Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Chapter 421 - 394: Return

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of May.

Ronin spent his second birthday since transmigrating in the Purple Thunder Territory.

"Lord, you were looking for us!"

Macken and Saimon walked in from outside, travel-worn.

On the third day of Ronin’s arrival in the Purple Thunder Territory, Macken had rushed ahead on a Griffin. The two Knight Squads he had recently formed arrived more slowly, led by their respective captains.

In the past few days, with Saimon’s help, Macken had familiarized himself with the situation and taken over the main affairs of the territory.

Ronin could tell that Macken was very interested in being an independent Governor and was highly motivated in every respect.

Beside him, Saimon, his assistant, had been awed by Macken’s strength. And since they both had the Earth Attribute, he had also received a great deal of guidance from Macken.

Under this series of shocks, Saimon became even more convinced that his bold gamble had paid off—and paid off handsomely!

"It will be June soon. I need to prepare for a trip to Golden Feather City, so I’ll be heading back to Wubei Territory today."

June fourteenth was the decennial founding celebration of the Oduin Kingdom, and both he and Lurans would be traveling to Golden Feather City.

"Purple Thunder Territory has a population of over 78,000. In addition to maintaining the existing production and horse breeding, you need to select more young and able-bodied people to train. The number of permanent Knight Orders in Purple Thunder Territory needs to reach three. You are still far from this goal."

Although the number "three" was small, the pressure he felt was anything but.

Right now, he only had three small Knight Squads under his command, which meant he was still seven squads short of a full Knight Order.

Fortunately, Lord Ronin’s reputation was well-established. Recently, a considerable number of Professional Knights had arrived from other cities in Haid’s County, and he had already tasked Saimon with selecting the best among them.

Saimon noted the number down at the side.

’Two or three Knight Squads would be enough just to protect the Purple Thunder Territory. Why would they need a whole Knight Order?’

Ronin wasn’t stationing such a large force here to deal with the Magical Beasts of the Black Pine Mountain Range, nor was it for the other nobles of Haid’s County. His target was the Villa Duchy to the east.

Saimon had guessed this much, but he didn’t know if Ronin was merely planning for defense or if he was waiting for an opportunity to strike eastward.

’No matter what, the Lord’s ambitions are immense.’

This was a great opportunity for him to achieve something great. The thought that he might one day have his own territory again filled Saimon with motivation.

After giving some instructions and mentioning that he would have Wilson bring some experienced people over to guide the planting work, Ronin called for Carlos and flew away from the Purple Thunder Territory.

"Master, there are no powerful Magical Beasts in the Black Pine Mountain Range. It’s much worse than the Wushan Demon Beast Mountain Range."

Carlos said in a deep, rumbling voice. His courage had grown a little since his strength had been raised to the late-stage Sixth-level.

"Once the Purple Thunder Territory is developed, we can expand into the Black Pine Mountain Range."

Ronin smiled and opened his Attribute Panel. After more than a month of accumulation, he had invested all 645 Attribute Points into his Mage Level.

He then used 555 points of Energy Essence on Carlos, bringing his Level progress to Sixth-level (10203/12500).

He was planning to take the Dragon to Golden Feather City, so naturally, the stronger Carlos was, the better.

"ROAR~"

Feeling his master increasing his strength again, Carlos let out a joyful cry, soaring through the sky at high speed like an excited child.

Ronin lay on the Dragon’s back with a smile, crossing his legs as he gazed at the sky.

There were no achievements available to complete at the moment. It would take him another seven months to make Carlos a Seventh-level Magical Beast.

For him to break through to become a Proud Sun Knight and a Great Mage would be even slower, requiring more than two years.

’The monthly check-in reward for a Count is a bit low for my current experience bar.’

’If I could become a Marquis...’

Ronin’s brow furrowed. Becoming a Marquis would probably take much longer than two or three years.

After all, his current official title in the Kingdom was only Baron of Rapids Island.

Kingdom Baron, Kingdom Viscount, Kingdom Count...

This tedious process corresponded to a massive amount of military merit.

’I heard the Tricia Kingdom has been in some turmoil lately, and even the troop deployments on the border have changed. I’m afraid war between the two kingdoms will break out again in the near future.’

This was good news for Ronin. After all, it’s easiest to fish in troubled waters.

But for him, there was another path to becoming a Marquis or a Duke: proclaiming himself king.

If conditions allowed, he could establish his own duchy and crown himself king.

But that was just a daydream. In reality, if you proclaimed yourself king one day, you would likely be surrounded and crushed from all sides the next.

’From now on, I’ll focus my main efforts on two things: stockpiling food and expanding the army.’

According to Ronin’s initial plan, he wanted to station four Knight Orders in the direction of Shore City and three in Purple Thunder Territory. Following that, Wubei Territory and Giant Stone City would each get three Knight Squads, and Rapids Island would get four. All told, this would constitute a force of eight Knight Orders.

With that kind of military strength, he’d be truly formidable.

Carlos flew very smoothly, and Ronin drifted off to sleep as his thoughts wandered.

When he opened his eyes again, he had already arrived at Swamp Town. Gallon and Bella, having heard the commotion, had even rushed out to welcome him.

During the month, news of the triumphant return to Wushan Castle had spread to every city in the Wushan Territory. Naturally, Wilson, Chahar, and the others in Swamp Castle had also heard about it.

While they cheered for their Lord, they also hoped he would return soon.

After thoroughly enjoying lunch at home, Ronin got busy.

First, he asked Wilson about the spring planting. Then, he inspected the growth of the rice paddies and potatoes, finding that they were all doing very well. He figured they would harvest a good amount of rice and potato seeds this time.

"Lord, Lord Elron has arrived," Gallon reported.

Elron hadn’t come to report on the progress of potion research this time, but to bring Ronin a piece of information.

"Lord, an unfamiliar ship has docked at Wubei Port."

Elron reported, "The leader is a woman named Sophia. From what I can tell, the Spiritual Power she faintly exudes seems to be on the same level as mine."

Ronin put down the statistical report in his hand and looked at Elron in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Elron said, "She came to see me and said she wanted to meet you to talk. I also took a look at the three Knights with her, and they don’t seem to be ordinary people either."

Ronin’s brows furrowed tightly. It was one thing for an unfamiliar ship to arrive in Wubei Territory, but for its passengers to be so terrifyingly powerful was another matter entirely.

’A Magic Master... who could it be?’

He couldn’t figure it out. "Where are they now?"

"They came to inquire a couple of days ago, then took a Magic Flying Carpet back to their ship in Wubei Port. They said to send someone to inform her when you arrived, and they would come to pay a visit."

Ronin couldn’t help but do a double-take. "What did you say? A Magic Flying Carpet?"

This was the first time he had heard the term. He had only ever seen them in games before.

Elron nodded. "Yes, Lord. A Magic Flying Carpet!"

He added, "It’s very similar to the Magic Flying Carpets in my memory. I suspect..."

Ronin sucked in a sharp breath. ’Don’t tell me people from *that* continent have found me?’

He frowned in thought for a moment, then said, "Since they want to talk, send someone to inform them I’ve returned."