Ai Wen and his father glanced at each other, pondered for a moment, then agreed, and followed the butler to the upper echelons behind the lord's mansion. When he reached the second floor, Evan saw Count Morol sitting in a chair, carefully studying a piece of parchment on the table. What is unusual is that opposite the Count of Morloll, there is also a chair and a wine glass on the table.

"Lord Earl, Knight Aven has arrived." After saying that, the butler nodded to Aven and walked down the stairs back to the first floor. Taking a deep breath, Evan calmed down his emotions and slowly stepped forward, saluting Count Morlor, who was looking down at the parchment, and then sat down opposite the latter.

"You little rabbit, if you say one more word, you will die, just because of your words, how much more food has I paid. Will you compensate me?" Count Morol looked up at Evan on the other side and said angrily.

"I'm very sorry Lord Earl, but I think this is the best opportunity for Lord Count to buy people's hearts, so I took the liberty to help Lord Earl, please forgive me." Although he apologized verbally, Evan didn't mean anything indebted.

Hmph, Count Morol snorted lightly, but did not continue to dwell on this topic, after all, this was not the main reason why he was looking for Evan late at night. He pushed the map on the table in front of Evan and motioned for Evan to look at it.

The map of the county of Middlesex, before he could look at the content of the map, Evan was attracted by a few large words directly above the map. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there was a place on the map that had been drawn with a quill, as if it had been specially marked to attract the eye, and the degree of ink seemed to have been drawn soon.

He looked at Count Morol in front of him with some hesitation, and he didn't understand why Count Morol was showing him this. After thinking about it, Aven decided to get straight to the point and threw out the doubts in his heart, "What is the meaning of Lord Earl showing me the map of the county?" Count Morol tapped his finger on the map, "This marked land was originally one of my direct domains, and I can give it to you if you want."

Ai Wen's heart trembled suddenly, the territory marked on the map, located in the southeast of London, is not only flat and suitable for farming, but also located north of the Thames, and has not been damaged in the last battle, the excellent geographical location can not only develop agriculture, but also use the Thames River to develop shipping, and even as long as the shipbuilding industry is strong enough, it can also go to sea to fish and develop fishery, it can be said that the potential is huge, as long as it is managed well, there will be remarkable results.

But the more this happened, the calmer Aven became, and there was no sign of any emotion on his face, and it was impossible for Count Morol to leave such a rich land and give it to himself.

"Lord Earl, my subordinates only move their mouths, and they don't have any combat exploits. The Earl is already satisfied with the knighthood of the Earl, and the addition of the reward will lead to suspicion in the hearts of the Earl, and that the Earl's reward and punishment are uneven, which will affect the Earl's reputation." Evan politely refused. Count Morlor was not surprised by Aven's refusal, ordinary people couldn't wait to bite the hook when they heard about their extremely tempting bait, who would care what they would face later.

"Don't worry, first hear why I gave you this land." Count Morloll took a sip of wine, leaned back in his chair, and said slowly, "Although you helped me win this battle and drive out those damned Kent, this credit alone, let alone fiefdoms, even the title of knight is very reluctant. In the future, if you don't have a lot of credit, you may have to wait a dozen or even decades before you can inherit your father's title and land."

Ai Wen nodded silently, he naturally understood what Count Morol said. "But who knows what will happen in the future, and think about it, even if you inherit your father's title and domain, it will only be a baron, a territory surrounded by hills, how much power will you have to continue upward?"

Morol spread his hands and laughed a little self-deprecatingly, "You must know that the promotion of our nobles is not only based on merit, but also on background and strength in many cases. If you want to start as a baron, it will take more than ten years to be promoted to earl, and this is still a smooth situation, it will take more time and more requirements to go up, how old do you think you will be by the time you inherit your father's title and fief?"

"......" Evan didn't refute it, and what Count Morol said was not wrong. In the Middle Ages, whether large or small, titles and fiefs were extremely limited, unless a nobleman made a great mistake and would be deprived of his title and fief, otherwise these hereditary titles would not pass into the hands of others.

The new nobles had to wage wars to acquire larger titles and fiefs, annexing weaker nations and making their lands their own. This process can take generations, even if everything goes well, not to mention the unexpected. Evan looked at Count Morlor, who was smiling as if he had eaten himself.

"Think about it, if you become a knight with a fief now, then with your ability, you will definitely have results soon, and then you are afraid that there will be no way to improve the title and fief?"

Seeing that Evan did not object, Count Morol continued to tempt, "Your strength is strong, which means that my strength is also strong. When the time comes, we will find an opportunity to start a war with nearby forces, and it will not be easy to win.

After the war, you don't want money to have money, you want fame and fame, you can have whatever you want. Why not? Not to mention that you are the only son of Elluth, and you can inherit his title and fief in the future."

Yang Mou, naked Yang Mou, unabashedly, Ai Wen smiled in his heart. "Lord Earl, I vaguely remember that you have several sons, and your subordinates think that it is better to give the land to your heirs."

In the face of Evan's kind suggestion, Count Morol burst into laughter, "Actually, it's nothing for you, I just hope to facilitate the marriage between our two families. If you marry my daughter, then I will give you this land as a dowry for your daughter. Wouldn't it be beautiful for the two of us to work together in the future?" Hehe...... Are you finally willing to tell the truth, Ai Wen complained in his heart.

"I've heard my father talk about it, but I haven't thought about it yet, after all, I haven't even seen the Earl's daughter." Ai Wen said respectfully, without a trace of emotion in his tone, like a robot, "It's better for Lord Earl to postpone this matter and wait for me to have a chance to meet your daughter in the future before making a decision." Two people who don't know each other live together, and they quarrel every day over trivial matters, and I don't think the Earl should want his daughter to live in such an environment."

Slippery head that does not enter the oil and salt...... Count Morol also felt a little tricky, no matter what he said, Evan in front of him was unwilling to agree, the key was that this was still the son of his old friend, he couldn't come hard, if he had changed someone, he would have been angry and let this person know the fate of opposing him.

Just as Count Morol was thinking about what to do, a quiet voice rang out from the corridor, "Father, I have long said that you are not feasible to do this. Ai Wen wasn't one of those dumb kids, how could he use this method? It's good now, Aiwen's answer, his father can't refute it, and if he doesn't refute it, he is in a dilemma, and he falls into a disadvantage unconsciously."

Hearing the voice, Evan subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, a door in the corridor opened, and three girls came out of it, one of whom Evan knew, it was Monica who took the initiative to talk to him during the banquet and was then mocked by himself. When the latter saw Ai Wen, he immediately turned his head to look to the side, obviously angry.

The girl in the lead took the initiative to step forward, bowed slightly, and said elegantly, "Hello Knight Evan, introduce yourself, my name is Delores, and I have often heard about your deeds from my father recently. When I saw it today, it was really extraordinary, and this way of negotiating with retreat as advance was really difficult to resist."

"Miss Deloris praised falsely, I have heard my father say for a long time that Miss Deloris is both beautiful and intelligent, and has a gentle and elegant personality, and is a good virtuous helper." Ai Wen opened his mouth and said, he didn't care if Erlus really said this, anyway, what did Zhou Shuren say have to do with me Lu Xun.

The corners of Delores' mouth rose slightly, and she pierced Evan's nonsense without hesitation, "Knight Evan, honesty is a knight's virtue. I haven't even met Baron Elluth, so how could he have told you about it?" Ah, Evan sighed and looked at Count Morrol, who was in the presence of the old god, "Miss Delores, my father knows all this because of Lord Count." As he spoke, Evan picked up the wine glass on the table, toasted Delores with a toast, and drank it all.

Ahh "It's strange, do you still get sick in the summer?" Ayrus muttered.

In the lord's mansion, Deloris glared at her father fiercely, and made up her mind that she must not let her father drink too much in the future, otherwise God knows if it will delay the business.

"Knight Aven, my father's meaning is actually very simple, he wants to seal this land to you, so that you can show your abilities and not be tied up like now. There is no need to refuse, I can ask my father to remove all the ancillary conditions. You have a rich land for nothing, and my father has one more capable leader, so wouldn't it be a win-win situation for both sides."

Deloris finally turned the subject back to the previous topic, but her words made Evan feel even more surprised. He couldn't help but look at Count Morlor, who nodded slightly.

"Ai Wen didn't feel that he had done anything earth-shattering, and he didn't have any military exploits to accompany him, so being rashly enthroned would only make people criticize Lord Earl." Aven's resolute disagreement made Delores feel a little angry, she didn't ask for a marriage contract, how could this person still be the same as a stone in a pit.

Suddenly she thought of something, and said with a smile, "Knight Aven, why don't we all take a step back. When you have more achievements in the future, I will officially seal this land to you, and now I will stay with my father for the time being, how about it?" Evan thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.

After all, he really needs a stronghold of his own, and relying on Erruth is not a good way after all, as Count Morol said, how slow is the promotion of the title, and when he inherits his father's title and territory, how much time will he have to make a difference?

Seeing that Evan finally agreed, Count Morol breathed a sigh of relief, although this matter did not achieve the expected effect, but finally basically completed the goal, using the land to tie Evan to his ship. He was about to raise his glass and drink another glass when he saw Delores' murderous gaze look at him, and he immediately put down the wine glass in his hand obediently.

"Knight Aven, please forgive my father and my presumptuousness, it was a necessity for us to make such a decision." Deloris said apologetically. Evan looked at Deloris with some confusion, waiting for her answer, "Does Evan Knight know about the Battle for England?"

England battle for supremacy? Hearing this word, Evan instantly understood many things. Every once in a while, the seven great powers of England would meet to fight, and the winner would become the nominal co-lord of England, and the loser would become the vassal state of the winner, and so on.

According to the canonical history, the winners of the last battle for supremacy were the Wessexians who later truly unified England and established the Kingdom of England. Of course, this is thanks to the Vikings, who might have had it been longer since the Vikings had destroyed the northern kingdoms, and the Wessex might have been able to establish the kingdom of England even longer.

"I know that the winner of the last battle for supremacy was the Kingdom of Mercia. Miss Delores said so, could it be that the battle for supremacy has begun?" Evan asked subconsciously.

Deloris shook her head and dismissed Aven's conjecture, "No, the Wessexes, the Mercians, and the other nations haven't really started a battle for supremacy." Deloris whispered, "Knight Aven, you are the son of Baron Elruth, and you should know that your father and mine have a good personal relationship."

Evan nodded, after all, his father often talked about things in the past, and he could more or less hear the unusual things about it, not to mention that his father's nickname Fire Captain was taken by the Earl himself.

"But looking at the entire territory, there are not many people who can compare to your father, and most nobles will become indescribable after a period of peace." Deloris sighed, a little helpless.

"Our Kingdom of Essex itself is the last of the Seven Kingdoms, and in the last battle for supremacy, because we were on the wrong side, we were defeated by the Mercians in several battles, not only suffered heavy casualties, but also lost a lot of land and population, which can be said to be a collapse. Although my father has been angry and trying to be strong, the effect is not good. Although I am usually able to govern the territory, it is a pity that I am not the eldest son and eldest daughter, and I am not qualified to inherit my father's title and territory."

"I remember how many sons the Earl has, why don't you ......," Evan asked with some strange surprises. A group of gentlemen, the mud can't support the wall. No courage and no strategy, no learning and no skills, all day long only know how to eat, drink and have fun. How can it be good if the territory is in the hands of these people?" Listening to Delores' somewhat indignant words, Evan didn't know what to say for a while, so he had to say quietly, "There will always be a way."

Well, Delores was silent for a moment, and continued, "My father has a very good relationship with His Majesty the King, and I know that His Majesty also wants to restore the Kingdom of Essex to its former glory, but our strength alone is not enough. Knight Aven, we need more capable people like you, otherwise reviving the kingdom will be just empty words."

"I see. But what do you like about me, after all, I haven't done anything yet. You can't win a battle, you're a talent." Evan raised another question in his mind.

"You said that the invaders were the army of the Kingdom of Kent, which is consistent with my judgment and the truth. With that sentence alone, I can probably know that Knight Aven, your abilities should be at least as good as mine, or even better than mine."

Deloris walked to the table, pointed to the map and said, "Our Kingdom of Essex is at the junction of the five countries, guarding the mouth of the Thames, and our strength is not strong, we are fat sheep in the eyes of all countries, and anyone wants to take a bite."

"Borders with two countries, to be exact." Evan calmly corrected, "Except for the Kingdom of Wessex and the Kingdom of Mercia, there are a few others that should not be worried." Deloris looked at Evan deeply, and then said, "In the last battle for supremacy, the Kingdom of Mercia mobilized a full three thousand people, and the Kingdom of Wessex mobilized more than two thousand, which can be said to be a powerful opponent."

"But from what I've heard, the Mercians have been declining in recent years, while the Wessex have been growing stronger, and the tensions between the two countries have deepened. As long as we in the Kingdom of Essex can befriend one of these countries, we may be able to gain enough time to develop. When the time comes, it may not be impossible to attack other countries in the vicinity and strengthen itself."

"Then the kings of these two countries have lost their minds and gone mad." Evan shook his head and reached out to point at the map. "The Mercian people don't fight the weak and easy to fight East Angloria, and run to fight the mighty Wessexians, it's like an egg hitting a stone. Although these two big countries will fight each other, they will never break out into a large-scale war, and even if they do, they will first destroy the other small countries. I think the biggest possibility is that the Mercians and Wessex keep a tacit understanding, one to play East Angloria and the other to Sussex, and then see if we split up equally, or if the Wessex people are more generous and exchange the land of Essex for the land of Kent. Only then will they go to war with each other."

Deloris nodded, agreeing with Aven's statement. The two talked for a while, and Delores glanced at her father beside her. Count Morlore understood this, and under the pretext that there was something important tomorrow, he interrupted the conversation between the two, and personally sent Aven to the gate of the lord's mansion, ordering the guards to escort him back to the hotel where he was resting.

After Evan left, Count Morol asked slowly, "Well, such a husband still meets your requirements." You won't have to mess with me again this time." For a long time, the Count of Morol did not hear his daughter's answer, so he turned his head to look, only to see Deloris still looking at the map with a serious expression.

After a long while, I heard the latter's faint reply, "Ai Wen's ability is stronger than mine, and he understands the situation better than me. If he can still march and set up, he will very likely become an indispensable pillar of the kingdom in the future. It's just that the gap between the two of us is too big, and I'm afraid that the temptation just now will make him think that I will be holding back and look down on me......" Hearing Delores' answer, Count Morol did not answer for a long time.

On the other side, Aven, who returned to the hotel, unexpectedly found that his father Ellus had not rested yet, and had been quietly waiting for him to come back, and he felt a little ashamed in his heart at the moment. "Well, did you still have a good conversation with Lord Earl?" Ayrus asked casually. Evan thought about it, but still told his father about what happened.

Hearing this, Ellus smiled and said, "I guess the Earl wants to test you to see if you really have the ability to marry his daughter. What do you think?" Ai Wen looked at his father and said calmly, "I didn't have any ideas, I just met, and I didn't have any feelings. All I can say is that Delores is a good talent in terms of ability. If you really can't avoid marrying the daughter of Lord Earl in the future, then Deloris is the best choice. At least not a cumbersome vase."

Elruth nodded slightly and patted Evan on the shoulder, "Okay, then you can have more contact in the future, and your feelings can be cultivated slowly."

At last, Ellus remembered something, and reminded, "We still need to bring it around London for a few days, and if there is anything we want to buy, we can buy it. The things you told me about earlier can also begin. The Earl's personality is not going to talk to you about things that don't matter." Ai Wen was slightly stunned, and then it should be.