33: Chapter 33 My Lord, aren't you being too good to my daughter?

After Fiana left, Loren looked at the dusty Barbarians behind him, as well as the Kobolds who had been scurrying about at the Barbarians' beck and call for the past few days.

"Boer, send someone to direct them to unload the cargo from the wagons into the warehouse for storage, and remember to keep a detailed inventory."

Steward Boer nodded immediately, "Yes, My Lord."

"Barbarian Chieftain Yas, you and Sim take everyone to the backyard. I will have the kitchen prepare food for you all."

Upon hearing this, the Barbarians and Kobolds' eyes lit up immediately, and they let out excited howls.

After making these arrangements, Loren turned his gaze toward the dozens of slaves purchased from the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce.

Standing at the very front of the crowd was a bearded man and a young girl with a pure temperament and exceptionally outstanding looks.

What was particularly eye-catching was that the girl was extremely shy, keeping her head down the entire time, not daring to look at anyone. She possessed a frail, pitiful, and naive charm that made one's heart ache.

"Dean and Ariel, come with me. Everyone else, assist the caravan in unloading. Anyone proficient in cooking can go to Steward Boer to apply for work in the kitchen."

Immediately, seven or eight slaves excitedly raised their hands. Working in the kitchen was certainly better than unloading wagons.

Loren nodded and had the white-haired Steward Boer arrange the people.

He then led the bearded man and the exceptionally pure-tempered girl he had just named to the manor's first-floor hall.

As a descendant of the Bauhinia Family and a high-ranking noble, if he were still in the capital of the Silver Moon Kingdom, no matter how luxurious his residence was, it wouldn't be considered excessive.

But here in the Endless Wasteland, he had to make do.

The gray walls surrounding the hall were empty, with only a few somewhat exquisite art pieces placed on the unlit fireplace to the right.

The only furniture in the room was the twelve-meter-long log-colored table placed in the center.

However, interestingly, carved chairs were placed every meter around the long table, appearing very orderly, clearly having been meticulously arranged by the servants.

A bouquet of blooming white flowers was inserted into an oval crystal vase on the table, and a faint, subtle fragrance wafted toward them.

It added a touch of color to the hall's drabness.

Loren didn't have much interest in these decorations. He strode to the head seat. Before he could pull out the chair, the bearded man who had entered the room with him was quick-witted, respectfully pulling the chair out for him with a fawning smile on his face.

After sitting down, Loren looked at the two somewhat nervous people in front of him and smiled.

"No need to be restrained. Find a seat and sit down."

The bearded man shook his head uneasily.

"Lord Loren, thank you for your grace, but it is more convenient for us to stand and listen to your instructions..."

They were merely slaves, and Loren was their master, the ruler of the Grey Eagle Territory.

This young man could determine their fate with a wave of his hand; the two were never beings of the same level.

Loren did not force them. In the Nuoer Main Plane, the status gap between different classes was vast.

Things like equality for all couldn't even be achieved in his previous life, and it was even more impossible in this world possessing extraordinary powers.

"Dean, I've known you for a few days now. Perhaps you'd be interested in telling me about your background."

Although the bearded man named Dean felt apprehensive upon hearing this, his expression remained relatively calm.

"My Lord, I was originally a descendant of a baron near the Rotting Swamp in the North. Over a hundred years ago, the Day of Blood erupted, and The Bloody Corruptor destroyed our family's territory."

After losing the territory, our noble title was also revoked.

Our generation fell even further, becoming commoners.

To escape the threats, I had no choice but to flee with Ariel.

But a year ago, during our flight, we were captured by a band of bandits.

They sold us to slave traders, and after changing hands several times, we eventually ended up in Decker City."

Dean spoke simply, without any heart-wrenching or overly tragic emotions; it seemed as if all of this wasn't worth dwelling on...

Loren nodded. The situation of The Bloody Corruptor destroying human territories was all too common in the Nuoer Main Plane; one could hear similar stories from any random slave.

"Your past does not affect your ability to continue contributing your strength to the Grey Eagle Territory."

After speaking, he paused for a moment, then said with profound meaning.

"I spoke with you on the road about the Grey Eagle Territory establishing a City Hall. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

Upon hearing this, Dean quickly said, "We will follow your instructions, Lord Loren."

Loren didn't say anything to this, his gaze shifting to the girl beside the bearded Dean, who was too shy to look him in the eye.

"Ariel, what do you think?"

Hearing Loren call her name, the girl named Ariel subconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes, raised her head with a flushed face, her gaze constantly shifting to the side as she whispered softly.

"Lord Loren, the Grey Eagle Territory is still small in scale. Establishing a City Hall should focus on practicality; there is no need to set up too many complex departments in the short term..."

Loren nodded slightly, looking at this shy girl a few more times with satisfaction.

Ariel was wearing tattered gray cloth clothes with quite a few patches on them, her expression revealing a touch of naivety and timidity.

Her face wasn't very clean, clearly having not had time to wash up after the journey, but what was most striking were her clean, large eyes, which possessed a magical quality that put people at ease.

A feeling of a girl-next-door washed over him.

The clear temperament she possessed didn't seem at all like someone who had been resold several times by slave traders.

Although her looks weren't as high as Fiana's, she had a unique charm of her own.

Hearing this, the bearded Dean turned anxious and quickly apologized with a fawning smile.

"Lord Loren, Ariel is still young and doesn't understand many things. Please forgive her ignorance."

After speaking, he looked at Loren cautiously, fearing that this young man who could decide their life and death would become angry.

Young and hot-headed, such youths hated it the most when outsiders contradicted them.

Loren couldn't help but laugh and waved his hand.

"No need to be nervous. Ariel spoke very well. The Grey Eagle Territory is still very weak right now, and establishing too many departments would only increase the burden on the territory."

After speaking, he encouragingly looked at the girl in front of him, whose eyes revealed a hint of surprise, and encouraged her.

"In the future, if you have any suggestions, feel free to speak boldly. Don't worry about your father; even if you say something wrong, I will back you up."

These words made Dean breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, his mood became somewhat strange.

"Lord, aren't you being a bit too good to my daughter..."

Three days ago, after the Kobolds were defeated by the Barbarians led by Loren, the caravan set off on the road as normal.

However, an incident occurred on the way that still made him feel lingering fear to this day.

Although those captured Kobolds were being guarded by the Barbarians, the Barbarians were careless and wouldn't watch them too closely.

A Kobold with extremely low loyalty seized an opportunity and prepared to escape in the middle of the night, but because it was too panicked, it inadvertently woke up Ariel, who was sleeping in the direction of its escape.

When Ariel opened her eyes and found a Kobold beside her, she was immediately terrified and screamed.

Seeing this, the Kobold almost went mad. Instantly, a murderous intent surged, and its sharp claws stabbed directly toward Ariel's throat.

Dean, who had been woken up by the sound, opened his eyes and saw this scene, which made his soul flee in terror.

Just as he was filled with despair, a brilliant sword gleam flashed by. That Kobold's claw was severed, and Ariel was safe and sound.

Subsequently, the entire caravan was alarmed by this escape incident.

In order to clarify the truth, Loren summoned both him and Ariel.

But it was just from that one look that trouble started.

Dean could swear that the moment Ariel appeared, he saw a different kind of thought in the Lord's eyes.

Sure enough, for the next two days, he and his daughter Ariel were constantly summoned by Loren, who asked them questions about territory construction every day...

How could anyone possibly ask an eighteen-year-old girl questions about territory construction?

In Dean's view, wasn't it obvious that the Lord had other ideas about his daughter?

This made Dean feel panicked and uneasy, yet also somewhat hesitant.

To have his daughter favored by a descendant of the Bauhinia Family—what kind of luck was this?

But he also knew that such a person would inevitably never marry his daughter; at most, being a maid or concubine would already be a tremendous blessing.

However, he currently had no power to refuse, so his mood was very complicated.

Loren was unaware of the thoughts of this guy, Dean, at this moment.

He had summoned the two to come and talk entirely because this pair of father and daughter were rare talents.

Dean Hicks: Level: Black Iron High-rank. Bloodline: Human Bloodline (Unawakened). Loyalty: 70 (Moderate Loyalty). Bond: Father-Daughter Unity; when working under the same lord with his daughter, his ability to handle government affairs will be improved, and the trait 'Cautious and Careful' will be activated (able to discover errors in territory policies in a timely manner and correct them promptly). Introduction: A decent internal affairs talent, of course, on the condition of working together with his daughter.

Dean's profile was quite good, but his daughter Ariel's talent was even more outstanding.

Ariel Hicks: Level: Bronze Low-rank. Bloodline: Human/Unknown (Unawakened). Loyalty: 80 (High Loyalty). Bond: Father-Daughter Unity; when working under the same lord with her father, her ability to handle government affairs will be improved, and the trait 'Farsighted' will be activated (able to formulate excellent policies with a keen vision beyond that of ordinary people). Introduction: A genius-level internal affairs talent, of course, if she could work together with her father, she would be even more outstanding.