The World Dragon's Heir - Chapter 557: She Knows Soup

Chapter 557: She Knows Soup

Dominic led the odd convoy toward the overloaded bus that had broken away from the other refugees.

The driver brought it to a gentle stop in front of Dominic, who had brought his mechanical horse to a stop in the overgrown cart path.

“Greetings Lord Wistover! We had been informed that one of the old bloodline had taken charge of Wistover, but we didn’t dare to dream that it would actually be true.” The driver shouted out his window.

The people on the side of the bus began to climb down and come forward.

At first, Dominic was concerned, but they all came to touch his leg, then bowed and backed away. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on.

They worshipped the old Royal bloodline, and he was obviously Dragonkin, with a force of trolls behind him.

“My Lord, how should we address you?” One of the older men asked.

“You may address me as the Duke of Wistover. That is the title I have earned from the King of Cygnia, who now controls all of Stansia Province.”

For a moment, the old man looked concerned, then he smiled and nodded.

“It is good to see you back in the country, Your Grace. Is there space for your humble servants within your lands?”

Dominic smiled. “Indeed there is. Especially those who know how to homestead or farm, as well as the millers, coopers and other trades that the Barons will need.

There are three dozen Barons and hundreds of Knights under me now.

Everyone has just arrived, and is at the Wistover Manor for a grand wedding ceremony and debutante event. So, we might ask that you camp near the city for a day or two, until the Barons are ready to settle new arrivals.

The houses have been empty for a decade, but they have most of what they need, and the Barons are skilled enough with magitech that they can help you renovate.”

The refugees looked shocked.

“Houses?” The old man asked.

“Wistover Duchy was left untouched after the invasion. The Dagos soldiers didn’t dare to remain here, and nobody ever moved in before I returned to my home.

So, there are thousands of farmhouses, Barony Manors and other homes within the territory.

Kindly don’t move into the Manors, they’ve been granted to titled Nobles.

However, there is a map of properties available. They’re all on the north side of the river, as the south side suffers from a major monster infestation, and it’s not safe for permanent occupation.”

“You haven’t tried to clear it?” The old man asked.

Dominic shook his hand. “There is a monster summoning array in a defensive barrier, and we are keeping it active as a hunting location for the Adventurers.

It provides the chance for them to get gear, money, and meat for the city.

Just the other day, it spawned a large force of boars, and the Adventurers provided tonnes of fresh meat for the city. For that reason alone, it’s worth keeping the array active, despite the threat.”

The refugees looked at him like he was a bit crazy. But then they seemed to just accept that this was how things were.

“Are there other threats in the region?”

“Not really. There is a Trollish village a day’s walk away, and they patrol their territory, so not much gets within that distance of the city from the north.”

The refugees nodded happily. “It’s good to see that you’ve reestablished the Royal relationship with the Trolls. Should we expect to see more than these few in the city?”

“You might see some from the village come to trade, and then there is a large force of these fine lads of the Mountain Troll tribe working as guards at the Manor.”

The old man smiled. “Dave or Larry?”

“These are Dave. But we’ve got some Larry too. Oh, and there is a Larry on the edge of town. He’s a healer and his wife is a midwife.”

“You’re likely wondering why we rushed ahead. I told them that it looks like we’re greedy, or don’t care about our people. But this bus contains only educated folk, who couldn’t be called unskilled loafers, should we have come across a Noble unwilling to take new residents.”

Dominic laughed. “Well, that’s not going to be a problem. The city is short on housing, and we were concerned that your group was nothing but labourers from the old capital.

But farmers and tradesmen will be welcome under every one of the Barons, as well as labourers with magic.

We’ve got magitech factories all over the city, and they always need qualified staff. However, we will train for the position if they have enough magical aptitude.

The farmers aren’t losing out, though. Wistover is highly fertile, especially with the Trolls around. We’ve pulled an entire crop already, and expect a strong yield at the end of the wet season.”

“The crops do look good. Did you have a spot you’d like us to set camp? We will inform the others.”

“There is an open field by the Axbridge army detachment. It’s elevated and dry. They’re not hostile, they’re here for the debutante event and some negotiations between the nations.”

The old man smiled wistfully. “If only we’d gotten here a week or two earlier, we might have gotten some of our daughters married off.”

Dave laughed. “Lots of farmers sons and hunters left looking for wives. But too many Noble daughters.”

The old man winked at the troll. “Well, we might be in luck. I brought along a pretty granddaughter who knows about soup.”

Dave didn’t look convinced. “Better than Larry knows about soup?”

“That’s a big request. But better than most humans know about soup. She’ll make someone a good wife.”

From the bus, a deep feminine voice laughed. “Trying to get me married off before we even arrive, old man?”

“Who better to judge a man who can appreciate a good woman than a Mountain Troll?”

From the bus emerged a woman nearly two metres tall and thickly muscled. Clearly part Ogre or Giant, but without the signature hideous face of the monster species.

Dave looked her up and down.

“Yup, looks like she knows about soup to me.”