The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

 During the late autumn season, as the first snowflakes danced in the air, the atmosphere inside the high tower was one of warmth and joy.

Ryan, Sulia, and the Lake Fairy were seated around a small table, with a hot pot in the middle. The newlyweds sat on one side, and the Lake Fairy didn't sit across from them but instead chose a spot next to Ryan on his left.

"It's not as simple as you might think?" Ryan, holding Sulia in his arms, asked with confusion. His time in Brittany had been short, and he was still unfamiliar with some of the rules.

"Ryan, you're from Nordland, right? In Nordland or the Empire, if a serf wanted to become a noble, how would they do it?" The Lake Fairy, her face radiantly beautiful, smiled as she prepared the meat, shrimp, and chicken, dipping them in sauce before placing them into the hot pot. The goddess didn't really need to eat—she avoided meat and only indulged in fruits, tasting wines and grape juices.

This was merely a gesture of intimacy.

"There are three ways, same as in the Empire." Ryan raised three fingers.

"First, as an apprentice entering schools or churches for education (ascetic training). Nobles from the Empire frequently visit various academies and churches to look for outstanding servants and courtiers. Although these institutions always promote devotion and loyalty as criteria, many academically excellent apprentices catch the eye of nobles, become their servants, and gradually rise to become stewards or even courtiers. Once a courtier accumulates enough experience or merits, some nobles choose to grant them a noble title. However, this path is costly, and only yeoman farmers, wealthy peasants, merchants, and shop owners can afford the high tuition fees."

"The second way is through military service," Ryan extended a second finger. "Lords always need a strong army to protect their territories. Commoners can enlist each year, starting with basic training. Those who endure become reserves, waiting to be called up as town garrison troops, and then continue waiting for a chance to become regular soldiers."

"Regular soldiers are assigned to swordsmen squads, crossbowmen, pikemen, or halberdiers. They must continue to fight bravely until they accumulate enough merit and strength to become great swordsmen. Great swordsmen enjoy double the wages and better barracks as living quarters. The best among them are promoted by nobles to become army commanders or knights, which means entering the noble class. Some commanders may even have the chance to be knighted and become generals in the Empire."

"The third path is to try to become a squire to a knight. Squires follow knights, learning from them and taking care of their daily needs. After several years, outstanding squires are promoted to knight retainers, who have some status and can accompany knights into battle to earn accolades. The best among these retainers might become probationary knights, fight on horseback, and wait for a noble with a title to officiate them as knight errants, thus entering the noble class."

"I see!" Sulia's eyes sparkled as she admired her husband: "So Ryan, you must have taken the third path?"

"Ahem, no, I was adopted by the White Wolf Knights. I was born with the qualifications of a probationary knight, and after I proved my worth at the Battle of La Panto, I was directly made a knight errant." Ryan said somewhat awkwardly.

This is a backdoor left by the Empire's nobility for their progeny. Noble offspring follow a different path; they receive better training from a young age and, after graduating from courtly or school courses, they either become probationary knights or handgunners (also considered a type of probationary knight).

"Ryan, my champion, if I hadn't helped you, you would probably be a captain in the White Wolf Knights, living in White Wolf Castle, awaiting orders from White Wolf Ulric, and constantly battling the beastmen tribes of the Drakwald Forest and the Chaos forces from the Brass Mountains, right?" The Lake Fairy said with a cheerful smile, her delicate hands adorned with jewels clasped together on the table.

"That's very likely. Then I'd need to fight for another ten years, accumulate military achievements, and see if Elector Boris would be willing to make me a baron. Then after another thirty to fifty years... maybe eighty years, see if I could be promoted to count." Ryan lamented, "That would be the case, or even longer, my lady. Sulia, as you both know, the Empire has a lot of nepotism. Even if I achieved great deeds, the rewards left for me in the end would be minimal."

The Empire's system of advancement is like this,

 though it is not as impossible for a serf to become a noble as in Brittany. However, it often takes more than one generation's effort in the Empire—usually three.

"Very little left?" Sulia nestled sweetly against her husband's chest, thinking she was indeed lucky.

The Lake Fairy, seeing the female knight's happy expression, felt a bit uncomfortable and huffed lightly, shifting her legs restlessly under the table and changing her sitting posture.

"A subordinate's achievements are a superior's merit, and a superior's mistakes are a subordinate's responsibility," Ryan said calmly. "In the Empire and Nordland, there is no chivalry or teachings of the Lady. I've been accumulating military achievements since I was eighteen, and all I got was a promotion from knight errant to kingdom knight. Even this was relatively fair because the White Wolf Knights value bravery above all."

Sulia understood Ryan's point. In the Empire, there is no such thing as chivalry.

"That's the Empire for you." The Lake Fairy's expression showed a hint of pride: "My champion, you made the right choice."

"Yes, I think I did." Ryan bowed his head, and although the Lake Fairy had many plans and purposes for him, he always believed that their alliance was mutually beneficial.

Only those who have truly experienced such a strict system can understand how hard it is for a commoner in the Empire or Nordland to become a noble. Basically, if you start as a lowly tenant farmer (with just a knife and a dog), it's almost impossible to become a noble in one generation; it usually takes three.

For example, the first generation, a farmer, joins the army and becomes a swordsman. After being injured in battle, he retires honorably with a substantial pension. His son could then receive some military education, using his father as a stepping stone to directly join the army.

The second-generation child starts as a soldier, gains recognition and military merits in significant battles, becomes a great swordsman, enjoys double salary, and better barracks. Naturally, he is now eligible to send his child to military school for education and training (in Brittany, this would be as a military officer).

The third generation finally bears fruit. Relying on his father's status and income as a great swordsman, he can become a knight's retainer, acquire knightly equipment, or inherit his father's position as a great swordsman, earn promotions for his achievements, and eventually become a noble—the lowest rank being a knight (in Brittany, becoming a knight and shedding serf status requires a royal decree and a command from the Lady of the Lake).

Of course, there are always "exceptions" in the world, like Beumous, who can jump three levels at once due to divine favor or great personal power. Such individuals are not uncommon, but they should not be considered the norm.

So, what about someone like Ryan, a kingdom knight?

Climbing the ranks in the Empire is even harder. Going from kingdom knight to baron is almost impossible within one generation; generally, it also takes three generations. From baron to count might take a century of accumulation and also depends on significant wartime contributions. Given Ryan's combat prowess, this process might be somewhat shorter, but as Ryan complained, thirty years of accumulation is the minimum.

Forget about Nordland; there, a lord remains a lord for life, just managing to hold onto their lands.

"By the way, Sulia, you haven't told me why even if Duchess Beumous had children, they couldn't inherit the ducal title?" Ryan, feeling the topic had strayed, held the voluptuous female knight in his arms and asked with a chuckle, "Wasn't Beumous's husband a noble?"

Ryan was reminded of the well-known "one-drop rule" in America; if someone has even a single drop of black blood, they are considered black and still face discrimination. For the nobility in this world, only children of nobles can be nobles.

"No, first off, Beumous never married, and secondly, even if her husband were a noble, her children would still be serfs and could not inherit the title." Sulia shook her head: "The title of Duke of Lyonnesse was destined not to be passed down."

"Why?!" Ryan was now genuinely puzzled. Beumous was already a noble, so why couldn't she marry another noble?

"Hehe, you don't know this, Ryan." The Lake Fairy laughed: "In Brittany, whether someone is a noble depends on their family tree."

"Their family tree?"

"That's correct," said Sulia, scooping a piece of beef into Ryan's bowl. "You have to trace back through a person's entire family tree for five generations. If all their relatives within those five generations are nobles, then they are considered a noble; otherwise, they are a serf. Duchess Beumous was made a noble by the Lady

 and the king, but her father was a minor tax collector, her mother a shepherdess. Only she was a noble; her children would still be serfs. The Lady's grace extended only to her personally, not to her descendants."

"Hahaha~" Ryan covered his face and laughed bitterly: "My lady, your rules are really strict."

"These are not my rules; they were set by Arthur and his son Louis." The Lake Fairy hurried to clarify, shaking her head: "This is not within my jurisdiction to manage. The divine is divine, and the mortal is mortal."

Ryan nodded in understanding. Throughout Brittany's history, the five serfs who were elevated to nobility all somehow involved the Lake Fairy. Facing divine decrees, the knightly lords had no choice but to comply.

"Alright... then I should also count as a noble. My foster father is a noble, my godfather is a great noble, and my father... might be the most distinguished noble." Ryan suddenly thought of something and said to the Lake Fairy: "My lady, if I plan to give a few serfs a chance to become nobles, would you help me?"

"You want to start this precedent?" The Lake Fairy narrowed her eyes, her beautiful face still smiling: "It's not a good example to set."

"Ryan, I've already discussed this with my father, and both he and I will support you on this!" Sulia was the first to express her stance.

"In the whole kingdom, no more than three slots per year, awarded to exceptionally outstanding serf soldiers. Exceptionally outstanding, how about that?" Ryan finally revealed his ambition in front of his wife and the Lake Fairy: "To motivate the serfs, you always need to give them some hope, and in the end, you, my lady, would be the final arbiter."

"Hmm~" The Lake Fairy playfully held back before responding: "My champion, do we still need to distinguish between us? Since you think it's feasible, then let's do it. I will support you."

Seeing the Lake Fairy relent, Ryan relaxed.

The insurmountable gap between nobles and serfs must be broken.

This is the most crucial step to rejuvenating the kingdom!

Updated! Second update today! Asking for your votes!

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