Castle Upgrade

Watching the spinning wheel slow down, Reiner's eyes widened. He kept muttering, "Afs, Afs!"

He was even speaking so fast that he mispronounced Afs as "F4," though that was indeed the correct pronunciation.

As the pointer drew closer and closer to General Afs, Reiner held his breath, a tremendous sense of joy filling him.

He broke into a radiant smile, like a blooming chrysanthemum, his eyes crinkling shut. But just as he was basking in his triumph, the System dealt him a huge blow.

The almost motionless spinning wheel proved incredibly stubborn. Despite having lost most of its kinetic energy, it stubbornly continued to rotate.

Reiner watched helplessly as the pointer slowly moved past the square where General Afs was. No matter how much he wished to stop it, he couldn't make the pointer return to General Afs's position.

Only after the pointer had passed General Afs did it finally come to a powerless halt.

Congratulations, Host, you have obtained a heroic character: Lord Reyland from the Calradia Continent. He was once a lord of the Rhodok Kingdom, an excellent infantry commander who, on multiple occasions, led the Rhodok Kingdom's Spearmen and Crossbowmen to defeat the Swadian Kingdom's cavalry-centric forces. Loyalty: 80. Overall rating: Four stars.

The System's synthesized voice sounded in Reiner's ears. He was still deep in the sorrow of having lost General Afs. After a moment, Reiner finally snapped out of it.

"Holy cow! It's a Mount and Blade special today! Why are all the hero characters from the Calradia Continent?" Reiner had an impression of Lord Reyland.

When he played Mount and Blade, he used to serve under the "great" Harlaus. When using Swadian Kingdom troops, he often met his demise in the endless mountains of the Rhodok Kingdom.

And Lord Reyland often appeared among the armies besieging him. So, upon seeing the name Lord Reyland, he instantly recalled his "glorious" days on the Calradia Continent.

As a "great adventurer," there was nothing he hadn't done: stealing cattle, burning villages, getting his skull cracked by sea raiders… resisting sea raider invasions…

"Lord Reyland… well, never mind. After all, he's a four-star hero, so that's pretty good!" Reiner felt a pang of loss, only able to comfort himself weakly.

However, after a while, Reiner still felt that this draw wasn't a loss after all. While General Afs was powerful, he was also out of reach. Though Lord Reyland wasn't as dazzling, he was still very talented.

Thinking about it carefully, one should know when to be content. Reiner was already very satisfied to have drawn such a hero.

Calming himself, Reiner proceeded to check the other options. He decided to manifest Reyland tomorrow and bring him under his command through a reasonable method.

At this moment, Reiner still had a Castle Upgrade Card he hadn't used. Reiner was very curious what Morland Castle would look like after upgrading.

The Castle Upgrade Card was not a cheap item. What Reiner had now was a Tier 1 Castle Upgrade Card, the lowest tier. In the System Mall, it cost a full one thousand merit points.

The highest, Tier 5 upgrade card, required five thousand merit points to redeem. Even after participating in two battles and completing one merit mission, Reiner had only accumulated a little over seven hundred merit points.

He couldn't even redeem a single Castle Upgrade Card. However, if these seven hundred-plus merit points were all used to redeem Crimson Gryphon Knights, he could get thirty-five of them. Adding that to his current number, that would be a total of forty Crimson Gryphon Knights. Given their combat power, these mere forty men could even break through an army of a thousand.

However, it was clear the System didn't give Reiner that loophole. As soon as the number of Crimson Gryphon Knights exceeded fifty, the redemption cost per unit would increase by ten points. That meant when the number of Crimson Gryphon Knights surpassed fifty, redeeming one more would cost thirty merit points.

"System, how do I use this Castle Upgrade Card? Does it take time to build after use, or is it instantly completed?" Reiner asked.

The Castle Upgrade Card takes effect immediately upon use, upgrading the current castle to a Tier 1 castle and altering memories to make everyone accept the castle's changes!

the System said in its cold, synthesized voice.

Reiner raised an eyebrow. So this seemingly unimpressive System could be so powerful, even capable of altering memories.

"Excellent. Immediately use the Tier 1 Castle Upgrade Card. Use it on Morland Castle!"

Understood, Lord. Please select an upgrade direction.

Option 1: Military Castle. Next tier: Fortress.

Option 2: Town. Next tier: City.

Reiner frowned. This was indeed a problem.

He found himself in a dilemma. A Military Castle had strong defenses, with tall walls, arrow towers, and other defensive facilities, but it couldn't house many residents, only essential personnel.

A Town, on the other hand, didn't have many defensive measures, just a single layer of walls, but it could accommodate a large population and develop commerce, bringing huge economic benefits. This was a difficult choice.

After much deliberation, Reiner finally chose the Military Castle. After all, the environment of The Empire's Northern Territory wasn't suitable for commercial development. Upgrading to a city would only accommodate more people, and he wasn't worried about a lack of population right now, so accommodating more wasn't a concern.

Furthermore, the Northern Territory frequently faced attacks from the Krad People, making a Military Castle with military functions more suitable.

"Upgrade direction: Military Castle. Begin upgrade!" Reiner said.

Yes, upgrade direction: Military Castle. Upgrade commencing!

As the System's voice faded, Reiner felt time itself stop. He noticed that everything else had ceased motion except for himself. He could clearly see dust suspended in the air, and even the fire in the fireplace remained exactly as it was, standing like a sculpture within the hearth.

Reiner only felt a flash of light pass before his eyes, and then time resumed its flow. But now, his room had changed significantly. Though the basic furnishings remained the same, the structure had subtly shifted, and the area had expanded considerably.

Castle upgrade successful. Morland Castle is currently a Tier 1 castle.

After the System's electronic voice finished, there was silence. Then, a thumbnail of Morland Castle appeared before Reiner. Looking at the entire bedroom, Reiner's face broke into a triumphant smile. With a System like this, he felt his future was bright.

Morland Castle's area had almost doubled. The height of its walls now reached six meters. While not towering, and incomparable to the famous walls from Reiner's previous life, it was already one of the best among the small territories in the Northern Territory.