Chapter 604 - 367: Zog Made an Offer That Couldn’t Be Refused (3)

Chapter 604: Chapter 367: Zog Made an Offer That Couldn’t Be Refused (3)

Unlike the typical entrance of a noble, Figxin’s name wasn’t preceded by a long string of prefixes. Instead, only her title as Legion Commander was announced.

But no one dared to underestimate this title.

All the nobles present fell silent, completely deflated. They dared not meet Figxin’s gaze as she walked between the long tables.

Today, Figxin was once again dressed in Light Armor, not a formal gown. A sword hung at her waist, giving her a majestic and imposing air.

A stark contrast to the listless nobles.

The only ceremonial part of her attire was, in fact, the sword.

As a Barbarian Professional, her main weapons were usually an axe or a hammer.

She walked all the way to a separate seat at the head of the long table and, without a word, stared coldly at the nobles present.

’A negotiation tactic. A compliance test,’ she recalled. ’That’s what Zog called it.’

’If she completely disregarded all noble etiquette, yet those nobles still bowed humbly, it would prove that today’s negotiations were already a success.’

The nobles present could feel the awkwardness in the air. Perhaps hoping to ease the tension, or perhaps out of sheer muscle memory, they stood up and performed a complete, complex, and exhausting-looking set of ceremonial bows.

The protocol was of the King Level.

In truth, Figxin had not yet declared herself King, so this was an overreach of authority, but no one pointed it out.

’Completely spineless. They’ve lost all face.’

Figxin did not return the salute. She spoke directly to an aide present, "Distribute the documents. My terms are written on them. Have them sign as soon as possible."

Her tone left no room for negotiation. It wasn’t a negotiation at all, more like a command.

The nobles opened the documents. Inside, there were likewise no pleasantries, just all the terms and conditions laid out in black and white.

"Retention of only the castle or manor fief; abolition of legislative rights over the domain; abolition of taxation rights over the domain; abolition of the right to conscript soldiers; abolition of all privately enacted laws..."

Every clause was a death sentence to the nobility.

After a long silence, the seated nobles could no longer hold back and began to murmur amongst themselves.

Figxin didn’t interrupt them. From what she knew of this bunch of nobles, they would likely discuss and choose a representative—usually the one with the most prestige—to voice their objections.

Unexpectedly, however, after a few minutes, they actually chose a woman—a widow who had inherited her husband’s title because he had died and they had no son.

She was clearly not the most prestigious person present. In fact, those men were more interested in becoming her new husband to inherit her fief and property.

’Did they choose her because they thought Figxin would be kinder to another woman?’

But they had clearly miscalculated. Figxin’s attitude was not determined by gender, but by class.

She and the old nobility did not belong to the same class.

"My Lady," the Lady said in a humble tone, "we do not question your rule over this land. It’s just... are these terms not... not too harsh? The legitimacy of the rights you have written down has been upheld for hundreds of years. To completely negate them would be truly detrimental to the stability of your rule."

Figxin smiled. ’As expected, not a single one of these nobles is straightforward,’ she thought. ’To think they’d threaten me with the "stability of my rule."’

She stood up, causing the nobles to flinch in fear that she would suddenly fly into a rage and start cutting people down.

In the rumors spread by the nobility, Figxin was painted as a madwoman who would cut someone down at the slightest provocation.

"First, I am not the one who rules this land, nor should this land be ruled by any single person."

Figxin was speaking the truth; this was what she truly believed.

However, the nobles present all thought she was spouting nonsense—just another attempt to take the moral high ground with empty, outlandish words.

Their minds truly could not comprehend someone conquering a territory and not demanding supreme power.

"Second, you have no choice in the matter. It would be best for you to accept these terms now, lest things get ugly."

"You can’t strip us of everything we have!"

"I’ve left you your castles and your titles. I’ll even give you a yearly stipend to support you parasites so you won’t have to work for the rest of your lives. That is the greatest respect I can offer. If you’re still not satisfied, I don’t mind sending you to the quarries to experience for yourselves what life was like for the commoners you used to trample underfoot."

Figxin’s hand rested on her sword hilt. To the nobles, her unyielding posture was no different from a threat.

The Lady was clearly frightened and ready to accept the terms, but her eyes kept darting in another direction. Evidently, the person over there was the truly prestigious noble in the room, and the Lady was merely a pawn he had pushed forward.

And that noble, seeing the situation tipping completely in Figxin’s favor, knew it was time for him to step forward.

He rose to his feet and said with great emotion, "Everything you want to strip away is the very honor we have upheld for centuries! For that honor, we would rather die! You will not trample on our dignity!"

Figxin looked at him. He seemed vaguely familiar.

"Marquis Lloyd Fernandez, is it? I recall that when the Northern Legion reached your domain, you offered no resistance whatsoever and surrendered immediately. Where was your dignity then?"

Marquis Fernandez’s face flushed beet red. "I—I did that to protect my family from being needlessly slaughtered! And—and to protect the people of my domain from the ravages of war!"

"Protect your family?" Figxin automatically ignored the part about protecting his people. ’Who is he trying to fool?’

"Of course."

Figxin turned and gestured to her aide.

A screen flickered to life. After a brief delay, an image appeared on it. Many people immediately recognized it as Marquis Fernandez’s castle.

The footage seemed to be filmed from not far outside the castle. But the more serious issue was the appearance of a Dragon Claw at the edge of the screen.

A Dragon was filming this.

"What—what are you doing?" Marquis Fernandez’s voice trembled.

"You wouldn’t want your family to suffer a Dragon-related disaster, would you? If you don’t sign, I can’t guarantee that a flock of Dragons won’t ’accidentally’ appear and plunder your castle. And if I recall correctly, if a noble loses even their castle and fails to hold onto a single piece of their domain, their title is automatically revoked, isn’t that right?"

Figxin said with a gentle, friendly smile.