Lin Lei's Reward

Three days later, inside the Lord's Mansion of Flower Territory.

Lord Edward had awakened from his coma, and over these three days, Flower Territory had once again returned to its former tranquility.

Lin Lei was currently at Ai Mansion attending the funeral of Viscount Aixing. Aierlan, along with her father, mother, and all their relatives and friends, were present; the scene was silent and filled with grief.

Standing beside Lin Lei, Aierlan shed tears once more. Although she had spent three days coming to terms with the loss, the moment her grandfather's body was placed into the coffin, the sorrow pent up in her heart surged forth again.

Tears dampened Lin Lei's clothes. Lin Lei did not share Aierlan's emotional bond with Aixing, but his heart still felt heavy in such a setting.

Amidst the mournful music, Lin Lei and the others saw Aixing off on his final journey.

Beyond Ai Mansion, other households were the same these days; every home hung white banners, and yellow paper covered the streets.

"Centurion Lin, this is a letter from the Lord for you."

Just as Lin Lei was keeping Aierlan company, a soldier approached him and handed him a letter.

"What is this?"

Lin Lei took the letter and opened it straight away.

"Appointing Centurion Lin Lei as a Baron of the kingdom, with territory encompassing one hundred kilometers around Crouching Dragon Ravine and the Gloomy Forest."

Lin Lei could hardly believe his eyes; had he really become a noble so quickly?

Aierlan, noticing that Lin Lei's expression had turned instantly joyful after reading the letter, curiously took the missive from his hand.

"You're happy too soon."

Aierlan poured a bucket of cold water on the excited Lin Lei.

"This year's hunt is taking place at Crouching Dragon Ravine. Because of the Curse Cult's attack, the Lord and the others had to halt the operation, so that place must be crawling with magical beasts and monster tribes of all sizes. Your territory is nothing but an empty shell."

"A noble without a fief is merely a titular noble. A titular Duke has less say than our Count Lord, let alone a Baron like you."

"However, I happen to have inherited a piece of land. Why don't you give up that spot at Crouching Dragon Ravine and come manage my territory instead?"

Aierlan changed her tone and proposed to Lin Lei.

But as a man with a strong sense of pride, how could Lin Lei accept such a suggestion, even if the land Aierlan offered was far better than the one he had been granted?

"No, I want to give it a try."

Lin Lei refused with a smile, his tone firm and powerful.

The area also includes the Gloomy Forest, which is an undeveloped virgin land. Although there are many dangers, there are also many opportunities; profits are always proportional to risks.

To the east of Crouching Dragon Ravine lies a coastline facing the ocean. Although they don't know how rich the ocean's resources are, as a modern person, I am very clear about this. This is clearly a prime piece of territory.

Lin Lei thought to himself.

"I plan to set off for Crouching Dragon Ravine tomorrow. Will you come with me?"

Lin Lei looked at Aierlan and asked.

"If you don't want to go with me now, you can wait until the territory is stable before coming over."

"No, I will go with you."

Aierlan did not hesitate, and a smile appeared on Lin Lei's face.

"Good."

After leaving Ai Mansion, Lin Lei went to the Lord's Mansion to pay his respects to Lord Edward.

"You've read the letter, I assume."

"I have. Thank you for the reward, my Lord."

"It is what you deserve. When do you plan to depart?"

"After handing over my duties, I will leave tomorrow."

Edward nodded and said, "A month ago, Alice wanted to recommend you as a centurion, but I didn't agree at the time. A mere hunter—so what if you killed a Silver-rank magical beast? That didn't prove your ability."

"Later, I realized I was wrong. I heard of your heroism from others; you are a Champion worthy of admiration. This is the second time I have misjudged someone."

When Edward said this, a look of pain flashed across his face. Although it returned to normal in an instant, Lin Lei was certain he had seen it.

He tactfully chose not to ask.

Edward slowed his tone and continued, "Given your ability, I should really keep you by my side, but this year's situation is too special. The entire territory's military strength has been severely crippled, and we are forced to contract our defensive lines."

"With the annual clearing operation at Crouching Dragon Ravine canceled, there will surely be restless tribes emerging to attack human villages. I am granting you Crouching Dragon Ravine precisely because your Gold-rank strength is enough to hold it."

Edward rambled on about many things, and Lin Lei suddenly realized that the Flower Territory he once thought was powerful was now nothing but an empty shell; he had become the only Gold-rank individual left.

After finishing his talk with Lin Lei, Edward gave him a black bag, identical to the one Alice had given him, containing another ten thousand gold coins.

Waving his hand, Edward dismissed Lin Lei. Looking at the weary Edward, Lin Lei realized that the man in his prime now looked like an old man nearing the end of his days, radiating a faint aura of death.

Stepping out of the Lord's Mansion, Lin Lei headed straight for the slave market in the east.

The slave market had suffered heavy losses during the recent riot; as a place teeming with blood and violence, it was one of the first locations to erupt in rebellion when the Shadow Council launched its attack.

Powerful warriors and demi-humans gifted with strength had mostly broken their restraints, fleeing the market and the city; if they were lucky, they might manage to hide away in some mountain forest to survive.

However, most of them were discovered by the people of nearby towns and dragged back, or they simply died in some nameless corner, their bones left to rot.

None of this concerned Lin Lei; he did not need people with martial prowess, as it was impossible for anyone in the slave market to possess strength greater than his own.

His purpose in coming here was to purchase commoners—freemen capable of survival and construction.

As he entered the slave market, the crowd gradually thickened; while other sectors remained desolate, trade here was as booming as ever.

Merchants value profit above all else, and the slave market was a gold mine; they would never turn their backs on gold coins.

"Huh."

Lin Lei stopped in his tracks, looking at the stall in front of him.

"These are two halflings, aren't they?"

"Sharp eyes, officer. These are the purest halflings from the Western Continent. Don't let their small size fool you; they are exceptionally capable. Not only are they masters of various cuisines, but they are also skilled with a bow. Most importantly, the price is cheap."

The stall owner sized up Lin Lei's attire and said fawningly.

"Oh... how much?"

"Twenty gold coins for the pair. That's three times cheaper than before. If I weren't in urgent need of money, I wouldn't be willing to sell them."

"Not bad. I'll take them."

Lin Lei's mind shifted, and he spoke directly.

"What are their names?"

"The one on the left is Kuimu, and the one on the right is Kuiya."

The stall owner took the twenty gold coins Lin Lei produced and handed him the keys to the halflings' shackles.

"No need, just unlock them."

Lin Lei stepped up to the halflings and used the keys to remove the chains from their hands and feet.

"I want to buy one thousand human slaves. Do you have them here?"

Lin Lei then asked the stunned stall owner.

"Yes, yes, of course! Most of those with any martial training ran off during the chaos, so all that's left are the honest ones without any strength."

With that, the stall owner led Lin Lei toward a small alley behind his stall.

The halflings, having just been unlocked, followed Lin Lei in a daze; years of reading people told them that the man before them was certainly not a cruel master.

In an environment that was completely foreign to them, sticking close to their new master was the best choice.

They arrived at a large gate, and after the owner opened it, a full squad of guards and slaves appeared before Lin Lei.

The stall owner casually opened a cage, forced the people inside to come out, and said to Lin Lei, "How about it? They are all in good health and can start working immediately without needing time to recover."

Lin Lei carefully observed the disheveled man in front of him. Judging by his steady gait, the fellow hadn't been abused; he was merely thin from malnutrition.

"Not bad. How did you acquire these slaves? They aren't freemen from our kingdom, are they?"

Lin Lei asked nonchalantly.

"How could that be? These are all captives taken from years of war with other nations—some from Dalaran, some from the Storm Kingdom. You mustn't speak such nonsense."

The stall owner's tone was firm. For them, kidnapping the kingdom's own freemen was a major taboo, even if it was a practice they all engaged in to some degree behind the scenes.

"I want three hundred adult men, three hundred adult women, and the remaining four hundred should be children, around ten years old. How much will that cost in total?"

"Two gold coins for an adult male, one gold coin for an adult female, and one gold coin for a child, regardless of gender."

Without hesitation, Lin Lei took three hundred gold coins from his pack and handed them to the stall owner.

"This is the deposit. Have them delivered to the entrance of the City Defense Department tomorrow morning. That won't be a problem, will it?"

The stall owner grinned as he took the pouch Lin Lei tossed him, weighed it, and said, "No problem at all. For a big client like you, home delivery is the least we can do."

Lin Lei nodded and, accompanied by the stall owner, exited the enclosed area.

Reflecting that he still had plenty of funds on hand, Lin Lei did not return directly to the City Defense Department but continued to wander through the slave market.

Aside from a small number of demi-humans, the stalls were now filled with beauties who lacked the strength to truss a chicken, and they were no less stunning than Aierlan.

"This gentleman is offering ten thousand gold coins! Any higher bids?"

Lin Lei followed the shouting to a stall surrounded by a crowd.

"Why is it so expensive?"

Lin Lei muttered to himself. A wealthy merchant standing nearby overheard him and was about to mock him for his ignorance, but upon seeing Lin Lei's military uniform, he swallowed his words, squeezed out a smile, and said, "This centurion might not know, but this woman is no ordinary person. She was the eldest daughter of a duke from a neighboring country. I don't know what happened, but she offended the king, and the duke was stripped of his title."

Without the protection of the King, their entire family was crushed by the attacks of rival houses in less than three days, and this young duchess was tossed about by fate until she ended up here with us."

"So that's how it is."

Lin Lei wore a thoughtful expression.

"How did you find out? This sort of thing should be a state secret; you shouldn't know about it."

"That stall owner told us. He's been spreading it around the market since yesterday, and almost everyone knows by now."

"Gossip spreads like wildfire."

Lin Lei smiled and said nothing.