Revenge

Quest complete. Reward: 2,000 experience. Level increased to 8. Random item reward drawn.

Obtained item reward: "Muscles and Strength." Requires 6 Intelligence to read.

Harrot now needed a great deal of experience to level up. He had previously killed nearly ten enemies and gained over a thousand experience, and only with the additional 2,000 experience from completing the quest had he successfully leveled up.

Leveling up was becoming increasingly difficult. Perhaps level 20 was the highest he could reach in his lifetime. Attribute points and skill points were quite limited!

In the game, enemies would spawn out of thin air. Players could slaughter tens of thousands of enemies and grind their way to level 40. But where could he find that many enemies to kill in reality?

Compared to leveling up, the book reward was even more exciting. The previous "Sword Fighting Manual" had allowed him to comprehend three skills—Light Strike, Heavy Strike, and Dragon Slaying Sword Qi—and had also increased his Weapon Mastery by one point.

In the game, "Muscles and Strength" could increase a player's Strength attribute by one point. He wondered what additional effects reading it would have in reality.

However, this was not the time to read. Hundreds of soldiers and nearly a thousand Commoners needed his management. From arranging scouts to survey the roads to choosing campsites for cooking and resting, there was a mountain of work even if nothing unexpected happened.

Whenever Harrot finally had some free time, he still had to comfort Sihrulu, whose family had been destroyed. Don't get the wrong idea—he really was comforting her. He simply could not spare the time to read.

After several days, Sihrulu had become completely dependent on Harrot. She no longer called him "my lord," but "Brother Harrot."

This filled Harrot with emotion. His three great dreams in life were to own his own territory, become a household-name hero, and marry eight beautiful wives.

One of those dreams was already one-eighth fulfilled! No, counting that beautiful maid, it was two-eighths fulfilled!

Harrot visited Sihrulu frequently and made sure her food and daily necessities were properly arranged. His intentions could not have been more obvious, but no one said anything even if they knew.

Strength determined status, and status determined treatment. Harrot was Marcus's chief Knight, and his strength far surpassed that of the other Knights. Apart from The Bald Man, no one could compete with Harrot.

Even The Bald Man could not guarantee that he could defeat Harrot. After both became Transcendent Knights, they sparred often, with victories and losses on both sides. The Bald Man won slightly more often.

However, The Bald Man had already reached the peak of his strength and would find it difficult to grow any stronger. Harrot, on the other hand, was not yet twenty and still had plenty of room to improve in both technique and physical ability.

So there was no question that Harrot was Marcus's strongest subordinate. For such a powerful man, beautiful women and wealth were his rightful rewards.

At last, the group arrived in the Marquis Prague's direct territory. No matter how greedy a noble might be, none dared court death by causing trouble here. Marcus had also arrived with his troops, and together they had eliminated seven or eight groups of "bandits," totaling roughly three hundred people.

They captured six Knights from three different families. Marcus had long since sent an envoy to contact Marquis Prague. After settling the ordinary soldiers and Commoners, he brought Harrot and the other Knights to meet Marquis Prague.

Marcus himself was very strong. He had participated in the war against the orcs and was considered a prominent, capable noble in the kingdom. Marquis Prague had just returned from an expedition, so he simply gathered the nobles for a banquet to welcome Marcus into their ranks.

Harrot finally saw Marquis Prague, a Legendary Expert, with his own eyes.

Marquis Prague looked rugged, with a large beard. He was even bigger than Harrot and The Bald Man, those two muscular brutes. His hands in particular were enormous, barely smaller than an ogre's palms.

At close range, Harrot could feel Marquis Prague's terrifying strength even more clearly. When the man looked at him, Harrot found his breathing becoming constrained.

It was as though the person before him was not a human at all, but a colossal dragon dozens of meters long!

"Legendary Level! Do I have any hope of becoming that strong in this lifetime?" Harrot could not remember how he had taken his seat. Marquis Prague's towering figure lingered in his mind.

"Well? Shocked, aren't you? To be honest, when I first met a Legendary Expert, I was just like the two of you!"

Marcus patted Harrot and The Bald Man on the shoulders. The Bald Man had been just as shaken as Harrot. The strength he had once been so proud of was actually so insignificant.

"The first Legendary Expert I met was on the battlefield. Grand Duke Lance of the Kingdom of Qiat charged alone into the orc army and slaughtered enemies in every direction!"

"And I would be left in a miserable state just from encountering an elite orc squad. After that battle, I shut myself away for half a month before pulling myself together!"

Marcus poured himself a drink and drained it in one gulp. Then he said excitedly, "Back then, Marquis Prague was not much stronger than I am now! If he could become a Legendary Expert, then I have a chance too!"

"And with such a powerful man leading us eastward to pioneer new lands, doesn't that make you feel much more confident?"

After hearing Marcus's words, Harrot and The Bald Man both calmed down. They poured themselves drinks and began eating and drinking to relax.

Several more nobles joined the banquet afterward. Seeing that nearly everyone had arrived, Prague cleared his throat a few times and drew the attention of the entire hall.

"After I formally decided to pioneer new lands, I led an elite force to scout the east!"

"Beyond the swamps and wilderness lies an endless plain! I did not explore it precisely, but I can guarantee that region is larger than the Kingdom of Lucanir and the other two neighboring human kingdoms combined!"

"No, it is larger than all three kingdoms put together! Since the orcs drove us humans south, we have been huddled on this patch of land, barely surviving under the elves' protection!"

"It is time to venture into the world beyond! To establish new homes and open up new territory!"

Marquis Prague spoke with impassioned fervor, and everyone applauded and cheered in response.

Prague continued, "Today, a new companion has joined our alliance. He is Viscount Marcus of the Northern Province!"

Marcus rose and lifted his wine cup. The nobles all raised their cups with him, and everyone drank together as their initial introductions came to an end.

Prague also eagerly announced the progress of the pioneering effort. "Our eastern Pioneering Alliance now has twenty-seven families!"

"After several months of effort, the swamps and wilderness leading to the Eastern Lands have been completely conquered!

"Whether it was the packs of many-headed lizards in the swamps or the ogres that traveled in groups through the wilderness, we have thoroughly wiped them out!"

"We have already taken a major step forward! The next step is to march into the Eastern Lands, establish our territories there, and bring our people over to build new homes!"

To the south of the Kingdom of Lucanir lay the Elf Forest, to the north were the orcs' lands, and to the west were two allied human kingdoms.

The eastern swamps and wilderness were not particularly large, but they were inhabited by all kinds of powerful creatures and had a harsh environment. Without clearing them out, it would be difficult for large numbers of Commoners to pass through.

Marquis Prague and the other nobles had devoted most of their energy to this matter recently, which was why they had no time to deal with the rampant invasions of the border territories.

The banquet was filled with excitement. Everyone was immersed in joy, imagining themselves opening new lands and realizing their dreams.

Marcus did not want to ruin the mood, so he did not bring up the "bandits" they had encountered along the way. After the banquet ended, he led Harrot and the others to escort the captured Knights to meet Marquis Prague.

After hearing Marcus's report, Marquis Prague flew into a rage. When he heard that many villages around the Eastern Province had become ruins and that villagers had been slaughtered without restraint, he smashed the table before him with a single slap.

"Marcus, thank you for your righteous deed. Eustace, Leon, and Creno, was it? Those three families are infamous for their greed and brutality. Even the people in their own territories often flee!"

"Robbing merchant caravans transporting supplies beyond their borders is one thing, but they dared to barge into my territory and cause trouble! This is not over. Hode, gather the troops. We will pay their territories a visit as well!"

Marcus thought Prague intended to raid villages too, so he hurriedly advised, "Marquis Prague, once we take the eastern lands, we will also need a great many people. Do not harm the Commoners! If our reputation is ruined, it will be difficult to attract people to migrate!"

Marquis Prague glared. "Who said I was going to raid villages? I am going to attack their castles. I will make them pay for their crimes in blood!"

"From now on, the names of those three families will disappear from the kingdom!"

Marcus, Harrot, and the others stood frozen. He was going to attack the nobles' homes directly?

Every noble family was a foundation of the kingdom. To avoid weakening the nation's power, armies rarely attacked noble castles. Even when wars occurred, it was usually Knights who died and villages that were destroyed.

Nobles only died on battlefields against the orcs. Judging by Marquis Prague's furious state, he truly intended to wipe out those three families!

Marcus did not try to stop Marquis Prague again. In his heart, he agreed with him as well.

Pioneering the east was not something that could be done in a day or two. The army would still need supplies from the Eastern Province, and the people of the new territories would mostly depend on Commoners from the Eastern Province migrating there.

If they could not thoroughly intimidate those nobles within the kingdom and secure a stable rear base for the pioneering effort, failure would be inevitable.

They were going to establish a new country anyway. Once they broke away from the Kingdom of Lucanir, who cared whether the kingdom's strength was weakened or not? Of course they had to strike like thunder and make those nobles fear causing trouble again!

Early the next morning, Marquis Prague set out with his troops. Marcus brought his Knights to register with the alliance's officials.

In half a month, the army would make its first march east. Marcus used this time to visit various nobles, while Harrot finally freed up time to read.

Marquis Prague's efficiency was astonishing. In just ten days, he completely exterminated those three families. Nobles throughout the Kingdom of Lucanir were frightened by his actions and no longer dared to harass anyone within the borders. Even merchant caravans outside the borders were no longer dared to be troubled.

Marcus told Harrot that the Transcendent Knights serving great nobles of Legendary Level were far stronger than ordinary Transcendent Knights. Even Harrot and The Bald Man might not be able to defeat them.

More importantly, there were many of them. Ordinary nobles could only share their power with fewer than ten people, while Marquis Prague had more than thirty Knights!

Just as the army finished resting and the entire Pioneering Alliance was preparing to depart the next day, the King arrived!

The King came to Marquis Prague's territory with a large number of nobles and masses of troops!