After Fiana left, Loren looked at the road-weary barbarians behind him, along with the kobolds they had been ordering around for the past few days.
"Bohr, have someone direct them to unload the goods from the wagons and store them in the warehouse. Remember to take inventory."
Butler Bohr immediately nodded. "Yes, my lord."
"Yas, take Sim and lead everyone to the back garden. I'll have the kitchen prepare food for you."
The barbarians and kobolds immediately lit up at those words, cheering excitedly.
After making a few arrangements, Loren turned his attention to the dozens of slaves he had bought from the Jasmine Flower Merchant Guild.
At the front of the group stood a burly, bearded man and a young girl with an exceptionally lovely appearance and an air of innocence.
What particularly drew the eye was how shy the girl was. She kept her head down, afraid to look at anyone. There was a helpless, timid sweetness about her that made people feel sorry for her.
"Deen and Ariel, come with me. Everyone else, help the caravan unload. Anyone with cooking skills can ask Butler Bohr for a job in the kitchen."
Seven or eight slaves immediately raised their hands excitedly. Working in the kitchen was surely better than unloading wagons.
Loren nodded and had the white-haired butler Bohr assign them their tasks.
Then he led the bearded man and the exceptionally innocent-looking girl he had just singled out to the manor's ground-floor hall.
As descendants of the Orchid Family and High Nobles, they would have had every luxury in their home if they still lived in the Silver Moon Kingdom's capital.
But here on the Endless Wasteland, they had to make do.
The gray walls around the hall were bare. The only decorations were a few fairly delicate ornaments on the fireplace, which was cold and dark.
The only furniture in the room was a twelve-meter-long wooden table in the middle.
Interestingly, a carved chair had been placed every meter around the table, all neatly arranged, clearly put in order with care by the servants.
A bouquet of blooming white flowers stood in an oval crystal vase on the table, its faint fragrance wafting through the room.
It added a splash of color to the otherwise sparse hall.
Loren had little interest in the decorations. He walked to the head of the table, but before he could pull out his chair, the bearded man who had followed him inside sprang forward and did it for him, smiling obsequiously.
After sitting down, Loren smiled at the two people standing nervously before him.
"Don't be so stiff. Find a seat and sit down."
The bearded man shook his head uneasily.
"Lord Loren, we're grateful for your kindness. It's more proper for us to stand and listen to your instructions."
They were only slaves. Loren was their master, the ruler of Gray Eagle Territory.
With a wave of his hand, this young man could decide their fate. They had never been on the same level.
Loren didn't press the matter. The differences between social classes in the Nol Main Plane were enormous.
Equality had never been achieved even in his previous life. In this world of supernatural powers, it was all the more impossible.
"Deen, I've known you for a few days now. Perhaps you'd be willing to tell me about your past."
The bearded man named Deen was nervous at the question, but managed to keep his expression calm.
"My lord, I was a descendant of a Baron near the Rotting Swamp in the northern borderlands. Over a hundred years ago, when the Bloody Day broke out, the Bloody Polluters destroyed our family's territory.
"After we lost our territory, our noble title was revoked as well.
"Our generation fell into poverty and became commoners.
"To escape the danger, I could only flee with Ariel.
"But a year ago, while we were on the run, a band of thieves captured us.
"They sold us to slave traders. After changing hands several times, we eventually ended up in Decker City."
Deen told his story simply, without any dramatic details or particular show of sorrow, as if none of it was worth dwelling on.
Loren nodded. It was all too common for the Bloody Polluters to destroy human territories in the Nol Main Plane. One could hear a similar story from practically any slave.
"Your past doesn't stop you from continuing to contribute to Gray Eagle Territory."
He paused for a moment, then continued meaningfully.
"I spoke with you on the road about setting up a City Hall in Gray Eagle Territory. Do you have any thoughts on that?"
Deen hurriedly replied, "We'll follow your instructions, Lord Loren."
Loren said nothing, instead turning his gaze to the shy girl beside Deen, who couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes.
"Ariel, what do you think?"
At being addressed, the girl named Ariel unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes. Blushing, she raised her head, her eyes darting to the side, and spoke in a tiny voice.
"Lord Loren, Gray Eagle Territory is still small. City Hall should focus on practicality. There's no need to establish too many complicated departments in the short term."
Loren gave a slight nod, looking at the shy girl with approval.
Ariel wore a tattered gray dress covered in patches, and her expression was a little childish and timid.
What caught the eye were her clear, wide eyes, which had a strangely reassuring quality.
She gave off the feeling of a girl next door.
Deen, however, looked alarmed at her words and quickly smiled ingratiatingly.
"Lord Loren, Ariel is still young and doesn't understand a lot of things. Please forgive her ignorance."
He cautiously watched Loren, afraid that the young man who held their lives in his hands would lose his temper.
Young men were hotheaded. They hated being contradicted by outsiders.
Loren let out an amused laugh and waved a hand.
"Don't worry. Ariel made a good point. Gray Eagle Territory is still weak. Setting up too many departments would only burden the territory."
He turned to the girl before him, who now looked a little surprised, and encouraged her with a word of praise.
"If you have any suggestions in the future, speak up. Don't worry about your father. If you say something wrong, I'll back you up."
Deen felt relieved, but at the same time, a strange feeling stirred inside him.
Lord Loren, weren't you being a little too good to his daughter?
Three days ago, after the kobolds had been defeated by Loren and his barbarians, the caravan had resumed its journey as usual.
But something happened along the way that still made Deen shudder whenever he thought about it.
The captured kobolds had been put under the barbarians' watch, but the barbarians were careless and didn't keep a particularly close eye on them.
One kobold with very low loyalty seized the chance to escape in the middle of the night. But in its panic, it accidentally woke Ariel, who was sleeping in its path.
The moment Ariel opened her eyes, she saw a kobold beside her and screamed in fright.
The kobold nearly went berserk. Seized by murderous intent, it thrust its claws straight at Ariel's throat.
Deen woke at the sound and opened his eyes to a sight that nearly scared him to death.
Just as he was overcome with despair, a brilliant flash of swordlight streaked past. The kobold's claw was severed, and Ariel was unharmed.
The whole caravan was roused by the attempted escape.
To find out what had happened, Loren summoned both Deen and Ariel.
But trouble started as soon as Loren laid eyes on her.
Deen would swear that the moment Ariel appeared, he saw a peculiar look in the lord's eyes.
Sure enough, over the next two days, Loren kept summoning Deen and his daughter Ariel, asking them all kinds of questions about developing the territory.
Who would ask an eighteen-year-old girl about developing a territory?
To Deen, it was obvious that Lord Loren had other intentions toward his daughter.
That left Deen anxious and conflicted.
For a descendant of the Orchid Family to take an interest in his daughter—what incredible luck.
But he also knew that someone like Loren would never marry his daughter. At best, she might become a maid or concubine, which would already be an incredible blessing.
Yet he didn't have the power to refuse, so his feelings were complicated.
Loren had no idea what Deen was thinking.
He had summoned the two of them to ask questions simply because father and daughter were rare talents.
Deen Hicks Level: Black Iron Advanced Bloodline: Human (Unawakened) Loyalty: 70 (Moderate Loyalty) Bond: Father and Daughter United. When working under the same lord as his daughter, his ability to handle government affairs improves, and he gains the trait—Meticulous and Cautious (can promptly spot errors in the territory's policies and correct them) Description: A decent administrative talent.
Deen's description was quite good, but his daughter Ariel had even greater potential.
Ariel Hicks Level: Bronze Beginner Bloodline: Human/Unknown (Unawakened) Loyalty: 80 (High Loyalty) Bond: Father and Daughter United. When working under the same lord as her father, her ability to handle government affairs improves, and she gains the trait—Far-Sighted (can formulate outstanding policies with an unusually keen eye) Description: A genius administrative talent.
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