"At ease!" Magnus the King of Fearei Kingdom commanded.
The crowd fell silent, waiting for Magnus to speak.
"This year has brought us another bountiful harvest..."
After speaking for a few minutes,
"Let the banquet commence!"
"Cheers, Your Majesty!"
"Hahaha, cheers to all my ministers and fellow nobles."
"Young Majesty, this is my gift," Duke Charles presented a gift.
"Oh, what good thing did the duke get me?" Magnus became curious as he looked at his gift.
"It's a Tier 3 Spirit Tea. I was fortunate to acquire this during my travels," Duke Charles explained.
"Duke Charles is truly wealthy, gifting a Tier 3 spirit tea as if it were nothing."
A group of nobles whispered to themselves as they gazed at the tea with envy.
Spirit tea is known for calming the mind and nourishing the spirit.
It can also hasten magic cultivation.
"You have heart, Duke Charles. I appreciate this gift very much."
Soon, others also began to present their gifts, until it was Maximus's turn.
"Your Majesty, this is my gift."
"Oh, I've heard of you. Your father was truly a great man."
"It's a pity he encountered cults. Don't worry, I have been gathering manpower to track them down."
"I cannot allow such a black sheep to run rampant in my kingdom."
"I thank you, Your Majesty," Maximus replied.
Smiling, he took a look at Maximus's gift, not expecting much.
"A Tier 3 Blood Thorn Vine?!" Magnus exclaimed.
The blood thorn vine is a tonic comparable to a Tier 4 potion.
But considering his injuries, a mere Tier 3 tonic wouldn't be enough to heal him.
"Hmm, the gift is quite impressive." Although it was useless to him, it was still quite valuable.
Soon, all the nobles presented their gifts as the banquet continued.
Suddenly, the door swung open as a messenger rushed in.
"Your Majesty, this is bad!"
"Calm down and tell me," Magnus said, soothing the messenger.
"It's the Jade Kingdom! They have suddenly declared war!"
Everyone in the room was shocked.
The Fearei Kingdom was a powerful force, boasting two Tier 4 Sky Knights.
Yet, the Jade Kingdom only had one tier 4 Sky Knight dare to attack them?
"How dare they!" Magnus said, his expression darkening.
He had been peacefully developing his kingdom without provoking anyone.
Moreover, his kingdom was situated in a somewhat barren part of the Sunburnt Plateau.
Yet, there were those who dared to challenge him.
"Hmph, the audacity of the Jade Kingdom."
"Prepare for war. I will show them the might of the Fearei Kingdom," Magnus declared.
Seeing this, Maximus also smiled wryly.
He had just stabilized his territory, and now another problem had arisen.
Fortunately, he had two Tier 3 Earth Knight generals.
A week later, Maximus returned to Moonshadow City.
This time, he returned with two generals and two young women, which could be considered a fruitful harvest.
Soon, he dismounted in front of his castle.
"Husband, you're back," Erica said softly as she embraced him.
"Husband," Hazel also greeted him.
"Did you miss your husband?"
"Hmm, we missed our husband."
"Hahaha, then I'll treat you later," Maximus chuckled.
Erica and Hazel blushed.
The "treat" Maximus mentioned involved using their hands and mouths.
They didn't know where Maximus learned these crooked things.
The next day, Maximus woke up in a state of bliss.
"Sigh, there's still a war about to happen," Maximus sighed.
Since there was still a lot to do, Maximus didn't linger in bed and got up.
"Good morning," Maximus greeted his wives with a kiss.
"Hmm, good morning, Husband," they responded sleepily.
"I'll be going out for a while; you take care of the castle."
At the military camp near the castle.
"How are the soldiers?" Maximus asked.
"They are barely usable, my lord," Johnson replied, looking at the ragtag group of soldiers.
After pledging allegiance to Maximus, he fulfilled his promise and provided them with Tier 4 Blood Rejuvenation Potions.
Now, they were back to their peak strength as if nothing had happened.
"We have various cultivation manuals, but resources are still lacking," General Smith stated.
"Do you have a solution?"
Even though Maximus had the system, he preferred not to reveal it to outsiders if possible.
"We could hunt in the Death Forest; it should provide us with plenty of resources."
"That's indeed a feasible idea," Maximus nodded.
"Furthermore, it can also serve as training," the general added.
"Then I approve of your training," Maximus agreed.
"Rest assured, we will train these soldiers to perfection."
"Good. Also, here are supplies to reduce casualties."
This potion cost 300 gold in the Imperial City.
Even in Berrun City, it cost 100 gold.
Yet, there were now at least a thousand in the storage bag.
"It's all right, you can use them without worry. I still have plenty," Maximus assured.
Potions were cheap in the system as if they were mass-produced products.
There were 1,500 healing potions in the storage bag, costing him only 15,000 gold.
"Then I'll thank you on behalf of the soldiers."
With about a thousand soldiers present, they could each have a healing potion.
"Hmm," Maximus didn't worry that the two generals would suspect him.
After pledging their allegiance to him, they resigned a soul-bound contract.
Unless they became much stronger than him, their thoughts and lives were in his hands.
"Hello, you two," Erica greeted as she saw the two girls Maximus had brought home.
Despite their scars, their body shapes revealed their inherent beauty.
"Hello," Luna responded politely.
After Maximus had intervened previously, he hadn't bothered them further.
However, even so they still hadn't taken the tier 3 scar potion.
"I heard from my husband that you were once nobles."
"Could you tell me about it?"
With nothing else to do, Luna opened up to them.
Hazel and Livia remained silent, listening to the conversation.
The servants also brought some snacks.
"That's it! that noble was truly inhuman," Erica empathized.
The reason Luna and Livia had become slaves was due to a greedy noble.
He had coveted the two sisters, ruthlessly raiding their estate like a bandit.
Without the support of their father, they could only fight back.
Fortunately, with their strength and the treasure their father had left them, the noble stood no chance and eventually died.
However, their misfortune didn't end there; they were captured while weakened as they forcibly used their father's treasure.
"Thank you," Luna said, finally feeling heard.
Livia, on the other hand, teared up, recalling their hardships.
"It's all right; you're safe here now," Erica comforted, giving her a hug.
That night, Luna and Livia finally decided to use the potion to restore their beauty.
Upon witnessing this, Maximus could only sigh at the system's fit criteria that were spot on.
The twins were indeed world-shaking beauties.