The barony of Bradford was built amidst the flora of a mighty jungle and was truly a classic phenomenon. Its appearance was matched by the backdrop of grand forests which have helped shape the barony to what it is today. The trade resources these forests brought were of great importance, but they were also influential when it came to architectural designs as the vast majority of buildings have been built with many natural elements to keep in line with the forests.
The skyline was riddled with either elegant two-story or majestic three-story buildings. Life was great in Bradford, it had attracted a lot of attention. A few new cultures had left their mark not just on trade and relations, but also upon the barony's identity.
Bradford barony contained two towns; Bradford and River town. The two towns were separated by lush vast forest and Hinling River. The main road connecting the two towns was well maintained and paved with white stone. Thus, the road was called Pearl Road. Red maple trees stood on either side of the pear road as though they were the guards of the road.
At the moment, a heavy downpour was watering the maple trees as the trees kept waving in the wind. Except for two carriages pulled by pegasi, nothing could be seen on the road.
In one of the carriages was the first king of Kingdom Bradford. Unlike other kings, this king traveled with neither a battalion of soldiers nor a group of royal guards.
"It's beautiful" Michael pulled the curtain aside to see the dancing red maple trees. The last time he visited Bradford, he flew above the trees. Hence, he failed to see their magnificence.
"So Ricky, what do you know about Bradford?" Michael's question brought Ricky back to reality. He never thought he would become a right-hand man to a king. From a lowly gate guard to the right-hand man of a king, he couldn't believe the turn his life took ever since he met Ghost.
"Well your majesty, the barony…shit" Ricky slapped himself in the back of his head,
"Kingdom of Bradford has two towns, Bradford and River town. Though they call River town a town, the town was in decline along with the Sun Rise sect until you joined the sect. However, Bradford town prospered under the rule of Baron Totonk. Sigh…"
Michael heard Ricky let out a heavy sigh,
"What?"
"Your majesty, it's that I feel pity for Baron Totonk"
"Is that so?" Michael asked, gently brushing the head of sleeping Nightmare on his lap,
"Rumor has it that ever since Lucifer killed and hanged Miss Jane's body atop the manor, the baron has lost his connection with reality. People say he has gone mad"
"What do people say about Lucifer?" Michael asked as he had no idea about Lucifer.
The name Lucifer made Ricky shiver. Unlike some cultists secretly worshiping Lucifer as their god, Ricky never wanted to meet Lucifer.
The sight of Jane's horribly mutilated body gave him a nightmare. Ricky had seen his fair shares of murders and deaths but what Lucifer did to Jane was something else. Ricky doesn't blame Baron Totonk for going crazy as any father who loves their daughter would go mad in his shoes.
"Ricky" Michael called him again as Ricky came back to reality,
"Some people say he's the devil and wanted the church and guardians to catch him so they could sleep at night again. Rumors have some people are worshiping Lucifer as their god in secret"
"Hehehe" Ricky heard Ghost chuckle from inside,
"Your majesty?" Ricky failed to what could possibly be funny about what he just said for Ghost to chuckle,
"If you know they worship Lucifer, they are not doing a good job in keeping secrets, are they? If it is true and you know it, the church and guardians know it too. There will be no surprise if both of them hunted these worshippers down"
Michael could use these worshippers to strengthen the Order of Death again. However, it was too early to recruit civilians. Next time he streams himself, he might ask for people to stop worshiping him just for their sake. If they continue to worship and end up being hunted by the guardians or the church, they should blame themselves.
"Your majesty, when will the army reach Bradford?"
"In a week according to the King Bredia"
"Your majesty, can I ask you something?" Michael sensed a sliver of reluctance in Ricky's voice,
"Sure"
"Were you going to really let the princess die? I mean, if his majesty did not give what you wanted, what would you have done?"
"The king was lucky I didn't kill that bitch then and there when she tried to kill me" Michael's words stunned Ricky.
"Stupid bitch and that stupid asshole Ricky came with the most idiotic plan"
"Good thing you didn't kill either of them, your majesty. Killing the princess would have turned Bredia against you while killing young master Andrews would have made Winstons your enemies. You know, the Winstons were nothing but good to the sect"
"That's the reason Andrew is still alive. But after everything that happened, I doubt Andrew would be grateful to me for letting him live" Michael leaned on the seat, resting his head on his fist.
"He should be Your majesty. Although the final ended up without a winner, everyone knew you would have won if it wasn't for the princess's interference"
"I'm thankful to that bitch though. If it wasnt for her stupid act, I wouldnt have gotten a kingdom"
Michael's cold chuckle sent a chill running through Ricky's spine.
"Let's talk about you, how is your cultivation going? What stage are you on right now?" Michael could see Ricky's cultivation stage. Still, he asked to see if Ricky lied to him or not. He was thinking about giving Ricky and Daniel some important roles in his kingdom but before deciding anything, he wanted to make sure they are absolutely loyal. Since he has the system, it was easy to determine their loyalty, he just needed to make them their subordinates.
At this level of the system, he could have a maximum of eleven subordinates. He already had Gaya, Raylene, Sadie Kaplan, Aria, Maxine, Azazel and Tiberius. After the tournament, he had more than enough points to completely heal Aria's two brothers. With them, he would have nine subordinates. Michael was thinking of making Ricky and Daniel the remaining two subordinates. Although Ricky and Daniel were not as strong as most of his subordinates, they were loyal to the core and hardworking.
From this point onwards, loyalty wasn't the only thing that mattered to Michael. He needed powerful subordinates who could fight his battles for him. In simple words, he wanted to be the final boss.
"Body Refining Stage level 10 Your Majesty. I feel like I can reach the Body Strengthening stage in a few months" Michael was glad to see Ricky telling him the truth.
"What about Daniel?"
"Sigh" Ricky sighed again,
"Poor guy is stuck at Body Refining stage level 8 your majesty"
"Hmm" It was obvious to Michael Ricky and Daniel has no talent for cultivation at all. He had given them hundreds of thousands of gold coins worth the pills and potion still, they were stuck at the Body Refining stage.
If it wasn't for the pills and potions, there was no doubt they wouldn't have reached the Body Refining stage.
"After we settle things in Bradford, come see me with Daniel. You two are too weak. We need to fix that"
Ricky felt goosebumps all over. Everyone in the world loved power and Ricky was not an exception. If anyone could turn Ricky and Daniel into geniuses, it was Ghost.
As the rain showered them from heaven, they made their way to Bradford town where the Baron's manor was located. The people who didn't attend the tournament had no idea that their barony had become a kingdom of its own and their new king is Ghost of River town.
Through the window, Michael saw the city wall in the distance. Nightmare curled on his lap, sleeping peacefully. Ricky saw a bunch of archers standing atop the city walls. Regardless of the heavy rain, they were patrolling on the wall's top. In front of the main gate of the city, a couple of armored guards remained outside.
Since the carriages had the flag of Sunrise sect on top, the armored guards didn't dare try to be arrogant as they waited for Ricky to slow down the carriage.
"Open the gates" Ricky's voice and demeanor were not of a meek kid anymore. He sounded as though he was ordering the armored guards to open the gates.
The armored guards wore helmets covering their faces. Thus, Ricky couldn't see the annoyed expression that appeared on their faces.
Michael was waiting patiently for Ricky to deal with the guards. He didn't mind how Ricky sounded. As far as he was concerned, his subordinates should not be spineless cowards.
"The Baron has ordered us not to let anyone inside or outside," one of the five armored guards said in a grumpy voice.
"Why?" Ricky frowned.
"The Guardians and the Baron are conducting an investigation. It's our order not to let anyone in or out. Unless Baron gives us an order to let you guys in, we can't do anything" Another guard spoke but he wasn't as grumpy as the guard who talked just a moment ago.
"Do you know who is inside the carriage?" Ricky had the courage to talk to the armored guards with his chest up because of Ghost. He was not the gate guard Ricky anymore, he was the right-hand man of the king himself. Soon these guards would bow their heads to him.
"Who?"
The grumpy guard couldn't take anymore of Ricky's arrogant attitude.
"Your King"
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