Chapter 330 - 83: How to Start?
Chapter 330: Chapter 83: How to Start?
"My lord! I’ve found someone!"
’That was fast.’
Robson had already noticed Ais’s approach, and he turned his head when Ais spoke.
He saw Ais leading a stooped old man, who was presumably the person he had found.
"My lord, the people from Clichy County all said this gentleman knows the entire region better than anyone."
After Ais finished his introduction, the old man stepped forward and bowed to Robson.
His etiquette was flawless; one could tell at a glance that he had received professional training.
"Gerard, at your service, Lord Viscount," Gerard introduced himself after bowing.
"You’re no commoner, are you? You’re a noble?" Robson asked, looking at Gerard with a calm expression.
"Replying to my lord, my name is Gerard. I was a household servant to the former Viscount Affleck, responsible for managing his finances.
"I heard you required someone familiar with the Affleck Domain, so this humble one came forth to offer my assistance," Gerard said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
As a household servant to the former Viscount Affleck, Gerard had once held the status of a noble, but all of that vanished into the wind with the arrival of the Beastmen’s iron hooves.
Gerard had thought that was the end of his life’s story—to grow old as a common peasant, destined to die in a field or during some menial labor.
But he never imagined that, even at this late stage, fate could take such a dramatic turn! It seems heaven never truly blocks all paths.
Having spent time in noble circles, Gerard naturally understood that this summons from Robson was a golden opportunity to climb the social ladder.
For a peasant to rise to prominence overnight wasn’t the hard part; all it took was the favor of a noble lord. The most difficult thing was getting the chance to be noticed in the first place.
So when Ais came looking for someone, Gerard immediately stepped forward.
He was getting on in years; once a noble, he was now living as a peasant. Naturally, he was unwilling to accept this fate.
’Could I return to my former position, or perhaps even advance beyond it...?’
As Gerard thought this, he grew excited. He had recently heard about this new lord’s military accomplishments. As someone who had once navigated the world of politics, Gerard knew that in the Frank Kingdom, military might was king.
The current Marshal Grantham had secured his seat as a Count through his martial prowess alone.
"Oh... so you were a household servant for Affleck. As it happens, I was acquainted with the former Count Ehrlichland. When I visited him, I recall Viscount Affleck telling us about a Magic Beast Breeding Farm. How things have changed... it is truly a pity," Robson said, feigning a sigh.
Gerard’s face was a mask of confusion.
Seeing Gerard’s expression, Robson relaxed. The battle aura he had been preparing to release slowly dissipated.
It couldn’t be helped. According to the Kingdom’s official documents, all the nobles from beyond the border were presumed dead. But documents were just documents; the Kingdom had never conducted a proper census. They simply followed the tradition of revoking a title if no one claimed it or no news was heard for a month.
Without a doubt, such a lax procedure was the result of political maneuvering between various factions. Robson didn’t know who was involved, but he was currently the biggest winner in the lands beyond the border. The last thing he wanted was for some former noble with a strong claim to crawl out of the woodwork.
If the man before him had been a core member of the Affleck family, Robson would have had no choice but to send him to meet the Lord of Dawn.
The topic of the Magic Beast Breeding Farm was the perfect test to see if this man was a core member of the family.
After all, something as important as a Magic Beast Breeding Farm would not be common knowledge. According to the case of documents Robson had, the farm was a joint project between Count Ehrlichland and Viscount Affleck, making it even more of a secret.
"Never mind. Gerard, is it? Let me be blunt. You should know what lies ahead. I am about to take up my post, so tell me, is there any suitable place to settle nearby?" Robson asked.
Now that he had confirmed Gerard wasn’t a core member of the Affleck family, Robson still needed to verify the man’s identity, his knowledge of the Affleck Domain, and whether he had the ability to find a suitable place to develop.
Hearing Robson’s question, Gerard’s eyes lit up. He knew his test had begun.
"My lord, to be honest, I spent a long time in Affleck City. And in the entire Affleck Domain, the one place you absolutely should not go is Affleck City itself," Gerard said.
"Oh? And why is that?" Robson asked.
"You may not know this, my lord, but Affleck City suffers from floods year after year. The planting season starts more than a month later than in other areas. In fact, right now is when the Guman River is expected to rise," Gerard explained.
"I see. In that case, where do you think we should go to reclaim the land?" Robson inquired. ’Knowing these details at least confirms he’s a local.’
"Well... may I ask the extent of your territory, my lord? If it’s just the original Affleck Domain, I would recommend heading further east."
"The Guman River. Everything north of the Guman River is essentially my territory. You can choose from anywhere there," Robson said.
"North of the Guman River? Are you a Count, my lord?" Shock was evident in Gerard’s eyes. He knew that, excluding the southern mountains, the lands north of the Guman River constituted nearly the entirety of Clichy County.
The most important person Gerard had ever met was Viscount Affleck, and the Viscount’s Domain was only the area around Affleck City—just two-fifths the size of what Robson now controlled.
And even so, Viscount Affleck’s domain was not considered small for a Viscount.
In Gerard’s mind, only a Count could possess such a vast territory.
"That’s not important. Continue," Robson said without offering an explanation. Whether he was a Count or not wouldn’t affect this man’s ability to advise him.
Hearing Robson’s words, Gerard adopted a thoughtful expression.
’North of the Guman River... That opens up a lot of options.’
"My lord, I do know of a place, further to the east. There’s a lake there called Dong’er Man Lake, surrounded by golden trees and plains. The lake itself is teeming with fish.
"It’s just..."
Dong’er Man Lake. Robson knew of this place; it was already on Lord Robson’s list of options. The medium-sized iron mine within his territory was also nearby.
Now, hearing Gerard’s description, Robson was even more tempted. ’Is this some kind of divinely-blessed land for farming?’
"Just what?" Robson pressed.
"It’s just... the area is close to the Demon Beast Mountain Range, so small-scale beast tides break out from time to time. Furthermore, the land is covered in swamps—half of the plains are marshland.
"Viscount Affleck once considered developing the area, but it was already overrun by magical beasts, so the matter was eventually dropped," Gerard said.
’Magical beasts, too?!’
Gerard had no idea that his words only made Robson more enthusiastic. He didn’t know that Robson currently had over two hundred Tier Seven Soldiers under his command! All they lacked was Magical Beast Meat to become Extraordinary Soldiers.
As for the beast tides, Robson wasn’t concerned.
He had four thousand professional soldiers under his command! Unless it was a super-sized magical tide led by a legendary-level creature, any number of beasts would just be free kills.
Fending off a beast tide would get Lord Robson both experience and Magical Beast Meat. Wasn’t that an all-in-one service package for his Tier Seven Soldiers?
’What kind of holy land is this?’
However, the swamps were indeed a bit troublesome.
This was a common issue in the Northern Kingdom. The latitude was too high and the weather too cold, preventing water from evaporating easily.
Coupled with the fact that it was located at the foot of the Demon Beast Mountain Range on a plain, the water tended to pool, forming vast swamps.
To the Franks, these swamps were both an enemy and a friend.
An enemy, because the land couldn’t be farmed and often produced toxic gases. A friend, because the swamps provided some measure of defense when the Beastmen invaded from the south.
But for the current Robson, the swamps were purely a "chicken rib"—useless for farming, full of toxic gas, and not even suitable for construction.
Who knew what kind of magical beasts lurked within the swamps? Robson couldn’t exactly send his army marching in there.
Robson had heard that swamp muck was rich in nutrients and could be used as fertilizer, but he wasn’t sure about the specific process, having never tried it himself.
"In any case, let’s go take a look first," Robson said.
Aside from the swamps, it was practically a divinely chosen land. Robson had no intention of letting it go.