Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

The coronation ceremony and public trial lasted until the sun dipped low, painting the horizon a fiery red.

Penny and her son, declared usurpers, were immediately stripped of their noble status and imprisoned for life within White Castle.

This sentence was a decision reached after much deliberation.

Although Penny was a usurper, she was, after all, the Old Duke’s daughter and Liya’s aunt. A brutal execution would have made Liya seem too cruel, earning her the title of Tyrant in the history books.

Furthermore, keeping her alive served as leverage against Damon in the South. Thus, it was a punishment that satisfied all parties involved.

Next was the matter of the Southern Territory’s repayment for the Northern Territory’s aid.

White Harbor would be handed over to their administration, with a full exemption from taxes.

This may not have seemed like much, but anyone with a keen eye knew that by controlling White Harbor, the Northern Territory would gain the upper hand over the Southern Territory, both militarily and commercially.

For this reason, even the neutral nobles had vehemently opposed the deal. After all, the conflict between Liya and Damon was merely an internal struggle within the Southern Territory; it mattered little to them who came out on top.

But ceding White Harbor was a different matter entirely—it was tantamount to undermining the very foundation of the Southern Territory.

Unfortunately, both Dukes had made up their minds, and no one could sway them.

Monvert, as one of only two lords who had proactively brought troops to support Liya, received an enviable reward. Though his rank remained unchanged, the archipelago near Wolf Island and its nearby ports were all granted to him as his domain. Furthermore, he was appointed Commander of the Kolon Garrison Army and Duke’s Hand.

After receiving his titles, Monvert secretly sought out Levi and complained that he wasn’t actually keen on serving as Commander of the Kolon Garrison Army and Duke’s Hand.

The reason, naturally, was that the duties would keep him from living a peaceful life with his wife and daughter.

This earned a massive eye-roll from Levi, who silently cursed Monvert for rubbing his happy family life in his face.

And what about our Lord? He had long since returned to the High Cliff Castle camp, swaggering like he owned the place.

Zat was in the High Cliff Castle mess hall, meticulously brushing honey onto a bear paw. Only food could grant him such a rare moment of perfect tranquility. He finished and was just about to take a bite when a pair of hands snatched the paw from behind. His tranquility shattered in an instant. He whipped his head around, ready to unleash a string of Wilderness curses, but the words died on his lips and changed course. "Boss, is the meeting over?"

With the powerful stride of a conqueror, Levi smoothly sat down in a chair, doing his best to give a nonchalant "Mhm."

"Zat, you damn bear, you slathered on way too much honey. It’s too rich," the Lord offered as a "fair assessment" after taking a huge bite.

Watching his Lord tear into the bear paw while complaining it wasn’t good, Zat felt utterly wronged. But what could he do? Rank has its privileges. He could only snatch the lamb shank from the nearby Sam and start chomping on it viciously.

The little old man looked left and right, finally realizing he was at the bottom of the totem pole. He silently picked up a potato and began dipping it in the lamb broth.

"My Lord, what’s the news?" As the cleverest of the bunch, Leiden could tell from his lord’s posture that he was dying to show off, and dutifully set him up.

Mier had the cook prepare another stewed lamb shank, placed it on Sam’s plate, and gave his shoulder a pat.

"AHEM." Levi set down the bear paw and cleared his throat.

The feasting leaders of High Cliff Castle immediately fell silent, their eyes all turning to one man.

"First, from now on, your Lord is a Marquis. An Honorary Marquis." The Lord announced with a slight smile. Fearing these country bumpkins wouldn’t grasp the sheer weight of the title, he added, "In all of Debei today, the number of living Marquises doesn’t even reach a four-hand count."

The entire mess hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. A moment later, thunderous applause erupted.

Zat hadn’t actually figured out what a "four-hand count" was, but he clapped more enthusiastically than anyone.

"Quiet, quiet! It’s only a Marquis. Anyone who didn’t know better would think I’d become a Duke."

The Lord rose, gesturing for silence with two downward presses of his hands, a very "humble" smile on his face.

"Second, we have nominally become an honorary legion of the Southern Territory, with an allotment of three thousand soldiers. We’ll remain independent and autonomous, but our military funding, equipment, and supplies will be provided by them!"

WHOOSH!

The others hadn’t yet processed what was happening, failing to understand why this second announcement was more celebration-worthy than the first, but Leiden was already on his feet, his face a mask of shock.

As High Cliff Castle’s Dog Head Military Advisor, he managed not only military affairs but also logistics. No one knew better than him that High Cliff Castle’s income was far from covering its expenditures. The Lord had probably poured his entire personal fortune into simply maintaining the castle’s daily operations.

In fact, the only reason they could maintain their army at all was because High Cliff Castle simply didn’t pay its soldiers.

Beastman or Centaur, every soldier was provided with meals, but not a salary.

Even so, supporting a standing army of nearly one thousand professional soldiers was their absolute limit.

High Cliff Castle’s Warriors were truly a top-tier fighting force, but their greatest weakness was their small number.

They were destined to fight only in small-scale engagements. In a massive battle involving hundreds of thousands, they would be little more than a slightly larger ripple in the tide.

But now, all those worries were gone. Leiden instantly realized that with this new arrangement, High Cliff Castle could expand its army to at least five thousand. If they continued to forgo salaries, they could expand it even further.

And if they could maintain their current troop quality at that size, they would be considered a major power in Debei.

"To put it simply," Leiden explained, switching to terms these brutes could understand, "it means the Southern Territory will be paying us by the head for every big lug in High Cliff Castle."

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