These words not only startled Rhodes but even the two princesses who were conversing nearby!
Jaina had thought that Your Majesty the King Terenas would only bestow some verbal praise upon Rhodes, or perhaps grant him some royal treasures, but she never expected the old king to directly offer him the title of Baron.
A title personally conferred by the King of Lordaeron, even if it was only a Baron, still came with a piece of territory.
Rhodes looked at Your Majesty the King Terenas, somewhat bewildered; a Baron right off the bat, this gift was quite generous.
"I intend to bestow Stratholme upon you as your fiefdom. In the future, Stratholme will be rebuilt, and some commoners will be relocated there. You can govern and guard it on my behalf," Your Majesty the King Terenas said.
Rhodes was speechless upon hearing this. Become the lord of Stratholme? Is he serious?
Does he want me to be like Rivendare? I'd rather not!
Rhodes truly didn't want to go to Stratholme, but he did want the title of a Baron noble.
"Rhodes, quickly accept it," Jaina beside him also stood up and came to Rhodes' side, saying.
As the princess of Kul Tiras, she knew too well how important a noble identity was. Some things commoners could never achieve, even if you were a Titan Emissary, but a noble could.
Rhodes nodded at Jaina, then looked at Your Majesty the King Terenas with a smile and replied.
"I am deeply humbled, great Your Majesty the King Terenas. I have only rendered some insignificant merits, and your generous reward overwhelms me. However, as for the fiefdom of Stratholme, I regret that I cannot accept it," Rhodes said.
I want the noble status. In Western society, lineage and status are extremely important. As a commoner, you will be looked down upon and scorned wherever you go!
But a noble, even if the kingdom that conferred your title has been destroyed, can still play a significant role.
Otherwise, the Black Dragon father and daughter wouldn't have needed to impersonate nobles of the human Alterac Kingdom. With the status of a Baron, even if Rhodes traveled to other human kingdoms, he would be treated with respect.
This noble status, combined with his identity as a Titan Emissary, would be very useful when doing certain things in the future.
But I don't want Stratholme as territory; that needs to be changed.
"Rhodes, are you sure you don't want Stratholme?
Although it has been destroyed, I promise you that I can send some immigrants there. It will be rebuilt and will regain its former prosperity in the future," Your Majesty the King Terenas said.
Stratholme was the largest city in northern Lordaeron! He had originally hoped that Rhodes would use magical artifacts to help restore that cursed land!
"Your Majesty the King Terenas, if you insist on bestowing a fiefdom, then I have a suggestion," Rhodes had his own ideas.
Even if he went to Kalimdor, he couldn't just follow Jaina. How could a man of ambition long remain beneath others!
Rhodes wanted to be his own lord and manage his own territory.
I need to be above; Jaina Jaina must be beneath me.
This Baron title would allow him to legitimately lead the immigrants from Lordaeron.
"Speak, child!"
"Not long ago, I met a prophet who could transform into a raven. He told me that I should go west to Kalimdor."
"That fellow is nothing but a swindler! He once came to the Lordaeron Royal Palace and even asked me to take all the commoners to Kalimdor," Your Majesty the King Terenas waved his hand and said.
"Moving all the people is indeed absurd, but Your Majesty the King, a portion of them can be moved.
I learned some unofficial information. Not long ago, weren't a batch of the kingdom's ships stolen?" Rhodes asked.
"Yes, the despicable orcs escaped from the internment camps and plundered a large number of the kingdom's warships," Your Majesty the King Terenas said.
"Your Majesty the King Terenas, I spoke with that prophet. He told me that he had also sought out the Orc Warchief Thrall, and Thrall has already agreed to go west to the Kalimdor Continent!
Think about it, if the orcs establish a force on the Kalimdor Continent in the west and gain a foothold there, and we in the Alliance have no presence there, wouldn't that be very disadvantageous?" Rhodes said.
Sometimes, to persuade someone, you have to change your approach.
Upon hearing this, Your Majesty the King Terenas' expression changed. If it were true, as Rhodes said, that those orcs had crossed to the Kalimdor Continent, that would not be a good thing!
The orc race reproduces very quickly. In less than twenty years, these green monsters could easily raise an army of hundreds of thousands and attack the human kingdoms again.
"Rhodes, do you mean for me to send a fleet to pursue the orcs?"
"No! Your Majesty the King, the entire kingdom is currently dealing with the scourge, and Lordaeron does not have enough troops.
Many fields in this land have been abandoned due to the Undead Plague, and many people are displaced. I think we can gather these homeless refugees.
I will lead them to the Kalimdor Continent to open up an overseas colony for the Kingdom of Lordaeron," Rhodes said.
"I generally understand what you mean, child! You are willing to accept our noble Baron title from the Kingdom of Lordaeron, but you want to go overseas and open up a piece of land yourself, is that right?" Your Majesty the King Terenas asked.
"You are truly wise, Your Majesty the King. We will establish a presence in Kalimdor.
This can also effectively curb the development of the orcs, and after the scourge is cleared in the future, we can then deal with those green-skins," Rhodes said.
"But we don't have many fleets to transport the commoners right now. The orcs previously seized some of our warships, and Arthas also took a large number of warships to Northrend.
If we wait for Kul Tiras to assemble a fleet, it will take at least two months. Perhaps we should discuss this after Arthas returns?" Your Majesty the King Terenas said.
"Your Majesty the King Terenas, actually, going west is also the will of the Titan Keeper, and if you lack warships, the Titan Keeper is willing to help," Rhodes said.
The Necropolis city has a building called a Shipyard!
For 1000 gold coins and 10 units of wood, a ship can be built. How many people can a ship carry in heroes of might and magic?
All the troops a hero commands can be transported. This is a spatial magic ship; theoretically, one ship can carry tens of thousands of people.
And as long as there is a sufficient amount of wood, one can be forged for 1000 units of gold.
As for the gold units, there's no need to elaborate. Rhodes wasn't idle during his half-month journey; he had already established the Parliament, and now he has an income of 4000 units of gold every day.
As for wood, there is at least some every day. Rhodes has accumulated enough wood to build one ship, and he can build another every 10 days.