Chapter 1489 - 951: Internal Conflict (Part 2)

Chapter 1489: Chapter 951: Internal Conflict (Part 2)

He spoke slowly, his voice steady and filled with piercing power:

"Commander Carroll, it is not the Night Watchers who are in chaos, but the decaying old order that stubbornly resists and cannot keep up with the changes of the times.

"The commoners demand rights? That’s because they have gained power and seen the dazzling possibility of changing their destiny, unwilling to be slaughtered like livestock any longer.

"Isn’t that only natural? As for the nobles being killed and impacted...

"If the nobles themselves acted justly, treated their people kindly, and got along well with them, how would they invite such extreme and destructive hatred?

"The Night Watchers only gave the weak the power to voice and resist, without inciting them to do evil. The real root of the problem, I’m afraid, is the deep-seated resentment accumulated over the years by some people."

His narrative was also unshakably correct.

Because the duties of a lord, the duties of a noble, and the duties of a knight are clearly written in the kingdom’s laws.

This is their noble and sacred source.

Or it is their inherent, unshirkable duty by birth.

Though they habitually and selectively forget it.

Of course, it is mainly due to vested interests.

He paused, his gaze, as sharp as it was substantial, swept across Carroll, also glancing at Raymond, who remained calm and quiet while dining, and continued.

"Low prices, abundant resources, allowing my guards to wear more excellent, cold-glinting armor, letting my populace truly have enough to eat and wear, bringing delicacies once solely enjoyed at top-tier feasts in the Royal Capital to this table.

"This is an unprecedented, thriving prosperity, an unstoppable historical progress, and a tangible, widely beneficial good brought to this continent by the Night Watchers.

"Those nobles, content to feed off their inheritance, stagnant and unwilling to progress, unable to adapt to the new situation — their bankruptcy, isn’t it a kind of cold but inevitable elimination in the torrent of history?

"Just like my guards, averaging Level Seven, they need better equipment and supplies, and the low prices make it easy for me to afford them.

"This is the cold and stark reality, Commander Carroll. The Night Watchers have not maliciously manipulated, but have merely established a more efficient, fairer, and widely beneficial, spring-rain-like rule.

"And you all..."

Alfred shook his head gently, his tone carrying a touch of deep weariness and an unyielding decisiveness.

"You are still trying to maintain that already teetering illusory old dream. The times have changed, either recognize reality and strive to keep up, or... please quietly accept the ruthless fate of being eliminated.

"At least in my territory, my soldiers, my people, firmly choose to keep up."

Alfred’s words, like cold rocks, heavily struck the lavish, snow-white tablecloth-covered dining table.

Alfred is a border noble, and what is a border noble.

If nobles are divided into civil and military factions, border nobles are undoubtedly the iron-blood force faction.

They are much more direct and pragmatic.

And indeed suffer from the merciless suppression of central factions.

Moreover, Alfred’s territory isn’t rich in food, and he even needs to spend extra funds annually to purchase materials from outside.

Therefore, the existence of the Night Watchers, for him, has no vested interest but has instead brought him many tangible benefits.

And one point is critically important.

That is, Alfred is only forty years old, and when the Night Watchers began, he was only twenty.

At that time, he hadn’t inherited his territory yet; he was still out traveling bravely as a knight.

Thus, he knew about the Night Watchers early on and simply made natural contact with them.

At that time, he was already naturally fond of the Night Watchers, and later when he inherited the territory, it was also the dark period when the Evil God wreaked havoc.

He also suffered bitterly.

And at that time, the Night Watchers already established Night Patrol Legion bases rapidly across the world.

The Night Patrols also helped him a lot.

Thus, he was naturally close to the Night Watchers.

Although, with age, he became increasingly realistic, seeing further and more directly.

Yet, that little closeness to the Night Watchers remains deeply rooted.

So his defection was unusually swift.

Commander Carroll’s face was ashen, his chest heaving violently, Alfred’s remarks of "old dreams" and "elimination" pierced like a poisoned dagger, shattering his last, shaky dignity.

This is the stark, blood-soaked reality that the conservative nobles are unwilling to face.

Many nobles even understand that their resistance is actually so fragile as to be meaningless.

The Night Watchers do not even bother to look at them seriously because their levels are not on the same tier; facing the current Night Watchers, they are not even considered ants.

They are merely in their small circle, despairingly self-pitying.

Suddenly he slammed the silver wine goblet heavily on the table, the deep purple wine spilling like blood, spreading a glaring, messy stain on the snow-white tablecloth, like his current uncontrollable, frantic emotions.

"Keep up? Eliminated?" Carroll’s voice trembled with anger, carrying a sharp edge of humiliation, "Alfred! You’re betraying! Betraying your birthright, betraying the kingdom’s tradition!

"What kind of witchcraft have the Night Watchers fed you? Making you willingly become their vanguard, trampling over the inviolable order we’ve guarded for generations?!"

He pointed at Alfred, his finger turning white with force, veins protruding.

"Look at you! A noble Count, actually advocating for those heretics who break the order, inciting peasants to riot! Those Adventurer Houses are breeding grounds for evil!

"Allowing those who should be honestly working in the fields to dream of overnight success! With power, they began to flout the law, attack manors, even assassinate lords! How much innocent noble blood has been shed in the kingdom these years?

"It’s all the grievous sin sown by Night Watchers! And you, you’re praising them?!"

No noble is a fool.

At least not the majority.

They see clearly what the Night Watchers or Adventurer’s House are doing.

But they are powerless to stop it.

Moreover, the world requires stability, right?

After all, the looming apocalypse still needs to be addressed.

So things won’t be too disruptive.

At least, this is what the vast majority of nobles think.

His accusations hollowly echoed in the lavish yet empty dining room, filled with the desperate sorrow and indignation of nobles at the end of their heirs.

The attendants, already frightened, stood with their hands down and held their breath, daring not to make a sound.

The flames in the fireplace flickered uneasily, casting the trio’s varied expressions in shadows on the ancient stone wall, pulling out grotesque, twisted shapes.

The Earl of Genie Flower, Raymond, finally put down the silver fork in his hand.

He picked up a spotless napkin and leisurely wiped the corner of his mouth, as if he had just tasted a delicate dessert instead of witnessing a fierce and combustible argument.

His merchant-like shrewd smile toned down some, his gaze shifting back and forth between the furious Carroll and the calm-as-water Alfred, bringing a smoothness that has seen through worldly affairs.

"Commander Carroll, calm down, calm down."

Raymond’s voice was calm, carrying a sense of soothing reassurance.

"Lord Alfred’s guarding of his territory and his concern for the lower classes is truly admirable. As for the Night Watchers..."

He slightly prolonged his tone, as if contemplating his words thoughtfully.

"Their merits and faults are indeed hard to summarize easily. They undeniably brought many conveniences, but the impact they brought is also a tangible and skin-deep pain."

He shifted the topic, looking at Carroll, with a subtle hint of inquisitive probing in his tone.

"However, the ’price manipulation’ you mentioned, Commander... With all due respect, it’s probably more driven by the inexorable market forces.

"The Night Watchers’ transport network and those N-th order technologies greatly increased supply, lowering the costs. This is the power of technology, not sheer malice. Just like those fragrant Elven Crystal Grapes my caravan brought."

He pointed to the plate of virtually untouched, crystal-clear rare fruits on the table:

"In the past, it would cost a fortune and take months, with immense risks, to ship to the Royal Capital, naturally making the price akin to gold.

"Now, with the Night Watchers’ channels, it’s safe and quick, significantly reducing costs, so even Lord Alfred’s remote border castle can serve it at the table.

"The price difference is an increase in efficiency, not deliberate exploitation. Perhaps... the decline of some noble industries could be due to a failure to transition in time?"