"That Dragon Knight Marshal is so pitiful..." Nyx pouted, her large, watery eyes staring at Rynar with grievance. Her delicate, boneless hands gently wrapped around his waist.
"That is his duty and honor, silly girl! You and I are the same. Why are we nobles? Why do we enjoy the best material wealth?
Because we are the first to charge into disaster! Because we stand guard over this land, ordinary people can continue to thrive and multiply."
Rynar lightly tapped Nyx's forehead. Thanks to the human nobles of Middle-earth, most nobles of this era had yet to be corrupted; they remained some of the most admirable and respectable people!
"The nobles of Zaltarion have already been wiped out..." Nyx murmured, tears welling up. In her memories of history, the last batch of Zaltarion's royal lords had charged into the surging dark coalition... From then on, the empire collapsed…
"That was a long time ago, no need to dwell on it. Mourning the past will only bring us sorrow...
As long as a single noble remains, as long as a single Zaltarion with royal blood flows in their veins exists, our kingdom will never perish! We will reclaim the lands we lost!
Every enemy will be crushed beneath our feet! The vacant titles will have new lords to inherit them! Fallen kingdoms and duchies shall be rebuilt!" Rynar declared passionately.
"Mm, I believe in you..." Nyx murmured, clinging to the only man who could make her feel safe.
"When do you plan to head to Moria?" Nyx leaned close to Rynar's ear as he played with her golden hair, her eyes filled with both concern and reluctance.
"Probably by summer. It depends on when the dwarves are ready!" Rynar gently rubbed her head, calculating in his mind. It would likely be around April or May.
"Sigh..." Nyx sighed softly, embracing Rynar with resignation, as if she had already accepted that battle was his fate.
"Sleep, sleep! Staying alive is more important!"
Rynar chuckled mischievously before playfully tossing Nyx onto the soft, velvety bed and diving in after her... (What follows has been omitted. Dear seasoned readers, feel free to imagine the rest.)
...
"System… sign in…" Rynar muttered absentmindedly as he held the sleeping girl in his arms.
"Congratulations, host! Sign-in successful! Special event triggered: Refugees at the Gate!"
"What the hell? This event..." Rynar's expression changed. He couldn't recall the exact timeline of this incident, but he knew it was undoubtedly a double-edged sword!
The refugee influx event occurred after the southern lands fell. A massive wave of refugees had frantically surged northward, even impacting Rynar's own territory at the time.
If handled well, not only could he gain a substantial population, but he might also secure the allegiance of wandering southern nobles and special talents!
Although Rynar hadn't managed to win over any nobles or exceptional figures in the past, he had at least gained over a thousand new residents.
"This is a hassle... If the refugee tide is too large... and someone incites them... they could storm the city!" A hint of alarm flashed in Rynar's eyes.
Though ordinary refugees couldn't threaten Riverguard, if Rynar gave the order to attack, it would undoubtedly be a massacre. There might be no immediate material losses, but the trust and loyalty of his subjects would plummet like a collapsing dam.
"We need to start preparing supplies... Looks like I'll have to visit the dwarves and elves again to make some purchases..." Rynar, who had previously thought his resources were plentiful, suddenly felt uncertain.
"Mmm~ Can't we sleep a little longer?" From the warm bed, Nyx stretched out a fair, delicate arm, lazily wrapping it around Rynar's waist.
"No, I need to handle some governance. There might be a large influx of refugees soon." Rynar tucked her in gently and left the inner chamber.
...
"Let's assess our supplies. How many people can we sustain until the autumn harvest?"
Rynar had originally been looking for Lance, only to realize that guy had gone to Gondor with the goblin king, Huboryan. So, he dragged poor Reynard to do the heavy lifting instead.
"Enough for ten thousand people until the harvest, but only if we ration carefully." Nyx, now fully dressed, appeared behind them at some point. Apart from her slightly unnatural gait, she still carried the grace and dignity of a grand duchess.
"Ten thousand?" Rynar's expression softened as he summoned the system interface to check.
Riverguard:
Size: 1 km radius
Buildings: One damaged lord's castle (under renovation), 300 ordinary wooden houses, intermediate magic-inscribed walls, stone well, blacksmith, barracks, archer sanctuary, watchtowers.
Commanders: Caslow (Tier 3), Reynard (Tier 4), Radir (Tier 4), Dylan (Tier 6), Omsk (Tier 6).
Special Personnel: Lady Aivy (Tier 3), Grand Duchess Nyx (Tier 2). City Guard: Marcus (Tier 4)
Administrative Officer: Lance (Tier 2)
Military Strength: 2,762
Zaltarion Royal Knights: 100 (Tier 2) Zaltarion City Guards: 100 (Tier 2) Battanian Archers: 700 (Tier 2) Dunwenian Heavy Swordsmen: 100 (Tier 2) Elaris Woods Rangers: 100 (Tier 2) Zaltarion Royal Guard Paladins: 200 Rapid Infantry: 683 Conscription Light Infantry: 200
Zaltarion Heavy Cavalry: 100 Priests: 8 (Tier 2) Fire Mages: 1 (Tier 2) Crusader Spear and Shield Soldiers: 100 Crusader Archers: 300 Crusader Heavy Shield Soldiers: 20 Knights of the Crossed Purple Jasmine: 20 Duchy Light Cavalry: 30
Population: 3,310 (Trainable civilians: 1,697)
City Status: "A lone king leads his remaining subjects back to their homeland, establishing a city with towering walls. The city has gained some inhabitants, giving it a lively atmosphere.
Everything is progressing well. Its military strength is formidable, with many eligible recruits. Even under large-scale attacks, the city can be defended. Note: Perhaps you owe Grand Duchess Nyx a proper wedding?
Abilities:
As the last Zaltarion kingdom territory in Middle-earth, it attracts Zaltarionian refugees. The system will guide a batch of wandering Zaltarion civilians here daily. The lord should ensure their proper resettlement. Allows recruitment of Rapid Infantry from local civilians.
"What the hell is with this note? Am I some kind of scoundrel who refuses to take responsibility?!" Rynar fumed.
"So... Riverguard can sustain around 4,000 more people?" Rynar asked bitterly. He had no idea how overwhelming the incoming refugee wave would be, but surely, the system wouldn't set him up for failure... right? Maybe… hopefully?
"Deploy all cavalry! Patrol within a hundred-mile radius. We're about to face a refugee influx from Zaltarion!" Rynar instructed Reynard with grave determination.
"That's gre—wait... refugees?!" Reynard's excitement instantly faded.
"You should know how desperate and crazed starving refugees can become." Rynar sighed.
"By the Dragon God! I'll personally oversee patrols with Caslow!" Reynard knew all too well how feral desperate refugees could get.
"Also... there might be soldiers among them..." Rynar recalled past refugee waves hiding actual soldiers.
Reynard stumbled mid-step before turning to glare at Rynar.
"Thank you, dearest lord, for bringing me such wonderful news!" He bit out sarcastically.
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