I, the heir of the great Eastern nation

No one dislikes being flattered.

Clearly, even a king who is used to flattery can appreciate well-placed compliments.

Therefore, when Liu Zhao immediately attributed the credit to himself, the king, after defeating the other contestants, Davil's old face beamed with a wide grin.

"Indeed, not only does he come from a distinguished family, but his strength is also unparalleled among his peers."

"Liu Zhao from the Royal Magic Academy, right? Not bad, very promising for his age!"

While the old king was laughing heartily, the white-bearded old man Hills whispered something in his ear with a smile.

"Your Majesty, haven't you always wanted to cultivate a young talent to suppress the arrogance of the nobles under the other grand dukes? Liu Zhao is not only capable enough, but more importantly, he comes from a clean family and has no vested interests with any of the great nobles. Isn't he the best choice?"

The old king nodded slightly.

Then, under the astonished gazes of many, the aged king looked at Liu Zhao with increasing satisfaction and spoke directly.

"Liu Zhao, you have successfully won the championship glory for my Royal Magic Academy. I have never been stingy with rewards for outstanding talents like you who are loyal to the kingdom!"

"Today, I bestow upon you the title of Baron of Golden Flame, and grant you Blackstone Territory as your fief. Are you satisfied?"

Liu Zhao was slightly taken aback.

Upon seeing the look from the white-bearded old man Hills, he quickly realized what was happening, bowed deeply, and thanked him loudly.

"Your Majesty's great kindness will be forever etched in my heart. I will dedicate my life to serving Your Majesty's wisdom and virtue, and to the great Kingdom of Auster!"

Upon hearing Liu Zhao place himself before the Kingdom of Aus again, the old king nodded in satisfaction once more.

The two princes sitting beside him had very different expressions.

The second prince, Ian, chuckled and gave the eldest prince a mocking look.

"You tried to steal a chicken but lost the bait instead; how shameful, Your Majesty!"

Immediately, although Prince Thor had a smile on his face, his eyes were filled with coldness as he looked at Liu Zhao.

Seeing Thor's reaction, Ian felt a surge of secret pleasure.

At the same time, there was more thought in his gaze as he looked at Liu Zhao.

……

The next day, at the Royal Magic Academy.

Inside Vice Principal Hills's office.

The white-bearded old man, beaming, handed over the title document and the certificates related to the territory to Liu Zhao.

"How about that? I didn't lie to you, did I? I promised to give you a territory, and I gave you one. Not only did I give you the Blackstone Territory you wanted, but I also got you a baron title."

The old man looked smug.

"You know, even members of the major families can't be ennobled without years of experience and military achievements. You've really hit the jackpot this time, kid."

Liu Zhao nodded in agreement.

He hadn't expected Hills to handle things so well.

"Thank you very much, Principal."

The old man chuckled.

"It's nothing, but I must remind you, old man. This time, the king is giving you a title and a territory as a test. If you want to have the opportunity to advance further in the future, you'll have to make some achievements as a lord. Don't let my efforts go to waste."

Liu Zhao nodded.

"Don't worry, Principal, there won't be any problem."

As he spoke, Liu Zhao casually asked a question.

"By the way, Principal, I haven't seen Ms. Cecilia lately. We saw her at such a big event as the exchange conference, where has she been?"

Hills laughed heartily.

"Her? She went to the North to prepare for her promotion."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhao was surprised but did not ask any further questions. After chatting with Hills for a few more minutes about his recent progress in magic studies, he left the office.

Soon after, realizing that it was pointless for him to stay in school and learn those basic first-year knowledge, Liu Zhao, after informing Christine and Supervisor Charlie in advance, decisively called Simon and York and prepared to go to Blackstone Territory that very day.

Then, to his surprise, Christine said she wanted to go with him too.

"What? You're coming too?"

Liu Zhao looked surprised.

"You know Hongguo Village, it's a remote rural place. It takes half a day to go there and back. I'm going there to become a lord. What are you, a dignified young lady of the Lance family, doing coming along to join in the fun?"

Christine, however, remained steadfast in her stance.

"I don't care, I'm going! After the exchange match, I realized how big the gap is between me and those family disciples with magical heritage."

She gritted her teeth.

"Even though my skills and magic reserves far surpass those of the others, I instantly became the weakest when faced with the power granted by the hero's legacy."

"The first-grade knowledge taught at school is too conventional. No matter how hard I work, my ultimate limit is already set. I've thought about it, and the only way to catch up with them right now is to continue learning the Chinese runes you taught me."

She looked at Liu Zhao.

"Take me with you. I not only know magic, but I'm also good at math and accounting. I'll definitely be of help."

After considering it for a moment, Liu Zhao quickly agreed.

"Okay, sure, let's go together then."

As a result, the number of people going to Hongguo Village increased from three to four.

……

That evening, Liu Zhao and his group arrived at the foot of Black Stone Mountain.

Looking at the familiar mountain before him, Liu Zhao felt a surge of emotion.

When he last came, he was just a little magic apprentice with nothing.

This time, however, they have become the masters of this land.

Soon, Liu Zhao followed the procedure and went straight to the residence of the original lord of this land.

Mark Ert.

Knights under Viscount Kevin.

As the territory was personally granted by the old king, the royal family naturally provided the original lord with corresponding compensation before Liu Zhao took over.

Therefore, when Liu Zhao came to their door, the other party had already prepared all the procedures, and the handover ceremony was completed very smoothly.

This small manor became Liu Zhao's first truly personal home after he came into this world.

Although the area wasn't large, there were enough rooms, so after Simon and York tidied up, Christine, with a frown, chose a room that was barely acceptable as her own.

Then, just as Liu Zhao was about to get a good night's sleep after checking into his own manor on his first night, a commotion came from outside the manor.

"Your Highness, is it really you?!"

"Your Highness Liu Zhao, I am Skye from Red Fruit Village. They all say you've come to Blackstone Territory as its lord, is that true?"

The commotion made Liu Zhao, who was puzzled, open the door and go outside.

Then he saw it.

Under the dim night sky, a group of familiar faces gathered outside the manor gates.

They are all villagers from Hongguo Village.

"It really is Your Highness! Are we dreaming?"

"Your Highness has arrived! Our lives are about to get better!"