Lord of the Oasis

Kant understood what the knights were feeling all too well.

As such, he was not angered at all by how they simply left without so much as saying proper goodbyes.

Things were totally opposite of what they had expected.

The knights, who had just fought a bloody battle, derived no joy from the victory they secured.

Be it Captain Rowan or his 19 subordinate knights, all of them were resentful of Kant. It was so much so that it seemed like all that resentment was pent up like a volcano in their chests. It seemingly would have erupted for all to see within moments.

The Jackalans had been losers, but the knights were not winners either.

Kant was the only winner.

The baron, who had finally claimed ownership of the Oasis Lookout, was the only true winner.

“Goodbye.” Kant watched them as they disappeared beyond the dunes.

With their spears on their shoulders, the Swadian Recruits tasked with guard duty reported, “My Lord, they have all left.”

“Yeah, they are quite fast.” Kant nodded.

Since they were knights, one of the troop classes known for their high mobility, that was entirely normal. Without the carriages and infantry units getting in the way, they had no problem marching several times faster than they had on the journey there.

It was likely they would be able to scale over the Senwaya Ridge and return to their comfortable homes in the Dukedom of Leo in less than three days.

It’s for the best that they left.

Kant let out a sigh of relief. At the very least, the Oasis Lookout was finally in his control.

If the dukedom knights, who were natives of that world, had stayed back at the oasis, it would have caused him a lot of trouble. He needed to rely on the system to carry out the subsequent construction of his fief.

At that point, he would have had to make an excuse to get them to leave.

Suddenly, the System Prompt appeared on his retina.

[Ding… After fighting a hard battle, the enemy is finally crushed.]

[Side Quest: Annihilate the Jackalan Tribe is complete.]

[Reward Acquired: Desert Bandit Lair x 1]

[Comment: A brilliant strategy and astonishing tactics were used. The victory of that exhilarating battle is indeed praiseworthy.]

The dialog box signaling the completion of the side quest appeared on his retina.

However, that was not the only dialog box.

[Ding… Your forces have upgradable units.]

Kant’s personal forces had also been hard at work during the extermination of the Jackalan Tribe.

Furthermore, their labor had been very fruitful.

When things went south and all of the Jackalans lost their will to fight, they scattered and ran all over the place without any idea where they were running. A good number of them were quickly dealt with on the spot by Swadian troops, who charged at them with spears and long scythes.

As such, all of his troops gained a lot of experience.

For troop classes in the early stages, all of that had been enough to give them an upgrade.

[Upgradable troop class: Swadian Peasants x 20]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Recruit]

Kant was surprised by the upgrade option.

The remaining 20 Swadian Peasants were available to level up.

What surprised Kant, even more, was that the Swadian Recruits, who had not been leveled up for long, were able to continue leveling up.

[Upgradable troop class: Swadian Recruits x 10]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia]

The recruits, who were equipped with spears and wearing leather armor, had been the main infantry force for Kant in the previous battle. Armed with pointy spears, they killed a good number of Jackalans that dared to get near them.

It could have been said that compared to the peasants, those Swadian Recruits were the only ones capable of serving as the most basic form of combatant forces.

Well, the cost in Denars is rather steep this time.

Kant frowned.

Upgrading 20 Swadian Peasants to become Swadian Recruits would cost him 200 Denars.

Upgrading 10 Swadian Recruits to become Swadian Militia would also cost him 200 Denars.

Denar was the name of a currency.

However, it was only a currency that existed within the system, so only Kant was able to acquire and use it.

What made Kant rather restless was that upgrading both classes would cost him 400 Denars, which would empty his savings. He had been taking on many side quests in secret since he came to that world, yet he had only been able to earn 500 Denars.

He had spent 100 Denars in the previous upgrade.

With the Swadian Recruits now waiting to be upgraded, the cost meant saying farewell to all of his savings.

It doesn’t seem like I have a choice, do I? Kant lightly sighed.

He shook his head and wore a bitter smirk, but he still said, “System, upgrade them all.”

Things were not quite in his favor.

Those Denars were not an expenditure he could afford to hold on to.

Kant had been living two lives. He was equipped with all the experience gained from his past and current lives, so he knew how to go about the current situation well.

When he came to the Nahrin Desert and chose to stay at the Oasis Lookout, which was in the middle of nowhere and outside of the Dukedom of Leo proper, it could have been said that he lost everything he had in the past, which included aid from the Dukedom of Leo.

His greatest backing at the moment was himself, which included the Swadian troops that originated from the system.

Mystical system data descended from the sky.

The 20 Swadian Peasants were enveloped in data chains and became more buff.

Spears, leather armors, leather hats, and hand axes to be placed at their sides and on their shields and backs were all provided.

As for the 10 Swadian Recruits, the upgrade to become Swadian Militia was even more noteworthy.

Their bodies became even hardier, and their spears became heavier due to the front ends being covered in metal. The armor beneath their linen robes became scale armor, which had better defensive stats. They were also given combat shovels, which were effective for piercing armor, as well as thicker and sturdier shields. Appearance-wise, they had completely cast off the peasant look.

Despite being called Swadian Militia, they actually looked and felt like regular army units.

From Kant’s perspective, this militia was fully qualified to participate in wars, even back in the Dukedom of Leo.

“Greetings, Lord Kant.”

The 20 Swadian Recruits and 10 Swadian Militia lined up in a formation. They stood tall and proud as if they were in a parade.

Kant smiled and said, “Splendid.”

With 30 infantry units serving him, he was finally able to claim the Oasis Lookout without worries.

Even if the scattered Jackalans, who had managed to make it back into the desert, were to organize a retaliation, Kant was more than ready to take them on. He would be able to keep the oasis and develop it into a better place.

Desert flowers needed to be watered with blood.

Kant took a breath. The thick stench of blood still lingered around his nose.

He looked up at the sky. The last bits of rays from the sun were no more. The moon was high up in the sky. Moonlight mixed with the dazzling stars in the clear sky, shining down on the silent night.

Still, the bodies of Jackalans were littered all over the Oasis Lookout. The thick stench of blood permeated the area, ruining the scene and mood altogether.

“Let’s clean up the battlefield.”

Kant waved and gave his troops an order. “Gather the bodies of the Jackalans and burn them.”

“Understood.” The troops responded and headed out.

The act of burning the Jackalan bodies was to prevent them from contaminating the water source when they rotted.

They were in the desert, so water resources in the oasis were precious tactical supplies. If germs from the rotting, dirty bodies were to seep into water sources beneath the sand, regret would do them no good.

That was something noteworthy.

The troops knew that as well, so they began picking up the bodies of dead Jackalans. They gathered them into a huge pile below the dunes hundreds of feet away.

Kant, on the other hand, closed his eyes and communicated with the system in his mind.

He had finally been able to get a main quest, which he had been delaying for 16 years.

Now that Kant had taken over the Oasis Lookout, he could construct a village with the help of the system. It allowed him to build his forces and eventually control the entire Nahrin Desert. It also meant that he might be able to eventually extend his hands back into the Dukedom of Leo.

“System, can I build a village?”

Kant silently asked his question.

The system immediately replied, “You may.” A dialog box appeared.

[Ding… You have discovered this region after a careful search.]

[Main Quest: Build a village is complete.]

[Reward: 1,000 Denars]

[Introduction: This is an oasis in the barren desert. You need to consider how to develop your village.]

The dialog box disappeared.

Data from the system began to coalesce before Kant’s eyes. A two-story building constructed from stone and wood finally materialized into the world.

It was a Kingdom of Swadia conventional building from the system.

At the same time, a new dialog box appeared.

[Ding… Your village has been constructed. Please name your village.]

[Remark: The Lord’s Page will open after naming your village.]

Name the village?

Kant was momentarily stunned. He looked at the building before him and said, “Drondheim.”

That was the most famous city in the Kingdom of Swadia, which was located at the center of the Continent of Caradia. It was a well-known place lauded to be the city with the strongest defense in all of the Kingdom of Swadia.

[Ding… Name of village: Drondheim]

The village had officially been named.

As Kant confirmed it, the page of Drondheim appeared on his retina.

[Drondheim]

[Lord: Kant]

[Type: Swadian Village]

[Population: 50]

[Building: Council Hall]

[Constructions available: House, City Wall, Mill, Watchtower, Well]

[Current forces: Swadian Recruits (20), Swadian Militia (10)]

[Recruitable: Swadian Recruit]

[Comment: The obscure village of Drondheim, located in a small oasis, has a worrisome future.]

After that, the flow of data before Kant completely disappeared.

The village, which he named Drondheim, finally appeared before him.

To say that it was a village would have been an exaggeration.

At the moment, Drondheim’s only standing building was the Council Hall, which served as the center of the village. It was usually where village elders took up residence. In the system, that was the background building where players often met quest-giving NPCs.

However, that place became a real building after he came to that world.

“My Lord.”

Subservient voices were heard, which stunned Kant.

A thick wooden door at the side of the stone building opened. One Swadian Peasant wearing linen robes after another gushed out from within. They hung their heads low and pressed their chests, greeting Kant in respect.

“Right.” Kant nodded.

It was only then that he remembered that on the village page of Drondheim, it was stated that the population was 50.

The 50 Swadian Peasants stood neatly before him. There were no more and no less.