The signing of the "Empire-Bretonnia Friendship and Mutual Assistance Treaty" marked the formal establishment of a national defense alliance between the Knightly Kingdom led by Ryan and the Empire led by Karl Franz. This was a significant upgrade from the previous arrangement where Ryan's county or duchy and Emperor Karl's Reikland held individual agreements.
The timing for such a treaty was ideal due to the internal and external circumstances both leaders faced. Ryan and Karl had temporarily unified their respective domains through their own efforts, and with most of the key figures present in Couronne, it was the perfect opportunity to solidify their alliance.
The main contents of the "Empire-Bretonnia Friendship and Mutual Assistance Treaty" were as follows:
1. Both parties pledged to unite against common threats, including but not limited to northern barbarians, Beastmen, Greenskins, Vampires, Skaven, and Dark Elves. Should either party be attacked by these forces, the other would provide military and other forms of support to the fullest extent possible.
2. The borders between the Empire and Bretonnia would be re-surveyed and agreed upon. Both sides agreed to withdraw their troops from the borders, limiting border garrisons to no more than a thousand soldiers at each border fortress.
3. Both nations would open more trade markets, with customs duties to be jointly discussed. Neither side could unilaterally increase tariffs or impose additional fees. Marienburg would serve as a free trade city, focusing on large-scale commodity trading.
4. Bretonnia would pay a sum of 100,000 gold crowns over ten years. In light of Ryan's good relationship with the Empire and his numerous contributions, the Empire would offer a special interest rate of 1% annually. This would facilitate the transfer of advanced industrial technology and talent from the Empire to Bretonnia, helping the kingdom establish its own industrial system, starting from Mousillon and gradually extending throughout the kingdom.
5. The Empire could hire Bretonnian knights for chivalric wars at prices not exceeding market rates, and similarly, Bretonnia could hire Imperial mercenaries. If the Empire required the services of Grail Knights, the price would need to be negotiated separately, as would the hiring of Imperial war machines.
6. The treaty would be valid for twenty years. If neither side objected near the end of the term, it would automatically renew for ten years, and so on.
The leaders of both nations signed the treaty, with their respective religious representatives, Morgiana for the Lady of the Lake and Arch Lector Kasimir IX for the Cult of Sigmar, witnessing the event. This heralded a new era in relations between the two nations.
Applause thundered through the signing ceremony as Ryan and Karl Franz shook hands warmly, both wearing standard diplomatic smiles. The two nations were now officially united.
Champagne was uncorked, and the king and emperor toasted. Karl Franz, known for his crude humor, couldn't resist a jest. "Ryan, what do you think the Greenskins would make of this scene?"
"Two hammer-shrimp?" Ryan sneered. "One's not green enough, and the other's not Waaagh enough?"
"Hahaha!" Karl burst into laughter. "Oh, I like that joke, hahaha!"
Ryan laughed awkwardly, finding the emperor's sense of humor perplexing. But achieving the treaty was what mattered. Unlike the southern realms, there was a natural affinity between the people of the Empire and Bretonnia.
The southern realms were different. Their origins didn't lie in the tribes from which the Empire rose. Both Tilea and Estalia originated from an ancient kingdom called Titus (now located at the ruins of the Skaven city of Skavenblight). After the fall of Titus, the surviving humans split into two groups, guided by the war goddess Myrmidia, settling in Estalia and Tilea. These people never felt a duty to fight against Chaos or Greenskin invasions. Instead, they indulged in ideals of democracy, civil liberties, and justice, with perpetual city-state systems, chaotic political landscapes, and a chronic attitude of detachment.
In simple terms, their worldviews were vastly different. For example, if the Empire requested southern realms to send troops against Greenskins or Chaos, their likely responses would be: "Why? What for? Why should I lower my quality of life because of your responsibilities? What does this have to do with me? You carry the burden; I just want to live in peace."
Thus, neither Ryan nor Karl Franz had high expectations for the southern realms. Hiring mercenaries from Tilea or receiving support from the Myrmidia Church in Estalia was already a bonus.
Elsewhere, Elector Count Boris Todbringer, holding a wine glass, grumbled, "All the benefits are going to those two. They call it industrial support, a thousand gold marks a year, but everyone in the Empire knows that our industry is almost entirely concentrated in Reikland, Altdorf, and Nuln. With Nuln's close ties to Ryan and the Lady, they're going to make a fortune while we get scraps."
"Better than nothing," Elector Count Marius Leitdorf, still bandaged from breaking an arm and ribs in a jousting accident, said. "Hey, I wonder what the Greenskins would think if they saw a massive Bretonnian knight charge coming down from Blackfire Pass?"
"They'd be thrilled," Elector Count Wolfram Hertwig said with resignation. "Finally, an opponent! These green mosses will never be fully eradicated, I swear."
"But they can be contained," Duke Hubert of Carcassonne said with a frown.
"Maybe you're right."
After the morning signing ceremony, a grand banquet and a series of appointments followed. Ryan needed to restructure his royal court, replacing Richard's people with his own.
Ryan quickly reorganized his court that afternoon.
The new king's court was composed as follows:
- Religious Representative and Advisor on Divine Authority: Morgiana, the Fay Enchantress.
- Head of the Secret Service, Spymaster: Aurora Trovik and the legendary sorceress Teresa Trovik.
- Chief Lady of the Court, Advisor on Magic: Veronica, Sorceress of the Light and Fire Domains.
- Marshal of Bretonnia's Border Guard: Roland Marshal.
- Regent of the Kingdom: Duke Lauen Leoncoeur, Grail Knight.
- Minister of the Royal Household: Castleberg.
- Royal Treasurer: Sulia (acting), with Steve and Griffin as deputies.
- Captain of the Royal Guard: Baron Armand, Grail Knight.
- Lord Chancellor: Baron Eduardo Candreva.
- Minister of the Navy: Baron Fedemond, Grail Knight.
- Royal Chamberlain: Olica (chief) and Sylvia (deputy).
As for the Bretonnian ambassador to the Empire, Ryan trusted Count Florence Beaumont, whom Richard had previously appointed, and had no plans to replace him.
After the court was restructured, a series of banquets and various tasks followed. These included decisions on whether to continue or abandon the policies of the old king, treaties with the Wood Elves, Dwarves, and High Elves, amnesties for political prisoners, and the redeployment of the kingdom's armies, as well as promises to the dukes.
From the perspective of Bretonnia's system, Ryan had already significantly disrupted the kingdom's foundational structure.
Traditionally, the Bretonnian Knight-King ruled by divine right, under the supervision of the Fay Enchantress and checked by the dukes. If a king could not satisfy the Lady of the Lake above or ensure the interests of the dukes below, his reign would be short-lived.
However, Ryan was the first king in Bretonnia's history to break this rule. The Lady had relinquished her divine right over him, yet he formed a close alliance with Morgiana. Where royal power could not reach, he could enforce his will through the Lady's church.
This meant Ryan's royal authority had expanded and grown dangerously large, with signs of being out of control.
Rumors had already begun to circulate in the court, questioning whether the new king might roll back history by attempting to abolish the duchies' independence and directly command their armies.
Hearing these rumors, Sulia quickly approached Ryan. The intelligent and politically astute queen urged him to convene another council of dukes, emphasizing that as king, he was duty-bound to protect the kingdom's interests.
Realizing the problem, Ryan immediately called for a council of dukes. He announced plans for a new chivalric war, linking the spoils from the Eight Peaks Mountain expedition to the participation and quality of troops provided by the dukes. At the same time, he promised to protect the duchies' independence and uphold Bretonnia's glorious history and traditions.
Though the dukes still harbored doubts, they agreed to send their finest troops to participate in the expedition, both as a gesture of goodwill towards the new king and out of greed for the wealth of Eight Peaks Mountain.
The endless affairs left Ryan overwhelmed. Since the beginning of the year, both Richard and Lauen had effectively ceased handling major internal matters, waiting for Ryan's decisions. Coupled with various meetings and banquets, this kept Ryan busy for three days and nights straight, working up to twenty hours a day to clear the backlog of paperwork.
This caused significant discontent in his household, especially from a certain goddess who had planned to consummate her relationship with Ryan after his coronation. Seeing Ryan so busy that even his daily prayers were hurried, the Lady of the Lake had prepared a set of High Elven wedding attire and a complete ceremony. However, seeing Ryan swamped and with the Eight Peaks Mountain expedition looming, the goddess could only tell him that they would secretly hold a wedding after his return.
By now, Emperor Karl Franz and most of the Imperial Parliament had begun their journey back, leaving only the Imperial
Duchess, Emilia, behind. Thanks to Wissenland's autonomy and the Nuln City Council's ability to self-govern, Emilia planned to stay a few more days.
Meanwhile, Olica diligently assisted Ryan with his affairs, never complaining, and even enjoying the process. It wasn't that she sought to monopolize the king's life, but she provided several solutions to issues in the documents, some of which impressed Ryan. It seemed the Dark Elf had gained substantial knowledge and progress in certain areas. When Ryan casually asked if she had received any special insights, Olica only smiled silently. Ryan, too busy to press the matter, simply enjoyed her service, including tea, massages, and shoulder rubs.
Sulia and Morgiana were equally occupied, while Veronica was busy assembling an entire coven. Teresa and Aurora focused on establishing a new branch in Couronne. Each had their tasks, leaving only Emilia and Olica to accompany Ryan. The Imperial Duchess occasionally donned her old maid outfit to take Ryan's children on tours around the palace, something Ryan simply had no energy to oversee.
"Phew~" After three days and nights, Ryan finally finished all the accumulated paperwork. Exhausted, he felt like burying his head in the piles of documents and sleeping. Even someone as energetic as he was nearly crushed by the mountain of endless paperwork. He now understood why Richard had aged so rapidly.
"Master, have you finished?" Olica stood behind Ryan, her gloved hands massaging his stiff shoulders. "You must have accumulated a lot of tension."
"Sigh, I'm exhausted." Seeing that no one else was around, Ryan complained quietly, "If only Sulia and Morgiana could help, I could've cut a whole day's worth of work."
"Your queen and your Lady have their own matters to attend to, Master," Olica said cheerfully. "You can't slack off, Master. Don't forget, you've arranged a candlelit dinner with Teclis in the palace gardens tonight!"
"A dinner, another dinner." Ryan smiled wryly. "I've had enough of banquets lately. I just want to go back to the days of a Ranger Knight, eating bacon sandwiches and cheap apple cider. Those simple, dull days."
"In any case, I'll always be by your side, Master," Olica said, gently hugging Ryan from behind. She rested her head on his back. "Tomorrow, you can take it a bit easier. There's still some time; you can sleep for an hour. I'll wake you up in time for the dinner."
"Thank you, Olica." Ryan felt a warmth in his heart. He nodded slightly. The king did indeed need rest, even if only for an hour. A solid nap would restore his energy.
Just a moment ago, Olica had helped him solve a significant issue.
This year, the canal from the Saones River to the Gris Mory River was finally completed. Ryan immediately ordered the workers to continue building a canal from the Gris Mory River to the Chinon River, which would pass through the duchies of Bordeleaux and Bastonne.
However, Ryan encountered strong resistance on this project. The progress was unsatisfactory, compensation for land requisition was inadequate, the kingdom's finances were tight, and there was a shortage of labor. The number of conscripts from each region was always insufficient, and the strict enforcement of labor rest periods often halted the project, preventing continuous 24-hour work shifts.
More importantly, the local nobles, especially the minor ones, were extremely displeased with the canal passing through their lands, damaging farmland, forests, or roads. They either adopted a non-violent, non-cooperative stance, or paid lip service while secretly opposing the project. Some reluctantly agreed but constantly haggled over compensation, trying to extort more money.
This headache for Ryan stemmed from the fact that in this world, people valued land far more than in his previous life.
But Olica offered Ryan a new perspective. She suggested calculating compensation at market value, but with a twist: after the land was requisitioned, the future profits from its development would be shared with the landowners as dividends.
If the landowners insisted on compensation, the land could be auctioned publicly, but any future profits would no longer concern them.
As for those who stubbornly refused to sell, the canal could simply take a detour. Such hardliners wouldn't be too numerous, given Ryan's personal prestige and the money prepared.
Ryan was enlightened. He wondered why he hadn't thought of this before. This was a straightforward land requisition and resettlement scheme, something he had seen many times in his previous life.
He could only attribute his change in thinking to spending too much time in this world.
After sleeping for an hour in a small bed in the inner chamber, Ryan was awakened by Olica. He washed up and headed to the castle courtyard to meet Teclis.
Under silverware and candlelight, Teclis and Ryan sat across from each other, with High Elven food spread between them. They discussed how to proceed with their plans.
"The Amulet of Solar Fire?" Teclis looked surprised. "You're looking for that? Is it Lilith's will?"
"Yes, it is. Do you have any leads?" Ryan asked as he speared a piece of fruit salad with his fork. "If we can recover the Amulet of Solar Fire, we'll have one more card to play against the End Times."
"...The story of the Amulet of Solar Fire begins with the famous Phoenix King, 'The Poet' Aethis."
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]