The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

Mousilon had been reclaimed, and after nightfall, the entire city was now under the control of the human army. Patrols roamed throughout the city, searching for any remaining enemies. Many soldiers were still fixated on the treasures hidden in the ruins of collapsed buildings and old houses, rummaging through them in hopes of finding forgotten fortunes.

A few lucky ones did indeed stumble upon some wealth, and this news was reported to Baron Devon Hex. After some consideration, Hex decided not to interfere, choosing to turn a blind eye to these activities.

Mousilon was simply too large. Even with an army of over twenty thousand, it was impossible to search every corner of the city. The shantytowns and abandoned areas had many hidden paths, cellars, and secret underground chambers that the army had spent considerable time trying to clear. Now, some soldiers voluntarily taking on house-to-house searches seemed like a good development.

After the great redistribution of land, Ryan and his entourage settled on Randuin Street in the heart of the city. Ryan chose a three-story medium-sized noble's residence for himself. After cleaning it up and simplifying its contents, it temporarily served as his abode.

Tonight, Ryan hosted a dinner for Imperial General Dietrich from Nuln, his deputy Boris von Zhukov, Baron Lucian of Spire Palace, and his good friend Alfred.

Due to reduced grain supplies and Mousilon being in disrepair, Ryan's hospitality was very simple, not adhering strictly to the usual order of courses. He prepared four main dishes for this dinner.

The first dish was a large casserole filled with potatoes, corn, pork, chicken, lamb, and bacon, seasoned with various spices.

The second dish was Brittany's famous white stew with veal. The stew got its name from the white sauce poured over it. It was made from veal brisket or shoulder meat, boiled with carrots, celery, and onions. The white stew paired perfectly with Beaujolais sparkling wine.

The third dish was Lyonnaise fish soup, composed of fish broth, garlic bread slices, and potatoes. This coastal delicacy was an absolute treat when paired with Bordeaux wine.

The final dish was the renowned frog cuisine of Mousilon. This city was abundant with snails and frogs, which had been part of Brittany's cuisine for over a thousand years. The tender frog meat, enjoyed with garlic butter and parsley, was said to offer exquisite texture and longevity benefits. It was rumored that Mousilon consumed a million frogs annually. While Ryan was unsure of the accuracy of this number, he felt obliged to sample the famous frog dish.

Ryan's female courtier, Teresa, accompanied him at the dinner. Given the intense July heat and her depleted magical powers from previously freezing the underground river, Teresa had been in poor condition recently, making this a good opportunity for her to rest and recuperate alongside Ryan.

At the dinner table, the sound of silver plates and cutlery clinking was constant. The two Imperial generals, seated across from Ryan, ate somewhat awkwardly.

The man before them was now a duke, holding the same rank as the Nuln Duchess Emmanuel, whom they served.

More importantly, they had witnessed Ryan's valor in the recapture of Mousilon.

The martial prowess of the Lady of the Lake's chosen champion needed no further mention. Comparing Nuln's mightiest warrior, Theodore Bruckner, to Ryan left both Imperial generals sighing in admiration. Theodore Bruckner's strength was inferior to Calard, let alone Ryan, who had defeated the Chaos Great Sorcerer, Landoin, and later triumphed over Mashubad in the eyes of all in Couronne.

A strong man commands respect anywhere. Any dissatisfaction Dietrich and Boris might have harbored towards Ryan vanished after witnessing his prowess. Especially for Boris von Zhukov, they thought it understandable why Duchess Emmanuel would take a liking to Ryan.

In a few years, Ryan was set to become the king of this nation.

However, this status also made things awkward for the two men. Having previously complained about Ryan to Duke Lawn, they were unsure if these rumors had reached Ryan. Thus, they couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Mr. Dietrich, Mr. Boris, thank you for coming all this way. You've sustained significant losses in this battle, so there's no rush to return. Take some time to rest," Ryan said knowingly, with a faint smile on his face. "You're not in a hurry to return to Nuln, are you?"

Dietrich internally grumbled, thinking that staying in Mousilon would just mean free labor. He pretended to ponder before responding quietly, "It's better if we return sooner. Now that Mousilon is reclaimed, there's little for us to do here. Moreover, our losses were significant, and our siege equipment is mostly gone. The Duchess will certainly hold us accountable when we return."

The "Duchess" was a title the Empire used for Emmanuelle, who held three major noble titles (Duchess of Nuln, Elector of Brescia, and Duchess of Wissenland). To avoid the complexity of listing all her titles every time she appeared, the citizens of Nuln gradually adopted the single title of "Duchess," which soon became popular among the upper nobility.

Ryan smiled knowingly. He could see that both Dietrich and Boris held Emmanuelle, or Emilia, in high regard. He wondered what method Emilia had used to train Nuln's upper and lower classes to be so obedient, given their evident fear of her.

Theresa, sitting beside Ryan, seemed lost in thought.

The sorceress wore a black starry pearl evening dress today, revealing her fair shoulders. Her icy beauty and exquisite features highlighted her aloof and unapproachable demeanor. Unlike Veronica, Theresa never wore low-cut dresses. Her dress length slightly covered her knees, concealing her thighs. Her slender, straight legs extended from under the dress, with delicate jade feet, bare and not in high heels, but simple flat sandals of wood elf style. Her toenails were painted blue. She sat quietly beside Ryan, reminiscing.

Emilia was Emmanuelle! To think that the former mercenary was now one of the most powerful individuals in the Empire astounded the sorceress. Both she and Ryan had always felt there was something unusual about the mercenary, but no one had expected this outcome...

As she pondered this, Theresa shifted her gaze to Ryan.

Yes, who would have thought that the white wolf knight she had adventured with ten years ago would now be the Duke of Mousilon and the future king of Brittany?

"If Emmanuelle holds you accountable, tell her I am the one who should apologize. The Empire's army played a significant role in the reclamation of Mousilon. If you convey this, she certainly won't blame you," Ryan said with a smile.

"Thank you very much!" Dietrich and Boris eagerly thanked him.

"There's much we can learn from the Empire's army. In this war, I've learned a lot," said Lucian, the newly appointed Baron of Spire Palace. As he placed a sausage on his plate, he continued, "Mr. Dietrich, Mr. Boris, when you return to Nuln, could you mail me a set of military training manuals? I can cover the postage and book costs."

"That's not difficult," Dietrich nodded, the seasoned war veteran in his fifties replied. "Leave it to us, Baron Lucian. However, you'll need to provide a mailing address and contact information, and since Mousilon lacks a postal system, we can only send it to the capital of Montfort or Ryan's Jean Town."

"Please send it to Jean Town then," Lucian immediately provided an address.

Ryan fell silent for a moment before speaking to Lucian. "Lucian, is everything okay on your end? Do you need me to send people to assist you?"

"That would be great, my Duke," Lucian was taken aback, but quickly reacted. "Thank you very much!"

Ryan had granted Spire Palace and its surrounding areas to this young knight from Montfort. However, among all the grants, Lucian's land was probably the worst.

This wasn't due to poor land quality, as the swamps around Spire Palace were known for their fertility. It was the town itself that was problematic. In previous wars, the entire Spire Palace castle had melted down, leaving Lucian with nothing but bare land. In Mousilon's still precarious environment, it was questionable whether this knight could even protect his people.

This situation troubled the newly appointed Baron of Spire Palace. Other barons at least had castles to repair, while he was left with nothing but bare land. Lucian understood that, given his lack of seniority, being made a baron was already fortunate, so he had no complaints.

Repairing an old castle cost about 500 gold crowns, but building a new one would require more than the 1,000 gold crowns Ryan had awarded, at least for Lucian.

A purebred elven warhorse alone was worth 1,000 gold crowns and was highly sought after.

"Hmm, you should go to Glamorgan and find Karstenberg. He will assist you. However, my help is secondary. The primary effort must come from you," Ryan advised his baron. "If possible, involve merchants and the churches. Don't forget, the floating bridge near Spire Palace is one of the few crucial transportation hubs across the Grismere River!"

"Understood!" Lucian quickly grasped Ryan's intention.

"The key issue is population, Ryan," Theresa said, pouring herself a bowl of white stew. The sorceress offered her perspective, "Mousilon can accommodate at least a million people, but we only have 120,000. Even if you bring some people from Glamorgan, the gap

 is still too large."

"Leonas will send over 20,000 more refugees," Ryan nodded. Theresa had a point.

"That's not enough, just 20,000. Even 200,000 wouldn't suffice," Theresa was blunt. "We need enough people to restore Mousilon to its former glory."

"Indeed, Lady Trovik is right, my Duke. We need a population," Lucian agreed with Theresa. "Without enough people, how can we revive this place? We can't even muster enough to farm the land."

"Hmm…" Ryan nodded in agreement. Indeed, Mousilon needed people.

"This time, we must rely on our Imperial brothers," Ryan said after some thought, turning to Dietrich and Boris. "Nuln and Wissenland have plenty of people, right?"

"???" Dietrich was taken aback. The Imperial general quickly said, "Well... Ryan, Nuln and Wissenland do have many people, but not many surplus. You want to relocate people from us to Mousilon? Uh… we can help issue an announcement, but…"

"No, I don't intend to bring people from Nuln," Ryan shook his head calmly. "Even if I did, I would only bring in skilled workers, scholars, and human engineers from Nuln."

"Then... how do you plan to solve the population issue?" Boris asked curiously.

"Besides Nuln, the Empire has other large cities, especially downstream, which have plenty of people and even too many," Ryan said steadily. "The population there isn't just unhelpful but has become a heavy burden. Yet, people from across the Empire still flock there."

"You mean… the capital, Altdorf?!" Dietrich quickly connected the dots. After thinking for a moment, he realized this might indeed work.

The Empire's capital, Altdorf, had always struggled with overcrowding and congestion. Despite several expansions, the city's walls had reached their limit. Altdorf was designed to accommodate 200,000 to 300,000 people.

But in reality?

Altdorf had a floating population of around a million. Every year, during times of scarcity, refugees, adventurers, those fleeing famine, and war refugees from all over the Empire would flock to the capital, seeking any available work.

Thus, the city was perpetually overwhelmed by crowds, stench, and noise. At this point, the population was no longer a resource but a heavy burden.

Dietrich was certain that if Ryan offered to take some of Altdorf's population, Emperor Karl Franz would be willing to negotiate, as it would alleviate the city's burden.

"Yes, Altdorf," Ryan nodded. "During my last visit to Altdorf, I noticed this issue. I believe Emperor Karl Franz would be willing to release some of the population to me. I can gain much-needed people, and he can reduce the city's population pressure. However, I won't take only the elite and leave behind the sick and elderly. This will require negotiation."

"Additionally, next year, I'll be heading to Altdorf and then to Nuln," Ryan produced a gold-embossed letter with skulls, laurels, and iron crosses on it. "This is a personal letter from Emperor Karl Franz."

"The Emperor invited you to Altdorf?" Boris von Zhukov asked.

"He invited me to attend an event. Emmanuel will also receive an invitation," Ryan smiled faintly. "Because next year, there will be a significant personnel change."

"Next year, the eight great magic colleges of the Imperial Royal Wizarding Academy will gather in Altdorf for a competition."

"This competition will select the new Royal Chief Wizard and the new Supreme Chancellor of the Royal Wizarding Academy!"

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