Chapter 157: The King’s Reward
"Your Majesty, although I have your protection, and the nobility of the Akutas Kingdom won’t openly invade my territory, Black Forest Island is isolated overseas. Without an established channel of communication with the Kingdom, I can’t guarantee they won’t disguise themselves as pirates to attack me."
Duane explained his difficult situation.
It was clear that Count Kais and the King were about to make a major move. As the "cause" who had prompted this action, Duane had, in a way, performed a meritorious service.
Therefore, as long as it wasn’t an excessive request like asking for Lakefront Manor, the King would likely grant it.
Duane stated what he wanted. "If possible, I would like to exchange this manor for some weapons and equipment."
"Bows and arrows, shields, longswords, armor—these are the things I need most!"
Although Black Forest Island had iron ore and several blacksmiths led by Yanger, mass-producing weapons and equipment in a short amount of time was a very difficult task.
But Grand Lords like the King and the Dukes, and even the High Lords beneath them, all had weapon stockpiles. Providing a batch would be no problem at all.
King Eric nodded slightly, gaining a deeper understanding of this young Baron.
The young man hadn’t asked for money or fame, but had instead made the most logical choice for his current situation.
"No problem!"
The King nodded and looked at Lloyd, who was standing to the side. "Tell Chester, the Minister of Military Supplies, to prepare bows and arrows, weapons, armor, and shields for two battalions as my reward for the Baron."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Kais chuckled. "Duane, His Majesty’s reward for you is truly generous. It’s enough to make even me envious!"
Two battalions amounted to two hundred men.
All told, even if the armor was all the most common cloth armor, the total cost would be eight or nine hundred Gold Coins.
If it included some plate armor, chain armor, or better-quality weapons, the value would be even higher.
This was a huge military subsidy!
Facing such a generous patron, Duane was sincerely grateful and hurriedly bowed. "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty!"
Eric smiled. "You’re welcome. You’ve earned it. Oh, right..."
He then asked, "If you need it, I can send a one-hundred-man battalion over to help you defend Black Forest Island."
Kais glanced at Duane impassively. Although a battalion sent by the King would indeed offer protection, it would also constrain a noble’s authority, especially a new Little Baron like Duane who was just starting out.
Agreeing rashly might plant the seeds of future disputes over interests and power in the territory’s development.
An experienced noble would certainly weigh the decision carefully. He just didn’t know if the young Duane would agree out of fear of the threat from the Starfall Islands and overlook the potential risks.
Of course, Duane wasn’t going to agree.
He was the ultimate authority on Black Forest Island right now; what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it was his decision alone. Why would he bring in an army he couldn’t control?
Besides, when the King had enfeoffed him as the Baron of Black Forest Island, it was recorded in black and white that all matters on the island were his to handle, and he was even exempt from twenty years of taxes.
As the saying goes, a realm cannot have two masters, and Duane had no desire for his governance of the territory to be hampered.
As for the risks, they certainly existed, but they were easier to solve than the trouble such an arrangement could bring.
"Your Majesty, I have already formed a one-hundred-man Guard Team and recruited and trained two hundred militia. Black Forest Island now has some defensive capability."
"Furthermore, my Guard Officer, Kaelon, is already an Earth Tier Warrior, and Raymond has reached the Human Tier. With them here, plus the weapons and equipment you’ve provided, it would be very difficult to kill me unless Viscount Freddy sends a full five-hundred-man regiment."
Duane’s tone was filled with confidence—so much so that even Kais and Eric couldn’t help but be slightly astonished.
"I hadn’t heard you had so many soldiers under your command."
When Kais had asked Duane how he had captured Garrot, the latter had only said he’d surrounded and captured him when his guard was down, without mentioning how many men he had.
A total of three hundred soldiers, including an Earth Tier Warrior and a Human Tier Warrior—a force with considerable combat strength.
With the geographical advantages of Black Forest Island, it would be difficult for Viscount Freddy to even make a landing, unless he dispatched his most elite five-hundred-man regiment.
At that moment, Duane’s standing rose once again in King Eric’s mind.
It was even higher than many of the Kingdom’s declining Barons, and even some Viscounts.
’Excellent. If war breaks out in the future, Black Forest Island will be able to contribute significantly.’
"Excellent!"
Eric said approvingly, "I believe that with you there, the land of Black Forest Island will forever belong to the Pruck Kingdom!"
"This is all thanks to Your Majesty’s care!" Duane continued with his flattery.
’Though some of these words go against my conscience, it’s nothing more than a bit of lip service.’
’As a minor noble of the Kingdom, I can’t possibly stand in opposition to the King, so I’ll just endure it.’
"Since you are so confident, I won’t make an unnecessary move and offer you military support."
Eric dismissed the idea of stationing troops on Black Forest Island.
"However, Black Forest Island still needs a connection to the outside world. Count, I think I’ll leave this matter to you. As it happens, you and Duane also have a business partnership."
"No problem."
Count Kais agreed without hesitation. "After I return this time, I’ll have Cruz Gavin arrange for people to establish a Messenger Passage between Silent Shore and Black Forest Island."
"Messengers?" Duane couldn’t help but ask.
He knew that for information to travel so quickly between Silent Shore and the Royal Capital, and for Count Kais to have such precise information about the Starfall Islands, there must be a communication method similar to carrier pigeons.
But in this Otherworld, there didn’t seem to be any carrier pigeons.
"You probably don’t know yet. Count Kais has bred Silver Gale Messengers that can deliver letters. They can make several round trips between Black Forest Island and Silent Shore in a single day."
"That speed... is incredible!" Duane exclaimed in amazement.
Kais couldn’t resist boasting a little.
"The Silver Gale is a type of falcon. An adult is a Level 1 or 2 Demon Beast. If enhanced with ’Gale’ Magic, its burst speed can reach well over a hundred miles per hour!"
He looked at the King as he spoke. "This is how I obtained the intelligence from the Starfall Islands. Viscount Freddy’s Secret Realm Space is very large, so the elemental fluctuations when the Secret Realm Gate opens are intense. This also caused the Demon Beasts inside to pour out, bringing him immense losses."
Just like that, the topic shifted to official business.
Eric nodded. "I had heard something of the sort, but it was your letter that informed me of the Meteorite Iron. It seems you have considerable influence in the Starfall Islands."
"Heh, they’re just business partners I’ve worked with for many years." Kais’s tone was modest. "If you spend a little money, you can still buy some valuable intelligence."
His Majesty the King analyzed and speculated aloud:
"They’ve only mentioned Meteorite Iron so far, but I suspect they haven’t finished exploring it yet. Generally speaking, a Secret Realm with Meteorite Iron is bound to have other mineral deposits as well."
Kais strongly agreed with this. "Fertile Soil, Black Iron, Magic Crystal Ore Veins, Mithril, and even higher-grade Tungsten Gold Ore could all be there."
A slight smile touched the corner of King Eric’s mouth. "Coincidentally, Akutas is not in a good position recently. The border dispute between the Fidun Kingdom and them is escalating. If we make a move at this time, they will certainly become very nervous."
"What do you plan to do, Your Majesty?" Kais asked.
"I already have a plan."
Eric looked completely confident. "Once the representatives from those two parties arrive, we’ll summon the envoy from the Akutas Kingdom and discuss it all together."