Rhode, reborn into a medieval fantasy world as the illegitimate son of Earl Tulip, carries the game system "Manor Story" from his previous life. This system grants abilities through completing tasks, but it remains locked for seven years due to his lack of territory. When the Emperor, enraged by his brother's murder in the lawless Northern Border Wilderness, decrees that noble children must govern these lands, Rhode volunteers for Black Pine Ridge. He is granted the title of Baron, adopted by the Tulip family, and given one hundred fifty gold coins, ten veteran guards, and the accomplished knight Durant Silverblade. The moment Rhode receives the official investiture, the system activates, presenting a series of stats and conditions for unlocking them, all tied to developing his territory.During his stay in a border town, Rhode forges a steel sword, striking iron one thousand times to unlock Forging Power, a white-grade stat that increases his base strength by twenty percent. After completing the sword, he unlocks Fine Forging Edge, a green-grade enchantment granting his weapons an armor-piercing effect. He tests the sword by cutting plate armor cleanly in half, stunning the local blacksmith Harmo and Durant. Rhode recruits Harmo by offering five years of tax exemption in Black Pine Ridge and training in forging knowledge. Rhode sells all his supplies except horses and dry rations, planning to travel light and intercept the Golden Sands Caravan for resources. He hires the mercenary captain Gangler and his squad, forming a total force of twenty-one men capable of combat.Five days after departing, Rhode's squad enters Black Pine Ridge and discovers the Golden Sands Caravan under siege by a bandit group of nearly a hundred. Instead of intervening immediately, Rhode waits until the caravan's guards are severely weakened and their defenses collapse. He then leads a disciplined charge with Durant and Gangler from two sides, scattering the bandits in two rounds of cavalry attacks. Rhode captures the fleeing bandits as potential serf laborers and orders the treatment of the wounded. He then declares all goods and people from the caravan as his spoils of war, asserting his authority as the lord of Black Pine Ridge to confiscate property from bandit suppression. He offers the captured caravan members a choice: pay ransom, work for five years in his territory while receiving food, lodging, and occasional rewards, or face enslavement. Most agree to work, including the caravan leader Laurence, who is allowed to write for ransom later. After the battle, Rhode unlocks the hidden stat Commander's Momentum, a white-grade ability that increases soldier morale by twenty percent in battles and boosts their trust in him after victories. With the caravan now his main source of seeds, tools, and laborers, Rhode heads to Frost Leaf Town to begin cultivating the land and constructing his manor. His actions reflect a pragmatic ruthlessness, abandoning past moral codes to secure his foothold in the dangerous Northern Border Wilderness. He plans to use the captured goods and people as the foundation for transforming Black Pine Ridge into a thriving domain, with long-term goals of expansion and survival in this brutal era.
