Chapter 469: The Conferment Controversy

In the Aoduoyin Dadian, Bruno's account completely exonerated Hesusu and his family from the Witch Soul Clan, framing them purely as victims.

In truth, Hesusu and the entire Yueguang Valley were indeed victims.

Yet, with his words, no one dared to discuss the previous accusations Sofia made against Hesusu in this very hall, nor the protection of the alien race by Bruno and Jialete, thereby covering up the stain of the royal family's collaboration with the aliens.

Regarding this, the Wushan Territory, as one of the involved parties, said nothing, and the others were even less likely to raise any objections.

Next, the officials briefly touched upon issues such as the cemetery site selection, funeral procedures, and details.

Normally, Bruno would decide such matters directly, but Feilunsi, who was Hesusu's brother, and Waerjisi, the father-in-law of the deceased, were present in the hall and had the right to know.

"This alien invasion has brought a devastating catastrophe to Yueguang Valley from top to bottom; from the Kingdom Count down to the Honorary Knight, all nobles have perished! Not only that, but it also implicated Langtao Castle and Anchao, causing these two Viscount territories to lose their masters as well."

Hearing this, everyone perked up.

They knew that what would be discussed next would be the main event of today's meeting.

Whether the royal family would reclaim the vast territory of Yueguang Valley entirely or distribute a portion of it as a fief depended on how Bruno decided.

"Yueguang Valley was originally a relatively prosperous territory with a population of nearly seven or eight hundred thousand. Although less than twenty percent remain after this battle, fortunately, the farmland is still there, as well as one large iron mine and two copper mines within the territory. It is only a matter of time before it is redeveloped."

As Bruno spoke, he looked at Luoning.

"Now that our Kingdom has its first Blazing Sun Knight, how could a tiny Jiliu Island be worthy of Luoning's current status?"

The corners of Bruno's mouth curled into a smile: "Therefore, I have decided to confer upon Luoning the title of Kingdom Guardian Knight and Duke of the Kingdom, and grant the entirety of Yueguang Valley as his territory!"

As his voice fell, everyone in the hall wore different expressions.

There was Buluoer, who was secretly astonished; he had not expected that the once-small Baron would suddenly transform into a Duke of the Kingdom.

There were also those whose shock was tinged with displeasure; how could a young man not yet twenty stand on equal footing with them?

Others had eyes flickering with defiance and hostility—this was the Crown Prince Jialete.

He was unwilling to have been defeated by Luoning, and even less willing to watch the other party be conferred as a Duke.

In terms of status, the weight of a Duke was no lower than his own status as Crown Prince.

Yet he had no choice; he was merely the Crown Prince and could not refute what his father, the King, had decided.

Never mind how others felt, even Luoning himself had not expected Bruno to play such a big hand.

He had originally thought a Count would be the limit, never expecting the other party to grant a Dukedom directly.

Besides this, Bruno also bestowed upon him the title of Kingdom Guardian Knight, which likewise represented an extremely high honor.

However, beyond the favor, Luoning also sensed other things.

A Blazing Sun Knight is a very rare existence.

If the Kingdom had no one to keep such a person in check, it would be difficult to prevent them from harboring thoughts of betrayal.

Bruno giving so much was very likely an attempt to deeply bind Luoning to Aoduoyin.

Especially with the title of "Kingdom Guardian Knight"; once Luoning accepted it, as long as he cared about his reputation, he would basically not openly betray them.

Just then, someone finally could not help but raise an objection.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Duke Feilunsi was the first to stand up and voice his opposition.

"Luoning's strength is indeed very strong, worthy of many people's admiration and emulation, but the position of Duke cannot be measured solely by strength."

He pointed to the three Dukes present, "Whether it is me, Waerjisi, or Andeliya, which one of us did not fight for the Kingdom for decades and establish great military exploits before obtaining the position of Duke?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty."

Andeliya also chimed in: "Although Luoning saved face for the royal family and prevented many commoners from dying at the hands of the aliens, I also feel it is inappropriate to confer a Dukedom based on this single event."

Lulansi sneered and spoke with sarcasm: "Andeliya, was your Dukedom exchanged for military exploits? Heh, if we are talking about military exploits, that position of yours should be mine!"

"Don't joke, Lulansi."

Andeliya mocked: "You still want to be a Duke? On what grounds? On the basis of that disastrous battle of yours in Miwu?"

"Wasn't that because you provided false intelligence?"

Lulansi's old wound was reopened, and his anger flared up, though he remained restrained and did not resort to violence.

"Alright, alright, the two of you, stop arguing."

Mailun of Screaming Island wanted to step in and interject, but was immediately blocked by Lulansi.

"This is no place for you to speak. If you really want to express an opinion, have your father Aifangsuo come here!"

Mailun was instantly flushed with anger, his tone filled with suppressed fury: "I have heard my father say that the Thunder Marquis was known for his explosive temper when he was young; I have finally experienced it today."

He spread his hands, sat back in his seat, and wisely shut his mouth.

The hall fell into a brief silence.

"Ahem~"

Bruno coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness, "Then Feilunsi, my brother, according to your opinion, how do you think the conferment should be handled?"

Feilunsi's gaze drifted back and forth between Luoning and Lulansi, his eyes filled with contemplation.

After Along while, he said: "Luoning has strength, but his seniority is a bit weak. If Your Majesty truly wishes to confer the Dukedom upon the Wushan Family, I think it would be better to confer it directly to Lulansi, and then restore Luoning's right of succession; this way, it can be perfectly resolved."

Bruno hesitated for a moment, "And Yueguang Valley?"

"Naturally, it would be allocated to the Wushan Territory."

Luoning cursed inwardly; the other party was clearly trying to sow discord between him and Lulansi.

Just imagine, for someone about to be named a Duke, how would they feel if the title suddenly fell into someone else's hands?

Taking a step back, even though the other party said they would restore Luoning's right of succession, how many years would it be before it was actually his turn to inherit the title?

After all, Lulansi had now recovered his health, and with his Silver Moon-level strength, living another sixty or seventy years would be no problem at all.

If he could break through to the Blazing Sun level, his lifespan would be even longer.

Therefore, Luoning felt that this was Feilunsi sowing discord.

It was just a pity that Luoning and Lulansi were not an ordinary grandfather and grandson.

"Since Duke Feilunsi feels the Wushan Family is qualified enough to inherit the ducal title, why dwell on who should hold this title?"

Lulansi said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to relinquish the title of Marquis of Wushan Territory and agree with Duke Feilunsi's proposal to merge Wushan Territory and Yueguang Valley, while simultaneously bestowing the title of Duke upon the new territory."

As soon as these words were spoken, Feilunsi was left stunned.

Among those present, who does not want to fight for power and profit, expanding their own influence and reach?

Who does not value their own status and title?

Feilunsi had not expected Lulansi to directly give up his title of Marquis.

Bruno hurriedly stepped out to smooth things over: "Thunder Marquis is joking; the Empire has been established for nearly a thousand years, and there has never been an instance where a noble, while still alive, handed their title over to their descendants."

Lulansi shook his head slightly, "Having endured thirty years of torment, I am no longer interested in this title. Furthermore, I have an excellent descendant like Luoning; it is not impossible to hand the family over to him early."

Feilunsi changed the subject, "In any case, my opinion is that Luoning is still young and lacks sufficient seniority. Additionally, the area of Yueguang Valley is not small, and although Count Hesusu and his family have regrettably passed away, according to inheritance laws, the Valjisi Duchy also possesses a certain degree of authority."

He steered the topic toward Valjisi, who had not spoken the entire time, and the old man then raised his head to look at the former.

"Valjisi, you should also say something. After all, Dana is your daughter and Kente is your grandson; since they have regrettably passed away, this land should rightfully have a portion belonging to you."

Everyone looked at this taciturn Duke.

Valjisi only shook his head, "The Jisitana Family is not interested in the enclave of Yueguang Valley; whether Your Majesty gives it to Luoning or takes it back for the state, I support your decision!"

Feilunsi could not help but curse Valjisi as a coward in his heart, unable to believe he would not even fight for benefits when they were available.

Andeliya suddenly interjected at this moment: "If we put it that way, Duke Feilunsi, as the older brother of Count Hesusu, also enjoys inheritance rights to Yueguang Valley according to inheritance law."

He looked at Bruno: "Your Majesty, in this case, bestowing the entire Yueguang Valley to Luoning is indeed not very appropriate."

Bruno frowned slightly, but could not help but nod; Andeliya's words held a certain logic.

In truth, he was quite happy to see this current debate.

After some thought, Bruno turned his gaze toward Luoning, his eyes filled with high regard and appreciation: "I think, why don't we listen to the opinion of the person involved!" (End of chapter)