Chapter 1: Is Destiny Created?

The weather was clear, the snow had not yet melted, and the clouds in the sky were neatly arranged like huge fish scales.

For Moor, the Agricultural Officer of Sige Town, today was not a good day.

He was commanding a large group of slaves who were laboring with difficulty on a hill far from Sige Town to clear a flat piece of land.

These forty or fifty slaves were all he could summon.

Now that it was the busy farming season of early spring, even as an Agricultural Officer, he could not pull all the farmers away for temporary labor.

So, it was only these slaves who were working.

Some weeded, some chopped wood, and some moved stones. Watching this group, who seemed busy but were actually slacking, Moor cursed them as useless and kicked several slaves' behinds, urging them continuously, but the efficiency still did not improve; Moor was both angry and anxious.

When Moor learned that the Duke Riptide had bequeathed this wild territory to one of his sons as a fief, and that this Riptide son was soon to arrive in Sige Town, he began to sweat profusely.

It was known that Sige Town had not had a real lord for decades.

It seemed the Duke hardly cared for this land.

No wonder...

Firstly, this place was at the edge of the Black Iron Kingdom, primarily mountains and Sige Town was situated in a basin, where transportation was blocked and the environment was extremely poor and harsh, with frequent Demon Beast appearances.

Secondly, the original Sige Town was a gathering place for runaway slaves and thieves.

When the young Duke Riptide had conquered this area, he only sent an Agricultural Officer to manage it for tax collection purposes.

Moor, as the descendant of that Agricultural Officer, felt every year when submitting land rent, taxes, and various agricultural products that the Duke had probably long forgotten about this poor place.

Until he suddenly received the news that Roman Riptide was about to govern here as a lord, the Duke's illegitimate son seemed to have been exiled.

What was worse, soon after he received the news, Roman Riptide had already embarked on his journey.

Moor's heart skipped a beat when he heard this news.

Sige Town was often lacking in control, maintained solely by the guards without even a knight.

Without a request, Moor could not possibly command these rebellious people to start a major construction to build a manor or castle that might never be used in their lifetimes.

This meant that after the Riptide's son's arrival, there would be no place for him to stay.

Let the Lord stay temporarily in Sige Town?

This thought had just emerged when it was immediately quashed.

As the Agricultural Officer, Moor's home was the most luxurious place in Sige Town, but even so, it was still a rural spot for a Duke's illegitimate son.

More importantly, how could the Lord live alongside these lowly folks?

If these unruly people offended or neglected the Lord, wouldn't that be a capital offense?

It wouldn't matter much if the people died, but Moor did not want his head to fall along with them; that would be too unjust.

Therefore, Moor hastily gathered a group of slaves, preparing to start work on the site.

However, he was still far too late.

As he busied himself, he saw a caravan approaching from afar.

The most conspicuous was a flag fluttering in the wind atop the carriage, with the pattern of a strong Large Bow embroidered on it.

The Riptide Family's coat of arms!

Roman Riptide had arrived at his territory!

Moor's face instantly turned pale.

Duke Riptide was one of the three Dukes of the Black Iron Kingdom, ranked just below the Black Iron King.

The First Generation Duke Riptide, following the Conqueror Emperor, had conquered vast territories.

He used a Longbow as his weapon, once piercing through the indestructible crimson scales of a fire dragon, nearly slaying the dragon in one battle and thus becoming a legendary figure.

The Riptide Family had survived to this day by the legacy of their ancestor and the passed-down Crack Armor Archery.

The fact that the Duke's illegitimate son was granted this barren land as a fiefdom, in the eyes of others, indicated possible exile.

This was Moor's first encounter with the head of his family.

He had heard how difficult it was to serve noble lords; they were individuals who wouldn't blink an eye at killing!

And considering that the Riptide son, seeming to accept the fief but actually suffering exile, might have raging anger in his heart now, ready to kill a few people to vent his anger!

Moor ran frantically down the hillside, his corpulent body rolling like a tumble down the slope, thudding right in front of a carriage.

The carriage stopped, and before Moor could catch his breath, the carriage curtain lifted, and a quite heroic young man emerged.

Brown-black hair naturally curled at the ends, thickly draped over his shoulders, his crimson eyes were highly captivating, his face rugged; his features were well defined, showing none of the immaturity of youth, his expression exceedingly calm.

"Noble Lord Roman Riptide, welcome to Sige Town..." Moor recognized the man by his fiery red eyes and stuttered.

Only when Roman Riptide alighted from the carriage did Moor perceive the oppressive aura of the young lord; he was well over six feet tall with a robust build, well-nourished and solid, developed like a proper adult warrior.

Moor had heard that this new lord was only 16, barely of age, but he stood a head taller than Moor, who was 25 himself.

Moor dared not meet his eyes, keeping his head low, his pale face sweating profusely with sweat rolling down his cheeks, clinging desperately to a handkerchief in one hand without daring to wipe his brow.

As the Agricultural Officer, he held a high social status in Sige Town.

But all his status and honor came from the Riptide Family.

If he failed to earn the young lord's approval, a single word from Roman Riptide could cost him his position or even his life.

The situation now was that his inadequate preparation might have already displeased the lord.

"You are?"

Roman eyed the portly man before him, the phrase 'a mind full of fat' inexplicably popping into his head.

"Agricultural Officer of Sige Town, Moor Basi..." Moor was nervous, as it was his first time hosting the head of the Riptide Family; he had only dealt with tax officials from the Riptide Family before—claiming he wasn't terrified would be impossible.

Or rather, he was quite frightened by this lord sent from the heavens.

"Holo Basi is what to you?"

"He's my father's uncle," Moor answered instantly.

"Oh," Roman nodded.

Holo Basi was an old steward of the Riptide Family, faithfully devoted to his duty, day in and day out for decades.

Roman speculated that Moor's father or grandfather must have been useless, but they had some connections, so he'd been sent here to work.

To Roman, Moor was also like a steward, managing the family's assets in Sige Town.

Though it was akin to exile for him, for ordinary people, this must be considered a good job.

Thinking this, Roman curiously gazed at the hillside where slaves bustled about, oblivious to their impending destiny.

He had been born into a fortunate life.

The Grand Duke of the First Generation Riptide had suffered all the hardships for the family when he followed the Conqueror into the gates, leaving none for his descendants.

The influence of the Riptide Family still lingered; although Roman was a bastard with no inheritance rights, he wouldn't end up like some low-ranking nobles' younger sons who, upon reaching adulthood, only received a severance fee before being driven out—or worse, got nothing and had to slave away for their elder brothers.

Having such a fief was an excellent starting point for him.

Without this status, he would probably need much more time to grow and develop and might even die young, which was unacceptable to him.

Roman asked, "That place there, is it where I will be residing from now on?"

Moor sweated even more, "Respected Lord Roman, due to short notice, we... this..."

This wasn't his fault; with half a year's notice, even if they couldn't build a castle, they could have constructed a decent, spacious manor.

But with only two days' notice, they could only hang in the northwest breeze.

These stubborn commoners were useless without a wall to lean on.

Roman knew his arrival was rushed, so he didn't get angry.

He was here purely to play the role of a feudal lord.

Looking at the hillside covered with weeds and strewn with rocks.

The terrain was gentle, vast in area, ideal for cultivation.

In the distance, the forests were lush, and there was an even wider riverbank with endless flowing silver water.

Roman was very satisfied.

It was his ideal environment for farming.

At the same time, a virtual panel gradually appeared in his vision.

[Game Load Complete]

[Establishing Neural Connection]

[Starting Consciousness Awakening]

[1%, 2%…99%, 100%————]

[Awakening Complete]

[Create Destiny?]