Hearing Thorian's question, William looked down in thought. "The fighters who have been participating in the dungeon expeditions have certainly warmed up to your people quite a bit over the past few days," William admitted, sighing, "But to leave their homes and come live here... We'll have to see."

"That's about the answer I would have expected," Thorian nodded, before turning his attention back to James, who was pouting. With a smile, Thorian ruffled the young boy's hair. "Don't worry, this is just a transitional period. Soon, people from Locksley will flock here."

With those words, the group reached the Village Hall. Upon entering, they were greeted by the receptionist, a middle-aged man with a short beard. "Grand Lord, Vassal Lord, welcome," the receptionist lightly bowed to Thorian and James, respectively. His gaze lingered on Thorian's form for a second before he continued, "My name is Hansen. It's a pleasure to meet you."

After exchanging some pleasantries with Hansen, the receptionist registered Robert and Little Roo as official citizens. He then showed them the bulletin board where they could accept their daily quests. After registering, the group made their way outside, where Saxum and Elder Yur had already formed their teams.

Glancing at Ifrit and Ventus's group to the side, Thorian noticed the two staring daggers at Saxum. At this sight, Thorian chuckled inwardly. It seems Saxum was able to convince them somehow, even though they don't seem too happy about it.

Ignoring the obvious tension, Thorian cleared his throat and announced, "It looks like everyone has reached a compromise. Then it is time to begin our expeditions. Good luck to all of you."

With those words, Thorian and William joined Elder Yur's group, while James, Robert, and Little Roo made their way into Saxum's ranks. For the sake of efficiency, the two groups decided to tackle different parts of the forest: Elder Yur's group would take the northern side, while Saxum's would scout the southern one.

"My lord, having you with us as we begin our expansion is a great honor," Elder Yur chuckled, walking beside Thorian. "With you by our side, we can conquer every tribe in the area."

"That is a lofty goal," Thorian nodded. "But for this expedition, I want to take a passive role. I want to see you in action."

Elder Yur raised an eyebrow at Thorian's proclamation before nodding. "If that is the case, then I will not disappoint you, my lord."

With those words, Elder Yur marched to the front of the group, leaving William and Thorian some privacy.

After a few minutes of silence, William asked, "Do you have reservations about goblins?"

Hearing that question, Thorian's face froze for a second. Clearing his throat, he replied, "What makes you say that?"

"Just your general demeanor," William admitted with a smile. "You seem to trust Saxum much more than Elder Yur."

Looking down in thought, Thorian took a few seconds to respond. "Goblins are a complex species, much like humans. Without proper limitations in place and systems that align their interests with mine, major issues would arise."

"So you're saying they're prone to greed? I can see that," William nodded, then adopted a contemplative look before asking, "But if that's the case, why would you want them in your kingdom? Wouldn't it be easier to just have kobolds who follow you because you are strong?"

"Creating a kingdom with just kobolds would be extremely hard," Thorian responded, sighing. "And it's not that goblins don't follow the strong; they do. But their nature to multiply rapidly means if I let them expand without restraint, the empire would become overrun with goblins."

"I understand your predicament. That certainly is a tough balance to manage," William nodded. "I assume that's also one of the reasons you don't want to flood your kingdom with humans."

"Humans are even more problematic," Thorian chuckled. "At least goblins don't see kobolds and orcs as mortal enemies."

A deep silence followed Thorian's statement, before William admitted, "It's true that the bad blood we have is very hard to erase." He then looked up at the sky, pondering, "What were the gods thinking, bringing all kinds of creatures into this world and causing so much chaos?"

"That's a question even I can't answer," Thorian gritted his teeth. "But my intuition tells me they view this world as a mere playground, a way to alleviate their eternal boredom."

"They could just visit a prostitute for that," William spat. "What kind of twisted beings would kill millions just to keep their lives interesting?"

Thorian suppressed a chuckle at William's comment. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Cursing the gods brings nothing but hatred and bitterness. The only thing we can do is carve out our haven in this hell the gods have thrown us into."

Hearing this, William fell into thought before smiling. "You know, the more I talk to you, the more you remind me of a friend very dear to me."

Thorian's heart sank, and he froze for a moment in front of William.

"Is something wrong?" William asked, puzzled by Thorian's reaction.

"No, it's nothing," Thorian shook his head, continuing to walk beside William. "Who is this friend I remind you of?"

William furrowed his eyebrows at the odd behavior before shrugging. "He actually shares your name: Thorian, Thorian Steelblade. He's the lord of a territory but lives in the south of the kingdom."

Thorian bit his lip, contemplating whether to reveal his identity to William.

However, before he could speak, William chuckled. "What am I thinking? Thorian is all the way in the lowlands, and he's certainly no kobold. I just find the similarity in your personalities amusing."

Taking a deep breath, Thorian smiled. "This fellow seems interesting. I would certainly love to meet him someday."

"That would indeed be amusing," William laughed heartily.

The two continued walking, following Elder Yur, while Thorian's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Are there now two Thorians in this world? What happened to my original body when I reincarnated into this new one? Did he die? Is there now two of us thinking we're Thorian, or did something else happen?

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Letting out a deep sigh, Thorian could only come to one conclusion: At the end of the day, I don't know what I don't know. My questions can only be answered once I reach the lowlands, but that's a goal far in the future.

While lost in his thoughts, William nudged Thorian, "Looks like we've found the first settlement."

With these words, Thorian snapped back to reality. Pushing aside his doubts, he focused solely on Elder Yur, who was approaching the guards of the goblin tribe they had found.

Thorian couldn't understand the words Elder Yur spoke to the guards, but their reactions told him everything he needed to know. Fear and respect were etched on their faces, and they quickly opened a path for Yur and his group.

Goblin hierarchy certainly makes these matters easy, Thorian mused with a smile.

As they walked through the camp, Thorian observed a scene all too familiar. The desolate and destitute state of the goblins was similar to that of the Elder's encampment they had ruled before.

Casting a curious glance at Elder Yur, Thorian noted his expression of discomfort and slight disgust.

Considering his background, this is the best I could have expected. If he had looked at his own kin with indifference, then a serious conversation would have been needed, Thorian thought with a sigh.

Upon reaching the main cave, Elder Yur spoke with the hobgoblin chief leading the goblin settlement. Initially, there was some disagreement, but after the chief saw the goblin champions standing by Yur's side, he quickly relented. In less than an hour, all the goblins in the settlement were ready to follow Elder Yur back to the village.

Approaching Thorian, Yur asked, "What do you think, my lord? With my status as an elder, it was easy to make them submit to us and join our kingdom."

"The negotiations were fine," Thorian responded curtly, looking deep into Elder Yur's eyes. "Tell me, how did you feel after seeing the state those goblins were in?"

Taken aback, Elder Yur paused to gather his thoughts before responding, "I honestly don't know, my lord. By all accounts, this is our normal way of life. Had you asked me this question just a week ago, I would have said that I felt nothing. However, after living with you, it's hard for me to maintain that opinion."

"Good," Thorian let out a relieved sigh, smiling. "Keep thinking about it, and understand what your true desires are."

While Elder Yur seemed confused by Thorian's directive, the latter made his way toward William. The group then swiftly headed back to the village, bringing with them about sixty goblins and hobgoblins.

As they approached the village wall, William inquired, "So, how do you feel about the goblins now?"

"I'm not sure," Thorian shook his head. "But one thing I've learned is that people grow, whether they're goblins or otherwise, as long as you change their reality."

"That's certainly a poignant insight," William chuckled. "And hopefully, it continues to be true."

The group entered the village, and with Elder Yur's guidance, the new goblins were registered as proper citizens. Soon after, Saxum returned alongside James and the rest, escorting a considerable cohort of fifty kobolds and kobloids.

“Good work,” Thorian commended as he approached the sand kobold. “With these additions, our village can soon be upgraded to the second Stage.”

“Soon, my lord?” Saxum looked puzzled. “Is there anything else we need to do?”

“We need experience points,” Thorian replied succinctly. “And the best way to acquire them is through dungeon clears.”

“That could be problematic,” Saxum pondered. “Most of us have already cleared the dungeons today.”

“Then it's simple,” Thorian shrugged. “Have those of our people who haven't cleared the dungeons yet assist the newcomers. That should quickly give us the experience points we need.”

With that, Thorian left Saxum and returned to William and the others. Turning to young James, he asked, “You've now observed the first recruitment expedition of your village. How was it?”

Scratching his chin, James shrugged, “It was alright.”

Both William and Thorian chuckled at the response. “What do you mean, ‘It was alright’? Didn’t you like it?” Thorian inquired.

“Well, it was pretty neat seeing all the kobolds follow us,” James admitted. “But I didn’t really get to do much. Saxum did all the talking and fighting.”

“That’s because Saxum is strong,” Thorian explained. “If you want to earn true respect and lead effectively, you need to be strong too.”

“I understand,” James sighed, his fists clenched as his enthusiasm returned. “Soon! I’ll be strong like Mister Saxum!”

“That’s the spirit,” William laughed, ruffling his son’s hair.

Considering the situation, Thorian decided to check the amount of experience the territory had accumulated.

Display Territory Resources.

Resources Experience Gathered: 1543 Wood 3256

It seems Ifrit and Ventus have been diligent in their hunting of thumpalopes, Thorian concluded. Excellent, this gives me enough to demonstrate to James how to upgrade the Class Statues.

With this in mind, Thorian motioned for James to follow him. “Come, there’s one last thing I need to show you as a new lord.”

Reaching the magus statue, James asked, “What are you going to show me?”

“How to upgrade a guild,” Thorian replied. “Now, take a step back and think, ‘Upgrade Magus Statue’.”

Following Thorian's instructions, they stepped back, and the ground suddenly shook. In moments, the statue was enveloped by a modest wooden building.

“Wow, is that what an upgrade looks like?” James's eyes widened in amazement. “It happened so fast!”

“This is the magus guild. Here, you can purchase skill scrolls that grant magical abilities,” Thorian elaborated. “You’ll need to upgrade the other statues into guilds as well, fulfilling the requirements to advance the village to the second stage.”

“I get it,” James nodded. “So, I just need to wait for more experience points, right?”

“That's correct,” Thorian affirmed, patting the boy on the head before signaling to William. “Let’s head back.”

Approaching William, Thorian stated, “I’ve taught your son everything he needs to know about being a lord. Now, it’s time for me to return to Wolvendale.”

“I understand,” William nodded. “I’ll stay here a few more hours, until the village is upgraded.”

After exchanging nods, Thorian offered some final advice to Saxum and Elder Yur before setting off for Wolvendale. Upon arrival, he headed straight to Brix’s house, where he found Nox chatting with the shaman apprentice.

“Oh, my lord, have you completed your work in the new village already?” Brix expressed his surprise.

“My role was merely to assist at the beginning,” Thorian explained, giving Brix a thoughtful look. “I wanted to ask you something. Would you be opposed to moving to the new village? James and the others really enjoyed your company and would like you to live with them.”

Brix pondered for a moment before smiling broadly, “You mean I get to live with the vassal lord of the new village?”

“Exactly,” Thorian nodded. “But the choice is yours. You decide whether to stay here or move there.”

“There’s no need to decide; I’ll be leaving as soon as possible,” Brix grinned, heading to his bedroom to start packing his clothes. Nox sighed at this development.

Noticing his friend’s expression, Thorian gestured for Nox to follow him outside. Once in a somewhat private area, Thorian smiled broadly at Nox, “You’ve been patient, but the time has come to fulfill my promise. We’re off to the abyss.”