The next day.
March 18, 4341 of the Human Calendar of Saint Nor Continent, spring.
As the weather gradually warmed, the once rock-hard soil on Rising Light Island slowly softened, making it easier to cultivate.
Combined with the 150 slaves Roland had just purchased, Roland now had sufficient manpower to reclaim the eastern plains of Rising Light Island.
This task was undoubtedly the top priority. Although Roland's income could fully support importing grain from outside, for a lord, having his own territory produce no food at all was a fatal hidden danger.
Should war break out and Rising Light Island be blockaded, Roland's territory would collapse without a fight.
So even though grain brought Roland very little profit, he still had to vigorously develop agriculture on Rising Light Island.
Behind the settlement, 200 slaves who had long been prepared set out under James's leadership, carrying all kinds of tools into the eastern plains of Rising Light Island.
Under Roland's arrangements, the entire eastern plain was divided into three planting areas, where 600 mu of rye, 300 mu of wheat, and 300 mu of barley would be planted respectively.
Although rye had a high yield, its nutritional value was low, so it would mainly be supplied to the slaves.
The mercenaries of the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group, meanwhile, needed the more nutritious wheat and barley. This was also an obligation Roland had to fulfill when they signed the contract.
Roland did not personally oversee the entire reclamation process. He did not have the time for that, so he once again sent Old Nob to serve as his eyes and ears.
Over the past three months, Old Nob's reputation on Rising Light Island had become almost utterly foul.
To prevent the slaves and mercenaries from slacking off, Old Nob was practically everywhere. He also employed every possible method—threats, bribes, and even violence.
Not only did he recruit several slaves as informants, but he also established a reporting system. Any slave or mercenary who reported someone else for idling could receive an exceptionally lavish dinner.
The mercenaries might not care much, but the slaves could not resist the temptation. Especially after several slaves received rewards from Old Nob, they became his loyal lackeys, spending their days helping him watch their companions. The other slaves and mercenaries no longer dared to slack off in the slightest.
It could be said that of the more than ten floggings suffered by the slaves during these past three months, Old Nob had been involved in more than half.
Roland had no reason to stop this. He even personally appointed Old Nob as the territory's inspector. After all, whenever the slaves and mercenaries slacked off, Roland was the one who suffered the losses.
Meanwhile, just as Rising Light Island was vigorously entering the reclamation phase,
on the southeastern side of the Chaotic Sea Domain, a single-sailed boat swiftly entered an island of roughly thirty square kilometers. Once it neared the shore, two figures quickly disembarked and rushed toward the island.
Not only was this island three times larger than Rising Light Island, but its various buildings were also well established. Its population far exceeded that of Rising Light Island as well; in the village near the island's center alone, there were several hundred houses.
The owner of this island was a Pioneer Knight from the Autran Kingdom, Neil Bergman.
Compared to Roland, Neil Bergman had already spent three years in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. Not only did his territory possess seven or eight hundred slaves, but he had also formed a territorial guard force of over a hundred men. He himself was an eighth-level warrior.
With his current strength, he ranked near the top even among the more than one hundred small factions in the Chaotic Sea Domain.
Furthermore, due to his family connections, he had successfully gained the protection of the Mandy Family, one of the two major overlords of the Azure Sea Region.
As a result, he had flourished in the Chaotic Sea Domain, accumulating substantial wealth in just three years through constant warfare and plunder.
At that moment, within a small manor in the center of the island's village,
a somewhat short man in his thirties was excitedly looking at the two subordinates who had just returned to the territory.
"Have you confirmed the location?" Neil Bergman asked anxiously.
"Reporting to my lord, it has been confirmed. That island is about 300 li southeast of our Yellow Stone Island, on the border of the Black Knight Pirates' sphere of influence."
"On the border? Is it a newly established territory?"
"Yes, my lord. According to what I learned, that small island had never been occupied before and had always been controlled by the Black Knight Pirates."
Hearing this, Neil Bergman's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "What is the situation with the guards on the island?"
"From our observations, there are around forty or fifty guards on the island. Judging by their clothing, most of them are mercenaries."
"Forty or fifty mercenaries?" Neil Bergman frowned at once.
Although he had a territorial guard force of over a hundred men, not all of them were professionals. If they could not take down forty or fifty mercenaries immediately, they might have to pay a considerable price.
Furthermore, the merchant ships coming and going under the other party's flag flew the banner of the Black Knight Pirates, and the island itself had been developed within the Black Knight Pirates' sphere of influence. The other party surely had deep ties with the Black Knight Pirates.
Although he had the protection of the Mandy Family and did not fear the Black Knight Pirates, he would not rashly provoke them without sufficient benefit.
At this thought, Neil Bergman became conflicted again and could not make up his mind for a long while.
"What supplies did their ships transport this time?"
"Reporting to my lord, the three three-masted merchant ships transported over a hundred slaves this time, all of them adults."
The answer from his subordinate made another flash of greed pass through Neil Bergman's eyes. As a lord who had developed his territory for three years, he naturally knew the value of more than a hundred slaves.
Moreover, over the past three months, he had discovered that the other party purchased large amounts of supplies from Highland City nearly every month and transported them back to their territory. This showed that although the other party had only recently established their territory, they were certainly very wealthy. If he could destroy their territory, the profits would surely be immense.
After a long while, a fierce glint suddenly flashed through Neil Bergman's eyes, as though he had made some decision.
"Bring Deeds to me."
Upon hearing Neil Bergman's words, the two subordinates immediately showed delight. They quickly bowed and left.
A moment later, a sturdy middle-aged man wearing armor hurried over.
Deeds Murphy was the captain of Neil Bergman's guard force and an Advanced Warrior. He was Neil Bergman's absolute confidant.
"Greetings, my lord."
When Neil Bergman saw him, his attitude became more cordial than before. He hurriedly pulled him to his side, pointed at the map on the table, and said, "Deeds, look here. This is a territory newly developed by a Pioneer Knight."
"Though it has only just been established, they have purchased a large quantity of supplies recently, and there are quite a few slaves on the island."
"However, they have forty or fifty mercenaries on the island, and their defenses are quite tight. Do you think it is worth making a move?"
After hearing Neil Bergman's introduction, Deeds nodded steadily, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.
What he considered was not whether it was worth attacking. From the moment he was summoned, he knew Neil Bergman had already made up his mind. What Neil Bergman truly meant was how to take down the other party at the smallest possible cost.
After pondering for a moment, he answered confidently, "My lord, although they have forty or fifty mercenaries, that is nowhere near enough to completely control the island. We can land under cover of night. As long as we gather the guards from our territory and deny them the chance to defeat us one by one, we can certainly take them down with ease."
Seeing his guard captain's confident response, Neil Bergman's eyes lit up again. He shouted excitedly, "Good! In that case, immediately assemble the guard force and set out."
"As you command, my lord." Excitement also flashed across Deeds's face.
After all, successfully capturing a Pioneer Knight's territory would earn them generous rewards. That was why the two subordinates had looked so pleased earlier when they saw Neil Bergman was tempted.
On the other side, Roland remained completely unaware of the approaching crisis. Although Fili had warned him before, he had still overestimated the Black Knight Pirates' reputation and underestimated the greed of the various forces within the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. He had never imagined that someone would choose to attack Rising Light Island while it lay within the Black Knight Pirates' sphere of influence.
Furthermore, in order to train Ryan and the other twelve mages, Roland had once again plunged into the arduous work of brewing potions.
Time slowly passed, and three days went by quietly.
Thanks to the efforts of the 200 slaves, more than 200 mu of farmland had now been reclaimed on the eastern plains of Rising Light Island. Though the land had only just been converted from wilderness and its first-year yield would certainly be affected, it was enough to plant crops.
Just as everything on Rising Light Island was progressing splendidly, a fleet of three two-masted warships quietly approached not far from the island.
Aboard them were more than a hundred elite territorial guards under Neil Bergman.
However, they did not recklessly draw near. They remained adrift ten li away from Rising Light Island.
Only after night fell and the entire sea became pitch-black did the three two-masted warships slowly begin approaching Rising Light Island under Neil Bergman's orders.
They cunningly chose to land on the southwestern side of Rising Light Island, where Roland had deployed no defensive forces at all.
After all, ever since he established the territory, he had only suffered attacks from magical beasts and had never faced an assault from fellow humans.
Compared to magical beasts, humans were undoubtedly far more cunning.
But just as Neil Bergman secretly landed on the western side of Rising Light Island, three pairs of terrified eyes suddenly appeared from a patch of bushes on the island.
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