Bestowing Upon Subordinates, Inspecting Castle Construction

"My Lord, is this the Seven-Colored Life Flower?"

Belder's jaw dropped in astonishment upon seeing the contents of the box.

Aside from Orlando and Hebrew, the other eleven also showed shock, their hearts pounding as they gazed at the flower emitting a strange glow within the box.

They had been fortunate enough to hear their instructors explain it during their training at Windsor Castle.

It was simply unbelievable that this magical plant, which only existed in legends, had appeared before their very eyes.

"That's right, this is the Seven-Colored Life Flower."

Velin nodded in confirmation while releasing his Battle Qi, a testament to his status as a Silver Knight.

This action further stunned Belder and the other twelve.

Just a day prior, their Lord had been a High-Bronze Tier, and now he was Silver Low-Tier. Moreover, his aura as a Knight didn't show the usual instability of a newcomer to the Silver Tier; his Battle Qi was incredibly steady.

"Today, each of you will receive a Seven-Colored Life Flower to enhance your talent and improve your strength."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overcome with gratitude and immediately knelt on the ground. "Thank you for your grace, my Lord."

"For the Knights who are loyal to me, I will not hesitate to nurture them. Your loyalty is the best reward you can give me."

Following this, Velin called each Knight to his side, bestowed upon them a Seven-Colored Life Flower one by one, and offered his blessings.

After all fourteen had received a Seven-Colored Life Flower, Velin, seeing their excitement, announced the adjournment of the meeting, instructing them to return and consume the flowers to break through their talent and improve their strength.

Once everyone had left, Velin looked at the remaining eight Seven-Colored Life Flowers in the box and fell into deep thought.

"I'll store them away."

He made up his mind. Regardless of whether they possessed cultivation talent, as long as they proved their loyalty and worth, they would receive a Seven-Colored Life Flower from him.

In the following days, led by Belder, the twelve Knights consumed the Seven-Colored Life Flowers and successively achieved breakthroughs, growing into Silver Knights.

Judging solely by numbers, at the Baron level, the number of Silver Knights in the Lake of Star Prayer could rank within the top three in Cadro Province.

As a result, the combat power of the entire territory experienced a significant leap.

"This won't do. There isn't a single Bronze Tier within the territory. This situation is a bit precarious."

Subsequently, Velin, in his capacity as Lord, issued a public announcement, permitting Belder and the other twelve to recruit Knight Squires, with a limit of six per Knight. He would also bear the corresponding resource allocation.

Currently, Velin could not replicate the system at Windsor Castle, where thousands of Knight Squires were trained by specialized Silver Knights.

For one thing, he lacked the personnel for such an endeavor, and for another, he didn't have the resources to support it.

Therefore, he could only rely on this ancient system of inheritance, adopting a one-to-many model to gradually cultivate Bronze Knights.

To further stimulate their enthusiasm, Velin also issued a decree setting a one-year deadline. The Knight who cultivated the most Bronze Knights, and of the highest quality, would receive a magical plant as a reward.

Consequently, Belder and the others began selecting promising candidates throughout the territory to recruit as Knight Squires.

In a short period, the entire territory was abuzz with excitement. Whether Freemen or Serfs, warriors or commoners, everyone harbored a dream of becoming a Knight.

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In the Lake of Star Prayer, the shackles of slavery could be broken. Simply becoming a Knight Squire would grant one freedom, further motivating the young Serfs.

Of course, for those in the third tier of slavery, such as Bandit Slaves, there was no hope.

The population of the Lake of Star Prayer had a healthy age distribution, with most individuals between fifteen and twenty years old. This was a direct result of Velin's emphasis on this aspect when demanding ransoms from defeated nobles.

The territory was entering a phase of rapid development. Belder spent his days leading patrols around the perimeter, hunting down wild beasts and monsters that roamed the area, and maintaining security.

Andrew was stationed at the Salt Mine, leading a squadron of infantry to supervise the third-tier slaves in mining operations, ensuring the daily output of rock salt.

Randolph took over Belder's previous task, leading two squadrons of infantry, one squadron of archers, and three hundred Serfs. He diligently worked on excavating the Mithril Ore, aiming to complete the mining as quickly as possible and avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

Greg, meanwhile, organized the Freemen and Serfs within the territory for collection work, gathering food within a ten-kilometer radius of the Lake of Star Prayer. He implemented a scorched-earth policy, leaving no grass or bark behind.

The remaining eight Knights had their own respective duties, overseeing various aspects of the territory to ensure the smooth operation of the Lake of Star Prayer.

On this particular day, after finishing his rest, Velin felt his strength had significantly improved once again. He couldn't help but marvel at how much easier cultivation had become with enhanced talent, making his efforts twice as effective with half the effort.

"My Lord, Steward Eunice, who is in charge of castle construction, requests your presence."

"Alright, I understand."

After the reporting soldier withdrew, Velin began wiping the sweat from his body, put on his shirt, grabbed his sword, and headed towards the castle construction site.

Along the way, he felt a sense of satisfaction seeing the clean and tidy roads, unlike other territories where streets were littered with excrement, emitting a foul odor.

"Indeed, solving the sanitation problem from the root has yielded great results."

After all, if one couldn't solve the sanitation problem, couldn't they solve the people who created the sanitation problem?

In the Lake of Star Prayer, anyone caught defecating or urinating in public, or dumping waste indiscriminately, would be rewarded with three lashes for the first offense, have their property confiscated for the second, and be demoted to a third-tier slave for the third offense, forever losing the hope of becoming a Freeman.

Once this decree was issued, no one dared to violate it.

They were all of slave origin and naturally knew the suffering and darkness of losing freedom and hope.

After traversing a few hundred meters, Velin arrived at the castle construction site.

What greeted his eyes were two staggered city walls, an outer wall and an inner wall. Ballistae were being installed on the protruding platforms, with their firing angles being adjusted.

The Half-elf girl Eunice, who had been waiting at the city gate, stepped forward to greet him upon seeing Velin arrive. "Lord."

"En, Eunice, well done. You've finished the construction of the two city walls so quickly," Velin retracted his gaze and looked at the beautiful half-elf girl before him, praising her without reservation.

"Lord, you are too kind. I am merely the steward; the ones who truly contributed their strength are these hardworking laborers." After a period of adjustment, the half-elf girl Eunice was no longer as distant as before, her tone carrying a sense of calm.

"They will receive their due rewards," Velin said with a smile upon hearing that. "Now, I'd like to know about the progress."

Upon hearing this, Eunice had someone bring over a table and spread out the blueprints, which were marked with two colors.

"My Lord, please look. The black markings represent completed construction, white represents uncompleted construction, and green represents ongoing construction."

Velin lowered his head to look. The first phase of construction they had previously decided on—the outer wall, inner wall, plus the water storage area, granary, and latrines—had all been completed. The armory repair shop and stables were currently under construction.

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