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Therefore, after a period of intense internal deliberation, Arthur's final choice was to befriend Tristan, the Lord of Windpull, a powerful figure who had once lent a helping hand to Blackrock Territory, and exchange him for a silver-tier extraordinary artifact of the wind attribute.
Finally, the third reward was a fiefdom that Arthur and his butler Leon received, both unexpectedly and logically—Blackwater Territory.
The demon bandit gang led by the black-armored knight Daiba is classified as a special "bounty level three" bandit scourge because they carried out a horrific massacre and extermination of a baron's fiefdom, Blackwater Territory.
Blackwater Territory was once a powerful force among the baronies within a thousand miles. It was named after a river that ran along a trade route near the Kingdom of Grey. Merchants often passed through this area, so the territory had excellent conditions for development.
However, Blackwater Territory, now ravaged by demon bandits, has become a dead land, marked by ruins everywhere.
The once bustling town has, in just a few days, almost become a dwelling place for refugees.
And today.
Countess Orianna visited Blackrock Territory and bestowed upon Arthur the fiefdom of Blackwater Territory, which covers an area of 200 square kilometers and is equivalent to the actual area of Blackrock Territory.
After all the bounty rewards have been given.
Countess Oriana then left Blackrock Territory with Julian, whom she had bullied and lost to in the knightly duel.
However, upon ascending the back of the Frost Dragon.
Orianna gave him a meaningful look and said:
“Arthur, I will pass through Blackrock Territory again in a week.”
By then, I hope you will have already advanced to the Silver rank using the extraordinary artifact Julian gave you.
After seeing Orianna and Julian off.
Arthur pondered Oriana's last words for a moment, but unable to grasp their implied meaning, he kept them to himself for the time being.
Now let's return to the third reward.
Upon receiving a dilapidated but potentially powerful fiefdom, Arthur was naturally filled with a myriad of thoughts.
at the moment.
He was discussing this matter with his trusted butler, Leon, and Gawain.
Arthur frowned, rested his chin on his hand, and remained silent for a long time before speaking to the butler, Leon:
"Butler Leon, what are your thoughts on our taking over Blackwater Territory, the fiefdom granted by the Earl of the North?"
Upon hearing his young master ask for his opinion, butler Leon sat up straight and earnestly stated his thoughts:
"Since ancient times, expanding territory has been one of the most direct symbols of increasing strength."
"To receive a new fiefdom, one with far superior development conditions than Blackrock Territory, is naturally a tremendous boon."
But at this point, the butler Leon hesitated for a moment before continuing:
"However, thanks to the addition of that young man, Li Wei, Black Rock Territory has greatly improved its mining efficiency of the important resource, Ink Crystal Mine, and is currently in a period of steady and important development."
Therefore, we are afraid that we will not be able to allocate enough manpower at the moment to formally take over this entire baronial fiefdom.
"Yes, and moreover, due to the ravages of the demon bandits, the Blackwater Territory is now in a state of chaos."
If we were to take over now, it would require a significant investment of manpower and resources to restore order to the territory.
Arthur agreed with the butler Leon's statement and nodded seriously.
right now,
Large-scale forging workshops producing military equipment resources have been established and are operating at high intensity in the nearby villages of Rinfeng and Hanwu.
The efficient mining of the Ink Crystal Mine also puts most of the young and middle-aged workforce into Frostraven Town and the two villages surrounding it.
In addition, the people of the two villages lost due to the invasion of the demon bandits;
Therefore, at present, only the villages near the western wilderness area have not seen a large-scale mobilization of personnel.
However, these villagers, numbering no more than three hundred, could hardly support the reconstruction of Blackwater Territory.
Therefore, Arthur also felt distressed, feeling that he had the will but not the power.
“Lord Arthur, we can try to cooperate with other lords to take over this fiefdom together.”
At this point, Gao Wen put forward his idea.
"Um!?"
When Arthur heard this idea, his eyes lit up and his mind immediately became clear.
He couldn't help but lean forward, bringing his body close to Gawain and the butler Leon, and then spoke:
"Great idea! We can join forces and share this pie."
“Young master, geographically speaking, Blackwater Territory is separated from our Blackrock Territory by another baron, Redthorn Territory.”
At this moment, the butler Leon reminded Arthur:
"The Lord of Crimsonthorn is named Targaryen Rocksworn. He is a mid-level Silver Knight. There are three noble factions within his territory, each with a Silver Knight in combat."
I had dealings with that lord a few times. He was rather old-fashioned and strictly enforced a class-based oppression system rooted in bloodline.
This is completely at odds with the young master's current philosophy on the development of his territory; dealing with this person is not a good choice.
After the butler Leon ruled out one candidate for himself, another neighbor immediately came to Arthur's mind.
So he asked:
What do you think of Lord Fengpu?
"Lord Arthur, are you referring to that fellow who allows his knights to oppress the people of his territory?"
Gao Wen frowned immediately when he heard the words "Fengpuling".
He recalled the suffering that the villagers of Qingfeng had endured.
Arthur was not surprised to see this.
Because he forgot to tell Gao Wen:
The three arrows that secured their victory in the Battle of Blackrock Territory came from Tristan, the lord of Windpu, to whom Qingfeng Village belonged.
So he first explained to Gawain in detail his first meeting with the Wind Lord at the alchemist Merlin's residence, and said that his first impression of Tristan was not bad.
He then went on to frankly state:
"So I think there's some misunderstanding between us and him."
I plan to visit him in the next few days to learn about his territorial philosophy.
At this point, Arthur stood up from the ground and extended his hand to Gawain:
"My loyal knight Gawain, would you accompany me on this journey?"
"It would be an honor, Lord Arthur!"
Without hesitation, Gawain took Arthur's hand and used it to stand up from the ground.
Seeing this, the butler, Leon, couldn't help but smile kindly.
"Then I will continue to guard Blackrock Territory for the young master. I pray for a safe journey for the young master and Gawain."
-----------------
The next day, afternoon.
Entering the territory of Fengpu.
We arrived at Muyang Town, the central town of this baronial territory.
Arthur and Gawain dismounted and each led their horse into the peaceful town.
The streets were bustling with people, and every short distance you could see fully armed guards standing watch.
Their striking knightly attire—light armor and swords—naturally drew the attention of the guards.
So, they hadn't walked for long.
Arthur and Gawain were stopped by a group of heavily armored guards in plate armor.
The tallest of the guards pulled down his visor, glared fiercely at Arthur and Gawain, and then spoke arrogantly:
"You two unfamiliar little ones, do you know where you are?"
Having arrived in Lord Fengpu's Muyang Town, do you possess a permit to pass through?
"Pass?"
Upon hearing this word, Arthur immediately showed a surprised expression, inwardly thinking:
Is this the central capital of the Kingdom of Grey? Do we need a pass to enter and exit?
Soon, though.
Arthur immediately understood that the guards were greedy for money because they saw that the guards were young, were wearing expensive sets of fine iron knight's gear, and had thick sacks full of gold coins on their horses. They wanted to extort money from them.
Just as he was pondering how to deal with this group of town guards who were no different from bandits.
Two of the guards suddenly stepped forward.
They pointed at Gawain beside Arthur and exclaimed in surprise:
“Captain Nig, that’s him! He’s the wandering knight who drove us out of Qingfeng Village a little over a month ago.”
These words immediately ignited a tense atmosphere among the guards.
Arthur and Gawain never expected that their paths would cross again, as they had just entered Muyang Town when they encountered the two Black Iron-rank knights who had once oppressed the villagers of Qingfeng.
Right now, the town guards surrounded him and Gao Wen with menacing force.
The guard captain named Nig even unleashed his proud late-stage Black Iron Rank Aura.
After confirming with his two subordinates that Gawain was a wandering knight, he completely tore away the pretense of justice he had just been feigning.
Especially after realizing that Arthur and Gawain were just two Black Iron Knights.
When the face beneath its mask looked at them, it revealed an extremely greedy gaze, as if it wished it could devour them completely.
The captain of the guards, Nig, revealed a cruel expression, licked his dry lips, and slowly spoke:
"Both are highly suspected of obstructing the duties of the Fengpu guards."
Now, in my capacity as the captain of the guards of Muyang Town, I am hereby apprehending you two!
Upon hearing this, Arthur did not back down an inch; instead, he took a step forward.
Then, his gaze swept over all the guards present, finally settling on the guard captain in front of him.
He rarely showed a wicked smile:
"Although it is often said that you have to consider the owner before you beat a dog, it is a different story if the dog bites you on its own initiative."
Chapter 130: Beating a dog depends on its owner
"Hmm! Do you want to resist the pursuit of the Fengpu Territory Guard Company?"
Captain Nig read the rebellious intent in the blond youth's expression, so he raised his strong arms and took down a sharp giant axe that had been hanging at his waist.
He swung the giant axe, displaying an imposing aura.
In his eyes, Arthur and Gawain were too frail, and he guessed they were just nameless wandering knights who had appeared out of nowhere.
Having such fine equipment and two tall horses laden with sacks of gold coins must mean he'd made an ill-gotten windfall.
At that moment, Captain Nig suddenly remembered an important matter he had recently heard about.
"Hey, you two brats! I heard that our good neighbor Black Rock Territory was recently ravaged by bandits."
He had a flash of inspiration and found a more suitable excuse for his subsequent oppressive actions:
"You two look respectable guys showing up in Muyang Town at this time, and with so much money on your hands."
As guards of Fengpu Territory, which borders Blackrock Territory, it is necessary for us to examine your wealth.
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.
At the same time, he stared at the big, dumb guy in front of him with the look of someone looking at an idiot, his face revealing his greed.
Then, he continued the conversation with great interest:
“Good neighbors? Indeed, Black Rock Territory and Windpu Territory are good neighbors.”
However, for now, this is limited to matters between you and Lord Windpull.