Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Rapids Island.

More than two months had passed since Karda and his men had taken up residence here.

During that time, they had taken over Wally Knight’s garrison. Now, the port was entirely manned by Karda’s people.

Under their management, the former members of the Laren Association and the White Flower Association had mostly been put to work, and order was slowly being restored.

On a hill outside the port, Karda and his deputy, Lusen, watched two departing cargo ships loaded with the lumber they had collected over the past two months.

As previously agreed with Ronin, these two shiploads of cargo would be transported to Screaming Island.

If all went well, it would bring in an income of 700 Gold Coins.

Lusen frowned slightly. “Karda, it’s been over two months. Why hasn’t Lord Ronin come yet? He hasn’t forgotten about us, has he?”

To be honest, leaving the bustling Golden Feather City and Horn Bay for this godforsaken island, where they faced either a bunch of Wildmen or the mentally and physically disabled all day, was sometimes truly exhausting for both body and mind.

Under these circumstances, if the Lord had forgotten them, then coming to Rapids Island full of passion might have been a terrible choice.

In fact, it wasn’t just Lusen; many of the people who had come with them had the same suspicion.

After all, Rapids Island was a remote place at sea with nothing special about it. And since noble lords love their comforts, who would come all the way out here for no reason?

Karda’s brow furrowed. He had his own doubts, but having crossed swords with Ronin before, his intuition told him that Ronin was not a man who went back on his word.

“Don’t worry. The Lord and I made an agreement. If all goes well, he should be here soon.”

He pulled a small map from his pocket. “As far as I know, Wubei Territory doesn’t have a port yet. For the Lord to get here, he has to cut across Wushan Territory and then set out from Dennis Port. Leaving aside the sea journey, just the overland trip would take several days, even on a Magical Beast mount!”

Lusen looked at the map, and his heart settled a little.

The New Year festivities had just ended, so rushing all the way here would take more than ten days at the very least.

But just as the two were talking, a fierce gust of wind howled past. An immense pressure descended, sending a chill through their bodies.

Just then, a hearty voice rang out from behind them. “Karda, Lusen, what are you two looking at?”

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes.

At the moment, only two of Rapids Island’s ships were docked at the pier; there were no new arrivals. How could the Lord’s voice be here?

They turned around to see what was going on, but the sight that met their eyes almost made their hearts stop.

Lusen, who was more timid and had little experience with Magical Beasts, was so frightened that he took a step back and fell to the ground.

“Heavens, what is that monster!”

Sweat beaded on Karda’s forehead. A moment ago, he had been wondering if Ronin had arrived on a Griffin, but he never expected it to be such a massive, ferocious Flying Magical Beast!

Although he had seen quite a few Magical Beasts, the one before him didn’t match any known species.

“A Dragon… a Dragon?”

The word suddenly came to Karda’s mind, which had completely blanked.

WHOOSH~

Carlos let out a puff of hot air, as if rewarding him for the correct guess.

Back in the cave, he had always been the one afraid of others.

Now the tables had turned; almost everyone who saw him showed a look of terror.

’I have to admit,’ he thought, ’this feeling of being feared is quite enjoyable.’

Ronin leaped effortlessly from the Dragon’s head.

He hadn’t revealed Carlos just to show off; he had a purpose.

After all, the people on Rapids Island were not Ridder, Macken, or Elron. They were not bound by any contract.

Everyone has selfish desires, especially when he wasn’t around often.

To keep them from getting any funny ideas, Ronin needed to reveal his powerful side.

Revealing his Meteor Level strength would not be as shocking as unveiling an unknown creature like this.

“My Lord, is that a Giant Dragon?” Karda asked, mustering his courage.

“Yes. He is Frostfire Wings Carlos.”

Ronin introduced him with a smile. “However, not many people know of his existence yet. I hope that on Rapids Island, only the two of you are aware.”

As he spoke, Carlos had already cast the Curved Light Refraction Magic, and his massive body slowly faded from view.

Ronin only wanted the two managers, Karda and Lusen, to know. He didn’t want anyone else to see the Giant Dragon.

At that moment, his image grew tall and mysterious in the eyes of Karda and Lusen.

’What kind of being could command a Giant Dragon?’

They didn’t know the answer, because in reality, no one had ever been heard of possessing a Giant Dragon.

In Knight novels, however, such a person was usually the protagonist, destined to become the master of the continent.

“Let’s go. We’ll head back to the port first.”

Ronin suggested, “Life on Rapids Island is tough. You must be tired of eating seafood and potatoes every day, right? Heh, this time I’ve brought you all fine wine and bread, as well as beef and mutton. Tonight, tell everyone to come to Rapids Island’s first-ever feast!”

The atmosphere eased with Ronin’s laughter, and Karda and Lusen fell in step behind him.

But one question remained: where were the wine and bread?

When Ronin produced a large quantity of supplies right in front of them, he seemed even more mysterious.

That night, a lively feast was held, accompanied by the sea breeze.

Ronin’s arrival dispelled everyone’s doubts. Furthermore, when he went on to discuss his plans to build a shipyard and expand the Navy here, everyone understood that the Lord placed great importance on Rapids Island.

Late that night, Karda handed a stack of documents to Ronin.

“My Lord, these are the documents you tasked me with—the Rapids Island census.”

Ronin took them and gave them a cursory glance.

Although there were no particularly talented individuals, the population had reached over 27,500 people.

The registered population across all his territories now reached over 92,000, less than 8,000 shy of the 100,000 required for Population Prosperity.

“Nicely done.”

Ronin praised him. “How is the Navy’s training coming along?”

“Currently, there are twenty-one Knights on Rapids Island. Excluding the eight or nine needed for daily administration, the rest train every day. In addition, we have recruited a group of able-bodied, middle-aged men from the island who are good swimmers to serve as Sailors and Archers. Overall progress is quite good.”

At this, Karda scratched his head and said with some difficulty, “It’s just a pity that we only have one warship. If we had another, it would be much more convenient.”

“A temporary pier is under construction in Wubei Territory, and I’ve also found shipwrights. Shipbuilding will be put on the agenda.”

He thought for a moment, then added, “If necessary, I’ll go buy a few more ships.”

Saying this, he took out an illustrated booklet. “When you have time, arrange for some people to search the island for this plant. If you find any, mark the location. I’ll harvest it next time I’m here.”

The plant Ronin was talking about was none other than the Dream Flower, used to create the Support Enhancement Potion.

According to Miroslav, Dream Flowers grew on islands. Rapids Island still had large, unexplored areas, and its climate was suitable for the flower’s growth. If they found any, it would save Ronin a great deal of money.

Karda put the booklet away carefully. “My Lord, there is one more thing I need to report to you.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “Because Laren was the former leader of the Laren Association, he has many acquaintances on the island. He considers himself a senior figure and has been uncooperative with some of our arrangements.”

Ronin frowned. ’Laren didn’t show any unusual behavior at the feast, and he was extremely humble when he surrendered. Was he just putting on an act in front of me?’

’Karda wouldn’t make up something like this for no reason.’

“You are the Governor of Rapids Island. You can handle this matter as you see fit.”

Since Ronin was delegating authority, if he personally intervened in every little thing, he would work himself to death.

He paused, then added, “Of course, cooperation is always best.”

“I understand.”

Karda nodded. “I will do my best to persuade him, and at the same time, I will work to diminish his influence over the former Laren Association.”

His biggest worry before was that Ronin wouldn’t allow him to discipline the Knights on the island, which made some things inconvenient to handle.

But now that he had confirmed he had the authority to pass judgment, he could better establish his prestige as Governor.

Witnessing the Giant Dragon today had already convinced Karda that following Ronin was the right decision.

’Perhaps in the future, this young Lord really could become a figure who will shake the continent.’

’That being the case, I have to perform even better and display all of my abilities.’

’Only then can I go further.’