Chapter 540: Andreas! You Are Truly My Right-hand Support

The New Continent Council was far from a unified bloc. Some individuals, who were dominant powers in the New Continent, aspired to establish their own factions upon returning to the Old Continent. However, most ordinary people simply sought a stable life and had no desire for war.

Charlot Mecklenburg recently captured a large population from the New Continent and implemented a highly "fair" method of handling them.

Although Charlot confiscated all of their assets, he set up a system for returning their property based on performance metrics. He allocated housing and farmland equally to everyone and even arranged jobs for most of them. If they performed well, they had two chances annually to apply for the return of their confiscated property. If their evaluations met the standards, they could recover approximately one-twentieth of their assets each time.

In other words, as long as these people accepted Charlot Mecklenburg's rule, abided by the law, and worked hard, they could secure a stable life and even have the chance to reclaim their former possessions.

The sheer number of people Charlot captured from the New Continent made it impossible to keep these policies a secret. News quickly spread to South Seraph, and many New Continent immigrants began to think that life under such a ruler might not be so bad after all.

Even earlier, Princess Annie had prioritized evacuating the residents of the ducal territories when the war broke out, sparing them from the ravages of conflict. This also earned her a favorable reputation among the immigrants from the New Continent. A ruler who genuinely cared for their subjects was akin to a saint in this era.

After parting ways with Charlot, Red Hawk struggled for a long time but only managed to procure two ships. She was a long way from restoring her former strength.

Red Hawk's greatest obstacle was Menielman Soumet, who had consolidated his power in the Giant Whale Sea. After forming his own fleet, Menielman aggressively eradicated pirates in the area, absorbing their forces and establishing merchant ships of his own. This left Red Hawk unable to return to piracy or switch to trade, as both opportunities were monopolized by Menielman.

To make matters worse, Menielman was not only a naval officer of the Fars Empire but also based on Saint Michael Island in the Ingrima Empire. He had excellent relations with the Ingrima Navy. Despite the allegiance of Duchess Mesu to the Byron forces, even she would not risk offending Menielman.

The Black Phoenix Dynasty had fallen, and the Lionheart Empire remained staunchly neutral...

After some time, Red Hawk finally realized that this era no longer had a place for pirates like her. However, she speculated that if she could bring a significant number of people to Charlot, she might earn a better position under his rule.

...

Wielding her signature chain-quick blade, Red Hawk forced Andreas back and asked, "Is what I just said worth a victory?"

Andreas immediately retreated to the Radiant Holy Kingdom and relayed Red Hawk's words verbatim.

Charlot smiled faintly and said, "Andreas! You are truly my right-hand support!"

Although he had lost a battle, Charlot showed no sign of displeasure. As expected, he leveraged the power of the labyrinth to bring back one thousand defiant prisoners from Cappadocia. Charlot did not bother determining whether they were immigrants from the New Continent. He immediately dispatched a Ghost Fleet ship to transfer these individuals.

Romeos sent out another Saint-rank fighter, but this time, Charlot tasked Argon to face him.

Argon, once regarded as the greatest genius among the Beastfolk, had been too proud and unyielding to submit. By the time he joined Charlot's ranks, his position had diminished, and he had no significant achievements to his name. Despite this, he became close friends with Andreas and spent much of his time aboard the Radiant Holy Kingdom.

In this duel, Argon lived up to expectations. He easily defeated his opponent and even captured them alive.

Charlot, pleased with Argon’s performance, smiled and released the captured Saint, prompting Romeos to honor their agreement by delivering a group of elderly, women, and children as compensation. Romeos, perhaps out of guilt, sent an additional two or three hundred people.

Charlot treated these people without prejudice. While they were unfit for battle, anyone who could traverse the Golden Sea, the Aggras Sea, and the Giant Whale Sea to return to the Old Continent was considered robust. After a period of recovery, they could all contribute to production and labor.

Charlot personally greeted the group and offered them several settlement options within the Mecklenburg Duchy. Although the immigrants were initially apprehensive, they relaxed after Charlot arranged their new homes, trusting him to keep his promises.

...

In the following seven duels, Charlot won four, while the New Continent Council claimed three victories. Romeos transferred over six thousand people, yet still considered the exchange a success.

Charlot had sent trained soldiers who harbored deep resentment against him, making them reliable recruits for the opposing forces. Meanwhile, the New Continent Council had sent away their "burdens," easing their logistical strains.

Encouraged by the results, Romeos proposed another round of duels. Charlot readily agreed, and the contests continued for several rounds. Charlot exhausted his supply of prisoners from Cappadocia and had to include Wriggling Demons to make up the numbers. Meanwhile, Romeos successfully "cleansed" his ranks, rejuvenating Arcadia Port and wishing he could replace the entire South Seraph population, keeping only the fittest.

...

Red Hawk, the unfortunate pirate, suffered the most from these duels.

Eventually, both sides tacitly called off the contests and shifted their focus to naval skirmishes.

While Charlot and Romeos engaged in battles at sea, Cresto led the West Wind Knights to lay siege to Sedona City. Sedona was a battlefield Charlot had fought over countless times, once engaging in a protracted war of attrition with Chloe Hadrian that eventually turned into a series of tacitly agreed-upon exchanges.

Chloe had refused to surrender back then, and Charlot had imprisoned him. Over the years, he transferred Chloe multiple times—from Sedona to Fars, and eventually to Black Phoenix City.

This "old friend" remained in Black Phoenix City’s prison, yet to be dealt with by Charlot.

Cresto, a seasoned knight and former commander of the Fars Royal Knights, had once been an imperial official of great authority. He had led countless battles and was a master of military strategy.

After the establishment of the Bretagne Kingdom, Cresto refused to serve the Count of Bretagne or join the rebellion, instead choosing to stay under Charlot’s banner. Whether it was for a past oath or another reason remained a mystery.

The New Continent generals defending Sedona were no match for Cresto. Relying on the power of an evil god, they transformed the city into a "monster," stalling the West Wind Knights beneath Sedona’s walls.

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