Chapter 74: Template Evolution and the Princess’ Reply
The gates of the lord’s manor stood wide open, and the guards posted at the entrance had all been replaced by former members of the Fire Fox Mercenary Company.
“Hey, Little Donnie! You’re back?”
The moment they saw him, they grinned and waved him through.
The entire manor had been completely refreshed. At Nolan’s request, all ostentatious luxuries had been removed and piled into storage, waiting for Anna to find opportunities to liquidate them. The household staff had also been streamlined, leaving only the necessary servants, with practicality and efficiency as the guiding principles.
Little Donnie had spent over a week traveling to and from the royal capital to deliver the letter. During that time, Nolan and his team had not been idle for a moment.
The first task was the reorganization of the military. The six hundred or so private soldiers left behind by Haus were thoroughly broken up by Hank with an iron hand and reassigned into the newly established city guard. No longer thuggish enforcers abusing their power, they were now responsible for patrols, maintaining public order, and even repairing damaged sections of the city walls. At the same time, Nolan provided them with a path for advancement. Among these former troops, those who performed well and showed exceptional ability would have the chance to be promoted into the Black Armored Legion, which was currently being formed.
As soon as the news spread, the once-lazy soldiers began training with renewed fervor, pushing themselves to the limit in hopes of securing one of the coveted positions. Everyone understood that this new force was the personal army of the new lord and would become the core of future power. Joining it meant far better prospects than remaining a surrendered soldier with no dignity.
Next came the successful integration of the iron and silver mines. This task was personally overseen by Rehanna. As expected, the former members of the Fire Fox Mercenary Company all swore allegiance and, under her leadership, moved directly into the two mining sites. Instead of resorting to force, she carried out Nolan’s orders: all miners’ wages would be doubled from their previous level. The payment system was changed from a fixed hourly wage to a combination of guaranteed base pay plus performance-based bonuses.
In addition, miners would receive more paid leave the longer they worked, with salaries during leave calculated based on the base wage and the average bonus from the previous year. When this method was first proposed, everyone found it astonishing. It not only significantly increased the miners’ income but also greatly boosted their motivation, since they were now truly rewarded for the more they worked, unlike before when they could idle away their hours.
“I didn’t expect the lord to be such a business genius,” Anna said sincerely, and the others nodded in agreement.
Nolan, however, felt a little embarrassed. To him, these were just the most basic and common practices from the real world, copied wholesale.
Once these conditions were announced, the integration process became remarkably smooth. The miners and supervisors who had long been exploited by Haus almost immediately switched sides, happily acknowledging Nolan’s authority. To them, it did not matter who the lord was; whoever allowed them to eat their fill was a good lord.
As a result, the territory had mines to operate, the miners had money to earn, and the common people naturally came to see their new lord as wise and benevolent, far superior to Haus. A three-way win, though Nolan had gained twice over.
Finally, Nolan’s personal strength also improved significantly during this period. Starting from his first encounter after entering Demont Province, where he killed three Black Knights and destroyed an undead transport unit, to rescuing the Rehanna and Renee sisters, infiltrating Coldsteel City, orchestrating the death of the Gold-tier powerhouse Yuri, publicly executing Baron Haus, and taking control of the entire city, this series of actions granted him a total of 210,000 combat experience points. The system also issued a special campaign quest settlement for his previous actions.
【Large-Scale Regional Quest: Dawn of Coldsteel City (Completed)】
【Quest Rating: S】
【Quest Rewards: 250,000 EXP, Reputation (Coldsteel City): Revered】
【Territory Acquired: Coldsteel City】
A total of 460,000 experience points left even the well-traveled Nolan stunned. In the game, regional quest experience would never be awarded to a single individual like this.
Without hesitation, he invested all the experience into the class “Glory Guardian.” As a special hidden class, it unlocked a unique core passive skill at level 25: “Glorious Stand.” This ability allowed him to continue fighting at 70% of his attributes even after his stamina was completely depleted, while also enabling the conversion between health and stamina, greatly enhancing his endurance and flexibility in resource management. Combined with “Unyielding,” its potential was immense.
As the experience poured in, Nolan’s level skyrocketed.
【Total Level: 38】
【Class: Glory Guardian Lv.23/25 (EXP 0/95000); Paladin Lv.15/25 (EXP 0/50000)】
【Power Tier: Silver (Level 25–50), Physical and Holy]】
He was now one step closer to the Level 50 threshold of the Gold tier.
What pleased Nolan even more was that after officially becoming the true lord of Coldsteel City, his boss template finally revealed additional traits. Previously, he had been puzzled. In his experience with the game, NPC templates, especially boss templates, were not just about higher base stats; they usually came with various special resistances, damage reductions, and even unique skills. His own template, aside from doubling experience gain, had seemed unremarkable, and he had even suspected it was a “cut-down” version.
Now, things were different.
The moment he accepted the title of “Lord” and gained the sincere recognition of most people, a new line of text quietly appeared on his system panel.
【BOSS Template Trait Activated: Lord’s Authority】
【Lord’s Authority: As a lord, your will cannot be defied. You gain 75% resistance to all mental control and movement-restricting magic and skills, reducing both their effectiveness and duration.】
When Nolan read this description, he nearly laughed out loud.
What a windfall.
Seventy-five percent control resistance was an extraordinary advantage, practically the kind reserved for endgame raid bosses.
Now this was what a boss template should be.
For warrior classes, especially heavily armored ones, the most troublesome opponents were spellcasters with their endless control abilities—freezing, paralysis, stun, fear. Once controlled, even the highest health and defense turned one into a helpless target. Now, with “Lord’s Authority,” most mages’ control abilities were effectively neutralized. This would give him an unparalleled advantage in future battles, especially in duels against high-tier spellcasters.
In addition, Nolan discovered a new section labeled “Territory Management” on his panel. Strength alone was not enough; a true boss also needed power and influence.
Upon opening it, he found that he could assign appropriate positions to his companions, granting corresponding bonuses. Hank, for instance, came with a powerful military effect that increased training efficiency by 35%. The names of his companions had already been arranged according to his planned roles, and he could also view their approximate strength through their character profiles.
Hank, Kayan, and Rehanna were all above Level 40, high-tier Silver. Vivi, at Level 35, was also impressive. Little Donnie and Renee were slightly behind, still under Level 30 and newly entered into Silver tier, but considering their potential—one young, the other a versatile elemental user—they were both valuable talents.
Aside from Hank, Leus, and Kayan, whom he already knew to be “Heroes,” the Rehanna sisters were classified as “Elite.”
To his greatest surprise, Little Donnie and Vivi also bore the “Hero Template” tag.
They had once been nothing more than background figures, perhaps destined to disappear in some unknown corner before ever leaving a trace. It seemed that his interference with the course of this world’s fate had already begun to yield promising results.
Nolan struggled to suppress his elation, though his expression still looked somewhat strange, prompting Anna, who was organizing documents nearby, to glance at him repeatedly, wondering if he had eaten something bad. Anna was not a combatant and did not possess a character template, but her management and operational abilities were nearly maxed out, which satisfied him completely.
When Little Donnie burst into his office, Nolan was discussing the details of grain collection for the autumn harvest with Anna.
“My lord!”
Little Donnie ran to the desk and carefully pulled out a tightly wrapped package from his coat, his face beaming with pride.
“Heh, mission accomplished! I’ve brought back the princess’ reply!”