Chapter 11

Cyrus had set the registration period at more than half a month.

Once the notices for recruitment and reduced taxes were issued, it went without saying how excited and eager the commoners and slaves throughout Visas became.

After their initial caution had passed, the commoners and slaves of Komoy Fort began arriving in an endless stream.

However, in the days just before registration ended, the number of people coming from Komoy Fort suddenly dropped sharply.

The reason was that Count Bevis Elliot had decided to forbid commoners and slaves from leaving the city.

When knights went to purchase slaves who had already registered and bring them back to Visas, several conflicts had broken out with estate owners unwilling to let them go. Walker William had ultimately stepped in to settle the dispute.

It had now been nearly two months since registration ended.

In high spirits, Cyrus stood on a chair and leaned against the window to admire the sea view. His right arm had mostly recovered and no longer needed to be suspended against his chest.

He took a sip of the lemonade Judas had brought him and said, "It's already too late for Bevis Elliot to realize it now. Those commoners and slaves who failed to register in time and are forbidden from leaving the city will only become even more envious and jealous."

Once the order forbidding people from leaving the city was lifted, more and more people would be desperate to come to Visas.

He had said registration would close after fifteen days, but he had never said it would not reopen.

Visas would welcome anyone who wanted to come at any time.

The commoners and slaves who registered as soldiers would come with their families.

After receiving a certain amount of financial assistance, they became self-sufficient laborers. Aside from building temporary housing, some were assigned to work at the salt-drying fields and on the refined salt production lines.

The Thorn Merchant Guild was established during this process and began selling refined salt grains that were cheaper yet of better quality.

As gold coins kept flowing in, the Plot Deviation Value finally advanced by one percent.

Cyrus could not help curling his caramel-colored eyes into crescents as a smile appeared on his face. He turned around, stepped on the chair, and sat back down. "Judas, how are the houses at the foot of Par Mountain coming along?"

"They are nearly complete, my lord," Judas said.

New recruits had to train.

Cyrus chose Par Mountain as the training site for the new recruits.

The commoners and slaves who had become regular soldiers and reserve soldiers had not been idle during the registration period.

The knights organized them to build the recruit dormitories at the foot of Par Mountain. Labor, timber, and stone were all readily available, and commoners—especially slaves—were no strangers to such work. Construction proceeded quickly and efficiently.

Ten days later, the dormitories were completely finished.

Walker William also sent the castle the compiled record of soldier numbers.

There were 252 regular soldiers and 398 reserve soldiers.

More slaves than commoners had registered to join the army.

But more commoners than slaves had settled in Visas.

On the Western Continent, smaller cities such as Visas and Komoy Fort generally had fewer than two or three thousand people. A large city having around ten thousand people was already considered impressive.

Of them, fewer than a hundred, or only just over a hundred, were capable of fighting, including knights.

Reaching nearly seven hundred applicants in a registration period of just over half a month was an extraordinary figure.

The foot of Par Mountain had completely changed by then.

The thorny grass and loose stones had been cleared away, excess trees had been felled, and roads had been left open. Two neat three-story dormitory buildings stood side by side. A cafeteria that provided free meals stood nearby, while public toilets were located farther away.

A large open field had been built directly in front of the soldier dormitories, furnished with quite a few exercise facilities.

The two-day adjustment period had passed, and Count Desinia would come to inspect them today.

The soldiers were led by the knights onto the field and arranged in formation.

The regular soldiers stood on one side, while the reserve soldiers stood on the other.

Mike Andrew stood among the reserve soldiers, listening to the quiet chatter around him.

"The commander of the regular soldiers is Sir Walker William, the captain of the knights. Do you know who the commander of the reserve soldiers is?"

"Of course he's a knight too."

"No, no. This commander isn't a knight at the moment, but he has quite the background."

"What background?"

"I heard he used to be the captain of the knights in the Gaina Kingdom. He was demoted to a slave after committing some offense."

"Later, the count bought him in the royal city. Then he rendered great service during the attack by the Par Mountain bandits, so the count first removed his slave status and then gave him the chance to serve as commander of the reserve soldiers."

"I think it's only a matter of time before he becomes a knight again, or even the captain of the knights."

Mike Andrew could not help asking, "Is he very strong?"

He knew the speaker. The man had originally been a slave in Visas.

The man replied, "Strong? My father went to work at the salt-drying fields a few days ago and saw this lord spar with Sir Walker William from a distance. Guess who won?"

Mike Andrew thought that it had to be this lord.

"This lord was slightly better."

Mike Andrew asked, "What is this lord's name?"

"Fernandi Edward."

Mike Andrew said, "Sir Edward doesn't seem to appear at the training grounds often."

He had never seen him.

"This lord usually stays by the count's side. You'll see him today. He'll be responsible for our training from now on."

Mike Andrew still wanted to ask something else.

But at that moment, a knight struck the gong hanging at the front of the field.

The knights in charge of the soldiers hurriedly made them stand straight and fall silent.

Before long, a carriage stopped outside the field.

Count Cyrus Desinia was carried down from the carriage by the butler Judas.

"Look! The man following to the count's left is Commander Fernandi Edward."

Mike Andrew looked as instructed. The man had an imposing face, light brown hair, brown eyes, dark brown skin, and a handsome, powerful build.

But as he watched, his gaze was drawn to the young count standing at the front.

Th-this was his lord?

Mike Andrew quietly covered his chest.

Cyrus was unhurriedly carried onto a tall stool by Judas. He waved at the sea of heads below and said, "Greetings, comrades."

Some people below had not reacted yet.

Others came back to their senses and answered sparsely with things like, "Greetings, my lord," and "Greetings, Count."

Cyrus thought, This is what happens before training begins.

He motioned for Walker William, standing nearby, to read out the rules the soldiers needed to obey.

For the time being, there were more than ten rules.

They included the requirement that soldiers pay forty copper coins a year for lodging and sixty copper coins a year for food. Throughout the year, the cafeteria would provide two free meals every day.

Soldiers would receive a monthly allowance of ten copper coins each.

They had to request leave if they had business and could not leave without permission, or they would be punished. Everyone had three chances to request leave each month. Their reasons had to be reported to the captain of the knights, and they could leave only after approval. Copper coins would be deducted according to the circumstances if they exceeded their leave allowance.

Soldiers were forbidden from provoking trouble or fighting within the army. Anyone discovered doing so would be severely dealt with. Minor cases would receive a warning, while serious cases would result in expulsion from the army or even from Visas.

After the more than ten rules had been read one by one, the commoners and slaves whispered among themselves below.

Clearly, the benefits were obvious, but the punishments were also extremely severe.

Once Cyrus saw that they had discussed things enough, he clapped his hands. Walker William struck the gong beside him, and the crowd immediately fell quiet.

Cyrus said, "I require all of you to memorize every rule. This is an order."

"There are also some rules that require special explanation."

"Soldiers must train every day, then rest for two days after every five days. Three months make a season, and there will be an assessment every season."

"Twelve people make a squad, three squads make a platoon, three platoons make a company, and three companies make a battalion. Every season, squad leaders, platoon leaders, company commanders, and battalion commanders will be selected according to assessment results."

"The monthly allowance will be adjusted according to rank."

"A squad leader will receive fifteen copper coins a month, a platoon leader twenty-five, a company commander thirty-five, and a battalion commander one silver coin a month."

After Cyrus finished speaking, the crowd below erupted.

"What?! A battalion commander can get one silver coin?!"

"Even if I can't become a battalion commander, becoming a squad leader or platoon leader would still be good."

"I wonder what the assessment will involve?"

Mike Andrew's heart burned with excitement. He wanted to become a battalion commander!

The gong sounded once more.

After Cyrus waited for the crowd to quiet down again, he said, "Every assessment result will have a passing standard."

"If not one of you can meet the standards for a battalion commander, then the position would rather remain vacant. The same goes for every other rank..."

He looked to either side of him.

Fernandi Edward stood on his left, while Walker William stood on his right.

Cyrus said, "Fernandi Edward will be the chief commander of the reserve soldiers, while Walker William will be the chief commander of the regular soldiers. The two of them will primarily be responsible for your daily training, with the other knights assisting."

"Three months from now, I will return here to inspect the results of your training."

Fernandi Edward then read out the "Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention" that the soldiers needed to keep firmly in mind.

Once everything was over.

Cyrus spread his arms and was carried down from the tall stool by Judas.

Before leaving, he reminded the two men, "Make sure to train them into organized and disciplined soldiers, with unified words and actions. Three months from now, I want to see a completely different spirit from them. If you cannot manage it..."

Walker William smiled and asked, "What will you do, my lord?"

Cyrus raised his little chin. "I'll dock your pay."

Walker William pretended to be frightened. "Wow. I'll definitely work twice as hard to complete the task my lord assigned me."

I always feel like you're teasing me...

Cyrus kept a straight little face as Judas carried him into the carriage and left.

After he was gone.

Walker William finally burst into laughter. Seeing that Fernandi Edward still wore a stern expression, he could not help poking his arm.

"Don't you think the young count is adorable? I really want to hug him. Butler Judas must be so happy every day."

Fernandi Edward said nothing. Silence was golden.

Walker William persisted. "Don't you want to hug the count too?"

Fernandi Edward said, "...He is the count."

Walker William raised his brows and said meaningfully, "Oh, so you do want to."

Fernandi Edward said, "Since you have time for such nonsense, you might as well think about how to train them. Don't let it come to the point where we cannot even select a single squad leader."

"Want to have another match? I'm still not happy about losing to you last time."

"Fine."