Field forced a brilliant smile, waiting for his father, Count Cort, to pass judgment.
His real name was Qin Hao, a native of Huaguo on Blue Star. He had only been in this world for three days after crossing over.
Good news: He was the descendant of a count.
Bad news: He was deeply unpopular.
"Field, you are now an adult, like a mature lion. It's time for you to start your own career," said the middle-aged man, dressed in luxurious clothes. His speech contained words meant to inspire, but the old count spoke in a tired voice, his expression wilted, making the words sound more like a joke.
Everyone present had a mocking look in their eyes.
The count paused for a moment, his attention wandering, and when he came back to his senses, he had forgotten where he left off.
The original owner was a kind-hearted person. He had given up the potion to awaken his fighting spirit to his younger brother and had let his younger sister take the chance to study at the Mage Academy. He was even friendly to every servant. According to the logic of a noble, such a person should have been respected. Unfortunately, he was a noble, and from the noble's perspective, the original owner was nothing but a weak and useless fool.
Beside the old count was his stepmother.
The voluptuous and beautiful woman, sitting in the formal seat of the lord's second chair, elegantly sipped from her tea cup, then set it down. She cast a casual glance at Field through her slanted phoenix eyes, her nose prominent under the sunlight that cast deep shadows, her head held high, almost pointing her chin at Field. "The vast Nightfall Territory in the northern border will be your barony. It is enough for you to show your talents."
"Sure enough, even if I try my best to please everyone, I still can't avoid being exiled," Field thought to himself, slightly dizzy. The original owner had died from illness after being bullied by everyone, and now he had to clean up the mess. Field bit his lip hard, trying to steady his emotions.
Then, with a cold smile, Field thought to himself, The original owner was really stupid, trying to survive in the noble world with kindness.
His stepmother glanced down lazily at him and sneered, "Got something to say?"
Hoo~
Field squeezed the frustration from his chest and, with a calm tone, replied, "As you wish, my father."
His adoptive father had already been drained by his stepmother, and he obeyed whatever his wife told him to do.
"Pfft~ Idiot!"
A relative laughed loudly, followed by some sharp, venomous insults.
The Northern Border was home to two major races: humans and orcs. It was filled with bloodshed, violence, and barbarism. Ten years ago, the Holy Griffin Empire used corruption mist to slaughter 300,000 orc soldiers, and now it was likely overrun by filthy goblins and trolls.
But now, the Northern Border was even worse.
The 300,000 orcs and all the humans and animals in the Northern Border had turned into corrupted creatures, hiding in the mist of death. The place had become the very definition of a hell on earth. The royal family had attempted to reclaim the land three times, but each time, the army was completely wiped out.
The various territories in the Northern Border only existed in name. Not even a dog would visit them.
Most of the time, no one would bring it up.
It was a cursed land, even worse than a wasteland. Runaway serfs or criminals wouldn't choose to escape to the Nightfall Territory.
It's fine, I still have my cheat.
Field silently reassured himself. With a thought, a transparent map appeared in his mind, and a slow-moving green dot was marked on it.
"Go prepare," the count said, looking very tired, his face pale.
Field's stepmother helped the count up. The almost transparent silk nightgown made the count's frail body seem to gain a little strength.
Field bit his lip. His older brother and sister had been given rich territories, while the old man only muttered a few inconsequential words to brush him off. Field wasn't going to accept it and immediately made a request: "Father, I need your support. Developing the Nightfall Territory is not an easy task."
The stepmother's soft flesh pressed against the count's arm, and she narrowed her eyes seductively.
"Greed is not a noble virtue, Field. You've already been given enough," the count said without hesitation.
The family members around them didn't hold back, casting disdainful glances at him.
"Going out with black hair and black eyes is simply disgraceful to the Ross family."
"Just a bastard!"
Black hair and black eyes, once symbols of the ancient nobility, no longer held that meaning after the mass invasions of Eastern nomads and the fall of the ancient kingdoms in the Inner Sea.
Field's anger flared, his eyes burning with fury.
The original owner's birth was a mistake caused by the count himself. Why was he making things difficult for him?
His mother had been a servant in the castle. She came from the distant East, sold as a rare slave by nomadic merchants, and the count had gotten her pregnant after a drunken night. That's how the original owner was born.
Low-born, without the backing of her family, and inheriting some of her mother's physical traits, Field was naturally excluded and looked down upon.
"Five hundred gold coins. Also, you can bring a personal servant. I treat each of my children the same," the count said, leaving the room hurriedly with his stepmother supporting him.
Field was deeply frustrated. Five hundred gold coins sounded like a lot, but investing in the territory would be like stirring a big pot with a toothpick—barely making a sound.
But it was better than nothing.
"Hey, Field, the Nightfall Territory is a great place. You'll never see the sun there. It's a dark and rotten place, perfect for your demon-like eyes." Field's half-brother, with a smirk, came up to him and said in an exaggerated tone, "My own fief is not as good. Poor Fulan City, known for beer and goats."
Field felt a fierce anger rising within him, his heart burning with rage. The land may be poor, but as a transmigrator, he would figure out a way to make it work.
However, mocking his appearance made Field want to dig up his half-brother's ancestors.
(ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻
Moreover, this little bastard only had the ability to use fighting spirit because of Field's kindness! When his brother had shown poor talent, hiding in a corner and crying while being ridiculed by others, it was Field who had reached out to help him.
"Get lost!" Field snapped, giving him no face.
"Do you remember the little girl with flaxen hair?" The brother didn't care about Field's cold demeanor. He leaned in close with a strange smile, whispering into Field's ear.
Field's eyes narrowed as a smiling face appeared in his mind. It was the girl the original owner liked, who was later found dead in the alley behind a tavern, naked. The original owner was furious and fell ill, eventually dying from it, allowing Field to take over.
His brother licked his lips. "I did it. Her struggles were so... exciting."
Field's pupils contracted violently. A wave of shock gripped his heart.
His half-brother, the same age as him, had done such a beastly thing. Though, as a transmigrator, the girl was just a stranger to him, Field felt disgusted by the casual way his brother had treated another person's life.