"As for defensive duties, those would be left to Ophelia."

Phield had already planned everything out. Because of Ophelia’s abilities, she was not suited for independent expeditions. Guarding the main base, however, was the perfect role for her.

At that moment, a mysterious and profound force gathered above the partially cleansed Starnight City and the Great Manor.

The next instant, Phield felt all that power surge into his body. His mind relaxed, and an indescribable sensation washed over him as though he had undergone a baptism.

There was no direct increase in strength, but Phield could clearly feel that he had advanced into a second tier Lord.

Like mages and knights, Lords also possessed ranks, though theirs were mostly support oriented and rarely drew much attention.

"I gained a new ability."

Phield opened his Lord Panel.

Name: Phield Ross

Class: Lord Second Tier, Knight Second Tier

Territory: Starnight City one quarter purified, Great Manor, Salt Mine Outpost, and scattered farmlands.

Population: 2365

Development Level: 21 (Poor and small scale)

Happiness: 23 (A small portion feel hope and happiness, while the rest feel numbness or pessimism)

Environment Value: 17 (Living conditions are terrible, vegetation is scarce, monsters roam nearby)

Chance of Divine Chosen Appearing: Eight in one hundred million

Lord Talents: Second Tier Mini Map Exclusive Talent. Able to detect surrounding lifeforms and uncontracted Divine Chosen. Allied Divine Chosen already under contract will also be marked on the map. Note: the scouting range of the Mini Map is affected by soul power and the Lord’s condition, and may be blocked by special forces.

Second Tier Panel Exclusive Talent. Visualizes biological attributes. Allied Divine Chosen will have skill ratings marked and display possible advancement paths.

Second Tier Prosperity Domain. Dispels the gray fog within the territory and rapidly weakens the negative influence of the Five Great Calamities.

Brand New Future Exclusive Talent. Divine Chosen born within the territory may develop unprecedented types and divine systems, determined jointly by the Lord and the condition of the territory.

"Oh? There’s a new skill called Brand New Future. It sounds meaningful, but I can’t quite tell what it does."

"Could Nightfall Domain really produce entirely new divine systems? Interesting. Maybe the number of gods could increase. Or perhaps there are no gods at all, and they’re merely concepts. Whatever, the probability of Divine Chosen appearing in Nightfall Domain is basically nonexistent anyway. No point worrying about it now."

Phield was in an exceptionally good mood. Even the sadness of parting with his companions had lightened considerably.

With a thought, the upgraded Mini Map appeared in his mind. Compared to the old version, it carried much more of a magical fantasy atmosphere and now displayed many additional pieces of interesting information.

For example, Ashina’s avatar was slowly moving toward the iron mine. Phield had drawn the avatar himself on the map interface during his free time. The Mini Map had not generated it automatically.

"With this, I won’t lose contact with my Divine Chosen anymore. Unfortunately, I still can’t detect enemy Divine Chosen under contract."

After studying the new abilities for a while, Phield saw Kaor approaching with a parchment scroll and immediately greeted him.

"So, the list of supplies the citizens need has been organized?"

"Yes, my lord. It’s all here. The top three demands are flour, fruit, and beer. After that come small items like scissors and buttons."

"In addition, we’ve also gathered information on where the soldiers’ families are located. Most of them are in the cities surrounding Maple Leaf City."

"Excellent." Phield nodded in satisfaction. "We need to find a way to buy back the soldiers’ families... or maybe just take them back by force."

Nearly all of his soldiers had once been slaves who earned their freedom. Their families, without question, were still slaves. If he could retrieve them, he would instantly gain a batch of relatively loyal citizens, while also greatly strengthening the cohesion of the army.

"Set out. Our destination is Maple Leaf Territory."

After pocketing the parchment, Phield waved his hand and led the army toward Maple Leaf Territory.

The only Divine Chosen accompanying him this time were Rosalia and Tisiana.

Ever since he eliminated the Ghost Nun, Maple Leaf City had regained its former liveliness, leaving behind only a few urban legends.

Traveling along the now familiar route, the group quickly arrived at Maple Leaf Territory. As usual, Phield stayed at the inn outside the city.

"Lord Phield, you have mail."

A messenger rode over on an ostrich-like magical beast. After tying the creature to a post, he pulled several letters from his satchel and entered the room.

"There are quite a few, let me see... three letters in total."

Beside him, Tisiana covered her mouth in surprise.

"So many? Are they all from noble ladies?"

"That’s hard to say. After all, I am the most handsome man in the Northlands." Phield puffed himself up proudly.

Reality struck immediately, because the very first letter was from his older brother.

"My lord, there’s also this doll. A cloth doll wearing a top hat."

"Hah, my dear brother really is persistent." Phield snorted coldly and refused to touch the doll with his hands. "How many times does he plan to try this trick?"

Phield handed the messenger a silver coin as a reward.

"Alright, put the doll on the table. That’ll be all."

"Thank you, my lord."

The messenger grinned so hard his face almost split apart as he thanked them and left.

Tisiana could not help asking, "Phield, is this the doll monster you mentioned before?"

"That’s right. It doesn’t seem activated right now, though. The doll monster back then was terrifying beyond belief." Stroking his chin, Phield pointed at the doll. "Throw it into the fire, and burn this letter with it. My brother never means well. Listening to his nonsense would just be a waste of time."

Owen was the kind of person who loved acting clever and relied excessively on schemes.

Phield instinctively despised people like that. He had no intention of wasting time trying to decipher Owen’s plots. Better to save up for one massive strike and crush him outright.

"As for the remaining letters, I’ll read them after the trade negotiations are over. It seems Baron Simon can’t wait any longer."

Phield had already spotted the envoy sent by Baron Simon.

Arriving at Simon’s manor, Phield found Baron Simon looking visibly nervous.

"Simon, what’s making you so uneasy? Perhaps I can help." Phield asked with a warm smile and completely steady eyes. "You know, I’ve always been the Ross family’s greatest philanthropist."

"Oh, I’m nervous because Florine is pregnant. Her belly’s already showing."

"What?"

Phield was stunned. The news had come far too suddenly.

"That’s wonderful news, Simon. You’re going to be a father. Congratulations." Phield gave him a thumbs up. "Once the child is born, I’ll prepare a grand gift for you."

It was notoriously difficult for Divine Chosen to conceive, far harder than ordinary people.

"It’s not my child, so there’s no need to waste money." Simon waved casually, utterly calm, before grinning. "Besides, Florine’s unique talent makes her completely different from other Divine Chosen. For her, getting pregnant is absurdly easy."

"Wait, what, brother?" Phield stared at him with the expression of an old man looking at a phone on the subway. "What the hell? Is this really something I’m supposed to hear?"