In the reception hall of Night-Kirin City, Jim looked at Pete Bristle-Wolf beside him, utterly bewildered.
That afternoon, he had braced himself and reported his thoughts to his lord, Landen Gallop. He believed that if Landen wanted to establish an Auxiliary Army with some fighting capability, one able to withstand attacks from foes like the Ratmen and composed primarily of Mana-Less, then they would need to draw out more able-bodied Mana-Less men.
Yet the territory's total population was far too small at present. Even with no shortage of food, pulling away too many strong young men would make it difficult for the Workshops and Barbarian tribes to keep operating.
He had never expected his proposal to win Lord Landen Gallop's approval, much less for Landen to bring him directly to Night-Kirin City and into this incomparably luxurious reception hall.
Patterned carpets covered the solid-wood floors. The walls around the hall were adorned with oil paintings, lacquerware, and porcelain, while the Crystal Chandelier overhead cast a soft, bright glow.
Jim had spent several years in a noble household as a child, but as he remembered it, even the lord's own chambers had been less splendid than the corridor outside just now—let alone this reception hall.
Across from him, Knight Kevin Elk was still speaking without pause about the "freemen" of the Southern Forest. In his view, a more fitting name for them was savages. They guarded one settlement after another, living each day by gathering wild fruit, while some had fallen into vassalage to the Beastmen or Half-Elf tribes around them.
"If you intend to seize some slaves from among them, then rest assured—their prices are very low. Even the strongest ones cost only one or two Gold Coins," Kevin said with a nod.
For any lord, Territory Residents were not