It was September 1st, the first day of a new month.
It had been five months since he left Windsor Castle in April.
Without realizing it, his original team of fifteen had expanded into a territory of over four thousand people.
Everything had been worth it.
One day, I will become the ruler of this wilderness.
According to information gathered by Hazel, the Legendary Mage of the royal capital, two hundred years ago, the Graylight Wasteland covered an area larger than two kingdoms combined.
That meant the entire wasteland was the foundation for a kingdom.
Likewise, the wasteland was filled with monsters. The combined number of Legendary Experts among its various races was three times that of the Ilia Kingdom.
Even so, because the races within the Graylight Wasteland were mortal enemies, they could only unite briefly against outside forces. Pushing back into the wasteland was utterly impossible.
Moreover, several nations surrounded the Graylight Wasteland, making the Legendary Experts of those monster races even less willing to act rashly.
In response, the Ilia Kingdom had introduced the Pioneer Knight Code and steadily encroached upon the wasteland.
Success meant gaining vast tracts of land and strengthening the kingdom.
Failure merely meant losing a few Bronze- or Silver-ranked Pioneers. It was no great loss.
This policy had continued for one hundred and fifty years. A century ago, unrest had broken out, ultimately forming Cadro Province, Saipruo Province, the Ist Duke Territory, Lensa Province, and Dany Province, which together made up the western part of the Ilia Kingdom.
As he pondered the path ahead, time slipped by unnoticed until eight o'clock, when that familiar, pleasant voice sounded once more.
In twenty days, more than two hundred Mountain Dwarves would escort a shipment of Mountain Copper through a location one hundred and fifty kilometers southwest of Lake of Praying Stars. The strongest among them would be Silver High-Tier.
"Mountain Copper, Mountain Dwarves... Were they returning from the wasteland to the Ironforge Mountain Dwarf Kingdom, or heading from the Ironforge Mountain Dwarf Kingdom into the wasteland?"
The instant he heard the news, Velin fell into deep thought.
Had the Dwarves discovered a Mountain Copper mine in the wasteland and secretly mined it for transport back to their homeland? Or were they conducting some unknown trade with the monster races of the wasteland?
Either way, this shipment of Mountain Copper is mine.
More than ten minutes later, Velin stopped agonizing over it and made up his mind to seize the shipment.
With his strength alone, going there would be no different from courting death.
But he had family—three relatives, in fact—and that gave him considerable confidence.
Early the next morning, three knights each carried a letter out of Lake of Praying Stars and headed for the territories established by three members of the Ex Family in Cadro Province.
Over the following period, Velin did not remain idle.
On one hand, he launched the northern construction plan, reclaiming nine thousand mu of farmland for planting food crops the following year.
On the other hand, he gathered craftsmen and had the weapons in the warehouse reforged with a small amount of Mithril mixed in, improving their quality and strengthening the army.
At the same time, Velin occasionally took charge of military training himself, displaying his status as lord and making sure the soldiers knew whom they served.
Velin also personally took part in the best method of winning soldiers' loyalty—issuing military pay.
At that moment, several hundred soldiers stood in a camp, staring fixedly ahead with envy in their eyes.
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"Iden, one of the first batch of freed serfs. In two battles, you killed seven serfs and earned seven Silver Coins. You also killed three soldiers and earned nine Silver Coins. Including two months of military pay, the total is one thousand six hundred jin of Bean Potatoes and twenty-two Silver Coins. Is that correct?"
Velin smiled as he explained the details to the restrained Apprentice High-Tier Warrior before him.
"My lord, you are correct."
Iden respectfully accepted the food vouchers and twenty-two Silver Coins, then returned to the ranks and waited quietly.
After the military pay had been issued, Velin had Orlando put up the notice before leaving.
At their officer's order to disperse, a crowd of soldiers surged over and gathered around the notice board to read the laws and regulations announced by their lord.
"Iden, you know more words than we do. Read this and tell us what it means," a young soldier said, staring at the document on the board.
"Sure. Make some room."
The others quickly moved aside, leaving Iden enough space.
Iden cleared his throat and began reading word by word. "The lord announces: Any soldier who turns in ten Gold Coins may receive a woman to bear his descendants."
"What? There's something this good?"
"I heard Freemen need fifteen Gold Coins to get a woman. Being a soldier is great. Not only do we get a warrior training method, but we also receive benefits like this."
"It's not that being a soldier is great. It's that the lord is merciful. If we rely on military pay alone, we can marry wives in two years at most."
Every soldier present had come from slavery. The thought of starting a family and having descendants of their own held a special meaning for them.
At that moment, Iden began calculating how much wealth he possessed.
One thousand six hundred jin of Bean Potatoes, at a purchase price of one Copper Coin per jin, could be exchanged for one thousand six hundred Copper Coins, or sixteen Silver Coins. Adding the twenty-two Silver Coins he had just received, he now had thirty-eight Silver Coins.
On top of that, including his previous battle rewards and military pay, his total property amounted to sixty-two Silver Coins.
In other words, in three months—four at most—he would be able to get a wife of his own.
He had heard that breaking through to Bronze Warrior would earn him a reward of one Gold Coin. With that goal in mind, Iden found ample motivation, and his fighting spirit burned even brighter.
Orlando followed behind Velin, deeply puzzled. Summoning his courage, he asked, "My lord, why did you put up such a notice?"
Velin stopped and replied with a smile, "To give them goals and motivation. Only when people have something to pursue will they keep climbing upward."
"Besides, it will stimulate the economy. If they all remain bachelors and save all their money, the currency available for us to use will only grow scarcer."
"My lord, then I'll return to training. I've just contracted three Knight Squires," Orlando said, shaking his head.
"Fine, go on."
Watching Orlando leave, Velin decided he needed to work harder as well. His strength was still below that of his Guardian Knight—what kind of lord was that?
It was not exactly shameful, but it gave him the motivation to improve.
He could feel that he was already very close to the barrier of Silver Knight.
Afterward, Velin returned to his cottage and began cultivating his Battle Qi. He hoped to break through to Silver Knight before the operation, so that when it came time to divide the Mountain Copper, he could claim a larger share.
While Lake of Praying Stars was bustling with activity, the three letters gradually reached the hands of the three Ex Family barons.
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