Chapter 121: Chapter 120: Authorship Rights
Looking west from the watchtower of High Cliff Castle, the land the slaves had spent two months clearing stretched out before him. The black soil was endless, without a trace of green.
Having been the main battlefield, the soil here was soaked in blood. Severed limbs and shredded flesh were spread across it like fertilizer.
One could predict that the coming year would bring a bountiful harvest.
"It’s also mid-September now. We can arrange for our subjects to plant wheat. Let our own people handle the planting, and send the idle Goblins to the mines."
Levi laid out his plans, one task at a time.
He placed great importance on the matter of planting wheat.
If they planted wheat this year, then next year High Cliff Castle would no longer need to buy food from elsewhere. This lifeline would be firmly in High Cliff Castle’s own hands.
’He certainly wasn’t going to let the Goblins do the planting. If he handed the seeds to those vile rats, he’d never see them again.’
The Feder Tribe had experience cultivating fields and growing crops back in the Kas Mountain Range, so handing the task to them was no problem at all.
Because they were planting winter wheat, the harvest would be around May or June of next year.
As Levi issued his commands, Baisitina and Mier sensed something was afoot.
"Levi, are you going somewhere?"
"Yes. I can’t rest easy with a threat like that on my doorstep. If we don’t deal with the Giant Dragon, I won’t even be able to eat a meal in peace." Levi looked gravely at the siblings. "Tina, Mier, I’m leaving High Cliff Castle in your hands for the time being. While I’m away, if anyone dares to cause trouble or disrupt the order in High Cliff Castle, execute them without question! I’ll have Muto stay behind to assist you."
In reality, the only true subjects of High Cliff Castle at present were Hog’s River Claw Tribe, the Feder Tribe, and the newly joined Beastman Tribe. These three Tribes were already bound to High Cliff Castle, sharing its fortunes and failures.
So it was unlikely anyone would be foolish enough to cause trouble. Levi was just taking precautions.
’As for whether Baisitina and Mier might usurp control of High Cliff Castle in his absence?’
Setting aside the fact that even the system rated their loyalty as extremely high, he wouldn’t have cared even if they had tried to seize power.
To put it nicely, High Cliff Castle was a powerful new Pioneer Territory, filled with elite Warriors and a growing population. To be blunt, without Levi, it would be nothing more than a gathering of bumpkins from the Wilderness.
High Cliff Castle was High Cliff Castle not because of its current strength, but because the Lord was present.
Simply put, without the Lord, High Cliff Castle wouldn’t even exist. Only a place where the Lord resides can truly be called High Cliff Castle.
"Brother-in-law, I want to go too."
The moment he heard Levi was going to slay a dragon, Mier piped up.
’A Giant Dragon! He’d never seen one in his entire life. Just one glimpse would be enough to brag about for a lifetime.’
"Have you mastered your Sword Skill? Do you even know how to use a sword? Have you finished the tasks I assigned you?" Levi shot him a look, firing off three rapid-fire questions. "You want to join my Personal Guard Team when you can’t do anything? Even Muto is just stuck with the job of staying behind to guard High Cliff Castle."
Mier instantly became dejected, the light in his eyes visibly dimming.
"Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to get a good look at the Giant Dragon for you."
Levi patted Mier’s shoulder and said with a grin, "When the time comes, and the Minstrels sing tales of the Dragon Slayer Squad, your name will definitely be in them."
"Huh?"
Mier’s eyes widened. He asked in disbelief, "Isn’t that just fabricating it?"
’Aside from wanting to see a Giant Dragon, he wanted to go so that when Mercenaries in taverns spoke of this epic, moving dragon-slaying event, his name would be mentioned, even if only in passing.’
But what his brother-in-law was suggesting was undoubtedly falsification.
"What are you talking about? This isn’t fabricating! This is what we call ’gilding’!"
The Lord corrected Mier’s choice of words, exasperated with his naivete. ’How many people would kill for a chance like this and never get it?’
’It’s just like with academic papers in my previous life. It doesn’t matter if I actually did the research; as long as my name is on it, that’s all the proof I need.’
In this world, reputation was crucial. Reach a certain level, and even the Kings of the Seven Kingdoms would treat you with respect.
And the fame from slaying a dragon was obviously immense.
Not only would Levi add Mier, but every person of any standing in High Cliff Castle would be named a member of the Dragon Slayer Squad.
’After all, opportunities to easily boost one’s fame were few and far between.’
Mier was once again struck by the realization that things could be done this way. A sense of unease washed over him, the feeling that he was deceiving the whole world.
The more he interacted with the Lord, the more Mier realized how shallow his own understanding of impersonation and fraud truly was.
’If he wanted to become a competent leader, he still had a lot to learn in this regard.’
"This time, I plan to take the Personal Guard Team and the Giants. The rest will stay and guard High Cliff Castle."
"Won’t that be too few men?" Baisitina asked with some concern.
After all, a Giant Dragon wasn’t some unknown minor character. Against such a creature, you couldn’t even hope to resist without an elite force of at least a thousand men.
"If Zat and the others and I can’t handle it, then bringing more people would be pointless," Levi said, shaking his head.
"Numbers don’t work against a creature like a Giant Dragon. It’s like fighting me—a thousand farmers with grass forks are no different from ten thousand. I’d just cut them all down in swathes with my sword."
"But a hundred Palace Mages? That would be a completely different story."
"By the same token, fifty fully-armed, Tier Five Beastman Barbarians could easily wipe out the same High Cliff Castle forces that held off the Giant Dragon Corps."
"So bringing too many people would just hinder our mobility."
When the Lord made up his mind, wild horses couldn’t change it. Baisitina stopped trying to persuade him and simply offered a worried piece of advice.
"Levi, if you can’t win, just come back. As long as you’re safe, there’s always another chance."
"Don’t jinx it! Don’t think I won’t spank you just because you’re the Chief of Internal Affairs I personally appointed!" Levi threatened, shaking his fist, effectively shutting down Baisitina’s worrying.
An indignant Baisitina could only vent her frustration by giving Mier, who was standing beside her, a light punch on his side.
Mier rubbed his head, at a complete loss. On one side was his sister, on the other, his future brother-in-law. He had no idea who to support.
The Beastman Guard, fresh from battle, took advantage of the moment while the Giants were dragging things out from their hiding spots in the reed marsh to feast and drink to their hearts’ content.
For the past few days, in preparation for the Giant Dragon Corps’ potential arrival, they had only dared to eat until they were half-full. Now, after such a satisfying, hard-fought battle, their stomachs were rumbling with hunger.
Over the past few days, thanks to the Feder Blacksmiths working around the clock and some help from Mier, a total of seven Bed Crossbows had been forged.
Unfortunately, they were meant to be hidden in the reed marsh to ambush the Giant Dragon, but as it turned out, the dragon never showed up.
