CHAPTER 419: CHAPTER 257: INVITING THE HOLY WARRIOR, DISCERNING LOYALTY AND TREACHERY - PART 2

"Uranos, don’t you think this order of yours is a bit extreme? Leave some room for maneuver, perhaps you don’t care now, but being opposed by the entire family is not a pleasant experience!"

Noah contacted Uranos to discuss how to handle over thirty thousand members of the Augustus family with the King Atlas.

"The number of family members is too many. If everyone claims royalty during my reign, the nation’s finances can still bear it.

But by the time my children, my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren take over, the nation’s finances will surely be overwhelmed, and even if the monarch then wishes to change, they will probably be powerless."

Facing Noah’s suggestion, Uranos also provided a justified reason,

"I’ve already identified the problem, and addressing it now incurs the least resistance. As time goes on, this issue will only grow more severe.

I can’t leave such trouble for my descendants; it must be solved now. No matter what obstacles there are now, I will eliminate them all."

"I’m not here to obstruct you, but I hope you can treat the meritorious contributors to the Augustus family well. Their talents might be ordinary, but it doesn’t mean their descendants will be the same, don’t let such people resent you and the family."

To treat meritorious individuals harshly and issue rewards indiscriminately is a terrible act, whether in a country or an organized power. Once it happens, it often heralds the beginning of downfall.

"I will distinguish these family contributors and confer honor upon them as the Family Head."

"That’s more like it!"

Noah nodded.

"Uncle, I’ve heard quite a few useless people have gone to Elisium to kowtow to you?"

"Yes, but it amused me quite a bit."

"So, this time did you come to request me to modify the order for them?"

"Of course not, but before dealing with them, I should at least inform you, as the Augustus Family Head and King Atlas!"

Noah denied.

"How does Uncle plan to deal with them?"

"These guys came from afar, it’s not appropriate just to send them back. Coincidentally, I have quite a few Paladins in my territory, I want to entrust these Paladins to conduct a collective assessment and see how many good-natured ones there are among them."

"?"

Even Uranos, already condemned by his kin as a tyrant, fell silent upon hearing Noah’s plan,

"Though they are a bunch of idlers, they don’t deserve such a fate."

Uranos truly did not expect that Noah would plan to deal with the Augustus family members who sought his help in this way. How is this different from directly executing them?

No, there is a substantial difference. Direct execution would at least be more straightforward. Being judged by the Paladins and then executed would strip them of all honor and make them subject to ridicule and insults with no one to defend them.

This is the credibility Paladins have built, and also why they don’t freely exercise judgment of evil in cities. Forget about the nobles wielding power; even common folks cannot necessarily withstand it.

Who can guarantee they’ve never done evil in their life?

"Whether they are guilty or not, the Holy Light will provide the answer."

Noah replied with a smile.

"Uncle, you call me extreme, but clearly, the truly extreme one is you."

Even Uranos couldn’t help but say at this moment.

Although he had cleansed his subordinates, the nobles under his rule, and even his family multiple times, his cleansings never exceeded more than thirty percent, primarily serving as a warning rather than overturning everything to start anew.

But if the Paladins were to execute the cleansing, could one person in ten survive?

No, with the usual conduct of those idlers, not even one in a hundred might make it through.

"How am I extreme? This is a good method your father used in the past, and I’m just borrowing from it now."

Noah did not consider himself extreme, just adapting to circumstances. Who could blame him when his territory had the highest number of Paladins? One might even find a retired legendary Paladin tucked away somewhere.

However, Noah conceded that having a bunch of Paladins judge and assess a group of longtime royalty members from the exploitative class was indeed somewhat harsh, and there might be few survivors.

But who could they blame when they brought it upon themselves by coming to his city, shamelessly calling his name as if they had close ties?

When enjoying their earnings and pleasures, they didn’t think of offering him, the Holy Dragon, anything. Now with the Family Head cleaning them out, they suddenly remember him and come for help.

They didn’t think to offer even a single copper coin in ordinary times, and now they want his help—what are they thinking? Truly dreaming.

"But my father did warn me back then never to borrow the power of the Paladins unless absolutely necessary."

Uranos knew this well. Back when his father was building the Royal City of Usil, he faced covert resistance from surrounding forces, and empty promises were common during the construction.

As a result, the original King Atlas summoned a group of Paladins for a major cleansing, and the capital was successfully completed.

However, after the Royal City was established, Tidel also sent the Paladins away, not allowing them to stay long-term.

People like fighting alongside Paladins in times of crisis, trust them fully, and entrust difficult roles to them, but no one enjoys working with them during peacetime.

"For me, now is the time of absolute necessity."

Noah’s tone carried a chill,

"You want to eradicate the tumors for your descendants, and I want to solve the problem once and for all."

The fact that over thirty thousand Augustus family members collectively ran to Elisium City crying for help greatly alerted Noah.

His current fame and reputation were incomparable to before, coupled with the title of Holy Dragon, making him practically a pillar for the benevolent faction on the Xilantia Continent.

As a symbol of the kind Dragon, the Golden Dragon could easily give an impression of benevolence and amiability, and to some, benevolence equates to weakness, something that could be exploited.

Therefore, to avoid being repeatedly harassed by these dirty parasites, Noah chose to draw the sword of the Paladins, letting the world appreciate the benevolent sharpness of the Holy Dragon.

Noah had a plan in mind when taking over his foster mother’s commission on how to handle these Augustus family members. Trying to reason with them and persuade them to leave was impossible.

Only by cutting off their delusional thoughts with an iron hand could they abandon their fantasies and not linger. Of course, Noah wasn’t just cutting off their delusion now; very few of them would survive anyway.

Noah intended to warn the Augustus family members in Atlas Kingdom, those who were watching, and those harboring ill thoughts toward him.

If you’re in trouble and want his help, sure, but first, undergo the Paladins’ assessment!

"Since that’s the case, let the Paladins deal with them!"

Even the stone-hearted Uranos couldn’t help but sigh at this moment. After all, he merely intended to remove their royal treatment, but these guys, in defiance, sent themselves to their doom.

"Why are you sighing? After I intervene like this, don’t you know how smooth your family reforms will be?"

Noah despised Uranos’s look of reaping benefits while pretending otherwise.

"Indeed, once you’ve dealt with them, I have to thank you."

Uranos didn’t deny this point, and after a brief contemplation, he expressed a new idea that emerged in his mind,

"Uncle, after I’ve reorganized the Royal Family, how about I require the major nobles to follow my example and rectify their internal family issues. What do you think?"

"You’re overstepping a bit too much!"