Mo Han quickly waved his hand with a smile upon hearing Ma Ke’s words. “Heh heh, no, not at all. I think these guards are quite loyal. They should thoroughly investigate any suspicious persons of unknown identity; there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, their actions deserve praise. Uncle Ma Ke, you’ve got that wrong this time.”

Hearing Mo Han’s reply, the Sky Dragon guards, who had been looking tense, finally breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't expected Duke Mo Han to have no airs whatsoever, making him much better than the other dukes in the Empire.

Just then, Ma Ke slapped his forehead and spoke up. “Seeing the Duke return, I was so caught up in my joy chatting with you that I forgot Your Grace was still standing at the door! Please, come in quickly, Your Grace. Miss Deli and the others will be overjoyed to know you’re back.”

After speaking, Ma Ke bowed low and stepped aside, signaling for Mo Han to enter first, showing his respect.

Seeing this, Mo Han smiled and said, “Uncle Ma Ke, please don’t be so formal. This is my first time home; why don’t you lead the way? Otherwise, I’ll likely make a fool of myself again.”

Hearing Mo Han’s response, Ma Ke shook his head with a stern expression. “Your Grace the Duke, I know you don’t care much for these courtesies. However, these are the proper forms a subordinate should observe toward their superior. Now that Your Grace holds the esteemed position of Duke in the Empire, I hope you can hold yourself strictly to these necessary protocols. I will instruct you on the route from behind; please rest assured, Your Grace.”

Mo Han saw that Ma Ke was acting out of concern for him. Though he hadn't known Ma Ke for long, Mo Han understood his temperament quite well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have appointed Ma Ke as the steward of his Ducal Estate. Ma Ke was the type of person who, once he settled on a course of action, found it extremely difficult to change his mind.

Thinking this, Mo Han stopped insisting and turned to walk in front, with Ma Ke respectfully following behind, instructing him on where to step.

While entering the Ducal Estate, Mo Han also learned from Ma Ke that the residence had only been officially completed half a month ago, and the Sky Dragon Legion guards at the gate had been personally assigned by the Emperor of the Sky Dragon Empire to be responsible for the estate’s security.

Originally, on this Dragon Soaring Continent, all high-ranking nobles of each empire were permitted to maintain their own private armed forces to protect their families. Furthermore, the higher the noble’s rank, the greater the armed strength they were allowed, and the larger the scale of the military force permitted. For instance, an Imperial Viscount was allowed a private force of one hundred men, while an Earl could command five hundred personal guards. A Marquis was generally permitted one thousand private guards. As for an Imperial Duke, they were allowed two thousand private guards. The expenses for these guard units were borne entirely by the respective nobles, and they were normally under the command of their noble masters, free from direct state jurisdiction. However, the number of private troops allowed absolutely could not exceed the Empire’s specified limit. If a Viscount was only allowed one hundred men, they absolutely could not command one hundred and ten; the extra ten accounted for the maximum permissible floating number allowed by the Empire.

Any noble exceeding this limit would face severe punishment from the Empire. Unless granted special imperial permission, they would be tried for treason. Thus, no noble dared to transgress this boundary. Of course, nobles holding key official posts were an exception. Take the Murong family, for example; although Murong Tian was also an Imperial Duke, the private army guarding the Murong Estate certainly numbered far more than two thousand men.

As for Mo Han, despite being an Imperial Duke, due to various unique circumstances, he had never possessed his own private army, leaving the Ducal Estate without dedicated protection. Mo Han could have directly recruited mercenaries or retired soldiers from the populace to form his own private force, but the Emperor of the Sky Dragon Empire felt that Mo Han’s contributions were incomparable to any other noble in the Empire, meaning he could not be managed by ordinary regulations. He deserved special consideration.

Ultimately, the Emperor decided to assign three thousand elite soldiers from the Royal Guard of the Sky Dragon Legion—the Empire’s most elite force—to Mo Han to serve as the Ducal Estate’s private army, safeguarding its security, under Mo Han’s sole command and no longer under the direct jurisdiction of the Sky Dragon Legion.

This decision initially provoked strong reactions from some nobles, as it was unprecedented in the founding history of the Sky Dragon Empire for the Emperor’s direct Royal Guards to serve as the private army for any noble; indeed, there was no precedent for this across the entire Dragon Soaring Continent. Consequently, these nobles argued that the Emperor’s action violated established rules and risked diminishing the Empire's authority.

Yet, under the Emperor’s steadfast insistence, supported by the Murong and Gongsun families, the imperial decree was carried out. Finally, two commanders formerly belonging to the Sky Dragon Legion Royal Guard led the three thousand guards to garrison the Ducal Estate and its fiefdom, responsible for its safety under Mo Han’s direct command. One commander was surnamed Dai, and the other Gao; they were respectively responsible for protecting the Ducal Estate and the safety of the fiefdom. Mo Han had already met the Commander Dai responsible for the Ducal Estate’s security—the very officer he saw at the gate just now—and his impression of him was quite good. As for Commander Gao, Mo Han would only meet him upon reaching the fiefdom.

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