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nMaximus sat at his desk, surrounded by stacks of papers and scrolls.

nHis piercing blue eyes scanned the report that had just been delivered to him, detailing the division of the kingdom between the dukes and the formation of the noble alliance.

nHe read through the report calmly, without so much change in his expression.

nTo him, what was happening was simply a natural process of power struggles and alliances that had been happening for centuries.

nThe report outlined how the three powerful dukes, Charles, Darwin, and Thomas, divide the kingdom among themselves.

nMaximus couldn’t help but admire their cunning and foresight.

nThey had seen an opportunity and had taken it, seizing control of the land they wanted.

nBut he also knew that the noble families weren’t ones to sit idly by and watch their power slip away.

nThey had formed an alliance, despite their longstanding feuds and grudges against each other, to fight back against the dukes.

nAs he read through the report, he noted the strengths and weaknesses of each side.

nThe dukes had more soldiers and better-trained troops but they needed to defend a large place which the alliance had the advantage of, being able to fight in guerrilla warfare and use ragtag groups to gain an edge.

nAfter finishing reading the detailed report on the ongoing developments within the empire.

nMaximus turned his attention to the invitation that had been sitting on his desk for days.

nThe invitation, sent by Lord Harrington, head of the noble alliance, urged Maximus to make a decision promptly.

nHowever, Maximus had not bothered to read the contents of the letter.

nHe had received similar invitation weeks prior before the conflict between the dukes and the noble alliance had escalated to its current state.

nMaximus had known what the letter contained even before opening it.

nIt was an invitation, or rather a warning, for him to choose a side.

nBut Maximus had no intention of aligning himself with either faction.

nThe politics and power struggles of the nobles and dukes held no interest for him.

nThe reason Maximus had not responded to the earlier invitation was simple: he had no intention of becoming their ally as he planned to establish his own kingdom independently.

nMoreover, despite his place location being isolated and barren, it had its own advantages, particularly its proximity to the sea.

nMoreover, when you include the barren parts of the land surrounding his territory, the total land area is 10 times the size of the empire he is in.

nHowever, he cannot develop it yet due to his lack of population, and, more importantly, he is still too weak to protect it.

nDuring the previous weeks, the nobles and dukes had been too preoccupied with their own conflicts to spare a thought for this desolate territory.

nNow, however, with the situation calming down and a semblance of stability returning to the empire, they were already beginning to extend their arms outward.

nThey sought to assert their dominance and bring every corner of the land under their control, even the seemingly insignificant places like his domain.

nBut he didn’t give any thought to it.

nHe had fortified his territory into a formidable fortress, making any attempt to invade it pointless.

nNot to mention, his power was not to be underestimated.

nWith a steady stream of strong knights produced in his Thousand-strong armies, even the regular armies of the nobles and dukes would struggle to match his forces.

nMoreover, the nobles and dukes were too consumed with their own power struggles to spare the resources needed to chase after one man in a barren wasteland.

nMaximus folded the letter and placed it back on the desk.

nHe was deep in thought.

nHe knew that this was a great time, a time when he could take power into his own and rule his own land.

nHe had always wanted to establish his own kingdom, but he knew he was too weak.

nOriginally, he had planned to train until he reached at least the 4th tier Elemental mage level before stating his plan.

nHowever, now with all this chaos going on, not building his own power would leave him vulnerable and unable to do anything.

nBut the question was, how?

nMaximus knew that he couldn’t simply go out and occupy the surrounding land given his current strength.

nHe needed a plan, a strategy that would help him gain territory and power in a way that wouldn’t lead to much bloodshed.

n…

nAs he was thinking, his gaze fell on the map of the surrounding area that hung on his wall.

nHe studied it intently, tracing the lines of the rivers and mountains with his finger.

nAnd then it hit him. There was a small valley not far from his own land, one that was perfectly aligned with the warring factions.

nIf he could secure that land, he could establish a foothold in the area and begin to expand his influence.

nA smile slowly spread across his face as he began to formulate a plan.

nHe could send a small group of trusted men to the valley, disguised as traders or merchants.

nThey would establish a small trading post there, and while gathering information, they could also recruit refugees to plug the population shortage in their land.

nOver time, they could also build a trading area to export their products and earn money.

nHowever, Maximus knew that he needed to be careful with this plan.

nHe couldn’t afford to draw attention to himself and risk being caught by the church or other powerful factions in the region.

nHe would need to make sure that his men were well-trained and equipped to handle any situation that might happen.

nHe would need to be patient as it would not bring immediate results.

nIt would take time to establish the trading post and build up his army.

nBut he was very patient taking his time and preparing until his strength grew.

nHe gathered his men and began to lay out the details of the operation.

nAs they worked on the plan. He thought of what he would do after.

nIf they were successful in establishing a trading area, he could begin to expand his own army, and with the money and people, he could also expand his territory.

nInstead of snatching territories like others, he would like to create it more.

nAlthough the plan was not foolproof, Maximus did not want to resort to extreme measures that could attract unwanted attention from powerful factions from the central continent.

n…

nThis Area is called the Sunburnt Plateau, part of the scattered island-like mass of land in the cursed continent.

nThe strongest here is at most Tier 3 mage or Tier 4 knight due to it being a low magic area that they can’t advance further.

nThe cult only came here to sacrifice common people to their god for some quick boost of strength.

nAs for uniting the place to generate faith, that was impossible as the continent was tightly guarded by mages in the central continent.𝗈𝗏𝐞xt.𝐜𝗈𝑚

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