Others had noticed what Victor was doing. Many Vela Nobles and Raine Nobles who had accompanied the army followed his example and began surveying the occupied territory themselves.
These nobles had less need for farmland, however. They cared more about the estates' existing assets, such as mines—holdings that could bring in a steady stream of wealth.
It was then that Earl Stanley sent someone to find Victor.
Busy putting the army's affairs in order, Earl Stanley had no time to meet him, so he wrote Victor a letter.
In it, he praised Victor's abilities. He said he had reviewed a great deal of intelligence from the Vila Civil War, all supplied by Kingdom Nightingale.
He had seen how well the Interim Management Committee Victor established after occupying Lincoln County had worked. It had maintained order, kept the county running smoothly without major unrest, and greatly restored production and commerce.
Stanley considered Victor a model noble: a man who could lead troops in battle and govern a territory afterward. He wanted to entrust Victor with an important task—restoring agriculture and commerce across the entire occupied territory.
The occupied territory had been divided into three regions, and the Raine Kingdom had sent three interim governors to administer the vast area. Earl Stanley believed their abilities were limited, though. At best, they could keep trouble from breaking out.
That was not enough for Earl Stanley. He wanted to put the occupied territory's resources to use in the next phase of the East Sea Alliance Invasion War.
So he had turned to Victor. He believed Victor could keep the territory stable while supplying the joint Raine–Vela army with materials and manpower—even if all he managed to provide was more grain.
The earlier fighting had left grain scarce throughout the occupied territory. Some places were