"Lord Lucian Voss. You may have seen him earlier. He’s one of the founding members of the Western Valley Lord’s Market."
So that was what the armored man had been doing here.
The attendant continued explaining the benefits of membership, but Ashveil’s attention had already shifted toward the wooden identification tokens displayed on the registration table.
Each token bore the same white cross emblem.
He recognized it.
Ashveil had recovered a similar token from the clothing of the Lord killed by the Grimfang Riders.
The token had been concealed inside the dead Lord’s coat, apparently overlooked when the monsters searched his belongings.
At the time, Ashveil hadn’t understood its significance.
Now, however, the connection was obvious.
That Lord had apparently belonged to the Western Frontier Alliance.
Ashveil recalled the scene of the massacre. The Grimfang Riders had killed the Lord and his soldiers before searching the corpse and recovering some unidentified object.
Had they been looking for something connected to the Alliance?
Or had the Lord simply been unlucky enough to encounter them?
There was no way to know.
Nevertheless, Ashveil couldn’t help questioning how useful the Alliance’s promises of protection actually were.
"Would you like to register?" the attendant asked.
Ashveil shook his head.
"I’ll think about it."
"Of course. You’re welcome to return whenever you decide."
Ashveil thanked him before leaving the noticeboard.
Seraphina glanced toward him as they walked away.
"You’re not considering joining?"
"Not for now. We don’t know enough about them."
"Having powerful allies could prove useful, especially with the dangers we’ve just learned about."
"Sure, but joining an organization doesn’t mean someone will magically appear whenever we’re in trouble. Besides, I’d rather strengthen Ashen Hollow before getting involved with another Lord faction."
Seraphina considered his answer before looking back toward the noticeboard.
Ria, meanwhile, appeared amused.
"How cautious of you, little lord. I thought you wanted to become a powerful Lord."
"Exactly. Hard to become powerful if I spend all my time depending on someone else."
The succubus laughed.
Although Ashveil recognized the advantages of cooperation, he had no intention of placing his territory’s survival in the hands of strangers.
For now, developing his own strength remained the safest option.
Before leaving the marketplace, he took the opportunity to gather more information from the surrounding merchants.
He learned that the Western Valley was located within a region containing several competing Lord factions. Western Frontier Alliance was merely one of them.
Some organizations focused on trade and cooperation, while others recruited military forces and attempted to expand their influence over neighboring territories.
There were even rumors of powerful Pioneers who had already established fortified towns and cities, commanding armies that ordinary newcomers could scarcely imagine.
Ashveil quietly memorized everything he heard.
Compared to those experienced Lords, Ashen Hollow was still an insignificant settlement.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t particularly discouraged.
He had started with four villagers and practically nothing else. Yet in a relatively short period, he had managed to recruit soldiers, establish a farm, obtain a Divine Hero, and begin manufacturing equipment.
More importantly, he had Ria.
Although the succubus was still recovering her power, her existence represented an advantage that ordinary Lords could only dream of obtaining.
He simply needed enough time to develop that advantage.
Unfortunately, time was precisely what he lacked.
With the First Monster Tide approaching and hostile creatures becoming increasingly active, every day mattered.
By the time Ashveil finished gathering information and purchasing the remaining supplies, the afternoon had already given way to evening.
He had originally intended to leave the marketplace before nightfall, but their business had taken considerably longer than expected.
After some consideration, he decided to remain near the marketplace for the night.
Traveling through unfamiliar wilderness after dark would be unnecessarily dangerous, especially with two carts carrying valuable supplies.
*
The following morning, the group departed through the guarded stone passage leading out of the Western Valley.
As the marketplace gradually disappeared behind them, Ashveil found himself thinking about everything he had learned.
The existence of Pioneers meant that the competition between Lords was far more uneven than he had initially believed. Some newcomers were still struggling to gather enough wood to construct their first buildings, while others already possessed powerful armies and controlled entire regions.
And the dangers of Eryndor extended far beyond the monsters wandering through its forests.
Red Rain, Green Fog, unexpected Monster Tides, and hostile Lord factions could all threaten a territory without warning.
Even a powerful Lord might find themselves helpless against a disaster they didn’t understand.
Ashveil glanced toward the clear sky above the forest.
The weather was pleasant, and the surrounding wilderness appeared peaceful. A gentle breeze moved through the trees, while the distant sound of flowing water could occasionally be heard between the footsteps of his soldiers.
It was difficult to imagine that such an ordinary-looking landscape could conceal so many dangers.
Nevertheless, he had no intention of underestimating this world again.
Once they returned to Ashen Hollow, he would need to reconsider his development priorities. Strengthening the territory’s defenses was important, but securing additional food reserves and preparing for unexpected disasters might be equally necessary.
The group traveled for several hours, following the same route they had taken toward the marketplace.
Their two carts moved slowly along the uneven path, accompanied by the four spearmen assigned to protect them. Although the additional supplies made the journey somewhat slower, Ashveil was satisfied with the results of their expedition.
They had successfully sold their equipment, purchased construction materials, and obtained valuable information about the surrounding region.
More importantly, they now had a potential customer willing to purchase future products from Ashen Hollow.
If everything went well, their next trading expedition could prove even more profitable.
However, just as the group entered a densely wooded section of the road, Ria suddenly stopped walking.
Ashveil noticed her expression change.
"What’s wrong?"
The succubus turned toward the forest behind them, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly.
"Wait here."
Before Ashveil could ask another question, she disappeared among the trees.
He frowned but didn’t attempt to follow. Ria possessed considerably sharper senses than he did, and she had probably noticed something suspicious in the surrounding forest.
Instead, he instructed the spearmen to stop and remain alert.
Seraphina also turned toward the trees, apparently sensing that something was wrong.
Several minutes passed before Ria finally returned.
Her expression was unusually serious.
"Little lord, it seems we’ve attracted some unwanted attention."
Ashveil immediately became cautious.
"What do you mean?"
Ria glanced toward the path behind them.
"There’s another Lord following us."