With an understanding of the perilous times ahead of his fief, Asher clicked the 'Yes' option, and instantaneously, both men were covered in bright white light that blinded the sight of the maids, causing them to gasp.
When the light died down, two men appeared. Alex, the swordsman, now had a streamlined body with a wider upper torso, which supported his muscular arms; his arms were equipped with powerful muscles to lift his heavy sword.
The sword at his back was upgraded from iron rank to silver rank! It now possessed the image of a wolf on the hilt, and the blade was as black as a night without the two moons. His brown leader armor transformed into a gray gambeson and his forearms were protected by thick brown leather vambraces. A thick cloak with fur padding on the shoulder blades appeared on him, along with leather boots that seemed to be made by the best shoemaker.
All these were all silver-ranked equipment!
Above that, his aura skyrocketed. His eyes had sharp gleams akin to those of a silver blade reflecting under the sun. Beside Alex was his brother Alec, and his frame had grown bigger!
He looked like a bear standing on its two feet! His muscles were bulging, and his face was stern and expressionless. The rectangular shield behind him had transformed into an iron shield, and the same went for his armor. His shield grew to almost 6 feet tall!
His armor was similar to Alex's, but instead of leather parts, it was hard metal!
Upon noticing their current looks and strength, both men went on one knee and bowed their heads.
"Rise."
As they got to their feet, Asher locked eyes with them, and their panels appeared.
[Name: Alex
Age: 35
Rank: Silver
Talent(s): Telepathy (A), Blademaster (C)
Job: Swordsman
Loyalty: 95]
[Talent description: Telepathy—a unique passive talent that connects the minds of two or more persons, giving them the ability to communicate without words and read each other's external thoughts.].
Blademaster: A rare melee-type active talent that increases the strength of a swordsman by 30%. This talent blesses the person with unnatural control and understanding over all sharp weapons, especially the sword.]
[Name: Alec
Age: 35
Rank: Silver
Talent(s): Telepathy (A), Strength Enhancement (A)
Job: Sheildman
Loyalty: 98]
[Description: Strength enhancement is a passive talent that increases an individual's strength by two folds with every rank increase!]
'Both of them have two talents! These twins aren't normal, and they would have rot here as bronze-ranked captians.'
Asher breathed out softly.
"I want a report on the state of my territory."
Alec and Alex looked at Kelvin, who shook his head and turned toward Asher.
"We have a force of 200 iron-ranked soldiers in their forties and a population of a bit over 5000. Our walls are weary, and most of our soldiers are afraid of the next winter. There's a high probability that they might flee to other baronies like the other deserters."
Kelvin took a deep breath after taking a good look at Asher's face.
"The people are hungry and not protected from wild beasts, so their loyalty toward you is really low, milord. And finally, there's a debt of 100,000 gold coins, of which we are to pay 5000 coins monthly."
Asher closed his eyes. The state of his territory was the worst it could be. He had citizens that weren't loyal to their lord anymore, a weak and untrustable army, walls that would crumble soon, and a massive amount of debt on his head.
"Who borrowed such an amount of money?"
Kelvin could detect a slight tinge of anger in Asher's tone.
"Your father and two brothers."
"And what was it used for?"
Kelvin cleared his throat upon hearing that. He shot the maids a glance, and they fled with relieved faces. Staying in that hall with a terrifying wolf was traumatizing. Especially after they watched it consume a man they'd served for years.
"Your father borrowed 10,000 gold coins from the mercenary who goes by the name Baron Snow and spent it in brothels. He slept with three women every night and splurged on women of high class in the city of Count Tigris. Two months later, he borrowed another 10,000 gold coins. "
....
Several minutes later...
"And Master Thomas, while being Baron, borrowed two thousand to start an expedition to reclaim our mines, but was killed by one of the abyss creatures. The money was wasted on his treatment and feeding the army until it finished."
Asher looked at Kelvin.
"What a proper way to inform me that your talent is perfect memory."
Upon hearing that, Kelvin was stunned. "Milord, how did you know?"
"Humph!"
Asher's snort made him retreat. Meanwhile, Asher did that to avoid further questions.
"You mentioned mine. I never knew we had mines."
"We do Milord, but it has been taken over by Abyss creatures." Alex replied respectfully but audibly.
Asher squinted. He saw an opportunity in this. If his system had a space for criteria fulfillment, if his soldiers experienced a battle, wouldn't they upgrade?
'I must first start by nurturing a strong army before looking into upgrading the territory, or else I might just make this place a heaven for others to snatch.'
Lifting his head, Asher gazed at his captians.
"Gather your troops; we shall regain our mines tonight."
Although Alec and Alex saw it as impossible, they decided to trust in the miracle he already did. After they left, Asher turned to face Kelvin.
"I'm hungry. I also need a bath before I leave to reclaim the mines."
Kelvin was beyond stunned. He couldn't understand where his 22-year-old lord got this much confidence. This was the same place his father avoided, his eldest brother feared after scouting, and where his second elder brother died!
"Milord, sometimes overconfidence isn't good. Abyss creatures are nightmarish beings able to rip a human into two with their bare arms. Leading our army there is sucidial."
Asher smiled.
He got to his feet and stroked Sirius's head. The white wolf squinted, enjoying his caresses. "Trust me, Kelvin. I know what an Abyss creature is, but I also know that once we reclaim it, I'll gain the people's trust, and there will be jobs for the male citizens. More importantly, the army will never remain the same after this battle."
A determined glow reflected in his eyes.