Chapter 244: Emergency Situation

Red Mountain Town.

The atmosphere among the five knight squads stationed here, belonging to the Fifth Knights Regiment of Crow Mountain Keep, had grown increasingly grim of late.

They had noticed that the forces from Casseel Town were growing larger by the day, to the extent that during daylight hours, standing upon the high peaks, they could clearly see the enemy cavalry sweeping out of the settlement.

The opposing side had not only pitched camp outside the town but had also dispatched scouts and similar figures to observe the terrain and topography along the mountain paths, seemingly making preparations for an assault.

War could erupt at any given moment.

“How is the situation tonight?”

Vice Commander Hahn ascended the high slope, inquiring of the captains of the two knight squads standing guard here this evening.

He narrowed his eyes, peering into the distance.

The soldiers of Casseel Town had already constructed several encampments outside their walls, where bonfires currently blazed, showing an absolute disregard for the defenders here at Red Mountain Town.

Yet the crux of the matter was that they did not dare to launch a proactive strike.

On one hand, they were uncertain of the enemy’s true strength;

on the other hand, communications and negotiations had been ongoing over the past few days.

Of course, most importantly, Hahn felt their defensive fortifications were excellent, and charging out to fight was entirely unwise.

“Compared to yesterday, there is one more bonfire; another batch of men must have arrived.”

One captain pointed toward the bonfires on the right-hand side, saying, “By the looks of it, they have been continuously moving troops over.”

The other captain followed suit, saying, “Lord Hahn, I believe we should summon the other knight squads as quickly as possible to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Mm, I have already notified Korien about this matter; his five knight squads are already on the road and are estimated to arrive tomorrow morning.”

Hahn was somewhat anxious; the results of the negotiations over these past two days had not been favorable, as the other side had arrogantly demanded a forty-percent share of the iron ore without any compensation.

Neither Hahn nor Korien would ever agree to this, and if things continued to develop in this manner, a fight might truly break out.

He wished for an atmosphere of imminent warfare here, yet he did not desire for an actual conflict to erupt.

“Those damned bastards!”

He frowned, narrowing his eyes as he stared intently at the opposite side, when suddenly, a flash of cold light seemed to gleam within his field of vision.

“What is that?”

Hahn’s heart suddenly tightened.

Very quickly, roars resounded from below, and at the same time, the radiance of battle-qi armor flared to life.

“Not good!”

The countenances of the three men changed drastically in an instant.

……

May twenty-fifth, Rhonin’s birthday.

The chefs and servants of Crow Mountain Keep were all preparing meticulously.

Even though today's guests were far fewer than those at the beginning of the year, there were still a few.

For instance, Rhonin’s older sister and brother-in-law, Sir Kabir and Lady McKinney of Radiant City, would come bringing their son, Martin Pedersen.

In addition to them, several knights who had cross paths with Rhonin had also received invitations.

Such as the father and son duo, Toru and Galier, the administrative officer Albert, the financial officer Khuri, as well as Knight Garman, whom Wiggins planned to arrange to escort supplies to Red Mountain Town.

Generally speaking, whenever Crow Mountain Keep hosted a banquet, they would appear in the capacity of “logistics,” rarely attending as guests, so they attached great importance to being able to attend tonight’s dinner.

“Hi, little Martin, long time no see.”

In the courtyard, Rhonin was warmly greeting his nephew.

Perhaps inheriting McKinney’s beauty, Martin looked quite delicate.

However, his height seemed to have been inherited from his father, Kabir; at only four years old, he stood at one-point-two meters, and he likely would not be short in the future.

“Martin, offer your blessings to your uncle quickly~” McKinney reminded from the side.

The young child was very obedient, immediately reciting a string of blessings to Rhonin, which made Rhonin smile and offer his thanks.

Not far away, Kabir sat leisurely under a sunshade, accompanying Wiggins as they ate afternoon dessert, while watching his wife and son playing with Rhonin.

His thoughts, however, drifted back to August of last year, a time when some speculated that Rhonin would die in Forest Town.

In the future, after Breton inherited the title, if he allowed the ascendant Hyde family to become too presumptuous, they hoped Martin could unite forces as McKinney’s husband to oppose Count Orson.

After all, half the blood flowing within his son Martin originated from the Crow Mountain family.

To be honest, he had hesitated for a moment back then; to the Pedersen family, which had not yet become true nobility, this was indeed an immense temptation.

However, he did not take any action, choosing instead to quietly observe the development of events.

Looking at it now, it was fortunate that he had not made any stance back then; who could have imagined that Rhonin, who had been dispatched to a wretchedly poor place like Forest Town, would rise so rapidly, not only making a stunning debut but also regaining the trust of the Marquis.

Kabir’s father was an ordinary mid-level knight of the Crow Mountain Keep Knights Regiment, and his mother was a common free citizen.

That he could become a knight-bachelor and marry McKinney depended ten percent on the opportunities his father gave him early on, and ninety percent on his own hard work.

Now, he was both the commander of the Second Knights Regiment and the acting administrator of Radiant City, making the Pedersen family a rising force within the Crow Mountain Ridge.

And as a rising force, the philosophy Pedersen believed in was to advance steadily and surely, not rushing blindly for merit, which also accorded with his rather cautious character.

Now that Rhonin had risen like a sudden star, he had even less need to consider future matters; what was more, Rulans was still around, and his father-in-law Wiggins was also alive and healthy, so no one knew what trajectory the future of Crow Mountain Ridge would follow.

After playing with Martin for a while, Rhonin returned to his chair, sat down, and took a sip of tea.

“Father, I thought for a long time last night, and there are two things I hope you can help me with.”

Wiggins removed the book covering his face and sat up somewhat sleepily, a smile appearing on his face.

For Rhonin to say this meant he had likely agreed to go to Red Mountain Town in his stead.

“Speak, Rhonin; as your father, as long as it is within my power to help, I certainly will.”

Beside them, Kabir also grew curious.

“The first matter is that the North Crow Territory is currently in a tense period of pioneering, and I need a large number of people to work for me. Therefore, see if you can allocate some people to me; whether they are free citizens or slaves, as long as they can work, it will do.”

Wiggins waved his hand grandly with hardly a second thought, “This is a small matter; Crow Mountain City has an ample population, and there are small towns and manors of all sizes nearby; whether they are free citizens or serfs, as long as I give the order, gathering ten or twenty thousand for you is absolutely no problem.”

As he spoke, he looked at Kabir beside him, “Radiant City has quite a population as well; when the time comes, Kabir, you pull some for Rhonin too.”

Rhonin looked at Kabir in surprise, not expecting this matter to drag the other party into it.

Kabir was also somewhat surprised, but he quickly recovered his smile, “No problem, I will arrange it after I return tomorrow.”

Speaking of which, he was merely the acting city lord of Radiant City, and the true master of this city was none other than Wiggins before him.

It was just that over these years, apart from paying attention to how much money he could get from Radiant City each year, Wiggins had handed over all other administrative and political matters to Kabir.

Today, Wiggins asking Kabir to allocate personnel to the North Crow Territory counted as the first task he had arranged as the city lord.

Fortunately, however, neither Crow Mountain City nor Radiant City lacked people, and drawing out a batch for the North Crow Territory was of little consequence.

“Then thank you very much, Kabir!” Rhonin said gratefully.

“You are most welcome; providing you with this bit of assistance is only right.”

Kabir had not spoken falsely—seeing Ubei Ling grow powerful was something he was pleased to witness.

“What is your second matter?”

Wiggins asked with a smile. “I’ve sent you this many people—surely worth over ten thousand gold coins. Don’t come asking me for more gold; my pockets are light.”

Ronin had finally figured it out: Wiggins placed great value on tangible currency. He had mentioned it once last night, and now he mentioned it again.

“Rest assured, my matter will bring you profit,” Ronin said with a smile.

“Oh?”

Wiggins’s eyes lit up. “Do tell.” (End of chapter)