Chapter 143: Chapter 143 - Changes
It had only been a little over six months since Lucien regained the memories of his past life. Yet in that short span of time, the changes he wrought had shaken the foundation of his land.
What was once a broken barony was now rising into a power worthy of his new title. The kingdom had taken decades to build its cities and... Lucien had surpassed them in half a year.
With his cheats, he sometimes felt this pace was even too slow.
"From a measly barony to a marquisate," Lucien murmured with a faint smile. His gaze swept over the horizon.
His entire domain was in the throes of transformation.
Districts were being laid out and foundations were being dug for the future he envisioned.
He was now shaping his territories to an integrated city. He started from the expanse stretching from Lootwell through the newly cleared forest all the way to Fishville.
The forest that once choked the land outside Lootwell’s walls had long since vanished and was replaced by the skeleton of a metropolis in the making.
New walls and fortifications now marked the expanded borders of his dominion as if declaring to the world that this land belonged to him.
Beyond the walls of Lootwell, a whole districts had already begun to take shape.
The Commercial Avenue led the way.
It became a bustling stretch of shops and merchant stalls. It was alive with merchants and traders staking their claims.
Inns of towering size loomed overhead, prepared to welcome the flood of merchants and travelers who would one day pass through.
The Headquarters of each Division which were once cramped and buried in the heart of Lootwell had been relocated there too.
It now has larger halls built for better function. Specialized workshops were springing up around them, producing almost everything one could think off.
A broad plaza stood at the center. It was destined to be the gathering place for festivals and speeches.
And looming over it all, the Barracks rose like a fortress. The soldiers could be heard drilling in perfect cadence. The clash of steel rang through the air as a daily anthem.
But Lucien’s vision was not only for soldiers and merchants.
He wanted his people to grow and to become more than what they had been forced to be. And so, one of their proudest creations stood just beyond the plaza.
A grand school open to all ages where any man, woman, or child could choose the path they wished to walk.
Craftsman? Scholar? Scribe? Soldier? It mattered little.
Lucien had decreed that every graduate would have a guaranteed place in his lands. They would be given a role worthy of their talents.
Clara had once eagerly offered to serve as its principal but Lucien turned her down instantly. He does not want to see his school become a cult under her.
Instead, the task fell to Elunara whose gentle wisdom and long years among the elves made her the perfect guide. She accepted with unexpected delight as if she had found her calling.
Yet even with Lucien’s firm insistence that all under his rule were equal, reality painted a more complicated picture. Those who lived within the heart of Lootwell... also the ones Lucien trusted most... were regarded with reverence by the others.
To disrespect them was to invite the wrath of the people themselves. They were more than neighbors. They were seen as extensions of Lucien’s will and in protecting them, the people believed they were protecting the future Lucien promised them all.
And as Lucien gazed upon the rising city, he felt a satisfaction he has never felt before.
•••
Lucien now stood at the edge of the training grounds. His sharp gaze followed the rhythm of marching boots. His soldiers moved as one, each step echoing like a single heartbeat. What had once been a ragtag militia had become a formidable army.
Nine thousand in total.
The number alone would have made any neighboring lord tremble. But beyond numbers, these men and women carried something rarer. Discipline and unity.
Also, more than a hundred had already reached Tier 9. Their presence alone radiated a pressure that even the kingdom’s seasoned knights would not dare to challenge.
Lucien had restructured his forces meticulously.
The army was divided into three brigades. Each commanded three battalions. Every battalion numbered one thousand men and was further broken down into companies... and then into platoons.
The hierarchy was clear and efficient.
At the heart of it all stood Lukas whom Lucien had appointed as Deputy Commander.
He wielded his authority like a hammer to steel. He drilled the soldiers mercilessly and forged them into hardened blades.
Every maneuver. Every response. Every breath in battle. They were all sharpened through his command.
Each officer and platoon leader now carried a Whisper Pebble. It’s an artifact Lucien himself had crafted using his CRAFT feature.
They were like walkie-talkies but far superior. It was capable of carrying voices over vast distances without distortion. With them, the entire army was connected.
No danger, no threat, no movement within the city or beyond its walls could escape their notice.
Guided by Lukas and the Strategy Manual drop Lucien had entrusted to him, the army mastered formations and tactics capable of overturning impossible odds.
As Lucien watched them march in unison, the corners of his lips curved.
This was the army of a marquis. A force that could shake kingdoms.
...
Another surprising development... one Lucien chose to turn a blind eye to... was Clara’s Spiritual Division.
What had started as a group of people from all age ranges tasked to assist those in need... had now become a force to be reckoned with.
Lucien could only sigh whenever he saw them train. Their methods were... unconventional.
At times brutal. At times downright destructive. But always effective.
Clara herself had approached him months ago. She asked for magic formations and rituals that could be performed in unison. With little hesitation, Lucien handed her several ancient magic formations and ritual magic spells he had acquired from the MAGIC BOOK.
The result was staggering. The Spiritual Division’s strength multiplied and their coordinated rituals are capable of devastating both armies and monsters alike and they proved just as adept at large-scale healing and buffs.
Watching them, Lucien could only rub his temple and mutter, "So long as they’re on my side..." Clara might be eccentric but she was undeniably a capable leader.
Yet Lucien’s efforts were never limited to his own city.
Over the past months, Lucien had not only raised his soldiers and people but he had also taken care to strengthen his allies.
Silvermines. Baron Hornvale. Baron Needlehart. Earl Silkhand. Even the noble families of Vivian’s closest friends. All of them had received his guidance, support and knowledge.
And Lucien had not done it out of charity.
He still remembered Elunara’s prophecy. The shadows of a greater danger loomed beyond this world. The memory gnawed at him and it unsettled him.
He could not stand the thought of his allies being unprepared should that storm ever reach them.
And perhaps, even more than that...
He had matured.
The visions he saw within the 4th level of the dungeon still haunted him. It had opened his eyes to a greater truth. His own power alone was not enough. No matter how mighty he became, he could not face everything alone.
The more allies he had, the stronger they were, the better chance they all had to survive what was coming.
So he forged them. Lifted them. Armed them. Strengthened them.
Because survival was no longer just about himself. It was about everyone who stood with him.
•••
For the past two months, Lucien had also immersed himself in the strange world inside the murals.
He had now lived through ninety-nine different lives. Each one brought upon a revelation.
The fourth level of his Lootwell Dungeon...
It once looked like a broken world and now... it has transformed entirely. Where there had been ruin, there was now beauty.
The walls now shimmered with vivid murals that look alive with color as if welcoming the shards he had restored. The ceiling too was covered and painted with stories that spanned across the ages.
But despite this breathtaking change, one truth weighed heavily on Lucien.
There was still a piece left. One final shard.
Only one life left to complete the puzzle.
Ninety-nine lives. Ninety-nine stories. Ninety-nine truths.
Each one had torn away a layer of ignorance and revealed something darker. And something... deeper.
The revelations were staggering. Twists in history that no one would ever dare imagine. What he had learned could never be spoken aloud. To reveal them would ignite fear across the continent.
And yet... he knew the last shard would reveal the greatest truth of all. The truth of this world itself.
Secrets too great to tell. Knowledge too dangerous to share.
...
Another discovery had surprised him as well. The Monsterdex.
Every creature he had encountered within the world of murals had been recorded with flawless detail.
Their traits. Their behaviors. Their weaknesses.
Each entry was written with perfect accuracy as if the 4th level itself had gifted him a weapon of absolute knowledge. With this, no monster could ever pose a threat to them.
He was about to step into the dungeon once more when he felt it... a disturbance in the air.
Looking up, Lucien saw an airship descending from the clouds.
Maxim.
Lucien went out to greet him but the expression on his Uncle’s face was grim.
"Nephew," Maxim said heavily, "can I entrust sister-in-law to your care? There’s trouble at the southwest border. Monsters... waves of them... are marching."
At those words, Lucien’s heart sank.
Elunara’s prophecy had begun.