Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 111 Exposed
The governor's departure did not completely eliminate the pressure.

The bi-weekly reconnaissance missions meant that his knights and soldiers would have to continuously face the mountain range that had just experienced the dragon calamity and was still full of unknown dangers.

After all, it's known for having a lot of magical beasts there; otherwise, it wouldn't be called the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Lionfang Territory quickly resumed production, thanks in large part to Kruze's control over the territory's development during this period.

After seeing off the two important figures, Baron Reyes called Kruze and Rezal to his side, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement and a heavy sense of honor.

"Pack your things. In three days, you will come with me to Campino to attend the investiture ceremony presided over by the Earl." Reyes' voice was loud and proud.

Although Campnor County paid a price in this border conflict, it also achieved corresponding results.

As is customary, the Count of Campino would reward those who had rendered meritorious service.

Of these, only Reyes will be granted the title of baron!
In addition, twelve more meritorious individuals will be knighted.

This also means that, in this war, the Campnor County side lost one baron and five knights.

Noble titles and territories were always changing hands in blood and fire.

"The fallen Baron Harris..." Reyes' tone was slightly complicated as he mentioned the matter, "His eldest son was quite good, a veteran Bronze Knight, qualified to inherit the title. But..." He changed his tone, revealing the cold rules of this world, "If his next generation fails to produce a Silver Knight, or if he himself cannot break through to the Silver rank in his lifetime, then that baronial territory will eventually be taken back by the Earl, and perhaps divided into several knightly territories to be awarded to others."

His gaze swept over his two sons, and his tone became exceptionally serious: "Remember, when lords bestow titles upon knights and nobles, they hope to gain the loyalty and allegiance of powerful warriors to jointly strengthen their power. If a family declines with each generation and fails to demonstrate the strength and value commensurate with its title, then it is not qualified to continue to occupy that resource and glory, and being eliminated is an inevitable outcome."

“Ultimately!” Reyes concluded, his voice heavy and powerful, “This is a world of high martial arts! Strength is the foundation of all power, the eternal path to kingship!”

These words struck like a hammer blow to the hearts of Kruse and Reza.

Rezal clenched his fists instinctively, his eyes hardening. Clearly, the stimulation from the dragon and his father's words had fueled his even deeper desire for power.

Kruse, however, remained calm; he understood the meaning of those words better than anyone else.

The awarding ceremony three days later was not only a crowning of honor, but also a silent declaration of the future direction of Lion's Tooth Territory.

There, they will officially step onto the stage of Campnorshire as a newly enthroned baronial family, while also facing scrutiny and potential challenges from various forces.

Reyes looked at his two sons, who were very different in temperament but equally outstanding, and his heart was filled with anticipation.

Rezal showed great anticipation and excitement for the investiture ceremony to be held in Campino in three days. For the young and ambitious man eager for recognition, this was undoubtedly an important occasion to showcase his family's honor and his own value. In contrast, Kruse's reaction seemed somewhat "unsatisfactory," or rather, too calm.

Unlike his brother, he did not revel in the impending glory, but instead continued to fulfill his duties as acting lord in a methodical manner.

I regularly inspect the construction progress of the territory, pay attention to the growth of new crops, and spend most of my time going back and forth between the insect house and the pet house.

At this moment, inside the pet room, Prince Kyle, the panda who had just finished his dinner, was licking the grease from the corner of his mouth with lingering satisfaction, sending a contented yet slightly affectionate murmur to Kruze through mental communication:

"Wow! This meat stir-fried in an iron wok is absolutely delicious! Kid, bring me another plate!"

Its thoughts were crystal clear in Kruze's mind, but to others, they were just a few slightly excited "hmm" sounds.

Kruze looked at the empty plate, shook his head with a wry smile, and replied in Elvish, "Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for me. The meat reserves in the territory are very limited, and this plate is already an exception. There are still many people in the territory who are worried about food."

He paused, a sly glint in his eyes, and tentatively suggested, "How about... you use your noble dragon claws to help us capture a few ignorant magical beasts from the Hornas Mountains? It'll be a good meal and also rid the people of a menace, won't it?"

His words were half a joke and half a test, to see how much strength this so-called great emperor still retained.

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this, Panda Kyle immediately collapsed to the ground with a "plop," lying on his back with his legs in the air, adopting a completely resigned posture. His round face was filled with helplessness, and he mentally replied in a rather irritable tone:

"Hmph! No need to test me, you cunning brat!" It rolled its eyes. "The reason that stinky red dragon launched an indiscriminate attack in its rage is because it was certain that I had completely 'disappeared' and could no longer sense any trace of me. If I had retained even the slightest bit of strength or dragon aura, given its hatred for me, it would have already tracked me down and razed your little territory to the ground along with me. How could it have given you a chance to breathe?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, completely shattering any lingering hope that he could curry favor with someone powerful. The smile on his face instantly turned awkward, and he chuckled dryly twice: "Ahem... Your Majesty is truly insightful; I was being presumptuous."

It was indeed somewhat embarrassing that my little scheme had been seen through at a glance.

However, Prince Kyle seemed unfazed by his probing. He nimbly sat up, his dark eyes fixed on Kruze, and suddenly asked a question that made Kruze's heart stop:

"And another thing, kid, why do you have this specific image of a black and white bear in your head?" It pointed to its current body with its paw, its tone full of curiosity. "Where have you seen this before? I've lived for hundreds of years, but I've never seen such a creature before?"

Kruse's nerves tightened instantly, a cold sweat even broke out on his back, and the calm he was trying to maintain on his face was about to shatter; he could only be described as tense.

His identity as a time traveler is his biggest secret!

This panda... no, this shapeshifting dragon can actually see into the memory images in his mind?

Since he can see pandas, does that mean that his other memories, knowledge and experiences about another world, may also be exposed?
(End of this chapter)