It happened very suddenly.
Originally, all the nobles intended to pay a small price to continue ruling their territories.
Therefore, none of them abandoned their territories and fled like other nobles.
At most, whatever they paid, they would just collect taxes a few more times from the residents of their territory.
Now, they were about to lose everything.
And this was merely because of a young man who had defeated a pirate leader with a million-strong fleet.
Earl Jonaf looked at these nobles with a smile on his face.
It seemed their expressions were too amusing, so he couldn't help but smile.
Hiccup's gaze swept over the nobles present and he asked, "Who has an objection?"
The nobles present looked at each other.
Who dared to object?
That pitch-black Dragon with thick claws was staring at them.
As soon as they said 'no', they would immediately be burned to ashes.
Hiccup nodded contentedly and said, "It seems everyone is very cooperative."
"Then let's start with Jonaf."
Hearing his name, Earl Jonaf's smile instantly froze on his face.
He had calculated everything, but never expected that he, as the most loyal subordinate of the Divine Emissary, would also lose his territory and go from being a noble to a commoner.
"Divine Emissary, do you mean for me to offer my territory to you?"
Earl Jonaf deliberately asked this.
Because he had already made up his mind that rather than having it taken by the Divine Emissary,
it would be better to offer it with his own hands, which might gain him the Divine Emissary's favor.
Perhaps in the end, he could even receive the Divine Emissary's grace.
So, before Hiccup could even answer,
Earl Jonaf stood up on his own, clenched his right fist, and struck his breastplate, saying, "As the most loyal servant of the Divine Emissary,"
"Jonaf is willing to dedicate all his land, slaves, food, and money to the Divine Emissary."
The first person to step forward either gains great wealth and status or falls into the abyss.
Earl Jonaf was gambling, while the remaining nobles were scared pale.
Even the Earl had offered everything without reservation.
What right did they have to say no?
Hiccup lightly tapped the table and said, "Sit down."
Earl Jonaf's heart filled with joy, and he sat down slightly excitedly to Hiccup's right.
"My request is very simple."
"Dismantle the territorial boundaries and merge all land."
"The land is still your land, the slaves are still your slaves."
"When the final harvest comes, pay taxes according to your respective contributions."
All the nobles were dumbfounded.
If this distribution method was used, what was the difference between dismantling and not dismantling?
Earl Jonaf looked at their puzzled faces.
"Bang!"
He slammed the table in anger and roared, "Would the Divine Emissary harm you?"
"Roar~"
Night Fury let out a dissatisfied growl.
Baring his fangs, he looked ferociously at Earl Jonaf.
His expression seemed to say, "Are you sick? You startled me."
Hiccup casually stroked Night Fury's head.
Then he looked at the nobles present and said, "Dismantling the boundaries is to facilitate unified farming."
"From now on, yaks or horses will no longer be used to plow the land."
Earl Jonaf weakly asked, "The Divine Emissary must have a better method."
He was trying to pick up the conversation, highlighting Hiccup's wisdom, and thus achieving the effect of flattery.
However, Hiccup gave him a sidelong glance, signaling him not to interrupt him constantly.
Earl Jonaf thought Hiccup was giving him a satisfied compliment, and even straightened his back, showing off his unique status.
Hiccup ignored Jonaf and looked at the nobles present, saying, "Dismantle the territorial boundaries and expand outwards at the same time."
"Use Dragons to plow the land."
"A Dragon's endurance and strength are hundreds of times that of oxen and horses, and Dragon manure is excellent fertilizer."
After hearing Hiccup's words, all the nobles stood frozen like statues.
Were they all fools? Did they not know that Dragons were stronger than oxen and horses?
Dragons were difficult to tame, constantly stealing food and sheep, and wantonly destroying houses.
They even found pleasure in setting citizens on fire.
Watching the panicked crowd struggle and scatter, the Dragons would let out triumphant roars.
Green Town had worked for hundreds of years to finally drive the Dragons out of the island.
Except for a few Dragon Knights, the residents of the town had only heard of Dragons and had never even seen them.
Now if they brought the Dragons back, let alone plowing the land, probably not even Green Town would be left.
Clearly, these nobles only dared to think about it in their hearts; they absolutely did not dare to voice it.
Due to extreme fright, they couldn't even open their mouths, and even breathing was somewhat difficult.
The entire banquet once again fell into extreme silence.
The occasional howling wind made them tremble uncontrollably.
Hiccup said indifferently, "Recently, I need to interrogate war criminals."
"I hope you can act quickly, otherwise, you will bear the consequences."
With that, Hiccup slowly stood up.
The crisp sound of leather shoes hitting the floor echoed in everyone's ears.
Night Fury bounced along behind Hiccup.
Everyone listened as the footsteps faded away, and they tried to stand up, only to find to their surprise that their legs were numb.
One by one, they struggled to stand up, leaning on the tables, almost falling headfirst into the leftovers on the dining table.
At the same time, they felt a chill down their backs; their expensive and luxurious evening gowns were soaked with sweat at some unknown point.
"What should we do now?"
"What else can we do? Haha, are you willing to give up your territories?"
"My family has been passed down for over two hundred years; all our efforts are in our territory."
"So, we can only obey fate and follow the Divine Emissary's command."
"Alas, we, we..."
The nobles left the banquet hall with desolate expressions.
As for the mistresses they brought along, they were all left in the castle like trash, to be enjoyed by the Dragon Riders of the merchant caravan.
Earl Jonaf looked at their desolate figures and murmured, "One day you will be glad of the decision you made today."
Afterward, Earl Jonaf also walked out of the banquet hall, feeling the evening breeze.
"After today, Green Town will probably have a new name."
"Pass on my order: add soldiers to guard the captives; they must not be allowed to escape."
"Yes, Earl."
The knight regiment remaining in the manor became busy once again.
Meanwhile, Hiccup rode Night Fury to the highest point of the castle, looking at the full moon hanging in the sky.
"The Earl who escaped will definitely return with a large army to seek revenge."
"It's definitely too late to transfer troops from Berk Island."
"The best way is to persuade the soldiers left by Draeger to let them deplete the strength of the kingdom's soldiers..."