King of the North: My Lord's Diary Weekly Summary

It was completely dark when we parted ways with Rachel's group.

Wayne stood at the crossroads, watching the cavalry, bathed in the faint glow of firelight, gradually disappear into the distance in the northwest.

He did not set off immediately.

Looking at the road swallowed by darkness, he suddenly remembered how he felt when he first arrived in Frostraven Territory.

At that time, he felt that as long as he survived, as long as he saved enough food, built houses, and raised a team, he could gradually gain a foothold.

Later, he wiped out the Blackblade Gang, joined the Dukes' Alliance, and allied with the Wolf Clan.

He thought he was breaking the deadlock.

But now he understands.

He did not leave the chessboard for even a moment.

Rachel's smile flashed through his mind again—it was a genuine expression of contempt.

"ha……"

The night wind rushed into my lungs, making them ache with cold.

The young wolf clan members remained silent as well.

As they said goodbye, Anne stood under the torch, her expression more somber than usual.

"I will remember what you said."

Wayne nodded, without asking which sentence she was referring to.

Isaac stood further away, the bandage on his left arm gleaming dark in the firelight, soaked with herbs.

He did not bow, but merely bowed his head slightly in Wayne's direction, a very small movement, like a crack appearing in a rock.

Kellerb, however, had no further desire to express himself.

Wayne could see the complexity in their eyes—they had been taught from childhood that the blood of the wolf clan, the bond with their wolf companions, and the fighting skills passed down for thousands of years were enough to make them stand tall on this land.

But today, they witnessed a cavalry unit of twenty men slaughter an entire Corpse Wolf Legion commanded by superhumans in three minutes.

That pale blue light, like an invisible knife, sliced ​​through their accustomed worldview.

They need time to process this.

He needs it too.

"I'm gone."

Wayne turned his horse around.

Horse hooves crunched on fallen leaves as the procession drove into the night.

……

Phipps Forest was finally left behind.

My vision suddenly opened up.

Soon, Wayne saw the new building.

The fences for the Southwest Ranch have all been erected:

The wooden stakes were driven straight, and the ropes were taut.

He saw a group of people standing at the entrance to the ranch—they were villagers.

Anke is at the very front.

They are welcoming themselves.

Wayne dismounted.

The weariness and heaviness that had accumulated on his face over three days and two nights in the forest vanished instantly.

"My lord!"

Anke quickly stepped forward, stopped three steps in front of Wayne, and bowed.

"Congratulations on your triumphant return, sir!"

Behind him, the villagers followed suit and bowed.

Wayne stepped forward and took Anke's arms with both hands.

"Thanks for your hard work."

An Ke was stunned for a moment.

Wayne didn't let go, his gaze sweeping over the veteran's shoulder and over the villagers carrying baskets and jars.

"In the few days I was away, the order of the territory, the ranch fences, the houses—everyone did a great job."

He released An Ke's hand, faced the crowd, and raised his voice slightly:

"I assure you all, a better life is coming soon."

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then a young woman laughed first, shoved the pottery jar in her hand into the arms of the person next to her, and led the applause.

The atmosphere suddenly became more relaxed.

"Where are Emma and the others?"

Anke steadied her voice: "They are all at their posts and waiting to report to you—including Knight Wright."

Wayne nodded.

"it is good."

He said, "Let's discuss this tonight."

An Ke straightened her back: "Yes!"

Wayne mounted his horse and glanced down at the old soldier before leaving.

"An Ke."

"exist."

"You've been with me since I first took over Frostraven Territory, and you've handled everything perfectly."

He paused.

"I've seen your abilities."

Anke's lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

"You're eligible for a future position as a bodyguard."

Wayne said, "If you have any other needs, just tell Emma."

"..."

After several seconds, he finally gave a heavy "hmm".

The voice trembled slightly.

Wayne said nothing more and rode his horse toward the village.

Behind him, An Ke's straight back remained upright for a long time.

……

Nighttime, in the conference room.

The lights illuminated the room brightly.

Wayne first met with Emma—he needed to understand the current internal situation of the territory before making any other plans.

"My lord, the residential area is now fully completed—including two new communal warehouses, all of which meet the wintering standards of the North."

She opened the notebook, her voice quick and clear:

"The fences for the Southwest Ranch have been closed, and it is expected to be able to accommodate sixty adult livestock."

She paused, then looked up at Wayne, her eyes filled with barely suppressed anticipation:

"The people all say that they now have houses to live in, pastures, and stored grain—a life they never dreamed of."

Wayne nodded without interrupting.

Emma swallowed hard, her voice lowering slightly:

"but……"

"But what?"

"economy."

She turned to the next page of her notebook: "Currently, apart from salt and ironware, we have no other products that would motivate our citizens to make a purchase."

Salt and iron tools were already being used as resources to incentivize labor.

Wayne did not respond.

Emma bit her lower lip and spoke faster:

Gordon said this is not a short-term problem, but a structural one.

The people's willingness to work and their morale are stable, but there is a lack of room for further development.

They have nothing to buy, so they have no incentive to work harder in the future; without the incentive to work harder, the territory's finances and resources will always have to rely on your spoils and supplies from the Dukes' Union—”

"This isn't your problem, don't try to take the blame."

Wayne interrupted her.

Emma's words stuck in her throat.

Wayne looked at the still-childish face in front of him.

She demanded of herself the standards of a manager, forgetting that she was just a girl not yet twenty years old.

"You did a great job. I'll take care of the rest—execution is your strength, and I have faith in you."

Emma's eyes were slightly red. After receiving instructions from Wayne, she left the meeting room to rest.

Wayne sighed:

He understood that, in terms of internal governance, they had been relying on past achievements in order to build infrastructure and eliminate the influence of bandits.

The things that can be developed now... herding and carpentry, are all difficult to expand on a large scale.

The second one to come in was Raymond.

He didn't sit down, but walked to the table and spread a hand-drawn sketch of the defensive line in front of Wayne.

"The day before yesterday, the baron from the southeast sent someone."

Wayne nodded slightly—this was to be expected: "Baron Ethan, where did his men come from? What is their purpose?"

"Only one person was sent, who swam across the Ice Scar River."

Raymond responded: "He's a high-ranking officer, and quite skilled."

As for the purpose, it was to test them.

His excuse was that winter came early this year, with frosts arriving early, causing their food reserves to be somewhat strained—he hoped to talk to you about it and find some work to manage.

Wayne indicated that he understood.

He deliberately chose this time to come suddenly, without explaining what he wanted to exchange—or even having any intention of making a deal at all. He must have obtained some information.

This is a wake-up call for myself.

"How did you handle it?"