"Honestly," Levi said, exasperated. "You can’t even hold your liquor, but you just had to insist on a toast."
Seeing Baisitina with one foot on a stool, looking full of bravado, Levi had assud she could drink well, so he’d clinked glasses with her.
Who knew she’d be a one-cup wonder? With that kind of tolerance, she was the type who’d have to sit at the kids’ table at a feast.
"Hog, I’ll have to trouble you with patrolling High Cliff Castle tonight."
After giving the order to the stone-cold sober Hog, Levi swept Baisitina up in a princess carry, as if she were his own daughter, and took her back to her room.
Even though High Cliff Castle was currently free of enemies, Levi still subscribed to the "better safe than sorry" philosophy. The patrols and the watchtower guards were never allowed to let their guard down.
The moon hung high in the sky, and High Cliff Castle fell into a deep tranquility, with only the sound of the night wind whispering through the grass.
The night passed uneventfully.
In the early morning, Muto ca to bid farewell to Levi, accompanied by ten Beastman Warriors and dozens of attendants from the Evil Fang Tribe.
He had already resolved to return to his ho in the Far North Wilderness and move his entire Tribe to High Cliff Castle.
The Tribe was not doing well. In fact, many had left simply because the Tribe couldn’t support them. Now that Muto had found a leader worthy of his loyalty, he was naturally eager to bring his people over to share in the good fortune.
He said solemnly, "Boss, we’re setting off."
"Go and return safely." Levi wanted to pat Muto on the shoulder, but he realized the guy had shot up in height again. Instead, he just gave him two light punches on the chest.
After taking in the Feder Tribe and the Evil Fang Tribe, High Cliff Castle, with its iron mine, saw its population and production skyrocket. In contrast, its military strength now seed inadequate.
The Beastman Guard Team ford the core of his army, of course. The other two hundred soldiers were all selected from among the Feder Remnants, and they were only suitable as Archers, not for charging headfirst into battle.
Furthermore, the Jackal Wolfman Tribe currently had only a dozen or so Warriors. High Cliff Castle desperately needed to recruit so powerful Races to bolster its frontline, and expanding its military force was clearly a pressing matter.
However, if Muto’s journey was successful, the Beastman Guard Team could be expanded in a month or two.
Levi watched their figures disappear over the horizon.
...
When Miriel got up, rubbing her groggy head, the mories of the previous night ca rushing back like a flood.
She hadn’t expected the Lord’s tolerance for alcohol to be so high. Even after drinking so many others under the table, he had still managed to out-drink her.
And just like that, her little sche had failed.
Just then, she felt a looseness around her chest. Looking down, she saw that her tight-fitting combat uniform had been replaced with a loose linen shirt.
Miriel was alard. A glance at her surroundings confird she was in a wooden house in High Cliff Castle, not a tent in her caravan’s camp.
She quickly checked herself over and breathed a small sigh of relief.
As she stepped out of the room, the glaring sunlight made her shield her eyes. Once her vision adjusted, she spotted Levi squatting on the ground.
"Levi..." she called out, her expression complex.
Levi knew what she was thinking in an instant. "Don’t get your hopes up," he said coolly. "This Lord doesn’t have ti to be changing your clothes. A couple of Maids did it for you. Your uniform is drying outside. Go get it yourself."
Without looking up, he went back to prodding a cricket on the ground with a stick, silently watching as a swarm of ants slowly overwheld and killed the massive, struggling insect.
Ever since he was a child, he’d enjoyed watching ants use their superior numbers to kill enemies countless tis larger than themselves. To this day, he still found it fascinating.
Of course, he only ever squatted down to watch ants when he was truly bored.
His words left Miriel speechless. ’It seed she had been completely flattering herself. In this Lord’s eyes, my looks, which I’m so proud of, are probably worth less than a slab of pork.’
"Lord Li," Miriel said, collecting herself and getting down to business. "Thank you for your hospitality. We should be leaving today."
Levi clapped the dust from his hands, stood up, and stretched lazily. His bones made a series of pops, like roasting soybeans.
"Right. Rember to put in a good word for High Cliff Castle with the rchant guilds," the Lord said in a languid tone.
The more caravans that stopped to rest and resupply, the more High Cliff Castle’s economy would grow. Levi was, therefore, more than happy to welco them.
"I don’t think I’ll need to do much promoting. High Cliff Castle will soon be famous throughout the entire Northern Territory," Miriel said with a faint smile.
For any caravan, a Pioneer Territory in the Wilderness with a strong military presence is incredibly important.
It gives them a place to resupply and seek aid when they run into trouble. After all, paying a Pioneer Lord a small fee is always better than being robbed of everything by Wilderness Bandits.
And a Pioneer Territory as powerful as High Cliff Castle was, naturally, the ideal place for a caravan to rest and recuperate.
Besides, aside from his apparent indifference to won and his sowhat infuriating way of speaking, this Lord seed easy enough to get along with. His character was decent, too; he didn’t seem like the type to engage in backstabbing.
"Is there anything you need, Lord Li? Perhaps I can bring it for you on my way through next ti."
Levi stroked his chin, pondering for a mont.
"Keep an eye out for any advanced Combat Qi Secret Manuals on the market. When you bring them here to High Cliff Castle, I’ll reimburse you."
"Alright, but don’t get your hopes up." Miriel stated a well-known fact: "The great nobles hoard all the advanced Combat Qi Secret Manuals. Even if you have the money, you might not be able to buy one."
"Also, bring so books about the Natural Goddess." Levi suddenly rembered the Stone Egg related to the Natural Goddess that Sam was keeping, so he added the request.
"The Natural Goddess? She’s a deity who fell from prominence ages ago. Don’t tell you want the people of High Cliff Castle to worship her?"
In this day and age, no one but scholars would go out of their way to study such Gods. Miriel simply assud she had guessed the Lord’s intentions.
While the mainstream faith in the Debei Kingdom was the Three Gods of Justice, plenty of people worshipped other Gods.
This was especially true for Pioneer Lords, who would often establish a new faith for their subjects to rally around, giving them sothing to believe in and fostering loyalty.
"You wouldn’t understand if I told you, and even if I did, you still wouldn’t get it. So don’t ask. The stakes are too high, and telling you would do you no good. I can only say that the waters run deep. So, all I can say is, those who know, know. And for those who don’t, well, there’s nothing to be done."
The Lord’s spiel left Miriel utterly speechless. She took back her earlier assessnt of him.
’This man has a terrible personality,’ she thought. ’He’s nothing like a nobleman. He just loves to watch people squirm.’
Miriel put her hands on her hips in a mock pout. "My good Lord, they say a woman is as mysterious as the ocean, but I think you’re even harder to fathom."
Combined with her fiery figure, the pose was incredibly seductive.
"I’ll take that as a complint." A true Sigma male, the Lord simply waved his hand, acting as if he hadn’t even seen her enchanting figure as he walked away without a backward glance.
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