Raise a Toast to Celebrate Victory

Raise a Toast to Celebrate Victory

"Come, to celebrate our new future, cheers!"

At the head of the dining table, Lynn raised a brimming cup of Honey Wine and looked down at his five brothers-in-arms with a radiant smile.

These five subordinates, as close to him as brothers, had all been recruited and trained by his own hand.

Their loyalty was beyond question, and each possessed a unique skill.

With a single glance, the five men's status panels appeared in turn.

Other than the youngest, Lao Liu, the remaining four had all reached the two-star level.

The attributes and star ratings on the panels could only determine a person's current abilities.

And abilities could be honed and improved.

In the future, Lynn had ample time and resources to cultivate all five of them into capable talents who could stand on their own and contribute to the territory's development.

Just as the Horse Bandits rose and prepared to raise their cups, Lao San, seated to Lynn's right, suddenly called out, "Please wait a moment."

Everyone's attention immediately turned to him.

Lao San raised his cup and looked around. "The reason we can drink to our victory here tonight is because Baron made the most accurate judgment and led us to victory. This cup is to wish Baron good health and endless triumphs!"

Among the five brothers, Lao San had always been the quickest-witted and most perceptive.

He had already realized that, since they had seized White Bear Territory and gained the Local residents' initial recognition, they would gradually shed their identities as Horse Bandits. They could no longer address one another as brothers, or their disguise would eventually be exposed.

So they could no longer call Lynn Big Brother. They should respectfully address him as Baron.

The other four exchanged looks, then understood the deeper meaning as well. They raised their cups in unison. "May Baron enjoy good health and endless triumphs!"

In the second-floor bedroom, Yagna had finished dinner and, with nothing better to do, lay sprawled across the table as she flipped through an old parchment book.

Hearing faint cheers from downstairs, she irritably shut the book.

He only became a baron. Was there really any need to celebrate so happily?

Please, you're the son of the mighty Cold Wind Earl.

But the moment she thought of Lynn's noble status, Yagna buried her head in the crook of her arms in distress.

The liveliness and joy belonged to them. She had nothing.

"Count's son, bastard."

Her muffled, delicate scolding came from within her arms.

A whole day had passed, yet she still could not make up her mind.

Mistress. What a shameless, vulgar word.

She had thought that she would never have anything to do with such a word in her life.

Yet who could have imagined that she, the daughter of a proper noble family, would fall into such circumstances?

The worst part was that she simply could not refuse Lynn's demand.

Other than White Bear Territory, where else could she go?

Other than Lynn, who else could help her take revenge?

Her teacher?

Yagna's teacher, the Marsh Duchess, hated mistresses most of all.

The Duchess was merely a tool for the Duke to produce heirs. She did not receive even the slightest bit of genuine affection, and it was difficult for her to see the Duke even once in ordinary times.

Without the Duke's favor, and with her own family being nothing more than minor nobles, the Duchess naturally could not help Yagna either.

Caught between hesitation and misery, Yagna actually fell into a dazed sleep with her head resting on her arms. The bedroom fell silent, save for the occasional crisp crackle from the fireplace.

The celebration in the first-floor dining room continued for a full three hours.

Once the festivities finally died down, Lynn brought Lao San to the second-floor study. Calling it a study was generous; there was not a single book on its shelves. There were only the lists of spoils they had seized from the territory, along with several ledgers Albert had sent over.

In an era when books could only be copied by hand, parchment books were rare and expensive. The few books originally kept in this study had naturally been taken away by those fleeing knights.

Lynn sat behind the desk, took an envelope from a drawer, and instructed, "Lao San, pick a few capable men and go to Three Rivers City for me tomorrow. Take this"

"letter to Leon."

Lao San accepted the letter and lowered his head to glance at the blank envelope. "Leon? That Black Market Merchant?"

Lynn reminded him again, "Yes, him. Remember, you must make absolutely certain that he receives it in person."

"Understood. Rest assured, Big Brother. I'll put it directly into his hands face-to-face." Lao San opened his wolfskin coat and carefully tucked the envelope into his chest.

Watching Lao San put away the letter, Lynn smiled and tapped the desk with his index finger. "Lao San, have you still been studying with Lao Liu lately?"

At the same time, he summoned the panel and carefully examined Lao San's data.

[Yang ★★]

[Command D][Strength D+][Constitution D+][Intelligence E+][Administration E][Charisma E]

[Loyalty: 98 (Accepted as follower)]

[Trait One: Potential—Experience gained increased]

[Trait Two: Discipline—Military discipline of commanded troops increased]

Lao San's real name was Yang. His father had been a Low-level Knight, so he had received some formal knight training and could barely be considered professionally trained.

When he was ten, his father lost his territory for various reasons. Their whole family was forced to wander, either joining mercenaries or becoming Horse Bandits.

The first time Lynn met him was in a small city south of the Northern Kingdom.

At the time, Yang had just joined a Mercenary Group. He was extremely green, with a row of E- attributes and barely a one-star evaluation.

But when Lynn saw his two traits, he immediately decided to recruit him.

Leaving aside [Discipline].

In the original version of the game Lord, [Potential] was an exceptionally powerful trait.

Followers with this trait improved their attributes far faster than ordinary people. As long as they were carefully cultivated, they often became the core backbone of a faction in the middle and late stages of the game.

After bringing Yang under his command, Lynn deliberately trained him, carefully selecting missions for him, and received astonishing returns.

That once skinny little mercenary now had attributes second only to Lynn among the Horse Bandits, far surpassing even Second Brother, who had joined a year before him.

It would probably not be long before he advanced to three stars.

Lao San scratched the back of his head shyly. "Big Brother, I've studied with Lao Liu for a whole year. According to him, I'm now barely qualified to continue my studies at a Monastery school."

Lao Liu, the last to join, was nominally the only educated man in the group.

Lynn had encountered Lao Liu while raiding a Monastery.

At the time, Lao Liu had still been a student at the Monastery. Faced with the Horse Bandits' blood-dripping Longswords and savage masks, he was not afraid at all. Instead, he looked eager and asked the Horse Bandits to take him in.

Lynn found it amusing and brought him along.

After a series of admission tests, the former Monastery student became the group's sixth brother and happened to become Lao San's first teacher.

"Not bad. That's quite a high evaluation. Being able to become a Monastery student means you've already mastered basic reading and writing. I should give you a reward."

With that, Lynn pulled open the lower drawer, took out a brown parchment book with a blurred cover, and handed it to Lao San.

"Big Brother, this is?"

"A History of the Founding of the Northern Kingdom written by some Nameless Priest. Take it and study it carefully. Back when we were Horse Bandits, being able to read and write letters was enough. Now that you're going to help me manage the territory, you should learn about the history of the Northern Border."