Lord: I have a Mount & Blade panel.

"Uncle Anduin, don't worry. If you don't trust me, don't you trust the Golden Leaf Knights under your command?" Richard said with a smile, his young face seemingly full of harmlessness.

What appeared to be a compliment actually made Prince Anduin feel somewhat uncomfortable.

If he knew the word "connotation," he would understand where this discomfort came from.

Finally, a squadron of 181 men, clad in gleaming silver plate armor and wearing helmets adorned with golden leaves, poured out of the Rommel family's castle and headed straight for the Champs-Élysées, their golden cloaks billowing wildly in the wind as if displaying their triumphant power.

The man with the mustache was still eagerly waiting in Slave Street for His Highness's five thousand gold coins. He secretly thought to himself, if he could use this to get in touch with His Highness.

Then their Blood Axe family's slave trade might spread throughout the entire Kingdom of Empe. If it's spread throughout the Kingdom of Empe, how far away is it from expanding to other countries?

He seemed to see himself becoming the ruler of the entire Fertile Land, and even the governor of the Eastern Provinces of slaves was being led to the throne.

At that time, he will be resting his head on the head of the elven girl Ooyukino, with a beautiful fox-girl from the Fox tribe kneeling at his feet, and a mermaid bathing with him in the pool...

The door that was about to open seemed to be radiating a dazzling light.

Bang!

The door was kicked open with a bang, and the blinding light stunned the man with the mustache.

"You beast, you've been caught!"

The next second, countless burly men surged in.

"Who's the beast?" A foolish person was still craning their neck, ready to look behind them.

When the other servants looked over, they were stunned.

The man with the mustache stood there, his mouth full of blood. The once meticulously crafted golden headband was embedded in his cheek, and his teeth were falling out one by one. The knight captain sneered and shook his hand, his chainmail finger guards covered in blood.

The man with the mustache tried to say something in alarm, but only a whistling sound came through.

The knights stepped aside, revealing a thin man dressed in a scribe's robe behind them.

The clerk pulled a roll of parchment from his sleeve, cleared his throat, and read aloud in a clear and resonant voice: "In the name of the Noble Garden, the Blood Axe Family has violated twelve laws of the Kingdom. Effective immediately, all assets of the Blood Axe Family under Bai Ya's name are to be seized, and all those involved are to be imprisoned."

After he finished reading, he rolled up the parchment, glanced arrogantly at the snarling, mustachioed official, and added, "You don't want to explain at all? It seems you're admitting it."

The man with the mustache opened his mouth, and two more teeth fell out. Then, his vision went black, and he fainted. Just as he fell, two knights with golden branches grabbed his arms on either side and dragged him out the door.

On the Champs-Élysées, the Golden Leaf Knights blocked the front and back exits of Slave Street, and drove all the servants, stewards, and thugs of the Bloodaxe family onto the street, making them kneel in two rows.

……

The burly men in black and white stripes had their iron shackles removed. They rubbed their wrists and looked at the human in front of them with curiosity.

Richard's gaze swept over them, and he became more and more satisfied. These Behemoth warriors were so massive, standing there like iron towers. Such strong physiques were exactly what he wanted!

"I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad. Which one do you want to hear?"

Richard looked at the group of giant pandas and smiled as he spoke, while Sid stood beside him without saying a word.

"My lord, we would like to hear the bad news first." The panda warriors rubbed their bellies; after a long period of hunger, they felt as if their stomachs could hold an entire bamboo forest.

"You are free, but in the Kingdom of Empe, you are unregistered wanderers. If you step out of this gate, I cannot guarantee that you will not be arrested and imprisoned by soldiers. No one will allow dangerous wanderers to roam the streets."

The panda warriors glanced at West Germany, who blinked silently.

"The good news is that there's an opportunity for you now. Follow me, and while I can't guarantee anything else, you'll get food and lodging." Richard waved his hand, and two servants came in carrying bundles of lush, fresh, and sturdy bamboo.

The panda warriors' eyes widened immediately, and they swarmed over, quickly dividing up the cold arrow bamboo on the ground.

They rubbed the bamboo on their clothes, and with a "crunch," "crunch," the bamboo, as thick as a wrist, was chewed up like a crunchy tube. The hard bamboo tasted as sweet as sugarcane in their mouths. After chewing down to the last bit of bamboo fiber, they swallowed it with a twitch of their Adam's apples.

They left Richard and Sylvie aside, ignoring them completely.

"I'm sorry, sir, my companions have been extremely rude." Sid scratched his black and white head sheepishly.

Even though he had already been given extra food, West Germany's mouth was still watering as he looked at the tempting bamboo.

It's been half a year since I last ate bamboo.

They sailed on the high seas for months, consuming all their provisions, and were left with only salty, fishy seafood.

After they perished, they ate wild vegetables for a whole month.

"Being able to eat is a blessing." Richard patted the other person's large, hairy hand and said kindly, "If I said I'd feed you, I'll feed you!"

Sid suddenly felt like crying, thinking that Prince Richard was simply a savior sent from heaven.

The group of Eastern Behemoths mumbled something incoherently, such as "Your kindness is never to be repaid" and "Loyalty."

"My lord, whether you want us to slay dragons or challenge giants, we Panta warriors who dare to retreat a single step are cowards without any balls!" Sid blurted out a local slang term.

All the large, black-and-white heads nodded in unison.

……

Their own armed guard was taking shape, but it was still lacking in many things. Right now, these panda warriors were all shirtless and wearing linen trousers, not even as good as the lowest-ranking militiamen in the system who carried pitchforks.

Richard acquired a group of top-tier Behemoth warriors through a risk-free deal. Apart from the 5,000 gold coins supported by Prince Anduin and the taxes from his own territory, he had a total of 5,100 gold coins left.

This sum of money is enough for a person to buy a title and an estate and live a life of luxury, but it is still far from enough to arm 181 panda warriors from head to toe.

Anything even remotely related to the military often comes with the potential to cost lives.

Some people have said that the military is just a money pit, but Richard thinks that's complete nonsense, because money doesn't burn that fast.

The military is like a bottomless pit that devours gold, but such an investment is bound to pay off.