7: Leanna Howard

The boundless blue sky was filled with soaring birds.

Riding on his horse, Lister took a deep breath of fresh air, and the lingering fatigue from his morning cultivation was instantly swept away.

This was his first time inspecting the territory; it was both to understand the Serfs' condition and to display the Lord's majesty. Therefore, besides Red, he also brought half of his Apprentice Knights and cavalry.

As for why the two magistrates did not come, first, Lister did not call for them, and second, he guessed they were busy packing their 'luggage,' so he felt embarrassed to 'disturb' them.

As the group slowly entered the small town, the busy Serfs coming and going could not help but stop and offer respectful greetings to Lister.

"Respected Lord, greetings to you."

"Greetings to you, Lord."

"You have worked hard as well. Don't mind me; go back to your own business." Lister did not put on airs, but instead smiled and waved to respond to each of them.

After all, before he had enough money to travel the world in his past life, he was also one of the common people. Now, he simply had good luck and swapped into a noble identity.

At the same time, he also understood the principle that 'the people are like water; water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.' If he wanted to develop the territory well, he could not do without these Serfs.

Even if this was a world dominated by extraordinary beings, the existence of ordinary people was still required, otherwise, it could not continue to endure.

The Serfs were incredibly surprised and unexpected by Lister's gentle response. One had to know that the previous lords were all 'aloof' to the extreme and never gave them a good look.

Even in their eyes, there was always a look of disdain and disgust.

For a moment, they had a glimmer of positive expectation for this young Lord.

Because the town did not cover a large area, even though the group rode very slowly, they finished the inspection in less than two hours.

After the inspection, Lister had a clearer understanding of the town.

Currently, apart from a very small number, almost all the Serfs in the territory lived within Ironthorn Town.

This method of huddling together was, firstly, for better development, and secondly, because of the beasts and even magic beasts that appeared in the wild from time to time.

Of course, this situation was also caused by the low security and low level of control within the territory.

Since he wanted to develop the territory, a stable environment was indispensable. Thinking of this, Lister knew he had more things to do.

Leaving the town, the originally active atmosphere dropped significantly. Since the spring wheat (barley and oats) had already been harvested, there was no one else in the Cultivated Land except for a few farmers plowing the soil.

After spending about an hour roughly inspecting the outskirts of the territory, he led Red and the others toward the border with the Black Bear Territory.

The purpose of this trip was not only to inspect the territory but also for the Green Sprite from the previous divination information.

...

The border between Ironthorn Territory and Black Bear Territory.

Although he did not know what Lister wanted to do, Red still reminded him: "Lord Lister, going a bit further is the territory of Baron Daniel Bruce of the Black Bear Territory."

"According to the laws of the Kingdom, without prior notification, knights and Soldiers cannot cross the border at will."

"Rest assured, Red, I am aware." Lister nodded and then stopped responding, instead leading the group to patrol back and forth along the border.

Fortunately, the border between the two territories was not long and could almost be entirely encompassed within his field of vision, so he felt more at ease about discovering the Pixie. After all, anything was possible before it was in his hands.

Soon, the time reached 4:27 PM. A streak of green light flashed across the sky and slammed diagonally into the edge of the border, but it did not make any sound.

If it had not happened to appear in Lister's field of vision, he would not have discovered it for a while.

This scene was also seen by Red and the others, and looks of shock and suspicion suddenly appeared. Before they could think too much, Lister said in an excited tone: "Everyone follow me, quickly!"

Under the horses' rapid speed, they arrived at the landing site of the green streak of light in less than three minutes.

They saw that inside the huge pit, a ball of light wrapped in flowing green radiance stood quietly.

Perhaps it sensed the appearance of Lister and the others, as the green light began to gradually become transparent, and a green Pixie appeared before everyone's eyes.

"It is actually a Green Sprite!" Red exclaimed, and the few people beside him were also equally shocked.

Only Lister revealed an expression of expectation. Seeing this, Red could not help but ask: "Lord Lister, did you know long ago that a Green Sprite would appear here?"

Hearing this, Lister smiled faintly: "It might be the guidance of the holy light god, or perhaps it is just my luck."

He spoke ambiguously; maintaining a sense of mystery toward subordinates was also a skill that a leader should possess.

As for worrying about whether they would think wildly? No, because as long as the result was good, they would naturally think in a positive direction.

And when Red and the others heard his words, it was exactly as he thought; looks of fanaticism appeared on their faces, and they praised in unison: "Respected Lord, it is our honor to be able to follow you, who have received the blessing of the holy light god."

"We will pledge our lives to serve you!"

It was no wonder they were like this, because the holy light god was the most worshipped deity in the Pedan Kingdom. Coupled with Lister's 'profound' demeanor and the Pixie that really existed before them, they already believed his words just now without a doubt.

At this time, the fully awakened Green Sprite flapped her pearl-like transparent wings and flew to the side of Lister and the others.

Perhaps because Lister was the best-looking, she flew a circle and then stopped by his side, chirping away.

Looking at the Pixie girl before him, Lister's face was filled with smiles. As for why all Pixies were girls, he did not know, but he guessed it was because the deity who created them liked it that way.

Taking out the dessert he had prepared long ago from his storage ring, he handed it to the Pixie girl.

Seeing the good-looking dessert in front of her that emitted a rich fragrance, the Pixie girl could not resist the temptation and began to taste it in big mouthfuls.

While eating, she chirped at Lister, clearly indicating that she liked it very much and was happy.

"Haha, as long as you like it." Lister laughed.

For this 'routine' he had long prepared, he was determined to win. After all, being a foodie did not distinguish between race or age.

After the Pixie girl finished eating, Lister asked: "Are you willing to become my contracted Pixie?"

A contract was a mysterious power that existed in this world. As long as both parties agreed, any race could enter into a contract, whether equal or unequal.

Hearing this, the Pixie girl did not hesitate and nodded, clearly impatient. After all, someone who was willing to give her delicious food upon their first meeting certainly could not be a bad person.

The next moment, a holy white light emanated from the center of the Pixie girl's eyebrows and instantly entered the center of Lister's eyebrows.

A faint, snow-white chain of light connecting their consciousnesses slowly emerged—the equal contract was successful.

This feeling of sensory connection between consciousnesses made him feel very wonderful.

Recovering his senses, he said to the Pixie girl: "You don't seem to have a name yet. Let me give you one. Hmm, how about Lianna, Lianna Howard, how is that?"

The Pixie girl chirped happily and flew around Lister, clearly very satisfied with the name.

Seeing this, not only Lister, but Red and the others on the side were also filled with smiles.

At this moment, a streak of purple light flashed across the sky again...