Chapter 20: The Cruel Future Situation. Build High Walls, Stockpile Food, Delay Claiming Kingship |
Holdo stared at the iron sword before him, momentarily dazed.
He lost?
And the one who lost was the son he had considered incompetent?
Moreover, the defeat was so swift, indicating that Jonas's strength, although still at the Black Iron rank, was far beyond his own.
When did he become so strong?
He looked at Jonas in front of him, at a loss for words for a moment: "I..."
Jonas said earnestly, "Father.
The future situation is turbulent; nothing should be judged by appearances, right?
If our territory becomes the strongest, then having Albinos as retainers will no longer be a shame but an honor.
Isn't that so?"
He then handed the sword in his hand to his father.
Holdo took the sword with a complicated look, gazing at Jonas’s confident and bright face.
Suddenly, he exhaled deeply and revealed a relieved smile.
He raised Jonas’s sword high.
"The victor, Jonas!"
"You have won!
I accept defeat as promised!"
...
"Wow—"
Olivia jumped up excitedly upon seeing her master win just like that.
She could finally stay.
She could remain by her master's side.
Her younger sister’s illness might finally be cured.
Indeed, her master was truly powerful.
Looking at that majestic figure, Olivia's gaze grew increasingly admiring.
So many times,
Jonas was like a hero saving her,
yet also like a gentleman carefully preserving the little dignity she had left.
Master is truly wonderful...
[Olivia]
[Loyalty: 65%]
[Return Ability Multiplier: 13x.]
As Holdo expressed his stance, everyone present began to applaud.
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
Slynda stared blankly at her father and brother on the stage, her eyes dimming.
In this region, once her domain as a genius, she felt a deep defeat for the first time.
If losing to an Albino was already a huge blow, then Jonas’s strength in front of her was an even greater defeat.
...
After the duel ended,
Holdo took Jonas to dine.
Many of the territory’s commanders were present; these were the backbone of the Regin Family.
Holdo introduced Jonas to them, also recognizing his future status as heir.
At that moment, Holdo smiled, as the frustration from defeat was replaced by happiness.
During the meal,
Holdo chatted with Jonas about the past.
He recalled how much he had expected from Jonas as a child,
shouting things like, "Truly worthy of being my son, so capable."
He even bragged about his son’s late-blooming greatness before friends and leaders,
making Jonas’s lips twitch involuntarily.
You didn’t used to be like this...
...
After the meal,
everyone returned to the conference room to discuss business.
Analyzing the current situation,
Jonas learned from their conversation:
The empire was on the brink of extinction, with the king being only a ten-year-old child.
Actual power had been divided and controlled by retainers obsessed with money and power,
and they were still fighting among themselves.
The empire’s rule was increasingly fragile, with frequent rebellions in various regions.
Governors of major provinces ignored the empire,
strengthening autonomy and seizing territory.
War had already broken out, and future conflicts threatened to overturn the nation.
...
In the province where Jonas was, Postaya, intense warfare had already erupted.
The governor was elderly and seriously ill,
likely to pass away within a year.
He had two sons; traditionally, the eldest should inherit the position.
However, the younger son was more talented, and the governor was now comatose.
Wars between the two sides were continuous, with a major battle on the verge of breaking out.
During this turmoil, a powerful rebellious force had also arisen.
They called themselves Destiny, gathering slaves and wanderers from all over, and producing various formidable professionals—
swordsmen, mages, assassins...
An undeniable force to be reckoned with.
It could be said that three powers were vying for dominance.
...
Currently, the small territory where Jonas was located did not belong to any faction.
Once the real war started, such a small territory of a few thousand people would likely be cannon fodder.
During Holdo’s recent efforts to quell unrest, he discovered traces of the Destiny organization.
The mage they encountered was most likely affiliated with Destiny.
The urgent concern was that Destiny would target these small territories first, gradually absorbing and growing stronger.
Such a powerful organization would be unstoppable for small territories like theirs.
Meanwhile, the governors’ factions were still locked in conflict and could not offer sufficient support.
They were truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
...
After analyzing the situation,
Holdo couldn’t help but frown deeply.
"What kind of nonsense is this?
Damn it, our homeland is about to be taken by others, and we’re still fighting among ourselves!"
One commander said, "Perhaps we should submit to one of the factions."
"Submit? How can we?
If a small territory like ours submits, they’ll only use us as cannon fodder to wear down the enemy."
"But we have no choice now..."
...
After fruitless discussion, Holdo looked at Jonas and said,
"Jonas, do you have any thoughts or suggestions?"
Jonas thought for a moment and said, "Such turmoil is a disaster, but also an opportunity!
Our greatest opportunity!
I have nine words of advice!"
"What are they?"
"Build high walls, stockpile food, delay claiming kingship!"
"Hmm? What does that mean?"
Jonas explained, "Build high walls: strengthen military defenses by constructing sturdy walls, fortresses, and other fortifications to resist enemy invasions and secure our base.
Stockpile food: reserve sufficient food and supplies.
Food is vital during wartime; with ample reserves, the army can maintain combat effectiveness, and the people can live steadily, providing the material foundation for prolonged war and development.
Delay claiming kingship: when power is not yet strong enough, do not reveal ambitions prematurely to avoid attracting enemies' attention and attacks.
Instead, conceal strength and accumulate power quietly, waiting for the right moment to pursue higher status."
"The future war will be a life-or-death battle.
Instead of being cannon fodder, why not gradually claim kingship step by step?"
This statement stunned everyone present for a long time.
No one expected Jonas to be so bold.
This was practically rebellion!
After a moment of silence, Holdo suddenly slammed the table and shouted loudly:
"That makes damn good sense!
Both sides want us dead!
Why not make ourselves bigger and stronger? Create new glory!"
"Well said!"
"Exactly!"
...
A commander looked troubled and said, "But we are only a territory of a few thousand people. How can we grow big and strong?"
Jonas nodded and said, "The first step is to find geniuses in various fields to accelerate the process I mentioned."
Holdo asked, "How do we find geniuses?"
The world of geniuses is different from ordinary people.
Just look at Jonas and Olivia—they caught up with others’ ten years of effort in only a few months.
If they find talent in strategy and management, their territory can indeed grow big and strong.
But how to find them is a difficult problem.
Jonas said, "Guess how I discovered someone like Olivia among the Albinos?"
Everyone was stunned.
Indeed, Albinos generally had very poor talent, which was why many looked down on them as slaves.
Yet Jonas managed to find Olivia.
Her talent was even higher than the lady’s!
Jonas continued, "I awakened a talent called Appraisal.
It evaluates everyone’s talent and ability value."
Holdo said, "Ah?
There’s such a talent?"
Talent awakening was rare; every awakened imperial person was coveted by nobles.
Holdo had seen imperial fighters with awakened battle talents fight off thousands on the battlefield—it was terrifying.
And now even his own son had awakened?
Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone’s faces, Jonas said bluntly, "Father, your swordsmanship talent is good, but your cooking skill is terrible!
You’re currently at Black Iron rank, level six."
"I... your ability is absurd!"
Such a talent could not only discover geniuses but also avoid powerful enemies.
Holdo realized, "Wait... no wonder you agreed to the bet. You were certain you’d win from the start?"
Jonas smiled and said, "Yes, sorry, Father!"
"You brat!"
Jonas continued,
"So two days later, I plan to take corresponding gold coins and go to the big city with Olivia to find geniuses."
"Hmm... why not look in our territory first?"
"Uh... I’ve already checked within the territory; the talent is low.
The big city has nearly sixty thousand people, which greatly increases the chance."
Hearing this, Holdo slapped the table, "Good!
We’ll do as you say. I’ll provide the gold!
Rather than waiting to die, let’s take this chance!
But one thing, Jonas, you should look for talented mages.
In modern warfare, mages are the greatest weapons on the battlefield.
Just one Blue Stone-rank mage recently caused huge losses to our army!"
Jonas nodded, "Okay, I’ll look for mages, and not only for war."
Also for his little maid.
Holdo looked at his son with satisfaction and said, "When you return, you will be the leader of the second echelon!"
"Okay!
I won’t let you down, Father!"
...