2: The Decline of the Red River Territory

"Layn!"

"Oh, no!"

"Baron!"

Ross's voice rang in his ears, waking Layn from his wandering thoughts.

"Ross, just call me Layn. No need to be so formal."

"No, my lord. You are now a baron, a noble. Ross can no longer address you directly by name; it would be disrespectful." Ross seriously refuted Layn's suggestion.

Ross came from an ordinary knight family. Although not of commoner origin, it wasn't much better, far from the status of titled nobility.

He joined the Border Defense Army because his family's development was stagnant and could no longer support his continued cultivation. At the same time, Ross hoped to break through to the Silver Rank in the Border Defense Army, achieve merit, gain a title, and bring glory to his family.

In the Rage Bear Border Guard Army, ordinary soldiers were conscripted from the residents of the Rage Bear Territory and soldiers belonging to the nobles under the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear. The junior officers were either from knight families like Ross or warriors who had performed exceptionally well, broken their limits, and become Professionals.

The mid-to-upper-level officers in the Border Defense Army were noble offspring like Layn, especially those who had studied at the Raging Bear Fortress Knight Academy—orthodox knights of the Rage Bear Territory who were highly valued.

As for the high-ranking generals, they were all loyal vassals of the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear, with Count Sena being a representative among them.

As an ordinary knight without a title, Ross was extremely humble in his attitude toward Layn. This was due to the class solidification formed over the thousand years since the establishment of the Kingdom of Asriel. Nobles held absolute authority over ordinary people and were beings that commoners looked up to their entire lives.

"Alright!" Layn didn't insist.

"Ross, do you know when Count Sena will lead the army away? What's the situation with those Fel Orcs outside now?"

Layn had just sorted through the information in his mind and concluded that the most important matters at present were rebuilding the territory, defending against the Fel Orcs, and protecting his own life.

To live the carefree, happy life of a noble lord, one first needed the strength to ensure one's own safety, along with a powerful and prosperous territory to support it. Right now, Layn had many things to do.

"My lord, Count Sena has ordered the army to pack up and return in three days. However, the vanguard of the first batch has already set off on their return journey today."

"As for the Fel Orcs, they have been completely defeated by Count Sena leading the army. Several castles in the Red River Valley have also been fully recaptured, with only a small number of Fel Orcs fleeing into the Black Mountain Range."

"Archmage Alman found the source of this Fel Orcs raid deep in the upper reaches of the Red River Valley yesterday—a natural cave connecting to the endless wilderness north of the Black Mountain Range. The Fel Orcs poured out from that cave, and now it has been completely destroyed by Archmage Alman."

Ross told Layn everything he knew.

"The entire army returns in three days?"

"So rushed. Just after a major battle, without even resting, they return directly. It seems the situation at Iron Wall Fortress is really urgent!"

Layn calculated the time in his mind. The military camp he was in now was very close to his family's territory. Under normal circumstances, Layn could reach the family castle in less than an hour.

He wanted to return to the Derrick Family castle as soon as possible to see the specific losses to the territory and restore order in the territory while the Border Defense Army was still around.

Layn struggled to get up and out of bed, but the intense pain in his body made it somewhat unbearable.

"Damn, is it this painful?"

Ross quickly supported Layn from the side.

"My lord, please don't move recklessly. Although the advanced recovery potion is effective, your injuries are too severe. You still can't get out of bed and move around; you need rest!"

After several attempts and finding that he truly couldn't move freely, Layn obediently lay back in bed and stopped moving.

"You're right, Ross. I shouldn't move recklessly now."

Lying quietly in bed, after the pain eased, Layn's mind began to quickly think about his next actions.

First, his body needed to recover as soon as possible. With the effects of the advanced recovery potion and the gradually recovering Silver Qi within him, he estimated he could get out of bed and move around tomorrow, though it would take some time to regain his combat strength.

"After getting out of bed tomorrow, I need to go see Count Sena again. Since the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear needs people to guard the border, he should be able to provide some supplies for territory reconstruction. I can't rebuild the territory empty-handed, can I?"

Thinking of what Count Sena had just said about a new batch of supplies arriving in the army, now that the army was returning to Iron Wall Fortress, those supplies weren't very necessary for the army anymore, as Iron Wall Fortress had everything.

If he could get some supplies from Count Sena, territory reconstruction would go much more smoothly.

"Besides supplies, I need people too!"

Layn looked at Ross, who was busy running around.

Though Ross came from an ordinary background, his talent was extremely strong. Although only twenty-seven this year, he had broken through to Bronze Peak two years ago, just one step away from the Silver Rank.

In the original host's memory, breaking through to Bronze Peak at age twenty-five without resources, guidance from a master teacher, or advanced Breathing Technique body training methods was extremely difficult.

The Noah Continent was a magical continent with supernatural powers. Ordinary people could become Professionals by cultivating a certain supernatural professional path to gain supernatural powers.

In the Kingdom of Asriel, there were two mainstream professions for gaining supernatural powers: one was to ignite a Qi seed to become a Warrior Class, and the other was to condense a mana core to become a Spellcaster.

The two major supernatural paths of the Warrior Class and Spellcaster were also the most widespread, numerous, and mainstream professional paths across the entire Noah Continent.

Layn followed the Warrior Class path, and his talent for cultivating Qi was very high.

In the original host Layn's memory, with family support, he studied at the Raging Bear Fortress Knight Academy, cultivated the Angry Bear Breath Technique—a Gold Rank secret method—received guidance from Gold Knight instructors at the Knight Academy, and used various cultivation resources to break through to the Silver Rank at age nineteen, becoming a Silver Knight.

Looking across the entire Grand Duke of the Raging Bear's territory, he was among the top batch of geniuses.

Ross didn't have these superior conditions and reached Bronze Peak at age twenty-five on his own. In the original host Layn's eyes, Ross's talent was almost on par with his own.

It was precisely because he valued Ross's talent and Ross's good character that the original host Layn promoted Ross as his deputy. At that time, he had the idea of recruiting Ross into the Derrick Family as his future vassal knight.

He just hadn't had time to speak before the original host died on the battlefield. Now, Layn similarly had no intention of letting this genius go.

Looking at the appointment letter in his hand, Layn lying in bed began to formulate his next plan.

A day passed quickly.

The next day, as soon as Layn regained his ability to move, he immediately set off to return to the Derrick Family's territory, the Red River Territory.

The Derrick Family's territory was located at the exit of the Red River Valley. This was the best place in the Red River Valley, with flat terrain, fertile land, vast area, and also guarding the entrance and exit of the entire Red River Valley, making its geographical location very advantageous.

Mounting his warhorse and setting off, in just a moment, Layn saw the tower of the Derrick Family's location, Red River Fortress.

Looking from afar, a towering castle gradually came into view on the wide plain.

As the distance gradually closed, Layn felt relieved when he saw the entire intact Red River Fortress—at least it wasn't left in ruins.

Beside the castle, a small town stood quietly. This town also didn't seem to have been damaged by the Fel Orcs, without the scene of corpses strewn everywhere and ruins that Layn had imagined.

The town before him was the core and most essential part of the Derrick Family's rule, Red River Town.

In Layn's memory, about ten thousand people lived in Red River Town, but now, at a glance, he couldn't see many figures moving in the town. The entire town was unusually quiet, like an uninhabited ghost town, giving Layn a bad premonition.

Since Layn had someone notify Red River Town in advance of his return, as soon as Layn and his few companions approached Red River Town, they saw a group of people rushing out from the town, running toward him.

Leading them was a short, stout old man, who started crying while running.

"Young Master Layn, you've finally returned!"

"Young Master Layn!"

"Fornal, you're still alive?"

Layn looked somewhat surprised at the short, stout old man before him.

The short, stout old man before him was the mayor of Red River Town and the Administrator of the Red River Territory, also one of the most trusted subordinates of Layn's father, Baron Bode.

According to the intelligence, everyone in Red River Fortress had been killed by Fel Orcs Stalkers. Fornal usually had the privilege to live in the castle, and since he wasn't a Professional and had little combat ability, Layn thought Fornal had died long ago, never expecting him to be alive.

On this side, Fornal was overjoyed upon receiving the news that Layn had returned to Red River Town. He had long been hoping for Layn's quick return, and upon seeing Layn's figure, he immediately rushed out to welcome his arrival.

"Young Master Layn, on the day the Fel Orcs infiltrated the castle, I was in the town organizing manpower to transport military rations for the master, so I luckily escaped disaster."

"So that's how it was. You were fortunate!"

Fornal thought Layn was thinking of his deceased family members. His expression immediately changed, and his tone lowered a bit.

"Please accept my condolences, Young Master Layn."

Layn, however, had no other thoughts in mind and directly skipped over this topic.

"Let's not talk about these things. How is Red River Town? Were there any casualties? I need detailed information about the territory now."

"His Highness the Grand Duke has appointed me to inherit the family's title and territory, and he wants me to quickly restore the territory's strength to guard against the invasion of the Fel Orcs. I need your cooperation to help me rebuild the defenses of Red River Territory."

Layn had come to the territory early to understand its current specific situation.

"Your will is our will, Lord!"

Fornal, of course, understood that as the sole survivor of the Derrick Family, Layn would rightfully inherit the title, and his form of address changed accordingly.

"A month ago, when Lord Bode went to resist the Fel Orcs, he took away the vast majority of the territory's army, leaving the defenses empty and allowing the Fel Orcs to take advantage of the situation."

"Those despicable Fel Orcs used some unknown method to silently infiltrate the castle."

"Although the eldest young master led the guards in a desperate resistance, they could not withstand the blades of the Fel Orcs. The eldest young master, the lady, and several other young masters and misses were killed, and all the servants perished as well. The last defensive force left by the master in the castle all died in battle."

"Fortunately, those Fel Orcs also suffered significant losses themselves. After the battle in the castle ended, they all disappeared."

"After the master and all the knights of the territory died in battle, there is almost no defensive force left in the territory now. The last bit of combat strength is these dozen or so militiamen before us."

As he spoke, Fornal pointed to the dozen or so militiamen in leather armor behind him.

"Although Red River Town was not directly attacked by the Fel Orcs, before the master left, besides taking the army, he also took most of the able-bodied men from the territory. Very few of those people have returned so far, and it's estimated they all died on the battlefield."

"Also, a few days ago, Viscount Black Stone, who came to provide support, after entering Red River Town, incited some ordinary residents, all the freemen, and the Serfs to migrate to Blackstone Territory."

"They also seized the grain from the homes of the remaining residents who were unwilling to move to Blackstone Territory."

"Additionally, I heard that Viscount Black Stone emptied several villages near Blackstone Territory to the south."

Fornal recounted the current situation of Red River Territory with tears and snot flowing.

The more Layn listened, the worse his expression became, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.

"Viscount Black Stone?"

Recalling yesterday's scene, he now understood why Viscount Black Stone had said those things at the time.

"Damn bastard, this is outright taking advantage of the situation!"

Last night, after sorting through the memories in his mind, Layn learned about the feud between the Derrick Family and Viscount Black Stone.

Historically, the relationship between the Derrick Family's Red River Territory and the Blackstone Territory to the south had indeed never been good. Since the two families established their territories here over a hundred years ago, there had often been disputes between them.

Although the Blackstone Family's title was higher than the Derrick Family's, from the first patriarch of the Derrick Family to Layn's father, Baron Bode, the patriarchs of the Derrick Family had always been slightly stronger than those of the Blackstone Family.

Therefore, several generations of Blackstone Family patriarchs had suffered losses in their conflicts with the Derrick Family.

Survival in the Northern Frontier depends on strength. If personal strength is lacking, one will be looked down upon. Even with a high title, if personal strength is weak, one will still be discriminated against. Moreover, if one fails to meet the strength standard of a Professional, the title might even be revoked.

Layn remembered that the original owner's father, Baron Bode, had always looked down on the current Viscount Black Stone. Baron Bode was a Silver Peak Knight, just one step away from the Gold Rank, while Viscount Black Stone was only a high-level Silver. There was a gap in strength between them.

On some public occasions, Baron Bode had openly mocked Viscount Black Stone. The two had clashed several times, and each time, Baron Bode came out on top.

This time, when the Red River Valley was invaded by the Fel Orcs, the Blackstone Territory to the south was the nearest noble territory outside the Red River Valley.

From Blackstone Fortress to Redwood Fort, a forced march would take no more than ten days at most. However, from the start of the war until Count Sena led the reinforcements, nearly a month passed, and Viscount Black Stone's reinforcements never arrived; no one knew where they were.

It wasn't until the day before Count Sena arrived that the reinforcements from Blackstone Territory suddenly appeared, and they didn't appear at the main battlefield, Redwood Fort, but at Red River Town, far from the battlefield.

Such a coincidental timing and absurd location infuriated Fornal. He had cursed Viscount Black Stone countless times in his heart, but that was all he could do.

Fornal himself wasn't even a Professional; one could say he was powerless. At that time, Red River Territory had no armed forces at all.

Facing Viscount Black Stone, who commanded a large army, Fornal could only put on a smiling face on the surface. No matter how uncomfortable he felt inside, he dared not show the slightest disrespect on his face.

When Viscount Black Stone incited the residents and freemen in Red River Town and forcibly took the Slaves, Fornal could only seethe in silence.

Fornal even sensed Viscount Black Stone's killing intent toward him. If he showed the slightest disrespect, the other would immediately kill him.

"Fortunately, it only lasted one day. Count Sena arrived the next day; otherwise, who knows what would have become of Red River Town."

The more Fornal spoke, the more grief and indignation he felt, and the angrier Layn became. He hadn't expected the territory's problems to be so severe—besides facing the threat of the Fel Orcs, he also had to deal with internal noble conflicts.

"So, overall, the territory now only has some elderly, weak, women, and children left?"

"That's pretty much the case, Lord."

Fornal also knew that the territory's current situation was very bad. There was no defensive force, and no one knew when the Fel Orcs might return. All the residents were living in constant fear.

With the noble lords in the castle dead, what sense of security could ordinary people like them, hiding outside, have? This was also why some people listened as soon as Viscount Black Stone incited them. For these ordinary people, migrating to the south was clearly safer.

Viscount Black Stone stirring up trouble on the side made Red River Territory's situation even more difficult.

"Fortunately, there's still the Border Defense Army led by Count Sena nearby; otherwise, we would have been completely devoured by that bastard Black Stone."

Now, Blackstone Territory's strength overwhelms the Derrick Family. If Layn, with only himself, were to confront them head-on, he would certainly not be a match for Blackstone Territory.

However, he didn't need to confront Viscount Black Stone directly now. Nobles have their own rules. As long as he was alive, Viscount Black Stone's methods could only be used in the shadows, not openly.

"I'm aware of all these situations. Don't worry; now that I've inherited the title, I will resolve these issues."

Layn rubbed his somewhat aching head.

"First, go find some people to clean and tidy up the castle; I'll be back to stay. Also, remember to gather the bodies of my family members; I'll bury my father and mother and the others when I return!"

"Additionally, reassure all the residents. The Fel Orcs have been completely eliminated by Count Sena, so everyone should not panic."

"I will personally resolve the matter of Blackstone Territory with Count Sena."

"Yes, Lord!"

After confirming that the Fel Orcs had been eliminated, Fornal and the few people behind him also breathed a sigh of relief.

With Layn here, Fornal immediately felt he had a backbone and gained confidence in facing the threat from Blackstone Territory.

After briefly arranging matters in the territory, Layn entered the castle and saw the bodies of his relatives in this world.

The entire family, old and young, lay neatly before Layn. Except for himself, everyone was here. Baron Bode's body was somewhat mangled, clearly pieced together after being found on the battlefield.

Looking at the bodies of his father, mother, and siblings in this world, Layn fell silent for a moment.

Finally, after silently wishing them a peaceful journey in his heart, Layn no longer paid attention to these bodies.

Following the information from his memories, Layn easily found the target of this trip in the castle. After obtaining the item, Layn left the castle; he had more important matters to attend to now.

Hurrying away from Red River Fortress, Layn rushed back to the military camp. Whether the next steps would go smoothly was crucial to all his plans for rebuilding the territory.