Chapter 11 Deciding the Path of Expansion

The next day, after sleeping well past sunrise, Weilin eagerly sought out Bryan and Alik to discuss the procurement of supplies, only after finishing the meal brought by the servants.

But before that, Weilin instructed someone to bring over a Red Phosphor horse, intending it as a gift for Baron Alik, to foster their relationship.

It would make it much easier to seek his help in the future.

At that moment, in the castle’s study, Bryan and Alik sat facing each other.

“Alik, what do you think of Weilin?”

“It’s hard to say. From just last night’s interaction, I can’t make a judgment.” Alik thought for a few minutes and finally shook his head in response.

“You can’t tell, but my cousin is truly remarkable—he values family bonds, though he is a bit lazy. Six years apart, and upon his return, he brings me a set of excellent full-plate knight armor worth twelve thousand gold coins. But now I’m troubled, not knowing how to return the favor.” As he spoke, Bryan looked keenly at Alik, his gaze intense.

“Alright, if you want to reciprocate, it’s simple. I noticed the people he brought lack protective gear; you could give him a hundred sets of leather armor as a return gift.” Alik pressed his forehead, looking at this big fool, unsure how else to advise him.

“Hahaha, you’re as sharp as ever. Indeed, inviting you to help redesign the village layout in my territory was a wise choice.”

Bryan laughed heartily, excitement clear in his voice.

“Master, Lord Weilin requests that you and Lord Alik join him at the training ground.”

Suddenly, the butler’s voice sounded from outside the door, cutting Bryan’s laughter short.

“Come on, let’s see what Weilin wants with us.”

Bryan was the first to rise and head for the door.

Alik followed closely behind, making his way to the training ground. By his estimation, Weilin was likely planning to give a gift, so he began considering an appropriate way to return the gesture.

At the training ground, Weilin approached as they arrived and addressed Alik: “Cousin, what do you think of this horse?”

“It’s well-fed and strong, carrying a trace of Red Dragon blood—great potential for growth. On the market, it would fetch twenty thousand gold coins.” Alik gave a fair assessment based on the horse’s appearance.

“Cousin, you have a keen eye. This is my gift to you—I hope you like it.”

Alik responded calmly, “Since it’s from you, I’ll accept it. In return, I’ll send you sixty carts of grain, a batch of iron farming tools, and a detailed map of the Yellowstone region in the northwest of the Grey Ash Wasteland.”

Weilin was momentarily stunned—how could Alik know he had chosen the Yellowstone region in the northwest of the Grey Ash Wasteland as his direction for expansion? When he met Alik’s smiling gaze, he could only marvel inwardly and replied with a smile, “Thank you, cousin, for your support.”

At that moment, Bryan seized the opportunity and said with a grin, “Weilin, I don’t have anything too special—my territory is rich only in iron ore. I’ll give you twenty sets of iron armor, a hundred and fifty sets of leather armor, and a hundred iron swords as my return gift. I hope you won’t mind.”

“Thank you, cousin.”

As expected, Alik looked once again at this generous fool, at a loss for words.

Bryan ignored his look. Seeing his family happy brought him genuine satisfaction.

That afternoon, Bryan delivered the twenty sets of iron armor, a hundred and fifty sets of leather armor, and a hundred iron swords to Weilin.

At a camp outside the castle, Weilin picked up an iron sword and tested it a few times against a wooden stake, finding the quality excellent.

He then inspected the iron and leather armor—each was a top-quality item among ordinary gear, with no inferior goods mixed in.

By the market standards of the Cadro Province, these items were worth fifteen thousand gold coins, and in times of war, they might even sell for thirty thousand.

“Master, with these weapons, our initial expansion efforts will go much more smoothly.” Baird, the captain of the knight guard, gazed at the weapons in excitement.

“The training of these two hundred men is now your responsibility. I hope they’ll play an even greater role in actual combat.”

“Rest assured, my lord.”

Baird left the castle with several knights, eager to gather the serfs at the camp outside and begin their training.

With nothing else to do, Weilin returned to his room and unfolded the map of the Yellowstone region in the northwest Grey Ash Wasteland that Alik had given him. He studied it closely, pondering the best area for expansion.

As for the sixty carts of grain and the batch of farming tools that Alik had promised, they would arrive at Bryan’s castle within two weeks.

So, Weilin shamelessly decided to stay at his cousin Bryan’s place, eating and drinking as he made preparations.

The Yellowstone region in the northwest Grey Ash Wasteland covered a total area of six hundred thousand square kilometers—four times the size of the Cadro Province. It was traversed by a major river, the Yellow Sand River, flowing from southeast to northwest, disappearing into unknown lands.

The closer to the river, the more fertile the land—and the more monsters there were in turn.

Away from the river, the land was relatively barren, but it was still possible to grow crops, though the yield would be low. For example, wheat would produce about one hundred fifty pounds per acre.

By the calculations from Weilin’s previous life, an adult would need about four hundred pounds of wheat per year to survive.

But this was another world, and most of the population were serfs without freedom. As long as they didn’t starve, it was enough—in theory, the wheat from one acre, combined with wild vegetables and the like, could sustain a single able-bodied serf.

“No, that idea is too wicked. I have morals—if I go too far, how could I face my family?”

Weilin shook his head, banishing such thoughts from his mind.

He then turned his attention to the distribution of monsters in the Yellowstone region, again using the river as a reference for the layout.

Near the main course of the Yellow Sand River were the stronger monster clans, such as ogres, gnolls, and minotaurs.

The tributaries were occupied by weaker monsters—kobolds, goblins, and similar lesser creatures.

The good news was that there were almost no powerful monsters in the Yellowstone region. The strongest clan chief in the area was at the Gold rank. As long as he didn’t court death by heading straight for the main river, he would have little to fear for his safety while establishing his domain.

The bad news was that the poor environment led to a severe lack of magical energy, making training difficult and necessitating the use of magic crystals for assistance.

He then fixed his gaze on an area south of the Yellowstone region—a place called Toxic, two hundred kilometers away in a straight line and covering over a thousand square kilometers. The only monster clans nearby were goblins, with their strongest member being a high-tier Bronze—perfect conditions for his expansion.

Having settled on a direction, Weilin went to his desk, took out a sheet of paper, and began to list his current assets.

One wise lord, two underage guardian knights, twelve high-tier Bronze knights, two hundred serfs undergoing training, and fifty-five bandit slaves.

Eighty-one thousand two hundred gold coins, nine intermediate magic crystals, and a hundred and twenty low-grade magic crystals.

Seventeen Red Scale horses, five sets of excellent full-plate knight armor, and six superb knight’s longswords.

Twenty sets of iron armor, a hundred and fifty sets of leather armor, a hundred iron swords, and the expected delivery of sixty carts of grain and a batch of farming tools.

This was the entirety of Weilin’s current wealth.

With these resources, he had enough to support the initial expenses of establishing his domain.