The Da Linghe and Little Linghe merged into the Dragon River at Drifting Snow City, which flowed southward. After leaving the River Valley, its waters became gentle and meandering, creating fertile plains in the central region, which now formed the core territory of the Golden Dragon Kingdom.

The capital city, Gold Dragon City, was situated on these very plains, built along the Dragon River for convenient water transport and irrigation. With a population nearing one million, it was the most prosperous city in the kingdom.

Unlike the bitter cold of the northern lands, the climate of the central plains was mild and pleasant, so bountiful that farmers could plant two crops a year. Overall, the kingdom’s granaries were always full.

This led to explosive population growth after humans settled the Central Plains. Although the quality of life for the common folk was rather poor, there was generally enough to eat.

So long as one ignored potential threats from outside forces, the kingdom’s rule was relatively stable.

Unlike the northern folk, who prized martial prowess, Gold Dragon City’s residents valued it to a far lesser degree. In contrast, those from the northern lands—whether noble or commoner—worshiped military power, and their aesthetic preferences leaned toward those burly, heavyset warriors.

In recent decades, however, a new trend toward the arts had swept through Gold Dragon City. Although knights still maintained their lofty status, opera singers who could dance and perform song, as well as delicate bards, had also become objects of popular adoration.

Many commoners no longer believed that learning the martial arts was the only path to a better life; instead, they thought they might have a chance to rise above their station by dabbling in elegant arts and slathering themselves in makeup.

Fortunately, the kingdom’s laws dictated that only those with the strength of a knight could inherit noble titles, and that no knight could be degraded to commoner status, so the nobles of the Imperial Capital maintained at least some semblance of combat prowess.

“Da—ng.”

With a heavy tolling, the gates of the Imperial Capital’s inner city slowly opened, and the noble ministers who had been waiting at the doors since early morning entered the palace grounds in order of their rank.

After passing a security check by guards stationed at the entrance, they ascended the tall, stone-paved staircase into the main hall.

Once everyone had entered the hall and assembled for a quarter hour, an official announced in a high-pitched voice, rousing everyone from their reverie: “His Majesty the King has arrived.”

A middle-aged man clad in a golden robe stepped into the hall amidst a throng of attendants, and all bowed their heads and dipped their bodies halfway to the floor in respect.

This middle-aged man was the current Golden Dragon Kingdom’s sovereign, Charles V—Leon Charman.

Although the Golden Dragon Kingdom had existed for many centuries, due to the fact that knights enjoyed unusually long lifespans, the throne had only passed down through five rulers in all those years.

Charles V had succeeded the throne only three years ago, and many nobles still looked down on this king. It was because the ascension of Charles V to the throne had come about rather coincidentally, which earned him the nickname “Fortunate Leon.”

Unlike most monarchies, succession to the Golden Dragon Kingdom’s throne did not follow the rules of primogeniture. Instead, it was a limited contest between the crown princes, each vying for the throne, until a final victor emerged.

However, when it came to matters of power, even with established rules and regulations, there were always unforeseen circumstances, and those blinded by their desperation would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Before the death of the late King Charles IV, both the eldest and third princes were favored candidates for succession. Sixth Prince Leon, though he possessed the strength of a knight, theoretically qualifying him to inherit the throne, was practically invisible in the eyes of everyone else.

With two dazzlingly talented princes before him, no one had ever thought that the sixth prince would one day ascend to the throne.

In the end, the third prince won the throne, but not long after he was confirmed as crown prince, a green dragon descended from the skies and killed him with a single blast of dragon’s breath in front of a crowd of people.

In his desperation, the red-eyed eldest prince offered some tempting terms to one of the kingdom’s dragon knights, who agreed to kill the third prince. However, the eldest prince’s actions did not go unpunished.

Using dragon knights and directly murdering another prince were both major taboos during succession struggles. The old king was so incensed that he executed the prince on the spot.

In the end, none of the remaining princes were fit to rule, and none possessed the strength to support their claim with knightly prowess. In the end, the kingdom settled for Leon, the best candidate out of a field of dwarves.

As a prince who had not participated in the struggle for the throne, Leon had not established any factions or built up his own power base. He was essentially chosen due to his lack of rivals, and thus naturally many looked down on him.

However, once he sat in the supreme throne, no one dared disrespect him openly.

Leon strode forward toward the golden chair, greeted everyone, and invited them to rise. Only then did the prostrated officials straighten up and turn their gazes upward to look at Leon.

“Everyone, please report any matters of note.”

“Today, we received a signal from the wind birds. The northern lands may suffer a massive attack by the cannibal demons, and the Northern Expeditionary Army has begun mobilizing.” Wind birds were small but extremely fast birds, often used by the kingdom as a means of transmitting important intelligence.

“Hm, keep an eye on it. If the northern lands require assistance, provide it.”

Leon didn’t think much of this report; the Northern Expeditionary Army had fought against the cannibal demons many times before, and he had no reason to doubt their capabilities.

“Next, Dragon’s Breath Pass reports that the beasts seem to be making unusual movements, but there are no signs of war yet.”

“Monitor the situation more closely. Have the Imperial Dragon Knights and Imperial Guard both stand by, ready to deploy at any time to reinforce Dragon’s Breath Pass.”

This report, however, caught Leon’s attention. The beast kingdom east of Dragon’s Breath Pass was the Golden Dragon Kingdom’s greatest enemy, and every piece of intelligence regarding Dragon’s Breath Pass was closely scrutinized.

After a beat, a few more middling matters were reported to Leon, who responded with reasonable decisions.

“Is there more?” Leon asked, breaking the silence in the throne room.

An aristocrat standing in the middle stepped forward. “Your Majesty, I advise that you cancel the law that states only knights can inherit noble titles. This would allow us to win the hearts of our loyal subjects.”

Leon said nothing, his face ashen, his demeanor no longer gentle. He knew this official was a member of the Aristocratic Council.

“Oh, we wish to change the law governing noble title inheritances? Let’s see who else agrees.”

His tone was clearly displeased, throwing the room into a stalemate.

Nevertheless, others soon began to step forward.

“Your Majesty, I agree. Our nation’s nobles have fought and bled for their titles, and it would be unjust to deprive them of their family’s rank due to the lack of talent in their descendants to become knights. This would indeed be demoralizing.”

“And who else agrees?” Leon seemed to have recovered some composure, his tone regaining its calm.

“Your Majesty, I agree.”

“Your Majesty, I agree.”

Finally, two or three minor characters agreed, supporting the proposal. Those in the know could easily discern the unseen hand pushing this agenda.

Leon said nothing, as if he was still waiting for someone to come forward in support.

No one else spoke. The great hall was so silent that one could have heard a pin drop…