Chapter 278: Knights of Moonlight Valley

The reason Ronin had chosen to ride his dragon to the coastal town ahead of the others was precisely to prevent Amicus's wealth from being snatched away by Jesus of Moonlight Valley.

He had initially thought himself overthinking, believing that a royal count and the King’s own brother would look down upon such paltry riches, yet he never expected the man to actually send his men—and three gryphon riders, no less.

“If I remember correctly, there are five gryphons in Moonlight Valley, aren't there?”

“That is what the rumors say, my Lord,” Elrond replied.

“However, those five gryphons were bestowed by His Majesty Bruno when Jesus became a count of the kingdom. More than twenty years have passed since then, and there is no definitive word from the outside world on whether they have bred.”

Ronin raised an eyebrow. “I didn't realize you were so well-informed on these matters.”

“Haha, a while ago I traveled to a few places to gather ingredients for magical potions, and I heard plenty of news from the outside world while staying in the taverns.”

The three of them had all been summoned, and though they possessed a vast amount of information within their respective memories, they knew little of the current era.

Now, as their domain expanded and their experiences grew, the three were gradually aligning themselves with this world.

Ronin watched the figures in the sky growing clearer by the moment, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes. “What do you think? What if we capture these three gryphons?”

Rydel felt a stir of excitement. “My Lord, I too desire a flying mount.”

Macken nodded in agreement. “If we can get them, then I want one as well.”

For a knight to obtain a magical beast as a flying mount, there were generally only two ways: either by binding a contract with a wild flying beast, or by purchasing a domesticated one.

Both methods were exceedingly difficult.

First, only a seventh-tier Grand Archmage of the dark attribute could possibly craft a beast contract scroll, each selling for at least tens of thousands of gold coins and far from being mass-produced;

Second, the price of domesticated magical beasts was equally exorbitant, and they were not something just anyone could buy even if they had the coin.

Take gryphons, for instance; generally, only those who had rendered great service to the royal family or possessed special connections could hope to purchase one.

Ordinary people, even if wealthy, lacked the channels to do so.

Ronin's mind raced, analyzing the feasibility of the endeavor.

Undeniably, to possess these three gryphons, they would have to eliminate the three gryphon riders.

Setting aside whether the four of them could kill the three opponents, even if they could achieve it, the consequences had to be considered.

Many servants who had fled from the coastal castle had seen him arrive, and surely many had witnessed the three gryphons landing inside the fortress.

If these three died afterward, Jesus would absolutely discover it upon investigation, providing him with the perfect excuse to attack the Black Mountain fief.

Furthermore, once war truly broke out, King Bruno might find it difficult to mediate.

After all, Jesus carried the royal bloodline. For Ronin to do such a thing openly was not only a slap to Jesus's face, but to some extent, it also disgraced the entire royal family.

“Look at how eager you all are.”

Ronin laughed aloud. “Now is not the time. When the opportunity comes, I will get a flying mount for each of you.”

The three could only sigh, secretly lamenting the missed chance.

During their conversation, the three gryphons descended from the heavens.

The tall knight leading them had originally intended to restrain Ronin's group and force them to lead the way to Amicus's private warehouse, but upon landing before them, he realized these four were rather extraordinary.

Facing the fourth-tier magical beasts, the gryphons, they showed not a shred of fear.

Suddenly, Idrissa's gaze froze as he noticed the color of Ronin's hair. “A member of the Black Mountain family?”

Ronin smiled faintly. “If my guess is correct, you must be knights under the Count of Moonlight Valley?”

Idrissa's heart sank instantly; disaster, they had arrived too late.

Nevertheless, his face remained composed as he bowed and said, “Idrissa Shea, Commander of the Second Knight Order of Moonlight Valley, extends his greetings to you.”

He paused, lifting his eyes to ask, “Are you Viscount Ronin of the Northern Black Mountain fief?”

Ronin nodded.

He was unsure how many knight orders Moonlight Valley possessed, but anyone who could become a commander was at least a Silver Knight, and a top-tier one at that.

A royal count like Jesus bound to have numerous followers.

For Idrissa to stand out among them, he either possessed connections or formidable strength.

Ronin leaned toward the latter; the man was likely a Gold Knight.

Moreover, at Rulans's birthday banquet, aside from Ramsey the Meteor Knight, the other person who accompanied Jesus to Black Mountain Castle was not among the three before him.

Although gryphons were domesticated, they were not creatures just anyone could ride; much like a rider and a horse required a period of mutual adaptation, knights and gryphons also needed training together.

From this, it was evident that Moonlight Valley possessed far more than just five gryphons.

Ronin looked at the other with a beaming smile. “I wonder what brings the knights of Moonlight Valley to my Black Mountain fief?”

Idrissa felt a wave of embarrassment.

He could not comprehend it; wasn't Ronin supposed to be over at Red Mountain Town? How had he reached the coastal town so quickly?

Faced with this question, he certainly could not admit he was ordered to seize Amicus's property.

With his mind churning, he could only offer a hollow laugh and give a highly far-fetched excuse.

“I have heard that the scenery of the coastal castle is quite splendid, but regrettably, it has been occupied by bandits, leaving me no opportunity to visit. This time, I happened to hear that the army led by you annihilated the Boland bandits, and as Commanders Angus, Trip, and I just happened to pass through, we wished to come down and take a look.”

This reason sounded entirely fabricated to anyone listening, yet it served as a formal statement.

Idrissa hastily changed the subject: “Allow me to congratulate Viscount Ronin on this grand victory, eliminating a major threat to the Black Mountain fief!”

Ronin smiled, casting a subtle glance at the two men behind Idrissa.

He had not expected all three to be commanders of knight orders; their strength could not be low.

Fortunately, they hadn't struck just now; otherwise, it might not have been so easy to keep them here.

“I, too, am a lover of scenery.”

Ronin followed the man’s lead and extended an invitation, “Since that is the case, why don't we tour the coastal castle together?”

Idrissa was in no mood to sightsee around a fortress; he promptly declined the invitation politely and departed in haste with his two companions.

“My Lord, the two knights behind Idrissa harbored hostility toward you just now,” Rydel warned.

“If it weren't for Idrissa showing no intention to attack, they might have struck directly.”

This time, the joint plan of the Boland bandits and Coreen had been shattered by Ronin, and as the backing force, Jesus must hate Ronin to the bone.

If the three of them could eliminate Ronin here, it would undoubtedly appease Jesus's anger.

“Idrissa is more prudent. I fear he, like us, is afraid of initiating a direct war between Moonlight Valley and the Black Mountain fief.”

Ronin felt a lingering dread. “Fortunately, it wasn't Ramsey who came this time; otherwise, they might truly have struck directly.”

Reflecting on how difficult even an exhausted Meteor-tier like Amicus had been to deal with, if a fully restored Ramsey had come, Ronin feared he would have had no choice but to ride his dragon and flee.

“The coastal town is a place of trouble; let us leave early.”

The Black Mountain fief and Moonlight Valley would perhaps face a war where both sides would personally take the field sooner or later.

When Idrissa returned to Moonlight Valley with the news that the coastal castle had been occupied by Ronin, Jesus smashed the crystal cup on his desk to pieces.

It was one thing for the Boland bandits to be wiped out, as he had not personally participated.

But this time, retrieving Amicus's legacy was an order he had issued himself, yet it was still intercepted by Ronin; Jesus could not accept this.

This Luo Ning must have anticipated that I would send someone to the Shore Fortress!”

Hesus’s eyes flashed with murderous intent: “The Shore Fortress is undefended now, Ramsay—slip in under cover of night and kill Luo Ning.”

Ramsay had been about to dissuade him, but then he realized that as long as the operation was conducted with stealth, there was no issue whatsoever.

Alas, he was doomed to make the journey in vain.

At this very moment, Luo Ning had already ridden back to Red Mountain Town atop Carlos. (End of chapter)