"Shut up. My affairs are none of your business."
Having said that, Kazak stormed off in a rage.
Seeing this, the Butler hurried after him.
The noble youth was left standing there, utterly bewildered. He had no idea why Kazak, who was usually arrogant, domineering, and intolerant of the slightest offense, was acting so unusually today.
"Young Master, how should we handle this next?" the Butler asked as he caught up with Kazak.
Kazak put on a fierce front despite his inner weakness. "This time, we'll let that... that Pioneer Knight go. If he dares steal from me again, I definitely won't spare him."
"Yes, Young Master."
Just as the Butler was about to leave, Kazak seemed to remember something and ordered, "Withdraw all the measures deployed in Bagamoio. The goods are already gone, so there's no benefit in continuing the blockade against the Bashak Merchant Guild."
"I understand, Young Master."
The Butler bowed again. Seeing that Kazak had nothing further to say, he left the Manor directly.
Outside the city, after receiving the slaves he wanted, Velin purchased some food and set off back toward Lake of Star Prayer.
However, he ordered his men to remain on alert at all times.
Velin did not yet know whether there would be trouble, but there was never anything wrong with being prepared.
Meanwhile, Bark, the Branch President of the Bashak Merchant Guild, had been waiting for news, eager to see how Kazak, the governor's son, would make his move.
For two straight days, everything remained calm. Not a single conflict between nobles occurred in the central region of Cadro Province, making Bark wonder whether Kazak, that greedy hound, had changed his surname.
Only after learning that Kazak had even withdrawn the blockade measures did Bark finally realize the seriousness of the matter.
"That young man... could he be someone even Kazak doesn't dare offend?"
Having come to this realization, Bark felt as though he had done something he would regret for the rest of his life. He could only hope to salvage his image when the other party came again.
During the journey, several consecutive days of peace left Velin equally puzzled. Based on his deductions, that Half-elf had a problem.
Yet in reality, no bandits came to block their path.
That night, Velin took a piece of white bread to the Carriage holding the Half-elf and tapped the iron cage with his Knight Longsword.
The Half-elf girl came back to her senses from her daze. Looking at the knight who had brought her food for several days in a row, she seemed to realize that he was the human who had bought her.
"Here."
Velin handed her the white bread and a waterskin.
The Half-elf girl did not hesitate. She accepted the food from Velin and began eating it in small bites.
"I have no interest in your body, so you can rest assured of that." Velin sat on the Carriage and looked up at the moon in the sky. "My territory is still in its early stages of development and needs an architect for planning. As long as you serve me faithfully for ten years, I can grant you freedom."
"After all, I spent 3,500 Gold Coins to buy you from the slave trader."
The Half-elf girl stopped eating, looked at Velin, and said in the Common Tongue, "My name is Eunice."
Her clear, delicate voice rang beside Velin's ear. He turned to look at Eunice, nodded, and then left.
The rest of the journey passed safely. Aside from several groups of bandits too foolish to know their limits, which increased the number of Bandit Slaves in Velin's possession by several dozen, no other accidents occurred.
Six days later, Velin arrived at Ridge Castle once more. He collected one hundred sets of leather armor and three hundred longswords from his cousin Brian, retrieved the twenty-three bandit slaves being held in the prison, and headed toward Lake of Star Prayer, over three hundred kilometers away.
On June 21, as the sun set, Velin returned to Lake of Star Prayer with a group of more than five hundred people.
After being away from home for over half a month, he found the surrounding area in excellent order under Belder's management.
Of the five thousand mu of newly reclaimed farmland, three thousand had been planted with Bean Potatoes, while the remaining two thousand had been planted with a Root Vegetable known for its strong reproductive capacity.
Velin dismounted and walked to the edge of the fields. Looking at the lush expanse of green, the fatigue in his heart eased.
Upon receiving the news, Belder stopped his training and hurried toward Velin's location.
"My lord, welcome back."
Velin stepped forward to help up Belder, who was kneeling on one knee in salute. "You've worked hard these past half a month."
"My lord had already laid out a detailed plan. This subordinate merely followed it, so it was nothing difficult."
"While I was away, did anything unexpected happen?" Velin asked Belder as they walked toward the village.
Belder immediately replied, "Within a radius of thirty kilometers, most Goblin tribes have relocated, leaving behind vast uninhabited areas. As a result, the number of wild beasts has begun to increase."
"Keep up the vigilance. We're short on manpower at this stage and can't afford losses."
"Also, assign a room to the Half-elf girl I brought back. Try to provide whatever she needs. I'm going to rest first."
"This subordinate understands."
After returning to the village, Velin entered his small wooden house, intending to get a good night's sleep.
After Velin left, Belder ordered the returned slaves to be settled in and dispatched a squad of soldiers to guard them, lest anyone escape.
As for Eunice, the Half-elf girl, Belder followed Velin's instructions and assigned her a wooden house of her own. He also ordered two knights to guard her in case anything happened.
The next day, Velin saw Eunice drawing blueprints and paid her no further attention, turning instead to the affairs of the territory.
First, he selected one hundred and twenty men from among the three hundred able-bodied slaves and combined them with the territory's thirty soldiers to form a one-hundred-and-fifty-man infantry unit.
The one hundred and twenty slaves who entered the infantry unit would still retain their status as slaves.
To remove their slave status, they had to kill three Goblin Warriors or become High-level Apprentice Warriors. There was no third option.
This decree greatly stirred the one hundred and twenty slave soldiers.
In addition, Velin made the same promise to the other slaves: as long as they worked diligently for three consecutive years and met their assigned quotas, or killed three Goblin Warriors during wartime, they could likewise be freed from slavery.
As for the ten blacksmiths, fifteen carpenters, and twenty-five masons he had purchased, Velin had different standards for freeing them from slavery.
Thus, every one of the several hundred slaves who had come to Lake of Star Prayer was filled with hope.
With a goal to strive toward, every one of them burst forth with unprecedented enthusiasm.
Using the serfs who had already been freed as examples, they chose to believe the words of this young lord.
As for the hundred youths purchased from the Bashak Merchant Guild, Velin intended to have Orlando and Hebrew train them.
Using his Knight Squire Kyle as an example, those who awakened Battle Qi within half a month would be kept and trained as future members of the Knight Order. Those who failed would be assigned to craftsmen as apprentices, where they could still make themselves useful.
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