Chapter 201: Chapter 200: Officially Joining

In this world, the children of nobles without inheritance rights who followed a more powerful noble sought nothing more than three things: wealth, power, and a fief.

The difficulty of obtaining these three things increased in that respective order.

It was said that for one of the Free People to become a landed noble, they would generally go through the following stages:

The first generation would become an official or servant to a noble.

The second generation would awaken an Extraordinary Ability, earn merits by following a noble, and become a Knight—the lowest rank of nobility, also known as a Sir.

The third generation, building upon their status as a Sir, would use their merits to be formally granted a noble title.

Although some exceptional individuals could shorten the process, most relied on several generations of accumulated effort, talent, and luck to enter the ranks of the nobility.

Although Rogner was talented and had an exceptional background, it was highly unlikely that he could become a landed noble under Ronin in a short period of time.

If this was true for him, it was even more so for Grado, whose background was slightly more ordinary.

As for Krami, she was essentially tied to Rogner; after all, they were a couple on the verge of marriage.

Therefore, the second point Ronin had mentioned was of little concern to the three of them.

“Lord, none of these are a problem.”

Rogner was the first to rise, only to kneel on one knee again. “I had already thought this through before I came. Please, accept my oath of fealty!”

Krami and Grado followed his lead, kneeling on one knee and once again swearing their allegiance.

The corners of Ronin’s mouth lifted into a knowing smile.

’That being the case, what reason did he have to refuse?’

“Then, I formally welcome the three of you to the Wubei Territory!”

And with that, besides Joffrey, Ronin now had another Advanced Level Knight under his command.

The Wubei Territory now had two Silver Knights, two Advanced Level Knights, and three Intermediate Knights. A Knight Squad with such strength could be considered top-tier.

Next, Ronin discussed their compensation for joining the Wubei Territory.

Just like with everyone else, their pay would correspond to their strength and Level.

As an Advanced Level Knight, Rogner’s daily wage was 100 Copper Coins. Krami, an Intermediate Knight, would receive 60 Copper Coins, and Grado, a Basic Level Knight, would get 30 Copper Coins.

If they were appointed to official positions—like Ridder serving as Commander or Macken as Guard Officer—they would receive additional pay for their duties.

In addition to this, as their Lord, Ronin would provide them with a suit of Armor and a warhorse.

However, Rogner and the others had brought their own, saving Ronin the trouble. Now, he only needed to provide them with a place to live.

Back in Mountain Forest Town, due to limited resources, Ronin had his Knights stay in rooms within the Inner Castle or the Outer Fortress.

But a castle was, after all, the Lord’s residence, and not all followers were qualified to live within its walls.

Now that the territory was becoming more established, things that hadn’t been considered before now required planning.

For example, Ronin could set aside a plot of land around the castle to build a Noble District. Only Transcendents who followed Ronin or honored guests visiting the territory would be permitted to live there.

Of course, this was just an idea for now. To begin developing property like that, he first needed a larger population.

For now, if his followers wanted better housing—for instance, a larger home with a private courtyard—they could apply to Ronin for a plot of land and hire workers to build it themselves.

For Ronin, the territory’s immediate priority was providing housing for the thousand slaves who were about to arrive. Building the Noble District would have to wait.

After all, there were some empty houses in Swamp Castle’s Outer Fortress and in the town, so arranging temporary lodging for Rogner and his companions wasn’t a problem.

After having Chahar lead the trio away to get settled, Ronin kept Tom behind to ask about the Poisonous Snake Slave Exchange.

According to Steward Anthony, the Poisonous Snake Exchange had already prepared the required four hundred slaves, and they could be transported over at any time.

The remaining six hundred would be gathered within the next two months.

With the spring planting imminent, the territory was in desperate need of labor.

Ronin immediately ordered Tom to inform Pearson. Once Pearson reached Pasture City, he was to visit the Poisonous Snake Slave Exchange and have Anthony arrange for all four hundred slaves to be transported to Swamp Town.

As for the remaining six hundred slaves, Ronin planned to send them all to Mountain Forest Town, as there were still over forty thousand acres of uncultivated land there.

As for clearing the land at Black Earth Village, Ronin planned to wait until after the spring planting and send a group of people over directly from Swamp Town. There was a shortcut from Swamp Town to the Black-collar Tribe, which was far more convenient than sending people from Mountain Forest Town.

Ronin was taking farming very seriously; he had no desire to spend thousands of Gold Coins buying grain from outsiders.

That night, Ronin gathered all of his Knights—including Ridder, Macken, and Joffrey—for a welcome banquet in Swamp Castle.

While the Knights welcomed Rogner and his companions, they also felt a subtle sense of pressure.

Their Lord was becoming more powerful, able to attract the fealty of the second son of a Viscount Clan. In the future, more and more people would surely come to pledge their loyalty.

David, Tom, and the others were still just Basic Level Knights. They needed to consider how they could demonstrate their abilities and earn more of the Lord’s trust before even more followers arrived.

Late that night, Rogner and Krami lay in bed, the room illuminated by candlelight.

“What are you thinking about?” Krami asked softly.

Snapping out of his daze, Rogner smiled. “I was just thinking about the pointers Ridder gave me at the banquet.”

The banquet didn’t have a dance, but it did have sparring matches.

To gauge Rogner’s strength, Ridder had taken the initiative to suggest a spar.

Rogner knew he would lose, but he hadn’t expected to be defeated even more soundly than when he had faced Jamie Monson.

He had always been seen as a powerful member of the younger generation, yet standing before Ridder—who appeared to be around his own age—he was so completely suppressed that he couldn’t even fight back.

“That Ridder is so strong. I doubt even Sir Suri would be a match for him.”

Krami frowned slightly. “Surely not? Sir Suri is an expert with one foot in the Silver Level. And Ridder only barely managed to defeat Baron Reisen a short while ago.”

Rogner shook his head. He was even starting to suspect that Baron Reisen had only said that to save face, and that Ridder might have actually won their spar quite easily.

“Besides Ridder, Macken, and Joffrey, I never expected Ronin to already have so many Knights following him.”

Rogner couldn’t help but marvel. The last time he visited Ronin’s territory, it had seemed unremarkable.

But after formally meeting this group of Knights, he was genuinely astounded.

They were mostly young, with great potential, and every single one of them was full of passion and drive. Given time, some were bound to distinguish themselves.

Krami deeply agreed with this.

She previously couldn’t understand why Viscount Marvin would have his son follow Ronin—a noble even younger than Rogner. It wasn’t until after tonight’s banquet that she truly understood the meaning of “immense potential.”

“Alright, enough thinking.”

Rogner lay down and pulled Krami into his arms. “We have to go on a clearing mission with Ridder and the others tomorrow. Let’s get some rest.”

At the banquet, Ronin had already assigned tasks to Rogner and Krami.

When the territory’s trade caravans were transporting valuable goods, the two of them would lead the escort.

Ronin had made this arrangement for two reasons. First, he trusted Rogner more than Pearson, and as an Advanced Level Knight, Rogner had more than enough strength for the job.

Second, Rogner was the son of Viscount Marvin. Unlike Pearson, who was a commoner, he would be able to navigate formal situations more effectively.

Later, when it came to negotiating silk trade with other nobles, Ronin could let them handle it entirely. Hailing from Ironhoof Castle, a family renowned for its commercial prowess, Rogner was certain to have a talent for it.

All things considered, Ronin felt that putting the pair in charge of the Wubei Territory’s trade caravans was a very fitting arrangement.

Of course, during their downtime from escorting caravans, their tasks would be assigned by Commander Ridder as he saw fit. For instance, he could have them participate in the major clearing missions that were currently underway.

“Sigh…”

Krami smiled wryly. “I guess our carefree days are over.”

Rogner couldn’t help but laugh. Compared to the carefree life they had lived while depending on their families, their new life, subject to the orders of another, certainly offered less freedom.

But they had to start their own family and plan for the future eventually. They couldn’t depend on their families forever; at some point, they had to strike out on their own.

It had taken great courage for Krami to willingly leave her comfort zone with him, and Rogner was deeply grateful.

“I believe our future will be better.”

He kissed her on the lips. “Good night.”

“Mhm, good night!”

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