20: Inspecting the territory

After Butler finished saying this, Martin, who had been silent until now, chimed in:

"It's a coincidence, really. I originally came just to greet Baron Arthur, but after meeting Baron Butler and hearing about the Alliance, I thought it was a great idea and agreed to it!"

"So, I sincerely hope Baron Arthur can join us as well!"

Both men strongly recommended it, but Arthur had no desire to join this messy Alliance. He was merely curious and continued to ask:

"Then, who is already prepared to join the Alliance, and what are the requirements for the troop support?"

"Among the twelve major territories closest to the border, including Baron Martin, eight lords have already agreed to the Alliance."

"Excluding you, we have yet to speak with the remaining three. The Alliance only offers benefits, so I believe they will agree."

"The basic requirement for troop support is one Knight squad, which consists of one Silver Knight and nine Bronze Knights."

"Of course, if you are powerful enough and willing to send more, we won't stop you!"

A single Bronze Knight could kill dozens of fully armed common soldiers, and a Silver Knight could kill over three hundred.

A Knight squad was almost equivalent to the entire military force of a Baron, so such support was reasonable for any normal person.

Therefore, Arthur nodded slowly in agreement and continued to ask curiously:

"If the support is truly at that level, then this Alliance does have some utility."

"However, if a contract is to be signed, there must be penalty clauses, right? What are they?"

Butler was surprised that Arthur was so concerned about the contract's penalty clauses. He paused for a moment before explaining:

"The typical consequence for violating a contract is being afflicted by a curse, but how could we accept such a risk? You must know that curses are very difficult to remove."

"Therefore, the contract we sign is just an ordinary one written on plain paper."

"However, if you truly join the Alliance but fail to shoulder your responsibilities, the other members will besiege you."

"With over a dozen lords of similar strength attacking a single territory, that territory would be impossible to defend!"

"Of course, there are exceptions for special circumstances, such as if you are also being attacked by orcs, in which case you don't need to provide support."

Hearing this, Arthur understood. It was just a verbal agreement, though most people wouldn't dare to violate it.

After all, the development decree effectively meant that whoever occupied the most territory would receive a higher title after three years. People were practically itching to destroy you to acquire more land.

If it weren't for the overwhelming threat of the orcs, these lords of the Barren Plains would have eliminated their neighbors at the first opportunity.

Therefore, it was naturally impossible to sign a real magical contract; otherwise, what would happen when they fought over territory later?

Thinking about this, Arthur felt that this Alliance was completely useless to him.

So, facing the expectant gazes of Butler and Martin, Arthur shook his head expressionlessly:

"Although this Alliance is very good, it is of no use to me. My apologies, you two!"

Butler and the other were shocked by Arthur's refusal, leading to a brief moment of silence on the scene.

After a long while, the astonished Butler even stood up and tried to persuade him again:

"Baron Arthur, even if you have the golden sharp lion cavalry, that is only twenty people!"

"In the face of an orc invasion, you are powerless to stop them. Are you really not going to reconsider the matter of the Alliance?"

Seeing that Butler thought his only reliance was the golden sharp lion cavalry, Arthur smiled meaningfully and continued to refuse:

"I'll say it again: my apologies to you both. I have no intention of joining an Alliance. As for the orcs, I naturally have my own methods of dealing with them!"

"You...!" Furious, Butler could only get out one word before he couldn't continue.

In the end, he could only throw out a harsh threat:

"I hope you don't regret this!"

"Martin, let's go!"

Watching their departing figures, Arthur suddenly felt that meeting them had been a waste of time.

However, upon closer thought, hearing some extra information wasn't a total loss, so he stopped dwelling on it.

As soon as Butler and Martin left, Chris, who had been waiting outside the door, walked in and asked doubtfully:

"My Lord, I saw that they were very angry when they left. Could they do something detrimental to us? Should we make any preparations?"

"No need. I don't hold them in high regard, and besides, our enemy now is the orcs. They won't act rashly."

"Understood, My Lord!"

Just as Chris finished speaking and was about to leave, Arthur suddenly called him back:

"Chris, I plan to inspect the territory today. Come with me as my guard!"

"Very well, My Lord!"

Since it was just a tour of the territory, Arthur didn't make any special preparations. Soon, he and Chris were each riding a horse, wandering around the territory.

After wandering for a long time, Arthur felt that his current territory was still too immature. Even though the Count had made ample preparations beforehand, and even sent various valuable skilled workers to the territory, such as blacksmiths and carpenters...

the territory had just been built, and various shops hadn't opened yet, making it seem too desolate.

However, it would develop eventually, and Arthur was not in a hurry.

"Let's go take a look outside the city!"

After touring the city, which was only the size of a small town, Arthur prepared to go outside to take a look.

Of course, Arthur had a purpose for doing this. After all, the orcs were about to invade, and his territory's current military strength was still too weak. He planned to go out and exchange for two Mountain Giants to bring back.

As for how he would explain bringing them back, that would depend on Arthur's ability to talk his way out of it!

Regarding Arthur's desire to leave the city, Chris was stunned for a moment before advising:

"Lord Arthur, we are currently in the Barren Plains, and outside the city, it is still somewhat dangerous. If you really must go out, I suggest that you at least take a squad of golden sharp lion cavalry with you!"

Taking an extra squad didn't matter. To put Chris at ease, Arthur agreed.

Besides, his upcoming performance would require an audience.

A moment later, Chris arrived with a small squad, which consisted of ten golden sharp lion cavalry.

Arthur's party wandered outside the city for a long time. Just as they were getting further and further away from his small city and Chris couldn't help but want to remind him, Arthur stopped.

"Chris, did you hear very heavy footsteps?"

Upon hearing this, Chris listened carefully for a while, and after confirming he heard nothing, replied doubtfully:

"I did not hear any footsteps other than our own, My Lord!"

"Is that so!"

While saying this, Arthur cast his gaze toward the Portable Shop.

He used his mind to control the interface, double-clicking on the Mountain Giant icon, and with that, the gold coins in the shop decreased by two million.

Suddenly, heavy footsteps appeared one thousand meters to the left of Arthur and his group.

Because Arthur had previously tested it in front of Karona and knew that others could not see the projection of the Portable Shop, he now dared to open the shop in public.