webnovelfull Chapter 491: Karion Enters Helmingen
Chapter 491: Karion Enters Helmingen
"This is Helmingen. It feels pretty good."
A carriage passed through the gate of the outer wall of Helmingen. The head leaning forward slightly from the window glanced over the bustling crowd on the street.
Although the city is as big as a bustling metropolis, it surprisingly does not smell of feces that is unique to big cities.
The clean roads and orderly vendors are obviously due to John's emphasis on urban cleanliness and management.
Leon withdrew his gaze, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the hilt of the dagger at his waist.
He came here on John's orders. As a fellow villager who was forgotten on the border, he was finally "remembered" this time - the reason why John summoned him was to inquire about the business status of the "Born in the Purple Room" mercenary group in the Holy City.
The sound of the wheels rolling over the bluestone suddenly stopped. Karion frowned, lifted the curtain and leaned out:
"Why don't you leave?"
The driver turned sideways and reported:
"Sir, the street across the street is blocked off. They are rehearsing for the founding parade. If you want to enter the palace, you have to go around from the other side."
That's right, Karlion rented a carriage because the border officer only allowed him to pass after reading the documents. He had no choice but to drag his luggage to the border town and rent a carriage to Helmingen. Fortunately, the security in John's country was very good, so he had no trouble along the way.
Karion lifted a corner of the veil and looked across the street. In the distance he could see soldiers lined up to block the road, and the clanging of armor could be heard faintly.
Teams of armored soldiers were marching past the palace gate, with the standard-bearer leading them holding high the flag. The black, white and red tricolor flag shone brightly in the sun.
Carleon knew that it was the flag promulgated after John founded the country. He had seen soldiers in the border town use it to replace the Midland flag.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Karion paid the fare and jumped out of the car. Not far away, he heard the sound of orderly footsteps. A group of soldiers were passing by. The rhythm of their iron boots hitting the ground made him tense up involuntarily.
He went to the soldier in charge of maintaining order, explained his purpose and asked how to enter the palace. The soldier took him to see the officer in charge. After taking a look at the documents, the officer took him to the north gate of the palace.
The guarding officer took the document, scanned each seal with sharp eyes, and waved his hand to signal the guard to open the side door.
With a creak, the side door opened a crack, and Karion squeezed in. A guard followed him silently. The sound of iron boots stepping on the ground mixed with the collision of metal armor was particularly clear in the empty courtyard.
After passing through the winding stone path, Karion was led to an arched stone door.
The guard stepped forward and spoke in a low voice with the guarding knight, who once again unfolded the document and checked it carefully. Finally, after his eyes lingered on the signature for a moment, the knight finally nodded and let him go.
The reception room deep in the palace is simply yet majestically decorated.
John stood with his back to the door and turned around when he heard footsteps.
His eyes swept over Karion's slightly dusty appearance, and a smile rose at the corner of his mouth:
"Welcome, Karion."
The two sat down on both sides of the large walnut table. The waiter served tea and left. John got straight to the point:
"Tell me, how has 'Born in the Purple Room' been doing in the past few years?"
Karion took a sip of the tea, making a slight sound as it slid down his throat.
He admitted that the initial days were not easy. Despite the endorsement of Simon Chamber of Commerce and Black Watch, the mercenary group was still lukewarm in the heavily guarded Holy City.
Since the public security in the Holy City has always been good, local dignitaries and wealthy businessmen prefer traditional mercenary organizations with a long history.
The huge gap between the rich and the poor in the Holy City also means that the common people have no money and no reason to hire them.
The situation did not turn around until the Hall of the King of Laws declared war on the Yoda Empire. The mercenary group won victory after victory on the battlefield with precise tactics and even repelled the Ram Charge Knights, who were known for their bravery.
With frequent good news, the top brass of the King's Hall finally turned their attention to this emerging force. At the same time, John was canonized as a saint by the King's Hall, which gave the mercenary group's flag a divine aura.
“There are too many orders to handle.”
Karion said with a wry smile, but there was a hint of complacency in his tone.
When he mentioned the expansion strategy, his tone became particularly firm:
He targeted the sons of wealthy merchants in the Holy City. After John founded the country, the wealthy merchants in the French King's Hall all felt that this mercenary group would be officially ennobled sooner or later.
Therefore, instead of spending a large sum of money to bribe the powerful and then waiting for many years to become a servant of a powerful and then gaining qualifications to become a "lord", it is better to change track directly and choose an aristocratic system where it is easier to rise.
Although it was said that John's nobility was highly exaggerated, as long as the nobility was recognized by the king himself, other countries would have to recognize him even if he was a serf.
What's more, John is a saint and has a certain right to interpret religion. Even if he cannot become a nobleman, it is not impossible to arrange for his child to be a clergyman.
He selected young people who came from a privileged background but were eager to change their fate:
Either the son of a merchant wants to change his fate and become a noble lord, or the descendant of a fallen noble needs to revive the family.
These people have their own connections and resources, which saves a lot of costs during training and allows them to win more high-end orders through their network of relationships.
More importantly, their existence closely binds the mercenary groups and the merchant groups, forming a community of interests.
John did not comment after hearing this, but just stroked the handle of the cup, his eyes fixed on the palace wall outside the window that was gilded by the sunlight.
Karion noticed his expression and stopped talking wisely, waiting for the next instruction.
"Well done."
John finally spoke slowly as he stood up from the large mahogany chair. His silk robe fluttered gently as he moved, and the gold embroidery on the cuffs sparkled with a low-key but captivating brilliance in the sunlight.
He walked slowly to Karion, picked up a document and an ebony box from the table, and gently pushed them in front of him.
Karion looked down and saw the gold-plated lines on the document gleaming in the candlelight. At the top was John's full name - John Hohenzollern, and the wax seal of the title was intact.
The document was written in fluent cursive script, clearly recording that he had officially become the Viscount of the Holy Kingdom of Helderland.
At the same time, another important order was attached at the end of the document: From today on, the Born in Purple Room Mercenaries will be part of the Helderlan Army and will be under the command of the military commander Hawke.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Karion knelt on one knee without hesitation and saluted with his right hand on his chest.
His eyes sparkled with excitement and gratitude, but more of it was certainty about the future.
John raised his hand to signal him to stand up. After Karion stood up straight, John began to explain the follow-up matters in his low and majestic voice:
"You are now going to the royal treasury to collect the funds for expanding the mercenary group. Remember, this money should be used to recruit noble children - especially those young bloods who have not yet been corrupted by power. They must be capable and have a good impression of Helderan."
From Karion's previous words, John had already made up his mind to recruit capable nobles from outside.
John knew very well that in a few years, due to unspeakable factors, the newly appointed nobles would fall into a terrible state.
They will become extremely mentally retarded and brainless, as if they have lost the ability to think, dominated by endless desires, and unable to control their own behavior.
By then, let alone fighting a war, even basic matters like managing one's own territory could not be properly completed.
John's decision to recruit these noble sons was to prepare for the collapse of the old order after the Eclipse.
He would use these noble sons to control more places after that terrible chaos.