Chapter 458: Spoils of War

Moonlight Valley.

After the fierce battle, the knights occupied Moonlight Castle and looted it. Apart from sporadic property they kept as trophies, most was surrendered for distribution by Rulance.

For nobles, victory in war often meant sudden wealth, especially in campaigns where castles were captured.

After two days of accounting, Rulance finally understood Hesus's wealth and distributed it according to military achievements and the losses of various nobles.

Unknown to others, Ronin not only received over 120,000 gold coins but also was allotted seven mana cannons, over three hundred sets of armor and protective gear, and more than a thousand weapons!

Just from this portion, one could see how wealthy Hesus truly was.

And besides these, there were two items that were particularly special, rare, and expensive.

First, five thousand kilograms of mithril.

Ronin needed to build ships combining mana and steam power, and mithril was essential for crafting magic arrays.

Five thousand kilograms of mithril solved a significant problem for Ronin.

Second, griffons.

Counting those killed on the battlefield, Hesus possessed over fifty griffons.

However, more than half of these griffons were juveniles, requiring two more years of rearing before they could be trained as mounts.

Under Rulance's distribution, Ronin received eight adult griffons and four juveniles.

The rest, apart from some for Black Mountain Castle, Rulance intended to reward Marvin, Kabir, Vittorino, Sandro, Melonica, and others with one or two each.

These individuals had contributed considerably lately, so giving them special rewards seemed justified.

Ronin looked at the list in his hand and couldn’t help smiling.

"Sophia, later you can choose a griffon yourselves," he said cheerfully. "Magic carpets are slower than griffons."

"That’s truly appreciated!"

Magic carpets had their advantages, carrying more people than griffons.

Of course, carrying more people meant greater mana consumption and slightly slower speed.

Nevertheless, with Sophia needing to gather materials and craft magical items later, having a faster mount was necessary.

"Ronin, what are your plans now?"

For Sophia, resolving such a major threat so quickly was unexpected.

Through this campaign, she once again realized the correctness of joining North Black Territory.

"I know you want to eliminate the remaining two emissaries soon, but although Black Mountain Territory won this battle, the losses were significant. Apart from knights, there were many trained cavalry and infantry, requiring time to recover."

"And for expeditions, many preparations are needed; food, for instance, is crucial."

Ronin analyzed and summarized, "So for some time, Black Mountain Territory and my North Black Territory will both recuperate."

Sophia nodded, not rushing, as she sensed dawn approaching.

She retrieved three books from her spatial ring.

"I can sense you’ve become a Sun Knight and Grand Magister. These are gifts for you."

Oh?

Ronin was surprised.

He hadn’t widely publicized defeating Gareth or disclosed his strength, yet Sophia had discerned it.

"What are these?"

Ronin curiously accepted them.

Sophia explained, "These three magic books are the ninth-level wind magic Shadow Wind and Destructive Storm, and the ninth-level fire magic Rain of Fire and Falling Stars, all fitting you well."

Shadow Wind could be seen as a combination of Wind Wings and Swiftness, with exceptionally high speed boosts; fully activated, it could rival current Carlose.

Destructive Storm and Rain of Fire and Falling Stars were both large-scale attack spells, ideal for relentless destruction.

"These are truly rare treasures!"

Ronin gratefully exclaimed.

These three magic books were immensely valuable, unexpectedly gifted to him.

Sophia smiled, "When you told me you’d become a legend within ten years, I doubted it, but now I believe it’s entirely possible. Since you promised to help me, I naturally hope you grow stronger!"

She looked at the books, smiling, "Though precious, only capable individuals can unleash their value."

Their help for Ronin had selfish motives, but not for personal gain.

To some extent, Sophia and the other four could be described as noble.

Ronin pledged, "Rest assured, we will eventually cross the Storm Sea and stand anew on the lands of Crescent Continent!"

...

Golden Feather Palace, Gareth, preoccupied and pausing frequently, spent over four days returning to the palace.

Upon arrival, he headed straight to Odun Hall.

Besides Brunor, the hall housed various kingdom officials discussing Hesus's funeral arrangements.

"Father!"

Gareth approached, "I don’t understand why you suddenly indulged Rulance and Ronin, even sending Brunor to aid him!"

Brunor frowned slightly, then smiled and waved, "So, Asenor, Luther, proceed with the agreed announcement of Hesus's death. Inform Duke Vargis that his daughter Dana also perished in this disaster."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Asenor and others bowed and exited the hall.

Brunor then turned to his son, "According to Brunor, you lost to Ronin?"

Gareth's expression darkened, yet he nodded.

Brunor inhaled deeply, "Then what strength does Ronin possess?"

Gareth shook his head, recalling the two exchanges; he still hadn’t grasped it.

"I don’t know his exact strength, because I lost too quickly..."

He looked at Brunor, "Father, Ronin is under twenty. If this continues, he will surely threaten the kingdom. We must find a way to eliminate him!"

"It’s too late..."

Brunor shook his head, "We’ve missed the chance to kill him."

"What do you mean?"

Gareth didn’t comprehend, "Can’t we mobilize all forces to deal with him?"

Though Ronin was strong, the kingdom wasn’t powerless.

With mana cannon bombardment, mana arrows, several Silver Moon ranks, multiple Meteor ranks, and several Magisters combined, victory should be possible.

Even if Ronin could flee, his territory and followers couldn’t.

Garrett did not believe that the other party would choose to abandon these things to survive alone.

"We could deal with him, but the cost is too great!"

Bruno said regretfully, "During the days you were away, I have already received news. Viscount Patrick from Screaming Island led five warships to besiege Riptide Island, and it seems they were defeated."

"Besides, the Verra Duchy armed the Black Gold Brotherhood with three knight corps, expecting them to penetrate deep into the Wushan Territory, but they were wiped out unexpectedly!"

Honestly, when he received these two pieces of information, he was stunned for a moment.

That means the Wushan Territory, while attacking Moonlight Valley, still maintained the capacity to fight on two other fronts.

The combat strength of this Marquis Territory was beyond his expectations.

Garrett, hearing these words, also froze.

After a moment, his expression became even more resolute: "Father, if that’s the case, we should ally with them to destroy Wushan Territory and kill Ronin, preventing him from growing stronger!"

Bruno still shook his head.

"If we were to start such a war, it would definitely be a desperate fight for them. Our losses would be enormous, and even you and I could face assassination risks."

"The civil strife in the Telesian Kingdom is intensifying, presenting an opportunity for the Odwin royal family to strengthen itself! Child, I don’t want to waste this chance on internal conflict."

He said, "The kingdom, ultimately, is composed of many large and small factions. Once we conquer this continent, with such vast territory, why worry about giving Ronin a share?"

Bruno had already made his decision.

"Moreover, I can see Ronin is a principled man. Given that he is Blanche’s husband, my son-in-law, and your brother-in-law, without absolute reason, he wouldn’t betray us."

The king gently shook his head, steering the conversation back.

"I never favored cooperating with the Soul Clan witches; letting it go now is good, avoiding future problems that could undermine our ruling authority."

Listening to these words, Garrett was stunned for a moment.

His intuition told him this approach was appropriate.

Yet, he found it hard to accept that a kingdom would compromise with a young man under twenty!

He also struggled to accept his own failure.

Bruno patted Garrett’s shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Now, to unite the continent, we need Ronin’s strength!"

Garrett took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, and nodded.

"Alright, Father, I understand..." (End of Chapter)