The air inside Fort Drakk was marginally warmer than the bitter wind outside, yet the atmosphere was colder. The fort was a monument to neglect. The palisade walls were scarred by years of ice and ignored enemy incursions, and the main courtyard was a muddy, rutted expanse where snow and grime mixed.
Cedric stepped down from the carriage, his demeanor having shed the last vestiges of the former weakling Duke's son. He walked with the measured stride of a man who now saw the fort not as a prison, but as a critical, under-upgraded base.
Steven was already directing the handful of servants and drivers, his movements precise and economical. Cedric watched him, recalling the updated information. Steven was no mere attendant; he was a battle-honed Silver Knight, a combat equivalent of 100 normal knights, placed here by the Duke's personal loyalty—or perhaps as a safety measure.
As Steven approached, Cedric lowered his voice. "Steven, your rank. You didn't mention it."
Steven's expression remained composed, but a slight tremor betrayed his surprise at the directness. "My Lord, my primary duty is stewardship and personal safety, as per your father's command. I am a Silver Knight, yes, but I only fight when the administrative structure is threatened. My loyalty is absolute, and my silence was deliberate—to allow your brothers to believe they had left you truly defenseless."
Smart. The loyalty was a valuable asset, and the hidden strength was a tactical cushion.
[Personnel Update: Steven (Steward) - Loyalty: 100 (Max)]
[Hint: Loyalty is a resource that can be spent or reinforced. Steven's high initial loyalty is tied to the NPC Identity (Cedric Vance).]
"Understood," Cedric nodded. "For now, you remain my steward. But consider yourself my Chief of Staff. I need your tactical eye, not your sword arm, for this meeting."
The First Assembly
The main hall was a grim space of rough-hewn logs and a sputtering fire. Waiting were the commanders: Ten Bronze Knights and fifty Iron Knights. The two highest-ranking men, a hulking Bronze Knight named Torvin and a sharp-eyed Iron Knight Captain named Lysandra, stood front and center.
They looked at Cedric with a mixture of respect for his birthright and weary skepticism toward his reputation. They saw the 10th son—weak, pampered, exiled. They were not expecting a player.
Cedric didn't bother with courtesies. He walked straight to the single, massive table and slammed his hand down, the sudden, unexpected force silencing the last whispers.
"I am Cedric Vance, your new Lord. I know what you've been told. I know what you expect. Forget it." His voice, strengthened by the resolve of the Player, resonated with a new, authoritative clarity. "You were sent here by my father, not as a sacrifice, but as a core cadre. My brothers believe they have disposed of me. We are not weak. We are not alone. We are 62 high-tier units with a combat equivalent of 1200 normal knights."
He glanced at Steven, who subtly raised an eyebrow in shared acknowledgment of the updated count.
"Torvin, Captain Lysandra," Cedric continued, using his knowledge of command structures from countless strategy games. "You are my military lead. I need two things immediately: an inventory and a map."
Torvin, a man built like a barrel and carrying the weight of years of service, stepped forward. "My Lord, the inventory is scant. We have 10,000 gold, which will see us through until the spring thaw, provided we don't need emergency repairs. We have food for 500 people for one year, thanks to the Duke's foresight."
[Resource Assessment: Gold and Food Reserves confirmed. No immediate liquidity crisis detected.]
Lysandra, her features sharp under a functional iron helm, spoke next. "The map is worse, My Lord. We have patrols to the south, checking against bandits. But to the north, the Frostfang Range is a nightmare. The Frost Elves are territorial and lethal archers. The Barbarians are nomadic but aggressive. And the Snow Bears are simply monsters."
Cedric pulled up his private Territory Map interface. The crude paper map Lysandra spoke of was useless compared to the real-time data visible to him.
"We change the patrol strategy immediately," Cedric announced. "Torvin, your Bronze Knights will secure the fort's main gates and focus on reinforcing the palisades. We are not fighting defensively. We are building a foothold. Ensure the horses are ready to move at a moment's notice—they are currently our fastest asset."
He then focused on Lysandra. She was an Iron Knight, equivalent to 10 normal knights, but her eyes suggested high Intrigue and Stewardship stats, making her ideal for scouting and managing detail.
"Captain Lysandra, you have the most crucial mission. Assemble a small, mobile unit: five of your most silent, experienced Iron Knights. You will head due North, maintaining absolute stealth. Your target is not the Barbarians or the Elves, not yet. It is the Frostfang Range itself."
He pointed vaguely towards the northern mountains, simulating a strategic hunch. "I've noted some anomalies in the peaks—signs of ancient structures, perhaps. The Duke's resources suggest there is more to this land than simple exile. I believe a valuable, defensible resource is hidden there, maybe a secondary fort or a magically fortified ruin. Your mission is to locate the source of a high energy reading five miles due north."
Lysandra's keen eyes narrowed slightly, processing the order. A strategic anomaly was exactly the kind of assignment she relished, far better than freezing patrol duty. She was receiving an objective, not a vague command.
"A high energy reading, My Lord?"
"An intuition," Cedric replied smoothly, drawing on the NPC's expected arrogance mixed with the Player's confidence. "One that I believe will decide if we survive the coming winter or perish like the last Lord." He deliberately left the implication hanging—that the previous Lord's failure was due to lack of vision, not just the cold.
"Understood, My Lord. Stealth and speed. I will return within 48 hours with visual confirmation."
[Quest Delegated: Reconnaissance of Deep Ice Cave. Target: Ice Orb and Ice Drake Egg.]
[Objective: Locate and confirm Deep Ice Cave entry point. Reward: 100 EXP, Trait: Decisive Leader unlocked.]
Player Trade and Optimization
As the knights dispersed to carry out their duties, the Player inside Cedric began to calculate. He needed to prepare for the inevitable skirmish that Lysandra's recon would trigger.
He activated the Player System's most valuable feature: Player Trade.
[Player Trade Portal Activated. Global Market Open.]
The market, visible as a scrollable menu only to him, was buzzing. Transmigrated Lords across Aethelgard were frantically trading starting resources for immediate needs.
[Item Wanted: 1,000 units of Iron Ore.]
[Item Offered: 50 Gold Coins.]
[Bid Status: Active (6,241 offers pending)]
[Item Offered: 1 Bronze Knight (Equivalent Value: 500 Normal Knights)]
[Item Wanted: 5,000 units of Salt (High Demand).]
The market was wildly inefficient, dictated by panic and geographical isolation. This was his advantage. Cedric had 10,000 gold and a massive surplus of combat power, but he lacked infrastructure and information.
Iron and wood are infinite local resources. Food is finite. Gold is liquid. What I need is a temporary boost to security and influence.
He focused on the Player Chat. It was a cacophony of fear, boasting, and scams.
[Lord Arkanth: Is anyone near the Dreadmire? Selling 20 Apprentice Mages for any food!]
[Lord Jaina: NEED WOOD NOW! Fort is burning! Offering 200 Gold/unit.]
[Lord Vesper: First Achievement: Built a Watchtower! [Reward: 50 EXP, Trait: Stone Mason]]
Cedric ignored the noise and drafted a carefully worded offer—a play for political standing, not just resources.
[Lord Cedric Vance (The Player): Offering short-term mercenary contract to Lords struggling in their first month. Terms: 1 Iron Knight (worth 50 Gold/month) in exchange for detailed, verified maps of your immediate territory. Priority given to maps near The Kingdom of Veridia. Trade is non-negotiable.]
This was brilliant. He was leveraging his high-tier starting units, which were useless sitting in barracks, for the most valuable commodity: Intelligence. He wasn't giving away his units permanently; he was renting them out, gaining map intel and earning a small influence boost simultaneously.
[Offer Posted: Mercenary Contract (Iron Knight for Territory Maps).]
Steven, who was tracking the inventory, paused by the table. "My Lord, the men are tired. We should wait a day before sending a party into the Frostfangs."
Cedric looked up, the map of Fort Drakk overlayed on Steven's face. "Every kingdom-builder knows the key to the early game is momentum, Steven. We cannot afford to be passive." He tapped the table. "Our primary challenge isn't the cold, it's the information deficit. We must secure the Ice Cave's location before the Frost Elves do. We need that power."
He leaned back, the calculated, cold look settling on his face. The game had begun, and he had just made his opening moves.