Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Overwhelmed with Gratitude
The next morning, everyone got busy as they had discussed the day before.
Kaelon and Raymond began compiling the soldiers’ information and selecting captains and team leaders.
Ralph continued to recruit the confirmed candidates while taking inventory of the supplies with Owington, Jasmine, and the others.
While Julian was busy searching for more suitable ships, he was also looking for ways to sell off some of the valuable items in the castle, such as Carter’s collection of paintings and calligraphy.
Duane was also busy, but unlike these mundane chores, he was completely focused on raising the Skill Level of his various Skills.
Besides Cooking, Swordsmanship, and soup-making, today he unlocked a new Skill—Basic Shield Skill.
In fact, the new Skill had been triggered while he was watching the soldiers train with their Shields.
After learning the theoretical knowledge from Kaelon and Raymond, he began training in basic stances and guards.
He heard that there were also techniques for blocking, shield charging, bashing, and jabbing.
That evening, in the castle’s dining hall.
Duane placed a large basin of Fire Source Beast Bone Soup on the table and said magnanimously, "Come on, drink up!"
Across from him, Jack and John sat ramrod straight, their faces filled with apprehension.
When the two had learned from Kaelon that morning that they would be accompanying the Baron, they knew their opportunity had arrived.
But they hadn’t expected something so good to happen so quickly. They were actually fortunate enough to be able to drink something as precious as Fire Source Beast Bone Soup.
And it was a soup the Baron had prepared with his own hands.
"My Lord, can we really drink this?"
Even the more sharp-witted Jack was slightly hesitant.
Sitting at a nobleman’s table, eating food prepared by a nobleman—this was something they had never even imagined.
John, who was a little more timid, found his hands trembling slightly. The psychological pressure and tension from the class difference made him feel dizzy.
"Of course!"
Duane replied with certainty.
He had tried it a few times already; the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup no longer gave him attribute points. Rather than just drinking it for the taste, he might as well let these two have it.
"Don’t you both have strength approaching that of a Basic-level Warrior? This soup will be perfect for strengthening your bodies."
He said, pushing the soup bowls in front of them, "Drink up. Try to break through soon and serve me well!"
The two hesitated for a moment, then picked up their bowls and began to drink in large gulps.
The soup had a coppery, sweet taste, like the blood from a split lip after a long day of toiling in the fields as a child.
However, both of them felt it was the most delicious food they had ever tasted in their lives.
"SOB... SOB..."
As John drank, he actually started to cry.
This left Duane a bit bewildered. To be honest, even when he was struggling with debt back on Earth, he wouldn’t have cried over a bowl of soup.
"What’s wrong?" he couldn’t help but ask.
John finished the last drop of soup, then knelt on the floor and shouted, "Thank you for your gift, my Lord! Thank you for your gift, my Lord!"
At the same time, Jack also knelt. "Thank you for your gift, my Lord! Jack will absolutely not fail to live up to your expectations!"
Their voices were choked with emotion, but their eyes shone with a determined light.
In a daze, Duane seemed to understand.
This bowl of soup didn’t just strengthen their bodies; it also made them submit to him completely on a psychological level.
’A gift from a superior is always so deeply memorable.’
Duane gave them a kind smile. "I’ve always liked confident and hardworking people. Now take your bread and go train outside."
The two took their bread and left the dining hall, thanking him profusely.
They had already made up their minds: as long as the training didn’t kill them, they would train as if their lives depended on it, striving to break through and become Basic-level Warriors as soon as possible.
Otherwise, they would not only be wasting the delicious bread and precious soup, but also the Baron’s trust and expectations.
Owington watched this all unfold, his eyes filled with immense envy.
’If I became a Baron Guard, would I also have the chance to drink the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup?’
Duane saw Owington’s reaction but said nothing.
’The guy’s physical condition is decent, but he’s too old.’
’Jack and John are only sixteen, but Owington is already twenty-three.’
’It would be more worthwhile to pick a suitable candidate from among the other soldiers than to train Owington.’
’My resources aren’t infinite right now.’
After dinner, Duane practiced his Swordsmanship in the courtyard for a while and took the opportunity to give Jack and John some pointers on their Basic Swordsmanship.
During this time, he noticed that Kaelon and Raymond had already posted a few soldiers to stand guard on the castle towers and walls.
Apparently, now that they had the manpower, the castle’s defenses were "reactivated."
Before long, Kaelon and Raymond came before Duane together.
"My Lord, we have finished compiling the information for all the men."
Raymond handed over the personnel roster.
Duane took the roster and handed it to Owington. "Put this on my desk. I’ll look over it carefully later."
"You’ve worked hard. Go and rest for today. I’ll give you the squad assignments tomorrow morning."
Kaelon nodded. "Raymond, you go get some sleep. I’ll be on watch duty here tonight."
"Alright. Call me immediately if anything happens."
Raymond’s bedroom was also arranged in the barracks, which was convenient for keeping an eye on things.
It wasn’t that they distrusted these soldiers, but rather that they were all still strangers to each other and needed to be observed.
Duane stopped practicing his Swordsmanship as well. After taking a bath, he returned to his study to examine the roster.
The detailed information of the thirty soldiers was clearly listed on it.
From the neatness of the handwriting, it was clear that Raymond had received a decent education.
Although Kaelon could also read and write, his penmanship was somewhat lacking in comparison.
Duane scanned the list carefully. The soldiers’ ages ranged from a minimum of fifteen to a maximum of twenty-four.
It seemed Hunter hadn’t intentionally tried to fool Duane by sending him the old, weak, sick, and disabled.
’Hunter’s Hughes Clan is located in the Kingdom’s Fernando Province...’
The Pruck Kingdom was divided into five provinces, each of them vast in area.
Duke Kelvin Hughes’s territory was in Fernando Province.
Duane swept his gaze over the soldiers’ birthplaces on the list, looking to see if any of them were from that province.
He was checking this to do a rough screening, to see if Hunter had planted anyone special among them.
However, to Duane’s surprise, most of the thirty men were from either Eldora Province or Grant Province.
The former was where the Royal Capital was located, while the latter’s greatest lord was Earl Kais Kennedy—the father of Lloyd the Clerk.
Not a single one of the thirty soldiers was from Fernando Province.
Duane pursed his lips and began to divide the men into squads based on their age, tested Strength, and birthplace. The basic principle was to mix them up as much as possible.
Later, when assigning them to smaller teams, he would also try to separate those who knew each other.
Right now, Duane felt like a middle school teacher arranging seating charts, trying to prevent certain students from becoming desk-mates and getting into trouble.
It wasn’t that he was being overly cautious. This was, after all, the only force he had at his disposal, so naturally, he had to manage it well.
Besides, the death of his predecessor served as a warning.
As a Lord and a member of the Nobility, whether he liked it or not, he was already caught in a struggle for power and profit. If he wasn’t careful, he could be taken out without even knowing how it happened.
