Chapter 0004: Otum

"Oldington is coming?" The voice of Otum reached them before Oldington even stepped inside.

Oldington, who was chatting with Mrs. Flora on the sofa, stood up to respond, "Uncle."

Otum stepped forward and embraced Oldington in a hearty hug, "I saw your swallowtail flag in the courtyard. Well done, Oldington. I am so proud of you; your father will be too! At sixteen, you've cultivated martial arts, and there's hope for you to become a mythical knight."

The rank of cadet knight is the entry point for martial arts cultivation. With the successive qualitative changes of martial arts, one progresses from knight to elite knight, mythical knight, and eventually to dragon knight. Even in legends, dragon knights are said to be able to ascend further, touching the domain of the gods and becoming semi-divine beings with incredible power. Of course, the shackles of talent are very heavy.

Out of ten people who train, possibly only one can cultivate martial arts. Out of a hundred cadet knights, perhaps only one can become a knight. The promotion rates for elite knights, mythical knights, and dragon knights become increasingly difficult. In the Golden Rose Kingdom, the number of dragon knights has been no more than three for a long time.

Dragon knights who can leave behind bloodline descendants are about one every five hundred years, and semi-divine beings have not appeared in the five thousand years of the kingdom's history.

Oldington cultivating martial arts at the age of sixteen has decent talent. With substantial resources, there's a theoretical possibility of冲击 becoming a mythical knight. In the Yarrow family, he is the legal heir, and Baron Orenol would undoubtedly cultivate him to become a mythical knight.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" Otum called out. "Mr. Morris, please have Mrs. Morris prepare dinner for Oldington and his attendants."

"Of course, of course. Fetch the golden rum from the wine cellar; I want to have a good drink with Oldington," Otum sent his wife away, asking warmly, "How was it at Grey Iron Castle? Is that swallowtail flag prepared by Duke Duric for you?"

"It was prepared by Baron Durandon."

"Wow, that's impressive; Baron Durandon really values the Yarrow family. And it makes sense; the Yarrow family is a bloodline noble, and he needs Orenol's vote in the Baron's Council and the influence of the Yarrow family."

The Golden Rose Kingdom practices a feudal knight system, which is that "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal," but it also implements a noble parliamentary system. It is divided into the Earl's Council and the Baron's Council. The Earl's Council is where all the imperial earls, marquesses, and dukes are gathered to discuss important matters.

Generally, the more independent marquesses and dukes do not participate in the Earl's Council.

The Baron's Council, on the other hand, expands the scope of the meeting to the level of imperial barons, deciding major national affairs. The Golden Rose Kingdom has officially enfeoffed only eighty-two imperial barons, and with all the great nobles, the Baron's Council is no more than a hundred people, with each noble's vote being crucial.

"The situation in the Danube Province is both an opportunity and a danger for the nobles who are in it," Oldington said a personal opinion.

The original owner was a naive boy, who spent his days solely on martial arts cultivation and learning etiquette, lacking political acumen.

However, the current Oldington, bombarded by the information explosion of Earth, even though he was originally just the soul of an office worker, still understood a lot about political struggles. Combining the memories of the original owner, discerning the complex situation in the Danube Province was not an impressive insight.

But to Otum, it was like discovering a new continent: "Wow, Oldington, speak your thoughts. What are the opportunities and dangers in the Danube Province?"

Compared to the unease of meeting his "father" Orenol, Oldington was very relaxed in his conversation with Uncle Otum: "The Golden Rose Kingdom and the Macedon Kingdom have been competing in the Golden Danube Plain for over a thousand years. Many families have risen and many have fallen. Facing this flood, the Stone family can't remain aloof."

"Continue, speak more."

"For the past few decades, Baron Durandon has achieved great military victories, and the Stone family has grown stronger. With Greyrock Mountain as a barrier, it can effectively block the connection between the kingdom and the Danube Province. The Macedon Kingdom has changed its strategy; three years ago, Duke Duric married the daughter of Baron Nubis, which is a clear proof."

Baron Nubis, full name Baron Nubis Red Falcon, is a border count of the Macedon Kingdom, and his title is abbreviated as "baron." Like the feudal counts, the border counts are also at the level of marquesses, with their own counties.

Although intermarriage across borders is not a rare thing, the nobles of the Golden Rose Kingdom and the Macedon Kingdom rarely intermarry. This time, the marriage between two marquis families was undoubtedly bound to cause many speculations. And even though the King of the Golden Rose Kingdom values Baron Durandon highly, he could not help but feel like there was a thorn stuck in his throat.

"Why don't you think this is a change in strategy for the Golden Rose Kingdom, preparing to invade and annex the Blue Danube Plain in another way?"

"So I said, it's both an opportunity and a danger, but no matter how it turns out, the Stone family is the first in line, the main character on the stage, the gladiator in the political game. No matter how he performs or fights, he can't ignore the external forces around him. Our Yarrow family is one of those external forces."

Oldington took a sip of coffee and smiled slightly, "But whether this external force is a help or a hindrance depends on father's decision."

Otum gave him a thumbs up: "I won't comment on whether what you said is right or wrong. I'm just the agricultural officer of Little Versailles; I can't participate in the games between nobles. But I seem to see the youthful of Orenol in you. My brother, absolutely, can lead the Yarrow family to even greater heights."

Otum Yarrow is the younger brother of Orenol Yarrow, also known as Oldington's uncle. As the second son without inheritance rights, Otum did not receive a noble title and was a " Junker," a noble heir without a noble title.

Such Junkers usually have three paths to choose from. The first is to cultivate martial arts, become a knight, win a title through military merit, and regain noble status. However, the difficulty is enormous.

The second path is to cultivate magic and faith in the three gods, taking the path of magicians and priests. Although they cannot win a title, they also belong to the upper class.

Unfortunately, Otum could not cultivate martial arts, nor could he learn magic well, and he had no patience to worship the three gods.

He could only take the third path, which was to serve as an official. If he did well, he could win an honorary title. Although the honorary title is not hereditary and does not come with a fief, it is still considered noble. If lucky enough to win the favor of a great noble or the king, and to share in some military merit, he would become a true noble.

Of course, most Junkers serving as officials are still middle and low-level officials. The true high-level officials and important members of the kingdom are monopolized by nobles with titles.

After all, in this world, strength is the fundamental determinant of everything.

Noble heirs, from a young age, receive the best education and resources, along with of family genes and bloodline, and their strength will definitely be stronger than that of the neglected second son. As for the common people, unless they rely on a mutation, they will basically have no possibility of rising to prominence.

The uncle and nephew talked very amicably, and the dinner was also very abundant.

Oldington had already fallen in love with this new world. The golden rum in his cup made him slightly tipsy, and the martial arts energy in his body seemed to be sealed within, waiting to be unleashed.

This feeling was incredibly wonderful.