Promise

Just as Locke was about to do something, he suddenly stopped and leaned back against his chair.

"Lord Locke, Gask, Cross, Marik, Berkeley, and Dahl, the five battalion commanders, have arrived."

"Mm, let them in."

After receiving Locke's permission, the five battalion commanders of the Tsunami Legion entered the tent one after another and bowed slightly to him.

"Lord Locke."

After entering Locke's tent, the first thing the five men saw was the man bound in a wooden cangue.

The sight immediately filled the five battalion commanders with unease.

Was it because they had offended Lord Locke last time that he intended to torture them as he had tortured this fellow?

Or...

But no matter what they thought, they did not dare show it before Locke.

"Mm, you're here."

Locke glanced at the five of them. The guard outside the tent had already told him the five battalion commanders' names.

However, this was the first time Locke had learned their names, and the guard had named them all at once. For the moment, Locke could not tell which name belonged to whom.

Still, Locke was in no hurry to figure it out. Barring any accidents, the futures of all five men would be tied to his.

"After considering it these past few days, I've decided to become the Grand Duke of this territory."

"I was away from camp a few days ago because I went to the Imperial Capital to report our victory against the Temple of Light to His Majesty Ceres."

"And as you wished, His Majesty Ceres has granted this land to me."

"From this day onward, this territory will be renamed 'Locke Territory.'"

Gask and the other four exchanged glances, delight appearing in all their eyes.

They had made the right gamble this time!

"Congratulations to Lord Locke on becoming Grand Duke."

"Gask, Cross, Marik, Berkeley, Dahl."

"Your subordinates are here."

Hearing Locke call their names, the five men immediately answered loudly.

"Starting now, you five are to begin constructing Locke Territory at once."

"I want you to build a Prefectural City capable of housing more than a million people within half a year, without affecting the lives of the people of Locke Territory."

"This is the first task I am giving you. I hope you take my words to heart."

"Once the city is completed, I will grant you noble titles according to your performance in this task."

"Yes, Lord Locke."

Having received Locke's promise, Gask and the other four were overjoyed. They dropped to one knee before him and pledged their loyalty.

"Lord Locke, we shall go make preparations at once."

After swearing their loyalty to Locke, the excited five men intended to immediately begin carrying out the task he had assigned.

After all, Lord Locke had said that once the city was built, he would grant them noble titles.

A noble title was the pursuit of their entire lives!

If they had not feared disturbing the people within the territory and earning Lord Locke's displeasure, they could have issued labor conscription throughout the territory and had the able-bodied residents build the city.

That way, they could have completed Lord Locke's task in at most a month.

However, since Lord Locke had already extended the deadline to half a year and specifically said that the residents' normal lives must not be affected, they naturally could not do that.

But that did not trouble them.

In order to complete the construction of the Locke Territory Lord's Manor sooner and obtain noble titles earlier, they felt that the soldiers under their command could also contribute to the construction of the Prefectural City.

The weakest soldiers in the Tsunami Legion were intermediate warriors of Level Three or above. If they were put to work building the city, every one of them would be a first-rate laborer worth ten ordinary men.

Of course, even as battalion commanders of the Tsunami Legion, if the five of them wanted the soldiers under their command to participate in the city's construction, they would have to offer something in return.

Otherwise, if the soldiers lost heart later, the troops would become difficult to lead.

At that moment, they no longer felt there was anything inappropriate about Lord Locke keeping a tortured prisoner in his tent.

"Mm, go."

Locke waved them away. Only after Gask and the other four had left did he turn his gaze toward the Temple of Light's Knight Commander.

"Y-you, what are you going to do?"

The Temple of Light's Knight Commander felt his scalp go numb under Locke's gaze. Trembling, he asked, "You said just now that you wouldn't force me to answer."

"Don't go back on your word..."

Unfortunately, Locke ignored him completely.

In Locke's eyes, this man was undoubtedly the most suitable test subject for hands-on experimentation at this stage.

Closing his eyes, Locke released his Mental Strength, which surged toward the Knight Commander in an instant.

Locke had already reached the peak of the Saint Domain, while this Knight Commander had been forcibly elevated to the Saint Domain by the Light Lord God Augusta.

Although his Mental Strength had also reached roughly the level of a Rank 7 Mage, such Mental Strength had no defensive power whatsoever before Locke.

It was like popping a bubble—Locke's Mental Strength encountered no meaningful resistance at all.

With ease, Locke's Mental Strength entered the soul space of this Temple of Light Knight Commander.

This did not surprise Locke.

After all, not many people at the Saint Domain stage could grasp Soul Attack.

This fellow was merely a hastily elevated Saint Domain expert. He likely had not even figured out the essence of "Unity of Heaven and Man," much less how to mobilize Mental Strength for soul attacks or defense.

"So weak..."

Shaking his head, Locke condensed his Mental Strength into his own form within the man's soul space and slowly moved forward.

When every living being reached the Saint Domain, their soul power would condense into something. This was the "essence" of their soul.

The four supreme rule magics, for instance, required one to possess the corresponding "essence" in order to cultivate them.

For example, if one's soul condensed into a weapon, that person could be considered to have the aptitude to cultivate the Destruction Law.

If the soul condensed into a plant, that person could be considered to have the aptitude to cultivate the Life Law.

If it condensed into the skeleton of some creature, that person possessed the aptitude to cultivate the Death Rule.

If it was a book, that person might possess the aptitude to cultivate the Fate Law.

The Knight Commander's soul had condensed into a faint flame.

Locke slowly stepped forward, arriving at the very center of the Knight Commander's soul. He reached out toward that faint flame...