Chapter 21: Return to the Lake of Wishing Stars

“Shut up. My affairs are none of your business.”
With that, Kazak stormed off in anger.
The butler nearby hurriedly followed after him.
Left standing in place, the young nobleman looked utterly bewildered. He couldn’t understand why his usually domineering and intolerant boss was acting so out of character today.
“Young master, how should we proceed?” The butler caught up to Kazak’s stride and asked.
Kazak, trying to sound fierce but betraying a hint of weakness, replied, “Let that… that frontier knight go this time. If he dares to take what’s mine again, he won’t get off so easily.”
“Yes, young master.”
Just as the butler was about to leave, Kazak seemed to remember something and ordered, “Withdraw all our operations in Bagamoyo City. Since we’ve already lost the goods, there’s no point in keeping the blockade on the Bashak Chamber of Commerce.”
“Understood, young master.”
The butler bowed once more. Seeing that Kazak had no further instructions, he left the manor at once.
...
Outside the city, after receiving the slaves he wanted, Verin purchased some provisions and set off back toward Lake of Starlit Prayers.
However, he ordered his men to stay alert at all times.
Whether trouble was brewing, Verin couldn’t be sure, but it was better to be prepared.
Elsewhere, Buck, the branch president of the Bashak Chamber of Commerce, had been waiting for news, eager to see what move the governor’s son Kazak would make.
Two days passed in utter calm. Not a single noble skirmish broke out in the heart of the Kadro Province, leading Buck to wonder if that greedy hound Kazak had suddenly changed his stripes.
It wasn’t until he learned that even the blockade had been lifted that Buck realized how serious the situation truly was.
“That youth… could it be that even Kazak doesn’t dare cross him?”
As the truth dawned on him, Buck felt he might have made a mistake he’d regret for the rest of his life. All he could do now was try to salvage his reputation if that young man ever came around again.
During the journey, the unbroken tranquility over several days also left Verin puzzled. By his reckoning, there was something amiss with that half-elf.
Yet, in reality, no bandits or robbers appeared to waylay them.

At night, Verin came to the wagon where the half-elf was held, a piece of white bread in hand, and knocked on the iron cage with his longsword.
The half-elf girl, lost in her own thoughts, snapped back to awareness and looked at this knight who had been bringing her food for days—the human who had purchased her.
“Here,” Verin said, passing her the bread and a flask of water.
Without hesitation, the half-elf girl took the food from his hand and began eating, nibbling in small bites.
“I have no interest in your body, you need not worry about that,” Verin said, sitting atop the wagon and gazing up at the moon. “My domain is in its early stages of construction and needs an architect for planning. If you serve me faithfully for ten years, I will grant you your freedom.”
“After all, I spent three thousand five hundred gold coins to buy you from the slave trader.”
The half-elf girl paused, looked at Verin, and spoke in the common tongue, “My name is Eunice.”
Her clear, gentle voice echoed in Verin’s ears. He turned his head, nodded to Eunice, and walked away.
The rest of the journey passed without incident, save for a few reckless bandits, whose capture added several dozen more to Verin’s growing ranks of bandit slaves.
Six days later, Verin returned once more to Ridge Castle, collected a hundred sets of leather armor and three hundred longswords from his cousin Brian in exchange for the goods, reclaimed the twenty-three bandit slaves he had stored in the prison, and set off for the Lake of Starlit Prayers, more than three hundred kilometers away.
On June 21st, as the sun set, Verin led a company of over five hundred people back to the Lake of Starlit Prayers.
After over half a month away, he found that the area had been well managed by Baird.
Of the five thousand acres of newly cleared farmland, three thousand were planted with yam beans, while the remaining two thousand were sown with a robust root vegetable.
Dismounting by the fields, Verin gazed at the verdant landscape, feeling his weariness begin to melt away.
Having received word of Verin’s return, Baird wrapped up his training and hurried to meet him.
“Master, welcome home.”
Verin stepped forward to help the half-kneeling Baird to his feet, saying with satisfaction, “You’ve worked hard these past weeks.”
“It was only because you laid out such careful plans, my lord. I merely carried out your orders—no hardship at all.”
“Were there any emergencies while I was away?” Verin asked, walking toward the village with Baird.
Baird answered immediately, “Within a thirty-kilometer radius, most of the goblin tribes have migrated, leaving vast stretches of uninhabited land, which has led to an increase in wild beasts.”

“Maintain vigilance. At this stage, we don’t have enough hands to afford any losses.”
“And also, that half-elf girl I brought back—give her a room of her own and try to meet whatever requests she may have. I’m going to rest now.”
“Understood, my lord.”
After returning to the village, Verin retreated into his small cabin, intending to get some much-needed sleep.
Once Verin had left, Baird had the slaves settled and assigned a squad of soldiers to guard them to prevent any escapes.
As for Eunice, the half-elf girl, Baird followed Verin’s instructions, giving her a cabin of her own and posting two knights to keep watch, just in case.
The next day, after a brief glance at Eunice bent over her drawings, Verin paid her no further attention and turned to matters of the domain.
First, from among the three hundred able-bodied slaves, he selected one hundred and twenty to mix with the thirty soldiers already in the domain, forming an infantry unit of one hundred and fifty.
The one hundred and twenty slaves in the infantry retained their status as slaves.
To be freed, a slave had to kill three goblin warriors or become a high-ranking apprentice warrior—there was no third option.
This decree greatly motivated the one hundred and twenty slave soldiers.
For the rest of the slaves, Verin promised that three years of diligent work and meeting their quotas, or killing three goblin warriors during wartime, would also earn them their freedom.
As for the ten blacksmiths, fifteen carpenters, and twenty-five masons he had purchased, Verin set different standards for their emancipation.
Thus, hope filled the hearts of every one of the several hundred slaves who had come to the Lake of Starlit Prayers.
With a goal to strive for, each person was inspired with newfound enthusiasm.
Seeing that many serfs had already been freed, they chose to trust their young lord’s word.
As for the hundred youths bought from the Bashak Chamber of Commerce, Verin planned to have Orlando and Hebrew train them.
Using his own squire Kyle as an example—who had awakened his battle aura within half a month—those who succeeded would be cultivated as future members of the knight order, while those who failed would be apprenticed to craftsmen, making use of their talents.