Within the bedchambers.

Losa sat down to the side and naturally poured himself a cup of tea.

Baldwin IV, who was reviewing documents, dripped wax onto the envelope, took off his ring, and pressed it firmly upon the seal.

Without pausing his actions, he casually said, “Now that your wishes have been fulfilled, why do you still look so worried?”

Losa gave a wry smile: “If I were in your shoes, I would probably also wish for this restless Count of Transjordan to behave a bit more sensibly.”

“But you are Losa, not Raymond. Someone must represent the radicals within the Kingdom. Your expansion does him no good, and if war breaks out, it would be harmful to him.”

The Noble Faction, Empress Faction, and King’s Faction are ultimately products of interest-driven motives.

“You are right.”

Stepping into another’s shoes is a good habit.

But it’s not always necessary.

“I just feel a bit sentimental; even the young man who slayed dragons ends up as the Tyrannical Dragon.”

Back then, he also thought Reynard, who put the weak Kingdom of Jerusalem amidst flames of war, was a consummate villain and fool.

“This is politics.”

Baldwin IV asked, “Tell me, when do you plan to leave Jerusalem this time?”

“If everything goes smoothly, I will return to Hebron after your official appointment tomorrow. There are numerous affairs to handle, as everything in the territory is in need of development.”

“Hmm, Lord Losa, if there’s no need, it seems you genuinely do not wish to stay in Jerusalem. It seems to me the position in the Royal Knight Order might as well be formally given to Hans.”

Losa gave a wry smile: “You know my ideology. Instead of having everyone jostle in a manger for food like livestock, it’s better to go outside and compete with the beasts for food. It also forges the body and weakens the enemy.

Otherwise, when the beasts come, whatever’s been eaten will just be tasty morsels in their mouths.”

“A profound insight, but unfortunately, many people don’t understand it or can’t act on it.”

Many powerful border vassals are also facing strong adversaries, making expansion extremely difficult. Only Losa has some barren land that can be taken.

Baldwin IV sighed lightly: “Remember Reynard’s precedent; even if you advance north into Sinai and clash with Adil’s Egypt, do not invade the territories of the Holy Families.”

“I will.”

Losa nodded solemnly.

Though he believed the possibility of Saladin rallying a large army again by claiming the Holy Land is under threat was very slim.

Because the first call for Jihad was effective, but if it’s called too many times and failures occur, its impact would greatly diminish.

Just like those Crusader Princes in Europe who clamor to participate in holy wars, collecting “Saladin Taxes” for years.

Before Losa departed, rumors in the Gaul region spread about a Crusade of thousands of knights and several Witch Consultants setting off.

But now, where is the Crusade?

Without benefits, mere faith can hardly persuade various Saracen factions to set aside past grievances and join forces for a new holy war.

But the risk indeed exists.

Saladin’s political skills are indeed adept, otherwise, he wouldn’t have managed to unify the fragmented Saracen World under the nose of the Sassanid Persia.

If not necessary, after Losa takes the Hejaz, he should then consider advancing north into Sinai, risking a war with Adil to seize the entire Sinai Peninsula.

“If you go to war with Adil, how confident are you, relying on only your nation’s strength, to withstand his attack?”

Losa replied calmly: “If it’s now, with the desert and the Red Sea as barriers, I have fifty percent confidence.”

Baldwin IV, intrigued, said: “What if in a year, after you take the entire Hejaz region and firmly hold the Southern Border Vassal Prince position, with greatly increased strength?”

Losa contemplated: “I fear only a ten percent increase in confidence.”

Baldwin IV questioned: “Only ten percent more in a year? You’ve been in the Holy Land for less than half a year total.”

Losa shrugged and spread his hands: “Because by then, I likely would have already taken Feilai Mai and be directly engaging Adil in the Egypt region.”

Baldwin IV couldn’t help but laugh: “You do have ambition.”

In terms of population, the Hejaz, Sinai, and Transjordan together are but a fraction of Egypt.

Yet, in this era, national power isn’t measured by population size.

If it were, the Tatars who unified the steppes with merely a hundred thousand households would never stand a chance against the nearly ten million populace of Sassanid Persia.

“How is Lord Godfrey’s old ailment?”

“Already checked by Urding. Although an old longstanding injury, it’s not severe. Today in the great hall, Baron Goffrey was eloquently debating against all, displaying great valor.”

Baldwin IV laughed: “Godfrey hid it well enough; he didn’t mention such an ailment to me before.”

Losa couldn’t help but laugh: “This kind of secret pain, it’s normal not to want to mention it.”

…

Leaving Baldwin IV’s bedchambers.

He saw Nishaya cloaked in a hooded black robe, waiting like a ghost at the side.

“Good afternoon, Miss Nishaya, why are you dressed like this today?”

Nishaya whispered: “Teacher blamed me for causing trouble, telling me to show myself less in public places.”

“`

Losa paused slightly.

Your teacher speaks very wisely.

He skipped over the topic, coughed lightly, and said, “Miss Nishaya, did you bring the illustration?”

“Of course.”

As she spoke, she handed over a piece of ancient yellow parchment, depicting a beast resembling a Tyrannosaurus, with a dark red body.

Beside it were some tiny characters, which Losa couldn’t understand at all.

Nishaya seriously warned, “Although the Tyrannical Dragon cannot fly, it’s very robust, with considerable magic resistance, and it possesses extremely terrifying Dragon Flame. You must be cautious.”

Losa pointed to the tiny characters on the parchment and asked, “What does this say? Is it the weakness of the Tyrannical Dragon?”

Nishaya visibly paused for a moment and softly said, “It’s written in Greek by me, recording the location of the Tyrannical Dragon—this kind of creature doesn’t have obvious weaknesses.”

Losa felt a bit embarrassed but didn’t show it on his face: “Do you need any materials from its body? After all, the corpse of a giant dragon is heavy, and we can’t take it all back.”

“You needn’t worry about that. As a species of Fire Dragon, the Tyrannical Dragon’s body flows with lava-like hot dragon blood. Once it dies, all its essence gathers in its heart, turning the entire body into solid but useless hard stone.”

Nishaya paused and continued, “It’s said that if you take out the Tyrannical Dragon’s heart and throw it into a volcano, a hundred years later, another Tyrannical Dragon can be born.”

“Sounds like a Phoenix.”

“Very similar. Perhaps a Phoenix is also a unique kind of Fire Dragon species, who knows.”

Nishaya smiled and said, “Extraordinary Biology is a profound subject among the wizard community, useful for gathering magic materials and brewing magic potions.”

A trace of longing flashed in Losa’s expression: “That must be a fascinating world.”

Nishaya covered her mouth and laughed lightly: “Fascinating, perhaps not, but certainly tedious and monotonous.”

Losa recalled those books written in various unknown languages, or in Latin with illegible handwriting.

It’s not easy to persist in reading them.

“See you tomorrow then.”

Nishaya nodded respectfully: “See you tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. If you contact through the emblem, you’ll have to go through my teacher, who then relays it to me.”

Is Anna the central hub?

Losa put the sunshade hat on his head and nodded slightly: “I understand.”

…

Early the next day.

Losa arrived at the palace. Today was not the day for a regular court meeting but the official conferment of Losa as Border Count, granting him legal support.

Additionally, there must be the Archbishop of Jerusalem present to symbolize the dual recognition of royal power and divine authority for the new power Losa has acquired.

Losa exchanged a glance with Count Raymond, who stood witness beside him. Seeing Raymond’s indifferent expression, Losa decided to forgo maintaining superficial relationships and focused on the procedure.

The procedure was tedious but solemn.

Once the Church weakens, this would become less burdensome.

Napoleon could even snatch the Pope’s crown and crown himself as Emperor of the French; at that point, it would truly be the collapse of rituals and music.

As William, the Bishop replacing the Archbishop in exercising divine authority, completed the final procedure.

A series of continuous system alert sounds began to ring in Losa’s ears.

Your main title “Count of Transjordan” has been changed to “Count of the Outskirts of Jordan.”

Your noble rank has been elevated to Marquis Level.

Your special troop recruitment limit increased to 125 (Duke 150).

Your rank has been elevated, and you’ll receive a specially crafted Epic Artifact based on current needs.

Upon drawing, the artifact is: Growth Potion of the Ancient Tree of Life.

This potion, when poured on the roots of the Ancient Tree of Life, will accelerate its maturation and grant the Mother Tree’s special ability—splitting off offspring.

During its mature period, the Mother Tree of Life can produce a new offspring annually, planted within a hundred miles range.

Note: A matured Ancient Tree of Life can train special units like Woodland Elf Archers; if the transferee lacks Elven bloodline, they can only transfer to Woodland Archers.

You have achieved a new milestone: Spear of God.

[Your main title upgraded to Marquis Level or above, and you have the privilege to launch Crusades against surrounding heretic enemies at any time.]

Reward acquired: [Byzantine Heavy Armored Cavalry Training Camp]

You can choose any location to build a recruitment camp for Heavy Armored Cavalry.

You activated a new Epic Level milestone: Knight Order of the Crusaders. (Incomplete)

[As a renowned Crusader Duke, you successfully led a Crusade to establish your kingdom in a land occupied by heretics, leaving your glorious achievements in history.]

Losa raised his head and made eye contact with Baldwin IV.

The young King’s gaze was gentle, filled with anticipation.

His expression swept across the attendees, including Baron Argon and other nobles, who timely bowed their heads in modesty.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep