Chapter 103: 104 Beaten to the Punch

Chapter 103, 104. First to the Gate

Ronin read the words on the parchment, and a slow, simmering rage rose within him.

If he were on Earth right now, he would have already spat out those four vulgar words.

But before Rulans, he held himself back—just barely—though a flicker of unnatural expression still crept across his face.

To be honest, he hadn’t expected Cen’s report on the Black Collar Tribe to arrive so swiftly.

Excellent. This Baron Raisen had just become even more detestable to him.

“Whether or not you came to Wushan Castle today, you may not attack the Black Collar Tribe now.”

Rulans noticed the shift in Ronin’s expression.

Seeing his grandson thwarted, he almost smiled. A little humiliation now wouldn’t hurt Ronin—it would teach him more about power struggles.

“Since the Black Collar Tribe has fallen under Raisen’s control, it is no longer a wild tribe. Until Wushan Castle redistributes its holdings, it remains under Raisen’s temporary authority.”

“If you attack it, you will be unilaterally declaring war on the Cen Domain. Baron Raisen can then invoke noble law to bring charges against you in Wushan City—you’ll face a joint trial by many lords, including Wushan Castle itself.”

Ronin suppressed his fury, weighing Rulans’ words.

Indeed, once the Black Collar Tribe slipped into Cen’s grasp, he had lost the initiative.

Whether or not he had come to Wushan Castle, whether or not Raisen had sent this letter—Ronin’s sudden assault would be an act of war.

He was grateful, then, that after taking the Gray Soil Tribe, he hadn’t charged straight into the Black Collar Tribe. Otherwise, he’d be in a far worse position.

Rulans continued: “So I can only grant you the rights to manage three tribes. But equally, I will temporarily assign the Black Collar Tribe’s management rights to the Cen Domain.”

He smiled. “However, since the Black Collar Tribe is the strongest of the wild tribes—vast in land, populous—I will charge Baron Raisen five hundred gold coins annually for its management.”

Uh…

Ronin paused, then nearly laughed. The anger in his chest began to ebb.

Five hundred gold coins? For a baron? That would sting. Raisen would have to sell a fortune in cattle.

Put in his shoes, Raisen must be seething at Ronin too.

After all, Raisen had likely controlled the Black Collar Tribe for one or two years, planning to slowly devour the other three. He never imagined a Ronin would appear in the Forest Town.

And he certainly never imagined Ronin would strike so fast—before he could even react, the three tribes were already gone.

If given the chance, Raisen would have marched his army and seized all three at once.

Now, Ronin couldn’t easily attack him—and neither could he attack Ronin. The stalemate held.

For Ronin, the enmity between them had long been forged in blood and death.

When the time came, he would topple Baron Raisen entirely—and swallow the Cen Domain, leaving only one noble at the northern edge of Wushan.

And there was another detail worth noting.

Raisen’s letter was delivered in an odd way: first sent to his son, then passed through Breton to reach Rulans.

Meaning Raisen had backing—Breton? Or perhaps the Hyde family?

Either way, it was a message: Cen Domain had powerful patrons.

With that matter settled, half of Ronin’s purpose in coming to Wushan City had been achieved. He shifted to lighter talk.

“Grandfather, what really happened to Father?”

He asked: “It’s been over a month. Has anything been uncovered? Who did this?”

“A guild called the Skull Society. You’ve heard the name.”

Ronin nodded. On his way to Forest Town, the mage Pedro—who had tried to kill the brother and sister of Lake Town—had been from the Skull Society. He hadn’t expected his father’s assassination to be tied to them too.

“They, like the Black Gold Brotherhood and the Polent Bandits, arose from the lawless southern reaches of Wushan.”

Rulans added: “This is the conclusion of the Hyde family’s investigation. They believe the Skull Society is a splinter of the Black Gold Brotherhood.”

The Black Gold Brotherhood…

Ronin had heard that name many times since his arrival. He was startled.

“What kind of organization is this? Why has it survived so long? Why does it keep rising again, like a plague?”

Rulans turned his cane slowly, and his mood darkened at the mention of it.

“Many say it’s a league of powerful knights who refuse to swear fealty to nobles, aiming to create chaos along the border of Wushan and the Duchy of Vila, then carve out their own territory by force.”

He let out a dry, bitter chuckle. “But I know better. The Black Gold Brotherhood is backed by the Duchy of Vila.”

Ronin’s heart clenched.

Vila Duchy bordered Wushan. Count Auson Hyde was called the Border Count—the border being precisely the land touching Vila.

Yet relations between Wushan and Vila had always been poisoned. Thirty years ago, they had gone to war.

Peace came only through the mediation of the Auduin royal house.

The root of their feud lay in the Battle of Mist City.

That was the war between the Auduin royal house and the southern Trisian royal house for the true crown.

At the time, both the Wushan and Vila families were counts, both had earned great glory.

In the final royalist battle, Andreia Vila delivered false intelligence, causing the kingdom’s commander to make a fatal miscalculation—Rulans’ forces were surrounded in Mist City.

Though he broke through, Rulans was gravely wounded—and never fully recovered.

More devastatingly, young Greymes, the Wushan heir—a bronze-rank knight barely past youth—fell in battle.

Andreia later swore he had nothing to do with it, that he had merely submitted intelligence, never vouched for its truth.

Yet the outcome: Rulans became a marquis. The Vila family was raised to dukes.

And so Rulans’ hatred for the Duchy of Vila festered. Even now, speaking of it, his ancient heart stirred.

The old marquis sighed. He did not wish to dwell further. He changed the subject.

“After learning this, both Viggins and Breton urged that we launch a new campaign against the Black Gold Brotherhood next spring—to avenge Viggins’ broken leg, and to show the world Wushan Castle’s strength.”

He looked at Ronin. “Do you think we should?”

He was asking for his opinion?

Ronin thought long and hard before answering:

“I know little of the Black Gold Brotherhood’s situation. But launching a large-scale war before spring planting is unwise.”

“And Father was assassinated on Count Hyde’s land. If we are to strike again, it should be the Hyde family that leads the charge—that is their duty as vassals of the Wushan line.”

As for showing Wushan Castle’s strength?

Honestly, the heir had been assassinated, crippled, nearly killed—everyone knew the truth.

Unless Rulans himself took the field, no victory would lift spirits.

But he hadn’t drawn his sword in over twenty years.

He was ill. He was old. He could no longer lift his blade.

Rulans gave the faintest nod at Ronin’s suggestion.

He himself had no desire to wage continuous war.

The greatest beneficiaries of war were never the Wushan family, nor his loyal vassals—but the Hydes.

“I will consider your advice,” Rulans said, rising slowly.

He whistled sharply into the mountain air.

The sound rang clear, echoing through the woods.

Ronin, sharp-eyed, noticed movement above—the trees trembled, and a crushing pressure rolled down from the heights.

“Ao wu~”

A piercing neigh echoed as a beast, swift as a velociraptor, leapt down from the mountain, wreathed in the power of lightning, making the air itself seem ionized—sending a faint electric tingle and sting across Rong’s skin.

This was Rong’s first time seeing a beast with his own eyes since his transmigration—and not just any beast, but a fifth-level one. The surging energy radiating from it sent a chill through his heart.

Even now, as a dual-classed high-rank, his chances against this creature were virtually nonexistent.

Lu Lans raised a hand to stroke the head of the Thunderwind Steed, which lowered its head slightly, nuzzling him affectionately, like a gentle puppy.

“I’ve rested for so many years,” Lu Lans chuckled, “and my old friend has been just as cooped up.”

He grinned at Rong. “How about I give it to you?”

(End of Chapter)