In the end, Henwell grants Pawari a cultivation spot.

  But to avoid some complications, Henwell asks him to attend his wedding banquet.

  At that time, Henwell will give Pawari a token, not through his own channels, but one tied to Arius’s cultivation quota.

  Henwell has plenty of spots every year anyway; he can just return a few to Arius ter.

  As a condition for Henwell’s help, Pawari must assist Henwell in establishing two merchant guilds within the Lumir Principality: one focused on river and innd waterway trade, and the other on maritime trade.

  Running the guilds isn’t Henwell’s main goal; his real focus is on training sailors and advancing shipbuilding techniques.

  He doesn’t need to build a fleet immediately, but that doesn’t mean he won’t y the groundwork early.

  Naval development isn’t like the army, it takes a long time.

  Waiting until he has a port before pnning would be too te.

  By getting involved early, even if he can’t form his own navy yet, he’ll at least have trusted fleets ready when the time comes.

  Faced with Henwell’s demands, Pawari can only agree.

  He understands what Henwell is aiming for, but right now he must rely on Henwell.

  Without Henwell’s cultivation spot, his half-taboo extraordinary path would be hard to survive in the Western Federation.

  With Henwell’s recommendation, at least no one will bother him.

  As for resolving the issues with his professional system ter, that will come at a different, and costly, price.

  The next day, Henwell leaves Livos City.

  A few days ter, Christian is knighted as a lord—an actual noble with real nd.

  Not just a knight lord under the Dienbos family, but a knight lord of the principality itself.

  This officially marks his entry into the noble css. In these days, he receives a flood of gifts.

  The Dienbos family supports him the most, promising to send people to help him develop his territory until his rule is secure.

  Living in the manor gifted by the Dienbos family, Christian feels like he’s dreaming.

  In just a few days, he’s gone from a poor wandering knight to a true knight lord.

  All this change comes from the words of another knight lord.

  Only that man is the most powerful knight lord on the continent.

  The more the local elites and even the principality’s envoys try to win him over, the harder it becomes for Christian to feel any loyalty.

  Christian knows very well that everything he has now is thanks to Henwell.

  Though Henwell only said a few words, those few words have completely turned his life around.

  Today, he decides to pause all meetings to seriously think about the path ahead.

  Still, persistent visitors keep coming, especially one manager from a merchant caravan.

  This annoys him, so he prepares to meet this disruptive guild manager face-to-face.

  As soon as they meet, Christian snaps, “Which guild are you from? I said I’m taking a day off. Why must you see me now?”

  The manager smiles. “Which guild I belong to depends on you, sir! Our guild doesn’t have a name yet, or rather, it hasn’t been formed. Once we finish discussing cooperation, our caravan will have a name, ideally one you grant us!”

  Christian frowns. “You have nothing yet, so what guild are you trying to form?”

  The manager replies, “We have the money. You have noble status. Both of us need a stable income source. That’s enough. To show our sincerity, we’re willing to put forward a sum to help you build your knight manor. An initial 10,000 gold coins, followed by more in installments. Altogether, we’ll provide 20,000 gold coins.”

  ”Thirty thousand gold coins is enough for you to solidify your power. Our guild will start with 20,000 gold coins, and over the next three years, we’ll invest more than 50,000 gold coins. Regardless of how the caravan performs, starting next year, we’ll provide you with 3,000 gold coins annually.”

  ”And if the caravan profits, there will be additional dividends. What do you think, sir?”

  Christian asks, “What do I have to give to you?”

  “Nothing at all. It’s common for guilds to affiliate with noble lords.”

  Christian shakes his head. “I may be new to nobility, but I’m not naive about the reasons behind such arrangements. Your offer is too generous. If you don’t expin why, I can’t agree.”

  The manager remains calm. “Sir, we truly just want to cooperate. We believe in your future. Offering better terms is simply an early investment.”

  Christian suddenly thinks of something. “Who’s your boss behind the scenes? You don’t have to give me a name—just point me in the right direction.”

  The manager smiles and points northeast.

  Christian sighs, “So this is the person who wants me to repay a favor?”

  The manager waves his hand. “No, no, no! That’s not his intention. This is my personal investment. We have many projects here, and mine just needs the right opportunity to get started. You need money, I need a chance to form a caravan. It’s that simple.”

  Christian frowns. “How do I know you really work for him? He told me to keep it secret!”

  The manager ughs again. “Sir, I told you, that doesn’t matter. What matters is this cooperation has no downsides for either of us. As for exposure, rest assured. We operate independently. Both our personnel and funding sources are clean; there’s absolutely no suspicion.”

  After a moment’s thought, Christian sighs. “Alright. Tell me your pn. How do we profit?”

  The manager bows slightly. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Johnson. I personally suggest we call our guild the Pickaxe Guild...”

  ---

  After leaving Livos City, Henwell doesn’t rush his journey but slows down to take in the sights along the way.

  When passing noble castles, Henwell sometimes pays visits.

  Most nobles greet Henwell’s visits with suspicion.

  Facing the continent’s renowned warlord, even under the watchful eyes of the Holy Lake Knights, nobles along the route feel uneasy.

  The centurion of the Holy Lake Knights wears a grim expression, he’s seen Henwell more than once openly sketching detailed maps of the surrounding terrain.

  Every time he sees Henwell so focused on drawing, the Holy Lake Knights sense a deep malice.

  They’d rather see this troublemaker leave the continent soon, but they dare not push.

  After three days, Henwell finally reaches the edge of the Dienbos family’s territory.

  This is the st baronial castle within the Dienbos faction.

  A banquet is underway, and Henwell, naturally, doesn’t want to miss it. He attends under the banner of the Holy Lake Knights Order.