Super Righteous Player
Chapter 847 - 385: The Farthest Distance from the Throne

Chapter 847: Chapter 385: The Farthest Distance from the Throne

Under this system, the ministers who held real power were instead the "proxy agents" supported by the nobility, merely workers.

The nobles all had their own industries, and they leveraged their proxies to amass wealth and earn premiums to support new agents. They also pitted the agents against each other to strike at the factions behind them.

There were also some emerging nobles who had broken free from the controllers on their own and achieved enough to be granted nobility, turning from pawns into players... Likewise, some nobles lost the power to support proxy agents because they ran out of money.

For example, the Viscount of Roth Fort—who used to be the mayor of Frostwater Harbor—was another’s puppet proxy, and he himself had previously been a proxy for the Crow family... The entire region of Beihai, including Roth Fort and Frostwater Harbor, belonged to the Crow family.

However, his obsession with the corruption rituals led to the bankruptcy of his family’s business, culminating in Earl Geraint from far-off Royal Capital reclaiming that power and appointing Tan Juan Geraint as the new lord of Frostwater Harbor—the new proxy for the area.

Aside from these, there was another type of new nobility: the so-called "nobles with real power."

For instance, Philip Shelley, the Chief Justice of Noah’s Kingdom, also "happened" to be Count Shelley, and his own younger brother was the Chief of Police in Noah. They themselves funded and recognized themselves as agents.

It is rather a more reassuring act... because by stepping forward to become proxies, they signaled that they wouldn’t mess up.

That was another case, but fewer nobles were willing to do so.

The reason is simple... not for a lack of desire, but a lack of brains.

There were very few smart people who could hold real power, evade the scrutiny of the Three-Eyed Crow, maintain proper administrative order, and still not neglect making money... and crucially— they also feared death.

The Three-Eyed Crow is ruthless.

No one can guarantee they won’t make a mistake, and the Three-Eyed Crow’s gaze is omnipresent. Letting proxies handle risky tasks while only managing "premiums" and "compensation" acts from behind the scenes is the safest.

Because what keeps them stable in Noah is always money, not power.

—After all, in Noah, money can buy life.

The principle is simple. A fair "trade," once established, is absolutely protected in Noah. This ensured that no one could betray the contract and secured the reliability of the secret while also guaranteeing a minimum of order.

If someone betrays the initial "employment contract," the Silver Baron Church would intervene—because the "premium" was paid initially, making it a "trade" in ceremony.

And becoming an official in Noah was actually a pathway for commoners to rise to heaven.

As long as they performed well, by the end of their term, they’d have turned their lives around. Their descendants could receive high-level education, they’d have formed a high-level social network, and their family would build savings that can start a "family." If capable enough, they might even be ennobled—like the Viscount of Roth Fort.

And since they chose this path, they certainly couldn’t afford a hefty premium.

In such cases, the premium was actually covered by a guarantor.

And money wasn’t given for free—they listened to their guarantors since their premiums were paid by them. Some slightly conscientious nobles—or rather, those who had long intended some "foul play"—would specify in the agreement how much compensation their families would receive in case of imprisonment or death.

Such "agents" could also be seen as substitutes thrown out in dire situations. In unavoidable circumstances, they would commit suicide—and the guarantor would pay compensation.

The nobles behind the scenes would only act as "guarantors" and lose money... As for the contracts of interest they signed privately with agents, that was another deal entirely.

And this rule of agents was exactly what the Crown Princess was currently doing.

It moved the underground struggle into the open... and the royal family openly "taxed" this behavior.

These "deposits" paid were funds for building roads and bridges in various places and also money used for loans to supported enterprises. It maximally maintained the normal operation of the kingdom.

Moreover, there was the Silver Baron Church secretly supervising everything, as well as the "Crow above the Crown."

The entire Kingdom of Noah was a self-sufficient, massive, strictly disciplined mega-corporation.

That’s why Henry VIII hardly did anything substantial but was always intentionally causing trouble, yet he did not cause any direct or short-term damage to the kingdom.

Although Noah’s entire policy framework had strayed, the details were, in contrast, very well maintained.

This was because each "agent" tried their best to maintain the area they were responsible for... not necessarily solving the problems, but at least patching the holes. At least no trouble could arise during their term.

This led to Noah becoming very calm, at least until it eventually exploded.

And the Crown Princess had already begun to take over the management of the country several years before Henry VIII’s death.

Without a doubt, she was the "heir" who best understood these corporate rules. If the Crown Princess Elizabeth ascended to power, Noah would likely flourish for a while under her reign... Although it could also, much later, be detonated by the bomb laid by Henry VIII.

It was just a pity that the other two heirs—Philip and Kafney—both cheated.

While Elizabeth had still been increasing her control over the officials through her exceedingly skilled manipulation on the surface.

One approached the power brokers behind the scenes ceremonially, the other approached the power monitors through the church, both effectively circumventing the "special rules of the Kingdom of Noah."

At that moment, Annan finally understood.

Why Henry VIII let Elizabeth take over the administration, why Henry instead received support from the nobles...

And why those nobles, and even the entire Silver Baron Church, did not think the very formidable Elizabeth could succeed to the throne. Kafney also completely disregarded apparently formidable opponents.

Annan looked pityingly at Elizabeth’s figure as she spoke.

When one looks at the entire Kingdom of Noah.

Crown Princess Elizabeth, albeit a royal family member, did not think like a "guarantor" but as an "agent."

She was the most powerful tool in the entire Kingdom of Noah. What she hoped for, and what she strived to do, was to seize all power into her hands... to bypass those nobles directly and control the "agents"; even, just as she controlled agents, to control those behind-the-scenes "guarantors."

It was because of this mindset that Elizabeth could never earn the nobles’ approval. The closer she got to the throne, the further away she was from it.

—But she knew nothing about this.

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