I, the heir of the great Eastern nation

Ten days later, Berecca arrived.

When Liu Zhao received the news, he was looking at the blueprints for the steel plant. Russell ran in and said that a group of magicians had arrived at the town entrance, led by a red-haired female magician with a ponytail.

Liu Zhao threw down the blueprints and walked out. When he reached the entrance of the town, he saw that familiar face, which always had a shrewd look on it.

Berica stood beside the caravan, followed by six young men and women dressed in various colored mage robes, all of them quite young.

When she saw Liu Zhao, her first words were...

"Your Highness, junior... oh no, I should call you Baron Golden Flame now, where are our gold coins?"

Liu Zhao was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Senior, couldn't you at least say a few polite words before talking about money?"

"What are you pretending for? We're not that kind of friends."

Beryl shrugged.

"You said you'd give me an extra gold coin for each extra item I brought, so I brought six, plus the one in the letter, making a total of seven."

Without saying a word, Liu Zhao took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and threw it over.

Berica caught it, weighed it in her hand, and finally a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"Hehe, Your Highness is indeed a man of his word. Alright, these people are yours from now on."

Two Earth-type, three Fire-type, and one Wind-type hybrid. I brought two Earth-types you wanted, isn't that generous enough?

Liu Zhao glanced at the six mages behind her. They all looked quite energetic and didn't seem like they had been tricked into coming.

He asked, "Have you explained everything to them? Coming here isn't an easy job; it means you'll be stuck on a construction site, acting as a human pile driver for the furnace."

"That's clear."

Beryl put the gold coins away.

"The salary includes room and board, starting at thirty silver coins per month, with bonuses and raises for good performance. I read the conditions you wrote in your letter to them verbatim, and ten people signed up on the spot. I screened out four who were too weak, and the rest are all here."

Liu Zhao nodded.

Six people might not seem like much at the Royal Capital Magic Academy, but for him, it was a timely help.

Bahrain's steel mills were struggling to find people to take turns supplying fire and reinforcing furnace walls. With the arrival of this group of workers, the progress could be doubled.

He led the man to the blacksmith's quarters, where Balin ran out from the construction site to greet him. Upon seeing six mages standing in a row, the dwarf blacksmith was so excited that his beard trembled.

"Your Highness! Your connections! Your efficiency! Wow!"

"You guys come here! Let's test the firepower! You fire-type one, yes, you, fire a shot at this firebrick, I want to see your magic purity!"

The six mages were taken away by Balin before they could even catch their breath.

Berica stood there, looking at the bustling construction site before her, and suddenly said something.

"This place is much more lively than I expected."

"Isn't it lively? It'll get even more lively later."

Liu Zhao turned and walked back.

"Come on, senior, let me arrange a place for you to stay. Free food and lodging isn't just empty talk; there will be plenty of steamed buns for tonight."

……

After resolving the issue of the mage at the steel mill, Liu Zhao refocused his attention on people.

York and Simon's transformation made him fully understand the value of the "Blessing of the People".

This thing isn't just giving him a title; it's mass-producing combat power with the same origin as him.

Now that the results have been proven, there's no reason to only grant two.

He summoned Russell and Claude to his study.

When Russell entered, he stood ramrod straight, already showing the outline of a young officer, but his face still held a hint of uncertainty.

Claude followed behind him. The skinny boy who was the first to stand up and testify against Weber at the Whitewater Village public trial had grown quite a bit taller.

"Russell, Claude."

Liu Zhao got straight to the point.

"You two have been with me for quite some time now. From bandit suppression to public trials to troop training, Russell has always been the most reliable captain under my command."

Claude, you were the first to stand up at the public trial. You were such a skinny kid, and when the tax collector glared at you, everyone in the village backed out, but you didn't. I've always remembered that courage.

Claude's eyes immediately reddened.

"I've called you all here today for just one thing."

Liu Zhao activated the "Blessing of the People," and crimson fire energy surged from his palm.

"From this moment forward, I will grant you the status of commoners and a new surname."

Russell, you bestow upon me the surname Zhao.

Claude, you bestow upon me the surname Ma.

From this day forward, you are like Simon and York, my people, Liu Zhao's true allies.

Two crimson beams of light landed on the heads of the two people respectively.

Russell looked down at his hands, his fists slowly clenching, and when he looked up, his eyes were filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Claude was more direct, biting his lip and kneeling down, his voice trembling.

"Your Highness, Claude's life is now yours."

Liu Zhao pulled him up, patted him on the shoulder, and smiled slightly.

"You can all go to York to learn breathing techniques. Study hard and work hard. Good luck!"

……

The development of the territory did not slow down despite Liu Zhao's focused dedication.

By the fourth month, the population of Blackrock Territory had exceeded six thousand.

The newly opened wheat fields stretch along the valley to the foot of the mountain, a vast expanse of lush green that looks reassuring.

The number of steamed bun shops has increased from three to nine, another water mill has been added, and orders for dried hawthorn have been booked until the next quarter.

The caravan from the Leilo Merchant Guild comes every three days, and each time they leave, the wagons are full.

But Liu Zhao was not happy at this moment.

A map of the entire Blackrock Territory was laid out in front of him, with the developed areas marked on it almost touching the edge of the map.

"Your Highness, this is the latest data on the initial land reclamation."

Roth placed a stack of statistical tables on the table, his tone unusually serious.

"All the flat land along both banks of the river has been cleared, leaving only the mountainous areas to the north. It's not that there's no land left to cultivate, but even if you clear the mountain land to grow wheat, you'd be lucky to get a 50% yield."

"Your Highness, to be honest, with over six thousand people, we've almost reached our maximum capacity."

Liu Zhao looked at the map without saying a word.

"Your Highness, you already have a considerable amount of money in your account. If you simply want to be a wealthy lord, you can simply sit back and collect money every year. Your life will definitely be much better than those impoverished nobles around you."

Roth paused for a moment.

"But I know that His Highness will not be satisfied with this."

Liu Zhao did not look up.

"If Your Highness wishes to expand further, you will need to find a way to acquire more land. We could discuss purchasing land with the surrounding lords..."

"We've talked about it."

Christine walked in through the door, holding a neatly folded piece of paper.

"I had Supervisor Charlie send men to sound out the two knight lords: Baron Bart of Greystone Territory in the north, Oak Territory in the west, and River Bend Territory in the south. All four refused, and one even kicked the man out."

Liu Zhao took the letter and glanced at it, his expression remaining unchanged.

"It's not surprising. Last time they came to question me about taking in refugees, I gave them a piece of my mind at the town entrance, and they lost all face. Now that they want to buy land, they'd rather leave it barren than sell it to me."

"It's not just a matter of saving face."

Christine sat down opposite him.

"During his investigation, Director Charlie discovered that these people had all received a personal letter from Viscount Kevin at the same time. The contents of the letter are unclear, but the effect was obvious. Since then, no one in the four surrounding territories has been willing to do any kind of business with Blackrock Territory."

Liu Zhao put down the letter.

"Viscount Kevin."

"And what about the capital city?"

Christine looked at him.

"Your Highness, don't forget that Viscount Kevin was originally a member of Prince Saul's faction. You not only eliminated the two sons of Earl Riley, causing the Riley family to lose face, but you also blocked his path to pursuing Avril at the church. He has always remembered this debt."

"Now that Viscount Kevin is putting pressure on us from above, these surrounding lords would rather offend Supervisor Charlie than offend the eldest prince. Your Highness, we're being held hostage."

Liu Zhao slammed the map on the table, his brows furrowed.

"Ugh, this is tough."

Roth stood by, not daring to utter a sound.

Liu Zhao remained silent for a while before speaking again, his tone much calmer.

"It's not time to turn against each other yet. I'll think of a solution regarding the land issue. You guys just need to do what you can first."

Christine nodded and got up to leave.

……

After his path to buying land was blocked, Liu Zhao spent several days in his study pondering his next move.

He had all the terrain data from the surrounding territories retrieved, and he called Roth and Christine to several meetings, but they still couldn't find a suitable breakthrough.

Just as he was deep in thought, Simon knocked on the study door.

"Your Highness, there is something I need to report to you."

"explain."

Liu Zhao didn't even look up.

"It's about missing persons."

Liu Zhao raised his head.

"Missing persons?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Simon's expression was very serious.

"In the past two months, four girls, all around eleven or twelve years old, have gone missing within Blackstone Territory. Following Your Highness's orders, I have been secretly investigating them. We have made some progress."

Liu Zhao pushed the map aside and sat up straight.

"Go on."

"These four girls came from Baishui Village, Hongguo Village, and two remote farming households around Heishi Town. They went missing at different times, but all at night, and all in the outskirts of the villages."

There were no witnesses, no signs of struggle left behind. Does Your Highness recall this incident?

Liu Zhao remembered.

This matter was actually reported to him a long time ago.

At the time, he was busy with the steel plant, and when he heard about the missing person case, he ordered Simon to lead a team to investigate.

But after that, he didn't receive any new reports, so he assumed it was fake or that the person had been found, and he didn't ask any further questions.

"I thought they had found him."

"Due to the dereliction of duty by subordinates, the investigation has never been interrupted."

Simon lowered his head.

"When we first started investigating, there were very few clues. We asked everyone, but there were no witnesses or traces. But yesterday, someone found something new by the river – a magic amulet."

He took a broken amulet from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Liu Zhao picked it up and glanced at it, his face slowly darkening.

This amulet is exquisitely crafted, and the patterns engraved on it are clearly not the work of an ordinary craftsman.

More importantly, he had seen similar amulets at the Royal Capital Magic Academy. These were lightness amulets reserved for nobles, which ordinary mages couldn't afford, let alone commoners.

"Can you confirm who it's related to?"

"Following this amulet, I traced all the caravans that had ever been to Blackrock Territory."

Simon's voice was very low.

"Finally, we identified a noble caravan from the capital. Their location in Blackstone Territory matched the time and place of their disappearance."

Moreover, the fact that this caravan was able to pass our rigorous inspection means that they must have a mage on board responsible for concealment.

"Where is the caravan now?"

"We've already returned to the capital."

Simon gritted his teeth.

"So the trail went cold."

Liu Zhao remained silent.

He stared at the broken amulet on the table, his gaze turning cold.

He never expected that someone would actually extend their reach into his territory.

And they specifically targeted little girls from the most remote farming families!

Such people know very well that the disappearance of a serf's child will not warrant a major investigation by any lord.

In most noble territories, such matters are not even worth filing a case against.

But this is Blackstone Territory.

"Your Highness."

Simon looked up, waiting for the next command.

"Continue the investigation."

Liu Zhao slammed the talisman on the table, making a very quiet sound, but Simon could tell that something was underneath it.

"Even if the caravan returns to the capital, there will definitely be some clues. Have Roth contact Supervisor Charlie and get all the information about this caravan from the capital."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Simon turned to leave when Russell suddenly strode in from outside.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the capital."

Russell handed over a letter with both hands.

"The messenger said it was written by His Highness Prince Ian, the Second Prince."

Liu Zhao took the letter and opened it.

The letter was written slowly and deliberately, with a friendly tone as if old friends were catching up, but every word revealed calculation.

"To Your Excellency Baron Golden Flame, I have heard that your Blackstone Territory is thriving recently, and I am deeply impressed."

However, as far as I know, there have been many injustices in Your Majesty's territory recently, and several young girls have unfortunately gone missing, which is truly heartbreaking.

"I happen to have some clues related to this matter in the capital. If you are willing to discuss it in detail, you are welcome to come to the capital. I have prepared a pot of wine and await your good news."

Liu Zhao placed the letter on the table.

The road to the purchased land was blocked, the clues to the missing person case went cold in the capital, and the second prince just happened to send a letter at this time?

The timing was so precise; it was no coincidence.

Christine walked in at some point, took the letter, read it, and frowned.

"are you going?"

Liu Zhao stood up and put the talisman into his pocket.

"Go ahead, it's a good opportunity to take care of several things at once. We need to get things sorted out at the top of the kingdom regarding the land purchase, we need to investigate the missing caravan, and after Berika's group of mages arrived, the steel mill is still missing a few rare materials, which Balin said can only be purchased in the capital."

He paused, then turned to look out the window.

"The second prince is very shrewd; he won't give me clues for nothing."

He definitely has his own agenda, but I have my own needs. We'll only know who can outsmart whom when we get there.