The Dragon Girl would never like the Lord.

He stared at Howell Barron with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

The nobles present all knew that this place was not something they could get their hands on, and they planned to wait until the two counts' sons had made their choices before trying to find a more distant location to develop.

They all looked at Howell Barron, wondering whether he would choose the most intense confrontation or avoid a direct confrontation.

"Hurricane Valley is also good; it's easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it suitable for defensive warfare."

Howell Barron wasn't a reckless man; he didn't intend to go head-to-head with his opponent from the start. Given some time, he was confident he could outmaneuver him.

So, as a second-best option, they nailed the family crest to Hurricane Valley.

Upon hearing the other party's choice, Andrei Okot sneered and sat back down.

Everyone initially expected a fierce clash, but unexpectedly, Howell Barron chose to avoid the confrontation and, with the Central Noble Group, opted for the decent Hurricane Valley.

After these two noble groups made their choices, several sons of viscounts with considerable influence also affixed their family crests to their preferred positions.

Next, the nobles of the Northern Noble Alliance, led by Turs Jesse, chose Lake Besri.

Dozens of family crests fell down, forming a circle around Lake Bergasri.

The nobles present were all well aware that this group of local nobles had chosen to band together for mutual support and annex the decent Lake Bergasri.

Several nobles who had already chosen Lake Bergasri wisely removed their coats of arms and placed them elsewhere.

The nobles who came to participate in the expansion of their territories were all intelligent people who would not do something as foolish as throwing an egg against a rock. They all chose relatively safe places as their expansion sites.

After all, this expansion has lasted for eight months, and there will be plenty of opportunities to get revenge later.

Seeing that everyone had made their choices, Ron stood up and stepped forward to nail the family crest to the Thousand-Mile Swamp.

This is the most correct starting point after Lilith removes a wrong answer.

This is a protruding rock formation, with only 2 square kilometers of it exposed above the water gate; the rest is completely hidden in a muddy swamp overgrown with weeds.

It is not far from the mainland, only 20 kilometers away from the marshland.

After Ron made his choice, many nobles present couldn't help but glance at him again.

This is the first nobleman to choose the swamp.

Everyone thought he must have gone mad. The swamp was damp, cold, and muddy everywhere. Let alone cultivating wheat fields, it was questionable whether he could even establish a proper territory.

While others were unaware, several members of the Northern Noble Group wore enigmatic smiles upon seeing Ron choose the swamp.

They thought Ron had been frightened by Wilson Gray the night before, which was why he chose the northernmost swamp.

This terrain allows for a defensive posture, making it difficult for others to penetrate. If all else fails, one can simply escape deeper into the swamp.

Of course, many people also think that Ron's approach was very wise. Knowing that the other party would make a move and that the difference in strength was huge, choosing the swamp might be the only way to survive.

Wilson Gray watched Ron return and gave a disdainful sneer;

You can't escape!

After saying this, he stood up, removed the Wilson family crest, and planted it in Clifton Valley.

This is the only way to the swamp; other places are blocked by mountains over two thousand meters high.

The nobles of the North were well aware of Wilson Gray's purpose in choosing this place.

Fortunately, this location is not far from Lake Besri, only half a day's journey away, allowing for mutual support with the Northern Noble Alliance.

Ron was not surprised by Wilson Gray's choice, because he understood that the feud was irreconcilable and only one of them could survive.

This is also why Luo Enchou is worried.

Of course, there's no need to worry too much. We can make another batch of potions when we get back, and turn about thirty people into holy knights.

With the addition of the three dragon maidens and himself, their combined strength was almost equal to that of Wilson Gray's Knights.

Even if we clash head-on, we won't be afraid.

However, after Wilson Gray made this choice, Ron still pretended to be frightened, his face turned pale, and he looked dejected.

He did this to make the other party feel that victory was assured, so that he could catch them off guard.

Ron's primary concern was eliminating Wilson Gray at minimal cost.

Chapter 38 Forced to Buy Potions! The Nobleman is Oppressed at Every Turn!

For most of the morning, the nobles were repeatedly deliberating and adjusting the location for expansion.

It wasn't until almost noon that things were basically finalized.

"Gentlemen, the time for selecting settlements has now come to an end."

Hilton Byrne glanced at his watch, stood up, and spoke with a smile;

"Please sit down and rest for a while. I have prepared a banquet for you to enjoy."

Upon hearing this, all the nobles respectfully rose and bowed in thanks.

"Earl Bourne, thank you for your generosity."

"Please don't be shy, everyone. Please sit down."

After saying this, Hilton Byrne raised his hand and clapped his hands.

clap clap-

At first, everyone was a little confused, and even a few minor nobles joined in the applause.

Then the door to the inner hall opened, and a group of maids in uniforms came out pushing brown wooden handcarts.

On the cart were bottles of translucent glassware, filled with pale golden liquid, swaying back and forth.

"This is a holy knight's potion prepared for pioneering."

Hilton Byrne cleared his throat and said with a serious expression:

"The Kingdom of Saintis stipulates that each pioneering lord can only purchase a maximum of five portions, but today it's different in the North. You can purchase a maximum of ten portions of Holy Knight Potion."

"Each potion will be sold at the market price of 1400 gold coins. Gentlemen, in order to defend your territory, you can start strengthening your military."

At first, no one was surprised, because every time they expanded their territory, they would be provided with magic potions.

Lords with spare money will buy a few bottles to enhance their strength.

Those without spare money could only watch from the sidelines. However, during a past expansion war, the Grand Duke of the Southern Region marked all the nobles who had not bought potions.

Unsurprisingly, they all died in various accidents.

Since that incident, everyone prepares at least one potion's worth of gold coins before each expedition.

Ron was no exception; he had his maid prepare gold coins well in advance.

But the forced sale made him very unhappy, especially since he could make potions himself, and he was completely suffering in silence.

That's true; you can resell them back on the market.

Based on yesterday's potion prices, this back-and-forth trading resulted in a loss of one hundred gold coins.

"I'll definitely have to make up for it in the yard later..." Ron was already thinking about those few ghost grass plants in the Earl's mansion courtyard.

This is the main ingredient for making the Shadow Assassin potion, which is exactly what Ron is missing.

Ron was itching to get his hands on the potions even before the forced sale happened, and now he felt perfectly justified in picking them up.

Without exception, all the nobles present had prepared gold coins to purchase the potion.

The less aristocratic families generally buy one copy, not because they don't want to buy more, but because their means don't allow it.

The sons of viscounts, especially those who are slightly wealthier, all buy five or more portions.

The two counts' sons purchased ten portions directly.

They didn't actually need those potions, but in order to befriend Hilton Bourne and make a good impression on him, they needed to pay a price.

Moreover, for noble families like them, potions are consumables.

Every month involves considerable expenses, so buying more at times like these can earn you some goodwill.

Ron only intends to buy one copy, and he just wants it not to be marked.

If he had prepared earlier and made more potions to sell, he could have made quite a few.

But it's unnecessary. Without real strength, even showing your face in front of Hilton Byrne won't help.

Because the difference in strength is too great, even if they are not at the same level, they cannot be several steps apart.

Therefore, this goodwill is futile.

Buying too much might arouse Wilson Gray's suspicion, which would be counterproductive.

Once you become powerful enough, you won't need to curry favor; the other party might just take the initiative to befriend you.

In this world, might makes right.

The sale of the potions lasted for a full half hour, and it is roughly estimated that more than 300 potions were sold.

One potion costs 1,400 gold coins, so 300 potions would cost 420,000 gold coins.

Ron, having calculated the sum, had a glint of greed in his eyes; earning gold coins was far too easy.

The price of three hundred potion ingredients won't exceed ten thousand gold coins; damn it, it's all profit.