King
Chapter 914 - 914 97 A New Era

914: Chapter 97, A New Era 914: Chapter 97, A New Era Lazily basking in the sun, Hudson indulged in the warmth of the sunlight.

It had been five days since the battle at Poison Dragon Island.

After destroying all the ships, Hudson returned to the Capital.

As for the life and death of the Clergy’s party, it no longer fell within his scope of concern.

With the Ghost Ship watching over, even if a merchant ship accidentally entered the area, it couldn’t possibly take anyone away.

“Rescue,” it sufficed just to think about it.

At this moment, the infamy of the Ghost Ship had spread throughout the Continent, and everyone knew that the Church’s Top Three Fleets had been annihilated in the Misty Marine Region.

As to what exactly had transpired, aside from Hudson, the mastermind, even the local snake, the Alpha Kingdom, could only guess through speculation, let alone others.

No matter how curious, no Major Noble power was willing to risk their foundations on a senseless venture.

Moreover, the bulk of the surviving information had not yet spread.

The news received by the Clergy was “complete annihilation,” and they had neither the organization for a rescue nor the guts to dispatch another fleet for search and rescue.

With time on his hands, Hudson’s attention returned to military training.

This time, the focus was not on the Standing Army within the Kingdom but on the newly assembled Kingdom’s Elites.

Mounting a long-distance raid was not just physically demanding on the soldiers, but also required a high level of organizational and managerial capabilities from the army.

Enhancing cooperation among the various units was also crucial.

What was initially agreed upon as deploying fifty thousand troops ended up increasing to one hundred thousand due to the public relations of the Moxi Duchy.

Of course, whether it was the dispatch of fifty thousand or one hundred thousand troops, it was all nominal.

The actual number of people in action remained the same, with the only difference being in the method of counting.

After a series of selections, Hudson finally selected thirty-five thousand soldiers, and with the number of livestock, the figure reached The Hundred Thousand Army.

It wasn’t that Hudson didn’t want to increase the troop numbers; regrettably, the most Elite soldiers in the Kingdom Army only amounted to so many.

Unlike ordinary armies, all the soldiers in this force were cultivators and had seen battle.

The source of these soldiers was either the Knight Corps of the Major Nobles, the Elite of the Standing Army, or the core Private Army Elite of the minor Nobles.

Thanks to Ha’s Ripening Potion, the Kingdom had a remarkable assembly of five thousand Magical Beast Knights this time, with over one thousand of them being Flying Magic Beast Cavalry.

All major powers within the country were on edge, fearing any mishap in the upcoming action.

To put everyone at ease, Hudson, the Commander of the Army, had no choice but to “perform.”

“Marshal, the Investigation Team of the Human Alliance will arrive at the Kingdom soon, and Your Majesty requests your presence for a consultation!”

The complete annihilation of the Church’s Top Three Fleets, an event that shook the Continent, naturally wouldn’t settle down easily.

The Human Alliance would surely need to intervene and investigate to maintain unity and stability within the Human Race.

Whether they could uncover the truth was one matter, but the political gesture was essential.

“Understood,”

Hudson replied expressionlessly.

The Church Fleet’s annihilation, in the eyes of the outside world, had nothing to do with him, but the Kingdom’s upper echelons saw it differently.

“Repelled the Ghost Ship.”

“Strongly advocated luring the Church Fleet northward.”

“The Ghost Ship annihilated the Church’s Top Three Fleets.”

Taken separately, each item was quite ordinary, but connected together, they implied: “Immense strength + Superb strategic vision.”

The Ghost Ship’s destruction of the Church Fleet significantly raised Hudson’s perceived martial value in the eyes of outsiders.

Many speculated that Maxim had become the Dragon King, and a small number suspected that Belsden was the Bear King.

An explanation was out of the question.

Hudson would not reveal the true abilities of his mount just to put everyone at ease with their misunderstandings.

A vague suspicion was ideal.

Inspiring fear was better than being underestimated, as it could help avoid much unnecessary trouble.

…

“Marshal Hudson has arrived!”

The Attendant’s voice rang out, and the noisy hall instantly fell silent.

This reception was initially reserved for King Caesar IV, but now Hudson enjoyed it, too.

Status stemmed from power.

After successfully orchestrating the Church Fleet’s downfall, Hudson’s status within the Kingdom grew increasingly transcendent.

However, Hudson wasn’t carried away.

He was acutely aware that his current special status was entirely based on the Kingdom’s necessity.

Once the war ended, his current prestigious status would lead to severe wariness in the future.

It had nothing to do with moral standards, it was purely based on interests.

No one wanted to see one power dominating the scene.

Regardless of how great his contributions were and how good his relations with all parties, when it was time to limit his power, no one would hold back.

The best course of action was to use the war period to accumulate sufficient power, take a large piece of the pie after the war, and then retire to farming at home.

By not lingering in the Capital and being an eyesore, he would avoid “outshining the master.” Time would dilute everything, and as Hudson aged further, everyone would eventually elevate him to sainthood.

Of course, it was also possible that right after the war ended, he would be bombarded with accolades and pushed onto the pedestal.

Oftentimes, reputation and material gain are contradictory.

They cannot coexist; having too much of the former reduces the latter.

The specifics would depend on King Caesar IV’s handling.

If managed smoothly, it would be a tale of a loyal subject; if mishandled, it wouldn’t be surprising for a powerful official to overshadow the King.

One can see from the Warhammer Kingdom how, at the end, King Joseph II failed in his balancing act, displeasing both sides, which resulted in the Kingdom splitting in two.