After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

Oswald knew that saying these things wouldn't change the antagonistic relationship between humans and demons, and he himself had no intention of stopping the war against the demons.

A century-old feud is etched in the heart, let alone a thousand-year-old one! Generations have died on the battlefield, and hatred has condensed into blood and tears among the people. Indeed, if a race can forget even hatred, how far will that race degenerate?

He wanted to tell the soldiers that a wrong beginning inevitably leads to a wrong end. Now, the world is at a point of change, and they must choose between obeying the goddess's will and liberating themselves.

"I know it's tough for you, but if I'm not mistaken, we'll face other curses later, and these curses were born in response to the goddess's expectations..."

The Duke's words resonated in everyone's hearts, and these children of the Creator returned to their tents, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The night continued, and after telling Elena to get some rest, Oswald sat alone by the fire, smoking his pipe.

After becoming an undead, he no longer needed to sleep, and although Elena was unwilling, she knew that she had to maintain a good routine to prepare for taking on heavy responsibilities in the future.

"When you get old, you can't sleep at night after sleeping during the day."

Medivh walked over, sat down next to Oswald with a smile, and also took out a fine pipe inlaid with gold and silver.

He proudly handed the pipe to Oswald, saying, "Touch this, it was a gift from His Majesty's grandfather, the old king."

Oswald weighed the pipe in his hand and smiled.

"Yes, it's definitely a good item; it could be passed down as a family heirloom."

Upon hearing this, Medivh laughed loudly and said, "Haha, as for family heirlooms, I've never married in my life, and even if I wanted to have offspring, it's too late. If the Duke likes them, I can leave them to you before I die."

"Forget it, I'm a spendthrift. I'll sell this thing within two days of getting it into my hands."

After handing the pipe back to Medivh and hearing him light it, Oswald cut to the chase: "Old sir, do you want the formula to cure the plague?"

Medivh took two deep drags, smoke escaping from the corner of his mouth, and glanced sideways at Oswald.

"Does the Duke want me to turn a blind eye to what your Northern Army is doing?"

Only now did Oswald reveal the oppressive aura of a grand duke, coldly sneering in a tone that was neither too strong nor too weak.

"Sir, there's no need to speak to me like that. I've calculated the timing perfectly, and I have plenty of talented men under my command. Even if war breaks out, I guarantee you won't gain any advantage."

Jenny executed his task perfectly, even developing a cure for the plague earlier than he had anticipated.

The northern territories are currently the least affected by the plague, while the central region, even if it could assemble a large, healthy army, would struggle to ensure logistical stability.

Forcing a war will only bring Frank one step closer to stepping down.

Upon hearing this, Medivh sighed softly. He knew perfectly well that the Duke's words were true, but he felt regret.

"Do you really have to go down that road?"

"Old sir, you should have also investigated what happened in your past life. I can say something you don't want to hear here: Elene was just the trigger, and the users of the Star of Prayer were also forced into it. The ones who truly changed everything were the common people of the Northern Territory."

"They fought to the death, and I will not hesitate to give my own life as well. If it can give them a bright future, what does it matter if it's the head of a human king, or even a demon king or a dwarf king?!"

Oswald's firm words silenced Medivh.

The person before me is indeed the rightful lord of the Northern Territory. He is not yet fully powerful, but if given more time, the whole world will probably undergo earth-shattering changes.

"Well, I'm getting old too. I can only take it one step at a time." Medivh emptied the burning tobacco from his pipe. This time, they had indeed been outmaneuvered by Oswald. For at least a year or two, they would be unable to stop the rise of the Northern Territory.

He looked at Oswald again, his eyes still filled with undisguised admiration. "You've eaten so much, Duke. You'd better keep a close eye on the demons."

Oswald nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, sir, I'll watch carefully."

"Have that nun give me the formula tomorrow." With that, Medivh slammed his pipe down on Oswald's hand, turned and left.

……

Before arriving at Green Canyon, Medivh left the hero behind, asked Oswald for a horse, and set off alone with the recipe to the royal city.

Thorne became increasingly cautious. He had figured it out: in the current kingdom, the only place he could find refuge was the Northern Territory. Fortunately, a strange rumor suddenly began to circulate within the group.

With so many excellent candidates who could become heroes, why did the goddess choose Thorne, this unassuming guy from the beginning?

The reason is because he's indecent! The goddess did it on purpose, just so the racial war between humans and demons could continue!

Thorne... Yes! That's it!

When he stepped forward and personally proved that the rumor was true, the cavalrymen quickly changed their attitude towards him.

Although they were still not very friendly, they no longer deliberately made things difficult for Thorne.

It can only be said that all beings in the universe are the same when it comes to persuading people to reform.

Green Canyon was bustling with people, and a steady stream of farmers and supplies from the central district were brought into Green Canyon by the army. It was time for Elena to leave the ranks.

She had to stay here to handle the future of the farmers for the Duke. In addition to the still developing area around the city of Kuogu, the labor shortage was widening without her noticing, and the rebuilt earldom also urgently needed a large influx of people.

After whispering something to Jenny and instructing her to take good care of the Duke, Elena reluctantly bid farewell to Oswald.

"Autumn is here, so we need to be careful about winter. We don't lack food. After the harvest, I will assemble a large construction team and try to build cement houses. Please report any developments on your end to me immediately."

"Yes, sir. Please take good care of yourself while I'm gone..."

After leaving Green Canyon, the group continued their journey.

Upon arriving in the Northern Territory, Thorne found everything new and exciting. The most striking impression he got from the cities in the Northern Territory was their cleanliness and tidiness. He even saw people who were specifically there to clean the city.

After crossing the lake by boat and continuing on horseback, Thorne saw a group of children gathering firewood in a forest.

From a distance, they pointed at Janet and shouted, "It's the messenger of hell! The messenger of hell has arrived!"

Messenger of Hell?

Thorne glanced at Janet discreetly. This nun, her nickname in the underworld… was rather imposing. Of course, anyone who could stand beside the Duke of Oswald couldn't be a simple person.

"Duke!"

As Thorne passed through the newly established village, a loud, booming shout startled him. Before he could react, a disheveled old man with a wooden cane rushed into the group.

The cavalrymen didn't stop him, and to Thorne's astonishment, the old man darted into the carriage where Duke Oswald was.

"You carved a... white cane for me?"

Upon hearing Old George's purpose, Oswald was both amused and exasperated. Their information network was truly impressive; they had even prepared a white cane so quickly.

"You'll need it, you'll need it..."

After confirming that the Duke was indeed blind, old George said with tears streaming down his face, "I heard you've become an undead, so that thing can't be used anymore. Alas, you can't use tools to replace it."

"And then there's that little brat, Elena, always so wary of everyone, and her belly's betraying her, she'll definitely get pregnant soon..."

"Stop, stop."

Oswald couldn't stand it anymore. What was all this nonsense? Who was spreading rumors that I couldn't have children?

Even though it's really impossible, can't you at least give me some face?

"Alright, I'll find a way to cure your health issues. Let's all keep quiet." Oswald took the wooden cane from old George and found it to be very comfortable to hold and easy to balance.

He grasped old George's rough hand. "By the way, after you're done here, remember to go back to Ice City as soon as possible. This year might be tough."

When old George heard that the Duke's health could still be cured, he immediately beamed and said, "Of course, of course. I'm still in good health, and we're almost done here."

After saying goodbye to old George and hearing Jenny's report on the development of the new rural area, Oswald felt much more at ease.

What worries him most is the southern business district, where farmers are oppressed to the point of having nowhere to stand and have lost their normal understanding. Oswald is genuinely concerned about whether they can get back on the right track in life.

As time went by, the closer they got to the Ice City, the slower the team's progress became.

News of the Duke's blindness, his transformation into an undead, and his inability to have children spread far faster than their journey. At almost every village they passed, large numbers of villagers blocked their way, insisting on seeing the Duke's condition for themselves.

He couldn't remember how many times people had secretly pinched him there; the older folks there were never gentle with their touches...

So, what exactly are they trying to confirm?!

But Oswald was helpless against them. Each time, he could only get off the carriage with his cane and comfort them, telling them not to worry, that he was just blind, that the thing was not gone, and that he would find a way to cure himself.

Sometimes, Oswald himself couldn't help but shed tears when faced with the warm hospitality of the villagers.

Even though the undead are terrifying beings to ordinary people, these villagers seemed completely unconcerned that their duke had become an undead. Instead, they comforted themselves with all sorts of strange and unusual methods…

So, can you please stop pinching it? It's not that it can't feel pain anymore, it's that it's not.

Finally, after enduring a period of torment, Oswald arrived at his loyal Ice City, where Luna and the entire city's inhabitants waited outside the city.