60: Chapter 60 The First Territory War

In the "otherworld," territory wars are usually conducted peacefully, and the Rowen Kingdom is no exception. Since the invention of "Illusion Magic," real-life fighting has been prohibited in territory wars.

In an era where "manpower equals national power," the royal family does not wish to see territory wars escalate into civil wars that drain national strength.

However, the emergence of Illusion Magic has instead caused territory disputes to occur frequently, making territory wars the norm: deciding victory without bloodshed avoids complex political struggles while forcing conservative nobles to continuously strengthen their military forces.

The Lote Territory, Maya Territory, and Rena Territory, which are adjacent to the Lepis Territory, have been actively training knights, but they have been relegated to supporting roles in this territory war.

"It really came," the Lord of Lote Territory sighed as he looked at the iconic black armor of the Iron Blood Knights.

"I told you there was no need to worry." The Lord of Rena Territory feigned composure, but deep down, he was shocked that Prince Mian had actually sent 100 Iron Blood Knights, which far exceeded the standard specifications for a normal territory war.

"Could it be to counter Helm?" he thought to himself.

The intervention of a legendary-level existence in a territory war would damage its dignity, not to mention that Helm had once promised "not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Rowen Kingdom." But upon second thought, Helm had only taken on a disciple after searching for ten years, so it was hard to guarantee he wouldn't make an exception.

"If Helm takes action, the Iron Blood Knights have no chance of winning." He concluded that Prince Mian's move was purely to crush Fu Hao with absolute military force and humiliate his title as a 'legendary disciple.'

— — — — — —

The state-appointed notary for the territory war began the confirmation process:

"Lords of Lote Territory, Maya Territory, and Rena Territory, are you jointly initiating a territory war against the Lepis Territory?"

"Yes." The three lords spoke in unison.

"Lord of Lepis Territory, do you accept the challenge?"

Six eyes stared fixedly at Fu Hao—if he refused, the Lepis Territory would have to pay a fine equal to 60% of its annual income.

But for the debt-ridden Lepis Territory, financial penalties had no deterrent effect; the only risk was damage to the reputation of being a 'legendary disciple.'

But this was exactly what Fu Hao wanted—he was worrying about how to expand his territory legitimately, so how could he miss an opportunity delivered to his doorstep?

"I accept."

The three lords wore expressions of expectation—having risen from a commoner to a noble, and then becoming a disciple of Helm, how could Fu Hao back down on such an occasion?

The notary turned to the three lords: "Please state the demands of the winning side."

The Lord of Rena Territory unfolded a piece of parchment filled with demands:

- Return 327,520 serfs originally belonging to Lote Territory

- Return 433,951 serfs originally belonging to Maya Territory

- Return 436,228 serfs originally belonging to Rena Territory

- Split the treasures from the ruins of the Ender Empire equally

- Compensation for serf flight losses of 1,000 gold coins per person

The chat room instantly boiled over:

- "This is too ridiculous, right?"

- "The ultimate form of greed!"

- "It's clearly robbery!"

Fu Hao, however, was secretly delighted—the more absurd the demands, the easier it would be to counter them.

"Lord of Lepis Territory, please state your demands for the winning side."

The three lords held their breath, preparing to reject any unreasonable requests, only to hear Fu Hao say nonchalantly:

"The three lords lack ambition. I want all of your territories and your people. Of course, I will also bet with equivalent stakes."

The meeting room instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The Lord of Rena Territory finally couldn't hold it in: "Do you know what this means?"

Losing one's territory means becoming a fallen noble, not even as good as the lowest-ranking baronet.

"I certainly know. If the three of you dare not bet, then let's consider this territory war as if it never happened..."

Fu Hao paused deliberately—refusal meant paying heavy taxes, while accepting meant taking the risk of losing everything. The Lord of Rena Territory concluded that this was Fu Hao's "avoidance strategy" because he was at a dead end.

[ "Class" tipped 50 yuan. — (Scared?) ]

[ "One Piece" tipped 50 yuan. — (If you're scared, just admit defeat!) ]

[ "Leon Fu Hao" tipped 50 yuan. — (Hao would be scared?) ]

- "Hao is chickening out!"

- "Can he be promoted to a count if he annexes the three territories?"

- "Charge, the first count in history!"

- "No wonder he hid his equipment; it turns out he was waiting for the fish to take the bait!"

"W-wait a moment." The three lords left the room to discuss.

"Rena, what do you think?" The Lord of Lote Territory was sweating profusely.

"...We must accept."

"Are you crazy? If we lose, it's all over! Didn't you say we only needed to watch?"

"Calm down, I agree too." The Lord of Maya Territory interjected, "Magic scanning shows that the average level of the Lepis Territory Knight Order is only 255, and their equipment is also level 150 common goods. The Iron Blood Knights cannot lose."

"But what if..."

"Lote, if we back down now, the Second Prince's anger will burn us." The Lord of Rena Territory added.

In the end, the Lord of Lote Territory compromised.

Returning to the meeting room, the Lord of Rena Territory gritted his teeth and said: "We accept the demands of the Lord of Lepis Territory."

Fu Hao clenched his fists calmly. He had hidden Calus and the level 400 equipment he crafted, and even went so far as to use a mysterious robe worth 1.5 million to cover up the strength of the Knight Order, all to wait for this moment.

[ "Manti" tipped 50 yuan. — (Setting a trap?) ]

The three signed the "Blood Contract," and the territory war was officially established.

"The battle will begin tomorrow on the Lepis Territory plains. The preparation costs for the Illusion Magic will be borne by the applicant." The notary left after the announcement.

Fu Hao locked eyes with the three lords, each harboring different ambitions.

— — — — — —

The Lord of Rena Territory carefully scanned Fu Hao's Knight Order and did not find Helm.

"He's not here."

"Phew..." The Lords of Lote Territory and Maya Territory were relieved.

"Anyway, they won't recognize the Iron Blood Knights."

"What if they recognize them?"

"What if Fu Hao tips off Helm..."

"You are too timid." The Lord of Rena Territory handed a glass of wine to the Lord of Lote Territory, "Think about how to split the ancient ruin treasures with the Second Prince."

The Lord of Lote Territory was speechless and stopped arguing.

"Illusion Magic preparation is complete. The three lords have withdrawn from the battle, and the Lord of Lepis Territory is fighting alone. Confirm?"

"Confirmed."

"Then, the territory war begins. Everything that happens within the Illusion Magic is irreversible."

As soon as the notary finished speaking, the three lords retreated outside the magic range.

"The Lord of Lepis Territory is fighting personally."

"I heard his level is very low."

"But he passed Helm's trial."

"Heh, the hundred members of the Iron Blood Knights are all elites, with the lowest level exceeding 320. Don't worry about it."

The three looked at the strict formation of the Iron Blood Knights, regained their confidence, and waited for the moment of crushing victory.

On the other side, Fu Hao stared at the Iron Blood Knights. Administrator Lapis had once argued that "the opponent is not a Knight Order, so the battle should be stopped," but was rejected—the arrow was already on the string, not to mention he had a hidden trump card.

He trusted his newly acquired class skills: Earth Shatter, Spatial Slash, Shield Charge. But as the class name "Legendary Guardian Knight" suggests, the strongest aspect was not attack, but defense skills.

Even if the enemy's strength exceeded expectations, Fu Hao was confident in turning the tide.

"Let's test the suppression first."

He raised the troll sword and charged forward, but the enemy remained motionless, maintaining a dense formation.

"The range is sufficient."

The distance shortened to 5 meters, and Fu Hao swung his sword at the ground:

"Earth Shatter!"

The ground cracked with a roar, boulders flew, and the Knight Order fell into chaos—beyond physical impact, "Earth Shatter" also carried negative effects such as stun, vision obstruction, and balance disruption.

Fu Hao was about to command the Knight Order to charge, but was stunned by the notification window:

[Critical Hit!]

[Triggered troll sword effect, activated 10-hit combo]

[Dealt 35,271 damage × 10 to the target]

[Target is in a state of inability to act]

[Achieved the achievement "One-man squad killing over 100 enemies higher than your own level"]

[Obtained title "One-Man Squad"]

[Territory War Victory]

[Lepis Territory expanded by 70,522 ㎡]

[Lepis Territory population increased by 4,521,120]

[Minimum conditions for promotion to "Rowen Kingdom Count" met, do you want to claim the count promotion mission?]

The chat area was flooded with question marks and exclamation points. Everyone present—Fu Hao's Knight Order, the Iron Blood Knights, the three lords, and the notary—were all dumbfounded, staring at Fu Hao who had wiped out a hundred elites single-handedly, their faces full of shock.