This feeling... is truly wonderful.

Edith took a deep breath, savoring the bloody scent that permeated the air.

And the fear that spread through everyone's hearts.

The encirclement was rapidly shrinking, and the so-called resistance only lasted for a short time before being shattered by the unstoppable offensive of the God's Punishment Witches. In the eyes of these taqila remnants, the nobles and ordinary people who were usually high above were no different, as long as they had no ability, they were all mortal bodies, and they would not hesitate to act.

However, they were not killing for themselves at the moment, but were instructed by another mortal. She was also confident that, under the influence of that mortal, she could make these God's Punishment Witches follow her commands as well.

Even though she, like the other party, was just a mortal.

This is the charm of power.

Through the connections and interactions between people, the integration of interests, goals, desires, and cravings formed a unique order, through which, even mortals, could control forces far stronger than themselves.

"Your Majesty, the screening is complete." When the last person fell, "Seventy-Six" Phyllis dropped her long sword full of gaps and turned to report to Roland.

More than sixty corpses lay scattered in a heap, and the flowing blood had congealed into dark red lumps, resembling hot wax in the light of the bonfire.

The scene was silent, and all the surviving nobles were pale, clenching their teeth and daring not to speak, for fear of becoming the next corpse. As for the three "undecided ones," they had collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.

If the same question were asked again now, even without Nightingale, she knew how the other party would answer.

With fear, loyalty is guaranteed.

Of course, none of the eliminated nobles were innocent—Isabella had erased all the God's Punishment Stones they wore during the first half of the banquet, and with Nightingale's lie detection, it was no problem to say they were treacherous.

Their biggest mistake was overestimating themselves.

The great nobles who ruled a region and controlled the lives and deaths of thousands of people still seemed vulnerable in the face of higher-level power. After this battle, half of the fiefs around Chishui would be swept away. In comparison, her adventure in the Eternal Night City to plot against the two major families was a bit unworthy.

Fortunately, this plan was finally perfectly achieved. His Majesty gave her enough trust, and from the witches to the taqila remnants, every step was performed as scheduled according to her arrangement, and even the five questions and answers were passed without changing a single word.

The only interlude was the glass that was thrown out at the end.

She didn't know why His Majesty had to use a glass as a signal to act. According to common sense, this step was purely superfluous. The act of throwing the glass was difficult for all the guards to see at the same time, and the sound of shattering was easily covered up, and wine had to be prepared in advance, which was really confusing. But judging from the effect afterwards, it unexpectedly added a sense of mystery to him, and coupled with the saying of mind control, it added another layer to the deterrent effect.

This is probably the level that only kings can comprehend.

Edith suppressed her excitement and licked her lips.

Choosing to serve Roland. Wimbledon was indeed the right choice.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but look at the king, hoping to share this happiness with him, but found that the expectation on the latter's face had disappeared without a trace, and his eyes even vaguely revealed a sense of rejection and weariness.

"Are there any other banquet halls in the manor?" Roland asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, next door," Earl Delta swallowed.

"Let everyone go over there, I have something to say," he nodded, "As for these rebels, you ask your men to count them and give me a list, I want it tonight."

"Yes... Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Also, open all the doors and windows, and dispose of the bodies as soon as possible. This rusty smell is really disgusting."

"I'll send someone to do it!"

So that's it, the Pearl of the North suddenly understood. His Majesty the King was not expecting this killing, he was expecting that after these nobles left, he could leave behind a smooth-running government and Chishui under the control of the City Hall—for onlookers, the deterrent of escorting the mine was obviously not as effective as a pile of corpses. But as for the killing itself, he couldn't be said to like it much, and even the bloody atmosphere that permeated the hall made him feel repulsed.

The previous sense of pleasure suddenly dissipated a lot, and Edith began to hesitate after realizing this...

Was the plan she had arranged a bit too much?

Maybe it would be better to kill half of them on the spot and drag the rest out to deal with?

After all, if the displayed preferences are too different from those in power, it is easy to cause the other party's resentment, and in that case, her road to power may be much more bumpy.

After everyone moved to the next hall, Roland's tightly frowned brows finally relaxed. He cleared his throat and said loudly, "Everyone, don't worry, only rebels will be severely punished. Now that the rebellion has been quelled, the most urgent task is to restore order in Chishui, and this requires your assistance and cooperation."

"Please give your orders, Your Majesty!"

The nobles knelt down together.

Roland nodded with satisfaction, "Get up, this is also the first task assigned to you. After the fiefdoms are returned to the king, the original territories will no longer have any meaning. I need you to gather towards Chishui City—not just the residences, but also the freemen, serfs, and livestock in the fiefdoms."

"But... Your Majesty, if we move all the people around here, Chishui City won't have enough food to feed them," Earl Delta said with a stiff face, "Even if you arrange for these people to work in the fields, there won't be that many farmlands nearby to cultivate. Forcing them to move will only cause famine and riots..."

"First of all, this year you will change to cultivate a type of wheat called 'Golden No. 2', which produces almost ten times more than ordinary wheat ears. Secondly, the population that cannot be accommodated can be transferred to the Western Region, no matter how many there are, I will accept them all."

There was a sound of gasping in the audience.

"Ten, ten times?"

"Does such wheat really exist?"

"But our people..."

"After the fiefdoms are taken back, those people will naturally no longer be your people, and their whereabouts will be decided by themselves." Roland interrupted, "The previous land utilization rate was too low, and the population was scattered. A ten-thousand-acre autonomous territory has only a few thousand people, which is extremely inconvenient for policy implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to shrink with large cities as the center. I know you are full of confusion about the changes, but Winter City has become the prosperous city it is today after such a reorganization. If you don't know what to do, someone will teach you how to profit from the changes."

"Teach... us?" Earl Delta was stunned.

"That's right, City Hall officials personally cultivated by Winter City. They will form a management department to replace the former lords and govern various regions for me. You can choose to join it and gain power and status, but your salary and income will be greatly restricted. You can also look for opportunities to become part of the great production, and there is no limit to the wealth you can acquire, but you must not interfere with government orders. On the contrary, you must abide by it and complete every task assigned by the City Hall." Roland said unhurriedly, "Don't rush, this core management system will be established tomorrow. You can learn more about it before making a decision, but please remember that no matter which direction you choose, the achievements you gain will far exceed the value of a fiefdom."

Half an hour later, the nobles slowly dispersed.

Roland breathed a sigh of relief, "This means that Chishui City has been taken."

"Next are Silver Light City and the Old Royal Capital—but the latter has already been cleaned up once, and only simple placement of managers is needed." Edith replied.

"I don't know how the other route is going," he looked out the window. The moon had risen to the middle of the sky, and the silent lake surface was like a silver light, "If there are no accidents, Iron Axe should be able to reach Golden穗 City tomorrow."

"Uh... probably," Edith's heart trembled. Recalling the conversation she had with Iron Axe alone before departure, and thinking about Roland's expression today, she suddenly felt a little uncertain.

"I hope everything goes well," Roland shrugged, "You go back to the General Staff first, there's still a lot to be busy with tonight."

According to the plan, after receiving the list of rebels, the First Army would advance separately that night and clean up their territories as quickly as possible, which is why the army was stationed outside the city.

"Yes..." Edith said absentmindedly, "This subordinate will take her leave."

"By the way," Roland stopped her again as she walked to the door of the hall, "Very brilliant plan, well done."

Well... done?

Is that so? His Majesty doesn't actually mind everything she did?

In that instant, the Pearl of the North felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

So that's what it is, she suddenly understood her direction on the road to power. These plans and tricks that His Majesty was unwilling to get involved in, let her implement them, let her bear them.

And this is exactly what she is good at.

Edith lowered her head, gave him a salute, and quietly walked into the night.