On a quiet mountain, the whole mountain is covered with plants, but there is no trace of any living creature, and it is dead silent.
At the top of the mountain, there is an ancient elven rune seal emitting a mysterious light.
Through the seal, one can faintly feel a powerful force constantly impacting it, as if something is eager to break out, but each time it is ruthlessly suppressed by the power of the runes.
At this moment, a figure appeared quietly. It was the dark elf who had escaped by chance with the help of the ancient scroll.
She hurried to a location about fifty meters from the seal and slowly knelt down, her voice filled with awe and excitement: "King, I am back. After thousands of years of long seal, I have finally returned to your side."
The power that was trying to break through the seal suddenly stopped after hearing her voice.
Then, the surroundings fell into complete silence, as if the existence inside didn't want to see her at all.
But the dark elf didn't care about it. She whispered a few more words, as if telling the "king" inside about her experiences over the years, and then slowly stood up and left.
After the dark elf's figure completely disappeared, the movement of breaking through the seal suddenly became intense, and the impact of the power made the entire mountain top tremble.
Just when the power was about to break through the seal, the magic circle surrounding the seal suddenly shone brightly and began to rotate rapidly.
I saw the shadow of an elf slowly emerging in the sky, emitting a soft yet powerful light.
The elf's phantom looked solemn. He slowly raised his hand and pressed hard on the seal.
In an instant, an extremely terrifying magical wave quickly gathered with the phantom's hand as the center, all rushing towards the pressed seal.
Under the suppression of this powerful force, the force that attempted to break through was finally successfully suppressed.
Seeing this, the elf's phantom nodded slightly, then slowly dissipated on the spot, leaving only the seal that had returned to calm and continued to guard silently.
At this time, in the Western Territory, thanks to Martin's efforts and after a period of integration and development, the operation of the territory has finally gradually gotten back on track.
However, as he got to know the newly acquired fiefdom more deeply, Martin discovered a rather thorny problem - he had no money.
In fact, Roland had reported this matter to him before, but Martin didn't pay much attention to it at that time.
He really couldn't understand why the financial situation became increasingly stretched as the territory grew larger?
It wasn't until Yoder approached Martin with great concern that he realized the seriousness of the problem.
Martin then hurried to the logistics department, where Roland had already placed the organized account book on the table. Martin picked up the book and examined it carefully, only then did he realize that the situation was true.
The main problem lies with the personnel in the new fiefdoms. They are not Martin's sworn guards, so their salaries need to be paid on time.
Moreover, the number of people is so large that it is really difficult to afford it with the current economic strength of Yulong City.
After all, the predecessor of Yulong City was just a viscounty, but now it has suddenly expanded into a territory almost at the duke level. Whether it is personnel deployment or gold coin reserves, it is far behind the speed of development.
As for taxes, compared with the huge expenditure, they are just a drop in the bucket and will not play a big role.
Roland's plan to expand trade routes requires financial support, the further expansion and construction of Yulong City also requires a large amount of money, and the daily maintenance of various territories also requires money. Martin looked at the densely packed expenditure items in the account book and couldn't help but feel a headache.
Fortunately, the major legions do not need to pay any remuneration, otherwise, even if Martin sold the Royal Dragon City, it would probably be difficult to fill this huge funding gap.
Martin then went straight to Roland's office. After Yoder and Roland entered, Martin asked directly, "Has my bounty been removed?"
Upon hearing this, Roland and Yoder looked at each other in confusion, unable to guess what Martin's intention was.
Yoder was primarily responsible for the affairs of Yulong City, so he answered truthfully, "Master, it seems your reward has been withdrawn."
Martin's face showed obvious regret after hearing this. This made Yoder and Roland even more confused. Why was he so dissatisfied when no one came to assassinate the young master?
Seeing that his way of earning extra income through assassination and fishing was no longer feasible, Martin had no choice but to pin his hopes on Roland and ask him if he had any solution.
In fact, before Martin came, Roland had already come up with an idea, which was mining and occupation.
However, the mining site was not chosen within Martin's territory, but in a no-man's land next to the Cast Iron Pass.
This area borders the orc and dwarf kingdoms, is extremely rich in mineral resources and has convenient transportation. All forces are coveting it. After a fierce battle, it eventually became a lawless area with no one in charge.
Roland explained, "Although it's a lawless area, humans, orcs, and dwarves are actually all secretly meddling in it. Furthermore, it's a hodgepodge of people, attracting many lawless individuals."
"Master, if we can gain a foothold there, we can open up trade routes and expand them to all directions using this area as the axis. In this way, we will no longer be restricted by the Dwarf Kingdom and the Charlemagne Kingdom."
Roland elaborated on his idea. Martin fell into deep thought. He knew that with his current strength, it would not be difficult to conquer that no-man's-land.
However, the real challenge lies in how to hold on to it for a long time after conquering it. After all, the orcs, dwarves and other forces will never watch Martin occupy this "fat piece of meat".
If Eric and Shuang Ning were dispatched there, perhaps the safety of the base could be guaranteed to a certain extent.
But ever since he witnessed Eric's extraordinary methods, Martin was unwilling to let Eric and Shuang Ning leave his side no matter what. After all, he felt more at ease with such strong people protecting him.
However, he quickly came up with a compromise.
Martin then quickly pulled out his communication crystal, contacted the Sixth Legion's commander, Mander, and decisively ordered, "Your troops will immediately move out to the outskirts of that no-man's land and set up camp on standby."
Afterwards, the map coordinates were sent over. After receiving Martin's order, Mander immediately ordered the Sixth Legion to prepare for departure without any hesitation.
Soon, the Sixth Legion was organized and marched towards the location marked by Martin on the map.
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