The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 638 Ambition
Continuing from the previous point, when even the Dragon Rider families started tearing each other apart, the royal family's control over the empire had plummeted to rock bottom. They couldn't very well bring back the Northern army to mediate, could they? That would truly enrage the Northern nobles, making the royal family seem like they were doomed. The Northern garrison was there to guard against the orcs roaming the vast northern wastelands. Throughout the reigns of the empire's emperors, no matter how turbulent the country or how much the nobles fought, no one dared to touch the northern border nobles. To do so would mean the end for everyone. Therefore, the royal family, with no troops to send, could only watch helplessly (actually, they did have troops, but the royal family had their own agenda, and by the time they realized it, it was too late).
Finally, the entire empire exploded, literally exploded...

After Apophis Breo gave Olaf a brief description, Olaf was completely shocked by the Empire's secrets, as he had never had access to such things before.

"That's impressive..." Olaf's lips twitched. Are all the counts of the Empire this brave?
……

"Alright, you don't need to come back after today. I've taught you everything a noble should know, that's all!" Lance smiled at Ismir, finally the chore was over. There was only so much Lance could teach Ismir, after all, he himself had only been a lord before, but he could still teach Ismir the basics of noble knowledge.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Excellency!" Ismir said with a heartfelt pat on his chest.

"Hmm, very good!" Lance nodded. He had finally corrected Ismir's clumsy manners and now he was behaving quite well!
"Any plans?" Lance handed Ismir a hot dog, a popular snack in the kingdom that he also liked.

"No..." Ismir mumbled, taking a bite of his hot dog.

“That won’t do…” Lance frowned. If Ismir were to live off his savings, the thousand gold dragon coins would only be enough to ensure he had enough to eat and wear for the rest of his life, which would be rather miserable for a nobleman.

"Baron Lance, what do you think I should do?" Ismir asked humbly.

"What kind of life do you plan to live?" Lance looked at him earnestly.

"Like this, living a life of comfort and ease? Or do you have even greater ambitions?" Lance added.

“Of course, we want to go even further!” Ambitious gleamed in Ismir’s eyes. Having tasted power for the first time, he was now unable to resist!

"Then find a way to recruit people to explore! The Northern Territory is so vast, with so much unclaimed land! His Highness will not be stingy in rewarding those who dare to explore!" Lance gave a word of advice before turning and leaving.

Self-expansion only applies to nobles like him who have titles but no official positions. Lance naturally doesn't need to do that. He believes Roland won't treat this old man unfairly, so he just needs to work step by step and wait for Roland to grant him a fiefdom later. There's no need for him to spend money to recruit people to explore the wilderness and expand his own territory.

"Exploration?" Ismir's eyes lit up. To be honest, he was just a third-tier druid. He had no ability to govern, so he would not be appointed as an official by King Roland. He also had no talent for command. He could only be a nominal nobleman and receive a salary to live out his life. But adventure and exploration would be different. Maybe he could really become a hereditary nobleman!
……

"Expansion?" Roland narrowed his eyes, somewhat stunned. He looked at Ismir in front of him and never expected that he would come to ask for an expansion order. However, he quickly understood, after all, Ismir was the only idle noble in the kingdom.

"What makes you think of going to explore this area?" Roland decided to ask in detail.

“I… I want to become a hereditary nobleman with a fiefdom, Your Highness,” Ismir said somewhat nervously.

"Oh!" Roland nodded knowingly. After all, everyone has ambitions; whether or not they can be realized is their own business. "Alright, have you decided where to go?" Roland wanted to ask about the area he planned to expand into. If it overlapped with his planned empire, that would naturally not be allowed.

"I plan to expand westward towards Lulong Fortress!" Ismir's words left Roland completely stunned.

"Are you crazy? That's the Dark Forest!" Roland's eyes widened. He didn't want the nobleman he had bestowed upon to die within days.

“I heard that the land you develop belongs to you, and that the land over there is bigger…” Ismir scratched his head and chuckled.

"..." Roland fell silent. After all, the Expansion Order was indeed in effect. The land that was expansed belonged to the pioneering nobles. Otherwise, who would go to expans for the king? To work for free? Ismir's reasoning was impeccable. Sincerity was indeed the greatest weapon.

“Alright, you’re a druid anyway, the forest is your home…” Roland rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. Druids are very comfortable in the forest, and his safety can be guaranteed, of course, if he doesn’t encounter high-level magical beasts or orcs. But now that the orcs have all retreated, it shouldn’t be a big problem.

“Alright, I can give you the Expansion Order, but do you know the rules? You'll have to provide everything yourself, including your entourage and subsequent construction! The kingdom won't provide any support!” Roland said solemnly. Now that Sauron had gone back to Mordor, he figured he could easily expand the kingdom's territory by casting a wide net! Plus, the main quest required so many towns…

“I understand!” Ismir nodded decisively. He had already tasted the life of the aristocracy and did not want his children to return to commoners. He hoped to create a brand new family under his own name! Ambition gave him courage and motivation.

Upon hearing this, Roland said no more, but turned his head and took out a piece of parchment engraved with magical symbols and began to write.

“Here! This is proof of your legal expansion! Everything on the territory you have expanded belongs to you! And you must pledge allegiance to me!” Roland repeated before handing the expansion order to Ismir.

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness!" Ismir said, patting his chest in gratitude.

"No need for formalities. Go find Lance and obtain one hundred steel spears, ten fine steel swords, one hundred leather shields, ten fine steel half-shields, and ten sets of fine steel chainmail. Oh, and ten Shire horses. Consider this my personal donation to you!" Roland, after all, didn't abandon you as he had said; instead, he thoughtfully prepared a set of equipment—enough for Ismir to arm a hundred-man army!

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness!" Ismir said respectfully, kneeling on one knee. After all, King Roland was not as heartless as he had said, which warmed Ismir's heart, who had already prepared for the worst.

“If you really intend to go there… if things don’t work out, then cross the river and find Renault. Lulong Fortress will always be open to you!” Roland reminded him. There wasn’t much he could do, and this was the best he could offer.

“I understand!” Ismir nodded. This was Roland's backup plan. If he couldn't stay in his territory any longer, he could always swoop across the river to Lulong Fortress and seek the kingdom's army's protection! He believed no brain-dead orc or magical beast would dare to attack Lulong Fortress…

"Alright, go and get ready!" Roland returned to his chair, slumped down, and waved to Ismir that he could leave. Looking out the window, Roland once again entered a state of calm and composure.

(End of this chapter)