Chapter 230: The Enigmatic Man!

"Greetings, Young Master Adams!"

"Greetings, Young Master Adams!"

"Hmm, warriors of the Austin family, you've worked hard! Now, let us distribute the rewards for last month's pirate extermination!"

"Centurion Peter! In the last battle, you fought bravely and led your centurion unit to seize the enemy deck first, laying the foundation for victory—your military merit is outstanding. Reward: a newly built stone house within Odin City, and one gold coin!"

"Thank you, Young Master Adams!" Centurion Peter eagerly accepted the gold coin Adams handed him, his eyes reddening—this reward was truly generous!

"Centurion Carter! In the last battle, you also fought bravely and led your unit to capture another pirate vessel—your military merit is outstanding. Reward: a newly built stone house within Odin City, and one gold coin!"

"Thank you, Young Master Adams…"

"Milg the soldier! In battle, you fought bravely and achieved the exceptional feat of killing eight enemies. Reward: a newly built wooden house outside Odin City, and forty silver coins!"

"Thank you, Young Master Adams…"

"Bra the soldier! In the last battle, you fought bravely and killed seven enemies. Reward: a newly built wooden house outside Odin City, and thirty-five silver coins…"

"Carter the soldier…"

……

"So, subduing an army is really this simple!"

Listening to the chorus of thanks and seeing the red, tear-filled eyes before him, Adams felt deeply moved.

Once, he believed buying loyalty with gold was the lowest form of leadership.

True nobles, he thought, earned loyalty and devotion through their noble character and unwavering knightly spirit.

But just now, he had personally overturned his former beliefs.

He had successfully won over the entire naval fleet with generous rewards!

"Congratulations, Young Master Adams. After you left, the soldiers and officers spoke highly of you—did you know? They all say you are the future of the Austin family, and their own future too!"

"I believe, from this very moment, every soldier in the Austin naval fleet will swear lifelong loyalty to you, the Austin heir!"

The study door swung open, and the Naval Commander strode in—it was, after all, his own study.

Before Adams could speak, the Commander's praise spilled out.

This left Adams, who had always thought the Naval Commander stern and unsmiling, slightly unsettled.

But the Commander, unaware of Adams' thoughts, continued: "Young Master Adams, to be honest, your methods are refreshingly novel—even daring!"

"For instance, when you arrived at the camp half a month ago, you ate and lived alongside the soldiers, even sharing their rations."

"No other noble would ever do such a thing—they'd see it as an insult to their noble status!"

"Of course, merely doing that wouldn't have won the soldiers' loyalty so quickly. Your personal rewards today were truly brilliant!"

"Some say too much money corrupts loyalty—that loyalty cannot be bought with gold!"

"But sometimes, I think that's just the whining of misers. Why do soldiers join the ranks and risk their lives in battle?"

"Do they do it because they're born to love adventure, to crave death? No! They do it for rewards—for more gold, so their parents, wives, and sons can live better lives!"

"So, Young Master Adams, your rewards today have utterly won over the soldiers—they will now fight for you without hesitation again!"

"This… Commander Lucas, is it really that exaggerated? And honestly, this method wasn't my own idea—I heard it from someone else…"

Even Adams, with his deep noble upbringing, felt his face burn under such lavish praise.

If this idea had been his own, it would've been fine.

But it wasn't—someone else had given it to him.

Even he himself had doubted it at first. If his father hadn't clearly stated his expectations, Adams would never have dared attempt such an outrageous experiment!

"Young Master Adams, it's not exaggerated at all. I can feel it—starting today, every soldier will love you as they love the Marquis!"

This was an extraordinary compliment. After all, the Austin Marquis held his title—the soldiers' devotion and awe were expected.

But Adams was merely an heir.

And a somewhat precarious one at that.

"Someone else gave you this idea? Young Master Adams, don't fool me. The Marquis himself said this was your test—you had to win the navy on your own merit!"

"Otherwise, if you failed to accomplish it yourself, you'd fail the test—and then, even if you let your younger brother…"

Commander Lucas let the rest go unsaid.

As the Marquis's true confidant, Lucas was among the few who understood the Marquis's true intentions.

So he knew for certain this could not have been the Marquis's advice.

And who else, besides the Marquis, would dare suggest such a strategy to Adams?

To make a Marquis heir live and eat with common soldiers?

Wouldn't he fear being hanged outright?

"I…"

Adams opened his mouth to explain further.

But he realized no matter what he said, Lucas wouldn't believe him.

Besides, Master Harry had advised him to keep it secret—so he let the explanation die on his lips.

"Master Harry… who exactly are you?" Adams's gaze drifted toward the blue ocean beyond the study window.

He, a Marquis heir, lacked such wisdom—yet Harry possessed it.

And with that sugar… Harry's identity grew even more mysterious!

……

【Ding! Daily intelligence has been refreshed…】

【Intelligence One: The mage Wood, once subdued by you, has not abandoned his obsession with alchemy despite his required training.】

【Each day, besides engraving anti-theft self-destruct runes on the single-tube telescope, he devotes himself to studying the inspiration you gave him—the magical electric fan.】

【He often exceeds your stipulated work hours, yet remains tireless.】

【Through such relentless research, Wood has finally completed the magical electric fan today.】

【Simply embed a wind-attribute magic crystal into it, and the magical electric fan will operate for the first time in this world!】

【Intelligence Two: You may not yet know that half a month ago, your telescope made its debut in the capital and the kingdom's eastern frontier.】

【Many nobles witnessed this wondrous object beyond magic!】

【After seeing the telescope's marvel, nobles rushed to place orders.】

【Whether for its vast practical potential or simply to show off.】

【In short, two telescope procurement teams from the capital and the eastern frontier will arrive in Stormwind today at noon.】