"I oppose!"

"The Holy Land cannot endure another round of war."

"Punish the renegade Losa for breaking the treaty!"

"Nonsense, Count! Losa regained lost territory, what wrong is there in that? As for allegedly inciting border conflicts, it's merely Count Losa being forced to retaliate."

"Have you all forgotten our purpose in coming to the Holy Land? To fight the heretics to the end, is this not our duty?"

The noise once again divided the nobles in the hall into two factions.

Clear distinction.

A careful observation reveals that a considerable number of nobles in the Empress Faction have chosen to support Losa.

This made Raymond's appearance increasingly hostile.

Losa's expression remained unchanged.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he walked straight to Raymond's side.

"Lord Tiberias, wouldn't you say your statement is somewhat subjective?"

Raymond frowned.

Before he could speak, Losa continued:

"In my view, this agenda should be — whether to establish the Transjordan Border Territory, rather than discussing whether I am guilty."

In this setting, it seemed as if the nobles were transported back to the day when Losa first arrived in Jerusalem.

At that time, he was merely an unknown landless knight.

But now, he is the rising star of whole Jerusalem, has replaced Reynard, standing up to Regent Raymond as a prominent noble.

"Indeed, Regent!"

Baron Goffrey stood at the front of the crowd and shouted, "We all remember the previous council meeting already debated Losa Count's guilt. Since he was deemed innocent then, why bring it up again now?"

"Exactly!"

"To continue arguing is meaningless in my view. We might as well follow the Frankish honorable tradition by voting to show Raymond Count the popular sentiment."

Losa said solemnly.

Raymond's eyes looked disdainful, as if saying, do you want to compare supporters with me?

"Fine."

He said coldly, "Colleagues, if you support Count Losa establishing the Transjordan Border Territory, raise your right hand."

Baron Goffrey and Baron Argon, coincidentally raised their right hands first.

Following them, some members of the Empress Faction, including even Guy of Lusignan, raised their right arms. They might not necessarily support Losa willingly, but they were even less willing to support Raymond.

Afterward.

Some members of the Noble Faction also raised their hands, they were the few friends Baron Goffrey mentioned yesterday, and they were influential major nobles.

This group further motivated a batch of their subordinate nobles to raise their hands.

Raymond's face looked increasingly unpleasant, but fortunately, in the end, those who raised their hands were still less than half.

"Count Losa, popular sentiment is already clear, isn't it?"

"Please wait a moment."

A crisp, elegant female voice came from outside the hall.

"I also support Count Losa's proposal."

Princess Sibilla, wearing a gold crown inlaid with emeralds, in a long orange palace dress, came in full regalia.

As she entered the hall, it caused a sensation.

Many members of the Empress Faction began whispering, since Regent Raymond was overly dominant, the Empress Faction indeed had thoughts of allying with the King's Faction.

But because Losa and Baron Goffrey maintain neutrality, their attempts to win support shifted towards seizing the Royal Knight Order's positions left in the kingdom.

"Raymond Count, I am not here in the capacity of the Crown Prince's mother and His Majesty's sister, but in the name of the Lord of Ashkelon and Jaffa. I hope you don't mind."

Princess Sibilla apologized, but her gaze didn't shy away as she stared directly at Raymond.

Raymond's expression looked complicated as he gazed upwards at the empty throne, wondering, Your Majesty, is this your intention?

Can't you see the efforts I've made to stabilize the Holy Land situation?

As the nominal highest ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV could not personally step into the arena to confront the vassals.

Instead, he should serve as an arbiter. Even if the agenda was his own, it should be presented through the mouth of a subject.

Because if the King personally stepped in and had his agenda rejected by Raymond.

It indicates that in Jerusalem, the King's influence is already below Raymond's.

Even if this is the fact, the message it sends out is extremely dangerous for both Raymond and Baldwin IV.

The former would be recognized as a power-seeking ambitious person and have his reputation ruined.

The latter would also be regarded as incompetent, losing all majestic authority.

If events are allowed to unfold, only two possible outcomes exist.

One is, Raymond, driven by desperation, chooses to use conspiracy means to assassinate Baldwin IV and claim the throne himself, as he is also in line to inherit the throne.

The other is, Raymond, in order to prove his innocence, leaves Jerusalem and returns to his own domain, causing the kingdom to split again, leaving the Crusader forces in the Holy Land as a disorganized mess.

Losa's expression remained unchanged.

He had no opinion on Raymond. If he were Raymond, he too would choose the more beneficial option for himself.

But the situation placed both men in opposing positions.

He said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Raymond Count, now upon inspection, popular sentiment is truly clear."

Inside the hall.

Those who raised their hands in support of establishing the Transjordan Border Territory have already surpassed half, with members from the King's Faction, the Empress Faction, and even some nobles from the Noble Faction raising their right hands.

The so-called Noble Faction, Empress Faction, were originally loose political alliances. Encountering situations of discrepancy is, frankly, normal.

Even Count Raymond, afterward, finds it difficult to hold those Noble Faction members who "betrayed" him accountable, instead needing to woo them to prevent their full shift to Losa's side.

Raymond announced in a somber tone, "Then I declare, starting today, the establishment of the Transjordan Earl's Domain as a border district, granting Count of Transjordan Losa the authority to declare war freely against the heretics."

Amidst a cacophony of gasps.

Raymond looked at Losa, his voice icy, "Count Losa, hopefully, you remember the words you spoke and don't become a traitor to the kingdom like Reynard."

Losa bowed solemnly, "I will, Count."

Raymond tried to suppress the anger in his heart and continued, "Next is the third topic: whether to address the behavior of hoarding goods, spreading rumors, and inflating grain prices."

...

The council meeting came to an end.

Losa saw off the last colleague of vassals who exchanged pleasantries with him, the smile on his face gradually fading. In the end, he still found himself oppositional to Raymond.

And moreover as the leader of the King's Faction.

This position originally belonged to Baron Goffrey, but starting today, he was no longer qualified.

Now, the agenda has been passed.

Tomorrow, after His Majesty enacts it, Losa will officially become the Border Earl, the so-called "Vassal Prince."

At this moment, Losa noticed the Double-headed Eagle Badge in his pocket was somewhat warm.

Lifting it out and connecting.

Inside came Nishaya's voice, "Lord Losa, I found traces of a Fire Dragon in an ancient book."

"This is the closest dragon species to you, although I can't guarantee it's alive."

The tone was somewhat hesitant.

But Losa was still grateful, saying, "It doesn't matter. Information from books indeed could be outdated, I can verify myself."

"Oh, by the way, what are the characteristics of this Fire Dragon?"

Nishaya replied, "It's a Tyrannical Dragon belonging to the Fire Dragon species. I have an illustrated guide documenting its habits; you can either come to get it from me or I can deliver it to you."

"Fire Dragon species, Tyrannical Dragon?"

Nishaya explained, "Yes, Fire Dragon and Sea Dragon are just general terms."

"The Tyrannical Dragon belongs to the wingless Fire Dragon, often residing in volcanoes, and its dragon breath, even among all Fire Dragon species, ranks near the top."

"Okay, I'm now at the Royal Palace entrance. Coincidentally, I'm going to meet His Majesty. If you have time, please wait at the usual place from our last meeting."

Nishaya replied promptly, "Okay, I happen to have time."

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