Having settled the problem about the military, Arkhan turned to Bedivere.
"Are Camelot's food reserves sufficient for now?"
"Absolutely." Bedivere nodded without hesitation.
For the past fifteen years, Camelot had maintained a policy of rest and recovery, and its food reserves were quite abundant.
Arkhan nodded slightly, then turned toward Morgan to inquire about the financial situation.
"What about our funds?"
Morgan's expression soured a bit.
"That damn Hubert falsified all the accounts. Who knows how much money he embezzled from the treasury over the years? I had someone reevaluate our finances, and with our current resources, we can probably only sustain a war with thirty thousand soldiers."
Arkhan frowned as he heard about the situation.
"Didn't we confiscate a lot from the opposing nobles earlier? They should have some money."
"Only the House of Montague has a considerable amount of gold and silver. Most other noble houses don't have much money. The most valuable possessions are artworks, and it's not easy to sell those." Morgan sighed.
This was the inherent flaw of nobles. To maintain their so-called dignity, they often spent their family funds on various extravagant items to uphold their noble status.
"Let's sell those things quickly, even if the price is lower. What we need right now is money." Arkhan paused for a moment, contemplating. "If that's not enough, we'll sell the lands that used to belong to the nobles of the anti-king faction."
Everyone's expressions involuntarily changed.
"Your Majesty, you can't do that! Those are your lands, how can you sell them to others!?" Ferguson stood up abruptly and said with urgent.
In this era, land was the most crucial resource. The larger the land a noble possessed, the more prestigious and powerful they were.
For nobles, status, wealth, and even life could be sacrificed, but land was an untouchable taboo.
This was why Ferguson was so emotional.
"Calm down." Arkhan said calmly. "Even if I sell those lands, do you think my status will be affected?"
"But..." Ferguson frowned.
"Don't worry; I just plan to let them manage it temporarily. After I deal with Vortigern, I'll naturally take everything back." Arkhan reassured.
He didn't value lands as much as traditional nobles did. Taking over lands that already had owners would require a significant amount of manpower and resources. With the imminent threat from the North, he had no time to deal with such matters.
It was better to sell those lands, saving resources and boosting the treasury greatly.
Arkhan even planned to conquer the Northern Kingdoms, sell a portion of the land afterward, and drain those nobles completely.
"Understood..." Although Ferguson was still uneasy, he sighed with reluctance and agreed.
Arkhan nodded slightly and turned to Bedivere.
"Wrap up your work with Karl and join me to the North."
When the beast tide occurred at Lucanmont, Bedivere had demonstrated excellent command abilities, a rare talent Arkhan couldn't forget.
Besides Bedivere, Artoria and Kay needed to come along as well.
Arkhan then looked at Lancelot with a hint of hesitation on his face.
"Rest assured, I'll contribute my fair share as well." Lancelot said while looking at Arkhan with his earnest purple eyes. "Besides, wasn't hunting down that Vile White Dragon something we agreed upon from the start?"
"Since that's settled, I'm counting on you, Lancelot." Arkhan smiled, nodding as he turned to Merlin. "After I leave Camelot, you and Lord Ferguson will handle things here."
"Oh dear, do I have to deal with these troublesome matters again? Honestly, I'm not getting any younger, y'know~ Can't you cut me some slack and let me rest for a while? I'm not young anymore y'know..." Merlin shook his head in resignation.
"Hmph, enough chatter. If anything goes wrong here, be prepared to take responsibility and apologize later." Arkhan snorted.
A few beads of sweat trickled down Merlin's forehead, and his smile seemed a bit strained.
"How could that happen? With me, Britain's most famous mage and sage personally overseeing Camelot, there won't be any problems!"
Arkhan couldn't be bothered with Merlin's antics and turned to the others.
"Alright, today's meeting ends here. Remember to take care of your responsibilities when you go back. Everyone, except Morgan and Sir Lamorak, can leave."
Everyone stood up, gave a slight bow to Arkhan, and then exited the council chamber.
Arkhan leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly. He then looked at Morgan.
"Big Sis, how's the experiment with the artificial magic circuit going?"
Morgan nodded slightly. "The experiment was very successful. The one-month observation period is over, and we haven't encountered any issues."
"Good." Arkhan finally showed a relaxed smile on his face, then turned to Lamorak. "How's the state of the knights recently?"
"Everything is normal." Lamorak said meticulously. "The knights train every day according to the training program Your Majesty provided, and their progress is quite evident."
To further tap into the knights' potential, Arkhan had tailored a new training regimen based on the military training programs from his previous life.
"In times like these, a systematic training program can have a tremendous impact, almost akin to mastering a divine technique." Arkhan nodded. "This time, heading north, the knights will be a crucial force, even a deciding factor in this war."
Lamorak hesitated. "But, Your Majesty, the knights only number three hundred. In such a large-scale war, our influence might be limited."
"I'm well aware of that." Arkhan chuckled. "So, I plan to give you all something new."
He then revealed his entire plan for the establishment of the 'Godslayer Knights' to Lamorak.
After hearing it, Lamorak's eyes showed strong amazement. Even with his temperament, he couldn't help but be stunned by this crazy plan.
To slay gods as mortals!
Could they really achieve this miraculous feat?
But then, Lamorak suddenly recalled the scenes of them overcoming various difficulties together on the path of trial and the blood-soaked battles on the great plains. His initial doubt transformed into boundless determination!
They were recognized by the king himself as true knights, the strongest knight order in Britain!
So what if they faced gods? Since they had overcome so many hardships before, this time would be no exception!
If slaying gods was considered impossible, then they would personally make it possible!