Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 54: Territorial Talent Magnetism

Of course, this simulation was primarily for reconnaissance.

Nightingale Territory was a powerful domain. Although Romon had developed Thune territory considerably, there was still a significant gap compared to Nightingale. He wasn’t so naïve as to think his current forces could simply steamroll all the major towns of Nightingale Territory.

"Target: Highmount Fortress. Begin!"

Romon made some brief troop deployments and submitted his orders.

[End of Round One! Thanks to your persistent focus on military training, heavy investment in the army, and military reforms, you have cultivated elite troops. In just one day, you capture the town of Highmount Fortress, which belongs to Nightingale Territory. The lord of Highmount Fortress confesses: Nightingale Lord sent him a message, instructing him to monitor Thune territory and to launch an assault as soon as the princess departs. Draven was just an unlucky scout.]

"So his name was Draven..." Romon vaguely recalled the assassin who’d been blasted to pieces by cannon fire.

Nightingale Lord’s actions were even more cautious than Romon had expected. He’d thought Nightingale Lord would use Highmount Fortress as the forward base to attack Thune territory. But it turned out their role was surveillance, not assault.

Still, a well-established lord like Nightingale could afford to wait a few weeks. The maximum extension Angelia had secured from the king was a month—and over twenty days had already passed. Nightingale Lord just needed to wait patiently for the princess to leave, then he could attack Thune territory without worry. The one who should be anxious wasn’t him, but Romon.

"With only a few days left, there’s no way I can last until the next simulation," Romon thought, weighing his options. "Capturing Highmount Fortress would give me more troops, but in just a few days, there’s no way to guarantee their absolute loyalty. If there’s a traitor, it could backfire."

With this in mind, Romon decided not to directly annex Highmount Fortress into Thune Territory, but instead issued a withdrawal order.

[End of Round Two! You reach an agreement with the lord of Highmount Fortress: if you win in the end, you promise to let his family continue to govern Highmount Fortress. In exchange, he will pretend to remain loyal to Nightingale Lord and gather intelligence for you.]

Since Thune Territory could take Highmount Fortress by storm once, it could do so again if needed. Romon wasn’t worried about the fortress lord turning traitor. As for saying one thing and doing another, Romon was naturally prepared; he would never trust the man’s word alone and would plant his own overseers nearby.

Whenever the lord received news from Nightingale Lord, whenever he replied, whenever he had an audience, and whatever he did—these would all be reported to Romon daily. If anything seemed off, the next time Thune Territory captured Highmount Fortress, it would mean total destruction.

[End of Round Three! With your approval, the lord of Highmount Fortress continues to report to Nightingale Lord, mixing truth and lies about the situation in Thune Territory. Upon learning that the princess still hasn’t left and that Thune Territory is being run efficiently, Nightingale Lord sends an urgent reply: Highmount Fortress is to immediately mobilize its army and prepare for battle. He will arrange for the royal escort team to collect the princess as soon as possible.]

[End of Round Four! The lord of Highmount Fortress seizes the chance to request military funds from Nightingale Lord.]

[End of Round Five! The lord of Highmount Fortress receives the military funds sent by Nightingale Lord—and turns them all over as tribute to Thune Territory.]

[End of Round Six! Thune Territory pours money into ramping up scientific research, intensifying religious rituals, and expanding military demonstrations...]

[End of Round Seven! No breakthroughs are achieved in the short term.]

[End of Round Eight! Nightingale Lord arrives at Highmount Fortress with a royal-ranked priest. Upon discovering that the supposedly mobilized troops are nowhere to be found, he flies into a rage and executes the lord of Highmount Fortress, as well as the Thune Territory’s overseer.]

"So, within eight days at most, a royal-ranked priest will arrive?" Romon thought to himself.

How much could Thune Territory improve in just eight days?

Still, judging by the timeline, it was almost time to test one of Angelia’s two methods. He’d been infusing her with the lord’s gene every day for over twenty days—within the next few days, whether or not Angelia had her period would reveal if it had worked.

[End of Round Nine! Nightingale Lord, representing the royal escort, openly enters Thune Territory. No one can stop him—any attempt would be seen as defying the king’s will. Angelia immediately announces that she is pregnant, but Nightingale Lord doesn’t care, declaring that even if she is with child, she must still be presented to the king before any decisions can be made. Unable to argue, Angelia tries to buy time by insisting that the entire Nightingale Lord’s team must escort her back to the imperial capital. In this way, she secures about seven more days for Thune Territory.]

[Simulation ends. All turns exhausted. Cooldown: 10 days!]

[Simulation Rating: 500]

[Reward: Territorial Talent Attraction +250%]

Looking at the simulation results, Romon felt a surge of warmth because of Angelia. Even when she was left with no options, she still fought to buy time for ThuneTerritory.

Counting the events in the simulation, there was just half a month left. Could he really defeat a royal-ranked priest?

Romon began calculating every aspect of Thune Territory’s strength. A royal rank was certainly formidable, but in terms of offensive power, the priest class was naturally a tier below.

In other words, he could benchmark him against a Grand Mage Lord.

But between a Grand Mage Lord and an Archmage, there was still the Mage Lord class.

Talia might very well break through to Archmage within half a month, but could she defeat a Grand Mage Lord?

That was clearly impossible—the gap was too great.

As for fighting with numbers, even if Thune Territory had people, would Nightingale Territory lack manpower?

Currently, Thune Territory’s only true advantage was the Magitech Drones. If he could iterate them one more time within the next half-month, the chance of killing the royal-ranked priest would greatly increase.

"Let me see, what’s the simulation reward this time..."

"Territorial Talent Attraction +250%?"

Could it be that the simulator also believes there’s not enough time to accumulate much culture value, so the only way to break the deadlock is by attracting new talent from outside?

Talent Attraction is a comprehensive metric. For example, if a lord is enlightened and issues policies that benefit the people, allow merchants to profit, and encourage adventurers, that territory will naturally draw in talented individuals. But at the same time, factors like the territory’s resource density, strategic depth, and safety are also part of the calculation.

Intelligent beings aren’t fools. Before settling somewhere, they’ll always investigate. Even if a territory is ruled by an enlightened lord, if it’s poor, weak, and constantly at risk of being swallowed up, who but desperate gamblers would willingly move there?

However...

The Simulator Blueprint ignored all those negative factors, unconditionally boosting Thune Territory’s talent attraction by 250%!

"If I can attract a race skilled in technology, I’ll be set." Romon lay in bed, thinking optimistically.

Just then—

He saw, on the blueprint display, a cluster of unknown markers moving from the eastern mountains toward Thune Territory.

"So the effect is kicking in already?"

Without delay, Romon got up, dressed, and called for Talia and Nini, then actively went out to meet them.

The three of them climbed from the hillside castle up to the ridge behind it.

This ridge was the border between Thune Territory and the domain of the eastern grand lord.

Standing right on the border, Romon checked the Simulator Blueprint and gazed ahead, anticipation in his eyes.

"Lord Romon, there’s no one out there..." Talia gripped her silver staff nervously, thinking that the urgent departure meant an enemy attack.

However—

Nini twitched her ears and said, "There are people coming. One, two, three... Seventeen in total."

Hearing this, Romon counted the unknown markers on the simulator blueprint—sure enough, there were seventeen. freёweɓnovel.com

Talia didn’t comment. Nini’s official status was a slave and her class was assassin, so people in the territory tended to overlook her. But Talia knew well that as she herself grew stronger, so did Nini—her talent as an assassin was real.

Demihuman ears were indeed more sensitive than her own perception.

Before long,

Several figures in emerald green darted out of the forest on the mountainside, moving quickly. Judging by their demeanor, they seemed to be fleeing from something.

Talia tightened her grip on the silver staff. She noticed that all these women had long, pointed ears.

"Elves?"

After Talia’s confirmation, Romon realized these seventeen newcomers were elves—though in this world, many races had pointed ears, making it hard for him to judge at a glance.

So, Romon stood his ground and declared, "Who goes there? I am the lord of this land. Entering my territory without permission is an act of provocation."

The seventeen elves turned toward his voice, their eyes full of pleading.

"Human lord, please have mercy on us. We are the last survivors of the High Elves, being hunted by orcs. Those vile orcs want to torment and enslave us—many of our sisters have already fallen victim to them... We beg you, human lord, please grant us refuge. At the very least, please protect our queen. She is gravely wounded and can no longer fight."

A long-haired elf on the left spoke earnestly, while two short-haired elves on the right supported a strikingly beautiful elf. The queen hung her head weakly, streaks of blood still visible on her body. Though her golden hair hid her features, it could not conceal her impressive figure.

"Thune Territory welcomes those who show respect," Romon replied at once, stepping aside in invitation. "Come in. We’ll hold this border—no savage orcs will cross so much as an inch."

Relieved at his words, the elves hurried forward, helping their queen up the ridge.

Romon glanced at the Simulator Blueprint and saw no sign of orcs nearby—perhaps the elves had already shaken off their pursuers and simply didn’t know it. In any case, their queen clearly needed immediate medical attention; without a safe and quiet place to recover, her life could be at risk at any moment.