City Of Sin

161-170

Territory(2)

Bevry picked up a pen and pointed to a nearby map, outlining a small area. “I’ve already given you the rank of frontier knight. You know this is a permit for you to campaign against others under my name, but a frontier knight is not a true noble. For future convenience, I’m also making you a titled knight. The family you claim to succeed has good pedigree already, so you can be considered a true member of nobility. As for any higher ranks, you’ll have to fight for them. This is the breadth of your land; take a look, see if there’s anything to supplement.”

Richard moved towards the map, closely inspecting the area the Duke had outlined. The land was a few kilometres in circumference, including what was originally Bran Village. It covered a junction of three areas: the Sequoia Kingdom, the Land of Turmoil, and the Bloodstained Lands. A third of the place was mountainous, with a small river flowing through the centre allowing for farmland on either side.

What concerned Richard more was that the road leading towards the interior of the kingdom passed by the edge of the territory, and there were marks for iron, copper, coal, and sequoia trees in the mountains. Although the area hadn’t been completely developed or even explored yet, this place was rich in minerals. Nobody knew just how vast the underground reserves were.

Richard had learnt a lot about minerals in the Deepblue; he knew that the depths of even ordinary mines had a chance to contain rare materials. There was a hope for these lodes to be the same. As for the sequoia trees, they were the namesake specialty of the Kingdom. They were tough and hard, able to conduct magic well. They were used to make magic bows, weapons, and the like.

If these lands were developed well, they would be no worse than Baron Fontaine’s territory.

“Thank you for your kindness!” Richard said.

The Direwolf Duke waved his large hand, “It’s a small matter. I hope you can start quickly, establishing a proper business. Time is of the essence!”

He had clearly emphasised the last sentence, and Richard understood what that meant. Perrin was now the equivalent of a 70-year-old man. It was impossible for him to become a saint, so if he continued to age at the current rate the best case was for him to last three more years.

“Alright, it’s getting late. Richard, your party can stay a night at Deeprock Castle, we can have dinner together. It will be a good opportunity for me to introduce you to my friends and children.

“Now, about the rune…”

As per Richard’s request, the rune was to be attached in the chief mage’s laboratory. The chief mage was level 14, and his specialisation in healing magic garnered him many friends and apprentices. The man was already over fifty years of age, so the sight of the young Richard left him with a bizarre look on his face.

Richard briefly introduced the rune he had prepared for the Duke. It was a general strength rune with six slots for magic crystals. If all slots were filled, it could give one a steady 20% increase in strength for a duration of three months. However, the rune would break after five uses and had to be changed for a new one.

“20%? Simply unbelievable!” the Duke said as he shed his outer robe, revealing a powerful body covered in muscles. He stood calmly before Richard, the aura of a powerhouse faintly seeping out. Richard then cast a detection spell on the Duke.