Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste
Chapter 117: Pioneering Document

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Pioneering Document

As the Northern Guardian and Northern Expedition Count, Perfikot naturally has the right to confer a knightly title, even if it means adding the word "Pioneer" in front.

This is her power as the Count of Exploration and Northern Guardian, and also the foundation for establishing her own system of governance and inner circle.

After all, if it were just Perfikot herself, no matter how capable she was, she couldn’t develop the Northern Territory and establish a system of management by herself.

Under normal circumstances, a pioneering noble would recruit vassals and knights by promising land, thereby forming an army to delineate their territory through military occupation.

Then they would subdivide the promised parts of the occupied land to their subordinates, allowing them to govern the area and thereby establish a top-down hierarchical system of governance.

In this system, at the top is the pioneering noble as the feudal lord, while the middle and lower positions are held by other nobles and knights conferred by him.

These are the foundation for maintaining his rule, and also his vassals.

The lord grants land to his vassals, and the vassals pledge loyalty to the lord; this is the most important and fundamental foundation of the feudal system.

Perfikot, as the Count of Exploration, naturally has the same power, and her power is slightly broader, as she can confer titles to nobles below the rank of Count to help explore the Northern Territory on her behalf.

Since the land theoretically still belongs to Perfikot, she can make a limited promise, allowing her knights or nobles to pioneer new lands with her legal support.

This is precisely why the title of a pioneering noble is so precious.

Moreover, Perfikot already anticipated that as news spreads about her gaining the title of Count of Exploration and Northern Guardian, there will be countless people wanting to gain pioneering rights from her to earn territory and hereditary noble titles for themselves.

Oliver is merely the first to take this opportunity, or rather, he was the first to find her.

Perfikot has ample reason to believe that Colonel Richard and Captain William also harbor the same intention, but they aren’t as close to her as Oliver is, nor are they bold enough to request such a thing.

For Perfikot, drafting a document conferring the title of Pioneer Knight is really a simple task.

If she wished, given the vast expanse of the Northern Territory, she could even distribute these documents en masse, appointing a thousand or two Pioneer Knights and sending them out.

Both legally and by right, she could do this, and no one could criticize her actions; at most, they would sarcastically mock her behind her back.

But openly, those who gossip about her would still eagerly come forward to ask for a pioneering document from her for a piece of land they could pass on to their descendants.

Even if it’s just a small village, it’s still noble land, something that can be used as a legacy!

Of course, issuing a large number of Pioneer Knight titles is quite a troublesome affair, as they may encounter conflict or overlapping territories when pioneering.

In such events, it would fall to Perfikot, the Northern Guardian, to handle these issues.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Perfikot should only confer titles to ordinary nobles and knights, assigning them a piece of land with defined boundaries, rather than granting them pioneering rights.

Of course, if there’s someone Perfikot finds worthy, she wouldn’t hesitate to issue a pioneering document.

Having considered this, she then said to Oliver, "A pioneering document? If you want it, I can write it up for you now. But since you mentioned a cost, following the principle of equitable exchange, I do indeed have some requirements."

"Your command is my pleasure!" Oliver’s face lit up with excitement.

Obviously, obtaining a pioneering document was highly significant to him, so much so that even knowing about the apocalypse, he still hoped to acquire such a document.

"Firstly, you must have the resources and ability to support a knightly domain." Perfikot stated her requirements to Oliver, who quickly took out a small notebook to jot them down, "To say nothing else, an armed force of at least twenty to maintain order in the domain and respond to my summons, this is an obligation you must fulfill as a vassal.

Secondly, I need you to establish at least one village in the Northern Territory capable of accommodating more than five hundred people, and this village must continue to exist even after the apocalypse."

At this point, Perfikot looked at Oliver in front of her, waiting for him to record the two conditions before saying to him, "Since you already know about the apocalypse, you naturally understand why I’m making these demands.

Everything in the Northern Territory is now to prepare for the forthcoming apocalypse, so I won’t easily issue pioneering documents or confer noble titles.

But given our long-standing cooperative relationship, I’m willing to issue you a pioneering document; after all, finding a suitable supplier of alchemical products is not easy."

"I am immensely grateful! Your generosity is comparable to that of an all-father!" Oliver was so excited he nearly knelt to kiss Perfikot’s hem.

Yet Perfikot stopped him from doing so, simply waving her hand as she said, "In granting you this, I have my demands; to say nothing else, a functioning Alchemy Workshop that can stably supply various alchemical products even after the apocalypse is something you must continue to maintain.

If you cannot accomplish this, say so now, and I will not hold it against you.

But if you promise to meet my requirements and fail after obtaining the pioneering document, I will reclaim everything you have in the name of the Northern Guardian, including your life."

Clearly, for Perfikot, if someone truly undermines her plans, she does not hesitate to kill.

On this matter, Oliver naturally understands clearly.

He assured Perfikot, "Rest assured, esteemed Count! You may continue placing your trust in me, as you have in the past!"

"To be honest, I didn’t really trust you as a person in the past." Perfikot humorously quipped for a moment, but then quickly smiled and said, "I trust in your adherence to the spirit of contracts and in your pursuit of benefits.

Even as the apocalypse approaches, a pioneering document remains extremely precious, representing vast interests for you.

So I trust you can manage the responsibilities it brings because as my first vassal, should you not perform well, it would be quite troubling for me."