Lord: I can see loyalty.

Southern border, Bordeaux, Count's Castle.

The morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting shadows on the study floor. Vio stood by the window, took a deep breath, and felt the breath flowing slowly through his body.

Nearly a month has passed since the Battle of Loba Mountain.

During that month, he dealt with a mountain of administrative tasks, reorganized the expanded army, and also took the time to visit several newly built mines and farms.

The development of the Southern Territory went even more smoothly than he had anticipated. The magic mine that Valentine insisted on taking charge of had extended to all supermarkets in the Southern Territory, and news of it inevitably began to spread beyond the Southern Territory. Every day, unfamiliar caravans came and went on the streets of Bordeaux.

But today, he has another important thing to do.

That was the second major selection.

To put it bluntly, it means using the panel to find talented people within the Southern Territory.

The last selection process yielded two magical geniuses, Luca and Winnie, as well as a group of promising militia members. Now that they are gradually making their mark in their respective positions, it's time to add some fresh blood.

To prepare for this, he took three days off to rest and recharge, ensuring he was fully energized.

Vincent.

He turned around and looked at Vincent, the captain of the personal guard waiting at the door. Vincent was extremely reliable and was the most trustworthy person besides Gina, Jimmy, and others.

"What are your orders, Lord?" Vincent stepped forward.

"Issue orders to various places," Vio's voice was calm. "As we discussed last time, say that the Earl wants to search for materials again. This time the location is set in Broadbridge Village, and the time is set for ten days from now. Anyone who wants to come can come. Food and lodging are on their own, but the village will provide cheap temporary accommodation."

Vincent nodded, asked no further questions, and turned to leave.

Vio watched his figure disappear through the door, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Vincent's greatest strength is that he doesn't ask why, which is much more useful than those who insist on getting to the bottom of everything.

The news spread quickly.

The southern border is no longer the poor and remote place it once was.

The South was once one of the two poorest regions in the kingdom, along with the East. But now, the South has far surpassed the East in terms of harvests and trade.

The only problem now is troop strength... but actually, our troop strength isn't weak at all.

Jimmy, the leader of the Azure Peak Knights, the main force of the Southern Territory, has reached the intermediate level of Dune Swordsmanship after fighting against the barbarians.

All the ordinary knights have already reached the advanced level of basic swordsmanship, and some of the selected veterans and elites have also begun to learn knightly swordsmanship.

The Knights Order also expanded to two hundred members.

Two hundred elite knights, all equipped with weapons and armor forged from magic ore, make them a force to be reckoned with in the entire Kingdom of Rovia.

You should know that there are many knights in the kingdom who are just pretenders. Many so-called knights are actually just noblemen in name only. In fact, they might not even be able to defeat the elite militia on the battlefield.

But Vio knew that this was far from enough, which is why he wanted to start this second selection.

As expected, the news caused an uproar throughout the Southern Territory.

Everyone has seen the current situation of those who were previously selected, and everyone has a dream of soaring to great heights. This is undoubtedly the best opportunity.

Ten days is enough time for the news to spread throughout the entire Southern Territory.

Everyone who felt capable or wanted to try their luck packed their bags and headed towards Kuoqiao Village.

In Kuoqiao Village, ten days later.

Vio stood on the makeshift platform, looking at the dense crowd before him, and inwardly clicked his tongue in amazement.

At least a thousand people.

No, it's far more than that.

He glanced at it briefly and estimated there must be at least 1,500 people, and that was because of limited space; many people were still waiting outside.

Kouqiao Village is indeed large. Bordeaux Village was already quite large back then, but Kouqiao Village is still a size larger than Bordeaux Village.

The village of Bordeaux has now become the city of Bordeaux, and has undergone several expansions. Although Château-de-Côte d'Azur is still a village, its scale is not inferior.

More importantly, it has a geographical location. It is a vital route for trade between Bordeaux and other cities, with a constant stream of caravans coming and going.

Vio chose to hold the selection here primarily because Bordeaux is currently too crowded, with a constant flow of people every day. If such a large event were to be held here, the entire city would likely be paralyzed and the streets would be completely blocked.

Secondly, he also wanted to take this opportunity to accelerate the development of Kuoqiao Village. Having another prosperous village would only benefit the southern region.

Three days earlier, he had sent someone to notify the local village chief so that the villagers could set up temporary housing for the public.

The accommodation fees are so low that anyone who makes a special trip here won't care about the cost. The villagers can earn money, and the visitors have a place to stay—it's a win-win situation.

"Your Excellency, may we begin?" Vincent walked over and asked in a low voice.

Vio nodded.

"Let's begin."

The screening process lasted from early morning until late at night.

There still needs to be some overt screening; inside the main room, there's a magic testing tool provided by Valentine—a ball.

It is said that anyone with abundant magical power can emit white light when they place their hand on it.

Near the entrance was the area for testing swordsmanship, which was conducted by Jimmy, who was doing rehabilitation exercises recently.

The rules are simple: if you fight Jimmy, who is holding back, and exchange a couple of blows, you can pass.

In addition, there are various tests, such as those at the Blacksmith Camp, the Brotherhood, and the Hunter Association.

Of course, the final test came to Vio, who checked the panel one by one to confirm.

The crowd began to surge as soon as the sun rose, and by the time the sun was high in the sky, the procession had been moving for some time, yet there was still no end in sight.

As the sun sets, a steady stream of people arrive from afar. Finally, as the sun completely sets and night falls, the last group of people completes the selection process.

Vio sat from day to night, his eyes almost never leaving the people and the panel.

Jimmy and the others took turns testing, otherwise they would have been exhausted.

Fortunately, using the panel doesn't require much stamina, otherwise Vio felt he would have collapsed here.

The breathing technique helped him restore his energy and keep him awake, but his eyes were really tired. As he looked at each one, the panel kept changing, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The result was both expected and unexpected.

Vio roughly counted nearly two thousand people who came.

Of them, only two possessed magical talent.

two……

Vio looked at the two young men who had been chosen and sighed inwardly. He realized that discovering two magical geniuses, Luca and Winnie, at once was just pure luck.

Those two are now studying under Valentine, and it's said they've already reached the threshold of magic apprenticeship. Although that old man Valentine usually seems unreliable, he's very serious when it comes to teaching students.

As for swordsmanship talent, exactly fifty people were selected this time.

Two of them possess top-tier swordsmanship talent.

Forty-five of them immediately expressed their willingness to join the militia, while the other five each had their own reasons.

One was an only child whose parents couldn't bear to part with him; another had already joined another profession and didn't want to join the army; and yet another... Vio didn't get all the answers. Everyone has their own ambitions, and you can't force them.

Those forty-five men were quickly sent away and given to Xavier for intensive training. After Jimmy and Ansquie left the militia, Xavier is now a veteran member of the militia.

The rest are talents from all sorts of places.

Those skilled in blacksmithing were sent to the blacksmith camp to learn from the experienced blacksmiths. Although the weapons and armor in the Southern Territory had been enhanced by magic ore, there were still far too few people to forge them.

Those who were quick-witted and good at gathering information were sent to the Brotherhood. Although Cohen went to the capital, the Brotherhood's headquarters in the Southern Territory was still operating and needed fresh blood.

Others with special skills, such as accounting, medicine, or horse training, were assigned to appropriate places.

It got late at night.

The torches on the high platform burned brightly, illuminating the surroundings. The crowd had dispersed, leaving only a few villagers on duty to clean up and Vio's personal guard.

Vio leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

"Are you that tired?"

A familiar girl's voice rang out.

Vio turned his head and saw that Gina had been standing beside him at some point, holding a cup of tea and smiling at him. Seeing the firelight reflecting on her face, Vio's tense expression softened.

"I'm alright." Vio took the fragrant tea, took a sip, and said, "With the breathing technique, I don't lack energy."

The main problem is that my eyes are getting tired from looking at the panels one by one. I have to look at them one by one and evaluate them one by one. There are two thousand people in total. My eyes are almost going blind.

Of course, he didn't say this aloud.

"Well..." Gina sat down beside him, "I have some good news for you?"

Vio raised an eyebrow: "What good news?"

Gina tilted her head slightly, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"Cohen and Vance from the capital have returned."

Vio paused for a moment, then sat up abruptly, instantly becoming alert.

"When did you arrive?"

"Just now," Gina said. "I saw him when I entered the city. I've already sent Vincent to pick him up, and he should be waiting for you at his mansion in Broadbridge Village now."

Vio stood up and handed the teacup back to Gina.

"Let's go see them."

Gina watched his retreating figure, smiled, and followed him.