Chapter 586: Changes

Several months passed in the blink of an eye.

Just as King Ding Wu Zhi marched down the rivers and roads with his 100,000 troops entering Lingzhou, shocking the entire realm, Wu Ming’s attention also returned to the world of Seer.

In the blood-red universe, Seer Continent, as the core of the cosmos, had also experienced a considerable passage of time.

In Fengying Plains, the Tark Mountains, and the domain of Carlos,

The entire territory had already undergone earth-shaking changes. Several major roads crisscrossed its interior, often bustling with crowds, wagons and merchant caravans ceaselessly coming and going every day.

At the center of Carlos stood a newly erected castle, majestic and towering, appearing even sturdier and more solid than the typical baronial fortress.

This was “Iron Keep,” the current administrative center of Carlos, where the enfeoffed knight William Wallace resided and worked.

Inside Iron Keep,

The pink-draped large bed exuded a scent of perfumed powder.

Wu Ming stood up half-naked, summoned a maid, accepted a towel to wipe his face, and walked onto the balcony. Watching the rising sun in the east, his body slightly trembled.

Just then, the interdimensional cosmic portal reopened, allowing him to receive information from his original self.

“I came into this world not to bring peace, but to bring war upon this land!”

He murmured.

“Darling…”

A lazy voice came from behind him. “What are you saying?”

“Nothing, my beautiful stewardess!”

Wu Ming turned around to face Amilia, whose beautiful face bore a slight blush and a radiant glow.

“Let’s continue the discussion from last night… Have you prepared your report and summary?”

He put on a silk robe and walked into the adjacent hall. The dining table was already set with steaming breakfast. On the silver tableware, thinly sliced steaks exuded an inviting aroma, accompanied by white bread and butter, while boiled milk released wisps of steam.

In the woven basket at the center of the table were fresh berries, glistening with dewdrops. Nearby, condiment bottles held generous amounts of pepper, fine salt, and various rare spices.

“The commercial statistics for last month are ready. From salt and glass sales alone, we’ve earned fifteen thousand, three hundred Gold Dragons… The detailed records of transactions and taxes are here!”

Amilia held a ledger, gazing at Wu Ming with a fleeting look of emotion in her eyes.

If only this young man had been willing to marry her daughter back then, what a wonderful thing that would have been.

As the stewardess, she knew that the passage of these years had transformed this young knight into a mature man, and his wealth had accumulated to a degree that even the gods would envy.

“In terms of population, the newly built Lusen Town has already been put into use, specifically divided into areas for workers from the salt fields, glassworks, and ironworks to reside. The permanent population has exceeded ten thousand, with a monthly floating population consistently above three thousand—mostly merchants and wanderers from various regions. Moreover, waves of wild settlers continue to flock here, likely having heard of your master’s reputation for benevolence.”

The construction of numerous workshops meant a huge demand for labor and resources. Wu Ming offered decent wages to his workers and deliberately arranged for minstrels to compose simple, catchy tunes to spread far and wide, thus attracting many freemen and even serfs seeking survival or riches.

Indeed, in several domains bordering Carlos, there had already been mass desertions of entire serf communities coming here, undeterred even by gallows. As a result, the lords of those territories had already written to Wu Ming multiple times to complain.

“These are minor issues. However, population influx inevitably brings security problems. I don’t want my territory turning into a battlefield. I hope my sheriff can manage these issues well!”

Wu Ming added.

In the Carlos domain, punishment for crimes was notoriously harsh, with a significant portion of the regular army stationed in towns to maintain order.

Once thieves were caught, the only punishment was enslavement, forcing them to become the most basic and humble laborers in quarries, salt fields, or workshops, working until death.

Those found guilty of organized brawls or intentional injuries would be publicly hanged in front of the town’s gallows.

Precisely because of these harsh laws and military suppression, the overall public security situation in Carlos remained relatively stable; otherwise, things could have been much worse.

“In fact… Qiao An often comes to me complaining that his team is too small!”

Amilia sighed with a bitter smile.

Regarding this matter, you can tell him not to worry. I plan to assign one hundred of the less successful recruits to the public security force.

Wu Ming replied with a smile.

“That’s great news… but…”

Amilia cautiously glanced at Wu Ming.

“Maintaining five hundred regular troops in our domain… isn’t that excessive?”

She was the most aware of the current strength of their territory.

The official army numbered five hundred, but in reality, those laboring hard in the factories, salt fields, and quarries were all top-tier healthy adult males, highly organized and disciplined due to long-term obedience, even participating in militia training on their days off.

At the first sign of danger, they could be rapidly equipped into a terrifyingly large army!

“Actually, even Count Lanshan feels quite concerned about the strength of our Wallace family. Of course, he is also quite displeased that you have repeatedly delayed attending the knighthood ceremony at Howling Castle!”

At this time, the relationship between lord and vassal involved mutual rights and obligations. It could be said that unless Wu Ming committed some fault, even Count Lanshan would find it somewhat difficult to exert pressure on Carlos.

Yet Wu Ming sensed even more from this.

“It seems… our wealth has drawn the envy of others! The Gold Dragons we contributed in past years are no longer enough to satisfy this beast called Lanshan!”

He sighed slowly.

Ever since he started developing the territory diligently, he had always known this day would come.

After all, although a knight was also a member of the nobility, his rank was still too low to suppress the greed for wealth.

“What does he want?”

After finishing his meal, Wu Ming interlaced his fingers and asked gravely.

The years had not only brought his body to the age of twenty-five but also broadened his knowledge.

For instance, a knighthood ceremony could only be performed once; any additional ceremonies would be ineffective. The assimilation effect of the superior bloodline would fiercely reject other supernatural bloodlines.

Given this premise, Wu Ming naturally declined the invitation to the knighthood ceremony several times, using the excuse of “wanting to continue self-training for better improvement.”

Initially, this was quite beneficial for Count Lanshan, as at least he gained a knight’s combat power while saving on the cost of holy oil.

But now, he began to worry whether this indicated some disloyalty on Sir William’s part.

“He wants many things, but he is also prepared to offer you something in return… For example, he will marry one of his daughters to you, and in return, you must pay a dowry of fifty thousand Gold Dragons, or provide the secret formulas for several of our territory’s best-selling goods—salt, refined sugar, and glass!”

Amilia said softly.

“Just one daughter, and he expects so much in return? Does he think his daughter is made of pure gold?”

Wu Ming sneered.

This Count Lanshan was somewhat of an anomaly among nobles, known for his fertility, though most of his offspring were daughters, while the boys either died young or remained sickly. He still had seven or eight daughters without suitable husbands.

“Please mind your words, my lord!”

Amilia reminded him seriously. “After all, Count Lanshan is your liege lord. You, as his vassal, have obligations towards him!”

“Yes… obligations…”

Wu Ming sighed. He currently lacked the strength to overthrow the entire nobility, and his wealth still relied on the protection of such rules, so naturally, he had to play by the game’s rules.

“That’s why I send a hundred adult men every year to serve my lord without pay, and even bear part of his military expenses, allowing my lord to restore his military strength and even begin preparing for war…”

He shrugged helplessly. “Viscount Garcia is definitely not one to sit idly by and tolerate these provocations from the count. You’ll see, the Second Lion-Tiger War is about to begin!”

Because Count Lanshan claimed to be the reincarnation of the Blue Tiger, while Viscount Garcia hailed from the Highland Lion family, the nobles of Fengying Plains had referred to their first war as a battle between a lion and a tiger.

In the First Lion-Tiger War, the tiger was defeated, costing the count one of his daughters.

But now, Count Lanshan was clearly unwilling to accept past defeat and wanted to reclaim his honor and establish authority.

“My lord, as the count’s knight, you will certainly be summoned when war comes!”

Amilia reminded her master. “Therefore, you must not fall out with the count.”

“I know… As for this marriage, let’s delay it for now. Just tell the count that I need to think it over…”

Wu Ming quickly began strategizing.

Unlike his previous passive adaptation to the chaos of various worlds, this Lion-Tiger War, he could be considered one of its behind-the-scenes instigators.

It could be said that without his efforts in developing the land, greatly revitalizing the economy of Count Lanshan’s domain and restoring some of the count’s strength, the count would not have entertained the thought of reclaiming his lost honor.

Of course, for a knight, war was the greatest gamble.

Success might earn him a baron title, establishing a true noble family.

But if he failed, the fate of the previous Carlos knight would be the best example.

“This world, in the end, cannot escape war…”

Wu Ming sighed. To truly transform the entire world, gain a massive influx of primal energy, and accumulate resources for his original self to break through to the Golden Immortal realm, this was the only way!