I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 453 - Part 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 453: Let those wizards see the wisdom and power of the nobles! - Part 2

"Don't worry, no grain will come from that direction!" Count Mortan assured.

The nobles present were not fools and immediately realized that Count Mortan had gathered them here today in accordance with the Church's orders.

However, this actually relieved them, as they were adept at seizing opportunities and extracting benefits. With the wizards dominating and even attracting a large number of commoners, they had no room for resistance.

"Count Mortan, your plan is indeed good, but what if those wizards come directly after us?" Viscount Sker hesitated to speak.

Wizards with powerful magic wouldn't care about kingdom laws. If provoked, they could easily come and kill them all.

"Do you think we'll just sit around and do nothing, waiting for those wizards to spare us?" Count Mortan sneered. "Don't be naive. They are only holding back due to pressure from the empire and the Church. They don't have the leisure to deal with us at the moment."

"And we don't need to take action ourselves!" Count Mortan had long planned for this. Procuring grain and raising prices could be handled by their merchant caravans. Their role was to use their wealth and influence to manipulate things behind the scenes!

Moreover, the wizards' main forces were currently within the empire, constantly facing battles with the Church's expeditionary forces. If they were to completely turn against these nobles, the entire kingdom would be at risk of collapse!

After Count Mortan's explanation, Held and the others finally put down their doubts.

This way, they didn't have to confront those fierce wizards head-on.

In the future, whether they used grain as leverage to force the wizards to compromise or completely disrupted the kingdom, returning to the glorious era of joint rule by the nobles and the Church would be their decision!

Under the threat to their own interests and the temptation to regain control of the kingdom, the nobles in the secret chamber all made up their minds to unite and let those ignorant wizards see the power and wisdom of the nobility!

...

Late at night, the nobles who had come to the meeting left Count Mortan's castle through secret passages, their faces no longer filled with worry as before. Instead, they were spirited, showing excitement and anticipation, as if they had already seen the dawn of victory!

Jeff, mingling among them, maintained a smile on his face, but internally, he was deeply worried.

As a mere baron, Jeff, although owning his own fiefdom, had not been greatly affected under the rule of the wizards, thanks to his resourcefulness and adaptability. Instead, he had even benefited greatly.

For example, three months ago, he had leased out the rights to operate the mines and fields in his territory, along with twenty thousand subjects. This yielded him nearly a thousand imperial gold coins annually, much more than he had earned from tirelessly managing his land before!

Jeff didn't have lofty ambitions. Just collecting rent, playing with those novel and interesting wizardry creations, and finding a few more beautiful maidservants to contribute to the growth of his family were his life ideals!

Most importantly, he didn't believe in Count Mortan's so-called famine plan. Jeff was well aware that the wizards wouldn't need so many hands to till the land—it was not about reclaiming wasteland, but about excessive manpower! 

He had seen a terrifying alchemical creation called the land tiller during a previous visit to his territory. This contraption could easily cultivate hundreds of acres of land with just one or two operators!

So, the Wizard Council wasn't as short of food as Mortan and the others anticipated...

But Jeff knew that his words carried little weight, and reporting the gathering of kingdom nobles for conspiracy without evidence would likely not receive much attention.

After pondering for a moment, Jeff quickly thought of his lord!

As one of the king's most trusted aides, one of the heroes who supported King Hatar's ascension to the throne, Duke Gade, often privately referred to as a wizard's lackey by many nobles!

He was currently the highest-ranking person Jeff could reach.

With that in mind, Jeff hesitated no longer. After leaving the count's castle, he hurried to Duke Gade's mansion in the capital.

After being announced by the guards, he was quickly received.

Entering the spacious chamber, Jeff waited for a moment until Duke Gade, dressed in robes, accompanied by several guards, walked in.

"I apologize for disturbing your rest, Your Grace," Jeff bowed respectfully.

"Speak up, Sir Jeff. Coming to me so late, is there something important to report?" Duke Gade showed no courtesy, somewhat impatiently asking.

"Your Grace, it's about Count Mortan..." Jeff reported truthfully, recounting Mortan's secret gathering of more than forty kingdom nobles tonight to conspire and plan massive grain purchases, artificially creating famine.

After listening to Jeff's account, Duke Gade pondered for a moment. "You've done well, Sir Jeff. I will truthfully report this matter to King Hatar."

Jeff didn't dare to take credit, but before he could decline, Duke Gade asked again.

"How many people have you told about this matter?"

"Only you, Your Grace!" Jeff replied hastily.

"Very good, excellent!" Gade nodded approvingly and then had a servant bring a bag of gold as a reward for passing on the information, encouraging him, "If this matter is confirmed, you will certainly receive the appropriate reward!"

Jeff happily accepted the bag, which felt heavy, containing at least two hundred imperial gold coins.

"You may go and rest now," Gade waved his hand.

Jeff turned to put away the bag of gold, but for some reason, a faint unease arose in his heart. Until he was about to step out of the room, he suddenly remembered that this duke's demeanor had been too composed, as if he had known this news long before...

The unease in Jeff's heart grew stronger. At the moment he stepped across the threshold, this intense unease turned into a profound sense of crisis.

Almost instinctively, Jeff's right hand reached for the hilt of his sword, but faster than him were the crossbows in the hands of the guards!

The sharp arrows and the sound of the crossbows being fired almost simultaneously pierced Jeff's chest, arm, and thigh. Then, a long sword swiftly followed, blood gushing out, and Jeff's round head was chopped off. His wide eyes were full of incomprehension...

Gade dropped the blood-stained long sword, looked indifferently at the guards around him, and said.

"Clean up the body, and tell Mortan to be more careful next time, not to let such people sneak in again."

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