Buckland

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Buckland (巴克兰)
Alias(es)	Sugar; Sugar White Tiger; Elder Buckland 73 80
Species/Race	Tiger-man of the White Tiger Clan 73
Gender	Male 73
Age	Elderly; exact age unspecified 73
Affiliation	White Tiger Clan; High Mountain Keep 73 79
Occupation/Role	Naturalist and natural historian; Steward and internal affairs manager of High Mountain Keep 73 79 94
First Appearance	Chapter 73, “Naturalist Buckland” 73

Background / History

Arrival at High Mountain Keep

Annie introduces Buckland to Richard as a renowned naturalist seeking to research the wilderness around High Mountain Keep. His short, stout appearance surprises Richard, who expects a Tiger-man to resemble the race’s famously imposing warriors. Richard permits him to stay, and Buckland immediately begins collecting specimens 73.

Initially treated as an outsider, Buckland is excluded from a confidential military-industrial conference. While gathering specimens, he meets the visiting Skaar Lizardfolk and intervenes before Richard’s guards can capture them. His explanation of their destination and unusual racial traits changes Richard’s approach from interrogation to recruitment 75.

Buckland doubts that the Skaar would choose an undeveloped pioneering territory over King Sagre’s capital. Their successful recruitment leaves him bewildered, and he remains skeptical when Richard credits an Asura Elixir that grants strength through killing 76.

Becoming Steward

Buckland recommends the Sacred Word Prayer Technique as a suitable complement to Richard’s exceptional physical strength and supplies an old manual. He also volunteers to oversee High Mountain Keep’s internal affairs, praising the settlement’s vigorous growth over the stagnation of larger cities. Richard welcomes the offer because his fighting-oriented followers are poorly suited to paperwork 78 79.

Following the defeat of the Brown Bear’s Roar Legion, Buckland systematically questions the prisoners and reconstructs the invading force’s background. He urges Richard to report the Stuart legion’s attack to the Noble’s Estate, recognizing the incident’s political significance beyond a local military victory 95.

Richard’s Disappearance

When Richard disappears and a Spatial Rift is discovered near the iron mine, Buckland prevents the Centaurs from rushing into an unknown danger. His speech persuades them to preserve order and wait rather than risk further losses 223.

During Richard’s absence, Buckland helps settle hundreds of newly arrived Highland Barbarians and additional Centaurs, managing their provisions and declining morale. He later credits Melissa and the elven guards with shouldering half the burden when manpower was short. Richard returns to find the settlement well maintained and assigns Buckland preparations for an incoming Tiger Spirit Tribe 226 227.

Appearance

• Build: Short and stout, standing shorter than Annie; markedly unlike the towering Tiger-man warriors Richard expects 73.
• Head and face: Tiger-like head, small eyes, white chin hair, and a balding scalp with sparse hair carefully combed over it 73 75.
• Clothing: Wears a hooded cloak on arrival and dark clothing in later scenes 73 107.
• Spectacles: Round tortoiseshell glasses with one missing arm, secured to his ear by thin hemp string 73.
• Later accessory: Uses a cane to call a gathering to order 367.

Personality

Buckland usually wears a kindly smile, favors peaceful solutions, and becomes increasingly protective with age. He tries to prevent unnecessary conflict with the Skaar and warns Abel against challenging Richard to a duel. His gentleness does not stop him from delivering blunt criticism when he considers someone reckless or naive 75 80 82 230 322.

He is curious, talkative, and proud of his scholarship. His explanations are entertaining, though he sometimes deliberately pauses to make listeners ask for the next part. He objects sharply when Richard appears to question his biological knowledge, but readily acknowledges a good explanation outside his own expertise 107 108 289.

His casual, sometimes slovenly appearance contrasts with his meticulous official work. He enjoys inventory management, keeps documents organized, and resents interruptions that ruin his calculations. Although he frequently mocks Richard’s behavior, he ultimately regards the lord’s loyalty to those close to him as a genuine moral strength 106 292 438.

Abilities & Skills

Natural History and Racial Knowledge

Buckland’s principal expertise is the study of living creatures and peoples 73.

• Identifies the Skaar visitors and explains the tribe’s unusual connection to its dragon mounts 75.
• Explains that offspring of two Half-Elves tend to be closer to pure-blood Elves than their parents, allowing a lineage to approach elven purity over generations 181.
• Challenges the assumption that accuracy alone makes an effective archer, emphasizing the strength needed to penetrate armor 181.
• Recognizes biological differences between Sand Spiders and intelligent humanoid species 289.
• Has limits to his knowledge: Richard’s explanation of blood types is entirely unfamiliar to him 277.

Administration and Resource Management

Buckland handles the domestic work that Richard’s warriors cannot reliably perform 79 227.

• Oversees livestock, tax, and population accounting, alongside monthly income and expenditure 79 292.
• Supplies precise personnel figures, including the forty-six vassal militiamen assigned to an outlying post 187.
• Warns about the financial implications of expanding the army to three thousand soldiers 178.
• Suspends the conspicuous arms business while Richard and most warriors are missing, leaving production stockpiled for later use 227.
• Ends disputes among cowhands by dividing grazing areas and judging performance by livestock output 394.

Political and Strategic Advice

Buckland combines historical knowledge with practical attention to institutional constraints.

• Explains Beruni’s manipulation of legion classifications and contrasts his rule with Sagre’s cautious, prosperity-building policies 85 107.
• Assesses the wider Pompeii–Stuart conflict rather than assuming a bilateral war guarantees Pompeii’s victory 108.
• Warns that Suffolk’s desire to prove himself could encourage rushed decisions 116.
• Raises concerns about the internal balance of power if strong elven archers join High Mountain Keep 184.
• Advises against kidnapping Bishop Paul to deal with the Resentful Ghost and proposes Qichu’s Ring of Sky and Thunder, while noting its one-year cooldown 330.

His caution sometimes exceeds his confidence in the keep’s soldiers. Before facing a force of three thousand, he proposes reinforcements or hired mercenaries despite Richard’s certainty of victory 86.

Knowledge of Cultivation and Magical Equipment

Buckland provides guidance and analysis rather than a documented personal cultivation progression.

• Explains the Sacred Word Prayer Technique’s strength amplification and substantial magic resistance 78.
• Gives Richard its manual and offers guidance on beginning cultivation 79 80.
• Suggests reusing a Magic Crystal recovered from captured armor 94.
• Recognizes the usefulness of Richard’s magnetic control and defense-enhancing “Body Like Iron” effect for close combat 244.
• Rejects dismissing Battle Aura solely as degraded magic, arguing that an independent discipline develops its own trajectory 278.

Equipment / Items

• Tortoiseshell spectacles — His habitual glasses; initially repaired with hemp string and repeatedly adjusted or cleaned during conversations 73 107.
• Hooded cloak — Worn during his introduction and wilderness research 73.
• Golden oak leaf — Worn at his chest; he presses it while advocating peace and later holds it to his brow when anxious before battle. Its precise significance is not explained 82 86.
• Sacred Word Prayer Technique manual — An old, well-preserved parchment book given to Richard. Its previous owners’ signatures include “Nero,” though identification with the historic rebel is uncertain 79.
• Cane — Used to silence a crowd during an enfeoffment gathering 367.

Relationships

• Richard — Lord, employer, and close companion. Buckland supplies scholarly advice and domestic management while freely criticizing Richard’s recklessness. Richard increasingly relies on him to keep the territory functioning 79 226 227.
• Annie — Introduces him to High Mountain Keep and regularly joins his discussions with Richard. Their easy familiarity includes Annie cleaning his spectacles, though he bluntly challenges her trust in Elizabeth 73 107 322.
• Melissa — Fellow knowledgeable adviser. They agree that Battle Aura deserves consideration as an independent system; Buckland explicitly praises her and the elven guards for supporting the keep during Richard’s absence 227 278.
• Gunther — Initially mistakes Gunther’s confidence in Richard’s recruitment plans for flattery 76.
• Elizabeth — Views her as a serious security risk despite her fragile appearance, warning Richard against complacency and questioning whether releasing her would be safe 314 322.
• Centaurs of High Mountain Keep — Rallies them to maintain order rather than enter the Spatial Rift recklessly while Richard is missing 223.

Notable Quotes

“Young people these days. They either worship the ancient blindly or condemn it blindly. What difference is there between the two?” 78

“That’s a bigger pond, but unfortunately, it’s nothing but stagnant water.”
— Comparing Corin with High Mountain Keep 79

“As a naturalist, you can insult me personally, but don’t insult my professional knowledge.” 289

Trivia

• Richard suspects that Buckland’s cloak is intended to protect him from the sun because of possible albinism; this remains Richard’s interpretation, not a confirmed diagnosis 73.
• His rheumatism persists despite treatment with Holy Light Divine Arts 388.
• The grazing-management dispute he resolves later becomes a wargaming case for Ripper officers studying strategy 394.