( Leo's POV )
After wrapping up the first day's work, which went smoothly, Leo submitted his evaluations and returned to his apartment to log back into the world of Terra Nova.
As he returned to Berkshire Town, the first thing he noticed was that his [Private Message] inbox was overflowing, which was unusual since he only had two friends: Amanda and Luke.
Since both Amanda and Luke could easily reach out to him in real life, they rarely used the text feature within the game. However, for some reason, his inbox was flooded with messages today.
Opening the inbox, Leo saw a flood of messages from Luke, inquiring about the new products Leo was selling and at what rate he could sell them to Luke's guild and although Luke repeatedly mentioned within his texts that Leo didn't need to give him any special discounts, Leo just chuckled at his brother's silliness and shook his head in amusement.
"I'll give you all the products you need, at whatever price you want, brother. You don't have to ask," Leo replied as even if Luke wanted them for free, Leo had no reservations about giving them to him, as for him family always came first and above money.
In this regard, both brothers were similar, as they both prioritized their bond with each other over everything else and were ready to go above and beyond for each other, regardless of the circumstances.
"Okay, let's discuss this later," Luke replied within minutes as Leo brushed the matter aside, not thinking much about how his brother had learned about his new product line.
Humming a merry tune, Leo began working on his administrative duties as a Baron for the day, checking on the progress of his various development projects when suddenly, Butler George came rushing into his office with a sullen face.
"My Lord... My Lord..." George said, panic evident in his voice as he rushed in with two letters in hand.
"What happened? Why are you covered in sweat?" Leo inquired, curious and concerned, as he had never seen Butler George appear so shaken.
"These letters have just come from the Duke and the Emperor. They explain the situation on the eastern border," George said, still panting from his rush.
Leo took a look at the first letter, as he recognized the imperial seal before breaking it open.
[ **Imperial Decree**
To Baron 'TheBoss' of Berkshire Town,
The eastern border villages are currently under severe attack by demon forces.
Our intelligence suggests that the neutral tribes living beyond our boundaries in the dense forests have already been defeated and enslaved by the demons and that they have successfully reached our border villages, forcing us to start with the evacuation of border villages to ensure the safety of our citizens.
At the time of writing this letter, the demons have already overrun several of our border patrol outposts, and the situation has become critical.
In light of these circumstances, the Empire has temporarily suspended the 10,000 soldier cap on baronies. Effective immediately, you are authorized to recruit beyond this limit to fortify your defenses and support the Empire's efforts to repel the demon threat.
The safety and security of the Unity Empire depend on the swift and decisive actions of its leaders and we trust in your ability to protect and serve the people of your barony in these trying times.
By the Emperor's command,
Julien D Evanus ]
Leo set the letter down, taking a moment to process the gravity of the situation. The authorization to exceed the soldier cap was unprecedented and underscored the severity of the threat. The need to act swiftly and decisively was clear.
"Hand me the second letter–" Leo demanded, as Butler George handed him the second letter which was from the Eastern Duke with trembling hands.
[ To, Baron 'TheBoss'
The demon threat at the eastern border has reached a crisis point. Some border villages have been overrun, and the inhabitants are being evacuated.
You are hereby instructed to allow migrants from these affected areas into your barony, providing them with shelter and food.
This influx of refugees will require increased security measures, so we expect you to strengthen your defenses and prepare your forces for potential further incursions.
Additionally, it is advised to be ready to contribute to the collective war funds if necessary.
While this situation is challenging, it also presents an opportunity to demonstrate the resilience and strength of our barony and I trust that you will handle these responsibilities with the utmost diligence.
Eastern Duke,
Victory Orban ]
Leo read both the letters and let out a soft chuckle, as unlike George who saw this as a crisis, Leo as a player saw this as just another gaming event.
"So the demons have finally started the war, eh?" Leo muttered, feeling excited, as he could see that a massive war was soon going to approach his territory.
"Also, the Eastern Duke has some set of balls on him, if he dares asks us for war funds down the line.
This Barony is broke. If he asks us for war funds contribution then he is absolutely out of his mind" Leo muttered, as the part that he was most concerned about in both letters was the part where the Eastern Duke suggested that he may ask all Baron's to contribute towards war funds since the Duchy was now under active demon threat.
"Hey, George, how far is our Barony from the border?" Leo asked, as George quickly fetched a map of the Duchy for him and marked the distance of the Crest-Hill Barony to the closest border village for Leo to see.
"About 260 kilometers….. there are two major towns and 7 villages between us and the border" Leo muttered, as he found that distance to be pretty decent for now.
"Well, if migrants do come over to this Barony, do welcome them with open arms George…. Meanwhile I will work out on how we can provide them with temporary shelter and food…" Leo said, scratching his head, as for him this was just another administrative headache for now.
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/// A/N - Chapter 4/15. Let's go! ///