Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Expanding the Territory
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“Do you just need me to build a workshop in the territory?”
“Yes. And it would be better if it's somewhere people don't often go.”
“That's not difficult. I'll take care of the preparations, then.”
“Good. And...”
Lee Shin turned around and spoke to Cedric.
“You're staying behind too.”
“Pardon?”
“You two will work together.”
Even though Adam was now part of the Edgar territory, the fact that he was a lich hadn't changed, so his identity had to be concealed.
Because of this, Cedric was the only one who could serve as Adam's assistant mage.
“Is that possible?”
“Well, it's not difficult... How long do I have to do it?”
“Until the rest of your debt is paid off.”
[You issue a command to Cedric.]
[The remainder of his debt is deducted.]
[Cedric will be freed after assisting in the creation of 78 golems.]
“...Understood.”
At the thought of finally being free, Cedric nodded vigorously.
However, Lee Shin had no intention of letting him go just like that.
In the current situation where every single person was valuable due to the rebellion quest, he had to keep hold of such a talent by any means necessary.
Lee Shin approached Adam, glanced at Cedric, and asked.
“Can you handle it?”
-Hm? Ah, it's nothing.
“Really?”
Although he hadn't said anything specific, Adam, having roughly grasped the intention from his gesture, replied as if it were no big deal.
But.
-Should I thoroughly destroy his mind and turn him into a depraved beast of a slave who obeys his master's every command?
“...!?”
...As expected of a lich, Adam casually said something terrifying!
Lee Shin, who had let out a small splutter, shook his head and replied.
“......No, you don't need to go that far. Just keep him properly entangled.”
-Is that all?
“Yes. He's a mage, after all. If you break him too badly, we won't be able to use him properly.”
-There are ways to use broken things as they are... But I understand. I'll do as you say.
From the way he spoke, it seemed he had his own methods, but since it was an order from his master, Lee Shin, Adam nodded in understanding.
After his conversation with Adam, Lee Shin summoned Gillaim and Count Aaron again.
“Why did you call us...”
“Is there something else?”
“There is.”
Lee Shin nodded in response to the Count's question.
Now that he had the powerful backing of Count Aaron, it was time to start the long-postponed quest to kill nobles.
At Lee Shin's words, Gillaim's head shot up.
“Finally! Are we starting?”
“Yes.”
“An excellent decision!”
[Gillaim is greatly pleased.]
[Gillaim's loyalty rises slightly due to your courageous decision.]
“Where do you plan to strike first?”
“The Count will have to decide that.”
“......Pardon? Me!?”
The Count, who had been listening as if it were someone else's problem, was startled by the sudden responsibility and looked at Lee Shin.
Lee Shin continued his explanation.
“Since we're making a move, it would be good to handle other matters at the same time.”
“Other matters...?”
“Expanding our forces.”
“...What does that have to do with killing nobles?”
The Count tilted his head in confusion.
“Wouldn't that just create more enemies?”
“It depends on how we do it.”
“What do you mean by that...?”
“I'm thinking of declaring a territory war.”
“......A territory war!”
Declare a territory war on a nearby domain, kill all the opposing nobles, seize their land, and absorb it into our own forces.
This was the plan Lee Shin had come up with last night.
If it went as planned, he could expand his forces at an incredible speed while simultaneously completing the quests for Gillaim and Salseong.
A method that kills three birds with one stone!
However, it didn't only have advantages.
The Count pointed this out.
“That's easier said than done... It only works if we win every battle, doesn't it?”
“Then we'll just have to win. Are you not confident, Count?”
“......I apologize for saying this, but frankly, I'm not very confident.”
“...Hmm?”
Not confident?
“Why?”
The Edgar territory was one of the most developed domains in the kingdom.
This wasn't just Lee Shin's personal opinion; it was the consensus among most players in the Eteun Kingdom.
So, whether in terms of economic or military power.
Shouldn't it be able to overwhelm all the surrounding territories?
“Am I wrong?”
“You are correct, my lord. However, a territory war is a different matter.”
“Why.”
“A territory war isn't simply a war between two domains, is it? If we make a move, all the surrounding territories will be watching with interest.”
“......”
He had a point.
If a conflict broke out between neighboring territories, of course everyone would take an interest.
But Lee Shin still didn't understand what the problem was.
“So?”
“Pardon?”
“They're interested, so what? Does that work against us?”
It would be a problem if they went beyond mere attention and openly sided with the opposing territory, but otherwise, it didn't seem like a big deal.
“Uh... that's exactly it.”
“???”
“There are no territories around here that would side with us. We're generally on bad terms with them... and they wouldn't welcome us growing stronger.”
“Ah......”
'True.'
Lee Shin nodded in understanding at the Count's words.
The Edgar County was already the most influential territory in this region.
If such a powerful domain showed signs of trying to devour another, everyone would naturally be on their guard.
In the worst-case scenario, not only would the plan fail, but they could also face a counter-attack from the united opposition.
'Hmm.'
Lee Shin fell into deep thought.
What should I do?
Although it carried risks, it was a pretty good plan if it succeeded, so it felt like a waste to discard it.
What if I just raise the stakes even higher...
“...No, that's not it.”
“Pardon?”
“By any chance, are the other territories on good terms with each other?”
“I doubt it. I don't know the details, but neighboring territories are rarely on good terms.”
'I knew it.'
Lee Shin found a clue in the Count's answer.
After all, isn't the enemy of my enemy my friend?
First, sow discord among them. Then, instead of approaching them to become allies, approach them with the proposal of facing a common enemy together. That might work.
'...Good.'
Lee Shin made his decision immediately.
I'm going with this!
He didn't have a concrete plan yet, but he doubted a more effective method would come to mind just by thinking about it longer.
Besides, sowing discord was one of Lee Shin's many specialties, so he was confident.
“Are you really sure about this......”
“It's fine, it's fine.”
The Count was worried about the consequences if things went wrong, but he couldn't change Lee Shin's mind now that he had made a decision.
In the end, the Count nodded.
“Do as you wish.”
[Count Aaron accepts your proposal.]
[A new mission is added.]
*Ting.*
Territory Quest - Expanding Influence
Possessing numerous gold mines and a large population, the Edgar County is undeniably one of the most influential families in the southern part of the Eteun Kingdom.
However, there is still a long way to go to become the hegemon of this region.
Wage territory wars to absorb nearby domains.
And become the true hegemon of the southern Eteun Kingdom!
Count Aaron's full support will back you.
• Quest Objective: Absorb nearby territories (0/9)
• Quest Rewards: The Count's trust, expansion of the territory's influence, ??
[You are granted full authority regarding the territory wars.]
[You can now freely utilize a portion of the territory's military power and funds.]
[You are temporarily granted the title of <Territory Diplomat>. This will be maintained until the quest is over, unless the Count revokes it.]
* * *
After being granted full authority, the first thing Lee Shin did was gather information.
Lee Shin used every available means (the territory's guilds, intelligence agencies, etc.) to scrape together information about the adjacent domains.
The information he gathered could be summarized as follows.
'Just as the Count said, none of them are on good terms.'
'Seven of them are particularly bad.'
'Among them, two are close to the Edgar territory... I should target them first.'
Having set a rough target, Lee Shin immediately went to the knights' order.
Lee Shin usually preferred to operate in a small group, but given the scale of this operation, he might need a lot of manpower.
“Is the commander here?”
“I will call him immediately.”
At Lee Shin's words, the commander was summoned right away.
The commander asked with a puzzled expression.
“Adventurer? What brings you here again?”
“I need men to carry out a mission given by the Count. I need to requisition personnel right now...”
[You have been granted full authority.]
[Using a portion of the Count's authority, you can command 18 knights.]
“...Can I take 18 knights?”
“Of course.”
“Right now.”
“Yes, I will select and bring them immediately.”
Thanks to the full authority granted by the Count, things proceeded smoothly.
The title Lee Shin had recently received also helped a little.
[You have received command of 18 knights from the Edgar territory.]
[You possess the title, <One Acknowledged by the Master>. The knights will faithfully follow your orders.]
After finishing the preparations.
Lee Shin headed for his first target, the Amphiri territory.
* * *
[You have arrived in the Amphiri territory.]
[This is your first time entering this area. Experience gain is increased by 5% for 30 days.]
[You hold the position of Territory Diplomat. You can meet with an official to request a meeting with the lord.]
As expected of a nearby territory, it didn't take long to arrive on foot.
Lee Shin looked around.
'There are certainly fewer people here.'
That was, compared to the Edgar territory.
Unlike the number of players, the number of NPCs seemed roughly similar, but it looked impoverished compared to the Edgar territory.
'Hmm...'
Lee Shin stood still, lost in thought.
What should I do first?
One thing was certain: he had to establish contact with the lord.
He needed to be able to control the lord to make anything happen.
“Are you going to meet him right away, then?”
“No.”
“What? You said you were going to meet the lord...”
“Not right now.”
But not like this.
He could meet him immediately using his position as a Territory Diplomat, but if he did, the lord would be wary of him from the start.
It meant that trying to manipulate him might just end up arousing his suspicion.
Jeong Yu-ra asked.
“Then what's the plan?”
“We'll go by the book.”
“......There's a 'book' for this kind of thing?”
“Of course there is.”
How does one get to meet a lord?
The most common answer is to accumulate an enormous amount of territory contribution points and catch the lord's eye that way.
However, this requires a considerable amount of time and effort.
For players planning to settle in the territory, that wouldn't matter, but for Lee Shin, who planned to ultimately take over this domain, there was no reason to invest such time and effort.
The contribution points would disappear once he took over anyway.
So, he just needed to meet the lord by any means necessary...
Lee Shin already knew the easiest and fastest way.
“What is it?”
“A bribe.”
“A bri—!?”
Accumulate a decent amount of contribution points to get in touch with a high-ranking official, then bribe that official to get an immediate meeting with the lord!
This method wouldn't normally work well, but it was a different story in the Eteun Kingdom.
'Here, NPCs who can't be bribed are the rare ones.'
The residents wandering around in rags.
Just seeing them was enough to tell the territory's situation was dire; it was hard to imagine the officials of such a domain would be incorruptible.
'It's decided.'
First, complete territory quests to build contribution points, then meet a high-ranking official.
Bribe the official handsomely and meet the lord.
Then, somehow, trick the lord!
He hadn't yet figured out the 'how,' but he could think about that after completing the first two steps.
Having made his decision, Lee Shin turned around and said.
“Let's find the guild first.”
“Yes!”
“......But before that, we can't go looking like this, so everyone disguise yourselves.”
“Yes!”