Setting Out for Great Chu!

"Father, did you find out from the royal family the real reason Lister was put in charge of the Sixth Guard?"

Although Morey was also a shield warrior, he had a well-proportioned build and did not look particularly muscular.

With his fair skin, he seemed more like a mage than a shield warrior.

The same went for how he conducted himself: he was thoughtful and calculating, and liked to make arrangements and move things along from behind the scenes.

Unlike Walen, whose profession and personality were both well suited to a shield warrior.

"No. I only know that the Lucian Royal Family holds Lister in high regard now. They made him a count and also appointed him as a diplomat."

"The official explanation given to everyone is that it was for Lister's achievement in wiping out the Ghost-Eyed Giants."

For the time being, no one could get information about Lister's ennoblement from the royal family, especially not about the turquoise mine.

Of course, Duke Will was actually the only one who wanted to find out. The nobles of the Kingdom of Lucian were generally more interested in Lister's personal history.

Will II did not believe that Lister had been made a count by the Lucian Royal Family solely for wiping out the Ghost-Eyed Giants.

After all, the Ghost-Eyed Giants were actually a tier-three race, but the royal family's official announcement of the ennoblement had elevated them to a tier-four race.

No matter how he looked at it, that was just an excuse to grant Lister a title.

"Now that the seven families have him, the plans I've made since I took over all those years ago will have to... be put on hold...!"

Will II spoke through gritted teeth. This was the first time he had shown such an expression in front of his children.

Anyone would have struggled to accept having decades of planning brought to a sudden halt, with no way to carry on.

Faced with their furious and resentful father, the heirs all lowered their heads in unspoken agreement, unwilling to provoke him.

Only Morey, feeling the hilt of the ornamental sword at his waist, fell into deep thought.

After quite a while, his brow gradually smoothed, as though he had thought of something, and he immediately spoke to Will II.

"Father, I think Lister's ennoblement is a good thing."

Will II glanced at Morey with a gloomy look and silently nodded.

He knew his second son's personality was much like his own, and that he would not speak without reason, so he waited quietly for an explanation.

"I think the Lucian Royal Family might just be helping our Will Family."

"Hehe!"

"Second brother? Have you started talking nonsense?"

Morey had just mocked him, so when Walen heard Morey's absurd claim, he quickly seized the chance to mock him in return.

Unfortunately, his mockery and scornful smile drew no reaction from anyone present.

It was as though his words had gone in one ear and out the other. Though he was Duke Will's first heir, he was invisible in the hall now, everyone tacitly ignoring him.

"Father, although some nobles have been granted titles by multiple countries, I've never heard of anyone being granted titles in both a country and its vassal state."

As he listened to Morey, Will II's gaze sharpened at once, and his face immediately gained a little more life.

That was right. The western world in this expansion did not object to nobles holding titles in multiple countries. The most famous example was Countess Yalan, a countess of both the Kingdom of Tyrande and the Kingdom of Lucian.

This was actually quite common. Intermarriage among nobles and a lack of heirs led some nobles' children or wives to acquire titles in multiple countries.

These titles were recognized by the countries concerned, but only among the two great kingdoms and seven independent duchies.

For a duchy like the Duchy of Will, which was a vassal of the Kingdom of Lucian, the noble hierarchies did not overlap.

Nobles of the Duchy of Will were not recognized by the Kingdom of Lucian. In a case like Lister's, his noble status in the Duchy of Will would normally disappear automatically.

After all, as a count, he now owed allegiance to the Kingdom of Lucian alongside the Will Family, at least in name. It made no sense for him to lower his status and pledge allegiance to the Duchy of Will again.

"Since Lister is already a count for life of the Kingdom of Lucian, the Merick Family's noble status and privileges in our Duchy of Will should be revoked."

"Father, you only need to offer your congratulations generously and make this clear."

"We won't even need to do anything more to the Merick Family. In the end, the outcome will be what we wanted."

"As for Count Lister himself... hehe! Since he wants to go to the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty, we only need to persuade him to leave sooner."

Morey's thinking was indeed clear and crucial. By starting with Lister's status in name alone, he had directly erased the Merick Family's standing in the Duchy of Will.

Even if Lister remained fixated on the Conner Family's place among the seven great professional families, it no longer meant much in practice.

From now on, he would spend more of his time going back and forth between the Kingdom of Lucian and the so-called Great Chu Empire. From a certain perspective, their Will Family had worried too much.

From the moment Lister accepted the title of count from the Kingdom of Lucian, the Merick Family had ceased to be a threat to the Will Family.

Only now did Duke Will finally regain his usual composure.

His eyes lingered on his second son for a long time, however, and the admiration buried in them made Walen, standing nearby, burn with jealousy and resentment.

A week later, Lister was at Merrick Castle, looking over the congratulatory gifts sent by the various families.

Compared with the gifts for his viscountcy last time, these were much more substantial.

They had not sent flashy but impractical trinkets, either. They had truly spared no expense.

There were all kinds of precious healing potions, protective gear of various grades at tier three and above, and so on.

Once word of his title as a count of the Kingdom of Lucian spread, it carried far more weight in the Duchy of Will than Lister had imagined.

Even Duke Will's castle sent a congratulatory gift: another bottle of B-grade holy healing water.

At the same time, Lister was also notified that, because he had pledged allegiance to the Kingdom of Lucian, all of the Merick Family's noble status and honors within the Duchy of Will would be revoked.

Lister's status and his family would truly belong to the Kingdom of Lucian.

Lister was quite surprised at first. He had not considered this outcome, but he soon accepted it.

At least for now, it was not a bad thing. As far as he was concerned, the family's main quest was complete, and noble status in the Duchy of Will was no longer useful.

With his current strength, there was also little point in continuing to stay in the Duchy of Will.

Instead, once he accepted it, Will II would stop making moves behind the scenes.

Lister could also free himself to go as soon as possible to the place he had looked forward to visiting ever since he transmigrated—the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty.

Knock, knock.

"Come in!"

Anke pushed the door open and reported to Lister.

"My lord, the protective equipment you sent to the Conner Family has all been returned, including that case of potions."

"But Count Connor accepted the three-point share you mentioned."

"What about Quint?"

"Baron Quint accepted everything sent to him, including the three-point share you mentioned."

Lister nodded when he heard this and breathed a sigh of relief.

The division of the spoils was finally over. Of the ten percent stake in the turquoise mine, he took four percentage points, while Count Connor and Quint each took three.

For the time being, he had nothing worth lingering for in the Duchy of Will.

At this point, the second act, the Kingdom of Lucian's campaign, had yet to begin, and it was still early for Quint to compete for the ducal title.

After resting with the Merick Family for a week, Lister spent all five million experience points and the free attribute points he had gained from the main quest.

His level had risen once again, finally reaching level forty.

[Attributes: Strength: 40, constitution: 31, intelligence: 31, agility: 31]

[Merrick Breathing Technique (passive, unranked) LV20→30: Strength increased by an additional 30 points]

[Saber Mastery (passive, unranked) LV20→LV30 (1/300000): Saber attack damage increased by 150%]

Lister set aside improving the Will Breathing Technique for the time being and also planned to keep his level at forty for now.

After truly reaching tier four, his overall combat rating was still B-grade, with his two main passives having improved one after the other.

Lister's true strength had risen to another level. Now, at last, with ten guards of the Sixth Guard behind him, he set out for the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty by way of the Lost Land.

With a reasonably clear idea of the direction, the group traveled quickly.

In just over half a month, they reached the place described in Milo's travelogue.

Then, on the afternoon they arrived in the Lost Land, a system message that surprised him suddenly appeared.

"Closed beta announcement!"