Work Prophet
Chapter 196 - 44: Widespread Fame

Chapter 196: Chapter 44: Widespread Fame

The news that the Arias family had successfully slain a dragon had spread throughout the entire western region within a few days and continued to proliferate even further.

Before long, even the real bigwigs in the Royal Capital, who were typically in the dark about the Empire’s frontier issues, would hear about this once-unknown small Noble family.

The shock this event caused was unprecedented.

That Black Dragon, since leaving its swampy dwellings, had been on a rampage, killing and wreaking havoc, bringing a string of terror to the entire western region in just over two months.

It had almost become a nightmare for everyone who lived on this land, particularly for the Noble Families, who had never felt so vulnerable and helpless.

Previously, their pride in their wealth, weapons, sturdy castles, and powerful armies became ineffective in front of this flying monstrosity.

Many could only hide in their home’s dungeon cellars, living in constant anxiety.

Now, their nightmare had finally ended.

And the one to end it all was none other than the Arias family, whom many had previously underestimated.

The ancestors of the Arias family were said to have been merely Knights, who, through their loyalty to "Snow Claw" Philip and many years of military achievements, were barely able to become a local power by receiving lands and a title from Philip after a great war.

However, due to a lack of heritage and being newcomers, they faced some resistance from local powers after settling in the west.

Moreover, the location of their feud was remote and their descendants were not particularly ambitious or business-savvy, so they could only focus on farming. After more than nine hundred years, the Arias family had barely developed, always just scraping by.

Yet, this troubled student in the class, during the final exam, suddenly had an epiphany, as if divinely assisted, solving problems even the top students couldn’t solve and scoring first in the entire school in one go.

That was approximately how the people of the west now saw the Arias family.

It was just too surreal!

In fact, even before Ireya announced her intention to take over as the new Alliance Commander and lead merely seven hundred people, many thought the new head of the Arias family must have gone mad.

Because if not mad, how could she possibly think of confronting that terrifying Black Dragon with so few warriors?

The reason everyone ultimately agreed to her proposal was purely out of desperation, a last roll of the dice; after all, according to the young lady’s plan, each family would only risk a few warriors, and the losses wouldn’t be significant if they failed.

There were also those with hidden agendas, hoping that the Arias family and Ireya would take the front line, attracting the Black Dragon’s attention as many had initially planned.

But what they hadn’t expected was the Black Dragon, defying all norms, ignoring the nearby Green Field and heading directly to their territory to kill and burn; now that Ireya was willing to take on that dangerous position, they were fine with letting her do so.

Though there were many who supported Miss Rabbit becoming the Alliance Commander, hardly anyone really believed she could fulfill her vow.

Yet, the new head of the Arias family had harshly slapped everyone’s faces.

She not only killed that Black Dragon, but what was even more unbelievable was that she didn’t even need to use the seven hundred elite warriors gathered from various families.

Purely relying on the power of just the Arias Family, and at most with a bit of help from the long-allied Batorris Family, they accomplished the magnificent feat of dragon-slaying.

At the start of that battle, later hailed by countless generations, seven hundred soldiers of the Alliance Army were still enjoying the night breeze outside Rock Snow City, and throughout the entire battle, they were merely onlookers.

Because the whole affair was so bizarre, it even sparked some people’s skepticism, making them suspect whether the Arias Family had lied about truly killing the Black Dragon.

Miss Rabbit’s response was very straightforward though, she dispatched a team of guards, and with a carriage, they began a three-month tour exhibition of the dragon’s head across the Western Territory.

In this way, almost all the people of the Western Territory, whether noble or commoner, could see the corpse of the Black Dragon.

This shut up the doubters.

More and more people began to realize one thing: the Arias Family was on the rise.

Clearly, people needed to reevaluate the strength of this family, which in the eyes of the majority, was only adept at growing carrots.

Whether they liked the Arias Family or not, everyone had to admit that this time, all the nobles of the Western Territory owed the Arias Family a favor.

The Figrola Family, ruling over the Western Territory, was the quickest to act. David sent a delegation the very next day to commend Ireya and her family.

Since women could not inherit titles, the Figrola Family naturally could not request the Emperor to elevate their noble titles as a reward.

As for land, there was basically no unclaimed land left in the Western Territory, so David’s reward primarily consisted of materials and wealth.

This included as many as ten thousand gold coins, along with weapons, equipment, and food, to thank the Arias Family for their contribution to the stability of the Western Territory and for avenging the death of his brother Hels, who was killed by the dragon.

This was only the initial reward, the subsequent part would be decided personally by Marquis Kuren upon his return to Rock Snow City.

With the Figrola Family leading by example, the other nobles of the Western Territory immediately knew what to do.

First came Black Stone City, Miss Rabbit’s old neighbor—the Immanuel Family’s envoy brought gratitude and generously stated that the batch of dwarf armor and weapons previously supported to the Arias Family need not be returned.

Beyond that, from now on, any business the Arias Family conducted on Immanuel Family land would be exempt from trade taxes, and should the Arias Family need it in the future, the Immanuel Family could also provide low-interest loans ...

With such a comprehensive package of perks, the envoy spoke until he was hoarse, yet the response from the young lady opposite him was minimal, she was even scoffing inwardly.

To be fair, the terms offered by the Immanuel Family were indeed quite generous.

Even more generous than those for their own family’s merchant guilds. However, as is well known, the Arias Family barely engaged in commerce, and the perks offered by the Immanuel Family were all in financial and trade sectors.

Rounded off, it almost amounted to giving nothing.

As for taxes, Ireya was a person who had never paid taxes on her pepper sales in Black Stone City before; all that money went directly into her own pocket.

On the other hand, Li Yu seemed quite interested in the perks given to the Arias Family, even asking the young lady for a detailed document.