First Exploration

"My Lord, are you truly going to patrol the forest to the north?"

Yagna watched Lynn as he flipped through the account books, her emotions complex.

Her ex-husband had vanished into the forest west of the territory, leaving behind neither hide nor hair, and her own fate had been violently upended as a result.

If Lynn were to disappear into the forest as well, where would the small boat of her destiny drift next?

She could not imagine it, nor did she dare to think about it.

Although Lynn was a bastard noble who wanted to make her his mistress, at least this bastard had agreed to let her remain in White Bear Territory and had promised to help her seek revenge in the future.

Now, whenever she faced Lynn, Yagna found her heart racing uncontrollably.

Yet, she still could not make a choice.

"What, have you thought through the question from the day before yesterday? Are you willing to be my mistress?"

Facing the reinforcements Old Albert had brought, Lynn did not even look up, answering the question with another question.

"No, not yet."

Caught off guard by such a sudden inquiry, Yagna was instantly stunned. She lowered her head, a flush spreading across her fair cheeks, stammering and unable to say a word.

"Then go back and keep thinking about it."

After casually dismissing Yagna, Lynn called all five brothers into the study.

"Second Brother, pack your things; you're coming with me to explore the forest. Lao San, leave for Three Rivers City immediately. Lao Si, Lao Wu, and Lao Liu, you are to stay and guard the territory. Look after the Castle for me, and if any problems arise, listen to Lao Liu."

Among the five brothers, Second Brother was primarily responsible for security, as his panel trait was [Guard].

Lao San was essentially the second-in-command of the horse bandit group, responsible for handling tricky matters for Lynn, and he had the potential to become a commander capable of holding his own in the future.

Lao Si and Lao Wu were pure muscle, their traits entirely combat-oriented. They were good at hacking people and drinking, but laymen at everything else. Lynn estimated their peak would be as fierce generals charging at the front.

As for the youngest and only educated one, Lao Liu, Lynn hadn't built a stage for him yet, so he could only have him work as a tutor to teach the brothers basic literacy.

After all, one of Lao Liu's traits was [Education]; he was good at teaching and nurturing.

With this "teacher" relationship, it was also easier to keep the restless Lao Si and Lao Wu in check.

"Big Brother, just take me to the north to have a look. The territory will be fine with Lao Wu and Lao Liu watching it. I'll definitely catch a few Wild People for you."

"Big Brother, I want to go too."

Sure enough, as soon as Lynn finished assigning tasks, Lao Si and Lao Wu began to clamor.

It wasn't that they didn't respect Lynn as their leader, but they were born with restless temperaments; their hands itched, and they always wanted to hack at something.

"What are you shouting about? Have you finished memorizing the words I assigned you?" Lao Liu stepped forward at this moment.

Although he wasn't tall, his presence was imposing, and he instantly suppressed Lao Si and Lao Wu.

In the end, the two bandit-students drooped their ears and obediently followed their teacher out of the study.

Lao San left shortly after with the letter; his task was the most important and his time the most pressing.

Once the four brothers had left the study one after another, Second Brother couldn't help but say, "Big Brother, do we need to send someone to monitor Albert and those stewards? I'm afraid that once you leave, they'll just slack off."

Second Brother was suspicious by nature, a habit formed from his youth spent in a Mercenary Group.

Seeing Yagna actively getting close to Lynn, he suspected she had ulterior motives.

Seeing Old Albert fawning every day, he suspected he had bad intentions.

Second Brother was like a lion on the savanna; he trusted no one outside of his own kin.

Lynn's northern expedition to explore the forest would certainly take weeks.

But with the Spring Planting in White Bear Territory imminent, Second Brother feared that the stewards would do the bare minimum without supervision, leading to a drop in yield for the Public Land belonging to the Lord.

In that case, it would be the Big Brother and all the horse bandits who suffered.

"Don't worry, Albert isn't an idiot. He knows what's important, and besides, don't we have Lao Liu and the others watching? Nothing will go wrong."

Lynn explained patiently; he didn't want to change Second Brother's personality.

A guard had to be this way; a suspicious nature helped Second Brother keenly detect potential dangers.

After making preparations, Lynn set off with Second Brother and two capable subordinates.

He didn't bring a cook or other servants; too many people would only slow down the exploration.

In the agricultural age, the area where humans could actually move was quite narrow.

If viewed from high above, the cultivated land of White Bear Territory was concentrated in a small area on the west bank of the White River, accounting for only the tip of the iceberg of the entire territory.

Lynn's group left the Castle, but after riding north for a little over half an hour, they saw a vast forest where the snow had not yet fully melted.

Opening the Pixel Map that came with the Lord system, the pixel figure representing Lynn had reached the edge of the known area.

Further north lay endless white fog.

As Lynn's group plunged into the forest, the fog on the map gradually dissipated, as if a lamp had been lit in the dark night, illuminating the path ahead for them.

In the Northern Border, especially in the Marsh Duke's territory, exploring unknown areas was particularly difficult.

The main reason lay in the marshes of all sizes that dotted the entire region.

The marshes in the forest were very good at disguising themselves; their surfaces were often covered with snow or fallen branches and leaves, giving one the illusion that they could be walked upon.

If a person fell in, it was fine; as long as there were reliable companions nearby, there was a high probability of being rescued.

Horses were not so lucky.

A horse that fell into a quagmire would instinctively struggle, only to sink deeper and deeper until it was completely swallowed by the swamp.

Now that the weather was gradually warming, these "man-eating beasts" hidden in the forest were also thawing and waking up.

Lynn had brought eight horses on this trip—four for riding and four for carrying rations, clothing, and weapons. Losing even one would be a huge blow.

Fortunately, he had already unlocked the map function of the Lord system. Although it was only a Pixel Map, it could still accurately display the forest marshes lying in ambush ahead.

Relying on the map, he could always lead the team to avoid potential dangers.

But the route forward became winding and convoluted, and their speed inevitably slowed down.

As evening approached, the group had only managed to travel about ten kilometers north.

Lynn was not impatient. With his rich experience in wilderness survival, he found a safe campsite under a large tree.

Leaving two subordinates to set up tents and tend to the horses, he and Second Brother took their bows and axes into the forest to hunt.

Before sunset, they found a suitable hunting spot—a forest clearing scattered with various animal tracks.

Lynn first smeared a large amount of honey on several tree trunks, then he and Second Brother hid in the bushes, waiting quietly.

The red light of the setting sun spilled between the ancient, massive pine trees.

Crows flew overhead, their cawing harsh and unpleasant.

Wild rabbits leaped across the grass, their feet making the dead leaves rustle.

Occasionally, an agile marten darted past, startling a few singing birds.

But everything gradually faded into silence.

When the sun completely vanished and the night swallowed the earth, the forest stage welcomed a new batch of actors.

(End of chapter)