The Grandmaster of Loyalty.
"Of all my decisions, one of the few short-term ones was the upgrade of Leon Mantelon to be the Grandmaster of Loyalty.
"This is also the one that I regret the least."
"For this allowed my dynasty to survive its events and the cruel world of dynasties online."
"And for the birth of my most loyal soldiers."
"The legendary Pelican Guards."
Reginald Coulan, creator and head of House Aurellion in Dynasties Online.
….
Reginald then looked over the next set of reward notifications.
[Congratulations to player Rising Pelican of Loyalty for completing the player-created dynasty history linked side quest 'Battlefield Conspiracy.' Please choose one of the following for your reward.]
[Option 1: An extra Inheritable Dynasty Trait for your Sworn Martial Dynasty, which the system will select.
[Option 2: Create a weapon-based Heirloom for your house. This powerful weapon will be passed down from father to son, becoming a symbol of your noble house and its martial might. This will give you a powerful unique weapon at the start of the game, which can be customised to your liking.]
[Option 3: A Large number of assets in the place that you have fled to after the fall of your dynasty granting you a large number of resources if your dynasty makes it through its dynasty events and enters the game giving you a large early game advantage.]
[Option 4: Upgrade of Leon Mantelon, the leader of your Sworn Martial Dynasty skill in his weapon of choice from Master level to Grandmaster level, becoming one of the few grandmasters in the world the player can choose whether he wants this to be public knowledge though other grandmasters will be able to tell their level of fighter by observing them.]
[Option 5: An option created by the player and checked and verified by the friend system
Reginald was surprised as he knew just how powerful Inheritable Dynasty Traits were in DO. But considering that it was going to be picked by the system, he imagined that it would not be too ridiculous or powerful and would be as balanced as the rest of the options, the young player thinking about the long-term future of his dynasty.
This is the most difficult decision that Reginald has had to make, far more challenging than the decision he had to make for the S-ranked quest before, as that had an obvious choice, at least to him getting a set of loyal simps to help protect and guard him when he would have an empire after his head was the easiest decision ever.
This one had many implications. The first and second options were very long-term ones giving him something that he could use potentially for the entire game as long as his and his loyal subordinate dynasty survived, as it would give him a powerful unique weapon to pass down to his descendants or an extra trait for his loyal subordinate which in turn made him more powerful as their leader and lord.
The third one would help him tremendously in the early game giving him the resources he needs to set up whatever schemes he had for the future, whether it is raising money to bribe officials and nobles to help him get into an army or setting up a business to gather in-game funds or become some sort of mercenary group all of this would need a significant amount of capital to pay for them, which could be given to him on a silver platter. In other words, it would help set him up with long-term streams of revenue that he could use as he liked, whether it be used to trade or build an army.
The last option was the worst from a long-term perspective because it only upgraded Leon, who was already 34, 20 years before the game had even begun. Considering that his character was 18 at the start of the game, his character was not even born by the time The Battle of Brunag was fought, and by the time the game started, this old veteran would be 54. 54! By medieval standards, this was old, and it was likely that Reginald would only get around 10-20 years of in-game use of the man, which was just three and a half in real life at a push.
If 1 hour in real life is 12 hours in the game and you can only play the game for 12 real-life hours a day….
Considering that it is a persistent world that only stops running while the servers are offline/disabled, then one day spent playing the game in real life was equivalent to 6 days in the game! This means that one year in real life was six years in the game, while Reginald was not wholly confident in the game's ability to go on for too long, but if it did last for a while, three years in real life would be nothing if the game continued on for decades.
If you also consider that Leon would be past his prime making him slightly weaker physically, then this was a poor option as all it would give the lazy player a grandmaster for the early game. While that is powerful, it may not be worth giving up the other rewards, which have much more practical long-term use.
There was, however, one last thought that crossed his mind that stopped Reginald from disregarding this option entirely, and it was very simple.
'What if I cannot get to the main game with this dynasty in the first place?"
Reginald thought, remembering the Dynasty History System and his last event. How he had to come up with such a convoluted scheme not to be utterly obliterated, there was bound to be a player in the next event who was likely to be aware that facing another player was possible, so he would be on guard and assume that he would be facing another player in the next event and in that case a Grandmaster's use skyrocketed. He then proceeded to reflect on the event more and realised that if he had a grandmaster, many things would be a lot easier. Not only would Leon wipe the floor with any of the officers in the enemy army, but he would have likely completed the event in a grander manner than he already did.
'It is likely that the second Dynasty History Event will be harder than the first, and on top of that, I have to eventually survive the fall of my dynasty and be an enemy of the Chavarian Empire, a superpower on the continent. Having a grandmaster by my side will help tremendously in my survival and vastly increase my chances of survival not only in the event but in the early game as well.'
Reginald thought in a scattered manner, struggling to make a decision. Ultimately, he concluded that ensuring his dynasty survived through the Dynasty History System took precedence before anything else. There was no point in having strong dynasty traits if the dynasty was extinguished before it even entered the main game! So with a heavy heart, he chose to upgrade Leon to the rank of grandmaster.
If any player outside of the game knew that Reginald was a bit disappointed or struggled with whether to choose to have a loyal subordinate become a grandmaster, they would throw rocks at him and cough up blood until they were nothing more than a pile of bones and flesh at his audacity! Many of them dream of having such a subordinate for even just 1 single quest, let alone one that can be tied to one's dynasty until they died, as having a Grandmaster under you was a mark of status and the sign of a new rising or old powerhouse in the game as having one was a basic requirement for a dynasty to enter the upper echelons of the game. Without it, even the most influential dynasties will find themselves suppressed by a grandmaster's overwhelming strength, which can rival 1000 troops alone.
Many kings and even dukes had at least 1 or 2 grandmasters under them, which is one of the reasons those almighty dynasties have managed to maintain their power for as long as they have. Of course, these would be secret and not public knowledge, which is why many who are not at this level of influence still believed that only 10 grandmasters had ever existed at one time. In fact, far more existed just behind the scenes, rarely coming out as otherwise, they would become an instant target for elimination by the enemies of the dynasty they served.
[Option 4 selected! For your next dynasty event, and from then on until he dies in an event or game, your subordinate Leon Mantelon will be upgraded to the Grandmaster rank.]
[Congratulations to player Rising Pelican of Loyalty for being the first player to have a grandmaster as a member of your faction and subordinate.]
[Rewarding the player's subordinate Leon Mantelon with the unique grandmaster title Grandmaster of Loyalty. Please note that whenever someone player or NPC rises to the rank of grandmaster, they gain a Grandmaster title describing the characteristics of that grandmaster, which gives them a bonus in one way or another.]
Reginald looked on with surprise again at the notification that appeared but then thought about it and realised this was, in fact, almost a given. It was only the first day that one could create their character and enter the Dynasty History System. So it was nearly madness that someone would be able to win a war and be rewarded with a grandmaster subordinate as a reward. He then looked at the title and the bonus it gave to Leon.
….
Grandmaster of Loyalty: (Character/dynasty trait)
Description: A Grandmaster who attained his rank through talent, hard work and loyalty, this person is a loyal protector and is best suited to that role, becoming more powerful when he is protecting someone he cares about and is devoted to. This title stems from the person's undying loyalty to the Aurellion Dynasty and can be inherited by a future dynasty member who also reaches the grandmaster rank.
Effect: Grants the passive skill 'Aurellion's loyal protector.' Increasing the stats and combat ability of this character by 20% when they are protecting or defending the leader or important member of the Aurellion Dynasty.
….
After looking at the title Leon with a smile, Reginald read the following notification that appeared, turning the slight smile into a frown and a look of annoyance, making clear the young 18-year-old's poor emotional state and anger, which burned below Reginald's usual calm exterior. This reward was the last thing that he wanted to have at the start of the game, and the young player wondered how the hell the system could even count it as a reward. Reginald thought it should be counted more as a punishment.
[Congratulations to player Rising Pelican of Loyalty for winning the Battle of Brunag so decisively that your Dynasty has become renowned throughout the southern part of the continent.]
[Fallen Martial House Inheritable Dynasty Trait has been upgraded to the Renowned Fallen Martial House Inheritable Dynasty Trait.
….
Renowned Fallen Marital House
Requirements: Fallen Noble Trait
Description: A Renowned Fallen Martial House is a noble family with a reputation for being good military commanders and strategists. They used to lead grand armies and be highly respected among their own and neighbouring nations for these traits. However, due to political intrigue or some other great calamity, they lost their power and are now in hiding or exile from the dynasty or nation they offended.
Effect: Your dynasty will be famous amongst your home nation and the nations around for coming from a family of generals and will find it easier to enter a kingdom's military due to family reputation; however, trust will be hard to gain. Your house's fame and marital prowess will be valued more than their supposed lack of loyalty.
Members of the dynasty can gain 1 free skill point/upgrade in military strategy if educated primarily in marshal practices and enough time is devoted to learning about strategy.
Members of the dynasty can gain 2 free skill points/upgrades in any combat skill of their choice. If trained and enough time has been spent training the combat skill, this includes skills such as riding.
Members of the Dynasty can gain 1 free skill point in leadership if enough time has been spent training the skill.
When forming nations and factions, there will be more combat-orientated options for customisation.
Due to the family being well known, it is effortless for them to be recognised and for information to go out to their enemies. One look at any memorabilia or symbol of the Dynasty, and most people with even a fraction of power will recognise it as having to do with your Dynasty.
Upgrades Fallen Noble Starter Kit to Renowned Fallen Noble Martial Starter Kit allows you to take the martial mentor trait as if you were from a Martial House.
This trait allows military skills to go to the adept rank during character creation or when members of this dynasty are children. Unless blessed with certain character traits, children of a dynasty cannot go above the intermediate rank in any skill, which is why most have to rely on a regent or loyal person to rule in their stead.
….
After this was another series of notifications that made Reginald grit his teeth more and more as he read them, his veins bulging from his momentary anger.
[As a critical player in the Chavarian war for unification, former Plurian nobles will look at the player's dynasty with fear, respect and hatred as they partly blame your dynasty for the fall of their kingdom]
[Player's dynasty is now well known within the Chavarian Empire, making members and pieces of memorabilia easy for anyone with even a fraction of power to recognise.]
[Player's dynasty is now well known within the Kingdom of Nathia, making members and pieces of memorabilia easy for anyone with even a fraction of power to recognise.]
[Player's dynasty is now well known within the Kingdom of Otrua, making members and pieces of memorabilia easy for anyone with even a fraction of power to recognise.]
[Player's dynasty is now well known within the United Beastman States, making members and pieces of memorabilia easy for anyone with even a fraction of power to recognise.]
[Player dynasty is now….}
The notifications continued until almost every single nation in the southern continent would be able to recognise members of his dynasty easily, butchering his plan to lay low in the early parts of the game and slowly build up resources and power and making him even more afraid as he would have an empire after him by the end of his Dynasty events.
"Friend System, what the fuck is this!"
....
A note from me the lazy ass author.
First off by next week at the latest, I am hoping to have my Patreon up if the web novel censors the word. It is a website that cannot be named. This will be where you can financially support if I get enough support I can make this my full-time job and give you guys more content links will be in the discord and when I decide on my P@treon name just look that up on the sight ill tell you it in a note like this when it is up.
This not only allows me to protect my IP but allows me to continue releasing 1 chapter per week for free to people who cannot afford it please only become a patron if you really like the novel and want advanced chapters or can afford it.
The reason this chapter was not out earlier was that I was considering whether to release this chapter with the Patreon or not but considering that I am still 2 chapters behind the advanced chapters I want to set it up I decided to give you guys more content.
With the serious stuff out of the way. After rereading through the novel I realised that I forgot to give the casualties for both sides at the end of the Battle of Brunag. Stupid lazy Dragon of an author! So have put it below and on the discord.
....
Battle of Brunag:
Orginal Chavarian Army:
20,000 Horse Archers.
10,000 Chavarian Knights.
10,000 Heavy Infantry.
5,000 Crossbowmen.
5,000 Archers.
Lucius Aurellion. (Commander in Chief of the Chavarian Army)
Archtorius Shadowspire. (Vice General)
Lyndon Gladorus. (Vice General) (Deceased)
Leon Mantelon. (Vice General)
Lindorus Leomus. (Vice General)
Total 50,000 men.
Surviving Chavarian army after the battle.
5,000 Crossbows.
3,000 Archers.
2,500 Heavy Infantry.
2,500 Chavarian Knights.
6,000 Horse Archers.
Total 19,000 Men. (not including major officers)
Lucius Aurellion. (Commander in Chief of the Chavarian Army)
Archtorius Shadowspire. (Vice General)
Leon Mantelon. (Vice General)
Lindorus Leomus. (Vice General)
....
Plurian-Otuian Allied Army:
Original Allied Army Size: 100,000 men
Original Plurian Army :
5,000 Crossbowmen.
5,000 Heavy infantry.
5,000 Horse Archers.
10,000 Light Cavalry.
5,000 Plurian Knights.
Total 30,000 men
Bardornus Asharm. (Commander in Cheif of the Plurian Army)
Alden Rhikud. (Vice General)
Alric Ervig (Vice General. (Deceased)
Sindar Singefeild. (Vice General)
Atharid Thorismund. (Vice General) (Deceased)
Post-battle Surviving Plurian Army:
1000 Heavy Infantry.
500 Plurian Knights.
500 Crossbows.
Bardornus Asharm. (Commander in Cheif of the Plurian Army)
Sindar Singefeild. (Vice General)
Alden Rhikud. (Vice General)
Total 2,000 men. (not including major officers)
Original Otuian Army:
10,000 Wolf Riders.
30,000 Heavy Infantry.
20,000 Light Infantry.
10,000 Archers (shortbows)
Wurgoth Aguk (Commander in Cheif of the Otuian Army) (Deceased)
Zugbu (Captain became a prominent officer.)
Mulush Zargulg (Vice General) (Deceased)
Grishnak Korgak(Vice General) (Deceased)
Naguk (Half-Giant prominent officer) (Deceased)
Post-battle Surviving Plurian Army:
300 Orc Wolf Riders (Estimated)
200 Heavy Infantry (Estimated)
300 Light Infantry (Estimated)
200 Archers (Estimated
Zugbu (Captain became a prominent officer.)
Total 1,000 men (Estimated not including officers)
Total Allied Army Survivers: 3,000 men.