94: First level lord

Hand's calloused fingers caressed the brass ring, the firelight making the inscription 'Eileen will always protect William' flicker.

"This ring…" The old man's cloudy eyes suddenly widened, "It's my great-grandmother's dowry, how could it be…"

The spindle in Shirley's Hand clattered to the ground, and the wool thread rolled into the fireplace, turning into smoke.

"Eileen killed everyone?" The plump woman asked, trembling, "I thought she just couldn't grow up, how could she be a vampire!"

The Holy Knight laid his greatsword across the oak dining table, its blade reflecting the distorted face of the farm woman: "It's true, her bones were completely purified by the Holy Light."

Salt crystals, not yet wiped clean from his armor, rustled down.

I pushed the treasury key towards Hand, "We'll go with you to the crypt to have a look, and then gather the villagers."

When the two old people tremblingly followed us to the underground crypt, Hand suddenly pointed at the emblem on the stone coffin and exclaimed: "This is… the William family crest! I never knew there was such a crypt here."

Through the secret door, we came to another hall and five treasuries.

Except for the fifth treasury, the other places were empty, leaving only cold stone.

Everything had been taken into my system space, perfectly filling the space of the items lost yesterday.

If Eileen hadn't instructed me last night to leave the fifth treasury for the village,

According to my usual habit, everything here would have been emptied by me.

Her giving it away like this, however, made me feel too awkward to touch the items in the fifth treasury.

When the Hand couple came out of the treasury, the wrinkles on their faces were all smiling.

Shirley's Hand trembled as she counted the copper coins, while Hand drooled over the box of silver coins.

"The grain inside is enough for the whole village to eat for ten winters!" The old man's voice trembled, "And these coins… Heavens, I've never seen so much money in my life!"

I rubbed my nose, feeling a little guilty.

The mountains of gold and seas of silver from the first four treasuries were now piled up like small mountains in my system space—a rough estimate showed that there were tens of millions of gold coins alone, not to mention the dazzling gems, exquisite jewelry, and magical artifacts radiating magical fluctuations.

Last night, when I unrolled that parchment, my Hands were also trembling.

From dozens of miles west of the Wan'an Highway intersection to dozens of miles east of the village, and from dozens of miles north of the highway to the foot of the mountains in the south—this land, covering over 1600 square kilometers, had been gradually acquired by Eileen over several hundred years.

Most of the land deeds were filed with the Gorebest government and several large cities in the north, meaning most of them were officially recognized.

Vast wealth and large tracts of land, Eileen's original intention must have been to accumulate them for herself or William's descendants, so why would she give them to me?

I don't understand!

The Holy Knight wiped his greatsword, his gaze deep: "William's descendants are all ordinary people, they can't hold onto such wealth."

He pointed to the Hand couple, "This grain and money are enough for them to live a decent life without attracting covetousness."

I looked at the tightly shut iron door of the fifth treasury and suddenly understood Eileen's intention.

What she left for the village was wealth that would allow them to live peacefully; what she gave me was a foundation that required strength to protect.

This vampire, who had lived for hundreds of years, was still planning for William's descendants in her final moments.

Hand's calloused fingers suddenly tightened around the brass key, his knuckles turning white: "So much treasure… if bandits come…" His voice trailed off, as if frightened by his own imagination.

Shirley's face instantly turned pale, "I used to just think this place was safer than other villages," she said, trembling, "Now I realize Eileen was protecting us… but you've already…"

Their bickering gave me a headache.

"Quiet!" The Holy Knight's greatsword suddenly struck the ground, the loud noise startling the two, "Eileen entrusted you to the Lord before her death."

His gaze was like a torch, "This is her last wish, and your good fortune."

Shirley rubbed her apron, her cheeks flushed: "Then… how much will the guards cost?" Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

I raised my Hand to signal them to be quiet: "Don't worry about the money.

Now, go gather everyone in the village."

My gaze swept over the two, "Only if the villagers swear allegiance, will I be qualified to protect you."

"Alright, alright."

The two agreed, then put the money back into the fifth treasury and locked the door.

Hand held the key, looking at me timidly.

I continued: "You keep the key for now.

Later, I will have Old Hather assist you in inventorying the supplies."

My tone became serious, "Remember, these are the property of all villagers.

Every transaction must be registered and recorded; if there is any corruption or embezzlement…" I paused, "You know the consequences."

Hand trembled as he put the key back into his bosom.

It took the entire morning, led by Village Chief Hand and his wife Shirley, for all 82 villagers to swear allegiance to me.

The people here are truly simple and honest; with proper guidance in the future, they shouldn't be too difficult to manage.

After the villagers swore their allegiance, the system displayed a system quest: "Increase Lord Level" completed.

My Lord Level has been raised to Level 1.

On my personal attribute panel, it now shows that my current spell power, weapon power, and check advantage have increased by 1%, and by 2% within my territory (within the Mage Stronghold and the large piece of land Eileen gifted me).

The updated territory information is as follows—

【Territory Name】: Black Panther Fortress, Unnamed Village

【Lord Level】: Level 1

Note: Can upgrade when Lord's personal professional level is greater than 2 and population is greater than 100.

【Lord Prestige】: 50

【Number of Territories】: 2, including 1 Mage Stronghold, 1 Unnamed Village and large territory

【Territory Area】: Territory No. 1: 0.0041833 square kilometers, Territory No. 2: 1669 square kilometers

【Population】: 89 people (including 3 temporary residents)

Including 1 Holy Knight, 2 Holy Knight Squires, 1 Business Manager, 3 temporary laborers (temporary residents), 82 villagers.

【Territory Officials】: 1 Steward, 1 Business Manager, 1 Village Chief

【Territory Resources】: Grain 168 tons, Meat 204.868 tons, Vegetables 0.616 tons, Fresh Water 15.88 tons, Timber 7.82 tons, Stone 5 tons…

【Territory Facilities】:

Territory No. 1: 1 Wizard's Hut, 1 wooden house, 2 dog kennels, 0.05 mu of vegetable patch.

Territory No. 2: 16 farmhouses, 2 abandoned farmhouses, 22 mu of wheat fields…

【Economic Indicators】: 2, 1 caravan (some goods)

【Military Strength】: Army 10 people (including 6 temporary guards, not counted as temporary residents.)

Including 1 Commander (Lord), 1 Holy Knight, 2 Holy Knight Squires, 3 temporary guards.

Weapons and Equipment: Several

Training Level: Lord (Level 3 Hunter and Level 1 Mage) Beginner, Holy Knight (Level 7) Intermediate, Holy Knight Squire (Level 0) Beginner

Defense Capability: 14

Combat Power: 4

【Diplomatic Relations】: None

【Magic and Technology】:

Number of Mages: 1

Magic Items: … (Lists all magic items owned by the host by quantity and quality here)

Magic Inventions: 1 (Flame Arrow)

Technological Inventions and Applications: 0

【Special Events and Quests】: Register land transfer at the Gorebest government clerk's office.