Duncan didn't expect Anya to surprise him again!

When he saw that Anya had gained several followers, he knew she had accomplished her mission.

But Duncan wasn't aware that even bigger surprises awaited him.

Anya was very tight-lipped.

Before the matter was completed, she didn't let slip the slightest hint, planning to give Crow Queen Triss a big surprise in silence.

From now on, Anya could also be considered to have stood up!

Anya went all out this time, even giving away a large manor near the city of Rome.

Though she was not as powerful as Crow Queen Triss, she was serious about competing for position!

Especially after Crow Queen Triss had gathered other members of the witches' assembly, Anya felt an immense pressure, undoubtedly because the Crow Queen intended to divert Duncan's attention so he wouldn't be absorbed in Anya's tenderness alone.

Fortunately, Duncan had been busy with political affairs lately and didn't have time to deal with the other witches.

Frankly, such matters can't be avoided, otherwise there's no outlet for stress, but constantly indulging in women, there's no energy left for other things. One woman a day, even if seven in a week, Duncan knew how to prioritize his matters.

——"Agricultural Expert (Follower): An expert in agriculture who can improve agricultural yields and enhance farming techniques in the territory."

——"Architect (Follower): Reduces construction costs, improves city layout, and reduces squalor."

——"Armorsmith (Follower): Enhances forging level, can build large-scale equipment forging facilities, producing military-standard equipment."

——"Judge (Follower): A clerk who, upon hiring, can improve law and order in the territory and resolve barbarian disputes through the law."

——"Military Instructor (Follower): A retired military instructor from the Empire, can be rehired to conduct intense training and improve infantry's marching and combat abilities."

Altogether, there were five followers.

Four men and one woman. Surprisingly, the architect was a woman, perhaps because she was not utilized well within the Empire's territory.

Dear Anya had returned again!

I missed you.

Every time she came back, she would bring some surprises for Duncan.

No need to say more.

Tonight, she must be well-rewarded.

On the very afternoon of Anya's return, Severus also came back from the Gaul Region, and surprisingly he too had brought followers.

——"Druid (Follower): Maintains the divine sanctuary, boosts morale in battle, and assists in commanding Celtic troops."

——"Drunkard (Follower): Enhances influence, a drunkard can easily spread information in tavern inns and poet boxes, they have exceptional drinking capacity, quickly making a name locally and spreading needed information."

Simply put, they boast about your deeds in taverns, but you have to pay to keep them, though it's not much.

The talents recruited by Crow Queen Triss had also arrived.

This time, besides three temple guards, there was remarkably a target marked as 'Follower.'

——"Library Curator (Follower) (One-Star Gold): Former librarian at the Imperial University, holds vast knowledge, can assist in managing the territory, and enhance influence in high society. A knowledgeable person always commands respect."

Crow Queen Triss never makes a move unless with an ace.

This was the first star-marked follower Duncan had seen; the man was around fifty, scholarly in appearance, looking learned and well-educated, akin to an ancient Greek philosopher.

He respected Crow Queen Triss greatly, and upon seeing the chaotic Southampton, he frowned slightly. He was a Greek, and Greece was a civilized land.

It seemed that after Duncan seized the territory, many people in the projection page could be marked as followers.

They were unlike common people, mostly skilled professionals.

However, their abilities were to be discovered over time, and if a follower mark appeared, it meant they indeed had talent in that area.

Simply blending in wouldn't work.

People lacking professional skills would not appear with a follower mark.

This significantly lightened Duncan's burden.

He even had time to train the newly organized army, and he discovered that a trained and battled regiment would gradually gain an additional mark, not a star mark, but labeled as 'Combat Experience +1.'

With focused attention, it showed 'This regiment has a certain amount of battle experience, their combat skills honed to surpass peer units; a troop of battle-hardened veterans is a national treasure.'[A combat-experienced unit will more easily produce star-rated combat units.]

The speed at which combat experience increased was very slow.

Among Duncan's troops, only the General's Guard and the British Legion led by Kvito had 1 point of combat experience, as they were the main force in previous skirmishes.

If personnel were supplemented, combat experience seemed to slightly decrease.

In warfare, casualties are inevitable.

Stacking combat experience is extremely difficult, but recently a dozen or so individuals had transformed into one-star combat units.

Those who survive life-and-death battles must have some skills.

As night fell.

Anya rode her horse hard until midnight, repeatedly exhausted, the candlestick oil was used up, and finally, she collapsed into a deep sleep beside him, utterly spent.

Duncan found it rather trivial.

Lately, the combined effects of the blood of the Holy Grail and giant's strength had enhanced his physical capabilities, so he no longer feared being drained by the witch.

"In another day, the dragon egg will hatch."

Currently, Duncan's focus was entirely on Southampton, a port town with a good geographic location and a priority for development.

Occasionally, he would oversee troop training, stepping in himself from time to time, though his own training proved less effective than oversight.

After reorganizing the foreign mercenary group, Duncan also sent out his spies.

He hadn't forgotten Scandinavia.

As a lord, Duncan didn't have the time to scour the world for supernatural creatures, so it was natural to dispatch subordinates for reconnaissance.

Who is most suitable?

Undoubtedly, the Saxon mercenaries.

First, have them scout some monster intelligence, find out which area, where there are rumors of supernatural creatures, and then Duncan will move, to avoid wasting time searching the mountains for half a month and find nothing.

During the Middle Ages, those supernatural beings have almost become legends.

If Duncan were to find them himself, he would probably have to travel across the entire European continent, traveling to Northern and Eastern Europe, only to possibly discover them as they slowly recede from the times.

It's just about spending a bit more money and focusing on efficiency!

The battles don't happen every day on Great Britain, so now he just learns more, learns a bit of everything, maybe the Human Form will come in handy in the future.

No action from Merlin's side.

Perhaps it's because Duncan has settled Duchess Igraine, so he doesn't have to worry about King Arthur's birth anymore, making him more honest, just hearing King Uther suffered a small loss on the battlefield recently. Speaking of which, Duncan always feels Igraine looks at him in a way that seems a bit off, with a hint of something in her admiration. Last time, when recruiting riders in Cornwall, she personally brought maids to make up his room, ensuring daily meals were arranged, going above and beyond without any airs of a duchess.

Moloss officially became the Duchess of Cornwall, inheriting the estate from Duke of Dingtiger, but without any power, just a dozen guards for safety.

Duke of Dingtiger's estate is enough for her to live comfortably for several lifetimes.

Time passed quietly like this.

The next day, Duncan entrusted his tasks to others, focusing entirely on observing the dragon egg hatch, preparing to load the second Human Form.

Dimension Space.

With Duncan's consciousness returning, the projected scene before him also revealed information.

"Load the second Human Form!"

"Break through the dimensional barrier, enter the real space."

"Loading complete."

In a completely sealed underground ice cave.

Suddenly.

The dragon egg in front started to tremble, and a small dragon claw broke through the shell, a menacing yet tender dragon head emerged, speaking its true name with innate Dragon Language: "Augustus!"

So uncomfortable.

The moment Duncan loaded in, he understood why the soul compatibility was so low.

He was now crawling on all fours, with wings on his back, a long neck, hungry and weak, and it felt like the soul was not on the same frequency as the body.

The alien creature's body rejected the human soul form, with very low compatibility, making control extremely inconvenient.

"Too uncomfortable."

"Crawling every day, who can stand this?"

Duncan directly entered the Dimension Space, using a god's perspective to control, making the juvenile dragon gnaw at the dragon egg, which was hard and difficult to eat, nearly choking the young dragon.

This is attack, this is defense.

This is?

Dragon Language?

No! It's Dragon Roar!

Simply put, Dragon Roar is Dragon Language Magic, a language possessing supernatural power, capable of producing certain magical effects upon utterance.

Right now, it's gray; when focused, it shows as 'Dragon Language: Frost.'

"This world's magic level seems very high?"

Duncan waited for the juvenile dragon's energy bar to refill, then started digging; without digging, he couldn't get out, being stuck in the underground ice cave directly.

At this point.

A line of words appeared on the projected page—"I should go fishing now!" (Dragon's inheritance memory)

The intelligence level of the juvenile dragon was quite low, not much smarter than a clever beast.

But they are born with an old grandfather, which is the inherited dragon memory, containing certain knowledge and instincts, telling them what to do next.

Hungry, go fishing and eat.

This thing acts like a task cue, guiding the juvenile dragon on how to grow step by step, even instructing it on how to avoid danger.

"Interesting!"

"Dragons truly have an insane racial talent!"

Dragon claw scraping ice.

Duncan controlled the juvenile dragon to dig all day, finally falling into the water, naturally equipped with underwater breathing. The projected page reflected the underwater world. The juvenile dragon swam more smoothly than it walked. Duncan realized controlling the Human Form might lead to drowning.

Hands, feet, and wings were completely uncoordinated.

Attack!

Duncan controlled the second Human Form to land a hit, grabbing a fat fish in its mouth, then swam upwards.

—"I should finish eating and have a nice sleep."

—"The juvenile dragon is very weak."

—"Hide."

Interesting.

Duncan felt that this second Human Form was like his game characters, with the dragon inheritance memory automatically suggesting what to do next.

Just after finishing the fish, the juvenile dragon showed a drowsy mark, seemingly in need of rest.

Hadn't played for long, huh?

.........

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