Opening Up Wasteland

The next day.

March 18th, Year 4341 of the Saint Nor Continent's Human Calendar, Spring.

As the weather gradually warmed, the once incredibly hard land on Rising Light Island slowly softened, making it easier to develop.

Coupled with the 150 slaves Roland had just purchased, Roland now had ample manpower to begin reclaiming the eastern plains of Rising Light Island.

This task was undoubtedly of utmost importance. Although Roland's income was sufficient to support importing food from abroad, for a lord, not producing grain within his own territory was a fatal hidden danger.

Once war broke out and Rising Light Island was blockaded, Roland's territory would fall without a fight.

Therefore, even if the profit from grain was minimal for Roland, he still had to vigorously develop agriculture on Rising Light Island.

At this moment, behind the residential area, 200 slaves, fully prepared, led by James, carried various tools and entered the eastern plains of Rising Light Island.

Under Roland's arrangement, the entire eastern plain was divided into three planting zones, which would be planted with 600 mu of rye, 300 mu of wheat, and 300 mu of barley, respectively.

Although rye had a higher yield, its nutritional value was lower, and it was mainly provided to the slaves.

The mercenaries of the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group, however, required wheat and barley with higher nutritional value, which was an obligation Roland had to fulfill when signing the contract.

Roland did not oversee the entire reclamation process; he didn't have the time. So, he sent Old Nob again to act as his eyes and ears.

Over the past three months, Old Nob's reputation on Rising Light Island had become almost infamous.

To prevent slaves and mercenaries from slacking off, Old Nob was almost everywhere, and he used all sorts of methods: coercion, enticement, and even violence.

Not only did he win over several slaves to be his informants, but he also established a reporting system. Any slave or mercenary who reported another for slacking off to Old Nob would receive a very generous dinner.

While the mercenaries might not have cared, the slaves couldn't resist the temptation, especially after a few slaves received rewards from Old Nob. They became Old Nob's loyal pawns, constantly helping him monitor their companions, making it impossible for other slaves and mercenaries to slack off.

It could be said that in the more than three months, more than half of the dozen or so whippings the slaves suffered involved Old Nob.

Roland had no reason to stop this situation; he even personally appointed Old Nob as the territory's supervisor, as any slacking by slaves and mercenaries resulted in losses for Roland.

Meanwhile, just as Rising Light Island was enthusiastically entering the reclamation phase.

On the southeast side of the Chaotic Sea, a single-sailed small boat quickly sailed towards a small island of about thirty square kilometers. Upon approaching the shore, two figures quickly disembarked and rushed onto the island.

This island was not only three times larger than Rising Light Island, but it also had complete facilities. The population living on the island far exceeded that of Rising Light Island, with hundreds of houses in the village near the center of the island.

The owner of this small island was a Pioneer Knight from the Autran Kingdom, Neil Bergman.

Compared to Roland, Neil Bergman had spent three years in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. His territory had seven to eight hundred slaves, and he had formed a territory guard of over a hundred men. He himself was a Warrior of level eight.

With his current strength, he was ranked among the top among the over a hundred small factions in the Chaotic Sea.

Furthermore, due to his family background, he had successfully obtained the protection of the Mandy Family, one of the two hegemons of the Azure Sea Region.

As a result, he thrived in the Chaotic Sea, accumulating a considerable fortune in just three years through constant warfare and plunder.

At this moment, within a small manor in the center of the island's village.

A short, stout man in his thirties was excitedly watching the two subordinates who had just returned to the territory.

"Have you confirmed the location?" Neil Bergman asked urgently.

"Reporting to Lord, we have confirmed it. The island is located about three hundred miles southeast of our Yellow Stone Island, near the border of the Black Knight Pirates' territory."

"On the border, is it a newly developed territory?"

"Yes, sir. From what my subordinate understands, that island was not previously occupied and was controlled by the Black Knight Pirates."

Hearing this, Neil Bergman's eyes lit up, and he quickly continued to ask, "What about the island's defenses?"

"According to my subordinate's observation, there are about forty to fifty guards on the island, and most of them appear to be mercenaries based on their attire."

"Forty to fifty mercenaries?" Neil Bergman's brow furrowed upon hearing this.

Although he had a guard of over a hundred men, not all of them were professionals. If he couldn't take down forty to fifty mercenaries immediately, it might come at a significant cost.

Moreover, the merchant ships coming and going were flying the flag of the Black Knight Pirates, and the island's development was within the Black Knight Pirates' sphere of influence, so the other party must have a deep connection with them.

Although he also had the protection of the Mandy Family and was not afraid of the Black Knight Pirates, he would not rashly provoke them without sufficient benefits.

Thinking of this, Neil Bergman couldn't help but feel conflicted, hesitating to make a decision.

"What supplies did they transport on their ship this time?"

"Reporting to Lord, the three three-masted merchant ships transported over a hundred slaves, and they were all adult slaves."

The subordinate's reply made a hint of greed flash in Neil Bergman's eyes. As a lord who had been developing his territory for three years, he naturally knew the value of over a hundred slaves.

Moreover, in the past three months, he had noticed that the other party purchased a large amount of supplies from Highland City almost every month and transported them back to their territory. This indicated that although the other party had just begun developing their territory, they were definitely extremely wealthy. If he could destroy their territory, the profits would be considerable.

After a long while, a fierce glint suddenly flashed in Neil Bergman's eyes, as if he had made some kind of decision.

"Call Deeds to me."

Upon hearing Neil Bergman's words, a hint of joy flashed across the faces of the two subordinates, and they quickly bowed and left.

A moment later, a strong, armored middle-aged man hurried in.

Deeds Murphy was the captain of Neil Bergman's guard and an Advanced Warrior, an absolute confidant of Neil Bergman.

"Greetings, Lord."

After seeing the visitor, Neil Bergman's attitude softened with a smile. He quickly pulled the other person to his side and pointed to the map on the table. "Deeds, take a look at this. This is a territory just opened up by a Pioneer Knight."

"Although it's just been opened up, they've been purchasing a large amount of supplies recently, and there are quite a few slaves on the island."

"However, they have forty to fifty mercenaries on the island, and their defenses are quite tight. What do you think, is it worth making a move?"

Upon hearing Neil Bergman's explanation, Deeds nodded calmly, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He wasn't actually contemplating whether it was worth it or not. The moment he was called over, he knew Neil Bergman had already made up his mind. The real question Neil Bergman wanted to ask was how to take the territory with the least cost.

So, after a moment of contemplation, he replied with great confidence, "Lord, although they have forty to fifty mercenaries, it's not enough to completely control the island. We can land under the cover of night. As long as we gather our territory's guard, preventing them from picking us off one by one, we can easily take them down."

Seeing his subordinate, the captain of the guard, answer so confidently, Neil Bergman's eyes lit up again. He excitedly exclaimed, "Excellent! In that case, summon the guard and depart immediately."

"As you command, Lord." A hint of excitement flashed across Deeds' face as well.

After all, successfully conquering a Pioneer Knight's territory would bring them generous rewards. This was also why those two subordinates had looked so pleased when Neil Bergman showed interest earlier.

Meanwhile, Roland was completely unaware of the impending crisis. Although Fili had mentioned it before, Roland had overestimated the Black Knight Pirates' notoriety and underestimated the greed of the various factions within the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. He never expected anyone would dare to attack Rising Light Island, which was within the Black Knight Pirates' sphere of influence.

Furthermore, to train Ryan and the other twelve mages, Roland had once again been bogged down in the arduous work of refining potions.

Time flowed by, and three days passed quietly.

Thanks to the efforts of two hundred slaves, over two hundred mu of farmland had been opened up on the plains on the east side of Rising Light Island. Although these farmlands had just been converted from wasteland and the first year's yield would be affected, it was enough to grow crops.

Just as things were looking up on Rising Light Island, a fleet of three two-masted warships was silently approaching not far from the island.

On board were the hundreds of elite guards from Neil Bergman's territory.

However, they didn't approach rashly, remaining adrift about ten miles away from Rising Light Island.

Only when night fell and the entire sea was shrouded in darkness did the three two-masted warships slowly begin to approach Rising Light Island under Neil Bergman's command.

They cunningly chose to land on the southwest side of Rising Light Island, an area where Roland had not deployed any defenses.

After all, since he had established his territory, he had only encountered attacks from Magical Beasts and had never been attacked by humans.

Compared to Magical Beasts, humans were undoubtedly more cunning.

But just as Neil Bergman was stealthily landing on the west side of Rising Light Island, three pairs of terrified eyes suddenly appeared in a clump of bushes on the island.