Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Chapter 441 - 414: Task Assignments

Ronin relayed the information he had learned from Broel about the Holy Storm to Sophia.

This Magic Master from the Crescent Continent explained the Wind Slaves and Flame Slaves in greater detail.

Wind Slaves were transformed from Wind Attribute Advanced Level Knights. This strict requirement directly limited the number of Wind Slaves, making it impossible for them to be as numerous as the Witch Soul Race.

Although the name "Flame Slave" implied fire, they actually represented explosive power and were not created exclusively from Fire Attribute Knights.

The creation of Flame Slaves required Golden Knights, and the process of imprinting the Flame Seal was excruciatingly painful. Even Golden Knights with powerful physiques faced an extremely high risk of sudden death; barely one in ten survived.

As a result, Flame Slaves were even rarer than Wind Slaves.

However, a successful transformation granted the Golden Knight power comparable to a Meteor Knight.

"The Wind Slaves hold aerial superiority. Although you have a Giant Dragon and will have a Griffin Guard in the future, forming a Bow and Arrow Guard is still essential."

Sophia advised, "I can craft Magic Energy Arrows. When used with longbows, they can be effective against the Wind Slaves."

Ronin couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

During the campaign against the Polante Thief Gang, he had obtained an Iron Armor Braided Bull Bow and over thirty Magic Energy Arrows, which were still sitting unused in his Space Ring.

For one, he was now powerful enough that he no longer needed such a weapon. For another, there had previously been few Wind Attribute Knights of Intermediate level or higher in his territory, so he had no one to give it to.

However, the number of Intermediate and Advanced Level Knights in his territories had now increased significantly, so forming a Magic Energy Bow and Arrow Guard shouldn’t be an issue.

"I’ll make arrangements for this after I return to the territory."

Ronin said, "Also, if you need any materials to craft the Magic Energy Arrows, you can submit a request to my Commander, Ridder. He’ll have his people prepare them for you."

Sophia nodded.

In the Human Alliance of the Crescent Continent, she was the esteemed daughter of the Lord of the City of Dawn and was addressed as ’Your Highness’, but now that she had decided to stand with Ronin, she would not remain idle.

Resolving the chaotic situation here as quickly as possible was, after all, consistent with the purpose of their long journey.

「A few days later」

Lurans had wrapped up his affairs, leaving some personnel behind in Golden Feather City. It was time to depart for Wushan Territory.

For Wushan Territory, the top priority upon returning was not gathering provisions and preparing for war, but holding the wedding for Ronin and Blanche in Wushan Castle at the end of the year.

Originally, Ronin had wanted to delay for two years, build a more presentable castle in Wubei City, and then marry Blanche.

Unfortunately, his idea was rejected by Bruno and Garrett.

In two more years, Blanche would be twenty-two years old. In this world, it was rare for a noble lady to remain unmarried at twenty-two.

Furthermore, they worried that if something were to happen to Ronin in those two years, the situation would become even more precarious.

Thus, the date was set for December 28th of the current year.

While half a year wasn’t a long time to prepare, it wasn’t exactly short, either.

Ronin didn’t have to worry about it. Matters like guest invitations, attire, venue selection, event scheduling, and so on would all be handled by the officials of Wushan Castle. He just needed to show up.

Ronin’s primary focus remained on development and offense.

This development wasn’t about territorial expansion and administration, however.

In the past two years, Ronin had laid a solid foundation for the basic necessities of life in Wubei Territory; now, development just needed to proceed according to plan.

Swamp Town and Black Earth Town would sooner or later become Wushan Territory’s fourth and fifth largest grain production bases.

The development he was focused on now was magical technology: Elron’s pharmaceutical industry, ships that combined Magic Energy with steam, and even steam trains to transport mined coal to Wubei Port.

As for offense, the main target was Moonlight Valley.

Soaring through the sky on the Giant Dragon, Ronin, Sophia, and the others finally returned to Swamp Town on the first of July.

As soon as they arrived, Sophia took Anilu and Harmon to Wubei Port. Their five-person team needed to hold an internal meeting to plan their next steps.

If all went according to plan, Uncle Simon would remain in Wubei Port, repairing ships while also building more *Dawn*-class vessels for Ronin.

The other four would all head to Shore City, and Sophia would assume command as the Leader of the Sixth Knight Order.

Ronin, for his part, summoned Minister of State Affairs Wilson, Minister of Finance Chahar, Wubei Territory’s Defense Officer Rig, and Transport Officer Rogner.

An army marches on its stomach. While ensuring Wubei Territory had sufficient food, Ronin needed to transport grain to Chishan Town, Giant Stone City, and Purple Thunder Territory for storage.

When the fighting eventually broke out, this would spare them the logistical nightmare of transporting large quantities of provisions on short notice.

By the time the arrangements were made, evening had fallen.

Rogner and Chahar left Ronin’s study side by side.

"The Lord is mobilizing all these provisions... is he preparing for war?" Rogner asked, somewhat bewildered.

"Perhaps," Chahar replied, his expression deeply concerned.

He had just been ordered to financially support Simon’s shipbuilding efforts and Sophia’s production of Magic Energy Arrows—both of which were clearly war-related.

Wubei Territory was flourishing, and he really didn’t want war to shatter this prosperity.

However, they also knew that war was sometimes unavoidable, regardless of their own wishes. The only thing they could do was wholeheartedly support their Lord’s every decision, just as they always had.

In the study, Rig and Wilson had not yet left.

To accommodate the Griffins’ arrival as soon as possible, Ronin needed to quickly construct suitable housing for them.

It didn’t need to be too elaborate or luxurious; it just needed to provide shelter from the elements, be sturdy and reliable, and have hay spread out for them to rest on.

Sourcing an adequate supply of meat, however, would be the real challenge.

Fortunately, the Demon Beast Mountain Range was to the west. When the time came, he could have Carlos lead them there to hunt.

Besides, Wubei Territory’s population was now large, and its livestock industry was thriving. The number of cattle and sheep had increased significantly, so providing some rations for the Griffins would be just about manageable.

In addition to building shelters for the Griffins, there was also the issue of housing the one hundred thousand people Bruno would soon be sending over.

Settling all of them in Wubei Territory would be difficult, so Ronin planned to distribute the 100,000 people among three locations: Wubei Territory, Giant Stone City, and Purple Thunder Territory.

He hoped these three places would quickly grow into major cities, each with a population of 100,000.

Wilson knew that he was about to get busy again.

’To be honest,’ Wilson thought, ’following the Lord means I get to see more and more of the world. Now I’m actually building shelters for Griffins—the very symbol of the Kingdom.’

"Rig, this is the first group of Griffin Knights I’ve chosen."

Ronin handed the roster to Rig. On it were the names of ten people: Elron, Rig, Rogner, Karada, Lusen, Joffrey, Tom, David, Reis, and Yusuf.

Aside from Elron, the ten people he had designated included nobles who had pledged their allegiance, commoners, powerful Knights, and even weaker but promising prospects with great potential.

Rig saw his own name on the list and was instantly thrilled. He never imagined that he, a disgraced noble, would one day ride a Griffin—a symbol of the highest status!

"Thank you, My Lord!" he couldn’t help but bow.

"Thank me after you’re sure you can handle the high altitudes. It won’t be too late then."

Ronin continued, assigning him a task. "There are five other adult Griffins arriving. I want you to organize a competition for the members of the Knight Squads from Wubei Territory, Giant Stone City, and other areas. The top five winners will earn the right to ride the remaining five Griffins. I’m putting you in charge of this."

This was also a way to compete for honor and would stir the fighting spirit of the Knights in his domain.

"Yes, My Lord!"

Rig said, full of confidence, "I guarantee I will select the most suitable people!"

Ronin dismissed him with a wave, then turned to Wilson. "What’s the latest on the territory’s population?"

"My Lord, the population under your rule has already broken the 300,000 mark!"

Wilson said excitedly, "During this time, Marquis Lurans has sent over 70,000 people to Wubei Territory. On top of that, perhaps following his lead, Linchuan City, Pasture City, Splendid City, Lake Town, and Sharp Horn City have sent over 20,000 more."

Ronin nodded slightly. Lurans was supporting him with all his might, as always. He alone had sent him enough people to populate a large city.

With so many new arrivals, plus several thousand from natural births in Wubei Territory and the existing 78,000 people in Purple Thunder Territory, the total was indeed approaching 300,000.

He was surprised, however, that other nobles had also sent people.

"Have Elron set aside a few potions from the next batch for the nobles who supported me. It’s a token of my gratitude for their help."

Ronin added, "Also, the population administrator’s name is Omar, I believe? Have him get the list of new arrivals to me as soon as possible."

Wilson bowed. "Yes, My Lord. I will inform Omar to deliver the list as soon as possible."