Pirate Kingship-Chapter 665 - 462: Two Suns in the Sky, Palace Coup (6100 two-in-one)_3

Byron, hiding in a corner with his sister, witnessed everything and thought to himself:

Logically speaking, a founding monarch would operate on the principle of 'ruling the world with the heroes before seizing the throne,' and after snatching the kingship, swing back with a 'purge of nine generations' as a basic maneuver. Unfortunately, Edward IV simply couldn't do that. That's the main reason I won't take shortcuts, like seeking military aid from that maternal grand-uncle in the Irisflower Kingdom, and instead must wait for the main Fleet of Heavy Cruisers to launch before facing the White Rose head-on. 'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun' is indeed an eternal truth. In this world, those with strong armies claim kingship; one good punch can prevent a hundred from coming. Only if the war of founding the nation is fought splendidly will the kingship be justly earned, the throne firmly held, and many small post-establishment skirmishes avoided from the start.

Byron watched the tide of Lost Ones advancing bit by bit, while he himself sat back calmly, silently clutching the [Lionheart Broken Arrow] in his pocket.

Perhaps he couldn't defeat Edward IV and The Kingmaker Warwick right now, those two who had ascended to pseudo Fifth Order [King's Titles] by borrowing the Power of Law. But if either of them were seriously injured in this head-to-head confrontation, Byron could potentially take their lives with a single blow, exploiting the relic's special ability to strike the critically wounded! Of course, for Byron, as the third party, the best outcome would be for the Royalist Party and the Earl's Party to continue their deadlock until he was ready, bleeding each other dry. The more of these nobles who died, the better. Despite being a high noble himself, Byron knew better than anyone the inherent vices of the noble class.

These powerful nobles not only possess military, economic, and political strength, but they also levy taxes on trade between their territories and restrict the movement of people, effectively acting as states within the state. The 'Magna Carta' was essentially designed to weaken royal Authority and enhance the power of the Great Nobles. Every generation of Hightins Kings who wishes to restore supreme royal Authority must struggle against the Nobility to reclaim lost powers. If I am to abolish the 'Magna Carta' and centralize the Kingdom's power, I will need to eliminate more than half of the Nobility.

Moreover, the Whale Oil power revolution, representing a leap in productive forces, is just around the corner. It's not as simple or pleasant as merely having Steam Engines and then expecting to thrive immediately. It requires capital, a mobile workforce, resources, and a market—these four necessary conditions—and the established Land Nobles are all impediments. Apart from a limited number of elites who can be incorporated into the 'Demonic Banquet Council', all others should be abandoned by the times. So I must use Great Britain from my past life as a model to feel my way across the river. Eventually, even if I don't completely sweep away the old noble forces, I will have to drastically reduce their power and influence. But the method of 'being suicided'—dying from eight gunshot wounds to the back—cannot be overused. As the rule maker, all rules are already most favorable to the Monarch. If I, the one who sets the rules, start breaking them arbitrarily, the backlash will definitely be far greater than the benefits. Why should I get my own hands dirty cleaning them up, when it's far more satisfying to let others do the work and then simply pluck the peach myself?

It was precisely for this reason that Byron was pleased to see them slaughter each other. While his own power was insufficient to pluck the peach just yet, he also couldn't allow the Royalist Party to be wiped out here by Warwick, letting the latter become the sole dominant power.

But within the Kingdom, where the [King's Title] is supreme and can mobilize the Power of Law, I currently lack the ability to intervene in their direct confrontation. The only ones who might be able to influence the situation are likely... 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Byron looked up towards one side of the banquet hall, where a relatively small but distinct group of nobles was gathered, clearly forming their own faction. Leading them was Marquis Thomas Neville, the father of Miss Anne, his prospective sister-in-law. He stood at their forefront, wielding a Sacred Relic that resembled a bundle of wooden sticks wrapped around an axe. His aura was heavy and composed, making him an undeniable third power in this contest. Due to the special status of this Neutral Faction, even the two sides locked in a stalemate unconsciously avoided their position. Neither side wanted to push this Neutral Faction into the opposing camp, thereby adding unnecessary variables.

Byron immediately recalled the intelligence he had on this Marquis.

Marquis Thomas Neville was a Fourth Order [Knight of Judgment] of the Tribunal Sequence, an advanced class of the common Knight. In addition to the foundational abilities of a Knight, he possessed a core ability: [Seal of Judgment]. When facing lawbreakers, he could imbue his fists, cold weapons, Firearms, or virtually anything at hand with it, achieving the effect of a magic-imbued weapon. The 'Dragon' he tamed at Fourth Order was a famous First-Class Sacred Relic from the Tribunal Sequence: [The Dictator's Rod of Tyrant (Proud One) Tocqueville]. Although it is only a First-Class Sacred Relic, it is considered a Divine Artifact of the Tribunal Sequence, comparable to a Zero-Level Sacred Relic in some respects. It is the earliest symbol of torture tools and authority, belonging to the last Monarch of the Silver Empire during its monarchical period in the Mythological Era: Tyrant [Proud One] Tocqueville. In the ancient Silver Empire, when the state entered a state of emergency due to War, the Senate would appoint one of the Consuls as dictator. As the entire nation had only two Consuls, this highlighted the supreme stature of a dictator. The so-called dictator, as the name implies, possessed the supreme power of arbitrary judgment, without needing public trials by others! If he deemed someone guilty, then guilty they were. A Consul had twelve Attendants, who carried the rod—a bundle of rods with a Battle Axe inserted in the middle—symbolizing the supreme judicial authority of the Silver Empire.