153: Chapter 153 The Royal Family That Knows How to Make Money

"Lord Earl, do you know me?"

A look of confusion appeared on Lister's face; in his memory, he had never had any interactions with Theodore.

"Haha, of course I do."

[Note: At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name. For reading Taiwan novels, use the ultra-practical...]

Theodore raised his hand, gesturing for Lister and the other two to sit down, then continued, "Nearly twenty years ago, your father and I met in the North while fighting against the Orc Race. You weren't even born then."

"Later, due to various factors, I had very little contact with your father. It wasn't until some time after he died in battle that I learned the news."

Comrades-in-arms?

And an Earl?

Was my cheap father really that impressive?

Lister's eyes held a hint of suspicion as he discreetly glanced at Red beside him. Red, who was constantly paying attention to him for instructions, gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head, indicating he didn't know.

After thinking about it for a moment, Lister wasn't particularly surprised.

After all, despite Red's weathered appearance, he was only a little more than ten years older than Lister. He wasn't considered an old-timer in the original Viscount Territory, and it had only been a few years since he was discovered.

Therefore, it was only natural that Red wouldn't know about Old Howard's past.

However, Lister didn't think an Earl would be bored enough to intentionally lie to him; for nobles, face was extremely important.

Of course, while he chose to believe for now, Lister still planned to ask Thomas when he returned.

Compared to Red, Thomas had served the Old Viscount for a long time and would have a more comprehensive understanding of things.

Theodore took in all their expressions and small movements, but he didn't say anything. Instead, a look of admiration appeared in his eyes.

Normally, if another Baron lord heard that his father had a connection with a powerful Marcher Earl, he would immediately put on a big smile to try and get closer.

But Lister not only didn't do that, he even maintained a high level of vigilance, which was an excellent quality for a lord.

This quality was especially necessary and precious for a lord in a place like the Western Frontier.

Without showing the suspicion in his eyes, a smile appeared on Lister's face as he said, "So you are an old friend of my father's. I hadn't heard of this before, please forgive my ignorance, Lord Earl."

"Haha, little fellow, you're being too serious."

Theodore waved his hand with a smile and changed the subject. "Some time ago, Ellis asked me to help your friend Kelvin find a good territory. I was quite surprised at the time."

"I was very curious how you, as a Baron, managed to have a connection with the famous Golden Knight Ellis. Can you tell me how you did it?"

"Lord Earl, you overpraise me." Lister showed a look of humility and said, "I simply happened to save Miss Daisna's life by chance, which is why Sir Ellis helped me with that favor."

"I see."

Theodore realized and continued, "Daisna is Earl Elsid's precious daughter, and Ellis watched her grow up since she was a child. Since you saved her life, it's indeed worth Ellis owing you a favor."

There was one thing he didn't say: given how much Elsid and Ellis valued Daisna, their gratitude toward Lister clearly wouldn't stop there.

If Lister knew what he was thinking, he would surely hold his head high with pride and say: 'Of course, I've even reached a deep commercial cooperation with Earl Elsid now; our relationship is anything but ordinary.'

Without dwelling on that topic, Theodore returned to the main point. "To be honest, Lister, your arrival this time was quite unexpected to me."

"Logically, as a Baron who already owns a territory, there's absolutely no need for you to come to the Western Frontier to be a pioneer lord."

"Because of my relationship with your father, I originally intended to persuade you to give up this idea today. But after you entered the city, I changed my mind."

At this, Theodore's gaze swept back and forth between Lister and Red, his expression full of praise. "Two Silver Knights—this is definitely a significant force among the pioneer Barons in the Western Frontier Territory."

"Especially you, being able to become a Silver Knight before the age of twenty is truly an astounding talent. Old Howard raised a fine son."

After sighing with emotion, Theodore continued, "And I've also heard that you brought about twenty Full Knights. I imagine the Ironthorn Territory has developed quite well under your governance."

"With such strength, I have no reason to dissuade you from seeking to be a pioneer lord in the Western Frontier."

"However, it's a pity you arrived a bit late. The decent Pioneer Territories outside the Western Frontier have already been divided up by other Barons. Otherwise, I could have found a good piece of land for you."

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Earl."

Lister thanked him and then said with a confident look, "Since I've decided to come to the Western Frontier to pioneer, I didn't expect a peaceful life. Even a poorer territory has its value for development."

"If it really lacks development potential, then I will expand outward. There will always be good land eventually."

Lister wasn't boasting; with his current strength, he could definitely pioneer outward.

Of course, the prerequisite was not to be stubborn and get into fights with foreign races that were too strong; otherwise, he would only be able to flee.

As for the Western Frontier's pioneering, besides the initial territory assigned, one could initiate struggles against other powers and races.

Furthermore, any land seized by a pioneer lord themselves could, according to the new western frontier pioneer order, be directly incorporated into their own territory without having to pay anything to the Kingdom.

Of course, the larger the territory, the more people were needed, and the more people there were, the harder it was to rule. Generally, very few pioneer lords dared to expand outward.

Doing so could very likely provoke many foreign powers. If not handled well, it could result in being attacked by everyone at once.

Therefore, most pioneer lords just stuck to their own small plot of land, only seeking to live a stable life.

The reason the Kingdom allowed pioneer lords to freely initiate raids against foreign races and expand their territories was due to the inherent chaos outside the Western Frontier.

The powers outside the entire Western Frontier were like the enfeoffed lords of the Zhou Dynasty from Lister's previous life, with various powers of all sizes.

Among them, human powers were the most numerous but also the most loosely organized. Stronger powers took the form of small kingdoms, while weaker ones were in the form of tribes, but none could coalesce into a particularly powerful force.

One of the strongest powers consisted of a few Orc tribes that had traveled across mountains and rivers from the Northern Wastelands.

However, due to the complicated nature of the powers in the Western Frontier, it wasn't particularly easy for those few Orc tribes to cause trouble or expand their influence there.

After all, the Orc Race' bad reputation was known throughout the human race, and those human powers in the Western Frontier naturally held an extremely strong sense of vigilance against them.

Besides humans and Orc Race, there were other humanoid and beast-like races outside the Western Frontier, such as the Dwarves and Goblin Race, two races with relatively large influence.

Some of these races had good feelings toward humans, while others favored the Orc Race.

A hodgepodge of various powers stood firmly in the Western Frontier, with countless births and destructions playing out over thousands of years.

As for why the Pedan Kingdom didn't launch wars against these loose powers and rule them completely...

From what Lister knew, many previous kings had tried to do so, but without exception, they had all failed.

There were no detailed records of the reasons for these failures, but in Lister's view, it might have been caused by the balancing of multiple powers.

Especially the Orc Race; if the Pedan Kingdom ruled all the powers outside the Western Frontier, not only would its own strength surge, but it would also pose a greater threat to them.

However, the current situation of powers outside the Western Frontier was also quite good for the Pedan Kingdom; at least it wouldn't pose any major threat to the western part of the Kingdom.

Hearing Lister say this, Theodore's look of appreciation grew even stronger, and he even found himself wishing Lister were his own son.

Thinking of those useless boys in his own home gave him a real headache. Unfortunately, his beard wasn't white enough to say something like, "Are you willing to be my son?"

"That you have such awareness already exceeds the vast majority of lords who come to the Western Frontier."

Theodore nodded in praise, then took out a large map of the area outside the Western Frontier, spread it on the table, and said, "Come, Lister, take a look and choose the Pioneer Territory for your next step."

Territories outside the Western Frontier that had been conquered by the Kingdom would be divided by Kingdom officials, but usually, the divisions weren't very detailed.

Because most of the conquered territories were originally places with owners; now, the owners had simply been killed or driven away.

Looking at the giant map on the table, Lister immediately felt the urge to claim it for himself.

A map like this, which marked all the powers, geographical locations, mountains, and rivers outside the Western Frontier, was no less precious than those rare resources.

If a pioneer lord could possess such a map, it would provide a massive advantage in the upcoming pioneering efforts.

Seeing Lister's fervent gaze, Theodore said with a smile, "Lister, if you want this map, you can pay to buy it."

"This map of powers outside the Western Frontier is a detailed map drawn after the Kingdom spent a lot of manpower and resources after conquering the area."

"Considering the development needs of pioneer lords, the Kingdom has officially opened it for sale, but the price is not low. It costs two thousand gold coins, or it can be exchanged for resources of equal value."

"Of course, the map can also be purchased in sections. Many lords just buy the maps of the areas surrounding their own territories."

Two thousand gold coins!

Lister sucked in a breath of cold air. For just a small map, the royal family was asking two thousand gold coins. He didn't know whether to praise the royal family for their lion-like appetite or for their ability to make money.

One must know that his Ironthorn Territory wasn't even worth this much before, and once the first map was drawn, subsequent copies could be made almost at zero cost.

If they kept selling it this way, even if only a few pioneer lords bought it, the royal family would make a huge windfall.

First the new western frontier pioneer order had traps, and now they were doing this; Lister even began to suspect if the royal family was short on money.

But while it was expensive, in Lister's view, this map was truly worth the price because the markings on it were very clear and would definitely be a great help to him.

Without hesitation, Lister looked up at Theodore and said generously, "No problem, Lord Earl, give me a complete map."

"Lister, are you sure you want a complete map?"

Now it was Theodore's turn to be surprised. He originally thought that if Lister was going to buy one, he would just buy the map of the area surrounding his chosen territory. Who would have thought Lister would "speak so boldly" and directly ask for a large one? That grand manner was as casual as ordering a dish in a restaurant.

Surprise aside, Theodore didn't suspect Lister of intentionally boasting; after all, there was no benefit in doing so.

"Yes, Lord Earl." Lister nodded and asked seriously, "Is it okay if I pay half in cash and half in resources of equal value?"

"Haha, of course it's okay," Theodore said with a smile.

Although he wasn't sure why Theodore was so happy, Lister was equally happy because this map was truly too important.

However, if Lister knew that Theodore received a corresponding commission for selling this map, he might not be so happy.

Turning his head, Lister looked at the map on the table again.

According to the map, many territories outside the Western Frontier already had owners, and those owned territories would be covered with a layer of mist using magic, including information on surrounding powers and geographical locations.

This was done to prevent some lords from memorizing the information on the map and then going back to draw a new one.

Lister wasn't surprised by this; since it was for making money, they would definitely eliminate all possible risks.

His gaze swept purposefully and quickly across the map, and Lister soon found the territory he had already decided upon.

The reason he was so certain was precisely because of the divination information from a few days ago.

On the surface, this territory was adjacent to a medium-sized mountain range and an unknown forest, which contained many magic beasts. It also belonged to the territories closer to foreign powers outside the Western Frontier and was prone to harassment.

This was also why no lord had chosen this place so far.

But Lister knew that most of those magic beasts weren't very strong, and the surrounding foreign races all existed in the form of tribes. With the force he had brought, he could definitely defend it effectively.

Of course, the most important thing was that within that medium-sized mountain range, there was an unclaimed medium-sized gold mine and a small Mithril Mine.

The former could produce a large amount of gold coins, while the latter was an extremely rare metal resource that could be used to make weapons, armor, magic equipment, currency, and more. Its value was much higher than that of ordinary gold coins.

However, people generally wouldn't use mithril as currency; otherwise, it would be a terrible waste of natural resources.

Besides these, because of the shielding from the mountains and the forest, most of the Cold Wave blowing from the west was blocked outside the mountain range, making the temperature conditions for living in the entire territory more comfortable.

At the same time, within the territory, there was a small natural lake with abundant fish resources, which could serve as an important food source.

For a territory so rich in resources, Lister really wouldn't have chosen it if not for the divination information, given the many dangers he would have to face.

Seeing Lister pointing at this territory on the map, Theodore's tone was somewhat surprised: "Are you sure you want to choose here?"