Warhammer Divine Throne-Chapter 594 - 260, The New Count_2

"There are only twenty-four hours in a day, Teresa." Laine quipped. He himself was indeed full of energy, but as the newly appointed Baron, he had many things to handle. If his army hadn't made smooth progress in receiving the territory, he might have even more on his plate.

"Mother wants to send some witch apprentices to intern in your territory, to both enhance their spell combat experience and help you build your territory. Do you need them?" Teresa activated the array and said expectantly.

"Of course, I'd certainly welcome them. But my suggestion is to wait until you settle down here first." Laine nodded, pointing to the luxurious Wizard Tower outside the window: "Veronica's Dawn Wizard Tower will be completed by the end of this year. Speaker Margarita has already spoken with me; she'll send twenty witch apprentices over here for Veronica to train, and a new alliance will be signed between me and the Jialan Council."

Hearing this news, Teresa naturally frowned; she realized she was once again a step behind.

The female sorcerer thought she needed to discuss this matter carefully with her mother. Laine was now a proper Hereditary Duke, and his majesty increased every day. She was no longer sure of how to interact with Laine: "I'll go discuss it with my mother."

In the Old World, there were not more than three hundred people with the title of Count, and Laine now stood at the pinnacle of the Great Noble pyramid. Moreover, he was a very powerful Holy Grail Knight, a Divine Chosen Champion.

"Alright, also, you should decide on the location of your Wizard Tower soon." Laine nodded.

"Certainly, I will build a Wizard Tower that is no less impressive than Veronica's." Teresa replied irritably. Before Veronica appeared, she was very close to defining her relationship with Laine. As it turned out, she hadn't expected that Veronica had already been involved with Laine for several years. Now she was falling behind at every step, which quite displeased the female sorcerer.

However, Laine was simply too outstanding, and now her eyes could hold no other man. At the peak of twenty-eight-year-old Legend, achieving the rank of Count through his own effort, how many people in this world could do that?

"By the way, it seems a lot of Ranger Knights have come to Gene Town recently? I see the inns in the town are all full." The female sorcerer brought up a topic of her interest.

"They're all hoping for a fief from me, coming to ask for spurs." Laine's handsome face showed a faint smile as he pointed at the crowd in front of the castle: "Brittania, the Country of Knights, every descendant and child of a noble automatically enters the Knight Class. But dear Teresa, do you understand what it truly takes to become a Knight?"

"Let me think, to become a knight, one has to start as a Knight's Squire until becoming an Apprentice Knight, then wait for a noble's conferral. So, these knights are all here seeking conferral from you?" Teresa said with great interest, taking the initiative to link arms with Laine.

"Brittania doesn't have Apprentice Knights. When a Knight's Squire is recognized, they automatically become a Ranger Knight, but there's still a distinction among them." Laine nodded: "Ranger Knights have real and honorary titles. For example, Lops, Olivier, and others in my territory have official positions and salaries, while those Ranger Knights have honorary titles, nothing more than a knight title, so..."

"Why don't you just say Wandering Knights and Ranger Knights? Why make it sound so complicated?" The female sorcerer rolled her eyes at him.

Yes, after Laine became Count, the news sent the young, yet-to-be-enfeoffed Ranger Knights across the entire Knight Kingdom into a frenzy. Who wouldn't want to fight under the banner of the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lady, who wouldn't want to charge into battle alongside a Holy Grail Knight?

By the afternoon, the self-recommending Ranger Knights had nearly filled the entire town, with nearly a thousand knights crowding the streets. They led their warhorses, clad in chain armor or plate armor, sweating profusely under the blazing sun, waiting for an opportunity to meet with Count Laine Macado.

Le Anglong's "Blue Sea Monster," Bastogne's "Red Fire Dragon," Connet's "Leaping Lion," Leonais's "Red Lion Head," Boldro's "Sea God Trident," Winford's "Pure White Pegasus," Borelion's "War Axe," Kakasong's "Red and Blue Longsword," Montfort's "White Castle," Paragon's "Yellow Pegasus," Jisoleox's "White Stag."

Today, Gene Town was like hosting an exposition of Brittania's family crests. These Ranger Knights were to meet Laine one by one, to undergo checks of their martial prowess and culture. The excellent ones would receive a "trial period" of three months to a year. If they performed well during the trial period, they would be formally enfeoffed as Laine's Ranger Knights.

Among them, quite a few Ranger Knights had set their sights on the Kingdom Knights slots in Laine's hands. For a Ranger Knight, advancing to a Kingdom Knight was a significant hurdle; a Kingdom Knight meant having their own fief.

Laine thought it seemed akin to the ancient Chinese system of recruiting talents.

Previously, the few Ranger Knights who followed Laine were all ennobled as Kingdom Knights by him. The five Kingdom Knights were Angerong, Armand, Lops, Olivier, Hex, and Laine still had five Kingdom Knight slots left vacant, awaiting conferral. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Each time a Kingdom Knight was ennobled, it meant losing one directly controlled village. Currently, Laine still had direct control over fifteen villages.

The new Count began his arduous process of selecting Ranger Knights.

Meanwhile, inside the castle's guest chamber, the female knight Surya was enjoying afternoon tea together with her maid Sylvia.

Surya wore a sleeveless, deep blue, elegant short dress adorned with gemstones. Her long golden hair cascaded down the back of her chair, exuding a noble and luxurious aura. She picked up a teacup and smiled: "It seems lively outside."

"Yes, Miss. This time, it's said that more than eight hundred knights have come, all wanting to be ennobled by Lord Laine and fight alongside him." Maid Sylvia, dressed in a natural-style pleated, splendid dress, had her hair pulled back as she recounted the recent gossip: "It's said that many Ranger Knights are going around asking where Lord Laine usually appears in town, which bar he likes to go to, what drink he favors, then they all imitate him. Many taverns have sold out."

"That's normal. Didn't my father do the same? When he returned to the Duchy after completing the Holy Grail Expedition, he loved fishing by the river. The following year, several Ranger Knights drowned as a result. My father liked to stroll near Helunhilde early in the winter mornings. A few days later, Ranger Knights began organizing groups to stroll around early in the morning, creating 'chance encounters.'" Surya smiled slightly, pressing her lips together.

Such is the status of Holy Grail Knights in the country; their every move inspires countless people to imitate them. Many people only know what it looks like but fail to understand why, yet that doesn't stop everyone from mimicking the actions of a Holy Grail Knight, as it might bring them closer to the Holy Grail.

"Speaking of which, Lord Laine is truly remarkable. He's already a Count, Miss. You have nothing to worry about. Amelia and that dark elf Ollica are nothing more than maids. Laine's future is limitless." Sylvia, a bit wistfully, spoke up. She was wearing a colorful, elegant sleeveless dress with her golden hair tied at the back.

"Every day is a competition, and the pressure is immense. If I want to be satisfied and have someone of equal status, there's no way to avoid competition. If there were no competition, it would either mean I'm not satisfied or the status isn't equal." Surya said, seemingly lost in thought.

"Miss, what are you worried about? Both Amelia and that dark elf Ollica are just maids," Sylvia said, dismissively.

"...Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you." Surya mused, looking off into the distance with a thoughtful expression on her face.

She couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy, as if there was some unknown puppet master orchestrating her and Laine's marriage.

......

After much deliberation, the new Count began his arduous process of selecting Ranger Knights.

Laine selected sixty Ranger Knights from the various Duchies, all of whom were the most outstanding. These Ranger Knights were to form the Count's Knight Corps.

The construction of Veronica's Wizard Tower was completed ahead of schedule.