The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

The summer breeze blew across the roads of the County of Glamorgan. In the gazebo of the beautiful Lady's Garden, Ryan, Sulia, and the Lady of the Lake were enjoying afternoon tea together.

Dark Elf Olica sat beside Ryan, serving him tea. Sulia's maid, Sylvia, and the castle's head maid stood behind Sulia. The head maid glanced at Ryan with a slightly hostile look, before blushing and looking away.

"Ryan, won't there be any issues with you leaving the army and returning here?" Sulia asked as she gently sat down. The knight was a bit worried. With Mousilon newly acquired, there had to be a reason for Ryan's hasty return. Sulia felt a bit guilty, knowing the best choice for Ryan would have been to stay in Mousilon and oversee everything.

"There won't be any problems." Ryan shook his head with a smile, gazing into the distant sky. "Don't forget, it's their land now, and they'll naturally give it their all."

Having delegated the lands, the subsequent affairs would naturally be handled by others. Ryan had left the army and returned to the castle, and many of his knights stayed in Mousilon. Among his six barons, only the Grand Baron Devon Hex returned to the County of Glamorgan, while the remaining five, including Alfred, stayed in Mousilon.

Moreover, from another perspective, having followed Ryan for many years in battle, they deserved enough rewards.

"When do you plan to take the throne?" the Lady of the Lake lazily leaned back in her chair, speaking with interest. "Are you waiting for Richard to die?"

"No, I'll take the throne once everything in Mousilon is settled." Ryan frowned, feeling the summer wind on his face, and sighed. "First, a canal connecting north and south."

"A good idea, but you'll need to persuade the Duchy of Bastogne and the Duchy of Bordeleaux." The Lady of the Lake brushed her golden hair that flowed like a waterfall to the ground. Wearing champagne-colored bow-tied high heels, her toes wrapped in flesh-colored stockings gently swayed. The goddess was relieved to see Ryan willing to negotiate with Lyonnaise.

Though the Lady of the Lake sided with Ryan in land matters, the first Duke of Lyonnaise, "Brave" Silruf, also dedicated his life to the kingdom of knights. His 350-year lifespan was a never-ending battle. Seeing the Duchy of Lyonnaise in such dire straits, the goddess also felt pity.

Sometimes, mortal decisions are influenced by emotions, and these emotional fluctuations reflect in the warp.

The canal was necessary, a decision Ryan had made after much consideration.

The Old World was full of dangers and had serious security issues.

Even the richest and most powerful Reikland was a land filled with dark forests, beastmen, greenskins, and occasional bandits. Despite the emperor's constant military expeditions to exterminate them, travel and trade remained dangerous.

The nobles of Reikland understood this well. Starting with William III, Reikland began large-scale canal digging. Hundreds of various natural rivers and canals formed the Reikland water system, connecting all major towns. The wide waterways, combined with patrols from the Reikland navy, made water travel and trade relatively safe.

Because of this, with extensive land reclamation, road construction, and agricultural improvements along the rivers, a large class of freemen and merchants began to dominate Reikland, leading to the emergence of a citizen class.

Ryan also planned to dig a canal, linking the Grismerie and Chalon Rivers, to become a crucial connection between north and south.

However, this would inevitably face opposition. Besides conservative forces, digging the canal would impact the estates of all nobles along the route and elevate the freemen and merchant class.

"Bordeleaux shouldn't oppose you; Bodrick understands the value of commerce for him and his duchy," the Lady of the Lake mused, holding her Holy Grail. "As for Bastogne, most of its great nobles are Holy Grail Knights. With your current prestige, they won't oppose too much, as long as they see the benefits."

"The main resistance will still come from the kingdom's conservative forces," Ryan nodded, confident. "But no one can oppose me now. This is the best time to get it done."

Sulia giggled, feeling delighted.

Indeed, after a series of wars and events, the conservative nobles of the kingdom no longer had the power to oppose Ryan. Instead, they often had to seek help from southern nobles.

For instance, the cunning François had just announced a loan of 15,000 gold crowns to the northern duchies to pay for overdue pensions, town reconstruction, and castle repairs, with annual interest around 10%-15%. Additionally, southern nobles, including those under Ryan, were opening their granaries to support the north with food.

In such circumstances, conservative nobles couldn't muster the courage to oppose Ryan's decisions.

Speaking of which, Sulia said, "Recently, many serfs from Lyonnaise, especially women, have come here. They often stay in taverns and inns."

Ryan smiled upon hearing this. "Stay" was a euphemism. Life in Lyonnaise was extremely difficult, while in Ryan's territory, the freemen class was rising, and even serfs had some extra money and food. It wasn't surprising that many female serfs from Lyonnaise sought a living here.

"Hmph," Sylvia snorted disdainfully. The head maid was unhappy. "I think we should expel them all!"

"Where there is demand, there is a market," Ryan was indifferent. "Even if we expel them, as long as there is a market, others will come. It doesn't make sense to do that."

"The master is right," Olica, the Dark Elf maid, fed Ryan a pastry. The dark elf seemed pleased to see Ryan return. "Others will come. This won't solve the problem at its root. It's human nature."

"But if this goes on..." Sylvia still disliked these outsiders.

"You'll get used to it," Ryan laughed. "Not to mention, my knights are very popular with Lyonnaise noblewomen. After reclaiming Mousilon, many noblewomen expressed willingness to marry. For instance, Grand Baron Hex returning with me caught the eye of a countess. Many knights face the happy trouble of marriage offers from baronial or even comital daughters."

"Isn't that... strange?" Sylvia blushed. "A baron's daughter marrying a wandering knight?"

"But that's the reality," Sulia gently laughed. "Marriage helps stabilize, and large-scale intermarriage between our knights and Lyonnaise nobility promotes noble integration. It's good news, and we should encourage it."

"Yes!"

They chatted for a while longer. When afternoon tea, also Sulia's daily "outing time," ended, she returned to her room with Sylvia's help.

Before leaving, the knight held the Lady of the Lake and her husband's hands, placing the goddess's small hand in Ryan's large one, and earnestly said, "My Lady, I'm leaving Ryan in your care for a while. Please watch over him!"

"Don't worry, Sulia, leave it to me!" The Lady of the Lake smiled, her face filled with pride. "I won't give those harpies a single chance!"

"Thank you." Sulia smiled, turning to Ryan. "Did you hear that, my husband? Get along well during this time!"

"Uh..." The duke felt a bit helpless. Under Sulia's sharp gaze, he had no choice but to nod. "I understand."

"I'm going to rest now, Ryan. You must be tired from the trip back." The knight was considerate. "Take a bath and rest well. The Lady will join us for dinner tonight."

"Please follow me, master," the dark elf's eyes brightened. "Let me assist you with the bath."

"Alright!" Ryan didn't say more, following the dark elf to the castle's bathroom.

...Bathing scene transition...

At the same time, off the southern coast of the Old World, a large fleet was sailing.

This was a well-equipped, well-trained army, with almost everyone wearing fine armor. Under the summer sun, they stood in neat rows on deck, prepared for any threats.

The fleet's banner displayed a vividly reborn phoenix claw.

A tall warrior with smooth, silvery hair stood at the ship's bow. He wore ancient golden plate armor blessed by the first generation Slann Lord Kroak, wielded a golden power sword named "Glory," and had a golden snake god pendant on his chest. His Sotek war spear was strapped to his back, emanating the serpent god's aura.

The ships of the fleet were heavily laden, not just with troops.

"Commander, we should reach Magritta in about a week," Ash Legion Captain Pedro Alvarado said excitedly to the commander. "Finally back to the Old World!"

"Pedro, as an Estalian, do you think we can recruit enough new soldiers in Estalia?" Thorgan looked at the churning sea, asking casually.

"Estalia never lacks people leaving their homes. The people here have a tradition of adventure, my commander," Pedro nodded. "The key is, what level of new soldiers do you want?"

"Time is short, and I hope to recruit soldiers capable of fighting," Thorgan frowned.

Time was running out for this world. Recruiting raw recruits from scratch would take too long.

The great first-generation Slann, Lord Kroak, had been resurrected by the Emperor's power.

His resurrection brought new hope to the servants of the Old Ones. Kroak knew how to rebuild the ruined and lost cities of the Old Ones and how to repair and sanctify the corrupted spawning pools. He prophesied that before facing the Chaos threat, the servants of the Old Ones must first deal with

 the Skaven menace.

The Ash Legion had suffered heavy losses in previous wars. Thorgan decided to return to the Old World with three thousand men to recruit new troops. With financial support from the Lizardmen, Thorgan aimed to recruit thirty to fifty thousand new soldiers to form a new expeditionary force.

"If we want combat-ready recruits, Estalia is difficult," Pedro continued. "We should go to Tilea for recruits."

"What about Bretonnia and the Empire? Aren't they the strongest nations in the Old World?" Thorgan asked curiously. "Why not go there?"

"Bretonnia's knights are the Old World's strongest heavy cavalry, but they rarely take mercenary work. Hiring them requires a just cause, like the Crusades or the Araby Holy War," Pedro explained. "As for the Empire, their troops can be hired, but it requires connections. Does the commander have any contacts in the Empire?"

"Without contacts, it's difficult?" Thorgan laughed. It seemed the situation was the same everywhere.

"Yes," Pedro nodded.

"Then what about Tilea?"

"In Tilea, many are willing to fight as long as the price is right," Pedro said. "We can recruit humans, dwarfs, elves, ogres, even greenskins and undead if we have money."

"Greenskins..." Thorgan shook his head with a wry smile. "Forget greenskins."

"If necessary, we can even recruit in the Border Princes. They are strong fighters, but also ruthless and undisciplined," Pedro added. "We might also recruit Kislevite winged lancers if we're lucky. They accept any job as long as it's not against humans or dwarfs, though it's unclear if they'd join our expedition."

"Let's start by recruiting in Estalia and Tilea!" Thorgan finally decided. "And I'll visit Bretonnia to see my brothers."

"I have a gift for them."

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