As soon as Rowan opened the barrel of wine, a small object about the length of an adult's arm was revealed inside. Its handle was made of wood and bore undecipherable engravings, giving it a mysterious feel. One end was plain, while the other was spherical. On the spherical end, there was a yellow colored engraved crystal.
Rowan realized what it was the moment he set his eyes on it—the Staff of Authority!
With a fulfilled expression on his face, Rowan reached out and grabbed the Staff of Authority.
DING! [You have found (Wood-Grade Staff of Authority)]
DING! [Congratulations, you have completed one criterion to evolve your territory]
Staff of Authority (Wood-Grade): The emblem of authority for FF and F-grade territories.
Note: It can't be upgraded.
Rowan studied the brief description before returning his gaze to it, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
"System, reveal the other criteria to evolve my territory," he ordered.
TO EVOLVE TERRITORY TO F-RANK, you must have....
--LAND: 40 km² (Current: 20 km²)
--Population: 5,000 (Current: 3,000)
--Five hundred active soldiers (Current: 470)
--Military power: F-rank (Current: FF-rank)
--Agriculture: F-rank (Current: FF-rank)
--Power: F-rank (Current: FF-rank)
--Wood-grade Authority Staff (COMPLETED)
Studying the information presented, Rowan smirked. "With the Staff of Authority acquired, I can use Glenwood to manipulate my results and improve my territory ranking to F!" he declared aloud.
Without hesitation, he closed the window and walked out of the building, stepping over the corpse of the dead soldier as he made his way outside.
Night had already arrived, and the moon had taken its position in the sky, driving away the darkness with its brilliant crescent glow.
Rowan began strolling through the darkness, the Staff of Authority tightly grasped in his hands.
In his head, he prepared the best set of speeches to use when he reached the border. He couldn't help but mutter to himself continuously, practicing how to present them—this would be his biggest moment yet, and he didn't want to fumble it.
Meanwhile, at the border.
The people of Glenwood had finally calmed themselves down after witnessing the brutal strength of Rowan.
After he left, they went out to carry the corpses of loved ones who had lost their lives to him.
While they grieved their loss, they didn't dare to blame or harbor any revengeful thoughts against Rowan.
Unfortunately, the casualties weren't only on Glenwood's side, as Winterseed soldiers also grieved the deaths of their twelve colleagues.
Aside from the twelve who lost their lives, about fifty more soldiers sustained ghastly wounds; a few even lost consciousness due to the pain.
Fortunately, there was Ren, who had a little medical knowledge. He was able to take care of the injured soldiers and reduce the intensity of their pain with certain manual procedures and applications of an herbal ointment he personally prepared. Liara assisted him, improving the efficiency of his task.
Not too far away, Fagin sat on the ground close to the almost lifeless body of Stanis. He gazed up at the dark sky with a frustrated expression on his face, unable to stop thinking about his current predicament.
He looked down beside him at Stanis, who was struggling to breathe. He still hadn't gotten over the realization that his best captain was actually ready to betray him from the very beginning.
'Once I am done settling all these issues, I will make sure to kill you myself, Stanis!' he swore inwardly.
The hatred and anger he felt towards Stanis kept growing every second.
Nevertheless, his malicious thoughts were cut off as he heard a commotion arising from the crowd nearby, and he quickly looked in that direction to see what was happening.
With the help of the moonlight, he was able to see Rowan walking out of the crowd; he could see a familiar object in his hands—the Staff of Authority.
"He found it!" he muttered in shock.
"The Staff of Authority of Glenwood is gone now!" he continued in a low tone, as he observed Rowan, his eyes revealing all sorts of depressed and sad emotions.
Roland, Bryce, Bruce, Josh, and every other soldier who understood the significance of the item Rowan held observed him with looks filled with pride, respect, and unwavering loyalty.
On the other hand, the people of Glenwood stared at Rowan with terrified and worried expressions on their faces.
"He's holding the Staff of Authority!" a teenage boy pointed at the staff to his father with a shocked expression.
His father immediately gave him a quick slap on the mouth to shut him up, as he didn't want his son to draw any attention to the scary young Lord of Winterseed.
Nevertheless, even with the slap, the teenager didn't give up and continued pestering his father curiously for answers.
"Since Lord Fagin no longer possesses the Staff of Authority, does that mean he is our new lord? What will happen to Lord Fagin and us? Will the ancestors be angry?" he asked a barrage of questions.
But his father refused to answer any of them.
Around the father-son duo, the crowd whispered among themselves, sharing the same question—"What will become the fate of our village?"
Rowan heard their discussions, and a smirk crept onto his face.
As he made his way down to the right spot in front of the crowd, he observed the expression of Fagin and gave him a crazed smile, causing the fat ex-lord to shiver in terror.
Rowan gave a hand signal to the soldiers standing beside Fagin and Stanis to bring them forward.
The soldiers obeyed immediately and dragged both of them towards Rowan.
Stanis was in a half-sleep, half-dead phase, and everything happening around him was nothing but unclear and blurry. On the other hand, Fagin's heart beat rapidly as he anticipated Rowan's next actions, praying frivolously for them to favor him.
Rowan halted after creating a considerable distance between himself and the large crowd.
The soldiers dragging Stanis and Fagin had already arrived and placed the two of them behind him.
At this moment, everyone standing observed the distorted and shameful state of their two top leaders. Their looks were filled with disappointment.
Fagin couldn't help but return his gaze to the ground, ashamed, while Stanis didn't even understand his current situation.
Rowan smirked, observing their reactions before turning to the crowd and beginning his speech.
"People of Glenwood, I would love to introduce you to your new lord," he declared in a loud authoritative voice.
Fagin's eyes widened immediately, and his body shivered. 'What is he planning?' he thought.