Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Plan to Reclaim the Territory "Young Master David, the total number of Gray Wolves is 132." In the refugee camp, the Gray Wolf Knight reported the tallied number of Gray Wolves. Although David had already tamed the Gray Wolf King, dealing with these Gray Wolves still posed a problem. These Gray Wolves were already in a state of hunger. Even with the restraint of the Gray Wolf King, if they were starving, it would be difficult even for the Gray Wolf King to control the pack. To feed these Gray Wolves would require an immense amount of food, something Frost Wolf Ridge simply couldn’t provide at the moment. "Don’t worry, I already have a plan." "Although Frost Wolf Ridge doesn’t have enough food, my territory extends beyond it." David suddenly revealed a meaningful smile. The Gray Wolf Knight was taken aback, then his eyes brightened. Indeed. Lord Duke’s territory wasn’t only Frost Wolf Ridge. In fact, most of the Northern Lands originally belonged to Duke Frost Wolf. However, due to the decline of the Frost Wolf Clan, the nobles who had been enfeoffed continually broke away from its control. Over a century, the Frost Wolf Clan lost its grip on the Northern Lands. But back when the old Duke was still alive, the Frost Wolf Clan still controlled the entire Frost Wolf Forest and the surrounding territories. Moreover, although these local nobles had chosen to break away from the Frost Wolf Clan, they had not been acknowledged by the Silver Moon Kingdom. Thus, David now is still the nominal lord of Frost Wolf Forest and its surrounding territories, recognized by the Silver Moon Kingdom. Previously. David’s power had been too weak, forcing him to implicitly accept the nobles’ secession. Now, with David’s strength as an Earth Knight, reclaiming these territories is not too difficult a task! "Uncle Olay." "Have City Hall assess the taxes owed by each territory." "They’ve owed it for so long; they should repay me with interest." David smiled slightly. He happened to need money, and with these funds, he could establish Frost Wolf Ridge! "Yes, Lord!" The Gray Wolf Knight responded excitedly. After the Gray Wolf Knight left, David had the Gray Wolf King lead the Gray Wolves back into the forest to settle them, before returning to the castle. ... Frost Wolf Castle. The waiting people grew from two to three. Seeing the Lord return, they all breathed a sigh of relief and greeted him together. "Don’t worry, I’m alright." David said with a smile. Besides Liya, Amy, and Reina, also waiting were the Gray Wolf Knight and territory officials. During this period, all these territorial officials had learned that their lord had broken through to Earth Knight and remained in a state of excitement. Therefore, when David looked over, he noticed these officials were all in high spirits. David reassured the three ladies before leading the territorial officials to the meeting hall on the first floor. "Reina, you come too." David paused as he reached the meeting hall door and spoke. Reina was startled but then her heart began to race. She knew that those gathered here were the power core of Frost Wolf Ridge, so surely there was something important to discuss. In this situation, Lord Duke asked her to enter the study as well. Even if it was only to serve tea, it was still a gesture of trust. The other Frost Wolf Ridge officials also focused their gaze on Reina at this time. They all knew the lord had invited several beautiful women into the castle to have offspring as soon as possible. But they had not expected that the lord would allow one of them to touch the power core of Frost Wolf Ridge, which itself was an attitude. Seeing that Reina hadn’t moved, David directly stepped forward and took her hand to enter the meeting hall together. Then, David sat in the main seat of the meeting hall and had Fire Dance bring a chair to place beside him. Though curious, the Frost Wolf Ridge officials remained expressionless. These officials were all inherited from David’s father and had served the Frost Wolf Clan for generations, certainly possessing excellent qualities. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎 After sitting down, Reina’s gaze fell on David’s side profile. When David turned to look, their eyes met, and Reina hurriedly turned her head to the side, feeling awkward. Soon, the meeting began. The Gray Wolf Knight first explained the theme of the meeting. Upon hearing the new Duke Frost Wolf wanted to reclaim his original territories, the officials’ eyes lit up instantly. They were originally the old Duke’s subordinates and had felt very guilty for failing to help him defend the territories. After hearing the lord had broken through to Earth Knight, they had been anticipating this day. Now hearing there was a chance to reclaim the territories, the officials were practically restless, all looking excitedly at the lord, waiting for his orders. David had already worked out the plan along the way, directly having the officials report the situation of the surrounding territories. Currently, it was still during Frosty Winter, with snow dividing almost all territories. Hence, once Frosty Winter came, there were seldom any military operations in the Northern Lands; even during wartime, there would be a temporary ceasefire. In ordinary times, Frost Wolf Ridge also wouldn’t launch a campaign during Frosty Winter. But now, he had nearly a hundred Gray Wolves, and with these Gray Wolves, snow could not hinder Frost Wolf Ridge’s advance. Consequently, this snow would not be an obstacle to Frost Wolf Ridge but would be an aid attack, leaving other territories isolated and unsupported. However, Frosty Winter was ending soon, and there was very limited time. Even with the Gray Wolf pack, David could not capture all territories in such a short time. Therefore, David planned to first strike the strongest and most hostile territory to Frost Wolf Ridge, which posed the greatest threat, setting an example for other territories. "Do you have any opinions?" David outlined the plan and looked at the territorial officials present. In a meeting, naturally, the most important thing was to listen to subordinates’ opinions, and David had always been open to advice. "Lord, are those Gray Wolves reliable?" one official asked hesitantly. Nearly a hundred Gray Wolves indeed constituted a very strong force, comparable to a Knight Order. But if unable to control these Gray Wolves, it would also be very dangerous for the lord to venture into other territories. David smiled and nodded, "Rest assured, our Frost Wolf Clan has a specialized Wolf Taming Skill." Then, he looked at the others. The others felt more at ease, then began discussing the choice of territory for this attack. In the end, they targeted Eagle Wing Castle. The lord of Eagle Wing Castle was a Tier Three Knight, and had connections with the Ice Bear Clan, posing the greatest threat, even involving Eagle Wing Castle in this refugee disaster! Moreover, the brutality of the lord of Eagle Wing Castle was well-known. It was the perfect opportunity to dismantle this time bomb around Frost Wolf Forest!