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Against such a backdrop, Rigolav still agreed to assist the River Bend Territory. Even in the eyes of the two beneficiaries, Leo and Ulyan, it looked like an unwise move.
"That old guy is taking a wild gamble."
After Knight Romon left, several small leaders in the village gathered together. While salivating over the aid list, they discussed the problems they were about to face.
Valery, the blacksmith; Rusev, the quartermaster; Olivia, the treasurer; and Rashka, the agricultural supervisor.
As for Leo, the captain of the militia, he was called by Ulyan to see Knight Romon off.
"You know, the Petukhov family now has four knight fiefdoms. Rigolav, the family head, has one. His second younger brother has one, the eldest son of his second younger brother has one, and his third younger brother has one."
"Rigolav had children late in life. The eldest son of his second younger brother is already thirty. The father and son managed their own knight fiefdoms. A few years ago, they obtained a colonization permit with their military achievements. Now they have opened up a territory south of the Western Watchtower, which can support more than five hundred people."
"That old guy is also anxious. When he's gone someday, who will inherit the family business of the Petukhov family? Romon? Or his second younger brother?"
The civilization level in the Northern Region is much less developed than that in the Southern Region. There are still strong clan traditions remaining. The law of the jungle and survival of the fittest are ingrained in everyone's bones.
No one would think that just because they're the second son, they'd be willing to work for the family their whole lives.
Given the chance, who wouldn't want to be in charge?
Even if the second son of the Petukhov family has no ambitions, Rigolav still has to figure out ways to boost his strength and silence the naysayers.
Valery, the chief blacksmith and "engineer" of the River Bend, scratched his shiny bald head and wondered, "But what does this have to do with us?"
"You don't understand," Rusev beside him knocked on his pipe and boasted, "They've got big plans. They want Knight Romon to come here and marry Olivia. When Ulyan kicks the bucket, won't the River Bend Territory take the Petukhov surname?"
Ulyan nodded and said, "That's probably the case. So it's a real headache."
As he said that, he looked at Olivia and said worriedly, "Why don't you just marry Romon? That kid was trained by me. He's a good lad. Besides, he's a proper knight now. If you marry him, you'll be a knight's wife!"
Olivia rolled her eyes and didn't even bother to reply.
Rashka beside her laughed and said, "Your daughter has a crush on someone. You won't be able to talk her into it."
Ulyan angrily said, "What's so special about that Leo kid? He's an orphan and just a brute. If there's a real war, he'll be the first to bite the dust!"
Olivia couldn't take it anymore. "Since you know he's a brute, why do you still send him out to fight? Do you want him to get himself killed?"
With that, she reached out to pinch Ulyan's ear.
"Stop!" Ulyan roared, briefly scaring his daughter. "This is to toughen him up! If he can't even handle a small thing, how's he gonna defend the River Bend in the future?"
"If he really has no skills, then let him croak!"
Rusev quickly stepped in to play peacemaker. "Leo has become a lot more sensible now. Look at the things he's done lately. Which one wasn't done well?"
"Sensible my foot! He's always slacking off and has no sense of decorum. Give him a little power and he'll think he's king of the world. He even butts into other people's affairs!"
Ulyan's scolding resonated with everyone, and Rashka seized the opportunity to gripe, "Olivia, you should keep him in line. Don't let your Leo keep ogling the big behinds of the village women all day long. He'll lead my little grandson astray!"
Rusev immediately recalled the time when Leo's Boy Scout team prodded his butt while he was taking a crap. He nodded and said, "I take back what I previously said."
Then, he changed the subject and said to Ulyan, "At your age, once you become a knight lord, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find a new mom for Olivia. But if you want to have a son and groom him to be a knight to inherit the family estate, it might be a bit too late."
"No matter how much you detest Leo, ultimately, you'll still have to depend on him. Listen to me, arrange their wedding earlier to avoid unnecessary hassle."
After hearing this, Ulyan's old face crumpled, but he couldn't argue back.
According to the laws of the empire, a fief is granted by a noble lord to a loyal knight. This ensures that the knight has enough resources to maintain his warhorse, weapons, and armor, enabling him to fight for the lord.
Under certain special circumstances, the lord reserves the right to reclaim it.
For example, if a knight they enfeoffed rebels or commits a crime.
Or in cases of having no heirs, or when the heirs are weak and unable to fulfill the duties of a knight, such as responding to the military conscription call.
Therefore, to ensure the fief's inheritance, one's own heirs need to be outstanding. The safest way is to become a knight.
Logically, this is equivalent to the noble lord reclaiming the fief from the previous knight and then bestowing it on the next knight without a fief.
If one lacks knight status but wishes to continue inheriting the land, they have to pay a substantial land inheritance tax.
If one is unlucky, the lord might even reclaim the land and bestow it on other vassal knights.
For a commoner like Ulyan, who has no background and has worked his way up, facing a large number of eager competitors, it is naturally extremely difficult for him to pass on his pioneer territory to his descendants.
If it were up to him, Ulyan would rather marry his daughter to Knight Romon, who has both a good family pedigree and capabilities.
As for who'll inherit the River Bend Territory after his death, he couldn't give a damn.
But he knew in his heart that his daughter had her eyes set on Leo, and it was unlikely he could talk her out of it.
If he doesn't marry his daughter to Romon yet still wants to pass on the River Bend Territory, he has to train a knight on his own.
Just the thought of foisting his precious daughter on that brat makes Ulyan feel queasy all over.
He's willing to treat Leo like his own son, yet he still hopes that Olivia can have a better future.
Valery didn't want to overthink. Looking at the list he couldn't make heads or tails of, he was in a quandary. "So, should we accept this aid or not?"
Olivia had just read it to them once. The first batch of supplies on it was sufficient to get his blacksmith shop up and running.
After two renovations, his furnace had successfully melted iron into molten state and started producing pig iron ingots.
However, the conditions at the River Bend Settlement Camp were extremely poor. Even the only anvil was hauled out from the Kobold Valley. To forge farming tools, he still required a great deal more tools and equipment.
"I'll take the supplies, but I won't give up the people!" Ulyan made a decision.
"I'll head to Isonpol tomorrow and talk to Rigolav in person. I'll try not to strain our relationship."
The reason he kept Romon from bringing up the conditions all night was that he wanted to go and negotiate in person.
It's easier to talk if no conditions are brought up. If we flatly reject after the other party states their terms, it'll damage our relationship.
Although the three hundred of us seem cut off from the world when we hole up in the wilderness, the biggest risk that River Bend can't afford to take still comes from human society.
Rusev nodded in agreement and said, "That's right. Moreover, we've bounced back now. Even if the negotiation falls through and we don't accept this batch of supplies, we can still manage. But we can't let this relationship go bad."
Just as they finished discussing, Leo walked in from outside and casually asked, "What are you guys talking about? Not going to bed?"
The group of people gave him dirty looks, none of them showing a friendly expression.