Chapter 70: Naming the Territory and Family Emblem

For the female Sword Saint Abel, she was the person Donald had admired the most during his youth. Since their situations were quite similar, Donald had once thought of following in her footsteps—using his own efforts to avenge his family and become a great hero.

What impressed Donald now was that, unlike Marquis Ansel who had a hereditary family background and strong familial support, this female Sword Saint started from scratch. To reach the Golden rank before the age of fifty must have required immense effort and hardship.

It is said that Abel originally came from a fishing family in eastern Celt. She was the daughter of an adventurer who was only a Black Iron Swordsman. After a tragic family disaster—her father killed by his enemies—this teenage girl embarked on the path of becoming a swordsman to avenge him.

Abel’s talent was not outstanding. Without any miracles, she would never have been able to avenge her father through her own training. Thus, with no ties holding her back, she followed in her father’s footsteps, disguised herself as a man, and became an adventurer, setting sail for the mainland.

No one knew what Abel had gone through after leaving Celt. In any case, five years later, when this girl who had grown into a woman returned to Celt, she was already a top-tier Bronze rank warrior. After a fierce battle with her father’s murderer, who was also at the Bronze rank, she avenged her father and soon broke through to the Silver rank, becoming a renowned female warrior.

Marquis Ansel believed that as a Golden rank beginner on par with himself, Sword Saint Abel was certainly qualified to teach his daughter. Moreover, since she was female, there were no gender-related taboos in teaching her. Perhaps one day his daughter could inherit the legacy of the female Sword Saint and add another layer of Sword Saint heritage to the Ansel family!

Marquis Ansel’s plan was indeed sound. Sword Saint Abel, having devoted her youth to training for revenge, remained unmarried and had no relatives or descendants. She was overjoyed upon meeting the marquis’s daughter. After spending some time together, they became as close as mother and daughter, and she decided to take her as a disciple.

The marquis’s daughter also proved herself to be very promising. Just one year after becoming her disciple, she advanced from mid-Black Iron rank to Bronze rank. Such a woman, combining beauty and strength, naturally attracted many admirers. Thus, the reputation of this marquis’s daughter spread among the young noble sons, who called her the “Flower of Ansel,” suggesting she might become the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

In terms of age, Cornelia was a year younger than Donald, yet her apparent strength was already one rank higher, which made Donald look at this seemingly delicate girl with new respect.
“Donald, although your manor has a wealth of delicious foods, the dishes here are prepared in the style of Solon in the southern part of the continent, and they have their own unique flavor. So you must try them later!”
Lady Edwina returned to the capital city, took a brief stroll, and then went back to the palace, leaving Ferdinand and his sister as company. As an elder, she felt it was not appropriate to get involved in the affairs of the younger generation.
As a mage, Donald could naturally sense the pressure emanating from the marquess. Now that Edwina had left, he felt much more relaxed and enjoyed chatting with Ferdinand and his sister.
Donald’s extensive knowledge and naturally elegant manner of speaking also impressed Ferdinand and his sister. Although he was a mage while they were swordsmen, having read too many martial arts novels in his past life, whenever he shared some insights on martial cultivation, it would provoke deep reflection in them. As for whether those insights were correct, Donald wasn’t entirely sure either; he merely outlined some simple and seemingly reasonable principles. Even if they didn’t conform to the laws of this world, they wouldn’t cause much harm.
“By the way! Donald, your territory and title have been established. I wonder what it will be called? Won’t it just be called Baron Merlin’s Domain? That sounds too ordinary!”
“The name of the territory? Let me think… How about Dalaran?” When asked about the name of his territory, a name suddenly came to Donald’s mind. It came from the history of Warcraft—the magical kingdom of Dalaran, which resisted and remained independent even under the rule of the Lich King.
Ferdinand repeated the name and said, “Dalaran! It’s a good name. Now that you’ve been promoted to baron and become a mage, you can add new elements to your family crest and leave a significant mark in history! If you want to change your family crest, you’ll need to prepare in advance, preferably before the investiture ceremony!” It was only after Ferdinand raised this question that Donald thought about it. Before, he had been focused solely on restoring his family’s glory and hadn’t paid much attention to other matters.
In history, the founder or restorer of each noble family is a great figure to their family and descendants. Especially heroes like Donald who have achieved military feats will also be extensively described in the kingdom’s historical records in the future.

Family crests are patterns used on family emblems and seals to represent a noble family, serving as a symbol of its glorious history. For example, the original Merlina family crest was a black eagle with a long spear and a great sword crossed in its claws, symbolizing how the Merlinas had once expanded their territory under the reigns of Kings I and VII. Donald, who revived the Merlina family, as a mage-noble, had the authority to change the family crest, adding a significant chapter to its history. Undoubtedly, the status of a mage was more honorable than that of a knight, unless one was of a higher rank than a high-ranking knight. “I hadn’t thought about these issues. If it weren’t for you reminding me, it would be troublesome to prepare after the ceremony!” “It’s okay; it’s not too late yet. There are many artists in the streets ahead, including painters who specialize in designing crests for nobles. You just need to state your requirements.” Hearing this, Donald decided to act right away. Cornelia, the young girl, was also very interested and kept mentioning things she liked as references for Donald’s family crest. Through Ferdinand’s connections in the capital, the three of them arrived at a very quiet courtyard. Although there were only a few rooms, having such a large courtyard in a bustling city like Kosovo already meant they belonged to a wealthy family. The owner of the courtyard was an expert painter who was also skilled in carving and casting. Usually, after designing a family emblem, it would be crafted right at this master’s home, eliminating the need for a second visit. “This painting master isn’t someone ordinary can hire. Though he doesn’t have noble status, Master Bosse is a member of the scholars’ guild and has good relationships with His Majesty the King and several masters from the Mage Association. He agreed to take on your commission out of respect for you as a great hero who fought against the orcs!” After hearing Ferdinand’s somewhat teasing introduction, Donald became quite interested in Master Bosse. Those who could be called masters were individuals who had achieved remarkable success in a certain field, such as silver mages or architectural scholars. It was understandable for such people to be somewhat aloof or have peculiar temperaments. Upon meeting Master Bosse, his first words surprised Donald. “Is that old fool Messel still alive?” asked the thin old man dressed in a scholar’s robe bluntly. “Does the master know my teacher?”

The old man sneered and said, “Who doesn’t know that though Messel has top-tier alchemical talent, he lacks any artistic sense at all? The items he creates are so ugly they’re unwatchable. It was only because I helped him with the final touches that he became famous. Do you think I don’t know that old fellow?”
After hearing this, Donald realized he had encountered an old acquaintance of his teacher.
Although the old man spoke rudely, the care and affection behind his words were genuine. So Donald respectfully paid his respects to this master.
“You don’t need to get too excited just yet. I only agreed to design a badge for you out of consideration for that old Messel. But if your requirements don’t meet my standards, no amount of money will do! Tell me what you have in mind!” Hearing this, Donald gave Ferdinand a wry smile—the temper of this Bosse master was truly formidable.
Ferdinand also returned a helpless smile to Donald. He had thought he was being introduced through his own connections, only to find out he was relying on his teacher’s influence.
Constance, on the other hand, found the situation amusing and playfully stuck out her cute little tongue at both her brother and Donald.
The new family crest was essentially designed by Donald himself. Although the old artist Bosse was serious, Donald had many exquisite patterns from past games and animations as references. With his advanced aesthetic sense, even if the design failed, it probably wouldn’t be that ugly!
Though Bosse didn’t say anything, he was actually quite satisfied with the style and concept proposed by Donald. After working all night, the design for the Merlin family crest was finally completed.
On either side were intertwined rose branches. At the bottom were two symmetrical griffins on each side, their eagle claws still gripping a long spear and a greatsword. At the top was a shortened, widened oak trunk, its roots entwined with the rose branches and extending deep into the soil beneath the griffins. At the center, within a six-pointed star, was a pattern of a pale golden book.
If anyone could see through the secrets within Donald’s body, they would realize that the book on the family crest resembled the Book of Artifact Summoning.
Originally, Donald wanted to include patterns from fantasy worlds, but they didn’t quite fit the rules of this world. For example, if he had tried to use the Crown of the Lich King or the Ice Throne, it would have been impressive, but the royal families would have seen it as a sign of rebellion. They might immediately declare his hereditary title and lands revoked and send people to lock him up for trial.

Even a coat of arms like Donald’s, which is more complex than those of some high nobles, is not prohibited by law from having additional elements. However, traditionally, only events and situations that represent the family’s glory can be added to the family coat of arms, and this rule applies even to the royal family. In a world where printing technology was highly underdeveloped, overly complex coats of arms were inconvenient and difficult to remember. Thus, most small and medium-sized noble families used simple symbols such as animals, plants, or weapons, supplemented by some decorative patterns. Despite its complexity, everything in Donald’s designed family coat of arms complied with the rules. The rose branches symbolized noble bloodline, while the oak represented nature; the Tree of Life, known only to Donald, indicated that the Merlinna family had a noble origin and natural environments such as forests in their lands. There was also a hidden meaning: since the Tree of Life had been created, Donald knew he would eventually summon elves, so he prepared in advance. The oak could represent natural races such as elves. The griffin was a variant of the black eagle in the original coat of arms; Donald liked to create griffin knights of human origin and admired these intelligent birds of prey. The spear and sword crossed in the griffin’s claws symbolized the ancestors of the Merlinna family who had accompanied the Celtic founding monarch and King Seven in expanding their territories, as well as proof that the family had produced knights. The six-pointed star and book represented mysterious magic and knowledge, with the six-pointed star formation being the most basic summoning spell. These two elements were the most important parts of the coat of arms, indicating that the family had produced magicians—a matter of equal honor to having produced a queen among the nobility.