Chapter 138: 138 Defense Plan

Chapter 138: Defense Plan

A noble hiring an assassin to kill another noble was a grave crime.

As long as it went undiscovered, all was well; but if exposed, the noble would face, at minimum, fines and corporal punishment—and at worst, loss of title, confiscation of lands, and execution.

Rayson had likely never imagined the assassination would fail—perhaps he had never even imagined the assassin could be captured alive by Rowning.

It was precisely this foolish, self-defeating act that gave Rowning the perfect, righteous pretext to strike first.

Thus, his first move was to seize the Black Collar Tribe.

As for the Sain Estate, until Rayson was formally convicted, the land still belonged to the Sain family; it would be inappropriate for Rowning to send men to seize it outright.

He needed first to establish Rayson’s guilt—and the upcoming birthday banquet for Lord Rulans, on his seventy-sixth year, was undoubtedly the ideal stage.

As vassals of Castle Wushan, all nobles, barring irrevocable excuses, would attend their lord’s birthday celebration.

Rowning would go. Rayson would go. Not just the two of them—but nobles from Brilliant City, Black Serpent City, Horse Pasture City, and beyond—all would come.

At that moment, faced with Rowning’s accusations, let us see how Rayson would plead his case.

Though the Shadow had taken on workers, the watch over Mountain Keep was still tight.

Inside the dungeon, a professional knight and two guards were stationed, while two more stood guard outside the door.

Even though the assassin was battered, his foot broken by Rowning’s hand, and despite his injuries, his hands and feet remained bound—his invisibility would not save him.

Back in the inner keep, Chahar had already summoned William and two apprentice carpenters that morning to repair the rooms and windows damaged in yesterday’s battle.

Rowning took a moment to inspect the work, then asked William about the ironwood workshop’s output over the past month.

When he returned from Wushan City, he had brought twelve carpentry apprentices and two master carpenters, most of whom were now assigned to the ironwood workshop.

Since early November, they had produced twenty shields, sixty-five spears, sixteen breastplates, and five sets of lamellar armor.

Though production had accelerated considerably, they had still completed barely one-fifth of Wushan Castle’s order.

“William, we must speed up,” Rowning said. “Less than five months remain until delivery. Whether we fulfill this order depends entirely on you.”

“Don’t worry, my lord,” William replied. “We’ve already completed nearly one-fifth this month. With five months left, we’ll finish for sure.”

Rowning had originally contracted for a six-month delivery window—technically, it was entirely feasible.

“But these goods are for another purpose,” he added. “The ironwood workshop will have to remake everything. You have only five months to complete this order again.”

“What?” William set down the wood he was carving. “My lord, these finished pieces won’t count toward the order?”

Rowning nodded.

Since he planned to attack the Black Collar Tribe, the weapons and armor would be issued first to his own guards and knights.

Money could wait—the cost of casualties could not.

“Good heavens, my lord! You’re truly setting us an impossible task!” William complained. “The carpenters in the ironwood workshop barely sleep or eat to meet the six-month deadline—and now you want to take away the finished goods?”

“If I push them further, they’ll collapse…”

“Old William, our lord has never shortchanged you!” Chahar interjected sharply. “I’ve arranged the finest meals for the workshop, your wages are among the highest in the keep—and yet you complain about every little thing?”

“I’m not complaining—I’m stating facts!” William insisted. “My lord, you know as well as I do: working with black ironwood is brutally exhausting. Without proper food and rest, the carpenters will lose strength—and efficiency will plummet.”

“There’s always time to squeeze out,” Chahar pressed. “If needed, I’ll assign you more laborers.”

“It’s not about extra hands…”

“Enough,” Rowning cut in, surprised they had come to blows. “Do as much as you can without sacrificing rest. Five months remain—there’s still time.”

He paused, then continued: “After this trip, I’ll recruit more workers. The ironwood workshop will grow.”

He currently held three thousand one hundred gold coins—hoarding them earned no interest. Only by spending them could they gain value.

So, in two days, when he traveled to Horse Pasture City, he would purchase another batch of slaves.

According to Rowning’s plan, a true assembly line would soon emerge: teams for wood preparation, component crafting, lamellar weaving, and so on.

“Brother, you’re leaving again?” Elin asked, pausing as she walked Black Tiger down the corridor.

“Yes,” Rowning smiled. “My grandfather’s birthday is coming. I must attend his celebration.”

“I’ll take care of Black Tiger’s training—don’t worry. Don’t just play with him.”

“I know!” Elin nodded eagerly, then hesitated, her voice softening. “When… when will you take me with you? I want to be by your side.”

“Hmm…”

Rowning stroked his chin thoughtfully. “When you’re older, when your riding improves, and when your magic grows stronger—I’ll take you. Deal?”

This time, he wouldn’t bring a large retinue—just Macken, Tom, and himself. A little girl would be inconvenient.

“Oh…” Elin’s spirits drooped. The first two conditions were manageable—but strength? That was harder to measure.

Her mother had told her that mages of her talent advanced swiftly—if she practiced daily, she could become a mid-level mage in one or two years.

One or two years sounded fast—but to Elin, it felt agonizingly slow. She wished time would hurry.

Seeing her disappointment, Rowning walked over and ruffled her golden hair. “Don’t worry—it’ll come soon. When I return, I’ll bring you many books, all right?”

“Please!” Elin grinned. “Can you bring me some knightly novels too?”

“Well…”

Rowning nodded. “I’ll pick some out.”

The next afternoon, Commander Ridal, stationed at Ash Soil Village, returned to Mountain Keep with Tom.

“My lord,” Ridal bowed deeply, “the knights and mages of Ash Soil Village heard of your assassination attempt. They sent me to convey their deepest regards.”

“It is a mercy you remain unharmed!”

“Thank them for their concern,” Rowning said, gesturing for them to sit. Servants immediately brought tea, pastries, and fruit.

Ridal glanced at Macken. “Forgive my bluntness, Macken—you must devote far greater attention and precaution to my lord’s safety.”

“Yes, Commander!”

McKen felt a pang of shame—this was indeed his negligence; he had not considered the ability to become invisible.

“I’ve devised a method to counter invisible assassins, and now is a perfect time to discuss it with all of you.”

Over the past two days, he had carefully inquired into the nature of the Shadow Assassin’s invisibility technique.

According to their account, it was a special ability that manipulated dark-elemental aura to bend light, concealing the knight’s form within shadows and illumination.

Though the knight vanished from sight, his breath and weight remained—any sudden movement or use of aura would betray his presence.

Leveraging this insight, McKen conceived a solution—

Remove the stone slabs at the castle gate and lay down a path of pebbles that would clatter underfoot; any invisible intruder crossing it would inevitably make noise, alerting the guards.

Rydal nodded. “That is indeed a sound strategy. Remember to intensify the guards’ training.”

“Moreover, might we not install special wooden planks or custom-made carpets along the main building, the staircase to the Lord’s chamber, and the corridors—to expand the detectable zones?”

McKen agreed with this approach as well.

Ronin watched his two subordinates earnestly debating, a mixture of pride and amusement tugging at his lips.

“If we follow your designs, everyone who climbs the stairs or enters my study will be creaking and clattering like a haunted house—people will think this building is falling apart.”

He chuckled, “How about this? Hang a curtain of beads at the entrance—anyone passing through will trigger a sound. That’s sufficient. Don’t forget, we have a Storm Wolf in this building with extraordinary sensory perception.”

Rydal and McKen exchanged a glance, then spoke in unison: “The Lord’s solution is superior.”

Ronin clapped his hands, ending the discussion on enhancing his security.

“Enough, knights. Now let us turn to our battle plan against the Black Collar Tribe.”

(End of Chapter)