The fundamental reason merchants were disliked by the nobles was because the merchant profession originated from nomadic tribes who, through years of wandering, gradually established large merchant caravans throughout The Lands Between.
The problem arose when those nomadic groups accidentally encountered the Frenzied Flame during their explorations, leading to a terrifying outbreak of madness.
The power of the Frenzied Flame originates from the madness of the Three Fingers combined with the embers of the Crucible. Its purpose is to bring chaos to the world and return everything to the primordial era of the Crucible.
Therefore, the Frenzied Flame possesses the ability to destroy everything and can plunge all life into an abyss of madness and slaughter.
Many members of the Golden Lineage became infected after coming into contact with merchants tainted by the Frenzied Flame. Whether through ordinary interpersonal contact, abnormal contact with corpses, or even touching the ashes of those burned by the Frenzied Flame, all would eventually become infected and perish in endless agony.
The Frenzied Flame was not tolerated by the Golden Order because it could not be transformed into one of its tributaries and could instead destroy the Golden Order itself.
As a result, all those infected and burned by the Frenzied Flame could no longer return to the Erdtree or be reborn. This was the terrifying power of an Outer God.
The nomadic merchants who had come into contact with the Frenzied Flame became heretics within The Lands Between and naturally were not welcomed by the Golden nobles who upheld the Golden Order.
Marika once took extreme measures in order to save her people and prevent the spread of the Frenzied Flame.
She trapped and slaughtered the entire nomadic tribe infected by the Frenzied Flame beneath the Royal Capital, Leyndell, and even completely sealed the routes leading there to prevent their ashes from scattering outward.
However, her actions were not entirely effective. The Frenzied Flame still continued to burn within The Lands Between, though fortunately it never spread on a massive scale.
To minimize the spread of the Frenzied Flame, even those nomadic tribes that had never encountered it were implicated.
Marika revoked their Blessing of Grace, stripping them of their right to eternal life.
From that point onward, these nomadic tribes were relegated to the lowest strata of society within The Lands Between. They were forbidden from entering any cities and forced to wander endlessly across the vast wilderness.
Their fate became filled with hardship and suffering. Life grew extremely difficult for them, and they could only survive by selling supplies needed by travelers in the wilderness, often lingering on the verge of starvation.
The total exclusion of commerce caused most people to completely fail to understand the actions of the Xiao Clan.
Those few who could understand the situation possessed very low status, and their warnings were naturally ignored by the lords.
More importantly, the timing was simply wrong. Under normal circumstances, the lords would certainly have taken this matter seriously.
But with the Second Dynastic War approaching, no one had the spare attention to consider whether the Xiao Clan's actions concealed some deeper conspiracy.
Now, the upcoming war for the Royal Capital, Leyndell, would determine the fate of countless nobles.
Once defeated, they would be stripped of all their runes and completely return to the Erdtree.
Although returning to the Erdtree was the dream of many nobles, there was an enormous difference between returning with one's own power intact and returning as nothing more than leftover residue.
Heroes who returned to the Erdtree would obtain endless glory. After death, they would become heroic spirits and continue fighting for the Golden Dynasty.
However, returning after being completely drained of runes meant becoming nothing more than worthless trash.
The Gloam-Eyed Queen had already been defeated by Starscourge General Radahn and completely subdued. She had lost the qualifications to remain a queen and had become dust within history.
Even if there truly was some conspiracy behind the Xiao Clan, no scheme could compare to the invincible might of Starscourge General Radahn.
It had to be said that the influence of Godfrey, the First Elden Lord, upon the entire Golden Dynasty was unimaginably profound. His ideology had long since been engraved into the bones of every member of the Golden Lineage, something even Radagon, the Second Elden Lord who ruled for the longest period, could never change.
Power is the reason for kingship!
For everyone within the Golden Dynasty, power and glory were the ultimate truths they believed in, and only absolute power possessed the qualifications to rule over them.
Therefore, every noble was desperately trying to increase their own strength in order to display their status and dignity.
It was foreseeable that this battle for the Royal Capital would be even more intense and larger in scale than the previous one.
As time passed, The Lands Between gradually entered an eerie calm.
All nobles ceased their social activities and quietly waited for the storm that was about to descend.
After another cycle of day and night passed, the Erdtree once again released dazzling radiance, illuminating the entirety of The Lands Between.
And it was precisely at this moment that news of Starscourge General Radahn emerging from secluded cultivation rapidly spread throughout the world.
At the same time, information about the three great Laws of Haki that Radahn had comprehended also spread across The Lands Between.
The essence of the Law of Haki lay in skillfully utilizing spirit, aura, and momentum, transforming them into tangible force through technique, thereby producing astonishing destructive power, oppressive pressure, and enhanced perception abilities.
Most terrifying of all was the fact that after Radahn emerged from seclusion, he did not immediately attack Leyndell to battle the Grace-Given King.
Instead, he spread the Law of Haki throughout The Lands Between in order to gain even more power.
The emergence of Haki provided an enormous enhancement to The Lands Between, where eighty percent of the population consisted of warriors.
Thus, the pressure instantly fell upon the two brothers, Morgott and Mohg, regarding whether they should also learn the power of Haki.
And this was precisely Radahn's open scheme. If Leyndell's soldiers learned Haki, then the power of the law itself would strengthen Radahn.
If they refused to learn it while the Starscourge allied forces all wielded Haki, then the strength gap between the two armies would rapidly widen because of Haki's existence.
…
…
"Isn't this just outright hooliganism?"
Mohg waved the Sacred Spear in his hand, sounding somewhat exasperated.
For the first time, he felt that laws themselves could be this disgusting. Everything unfolding before him seemed utterly absurd.
"Calm down. Let me think… let me think…"
Morgott continuously tapped his forehead with his fingers, trying to clear his thoughts, but he could already feel a deep sense of helplessness.
Radahn was already the strongest demigod, and now that he had comprehended laws, his power would undoubtedly become even more terrifying, pushing them into an even more difficult situation.
For a moment, even the Grace-Given King, famed for his strategic brilliance, felt overwhelmed.
"Second Brother, why don't you also accept the power of the Blood Lord and obtain the power of law?"
Mohg suddenly suggested in a cautious voice.
Morgott abruptly raised his head, his sharp gaze locking firmly onto his younger brother as if trying to pierce directly into his soul.
Mohg felt uncomfortable beneath that gaze. Goosebumps rose across his skin, and he didn't even dare meet his brother's eyes.
Seeing this, Morgott felt somewhat helpless. He sighed and shook his head, refusing the Blood Lord's proposal.
"Forget it. The Law of Blood is not suitable for me. The Golden Incantations I practice are naturally opposed to the Law of Blood."
Morgott clearly understood that the law he pursued was fundamentally incompatible with the Blood Lord's power. If he forcibly accepted it, the result would only be counterproductive.
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