"We can't go on like this!"

In the midst of everyone's arguments and discussions, the Grand Earl Helde stood up on the table, looked at the people present, and spoke resentfully. "I think it is necessary to do something to stop the wanton behavior of these wizards in the kingdom!"

However, Herder's impassioned words did not attract applause from the crowd, but instead received a burst of ridicule.

"Measures? What are you going to do? Count Herder? Viscount Ske sneered mercilessly. Gather your guards and knights to get justice in the City of Oil? ”

Now those wizards can be said to be in full swing, defeating the crusading armies of the Holy See one after another, all the way to the territory of the empire!

Even if they don't want to believe it, they have to face the fact that the power of their nobles alone is not enough to shake the rule of wizards, and even the kingdom guards can't defeat them!

The fate of Grand Duke Rickman is the best proof of this.

With three thousand musketeers teaming up with something called an airship to beat tens of thousands of the Kingdom's elite troops, it was never a wise move to confront the wizards head-on!

In a sarcastic tone, Herder's face turned red, and he retorted rather angrily. "Should we just sit back and watch these demons' minions grow and turn the whole kingdom into their private property?"

"Don't forget, what reason those wizards used to punish the nobles of the east......"

Hearing this, the faces of all the people present changed slightly.

It is true that the lords of the eastern part of the kingdom have made a big mistake by choosing to side with the empire and the church in the uncertain situation, but no matter what, they should not be judged and convicted by wizards in private!

And a lot of incriminating evidence given by the other party can only be described as shocking!

When was it considered a sin to kill a few errant serfs?

There is also the so-called excesses and miscellaneous taxes, which are also a complete joke!

According to the laws of the empire, all the lords were the private property of the lord, and it was up to the local lord to decide how much food to pay and how to punish them, unless it was a matter of faith, even the king and the local church could not interfere!

With the other party's judging standard, wouldn't he have to be judged?

Thinking of this, the nobles in the secret room felt a chill in their hearts.

Herder turned to Viscount Ske, and without hesitation, he uncovered the other's scars. "Don't think I don't know, Ske, the chief knight of Ling has broken his oath a few days ago and thrown himself into the arms of those wizards, right?"

The latter's face immediately became extremely ugly.

A week ago, his chief knight suddenly disappeared, and after several days of searching, he finally found out that this guy had secretly gone to the workshop in the royal capital to burn glass for those wizards!

It almost didn't him off!

A knight with a knighthood should go to do those lowly jobs that only poor people do, which is simply insulting the status of a nobleman!

In the end, I asked the reason and found out that the salary of the workshop was twice that of what I gave, and I also included three meals and a house......

Annoyed, Ske immediately wanted to have his chief knight brought back so as not to be embarrassed here, and prepared to punish the other party for tarnishing his noble status.

However, the wizard who managed the workshop was very arrogant and refused his reasonable request, because his chief knight was extremely talented, and although he had only been here for a week, he was the best glass-burning person in the entire workshop, and was now the manager in charge of instructing the newcomers.

Recalling the arrogant and contemptuous gaze of the other party, endless anger and humiliation suddenly welled up in Ske's heart.

A mere wizard who used to hide like a rodent in the corners of the city, relying on the snorts of these nobles to survive, now leaps on their heads and is powerful......

Herder did not give up, and after uncovering Ske's scars, he looked at the rest of the nobles present, and poked at each of them fiercely.

Although the power of the wizards has not yet expanded into their territory, the influence derived from it has already threatened everyone's interests.

Not to mention, the frequency of disturbances among the miners and the poor has increased several times, and there has even been a mass exodus of the people in some territories.

That's why they're coming together today to discuss the future of the nobility and the kingdom!

"I have a plan, maybe it works!" Just when the crowd was excited, the Marquis of Mortan suddenly spoke, attracting everyone's attention, and then swore an oath.

"We may not be a match for those wizards, but let's not forget, we have something in our hands that can affect the survival of the entire kingdom."

The nobles in the secret room were stunned for a moment, and even Count Herder was very surprised.

Fortunately, the Marquis of Mortan did not mean to sell Guanzi, and confided bluntly.

"Food!"

"You mean......" Count Herder's eyes lit up, and he already vaguely understood what the Marquis meant.

"Now that the eastern part of the kingdom has just been hit by war, it is not easy to resume production, I don't know if you have noticed, those wizards are buying wheat in large quantities!" The Marquis of Mortan said with a sneer.

In order to curry favor with the lower lords and dismantle the foundations of the church, the Wizards' Council used the looted wealth to hire the poor at a high price, and then used the new alchemy creations they produced in exchange for high profits to maintain the status quo.

I have to say that wizards are very willing to share their wealth, and this hand is indeed wonderful!

In just one year, the people of the royal capital have gone from being afraid of the smoke-emitting workshops to now flocking to them, and they are even proud of working for wizards!

But there is a problem, the people have more savings, they are no longer willing to go hungry, and the black noodles that used to be sold out of stock are now not even eaten by the dogs on the side of the road......

You know, this thing used to be a staple food for the poor.

In order to reduce costs, merchants usually add some wood chips and forage to it, which is not easy to gnaw but can fill their stomachs......

Nowadays, even the lowliest miners in the royal capital will not hesitate to buy a delicious piece of white bread.

This also increased the consumption of food several times, and the eastern territory of the kingdom that had just been conquered had a population of millions of people, and it was not easy to feed the mouths of so many people.

The incoming and outgoing food convoys were also enough proof that there was no longer enough food in the hands of the council.

At this time, as long as they bought wheat in large quantities, they could shake the grain trade of the entire kingdom, further reduce the already insufficient grain on the market, and push up the price.

Poor people who have money to spare will also start looting out of fear, creating a chain reaction!

"The kingdom ruled by wizards now is like a castle with a sturdy exterior and a crumbling interior, and if we kick it hard, it will collapse!" The Marquis of Mortan said categorically.

The nobles present looked horrified.

This trick can only be described as ruthless!

"But the Empire ......" Ske hesitated, if the wizards could trade food from the Empire, then everything they were doing was meaningless.

"Don't worry, there will never be a grain of grain flowing in that direction!" The Marquis of Mortan assured.

The nobles present were not fools, and immediately realized that the Marquis of Mortain had gathered them here today in accordance with the orders of the Church.

But this made everyone breathe a sigh of relief, after all, what they are best at is to get benefits from the left and right, and the current situation is that the wizard family is dominant, and there are a large number of poor people, just with their own strength, they don't even have room to resist.

"Marquis of Mortan, your plan is indeed good, but what if those wizards do it directly to us?" Viscount Ske said hesitantly.

Wizards with powerful magic don't care about the laws of the kingdom, and if they annoy these people, it's not impossible to kill them all.

"Do you think if we just wait and do nothing, the wizards will forgive us?" Mortan said with a sneer. "Don't be stupid, they are just under pressure from the Empire and the Holy See now, and they can't take care of us for the time being."

"And we don't have to do it ourselves!" Mortan had already made up his mind that the purchase of grain and the increase in the price of grain would be enough for the caravans under their command to contribute, and all they had to do was to use their own financial resources and influence to fuel the flames behind the scenes!

What's more, now the main force of wizards is in the empire, and they are always facing a fierce battle with the Holy See's crusading army, if they completely fall out with these nobles, then the entire kingdom is at risk of overturning!

Under Mortan's explanation, Herder and the others let go of their doubts one after another.

That way, you don't have to confront the murderous wizards head-on.

After that, whether it is to force the wizards to make concessions at the price of food, or to completely disrupt the kingdom, it will be up to them to return to the former prosperity of the nobility and the church!

Under the temptation of their own interests being threatened and regaining control of the kingdom, the nobles in the secret chamber have made up their minds and are ready to unite to let those wizards who do not understand economics see the power and wisdom of the nobles!

……

In the middle of the night, the nobles who came to the assembly left the castle of the Marquis of Mortan through the secret passage, and their faces were full of sadness when they came, and they were all high-spirited, showing excitement and excitement, as if they had seen the dawn of victory!

Jeff kept a smile on the surface, but he was deeply worried inside.

As a small baron, although Jeff has a fief of his own, because of his active brain and flexibility, under the rule of wizards, he is not greatly affected, but has benefited a lot.

For example, three months ago, he rented out the management rights of the mines and fields in his territory along with 20,000 lords, and he could get nearly a thousand imperial gold coins every year, which was far more than what he had earned from his previous desperate operation of the territory!

Jeff doesn't have any big ambitions, so he collects rent, plays with those new and interesting witchcraft creations, finds a few more beautiful maids, and contributes to the growth of the family!

Most importantly, he was not optimistic about the so-called desperate plan of the Marquis of Moldan, and Jeff knew very well that the wizards were not driving a large number of poor people into the workshop to waste the land, but that they would not need so many people to cultivate!

He had returned to his realm before and seen something called a cultivator.

This kind of alchemy creation is very terrifying, and if it is controlled by one or two people, it can easily cultivate hundreds of acres of land!

So the Wizards' Council was not as short of food as Mortan and the others expected......

However, Jeff is very clear that he is a small person, and he reports that the nobles of the kingdom are gathering people to conspire, and in the absence of evidence, I am afraid that he will not get too much attention.

Jeff thought for a moment, and soon thought of his lord!

As His Majesty's most powerful right-hand man, one of the heroes who supported King Khattar to ascend to the throne, the Grand Duke of Gard, who was privately called a sorcerer's lackey by many nobles!

This is the highest-level person he has access to at the moment.

Thinking about it, Jeff no longer hesitated, and after leaving the marquis's castle, he went to the mansion of the Grand Duke of Gard in the royal capital overnight.

The guards were informed, and they were soon received.

Slowly entering the spacious inner chamber, Jeff waited for a while, and the robed Duke Gard soon walked in with a few guards.

"Please forgive me for disturbing your sleep, Lord Duke." Jeff bowed respectfully.

"Tell me, Sir, is there anything important to report to me when you come to me so late?" Duke Gade didn't mean to be polite, and asked impatiently.

"Lord Hui, it's about the Marquis of Moldan ......" Jeff reported truthfully, telling the truth about Moldan secretly gathering more than forty nobles of the kingdom tonight to plot a large-scale purchase of grain and artificially create a famine.

After listening to Jeff's account, Duke Gad pondered for a while. "You have done a good job, sir, and I will report this matter to His Majesty Hatar truthfully."

Jeff didn't dare to take the lead, but before he could shirk it, Duke Gad asked again.

"How many people have you told about this?"

"It's just you, my lord!" Jeff hurriedly replied.

"Very good, very good!" Gard nodded with satisfaction, and then asked the attendant to bring a bag of gold as a reward for delivering the news, and said encouragingly. "If this is confirmed, you will definitely get the reward you deserve!"

Jeff happily took it, the bag was heavy, and there were at least two hundred Imperial Gold Coins in it.

"You can go back and rest!" Gard said with a wave of his hand.

Jeff turned his head to put the money bag full of gold away, and for some reason there was a faint trace of unease in his heart, until he was about to step out of the inner room, and suddenly remembered that after listening to his own account, the Grand Duke's behavior was a little too calm, and his face did not show the slightest hint of surprise from beginning to end.

It's as if I've known the news for a long time......

The uneasiness in Jeff's heart became more and more intense, and the moment he stepped out of the threshold, this intense uneasiness turned into a stronger sense of crisis.

Almost subconsciously, Jeff's right hand touched the hilt of the sword at his waist, but even faster than him was the crossbow arrow in the hands of the guards!

The sharp arrow and the sound of the crossbow machine arriving almost simultaneously pierced Jeff's chest, arms, and thighs, and then a long knife burst through the air, and in the gushing blood, Jeff's round head was cut off, and his eyes widened with incomprehension......

Gad threw away the blood-stained long knife in his hand, looked indifferently at the guards around him, and spoke.

"Clean up the body, and tell Mortan to be careful next time, and don't let such people get in again."

(End of chapter)