"The Lord is asking you a question!"

Chris observed the situation and said in a deep voice:

"I remind you, those unwilling to serve the Lord will all be exiled to the far northern reaches of the Desert to mine!"

"The cold there will freeze your ears off!"

Chris’s words were filled with a threatening tone.

The crowd immediately started to stir.

Everyone had heard of the horrors of the far north.

Winters there are cold and long, with bone-chilling winds.

Being exiled to mine there is essentially a torturous death sentence.

"Honorable Lord Luo De, I am willing to serve you."

A pale, frail young man stepped forward.

His expression was tense, and his legs trembled slightly, but he forced himself to stand straight.

Luo De’s gaze fell on this frail young man.

"Do you know much about the Moonwolf family’s territory?"

Luo De asked, "Do you know about the distribution of farmland, the locations of pastures, mineral resources, population numbers, and grain tax conditions in each area?"

Luo De’s voice was calm, but each word was filled with authority,

"Do you understand all of this?"

"I, I don’t really understand..."

The frail young man replied with a trembling voice.

Faced with Luo De’s questioning, he unconsciously took two steps back and swallowed hard.

Clearly intimidated by the aura emanating from Luo De.

"I don’t want any kind of worthless person."

Luo De withdrew his gaze and scrutinized these young people, "But if you truly have talent, I will not be stingy with Gold Coins."

"At the very least, I will let you maintain your current wealthy life."

For nobles who surrender, Luo De usually preserves their family’s titles and some properties.

But for a stubbornly resistant family like the Moonwolfs, not resorting to cleaving them is already considered Luo De’s mercy.

If Luo De treated them all the same, then all nobles would choose to resist first and see what happens.

After all, it’s not too late to surrender after being defeated.

Luo De’s latter half of the sentence invigorated these young people.

The land and titles of the Moonwolf family were not very relevant to these collateral relatives.

In the order of inheritance within the family, they were ranked low and didn’t receive any benefits.

Now, not only can they avoid being exiled to the far northern mines, but they can also continue enjoying their noble lifestyle.

The choice is clear to everyone.

"Lord Luo De, there are too many villages on the Bright Moon Plain, no one can know them all."

A short-statured woman stepped out from the crowd and sincerely bowed,

"Previously, I helped my father manage a dozen villages on the western plains, I’m very familiar with those areas."

The woman paused, then bowed deeply again, "If you don’t mind, Feilao Moonwolf is willing to serve you."

"Good."

Luo De nodded slightly, moved his gaze from Feilao, and scanned the others,

"Who else?"

"Lord Luo De, I am Kasi Moonwolf, I grew up in the town of Stars, I know it very well."

"I can provide you with precise information about Silverglow Town."

...

With someone leading, others also gained the courage and eagerly stepped forward to demonstrate their value.

Everyone exerted their utmost to display their knowledge of specific areas, hoping to gain Luo De’s recognition.

In the end, a total of five men and two women were selected.

The remaining few were eager to try, but seemed to realize they didn’t meet the requirements, not daring to step forward.

After all, if they stepped forward but couldn’t provide valuable information, it might incur severe punishment.

"Although I don’t yet know your true abilities, I’m pleased you stepped forward."

Luo De nodded slightly, "My Advisory Council will arrive soon, at that time they will assess your abilities."

"If you haven’t lied, then my promises will be fulfilled."

"Yes, Lord Luo De."

The seven answered honestly, their faces filled with joy.

Even though they didn’t know what the Advisory Council was yet, not having to mine in the cold Northern Wilderness was truly delightful news.

"But if any of you deceived me,"

Luo De’s attitude turned serious, "Then you will find mining your reward."

"Rest assured, I’m telling the truth!"

"Me too!"

...

Everyone patted their chests in assurance, their faces full of sincerity.

Luo De didn’t have the time to tell them apart one by one, and gestured for everyone to leave.

After everyone left, Luo De looked at Chris and instructed, "The rest of those young ones seem not bad either."

"Investigate their backgrounds thoroughly."

"If they truly have some talent and are willing to be obedient and submissive, hand them over to Lawrence."

Again, in this world, someone still needs to manage it, and noble descendants with skills and learning are most suitable.

Regardless of their motives, whether it’s fear of Luo De’s power or a desire for Gold Coin and power.

As long as they can serve Luo De, the rest is irrelevant.

Loyalty can be fostered over time, but ability and knowledge cannot be acquired overnight.

"Understood!"

Chris nodded emphatically, "I’ll go and arrange it immediately!"

With that, Chris bowed and then turned to leave.

Just as Chris was walking away, Gang Le hurriedly approached.

"Lord!"

Gang Le bowed hastily, grinning, reporting,

"Sir, those stubborn ones who refuse to surrender have all been gathered; you can execute them personally now!"

"Honestly, you don’t need to do that dirty work yourself, right?"

Gang Le scratched his head in confusion, suggesting, "Why don’t I execute them for you?"

"I will do it myself,"

Luo De took the Ashbringer from the Guard, "It should be for the last time."

Hopefully, it won’t happen again.