169: Chapter 169 Bradley's Little Secret

Night fell over the Iron Thorn Territory Branch.

Bright, warm firelight flickered and danced, illuminating faces filled with joy.

This banquet was held not only to welcome the arrival of Bradley and his party but also to reward the Serfs for their hard work during this period.

Upon arriving at the Iron Thorn Territory Branch, Bradley immediately brought Ulysses to swear the entire Mandy Family's allegiance to Lister.

With matters settled and feeling quite pleased, Lister did not show favoritism.

With a wave of his hand, he directly appointed Bradley as the Commercial and Foreign Affairs Officer of the Ironthorn Territory, tasking him with working alongside Kim to oversee business development.

As for Ulysses, under Lister's instruction, Red conducted an Apprentice Knight assessment for him.

Lister had originally intended to have Ulysses join the Knight Squad directly, but Ulysses was determined to pass the test through his own strength.

This self-reliant mindset was greatly appreciated by Lister, who granted Ulysses his wish.

Ulysses truly lived up to his determination and successfully passed the Apprentice Knight assessment led by Red.

The most overjoyed and excited by this were undoubtedly Bradley and the other members of the Mandy Family.

Although Ulysses had only just become an Apprentice Knight, the significance to the Mandy Family was extraordinary.

After all, the first step is always the hardest; now that the first step had been taken, a path that had never existed before had opened up.

Under Thomas's orderly arrangement, plates of fragrant, sizzling roasted meat were distributed to everyone.

"Bradley and everyone from the Mandy Family, please don't be formal. Although the quality of this Magical Beast Meat is average, in this remote Western Frontier Territory, it is still considered decent fare," said Lister, sitting relaxed by the bonfire, holding a wine glass with a smile. "Eat to your heart's content, don't worry about waste."

Average quality?

Bradley and the other members of the Mandy Family couldn't help but click their tongues in astonishment.

One had to know that this was Magical Beast Meat; it wasn't something one could just eat whenever they pleased.

Despite the Mandy Family's wealth and size, they rarely got to eat Magical Beast Meat because such precious food was simply unattainable for ordinary merchants.

Usually, it was consumed by noble lords and transcendent beings, who organized their own people to hunt it and then reserved it for themselves.

Merchants like them, without power or influence, could only buy it at high prices from those noble lords, and even then, they weren't necessarily willing to sell.

"Lord Lister's generosity fills us with sincere admiration," said Bradley and the other members of the Mandy Family with genuine expressions.

As they finished speaking, they no longer held back, using their forks to spear the Magical Beast Meat on their plates and stuffing it into their mouths.

As their jaws closed, the rich juices exploded in their mouths, causing everyone to involuntarily display expressions of immense enjoyment.

Lister's core team nearby couldn't help but smile.

It wasn't a mocking smile, but one of empathy, reflecting the same feeling they had experienced when they first ate Magical Beast Meat.

Seeing Bradley and his group eating happily, Lister turned and placed the best-roasted piece of meat in front of Christina, who was sitting beside him.

"Eat more. You are at an age where you are still growing, and you've been training so hard lately; you need to keep up your nutritional intake."

Hearing Lister's deeply caring words, warmth surged in Christina's heart, and she nodded obediently.

In fact, although Christina was petite, she was not delicate. Even with her rigorous daily training, she never once complained of hardship.

However, even if she didn't feel the hardship, Lister would still naturally care for her.

This naturally flowing care from an older brother to his younger sister had, unbeknownst to Lister himself, become a habit.

Red and the others nearby saw this, their eyes filled with deep smiles, their affection for Christina plain to see.

This was not only because of her current status but also because of her kind and approachable personality, which had won the unanimous approval of everyone in the Iron Thorn Territory Branch.

Lucina, the personal maid sitting beside Christina, felt a wave of deep envy and a hint of sadness in her eyes at the sight.

Being able to be reborn and obtain such a wonderful life was something she had never dared to imagine after becoming a Slave.

Therefore, she cherished this hard-won good life immensely, hoping only for it to continue.

However, Lister's action just now made her think of the time when her family was still alive—

"Lucina, you have done a very good job during this time. Forget the painful memories of the past and live well here; this is your home."

Looking at the plate of Magical Beast Meat suddenly handed to her and hearing the soft male voice in her ear, Lucina looked up abruptly.

In that instant, her watery eyes met Lister's deep, starry eyes, causing her heart to skip a beat.

For a moment, pearl-like tears filled her eyes; the feeling of being cared for had returned.

"Sister Lucina, what's wrong?" Christina asked with concern.

"No, nothing, Miss Christina, just a bit of dust in my eyes." Lucina hurriedly wiped away the tears in her eyes, then smiled and thanked him: "Thank you for your grace, Lord Lister. I will continue to work hard and live well."

Nodding, a spring-breeze-like smile appeared on Lister's face, causing Lucina's little face to flush Red.

Without saying anything more, Lister also began to heartily taste the food in front of him.

Bradley, on the side, silently took in all these scenes.

With his keen observation skills, he could see that Lister truly cared for the people around him and wasn't just putting on an act, which made him feel even more fortunate about his decision.

At the same time, he secretly marveled at Christina's favored status.

It seemed that Miss Christina was not very old, probably only a few years younger than Ulysses; perhaps they—"

At this moment, various thoughts burst into his mind, and as he thought, a broad smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.

Beside him, Ulysses, who was eating meat heartily, noticed the change in his expression and asked curiously: "Father, why are you smiling so happily? Is there some funny story? Tell me about it."

"Ahem—" Bradley coughed dryly to cover up his slightly lecherous smile, and said sternly: "There's no funny story, just eat your meat."

Tsk~

If it's not a funny story, could it be a romantic affair?

Hmm~ It might actually be the case. It seems I need to inform Mother; I can't let Father fall into depravity.

Bradley was unaware that he had become this image in Ulysses's mind; otherwise, he would definitely have given him a "seven-wolf" beating to make him happy.

As the banquet deepened, the cheerful atmosphere became even more intense.

However, the climax of the banquet came from the rewards for the Serfs.

During this time, the Iron Thorn Territory Branch had significantly increased its population by absorbing the original inhabitants of other territories.

With the collective efforts of the Serfs, the development of the Iron Thorn Territory Branch in all aspects was progressing steadily and rapidly.

Naturally, Lister would not forget their contributions, and he was not stingy with rewards.

At his signal, Thomas presented the Slave contracts that had been prepared long ago.

Elegantly wiping the grease from his mouth with a handkerchief, Lister stood up and scanned the crowd before him.

As he stood, everyone turned their eyes toward him with reverence.

Nodding slightly, Lister said in a clear voice: "Since arriving at the Iron Thorn Territory Branch, I have clearly seen everyone's hard work."

"To commend those Serfs who worked the hardest, regardless of whether they are Slaves or Serfs, I will grant them the status of Free Citizens, and all Slave contracts will be destroyed."

"The new Free Citizen certificates have already been written in advance by the magistrate Odinton. You only need to sign your names on them to obtain the status of Free Citizens."

"As for those who were already Free Citizens, they will receive other equivalent rewards."

"As for the Serfs who did not receive rewards this time, do not be discouraged. This commendation banquet is not a one-time event; it will be held once every month from now on."

"Any Serfs who work hard can receive the same rewards as them."

After speaking, at Lister's signal, the Soldier read out the names from the Slave contracts one by one, then threw them into the blazing bonfire.

The Serfs who heard their names could not help but shed tears of extreme excitement, making the Serfs who did not receive commendations feel a wave of envy.

For a time, the sound of people secretly encouraging themselves kept ringing out in the crowd.

As the commended Serfs signed their names on the new Free Citizen certificates, praises for Lister echoed in the night sky, refusing to subside for a long time.

The benevolent heart Lister displayed deeply moved Bradley and the other members of the Mandy Family.

This was the first time in their lives they had seen a lord pardon Slaves and grant them the status of Free Citizens based on their hard work.

It seemed so unreal, yet it was happening right before their eyes.

Moreover, seeing the calm expressions of Red and the others, it was clear that this was not the first time Lister had done so.

No wonder they could feel the deep cohesion of the Serfs after arriving at the Iron Thorn Territory Branch today.

This was absolutely impossible to see in other territories; at least, they had never seen or heard of it.

Looking at Lister standing tall in the center of the crowd, Bradley and the other members of the Mandy Family had a momentary feeling of seeing the holy light god descend.

Because only the holy light god worshipped by the kingdom made them feel that the image matched Lister, even if this might be somewhat disrespectful to the holy light god.

Soon, the commendations for the conversion of Slaves to Free Citizens were all finished, and then Lister rewarded the managers of the territorial affairs and the guarding Knight Squad one by one.

Especially compared to the Ironthorn Territory, the defense pressure of the Western Frontier Territory was much greater, and the patrol work of those Knight Squad was carried out without interruption.

Therefore, for their hard work, the rewards Lister gave were very generous, mostly cultivation resources.

After all, the Iron Thorn Territory Branch was still under construction and development, and there were not many places where money was needed, so cultivation resources were naturally more useful.

Moreover, compared to money, the Knight Squad preferred to obtain cultivation resources.

They knew that only with strong strength could they better follow Lister; that colorful future was the life they looked forward to.

The atmosphere of the banquet rose to its climax after the commendations ended.

Various laughter and cheers continued until late at night before gradually dissipating into the night sky.

Ending the banquet, Lister returned to his room and took a comfortable bath with the hot water prepared by Flora in advance.

With the smell of alcohol gone, he sat cross-legged on his bed and performed the delayed divination.

[Divination 1: After seeing the favored status Christina displayed at the banquet, Bradley urged Ulysses to spend more time with her and strive to win her favor.]

[Divination 2: The Beast Tribe launched a surprise attack on the frontier territory to the northwest of the Western Frontier Territory, capturing several lords alive. After learning of this, Border Count Theodore dispatched Golden Knight Montgomery to lead an army to support.]

[Divination 3: Tomorrow morning, after taking the fusion potion extracted from the Earth Dragon Fish essence, Red and Spartacus successfully stimulated the bloodline potential within their bodies, and their strength was greatly enhanced.]

[Divination 4: The reward of two thousand gold coins from the official in charge of the kingdom's northwest region for you will be delivered to Brutus in the Ironthorn Territory tomorrow.]

There were still four pieces of divination information, which were much more useful than the information from the previous few days.

After seeing the first divination information, the corners of Lister's mouth curled up slightly.

He had actually sensed Bradley's little scheme during the banquet, and now the divination confirmed it.

He had no intention of obstructing it; as long as it was not malicious, he was happy to see such things happen.

Ulysses was someone he valued, and Christina was a younger sister he cared about. If the two could naturally develop feelings, it would be a fine story.

Of course, at their current age, they certainly still needed to maintain a certain safe distance, but getting along as friends from a young age was absolutely fine.

However, that said, Ulysses might not necessarily succeed, because he still had a rival, Kuro.

As for whom Christina would choose, that would depend on her own heart.

Moving his gaze to the second divination information, Lister's eyes narrowed involuntarily.

The decisiveness and speed of the Beast Tribe's attack were completely beyond his expectations.

However, on second thought, this was very consistent with the Beast Tribe's style of doing things—daring to fight and kill, commonly known as "reckless."

"But since a Golden Knight has been dispatched, there shouldn't be any major problems, right?" Lister murmured softly.

Then he continued to look at the next divination; his expression was first happy, then revealed regret.

He was happy that Red and Spartacus had successfully stimulated their bloodline potential and enhanced their strength.

What he regretted was that the two did not successfully stimulate the ancestral characteristics of their bloodline, so they had only gone halfway.

However, because he had prepared himself psychologically beforehand, he didn't feel any disappointment.

Of course, he couldn't help but worry a little about the results when he stimulated his own bloodline next, after all, even the highly talented Spartacus had not succeeded.

After thinking for a while, Lister quickly scanned the last divination information.

He expressed his approval of the efficiency of the kingdom's officials.