The Earl returned to the Sword Oath City. Karen and the others had been waiting for a long time and hurried forward to greet him. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the Earl spoke of the kingdom's rewards. Upon hearing the generosity of the rewards, Karen and the others were stunned, astonished by the kingdom's generosity.
After the Earl finished explaining the matter to everyone, he looked at Martin with a gentle expression and then called him into the study alone. Inside the study, the Earl's eyes were full of expectation, and he said gently, "Martin, you are now fifteen years old. After this year, you will be an adult. With the strength you have currently demonstrated, I intend to make two arrangements for you.
First, I intend to allow you to have your own fiefdom in advance, and second, to allow you to continue studying at the Royal Capital Academy."
"I choose the territory!" Martin blurted out almost without hesitation. After all, owning one's own fiefdom is the supreme honor for anyone.
The Earl smiled and led Martin to the huge map. He raised his hand and said, "You can choose any of the fiefdoms on it. Choose the one you like best."
Martin's eyes moved slowly across the map, and each fiefdom seemed to tell a different story and possibility.
After careful consideration, he finally landed on Luoqiu Town. This place was adjacent to the Luoqiu Mountains, and within the forests, there were all kinds of rare minerals, exotic flowers and plants.
With proper planning and rational development, this place will surely become a source of wealth, bringing in continuous and substantial profits. In Martin's mind, Luoqiu Town is the best starting point for his future.
Then, the Earl solemnly handed the fiefdom document to Martin and said earnestly, "Martin, from now on, the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of Luoqiu Town, are entirely in your hands. For the next ten years, you don't need to pay any taxes to me; they will all be used for the development of the town. Although you don't have a title yet, with your abilities, it's only a matter of time before you receive one."
As he spoke, the earl took out an exquisite space ring and handed it to Martin. "Inside it are three sets of A-grade knight armor, two A-grade staffs, some precious potions, and 10,000 gold coins. I hope they can help you carve out your own path."
Martin took the ring, his heart filled with shock. The contents alone made him deeply aware of the Count's high hopes for him. With a solemn expression, Martin said word by word, "Father, rest assured. I will live up to your expectations!"
After leaving the study, Martin said goodbye to his mother, Lady Ellie, Karen, and the others. He then left the castle with his five knights, riding on tall, sturdy wildebeests. The moment he stepped out of the castle, Martin felt a sense of relief, as if years of shackles had been finally released.
Arriving outside the Sword Oath City, Martin felt a lot of emotions when he saw the knights who were busy repairing the city walls.
Outside the city, Betan and his companions had been waiting for a long time. The other five people in their group looked at Betan and his companions with envy in their eyes. Martin keenly noticed their envy and said loudly, "You don't have to be envious. You will all be the same in the future."
Martin rode his sturdy horse leisurely along the winding road. The warm sunlight shone upon him. At this moment, his mind was filled with longing for the future, and he began to carefully plan his plans after arriving in Luoqiu Town.
He thought that he had to first improve the town's infrastructure, plan neat streets, and repair old houses so that the townspeople could live and work in peace and contentment. A larger population would allow him to collect more taxes. Then, by leveraging the abundant resources of the Luoqiu Mountains, he could find suitable business opportunities and open up channels to earn gold coins.
After that, he devoted himself to the formation of the Knights Templar, recruiting brave and loyal knights to build a well-trained and powerful team. Everything had to be done step by step.
Since they were in no hurry to travel, Martin and his group wandered around for most of the day before finally arriving at Luoqiu Town. The mayor had received the notice early on, and just like last time, he waited respectfully at the town gate, eagerly awaiting their arrival.
Seeing Martin approach, the mayor immediately smiled and walked quickly to greet him. This time, his address was completely different from last time, and his tone was full of respect: "My Lord, thank you for your hard work on the journey!"
Then, the mayor skillfully introduced the situation in the town: "Reporting to the Lord, there are now more than 4,000 townspeople in Luoqiu Town, and the guards total 100 people, including one bronze knight, twelve knights, and the rest are knight squires.
Our town is close to the Luoqiu Mountains, so we built a simple city wall. There are also many mercenaries here, with varying strengths. Some mercenaries have silver strength and cannot even be controlled by the guards.
Fortunately, we are within the Earldom, so those mercenaries don't dare to act too recklessly. Furthermore, slave-hunting groups often come here to camp or resupply.
Every once in a while, Lord White's caravan and other caravans would come over to buy medicinal materials for making potions, the fur and flesh of magical beasts, and even magical beast cubs, and even living magical beasts.
Once these caravans arrived in Luoqiu Town, the wildlings, orcs, orcs, and other humanoid creatures they had captured in the Luoqiu Mountains became particularly popular. Slave-catching groups would also transport them to larger cities for sale, which resulted in higher sales. Therefore, the slave trade here was very prosperous.
Martin listened quietly, and after a while, he had a general understanding of the situation in Luoqiu Town. It must be said that Luoqiu Town was indeed a bit complicated. For others, it might be difficult to manage, but for him, these were not a problem.
As they talked, they reached the center of town. The mayor arranged for Martin to stay in the town's best hotel. Since the castle hadn't yet been built, the hotel was the only option for now.
After settling in, Martin asked the mayor to take him around to understand the actual situation, while Betan and others followed Martin closely and were responsible for his protection.
Stepping into the residential areas of Luoqiu Town, the bustling city life washes over you. Narrow streets and simple houses reveal the simplicity and hardship of life. The wealthy areas, on the other hand, are the complete opposite. Exquisite mansions and neatly manicured gardens radiate luxury and opulence. The disparity between the two is stark in this city.
Martin continued walking until he reached the market. It was bustling with activity, the sounds of all kinds of buying and selling echoing one after another. Slave traders' stalls buzzed with voices, while in the nearby auction house, auctioneers enthusiastically called out prices. Shops lined the streets, each displaying a dazzling array of goods.
The Chamber of Commerce's caravans shuttled through the area, purchasing goods from local shops. This cooperation model made both parties profitable. At the same time, the Chamber of Commerce also cleverly avoided the huge risks brought by the beast tide.
After visiting the market, Martin went to the town hall and the guards' quarters. In the town hall, officials were busy handling affairs; in the guards' quarters, the guards stood tall, hoping to leave a good impression in front of the lord.
Before he knew it, dusk had settled on the sky. After a brief tour, Martin had a general understanding of Luoqiu Town. The mayor warmly invited Martin to dine at a restaurant in town.
After dinner, Martin instructed Mayor Yoder, "Write down the tax situation of the entire town in detail on paper and hand it to me tomorrow." After that, he got up and returned to the hotel, preparing to sort out his experiences of the day at night.
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