Chapter 102: 103 Q&A

Chapter 102 103. Q&A

Ronin had just settled down to rest for a brief moment before the evening banquet, but he never expected the old butler to send word that Rulance had summoned him.

His primary purpose in coming to Blackwood Castle this time was to see Rulance, so he set off for the rear courtyard without a moment's delay.

"Mr. Most, it has been a long time."

At the entrance of the rear courtyard, Ronin noticed the old butler standing there as if waiting for his arrival, and he stepped forward to greet him warmly.

"It has been a long time indeed, Young Master Ronin. You seem to have grown a bit taller and become much more mature since you last left!"

He praised with a genial smile, "The master highly commends your conquest of the savage tribes!"

Ronin's heart stirred. After his encounter with Hooker from the Silva Magical Commerce Chamber that day, he knew news of the conquest would spread, but he had not expected it to reach Blackwood Castle so quickly.

"The savage tribes had long lost the ability to offer frontal resistance after being battered by the years; I merely happened to locate their camps precisely."

Ronin downplayed the difficulty of the feat as much as possible: "I believe any noble leading two or three knights could have conquered them."

"You are far too modest."

Most made a gesture of invitation, "The master is at the rear mountain. Allow me to lead you there."

The rear mountain?

Ronin showed a look of surprise.

The rear mountain of Blackwood Castle was not small, and its environment was indeed secluded, but few people went there under normal circumstances—even Wiggins would not tread there lightly.

This was because Rulance's mount, the tier-five magical beast, the Thunder Windchaser, lived within the rear mountain.

Though it was a contracted magical beast and would not easily attack the inhabitants of the castle, the Thunder Windchaser would display hostility toward anyone stepping into its territory when it was in a foul mood, which was quite terrifying.

Ronin had not expected Rulance to arrange their meeting at the rear mountain.

"Then I shall trouble you to lead the way."

One after the other, the two followed the bluestone path into the rear mountain.

Although his predecessor had lived here for over a decade, he had rarely visited the rear mountain. Ronin looked around as he walked, feeling as though he were taking a stroll through a forest park.

Halfway up the rear mountain stood a luxurious house, which was the dwelling place of the Thunder Windchaser.

As Ronin drew closer, he observed the house carefully; it was adorned with reliefs, shimmering agates, and gemstones, and it even featured magical crystal lamps.

It seemed the house he lived in back in Mountain Woods Town could not even compare to a magical beast's mansion.

"You are here."

Rulance sat on a bench outside the house, leaning on his cane with his back to the foot of the mountain, without turning his head.

Most bowed slightly, then turned and walked back down the mountain.

Ronin walked over quickly, bowed in salutation, and said, "Grandfather, it has been a long time."

Rulance nodded slightly, sizing Ronin up from head to toe at the same time. "Compared to last time, you have grown quite a bit taller and matured significantly."

"Mr. Most just said the same about me."

Ronin said with a smile, "It appears I have indeed changed a little."

It was not just a little, but immensely; Rulance could hardly recognize him.

It was not a matter of appearance, but rather his speech and demeanor.

The previous Ronin had still acted like a child even at seventeen, obeying his discipline only with superficial words before forgetting it entirely the moment he turned around, leaving everyone helpless.

Whether it was psychological or not, he felt that the current Ronin exuded a sense of reassurance.

"I heard you conquered three savage tribes."

Rulance pointed to the bench opposite him, gesturing for Ronin to sit down. "Come, tell me about the process of your conquest."

Ronin naturally did not mind recounting the tale, as it was an excellent way to draw closer to the old marquess.

However, during the narration, he concealed certain details.

First of all, things like sericulture and ceramics certainly could not be mentioned; after all, those two plots of land had not truly become his property yet.

Secondly, he only vaguely brushed over his own strength. After all, advancing from an ordinary person to a dual-class high-tier extraordinary being in just two short months was simply too preposterous to speak aloud.

Thus, Ronin had no choice but to attribute as much credit as possible to McCain, claiming that McCain was a high-tier knight with formidable combat power.

As for the commander, Rydal, Ronin directly omitted him without a word.

"McCain?"

Rulance was astonished. "Is that the knight who exchanged a brief clash with Wiggins when you brought the traitor back that day? I thought he was merely a low-tier knight."

"McCain possesses excellent aptitude; he simply lacked the opportunity to prove himself."

Ronin explained, "He broke through shortly after arriving in Mountain Woods Town."

Rulance nodded silently. "Though you did not contribute much to the actual fighting, it is clear you possess decent insight into command. Otherwise, you would not have taken down three tribes in less than a month."

Command required the ability to acquire intelligence, analyze it, and arrange combat assignments. Judging by these three points, Ronin was far stronger than Wiggins.

Rulance sighed inwardly; had he known his grandson possessed a talent for command, he should have sent him into the knight order to gain experience rather than letting him study at the Blackwood Extraordinary Academy all this time.

"Grandfather praises me too highly."

Ronin shook his head. "In truth, the defensive capabilities of the savage tribes were too weak. They did not even have watchtowers; they were practically defenseless."

"Haha, you are far humbler than before."

After the laughter subsided, a brief silence fell between grandfather and grandson. It had been a long time since they had sat down to communicate like this.

"What do you intend to do with those three tribes?"

Here it was; the conversation had finally been steered toward the territory.

Ronin had just been pondering how to introduce this topic, and he had not expected Rulance to raise it voluntarily.

He thought about it for a moment and decided to be bold.

"Grandfather, all 1,051 people from those three savage tribes have been taken in by me. The extraordinary individuals who resisted have been killed, the remaining extraordinary ones have chosen to swear fealty to me, and the rest are working for me as slaves."

Rulance's eyes flickered. Ronin spoke these words lightly, but he could discern the latter's attitude toward his enemies from them. At the very least, he had not willfully executed everyone and understood the concept of absorbing others to grow stronger, which was sometimes a good thing.

"Although I could relocate all these captives to live in Mountain Woods Town, the savage tribes have cleared quite a lot of farmland over the years, and I do not wish to abandon it."

Ronin paused for a moment, looking directly into Rulance's eyes as he stated his purpose: "Therefore, I hope you, Grandfather, can grant the land where these three tribes reside to me, incorporating it into the domain of Mountain Woods Town."

He added, "By the way, I have also discovered a large tribe that poses a threat to Mountain Woods Town. It is called the 'Black Collar Tribe.' Once I conquer it, I hope to incorporate it into my territory as well."

From the very beginning of this conversation, Ronin had gathered a considerable amount of information.

First was the location of the meeting, then the other party's inquiry regarding the process of his conquest of the savage tribes, followed by the final evaluation. All of this indicated that Ronin's previous conjecture was highly likely to be correct—

He still held a certain status in Rulance's heart.

That was why Ronin opened his mouth wide to state his ambition; even if he were refused, it would not matter.

After all, there were only he and Rulance on this mountain, and no one else would spread word of his ambition.

Rulance looked intently at his grandson, the smile at the corners of his mouth growing more and more pronounced.

"Nobles all love to expand their territories. I did not expect that less than three months after becoming the Baron of Mountain Woods Town, you would contract this hobby so quickly."

Here, he shook his head. “But to grant you all these territories, your victories over the wild tribes alone are insufficient.”

He said, “In August’s war, we reclaimed seven castles and drove back the Black Gold Brotherhood. Yet due to your father’s mismanagement and your own blunders, five of those castles were forfeited as collateral to the Hyde family, who appointed their own lords. Only the remaining two were granted to knights loyal to our house.”

A heavy weight settled in Rongning’s chest—he had never imagined the Hyde family had seized five castles. Such a loss was devastating.

“There are many knights with greater military achievements than yours, yet none received land grants.”

Rulans explained earnestly, “When I made you Baron of Mountainwood, it was precisely because that region is remote, isolated, of little developmental value, and teeming with peril—hence no one objected. To grant you further expansion would be difficult to justify to the outside world.”

Though noble houses are powerful, they cannot act purely on whim; otherwise, the loyalty of the knights and lesser nobles under them would fray. Especially now, when Castle Wushan’s position is precarious.

Rongning understood this truth.

Yet he had a backup plan. “Then, Grandfather, might I at least temporarily administer these four wild tribes for you?”

If they couldn’t be granted, then at least let him manage them. That would be acceptable too.

“Of course!”

Rulans smiled. That had been his intention all along. “As administrator, you must pay the castle a set number of gold coins each year.”

“Ah?”

Rongning’s face twisted in distress. “You know I’m poor—I can barely afford to keep the adepts in my domain!”

“Hahaha~”

Rulans chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t fool me. You produce so many spell scrolls each month—you could earn over a hundred gold just selling them. A little administrative fee won’t break you.”

He raised one finger. “Ten gold per tribe. Thirty gold annually. Do you think I’m cheating you?”

Only then did Rongning exhale in relief. He’d feared the price would be exorbitant—this was clearly a true friend’s rate.

“No, Grandfather—it’s forty gold!”

He insisted, “There’s still the Black Cloak Tribe. I plan to seize it around next spring’s plowing season.”

But Rulans shook his head. “You won’t get the chance.”

Hmm?

Rongning’s smile vanished. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Why say that?”

“Lord Raisen of Sain’s domain sent a letter through his son, Tobretton. He wrote that, after a brutal battle last month—with over a hundred soldiers and several professional knights lost—Sain’s forces finally crushed the Black Cloak, the strongest wild tribe in the Northern Woods.”

Rulans pulled a parchment from his robe and tossed it lightly into Rongning’s hands.

“Like you, Lord Raisen wishes to annex the Black Cloak Tribe.”

(End of Chapter)