Chapter 462: 458 Chapter 462: 458 The nobles of the Lockman Kingdom now carry a heavy heart. They assumed that after Queen Remilia’s ascension, the cruel and ruthless Archduke would leave, and their restrictive policies would be relaxed. They even had the chance to seize more power while the Queen was still young and naive.

But everything that has happened since Queen Remilia’s coronation is completely different from what they had foreseen. That damned Golden Dragon Archduke has shown no intentions of leaving, and the Queen, far from bestowing any sort of leniency upon these nobles, has become even more severe, with slaughter becoming a rather common occurrence.

According to the secret news circulating around the Royal Capital, the transformation of the once gentle and innocent princess into a potential tyrant is closely tied to the influence of the ruling Archduke Muria.

It is said that the Archduke teaches the Queen every day how to justifiably murder nobles who refuse to submit to her. Is this something a wise ruler should learn?

As a monarch, when nobles disagree or conflict ensues, shouldn’t everyone sit down peacefully and discuss it with peace of mind? How can they brandish the knife of death to the opposing nobles at the slightest disagreement? Isn’t this the characteristic of a tyrant?

Fortunately, the difficult days did not last long, as the cruel and merciless ruling Archduke finally showed signs of departure — ancient dragons began to leave the Lockman Kingdom.

This was an undeniable sign. The ten ancient dragons were the very foundation of Duke Mureya’s rule. Their departure indicated that the damned Golden Dragon was indeed preparing to leave.

Then, another apparent sign appeared. A large number of Cloud Giants, holding Duke Mureya’s conscription orders, headed towards the Monster Clans who had taken refuge in the Lockman Kingdom during the Magic Disaster for forced conscription to the Royal Capital.

Regarding this measure, many nobles naturally offered their support and full cooperation. The Lockman Kingdom is a human kingdom, not a nation ruled by non-humans. Nobles naturally despised the influx of Monster Clans during the Magic Disaster.

If not for Mureya’s rule, and his issuing orders, there would already have been nobles preparing to unite and slaughter these monsters. Living on the same piece of land, conflicts arising from the demands of resources are all too common. After all, even the most fertile land has limited resources.

While the order to conscript Monster Clans to move to the Cloud Island above the capital satisfied the nobles, Queen Remilia’s subsequent actions — or rather, the actions supposedly of the tyrannical Mureya under the guise of the Queen’s name — brought further worry to the nobles.

Queen Remilia openly conferred twenty-nine Metallic Dragons in the capital, granting them corresponding titles and fiefs based on their strength. Such a shocking move hinted at an unsettling message.

Conferencing a single Metallic Dragon was not unheard of. Many kingdoms take pride in having Metallic Dragon aristocrats and would grant them numerous privileges. However, simultaneously conferring nearly thirty Metallic Dragons was overstepping the line.

Did they plan to replace the Lockman Kingdom’s Human ruling class with the Dragon Race, turning the Kingdom into one ruled by dragons? Did this mean that the current Queen did not need the support of their nobles? Such implications were indeed terrifying.

…

“Your Highness Muria, why won’t you let the little Queen confer me the title of Duke? Once the news gets out, many nobles would not dare to harbor ill intentions, even if you leave.”

“We’re not in a rush. Let’s fish out those ambitious ones first, then get rid of all of them.” Muria casually responded with a cruel smirk on his face. He found that since Remilia’s ascent to the throne, his killing intent had been intensifying. He could not wait to eliminate all those who posed a threat to her.

“That sounds reasonable.” Ancient Golden Dragon Basde narrowed his eyes, showing interest in the fishing law enforcement idea. It was a common practice among the Golden Dragon Clan.

“Your Highness, is the first phase of your Cloud Island reconstruction plan almost complete?” The Ancient Golden Dragon paused. He always found the use of ‘phases’ peculiar, but he also found Duke Muria’s ideas interesting and innovative.

“We’re almost there. In at most two years, all the first-phase reconstruction projects on the Cloud Islands should be completed.” A faint smile crossed Muria’s face. Under the mobilization of a country’s resources, coupled with his own manpower and resources, the progress of the project was much faster than initially anticipated.

“After completing the first phase of the project, do you plan to leave, Your Highness?” Ancient Golden Dragon Basde knew that the so-called first phase of the project was to install a magic array and supporting magic equipment on Cloud Island that could facilitate its movement. Once completed, Cloud Island would be free to move.

“Of course. I’ve been in the Nocchio Subcontinent for approximately thirteen years. It’s time to continue my journey.”

“Then how do you plan to solve the problem of resources needed for the subsequent transformation of these Cloud Islands, Your Highness?”

“The sea is bountiful, and the resources it contains are even more diverse than those on continents,” Muria said with a mild smile. The level of civilization of marine creatures is far lower than that on land, so their utilization of resources is extremely low.

“In addition, there are countless evil creatures living in the sea, so I can just fulfill the responsibilities and obligations expected of a Golden Dragon.”

“Hmm, that does sound like a good idea. But when would we be able to accumulate enough resources for the transformation of all the Cloud Islands?”

The Ancient Golden Dragon Basde cleared his throat, not expressing any particular opinion on Muria’s plan to plunder marine life.

Isn’t that how the wealth of the Dragon Race accumulated? Whether it’s the Metallic Dragons, the Five Colored Dragons, or the Gemstone Dragons, all of them accumulate wealth through plunder. It’s the quickest way to make money, given that money won’t just fall from the sky. The only difference lies in the targets of plunder for these three major Dragon Races.

“We’ll accumulate gradually, there’s no rush,” Muria said with a sense of resignation.

…

“Are you leaving now, Brother Muria? I can’t bear to let you go. Can’t you stay and accompany me longer?” On Cloud Island, which had already started moving slowly, the thirteenth queen of the Lockman Kingdom, Remilia, was holding Muria tight.

“Remilia, stop messing around. You have successfully delayed me for a year. The two-year program has been extended to three years because of you. You should be satisfied now,” said Muria, pulling at the reddish cheeks of the loli, who seemed to have become much darker-hearted since ascending the throne.

“Moreover, it won’t be long before I’ll have to come back and clean up the rest of the trash for you.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read