Chapter 555: Plans and Politics

Baron Homer

Council Hall, Lauryl.

“The past two weeks have been a little calm, but their attacks increased further this week,” said General Jarvis, sending the documents to us.

I activated Fast Read and reviewed them all.

After reading them, my expression turned serious. There have been seventeen attacks on the territories in the past week.

Half of them were in the territories of Baroness Silver and Baron Harrods. One had occurred in mine, but thankfully, my men had dealt with it without casualties.

“The attacks are growing and becoming increasingly dangerous,” said Baron Rose.

“I hope the council will agree to release more funds for the fort to speed up its construction and increase recruitment by 20%,” requested General Mark.

“Council is in a tight spot, General. We cannot release any funds,” rejected Baron Lockridge.

He is leading the council in the absence of Baron Husk.

I couldn’t help but feel a spark of anger at hearing that. Lockridge’s territory is on the southern side, opposite of us. The monsters must go through nearly all the baronies to reach his territory.

I wish I could object, but we had already made a deal over the finances, so there isn’t much I could do.

“Though, when the council convenes in full. I will support the increase in the recruitment,” the baron added.

Of course, he will support that.

His territory is no less at risk than ours, though the threat takes a different form. Dane’s gaze remains fixed on us. But if he were to return, Lockridge’s land would likely be among the first to fall under attack.

“The next agenda is orcs. Six hundred and thirty-seven orcs are leaving for Greltheaven, and seventy-nine are leaving for Deerpond,” stated Baron Rose.

We have agreements with both cities—to send the orcs to them.

It is a good agreement. We get a lot of money in exchange for that. Most importantly, we do not have to bear the burden of taking them in or repelling them.

It could have been disastrous for the baronies if Silver hadn’t had the foresight to take them from the start—and now, even Deerpond has followed suit.

Deerpond uses them for mining, but unlike Silver, they are not integrating into their societies. That’s why the majority of orcs still go to Silver rather than Deerpond and other cities.

However, that broad policy creates a problem for us.

“There are a lot of excellent warriors among them. Most with a lifetime of experience in fighting the monsters,” said General Jarvis.

Turning expressions on everyone’s faces sour.

There is a provision allowing us to try to recruit the best ones, but they need to agree with it.

Our contract with Silver is pretty strict, making recruitment harder. There is a provision there.

If we make an offer to the orcs, his men need to be present and have the opportunity to make their offer, and most of the time, the orcs choose them despite the dangers of his territory.

It doesn’t feel good to give Silver such power since it is from our territory, but we don’t have a choice. He has the things that we desperately need.

Emotions essence potions.

Those are important and have become even more critical with the monsters attacking.

It had saved the lives of Baroness Leila and even Baron Nightingale many times when they had gone against the monsters.

Even so, in the next meeting. We are going to be changing that.

“Silver is growing too powerful for our comfort,” I said. They nodded.

Monsters and Dane are the most significant dangers, but Silver and undead aren’t far behind.

The young man is a good neighbor, but even the blind could see the ambition rising in his heart.

We need him just powerful enough to hold back the undead. Once they deal with him, they will come for us, which creates a delicate balance problem.

“The only thing we can do is become powerful enough that Silver would think a hundred times before attacking us,” replied General Jarvis.

Thankfully, we are moving in that direction.

The monsters have created a challenge, but they are also increasing the power of our people. The numbers of Lv. 20’s and Lv. 30’s are rising steadily.

Our powerhouses, like Baron Harrods, Baron Lockridge, and Baroness Silver, are also leveling up with each passing month.

Even I am advancing at an unbelievable speed.

The meeting continued, addressing one point after another. We didn’t agree on everything, but we had made progress.

“This would be all,” said Baron Lockridge, ending the meeting an hour and a half later.

I got up and walked out with General Jarvis.

“Thank you for the puppy, General. My daughter loves it,” I told the man. “It is a good monster, aggressive but calm. It is a good companion for a budding young lady,” replied Jarvis.

We talked for a minute before walking toward our offices.

Since the three council members were unavailable, there has been a lot of work for me. Two have gone to the archmage city, while the other is keeping an eye on the monsters.

Click!

Hours passed, and soon, it was late afternoon when my office door opened, and Uda walked in.

“Ready?” she asked.

“A few more minutes,” I replied.

We have been here for four days. It’s time we return to our territory.

“Let’s go,” I said after signing the last file.

We walked out of my office, with people bowing to us. They were everywhere, moving and never staying in one place.

“It won’t be long before you will have to make this place bigger,” she said as she looked around.

The castle was a standard size, the same as the keeps in all territories. Silver made significant changes when he was in charge at the founding.

We made a lot of changes here, but they were internal. For example, we removed the barracks from the keep to make space for more offices and guest suites. Still, it isn’t enough for the growing city.

We need more space. The castle didn’t just handle the city business but everything from military offices to the trade to the noble’s affairs.

“Rose is crafting a proposal for that,” I replied in privacy.

It will take some time to get approved as the budget is constrained. There are so many things to do and so little money to pay for them.

Our priority now is a northern fortress and the army.

It is what will save the most important thing. The trade is our lifeline. Without it, there is only farming and monster hunting, which isn’t enough.

Soon, we walked into the compound where the carriage was waiting, along with the guards.

“My lord, my lady,”

The guard greeted us and opened the door. We stepped inside the carriage.

A few seconds later, it was out of the castle and into the city.

“I remember that there was nothing but a castle here. In a blink of an eye, a city of a hundred thousand appeared around it,” said Uda, looking out the window.

It made me wonder, too.

When we first came here less than three months ago, there was nothing other than the castle, but now, there is a bustling city growing every day. Its development is stunning as if it were designed specifically for this purpose.

The engine of its growth is trade.

The trade between merchant states and Navr. The taxes from which the most revenue comes.

It is why we have eyes on the Mirador Hold, as they have their eyes on us. We are even in private contact with a couple of high-level people there.

If we can defeat Dane thoroughly next time he comes, we might seize Mirador Hold without shedding a drop of blood.

That would be wonderful.

It will give us all the taxes and a more significant edge in negotiating with the merchant states.

Before long, we arrived at the site where the wall was under construction—a proper stone barrier. The work is progressing at full speed, driven by necessity. The threat of monsters made it imperative. We already had a wood wall, but now we’re building it bigger and stronger.

When it is complete, the outer wall will be as tall as Deerpond’s.

If everything fails, this city will be our bastion. We need it to be as defensive as possible to protect us from any threat.

Be it the monsters, Dane, Silver, or even the undead!

The carriage crossed the gate and moved along the road, with carriages coming and going from the city.

I could see many carriages from the merchant cities. They are easy to recognize with their business’s emblem and city and state’s flag.

Two hours passed, and the carriage took the turn from the main road.

A few minutes later, long farms appeared in the view. It used to be a forest, but now the nobles have reclaimed a large amount of land.

More farmland is being recovered every month. The majority will be recovered in a year, at most two.

I am saying “recovered” because it wasn’t virgin forest as its name suggests.

There had been cities and towns here before they were destroyed by the undead and monsters countless times over the millenniums.

Mostly undead of Navr.

It is one of our most significant priorities because it is the only thing we have that is unique in the entire region.

We are close to becoming self-sufficient in food, but that’s not enough. We need to grow more to sell it to the region.

We might be unable to match Navr’s prices, but we can provide a stable supply.

Greltheaven and Deerpond had hinted they would sign a long-term contract to buy it from us.

Knock Knock!

Suddenly, a knock rang out, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“My lord, Baron Harrods had sent the message that another monster tide was building,” informed Ulik.

Hearing that, I nearly cursed out loud but stopped myself and sighed.

“Send him my thanks for the news,” I replied.

This is the fourth in a month. The beast’s intensity increases by the month, making things extremely dangerous for us.

Usually, when things happen, Baroness Leila and Lord Blackwell sneakily try to break it by killing the leader, which is extremely dangerous, but right now, she isn’t present.

I hope Lord Blackwell will be able to do it. It usually does not stop them, but it delays them.

“We shouldn’t have let Leila go to Archmage City,” said Uda.

I shook my head. Most of the council and nobles were opposed to her going but also understood that it was important for her.

She and Baron Harrods are responsible for the northern front against the monsters.

Currently, Baron Harrods is alone, while Lord Blackwell is also there with that artifact of his, but his priority is his side, not ours.

We need her, but we also know that for a mage like her. Archmage City is extremely important; this time, she isn’t just visiting but part of the Synod entourage.

There, she will have access to resources and opportunities that are typically out of her reach. These are things she wouldn’t normally encounter in her usual environment—tools, knowledge, and connections that could significantly broaden her horizons and open doors for growth.

“It is going to help us all if she gets what she desires in Archmage City,” I replied.

This is the only thing I could say, other than hope, that the tide would collapse. If it didn’t, I pray it wouldn’t be too strong.

Last time, we were barely able to handle it.

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