Chapter 551: The Seventh Major City

Screaming Island, whose lords had already fled, was now a scattered mess of sand.

The Torrent Island navy, led by Elron, Kalada, and Rees, encountered minor resistance at the harbor of Screaming Island, but with an unstoppable momentum, they easily captured this long-renowned seaport.

The island was quite vast, boasting four or five cities of varying sizes, along with numerous small towns and villages.

Even though some knights laid down their arms and surrendered upon seeing their lords gone and resistance futile, Roming’s forces still needed considerable effort to take over the entire island, for they were ultimately short-handed.

Fortunately, the armies of other nobles had landed along with the Torrent Island navy, occupying many of the towns and sparing Roming the trouble of governing them; he only needed to focus his main energy on a few major cities like Blue Sea City.

Of course, occupation did not mean permanent ownership of the land.

According to the deliberations of the War Council, until a new king emerged, whoever conquered these lands would temporarily hold them.

Once a new king appeared, the land would be redistributed based on a comprehensive consideration of merit, influence, and various other factors.

Under such a policy, many nobles adopted an attitude of plundering whatever they could, stripping the occupied villages, towns, and cities to the absolute bone, and transferring all movable wealth back to their own domains.

At the same time, they intensified their exploitation of the people on their lands, forcing them to labor day and night to cultivate more fields, flax, and other crops, striving to maximize their wealth before the new king arrived.

Naturally, Roming would not drain the pond to catch the fish in such a manner; in his eyes, no matter who the new king turned out to be, the cities he conquered belonged to him, along with the wealth and subjects within them, and would not be subject to later redistribution.

For this reason, he did not adopt an approach of pillaging, plundering, and oppressing.

His instructions to Kalada and the others were identical to those given to Rydal: unless they met with resistance, they were not to lay hands on the common people, but rather maintain order as much as possible to ensure the swift resumption of production in the occupied cities and towns.

As fleeing refugees scattered far and wide, Roming earned titles such as the Kind Duke and the Merciful Army, which ironically attracted a vast number of displaced people to flee toward the territories under his occupation.

Roming did not interfere too much with the bandit-like behavior of the other nobles; after all, these men were nobles of the Kingdom of Auduin, not his vassals.

Though noble titles varied in rank, on a certain level, their statuses were equal.

Moreover, neither the War Council nor the Six Departments had granted him the authority to govern the private affairs of other nobles.

Yet Roming had not sat idly by either; he had sent men to keep a record of everything these nobles did.

Should he face resistance when implementing reforms in the future, he could exhume these records and utilize them properly, providing a perfect pretext to deal with these nobles.

Of course, it would be best if these nobles knew what was good for them and voluntarily complied with the reforms.

Before anyone realized it, time had already marched into July; after four months of campaigning, the allied noble forces had not only captured all the towns and villages on Screaming Island, but Elron and his companions had also fully taken control of Blue Sea City, Romanos, Orkney, and other settlements.

Although Roming did not seize the belongings of commoners or surrendered nobles, the wealth of the Fleming family alone from this war was enough to fill his coffers to the brim.

Money aside, the captured warships numbered as many as twenty-two, alongside more than thirty merchant vessels!

Even though the North Dark Domain possessed ironclad ships, making Roming look down upon these sailing vessels, their value remained significant before the widespread adoption of ironclads.

On the sixth day, Roming was invited to the main keep of the Fleming family in Blue Sea City.

Standing high in the air beside the towering magic tower, Roming could gaze down at the distant surface of the sea.

"The Fleming family claims to be a 'magical lineage,' and this magic tower is indeed quite distinctive."

"Indeed, I noticed there are still many magical research materials and notebooks inside the tower, all of considerable value," Elron said. "My Lord, I would like to bring these things back to the North Dark Magic Academy to enrich the academy's teaching and research resources."

"Very well!"

Roming smiled. "This magic tower is yours as well."

He turned around; standing behind him, in addition to Kalada, Rees, and Partridge, were the clerks Elron had recently selected from Screaming Island.

They were equivalent to newly hired novices, and the very first task they completed was the census of Blue Sea City.

"Kalada, I intend to appoint you as 'Grand Governor' to oversee all administrative and military affairs of Screaming Island and all territories in the Screaming Sea belonging to the Duke of Conquerors. Luzen, you are promoted to Governor of Torrent Island, taking over Kalada's duties there."

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes brimming with joy.

For Kalada, his sole desire had been to become a noble and shed his commoner status.

Though he had not yet received a noble title, he already wielded substantial power.

Even if such power was restricted compared to that of the true nobility, his standing was entirely transformed.

As for Luzen, he had originally been merely Kalada's deputy, and rising to governor meant he had finally entered the core circle.

"At your service, My Lord!"

"Thank you for the promotion, My Lord!"

The two bowed in unison.

Roming nodded slightly. "Furthermore, Partridge."

Hearing his name, the Viscount of Crescent Island stiffened his face and involuntarily straightened his posture.

The pressure Roming exerted on him was far too overwhelming; even as a Meteor Knight, he dared only behave with utmost propriety before him.

"Your Grace, please give your command!"

Roming nodded. "Though I stripped you of your title as Viscount of Crescent Island, your performance this time has been commendable. I shall still appoint you as Governor of Crescent Island to manage its affairs."

Though Partridge felt a pang of resentment in his heart—after all, a noble status was not easily won—he knew he had no right to refuse.

Now that even the Fleming family had been annihilated by Roming, it was already a great stroke of fortune that his Hunt family could be preserved.

"Thank you for your trust, My Lord. I will govern Crescent Island according to your will!" Partridge said with a deep bow.

Roming nodded.

"Although Screaming Island is now in our hands, there are still many islands in the Screaming Sea that once belonged to the Fleming family and have not yet been reclaimed. Next, Partridge, list the islands of high value."

Roming continued, "Elron and Carlos have other matters to attend to and will no longer remain on Torrent Island. The next stage of the conquest will be directly managed by Kalada. Though he is currently only a Gold Knight, with me, strength is important but not the sole criterion of judgment. I expect everyone to cooperate."

Partridge bowed in assent; though Roming had not stated it explicitly, he was the only Meteor Knight present, so those words were naturally directed at him.

At this, Kalada felt both grateful and pressured.

He had become a Gold Knight two years ago, and his current strength was basically second to none at the Gold level.

Yet the rank of Meteor Knight was a massive hurdle, and it was no easy feat to challenge across tiers, especially since the other man had once been a viscount.

When facing Partridge, Kalada felt a bit deficient in presence.

Therefore, despite Roming saying that strength was not the sole criterion, Kalada still felt it was absolutely necessary to reach the Meteor level as soon as possible.

Next, Roming gave further instructions, primarily concerning the principles of interacting with the other nobles on the island, and mentioning that officials from the North Dark Domain specializing in taxation and administration would later be dispatched to places like Screaming Island and Crescent Island to assist the governors.

Having finished all this, Roming departed from Screaming Island, taking Elron and Carlos with him.

Kalada gazed after the speck in the sky where the Duke had vanished, his heart filled entirely with admiration and worship.

Who could have imagined that an opponent he once fought on equal terms had now become an existence he had to look up to.

"Congratulations, Grand Governor!"

After Roming left, Partridge's tense mood eased, and he stepped forward with a smile to offer his congratulations.

"Tonight, I shall compile a list of all the islands at sea ranked by their value, and hand it over to you tomorrow morning."

"Then I shall trouble you for your hard work!"

Kalada spoke courteously, "I hope we can cooperate with one another to restore order to the Screaming Sea at an early date. After all, the war is far from over; His Grace's ultimate goal is the Kingdom of Tricia."

"If we linger here for too long, it may be difficult for our shadows to even appear on the main battlefield when the time comes."

Partridge deeply agreed.

The Screaming Sea was merely a minor skirmish; if he wished to reclaim his former status, he needed to strive anew just as he had in his youth, and the battlefield of the Kingdom of Tricia could not do without his presence.

Karada thought the same. (End of chapter)