Sir Cord's words were clear. They could be summed up in one saying from China: "Those who follow the Way will have many supporters, while those who stray from it will have few."
Reiner nodded after listening, looking thoughtful.
Seeing that he was thinking, Sir Cord sighed without saying anything more. He rose from his chair and quietly walked out of the room.
Indeed, he had clearly become swollen with pride. After gaining unprecedented power and status, he had lost himself in them.
In his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary person. Now that he had become a Baron, he might hurt others without realizing it. Just like before, when Sir Cord had actually denounced his actions as those of a tyrant.
He had thought that he was no longer the mediocre, ineffectual person he had once been. He had wanted to show himself off before everyone at all times, and in his eagerness for quick success, he had lost the most basic qualities he had possessed in his previous life.
He had to learn to control his temper. While remaining benevolent, he also had to make the residents feel his authority. Blind benevolence like in his previous life, or irritability like before, would both be unacceptable. This was what it meant to go too far.
The best choice was to combine firmness with gentleness. After figuring this out, Reiner felt much better and was no longer as anxious and conflicted as before.
The Main Quest the system had given him was to become an emperor. Perhaps before that, he needed to learn how to be a superior—a Baron.
In a good mood, Reiner picked up the Knight Novel from before, but soon put it down again and opened the system panel.
"Character: Reiner Moreland "Age: 16" "Politics: 50 (maximum 100) "Health: 95 "Current Territory Building: Morland Castle (Level One Military Castle)" "Current Renown: 200 (Somewhat Famous)" "Current Subordinates: Sir Valas, Logan, Reiland (Not Materialized)" "Current Title: None" "Current Army: 32 Armed Soldiers, 20 Archers" "Current Territories: Morland Castle, Goer Castle" "Current Family: Moreland"
Reiner was not completely satisfied with his current situation, but it was acceptable. His renown had gone from nothing to being somewhat famous, which meant that his reputation had gradually begun to spread.
He estimated that once winter passed and spring arrived, his renown would rise another level along with the rumors and the footsteps of the troubadours.
Renown was not something dispensable. Although it could not provide him with anything useful through the system, it could accurately show what level his reputation had reached.
"System, materialize the hero Lord Reiland!" Reiner said to the system.
"Materialize him here?" the system asked.
"Here."
Reiner saw a flash of light before him. A middle-aged nobleman with slightly graying hair, a few wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and a suit of fine armor appeared in front of him.
"Good day, respected Baron. I am your most loyal vassal!" Reiland removed his helmet, bowed to Reiner, and spoke.
"Excellent, Reiland. I'm very satisfied with your abilities. From today onward, you will be my infantry commander. I hope you can lead the infantry under my command to fight bravely and slay our enemies!"
From a Chinese person's perspective, Reiner had casually appointed a newcomer as the commander of an army. This was incredibly rash. It could not only cause dissatisfaction among the others, but might also prevent the soldiers below from truly accepting their commander.
However, Reiner was not worried about this. All the regular troops currently under his command were the Moreland Family's private soldiers. The knights had neither reason nor authority to question Reiland.
The only dissatisfied people would be those in Reiner's army. The low-ranking officers were nothing to worry about. Even if they opposed Reiner, he did not need to take their opinions particularly seriously.
Besides, Lord Reiland had experienced countless battles. He had once led the Rhodok Kingdom's Spearmen and crossbowmen to rout the powerful Swadian army, which was led by Swadian knights, many times. Across the entire Calradia Continent, his military ability ranked among the very best.
"Yes, my lord. I will command your infantry and defeat every enemy who dares challenge your authority!" Reiland bowed as he spoke.
"Excellent. Then go find Sir Cord. He'll arrange a room for you to stay in at the castle!"
After sending Reiland away, Reiner continued examining the system. He would put the three hundred mu of fertile farmland aside for now; it was impossible to farm during winter.
He searched through the troop category for an army suitable for him. The troops available there were dazzling in variety, ranging from infantry to cavalry and archers. Altogether, there were two or three hundred types.
Their prices also varied. The expensive ones, such as the Crimson Gryphon Knights, cost as many as twenty Merit Points, and the unit price increased by half for every fifty soldiers.
There were cheap ones as well, which could be exchanged for only one Merit Point. However, those ragged militia with pitiful equipment were outside Reiner's consideration.
After much deliberation and careful consideration, Reiner focused his gaze on one troop type.
"Rhodok Sergeants are the elite troop type of the Rhodok Kingdom. They play a huge role in the wars against the Swadian Kingdom. Discipline: Extremely High. Physical Condition: Stronger than Most Infantry. Combat Skills: Average."
"Unit Price: 10. For every one hundred soldiers, the unit price increases by half."
Looking at the Rhodok Sergeants' basic attributes, Reiner was very satisfied with them. For infantry, their physical condition and discipline were both exceptionally strong.
Moreover, their unit price was only ten Merit Points. From a cost-effectiveness perspective, they were quite worthwhile. Although their combat skills were not especially strong, their strength lay in forming ranks and thrusting their spears at the enemy, not charging forward chaotically as scattered skirmishers.
Even the Crimson Gryphon Knights, the most powerful troop type available for exchange through the system, had basic attributes of merely extremely high discipline, physical condition ×2, and extremely high combat skills. This was already almost comparable to the Crimson Gryphon Knights' basic attributes.
Although the Rhodok Sergeants were still somewhat inferior, their restrictions and price were much lower. They were absolutely the best choice for exchange.
There was another powerful infantry type called the Nordic Templar Guard that he also wanted very badly. However, its exchange price and restrictions were as high as those of the Crimson Gryphon Knights, making him hesitate. He knew he could only dream about them for now. The Rhodok Sergeants suited his current needs better.
"Exchange for fifty Rhodok Sergeants. Materialize them in three days!"
"Please choose a materialization location."
Reiner thought about it and realized he had no way to explain the sudden appearance of this army. He could not reuse the excuse he had used for the Crimson Gryphon Knights, so he decided to play the part of a divine mystic.
"Materialize them in the open ground at the center of the castle!" Reiner said.
"Deducting 500 Merit Points. Rhodok Sergeants will materialize in three days." The system's voice rang out, and Reiner's savings instantly dropped by five hundred points.
He now had only a little over two hundred points left. After exchanging for the Rhodok Sergeants, Reiner opened the other exchange options and spent seventy-five Merit Points to exchange for five Junior Blacksmiths.
The territory was not lacking in iron. The iron mine produced iron every day. Although there was no blast furnace, a small workshop could still smelt one or two hundred kilograms of iron a day, not to mention that Goer Castle also had an iron mine.
Reiner knew the Rhodok Sergeants' equipment well. They wore nothing more than heraldic chainmail. Although their equipment was already quite good by the standards of the Calradia Continent, it was ultimately only about equal to that of the soldiers under Reiner's command.
He planned to have the blacksmiths forge more armor and then equip the soldiers with it to increase their chances of survival. After all, each one cost fifteen Merit Points to exchange for—fifteen human lives. With such a high cost, Reiner had to cherish them.
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