The grim winter of North County was bone-chillingly cold.
After a blizzard fierce enough to freeze a man to death, it seed as though a pause button had been pressed over the whole of North County, and everyone, including farrs, hunters, rcenaries, and even the lord's patrol teams and guards, huddled at ho by the warmth of the fireplace. Even those without fireplaces in their watchtowers wrapped themselves up as tightly as possible with blankets—they all knew very well that in such weather, no one would cause trouble, nor would enemies appear.
Even the most vicious bandits and robbers hibernated during this ti.
Of course, there were exceptions.
During the mid-Silver Age, a war actually broke out during North County's harsh winter.
In midsumr, it was because of the "Right of the First Night."
Within the Silent Territory of North County, over 30,000 people gathered, claiming to be a rebel force of a hundred thousand.
They swept through the Silent Territory like a plague of locusts, devouring everything in their path, and their continuous victories made them believe they had everything under their control.
They did not stop their march but began a frenzied advance.
They planned to siege and conquer within North County, but the other lords, having been forewarned, all held their ground firmly.
As days passed, although nurous villages and towns were plundered, the core remained untouched and suffered no losses.
But when the first heavy snowfall of the winter arrived, half of the noisy rebels died instantly.
By the second heavy snowfall, the other half had perished as well.
Only a few leaders escaped into the wilderness.
There, they had a secret base.
The strongest among them planned to make a coback from there.
Unfortunately, the remaining few were no longer interested in continuing the fight.
In the end, a battle erupted between them, resulting in mutual destruction.
And this turned out to be advantageous for William.
William stumbled upon this secret base, which resembled a tomb, and after a simple cleanup, he made it his own secret base.
Many important items were kept here.
It also beca William's fallback option.
However, at this mont, William was eager to leave this place.
He hoped he could return to his lord's side.
For that, he took a risk.
And then—
He succeeded!
He successfully transford into a 'Corpse Witch Wraith' from a hybrid of Semi-Corpse Demon and Lich.
This was an extrely special ritual, which both the Death Poetry Society and the Pale Hand believed impossible to succeed.
Even though there were records from the Empire era that so had succeeded.
But it had been so long ago that many believed a mistake had led to such a conclusion.
William didn't know about these.
William only knew he wanted to return to his lord's side.
Was it just about flaying his own skin?
Was it just about driving 37,699 needles, as fine as cow hairs, into his flesh?
Was it just about scorching his own organs with flas?
Was it just about branding so ritual markings on his bones?
What were these compared to returning to his lord's side?
These were worthwhile.
With a belief twisted to an unmatched extre, William didn't care about these at all, and the result was affirmative.
William succeeded!
Moreover, he reached the high tier imdiately after his 'Entry'.
At this mont, William looked no different from a normal person.
With his heart filled with excitent and thrill, he began to pack his belongings.
South Los!
He was going back!
My lord!
Your loyal servant is about to return to your side!
The re thought of seeing Arthur again made William imdiately kneel and begin praying—
"May my lord be free from sickness and calamity, and may all be well.
If there is any disaster, let it fall upon .
I am willing to bear it all for my lord."
After his devout prayers, William prepared to get up and hasten his packing. And at that mont, he longed for Arthur's voice deep within his heart—
'William, there is sothing I need to ask of you.'
Without any hesitation, William knelt down on one knee again.
"Where your fingertips point is my unchanging faith in this life!"
William spoke loudly.
His voice even trembled.
Because this was truly the first ti he had undertaken a task for his lord.
It was too aningful!
How could it not be exciting?
'I want you to establish one or two strongholds in North County, and at the sa ti, develop a long-distance trade team to help investigate so matters on the West Coast.
I'm sorry, but this ti, for the sake of the mission's secrecy, I cannot offer you any help.'
Arthur's voice carried an apology.
William imdiately shook his head.
"My lord, if I needed your help, it would be a disgrace for .
Please be assured, when the ice and snow lt, you will see not only your strongholds in North County but also an army completely loyal to you.
They will be loyal and fearless."
William, still kneeling on one knee, said loudly.
"Good, I look forward to your performance."
Arthur said this.
And Arthur's expectation gave William endless motivation.
The 'Corpse Witch Wraith' threw aside the luggage he had originally packed, heading straight for the 'Tomb'—in his mory, less than 100 kiloters to the north, there was a den of bandits with at least 300 people, and 70 kiloters to the south was a gang of mountain thieves, with over 300 people.
"600 people?
No, that's too few!
There need to be at least 5,000 to qualify as an army.
As for strongholds, my 'Tomb' is too remote to suffice.
It must be a noble's territory!
And if it's a noble's territory, then they must not be able to communicate imdiately, and the location can't be too remote, most importantly, it can't have deep roots..."
William, talking to himself, suddenly brightened up.
He thought of a territory that t the requirents.
'Silent Territory'!
After experiencing a great rebellion, followed by the 'Seven Years' War', the old nobles of Silent Territory had almost all been wiped out, and the new lord was a 'pioneer noble'.
He had no solid foundation or family legacy.
An excellent target indeed.
Thinking of this, William imdiately walked out of the 'Tomb'.
The 'Corpse Witch Wraith' intended to first subdue those bandits and mountain thieves, forming the most basic force, and then use these bandits and mountain thieves to infiltrate Silent Territory, forming an even greater foothold.
As for loyalty?
As a 'Corpse Witch Wraith', William had many ways to ensure their loyalty.
"Since my lord wants secrecy, then the na William can no longer be used.
I must assu a pseudonym..."
William began pondering his new na.
While any casual na would suffice, since this was his first mission under his lord's orders, William believed the na must have so significance.
'If possible, it would be best if my lord bestowed this na.
Unfortunately, my lord is too busy.
Even communicating with him is limited to a few occasions.
Uh?
How can I complain about my lord?
If it weren't for my incompetence, why would my lord be so busy?'
Thinking to himself, William picked up a whip by his side and began lashing himself.
Ten tis in succession.
Although his skin split and flesh burst, and though he healed quickly, the pain was real.
Just as William was about to continue repenting for his 'sins', Arthur's voice once again appeared in his heart, gentle yet forceful—
'From now on, your na shall be...
Sebastian Moran.'
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