“Raise your arm a little higher.”

“Pay attention to your breathing, that’s right.”

“Let’s practice just these parts today. Don’t rush.”

Richard patiently instructed his subordinate, the head of the intelligence division, Colin.

Colin had been taken in by the Hunter family since he was young, yet he could only utilize the ordinary breathing method. Though he was loyal and never dared to complain, being taught the Hunter family’s Beast Breathing Style by Richard himself filled him with a sense of recognition and belonging.

One advantage of the cultivation system in this world was that it was easy to switch techniques. Whether one learned a new breathing method or qi-refining technique, there was no conflict with previous cultivation practices; it was merely a matter of adaptation.

Although Richard intended to teach his subordinates the Beast Breathing Style, he had no intention of letting the technique become commonplace.

After some deliberation, Richard only passed on the technique to Quill and Colin. He did have a handful of quasi-knight subordinates, but they had yet to earn sufficient merit, so he had no immediate plans to impart them with this knowledge. How could something so easily obtained be seen as valuable?

The events thus far demonstrated that prodigious talents like Richard and Ronen, who could learn new techniques instantly, were rare. Compared to them, Quill and Colin, who were undoubtedly outstanding among ordinary individuals, seemed somewhat slow. Based on their progress, mastering the basics of Beast Breathing Style would take another several days.

“Quill, how is the situation?”

“I’ve already begun making arrangements in Flooding Snow City, as you instructed,” Quill replied, stopping the training to respond to Richard’s inquiry.

Flooding Snow City was the largest city in the Northern Lands and the location of the Marquis Estate. Quill’s personal spies had long infiltrated Flooding Snow City, gathering information on its many important figures.

At Richard’s instruction, the Hunter delegation had sent a messenger to Flooding Snow City to report that Viscount Well of Wil had invaded the Hunter territory unprovoked, only to be defeated by the Hunter family, and that both Viscount Well and his son had died in battle.

However, the instigators of this conflict were only one family, and with Viscount Well’s execution, the remaining members of the House of Wil loved peace. Thus, at their request, Hunter Ronen became the son-in-law of the House of Wil, gaining the right to inherit Wil territory and Boulder Fortress as a knight.

This was more or less the content of the letter, which Viscount Soutte had found a bit too embarrassing to read aloud.

Nevertheless, Richard insisted on spinning this tall tale, however unbelievable it might seem to those who heard it.

Sometimes, one needed to take a few steps back in order to advance. You could attempt to find loopholes in the rules, but you could not openly defy them—especially if you lacked the ability to “flip the table.”

Of course, Richard’s plan wasn’t limited to merely telling a tall tale. He had dispatched a messenger from the Order of the Phoenix to send lavish gifts and some gold pieces to every influential figure in Flooding Snow City.

The gifts were so heavy that Richard practically disgorged all the wealth he had plundered from the House of Wil. However, Richard believed that so long as he could successfully deceive the officials, every cent was worth it.

If his deception failed, Richard had a contingency plan. The Imperial Capital of the Golden Dragon Kingdom lay thousands of kilometers away. If Flooding Snow City approved Richard’s story, then the Imperial Court of Nobles would naturally have nothing to say, and Ronen would succeed Lord Wil as the rightful heir to his fiefdom.

But if Flooding Snow City rejected Richard’s story, at worst, the fiefdom would remain vacant. Flooding Snow City had no authority to appoint a new lord. In such an event, Richard would dispatch a messenger to bypass Flooding Snow City and head directly to the Imperial Court of Nobles.

Even if Richard’s actions could not withstand close scrutiny, given the sluggish administrative efficiency of this era and the thousands of kilometers separating the two cities, there were plenty of opportunities to delay the process by a year or two.

By then, with two fiefdoms and a population of over one hundred thousand, Richard would possess an army of tens of thousands of elite soldiers and hundreds of knights, enough to rival any opponent.

In short, his strategy was to bluff first and delay second. There was no way he would relinquish the benefits he had already consumed.

After taking care of the immediate matters at hand, Richard summoned the leaders of the City Guard and key members of the Hunter family to the Boule Chamber for a meeting. Of course, in true Richard fashion, “the meeting” was just a euphemism for listening to Richard outline his plans.

Suggestions were welcome, but whether or not they were taken into consideration was entirely up to Richard. After all, the only person in the territory who could challenge Richard’s authority, Viscount Soutte, never opposed him unless Richard had truly lost his mind and wanted to burn down Tie Mu Fort.

Soon, the Boule Chamber was filled with the most important military and political officials of the Hunter family. Viscount Soutte sat calmly beside Richard, showing no intention of speaking first, though everyone was accustomed to having Richard issue orders.

“I plan on expanding our armed forces. I trust this battle has demonstrated the difference between our City Guard and untrained farmers.”

Everyone present had fought in the battle, so no one questioned this point.

“We will expand the City Guard from its current 400 men to 1500. We will divide it into three divisions of five hundred each, and appoint Quill, Kecha, and Kree as their respective commanders.”

Kocha was Richard’s paternal cousin, and though he hadn’t participated in the recent battle, he had played a crucial role in guarding the home front.

On the other hand, Kerry was a veteran of the City Guard who had been discovered by Richard in recent years. While perhaps not as exceptional as Quill, he was still a capable quasi-knight who could handle the responsibility of commandant.

“We now govern two cities and care for the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. It is no longer appropriate to call our forces the City Guard. I propose we change the name to the Flying Bear Army.”

This was a change Richard had long wished to make. If they did not change it now, they would not be able to call their army the City Guard when they had tens of thousands of soldiers.

“I will establish a 300-man personal guard, whose sole duty will be to protect Tie Mu Fort. Uncle Second, you will lead them.”

“Finally, I will create another 300-man cavalry squadron, which will be led by Uncle Third.”

Having delivered all his announcements in one breath, Richard looked around the Boule Chamber, his habit when he awaited objections from the crowd.

“We have sufficient funds, provisions, and equipment?”

The question came from Richard’s second uncle, who was concerned about the cost of maintaining such a large force. While no one would oppose an expansion or a name change, the financial burden would be a concern. The City Guard’s strength and capabilities were obvious, but their high expenses were also notorious.

Instead, he turned to Eko. “What do you think?”

Eko cleared his throat at the sudden change in plans, drawing everyone’s attention. “The stores are well-stocked, and we’ve received a massive amount of supplies from Boulder Fortress, so there will be no shortage of provisions. However…” Eko paused.

“We do not have enough armor or weaponry.”

“That’s fine. Set up the skeleton of the army and begin training immediately. The iron mines in the ironwood forest are already being excavated; once the ore is smelted, we’ll fit the soldiers as quickly as possible. We mustn’t let our men wait for equipment, but rather forge the equipment to fit our men.”

“Understood.”

“Very well. Is there anything else?”

No one spoke up after Richard’s second question.

“Very well, then. Arrange for me to see a sufficient number of new recruits at the training grounds by the end of next week.” 

With that, everyone dispersed from the assembly hall to begin their respective tasks, many and pressing as they were.

Viscount Soutte also woke from his nap, seemingly disturbed by the commotion of everyone leaving.