Chapter 108
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The Baymeadow city defenders who were alerted to the sounds of battle outside the city walls watch the battle between Avalon and Galeran to the end. Ben heard a few of the defenders excitedly cheering after the battle and the more rational city guards seemed to still be wary.
The enemy who had attacked them the past few days had been eliminated, but now an even stronger army was outside their walls. A few of them began to wonder if things may have just got worse than they already were.
Ben looked up at the commotion on the walls and saw they had hauled up thick wood plank shields and secure them in place. From the numerous arrows stuck in the wood shields, it would seem they were using them as cover while the Galeran army was attempting to attack them.
There were even a few discarded ladders beneath the walls that must have been used during a few failed attempts to scale the walls. The city guard had come up with an innovative way to hold off the attacking Galeran troops over the past few days.
He turned his attention away from the city walls to open the notification icon flashing in his peripheral vision.
[Notice!] [You have defeated an enemy force on foreign soil! You have been awarded the Medium Military Camp!]
[Notice!] [The Medium Military Camp has been unlocked in your Build Menu!]
[Medium Military Camp]: A square camp that contains 392 small wooden shacks. Each wooden shack can sleep, four soldiers. The camp is surrounded with a wooden palisade wall. The palisade wall has a wooden tower on each corner and a wooden gate in the center of each wall. [Houses: 1568 units] [Costs: 500g] [requires: 2000 units of wood] [This camp can be built anywhere outside of your build zone and can be deconstructed]
'This Medium Military Camp will hold twice as many men as the Small Military Camp. The gold coin cost is still 500g but the wood needed has doubled. This one camp can almost hold every one of my troops. If there is a small and medium camp then there must be a large camp? I wonder if the number of troops it holds will double again if so that would be awesome. Come to think of it I never checked on the description of the Conqueror's Castle after I took over the Trareniel Kingdom.'
[Conqueror's Castle]: A three-story octagon shaped castle with towers on each corner. The castle is made of concrete blended with Graphene and uses steel rebar for additional strength. Graphene reinforced concrete is twice as strong and four times more water resistant making this castle even more resistant to attacks.
[This Castle can be built anywhere and will provide you with 20 square acres of build zone.] [Must be built at least a quarter of a mile from any enemy structures.]
[requires: graphite, concrete, steel] [Costs: 2000g]
'Athena, What does this Conqueror's Castle description mean? It says I can build this anywhere?'
*DING!* [It seems to work similar to the first keep you were required to build. This castle will give you a limited build zone of twenty square acres surrounding it. The only limitation is it must be built a quarter mile from any enemy structures. Once it is built it will work as an outpost and you can build anything within the provided 20 acres of build zone.]
'I can build small castle towns even outside of my original build zone and inside of other kingdom territories if I build this castle then? This should be awesome for creating outposts in other parts of the world. When I find a new landmass I can build this castle and then build a small settlement around it.'
Ben excitedly closed his notices and returned to his men with his elite squad who had chased down the escaping king's wagon.
Now that the city was aware of their presence and it was no longer possible to take the city with stealth, he would need to come up with a new strategy.
The first task at hand was to secure the enemy troops who had surrendered. They had traveled far out of Ben's build zone so everything in his Build Menu was grayed out and unavailable to build except for three options. He could build a Conqueror's Castle, a small Military Camp, and a Medium Military Camp.
He only needed a temporary place to house the surrendered troops and his men so he decided to build three Medium Military Camps about three hundred yards away from the Baymeadow city walls.
Once the camps were built Ben had the Galeran troops assigned to one of them and had General Kaeso create a couple squads of Heavy Spearmen to guard the POW camp.
Half of the Avalon troops were allowed to retire to one of the camps while the other half remained on guard near the city walls. If the enemy attempted to sortie out which would be the worst possible choice for them to make his troops would be prepared to greet them.
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Ben ignored the Brandomma capital for the next couple of days while watching over his map to make sure no one especially the Brandomma king attempted to slip away during their passive aggressive siege.
The remainder of his troops who lead the remaining Brandomma troops they had fought at the former Trareniel capital arrived two days after the defeat of the Galeran troops.
Ben had the surrendered Brandomma troops brought under guard close enough to the city walls to where the defenders could identify them. He wanted the defenders to see the troops they had sent to Trareniel were defeated and there would be nobody coming to their rescue.
Standing in front of the captured Brandomma troops, Ben cast his new Voice Projection spell.
He took a deep breath and spoke toward the people on the city walls, " I am the king of Avalon and we originally did not have any disagreements with the Kingdom of Brandomma! After declaring we were at war with the Trareniel Kingdom your king decided to send your men to fight against us in an attempt to stop us from capturing the Trareniel capital city Timbershield!"
"As you can see here we have conquered the Trareniel Kingdom and defeated your troops! These remaining eight hundred men have surrendered and wish to go home and rejoin their families! There is only one problem, due to your king sending troops against us we have are now declaring war against Brandomma!"
"You now have two options your Brandomma king can surrender to me and be treated fairly or we will attack the city and execute the Brandomma king as a danger to the safety of the Avalon Kingdom! Either way, we have no intention to harm the civilians and we will also return these captured men!"
"Brandomma will become a part of the Avalon Kingdom and the people of Brandomma will be treated honorably. Relay my words to your king and inform him he has one full day to make a decision on how he wishes to proceed!"
"If I do not hear a message back within the given time my troops will attack and capture the city! If your king attempts to escape he will be shown no mercy and killed upon being captured!"
Ben then turned to his men and had them escort the remaining Brandomma troops to the third empty Medium Military Camp and arranged for them to be guarded as well.
It was now 4:30 so Ben brought out huge quantities of food and had the men create a large camp kitchen to begin making enough food to feed his troops and the prisoners.
The Avalon troops were far from being experienced cooks but it wasn't difficult to simply heat pre-cooked foods from cans or packages of processed food. There were also some men who were grilling cuts of meat, fish, and chicken on wire grills.
The surrounding was soon filled with a mixture of deliciously smelling foods that floated on the breeze making everyone realize how hungry they actually were.
A few hours later everyone including the Half-Giants had eaten their fill. They began to arrange their gear in the Military Camp shacks for the night or prepared to stand patrol over the prisoners and the city.
Ben was unsure of what the king would decide to do after hearing the options he had announced. If he were arrogant like the Galeran king was, he may choose to try and flee or ignore Ben without sending an answerer.
If he chose to surrender Ben planned to go easy on him but they would have to wait until tomorrow to see how it all unfolded.
During the night a few people attempted to escape southeast to the Brandomma fishing harbor but they were quickly caught by Ben's cavalry. As soon as he had seen gray dots representing people fleeing the city he ordered his mounted knights to capture them alive and bring them back.
Ben already knew by clicking on their map icon that the king was not among them.
After questioning they confessed they were ordered to travel to the fishing harbor and then to return to the city. They were just regular commoners who claimed older official looking men came into their homes during the night and gave them these orders.
After discussing it with his generals, Ben assumed either the king or someone close to the king was sending these men out to see if it were possible to escape the city. If they could reach the fishing harbor and return to the city under the cover of the night then it would be possible for the king to escape on one of the fishing boats.
Ben placed the captured civilians in with the Brandooma troops and decided to ignore the event. He could not blame the king for playing all his cards. The only thing he worried over was if the king was trying to escape because he did not trust to put his life in Ben's hands or was he trying to escape to later cause trouble and attempt to recapture his kingdom?
If it were the latter, then it would be better to execute the king thus tearing out the weed by the roots before it could grow back.
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The remainder of the night was uneventful and most of the day had passed by without any word from the city. Around three o'clock in the evening, the city gates opened and a small group of guards made there way toward Ben's camp.
He rounded up Mythia along with the cultivator magi and walked out to greet the approaching guards.
Ben nodded toward the men and said, "Has your king given you a message to deliver me?"
The lead guard looked at the surrounding beautiful women and then turned to speak to Ben, "The Brandomma king has resolved to surrender to the Avalon King. He wishes to apologize for his actions due to being forced by the Trareniel King into providing him with military aid. He hopes you will show mercy for his subjects and not hold them accountable for his actions. The Brandooma King has ordered us to escort the Avalon King to the royal palace throne room where he will bequeath rule of the Brandomma Kingdom upon him."
"Thank you, I will be in your care then." Ben answered.
Ben followed behind the guards with Mythia beside him in her fantasy style armor. The Fairies and the ten female cultivators were right behind them as they walked through the anxious crowds of people who came to look at the man who would be their future king.
When they entered the throne room a few older men near the door who were obviously cultivators projected their cultivations at Ben and the ladies following him. It did not feel like an attack it was more they were reluctant to allow their king to be captured by enemy forces.
Their delaying attempt was quickly broken when Ben and the thirty-one young ladies around him instantly projected their auras back at the two scowling old men who almost fell over backward in shock.
When they felt each individual aura of varying Stages hit them it must have been an intimidating predicament for them. Even if these auras were lower stages it was still disturbing! Each of the eight Kingdoms had at most five cultivators including their royal cultivator and this young Avalon King was running around with thirty kingdom-toppling cultivators who appeared absolutely loyal towards him.
Every one of these dazzling young ladies was a cultivator but the most menacing aura which crushed down on the two old cultivators came from the young Avalon King! When you assume someone to be a normal mortal and then are suddenly hit with an aura that just about takes you off your feet it is a frightful encounter.
These old men were suddenly like children who decided to stand up to adults but were quickly put in their place. They dropped their auras and lowered their heads in fear and shame due to their actions.
Ben ignored the old men who had discontinued their silent protest and advanced toward the throne where the Brandomma King sat nervously.
The Brandomma king appeared to be in his mid-sixties and was dressed rather formally. He wore a humble but nervous expression as Ben turned to look at him.
It was clear to see something had transpired by the way his cultivators had stumbled back and hid their faces in shame. The Brandomma King only hoped they had not made things worse for the kingdom with their actions.
While Ben crossed the room the Brandomma King spoke out to his people to stand down and he ordered anyone from interfering with the Avalon King and his party.
By the way, the Brandomma King ordered his people and how he looked at them with worry, Ben could tell he was a good man who cared about his subjects. He began to feel a little guilty for actually being here to force this man off his throne.
Ben had to remind himself that this man even though he was carrying, he had allowed others to force him into a situation that brought danger upon his kingdom.
Still wearing his armor without a helmet Ben stopped at the base of the throne dais and gave a bow toward the Brandomma King.
Ben knit his brows and said, "I can see the Brandomma King is a great king who loves and looks over his subjects. I feel regret for invading the Brandomma Kingdom and to point my sword toward such an honorable king."
'Unfortunately, I am also a king who looks out for his subjects and I can't allow any outside forces to exist who can bring them harm be it physically, mentally, or financially."
"After I conquered the Trareniel Kingdom I found the writings of the former Trareniel king. I know he had threatened to disclose your plans to invade Galeran if you did not send him military aid. He also wrote of how he planned to continue conquering the other kingdoms. After he had continued to create an unstoppable army with the combination of his conquered kingdoms, he would turn back east to take Galeran from you and invade Brandomma."
"He held no loyalty toward you even an ally and planned to stab you in the back and rule as emperor over the eight kingdoms. He has been punished for his treacherous acts and was hanged by the neck until he died in the Timbershield city square a week and a half ago."
The Brandomma King looked up wide-eyed when he heard the Trareniel King was dead and how he had planned to double cross him.
The Brandomma King let out a sigh and said, "So the treacherous snake had met his end. I can at least have some solace in knowing he can no longer manipulate others. I should've never been involved with that man."
"I never had a previous intention of invading Galeran but he had fed me so much false information I felt if we did not ally with him we would lose the chance to defend ourselves from the Galeran Kingdom. I did not learn until later that the Galeran Kingdom had no intentions of invading us and they were not as strong as King Knotley had made them out to be."
Ben now understood the final pieces of what must have happened. Soren Knotley had provided the Brandomma King with false information on the Galeran Kingdom. He made it look as if the Galeran Kingdom planned to invade Branndomma with a military force they could not defend against. These to kingdoms had been at each other's throats for decades so it was a plausible situation.
The older caring Brandomma King who worried about his subjects safety was easily tricked into allying with the Trareniel Kingdom. Little did he know he was only a pawn in Soren Knotley's grand scheme to conquer the continent.
The Brandomma King sighed once again and stood up from his throne. He walked down the dais steps to stand before Ben.
"I have been a foolish but carrying king who allowed himself to be led astray by the deceitful ploy of an ambitious egocentric. My actions have caused undue harm toward the Avalon King and his men. For my crimes, I am willingly stepping down from the throne and bestowing the crown of Brandomma upon the Avalon King! From this day forward he will be your king and you will follow him as you have me!"
The Brandomma King removed the delicate gold crown he wore and placed it on Ben's head.
Ben found this strange that the Brandomma king had a crown. He had never seen any of the other kings he had come into contact with wearing crowns so he began to think it might not be a custom here.
The Brandomma King interrupted his thoughts when he quietly spoke to Ben after placing the crown on his head.
"I hope you can lead this kingdom forward better than I have young man. I was never able to conceive an heir to the throne and my wife had passed away a few years back. If you did not come along the kingdom would have only fallen into chaos over who would rule next. It may have been sooner than I expected but at least I can now step down knowing the people will not suffer over the fight for the crown. I am now in your care please do with me as you feel is just."
Ben smiled and placed his hands on the king's shoulders. "Leave it to me I will make sure your Kingdom and its people will live happy and prosperous lives."
He turned his attention toward the sulking cultivators and called them over. Ben looked from one to the other and asked, "Do you two wish to stay by your former king's side or will you look for another kingdom to live in? As of today, you can no longer live in the Brandomma Kingdom and I would advise against moving to Galeran because I plan to invade and conquer them next. The Galeran King died outside these city walls because he was too arrogant to walk away. He chose to make me his enemy and was killed after his men were defeated."
The two older cultivators were surprised but happy to hear the Galeran King was dead along with the Trareniel King. These two kings were a thorn in the Brandomma Kingdom's side and they would not have to worry over them ever again.
The two cultivators looked at their king with determination and announced they would go where their king went. They figured the king would be locked away in a cell somewhere for the rest of his days but at least they could be of some comfort to him until he passed on to his next life.
Ben nodded approvingly to their decisions and asked the former king to call over one of the palace servants. The palace servant was told to assemble with the other servants and to pack the former kings clothing and personal items from the royal quarters and have them brought to the throne room. Before they left Ben would pack away the king's possessions in his inventory.
Everyone in the throne room was dismissed and Ben went to a meeting room with the former king and his two cultivators. Mythia and the other women also followed along and sat down at a large conference type table.
When they all sat down around the table Ben purchased a map of the entire eight kingdoms and displayed it before the former Brandomma King.
"I have a problem which can only be solved by your knowledge of the Brandomma people. I have made Trareniel a part of my Avalon Kingdom and now Brandomma here is also a part of my kingdom. Within the next week or so the Galeran Kingdom will be a part of my Kingdom." Ben pointed to each of the Kingdoms who would be absorbed by the Avalon Kingdom showing a large part of the continent that would fall under his rule.
"These former kingdoms will become too much for me to keep up with. It is already a fulltime job for a king to rule over one kingdom but I will soon have four kingdoms merged into one sprawling kingdom that covers over hundreds of miles. My thoughts are to appoint a regent to each of the former kingdoms. I need men who are loyal and do not have ambitions for the crown to delegate my orders and take care of the smaller issues pertaining to each region."
Ben looked up from the map toward the former king and said, "I would like you to tell me if there is someone in your kingdom who you think would fit such a role?"
The king leaned back and looked up at the ceiling in thought as he rubbed his chin with his right hand. He thought in silence for a few minutes and turned to Ben and said, "I would think palace official Bernard Fowler would fit the role. He has always remained loyal to the crown and has even brought forward several projects to help improve the city so that the people could live a better life. He was responsible for the orphanage and raising funds to clean up and renovate the city slums. The nobles are all to power hungry and could not be completely trusted in such a role."
Ben nodded and said, "This Bernard Fowler sounds like an interesting person I will follow your advice and give him a shot then. As for the nobles I am thinking of retracting all noble titles from the Trareniel, Brandomma, and Galeran regions. Nobles serve no purpose for me and the power they are given causes more trouble than good."
One of the female cultivators was sent to have someone bring Bernard Fowler to the meeting room.
Ben found him to be an agreeable man who swore he would loyally follow Ben's orders and strive to improve the kingdom under his role as regent.
They spent the next few days in the Brandomma palace preparing the new regent and returning the captured Brandomma troops to their former homes. Ben once again created a few new residential neighborhoods now that he could freely build anywhere in the former Brandomma Kingdom's borders.
The nobles were unwillingly stripped of their noble titles but Ben did not touch their wealth or businesses. From now on they would be considered wealthy businessman who had no say in how the region was ruled.
Another Servant Guild was built behind the palace so that Ben could recruit men and women to fill any vacant occupations due to the men who were killed during the Timbershield City Battle. The newly recruited people were handed off to the regent and Ben left Baymeadow City.
The regions streets and roads were upgraded to concrete with Heating Coils and the walls were improved just as Timbershields had been.
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The horses were hitched to the carriages and everyone climbed aboard including the former Brandomma King and his cultivators. A small division of men was left behind to walk along with the surrendered Galeran troops. They would reach the Galeran capital a couple of days after Ben had arrived and be reattached to the main army.
Ben decided to deconstruct the Medium Military Camps before they left. They were close to the city walls and he did not want any unsavory types taking up residence in them and using them to cause trouble.
Ben, Mythia, the former Brandomma King, and the two older cultivators rode west together in one carriage. They used the time to talk and get to know one another as they traveled toward the Galeran capital city.
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The Baymeadow city defenders who were alerted to the sounds of battle outside the city walls watch the battle between Avalon and Galeran to the end. Ben heard a few of the defenders excitedly cheering after the battle and the more rational city guards seemed to still be wary.
The enemy who had attacked them the past few days had been eliminated, but now an even stronger army was outside their walls. A few of them began to wonder if things may have just got worse than they already were.
Ben looked up at the commotion on the walls and saw they had hauled up thick wood plank shields and secure them in place. From the numerous arrows stuck in the wood shields, it would seem they were using them as cover while the Galeran army was attempting to attack them.
There were even a few discarded ladders beneath the walls that must have been used during a few failed attempts to scale the walls. The city guard had come up with an innovative way to hold off the attacking Galeran troops over the past few days.
He turned his attention away from the city walls to open the notification icon flashing in his peripheral vision.
[Notice!] [You have defeated an enemy force on foreign soil! You have been awarded the Medium Military Camp!]
[Notice!] [The Medium Military Camp has been unlocked in your Build Menu!]
[Medium Military Camp]: A square camp that contains 392 small wooden shacks. Each wooden shack can sleep, four soldiers. The camp is surrounded with a wooden palisade wall. The palisade wall has a wooden tower on each corner and a wooden gate in the center of each wall. [Houses: 1568 units] [Costs: 500g] [requires: 2000 units of wood] [This camp can be built anywhere outside of your build zone and can be deconstructed]
'This Medium Military Camp will hold twice as many men as the Small Military Camp. The gold coin cost is still 500g but the wood needed has doubled. This one camp can almost hold every one of my troops. If there is a small and medium camp then there must be a large camp? I wonder if the number of troops it holds will double again if so that would be awesome. Come to think of it I never checked on the description of the Conqueror's Castle after I took over the Trareniel Kingdom.'
[Conqueror's Castle]: A three-story octagon shaped castle with towers on each corner. The castle is made of concrete blended with Graphene and uses steel rebar for additional strength. Graphene reinforced concrete is twice as strong and four times more water resistant making this castle even more resistant to attacks.
[This Castle can be built anywhere and will provide you with 20 square acres of build zone.] [Must be built at least a quarter of a mile from any enemy structures.]
[requires: graphite, concrete, steel] [Costs: 2000g]
'Athena, What does this Conqueror's Castle description mean? It says I can build this anywhere?'
*DING!* [It seems to work similar to the first keep you were required to build. This castle will give you a limited build zone of twenty square acres surrounding it. The only limitation is it must be built a quarter mile from any enemy structures. Once it is built it will work as an outpost and you can build anything within the provided 20 acres of build zone.]
'I can build small castle towns even outside of my original build zone and inside of other kingdom territories if I build this castle then? This should be awesome for creating outposts in other parts of the world. When I find a new landmass I can build this castle and then build a small settlement around it.'
Ben excitedly closed his notices and returned to his men with his elite squad who had chased down the escaping king's wagon.
Now that the city was aware of their presence and it was no longer possible to take the city with stealth, he would need to come up with a new strategy.
The first task at hand was to secure the enemy troops who had surrendered. They had traveled far out of Ben's build zone so everything in his Build Menu was grayed out and unavailable to build except for three options. He could build a Conqueror's Castle, a small Military Camp, and a Medium Military Camp.
He only needed a temporary place to house the surrendered troops and his men so he decided to build three Medium Military Camps about three hundred yards away from the Baymeadow city walls.
Once the camps were built Ben had the Galeran troops assigned to one of them and had General Kaeso create a couple squads of Heavy Spearmen to guard the POW camp.
Half of the Avalon troops were allowed to retire to one of the camps while the other half remained on guard near the city walls. If the enemy attempted to sortie out which would be the worst possible choice for them to make his troops would be prepared to greet them.
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Ben ignored the Brandomma capital for the next couple of days while watching over his map to make sure no one especially the Brandomma king attempted to slip away during their passive aggressive siege.
The remainder of his troops who lead the remaining Brandomma troops they had fought at the former Trareniel capital arrived two days after the defeat of the Galeran troops.
Ben had the surrendered Brandomma troops brought under guard close enough to the city walls to where the defenders could identify them. He wanted the defenders to see the troops they had sent to Trareniel were defeated and there would be nobody coming to their rescue.
Standing in front of the captured Brandomma troops, Ben cast his new Voice Projection spell.
He took a deep breath and spoke toward the people on the city walls, " I am the king of Avalon and we originally did not have any disagreements with the Kingdom of Brandomma! After declaring we were at war with the Trareniel Kingdom your king decided to send your men to fight against us in an attempt to stop us from capturing the Trareniel capital city Timbershield!"
"As you can see here we have conquered the Trareniel Kingdom and defeated your troops! These remaining eight hundred men have surrendered and wish to go home and rejoin their families! There is only one problem, due to your king sending troops against us we have are now declaring war against Brandomma!"
"You now have two options your Brandomma king can surrender to me and be treated fairly or we will attack the city and execute the Brandomma king as a danger to the safety of the Avalon Kingdom! Either way, we have no intention to harm the civilians and we will also return these captured men!"
"Brandomma will become a part of the Avalon Kingdom and the people of Brandomma will be treated honorably. Relay my words to your king and inform him he has one full day to make a decision on how he wishes to proceed!"
"If I do not hear a message back within the given time my troops will attack and capture the city! If your king attempts to escape he will be shown no mercy and killed upon being captured!"
Ben then turned to his men and had them escort the remaining Brandomma troops to the third empty Medium Military Camp and arranged for them to be guarded as well.
It was now 4:30 so Ben brought out huge quantities of food and had the men create a large camp kitchen to begin making enough food to feed his troops and the prisoners.
The Avalon troops were far from being experienced cooks but it wasn't difficult to simply heat pre-cooked foods from cans or packages of processed food. There were also some men who were grilling cuts of meat, fish, and chicken on wire grills.
The surrounding was soon filled with a mixture of deliciously smelling foods that floated on the breeze making everyone realize how hungry they actually were.
A few hours later everyone including the Half-Giants had eaten their fill. They began to arrange their gear in the Military Camp shacks for the night or prepared to stand patrol over the prisoners and the city.
Ben was unsure of what the king would decide to do after hearing the options he had announced. If he were arrogant like the Galeran king was, he may choose to try and flee or ignore Ben without sending an answerer.
If he chose to surrender Ben planned to go easy on him but they would have to wait until tomorrow to see how it all unfolded.
During the night a few people attempted to escape southeast to the Brandomma fishing harbor but they were quickly caught by Ben's cavalry. As soon as he had seen gray dots representing people fleeing the city he ordered his mounted knights to capture them alive and bring them back.
Ben already knew by clicking on their map icon that the king was not among them.
After questioning they confessed they were ordered to travel to the fishing harbor and then to return to the city. They were just regular commoners who claimed older official looking men came into their homes during the night and gave them these orders.
After discussing it with his generals, Ben assumed either the king or someone close to the king was sending these men out to see if it were possible to escape the city. If they could reach the fishing harbor and return to the city under the cover of the night then it would be possible for the king to escape on one of the fishing boats.
Ben placed the captured civilians in with the Brandooma troops and decided to ignore the event. He could not blame the king for playing all his cards. The only thing he worried over was if the king was trying to escape because he did not trust to put his life in Ben's hands or was he trying to escape to later cause trouble and attempt to recapture his kingdom?
If it were the latter, then it would be better to execute the king thus tearing out the weed by the roots before it could grow back.
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The remainder of the night was uneventful and most of the day had passed by without any word from the city. Around three o'clock in the evening, the city gates opened and a small group of guards made there way toward Ben's camp.
He rounded up Mythia along with the cultivator magi and walked out to greet the approaching guards.
Ben nodded toward the men and said, "Has your king given you a message to deliver me?"
The lead guard looked at the surrounding beautiful women and then turned to speak to Ben, "The Brandomma king has resolved to surrender to the Avalon King. He wishes to apologize for his actions due to being forced by the Trareniel King into providing him with military aid. He hopes you will show mercy for his subjects and not hold them accountable for his actions. The Brandooma King has ordered us to escort the Avalon King to the royal palace throne room where he will bequeath rule of the Brandomma Kingdom upon him."
"Thank you, I will be in your care then." Ben answered.
Ben followed behind the guards with Mythia beside him in her fantasy style armor. The Fairies and the ten female cultivators were right behind them as they walked through the anxious crowds of people who came to look at the man who would be their future king.
When they entered the throne room a few older men near the door who were obviously cultivators projected their cultivations at Ben and the ladies following him. It did not feel like an attack it was more they were reluctant to allow their king to be captured by enemy forces.
Their delaying attempt was quickly broken when Ben and the thirty-one young ladies around him instantly projected their auras back at the two scowling old men who almost fell over backward in shock.
When they felt each individual aura of varying Stages hit them it must have been an intimidating predicament for them. Even if these auras were lower stages it was still disturbing! Each of the eight Kingdoms had at most five cultivators including their royal cultivator and this young Avalon King was running around with thirty kingdom-toppling cultivators who appeared absolutely loyal towards him.
Every one of these dazzling young ladies was a cultivator but the most menacing aura which crushed down on the two old cultivators came from the young Avalon King! When you assume someone to be a normal mortal and then are suddenly hit with an aura that just about takes you off your feet it is a frightful encounter.
These old men were suddenly like children who decided to stand up to adults but were quickly put in their place. They dropped their auras and lowered their heads in fear and shame due to their actions.
Ben ignored the old men who had discontinued their silent protest and advanced toward the throne where the Brandomma King sat nervously.
The Brandomma king appeared to be in his mid-sixties and was dressed rather formally. He wore a humble but nervous expression as Ben turned to look at him.
It was clear to see something had transpired by the way his cultivators had stumbled back and hid their faces in shame. The Brandomma King only hoped they had not made things worse for the kingdom with their actions.
While Ben crossed the room the Brandomma King spoke out to his people to stand down and he ordered anyone from interfering with the Avalon King and his party.
By the way, the Brandomma King ordered his people and how he looked at them with worry, Ben could tell he was a good man who cared about his subjects. He began to feel a little guilty for actually being here to force this man off his throne.
Ben had to remind himself that this man even though he was carrying, he had allowed others to force him into a situation that brought danger upon his kingdom.
Still wearing his armor without a helmet Ben stopped at the base of the throne dais and gave a bow toward the Brandomma King.
Ben knit his brows and said, "I can see the Brandomma King is a great king who loves and looks over his subjects. I feel regret for invading the Brandomma Kingdom and to point my sword toward such an honorable king."
'Unfortunately, I am also a king who looks out for his subjects and I can't allow any outside forces to exist who can bring them harm be it physically, mentally, or financially."
"After I conquered the Trareniel Kingdom I found the writings of the former Trareniel king. I know he had threatened to disclose your plans to invade Galeran if you did not send him military aid. He also wrote of how he planned to continue conquering the other kingdoms. After he had continued to create an unstoppable army with the combination of his conquered kingdoms, he would turn back east to take Galeran from you and invade Brandomma."
"He held no loyalty toward you even an ally and planned to stab you in the back and rule as emperor over the eight kingdoms. He has been punished for his treacherous acts and was hanged by the neck until he died in the Timbershield city square a week and a half ago."
The Brandomma King looked up wide-eyed when he heard the Trareniel King was dead and how he had planned to double cross him.
The Brandomma King let out a sigh and said, "So the treacherous snake had met his end. I can at least have some solace in knowing he can no longer manipulate others. I should've never been involved with that man."
"I never had a previous intention of invading Galeran but he had fed me so much false information I felt if we did not ally with him we would lose the chance to defend ourselves from the Galeran Kingdom. I did not learn until later that the Galeran Kingdom had no intentions of invading us and they were not as strong as King Knotley had made them out to be."
Ben now understood the final pieces of what must have happened. Soren Knotley had provided the Brandomma King with false information on the Galeran Kingdom. He made it look as if the Galeran Kingdom planned to invade Branndomma with a military force they could not defend against. These to kingdoms had been at each other's throats for decades so it was a plausible situation.
The older caring Brandomma King who worried about his subjects safety was easily tricked into allying with the Trareniel Kingdom. Little did he know he was only a pawn in Soren Knotley's grand scheme to conquer the continent.
The Brandomma King sighed once again and stood up from his throne. He walked down the dais steps to stand before Ben.
"I have been a foolish but carrying king who allowed himself to be led astray by the deceitful ploy of an ambitious egocentric. My actions have caused undue harm toward the Avalon King and his men. For my crimes, I am willingly stepping down from the throne and bestowing the crown of Brandomma upon the Avalon King! From this day forward he will be your king and you will follow him as you have me!"
The Brandomma King removed the delicate gold crown he wore and placed it on Ben's head.
Ben found this strange that the Brandomma king had a crown. He had never seen any of the other kings he had come into contact with wearing crowns so he began to think it might not be a custom here.
The Brandomma King interrupted his thoughts when he quietly spoke to Ben after placing the crown on his head.
"I hope you can lead this kingdom forward better than I have young man. I was never able to conceive an heir to the throne and my wife had passed away a few years back. If you did not come along the kingdom would have only fallen into chaos over who would rule next. It may have been sooner than I expected but at least I can now step down knowing the people will not suffer over the fight for the crown. I am now in your care please do with me as you feel is just."
Ben smiled and placed his hands on the king's shoulders. "Leave it to me I will make sure your Kingdom and its people will live happy and prosperous lives."
He turned his attention toward the sulking cultivators and called them over. Ben looked from one to the other and asked, "Do you two wish to stay by your former king's side or will you look for another kingdom to live in? As of today, you can no longer live in the Brandomma Kingdom and I would advise against moving to Galeran because I plan to invade and conquer them next. The Galeran King died outside these city walls because he was too arrogant to walk away. He chose to make me his enemy and was killed after his men were defeated."
The two older cultivators were surprised but happy to hear the Galeran King was dead along with the Trareniel King. These two kings were a thorn in the Brandomma Kingdom's side and they would not have to worry over them ever again.
The two cultivators looked at their king with determination and announced they would go where their king went. They figured the king would be locked away in a cell somewhere for the rest of his days but at least they could be of some comfort to him until he passed on to his next life.
Ben nodded approvingly to their decisions and asked the former king to call over one of the palace servants. The palace servant was told to assemble with the other servants and to pack the former kings clothing and personal items from the royal quarters and have them brought to the throne room. Before they left Ben would pack away the king's possessions in his inventory.
Everyone in the throne room was dismissed and Ben went to a meeting room with the former king and his two cultivators. Mythia and the other women also followed along and sat down at a large conference type table.
When they all sat down around the table Ben purchased a map of the entire eight kingdoms and displayed it before the former Brandomma King.
"I have a problem which can only be solved by your knowledge of the Brandomma people. I have made Trareniel a part of my Avalon Kingdom and now Brandomma here is also a part of my kingdom. Within the next week or so the Galeran Kingdom will be a part of my Kingdom." Ben pointed to each of the Kingdoms who would be absorbed by the Avalon Kingdom showing a large part of the continent that would fall under his rule.
"These former kingdoms will become too much for me to keep up with. It is already a fulltime job for a king to rule over one kingdom but I will soon have four kingdoms merged into one sprawling kingdom that covers over hundreds of miles. My thoughts are to appoint a regent to each of the former kingdoms. I need men who are loyal and do not have ambitions for the crown to delegate my orders and take care of the smaller issues pertaining to each region."
Ben looked up from the map toward the former king and said, "I would like you to tell me if there is someone in your kingdom who you think would fit such a role?"
The king leaned back and looked up at the ceiling in thought as he rubbed his chin with his right hand. He thought in silence for a few minutes and turned to Ben and said, "I would think palace official Bernard Fowler would fit the role. He has always remained loyal to the crown and has even brought forward several projects to help improve the city so that the people could live a better life. He was responsible for the orphanage and raising funds to clean up and renovate the city slums. The nobles are all to power hungry and could not be completely trusted in such a role."
Ben nodded and said, "This Bernard Fowler sounds like an interesting person I will follow your advice and give him a shot then. As for the nobles I am thinking of retracting all noble titles from the Trareniel, Brandomma, and Galeran regions. Nobles serve no purpose for me and the power they are given causes more trouble than good."
One of the female cultivators was sent to have someone bring Bernard Fowler to the meeting room.
Ben found him to be an agreeable man who swore he would loyally follow Ben's orders and strive to improve the kingdom under his role as regent.
They spent the next few days in the Brandomma palace preparing the new regent and returning the captured Brandomma troops to their former homes. Ben once again created a few new residential neighborhoods now that he could freely build anywhere in the former Brandomma Kingdom's borders.
The nobles were unwillingly stripped of their noble titles but Ben did not touch their wealth or businesses. From now on they would be considered wealthy businessman who had no say in how the region was ruled.
Another Servant Guild was built behind the palace so that Ben could recruit men and women to fill any vacant occupations due to the men who were killed during the Timbershield City Battle. The newly recruited people were handed off to the regent and Ben left Baymeadow City.
The regions streets and roads were upgraded to concrete with Heating Coils and the walls were improved just as Timbershields had been.
__________________________________
The horses were hitched to the carriages and everyone climbed aboard including the former Brandomma King and his cultivators. A small division of men was left behind to walk along with the surrendered Galeran troops. They would reach the Galeran capital a couple of days after Ben had arrived and be reattached to the main army.
Ben decided to deconstruct the Medium Military Camps before they left. They were close to the city walls and he did not want any unsavory types taking up residence in them and using them to cause trouble.
Ben, Mythia, the former Brandomma King, and the two older cultivators rode west together in one carriage. They used the time to talk and get to know one another as they traveled toward the Galeran capital city.
The Baymeadow city defenders who were alerted to the sounds of battle outside the city walls watch the battle between Avalon and Galeran to the end. Ben heard a few of the defenders excitedly cheering after the battle and the more rational city guards seemed to still be wary.The enemy who had attacked them the past few days had been eliminated, but now an even stronger army was outside their walls. A few of them began to wonder if things may have just got worse than they already were.Ben looked up at the commotion on the walls and saw they had hauled up thick wood plank shields and secure them in place. From the numerous arrows stuck in the wood shields, it would seem they were using them as cover while the Galeran army was attempting to attack them.There were even a few discarded ladders beneath the walls that must have been used during a few failed attempts to scale the walls. The city guard had come up with an innovative way to hold off the attacking Galeran troops over the past few days.He turned his attention away from the city walls to open the notification icon flashing in his peripheral vision.Notice! You have defeated an enemy force on foreign soil! You have been awarded the Medium Military Camp!Notice! The Medium Military Camp has been unlocked in your Build Menu!Medium Military Camp: A square camp that contains 392 small wooden shacks. Each wooden shack can sleep, four soldiers. The camp is surrounded with a wooden palisade wall. The palisade wall has a wooden tower on each corner and a wooden gate in the center of each wall. Houses: 1568 units Costs: 500g requires: 2000 units of wood This camp can be built anywhere outside of your build zone and can be deconstructed'This Medium Military Camp will hold twice as many men as the Small Military Camp. The gold coin cost is still 500g but the wood needed has doubled. This one camp can almost hold every one of my troops. If there is a small and medium camp then there must be a large camp? I wonder if the number of troops it holds will double again if so that would be awesome. Come to think of it I never checked on the description of the Conqueror's Castle after I took over the Trareniel Kingdom.'Conqueror's Castle: A three-story octagon shaped castle with towers on each corner. The castle is made of concrete blended with Graphene and uses steel rebar for additional strength. Graphene reinforced concrete is twice as strong and four times more water resistant making this castle even more resistant to attacks.This Castle can be built anywhere and will provide you with 20 square acres of build zone. Must be built at least a quarter of a mile from any enemy structures.requires: graphite, concrete, steel Costs: 2000g'Athena, What does this Conqueror's Castle description mean? It says I can build this anywhere?'*DING!* It seems to work similar to the first keep you were required to build. This castle will give you a limited build zone of twenty square acres surrounding it. The only limitation is it must be built a quarter mile from any enemy structures. Once it is built it will work as an outpost and you can build anything within the provided 20 acres of build zone.'I can build small castle towns even outside of my original build zone and inside of other kingdom territories if I build this castle then? This should be awesome for creating outposts in other parts of the world. When I find a new landmass I can build this castle and then build a small settlement around it.'Ben excitedly closed his notices and returned to his men with his elite squad who had chased down the escaping king's wagon.Now that the city was aware of their presence and it was no longer possible to take the city with stealth, he would need to come up with a new strategy.The first task at hand was to secure the enemy troops who had surrendered. They had traveled far out of Ben's build zone so everything in his Build Menu was grayed out and unavailable to build except for three options. He could build a Conqueror's Castle, a small Military Camp, and a Medium Military Camp.He only needed a temporary place to house the surrendered troops and his men so he decided to build three Medium Military Camps about three hundred yards away from the Baymeadow city walls.Once the camps were built Ben had the Galeran troops assigned to one of them and had General Kaeso create a couple squads of Heavy Spearmen to guard the POW camp.Half of the Avalon troops were allowed to retire to one of the camps while the other half remained on guard near the city walls. If the enemy attempted to sortie out which would be the worst possible choice for them to make his troops would be prepared to greet them.__________________________________Ben ignored the Brandomma capital for the next couple of days while watching over his map to make sure no one especially the Brandomma king attempted to slip away during their passive aggressive siege.The remainder of his troops who lead the remaining Brandomma troops they had fought at the former Trareniel capital arrived two days after the defeat of the Galeran troops.Ben had the surrendered Brandomma troops brought under guard close enough to the city walls to where the defenders could identify them. He wanted the defenders to see the troops they had sent to Trareniel were defeated and there would be nobody coming to their rescue.Standing in front of the captured Brandomma troops, Ben cast his new Voice Projection spell.He took a deep breath and spoke toward the people on the city walls, " I am the king of Avalon and we originally did not have any disagreements with the Kingdom of Brandomma! After declaring we were at war with the Trareniel Kingdom your king decided to send your men to fight against us in an attempt to stop us from capturing the Trareniel capital city Timbershield!""As you can see here we have conquered the Trareniel Kingdom and defeated your troops! These remaining eight hundred men have surrendered and wish to go home and rejoin their families! There is only one problem, due to your king sending troops against us we have are now declaring war against Brandomma!""You now have two options your Brandomma king can surrender to me and be treated fairly or we will attack the city and execute the Brandomma king as a danger to the safety of the Avalon Kingdom! Either way, we have no intention to harm the civilians and we will also return these captured men!""Brandomma will become a part of the Avalon Kingdom and the people of Brandomma will be treated honorably. Relay my words to your king and inform him he has one full day to make a decision on how he wishes to proceed!""If I do not hear a message back within the given time my troops will attack and capture the city! If your king attempts to escape he will be shown no mercy and killed upon being captured!"Ben then turned to his men and had them escort the remaining Brandomma troops to the third empty Medium Military Camp and arranged for them to be guarded as well.It was now 4:30 so Ben brought out huge quantities of food and had the men create a large camp kitchen to begin making enough food to feed his troops and the prisoners.The Avalon troops were far from being experienced cooks but it wasn't difficult to simply heat pre-cooked foods from cans or packages of processed food. There were also some men who were grilling cuts of meat, fish, and chicken on wire grills.The surrounding was soon filled with a mixture of deliciously smelling foods that floated on the breeze making everyone realize how hungry they actually were.A few hours later everyone including the Half-Giants had eaten their fill. They began to arrange their gear in the Military Camp shacks for the night or prepared to stand patrol over the prisoners and the city.Ben was unsure of what the king would decide to do after hearing the options he had announced. If he were arrogant like the Galeran king was, he may choose to try and flee or ignore Ben without sending an answerer.If he chose to surrender Ben planned to go easy on him but they would have to wait until tomorrow to see how it all unfolded.During the night a few people attempted to escape southeast to the Brandomma fishing harbor but they were quickly caught by Ben's cavalry. As soon as he had seen gray dots representing people fleeing the city he ordered his mounted knights to capture them alive and bring them back.Ben already knew by clicking on their map icon that the king was not among them.After questioning they confessed they were ordered to travel to the fishing harbor and then to return to the city. They were just regular commoners who claimed older official looking men came into their homes during the night and gave them these orders.After discussing it with his generals, Ben assumed either the king or someone close to the king was sending these men out to see if it were possible to escape the city. If they could reach the fishing harbor and return to the city under the cover of the night then it would be possible for the king to escape on one of the fishing boats.Ben placed the captured civilians in with the Brandooma troops and decided to ignore the event. He could not blame the king for playing all his cards. The only thing he worried over was if the king was trying to escape because he did not trust to put his life in Ben's hands or was he trying to escape to later cause trouble and attempt to recapture his kingdom?If it were the latter, then it would be better to execute the king thus tearing out the weed by the roots before it could grow back.__________________________________The remainder of the night was uneventful and most of the day had passed by without any word from the city. Around three o'clock in the evening, the city gates opened and a small group of guards made there way toward Ben's camp.He rounded up Mythia along with the cultivator magi and walked out to greet the approaching guards.Ben nodded toward the men and said, "Has your king given you a message to deliver me?"The lead guard looked at the surrounding beautiful women and then turned to speak to Ben, "The Brandomma king has resolved to surrender to the Avalon King. He wishes to apologize for his actions due to being forced by the Trareniel King into providing him with military aid. He hopes you will show mercy for his subjects and not hold them accountable for his actions. The Brandooma King has ordered us to escort the Avalon King to the royal palace throne room where he will bequeath rule of the Brandomma Kingdom upon him.""Thank you, I will be in your care then." Ben answered.Ben followed behind the guards with Mythia beside him in her fantasy style armor. The Fairies and the ten female cultivators were right behind them as they walked through the anxious crowds of people who came to look at the man who would be their future king.When they entered the throne room a few older men near the door who were obviously cultivators projected their cultivations at Ben and the ladies following him. It did not feel like an attack it was more they were reluctant to allow their king to be captured by enemy forces.Their delaying attempt was quickly broken when Ben and the thirty-one young ladies around him instantly projected their auras back at the two scowling old men who almost fell over backward in shock.When they felt each individual aura of varying Stages hit them it must have been an intimidating predicament for them. Even if these auras were lower stages it was still disturbing! Each of the eight Kingdoms had at most five cultivators including their royal cultivator and this young Avalon King was running around with thirty kingdom-toppling cultivators who appeared absolutely loyal towards him.Every one of these dazzling young ladies was a cultivator but the most menacing aura which crushed down on the two old cultivators came from the young Avalon King! When you assume someone to be a normal mortal and then are suddenly hit with an aura that just about takes you off your feet it is a frightful encounter.These old men were suddenly like children who decided to stand up to adults but were quickly put in their place. They dropped their auras and lowered their heads in fear and shame due to their actions.Ben ignored the old men who had discontinued their silent protest and advanced toward the throne where the Brandomma King sat nervously.The Brandomma king appeared to be in his mid-sixties and was dressed rather formally. He wore a humble but nervous expression as Ben turned to look at him.It was clear to see something had transpired by the way his cultivators had stumbled back and hid their faces in shame. The Brandomma King only hoped they had not made things worse for the kingdom with their actions.While Ben crossed the room the Brandomma King spoke out to his people to stand down and he ordered anyone from interfering with the Avalon King and his party.By the way, the Brandomma King ordered his people and how he looked at them with worry, Ben could tell he was a good man who cared about his subjects. He began to feel a little guilty for actually being here to force this man off his throne.Ben had to remind himself that this man even though he was carrying, he had allowed others to force him into a situation that brought danger upon his kingdom.Still wearing his armor without a helmet Ben stopped at the base of the throne dais and gave a bow toward the Brandomma King.Ben knit his brows and said, "I can see the Brandomma King is a great king who loves and looks over his subjects. I feel regret for invading the Brandomma Kingdom and to point my sword toward such an honorable king."'Unfortunately, I am also a king who looks out for his subjects and I can't allow any outside forces to exist who can bring them harm be it physically, mentally, or financially.""After I conquered the Trareniel Kingdom I found the writings of the former Trareniel king. I know he had threatened to disclose your plans to invade Galeran if you did not send him military aid. He also wrote of how he planned to continue conquering the other kingdoms. After he had continued to create an unstoppable army with the combination of his conquered kingdoms, he would turn back east to take Galeran from you and invade Brandomma.""He held no loyalty toward you even an ally and planned to stab you in the back and rule as emperor over the eight kingdoms. He has been punished for his treacherous acts and was hanged by the neck until he died in the Timbershield city square a week and a half ago."The Brandomma King looked up wide-eyed when he heard the Trareniel King was dead and how he had planned to double cross him.The Brandomma King let out a sigh and said, "So the treacherous snake had met his end. I can at least have some solace in knowing he can no longer manipulate others. I should've never been involved with that man.""I never had a previous intention of invading Galeran but he had fed me so much false information I felt if we did not ally with him we would lose the chance to defend ourselves from the Galeran Kingdom. I did not learn until later that the Galeran Kingdom had no intentions of invading us and they were not as strong as King Knotley had made them out to be."Ben now understood the final pieces of what must have happened. Soren Knotley had provided the Brandomma King with false information on the Galeran Kingdom. He made it look as if the Galeran Kingdom planned to invade Branndomma with a military force they could not defend against. These to kingdoms had been at each other's throats for decades so it was a plausible situation.The older caring Brandomma King who worried about his subjects safety was easily tricked into allying with the Trareniel Kingdom. Little did he know he was only a pawn in Soren Knotley's grand scheme to conquer the continent.The Brandomma King sighed once again and stood up from his throne. He walked down the dais steps to stand before Ben."I have been a foolish but carrying king who allowed himself to be led astray by the deceitful ploy of an ambitious egocentric. My actions have caused undue harm toward the Avalon King and his men. For my crimes, I am willingly stepping down from the throne and bestowing the crown of Brandomma upon the Avalon King! From this day forward he will be your king and you will follow him as you have me!"The Brandomma King removed the delicate gold crown he wore and placed it on Ben's head.Ben found this strange that the Brandomma king had a crown. He had never seen any of the other kings he had come into contact with wearing crowns so he began to think it might not be a custom here.The Brandomma King interrupted his thoughts when he quietly spoke to Ben after placing the crown on his head."I hope you can lead this kingdom forward better than I have young man. I was never able to conceive an heir to the throne and my wife had passed away a few years back. If you did not come along the kingdom would have only fallen into chaos over who would rule next. It may have been sooner than I expected but at least I can now step down knowing the people will not suffer over the fight for the crown. I am now in your care please do with me as you feel is just."Ben smiled and placed his hands on the king's shoulders. "Leave it to me I will make sure your Kingdom and its people will live happy and prosperous lives."He turned his attention toward the sulking cultivators and called them over. Ben looked from one to the other and asked, "Do you two wish to stay by your former king's side or will you look for another kingdom to live in? As of today, you can no longer live in the Brandomma Kingdom and I would advise against moving to Galeran because I plan to invade and conquer them next. The Galeran King died outside these city walls because he was too arrogant to walk away. He chose to make me his enemy and was killed after his men were defeated."The two older cultivators were surprised but happy to hear the Galeran King was dead along with the Trareniel King. These two kings were a thorn in the Brandomma Kingdom's side and they would not have to worry over them ever again.The two cultivators looked at their king with determination and announced they would go where their king went. They figured the king would be locked away in a cell somewhere for the rest of his days but at least they could be of some comfort to him until he passed on to his next life.Ben nodded approvingly to their decisions and asked the former king to call over one of the palace servants. The palace servant was told to assemble with the other servants and to pack the former kings clothing and personal items from the royal quarters and have them brought to the throne room. Before they left Ben would pack away the king's possessions in his inventory.Everyone in the throne room was dismissed and Ben went to a meeting room with the former king and his two cultivators. Mythia and the other women also followed along and sat down at a large conference type table.When they all sat down around the table Ben purchased a map of the entire eight kingdoms and displayed it before the former Brandomma King."I have a problem which can only be solved by your knowledge of the Brandomma people. I have made Trareniel a part of my Avalon Kingdom and now Brandomma here is also a part of my kingdom. Within the next week or so the Galeran Kingdom will be a part of my Kingdom." Ben pointed to each of the Kingdoms who would be absorbed by the Avalon Kingdom showing a large part of the continent that would fall under his rule."These former kingdoms will become too much for me to keep up with. It is already a fulltime job for a king to rule over one kingdom but I will soon have four kingdoms merged into one sprawling kingdom that covers over hundreds of miles. My thoughts are to appoint a regent to each of the former kingdoms. I need men who are loyal and do not have ambitions for the crown to delegate my orders and take care of the smaller issues pertaining to each region."Ben looked up from the map toward the former king and said, "I would like you to tell me if there is someone in your kingdom who you think would fit such a role?"The king leaned back and looked up at the ceiling in thought as he rubbed his chin with his right hand. He thought in silence for a few minutes and turned to Ben and said, "I would think palace official Bernard Fowler would fit the role. He has always remained loyal to the crown and has even brought forward several projects to help improve the city so that the people could live a better life. He was responsible for the orphanage and raising funds to clean up and renovate the city slums. The nobles are all to power hungry and could not be completely trusted in such a role."Ben nodded and said, "This Bernard Fowler sounds like an interesting person I will follow your advice and give him a shot then. As for the nobles I am thinking of retracting all noble titles from the Trareniel, Brandomma, and Galeran regions. Nobles serve no purpose for me and the power they are given causes more trouble than good."One of the female cultivators was sent to have someone bring Bernard Fowler to the meeting room.Ben found him to be an agreeable man who swore he would loyally follow Ben's orders and strive to improve the kingdom under his role as regent.They spent the next few days in the Brandomma palace preparing the new regent and returning the captured Brandomma troops to their former homes. Ben once again created a few new residential neighborhoods now that he could freely build anywhere in the former Brandomma Kingdom's borders.The nobles were unwillingly stripped of their noble titles but Ben did not touch their wealth or businesses. From now on they would be considered wealthy businessman who had no say in how the region was ruled.Another Servant Guild was built behind the palace so that Ben could recruit men and women to fill any vacant occupations due to the men who were killed during the Timbershield City Battle. The newly recruited people were handed off to the regent and Ben left Baymeadow City.The regions streets and roads were upgraded to concrete with Heating Coils and the walls were improved just as Timbershields had been.__________________________________The horses were hitched to the carriages and everyone climbed aboard including the former Brandomma King and his cultivators. A small division of men was left behind to walk along with the surrendered Galeran troops. They would reach the Galeran capital a couple of days after Ben had arrived and be reattached to the main army.Ben decided to deconstruct the Medium Military Camps before they left. They were close to the city walls and he did not want any unsavory types taking up residence in them and using them to cause trouble.Ben, Mythia, the former Brandomma King, and the two older cultivators rode west together in one carriage. They used the time to talk and get to know one another as they traveled toward the Galeran capital city.
