Watson nodded, satisfied, as he looked at the 65 Blackmoon Knights in front of him. He could see an invincible army sweeping across the land and conquering cities in the future.
The original group of Blackmoon Knights consisted of 50 silver-tier warriors and 15 peak bronze-tier elites. Their strength had increased dozens of times as they had advanced to gold tier because they had consumed the Rainbow Phoenix Chicken eggs all year round. Those Blackmoon Knights had only recently entered the gold tier, and their strength was no longer equivalent to that of an ordinary gold-tier warrior. Not to mention that each of them held two distinct forms of combat aura that they could develop further.
Those who possessed two forms of combat aura cultivation talent might be referred to as geniuses throughout the world. Any one of the Blackmoon Knights would be enough to shock the world.
“All the gemstones have been distributed now. I have another compensation for all of you.”
Watson waved his hand and put away the remaining 34 sun gemstones as he spoke in a clear voice.
There was another compensation?
All the Blackmoon Knights looked excited. It was already a huge reward for them to become gold-tier warriors. They did not know what kind of compensation Watson would give them. They had already become somewhat numb due to the continuous surprises.
“When you reach the gold tier, you can consider yourself to have crossed the threshold of strength. The training I offered in the past is no longer appropriate. I am going to introduce a new system now! You will now assist in the restoration of Blackmoon Town. After the town is rebuilt, I will give every one of you a manor, especially Allen, Liszt, and William. You already had one, but it was destroyed in the battle. I will give you special compensation.”
Watson’s gaze fell on Allen and the other two at the front of the crowd.
When they felt his attention, the three of them exclaimed, “Yes, sir!” Then, they stepped out with delighted expressions on their faces.
They were willing to air Blackmoon Town’s restoration for free, let alone for a reward.
“As a special reward for you, after the town is completed, my master, Lord Astrologer, will go to your manor and stay for a week. You can study under him. If you are lucky, you might even be able to benefit from my master.”
“Thank you, Young Master Watson!”
Allen and the other two were increasingly ecstatic. They knew all about the astrologer. He was the most knowledgeable mage in the history of the kingdom. Even though he was a mage, he had to have certain clandestine techniques for honing his combat aura. It was more than enough to steer them in the right direction.
The rest of the Blackmoon Knights were envious of the three of them. At that point, they heard Watson say, “Another policy that I would like to implement is the points system. You can now venture out on your own and do quests such as capturing magical monsters, harvesting medical herbs, and so on. By turning them to the castle, you can exchange them for points. Gold coins and points can be traded, one for one.”
Not only did the castle spend a significant quantity of medicinal herbs in the previous battle, but Greed had also utilized the Money Enhancement spell to help save people, depleting the gold coins kept in the castle. Blackmoon Castle would need to gather those materials again.
When the Blackmoon Knights handed the items, they could determine their points by calculating the value of the items. For instance, if Allen had items that were worth 1,000 gold coins, then he could get 1,000 points. At first glance, that process of conversion was evident. The worth of each Blackmoon Knight was also clearly apparent.
“The points are calculated every month. The individual with the most points will earn more benefits. The points can be exchanged for anything, including resources, the opportunity to be guided by elites, vacations, and even becoming the captain of the Blackmoon Knights. There is nothing that one can’t do with the points.”
The implementation of the points system might not only pique the interest of those Blackmoon Knights, but it might also free up resources for Blackmoon Castle. Most crucially, those Blackmoon Knights would be bound to the castle as they could only spend their points within Blackmoon Castle. They would have little desire to spend money elsewhere. It was a plan that could kill several birds with one stone.
“Yes, Young Master Watson!”
The Blackmoon Knights all yelled at the same time. Their voices were more audible than before. Everyone was thinking about going out and obtaining resources in exchange for more points to show their worth. Allen had always been the Blackmoon Knights’ captain and had never been replaced. That was because Allen had joined the Blackmoon Knights the earliest and was the strongest.
It was a different situation then. As long as they did more, they would have the chance to become the leader.
The more they paid, the higher they could climb. Young Master Watson was a generous and fair man.
“That is all I have to say about that. You can ask my master for the resources needed to repair Blackmoon Town. My master is a mage of the highest level. He could cast Skyfall, an earth-elemental spell, casually. The ideal materials for rebuilding the city walls are meteorites that have fallen to the ground. He also has the platinum-tier water-elemental spell to grow the herbs quicker.”
“You can also seek out my master for other purposes, such as asking him to go to the Misty Forest to capture magical monsters! I am solely interested in how many items you can hand over. I do not care how you got them as long as you do not kill or set fire to others and do not deceive others within the bounds of morality.”
However, before the Blackmoon Knights could get excited, an ancient voice echoed, “Hey, Watson, you little b*stard, how could you con your master like that? Do you think I am not busy enough?”
The astrologer walked out from behind the crowd and glared at Watson angrily.
He had initially thought that Watson’s idea of devising a strategy for the Blackmoon Knights was excellent and might be useful in managing the army. He did not expect Watson to shift the blame onto him entirely. If he did not say anything then, Watson would have to pay for the consequences.
“Master, you’re here.”
Watson pretended to be cute. “Even though your attack on the Blackmoon Castle was just a test, you’ve damaged that place, after all. It’s only right for you to do something for everyone. As a platinum-tier mage, you won’t shirk your responsibility, right?”
“I—”
The astrologer’s face began to twitch. Watson had deliberately said that in front of everyone. Out of respect, he could not refuse. Watson could not have done it on purpose, right? No, he must have done it on purpose.
The astrologer’s face twitched. Watson had deliberately said that in front of everyone. Out of respect, he could not refuse. Watson could not possibly have done it on purpose, could he? Yes, he must have done it on purpose.
“I understand. I shall help rebuild the castle.”
“You heard it, everyone. If you need anything, please refer to my master. If you encounter something you don’t understand, please refer to my master. If you have a cold, fever, or any emotional problems, please refer to my master,” Watson announced loudly, unblinking. He had deliberately said that because he had seen the astrologer lurking behind the crowd. The astrologer had lived for hundreds of years, so he must have many good items in his hands.
If he were to ask his subordinates to go out and look for resources, they might not be able to find many good things. He might as well take them from the astrologer. No, he wanted them.
“Thank you, Lord Astrologer.”
“Lord Astrologer is too generous.”
The Blackmoon Knights took the opportunity to express their gratitude.
“Watson, that’s enough. Who do you think I am?” The astrologer could not bear it anymore.
He could tolerate Watson’s first few requests, but the last one—that meant he would have to consult those people on emotional problems. There were dozens of them; how hard would it be for him?
“I’ve always treated you as my dear and respectable master!”
Watson turned his head in puzzlement. “And I haven’t finished. From now on, I’ll leave the security of my family to you. After all, winter is coming soon, and the magical beasts will escape from the Misty Forest. Blackmoon Castle won’t be able to stop them! And the two magical beasts I raised, the Golden Flash and Emperor Cluck, are also injured because of you. Please take care of them.”
“Shut up. Are you done? I’m not your master. No, I don’t have a disciple like you, and that’s not right! Ah, you brat, you’re really pissing me off.”
The astrologer was so enraged that he could hardly think straight. Watson certainly did not regard him as a master; rather, he regarded him as a tool, a nanny, a bodyguard, and a mythical beast. He was not even that tired when he helped the late king conquer over lands; he regretted taking Watson as his disciple.
