Just as Locke was about to take action, he suddenly stopped and leaned back in his chair.
"Lord Locke, Gasco, Kross, Marek, Berkley, and Dal—the five battalion commanders—have arrived."
"Mm, let them in."
With Locke's permission, the five commanders of the Tsunami Legion entered the tent one by one, bowing slightly to him.
"Lord Locke."
The moment they stepped inside, their eyes fell on the man bound to the cross-shaped wooden frame.
The sight instantly made their hearts uneasy.
Was Locke planning to punish this man in the same way he might punish someone who had offended him last time?
Or…
No matter what they thought, none dared show it before Locke.
"Ah, you've arrived."
Locke glanced at the five of them. The guards had just announced their names, but this was the first time Locke had truly learned them. Since the guard had said all five names together, Locke couldn't match each name to the correct person.
But he wasn't in any hurry to sort it out. If nothing unexpected happened, the futures of these five men would be bound to his own.
"After giving it some thought over the past few days, I've decided to become the Grand Duke of this territory."
"I wasn't at the camp a few days ago because I went to the imperial capital to report our victory over the Radiant Temple to His Majesty Celes."
"And, as you wished, His Majesty has granted me this territory."
"From now on, this land shall be known as the 'Locke Territory.'"
The five commanders exchanged glances, joy gleaming in their eyes.
They had bet correctly this time!
"Congratulations, Lord Locke, on becoming Grand Duke."
"Gasco, Kross, Marek, Berkley, Dal—report!"
"Present!"
Hearing their names called, all five responded loudly in unison.
"From now on, you five will begin constructing the Locke Territory."
"I expect you to establish a lordly city capable of supporting over one million residents within six months, without disrupting the lives of the locals."
"This is your first task. Take my words to heart."
"Once the city is completed, I will grant you noble titles based on your performance."
"Yes, Lord Locke!"
Overjoyed at Locke's promise, the five commanders knelt on one knee, pledging their loyalty.
"Lord Locke, we shall begin preparations immediately."
Excited, they were ready to start fulfilling their task at once.
After all, Locke had promised that completing the city would earn them noble titles—a lifelong pursuit.
If they weren't worried about disturbing the territory's residents and displeasing Locke, they could have mobilized the able-bodied locals to build the city.
In that case, Locke's order could have been finished in a month.
But since Locke had specified six months and emphasized no disruption to local life, they couldn't take that approach.
Yet this posed no problem for them.
To complete the construction sooner and secure their noble titles faster, they could still contribute through their own soldiers.
Every soldier in the Tsunami Legion was at least a Third-Order intermediate warrior; each was capable of tenfold labor efficiency in city construction.
Of course, even as battalion commanders, persuading their soldiers to participate required giving something in return.
Otherwise, morale would drop, and the unit would become hard to lead.
At this point, none of them found it unusual that Locke kept a tortured prisoner in his tent.
"Mm, off you go."
After waving them away, Locke turned his attention to the Radiant Temple knight commander.
"W-What do you intend to do?"
The knight shivered under Locke's gaze, trembling as he asked, "You said you wouldn't interrogate me."
"Don't think I can't change my mind…"
Unfortunately, Locke ignored him completely.
In Locke's eyes, this man was the perfect practice subject for the time being.
Closing his eyes, Locke released his spiritual power, sending it surging into the knight commander.
Locke had reached the peak of Sanctuary, while this knight had only been raised to Sanctuary by the Radiant God Augusta.
Although his spiritual power reached roughly the level of a Seventh-Order mage, it had no defense against Locke.
It was as if Locke had poked a bubble—the knight's spiritual defenses were utterly ineffective.
Effortlessly, Locke's spiritual power entered the knight commander's soul space.
This was no surprise to Locke.
Few could wield soul attacks even at the Sanctuary stage.
This man, a manufactured Sanctuary, likely hadn't even grasped the essence of "Heavenly-Human Unity," let alone manipulating spiritual power for soul attack or defense.
"So weak…"
Shaking his head, Locke condensed his spiritual power into his own form inside the knight's soul space, slowly advancing.
At the Sanctuary stage, every being's soul manifests its essence—its "true nature."
The Four Great Rule Magics, for example, require the corresponding essence to cultivate.
If a soul manifests as a weapon, the person may cultivate Destruction Rule.
If it manifests as a plant, Life Rule.
Bones, Death Rule.
Books, Fate Rule.
This knight's soul manifested as a faint flickering flame.
Locke approached the very center of the flame, reaching out his hand…
(End of Chapter)
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