Settling on a Direction for Expansion

The next day, Velin slept until late morning. After finishing the food brought by the servants, he eagerly went to find Brian and Ake to discuss purchasing supplies.

Before that, however, Velin had someone bring over a Red Phosphorus Horse, intending to give it to Baron Ake as a gift to strengthen their relationship.

It would make things much easier when he needed to ask for help in the future.

At that moment, Brian and Ake sat facing each other inside the study.

"Ake, what do you think of Velin?"

"I can't tell. Based on our interaction last night alone, there's no way to judge." After hearing this, Ake thought for several minutes before finally shaking his head.

"You can't tell? My cousin is quite exceptional. He values family, though he's a little lazy. We hadn't seen each other in six years, and the moment he arrived, he gave me an Excellent Grade Knight Full Plate Armor worth Twelve Thousand Gold Coins. But now I'm troubled—I don't know how to return the favor." As he said this, Brian looked at Ake, staring at him with bright eyes.

"All right, returning the favor is easy. I noticed that the people he brought don't have protective armor. You can give him one hundred sets of Leather Armor as a gift in return." Ake covered his forehead, looking at this big fool without knowing what else to say.

"Hahaha, you're still the smart one. Inviting you here to redesign the village layout in my territory was indeed a wise choice."

Brian burst into laughter and spoke excitedly.

"Lord, Lord Velin requests that you and Lord Ake come to the Training Ground."

Suddenly, the Butler's voice came from outside the door, causing Brian to stop laughing.

"Come on, let's see what Velin wants from us."

Brian rose first and headed for the door.

Ake followed close behind toward the Training Ground. In his judgment, Velin had invited him over to give him a gift, and he began considering what sort of return gift would be just right.

At the Training Ground, Velin saw the two men arrive and stepped forward to say to Ake, "Cousin, what do you think of this horse?"

"Well-fed and strong, with a trace of Red Dragon Bloodline. It has great potential for growth. On the market, it would be worth Twenty Thousand Gold Coins." Based on the horse's appearance, Ake gave an impartial assessment.

"Cousin, you have a sharp eye. This is a gift from your younger cousin. I hope you like it."

Ake answered calmly, "Since you're giving it to me, I'll accept it. In return, I'll give you sixty cartloads of grain, a batch of iron farming tools, and a detailed map of the Yellow Stone Area in the northwestern Gray Mang Wasteland."

Upon hearing that, Velin froze on the spot. How did Ake know he had chosen the Yellow Stone Area in the northwestern Gray Mang Wasteland as his direction for expansion? He looked up and met Ake's smiling gaze. After a moment of inward admiration, he smiled and said, "Thank you for your support, Cousin."

At the same time, Brian seized the opportunity and said with a smile, "Velin, I don't have anything particularly valuable. My territory just happens to have plenty of iron ore, so I'll give you twenty sets of iron armor, one hundred and fifty sets of Leather Armor, and one hundred iron swords as my return gift. I hope you won't find them lacking."

"Thank you, Cousin."

Unsurprisingly, Ake once again looked at this generous big fool, not knowing what to say.

Brian ignored his look. Seeing his family happy made him feel wonderful as well.

That afternoon, Brian delivered twenty sets of iron armor, one hundred and fifty sets of Leather Armor, and one hundred iron swords to Velin.

At a camp outside the Castle, Velin picked up an iron sword and tested it against a wooden post several times, finding its quality excellent.

He then inspected the iron armor and Leather Armor. They were all fine products among Common Grade equipment, with no inferior goods mixed in.

Based on market prices in Kadlo Province, these items were worth Fifteen Thousand Gold Coins. During wartime, they might even sell for Thirty Thousand Gold Coins.

"Lord, with this batch of weapons, our initial Pioneer Action will go much more smoothly." Captain of the Knight Guard Belder stared at the weapons and spoke excitedly.

"Next, I'll leave the training of these two hundred men to you. I hope they can play an even more important role in actual combat."

"Lord, please rest assured."

Belder looked thrilled. He took several knights from the Castle to gather the serfs at the camp outside the city, eager to begin their training.

With nothing else to do, Velin returned to his room and opened the map of the northwestern Yellow Stone Area of the Graylight Wasteland that Ake had given him. He studied it carefully, considering the best place to establish his territory.

As for the sixty cartloads of grain and batch of farming tools Ake had promised, they would be delivered to Brian's Castle within half a month.

Therefore, Velin planned to shamelessly freeload at Cousin Brian's place while making thorough preparations.

The Yellow Stone Area in the northwestern Graylight Wasteland covered a total area of six hundred thousand square kilometers, equivalent to four Cadro Provinces. Its main river was the Yellow Sand River, which flowed from southeast to northwest into an unknown distant land.

The closer one got to the river, the more fertile the land became—and correspondingly, the more monsters there were.

Farther from the river, the land was relatively barren, though grain could still be grown normally. The yield was simply low. When planting wheat, one mu of land could produce roughly one hundred and fifty jin.

According to calculations Velin had made in his previous life, an adult who ate only wheat would need four hundred jin of it each year.

However, this was another world, and most people were serfs without freedom. As long as they did not starve to death, theoretically, the wheat harvested from one mu of land, supplemented by wild vegetables and similar foods, would be enough to support one healthy serf.

"No, that idea is too evil. I'm a man of morals. If I go too far, how will I get along in the family?"

Velin shook his head and cast the thought out of his mind, refusing to dwell on such matters.

Afterward, he turned his attention to the monster distribution zones in the Yellow Stone Area, which were likewise arranged according to the river system.

Near the main course of the Yellow Sand River were relatively powerful Monster Clans, including Ogres, Gnolls, and Minotaurs.

The tributaries were occupied by weaker monsters, such as Kobolds, Goblins, and other minor creatures.

The good news was that there were almost no truly powerful monsters in the Yellow Stone Area. The strongest Monster Clan leader was only Gold-grade. As long as he did not court death by directly establishing his territory in the Yellow Sand River basin, he would not need to worry about safety.

The bad news was that the barren environment resulted in extremely poor Mana Energy conditions. Cultivation would be difficult, and Magic Crystals would be needed as support.

He then looked toward the southern part of the Yellow Stone Area, at a place called Toxik. It was two hundred kilometers away in a straight line and covered more than one thousand square kilometers. The only Monster Clan nearby was Goblins, and the strongest monsters were merely High-Bronze Tier. It was highly suitable for him to begin expanding.

Having settled on a direction, Velin went to the table, took out a sheet of paper, and began recording the assets he currently possessed.

One wise lord, two underage Guardian Knights, twelve Bronze High-Tier Knights, two hundred serfs currently undergoing training, and fifty-five Bandit Slaves.

Eighty-one thousand two hundred Gold Coins, nine Intermediate Magic Crystals, and one hundred and twenty Low-Grade Magic Crystals.

Seventeen Red Scale Horses, five Excellent Grade Knight Full Plate Armors, and six Excellent Grade Knight Longswords.

Twenty sets of iron armor, one hundred and fifty sets of Leather Armor, one hundred iron swords, and sixty cartloads of grain and a batch of farming tools yet to be delivered.

That was everything Velin currently possessed.

With these things, he had enough to support the initial costs of developing his territory.