Chapter 60: Duchess Feranora (Part I)
Word Number:186
Author:苍渊之握
Translator:
Release Time:2026-02-24
Worksmile was gradually restoring its former order. Officials were performing their duties with renewed diligence, the army was replenished and high in morale—bolstered by a surging treasury—and the common folk labored with vigor. Curiously, the citizenry seemed even more preoccupied with war than the Duke himself, for in this society, a common family could ascend the social hierarchy through military merit, a prize for which many were willing to stake their very lives. During this interval of peace with Nor, Dirmor dispatched two capable generals to command the fleet and the land forces, launching an offensive against the lords of the northern coast. Recognizing the futility of resistance, these lords opened their gates, surrendering their land registries and maps to the conquerors. In the Hall of the Golden Halberd at Hedlim, the Duke of Worksmile bestowed upon them hollow titles and noble banners, allowing them to return to their ancestral lands to live out their lives in affluent obscurity. However, the death of the Duchess plunged Dirmor into a long period of profound despondency. He neglected his meals, his face grew sallow and ga