Wasteland Lord: Starting from Thirty Days to Live

Vittorio stayed overnight in Stonemill and recruited a temporary guard of the town's guards through the mayor.

There were 15 people in total, and they were tasked with protecting them as they made their way through the remaining half of the journey.

The cost of hiring employees is 12 gold coins per person, which is equivalent to three months' income for them, and is quite generous.

Of course, in order to get the mayor to agree to transfer his town's guards, he also gave the mayor a bribe of 15 gold shields.

This adds up to 195 gold shields, a considerable expense, which Vittorio paid out in one go.

This is the "solution" that Vittorio told Isolde about yesterday in the carriage.

This greatly encouraged the seven who had chosen to follow Vittorio, making them believe that Vittorio was very capable and would fulfill his promise if they reached the Reach.

Only Isolde was surprised.

The lower-ranking guards were unaware of Vittorio's situation, but Isolde, as a retainer with access to the secrets of the Cornalon family, was actually well aware of it.

Vittorio simply didn't have that much money.

After reaching an agreement with the mayor, Isolde took the opportunity to ask questions on her way back to her lodgings.

"As far as I know, the Madam has always strictly controlled your annuity. She also forbids you from participating in the management of the estate, so you... could not possibly have that much money."

"I borrowed it," Vittorio said bluntly.

"You... lend it to me?"

"When I left the capital, I found every moneylender I could find and borrowed a total of 1000 gold shields, using the reputation of the Cornalon family as collateral."

After saying this, Vittorio thought to himself, "I had to set off immediately after crossing over; time was of the essence, and this was all I could do."

"If we had enough time, and arranged sufficient security ourselves, we might not even have had to deal with the infection."

Just as Vittorio was pondering to himself, on the other side, Isolde stared wide-eyed in surprise, seemingly not expecting such a method.

"Aren't you afraid of the Earl's repercussions?"

Vittorio gave a cold smile.

"Let him ask. There's a saying that goes, 'The emperor is far away, and once I get to the River Bend, he won't have a say in anything.'"

Isolde looked thoughtful.

"I've never heard of this slang before, but it's very vivid."

"But even so, if we get to the Reach and you have to keep your promise to those guards, that thousand... now eight hundred, will all be gone."

Isolde had thought that his promise of a hundred gold shields for the seven guards was just a stopgap measure, but now it seemed that he could actually pay the money.

Vittorio gave a disdainful smile upon hearing this.

"hehe……"

"You're not planning to not pay this money, are you?"

"It's not that we don't pay, it's that we pay slowly, pay gradually, pay in a planned way, pay in an organized way, and pay in a methodical and planned manner."

Isolde thought to herself, "It's just buying on credit, why make it sound so sophisticated?"

But Isolde had to admit that it was incredibly cunning, incredibly insidious, and... incredibly correct.

If she were a lord, she would have done the same.

What was that saying?

The emperor is far away, and if they go to the river bend, they won't have a say in things anymore.

Isolde looked at the man before her... a boy.

With his white curly hair, ruby-like eyes, and pale skin, he was almost too handsome for a man, resembling a legendary vampire.

He had barely come of age, a year or two younger than Isolde, but he was growing up at an astonishing pace.

Isolde remembered that when she met him just a few months ago, he looked gloomy and cowardly.

But now, he is a full-fledged... lord.

"You've grown so quickly, it's beyond my expectations," Isolde exclaimed sincerely.

Vittorio opened his mouth dramatically, looking flattered, and then performed a standard aristocratic bow.

"I have more surprises than you can imagine, madam."

"What my father couldn't give you, I can give you."

"For example... providing you with materials to overcome your cultivation bottleneck."

Isolde was originally in a very relaxed mood, but when she heard this topic, her brows furrowed and her breathing became rapid!

Isolde is a knight.

A knight with extraordinary strength.

The extraordinary power she wields has a unified name across this continent—Imprint!

The Imprinted Body, a transcendent system that has spread to every corner of the continent.

As the name suggests, this is a system focused on cultivating the physical body.

The main training method involves injecting a special substance into various parts of the body in a patterned manner, and then constantly refining the body under the stimulation of this substance to achieve superhuman speed and strength.

The cultivation of the Imprinted Body does not require devout faith like divine arts, nor does it require opportunity and inspiration like "Secret Source Arts." It only requires day after day of training, injection, training, injection...

Therefore, if there were no material restrictions, this cultivation method could be said to have the lowest barrier to entry.

However, the materials used to cultivate the imprinted body are the most expensive part of the cultivation process.

This material, commonly known as "catalytic gel," is a technology inherited from the former empire and is extremely rare.

In any case, the distribution channels for this catalytic gel were completely monopolized by the nobility in the Kingdom of Neo-Augustus.

As a knight of the Cornalon family, Isolde's cultivation required gel entirely depended on the family's rewards.

From the age of twelve when she began cultivating until now at twenty, she has gone through three stages: foundation laying, initial carving, and shaping.

She has now reached the pinnacle of her physical transformation and is about to move on to the next stage – the shaping of the heart.

However, due to the lack of "catalytic gel", a breakthrough has been slow.

Of course, if it was just that the count was unwilling to allocate resources to her, she had nothing to complain about.

But Isolde's father died two years ago while protecting the Count, who made the promise while holding Isolde's dying body.

The count promised to recognize Isolde's right to inherit his knighthood as a woman and to bestow upon her a substantial amount of training resources.

But Isolde was a woman, and it was very rare for a woman to be knighted.

Therefore, the count later changed his mind and chose not to bestow the title upon Isolde.

Therefore, Isolde has the substance of a knight, but not the name of one.

Officially, she is not yet a formal knight.

People call her a knight simply out of respect for her strength.

Now, he has not received the title of knight, and the reward seems a long way off.

Isolde was also relegated to protecting Vittorio, a discarded pawn, so she naturally harbored many grievances.

So when Isolde heard Vittorio's promises, she was initially excited, but the hope in her eyes quickly faded.

With the Count's breach of contract first and Vittorio's empty promises still fresh in everyone's mind, Isolde now finds it difficult to trust anyone.

If it weren't for the knightly requirement of loyalty, Isolde might have abandoned his family long ago.

Vittorio saw through her concerns and abandoned his previous approach of using incentives to entice her, instead trying to be as sincere as possible.

"I know my promises now are not enough to convince you, but I absolutely have no intention of deceiving you in the slightest."

"You are different from them. Your existence is crucial to my future plans. You are a true knight, far superior to a few militiamen."

"So it's logical for me to give you the best resources in exchange for your loyalty, and it's also in my best interest. I have no reason to lie to you."

Isolde nodded; there was no flaw in the statement.

"Of course, I haven't reached my destination yet. This is all just an expectation. Although it's just an expectation, I hope to exchange it for the possibility of your loyalty, madam."

Isolde didn't hesitate much.

Because after these two days of observation, she saw this future lord.

Although somewhat weak, they are by no means stupid; in fact, they can be described as cunning!

Evil but profitable cunning is far better than good but disadvantageous foolishness.

Such a lord will lead them to victory.

Therefore, Vittorio temporarily gained her approval.

So she reached out her right hand to touch her heart and performed a knightly salute, an elegant gesture befitting the name of the Rose Knight.

"As you wish."

After the two parted ways, Vittorio checked the [Characters] module.

As expected, Isolde's loyalty increased because of the conversation, and to his surprise, it increased by 7!

Her loyalty level went directly from "wavering" to "obedient"!

'She seems to be a person of her word, someone who always keeps her promises. If she says she'll be loyal, she'll be loyal!' Vittorio thought.

This loyalty upgrade also gave Vittorio 50 Lord Points, more than the other six combined!

It seems that the system also considers the value of the target when distributing lord points.

Isolde is clearly a high-value target; her loyalty is worth more than all the others combined.

That makes perfect sense.

…………

……

The next day, Vittorio, along with 15 hired mercenaries, 7 of his original men, Isolde, and himself, a total of 24 people, prepared to set off.

Just as they were about to set off, a panting Eileen caught up with his troops with a suitcase.

"Can I come with you?"

"Of course, Miss Sister."

There are 25 people now.

With these people joining us, the second half of the journey became much easier.

Firstly, they have a large number of people who can take turns keeping watch and being vigilant, which is enough to prepare for the arrival of monsters.

Then, a key character was added to their group: Sister Irene, or more accurately, a novice nun.

Even as a novice nun, she was highly proficient in the basic divine arts she was supposed to learn.

Especially the [Holy Light] spell.

As a basic divine art that every church member must learn, its applications are very wide-ranging.

It illuminates the path, dispels the darkness, and disperses the black miasma that comes with monsters, reducing the possibility of people inhaling the miasma and becoming infected. At the same time, it can also make low-level monsters wary, reducing the possibility of being attacked.

It can be said to be an essential magic tool for home and travel.

And this incredibly useful divine spell is also very easy to cast.

Simply concentrate, clear your mind of distractions, focus on the idea of ​​"bringing light and order," and hold your palms up flat while whispering the prayer "May the light endure."

Without the need for any additional medium, a full, continuously radiant white "holy light" will appear in your hand.

Of course, beginners or those with wavering faith may experience a cloudy or flickering light.

At this point, simply wearing the triangular holy symbol to assist in casting can stabilize the Holy Light.

If that still doesn't work, I'm sorry, but you need to examine the strength of your faith in "God" and go back to the most basic prayer and meditation.

A standard Holy Light spell should look like this:

"The light endures."

With her palm facing upwards, a steady white holy light appeared in her hand, illuminating not only her fair face but also the canyon before her.

The mountain walls on both sides suddenly narrow here, forming a narrow canyon.

The steep, gray-white rock walls rise into the clouds, dimly lit.

The once swift and winding river is compressed here, and the water becomes rapid and turbulent, echoing like thunder at the bottom of the valley.

At the narrowest point of the canyon, two square fortresses built of huge stones stand against the mountain walls on both sides.

They were like two rusted giant teeth, biting tightly at the passage leading to their territory.

Between the two forts, a wide stone arch bridge spans the air, connecting them and crossing the turbulent waters below.

The bridge should have had arrow towers and gates, but now only empty skeletons remain.

While everyone else was somewhat surprised by the magnificent building before them, Vittorio alone let out a deep breath.

"Raven Pass, the only entrance to the Reach."

"We've arrived."

The Reach, the hereditary territory of the Conalon family.

Raven Pass, the only entrance and exit into the Reach.

Today, the massive city gates are tightly shut, and there are no flags or people in sight, only a few black ravens perched on the walls.

"Raise the flag! Sound the horns!" Vittorio ordered.

The flag of the Conaron family—red background, black griffin, and golden claws and beak.

The flag fluttered in the cold wind of the canyon, and any soldier guarding the city could recognize the person who had come upon seeing it.

John then took out a horn made of bull horns and blew it loudly.

As John blew the horn, the enormous sound echoed through the canyon, amplified infinitely by the reflection from the walls.

I believe that as long as the guards inside aren't deaf, they'll hear the horn and come out to open the door for them.

The wind howled fiercely in the canyon, and they stood still for a while.

No one showed up.

"Nobody here?" Vittorio frowned.

John was about to play it again when Vittorio reached out and stopped him.

"Stop bragging."

After saying this, he jumped off the carriage and walked towards the city gate.

The closer Vittorio got to the gate, the more he could feel its grandeur.

It is estimated to be 18 to 20 meters high and 6 to 7 meters wide, equivalent to the outstretched arms of three or four adult men.

At the main entrance, he saw the suspicious point that he had just noticed and was about to approach to observe.

a corpse.

A soldier's corpse.

He leaned against the giant gate, his neck broken, his head hanging strangely to one side.

His chest and abdomen were completely hollowed out, and his ribs were broken.

Even so, he still clutched a letter tightly in his right hand, the sealing wax intact.

Five steps away, his horse also suffered a ruptured belly and spilled intestines.

"The neck wound was fatal, and the stomach was ripped out by a wild beast or monster. Judging from the degree of decomposition, he must have been dead for more than ten days."

After summarizing, Vittorio forcefully pulled the letter from his tightly gripping hand.

"Griffin wax seal, my father's seal, and this is a letter my father sent, probably to inform the guards above of my arrival."

Vittorio looked up at the battlements, but there was still no one there.

"But it wasn't delivered because no one opened the door for him."

"And so he died outside the door, at the hands of the monster."

He shook his head, tore the letter in half, threw it away casually, and walked back while tearing it.

Facing the expectant gazes of everyone, he gave his summary.

"No need to sound the horn, no one will open the door for us."

Isolde walked over.

"Nobody's here? Have the guards inside mutinied?"

Vittorio shook his head.

"Impossible. Even the rebels need intelligence. They would at least retrieve the letters to find out what's going on outside."

"But for so long, this guy just lay there straight in the sun."

"It's more like... no one on the other side of the door has the ability, or no one cares about, anything outside the door."

Vittorio's words sent chills down everyone's spines.

The vast fortress was completely deserted?

Where did they all go?