In the afternoon, the sunlight was just right.

The scattered light spots filtered through the fan-shaped leaves of the palm trees in the courtyard, casting onto the "new book" in Losa's hands.

The exquisite illustrations in the new book depicted the demon hunter Van Helsing battling an unclothed vampire woman.

It was a proper fight!

Life was back on track.

Temporarily distant from the wars and the tumultuous extraordinary world.

Nicknamed "Tsar" by Jeanne, Losa was now lying on a soft couch covered with a patterned thin blanket, with a bottle of chilled wine placed beside him.

He lay slouched in the Ge You style, occasionally taking a sip from the wine glass.

He was truly at ease now!

Though Losa currently only occupied one-third of the Sinai Peninsula, he had recently composed a letter to Baldwin IV, explaining his intention to establish the Jerusalem Kingdom's Sinai Border District.

Ultimately, he just wanted the nominal title of "Vassal Prince".

This required recognition from the Kingdom of Jerusalem; otherwise, it would just be self-titling like the Vassal Prince of Brandenburg, who was still referred to as Count Mark within the Empire.

It held no legal effect.

Notably, the renowned capitals of the Second and Third German Empires, Berlin, was still a wasteland.

Brandenburg was not yet ruled by the well-known Hohenzollern Family of later generations, but by Count Albrecht of the Ascani Family.

He was originally the Duke of Saxony but lost his titles and duchy to the Welf Family, where Lion Henry resided, after a defeat in battle.

The Hohenzollern Family now ruled Sorren County in Swabia and Nuremberg County in Bavaria, long-time neighbors of the Habsburg Family.

A nominal title was useless to others, but not to Losa.

Furthermore, it wasn't just a nominal title; establishing the border area gave Losa the legal basis to independently declare war on heretics and launch Crusades.

When Brandenburg had just been established, the territory was not as vast as it is now. It expanded to its current size through successive offensives against heretics like the Wends.

Unfortunately.

Baldwin IV asked him to stay calm. He had attracted too much attention recently, and many nobles within the kingdom thought he should be summoned back for questioning.

And this was after winning.

Princess Sibilla once said that Losa should not distance himself from Jerusalem, the center of power. Once apart, he would face various accusations, and even his position as Grand Master of the Royal Knight Order seemed unstable.

The recovering Empress Faction began stirring trouble, aiming to contest power with the Noble Faction, with the temporarily leaderless Royal Knight Order as their target.

But Losa didn't mind.

As lord of his domain, he was king and emperor on his land, wielding force and wealth, with most vassals supporting him.

No one could touch him.

Jeanne carried a plate of sliced watermelon wedges and sat down next to Losa, stretching lazily: "Such sunshine is perfect for a splendid nap."

Crack.

The sound of Furin Jira chewing on a chocolate bar came: "Sir, aren't you going to check on this woman? How can a dignified Chief Knight laze around all day?"

You have the nerve to say that.

Losa silently scoffed in his heart.

"Don't talk nonsense, I have important matters to attend to."

Jeanne leisurely settled into a comfortable position, picked up the half-full wine bottle from Losa, gulped it down in one go, and said:

"Kurs sent a letter; he's doing quite well in Philorn."

"He estimates that once Philorn is completely settled, the annual tax revenue after expenses should be equivalent to one-eighth of Hebron or Eira Port."

"The manpower provided should be up to a thousand people."

Jeanne couldn't help but regretfully say: "It's a shame, sir, your reputation preceded us. Before our army even arrived, the local chiefs of Philorn abandoned their lands, estates, and residences and, taking their treasures, fled to relatives."

"Indeed a bit regrettable."

Confiscating properties could become addictive.

Without the "selfless contributions" of those local chiefs, Losa couldn't have embarked on such extensive public works like irrigation, public toilets, and land reclamation.

He said: "Once Philorn is stable, we will return to Hebron. In the short term, there shouldn't be any more wars breaking out."

He said there wouldn't be war.

In reality, it was because Losa did not want to be a bandit.

Otherwise, with neighbor Rauf's weakened state, even if Losa didn't wish to seize new territories, sending a cavalry team to raid his lands from time to time would be a decent source of wealth.

To be frank, relying on agriculture and grazing alone in places like Transjordan and the Sinai Peninsula was a path to poverty.

Unless it was estates like Hebron's Aviary Manor, with natural fertilizers paired with manure, crop yields could match the fertile lands of Gaul.

But yields cannot be calculated this way.

Agriculture is fundamental; only when agriculture thrives will Losa's rule be more stable, and the grassroots populace will be more inclined to reproduce, significantly increasing the number of surviving newborns.

A larger population means more tax revenue, more sources for troops.

Take New Habsburg, for example. It was once a liability for Losa, but it has recently become profitable.

With the continuous gathering of people, what was once a solitary castle and village now shows the trend of a new city taking form.

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