**The Dark Mountains**
Upon seeing the location pointed out by Gawain, everyone couldn't help but be taken aback.
The first to break the silence was Duke Berdwin Franklin of the Western Kingdom, who widened his eyes. "Are you... sure?"
"Why not?" Gawain smiled. "Is this place not unclaimed?"
"That's not the issue..." Francis II shook his head. "The entire Dark Mountain region, as well as the land farther south, are indeed unclaimed and meet the requirements of the pioneering decree. But the area is not only very close to the Typhon Empire, to the south it directly borders the wasteland of Gondor, and that's..."
The Dark Mountains were part of Ansu's southern border. Its eastern section extended into Typhon Empire territory, while the western section stretched along Ansu's border for hundreds of kilometers. Then, it bent slightly southward, merging into the corrupted land of the Gondor Wastes.
In theory, even the strip of plains to the south of the Dark Mountains was part of Ansu's territory. But in reality, the kingdom's control barely extended to the northern side of the mountains, and even that was limited.
The main reason for this was the presence of the Gondor Wastes.
That land remained enveloped by chaotic elemental and magical energies, with surging corruption that made the ground almost barren and filled with lethal toxins for humans. Though its range no longer spread, the toxic sandstorms that occasionally blew in from the wasteland and the monsters that wandered out from time to time were constant and deadly threats.
Historically, after the Ansu Kingdom's situation stabilized, there were several attempts to reclaim the southern frontier. They even planned to retake Gondor's homeland. But all efforts ended in failure.
Purifying the wasteland proved exceptionally difficult and full of setbacks. The returns never justified the costs. Early pioneering outposts, once established, were often destroyed by toxic sandstorms or monsters before they could yield any results.
Eventually, the royal family withdrew all pioneering teams, halting their efforts at the northern side of the Dark Mountains.
Then, as the northern regions of the kingdom became increasingly prosperous and diplomatic relations were established with the Kingdom of Violet, the focus of the kingdom shifted further north. Adding to this the "Fogmoon Civil War" a century ago, the Cecil family in the south was wiped out overnight, further deteriorating the southern situation. Today, the Dark Mountains and much of the surrounding area had become as desolate as the wasteland itself.
The corrupting influence from the south had even tainted the plains north of the mountains.
But Gawain just smiled faintly. "I've faced worse situations before. When it comes to political struggles and scheming, I may not be as skilled as your younger generation. But when it comes to battling nature's harshest forces, none of you can compare to me."
Whether he was truly confident or just pretending didn't matter, since the rest of the people in the room weren't worried. For the king and the other nobles, whether Gawain Cecil could secure a foothold in the south wasn't their concern. What they were most concerned about was when this hot potato would leave the capital.
Since Gawain had chosen such a desolate, uninhabited place, what was there to argue? Just send the old ancestor off as soon as possible!
If it weren't for some minor details still needing to be finalized, Francis II would have almost prepared the carriage for Gawain and his family by now...
Once the most crucial matter regarding the pioneering rights was settled, Gawain smoothly had Francis II acknowledge a few other "insignificant matters."
First, Gawain Cecil's ducal title would remain in place, but only as a personal honor for him, not inheritable by his descendants—unless, upon Gawain's death, the Cecil family had successfully expanded into a vast territory in the south or had some other great accomplishment. At that point, the title for his descendants would be determined based on land and merit.
This was actually a rather convoluted solution, a byproduct of the contradiction between Gawain Cecil's ducal title and the events a century ago. No one dared strip the title of the founding duke, but they also couldn't allow a simple baron family to directly rise to the rank of duke, so they had to compromise.
To be honest, this arrangement didn't align with any of Ansu's founding laws, but who would argue logic with a man who just jumped out of the grave?
The so-called "temporary non-inheritable" status was an obvious delay tactic, simply giving the current noble system time to adjust.
Additionally, the Ansu royal family would fully recognize the Cecil family's autonomy in the newly opened territories, just as the founding ancestors had recognized the autonomy of any pioneering domains.
There were also various small agreements made. In the end, Gawain got what he wanted: a country within a country, free from interference.
In fact, these matters had already been settled when Prince Edmund visited in advance. Gawain had already connected with the king, and the formalities in the Oak Hall were simply a formality.
No one objected to these arrangements. After all, the Cecil family was heading to a barren land to pioneer. The amount of territory they could claim wouldn't affect the interests of any current family. Since there was no conflict of interest, nominal conflicts could be easily resolved.
Francis II immediately signed the new pioneering decree, announcing that, according to ancient laws, the Cecil family would hold pioneering rights to all the land centered around the Dark Mountains and extending to the borders of any neighboring kingdoms. He also announced that the kingdom would provide necessary support for the pioneering venture, including a 100-strong team composed of various craftsmen and apprentice mages, as well as the supplies of food and cloth needed for the first year of settlement.
In the newly opened pioneering territory, the craftsmen and apprentices would remain for a full three years. After that, they could choose to stay or leave voluntarily.
However, if anyone chose to stay, the Cecil family would have to "purchase" their services from the royal family at a price of thirty gold shields per person.
This support was not extravagant, but Gawain was quite satisfied. For the currently penniless Cecil family, this was an urgent relief.
The gold, silver, and ingots in the mountain's treasury couldn't be turned directly into food or skilled artisans. In this long period of peace, the word "pioneering" had become a relic of distant history. No one was willing to leave the safety of their homeland and venture to a place right next to the Gondor Wastes. The hundred craftsmen and apprentices would be their most valuable asset.
This also represented the goodwill from Francis II on behalf of the Ansu royal family, a way to thank Gawain for recognizing their bloodline.
Once the transaction was complete, everyone was pleased. And after such a satisfying agreement, a banquet was, of course, inevitable.
The Oak Hall was sealed off again, and a grand feast was held in the castle's second-floor banquet hall. Delicious food and wine were laid out on the tables as the king and his most trusted nobles celebrated the return of a legendary hero. Many lesser-known nobles, who had seemingly been hiding, suddenly emerged, filling the hall with noise and activity.
Those who had just appeared did not have the right to enter the Oak Hall but were among the nobles who had the privilege of knowing the outcome of the meeting first. They had been waiting in the lounges around Silver Castle for half the day.
When the servant entered the banquet hall and rang the ceremonial bell, they all appeared with smiles on their faces.
For Rebecca, this was her first time attending such an occasion. The once-disgraced young lady had never been to such a lavish place.
Moreover, due to the nobility's rejection of the Cecil family, she had rarely attended any proper banquets growing up. The grandest feast she could recall was when her father held a lively celebration for her coming-of-age at sixteen. But that was just a long table covered with food, nothing compared to the extravagance of Silver Castle's feast.
The entire hall was filled with long tables laden with food and wine, all available for anyone to take. In the center, men and women danced, while a splendidly dressed orchestra played on a stage along one side of the hall. Wizards at the four corners of the hall cast spells, creating beautiful lights and falling snowflakes in the air. To Rebecca, the illusions produced by the wizards to enhance the atmosphere seemed nothing short of magical.
The king... must be incredibly wealthy.
At first, Rebecca tried to maintain a serious face, attempting to appear mature and composed.
But soon, her youthful nature took over, and she couldn't help but ask Gawain question after question. Gawain smiled, answering her with a mixture of his memories and the imagination of someone who had crossed over into this world.
Rebecca's somewhat naïve and clumsy behavior didn't escape the sharp-eyed grand nobles. But they didn't express any disdain, perhaps a little in their hearts, but they all had to put on a smile when in the presence of Gawain Cecil. After all, he was standing beside her, and his protective presence made it impossible for anyone to be openly dismissive of her.
Later, a few young men approached to invite Rebecca to dance. Perhaps they thought that with the Cecil family now having a "patriarch," there was a potential value in forging closer ties. However, Gawain blocked all of them.
"She has enough to deal with already," Gawain muttered, gesturing to Rebecca, who, at that moment, was sprawled over a nearby table, stuffing her face with food...
"Truly... so spontaneous," Duke Berdwin Franklin remarked dryly.
Gawain smiled and then glanced at the stoic Victoria Wilde, standing silently beside him. "Before I get into discussing how to educate children, there's a certain question I'd like to ask this young lady from the Wilde family."