Over the boundless snowy plains, golden figures darted through the clouds. Sunlight pierced through the gaps, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow on the plains below.

Levi stood atop the watchtower, watching from afar as the Feder Warriors grinned and laughed with uncontainable excitement on the backs of their Griffins.

Ever since he had beaten up their leader in front of the flock, he had received a collective notice from the group of Magical Beasts that they were joining his forces.

This wasn’t particularly surprising. Back when he was recruiting the Jackal Wolfman Cavalry, Levi had learned that the system classified mounts as combat units. They would generate a notice to join his ranks and could be promoted alongside the soldiers.

As soon as the Griffins joined his ranks, they became as docile as rabbits. As long as Levi was present, anyone could ride them. With a grand wave of his hand, the Lord decided to form a dedicated Knight Order for them.

At present, High Cliff Castle’s active-duty forces consisted only of Beastman Warriors, Centaur Clan Warriors, Jackal Wolf Scouts, and Feder Archers. Clearly, only the Feder Archers were suited for the Griffins, so Levi converted all of them into an aerial unit.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was that this would create an entirely new troop promotion tree. Compared to the previous complex paths that split between melee and ranged, this new one was so straightforward that its terrifying power was obvious at a glance.

It was a single, linear path. Starting from the lowest tier, “New Griffin Knights,” they could be promoted to “Griffin Windwalker Knights,” and then to “Griffin Thunder Warriors.”

After studying it for so long, Levi discovered that the system’s naming convention for troop types was practically identical to that of the real Debei Kingdom. An expert could discern a unit’s nature from its name alone.

The names of first-rate Elite Corps were almost always based on various natural disasters—for example, “Hurricane Destruction,” “Magma Fury,” or “Burning Corps.” Insiders knew at a glance that these were forces not to be trifled with. They were the ace units that every kingdom poured immense resources into cultivating. They cost a fortune to maintain, but their combat effectiveness was impeccable, capable of deciding the outcome of a major battle at a critical moment.

The names for second-rate conventional corps were much more arbitrary, often using items of symbolic significance or family emblems. Examples included the Northern Territory’s “Thorn Corps” and the Persian Gulf Empire’s “Purity Warrior Group.”

As for third-rate corps, they were almost always named after common beasts, such as the “Lion Corps” or the “Eagle’s Group.” Most of these were Mercenary Corps or local Defense Corps, typically responsible only for maintaining local order and suppressing bandits. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them ragtag forces.

Therefore, any system-generated troop name associated with Natural Elements was destined to be extraordinary.

Once these Griffin Knights were fully trained, High Cliff Castle would secure a foothold in the sky, completely resolving its embarrassing lack of anti-air capabilities.

“Si Kai, I’m temporarily putting you in command of these five hundred Griffin Knights.” Levi patted the tall Knight on the shoulder. “I’ll write to Fulina and explain. If you want to go back at any time, just go. I won’t stand in your way.”

‘Currently, this Knight he had poached was the only one in High Cliff Castle who was a proper Knight Order commander and had received formal military training. After thinking it over, Levi realized only Si Kai was suitable to lead High Cliff Castle’s large Griffin Knight Order.’

“No problem.” Si Kai breathed an inward sigh of relief. ‘If it’s only a temporary command, he naturally wouldn’t refuse the invitation from the Lord of High Cliff Castle. Besides, he now had a Griffin of his own. If Levi weren’t here, he would have already taken off to experience the thrill of soaring through the sky.’

“Don’t think of this as a burden,” Levi said with a gentle smile. “In the Northern Territory, every position is filled. It’s incredibly difficult to get ahead. The fact that Fulina agreed to let you help me here might mean she wants you to earn merits on this side. This is a rare opportunity, enough to drive a whole host of apprentice knights in Debei mad with jealousy.”

He wasn’t lying. As his fame grew, a steady stream of admiring apprentice knights flocked to High Cliff Castle, hoping to pledge their allegiance to the brilliant and mighty Duke of the Wilderness. Unfortunately, after a “fair duel” to test their skills against the Barbarians of High Cliff Castle, they all shamefully sought out the Lord to bid their farewells and departed.

Levi had always been magnanimous toward his admirers. He encouraged each one of them, telling them they could try again after improving their Swordsmanship.

‘It wasn’t that he looked down on them. No matter how weak they were, they were still a bit stronger than the Wilderness People, who knew nothing.’

‘The real reason the Lord wouldn’t accept them was that they sought more than just honor and money; they also wanted fiefs. In other words, as they accumulated merits, the Lord would not only have to give them various rewards but also enfeoff them as Official Knights and grant them a rich Knight Manor.’

‘Compared to the Wilderness People, who only needed full bellies and warm clothes, they were simply not cost-effective at all.’

‘Levi had no desire to recruit a bunch of masters he would have to serve. After all, if he dared not grant them fiefs, they truly had the right to draw their swords against him. This was an old tradition in Debei.’

“My Lord, Sam and the others have already contacted most of the Tribe Clan Leaders in the Kas Mountain Range,” the Giant Goblin said, having quietly approached Levi from behind.

After more than ten days of working around the clock, Tudor-style houses, complete with lofts and chimneys, had sprung up one after another. They now stood in the planned Settler Area at the foot of the hill.

The walls were built entirely of red brick. For the steep, slanted roofs, they used locally sourced materials, fashioning planks from the pine wood most abundant in the Wilderness to form the main structure, which was then covered with fired tiles.

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