Chapter 148: 148 Sowing Dissension

Chapter 148: 148. Sowing Discord

Aside from himself, Ronin took only McKane and Tom on this journey to Wushan Castle.

The caravan from Ironhoof Castle, however, was a vastly different affair, boasting no fewer than ten carriages, each drawn by a pair of horses, escorted by a squad of knights, and accompanied by seven or eight male and female servants, a display of grand magnificence.

In the words of Viscount Marvin, if an aristocrat did not care for pageantry while traveling, how else could the nobility of their status be manifested?

To this, Ronin could only offer a silent, knowing smile; he certainly wished to be noble, but his economic strength simply did not permit it.

The caravan moved at no sluggish pace, and according to the itinerary laid out by Ironhoof Castle, they would arrive at Wushan Castle on the twenty-sixth, which left them ample time.

The journey itself was tedious, especially when traveling with another's retinue; Ronin felt constrained, finding it rather inconvenient to practice either magic or battle techniques.

Rognar, on the other hand, was so bored that he repeatedly sought to spar with McKane, under the impression that they were both high knights, whereas McKane had long since reached the silver rank and had to carefully restrain his strength during their bouts.

"My lord, there is a caravan ahead," McKane reported as they rode along.

Ronin craned his neck to look past the front of their convoy and indeed spotted a company not far ahead; though its scale could not match that of Ironhoof Castle, it clearly belonged to nobility.

"Haha, it is the caravan of the Sien Domain."

Viscount Marvin laughed and said, "Come, Ronin, let us go over and greet him."

By all rights, a viscount like himself would not usually condescend to take the initiative to greet Leisen, but such was Marvin's disposition; he felt physically uncomfortable if he did not utter a few words of mockery.

Moreover, with Ronin by his side, he could hardly wait to see exactly what kind of expression would appear on Leisen's face.

Thus, Marvin led Ronin forward, with McKane, Rognar, and a few other professional knights following close behind.

On the other side, Leisen had naturally noticed the caravan behind him; originally, he had intended to proceed as usual, never expecting the people behind to catch up so aggressively.

Upon seeing that it was Marvin and Ronin, his countenance instantly darkened.

"Oh my, if it isn't Baron Leisen of the Sien Domain?"

Before his horse had even come to a halt, Marvin's mocking voice reached Leisen's ears.

"I heard you lost to a high knight over in the Wubei Woodlands; I wanted to ask a couple of questions on behalf of my son, was that high knight truly so powerful?"

Ronin looked askance from the side; such blatant provocation, giving the man absolutely no face at all?

Leisen's expression was exceedingly unsightly; had the other man not been stronger, he truly wished to leap forward and rip that mocking mouth to shreds!

"Heh, your tongue is as sharp as ever, Marvin. I recall a certain someone who, while at the silver rank, also lost to a bronze knight, did he not?"

"Now that the other man has become a gold knight, you remain merely a silver knight. What right do you have to mock me?"

Ronin could not help but glance at Marvin; such a thing had happened?

Sure enough, Marvin's face fell in turn. "At least I lost within the same major rank, whereas you were a whole major rank ahead of the other person. Exactly who is the one who cannot afford to lose face?"

When breaking through to a major rank, a knight's physical body undergoes a strengthening.

Generally speaking, a bronze knight would be vastly ahead of a peak high knight, whereas the gap between a peak bronze knight and an early silver knight, though present, was not overwhelmingly vast within the same major tier.

Therefore, Marvin's words held a certain truth; by comparison, Leisen was indeed the more disgraceful one.

Leisen let out a cold snort, refusing to entangle himself further with Marvin, and turned his gaze toward Ronin instead. "I thought this heavy snow would trap you in the deep mountains, unable to emerge. Now it seems Baron Ronin is perfectly safe and sound, seemingly unaffected by the blizzard."

The matter he cared about most was whether the Skeleton Society had actually gone to assassinate Ronin.

"Thank you for your concern, Baron Leisen."

No trace of hatred showed on Ronin's face, appearing no different from usual. "As the grandson of the Marquis and a vassal of Wushan Castle, no matter how heavy the snow, I have no reason not to present myself."

Leisen's mind eased slightly; whether or not the Skeleton Society had gone to assassinate Ronin, at least this matter had nothing to do with him.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for Ronin to appear so composed before him.

Ronin's gaze bypassed Leisen and fell upon the burly knight behind him. "What is this? You brought Knight Joffrey with you on this journey, where is Philidun?"

Leisen glanced back at Joffrey. "Baron Ronin seems very concerned about my subordinate?"

Ronin deliberately left the man's question unanswered, not even sparing Leisen a glance.

He raised his hand to greet the leader of the Black Collar Tribe. "Knight Joffrey, the words Ruidar spoke to you remain forever valid. The gates of my Shanlin Castle are always open to you. Whenever you wish, you may join my command at any time!"

These words completely bewildered Joffrey, leaving him momentarily at a loss as to whether he should return Ronin's greeting or explain to Leisen that he harbored no thoughts of betrayal.

"Hahahahaha!"

Viscount Marvin threw his head back and laughed toward the sky; he did not know Joffrey, but he was entirely willing to fan the flames.

"Indeed, Joffrey! What future is there in following a lord who was defeated by a high knight? You might as well change the object of your allegiance. Ronin possesses the bloodline of the Wushan family, untold times more noble than Leisen. Following him will surely be better than your current situation!"

Bitterness welled up in Joffrey's heart; he had originally been the leader of the Black Collar Tribe, but after submitting to the Sien Domain, he had been gradually stripped of his authority, and he could feel the wariness and exclusion directed at him by the Sien Domain forces led by Knight Philidun.

The fundamental reason was simply that Joffrey's strength surpassed that of Philidun and the others.

If they wished to exclude him, so be it; at least within the Black Collar Tribe, he could live freely. Yet he never imagined that the words Ruidar spoke would be reported to Philidun by Knight Unai, resulting in his immediate transfer by Baron Leisen.

He truly had never thought about transferring his loyalty to Ronin.

After all, a professional knight could not casually alter the object of his allegiance; doing so would only make him appear cheap, and if done too often, it was highly likely that no noble would ever be willing to accept his fealty again.

"My lord, I..."

Just as he began to explain, he was cut short by Leisen's cold snort.

"Ronin, you are currently a vassal of Wushan Castle just as I am. Do not take things too far in all matters, and do not presume I dare not deal with you!"

Of course he dared, and indeed, the assassins had already been sent to his door.

In any case, once the winter festival concluded, Ronin would launch an attack on the Black Collar Tribe, so he was disinclined to maintain any friendly relations with the man.

As for driving a wedge between Joffrey and Leisen, that was because Ronin had discerned the heavy paranoia within the latter.

Ruidar had spoken but a single sentence, yet Leisen had already taken restrictive measures; this was blatantly unfair to Joffrey, whose loyalty had been brought into question.

As mentioned before, Ronin possessed a keen interest in a knight like Joffrey, whose background was not overly complex; it would be an excellent thing if he could be drawn over to serve him.

"Leisen, how dare you compare yourself to Ronin? No matter what is said, the bloodline of the Wushan family flows within his veins."

Marvin's gaze grew cold and deep, his tone carrying a faint thread of menace. "Or is it that you wish to replace the Wushan family and become the new masters of the Wushan Domain?"

"Bullshit!"

Leisen roared in anger. "My Sien Domain possesses absolute loyalty to Wushan Castle! Marvin, watch your mouth!"

He did not wish to remain here for a single moment longer. "Move!"

The caravan of the Sien Domain quickly resumed its march.

Ronin took two steps forward to keep pace, shouting aloud, "Joffrey, remember my words~"

Astride his horse, Leisen clenched his teeth, his face flushed with rage as his heart roared incessantly, "Damn it, damn it! Why hasn't the Skeleton Society struck yet? I want him dead!"

"My lord, I will not pledge allegiance to—"

"Shut up!"

Leisen barked in fury. "If you dare, do not blame me for slaughtering your entire family!"

Joffrey lowered his head and drew back to the side, a bitter taste lingering in his mouth.

"Do you truly wish to take in that Joffrey?" Viscount Marvin asked, gazing out at the receding caravan of the Sien Domain.

Ronin nodded with utmost seriousness. "Joffrey should be a peak high knight. If I can secure his following and allegiance, it would be equivalent to gaining another fierce general for my Shanlin Town."

“You, a mere baron, can afford to support so many high knights?”

High knights demand over thirty gold coins annually in salary; just a few more, and a typical barony would be bankrupt.

But for Ronin, this was no challenge—the magic scrolls crafted by Elron sold well enough to cover all these wages.

The only burden weighed on him were the bronze- and silver-ranked knights, especially the latter, who required 336 gold coins each year.

Fortunately, Macken asked little of gold; like Ridal, he earned five silver coins daily, maintaining a bronze-rank standard.

“Supporting a few more shouldn’t be too difficult, right?” Ronin returned to the caravan, leading the Stepping Cloud Steed.

Marvin watched his back. Today’s chance encounter with Rayson had deepened his understanding of Ronin.

The man’s desire to recruit high knights revealed clear ambitions of expansion.

Yet Marvin remained puzzled: where did Ronin draw his confidence, so unafraid of provoking Rayson?

Was it calculated certainty—or the bold ignorance of a calf unaware of the tiger?

(End of Chapter)