Chapter 229: Current Status of the Territory

“There was no helping it—knowledge in this era was monopolized to an unimaginable degree.”

To make up for the losses from this decapitation operation, Phield requisitioned ten death-row prisoners guilty of heinous crimes and purchased fifteen sets of Tier 1 greatswordsman equipment.

In the end, he stocked up on a large quantity of food and tools, loading the slaves to the brim.

After counting his gold, Phield felt like crying.

“Even including the treasury of Nightfall Domain, we only have thirty-two thousand gold coins left.”

A headache throbbed in his temples. Money was disappearing at a suffocating pace—especially when it came to training elite troops. A single knight required hundreds of gold coins to raise, and that was with low-tier equipment.

“No wonder everyone prefers conscripts and expendable slave soldiers. Turns out it’s simply because they’re cheap.”

Shaking his head helplessly, Phield led the massive procession to the border.

Just as he was about to light the mist-dispelling lamp—

“My lord, there’s no need to waste money. Leave it to me.” Tisiana hurriedly stopped him. Tilting her head, she smiled gently. “I only need to release my divine power.”

With that, she stepped into the gray mist. Her wings spread wide as the holy light poured out without restraint.

“Zzzzt—”

It was as if a red-hot iron ball had been plunged into ice. The surrounding gray mist rapidly receded. Even the tendrils and corrupted plants on the ground shriveled in agony, emitting gray-white wisps of scorched vapor.

“Wow! Impressive.”

Phield’s eyes lit up, unable to hide his delight. Now Nightfall Domain can break free from the Church’s control—and save a huge amount of expenses.

Before, he had always worried about being unable to obtain mist-dispelling lamps and being trapped in stagnation.

Many of the slaves widened their eyes, overcome with excitement as they began praying loudly.

“Move out!” Phield raised his longsword, riding at the head of the formation.

With three Divine Chosen escorting him, the journey back to the grand estate was effortless.

During the month Phield had been away, Nightfall Domain’s development had slowed.

Aside from farming, the only other activities had been clearing corruption and firing bricks.

If there was any major change, it was the growth of a large amount of vegetation—mostly hardy grass.

Many of the residents had finally found some respite from endless labor, and commerce had begun to take shape. The commercial district had already been planned out—people only needed to place their goods at the appropriate stalls to sell them.

Freemen had accumulated wheat, and agricultural byproducts like mushrooms and chives had started appearing in the market.

Coins that once held no meaning were now finally circulating.

Tate, who had rare time off, was strolling through the market with his family, choosing dinner. Upon hearing that his lord had returned, he kissed his wife goodbye and hurried over with Kaor and the others to greet him.

“This time, we’ve brought back a large number of slaves—it’ll be quite a test,” Phield said with a smile from atop his horse, before issuing instructions. “Arrange temporary lodging for the skilled workers. Once new houses are built, give them priority allocation.”

“Yes, my lord. But leave these matters to us—you should rest first.”

Everyone was already familiar with the process. Even with such a large influx of people, they could handle it.

“Good. You are all my reliable aides. On the next payday, I’ll raise your wages.”

He never hesitated when it came to rewards.

With the slaves and supplies handed over for sorting and arrangement, Phield didn’t need to micromanage everything.

Instead, he had the unconscious Alice brought to Starnight Castle.

Rosalia laid Alice flat on the bed. The soft velvet pillow eased the tension in her brow.

“When will she wake up?”

Phield pushed open the window. A faint breeze drifted in, causing the flame of the bronze candle to flicker, casting wavering shadows across the room.

“It’s unclear. Her physical injuries have almost fully healed, but her mind has suffered severe trauma. It may take a long time,” Rosalia said, brushing Alice’s hair aside before glancing at Tisiana, who was hesitating by the doorway. “Come in. I’m not going to eat you.”

On the way back, Phield had already explained the situation of Nightfall Domain to Tisiana—

Including the fact that he had a Corruption Divine Chosen under his command.

Divine Chosen contracts were extremely binding; betrayal was almost impossible.

“A Corruption Divine Chosen… Unbelievable. To think such a being would obey a human.”

Under normal circumstances, corruption meant complete madness—nothing but mindless slaughter of all living things.

Tisiana folded her hands over her abdomen and spoke calmly, “As long as you don’t harm innocents, I won’t stand against you. But I believe you’ve already experienced the power of holy light.”

Rosalia gave a noncommittal shrug. “Your Church might not be as pure as you think. Besides, it’s not like there aren’t churches in the northern province.”

The two stood at odds, tension rising as if a fight could break out at any moment.

“Alright, you two—why so serious?” Phield stepped forward casually and knocked each of them on the head. “I’ve already seen both your bodies. That makes us family now. Get along from here on out, understood?”

“Mm…”

Called out so bluntly, both women averted their eyes, wishing they could crawl into a hole from sheer embarrassment.

“To prevent Alice from going berserk when she wakes up, Rosalia and Ashina will take turns on watch. Make sure to keep a close eye on her.”

“Leave it to me.”

Phield had no intention of letting Alice rampage and flatten Nightfall Domain.

Before the sky had fully darkened, Phield brought Tisiana around the estate to familiarize her with the surroundings.

The number of sheep and chickens had increased slightly. Along with the existing livestock, they consumed a significant amount of feed daily. Fortunately, after the last harvest, crushed wheat stalks made for decent fodder.

“My lord, the direwolves are pregnant.”

A wolf-kin freeman responsible for their care immediately dropped the straw he had been chewing and knelt. “My lord, all six female direwolves are pregnant. They’re in good condition and feeding normally.”

“Excellent. As long as they give birth successfully, you’ll be rewarded accordingly. By the way, how long until they deliver?”

“Less than three months.”

After a brief pause, he added, “Drakewolf’s noble bloodline may extend the gestation period slightly, but not by much. These fierce species generally have short pregnancies—otherwise, they wouldn’t survive in the wild.”

“Good.”

Phield was already looking forward to seeing what Drakewolf’s offspring would be like.

He turned to glance at Tisiana. Her cheeks were flushed red as she looked away, pretending to be indifferent. Yet her fingers clenched tightly at her skirt, betraying her restless emotions.

They’re not the ones pregnant—why are you blushing?

Arriving at the industrial district, the bricks Phield had ordered were ready.

“My lord, we followed your method and produced some preliminary samples. Please take a look.”

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