Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

Chapter 264: Chapter 259: Grey Marsh Territory Will Not Forget Anyone

Jack stood before the Lord’s Mansion, a dozen or so veterans gathered behind him.

Most of them bore the marks of battle—some were missing half an ear, others walked with a limp.

"Jack, don’t you screw this up!"

One of them clapped him on the shoulder.

"Us old-timers who survived the Crying Moon with the Lord can’t let these young punks push us out."

Another man nodded. "Exactly. We have to say what needs to be said. We’re not here to cause trouble, we just want what’s fair."

Jack looked at his right hand, which was missing a finger, then back at the old brothers behind him.

"Don’t worry. I’ll say what needs to be said. The Lord is a reasonable man. He won’t turn his back on us old-timers."

A slightly older archer coughed a few times.

"Remember, we’re not asking for much. We just hope the Lord doesn’t forget who was with him first when he conquered this land."

"Right. The new guys can have their new path, but us old-timers deserve the old-timers’ treatment."

"Don’t let those kids who can write look down on us."

One after another, they all chimed in, their words growing more and more agitated.

Jack took a deep breath. "Alright, that’s enough. Let’s go in."

Pushing the door open, Jack led the dozen or so veterans into the Lord’s Mansion.

They had come with a bellyful of complaints, ready to question Velin about why he was implementing some newfangled examination and why he wasn’t recognizing their contributions.

But the moment they stepped into the study, all their resentment, dissatisfaction, and courage vanished into thin air.

Only two people were in the study. Tristan had just finished brewing tea and was handing the teapot to the Lord.

Velin was standing by a bookshelf and smiled when he saw them enter.

"You’re here. Have a seat, all of you."

Velin pointed to the chairs arranged in the room. "I just boiled some water. Everyone, have some hot tea to warm yourselves up."

Jack opened his mouth, but the words he had planned to say were all stuck in his throat.

The other veterans looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Velin personally poured tea for each of them, and the steam rising from the cups filled the room.

He walked over to Jack and looked at his severed finger. "Does your hand still hurt? It must be uncomfortable when it gets cold in the winter."

"N-no... it doesn’t hurt anymore," Jack stammered in reply.

"Tom, how’s your ear? Has your hearing been affected since you were bitten by that giant crocodile?" Velin then turned to another veteran.

Tom was taken aback for a moment. "It’s... it’s fine. My Lord, you still remember?"

"Of course I remember." Velin sat down across from them.

The old archer’s eyes turned a little red. "My Lord, you even remember that?"

Velin nodded.

"I remember the contributions of everyone present... You guided us through the swamp. If it weren’t for your familiarity with the terrain, we would have been lost long ago."

"During the siege of the Lord of the Gray Swamp, your archery saved us a lot of trouble."

"And you, Jack."

"Back then, when everyone else was breaking, you were the one desperately holding the ropes to restrain the Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile. The finger you lost was shredded by that rope."

The room fell silent, with only the faint gurgling of the tea to be heard.

The questions and complaints these veterans had prepared were now impossible to utter, not even a single word.

Jack put down his teacup, his voice choked with emotion. "My Lord, we... we didn’t come here to cause trouble."

"I know," Velin said gently. "You’re here to talk about the new system, aren’t you?"

"Yes." Jack summoned his courage. "Us old-timers have followed you for so long. Now we have to take an exam alongside those youngsters... It just doesn’t sit right with us."

Velin didn’t answer immediately. He stood up and walked to the window.

Sunlight streamed in through the glass, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

"Jack, I remember all of your contributions," Velin said, turning around. "But I want to ask you a question. If I were to put you in charge of managing cargo allocation at the port right now, could you do it well?"

The veterans looked at each other. No one dared to answer.

"If I asked you to handle coordination between various departments, would you be confident in your ability?" Velin continued.

Tom said quietly, "My Lord, we... we don’t know how to do those things."

"Exactly. That is the heart of the problem." Velin sat back down. "Merit must be respected, but duty must be shouldered by those who are capable. We must separate honor from responsibility."

Jack asked curiously, "My Lord, what do you mean?"

Velin picked up a document from the table.

"I am preparing to establish a system of honorary medals to complement the fourteen-rank merit system."

"Medals?" The old hunter was still confused.

"Yes, specifically to commend all the pioneers who have performed meritorious service for the territory," Velin explained. "Each medal will come with a generous, lifelong honor stipend."

The archer’s eyes lit up. "You mean, we get paid even if we don’t work?"

"Not that you don’t have to work, but rather that no matter what job you do, you will always receive this stipend."

"This is a reward for your past merits, ensuring that you can live without worry."

Jack stood up excitedly.

"My Lord, you’re really willing to do this?"

"Of course," Velin nodded. "But there is one condition. The medals and stipends are for the individual only; they cannot be inherited. I do not want the glory that heroes earned with their blood to become capital for their descendants to live off without working."

Standing to the side, Tristan was filled with admiration for Velin.

’This plan affirms the historical position of the veterans, giving them sufficient respect and material security, while also upholding the new system’s principle of meritocracy and cutting off the potential for nepotism.’

Jack looked at the other veterans, and they all nodded silently.

He stood up and gave Velin a military salute.

"My Lord, you’ve convinced us."

The other veterans also rose and saluted.

"With an arrangement like this, we have nothing to say."

"Merit is merit, ability is ability. They can’t be mixed."

"Right. We’ll take the stipend, and the young people can rise up based on their own skills. That’s what’s fair."

Velin stood and returned the salute.

"Thank you for your understanding. The Grey Marsh Territory will not forget anyone, but it also won’t let anyone rest on their laurels."

The next day, an announcement regarding the pioneer stipends and the first list of recipients was posted.

Most of the veterans who had originally been complaining fell silent when they saw their names followed by a string of numbers.

Jack stood before the notice board, his eyes growing moist as he looked at the "Twelve Silver Moons per month" next to his name.

After reading the announcement, a few of the veterans turned and left.

They planned to take their stipends and live a quiet life, no longer participating in the debates.

But some of them felt ashamed.

"The Lord is so benevolent, yet we used our past deeds to threaten him."

"Right, we can’t be like this," a younger one said. "I’m going to take the exam too. I don’t think I’ll lose to a bunch of young punks."

"Count me in," another veteran chimed in.

Hearing these words, Jack also made a decision. He turned to the others and said,

"Brothers, the stipend is the stipend, and ability is ability. We can’t stop trying to improve ourselves just because we have a stipend."

"Jack’s right. I’m going to sign up for the exam too. Even if I don’t pass, at least it’ll prove we’re not over the hill yet."

And just like that, the small storm was resolved, and the implementation of the fourteen-rank system proceeded without further obstruction.

On the day of the examination, thousands of people flooded into the temporarily constructed testing site.

Laine walked through the crowd, seeing the veterans who had once complained, as well as many more young faces filled with eagerness.

He saw Jack discussing questions with a young man, the two of them talking cheerfully, with no barrier between them.

Laine clenched his fists, a single thought in his mind.

’Seize this opportunity. For myself, and to live up to this fair new era.’

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