79: Chapter 79 Breaking News! The Situation of the Nine Families in the County Council! Golden Flame Territory!

Three days later, Gino City.

The last warmth of late autumn was dispelled by a cold current.

Fine, initial snowflakes began to drift down.

In just one day, this major county city in the north of Will Province was covered in a cold layer of white.

At the same time, an explosive rumor swept through the entire city.

"Have you heard? Something big happened at the Golden Flame Earl Manor!"

"Count Farrell? What happened to that lord?"

"Heretic sacrifice! Right in Mist Whisper Town! Caught red-handed by the Arbitration Priest of the Church of Dawn!"

"Count Farrell was denounced as a heretic on the spot! But... he resisted arrest! And injured the Church's knights!"

"Then what? Then what?"

"Then? He escaped! He fled into the nearby Mount Elbrus! But guess what?"

"What?"

"He was chased down and killed by a... a nobody of a country baron!"

"Hiss—!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Count Farrell is a dignified Great Knight; even if severely injured, it is impossible for him to be killed by such a nobody!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! I also think it's impossible, but... the Golden Flame Earl Manor is now surrounded by the Temple Knight Order so tightly that not even a fly can get in!"

"Those noble lords in the city are all shrinking their heads, not daring to let out a fart!"

"The City Hall and the Council have both ceased operations!"

"Could it be... the rumors are true?!"

Various rumors spread like wildfire, rampantly spreading in the chill of the first snow.

From peddlers and porters to small merchants, and even to well-informed lower-level officials and servants of minor noble houses...

Everyone was left dizzy and stunned by these shocking pieces of news.

Disbelief was the first reaction of the vast majority of people.

Gino City, a county city that guards the main traffic artery of the North, now possesses hundreds of thousands of freemen and thriving commerce. Its cornerstone is the Golden Flame Territory and the Farrell Family.

The city's original prototype expanded around that initial Golden Flame Castle. After hundreds of years of management by generations of the Farrell Family, it formed its current magnificent scale.

Every brick, every street here is almost imprinted with the mark of the Farrell Family.

Especially in the last year, following the successive deaths of the Red Maple Knight of the Mesa Family and the Iron Thorn Knight of the Mercer Family, the forces in the County Council that could still voice different opinions were completely suppressed, and Count Farrell's authority reached its peak.

On this land, he was the uncrowned king.

How could such a deeply rooted, power-wielding top-tier territorial count, who was also a formidable Great Knight, be taken down by the Church overnight, and even... killed by a country baron?

This was even more absurd than the most outrageous legendary stories concocted by street bards!

However, more and more facts began to make even the firmest skeptics half-believe.

The Golden Flame Earl Manor had been tightly surrounded by squads of Temple Knights in silver armor.

The City Defense Army camps also saw Church clerics taking over and conducting reviews.

The doors of the City Hall and the County Council building were locked, and all daily administrative affairs were nearly paralyzed.

Count Farrell himself... had also not appeared!

A suffocating feeling of an impending collapse, accompanied by the first snow of this winter, enveloped the entire Gino City...

...

Snow Velvet Manor, top-floor master bedroom.

The fire in the fireplace dispelled the chill outside the window, baking the room until it was warm as spring.

Expensive aromatherapy permeated the air, mixed with a hint of laziness after intimacy.

Rowan leaned against the head of the bed, eyes lowered, contemplating something.

Lady Lillian curled up by his side, her smooth shoulders and back exposed outside the silk quilt, her long hair disheveled, and her face still carrying an unfaded blush.

Her charming peach-blossom eyes lifted, looking at the man's calm profile, filled with surprise, inquiry, and a hint of indescribable excitement.

"It's rumored outside that it was you... who killed Count Farrell?"

Her voice still carried a hint of hoarseness, lowered, as if sharing a shocking secret:

"Is it true?"

Rowan's fingertips gently brushed across her rosy, slightly swollen lips. Upon hearing this, he merely pondered slightly and then said indifferently:

"Suppose so."

"It's actually true!" The light in Lady Lillian's eyes became instantly Blazing, and her body couldn't help but lean forward slightly, pressing closer:

"My god, that is Count Farrell!"

"A true Great Knight powerhouse..."

"Do you know what people are saying outside now?"

"They are all saying you got lucky and picked up such a heaven-sent merit..."

She became more excited as she spoke, but then remembered something:

"However, now that the Earl Manor is surrounded and the city is a mess, I haven't been idle these past few days regarding the matter you asked me to investigate, and I finally managed to find out everything."

Rowan gently pinched Lady Lillian, signaling her to continue.

Lady Lillian rolled her eyes at him, reined in her fluttering emotions, and began to report clearly:

"Currently on the surface, besides the Farrell Family being sealed by the Church, it has been confirmed that Viscount Shepherd and some other baron houses are involved in the Scarlet Heresy case."

"Viscount Shepherd was caught on the spot in Mist Whisper Town, and his castle has been surrounded by the Temple Knight Order."

"It is said that many core members of the family have been taken away by the Inquisition for interrogation."

"These past few days, the black-robed monks of the Inquisition have been constantly acting; every now and then, new nobles are invited to the Church to assist in the investigation, and then... they never come out."

"Other nobles are now all shrinking in their homes, doors tightly closed. The lively banquets and salons of the past have all stopped, for fear that they might be implicated if they are not careful."

"In places like the City Hall, the County Council, and the City Defense Army, the Church has sent inspectors to review officials at all levels one by one."

She paused and looked at Rowan: "Now in Gino City, besides the Church, there is no second voice."

"All eyes are fixed on the Church, waiting for that Arbitration Priest to drop the final verdict."

Rowan listened quietly, his hand movements not stopping.

"The nine houses of the County Senate," he suddenly spoke, his voice steady, "how is the situation now?"

Lady Lillian's soft body trembled upon hearing this.

Although she had vaguely guessed that Rowan's ambitions were not small, hearing him ask about this so directly still caused huge waves in her heart.

The nine houses of the County Senate represented the nine core noble families of Gino County, a top-tier noble circle that had solidified over the past hundred years.

Every change was accompanied by bloodshed and a complete reshuffling of interests.

This time, Count Farrell's heresy case was a devastating disaster for many involved families.

But for families with remaining strength and suitable positions, it was an excellent opportunity that hadn't been seen in a hundred years!

Every inch of the empire's land had its owner!

This time, the vacuum created by so many nobles being stripped of their titles and having their territories confiscated was enough to give birth to new nobles and change the entire power map of Gino County!

Lady Lillian took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and began to organize the information she had pieced together through various channels over these few days:

"Regarding the nine houses of the County Senate, first are the three houses of Ice Lake City: the Harrington Family of Viscount Silverfrost, the Waters Family of Viscount Deepwater, and the Hawk Family, which represents the Ice Lake Council with a merchant background."

"Their roots are in Ice Lake City, and their interests are relatively loosely tied to Gino City. Moreover, when Count Farrell's power was at its peak, they were quite squeezed out."

"From current signs, it seems... none of the three have been clearly implicated, and they are temporarily safe."

"Secondly, there are those already confirmed to be in trouble: the Mesa Family of Red Maple Territory and the Mercer Family of Purple Thorn Territory."

"The heads of these two families were murdered at Golden Flame Manor back then, and their direct heirs were almost all wiped out. They were already dead in all but name, and their territories were temporarily managed by Count Farrell."

"Now it seems that this was simply a vicious plot by Count Farrell in collusion with the Crimson Knights. These two families... basically have no strength left."

"Then there is the Gladstone Family of Mist Territory. I heard that the young Gladstone who had just married not long ago died for some reason."

"Looking at it this way, the Gladstone Family... is likely finished too."

"That leaves the Viscount Willis family. This family has always been quite low-key, and I haven't heard of any problems."

"Plus the original Viscount Shepherd family..."

Lady Lillian counted with her fingers:

"The three houses of Ice Lake City and the Viscount Willis family are intact; the Mesa, Mercer, Gladstone, and Shepherd families have fallen or are on the verge of falling. That makes eight houses."

"The last one," she looked at Rowan, her tone complex, "is the Golden Flame Territory, the Farrell Family itself. Now it is basically confirmed to be completely finished."

"In other words," she summarized, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, "the nine houses of the County Senate might have more than half of their seats vacated in one go!"

"However, for the Mesa and Mercer families, we must be sure there are no heirs left."

Rowan fell into deep thought after listening.

Opportunity.

It was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

With his merit of slaying Count Farrell, requesting a reward from the Church and the Empire, a title of Viscount, and choosing a decent Viscount territory was almost a certainty.

Even obtaining a hereditary seat in the County Senate, allowing the Flynn Family to completely enter the top tier of Gino County, was not a problem.

But... among the vacated positions, it also included the most core and wealthiest territorial countship in Gino County—

The Golden Flame Territory!

This territory was not only the foundation of Gino City but also controlled several key trade routes in the north of Will Province.

Its value far exceeded an ordinary Viscount territory!

It was enough to support a powerful Count family, or even higher!

However, there were definitely many people eyeing this piece of fat meat.

The four intact local tigers in Gino County, the powerful great nobles within Will Province, and even those influential figures in the Imperial capital with eyes everywhere...

They had likely all set their sights on this place.

And Priestess Aliyah of the Church, as the leader of this case, held the initial recommendation power for the disposal of the involved noble territories, and her inclination was crucial.

But in the end, the ownership of these territories and titles still needed to be voted on and decided by the Imperial Senate.

He wanted to swallow an elephant—to swallow the Golden Flame Territory...

Did it seem there was no chance at all?

But this was a prosperous major city with hundreds of thousands of freemen, a hereditary position of City Lord, and the City Defense Army alone had more than ten civilian knights at his disposal.

If he didn't try, how could he be reconciled?

...