Chapter 482 - 320: The Unscrupulous Lord of High Cliff Castle Tricks a Little Girl

"Levi, come sit next to me." Harland pulled the Lord over to his left side, then plopped down onto the wide chair. "I’ve long heard you can hold your liquor. Today, we can finally have a proper drink!"

"Your Majesty, the physicians have said you should drink less wine."

A high, thin voice piped up.

Levi followed the sound of the voice to see a middle-aged man with a fair, beardless face. And it was truly beardless—his round face was unnaturally smooth, and the top of his head was as bald as Mandela’s. A clever mind has no time for hair.

"Good day, Lord Levi." The man noticed his gaze and offered a slight smile.

"Damn you, Miaowali! I never should have let you come to this banquet! I know my own body better than anyone!" Harland roared, like a bellowing lion.

"You are the King. You are always right." The Minister of Intelligence, Miaowali, didn’t argue in the slightest and tactfully withdrew.

It was just a small farce.

With the main figures taking their places, the banquet truly came alive.

The nobles at the surrounding tables took their seats, and attendants flitted between the tables like butterflies, serving bottles of Golden Moon Wine, a vintage exclusive to the Royal Court.

Only those of the highest status could sit at the King’s table.

The West Duke, Duke Feiyin of the Eastern Territory, and that foolish Prince from the Holy Sith Kingdom.

The Prince instinctively shrank back upon seeing the Lord, but he quickly realized this made him look weak and puffed out his chest again, like a duck trying to stand tall before a tiger.

Queen Seres also extricated herself from a crowd of noble ladies at just the right moment. However, she didn’t spare the Lord a single glance, as if they had never met, and sat down to the King’s right with a cold expression.

"That’s the Archbishop of Talisi. I heard his Magic Cultivation has already reached the Transformation Realm. He’s just one step away from becoming Legendary."

Just then, Filo nudged the Lord’s side with his elbow. He was riding on someone’s coattails, which was how he’d snagged a seat only two chairs down from the King.

Otherwise, with no one present having a lower status than this powerless, titled Prince, his seat would have been much further back.

The Archbishop, dressed in a red robe, looked to be in his sixties or seventies, yet his posture remained ramrod straight. He wore a Bishop’s Crown and carried a Magic Staff. An attendant guided him to his assigned seat, where he gave the Lord a calm glance before closing his eyes to meditate.

Levi couldn’t be bothered to greet them, either. Whether they were from the Sith Kingdom or Talisi, they had ostensibly come to Debei to discuss the Demon issue. In reality, they were probably all here for him—the Dragon Knight.

"Good day, Your Excellencies! Let us raise a glass to celebrate Debei gaining a new Duke!" Harland filled his own cup, raised it high, and looked pointedly at the stunned Lord beside him. "I intend to make Lord Levi the Duke of the Wilderness! All Unclaimed Land in the Wilderness shall be his territory, and all Leaderless People shall be under his protection!"

His booming voice was loud enough to reach every corner, ensuring even the rats in the shadows could hear him loud and clear.

This declaration stunned everyone. But after a moment to process its implications, they immediately erupted in enthusiastic support.

"There is no one more suited to be the Duke of the Wilderness than Lord Levi!"

"Lord Levi might just become the true Lord of the Wilderness!"

If he had been granted a swath of fertile land, the nobles present would have inevitably been displeased.

But they were all too aware of the situation in the Wilderness. It was unquestionably Unclaimed Land, an area nearly half the size of Debei itself.

So why hadn’t Debei annexed it after all these years?

Not only was it remote and impoverished, but more importantly, it was teeming with numerous Races, scattered across the vast plains in Tribes.

Launching an all-out war would cost more than it was worth. Even a victory would surely come at a heavy price, and the Holy Sith Kingdom, watching like a tiger, would certainly not miss the chance to strike Debei while it was down. That was why, in recent years, Debei had implemented the Pioneer Lord policy, preparing to swallow the Wilderness bit by bit.

Therefore, even though the Lion Hunter Knight had been granted the entire Wilderness, it didn’t mean the vast land was truly his.

However, one thing was certain: if he wanted to truly possess this land, he would have no choice but to generously grant titles to Pioneer Nobles.

And that was an opportunity. For them, this was actually good news, as it meant the difficulty of becoming a Pioneer Noble would decrease significantly.

"Levi, welcome as a Duke of Debei." Harland drained his cup in one gulp, his thick beard dripping with wine. "Afterward, the appointment documents, approved by me, will be delivered to you from the Noble Garden."

"It is my honor, Your Majesty," Levi said with a smile.

’Why did the King suddenly make me a Duke?’ he wondered. ’And in such a crude manner, without even a proper ceremony. Still, there’s no doubt this is a massive stroke of good fortune! I was hesitant to collect tolls from the caravans entering the Wilderness, but now I can do so with a clear conscience!’

’Before, you could say only the places I occupied were my territory. But now, with the King’s endorsement, the entire Wilderness belongs to me.’

’Without my permission, those Pioneer Lords can no longer continue to claim new territory, because it all belongs to me, the Lord of High Cliff Castle!’