"My luck today is absolutely off the charts! I actually drew four characters consecutively!" Link couldn't conceal his excitement, exclaiming loudly.
Link was overjoyed and about to materialize these four newly acquired characters when, at that very moment, Lina returned in a rush.
"My lord, good news! We successfully found Xiong Bide's treasury!" Lina hurried to Link, her pretty face filled with uncontrollable excitement, and quickly reported.
"Excellent, take me to see it quickly."
Link's spirits lifted. He had long been fascinated by Xiong Bide's mysterious treasury, curious about how many rare treasures it held.
Led by Lina, Link descended the spiral staircase of the ancient castle.
Upon reaching a hidden corner, Lina opened a secret passage concealed behind the wall.
The passage was deep and winding. The two continued to grope their way forward in the darkness for dozens of meters until they finally arrived before Xiong Bide's meticulously crafted treasury.
Two massive wooden doors, as thick as city walls, stood before Link.
Just from the scale of these wooden doors, one could imagine that the space behind them must be extremely spacious.
Link took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy wooden doors with both hands.
The moment the wooden doors slowly opened, flashes of golden light, like brilliant stars, burst forth from behind the doors, almost blinding him.
In the center of the enormous treasure vault, five large chests were neatly arranged.
The chests were open, full to the brim with gleaming gold coins that, under the torchlight, refracted dazzling and mesmerizing rays.
Link roughly estimated that all these gold coins combined amounted to at least thirty thousand.
Next to these five large chests, various jewels and ornaments were piled up. These jewels were brightly colored and of superior quality, including crystal-clear gemstone necklaces, rings inlaid with dazzling diamonds, and pearl earrings emitting a soft glow, each worth a fortune. In addition, there were soft and smooth silks, as well as exquisitely crafted porcelain.
Link secretly calculated that the combined value of these items would probably be at least forty to fifty thousand gold coins!
Recalling Orlando, he merely embezzled and took bribes covertly, acting cautiously and not daring to be too ostentatious.
Xiong Bide, on the other hand, was completely different. He acted recklessly, openly plundering wealth, and exploited the common people to the extreme.
For years, he had lorded over this land, and the wealth he had accumulated had reached such a terrifying extent.
However, the tables had turned; now, these mountains of wealth, along with the iron mine rich in minerals, had all become his possessions!
"Very good! Lina, arrange for people immediately to hang Xiong Bide's head at the city gate as a warning to others and to deter all sides. At the same time, issue an announcement to the common people of Iron Hammer Territory that, effective immediately, Iron Hammer Territory will officially be renamed Thorn City. Anyone willing to stay will enjoy the same welfare benefits as Winterfell City, and all policies here will remain consistent with Winterfell City, exempting all kinds of exorbitant taxes and levies. Furthermore, gather manpower to begin constructing wooden houses, toilets, and stone roads, and create identification documents for those willing to remain here. As for the workers in the mine, improve their treatment, enhance their food standards, and appropriately increase their rest time."
"Understood, my lord! Lina has noted it!"
Lina nodded slightly, her eyes filled with even stronger adoration as she looked at Link.
In her eyes, her lord was so benevolent and kind, treating even the enemy's subjects equally.
If it were any other lord, they would probably treat these commoners as slaves and exploit them freely.
"Oh, there's one more thing that needs to be announced, and Winterfell City also needs to implement it simultaneously."
"My lord, what is it?"
"Procreation." Link's lips curved slightly into a faint smile. "I want to strongly encourage childbirth. Any of my subjects who become pregnant and give birth will receive 10 silver coins as a reward."
In this era of cold weapons, the outcome of war is essentially a contest of numbers between the two sides.
Link knew that the populations of Winterfell City and Thorn City were far too small; combining men, women, and children, they probably numbered less than twenty thousand.
And in this battle, the more than a thousand young and strong men forcibly conscripted by Xiong Bide were all lost, turning into bika points.
Population scarcity, this was a big problem.
Therefore, Link was determined to intensify efforts to encourage childbirth. Although the returns from the demographic dividend might not become apparent until more than a decade later, such a major matter concerning long-term development had to be arranged properly as early as possible.
"Alright, once you've arranged all the affairs, leave some City Guards to defend the city, and we will return to Winterfell City with these spoils of war."
"Yes, my lord! I will go arrange it now!"
...The next morning.
In King's Landing, the capital of the Human Empire.
"Sister, is the lord of Winterfell City truly as miraculous as you say?" Her younger sister, Saphina, asked with curious, bright eyes.
"Naturally." Farahsiya tilted her head slightly, her eyes sparkling as she recounted, "He governs the entire Winterfell City so orderly, it's even cleaner and tidier than our King's Landing. Even the disabled commoners can live in brand new wooden houses. Moreover, he arranges suitable and dignified work for these disabled people, allowing them to support themselves with their own hands. When I walked around the city and asked, there wasn't a single commoner who didn't praise him."
Saphina listened intently and couldn't help but exclaim, "Then why doesn't Sister, with your status as Grand Princess, declare publicly that he is protected by the Royal Family? If you stepped forward, those greedy jackals would surely restrain themselves somewhat, wouldn't they?"
Farahsiya sighed softly, a look of worry on her face: "I am concerned about my brothers. If I were to do that, I fear he would face retaliation from the forces behind the princes."
"Sister, you don't know, but at this morning's court session, several ministers mentioned Winterfell City. They said that Xiong Bide of Iron Hammer Territory led three thousand Soldiers to attack Winterfell City with great force, but they were completely annihilated, not a single one left," Saphina quickly said.
"What!?" Farahsiya's face was filled with surprise. She truly hadn't expected such a major event to occur in Winterfell City so soon after her return to King's Landing.
That notoriously greedy Xiong Bide truly deserved his death!
"Because Iron Hammer Territory was the first to send troops to provoke, and coupled with Father King's greatly diminished energy compared to before, Father King didn't say much, only asking Link to offer a few more jars of elven fruit wine later," Saphina continued.
Saphina tightly gripped her sister Farahsiya's hand, her expression serious: "Sister, the situation is different now. You know in your heart that several of our brothers are secretly accumulating military power. You should also find a backer. That way, even if there are unforeseen changes, we won't be too passive."
"You are right." Farahsiya nodded slightly.
"The Northern Territory is barren, cold, and disaster-prone, with little profit to be gained, and has always been disliked by those nobles. So, my brothers' hands should not have reached the Northern Territory yet. This Lord Link you speak of, his strength has also been proven in this battle. You should seize this opportunity to win him over. Even if there is a drastic change in the capital, you will have a place to stay. Otherwise, our sisters might both become bargaining chips and sacrifices for our brothers to win over the Grand Dukes."
"Sister, did you know that just the day before yesterday, Second Prince brother even came to me to speak favorably of Duke Sachsen? That Duke Sachsen is already an old man over fifty, and I had a guard specifically inquire about him. It turns out the rumors say he is greedy and lustful, keeping over twenty sex slaves in his mansion! He's not as good as Second Prince brother said at all!" Saphina grew more agitated as she spoke.
Farahsiya's brows furrowed tightly.
She knew that her sister was absolutely right.
As princesses of the Royal Family, their sisters' beauty was naturally impeccable; few men could resist their charm.
If the Human Empire remained stable and Father King was in good health, their sisters could naturally pursue so-called love without worry.
But once the dynasty was in turmoil, they would likely become tools for political marriages, used to consolidate power and win over people.
As royal princesses, they were well aware of all this.
Once a drastic change occurred in King's Landing, they would very likely eventually be used by their brothers as pawns and bargaining chips to win over the Grand Dukes, completely losing their freedom and happiness.
"Now that our brothers are all accumulating strength, and winter is approaching, they also need Winterfell City to block the beast tide from moving south. Therefore, they will not rashly conflict with Winterfell City, as doing so would be thankless and only increase losses. Therefore, Sister, now is the perfect time for you to win over Winterfell City," Saphina analyzed.
"I understand, little sister."
Farahsiya gently rubbed Saphina's cheek. She knew her sister was right.
During her previous travels as a merchant, she had also relied on her sister's various suggestions to accumulate vast wealth in a short period.
Indeed, she had to prepare a retreat for herself soon.
This was for her own happiness, and also for her sister Saphina.
That afternoon, a bombshell news quickly spread from King's Landing.
"Winterfell City will officially become a partner of the Royal Family, protected by Grand Princess Farahsiya. Any force daring to threaten Winterfell City or coerce it into unequal transactions will be considered openly hostile to the Royal Family."
This news clearly declared Farahsiya's firm stance, like a thunderbolt, deterring those scheming jackals who coveted Winterfell City.
At least while the Old King was still alive and his prestige remained, Farahsiya's protection would undoubtedly be an unbreakable shield, safeguarding Winterfell City.