Lord: I can see loyalty.

"My lord! Xavier and Lord Galtot have returned with the militia!"

In the village of Bordeaux, Xavier stood weakly in front of the militia, with eighty simply dressed refugees behind them.

Vio, having received the news, quickly arrived at the village entrance. The entire militia and several hunters knelt in unison before their lord.

"Greetings, Your Lordship!"

The refugees were stunned at first, but quickly reacted and knelt down to pay their respects.

Vio also noticed that Xavier, who was being supported by the girl, looked unwell, so he quickly stepped forward and helped him up as he tried to bow.

"No need for formalities, you can all get up." Vio patted Xavier on the shoulder and said, "Well done."

Xavier smiled weakly and bowed his head again: "Thank you, Lord."

Gertó quickly stepped forward and explained the situation along the way to Vio.

Vio nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Take Xavier back to rest first."

After saying that, he looked at the refugees standing at the village entrance, feeling conflicted.

He hadn't expected so many people to come at once. Although Bordeaux could easily accommodate them, it would still be quite crowded and might even cause dissatisfaction among the villagers.

Just as he was pondering, a group of people stepped out of the bushes at the village entrance, led by Jimmy and Ansquie!

The two men glanced at the refugees but said nothing. They quickly approached Vio, bowed, and then Jimmy spoke, "My lord, the bandits of Kuoqiao Village have been successfully wiped out!"

Vio nodded in response and asked directly, "What's the current situation in Kuoqiao Village? How many people are left? Are there any vacant houses?"

"Reporting back to the lord, the west side of Kuoqiao Village is largely unharmed. We are currently rebuilding the east side, with only about seventy people remaining. The east gate is currently uninhabited."

After hearing Jimmy's brief explanation, Vio's eyes lit up. It was like a godsend; he had been worried about how to deal with these refugees...

Vio looked at the two militia teams in front of him and glanced at the panel. The elite team that was traveling with Xavier this time already had several members with the [Basic Swordsmanship Level 0], and most of the new members who joined the militia team had reached the [Swordsmanship Level 0] level.

He thought for a moment, then called out all the novice swordsmen from the militia. After a light cough, he said, "Gentlemen, Kuoqiao Village is now under my jurisdiction, but it lacks defenses."

"Next, I will establish a militia in Kuoqiao Village, and I will select a few of you to be sent there as captains." Vio said, observing their reactions. "Whether you go to Kuoqiao Village is up to you."

"Becoming the village chief of Kuoqiao Village will also improve your benefits; your monthly reward will increase from 20 silver coins to 30 silver coins!"

Upon hearing this, the selected militia members exchanged excited glances. Although Kuoqiao Village was in dire need of reconstruction, the temptation of 30 silver coins made it difficult for them to choose.

As expected, almost all of the nearly twenty people selected wanted to become the team leader, with only a few giving up because they couldn't bear to leave the village behind.

"Don't rush, everyone, there's another option," Vio said, as if deliberately keeping everyone in suspense. "I will also select ten militiamen who have reached the beginner level in basic swordsmanship to become my personal guards, and the reward will also be 30 silver coins."

"Of course, becoming a member of the Royal Guard requires passing my personal review."

Vio's personal review naturally refers to loyalty; his plan is that only those with a loyalty level of 90% or higher can join.

The militiamen were completely stunned. Several of them quickly spoke up: "My lord, we want to join the personal guard!"

Vio chuckled lightly; he had already guessed that if the option of a personal guard were available, most people would choose it.

"Those who join the Kuoqiao Village militia can be promoted if they later make meritorious contributions or improve their swordsmanship," Vio added again.

"After all, Kuoqiao Village is currently short of manpower."

After Vio's words, the militiamen's choices became more diverse. Those who wanted to climb to higher positions chose to become the militia captain of Kuoqiao Village, while others chose to stay in the village and become part of the guard.

After a brief review, Vio found no one to be eliminated. The selected militiamen, who were all at a basic level in swordsmanship, had a loyalty rate of almost 90%.

Or rather, the same applies to the entire militia!

After resolving the issue of force, Vio turned his attention back to the group of somewhat uneasy refugees.

"Gerteau, let them stay in Broadbridge Village, make sure each household has its own room." Vio then turned to the servant who had been following him: "Have the kitchen send some people to Broadbridge Village to arrange dinner."

"Yes, sir," Gertó and the servant replied simultaneously.

The refugees were relieved to hear Vio's words. Their eyes were filled with tears, never expecting that they would have a place to stay after their homeland was destroyed.

After Gertó led the refugees away, Vio looked at Jimmy and Vio again, subconsciously glancing at the panel.

[Basic Swordsmanship Advanced]!

Vio's eyes lit up when he looked at Jimmy. He hadn't expected that Jimmy's swordsmanship had reached the advanced level. Their small village had produced two people at the knight level.

After thinking for a moment, Vio said, "Jimmy, Ansquie, have the rest of the militia gather here. I have something to say."

The two bowed in response and jogged away from the village entrance.

Watching them leave, Vio said to another servant beside him, "Have old Barton gather the former blacksmiths in the village and find people in both villages who want to become blacksmiths to form a blacksmith camp."

"The blacksmith camp pays 20 silver coins a month, while Old Barton and his men pay 30 silver coins. Of course, you can choose not to join."

Since reclaiming the village, Vio has retrieved the gold and silver treasures stored by the Ross family, and these rewards are just a small expense for him.

Most importantly, he didn't need to spend money on food. With stored grain and the hunters' daily activities, they could live on a zero-expense basis for a long time.

Soon, all members of the militia, except for those who had already been dispatched, gathered at the village entrance.

As time goes by, more and more people have chosen to join the militia, and the number of militia members has reached nearly 150.

Vio didn't waste any words and quickly stated the purpose of the gathering: "Gentlemen, it has been some time since the militia was renamed the militia regiment, but the regimental commander and the captains of each team have not yet been elected."

"Today I officially announce that, in light of Jimmy's outstanding performance and significant improvement in his abilities, Jimmy Murphy will henceforth serve as the commander of the militia!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the militiamen except Jimmy applauded, while Jimmy remained stunned.

Vio knew very well that the militiamen, including several captains, understood Jimmy's strength, and they already knew the answer when he mentioned the militia leader.

"The militia captain will be chosen by Jimmy, and he must be at least at the beginner level in swordsmanship," Vio stated simply, then glanced at Jimmy.

Jimmy had calmed down and, after thinking for a moment, quickly picked up where Vio left off...

"My lord, someone wishes to see you."

Vio had just returned to his mansion and was about to get some rest when he soon heard the voice of a servant outside the gate.

He frowned slightly, but still waved to signal the door to open.

An elderly man with a long beard slowly approached, supported by a servant. Vio's tired eyes subconsciously swept over the man, and he brought up the panel.

But the next moment, he snapped out of it and sat up straight.

"Uncle Valentine? It's you? It's been so long!" Vio stood up with a smile on his face.

The old magician Valentine glanced at the lord, who looked exhausted but whose inner thoughts were hard to discern, with some surprise. The other party actually recognized him?

You see, the last time he saw Odom the Knight of Dune, Odom's eldest son was only ten years old, and he didn't even recognize them.

"It's amazing you still recognize me." Valentine sneered, but his tone carried a hint of elder's kindness: "I heard Odom is dead?"

"Yes, my father was killed a few months ago while fighting off bandits." Vio's smile faded.

"Sigh, how come you're walking ahead of me..." Valentine shook his head, his expression unreadable.

Then he looked up at Vio and said, "You've done a pretty good job, kid. The village doesn't look like it's in trouble now."

"Thank you for the compliment, elder." Vio chuckled lightly, then continued, "Uncle hasn't had dinner yet, has he? I'll have the kitchen prepare an extra person..."

"No need."

Valentine interrupted Vio, waving his hand and saying, "I'll be staying in Broadbridge Village for the next while. If you need anything, just let me know."

"After all, I still owe that guy Sand Dune a favor."

Vio was taken aback by his words, but quickly recovered and said with a smile, "Since that's the case, I won't keep you any longer. Men, escort Uncle Valentine to Kuoqiao Village."

Valentine's lips curled up. This kid Odom is quite the smooth operator. I wonder if he deliberately had someone investigate him.

Even so, it proves that he was trying to please her.

Vio finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Valentine being "escorted" away by several guards.

[The Magician]!

A genuine magician! Vio wasn't entirely sure, but he understood that in this country, magicians were roughly divided into:

Magic apprentice, magician, grand magician.

Even among them, magic apprentices are already exceptional individuals, and small villages like Bordeaux are rare, producing only one in a century.

Of the magicians who were willing to help, it was said that only the former fortress in the entire Southern Territory had a few dozen, but many of them fled after the outbreak of war.

With the help of this old magician, perhaps those bandits are really nothing!