Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

After the meeting, Robson and the other nobles rested for a day before starting their journey north.

Count Sriphine returned to Auric Province. The southern nobles of Ehrlichland went directly to their new fiefs, and Knight Commander Elon led the Fengman Knight Order back to Fengman City to report on his mission.

Robson, Earl Uman, and the nobles from the two northern counties of Ehrlichland headed for Bai Ma Ferry.

The Largus River marked the dividing line between the northern and southern parts of Ehrlichland's three counties.

Ehrlichland was situated at the junction of the Demon Beast Mountain Range and the Frankish Great Plains, a region with a dramatic drop in elevation. Consequently, the Largus River flowed with torrential currents, and the only place to cross was Bai Ma Ferry.

Count Sriphine's timely dispatch of troops to seize Bai Ma Ferry had saved Robson a great deal of trouble.

Upon arriving at Bai Ma Ferry, however, Robson didn't cross immediately.

The main reason was a lack of supplies; he had to wait for Valentino to bring up provisions from the rear.

A small place like Bai Ma Ferry couldn't possibly supply all of northern Ehrlichland. He would eventually need to bring in supply ships from the Fengman Clan's territory downstream on the Largus River, or else take a detour through Ador Province.

However, judging by the attitude of the nobles from Ador Province, he'd likely be turned away even if he went in person.

Robson didn't remain idle during this time.

With the battles beyond the pass now largely concluded, it was time to write the war report.

Writing a war report was a delicate art. Robson had to submit a preliminary draft to Marquis Oscillate for approval. Only after it was confirmed to be issue-free would the final version be submitted to the Kingdom Government.

After all, once submitted to the Kingdom Government, the report would become legally binding.

Aside from this, Robson also sent men to verify the information on the map he'd captured from the Beastmen—specifically, the locations of refugee camps and hidden treasures.

As a result, the nobles in southern Ehrlichland noticed a peculiar phenomenon during this period: Viscount Robertson's cavalry were riding all over the lands south of the Largus River.

Ordinarily, an army would need to announce its entry into another noble's territory. However, with the Military Commission newly formed and Robson's influence at its peak, no one dared to protest.

Of course, even if they had wanted to complain, it would have been useless.

Robson had dispatched seventh-tier, unarmored cavalry. In armor, these men were fierce warriors who could charge enemy lines. Without it, they became swift Rangers, free to roam as they pleased. Their horsemanship surpassed that of most nobles, making them impossible to catch.

Through the Light Cavalry's searches, Robson actually managed to find some treasure.

Unfortunately, it wasn't much: five hundred Gold Coins and a few sets of armor.

It wasn't a trivial amount, but it was far less than Robson had hoped for.

As for the human refugee camps, when Robson's men arrived, they found a few people on the brink of starvation. His Soldiers brought them back.

Upon further questioning, they learned that anyone in the camps who was able to flee had already done so.

...

After a few days' wait at Bai Ma Ferry, a dozen large ships finally arrived from downstream on the Largus River.

Along with the ships came Robson's first batch of supplies. The Peasants hadn't come yet; Robson's most pressing concern was provisions for the army's journey. The Peasants could follow later.

With the arrival of the large ships, Robson and his party began their journey.

The Fengman Clan was, after all, a land power, and Ehrlichland was an inland territory. One couldn't expect the riverboats here to be particularly efficient.

It took about two days for Robson and his men to transport all their supplies and personnel to the opposite bank of the river.

Now, they had truly arrived in northern Ehrlichland: Vidoma County.

Many of Robson's confidants said their farewells, each taking their own Soldiers and a portion of the Peasants to their respective fiefs.

Robson, meanwhile, continued north with the main army.

After all, Lord Robson's own domain was in the far northern Clichy County.

In the northern part of Clichy County, no less.

Now that he was in Vidoma County, Robson was no longer as constrained as before. He dispatched all the Light Cavalry from his army to search for the refugee camps and treasures.

Perhaps because the north had already been plundered by the Beastmen, Robson came up empty at nearly every treasure location. The only find was a single chest containing a bow and arrows.

That's right—just arrows. Not even a bow, just a chest of ordinary arrows. Robson suspected the Beastmen had simply left them behind because they couldn't carry them.

To Robson's surprise, after leaving Sri County and entering Vidoma County, the number of refugees actually increased.

The refugee camps were almost never empty; many contained over a hundred Peasants. Robson assigned some of these people to the local lords and kept the rest for himself.

After all, he now had vassals in Vidoma County. It was important to share the spoils; one couldn't afford to look too greedy.

The remaining refugees still constituted a sizable group. Robson had someone do a quick headcount: there were a little over a thousand people, around twelve hundred in total.

These people were sallow and emaciated, their limbs weak. Some were barely breathing.

Robson didn't hesitate. He had his Soldiers give up their carts, loaded all the refugees aboard, and arranged for his men to prepare food. He even used Holy Water to snatch those who were on death's door right from the Lord of Dawn's grasp.

His future domain as Lord Robson was a classic example of a vast territory with a sparse population. He had been granted half of Clichy County—the largest of the three counties—but right now, Robson's total population, at a generous estimate, was only around ten thousand.

Moreover, this number included the old and the weak. With more expected to die on the journey, even fewer would be left by the time they arrived.

On the current market, a single Peasant was worth far more than a vial of Holy Water.

In this world, thanks to the existence of Magic, life was quite resilient. While the old and the young were fragile, a healthy adult could survive half a month without food or drink. With a vial of Holy Water and a few days of care, they could be back on their feet and full of energy.

What Robson didn't expect was that the refugees initially found this hard to accept. They even chose a representative to explain that they were overwhelmed by the favor; as long as Robson provided food to keep them alive, they couldn't possibly ask for more, let alone ride in the carts.

'What a wonderful era,' Robson could only think. 'Natural-born beasts of burden everywhere.'

But even though the refugees said this, Robson couldn't possibly comply. Morality aside, the most important reason was that many of them were truly just skin and bones, looking as if they were ready to meet the Lord of Dawn at any second.

They would need to recuperate for at least a few days before they could even think about working the fields.

Robson's Soldiers, many of whom came from Peasant backgrounds themselves, pitied the refugees. This, combined with their boundless adoration for their commander, led them to persuade the refugees to accept Robson's kind offer.

Moved, the refugees pledged their loyalty on the spot. They boarded the carts, heads bowed in gratitude, and the army continued its march.

During the journey, Robson's Soldiers got along very well with the refugees.

No one knew who started it, but soon everyone was recounting the deeds of Lord Robson and the army's past victories.

From the sunset over Sunset Fortress to the dawn beneath Wayne Mountain, from the sea of beasts at Qimo Fortress to the elite Beastmen before Thermopylae—they took real events, added a touch of myth, and wove Robson's deeds into little stories that spread through the camp.

These little stories left the refugees wide-eyed and awestruck. And how could they not? The tales resonated deeply with them!

The essence of Robson's story could be boiled down to a single sentence: The great Lord Robson used his wisdom to defeat the treacherous schemes of the Beastmen.

Why had these people become refugees? Because of the Beastmen, of course. To them, these stories were like a power fantasy—the more they heard, the more hooked they became.

Later, as Robson discovered more refugees and brought them into the fold, the storytelling cycle would repeat itself.

And so, amidst waves of cheerful laughter, the army arrived in Clichy County.