Dark Mountains.

After seeing the place Gawain pointed out, everyone couldn't help but be stunned.

The first one who couldn't help but break the silence was Archduke Bodwin Franklin of the West, his eyes widened: "You...... Are you sure? ”

"Why not?" Gawain smiled, "Could it be that there is still a master in this place?" ”

"That's not ......," Francis II shook his head, "the entire Dark Mountains region and the places further south are ownerless, and indeed meet the requirements of the Frontier Decree, but not only is it close to the Typhon Empire, but it is also directly connected to the Gondor wasteland to the south, which is really ......"

The Dark Mountains are part of Ansu's southern border, stretching to the east as far as the Typhon Empire, while the western section stretches hundreds of kilometers along Ansu's borders before bending a small angle to the south and merging into the corrupted lands of the Gondor wasteland. Theoretically, even the southern strip of plains of the Dark Mountains is Ansu's territory, but in practice the kingdom can only reach the north side of the mountains - and its control is quite limited.

The most important reason for this is the existence of the Gondor Wasteland.

The land is still shrouded in chaotic elemental power and magical energy, and the surging corruption has left the land virtually incapacitated and filled with toxins that are deadly to humans.

While its range is no longer widespread, the occasional wind-blown toxic dust storms and the occasional roaming monster at the edge of the wasteland are a deadly threat.

Historically, the Ansu Kingdom has attempted several backlash attempts to reconquer the southern frontier after the situation stabilized - they even had plans to reclaim Gondor's homeland, but all efforts failed. The purification of the wasteland was extremely difficult and full of repetition, the income was completely disproportionate to the effort, and the early development strongholds were often destroyed by toxic dust storms and monsters before they could last any production, so in the end, the Ansu royal family withdrew all the exploration teams and stopped on the northern side of the Dark Mountains.

Then, due to the increasing prosperity of the northern region of the kingdom and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Violet Kingdom, the center of gravity of the kingdom further shifted to the north, coupled with the "Foggy Moon Civil War" a hundred years ago, the Cecil family in the south collapsed overnight, and the situation in the south further deteriorated and regressed, and today, the entire Dark Mountain Range and most of the surrounding areas are no different from the wasteland.

The smell of the wasteland blowing over the mountains has corrupted even the plains north of the mountains.

But Gawain only smiled at this: "I faced a worse situation back then. When it comes to political struggles and intrigues, I may not be as good as you juniors, but when it comes to fighting against the sinister nature of nature, you are definitely not as good as me. ”

Regardless of whether it's true or not, anyway, let's blow a wave according to the real one first, and then talk about .jpg.

Since Gawain himself was so confident, of course the others on the scene would not continue to worry about him - for the king and other nobles, whether Galwin Cecil could gain a foothold in the south was not their concern at all, and their main concern was only when this hot potato would leave the royal capital. Since Gawain took the initiative to choose a place where birds don't poop and no one hits, what else do you say?

Hurry up and send your ancestors away from the capital!

If it weren't for the fact that some details had to be agreed, Francis II had almost already prepared the carriage for Gawain's family......

After finalizing the most important issue of the right to open up, Gawain took the opportunity to get Francis II to admit several other "trivial things that did not matter".

In the first place, Gawain Cecil's dukedom must survive, but for the time being only as his personal honour, and not as an heir, unless Cecil's family had indeed carved out vast lands in the south at the time of Gawain's death (unmistakable), or if there were other merits, at which time his sons would be judged on the basis of their land and merit.

This is actually a nondescript plan, the product of the contradiction between Gawain Cecil's dukedom and the incident a hundred years ago, no one dares to deprive the founding Grand Duke of the title, but there is no way to make a viscount family jump directly to a duke, so it has to be so compromised. Frankly, this is completely inconsistent with any law since the founding of Ansu – but what logic do you tell to a man who jumps out of a coffin?

The ancestor doesn't even tell you physics, and he still reasoned with you!?

The so-called "temporary uninheritable", a discerning person knows at a glance that this is just a delay in time and an explanation to the existing aristocratic system.

In addition to this, the Ansu royal family will fully recognize the full autonomy of the Cecil family in the newly opened lands – just as the Founding Monarchs recognized the autonomy of any of the frontier territories.

Coupled with a few bits and pieces of agreement, in the end, Gawain got the result he wanted.

A nation within a nation without being disturbed.

In fact, these contents have already been decided, and when the prince of Edmund visited in advance, Gawain had already hooked up with the king, and now he was just a formality in the oak hall.

There was no objection to these contents on the scene - anyway, the Cecil family was going to a barren land to pioneer, and how much territory they opened up would not affect the vested interests of any family up to now, and since there was no conflict in interests, then the nominal conflict would be easily resolved.

Francis II signed a new document on the spot, declaring that, in accordance with ancient law, the Cecil family would have the right to open up all the lands between the Dark Mountains and any surrounding kingdom fiefdoms, and announced that they would provide the necessary support for the expedition - including a team of 100 craftsmen and mage apprentices, as well as the food and cloth needed for the first year of the expedition.

Among them, the craftsmen and apprentices will work in the pioneer territory for three years, and after three years, they can voluntarily choose to stay, but if anyone stays, the Cecil family needs to "buy" them from the royal family at the price of 30 gold guilders per person.

This support is not much, but Gawain is already satisfied, and for the Cecil family, who are currently poor, it can solve the urgent need.

The gold, silver and ingots in the treasure troves of the mountains cannot be turned directly into food, nor can they be turned into skilled craftsmen, and in this era when the word "pioneering" has become a distant history, no one wants to leave the stable homeland and run to a place next to the wasteland of Gondor to open up the wasteland, and the hundred craftsmen and apprentices will be the most valuable treasure.

This can also be said to be the kindness of Francis II to Gawain on behalf of the Ansu royal family - to thank the founding duke for his recognition of his bloodline.

The deal is over, everyone is satisfied, and after a deal that is both parties happy, a banquet is essential.

The oak hall was resealed, the banquet hall on the second floor of the castle hosted a feast, where food and wine were put on the table, where the king and his most trusted nobles celebrated the return of a legendary hero.

The new nobles, who were not qualified to enter the oak hall, but who were the first to know the outcome of the meeting, had been waiting in the rest rooms of the Silver Castle for half a day, until the squires ran into the banquet hall and rang the brass bells for the celebrations, and they appeared with a smile on their faces.

Rebecca was the first time she had been involved in such an occasion - the down-and-out lady had never been in such a palatial place since she had been a child, and she had not attended a few decent banquets since she was a child, owing to the rejection of the Cecil family by the entire aristocratic circle. The grandest feast she remembered was when she was sixteen years old and an adult, and her father gave her a lively celebration in the castle, but it was nothing more than a long table full of food.

It's nothing like the feast in Silver Castle.

The whole hall was filled with long tables full of food and wine at your disposal, in the center of the hall was where the ladies and gentlemen danced, and a richly dressed band played music on a stage on one side of the hall, and the mages cast their magic in the four corners of the hall, constantly creating all kinds of wonderful lights and falling snowflakes in mid-air—it was impossible for Rebecca to have the precious mage create this illusion of stirring up the atmosphere.

His Majesty the King...... It's so rich.

At first, Rebecca tried to make a mature and steady appearance with a straight face, but soon, the girl's nature overpowered the little steadiness she had pretended, and she grabbed Gawain's hand and asked this and that, and Gawain smiled and blew nonsense at her according to her own memories and the imagination of the time-traveler.

Rebecca's earthy performance can't hide from the big nobles who have long since polished their eyes, but they don't show any disdain for this little lord from the countryside - maybe a little in their hearts, but Gawain Cecil has always stood by Rebecca's side, and this "parent" who never leaves makes everyone have to restrain their contempt, at least to keep a smile on Rebecca on the surface.

Then, a few young people came running to invite Rebecca to dance with them—presumably because they felt that the Cecil family now had some potential value in bringing them closer to each other, but they were all blocked by Gawain.

Just kidding, with Rebecca's general brain and head iron personality, she can't get along in the south, and you can't sell the whole family in an instant when you deal with these monkey spirits and monkey spirits in Wangdu?

"Overprotection doesn't make a child grow," a gentle male voice came from the side, "Viscount Rebecca is an adult, you should let her have more contact with the social circles of high society." ”

Gawain turned around and saw that the Grand Duke of the West, Berdwin Franklin, was standing behind him, and with Patrickin was the Grand Duke of the North, Victoria Wilder.

"I died early back then, and I didn't have much experience in disciplining children." Gawain shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly.

Dewen Bird: "......"

Victoria: "......"

"And I don't think Rebecca would have time to deal with anyone else even if I didn't stop it."

Gawain said as he pointed to his great-granddaughter on the N+1 floor, the Viscount, who was lying at a long table nearby and eating hause......

"Really...... Be spontaneous. Duke Bodwin said dryly.

Gawain smiled and looked at Victoria Wilder, who was standing next to him with an indifferent face, "I have some questions for this girl from the Wilder family than educating future generations." ”