147: The contact person arrived

Ironthorn Territory, the dungeon of the Lord's Castle.

The dark and damp dungeon was currently illuminated by the radiance emanating from over a hundred treasure chests.

Even the original coldness seemed to turn warm under the reflection of gold, silver, and copper coins.

Lister's castle dungeon wasn't particularly large; compared to Daniel's castle dungeon, it was inferior in every aspect.

Perhaps because the dungeon had been too empty before with nothing to store, Lister felt a bit unaccustomed now that it was stuffed full.

Fortunately, he had only brought the items out for an inventory check; they would be returned to the storage ring afterward, so the dungeon would only be this wealthy for a short while.

After all, compared to leaving them in a dungeon, keeping them in his own storage ring was much safer and gave him more peace of mind.

Walking along the narrow path left between the chests, Lister looked like an old leader, constantly inspecting the items within.

Aside from a vast amount of money, the other chests were filled almost entirely with cultivation resources and some valuable treasures.

Taking out any single item could match the annual tax revenue of an entire Baron Territory, showing just how vast the wealth gap was in the Pedan Kingdom.

Though it was realistic, it was a cruel fact.

And for Daniel to collect so many good things, he had clearly spent a significant amount of money and effort.

It took Lister nearly an hour to roughly look through all the items.

What interested him most was a sword emitting a cold, chilling light; it was primarily silver-white, with a hilt covered in intricate patterns.

This sword was far superior to his original one, both in terms of material and forging craftsmanship.

If his eyes didn't deceive him, this sword should be made of the high-grade material, Mithril.

Drawing his own sword, Lister held one in each hand and gave a light swing. With a 'clang,' a large notch was instantly carved into his original sword.

"A fine sword!" Lister couldn't help but praise.

Now he could be certain that the silver-white sword was indeed made of Mithril; otherwise, it couldn't possibly be so sharp.

Consequently, the sword at his waist was swapped from a high-quality fine iron sword to the silver-white sword made of Mithril.

However, he wasn't a man who abandoned the old for the new; as for his original sword, he planned to have Gimel fuse it with high-grade materials and reforge it to serve as his spare sword.

This ambush to capture Daniel and the Black Dog Orc had been a very successful endeavor, whether in terms of blocking them from trading kingdom intelligence or in terms of the harvest.

Actually, Lister's original thought was to hand Daniel directly over to Earl Elsie de Frander, but plans couldn't keep up with changes—who would have thought Daniel had hidden so much wealth.

Without the constraint of a contract, Daniel certainly wouldn't have told him the location of the hidden wealth. After all, the result was death either way, so why would he let his enemy benefit?

So from the moment the contract was mentioned, or rather, from the moment Daniel wanted to trade his wealth for his life, his death was already fated.

Otherwise, if he really let Daniel go back, it would definitely create a huge problem for Lister.

Having finished the inventory, Lister put all the chests back into his storage ring.

Leaving the dungeon, he went to the camp outside the castle. By now, the remaining Demon Bear meat had been roasted.

Because Magical Beast Meat contains a vast amount of mana, its shelf life is very long.

Sitting in the seat of honor that Red and the others had automatically reserved for him, Lister began to feast on the Demon Bear meat.

Since the harvest was significant, Lister wasn't stingy; he gave each knight a corresponding monetary reward based on their contribution.

At the same time, among Daniel's wealth, there were many Ice Crystal Grasses with effects similar to fire wisp grass, which Lister also took out for the knights to use in their cultivation.

While eating, Lister looked toward Red and instructed, "Red, in a few days, we will head to the Western Frontier Territory. Before we leave, conduct another selection for knights and Soldiers."

"The tentative number of Soldiers—just like last time. As for Apprentice Knights, we'll take as many as there are."

"As you command. Your subordinate will complete this as soon as possible," Red replied respectfully.

The weather grew colder as winter approached, and everyone in Ironthorn Territory began to stockpile supplies for the season.

Early in the morning, the Soldiers, authorized by Lister, began carrying large and small bags to distribute winter subsidies to the Serfs of Ironthorn Territory.

—

After all, having just acquired so much money, Lister felt he would be uncomfortable if he didn't distribute a little bit of it.

The Serfs who received the money were all smiles, incessantly praising and glorifying Lister's generosity.

After finishing his morning exercise and eating breakfast, Lister listened to the morning reports from Brutus Donald and Odinton as usual.

Lister gave high praise to the ability shown by Odinton during this period; he was indeed from the same place as Brutus.

With Odinton's assistance, Brutus's workload was much lighter than before.

Of course, the most relaxed person was Lister. He was now in a state of complete freedom; aside from the routine morning reports and inspections, he spent almost all his remaining time on cultivation.

Since he was the lord of the territory, Lister felt that delegating power was a necessary skill to learn.

While a lord might feel very secure holding power tightly in their hands, it would also lead to a decrease in the work enthusiasm of subordinates.

For loyal subordinates, not having power meant they couldn't fully utilize their abilities when working.

Lister naturally wouldn't allow this situation to exist; otherwise, why would he search for so many talents? To serve as mascots?

Under the orderly and alternating reports of the two men, the routine morning report soon concluded.

Currently, the two were managing Ironthorn Territory very well, so there wasn't much for Lister to instruct; many of his suggestions were just passing on knowledge learned from his previous life.

Although the systems, culture, and development of his previous life were much stronger than this world's, it was a different world after all.

If he just copied everything from his previous life, it wouldn't necessarily suit this world, and Lister himself only had a superficial understanding.

More theories required Brutus and the other to put into practice until they were modified into a development method suitable for this world.

Therefore, Lister was never arrogant; he was merely standing on the shoulders of giants.

In fact, without the help of the divination, he might have already perished in some accident, so maintaining a humble heart was something he had always done.

After finishing the instructions on territorial development, Lister took a sip of hot milk and said, "In a few days, I will be heading to the Western Frontier Territory. I have already tasked Thomas with preparing various supplies."

"If he needs any help, you two should assist him with all your strength."

"Then there's the matter of the magistrate who will accompany me. I can only take one of you; the other needs to remain in Ironthorn Territory."

At this point, Lister looked at the two with a smile and said, "As for who goes and who stays, you two can discuss it among yourselves."

"Thank you, Lord Lister, for giving us the choice."

After Brutus and Odinton expressed their thanks, Brutus spoke up, "Lord Lister, after you told us this information before, we already discussed it."

"I have been serving as the magistrate in Ironthorn Territory for a while now and have a more detailed understanding of all aspects, so it is more appropriate for me to stay."

"And Odinton wants to show more of his abilities; the Western Frontier Territory is just the place where he can fully display his talents."

"Is that so? But why do I feel like you're staying for another reason, Brutus? For example, Sabrina?" Lister teased.

Brutus: "..."

"Haha."

Seeing Brutus's embarrassed look, Lister laughed heartily, and Odinton joined in as well.

Although Brutus had his own little schemes, Lister didn't think it was bad; after all, it was for the woman he loved, not for a man.

As for any bullshit rules restricting subordinates from dating, he naturally wouldn't say them.

If even the natural feelings between men and women had to be restricted, that would really be suppressing human nature—at least, that's what Lister believed.

Furthermore, Sabrina's recent development of the school had been very good, and Lister had taken some time to inspect it.

A school with complete facilities and teachers not only lightened the burden of life for all the Serfs of Ironthorn Territory but was also greatly loved by the children.

Therefore, the new school was now the treasure of Ironthorn Territory, protected by all the Serfs.

If anyone dared to cause trouble at the school, they wouldn't even have to wait for the security patrol; the Serfs would probably just kill them themselves.

Keeping Brutus behind would indeed allow for better governance as he said, and the work coordination with Sabrina would also be much more seamless.

As for Odinton, since coming to Ironthorn Territory, there actually hadn't been many places for him to utilize his skills. Having suffered so much before, it was perfectly understandable that he wanted to prove his worth through the Western Frontier.

Nodding, Lister looked at the two and said, "Fine, we'll go with your plan. Odinton will come with me to the Western Frontier Territory, and I'll leave the management of Ironthorn Territory to you, Brutus."

"As for the defense of Ironthorn Territory, I will have Locke stay behind to take primary responsibility. Before I leave, there will be another recruitment drive."

"At that time, the defense of Ironthorn Territory will be further strengthened. Coupled with our geographical location, there shouldn't be any major accidents afterward."

"As for the subsequent liaison work with Earl Fland and the Cole Family, Brutus, you will be fully responsible."

"I will have the Magic Cloud Eagles rotate at fixed times to maintain communication with you; transmit any important information to me immediately."

"And..."

Soon, a series of matters to be handled before leaving for the Western Frontier Territory were all instructed by Lister.

Brutus and the other recorded everything and respectfully accepted the tasks.

At that moment, a light but rhythmic knock sounded at the door, and Thomas's voice came from outside.

"Lord Lister, the team sent by Earl Fland of the Tulip Territory has arrived outside the castle."

"I'll be right down," Lister replied, then signaled for Brutus and the other to wait before getting up and leaving the room.

Outside the castle gates, Lister saw the liaison in charge sent by the Tulip Territory, dressed in lavish clothing with a gaze that revealed the same shrewdness as Kim Cole.

Although he didn't know him, Lister recognized the escorting knight beside him—it was Brull Bad, who had welcomed him when he last visited Aetheria.

Seeing him appear, Bruel smiled like an old friend and greeted, "Lord Lister, I hope you have been well."

"I have been well, Lord Bruel," Lister responded with a smile, then looked at the young, shrewd-looking man beside him and asked, "This must be the person in charge of the ironthorn whiskey partnership. May I ask your name?"

The shrewd man performed a kingdom salute and said, "Hello, Lord Lister. I am Philemon Fland, the nephew of Earl Fland. I will be responsible for all business liaisons with you in the future."

"It is an honor to meet you," Lister said sincerely, though he was somewhat surprised internally.

He had originally thought the liaison would be a commercial staff member under Earl Elsie de Frander, but he hadn't expected it to be the Earl's nephew.

Perhaps seeing through his thoughts, Philemon said with a smile, "Lord Lister, your ironthorn whiskey is so popular in the Tulip Territory that there were many competitors for this liaison job. I only received this through my uncle's favor."

"Lord Philemon is too modest. To be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility by the Earl at such a young age, your abilities must be extraordinary."

"You flatter me, Lord Lister. Compared to you, I still fall quite short."

After a round of professional flattery, Lister had Thomas arrange for Bruel and the other knights to rest, then brought Philemon to the Lord's office on the third floor.

Upon seeing Brutus and Odinton, Lister introduced the three to each other.

Philemon felt a wave of surprise that Brutus and the other were young enough to serve as the magistrates of Ironthorn Territory.

However, he soon realized through conversation that the two possessed excellent eloquence and remarkable handling skills.

And he knew very well that all of this came from Lister.

A lord possessing great strength was certainly worthy of admiration, but if that lord also possessed the ability to recognize talent, it was even more respectable.

Before meeting Lister, he had some doubts, but now the doubts in his heart had completely vanished.

After finishing some brief topics, Philemon said, "The ironthorn whiskey you brought to Aetheria last time, Lord Lister, has been completely sold out."

"I have come this time for two reasons: one is to bring you your share of the sales, a total of twenty gold coins; the second is to transport more ironthorn whiskey back for sale."

Hearing about the twenty gold coins, Lister might have been happy before, but now there was no ripple in his heart.

After all, anyone who had just acquired six thousand gold coins in cash and resources worth several thousand more wouldn't care much about this small amount.

Seeing his calm expression, Philemon's evaluation of him rose another notch.

"While I believe the quality of ironthorn whiskey is very good, it certainly wouldn't have sold so well without the Earl's help."

Lister offered some praise first, then continued, "Currently, the distillery in Ironthorn Town has produced a large amount of ironthorn whiskey, including many new varieties."

"You can take all of these back for sale, Lord Philemon. Since I will be heading to the Western Frontier Territory in a few days, all subsequent handover matters will be fully handled by magistrate Hobbes."

"Besides that, I have another important matter to discuss with you."