Gathering the Men, Rebuilding West Lyme!

For the next three days, Henry did practically nothing else. Dressed in plain clothes, he spent morning to night in taverns, shooting the breeze with commoners.

Especially Audoh's gang members and mercenaries from small groups—those people were the best-informed.

Henry also picked up over a hundred experience points along the way. Sweet.

At that moment, Henry's face was flushed red. He patted the burly man in front of him with bleary eyes and said drunkenly, "Brother Danilo, if what you say is true, doesn't that mean the Eastern Region is about to go to war?"

Wearing an expression that said he knew everything, Danilo replied, "Of course. I collect tolls for our boss.

"You know how many Trade Caravans enter through the various Gatehouses every day, how much merchandise they dump on the market, and how much local stuff they buy? I keep track of all that."

After saying that, Danilo leaned closer and lowered his voice. "But for the past twenty-something days, the boss has told me to stop doing that..."

Henry asked at just the right moment, "Why? You told me your gang made a lot of money and wanted to recruit me, but now you don't even dare collect tolls."

Danilo hurriedly waved his hands and explained, "Brother, hear me out. We aren't collecting tolls this time because these Trade Caravans are a big deal! They've been dumping goods in huge quantities, and a closer look shows that they're all military supplies.

"And recently, a batch of Legion Infantry suddenly appeared at the Imperial Office. Ever since then, the boss hasn't let me collect tolls. What that means goes without saying."

Danilo seemed afraid that Henry would refuse to join the gang over such a trivial matter.

Over the past two days of playing chess, Danilo had lost to Henry every day, losing several dozen Denars. He had originally thought that if he could not beat him at the board, then he would just rob him.

But when seven or eight of them cornered Henry in an alley, Henry turned around and surrounded them by himself. Danilo's group got beaten to a pulp!

Henry's fists were like hammers. Taking even one hit was practically like being half-dead.

"I see..." Henry nodded thoughtfully.

He had already suspected as much. Now it seemed that the clouds of war had long hung over the Eastern Region.

Perhaps even earlier than that, because the King had noticed the Eastern Region long ago.

No wonder the academy only granted knighthood to me this year. It looks like the King has long wanted those overly energetic people in the kingdom to open up the frontier.

"Brother, thank you for telling me all this." Henry stood up and staggered toward the door.

"Hey, brother, where are you going?" Danilo asked in confusion.

"To take a piss..." Henry replied without looking back.

The moment Henry left, Danilo hurried away as well.

After walking out of the tavern, Henry took a deep breath, and much of his drunkenness immediately faded.

Henry waved toward Bain in the distance. Once Bain ran over, he asked, "Have the Butlers arrived? Did you pick them up?"

Bain nodded. "I did. Chamberlain Tommy, Steward Claude, and Captain Philip have all arrived. They're waiting for you at the Earl's Mansion."

Henry immediately returned to the Earl's Mansion with Bain. The moment he opened the door to his residence, he saw his three most capable men.

"Master, we..."

Henry stepped forward and gave all three of them a big hug, cutting off their report.

Tommy and Claude had been requested from the biological mother of this body after Henry took first place in his first year at the academy.

The two of them were capable, experienced, and most importantly, loyal!

Henry had coveted the two of them for a long time, but as the second son of a noble family, he had not been qualified to make such demands.

But after he won first place for one school year and became the champion of the Royal Lycaron Arena Tournament twice, he had become qualified.

It was only a matter of time before Henry became an Independent Noble. Everyone knew that first place, or even the top few places, at the Royal Knight Academy would receive either an actual Fief or a nominal one.

When Tommy and Claude learned that Henry wanted them, they told Henry's biological mother that they were willing to go.

If Henry's elder brother had not been the eldest son with the right to inherit the barony, who in the Baron Chas Family would not have liked Henry, the young master who had been outstanding since childhood?

As for Philip, he was a mercenary Henry had defeated several times in the Arena Tournament. From then on, he had been won over by Henry's charisma and began working for him.

Claude smiled and hugged Henry, then said, "Master, you're a noble now. You can't act as you did before."

Tommy nodded. "Master, you mustn't act like this in front of outsiders. It undermines your dignity."

"Alright, alright, I know." Henry smiled and sat down. "Tell me, how did the task go?"

Tommy began, "Master, everything went smoothly. Following your instructions, we returned home. Your father and mother were delighted to learn that you had become the King's vassal. They gave you several Travel Horses and thirty Denars as a gift.

"Your elder brother... was also very happy. He even gave me fifty Denars, saying it was a congratulatory gift for you."

Henry smiled. His elder brother had it rough enough already. He had been overshadowed by Henry since childhood, and just seeing Henry wandering around in front of him gave him a headache. Now Henry had gone off to become a noble at the distant border. His brother could finally rest easy.

Philip continued, "Your Personal Guard has expanded to fifty men. Besides our original twenty Heavy Cavalry, the thirty new recruits are all Infantry: ten Veteran Shielded Crossbowmen, ten Veteran Spearmen, and ten Veteran Skirmishers."

"Very good." Henry nodded in satisfaction. "War may come soon. We must rebuild our Fief as quickly as possible, and we must increase our forces."

Claude hesitated before saying, "Master, our funds are limited. I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle all these matters at once."

A Heavy Cavalryman earned four Denars and five silver coins a month, or four hundred and fifty Sous. The monthly wages for twenty Heavy Cavalrymen came to ninety Denars.

A Veteran Shielded Crossbowman earned one Denar and two silver coins a month. Ten of them cost twelve Denars a month.

Veteran Spearmen and Skirmishers both earned eighty Sous a month. Twenty men cost sixteen Denars a month.

A monthly military expense of one hundred and eighteen Denars was fatal to Henry, whose current income was practically zero.

Henry cleared his throat and explained the contracts he had signed and the deals he had made over the past few days. Then...

Claude and Tommy stared wide-eyed and fell silent. To them, this news was no different from the Calradia Continent exploding outright!

Claude involuntarily rose to his feet and asked, "Master! How did you invest all your money? More than eight thousand seven hundred Denars, and that was only the deposit? Just how massive was this deal?"

Henry unconsciously rubbed his leg and said, "More than sixty thousand Denars..."

Claude stretched out a trembling hand. "Master! You're more than fifty thousand Denars in debt now! We don't have the money to follow through!"

Tommy sighed. "Claude, don't forget that our Master also signed a wager agreement with Baron Pedro.

"If he fails, Master will have to pay at least one hundred and seventy-three thousand Denars for the castle's construction."

Philip belatedly asked, "Master, do we still have money to pay the Soldiers?"

Claude gave a solemn bow. "Master, if construction on the castle has not begun, we must immediately stop this wager!"

Henry laughed twice. "Baron Pedro's people have already begun construction in West Lyme. I heard he sent many Construction Teams—over two thousand Stonemasons and carpenters. They've nearly finished digging the foundation, and the stone has already been delivered."

Claude sighed. "Master, Baron Pedro wants this castle built quickly so he can bind you to this agreement!

"I've lived for over thirty years, and I've never heard of anyone mobilizing more than two thousand people to build a castle for a Knight Noble."

By convention, even a viscount would only use a few hundred people to slowly build a large military complex like this over three years.

Based on Henry's description, Baron Pedro intended to raise a castle from flat ground in three months!

"There's no need to worry about the funds."

Henry said calmly, "There will be an Arena Tournament in a few days. I can earn a huge sum there, so don't worry. At the very least, the army's wages will be covered."

Henry looked at Philip and continued, "Make sure the Personal Guard maintains its combat readiness. War could break out at any time. Tommy, you and Claude will go to West Lyme to coordinate resources and oversee Pedro's material supplies and financial management...

"Forget it. Philip, take the Personal Guard with you. I don't need protection here. Bain is enough."

Henry took a deep breath and said, "I have the confidence and ability to win this wager. What you need to ensure is that this castle is not shoddily built just to save time."

Everyone accepted their orders. Since Henry believed he would succeed, what else could they say?

Tommy thought for a moment and asked in confusion, "Master, what resources are we going there to coordinate?"

Henry smiled and replied, "Among the merchants who reached trade agreements with me for the Fief, there are two key figures. One is named Harry, and the other is Bern.

"I've already told them your names and Claude's. Bring my crest and handwritten letter. Once word of the Pioneer Act arrives, immediately begin rebuilding West Lyme according to... the standards of a Subsidiary Village for a Fortress."

"The Pioneer Act? Master, you don't know? The Empire's legions have already reached the border, and the Capital has activated the Pioneer Act!"

Henry blinked and immediately said, "Then go to the Open-Air Market now and begin organizing the reconstruction of West Lyme immediately."

"Yes, Master. We will complete your task."

Henry nodded and smiled. "Bain, tell the Earl's Butler to prepare more food today. You can eat before you leave."

"Thank you, Master."