Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  The opportunity that the Great Governors of the Dhaka Commercial Association had been waiting for arrived quickly.

  After a round of discussions, the Commonwealth of Gold Coins’ merchants had decided to follow the example of the Republic of Northwest to allow the common folk to change their surnames within reason.

  The details of the plan were as follows:

  One: To be eligible for a surname, one had to satisfy at least three out of four of the following criteria—one had to have ancestors that dated back to at least three generations of the Commonwealth citizenry; one had to have at least twenty years of a clean record; one had to have contributed to at least one war effort as well as the great migration

  Two: Explorers who have retired must satisfy at least two out of three of the following criteria—those who have settled here have had to pay taxes for the last twenty years as well as gained benefits in a war; they had to have some medical, scholarly or accounting skills; they had to have formally registered their residency for at least the past ten years

  Three: Those with tribal relations had to satisfy at least one of the following criteria—their family had to have fought for the Commonwealth in war for more than twenty years; for the last twenty years they had to have been formally recognized for their achievements, retired or inconvenienced due to war injuries, or possess a formal record of solo trade travel in the Federation

  Furthermore, the Commonwealth did not care about the repetition of surnames. As long as one was willing, they could utilize any name they wanted. Even if there were a thousand Srius (silver) or ten thousand Gordons (gold), it would be legally allowed.

  When this plan was announced, they created a stir in the world among other countries.

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  The aristocrats were naturally provoked, and all complained bitterly about this plan. The more restrained aristocrats scolded the merchants for destroying the order and honor of the country and said that the plan was barbaric. Those who had stronger opinions scolded the merchants for being reckless, lacking morals, being despicable and having mental issues. They felt that it must be due to their poor upbringing and accumulated stress for them to come up with such a plan. Others even labeled the merchant leaders as being deeply evil to do such a backward thing and accused them of wanting to destroy the human order to incite chaos.

  However, apart from the intense criticism, there was little that they could do about the plan. They could not achieve anything just by voicing out their unhappiness. On the other hand, they were unwilling to escalate this displeasure to an actual war as the two main leaders, the Marquis of Gemstones and the Marquis of Gold, were unwilling to risk so much. In actuality, the Marquis of Gold was the most affected. The Gordons were the most respected family in the Commonwealth. Before this year, other countries did not have any who dared to randomly adopt this surname process, much less the Commonwealth. Previously, all who had the surname Gordon either became sidelined or took the initiative to change their own surname; there were no “ifs” or “buts” about it.

  However, this time, the Republic and the Commonwealth would now have thousands of people with this surname. Regardless of the power of the original Gordons, they could not get rid of them all. Of course, they could try, but…… No matter if it was on the side of the merchants or the Republic, it was not within the sphere of influence of the original Gordons. At most, they would only be able to employ assassins within the black market to do the dirty work for them, but using that method didn’t guarantee results either. Whatever the case, it would be extremely expensive to take action. The Marquis of Gordon was not short on money at all. However, he was reluctant to spend his money and was not like Sui Xiong, who was willing to pump his own funds into improving society’s economic flow. He was extremely miserly and would not spend a penny if he could help it!

  “Lord Gordon, I’ve heard that many in the north want to adopt Gordon as their surname. It looks like they’re after your family’s money and legacy!”

  What angered him the most was that there was also a shameless old fellow who was adding to his sour mood.

  Marquis Gordon clenched his fists tightly but squeezed out a smile. In an indifferent tone, he said, “Marquis Yug, I’ve also heard that many want to take up the name of Yug……”

  “That’s good news. It means that people have a good impression of my family. All along, I’ve felt that our family was sparse. Now that we have a few more relatives and friends, it’s great!” Marquis Yug seemed undisturbed and replied happily.

  Sparse?!

  Marquis Gordon was furthered angered.

  The Yug family had been made famous by their sheer quantity. Looking at Marquis Yug’s generation alone, his direct kin already added up to over twenty people. Marquis Yug also had four sons and three daughters of his own as well as five…… no, six grandchildren. On the other hand, Marquis Gordon only had two sons and one grandson.

  What was he talking about, pretending that his family was sparse??

  Marquis Gordon had an extreme urge to jump into the magic shadow and use his dragon-skin gloves to beat up Marquis Yug, but yet, he couldn’t. Instead, he had to grit his teeth and continue acting polite. This was a trying task, and his smile had become extremely forced. If this round of meetings only had two marquises present, there wouldn’t be much to discuss. Fortunately, there were also the counties, especially the earls of Marquis Gordon, present.

  One of the earls (under Marquis Gordon), immediately spoke up and said, “Lord Yug, what are your thoughts on this large plan that the merchants have cooked up? How does this affect the status and reputation of the aristocrats?”

  Lord Yug smiled slightly and said, “Where do you all think the aristocratic glory originates from?”

  “From our bloodlines!”

  “From our ancestors’ contributions!”

  “It’s been passed down from generation to generation!”

  After everyone had their say, Yug shook his head and said lightly, “We are all peers here, so there is no need for pretense. If you ask me, the aristocratic honor comes from being able to get rid of those who do not believe in our glory.”

  Although he spoke lightly, Yug’s tone brought a hint of intensity.

  Everyone was stunned, and they were momentarily reminded of his position—the most intense and stubborn hardliner in the family.

  “So…… are you insinuating that we should fight?” Marquis Gordon hedged in a subdued way.

  Marquis Yug shook his head. “Fight? With who? How? Are you sure that given our current state, we would be able to defeat the merchants? Even if we could, there would be a second battle with the Republic to take care of. If you really want to fight the merchants, I can play a part. However, I will not participate in the efforts towards war with the Republic. I value my life too much.”

  The earls all fell silent. Marquis Yug had pointed out the root of the issue—the key problem here was the Republic, which had initiated the surname plan. Since they were unable to directly deal with the Republic, they would not be able to make any substantial changes by gaining victory over the merchant faction alone. In any case, the elite privileges that the aristocrats had previously enjoyed were now shared with the common folk.

  “We can’t just let it go, though. We have to at least stop the merchants from taking our privileges as well. If not, the aristocrats will have internal issues.”

  “Yes, I agree. However, I don’t think war is the solution here. I think that we can only increase control over our ruling areas and defeat those who push for the commoners to change their surnames. If we rule with an iron fist, they will understand that this issue is non-negotiable.”

  The earls all nodded, and their eyes shone with malicious intent……