest member serving in the Lion Knights.

For this, they were personally recognized by Earl Raymond as the Lion King's Sword Bearer.

Within the earldom, the Ackerman family indeed had a high reputation and considerable strength, making it no wonder they could represent the interests of some nobles and come to Auxerre to vie for the position of Earl.

After a slight pause, Luo Yi glanced at the other two and asked, "So, what is the purpose of your visit?"

This time, it wasn't Vincent Ackerman who spoke, but another knight, Alan Wells, who took the lead.

"We are all vassals and knights of the Raymond family, and we should pledge allegiance to the new Lion King!"

As he spoke, he raised his knightly greatsword high above his head, awaiting Luo Yi's judgment.

Luo Yi tilted his head slightly, pondered for a moment, and finally took their swords, saying, "In that case, follow me!"

"Later, it will depend on your performance."

"Yes, Lord!"

The three immediately saluted and busied themselves after Luo Yi waved his hand.

They didn't know that Luo Yi was planning to leave in the morning and hadn't prepared any luggage, so they had to return to pack, causing quite a stir.

Even so, they delayed Luo Yi for nearly an hour.

It is worth mentioning that among the three, Vincent Ackerman and Alan Wells were both knights, peak second-tier Iron Shield Knights, specializing in defense.

As for Regan Durant, he was a baronet, a baronet bestowed the Raymond surname by Earl Karl Raymond.

Knights wielded martial power, but most of them did not have much cultural literacy.

They were skilled at killing people, but they were helpless when it came to managing complex affairs.

Therefore, the vast earldom needed professional management talents.

These people were often scholars, knowledgeable in many theoretical concepts; or they were trained by noble butlers, with rich practical experience.

Although there were fewer channels, the legacy of a thousand-year-old family was never short of talent.

Hoover was one of the latter; his family had been promoted by the Raymond family, and although they had no military merit, they had been butlers for generations.

He was sent out to manage a local business, which was considered an important appointment.

And his children were already within the Raymond family, starting as attendants and being trained in the direction of becoming butlers.

This was already a mature system.

However, the Old Continent actually had the convention of 'enfeoffment for military merit', so even if one reached the top in this system, they could only become a baronet.

Baronet Regan Durant was actually Hoover's immediate superior and was deeply trusted by Earl Raymond, even on the verge of breaking away from the butler system.

He was middle-aged, a member of a branch of the Raymond family, and had great accomplishments in management, commerce, and mathematics. Moreover, he was meticulous in his work and was Earl Karl Raymond's best assistant in political affairs.

After receiving permission, he directly took over the command and quickly reorganized the somewhat chaotic caravan.

The group set off at more than nine o'clock in the morning, heading west along the main street, and had to travel through half the city before heading down and leaving through the west gate of Auxerre.

And at the west gate, two hundred Earth Dragon Knights led by Esther were already waiting.

It was still the order of Grand Duchess Afra, and it was still to escort Luo Yi to the Flower Territory.

Although Luo Yi had inherited the title of Earl and had three fourth-tier Catastrophe experts by his side,

theoretically, no one in their right mind would dare to cause them trouble!

But putting hope in the enemy's mercy was truly problematic.

Therefore, people still had to be sent, and guards still had to be provided.

Originally, Luo Yi thought that after his actions in Auxerre, he had probably offended all the nobles, and no one would come to see him off.

But he was wrong. Just behind Esther, a young man flashed out, greeted Luo Yi, and smiled brightly.

This was none other than Grand Duchess Afra's eldest son, Ryan Norman.

Seeing the look of surprise on Luo Yi's face, he said happily, "You didn't expect me to come and see you off, did you? Are you surprised? Touched?"

Luo Yi was quite speechless, but he still jumped off his warhorse, walked closer, and said, "How about we chat aside?"

"Okay!"

Luo Yi waved his hand, letting the caravan proceed first, as they couldn't block the city gate.

And he, along with Ryan, walked aside, away from the crowd, and a silent atmosphere began to spread.

They had met twice, but had not gotten to know each other well, so they were not familiar and had no common topics for a while.

However, this time Luo Yi broke the silence very simply, saying, "There's a question, I don't know if I should ask it!"

"What is it?"

"I'm actually very curious, why did you want to kill me??"

"You sensed it?"

"At any rate, I'm also a combatant with decent strength, so it's hard not to sense such obvious killing intent.

So, why?"

Ryan's expression was strange: "You really are different from those nobles. Even if they sensed it, they would pretend not to know.

You actually asked it directly?"

"I don't like beating around the bush. Asking directly makes me feel more at ease.

If you really are my enemy, then I will treat you as an enemy in the future.

If there is room for maneuver, then I will try to maneuver as much as possible.

After all, in a sense, you are indeed my brother. It would be troublesome if I killed you!"

"Really direct?!"

"That's how I am, clear about gratitude and grudges!"

Ryan tilted his head slightly, with a complex look in his eyes, and said, "Actually, I can't really say why. We don't have any conflicting interests.

Maybe, it's just envy, jealousy, and hate!"

"Envy, jealousy, and hate?"

Luo Yi was quite speechless: "You, the son of a Grand Duke, the future Duke Norman, envying, jealous, and hating me, isn't that unnecessary?"

"Actually, I knew of your existence a long time ago. My mother accumulated many projection crystal balls, all containing images of your growth.

Perhaps, you can't imagine the attention and care she put into you, an illegitimate child, more than she did for me, her biological son."

"This time, the Raymond family suffered such a big change, and the Norman family didn't have other candidates.

In fact, from the perspective of family interests, you are not the best choice."

"In terms of bloodline, although you are noble, you are too strong, and a strong Raymond family is not good news for Marquis Carlisle and them,

but it's also not good news for the Norman family!"

"There are already many disputes within the family.

Especially since my mother went to the Habsburg Empire and stayed there for so long, it put the Norman family at a disadvantage and caused many elders to criticize her."

"But all of this did not shake my mother's support for you."

"So, perhaps the affection you don't care about is actually what I crave.

Is this explanation satisfactory to you?"

Luo Yi pursed his lips, somewhat helplessly: "Perhaps, the love you speak of is quite profound.

Anyway, I have never felt the love of my parents since I was a child."

"Moreover, as an illegitimate child, I was often ridiculed when I was young. In a place like Farrow Town, I had no worries about food and drink, but no one loved me."

"Your envy and jealousy, really unnecessary!"

"So, I don't hate you anymore. I just hope that in the future, we can govern this duchy together."

Saying this, Ryan extended his hand, saying, "I need your help, the new Lion King, my brother!"

"To the best of my ability, I will do what I should."

Luo Yi also extended his hand, and in mid-air, two young hands clasped together, as if grasping the future.

West City, on the city tower,

Grand Duchess Afra also leaned out her head, and a rare smile flashed across the dignified expression of the noblewoman.

...

After saying goodbye to Ryan, Luo Yi rode his horse and caught up with the caravan.

After he got into the carriage, Lilia served him a cup of black tea.

Taking a sip and feeling the sweetness spread in his mouth, Luo Yi squinted slightly, reviewing his trip to Auxerre,

and finally, he threw all kinds of thoughts behind him.

Naturally, it was impossible to really relax on the road. The first thing he did was to fully understand his territory.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to winning every battle!

He at least had to fully understand the Flower Territory before he could plan the path he wanted to take in the future.

Therefore, he took out many ancient books and materials from the Proverb Ring and asked Deep Blue to sort out the information in the database.

Of course, most importantly, he called over Regan Durant, Alan Wells, and Vincent Ackerman separately.

He needed to understand the most realistic situation through them.

I'll revise it again for the second time. Please subscribe!