Territory Construction (Please Follow; Today Determines the Next Round of Recommendations)

Under Thor's orders, the serfs swiftly sprang into action.

As the serfs got to work, Thor also summoned the Knight Order.

More than four hundred members of the Knight Order were a substantial workforce, and Thor had no intention of letting it go to waste.

To other nobles, a Knight Order only needed to serve as military force. But to Thor, letting a group of people who possessed extraordinary power do nothing but fight would be an utter waste.

After all, four hundred knights with extraordinary power could build faster than tens of thousands of slaves.

As for how to motivate them, Thor had long had an idea.

The Knight Order gathered.

When Thor's intentions were announced,

everyone was stunned.

Even Steve was no exception.

"M-My lord, is... is what you said true?"

Steve's voice trembled with disbelief.

What had he just heard?

His lord actually intended to teach him the Falcon Breathing Technique, and even give the other Formal Knights an opportunity to cultivate it.

For a moment, Steve even wondered whether he was hearing things.

In this world, knights were wielders of extraordinary power, and a knight's breathing technique was undoubtedly the key to entering the extraordinary path. Some keys were better than others. While the Falcon Breathing Technique could not compare to the Eagle Breathing Technique, it was still an exceptionally first-rate breathing technique. Though it offered no certainty of breaking through to become a Sky Knight, it gave one a considerable chance of becoming an Earth Knight.

An Earth Knight.

The most elite beings in the kingdom beneath Sky Knights.

At that moment, Steve's lips felt terribly dry.

"Of course it is true!"

"Steve, I have already spread my wings. Then those who follow me must have a broader future as well. Knights, Great Knights—no, that is still not enough. I hope all of you can become beings who gallop across the earth and soar through the skies."

"What do you say? Let us pursue a broader future together!"

Thor spoke gently, his expression utterly serious.

He was naturally not joking.

To others, even to other families, a high-level knight's breathing technique was a treasure.

It would never be casually revealed.

But to him, it was merely a resource.

With the Daily Intelligence System constantly refreshing, he had no shortage of resources.

What he needed to do was make the greatest possible use of them.

Thus, he had already made a decision: he would establish a merit system. Anyone who accumulated enough merit could learn the Hunting Falcon Breathing Technique under the witness of the Goddess of Life, so long as they did not pass it on to others.

The first choices would be Steve and Ryan.

One was his Knight Captain, while the other would be his most important subordinate in the future.

Had it not been for the fact that he had not received permission for the Eagle Breathing Technique, he would even have wanted to spread that technique as well.

As Steve listened to Thor's words,

only then did he finally know that he was not dreaming.

"Yes!"

"My lord, Steve will follow you unto death. Wherever your blade points shall be the direction I follow!"

"By the Goddess of Life, I swear to serve you unto death."

Steve dropped to one knee and once again gave Thor the most solemn knightly salute.

Thor did not stop him.

Instead, he accepted the gesture.

Before long, the news swiftly spread throughout the Knight Order.

For a time, the entire Knight Order erupted.

Although Thor currently only granted Steve and Ryan the right to learn the Falcon Breathing Technique, while everyone else merely had an opportunity, that opportunity alone was enough. He had promised that any Formal Knight who earned sufficient merit would have the chance to learn it. He had also promised the Apprentices in the Knight Order that if they broke through to become Formal Knights, they would be given the same opportunity.

This news was like a massive bomb, leaving everyone utterly stunned.

It also sent every knight, Apprentice Knight, and even Reserve Knight into a frenzy of excitement.

Their loyalty toward Thor instantly reached its peak.

The Falcon Breathing Technique—it was the Falcon Breathing Technique!

Even within the entire Dreyrosa Family, only a handful of people had truly obtained this breathing technique.

No one else had the right to obtain it.

No one had expected that the moment they arrived in the territory, their lord would give them such explosive news.

Even if it was merely an opportunity, it was enough to send knight after knight into excitement and fervor.

Even when Thor promptly issued a series of orders for constructing the territory,

not a single knight raised any complaint. Everyone threw themselves into the bustling construction work.

With four hundred knights joining in, especially the thirty-six Formal Knights,

construction throughout the territory accelerated countless times over.

After all, every Apprentice Knight was comparable to a piece of heavy machinery, let alone a Formal Knight. Their construction speed was simply beyond comparison with ordinary people.

In less than three days,

the entire camp had begun to take shape.

Wooden houses rose one after another.

At the same time, the serfs enclosed the entire camp.

At the very center stood the foundation of a castle that had already been laid.

At the current pace, the castle would be completed in half a month at most, and the surrounding buildings could be finished as well.

That was the result of having knights involved.

Otherwise, if the serfs had been left to build it themselves, they might not have reached this stage even in half a year.

And by the time half a year had passed,

there would be no hope of planting crops that year.

In fact, most Pioneer Knights

had almost no output in their first year, sometimes even their second, and could only rely on supplies from Loren City.

That was precisely why prices in Loren City remained so high.

Consumption far exceeded production.

Large quantities of goods had to be transported from other provinces of the kingdom, so naturally their prices were much higher.

But that was for others.

For Thor,

before leaving Dreyrosa Castle, he had already made thorough preparations.

This year, he had no intention of following the other Pioneer Knights and forgoing planting.

His month of preparation had involved not only reading a great number of books, but also sorting through some memories from his previous life.

According to his plans, he would be able to reap a harvest this very year.

All that remained was to follow his original plan step by step.

Night gradually fell.

Another day was about to pass.

Tomorrow would already be the fourth day.

According to the season, it was time to prepare for planting crops. Any later, and the crops would likely be difficult to harvest.

Inside the crude house,

Anna kept stealing glances at the figure in the distance.

Yet at that moment, the figure did not notice the girl's strange behavior.

A Parchment Scroll lay spread across the stone table.

A simple map had already appeared upon it.

This was the result of Thor's work over the past few days, as well as his plan for the territory's future.

A massive castle stood at the center, surrounded by square plots. They were places to settle the serfs, as well as the vast planting grounds he had divided up.

On closer inspection, there were exactly five hundred plots.

"Perhaps it is time to act."

Thor spoke softly, his eyes glinting.

The idea he had long considered was finally decided at that moment.

"Alice!"

His voice rang out.

"O-Oh!"

"Master!"

Anna spoke in a flustered voice and hurried over. At some point, she had gradually become accustomed to calling him Master.

"Help me wash up."

Thor spoke calmly.

"Y-Yes, Master!"

Anna lowered her head and replied softly.