74: Stardust Whispers

"Since you've received a gift from a dear friend, brother, shouldn't you give something back in return?"

"You're already so rich; just leaking a little bit from between your fingernails would surely be of great benefit to me."

"You wouldn't want your brother to go to the Western Frontier and develop his territory with nothing to his name, right?"

Hearing Kelvin's absurd and bizarre words, combined with his shameless look...

Lister laughed and cursed, "Bah! What nonsense are you talking about? Can't you have a bit of noble grace and cultivation?"

"The words may be crude, but the logic isn't," Kelvin replied with a thick-skinned expression, talking back, "Tch! Talk about me lacking grace, you're the same yourself."

Too lazy to argue with this persistent fellow, Lister said seriously, "Don't worry, you won't be left out. According to the general situation of the Western Frontier's development, what you primarily lack right now should be daily necessities, as well as various grains, fruits, and their seeds, right?"

Kelvin gave a thumbs up and said, "As expected, you're the one who understands me best, brother. But besides those, I also need some Artisans and Slaves."

"You know, my father isn't particularly powerful among the Viscounts. Even if he wanted to help me out of father-son affection, he's powerless. Therefore, it's hard for me to be allocated a good initial Pioneer Territory in the Western Frontier."

"Plus, the people my father gave me are far too few. So, if I want to quickly develop a territory suitable for survival in the Western Frontier, I can only rely on a large number of Artisans and Slaves."

"Of course, if you're kind enough to send me a few more knights for protection, that would be even better."

"Heh, you're really not being polite." Lister gave a cold laugh and thought for a moment before saying, "I can give you Artisans and Slaves, but not from my own territory. The Ironthorn Territory is currently in a crucial period of development, and I can't spare any people."

"I'll have Kim arrange the people you need as soon as possible. When the time comes, just wait for him at the Western Frontier Border City."

"Kim?" Kelvin had a face full of questions.

Lister answered, "He is the head of my Vassal Family. His main business is Slave trading, and he frequently travels to and from the Western Frontier."

"A Vassal Family!" Kelvin's eyebrows shot up in envy, "You even have a Vassal Family now? Developing so fast... aren't you afraid your brother will stab you in the back out of jealousy?"

Turning his head slightly to glance at him, Lister continued, "It's impossible to give you knights, but I will have Locke take two Full Knights, Buck and Hill, to escort your party to the Western Frontier."

Seeing his goal achieved, Kelvin gave a cheeky laugh, "Hehe! That's great!"

Lister had already seen through his little tricks but was just too lazy to expose them.

Next, Lister instructed, "After you arrive at the Western Frontier Border City, don't be in a hurry to choose a Pioneer Territory. Find an inn and wait for two days. If all goes well, someone should take the initiative to find you."

"Don't ask any more questions. It definitely won't be a bad thing, and even if it doesn't work out, delaying for two days won't be a big problem for you."

Hearing him say this, Kelvin, who was about to get to the bottom of things, had to suppress his curiosity, while a strong sense of anticipation rose within him.

As for why Lister could agree to so many conditions when he had only received a piece of Black Scale Snake Skin...

Firstly, it was because of the friendship between his predecessor and Kelvin, plus the good impression Kelvin had given him during this meeting; he was indeed a friend worth knowing deeply.

Secondly, helping Kelvin would also allow him to have a stable network of connections in the Western Frontier in the future.

After all, he might go to the Western Frontier himself at some point. Having a sincere friend who had established a foothold there in advance would definitely save him a lot of trouble during his early development after arriving.

He knew deeply that no matter which world it was, as long as basic order and rules existed, connections were extremely important.

Having finished discussing business, the banquet officially began. Compared to the previous atmosphere with Ellis and the others, the current mood was much closer and more uninhibited.

As the melodious and soft sound of a stringed instrument rang out, a knight from Kelvin's Knight Squad held a Lute, an instrument often accompanying Bards.

With his magnetic voice, he began to sing the kingdom's long-circulated poem, 'Whispers of Stardust.'

Amber dawn drips into a river,

The harp entwined with the unextinguished dragon song,

Stardust kisses the wandering folds,

Tavern wood grains hide rusted legends.

Elven saddles jingle through twelve nights,

Iron hammers shatter the honey-coated contract,

The phosphorus fire wedding dress swallowed by the swamp,

Lies condense into frost on the brow.

When twin moons slot into the tower's gap,

Migratory birds bring the roar of the frozen earth,

The harp bow harvests weeds and stars,

All names fall into the throat of the mist.

The thirty-seventh autumn of the skeletal psalm,

The wind returns the harp to the hourglass... Accompanied by the singing, Flora led the maids to dance gracefully around the campfire.

Though not as lithe and skilled as noble ladies, on this night with the bright moon hanging high and stars filling the sky, it touched the hearts of everyone present.

The lively and cheerful bonfire banquet continued until very late, as if spending the night together with the moon and stars.

Benefiting from the energy brought by the Ironclad Crocodile meat, Kelvin, who had recently broken through to Bronze Rank 1, took another step forward.

And his Knight Captain, Gregory Solomon, finally broke through the bottleneck of Bronze Rank 5 that had stuck him for a long time.

As for the other four Full Knights and Apprentice Knights under him, they all saw some improvement, though none had a breakthrough in rank.

Just as Kelvin said, with this team of his, if he wasn't allocated a Pioneer Territory with high safety in the Western Frontier, they might be slaughtered to the last man by some powerful magical beasts one day.

In contrast, Lister's team indeed had better talent and deeper foundations, and his situation was much better... The white dew had not yet dried, and a light mist lingered as the cooking smoke of Ironthorn Town gradually rose.

With a trace of lingering alcohol scent on him, Lister still woke up early.

Learning from Thomas that Kelvin was still sleeping soundly in his second-floor room, he shook his head, downed a cup of hot milk in one go, and strode out of the castle.

Before reaching the training grounds, the familiar and loud sounds of drills reached his ears first.

Even though yesterday's banquet had lasted so late, Red and the other knights and Soldiers still insisted on waking up early to train.

This made Lister feel gratified, but it also left Gregory and Kelvin's other subordinates in the barracks feeling quite astonished.

And when they saw Lister's figure slowly appear, they were even more shocked.

It was fine for a lord to wake up early, but this was too early, and what was he doing at the training grounds first thing in the morning?

With puzzled thoughts, Gregory and the others followed Red and his group to greet Lister respectfully.

After responding to each of them with a smile, Lister walked toward the back of the castle.

Watching his back disappear, Gregory turned to Red and asked, "Red, what is Lord Lister doing behind the castle so early in the morning?"

Red looked at him and said as if it were a matter of course, "Doing his Morning Exercise, of course."

Having said that, he continued to lead everyone in their training, leaving Gregory and the others standing there in a daze.