139: Isabel Cole

The Lord's Room.

Dazzling golden light streamed through the window, splashing across the floor of the room as if celebrating the return of its master.

Lister, sitting in the main seat, swept his gaze over the Ironthorn Territory's magistrate, the heads of various departments, and others; a familiar sense of dominion welled up in his heart.

Although Aetheria was vast and prosperous, as the saying goes, "East or west, home is best."

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Moreover, in his eyes, his Ironthorn Territory was no dog nest, but a massive golden nest whose surface dust had yet to be fully wiped away.

His scanning gaze finally settled on his most valued magistrate, Brutus, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret at not having witnessed any gossip.

It had to be said that Brutus, in both ability and character, was perfectly suited for the position of magistrate.

Even though he had been filled with an expressive excitement upon seeing Sabrina and Odinton not long ago, he still remained dedicated to his duties, coming to Lister first to report on his work.

This was also why Lister trusted him so much; he knew what was important and urgent, and did not easily let emotions cloud his judgment.

With appreciation for Brutus in his eyes, Lister showed a relaxed smile of someone returning home and said, "Hobbes, report on the recent situation of the territory."

"Yes, Lord Lister."

After respectfully acknowledging, Brutus, who had already organized his words, began to report concisely, highlighting the key points.

According to his report, the development within the territory during this period had been progressing steadily.

The most important tasks in the territory—the renovation of houses and the paving of roads before the arrival of winter—were already two-thirds complete.

This work efficiency was completely beyond Lister's expectations. If they continued at this speed, he estimated that the two tasks could be completed more than five days, or even ten days, before the arrival of winter.

In this way, the Serfs would have ample time to prepare winter supplies before the cold set in, ensuring a stable winter.

Achieving such efficient results was naturally due to the efforts of the Serfs and the dispatched laborers; of course, it was also because Lister had lifted the restrictions on their working hours before he left.

Otherwise, if they had followed normal working hours, they would never have reached such a fast pace of renovation and construction.

Of course, while extending the working hours, he also increased the wages for the dispatched laborers, which made them all harbor thoughts of staying in the Ironthorn Territory permanently.

As for the Serfs of the Ironthorn Territory, they received rewards in other aspects.

Although the primary purpose of both tasks was for the benefit of the Serfs, since they were also carried out under Lister's orders, he naturally had to show his appreciation.

Besides these two most important tasks, the rest were routine territorial matters, mostly related to various factories and...

...departments.

During the days he was away, each factory and department had also made some good progress.

For example, with the collaborative research and experimentation of the craftsmen, the Cement Factory had produced a higher quality of Cement that could effectively reduce the drying time required for paving.

There was also the Brewery; through multiple attempts by the Brewers, many new types of liquor based on distillation with various materials had been produced, which would add more variety for future sales.

Beyond that, other factory departments had all made gains, but what caught Lister's attention the most was the Weapon Development Department.

Before he left, he had handed over some rough ideas and simple blueprints regarding the manufacture of firearms from his memory to Gimel.

Since he didn't know much about this in his past life—having only seen some videos—the information he could provide was limited, primarily relying on Gimel and the other smiths and Blacksmiths.

Although the Oran Continent was a world of great power, and while Lister was unsure about other human kingdoms and races, most of the Pedan Kingdom's military force was still composed of ordinary Soldiers.

Therefore, things like guns and cannons were still extremely lethal in this world; if low-level Transcendents weren't careful, they could still be heavily injured or killed.

As for high-level Transcendents, Lister estimated that ordinary guns and cannons would find it difficult to harm them, and he didn't understand high-tech weaponry either.

So his current purpose for having Gimel research guns and cannons was temporarily to provide a certain level of suppression on the low-end combat battlefield.

After all, the lives of ordinary Soldiers were still lives; if a solid foundation could be laid, future battles might yield unexpected results.

Of course, these were all temporary; Lister's ultimate goal was to hope that ordinary guns and cannons could be modified into lethal weapons capable of penetrating a Transcendent's protective energy.

Or even to imbue them with magic; since ordinary cold weapons could be enchanted, why couldn't firearms like guns and cannons?

However, the difficulty of such modification was not low, and coupled with the lack of fine iron and the absence of mages in the territory, Lister did not expect it to be completed quickly.

Yet Gimel and the others still gave him a surprise; in the short time he was away, they had actually developed a crude short gun based on the rudimentary information he had provided.

This short gun was similar to the flintlock pistols of his past life, capable of being fired by pulling a trigger, though there were still many issues with accuracy and range.

However, being able to develop it was already a breakthrough from zero to one; subsequent development would be much faster.

Besides these, other matters in the territory were also proceeding smoothly, with no problems arising.

Half an hour later, after listening to Brutus's report, Lister nodded slightly and then signaled Locke to report on various matters concerning the Knight Squad and the military camp.

Although he had already learned about some changes in the Knight Squad through the divinations he performed while traveling over the past few days, more information still required Locke's report.

After a quick and concise report, Lister soon understood the relevant information about the Knight Squad and the military camp.

Among the previously selected Apprentice Knights, seven more had advanced to Full Knights.

By his count, he now possessed thirty-two Full Knights, twenty Apprentice Knights, and a large number of ordinary Soldiers.

In just one month, he had grown from ten Full Knights and one Apprentice Knight to such a level; the speed of development was terrifying.

And if development continued at this rate, he would soon reach the upper limit set by the kingdom's laws, so he now needed a new title to raise the ceiling for the territory's development.

Before, he wouldn't have dared to say it, but now he could unreservedly state that among all the Baron lords in the kingdom, his strength was definitely in the top five, and even the top three would not be a problem.

With such a force, not to mention anything else, he could easily swallow the current Viscount Connor Kimmler's Territory.

This also gave him even more confidence for his upcoming journey to the Western Frontier Territory.

However, upon leaving the territory, he certainly couldn't take all the knights with him; he had to arrange for people to stay behind and guard the territory.

Therefore, he planned to bestow some of the cultivation resources he had obtained on the way back a few days ago to those Apprentice Knights to help them advance to Full Knights as quickly as possible.

After all, the Ironthorn Territory was his base; although there were no immediate threats around for the time being, just in case, high-level knights were still needed to guard it.

After everyone had finished their reports, Lister thought for a moment, then looked at Brutus and said, "Hobbes, for now, the development of the territory will continue as usual."

"As for those newly arrived Slaves, arrange their food and lodging as soon as possible, and then dispatch them to their respective work posts."

"If there are any among them with outstanding abilities who are suitable candidates for the position of magistrate, you can investigate them and report back to me."

"Your friend, Odinton, is hereby appointed as the Vice-Magistrate of the Ironthorn Territory, to temporarily assist you in managing the territory's various public affairs."

Brutus said respectfully, "As you command, Lord Lister."

Odinton said with an excited face, "Your subordinate will not fail your high expectations, Lord Lister."

Nodding, Lister looked at the group of department heads behind the two of them and gave each of them their respective instructions and arrangements.

Just as he was arranging the various tasks, Thomas's magnetic voice came from outside the door.

"Lord Lister, Knight Carlyle has returned from escorting the Cole Family caravan. Knight Carlyle and Miss Isabelle Cole of the Cole Family are waiting downstairs."

"Oh, have they arrived?"

Lister's eyes lit up, but he felt no sense of surprise; he had already known about this through his previous divinations.

He ordered, "Bring them up."

"Yes."

Not long after he spoke, Thomas led Carlyle and a young woman dressed in bright but not garish clothing into the room.

Seeing Lister sitting in the main seat, Carlyle was the first to salute. "Lord Lister, I bring you greetings."

"Isabelle Cole greets the Lord." Isabelle greeted him respectfully while lifting her skirt in a curtsy.

"No need for such formality, Miss Isabelle."

Lister gave a gentle smile and then looked at Carlyle. "You've worked hard on this trip, Carlyle. Go back and get some good rest first."

"Yes, Lord Lister."

As he left the room, Lister turned his gaze toward Isabelle and sized her up slightly.

Isabelle's first impression on him was that she was very young, probably only two or three years older than him. She was like a blooming red rose—vibrant and exquisite, exuding a charming aura.

Especially those alluring purple eyes—noble and enchanting, making one unconsciously fall into their depths.

However, Lister's resistance to beautiful women was already quite high, so he didn't show any signs of infatuation; his expression remained as calm as water.

After sizing her up for just a few moments, Lister asked with a smile, "Miss Isabelle, I wonder if your journey was smooth?"

While he was sizing up Isabelle, she was also sizing him up. Although she had heard of Lister's deeds from Uncle Kim and her younger brother Jacques...

...now that she had actually met him, she couldn't help but marvel at Lister's youth as well as his handsome and charming appearance.

But what surprised her the most was that when Lister looked at her, his eyes showed nothing but pure appreciation for beauty, without a trace of any other unsavory emotions.

She was quite confident in her own looks; aside from her relatives, men whose eyes remained so pure after seeing her for the first time were truly rare, and Lister was one of them.

For a moment, her favorable impression of Lister increased significantly.

Hearing Lister's question, she smiled softly like a rose in full bloom. "Although there were some minor incidents on the road, with Knight Carlyle's protection, the journey was very smooth overall."

"That's good."

Lister nodded with a smile and said, "Miss Isabelle, please wait a moment to the side. I still have some matters to attend to and will speak with you in detail shortly."

"I shall follow your arrangements, Lord."

Isabelle gave a slight bow and then sat composedly on the sofa to the side.

But her heart was not as composed as she appeared on the surface; she hadn't expected Lister to trust her so much.

She could tell that the people present in the room were all Lister's confidants, whereas she was only a third-generation member of the Cole Family. Logically, she shouldn't have been allowed to stay and listen.

"No wonder Uncle Kim and Jacques spoke so highly of this young lord after returning to the family; seeing him in person, it's truly as they said," Isabelle thought to herself.

On the other side, Lister sat back in the main seat and continued with the work arrangements he hadn't finished.

Although she was in the Lord's Room, Isabelle felt no sense of constraint. While tasting the snacks and milk tea, she freely observed the decoration and layout of the room.

Finally, her gaze was unconsciously drawn back to Lister, who was issuing orders.

Although she had seen many young noble scions in Telris, those people always felt superficial to her—only good at boasting and never speaking of practical matters.

In contrast, while Lister's words at this moment weren't flashy or lofty, they were very simple and practical.

This could greatly promote the efficiency of work arrangements and was much more practical than those empty, grandiose speeches.

At this moment, the reservations she had held in her heart regarding Uncle Kim's decision to become Lister's vassal family without consulting the family first completely dissipated.

"Miss Isabelle? Miss Isabelle?"

The sudden call in her ear caused Isabelle, who had been staring blankly, to snap back to her senses.

Seeing Lister's puzzled expression before her, a faint blush of embarrassment couldn't help but appear on both her cheeks.

"My apologies, Lord. I was just thinking about some things."

"Haha, it's fine."

Lister gave a calm smile and then pointed at Brutus and the others. "Miss Isabelle, let me introduce them to you."

With that, Lister began introducing the identities of Brutus and the others to Isabelle.

Regarding this newly acquired vassal family of Lister's, Brutus and the others were well aware of their importance to the Ironthorn Territory, especially since Kim had been appointed as the Commercial Foreign Affairs Officer.

As Kim's niece, Isabelle naturally received their warm greetings.

Although Isabelle was young, she was well-traveled and knowledgeable, and she responded to everyone's greetings with perfect etiquette, carrying herself with the poise of a mistress of the Ironthorn Territory.

This caused Lister's impression of her to improve significantly all at once.