Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

The biting wind was cold, but Tikli felt as if he were standing under the scorching sun of June. Fine beads of sweat couldn’t help but form on his forehead.

"Gus, if we keep listening to this treacherous Goblin, we’ll all end up dead here sooner or later!" Tikli roared, his neck stiff with anger.

Before they came, they had clearly agreed to stop the enemy army together, and in return, they would get a large supply of weapons, equipment, and the most fertile pastures.

But now, just as he charged, he was sold out by this Goblin! The promised reinforcements never came, and he even sounded the retreat at the critical moment.

This Goblin was probably just trying to use this to wear down his people so he couldn’t profit from this.

"Tikli, let go of Leiden, or I’ll make sure *you’re* the one who ends up dead here first!"

The Centaur Leader’s voice was absolute, arcs of lightning flickering across his body.

"You..." The Pigman Leader ultimately didn’t dare test his personal strength against a Centaur who was born with control over the Thunder Element. He shot Leiden a venomous glare, slammed him to the ground, and turned to leave.

"Gus, you’ll regret what you’ve done today!" Only his furious words remained, hanging in the air.

’Tikli is too impulsive. This is for the best.’

Leiden climbed up from the ground, dusted off his rear, and straightened his disheveled collar, a smile still on his face.

"In this war, compared to that Shaman Minotaur, we’re all outsiders. Only by working together can we achieve the greatest profit."

Leiden gazed into the distance, muttering to himself.

Then, he turned and began discussing something with the Centaur Leader.

Compared to the impulsive and hot-tempered Tikli, this Centaur Leader was much more level-headed. He was also a clever one, and talking things over with him would save a lot of trouble.

...

With the retreat of the Wilderness Alliance Army, the close-quarters battle finally came to an end.

All the soldiers of the Thorn Corps breathed a sigh of relief and began to instinctively tighten their formation.

"Where’s Sam? Get your ass over here and start the Treatment on the wounded!"

After personally beheading the last few dozen Berserk Minotaurs, the Lord began shouting at the top of his lungs from the clearing where the wounded were being gathered.

"My Lord, coming, coming."

Only about 1.6 *ren* tall, the scrawny Sam looked like a mouse living in the shadows amidst the Beastman Guard Team, whose members averaged 2.5 *ren* in height.

He hurriedly squeezed past the rears of two Barbarians and scurried in. He adjusted his slightly crooked Felt Hat and began to cast his Healing Technique on the wounded from High Cliff Castle.

"Mier, have you tallied the casualties and spoils of war?"

The Lord sat unceremoniously on the body of a Minotaur, cradling his helmet, which was still dripping with blood.

Normally, he could have gotten the exact number of casualties just by glancing at his system panel.

But the purpose of bringing Mier along was to train him, so naturally, these tasks were left to him.

"Brother-in-law..."

Mier had just started to speak when the Lord cut him off with a roll of his eyes.

"How many times have I told you? Use my title when we’re on duty!"

Apparently, the petty Lord still remembered someone’s earlier comment about coming to rescue him.

"Baron, of the fifty-man Personal Guard Team, only the five you led were injured. Of the one-hundred-man Heavy Armored Infantry Corps, ten were killed and twenty were injured. The Federation Archers suffered no losses," Mier answered formally.

He knew that annihilating over four hundred Berserk Minotaurs with a smaller force was a result that wasn’t just brilliant—it was horrifyingly impressive.

But a knot of frustration still tightened in the Lord’s chest, and his eyes stared blankly into space.

It pained him to lose even one of these precious soldiers. He could even name each of the ten Beastman Barbarians who had died.

These Minotaurs truly deserved their reputation as one of the Wilderness’s top warrior Races, and their Berserk ability was a massive headache.

His own power was far beyond what it used to be. In this battle alone, he had slaughtered nearly two hundred Minotaurs by himself.

If ordinary people had encountered a killer like him, they would have long since broken down and fled in all directions.

But this horde of Minotaurs only stopped fighting after they were completely wiped out, which was the very reason High Cliff Castle suffered casualties.

When faced with a mob of mindless madmen, no matter how fierce the Barbarians were, they ultimately traded ten of their own lives in the bloody exchange.

The Lord personally closed the eyes of the ten dead High Cliff Castle Beastman Warriors. Their comrades then wrapped them in straw mats. After all, no one would let their comrades’ bodies be left exposed in the Wilderness.

Levi watched this scene in silence for a long time.

Instead, it was Mier and Zat who took the initiative to comfort him, saying that as Warriors, battle and death were a part of their lives. To die in such a dazzling victory was a rare honor.

Besides, only ten Warriors had died in this battle, and their own leader was responsible for ninety percent of the work. About half the Minotaurs had been slain by his hand.

"When we return, I will build a warriors’ cemetery on Wangyue Slope, southwest of High Cliff Castle, so that their deeds will be remembered forever."

Levi simply made this promise.

Even Zat, who was usually a bit slow on the uptake, fell silent.

Back in the Wilderness, when their comrades died, they were usually cremated on the spot. It wasn’t because they believed this method would send their companions to the Divine Kingdom.

Rather, it was because a body left exposed in the Wilderness would be devoured completely by Goblins or other creatures, so they had no other choice.

Otherwise, to build a cemetery for the dead to rest eternally, to leave behind an intact body, and finally, to erect a monument recording their life’s deeds—this was something everyone secretly envied.

For a Warrior who held honor above all, leaving behind an intact body and a tombstone to record their deeds was an immense privilege.

But doing so was often time-consuming and laborious, and it also required manpower and resources for upkeep. For the sake of simplicity and convenience, cremation was the common practice.

This was the mainstream practice for all factions nowadays.

But now...

In that moment, it was as if everyone from High Cliff Castle had caught some eye disease. Every last one of them lowered their heads and rubbed their eyes. If asked what was wrong, they all claimed their eyes were just dry from killing without blinking.

But secretly, their eyes were brimming with hot tears.

They were just afraid their Lord would see them and mock them one by one, asking how such renowned Warriors could be shedding horse tears.

"Lord, in some ways, you are truly different," Si Kai said with deep emotion.

The Northern Territory has cemeteries too, but they have absolutely nothing to do with common grunts. The lowest rank who can be buried there is a vice-captain, and even then, only after performing great deeds.

"As a fellow fighting man, I just understand what Warriors need," the Lord said noncommittally.

Although there were losses, the gains were also significant.

Aside from the Personal Guard Team, who were all already Tier Five, about ten members each from the Federation Archers and the Heavy Armored Infantry Corps had accumulated enough experience and were directly promoted to Tier Five by the Lord.

The spoils of war were, naturally, the Iron Armor from the Minotaurs. Most of it was tattered and not of high quality.

But with over four hundred Minotaurs having been fully armed, melting down and reforging all this Iron Armor and their weapons would yield an exceptionally considerable amount of material.