With the villagers occupied gathering resources, Ashveil decided to explore the surrounding land.
Although upgrading the Lord’s Hall was his immediate priority, he also needed to familiarize himself with the territory. After all, he couldn’t expect to develop Ashen Hollow without knowing what resources were available nearby.
An hour later, while exploring the western hillside, he noticed several pieces of ancient masonry protruding from beneath a pile of stones.
Strange symbols covered their surfaces, and the surrounding ground was unusually barren.
"Huh? What’s this?"
Ashveil crouched down to examine the stones, but before he could touch them, a notification appeared.
[Unknown Structure Detected!]
[Identification Failed. Approach the structure for further inspection.]
"Approach it? I’m already standing right here."
Ashveil frowned. He had only just learned how the Lord System worked, yet he had already encountered something it couldn’t identify.
Naturally, this made him even more curious.
He called Rowan and the other villagers over to help clear the debris.
Although Rowan was initially reluctant to abandon their resource gathering, Ashveil assured him that they would return to work once they discovered what was buried underneath.
After nearly an hour of digging, they uncovered a circular stone platform with a broken statue standing at its center.
The statue depicted a woman holding a sword, although most of its upper body had been destroyed. Strange inscriptions covered the platform, and not a single blade of grass grew anywhere around it.
"My lord, perhaps we should leave this place alone," Rowan warned. "There’s something strange about these ruins. Even the plants around them have died."
"That’s exactly why we should investigate. We literally have nothing. If there’s something valuable buried here, we can’t afford to ignore it."
"But what if it’s dangerous?"
"Rowan, we’re going to be attacked by a Monster Tide in forty-five days. I’d say we’re already in danger."
Unable to argue with that reasoning, Rowan reluctantly stepped aside.
Ashveil approached the statue, and another notification appeared as soon as he stepped onto the platform.
[Ancient Structure: Forgotten Altar]
[Status: Sealed]
[Origin: Unknown]
[Activation Requirement: Lord’s Blood]
"Lord’s blood?"
Ashveil examined the notification with interest.
In most games, ancient ruins and hidden structures usually contained valuable rewards.
Considering that the Lord System had been unable to identify this place earlier, there was a good chance it was something unusual.
Of course, there was also the possibility that he was about to release some ancient monster.
"Well, I’ve already been screwed over once today. What’s one more?"
He drew the rusty dagger hanging from his belt and made a shallow cut across his palm, allowing several drops of blood to fall onto the altar.
[Lord’s Blood Detected.]
[Verifying Territorial Authority...]
[Verification Successful.]
The inscriptions immediately began glowing with a faint purple light.
A low rumbling sound emerged from beneath the platform as cracks spread across its surface, causing Rowan and the other villagers to retreat in alarm.
"My lord! Please get away from there!"
"Relax, Rowan. It’s probably just activating."
"Probably?!"
Before Ashveil could reassure him, the broken statue slowly sank into the ground. The platform split apart, revealing a black stone pedestal rising from beneath the ruins.
Resting upon it was a small silver crown covered in delicate inscriptions, with a dark gemstone embedded at its center.
"What the hell?"
Ashveil had expected a treasure chest or perhaps some rare resources, but he certainly hadn’t expected to discover a crown.
Fortunately, the Lord System immediately provided an explanation.
[Hidden Territorial Inheritance Discovered!]
[Inheritance: Crown of the Forgotten Sovereign | Grade: Unknown]
[Description: A relic of a ruler erased from history.]
[Warning: Accepting will permanently alter your territory’s development path.]
"A hidden inheritance?"
Ashveil’s eyes brightened.
He had seen several Lords discussing talents and special rewards in the Global Communication Channel earlier, but this was his first time encountering something that could potentially change an entire territory’s development path.
Furthermore, its grade was listed as Unknown.
Even S-rank territories possessed clearly defined grades, so an inheritance that the system couldn’t classify was certainly worth investigating.
"Rowan, have you ever heard of the Forgotten Sovereign?"
Rowan shook his head.
"I’m afraid not, my lord. I’ve never heard that name before."
"Figures."
Ashveil examined the crown more closely.
Although it had apparently been buried for countless years, its silver surface remained completely spotless, and the dark gemstone seemed to contain a faint purple glow.
If this really was a hidden inheritance, then perhaps his terrible starting conditions weren’t entirely hopeless.
He reached toward the pedestal and carefully touched the crown.
The moment his fingers made contact, the gemstone flashed with purple light.
"So, someone has finally found my crown."
A woman’s voice suddenly echoed inside his head.
Ashveil froze before quickly turning toward Rowan and the other villagers. However, none of them appeared to have heard anything.
"Who’s there?"
"How disappointing. I wait all these years, and the first person to find me is some clueless little lord."
Ashveil frowned.
"Excuse me? You’re the one hiding inside a piece of jewelry."
The woman fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Interesting. At least you have a mouth on you."
Before Ashveil could respond, the system interface suddenly turned crimson.
[Warning!]
[An ancient consciousness has awakened.]
[The Forgotten Sovereign is attempting to establish a contract.]
[Contract Conditions Unknown.]
"A contract?"
[Do you wish to proceed?]
Ashveil examined the notification with growing suspicion. He had been hoping to discover a useful inheritance, but apparently, the crown came with an ancient woman who wanted to negotiate with him.
"Tell me, little lord. Would you like to possess power beyond anything these ordinary rulers could ever dream of obtaining?"
"Depends. What’s the catch?"
"How cautious. Very well, I’ll tell you."
The woman’s voice carried a hint of amusement.
"If you accept my contract, I shall lend you my power. Your armies will grow, your territory will prosper, and perhaps one day, you might even establish a kingdom worthy of my name."
Ashveil couldn’t deny that the offer was tempting.
He had no soldiers, barely enough food to survive, and only forty-five days to prepare for the Monster Tide.
If this mysterious woman could genuinely provide him with the power she promised, then his situation might change completely.
However, he wasn’t foolish enough to accept a contract without understanding its conditions.
"That sounds suspiciously generous. What do you want in return?"
"Of course, there is one condition."
"And that is?"
"Everything you build from this day forward will belong to me."
Ashveil stared at the crown in disbelief.
"So you’re telling me I have to hand over my kingdom to a woman I just met?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Lady, I don’t even have a kingdom yet."
The woman laughed.
"Then perhaps you should hurry up and build one."
Ashveil couldn’t help wondering whether every ancient powerhouse in this world was so unreasonable.
He had barely become a Lord, and someone was already trying to take ownership of his territory.
Unfortunately, the system seemed perfectly willing to entertain her proposal.
[Contract Proposal Received.]
[Accept Contract?]
[YES / NO]