Noble

"Can you tell me why?"

Locke's words immediately startled the five battalion commanders, leaving them drenched in cold sweat.

What had they just been doing?

They had actually been dissatisfied with a powerful man who could easily kill two Saint Domain experts?

"Forgive us, Lord Locke. We were disrespectful."

Realizing this, the five battalion commanders immediately dropped to one knee before Locke.

Their actions made Locke deeply dissatisfied.

What he hated most were people who spoke in riddles.

Back when he was weak, he had needed to gauge the moods of the powerful. But now that he had become powerful himself, there were only a handful of people in the entire Vakanda Plane stronger than him.

Under such circumstances, Locke snorted coldly. "I asked you to tell me why you were angry. Is this how you intend to brush me off?"

"This..."

The five battalion commanders exchanged glances. In the end, the oldest middle-aged man spoke.

"Lord Locke, according to His Majesty Ceres's decree, any territory retaken in the war against the Temple of Light will become the legion commander's fief."

"Every legion commander who wins in the war will be granted the title of Grand Duke by His Majesty Ceres."

"As Lord Locke's subordinates, as long as we swear allegiance to you, we can become your private soldiers."

"Within his own territory, a Grand Duke has the authority to confer the titles of two counts, five viscounts, and twenty barons."

"We were willing to join the Tsunami Legion and follow Lord Locke in campaigning against the Temple of Light because we wanted to strive for a future."

"So, when we heard Lord Locke say that this territory would be governed by nobles sent by His Majesty Ceres, we felt that everything we had done would be in vain."

"Because given our backgrounds, we would absolutely never be valued by the newly arrived nobles..."

"So that was it."

After listening to the battalion commander's explanation, Locke finally learned that in a war between two factions, retaken territory would actually become the legion commander's fief.

The legion commander's status would also rise in one leap, making him second only to His Majesty Ceres in the Frost Snow Empire.

It could even secure a good status for his family.

No wonder Bolton had insisted on launching a campaign against the Temple of Light after reaching the Saint Domain, despite knowing that the Frost Snow Empire had lost a Saint Domain expert and a hundred thousand soldiers just over twenty years ago.

Unfortunately, a single campaign could produce at most one additional Grand Duke for the Frost Snow Empire. That was why Bolton had been so hostile toward his arrival.

If Bolton failed to defeat him before news of his appointment as legion commander spread, then once Locke took over the legion commander position from Bolton, even if the Frost Snow Empire won this war, the position of Grand Duke would belong to him.

At most, Bolton would only receive the title of count.

Although the rank of count was only one level below that of Grand Duke, the difference in status and standing was worlds apart.

Even counting Locke, the entire Frost Snow Empire had only seven Grand Dukes at present.

There were at least over a hundred counts.

If Bolton only wanted the title of count, why would he go through the trouble of forming the Tsunami Legion?

In the Frost Snow Empire, anyone who reached the Saint Domain and wished to serve His Majesty Ceres could obtain the title of count.

Was he stupid?

Why would he still come and become someone else's subordinate?

Locke rubbed his hand beneath his chin as he pondered carefully.

Was he going to become the Grand Duke of this territory?

No. Whether he became a Grand Duke or not would have little impact on him.

In this dangerous world, only strength could ensure the safety of himself and those he cared about.

Therefore, whether or not he became a Grand Duke, Locke still had to cultivate. He simply had no interest in governing this territory.

With that in mind, Locke said to the five battalion commanders under the Tsunami Legion, "I understand your demands."

"I only learned from you that conquering this territory would allow it to become my fief."

"However, I still need to consider whether I will inherit the title of Grand Duke."

"For now, use the fastest speed possible to raise the Frost Snow Empire's flag throughout this territory."

"Once I have made up my mind, I will summon you."

"Yes, Lord Locke."

The five battalion commanders were overjoyed. From Locke's tone, they could tell that Lord Locke seemed inclined to become a Grand Duke.

As far as they knew, Lord Locke had cultivated his way into the Saint Domain from humble origins and was not a noble from some great family.

Therefore, if Lord Locke was willing to become a Grand Duke, their Tsunami Legion would become the private soldiers he trusted most.

They did not dare dream of becoming counts.

But they stood a very good chance of obtaining those five viscount positions.

After striving all their lives, who didn't want to secure a better birth for their descendants?

After the five squadron commanders left the tent, Locke glanced at the Knight Commander he had tossed into a corner.

After this period of treatment, the man's wounds had completely healed.

However, there was still no sign of improvement in the shattered bones throughout his body.

Unless a Saint-level Expert of the Light Element came to cast a recovery-type forbidden spell on him, there was no way Locke could heal the Knight Commander with his current abilities alone.

Of course, Locke had no intention of fully healing him.

He only needed to keep the man alive and make sure he did not die.

After confirming that the man would not wake up anytime soon, Locke gave the guards outside the tent a few instructions. Then he flew into the sky, got his bearings, and headed for Pu'er Village.

Looking down at the scenery below, Locke remembered that when he had fled this battlefield back then, waited several months in Bidia Territory, and then taken a carriage from Bidia Territory back to Pu'er Village in Enbo Territory, the journey had taken nearly three months.

Now, having reached the Saint level and able to fly through the sky, he took less than five days.

The gap between the two was something ordinary people could never truly comprehend.

Locke's return sparked another wave of celebration in Pu'er Village.

The villagers all felt honored that their village now had a Saint-level Expert.

Locke did not put on any airs before his fellow villagers. He still spoke with everyone as a junior.

Only after the villagers had all left did Locke come before his parents.

"Father, Mother..."

Locke then told his parents how he had received His Majesty Ceres's summons, become the commander of the Tsunami Legion, and won a victory in the battle against the Temple of Light.

"So, Father, Mother, I came here to ask whether you would be willing to leave Pu'er Village and become nobles?"

Sorry, everyone. Wu You had something come up today and was delayed, so there's only one chapter.